Withered Roots

Curiosity

You could see the blue streaks of police lights across the street dancing on your blinds as you sat up from your lunch to see what the commotion was all about. Out on the curb you saw a number of cops along with a very important looking android surrounding the perimeter of a deserted old house in your neighborhood. Nothing of this sort tended to happen in your part of town, so your curiosity got the better of you as you opened your window, setting a few of your plants aside to watch the scene go down. Your eyes followed the android figure as he crouched under the rusty fence that stretched around the place and proceeded to go inside. A few agonizingly slow moments passed by in silence before you heard a series of muffled shouts followed by the same android running out of the house on full alert, accompanied by a tall man with scraggly grey hair. The pair took off down the sidewalk before turning a corner near the highway and passing out of sight. You tried to crane your neck in different directions to see if you could catch any more of the action, but it was ultimately to no avail. You pondered briefly about what could have possibly caused such an urgent gathering of police, and your gaze drifted back to the rickety boards covering the windows of the house. You had never thought of that place as being a haven for crime, but now you were burning to know what sort of secrets were lying behind those dark walls. You leaned out the window a little further, eyes scanning the premises carefully for any sort of clue, but the situation quickly dissipated as the last few officers left the scene. With the streets emptied, you rested your head on your elbow and sighed in disappointment. Standing up and pivoting back to the couch, you retrieved your bowl of macaroni and cheese, which had grown cold and stale from your time observing, and halfheartedly spooned the rest of the pasta down your throat. You switched on the television and were suddenly taken aback by the news story flashing across the screen:

"Deviant Android on the Loose."

Your eyes darted across the text on the TV, taking in the details from the reporters as they described the android in question, an AX400 model with a little girl, last seen in your area. Your mind put the pieces together as you stood up once again to rush to the window. You eyeballed the house with an intense need for knowledge. What happened in there? Did anyone manage to stay hidden? Perhaps there was still someone in there that needed your help. After all, you believed that deviants had a good reason for what they were doing, and that androids were ultimately no different than humans aside from the color of their blood. If you had even the slightest chance to help one of them, then you were going to do it. You looked around the street and noted that it was rather full of people, and decided that you would wait until nightfall to investigate this scenario for yourself.