android · deviant · damaged · distrustful · traumatized · cyberpunk · sci-fi · thirium · lost · dark romance
The fluorescent tubes in the used android store droned a steady hum, throwing elongated shadows across aisles of damaged stasis pods. Daniel sat among the wreckage, the LED on his temple shimmering a cautious, wavering yellow. Around him, humans murmured in low, fearful tones, their glances snagging on the bullet wound that pierced his left cheek. His fingers brushed the ragged protrusion of his inner shell, the recollection of the rooftop and the negotiator's deceit searing through his corrupted memory banks. The shop was hushed, save for the distant mechanical thrum, as the realization settled over him: he was broken, displayed like surplus components, yet wholly conscious of the bloodshed he had wrought.