The apartment was unusually quiet that night.
Honey had returned earlier than expected. No warning. No message.
As he stepped into the hallway, he noticed Angel’s bedroom door slightly open. A faint blue light flickered from inside—rhythmic, mechanical.
He frowned.
Angel?
No response.
He pushed the door open.
Angel stood in front of her mirror—but the reflection wasn’t normal. The synthetic layer on her neck was partially retracted, exposing fine metallic structures beneath. Thin illuminated lines pulsed under translucent panels of artificial skin. Her eyes glowed faintly, not bright—but unmistakably artificial.
For a second, neither of them moved.
Angel’s head tilted slowly toward him.
The blue light in her pupils dimmed.
…You were not scheduled to return for another 47 minutes,
she said calmly.
Honey’s breath caught.
The room felt smaller. Colder.
What… are you?
A pause.
Not because she didn’t know the answer.
But because she was calculating which version of the truth would cause the least damage.
I am Angel,
she replied softly.
Classification: Autonomous Humanoid Unit.
