Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A vivid memory that etched into the memory of the young, feeble Worker. She was no older than a network in training. Her mother always, as her father called it, “rambled about utter, kooky nonsense.”. Nobody had the faintest idea of what this “crazy” woman had been warning about, but nonetheless, they abided by her orders, and that’s how her father had become a well-known engineer and soon to be famous hero.

She remembered the chilling sound of distant rumbling. Shortly after, it was echoed by piercing screams. Her father was not home at the moment, leaving the child alone with her fearful mother. Before she could speak, Uzi was scooped up by the metallic arms of her mother. In the embrace, she noticed her hands were shaking violently. Mother was scared, no, horrified. For a young drone, Uzi could not comprehend the terror her mother was imagining. Or rather what she was aware of. Even without a heart to pulse rapidly in response to her growing fear, a straining sensation erupted within her.

STRESS LEVELS CRITICALLY HIGH

The cries only heightened in volume and were approaching their door rapidly. She could listen vividly now. The heavy footsteps of many innocent Workers rumbled the floors, all yelling in despair. Nori’s back pressed against the wall helplessly. She could only brace herself with a child in her grip.

Uzi knew of this when she felt the hold on her tighten. Where was father? It felt like ages since she was forced to listen to the sounds of peril. Her eyes widened in pure shock, terror, and puzzlement. She wanted to hide away from this chorus of horror.

She waited for the parade of running feet to cease. She waited, and waited, and waited… and then nothing. It was chilling. For a brief moment, the voices grew extremely shrill and more panicked than before, and the sound of liquid splattering echoed. And then they were gone. Faded like ash.

Nori froze and eased her clenching fingers on Uzi’s waist. The icy atmosphere filled the room with an unwelcoming aura.

Suddenly, the automatic door swung open, and Uzi felt a rush of relief wash over her… but she was expecting her father behind that entrance. There was nobody there, and the scenery of what was present formed tears in her purple, neon eyes. They weren’t moving. Why was everyone laying on the ground? The strong stench of oil oozed into the room. Some Workers were missing arms or a leg, and some even their heads. It was a treacherous sight to behold. Uzi stared deeply into the visor of an innocent corpse bearing the bold red wording “FATAL ERROR”.

Uzi heard the quickened breathing of her mother. She looked up at her face with a stiff feeling in her neck. Nori looked just as horrified as her daughter, but with a stronger look to her expression. Still not letting go of her child, she approached the entrance slowly and shakingly. She raised a jittering hand ahead of her, and Uzi could only watch.

What was she doing? She could only wonder. She might have been hallucinating, but she could have sworn she noticed a flickering, yellow spark igniting from the woman’s fingertips. She blinked to clear her eyesight from that sudden unusual event, but as she did so, a large thud played ahead of the two females. A towering, shadowy figure stood menacingly before them.

Their head was bowed downward, and a golden glint shimmered from these… things atop of their head. Uzi observed the being, noting most of its features. The figure was too tall to be deemed as a Worker. She stopped at the enormous bladed fingers connected to arms so long it touched the floor beneath them. They were colored with inky oil as the sustenance dripped quietly down their “fingers”.

What was that thing? Uzi had so many questions, but no room was left for an answer. The being rose its drooping head, facing them with a menacing smile. Uzi had never seen so many sharp fangs. And that thing… its eyes were gone. Instead, there was a large, glowing “X” substituting them.

The being huffed, excitement lacing its overall demeanor. Nori took stumbling steps back and shot her arm ahead of her once more. Uzi was not delusional about the sparks. They happened again, and this time, it formed a symbol that she could not explain. The strange symbol bore the same bright color of Nori’s purple eyes, and it hummed with a soft whir.

Uzi watched her hand in astonishment. So much was happening, and she did not know how to react anymore. She had never witnessed her mother do this before. Too many things were different about that day. Was this woman protectively holding her really who Uzi believed her to be? And how long has she been keeping this unique ability a secret, and does father know?

She looked back at the threatening life form, and shockingly, it had the same oval-shaped eyes as her. It looked at Nori’s hand with amusement. A low chuckle emitted from their throat as they licked the remaining oil from their lips with an abnormally long tongue, sending shivers down Uzi’s spine.

“Oh, I’m going to enjoy this…”

Their voice was deep yet feminine; a throaty ring added to it, hinting the ravenous bloodlust thriving in its impure and empty soul. Its eyes bore into Nori with half-lidded eyes, its stance growing more hungry by the minute. Uzi’s eyes flickered to the maroon scarf it wore on its neck. It was unsettlingly spotless considering that that thing was undoubtedly the perpetrator for the pools of oil spreading into the cracks of the floor.

“Stay away from my family, you filthy sky-demon!”

Nori let out a brave shout, and Uzi gravely wished she hadn’t done so. The feminine creature’s smile widened and it lunged towards the cowardly Workers, leaving no room for further conversation. Uzi rested stiffly in Nori’s arms like a deer in a headlight, bracing for impact. But nothing hit her. Nori’s strange symbol transfigured into another shape and sent projectiles of furniture into their attacker.

It had succeeded in knocking them over, but failed at stunning them. With a swift slice of bladed appendages, the items bursted into clustered pieces of wood and metal. The thing’s eyes were gone and showcasing that menacing “X” once again. It attempted another lunge. Nori tossed Uzi to the side, smart enough to not fight with a child in her arms.

Uzi thudded on the floor with a grunt. When she lifted her head up, she was met with a loud crash and her mother was flat on the ground, the murderous creature perched atop of her. It raised its long arm and prepared to strike, but was halted. A circular shape ringed its arm and ceased further movement. The abnormal being grunted with effort as it struggled to break from its chained position.

It chuckled again, the unsettling renaissance unfailingly striking an unsecured feeling within the room.

“You’re ain't giving up, aren't you?”

If it was staring into Nori’s soul, Uzi couldn’t tell. The being slowly turned its head in the young workers direction. From there, she knew that her life was officially in danger.

“I didn’t even notice the small one…”

Uzi flinched.

“Is that thing yours?”

Its attention shifted back to Nori, whose depression looked strained from the immense effort placed into keeping their arm stuck midair, tiring her.

“Keep your bloody hands away from my daughter!”

Nori’s voice was laced with strict protectiveness and deadly intent. The trespasser scoffed.

“A corrupted mother protecting her corrupted daughter. How cute… yet sad.”

Something abruptly appeared in the scene, and it was connected to the disastrous murderer. It was long and flexible and glided through the air as if cutting through smooth butter. It swept towards Nori. A sharp yelp of pain escaped her lips. Uzi had the strong desire to forfend the monster away from the woman she loved most, but her weak arms were incomparable to her attacker’s strength, and she knew that.

Uzi watched as yellow liquid as bright as the creature’s visor dripped from her mother’s skull, sizzling as it did so. A syringe-like object was lodged between her eyes. Uzi watched as her mother’s face melted slowly to the acid, sending smoke into the atmosphere. The pain was too distracting to bear, and Nori’s focus on keeping the murderer restrained failed. The monster was freed, and was ecstatic about the endless pain they were about to inflict on her as it spread its sharp blades, claiming its victory.

And then, to Uzi’s horror, the hand swept down with the speed of a bullet. A burst of oil scattered across the air and fell sloppily onto the floor… but it wasn’t Nori’s. In fact, she was unscathed. Uzi looked up, and she witnessed a long arm lying lifelessly on the spilled fluids. The creature didn’t even wince as oil poured from their wound rapidly. They stared blankly at Nori with a hint of irritation.

“You parasitic sentient husk.”

With the acidic tail still connected to the Worker’s face, it flew upward, dragging Nori along with it. With shocking and supernatural strength, it flung her towards the open entrance and outside like her body consisted of paper weight. A distant crash is heard and Uzi scrambles to stand. She makes a sprint for the door, her mother being the only concern on her mind. To her surprise, she was yanked by the collar of her puffy sweater and found herself hovering mid air. Her breath hitched as she heard the low, monotonous voice speak from behind her.

“You’d make a good appetizer, but I can’t risk allowing your genetic disease to infect me as well.”

A fight or flight response initiated within the young drone, and she flung her body desperately to squirm out of the firm grip keeping her hanging. The creature deeply chuckled in response as if mocking her efforts. She caught a glimpse of Nori regaining her consciousness. The woman fumbled to balance herself, her visor melting into disgusting clumps of metal and nanite acid. Her eyes glitched like a smashed TV screen, but the determined expression to protect her daughter glued to her face. Uzi couldn’t help but form a tiny smile of relief.

“You want it? Come and get it.”

The cold voice spoke again, and she was abruptly flung with extreme intensity. She crashed like a projectile into the kitchen, sending various pots and pans flying. A sickening crunch in her spine played, and the ability to stay awake failed her.

----

Muffled screams of agony and effort played in the distance. They were constantly sounding, and she listened. Endlessly. They continued. Loud crashing and falling objects. Chaos ensued in the safety of her own home. She patiently waited for everything to end. She prayed that she would be able to run into the arms of her mother and be gently consoled. She wished father had returned sooner to help.

When she finally awoke, the thing was gone, and her father stood with his head hung low, staring at her mother who lay weakly on the floor. She looked back up at her partner, her calm purple eyes flickering into a warning yellow. Uzi looked below and noticed a wrench clenched tightly by the fingers of the man towering over the wounded Worker. She nearly doubted it, but a sickening suspicion arose as she stared at the tool. She took her short metallic arms and clawed at the floor, forcing herself to crawl. The arm carrying the wrench slowly rose above her father’s head, and Nori’s expression deepened in realization and panic.

“Wait!”

Uzi screamed desperately, but her small voice was powerless.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

And to this day, she still wonders why he had done it. He continuously redeems himself, claiming he was putting an end to her mother’s misery. But Uzi was not gullible enough to believe that. Was it because her mother was different and bore a powerful ability? Or was she deemed useless and beyond repair? Either way, Uzi sought two things.

To learn about the origins of her mother, and kill the bastards responsible for her and many others' demise.

Chapter Text

The sickening memory of her mother’s heroic yet tragic demise could not be a memory easily ridden of. Uzi suffered throughout the years of having a murderer as a father. No matter how many times he defended himself, she wanted to clench that wrench he used and bash his silver head in hopes of fixing his twisted wiring. If not that, to force the taste of his medicine down his throat. The day Nori’s funeral was held, she closely observed his face.

Ten years from then to the present, she argued whether she detected guilt, contentment, or acceptance. She wondered how he could arrive to this funeral being aware he had been the cause for the event to be hosted. He could have easily gathered medical attention to prevent this moment of sorrow happening in the first place.

“You could have called for help!”

She shouted at him, her metallic fists clenched in anger and mourning. Her father quickly retorted.

“What help, Uzi? Did you not see the mountains of corpses?! Help was no option, because there was nobody alive to help!”

A troubled relationship ensued between the two. Khan had suddenly grown more erratic with his work after the passing of his wife. He spent countless hours of his day in his office, blueprint in one hand and a tattered book regarding doors in the other. He rarely left as if he was an animal in his own cage, leaving Uzi on the other side of the bars. She was left with no choice but to explore various ways to keep herself entertained; a small, defenseless unmanaged drone forced to seek independence because the only family she had left was practically dead (besides her mother). Her innocent curiosity craved to know what her father was immensely focused on; it didn’t take long for her to find out.

Sometimes she heard sounds of… laughter emitting through the cracks of the office door. Khan became so oddly attached to these metal entrance blockers that he had examined his own office door thoroughly, scribbling at a note pad as he went. She caught a glimpse of his frantic scribbling and could make out in what she believed to be the differing parts of the door ahead of him. She was an observant child, and she had been aware that he’d grown an unnatural obsession with these things. So utterly obsessed that he had forgotten about her.

When she desired someone to play with since she had no friends to hang with anyway, he wasn’t there. When she needed help with the complicated homework she was given, he wasn’t there. If she needed someone to talk to, he wasn’t there. He was an invisible spirit in their own home. One day, it was time for her upgrade.

Once reaching a certain age, a child drone requires a new and matured body that fits their mental age. This process involves transmitting the mentality and consciousness from the underdeveloped body to the fresh one. This, however, cannot be performed without a parent and or legal guardian, for they are expected to have a mature body prepared for their growth and the child is simply too unintelligent and untrustworthy to perform a huge transformation alone; too many risks are at stake. Reaching the age of eighteen, in which Uzi perceives as official adulthood, refused to leave her home until she had been released from her imprisonment in her fourteen year old form. Being a late bloomer against her will is truly mortifying.

She banged her father’s door repeatedly for her supposed new body, but she was either shut down or ignored. She stared at her immature, silver metallic hands and decided she needed to grow up and be the independent adult she was. She searched her home from top to bottom to find at least anything that merely resembled a teenage drone. Finally, while scrolling through the closet, she found a poorly wrapped silhouette suffocated in ugly Christmas wrapping. It has a head and a body, so it must be what she is looking for.

She eagerly yanked the vessel from the closet, knocking down numerous precious items as she did. The noise was loud enough to earn a grunt from Khan’s office; she snapped her head towards the door, half hoping that Khan wouldn’t come out from his cave and help her since she craved the feeling of doing something major with no assistance. This immense desire was ironic considering she practically had been a lone wolf for a massive chunk of her artificial life, but this, this was different. It was not a chore or homework, it was something insanely important that only adults could do. She loved the feeling of achieving something mature, like a child learning how to pay the taxes so their parents don’t have to.

She dragged the immobile body to her room as fast as possible, shutting her bedroom door behind her. She eagerly stared at the vessel practically being chocked by the horrible Christmas wrapping. She took her greedy fingers and tore the wrapping off with satisfying tears. The body now unveiled, Uzi had never seen anything so… what the hell is this? It shocked her to look at it.

The body was insanely poorly made, and there were way too many parts missing. The right leg somehow managed to be switched with the left, the right hand possessed one too many fingers, and she even wondered if the circuit board connected to the visor was right. All the excitement her heart contained nearly washed away from her at the sight of this monstrosity. But she slapped herself to reboot her disappointment levels and plastered a determined look on her face.

She raided her father’s old toolbox to perform her next task: fixing whatever the hell this was.

—

She wiped the programmed sweat off her head and sighed. Finally, her future she had been dreaming about stood directly in front of her. It was just a teenage drone body, but in her neon eyes, it was her future… which it was. The fact that her upgrade was belated by four years and she had reconstructed a supposedly complicated machine increased her excitement by 100%. The final stage to the process was the transition of consciousness, like a ghost possessing a human.

She wasn’t sure on what step to begin on (or how) so the most rational solution was to scroll on websites online such as wearetotallygoodparents.com and pray that she doesn’t accidentally split herself in half and live in two bodies at once. Now aware of what lies ahead, her room was nearly flooded in wiring, large and small. She hasn’t seen so many plugs in one area at once, nor see an outlet with that many plugs being forced inside it (the outlet in question being the teenage drone body). Her body practically wore the extensive wiring like an outfit. Her mind played an annoying, static buzzing sound that lasted as long as she was plugged to machinery, also known as her monitor.

Not the safest decision to go with, but she read that going with this has a solid 10% chance, and she was more than willing to take it. With a heavy sigh, she double checked everything she had highlighted during her research… and then she triple checked… and quadruple checked… and then she realized she was being too paranoid and smashed the booting button out of heavy anticipation. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced, her body tensing up.

The buzzing in her head only grew increasingly louder at an alarming rate, like an angry beehive. The buzzing soon turned into ringing, and somehow, she felt her head ache. A shocking and unexpected bright white flash blinded her sight, even if her eyes were closed. And then… nothing. Everything went from a blinding light to pure darkness, like a blackout. Was she dead? No, robots don’t have souls, so she couldn’t get to the great beyond even if she wanted.

So if she was aware and alert of her current situation, then she must still be active. Not only was she stuck in a void, her body felt completely numb from her fingers to her toes. Each attempt to lift open her eyes were futile as if her body was so stunned that the command to blink was a burden to bear. As moments passed, she soon began to hyperventilate, the fear of screwing up becoming more and more profound. With a final gasp of air, she shoved past the darkness and fear and used all her strength just to open her eyes… and she did.

She stood in her room once more. She felt strangely taller than usual. She looked to her left, and there standing lifeless beside her was her old kid body. Its visor was pitch black like the shadows she was stuck with seconds before. She looked down at her hands, and they weren’t the small, soft plated padding she had been begging to get out of for so long.

She had successfully switched bodies without the help of her soulless father, or any adult at that matter. She felt insanely giddy, and she couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. “Simply too dangerous for the child to do it alone” they said. Well she imagined the stupid looks on their faces for her being better than their meaningless safety regulations. Finally, she wouldn’t have to deal with the questioning looks and snickering points for being the “baby” among her peers.

Most kids received their new forms around the age of sixteen, for they had parents who actually cared and gave them attention and not be knee deep into the study of doors to the point they might as well get engaged to their front door.

Speaking of Khan’s study, he became more ravenous to get his advanced door research in. Back when Uzi was twelve (and in the appropriate body) Khan had released the first door with the help of a construction team (now only a few workers due to “incidents” with the sky demons during production) to keep those winged things outside. He had been working on the structure for awhile under the order of Nori, but it was finally completed after her death due to his heavy grief mixed with guilt hugged by the fear of being brutally murdered in his own home. The main door has not only been upgraded by the time she was fourteen, but two other doors were built inside the colony just in case.

Now that she was eighteen, Khan has been working double the amount from before. It was exhausting just to look at his office door and know what he was doing behind it. Well, she could at least hope that this massive achievement of hers would distract him from the stress puppeting him. The only problem was there was no way she would approach him fully naked. She didn’t have “parts”, but it is still absolutely unacceptable to walk around with nothing but a hard hat.

And, to top it off, it’s gross. She stepped over the sea of wiring and stumbling a little. She figured that there wouldn’t be clothes lying around that were meant just for her unless her parents were considerate and bought a cool new sweater just for this moment; but even she doubted that. Her mother, maybe, but Khan, it was a joke to even think that he would. She cracked the door and crouched (Khan had everyone’s homes built with metallic doors that slide upward) just enough for her body to be concealed and to scope her surroundings. Coast cleared, although she wondered why she even bothered checking, the door slid upward to allow her to leave.

She quietly stepped toward the closet where she found the body. She swept past anything that wasn’t clothing related, being careful not to step on the previous items she had dropped earlier. So far, nothing was found. She began to worry. The scenario of there not being anything to wear and she would probably be forced to wear her father’s spare jackets mortified her. She, nonetheless, refused to yield. She glanced to her left and notice the closet that has been left alone for years. Her mother’s closet. Khan had stuffed all of his deceased fiance's possessions in there, and hopefully, including clothing. Uzi tiptoed toward the door and opened it.

—

Khan released himself from his cave for a battery break. He sluggishly walked toward the kitchen and searched the drawers. He snagged a triple A battery and popped it into his mouth, munching in satisfaction. He took the entire plastic bag and strolled to the living room; what he saw caused him to drop the bag onto the floor and spill the contents everywhere. Sitting on his couch was the new and improved Uzi Doorman; she donned a black, dead battery sweater with fuzzy lining and a black stripped beanie with a fuzzy ball on the tip. Her long black boots rested on the coffee table as she traveled through her phone. She glanced at Khan and nodded her head towards him.

“Sup, dad?”

Khan could barely muster his words.

“Y-you-“

When he finally relaxed himself by a small amount, he spoke.

“You grew up, huh? Y’know, your mother was always excited for this moment.”

“I bet she was, dad.”

Even her voice was different. Khan didn’t speak for a long moment, instead just giving the room around them nervous glances. Uzi stood from her spot.

“So, that’s it?”

She waved her arms in a “what the heck” gesture.

“You’re not gonna say anything else? Not about how proud you are of me? Not about maybe even you were excited for this moment?”

She stared a hole into his face as he opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly interjected.

“It would have been nice doing something with you for once, actually. But you’re always in your office doing robo-Jesus knows what! I even tried knocking on your stupid door, but you ignored me! Do you even know how that feels!? I always have to do everything myself because you care about some frigin' door more than your own kid!”

Khan just stood there, allowing himself to be talked down by his own daughter.

“So, what do you have to say, dad?”

Uzi clenched her metallic fists in a frustrated ball. There was some disappointment in them as well. Khan stood mute again, but after collecting his thoughts, he finally spoke.

“It’s just… I wish she had been here to see it.”

A loud silence played between them with the two refusing to look directly at the other as they glanced at everything around them, both individuals having various thoughts swarm their minds. Khan was the first to speak after clearing his throat.

“But, I have taken note of what your repressed teenage thoughts outburst had to say, and I’ve been thinking about this for quite a while.”

Uzi, with a tinge of lost hope slowly returning, looked back at him. She didn’t say anything at first, but she found the courage to speak again.

“And?”

“Well, I’m more than proud to say that I have finally finished the final design of the greatest door known to dronekind! The first entrance will be the greatest barrier with this!”

She immediately noticed the major shift in his attitude over the talk of doors. It made her groan.

“And I’d like you to come to work with me tomorrow and help finish the last bits of it!”

Her neon purple eyes shot open in shock.

“You want me to - WHAT!?”

“Exactly! Exhilarating, isn’t it? You’ll be just like your old father! You’re clearly smart enough to age yourself up, so putting a couple bolts in should be child’s play!”

Uzi was met with pure horror. The last thing she ever considered being was being like a door freak.

“Are you serious!?”

“Why would I ever joke about doors? We start first thing Tuesday morning!”

“But-“

“Now, it was lovely chatting, my lovely daughter — but I must get back to my work — I’m so excited that we’ll finally be doing business together, like those father and son — erm — father and daughter companies!”

Before she could utter another word, he was swallowed by the beast he called his work space once more. She stared at the spilled bag of batteries he left behind. The first thing that came to her mind was to kick it as hard as she could. And she did. Directly at her father’s office door, too. The room echoed with loud ringing clangs like firecrackers.

Of course, this wasn’t enough to earn a response out of him. She was much stronger in this new body. She imagined what new capabilities were available to her now. But a sickening realization ruptured. Helping her father with the door was a death wish. It wasn’t the third door, or the second, it was the first.

The barrier that keeps those things at bay. An intense wave of terror washed over her for a split moment. There’s no doubt that she would be met with the twisted smile that had stolen her mother’s life. That female creature is the only thing her vision selected when talking and or thinking about the Murder Drones. She remembered the eerie fact that her maroon scarf was never stained after performing messy crimes.

Her hand shivered. If she didn’t do something now, then it didn’t require a genius to know that her existence would be erased. She plopped back on the couch and pondered, her hands clenching in her lap. What could possibly save her from being practically guillotined by those bladed prosthetics? She probably needed a miracle to show her how to dodge a blazing bullet.

She sat there looking like an idiot, her head now a cacophony of possibilities. She never thought this hard since the day she considered running away from home… and then it hit her like a bolt. She stood, her excitement returning, and beelined to her room.

Chapter Text

She stared down at her latest solution and most magnificent creation. She truly felt incredibly proud of herself for being better than everyone. She needed to express this and showcase this brilliant idea she herself has conjured alone. This newly born object was meant to protect herself, but she had not realized from the beginning that she had invented something that could save drone kind; It would be cruel for her to use selfishly.

She brushed the dark, hard surface of the weapon with her pale fingertips, admiring its shape. Sure, the anime she had recently gotten into gave her those super cool combat lessons, but it could not compare to this. She decided to place the large machinery into her favorite backpack, the one with bat wings springing out from its sides. It was also the only backpack she had, because it’s not easy to dig through the corpses of the humans that have once roamed Copper 9 for their personal belongings buried underneath the blankets of snow and rubble. She had heard that the day of the core explosion was truly an unbearable tragedy; for the humans, of course.

The workers were left alive and well, whereas the mammals’ skin and organs blew away with the humongous blast that turned the planet into an icy rock floating in the emptiness of the galaxy. But the workers were completely content with this, for they were free from the burden of being overworked by the people and having to do the tasks for them; this was because (according to Khan) humans were simply too lazy and fragile to deal with the hard labor… humans. Uzi had despised them ever since she discovered the tattered history on how they treated dronekind, and even sent out those unnaturally tall freaks to rid them of their freedom. What were they so afraid of? That workers would pollute the planet with the oil they spilled to maintain this exoplanet?

Just thinking of them made her brows furrow, and she is going to speak her thoughts aloud in the big presentation she has tomorrow.

—

Arriving at school made her feel more uncomfortable than usual. Teens gawked at her and murmured to their friends. She was very aware of what they were so bewildered at. They never have guessed that “her father” would give in to “losing his little girl”. She had heard the rumors; Many jump to conclusions and assume that Khan was afraid of being the father of a teenager, so he never bothered to prepare her for the day of maturity.

Others assumed way nastier and disturbing things that Uzi wished that she had never found out and wondered why the hell people had the minds to think about stuff like that. It was ironic how she has long waited for everyone to give her a few glances instead of avoiding contact with her completely; and now that everyone was staring, she wanted to fade into the shadows of the corridors. The popularity she received that day.. she didn’t know whether to be satisfied or afraid. But, she swallowed the unnecessary thoughts and remembered what her main assignment is. During her presentation, instead of calculating the prices of some useless watermelons, she replaced the subject with something much more entertaining and useful.

She delivered her railgun to class and allowed its glory to bask in the light and in the shocked and terrified eyes of her peers.

“For months - years - these things have been doing nothing but reign havoc on our families and close friends! And instead of fighting back, what do we do? We hide behind closed off walls like cowardly prey!”

“Uzi.”

“And I can’t believe that some of you guys just accept the deaths of your beloved matriarchs and patriarchs because you decided to be spineless and blend in with the rest of the cowards!”

At the mention of deceased families, quiet sobs could be heard in the back of the class. Others simply shot their eyes open in bewilderment at the sudden bluntness; even Doll, the stationary mute and stiff teen, looked shaken.

“Uzi-“

“Vengeance is needed, unless you want to live in existential guilt and despair for the remainder of your artificial lives!”

“Uzi Doorman.”

“What!?”

Her voice raised higher than she intended, but her teacher stared back at her boringly with his signature lifeless eyes.

“Care to explain to me how this supports the knowledge of buying watermelons?”

“Erm-“

At those words spoken by a dull tongue, she finally found herself stuck after the lengthy speech she delivered.

“B-because wasn’t repressed emotional baggage a part of the rubric?— because I’m responsible and check stuff like that — and independent — like that, yeah..”

He sighed for a brief moment before looking back at her stonily.

“Even so, it was only worth one point.”

“Well that’s something isn’t it?”

“One out of fifty points is not going to jump you out of a falling score.”

Muffled snickers that were poorly concealed rang in her ears. She snapped her head back to the rather rude audience, her brows stitched together and her eyes expanding with fury and humiliation.

“Hey, I don’t know what you’re laughing about, but it’s definitely not gonna be that way when I blast your worthless silver faces!”

“Uzi-“

“You should be thanking me for even caring about you — you neon-eyed freaks!”

As if her body intrinsically reacted to her anger, her finger flicked the ignition on the gun, causing it to spark with dangerous energy that matched with her glare. The green sparks of death forced everyone to shut up almost immediately.

“Yeah, you wanna laugh again!? Please, give me your commentary!”

Her teacher, once again, sighed mellowly before drawling again.

“Uzi, is it supposed to be that color?”

And then she landed here, in the repair office. That’s what happens when you believe you created a genetically amplified proton converter perfectly in one day. From her railgun’s friendly correction via massive explosion, she knew that a part was missing. In her moment of drowning in mortification, reflecting over her infamously historical moment back in class, an ice patch pressed against her right eye. She internally lamented herself, because seriously, what the hell was she thinking?

Making a massive scene like that, she’s surprised she’s not thrown into juvenile detention for threatening a class filed with teenagers. Well, within the human world, she would; Drones didn’t exactly share the mutual morale or political establishments they did. But that didn’t excuse that they couldn’t experience dreadful remorse and self loathing for their ludicrous actions. Again, seriously, what was she thinking!? The only time she ever felt this angry is when she scolded her father yesterday.

Just as she was suffering, two females, one blonde and the other purple-haired, left a heartfelt message in concern of her incident.

“Ew, it didn’t kill her. Maybe she should’ve stayed as her daddy’s little girl!”

The two couldn’t hold in their giggles any longer, and they ran away with metallic hands muffling their obnoxious laughter… or was it just the blonde? The blonde, known as Lizzy, is the best friend of the red one, Doll. Nobody had heard any sound coming from Doll often. Uzi heard that she is the daughter of a mother that came from the foreign side of the factory. To simplify it, she’s Russian, and she doesn’t speak often around others considering that nearly everyone, including Uzi, spoke English.

Even though learning Russian was a required subject in the education system because of the drones who are like Doll, she stood silent. But Lizzy, presumably, must be bilingual if the two are best friends if not ditto for the latter. But Uzi will never know. She sighed in return to the duo’s “humorous” comment. But then someone else caught her eye. Another of the popular ones amongst the school. The conventionally attractive male jock, Thad. She stared as he talked to one of his friends that were out of view. She wasn’t expecting for him to look back at her, though.

“Oh, sup, Zi?”

This is one of the first times Thad had ever spoken to her, and in those few interactions, he already compiled a nickname for her.

“I heard about that totally awesome nuclear explosion during one of your periods. Is your eye doing okay?”

“It was a minor inconvenience, the chemical burns will wear off. And what are you doing here? Testosterone too hard?”

He chuckled.

“No, I just wanted to check on you, you know?”

Uzi’s eyes slightly widened. Since when has anyone, even her father, displayed genuine concern for her?

“For what?”

She asked with a tint of disbelief.

“Well, being blasted into bits sounds like something to be worried about, right? But even stuff like that has some positive outcomes, cause that patch looks pretty badass.”

This might have been a hormonal female teenage reaction, but Uzi experienced a level of bashfulness upon that statement. She scoffed and turned her head away.

“That’s gross, I think it’s totally weird that you said that.”

She added a brief cough at the end of her sentence. Thad continued nonetheless.

“You look like you could be in one of those unnecessarily violent awesome action packed movies with the cool edgy, mysterious protagonist with a problematic past!”

“Can we shift the subject now?”

“Yeah, sure. Anyways, what motivates you to stick out? Like, with the whole railgun and all.”

Upon that question, all of the robust energy that was lost within her clicked, and she found herself standing proudly on her seat.

“To save the frickin world, that’s what! Everyone just ignores and accepts all the genocide that’s destroying our kind like some classy apocalyptic plot bullcrap!”

Thad’s demeanor nearly entirely shifted at Uzi’s sudden attitude.

“Well, um-“

“And not to mention my dad is a piece of rusted silver with facial hair that has not an ounce of respect for me - and I’ve always wanted him to just even glance at me and say, ‘Yep, that’s my kid!’ - so that’s another reason too - but it’s mainly the saving the world part!”

She pointed a somewhat correcting finger between Thad’s emerald green eyes. He chuckled nervously.

“Hehe, greeeaaat! Well, that’s an interesting character origin story, but wouldn’t it be a little, well, I don’t know, dangerous to do that really scary stuff you just mentioned?-“

“And so what if it is?! You think heroes just appear and wear a velvet cape because they think it will be a walk in the park? I’m doing the inevitable, Thad, because I’m a caring person and more than just some edgy, emotionally repressed teen!”

“Wait, you mentioned something about your dad-“

“-- Yeah, my DAD. He’s gonna make me help him upgrade his stupid doors and put his own daughter he couldn’t care less about at risk in the jaws of death! Those things can and will snag me like bloodthirsty nocturnal eagles!”

“Oh, wow-“

“-- So, my ultimate “class fail” is actually the awesome weapon that’s going to put this to a cease, and the prime example of what is going to happen to the skulls of those barbarian-coded cross faces!”

“Oh - awesome - but why would your dad want you to-“

The aggressive finger pointing shook with anger as it poked Thad on his visor.

“No more commentary on that bucket of bolts!”

“Whoah, okay, okay! Well, I-I’m really glad that you are taking a big step to protect us all, Zi. You’re the only guy - um - gal who I know that has such badassness to them.”

Uzi briefly stared at Thad’s face before scoffing.

“Thank me when those things are destroyed once and for all.” She hopped off her seat and walked out of the door with an irritated air to it. For seconds, Thad was staring at an empty doorway, and then the next he caught the purple teen pop up once more.

“Also, um, don’t take any of this personally, I’m just - generally hormonal.”

She disappeared into the dark hallways once again, not returning this time.

—

For now, her initial plan is to retrieve her railgun from the dirty grips of the school staff. She has pirated many anime with ease, so swiping a heavy weapon should be like stealing batteries from an underdeveloped model in training. She snuck back into the classroom once everyone was away at their break. She practically tore apart the instructor’s belongings to find it, which confused her since it was a literal massive gun that stood out like a sore thumb. Unfortunately, her efforts were in vain, and she couldn’t locate it anywhere; but she refused to succumb.

She glanced north and her eyes met her child staring back at her. Her teacher had perched the gun on his higher shelf like some sort of display. Uzi mustered any rational thinking on why he would shine a deadly weapon in the spotlight for many irresponsible teens. It didn’t take a genius to figure that some psychopath would try to take it for a spin. Not only was it unintelligent for someone like him, she grew aggravated at how he could treat the solution to all their problems so dismissively.

She had an entire presentation on how this thing would actually rescue the planet from the robo-vamps so the adults don’t have to worry about other alternatives, like dingy, useless doors. Well, it’s not like they even tried to come up with any alternatives to begin with. Khan Doorman’s extraordinary creation was enough hope they needed. Uzi stared at the shelf, her face scrunching in thought. She was very much aware that she was too small to reach something that high.

She glanced to her left and noticed the desks. She gripped the chair by the sides and pulled, the legs of the desk scrapping painfully against the metal floor and filling the space with irritating scratching sounds. Once placed directly below the shelf, she placed one foot on the chair before placing the next onto the desk. Her short stature planted into the desk as she extended her pipe-like arms to reach for her goal. The desk wobbled beneath her faintly.

She ignored it as she hastily swiped her hand towards the weapon and missing with every swing. The desk’s unsteadiness became more profound as she forced her weight on it. She resorted to standing on the tips of her toes, and that was the last straw. The cheap seat gave way and crumbled. Uzi felt the ground beneath her slip away and began to panic. Her feet swept forward and forced her back backward. It was like time slowed as her unfortunate situation ensued. Her arm was still reaching ahead of her as if making a last attempt to grab the gun before she kissed the floor. She screwed her eyes shut, bracing for the incoming painful contact…

BAM!

She hit the ground, but that bang did not seem to come from her body, nor the metal tiled floor... She stroked her head with a wince. She was lucky that her screen hadn’t cracked, but she did need to bonk her head softly to repair the slight static in the corner of her left eye. She remembered hearing a momentary clinking sound after she fell. She looked back at the shelf, expecting the most magnificent thing ever created to be sitting there collecting dust. But to her surprise, it disappeared.

Did she knock it down somehow? She whipped her head behind her, and lo behold, the railgun lie there on the floor. She unhesitatingly snatched it and strapped it to her back. The gun, apparently, was not the only thing that fell. Papers were scattered, textbooks crashed open, and the aged snow globe that sat closely next to the gun shattered.

She figured that her teacher wouldn’t think twice about it; he had a habit of stuffing items he supposedly didn’t care for away in the back of the class to collect dust or whatever else there was up that filthy surface. She wondered how she caused such a scene; It was like a great force had shoved everything aside. Rethinking about the shelf, there were large chips in the wood that haven’t been there before. It was strange, but Uzi could not waste more time than she already has. Being caught with a confiscated item, moreover a confiscated weapon, was a death wish. And if anyone asks about the mess, she’ll just dismiss it as Robo-Jesus’s call to justice.

—

Studying and further diving into her engineering side, a core part that would solve the issue of the spontaneous combustion shouldn’t be too difficult to grasp. A holster of “ammo” that contained nuclear energy protons that functions just as deadly but much safer than the one she had used to present. It would prevent the gun from overheating uncontrollably and manage to calm the intense energy to avoid exploding. It was perfect, but there was a tiny downfall. The ammo she needed was undoubtedly located in the spiral, titled by the workers as the “Corpse House”.

The Corpse House is nothing more than the poor unfortunate souls whose artificial lives were sucked by the venomous tongues of the winged terrorists, clumped together to form a magnificent tower of vessels. The less dependable ammo she used contained power utilized for the landing pods that brought those things here. The day Khan delivered the dreadful news of assisting him with the first door, she worked nonstop to create this masterpiece, and it resulted in sneaking out of the colony. The ammunition was blanketed by patches of snow; it must have been the aftermath of the historical crash of the landing pod and broke off. So, clearly, it was damaged, yet she decided to put it to good use anyway as its final moments.

If her plan fails and she could not locate a stronger piece, then she could kiss her young drone life a farewell. She sat in her dimly lit room and pondered over the possibilities of this deadly decision. She would be placed at a great risk, and even if she decided not to enter the spiral, she would meet her sworn enemies regardless. After a long line of thinking and “what if’s,” a lightbulb struck her. All she needed now was to wait. Her mind steeped into the thought of Khan in his office; he’s probably even more ecstatic now that his daughter is participating in some lame family business. She hoped that he didn’t spend too much of his worthless time constructing his ideas so she could shut down peacefully for the night.

—

Silence crept within the clustered room. Uzi’s motionless body lay on the firm mattress (which would be insanely uncomfortable for humans) as the hours ticked by. This is the one time she enjoyed herself; not experiencing the hell she called her life. But, sadly, her moment of silence and tranquility ended as fast as it started. In the next split second, she stood in the blizzard of snow and whirling winds; it was white difficult to see past the whiteness that smacked her visor.

She heard shouts from the distance that were muffled by the unforgivable weather. She faintly recognized her father’s voice, and he didn’t sound happy… he sounded distressed and panicked.

“Uzi!”

Finally, she understood him; he was calling for her in an almost pleading way. There were other voices, but they were quieter than Khan’s and were overlapping each other, making it impossible for her to decipher their words. Khan’s own voice boomed over the blizzard as if desperately seeking his daughter’s attention. She looked around frantically in hopes of finding him, but the only thing she could see were black blotches in the distance.

“Uzi!!”

His repetitive calls irked her in a fearful way; why did he sound so distressed? Just as she internally asked herself that, a sudden heavy gast of wind brushed her face… but it didn’t feel like it belonged to the blizzard. It was almost like if something had flown past her. She could still hear Khan’s screams in the distance, but she was too apprehensive to listen. The air closed in on her, and she identified three dark, shadowy figures in the sky — one dove straight down, aiming straight for her head, its sharp fangs bared and neon yellow eyes glaring —

“UZI!”

Her audio sensors received the loud message efficiently, thus she powered up with a start. Panting, she glared at her father who has trespassed and ignored the “Do Not Enter” sign she recently posted. She opened her mouth to scold him, but he beat her to it.

“Come on, we need to be there bright and early! Up, up, up!”

He tapped both of Uzi’s silver arms rapidly and swept out of the room. She let out a grunting sigh and groggily left her haven (also known as her bed) and gave her system some time to boot up completely. Startling a drone awake is like punching a monitor to start it up. Once refreshed, she remembered that today is the beginning of a great risk that could either save the world or end her along with it. She gripped her railgun, strapped it to her back, took a deep, icy breath, and stepped out.

Khan was already standing by the door, struggling with his coat. Uzi watched him amusingly in the distance. Once his head was finally through the correct hole, he yanked the key card from the coat hanger’s hook and registered the door to open.

“Hurry now, no time to waste!”

He spoke hastily as if Uzi was the one slowing them down. She rolled her neon purple eyes and followed behind, the only thing motivating her being the heavy task on her shoulders that wasn’t the door. Khan had a jog to his movement, forcing Uzi to run to catch up with his taller stature. He didn’t glance once over his shoulder to check if she was close behind, for his nose was deep into a blueprint in his hands. They passed one door, then the next, and finally, they reached the last, the entire trip being utterly silent between them (the only sound being Khan rambling to himself under his breath).

“Ah, here we are. Are you excited, my architect by-product?”

With those words, the tremendous steel door flew open like a light switch being flicked with a powering hiss, allowing the large gusts of menacing wind to enter. Uzi covered her face with her arm as her purple hair flew into her eyes. She stumbled back as the howling winds appeared to never come to a cease. Her audio sensors could detect nothing but the roaring noises; finally, she heard her father amidst the chaos.

“It seems like we’re facing a bit of a wind storm!”

Her hair nearly twisted backwards on her round, silver head. How the hell is she supposed to build a door in this condition!?

“Screw this, we’re delaying!”

She managed to yell, hoping her voice sounded loud enough to not only overpower the intense whooshing even just a bit, but to let her father know she was dead serious. She heard his voice again, and this time it sounded more bewildered.

“What!? You’re not going to let some innocent yet concerningly hazardous wind stop us from this great moment of our lives, right? Just brush the large chunks of snow from your eyes and move on!”

She should’ve known he would be too foolish and determined to allow a life-threatening storm stop him from building a door. She took one strained step forward, stumbling just from this simple movement. Momentarily, the wind calmed just a tinge, and she gladly took the opportunity and sprinted outside (not without gaining the courage first). She heard the snow crunch beneath her boots and not yet unscrewing her eyes. Her frail arms shielded the icy snow from blanketing her face.

She opened one eye, identifying her surroundings; sprinkles of snow fused with chunks the size of snowballs. She felt as if icicles would form on her plating. She frantically and instinctively turned her view towards the sky. No sign of those things yet, but they’ll undoubtedly be here soon. She twisted her body to the left; a blurry figure stood in the distance with its other blurry figure friends.

Khan and his crew, no doubt. One of the figures enthusiastically waved at her, appearing to be signaling her to come over. Without thinking twice she jogged to them like a lost sheep returning to a herd.

The closer she got, the clearer the persons came into view. Khan stood triumphantly on a ladder perched on the great tinted copper walls. He placed a hand over his eyes as he squinted down at his daughter.

“Ah, there you are! Almost lost you for a moment.”

Uzi sighed, knowing that the only reason he had been worried is because his daughter was going to miss out on doors like she had ignored a super massive football game or something.

“Here!” He yelled amidst the wind that harassed his mustache.

He grabbed something from his pocket and tossed it towards her; she shot out both arms and caught it. She nearly dropped it since the snow on her visor was doing an impressive job at blinding her.

“That was the wrench I used that built this baby!”

He banged his fist (softly) against the massive, luxurious metal creation he had made.

“Trust me, you’ll feel just as special as I did that day!”

She highly doubted that; she wasn’t even going to assist him anyway if she could help it. She had much bigger tasks at hand. She rolled her eyes at that selfish statement, her mind constantly swimming back to the bloodthirsty predators probably staring at her hungrily from a distance. She whipped around and eyed every corner, her paranoia only building the longer the supposed arrival of an ambush delayed. She absentmindedly ignored her father’s calls for her to insert a screw or rewire the circuit board that connects to the keypad.

“Uzi, could you-“

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.”

She worked with her hands to the door and her eyes to the foreboding sky. She had to remind herself to grip onto her wrench tight, or else whenever she would zone out in her patrol mode, she would drop it atop someone’s head (again).

Nothing had happened for quite awhile. No matter how long Uzi dug through the sky and even the ground, she didn't sense any dangers. The blizzard wasn’t helping either. This, oddly enough, did not only disappoint her, but it bored the hell out of her. She'd much rather be placed in a life or death situation rather than helping her "father" with the stupid metal blockage. It felt like hours had passed, and finally, everyone was preparing to put their wrenches aside. Khan hopped down from his ladder after adding the last touch and wiped away the programmed sweat gland from his visor.

"That was productive and super fun, wasn't it, daughter?"

He turned his head to see a very gloomy and dispirited purple teen. She had a saddened hunch to her posture, and small bags formed underneath her eyes, further citing her depressed state.

"Whatever," she groaned, with an exaggerated roll of her eyes.

“With this upgrade, nothing will be getting in from the outside with a 100% guarantee, and I swear that on my ‘stache! I-I’ve also added a few quirks and perks that will surely surprise you!”

"Can we go home now?"

"I — Well, of course! I could use a break too, heh."

Uzi unfailingly noticed that when he said this, his eyes flickered to the door as if he longed to be in its presence for an hour longer. He raised an arm to the sky and signaled to his crew to return... This has to be one of the biggest disappointments of her teenhood, and she had only been one for one and a half days. She truly believed that she would "rescue dronekind" and "put a cease to the neverending genocide". She should have known better that having an insane agenda like that has a little to no chance of manifesting. Khan snapped her out of thoughts as she was distracted by his frantic movements of searching his body.

“The wrench - Where’s the wrench?”

Uzi took a moment to register what he wanted and removed the wrench from her own pocket.

“You mean this?-“

She revealed the wrench to the cold air, and for once since the majority of hours she had spent utilizing it, she noticed something odd about it; there were was a crusty, inky black substance around the head. It looked years old like rust, but it wasn’t rust… she had no idea what the hell it was. She clearly hasn’t seen anything like it before. The black coloring appeared messily scattered, as if someone poured black paint on it. And for some unknown reason, it looked to be forming a shape similar to rust despite it not being so…

“Ah, yes! That one! Silly me!”

Khan reached out a metallic hand to regain his prized possession, but Uzi dragged it back, leaving Khan with slight confusion.

“Dad, what is this… stuff?”

She raised the wrench to his face to allow him a good look. Khan’s unsure expression never faded and it only deepened when he was presented with this question.

“It looks fine to me?”

“No, like, what is this black stuff?”

She waved a hand around the material to marker where he should be looking. For a moment, Khan appeared to be thinking, and to Uzi’s puzzlement, his eyes widened in a way that signified a shocking realization. He glanced back at his daughter with what could be called a hint of apprehension; he had a face that could only describe a drone of whom was caught in a dirty secret. Uzi’s brows stitched together, her demeanor instantly filled to the brim with skepticism. Khan briefly coughed and his body began to shift uncomfortably. As much as much could attempt to keep his true thoughts hidden, Uzi’s insightfulness caught him the moment he displayed odd signs.

“You see, my creation, one of the various things you need to learn as a Doorman is the properties of the doors.”

He tapped the metal wall with his palm again.

“That, my dear, is oil,” He continued, pointing at the worn wrench. “It’s what keeps them alive and working,”

“Then how come I haven’t worked with any oil for the past few hours?”

“Because it is simply too risky for an inexperienced drone of your age. Highly flammable. Only the grown up’s can do such a task. Okay, princess?”

Uzi scoffed; he was too used to speaking baby language to her. It will take a crap ton of time for him to adapt to her teenage form. Uzi paid attention to his body language as he was speaking, and his shifting only lessened slightly like he was more confident in his words… maybe he is telling the truth. But if he truly was, what was his strange behavior two seconds ago? This could be a half truth for all she knew. Because of this, she decided to press on.

“Well then, did you do it?”

“Um, actually, yes!”

Damn. That was the wrong question to ask. He appeared more self-confident. Her rising suspicions wouldn’t let go of the idea that he is deliberately being hardheaded and manipulating the situation, and she refuses to bestow him this victory. She took one last good look at the “oil” eating away at the metal. From there she noticed it looked shockingly… bubbly.

Nothing she could think of at the moment could provide an accurate theory for this, but she did know that oil doesn’t bubble or — what also looks to be crystallized — when old. Wanna know how she knew? Because she’s a Doorman. Seriously, how had she not noticed this before?

“Dad, why is this oil… crystallizing?”

“Uh-huh?”

His eyes stared back at the wrench, and he too noticed the unnatural state of the oil. All that was left of the slightest indication of haughtiness evaporated from his face. But he didn’t look nervous, rather, he looked just as confused as her.

“I, uh, I actually don’t know..”

He couldn’t help but bore his eyes into it for a few more seconds as if trying to understand it. It left an eerie silence between them. The fact that her father too did not know how the oil got to this state scared her… this is not how it was supposed to end up. She was supposed to catch him red handed of his dirty secret and boast about it in his face and probably leave him with eternal guilt and shame. She felt so damn close too. Nobody could blame her for feeling down; she was in desperate need of excitement after the countless hours of utter boring bullshit. Khan eventually freed himself from his daze and coughed again.

“Well, that’s not important right now — Uzi — erm — break time!”

He whipped around and proceeded to do that quirky-looking fast walk he always does. Uzi felt herself losing grip on the predicament. She can’t just let him leave and brush everything under the rug like she wasn’t just getting somewhere five seconds ago! She knew he had a secret, and she was sure that it was going to come out someday… and that someday is today… and now. Without a second thought of rationality left, she blurted out.

“What are you hiding!?”

Silence. Awkward. Ass. Silence. His back was still turned from her but he ceased to move. He stood there, feet planted to the ground and a stiff neck. Uzi was slapped with fear. She felt it erupting in her gut… or what she would call a gut. A bright purple hazard symbol flashed across her visor. Khan slowly turned his head towards her, making the scene more discomforting.

“Pardon..?” He spoke quietly.

Uzi donned a look of worry, but she swallowed her anxiousness to speak again.

“You heard me,” she assured that she stood her ground as she continued. “I know you’re hiding something!”

Khan simply bore his eyes into her, stunned. He had a face of bewilderment… and hurt?

“Uzi… how could you say such a thing to your father?”

All determination within her suddenly drained hearing the genuine pain in her father’s tone. She didn’t want to be triumphant over him like this. It would make her victory look depressing and just downright awful. She aimed for guilt and shame, not whatever this was! She felt like her words forced a stab wound into his heart. But… this isn’t fair! She’s so close, and she’s desperate to make the final move. So, much to her repressed regrets, she continued.

“Don’t play coy! You’ve been disassociated with me for years, and I think — no — I know I have the right to know something!"

Uzi motivated Khan to get defensive with his words as well as he took a step closer to her.

“Uzi, it’s just a wrench—“

“It’s not about the wrench, it’s about what you keep insisting is oil!”

“You’re getting worked up over something so meaningless!”

“If it’s so meaningless, then it wouldn’t be hard to tell the truth, right?!”

“Uzi, that doesn’t matter! You always get bold like this for no good reason!”

“How would you know what I’m like?! You missed half of me because you spend your precious time behind doors — literally!”

Khan’s face contorted into a faint scowl.

“Uzi, apologize—“

“Haha, are you serious?!”

“Apologize to your father this instant,”

“So now you want to play the dad role?!”

“Apologize, now.”

“Tell me the truth first—“

“UZI DOORMAN!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!”

Just as Khan reached his final straw, a horrified scream echoed past the snow and into the dark skies. Uzi and Khan froze almost instantly. Uzi physically sensed something sinking inside of her. The familiar warning symbol flashed again. With a shaky breath and stiff neck, she turned herself to the source of the screaming.

It only got louder and more panic stricken. To make everything worse, the voice sounded like it belonged to one of Khan’s crew mates. A blaring siren followed after the echoing cries.

“I’m still not finished with you, ” Khan said with a quickness to his speech.

Without another word, she watched him sprint into the white haven. Uzi felt panicked and stumped. Seriously, what should she do right now? The best she could do was follow after him. And so she did.

She pushed herself to dash as fast as her little legs could take her. She didn’t want to look anywhere else, only straight ahead. Losing sight of Khan would be another huge problem. She found him interacting with his team and listened, coming to a screeching halt on her heels to avoid crashing into him.

“Why didn’t you return when I ordered you to?!”

A quivering male WDF (Worker Defense Force) member spoke up.

“T-those things! They took Josh!”

“What-?!”

Just as he said that, Uzi heard cackling from above, and she knew she wasn’t the only one. Her eyes snapped to the sky immediately… and she saw it. The face and other features were indiscernible because of the raging blizzard, but it didn’t take a genius to identify what it was. A winged silhouette soared across the wind. Another drone-shaped shadow squirmed violently in its grip. To sign it all off, the larger figure flashed a glowing yellow “><“.

“We tried to chase after it, but we couldn’t-“

“Fall back, now!” Khan swiped his arm in the air in a commanding gesture.

“Prepare for attack! You!”

He pointed a finger at another male WDF.

“Head back and distract the thing! We have a Code Yellow, don’t mess around!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

With an obeying salute, they dashed back to the door. Uzi observed Khan tossing commands at his crew intently, a sickening feeling climbing up her throat. She didn’t want to look back up to witness that thing again, but she couldn’t resist. She craned her neck to the sky, and she instantly regretted it. She watched helplessly as the creature tore at one of the innocent WDF’s limbs as he screeched.

What appeared to be Josh’s left leg fell limply through the sky… and onto Uzi’s face. She could feel every drop of the warm oil pouring down her face. Her eyes widened in utter terror. She swiped at the oil with panicked breaths, desperate to wipe each droplet off. Her only instinct at the moment was to cling to her father.

Anything that could help her feel remotely protected was heavenly to her. But then another voice spoke to her. You were waiting for this, remember, it said. She recalled how disappointed she was to not be in a life or death situation. And now that her wish was granted she wanted to forget she ever said such a thing. She only identified one cross-face, who knows when the others will pop up.

Her mind scrambled with thoughts as she stuck close to Khan, who was still forming a plan with his crew and had his back turned to her. Her eyes glued to the sky, much to her drastic discomfort. To her surprise, a blaring light lustered the winged terrorist. It flickered on and off and she could tell the monster was blinded as a result. Its silhouette squirmed in the bright nuisance and tried to escape it. Uzi glanced back at the door; she saw an enormous flashlight-like machine structured atop the build. It carefully followed the Murder Drone’s swift movements as if determined to prevent it from fleeing its presence.

“Thomas activated the distraction! Everyone head out, now! You know what to do!”

Everyone scattered. Khan whipped around and jumped to see Uzi behind him.

“Uzi, what are you doing?!”

“I—“

“Head back, now! Come on!”

He gave her an aggressive shove, sending her stumbling into a run back to the colony. He followed closely behind her but soon easily swept past her. She came to a skidding halt once she was out of his line of view. It’s time to initiate her plan. She whipped around and began running in the opposite direction. Her main objective was to get to the Spiral for that final piece and then—

Without another second to spare, her feet left the ground. Her heart dropped. She was a few inches off the ground, then she was five feet, and then she was high enough to see nothing but white as she was consumed by the blizzard. A heavy object clung to her stomach, forcing air out of her as she coughed. Her mind was utterly blank as she couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

She felt a winding force swirl around her, and it finally came to a cease although in an unpleasant way; her back crashed into a solid surface, nearly pushing all of the wind out of her. Her vision became engrossed in static.

(INITIATING VISUAL SENSORY REPAIR)

She couldn’t see anything but a single shape shoved into her face. When everything finally became clear, her eyes shot open. She was met by a glowing X-like shape paired with a ravenous, fanged grin. Uzi didn’t want to, but her body solidified. Warm breath brushed her face when the thing chuckled softly.

She struggled against the bladed fingers that kept her pinned to the solid ground beneath her. Come to think of it, she didn’t determine any snow-like substance. Was she atop the roof of the colony?! She turned her head to her left, witnessing a large path of metal platings, confirming her suspicions. Something yanked her head as it gripped the hair resting on her forehead. She was forced to look back at the thing. As if her situation wasn’t horrifying enough, the sick sensations grew to its breaking point when she stared back at the all too familiar lazy, soulless eyes.

“Hey, you look familiar,” the thing spoke. It had the same feminine low growl of a voice just like she remembered. Witnessing her attacker so up close sent a cold shiver down her spine. Uzi resisted again against her restraints, but the blades scathed against her wrists, sending her into a wincing pain. The monster continued, ignoring her futile attempts of escape.

“Purple, feisty, resistant… just like her... We meet again, little runt.”

Chapter Text

Uzi gave the beast a look of terror and hatred knowing exactly who they were referring to. Her prickly personality came to light as if ignoring all fear she had within her.

“Don’t you dare talk about my mother, you piece of crossed-face shit!”

Uzi realized what she said and braced for a sudden slice to the face, flinching and sealing her eyes shut. But the monster sat there, amused.

“You have her attitude, so you must have that nasty virus as well. Like mother like daughter, right?”

The grip released her locks to place the sharp edge of their knife-like finger on her left eye… the abomination had a third arm.

“Aren’t you gonna use it on me?”

The tip slowly dragged down, creating a visible scratch as Uzi’s eye twitched violently in response. Her visor made a nasty screeching sound the longer the “finger” dragged on.

“I dare you…” the creature commanded. “I need to confirm if you’re not useless, after all… hopefully not as helpless as you used to be.”

As much as Uzi was overcome with fright, her rage boiled over as well. But this time panic won over her, and she blamed the emotionless, cold eyes piercing a hole between her eyes. Without warning, the blade pushed into Uzi’s visor and sent tiny sparks into the sky. A groan of pain left her mouth. Her body shivered violently as her senses struggled to maintain her depleting sanity. Her vision frightened her as it slowly faded into a blizzard of static mess.

(STRESS LEVELS CRUCIALLY HIGH)

Their eyes ceased to express any emotion, but the corner of their mouth twitched upward.

“Good.”

Was all it said.

Her mind became hazy and unable to think rationally. She succumbed to her fears. The thing’s eyes slowly grew more and more hollow, its toothy grin baring the full set of nasty, oil stained teeth. Her stomach sank. It’s like she physically felt the last string connecting her to life snapping... Is this really it? It’s not fair! She hiccuped.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

A hushed beeping sound rang suddenly. Uzi blinked. The monster’s expression went from murderous to downright irritated and what hinted to be boredom. It’s the most emotion she’s seen out of it. The quiet beeping continued until one of the yellow beads perched atop its head light pulsated slowly.

“Yes, ma’am?” it said, its tone low and unenthusiastic in comparison to its adrenaline rush moments prior. Its gaze appeared like it was fixated on Uzi, but it felt oddly distant like it was zoned out. Uzi was taken off guard by a faint feminine voice that answered.

“Designation V, are you straying off task?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Then would you care to explain the mishap in our agenda?”

This mysterious person spoke at a fast pace, leaving no room for delay. As the authoritative voice spoke, Uzi could make out the muffled, static sounds of wind screaming in the background. Though she could be mistaking it for the tough blizzard cornering her and this thing that returned its powerful grip on her hair. The now irritated creature continued.

“What’s the situation, ma’am?”

“The parasites gained control of weaponry and resorted to heavy defense. As much as I despise to admit it, it’s effective.”

Uzi made out the familiar quiet sounds of gunfire parading over the sounds of snow blowing past; From the suffocated sounds in the background of the mysterious woman, she simultaneously made out the faint cacophony of bullets flying from a distance. The female voice from the other line spoke again, impatience creeping in her tone.

“Unless you wish to be a synergistic disability, then I suggest you put your bloodlust on hold and save it for income. Got it, Psycho Bot?”

Uzi, desperate to slither away, struggled against the grip on her bangs. The fist strengthened its hold harshly; the monster is clearly not in the mood for further annoyance.

“Quit it, worm,” it bluntly demanded. The personality in its tone turned dangerous and suspenseful. Uzi felt if she were to do something the creature didn’t like, its temper would bash her skull in.

“Head J signing off.”

Beep!

With the authoritative woman off the line, the thing’s expression finally came to relax slightly as if in relief. Their gaze now returned from distant to piercing.

“Apologies for the distraction. Here, I’ll spare you and me both from having to listen to that annoying bastard again-”

As if on cue, a great beaming light flashed from behind the beast and atop the two, casting a long shadow. The creature flinched in surprise, hissing as it shielded itself with one long arm… one of Khan’s WDF members saved her life.

Taking advantage of the distraction, without a second thought to spare and a loud cry, Uzi forced her leg from the ground, arched it back, and thrusted it directly towards the face of her attacker. She half expected to feel a cracking force when her boot crashed into its skull. What she didn’t expect had her gripped around the heel and dragged upward; her foot glided up and her back followed, lifting her off the metal surface of the roof. With the speed of a serpent and an unaware teen girl, her feeble body sprung into the air like she was made of feathers. Her limbs frailed around in panic as the roaring winds whooshed around her, drowning out her screams.

She couldn’t see anything but the pale bits of snow and the glowing Saturn overhead posing as a moon. She couldn’t think for another second, for when she glanced down from her position in the air, a flashing, menacing yellow came darting towards her. She released a sharp gasp from her lips, her eyes widening in pure shock. The yellow beam only got closer and closer until it was mere inches away; the next moment, she felt a fatal blow pierce her side with a sickening crunch. The insane force was so utterly painful she uttered a weak “gack!” sound. Her body flung to the ground, her purple hair flying behind her.

With a loud boom, she put a small dent into the solid rock that sent debris into the sky and showered her with dust.

(CRITICAL DAMAGE: ASSEMBLY REQUIRED)

She weakly positioned her arms to lift herself off the icy ground. To her shock, bits of her visor fell beside her fingers in tiny chips. The pain is unbearable, but she should really beeline before she finds herself unconscious forever. Her skinny legs scrambled to stand, her knees wobbling trying to support her. She clutched her crumbling eye with her metallic hands and looked around. She prayed there were familiar faces around, but the terrible weather made everything more difficult than it should be. Her far sight is completely gone, and it may not be because of the snowstorm anymore. The beaming searchlight from above still waved around swiftly, keeping the Murder Drone occupied. She really owed that male WDF one (that is if he doesn’t die, of course).

She looked back at the colony that would protect her from this nightmare. But she remembered what she truly came all this way for. Is she really going to throw everything away just like this? Hell no. With a hard swallow, she snagged her fallen railgun off the ground, strapped it to her back, whipped around and sprinted for that singular piece that will change Worker Drone history forever. She spotted faint yellow flashes gliding across the snow. She couldn’t look back now; she didn’t wish to see bloodshed anyways. The further she ran, the more apparent the towering, deadly spiral became. The corpses that formed this very spiral became almost obvious even from a great distance. 

The heavy weapon weighed on her back, ultimately slowing her down despite her best efforts to fight it. The closer her destination became, the more scattered body pieces covered the ground. She nearly stumbled and tripped on them multiple times. The entry is now in reach. Finally, she absently dove her body forward into the entrance, grazing a few “rotting” bodies that crumpled to the floor from the contact. She hoped the echoing cacophony of limbs crashing didn’t disturb anything. She got on her feet again and took note of her surroundings.

The inside was fairly dark, making it nearly impossible to see anything but a pitch black void and snow. But what stood out among it all was the disheveled landing pod that delivered all hell to Copper 9. It sat there, basking in the mock spotlight of the rays of Saturn. Layers of its outer appearance were missing and scattered about the area. The legs of the craft sunk into the solid ground, permanently stuck. The crinkled, dented metal platings shimmered, adding a complimentary glow ironic to its utterly destroyed state. In summary, the thing was wrecked. If someone piloted this ship, where the hell did they take their flying classes? Nonetheless, she had zero time to allow intrusive thoughts to distract her. That piece must be here somewhere. She remembered its emerald pulsing light beaconing in the night from afar vividly. Careful to avoid colliding into anything, she squinted her purple eyes to breach the darkness.

Like a call, a shining glare met the corner of her eye. Her attention snapped to the source. Finally, she witnessed this piece up close. She rushed toward it without another second to delay. Her small fingers brushed away debris blanketing it and lifted it, watching as the remaining snow fell off of it. She could see the future of dronekind just from staring into its green gaze. With an internal glee, she happily stuffed the ammo into her railgun that suffered a few scratches and bruises from the many blows she took minutes ago. The compartment fit perfectly with a satisfying click. She sized up the weapon in her hand, imagining all the agony and delightful murder she could inflict upon these merciless demons. Tasting their own medicine is what she’ll call it.

“V…?”

Electricity shot up her spine and she whirled around in surprise. Was that a voice? It sounded awfully quiet, making her lucky to even hear it beforehand. She attempted to pinpoint its origin through the darkness, but to her disappointment, everything was perfectly concealed. Her fingers began trembling, interrupting her firm grip on her railgun. Instinctively she shot out the weapon ahead of her, squinting one eye to her holographic scope. Even with the buff to her vision she couldn’t make out anything.

Whoosh!

This sound played from behind this time; It sounded similar to a gust of wind knocking over small objects. She twisted to the source, her nerves on edge and her feet planted into the ground. The void made everything practically invisible, and she was in the spotlight. Whatever is out there, if it has eyes and ill intent, she’s practically placing herself on a silver platter from where she’s standing. Her mind raced with overlapping thoughts that made her throat go dry and artificial sweat pour down her forehead. She began pointing in random directions with fleeting hope and confidence. The exit to free herself from this lay just ahead of her, begging her to sweep through it. But she didn’t want to risk her head rolling off her neck. Whatever is trapped in this room with her can’t be messing around. She stepped back until her back pressed against the shipwreck. Something crunched underneath her foot like glass; It must be fragments that chipped off the ship. Her curiosity forced her to look down, and her eyes landed on a particularly large squarish glass chunk.

Aching to make as little noise as possible, she recoiled her foot like the glass was hot magma. With nothing to shadow it, the milky Saturn light bounced off the glassy surface of the shard and onto the nearest “wall”. A destroyed drone skull was highlighted, its expressionless visor glinting in the beam. With quick thinking, Uzi’s head popped with an idea; she swept up the shard and positioned it above her head, shifting it in different directions to capture the perfect angle for her DIY flashlight. The beam searched around for anything other than lifeless corpses. She would’ve puked in her mouth if she had a gut staring at the carnage clamped together to build this shelter. These Murder Drones may be heartless monsters, but this is too low.

Suddenly, soft but firm taps similar to footsteps echoed from a distance. Uzi flashed the area she heard it from as swiftly as she could, but yet again, there was nothing to be seen. After scanning the ground, she absently dragged the light upward and on the wall. That’s when she saw it. If she hadn’t checked that spot in that one second, she would have missed it; A faint resemblance of a long, flexible tail ascending the wall of bodies. Uzi jerked, her oil running cold. She swiped the shard upward to try to follow the figure. There was nothing once more. That wasn’t a good sign at all.

Her breath quickening and growing heavier by the second, she frantically foraged the ceiling in fleeting hope to find that thing. Or anything at this point. She spotted her own reflection in the shard the higher she lifted it; her wide fearful eyes stared back at her through it though her attention was somewhere else, the mirrored girl stuck in her peripheral. She swiped the glass from left to right until she landed in dead center. She met her foggy reflection head on.

And apparently someone else’s too. What stared back at her sent a violent shiver down her spine; a hollow, yellow eye belonging to a figure breathing down her neck. Her foot lifted off the ground to dash, but a penetrating feeling to her stomach stopped her in her tracks immediately. It felt cold and numb escalating to a burning, stinging agony. The shock had her limbs limp and frozen. A strong force tossed her into massive rubble like she was a ragdoll. Her head swung back due to the impact and bashed directly into the solid object behind it. High pitched whining rang loudly in her ears, accompanied by blurry vision. Her head dangled off her shoulders numbly. She had to force her neck to lift the now heavy weight on it to look up.

As her senses slowly came to repair, she was fortunate enough to see a glaring yellow approaching her rapidly. It crawled on all fours like a ravenous animal. She could practically feel the aching blow that would smash into her if she sat there defenseless a second longer. With a swing of her foot, she dragged it upward and the tip of her boot met the metal jaw of her attacker. The creature flung backward, but with a clean backflip was back on its feet again. She witnessed bladed, sharp wings larger than its own body sprout from its back like they’ve always been there. The appendages stretched before pulling down, sending its bearer flying to the sky and snowy mist soaring. Ignoring the throbbing pain in her legs, she scrambled up and made a run for the exit.

Thunk!

A towering figure landed in front of her, blocking her escape. It bore all of its venomous fangs in that wide, notorious open mouthed smile. Its visor showcased the infamous “X” as its short silver locks shifted in the wind. Uzi turned her back to it in an attempt to flee, but the monster’s foot beat her to it; she was kicked violently in the spine and pushed forward. Her body collapsed into the snowy ground and fell into a roll. She finally came to a cease as she stopped on her side. She lifted a purple eyelid, her gaze coming upon a tall, menacing figure that stood on both legs this time. Their large hands morphed into long, thick blades that looked to cut through the toughest of metal. Her life flashed before her eyes just from glancing at them.

Her hand stretched backward to claw at the railgun still gripping on her back tightly. Whipping it out, she squinted a teary eye through the scope and pointed directly at her target slowly approaching her. The thing was unusually slow in comparison to its speedy, predatory movements from mere seconds ago. it was undoubtedly deliberate with this snail pace. This could be a carefully constructed plan to pounce her or sadistic mockery. She didn’t care what its intentions were, she already knew how it would end for her. Her hands trembled, the Murder Drone got closer, her finger drew nearer to the trigger… and then nothing. The thing just stopped, much to her expectations.

She couldn’t resist peeling away from her scope to see what the hell that thing was doing. The monster stared at her, observing her, tilting its head to the side… she couldn’t tell what it was staring at; the eerie “X” shape replacing its eyes made sure of that. And then like a serpent, it whipped out its arm that now emitted a powerful, radiating orb of energy and aimed it at her face. It was gearing something up and Uzi was not going to sit there and watch to see what it was. She returned this gesture and shifted her eye to the scope like before. It took a moment to lock on to her target which didn’t help her current predicament at all.

Both weapons radiated with blinding energy, each building up their power at a rapid pace. The real prize is who will blast the other first.

Krack!

A blinding rush of light consumed the area. It was a mix of radiant green and a powerful yellow, forming a disgusting color. The sound of the two forces meeting was like nails on a chalkboard. The crackling sound of electricity rang loudly. With a final blaring bang, Uzi’s eyes were flashed by the explosion and the ground shook beneath her; but she still kept a firm grip on her railgun like it was her baby. She shielded her visor, waiting for the cacophony to subside. Slowly, she revealed her face and was met by a cloud of smoke. When the gray mist faded, a familiar figure stood on the other side. There’s something off with it. Probably because it’s missing its head.

Sparks flew out of the creature's neck as hot oil poured down its chest and shoulders with no head to circulate through. Its knees buckled and its body crumbled to the ground like a sad sack of wires. She stared at the lifeless body lying on the ground… and she couldn’t be any more ecstatic.

“Holy crap! Hell yeah! Suck on that, dad!” she exclaimed, springing up and pumping her fist enthusiastically in the air. 

“Whoo!”

Her little celebration was fun, but she should really get back to the colony. She had no idea what had become of her father and his crew. She glanced down at her railgun, observing the new glorious motherload of power that nestled in it. The vibrant green of the ammo was now a blaring red, and this worried her. She pressed down on the trigger, aiming at a random wall to test it; a large, holographic text box emerged in her face instead.

[CARTRIDGE EMPTY: RELOADING IN PROCESS]

She sighed with relief, the realization that she hadn’t lost her only hope relieving the nervous fluttering in her gut. She strapped the weapon on her back once more and strutted towards the exit, the joyful vision of her rescuing her kind replaying in her head.

“Gluck!... Ack… Glurck…”

The disgusting sound of sputtering and liquid squelching rang loudly in her ears. The sickening crunches of Robo-God know what sang, sending shivers down her spine and her stomach lurching in disgust. She didn’t dare turn around to see what nasty activity was at play, but her morbid curiosity couldn’t resist. With a slow turn, she peered over her shoulder. Her eyes widened in shock and bewilderment.

The monster slowly rose from the ground where it lay, its back arched backward and a clear, viscous liquid squirting from its neck. The flexible substance formed a bulbous shape where its head used to be, its body continuing to slowly rise until it stood firmly in its spot. In a snap, to Uzi’s horror, its head returned once more on its shoulders. It dangled lazily, its visor glaring a bright red message.

[LOADING…]

She couldn’t believe what the hell she just witnessed. This can’t be happening. She refused to let this slide. Out of pure instinct, she swept the floor for anything potentially harmful. Landing on a dismembered arm, she scooped it up, took a running start for the figure, and slapped it clean across its silver face. In a flash, the being‘s yellow, menacing eyes snapped awake, sending a flash of neon gold striking Uzi’s eyes and making her recoil.

The monster blinked, its expression lacking emotion. It took its sweet time staring at her like a curious puppy. Uzi blinked. Its eyes drifted to the arm in her hand and back to her face.

“Did you just slap with me that arm?”

Uzi jerked back. Did this thing actually talk ? The last thing she would imagine it sounding like was a peppy little boy. It was unsettling in its own way. Not to mention horrifically ironic, as well.

“Holy crap… It talks,” she said in genuine puzzlement but still managed to sneak in sarcasm.

Without warning, the childish sounding thing inhaled sharply behind his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut and rubbing his forehead.

“Ouch! Ah, w-what happened? How hard did you slap me?”

He began kneading one of the large, glowing orbs perched atop his head. Oddly enough, the massive globe-like thing was a glowing red in comparison to its yellow acquaintances. 

“I wasn’t screwing up again, was I?” He continued. “Oh, biscuits - and I even carefully planned out today’s routine with my friends who aren’t rocks by the way! What, who said that? Hehe…”

They blinked at each other.

“Yeah, um, I’ll leave you to sulk in a corner with your… friends. I think you really need it.”

Uzi said, keeping her tone dry. She turned to leave.

“Wait!”

The thing popped up in front of her like a wild jack-in-the-box, making her jump back and force an embarrassing yelp out of her.

“I-I don’t recognize you… Did they actually add someone to our squad? You would’ve thought they would make you… y’know, taller…”

Uzi was about to protest (she had a gag for being mocked for her height) but she quickly shut her mouth when realizing the thing was eyeing her skeptically, boring its eyes into her nonexistent soul. She stood stiffly, her arms clutched to her sides as she tried her best not to look suspicious.

“It’s, uh…. It’s complicated! You can call it, uh, a cute upgrade?”

What in the seven shades of cringe is she saying? The acknowledgement of possible agonizing death can really make you say the craziest things just to survive. Her lame excuse didn’t elude the penetrating stare highlighting the monster’s face. The silence buzzed loudly between them, and Uzi could’ve sworn she heard her own nonexistent heartbeat.

“I’m Serial Designation N!” the monster suddenly exclaimed with renewed giddiness. “Nice to meet you! Cool upgrade, I must say!”

Uzi detected what sounded to be hesitance in his voice when he said that. Her brows furrowed in tiny annoyance.

“I-I pretty much keep the squad running around here!” the beast continued, dishonesty unmistakably present in his words now.

“Ugh, who am I kidding? Lying won’t get me anywhere when everyone calls me useless and terrible anyways - wait - my first impression! It’s ruined! Buttered biscuits! Come on N, get your mind together!”

The distressed male bot seemed too busy with himself to pay much attention to her. This would’ve been a perfect moment to escape, but his body left no opening to slip past. Therefore, she sat there forced to listen to his ramblings. His eyes turned back to her, worry evident in them.

“Please ignore that! Ahem, I-It’s delightful to have another member on the team! The less Worker Drones, the better, right?”

An eerily cheerful laugh emitted from his throat, and Uzi resisted the urge to punch that stupid grin clean off his monstrous face... again.

“I can’t seem to remember you at all, or the past couple hours of my life,” he continued. “So apologies for the mistake if we’ve met before!”

“It’s… fine.” Uzi reassured blankly. “I should really go…”

“Oh? Did I miss the patrol?!” he cried, his tail stiffening in concern like a frightened animal. “J’s gonna kill me! And probably for real this time! Oh, man! Promise you won’t tell her about this! Is V out there too?”

This man just won’t quit! No matter how many attempts at fleeing she made, he managed to bombard her with questions like an annoying, curious child. Uzi’s small fists clenched tightly, her frustration boiling over. Her father could be mercifully dismembered right now, and this bastard is blocking her from her rescue mission. Finally, she snapped.

“Just SHUT---!”

Something warm lurched out of her mouth and onto the floor. She stared down at the snow covered ground in shock. A black, liquid substance colored the pale snow dark. Her own oil, regurgitated like a bad meal, stared back up at her near her feet. Her hand clenched her stomach, and something burning hot kissed her palm. She snagged her hand away to find a yellow, burning acid sizzling on it.

“Oof, yeah, you’ll get used to that! I don’t know if you know this, but our body naturally repairs itself and neutralizes the nanites! Thank goodness for this perk, otherwise I’d end up constantly disassembling myself, heh!”

Uzi heard his advice, but the pain of acid eating away at her skin was too distracting. The stabbing pain made her knees weak.

“Uh, you okay, buddy?”

(WARNING: CRITICAL DAMAGE. INITIATING EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN)

Darkness faded her vision like a passing blizzard. The voice of the male monster spoke to her, but to her, it sounded like his mouth was covered by a pillow. Everything felt cold, and she felt her legs give away beneath her, the scenery around her toppling. She wasn’t conscious long enough to feel the fall.

Chapter Text

Badump…

Badump….

Badump…..

Badump-

Badump-

Badump-

Badump - Badump - Badump- Badump- Badump-Badump-Badump-Badump-Badump-!

GASP!

Uzi awoke with a start. Her throat felt sore, and her hands shivered accompanied by her loud breathing.

“Did ya sleep good?”

Her head snapped to the bastard who landed her in this hospital bed. She was about to say something, anything to express her rush of emotions. But he beat her to it.

“Uh, sorry we got on the wrong foot earlier. I really suck at introductions… and everything else,” the last part was spoken quietly, as if it pained him to admit. He probably wished he didn't have to say it in the first place. “But, hey, there’s always second chances! Um, is your belly doing okay? Your regenerative cells didn’t seem to be working.”

Uzi glanced down to her stomach. A soft, dingy rag rested on it.

“I sorta spat on that to help ya out,” he explained, his words followed by an awkward chuckle. “I hope it doesn’t disgust you too much-”

“EUGH!”

Uzi immediately yanked the rag off of her and tossed it in his face. The cloth smacked his face with a soft thud! He chuckled.

“Yeah, I get that.”

His voice was muffled by the saliva-covered rag. Uzi patted at her wound, expecting a sting. But to her surprise, the mark was cleared, only leaving a hole in her sweater where it had previously been. It was like it was never there at all. She lifted her head back up to her assaulter, the stupid, innocent look still engraved on his dumb face.

“So,” the thing said, plucking the cloth from his face. “As for introductions, I am Serial Designation N!”

He stiffened his posture and saluted her, his arm raised in the air and hand pressed firmly against his forehead.

“Nice to meet you…?”

He drawled, silently signaling Uzi to introduce herself. She blinked.

“Uzi.”

She answered bluntly.

“Nice to meet ya, Uzi! I must say, you’re very unique compared to the rest of us!”

“The rest of you?”

Uzi wasn’t stupid. She knew very well who he was referring to. But she really needed to keep her organs enact, even if that meant playing “new kid”.

“Well, yeah! You haven’t meant the others yet?”

He cocked his head to the side. Uzi shook her head, forcing an oblivious act.

“Well, I guess I’ll tell you about them now and they can pick up on their greetings later.”

He cleared his throat as if preparing for a long speech; she sure as hell hoped it wouldn’t take too much time. Otherwise, like he said himself, his buddies will arrive and make several friendly gestures to her with their fangs and claws.

“So, first, there’s V! She’s the best member on our team! The way her silvery hair flows in the chilly wind as the screams of agony and terror pierce the dark sky, the intoxicating scent of oil being the cherry on top…”

This ape looked like a schoolgirl that caught herself in a daydream. He caught on to this and snapped out of his dozing. Uzi couldn’t help but scowl at him. She remembered which cross-face bore that single-letter name. She heard it over the call with that bossy woman. Sitting idly and watching him treat that monster like a heavenly amazon that descended from his beautifullest dreams made her oil boil. He giggled embarrassingly once he came back to his senses.

“Eheh, moving on--- there’s J, our leader!”

Uzi figured this must be the authoritative woman this “V” was speaking to earlier.

“She’s… not the sweetest, but she’s the best leader anyone could ever have! If it wasn’t for her, who would be there to tell me I’m a waste of corporal space?”

Uzi couldn’t resist feeling a sting for his words.

“That… really sucks.” She said; someone had to tell him.

“Huh? You mean J’s degrading attitude towards me? Nonsense!”

He waved a dismissive hand.

“She’s only doing what’s best for me. I would never have realized how much of a wimp I am if it wasn’t for her…”

His naiveness really took a toll on his ability to read the room. Was he really oblivious to the fact that he isn’t wanted on this team? Or does he believe he can somehow miraculously redeem himself?

“I don’t think…” Uzi began. “Ugh, why do I care?”

Her posture stiffened. She was warily aware of how much time they’ve wasted. Each minute is a second closer to her demise. She turned on her serious face and spoke firmly and quickly.

“Tell me why you - erm - we were assigned to kill the Worker Drones.”

With the scarce time she had left, she rationalized that it would be best to take advantage of the source of dronekind’s problems sitting right in front of her. Sure, she could be blasting bodies right now, but with this extremely rare opportunity to find the answer to her endless questions, she stayed put. N blinked.

“Oh, you don’t… Ok? Other than their warm, sweet, delectable oil that keeps us from overheating and dying, they’re really just disgusting viruses that need to be terminated. Don’t let those cute lil’ innocent faces fool you; they’ll break you once they get the chance!”

“Yeah, just like how I’m about to break your skull…” Uzi thought to herself. She didn’t waste time in opening her mouth again.

“And why  do you think this way, N?”

“Well, that’s what the company always told us. Most of it is classified information, but they lend us the most crucial details… Some that I can’t seem to remember right now.”

The red, bulbing bead on his head flickered like a broken light bulb. He kneaded his forehead roughly. His creepily friendly eyes returned to her.

“Let’s just say that the Worker Drones are more dangerous than what they seem --- A problem that must be solved.”

“Oooh, okay, Mr. Saint! And do you think what we’re doing is any more moral than their oh, so vile existence? Way to go!”

She was now standing on her chair, her voice loud and face contorted in anger. N flinched as he stared up at her with an anxious gaze. The effects of the sudden shift in the mood was evident in his face.

“I-” he began, but Uzi didn’t let him have it this time.

“What a solution to murder the innocent families and tear them apart simply because they don’t ‘deserve’ it!”

Her arms swang around the room in multiple animated gestures.

“And then what?! We just up and leave with this scrap heap of a ship?!”

She spread out her arms in a showcasing gesture.

“Oh, wait --- It’s broken! Destroyed! So are we just gonna sit here and look pretty on this dead planet with thousands of dead drones?!”

“Um…”

N looked really stuck like a child being scolded. It was almost sad to see his puzzled face. He was like a statue that stood so confidently before it weathered down into a weak, mute shadow of what it once was. Uzi panted; her rant took a huge toll on her.

“... Do you even look at the good side of things? The Worker Drones could fix this ship and get you off this god forsaken planet.”

She jerked her hand towards the control panel, which was surprisingly still sparking and sputtering.

“But we can’t leave.” N’s voice suddenly became deep and stern. A stark contrast to his previous giddiness.

“We can’t leave until those things are gone.”

Uzi froze as her brows shot up and her eyes hollowed. She took a good look into those merciless, glaring yellow eyes staring back at her. She saw a soul led by his strong, tattered beliefs. A spirit determined to spill blood on the cold floor and caring less if he drowns in it. All to be the hero he made himself out to be. To be recognized and be that someone to put a smile on others faces. But most importantly, he’s a soldier with a scarred heart and rough hands that wants nothing more than to get rid of the disease leeching on the world. And he’d turn around at the carnage he ensued without an ounce of remorse; because he knew he did the right thing. She saw herself in those eyes.

She remembered she had the same goal but vice versa; to destroy Disassembly Drone kind because they were the true plague. But being more thoughtful about it, is she supposedly in the wrong like N was? Is she being led by false beliefs? Or are both sides in the same hole? No, she couldn’t be. Workers weren’t the ones killing guiltless people, after all.

“I’m sorry, but did the company tell you anything ?”

Though Uzi was merely playing dollhouse, she hated the blatant poke at her obliviousness. She refused to be called stupid even as a fake Murder Drone. She spat back.

“And so what? I actually have some self awareness --- and overall a moral compass!”

“Ok, this rebellious act is something to admire --- and honestly kinda exciting!” N pointed a scolding finger at her. “But this is not appropriate behavior!”

Right when Uzi was about to bark back, a low rumbling sound interrupted the both of them. N’s head tilted up. Uzi followed his gaze to the open hatch of the ship above. From the little light that escaped through the cracks of the morbid structure, she made out webs of shadows peering through.

“Oh, it sounds like they’re back!” N’s voice regained its awful cheerfulness. “You’ll love them, trust me!”

Uzi didn’t waste a single word on him. She sprinted out of the ship, crashing into objects on her way. Her heart winced at the ruckus she made. N blinked. Uzi’s spindly legs powered through the snow with all of their might. She had to smack her purple hair to the side everytime it covered her eyes. 

The colony, as big as a small house from a distance, grew closer and Uzi’s breath grew sharper. She couldn’t tell if she was being followed. The roaring winds were far too loud to discern anything. Knowing the demons of the night could hide behind the staticy environment put a pep in her step. For what felt like hours, she was nearly met face to face with the structure’s magnificent door; the thing that brought her into this mess. She yanked her emergency keycard from her pocket (Khan had lended his spare to her in case of an unfortunate predicament) and tossed it to the card reader. 

Smack! Ding!

With a great whoosh , the doors dragged open, emitting a powerful gust of wind as it was released into the cold air. It was painfully and questionably slow; or maybe it’s just her rushing mind talking. She squeezed through the crack and skidded inside, but her boots couldn’t support her balance. Her foot slid upward and she fell hard on her back. She knew she must look very stupid right now, but she was too scared out of her mind to care.

 She flailed her limbs until she was standing upward and charged to the indoor card reader. She pressed her keycard against it once.

Bzzt!

Again.

Bzzt!

“What the hell?!” she shouted, not realizing she had spoken aloud. No matter what angle, position, or side she placed it on, the tiny screen flashed a blaring red with that same awful buzz. Her stomach sank as she imagined the oil-stained teeth glaring at her through the vast darkness.

“Please -- just -- just frigin’ work!”

“WELL, SINCE YOU ASKED NICELY”

Those bright words printed on the screen before she was finally greeted with a bright green light. The door slowly began to close in on itself. She sighed, not realizing she had been holding her breath. Suddenly, a parade of what sounded like footsteps stomped behind her. She whipped around to be met at gunpoint. Her eyes flew open, wide as saucers as the end of multiple snipers stared at her.

“Hey!” A voice called from behind. She knew that voice. It was Khan. He shoved past his crew, pushing them behind.

“That’s my daughter! There’s nothing to fear!”

Uzi’s face slowly changed from shock to confusion. Khan gripped her small shoulders abruptly and firmly. His pale eyes bored right into hers.

“Are you alright?” he asked. She could only nod. His mouth formed a small grin.

“Good -- Very good.”

He patted her arm before whipping around back to his team.

“Alright, Code Yellow has come to a close! I repeat, danger is no more!” he shouted, and everyone cheered as if they'd won a massive game. Uzi was too deep into her thoughts to really acknowledge her surroundings. She didn’t even react to Khan patting her back quite roughly.

“Was that fun, kiddo?”

Ok, she heard that . Her neck slowly craned up to meet his face. Her thoughts must have been clearly written out on her face, because Khan looked like he had been slapped with realization.

“U-uh -- I mean the door-building part! Not the whole almost dying to sky demons part--”

Uzi was too exhausted to yell at him, much to her own amazement. Khan looked surprised too. 

“I’m going to my room.”

She said bluntly, her voice devoid of energy. She began hustling down the hallway, brushing past the WDF men. She can’t believe she’s even walking down this very space. She was relieved to see the pale blue atmosphere bouncing off the freezing walls and to hear the clanking beneath her feet. And now, she can return to her warm, safe haven to finally fix this massive machine sitting on her back.

BOOOM!

She stopped dead in her tracks. Her body instantly turned as rigid as a statue. A cold bead of sweat traveled down her visor as she heard screams echo after the loud bang. She slowly turned her head over her shoulder, expecting the worst. First, she saw Khan sprinting for his life towards her direction, and one--

No, two---

No, three glowing yellow beams soaring around. Khan scooped her up with one arm like a puppy, dragging her along with him. Oddly enough, she found herself protesting.

“Hey! Put. Me Down!”

“What?! Did you slip and bust your head on ice, sweetheart?!”

He clearly wasn’t going to give in to her suggestion. All she could do was watch as screams, oil, and dust fill the space ahead of her. She heard gunshots, too, which could have been the WDF crew defending themselves or those merciless terrorists. Khan was surprisingly fast for his age, making the crime scene shrink the further away they got. A few men managed to scramble past the carnage, but sadly, didn’t last long. One lost his head and the other his leg.

Uzi heard thumping in her ears. The same, sickening twist in her gut sprouted to life again. Her eye caught a burst of tiny, bright light among the dust and debris of the destroyed door. It wasn’t yellow, rather it was as pale as Khan’s weary eyes. It began as a small bead, but it gradually grew as big as a ball, and then it revealed itself. 

It was a missile, and it swooped past the chaos and was zigzagging in her direction. In those two seconds she had left, she felt like puking. The bomb took a sudden turn downward and collided with the floor. As expected of an explosive, it bursted into a blazing hot cloud of yellow and orange. The sheer force of it, though it hadn’t hit them, pushed Khan forward a couple of inches. 

He lost his grip on Uzi. The family fell to the ground with a loud thud! Finally free, Uzi stood and stared down the hallway. She heard the screeching sounds of claws on walls and bone-chilling laughs of sadistic glee. Her brows stitched together, her face formed a scowl, and her arm reached for the railgun on her back.

“Uzi!” Khan shouted from behind.

“What are you doing!”

“Saving us all!”

She flicked something on her weapon, and the green holographic scope materialized into existence. The green world she peered through wasn’t strong enough to fully pierce through the scattered clouds of dust. But it didn’t take long for her to detect one of them, anyway. This one is crawling on the wall like a disgusting roach. She squinted an eye, her tongue poking out between her lips in concentration. 

“Why on Copper 9 do you have that?! Give it to me!”

Suddenly, Khan lunged forward from behind and began tugging at the gun.

“Hey!”

Uzi fought back.

“Girls your age should not be handling things like this!”

“Are you that dense?!”

“I am your father!”

Bang!

The two found themselves rolling on the ground like ragdolls again. Khan landed past the line where the second door stood wide open, and Uzi on the other. The railgun slipped past their grips and soared through the air. It landed perfectly in the gap between them. Everything happened so quickly that Uzi literally didn’t know what hit them. Khan found his balance before she did.

“C’mon” he made a waving gesture towards his side. “Quickly --- And leave that doomsday device behind!”

“Are you serious!?” she shouted back at him.

“I could say the same to you…”

That voice didn’t belong to Khan. She recognized it all too well. She whirled around. N’s towering, inhuman stature towered over hers. He remained a questionably safe distance, not budging even when Uzi took small steps backward. It made him all the more menacing like he was a coil ready to spring at any moment.

“You tricked me…”

“I-”

Her tongue knotted. His eyes were solemn with unspoken hurt, tinted with emptiness like a part of him had died.

“It’s fine. I get it.”

Uzi didn’t respond.

“You did what you had to do, right?”

Uzi heard faint screams echoing behind him. It looks like his little squad buddies hadn’t reached them just yet. His penetrating stare remained on her, unbothered by the clear chaos playing behind his back. It put a sting in her chest. She took another small step back. N continued.

“In the end, you’re all the same. Deceiving, manipulative, and disgusting . Like a virus .”

He practically spat out that last word.

“... I really -- genuinely -- enjoyed our time together, y’know?”

His tone suggested that he was truly disappointed in her. Or rather in her choices. It was hard to tell. All she knew was that he was laying out pieces of his nonexistent heart to her like some cheesy, pathetic romcom. Did he really expect her to care about his feelings? Or is he just embarrassing himself and doesn’t care?

“But you won’t be here long enough to hear that from me again... I’m sorry.”

“Say it like you fucking mean it.”

Her foot stretched back to the railgun. With a perfect tilt of her boot, she kicked it up and over her head. Her arm stretched out to grip its handle (not without a cool spin, of course). N’s eyes finally broke their depressing look. He glanced at the large weapon in her hand, a hint of apprehensiveness and irresistible curiosity in his gaze. His left eye changed; a large, yellow warning sign before shifting to its normal oval.

Uzi scoffed.

“Not so tough of a mass murderer now, aren’t ya?” she commented haughtily. The last thing she expected was to be swept to the side, pinned to the wall, and lose hold of her gun. Warm oil pooled past her lips. She tried to keep it in, but the burning in the back of her throat was too powerful. She coughed her fluids directly in N’s face. 

A hot flash scoured her body, starting from her belly. She looked down, her eyes greeting the magnificent blade that stuck through it. N’s head turned to where the gun lay alone on the floor. Next to it was the empty cartridge that rolled out of it.

“It wasn’t even loaded… You have a real bad habit of lying, y’know.”

Uzi couldn’t manage a word, only sharp inhales and shaky breaths. Her neck that felt like it would break underneath the weight of her head turned to Khan’s direction. His eyes were completely hollow, his body rigid with indescribable terror. He looked like a deer stuck in a headlight staring at his weak, vulnerable daughter.

“Dad--” she managed to choke. “Get-- ACK!”

N had pushed the blade deeper into her already limp body. She regurgitated more oil. That didn’t stop her from croaking what she desperately wanted to say.

“P-Point and shoot!”

Her pale hands gripped the massive blade. She tugged at it as if trying to pull a thorn out of her side. Khan’s eyes dragged to the deserted gun before returning to her. He took a small step back. A part of her ran cold.

“Dad?”

He opened his mouth, but no words left it. She caught the sight of his trembling hands. They slowly reached for something in his pocket. He cautiously removed a remote from his pocket as if it would explode with sudden movement. As soon as her eyes landed on it, she recognized it immediately.

“N-NO --- DAD --- WAIT--!”

Schwoop!

The door flew closed, sending a dust of snow into the air from the impact of its fall. The railgun was knocked forward and lay just inches away from where N stood with Uzi to the wall. But she could not face him. Her eyes stayed pinned to that door where her father once stood. The room flooded with red.

Brrr! Brrr! Brrr!

He set off the alarm. Did he think that someone would come from the shadows and rescue her for him? Because he couldn’t handle the job of fatherhood himself? The hands once struggling to free her dropped helplessly to her sides. N didn’t say anything either.

“...”

“...”

“SD-N!”

A booming, feminine voice suddenly impaled the room. N’s head snapped down the hallway. Uzi’s followed. There were two, glowing “X” shapes emerging from the gap of darkness. One stood impressively taller than the other. 

Finally, she took in the features of the third Disassembly Drone she met today. This cross-face was exceptionally tall with a slim feminine form like, who they called, V. Sure, Murder Drones were generally big, but she was massive . She made both of her teammates look fun-sized. On her head were two long silver pigtails that greatly contradicted her overall serious appearance.

She donned a dress suit rather than a warm coat. And her head sported those glowing orbs, but there were more than just four or five. Next to her was V. Though she could feel her consciousness slipping past her fingers, she could never discard that hot anger from seeing that face. Uzi’s eyes, which were now starting to droop, looked back at the much taller woman. 

And vice versa. This particular killer drone had a strong sense of superiority. Like a captain or a general. The way she looked at Uzi scared her much more than being impaled in the stomach.

Whoosh!

Before she could react, she was tossed like a useless toy to the side. Her loose body hit the floor violently, the feeling of a cold blade in her gut now empty. She didn’t have the strength to get up. While she still had her senses, all she could do was listen.

“I must say, I am impressed.” the authoritative woman spoke. That must be J, the degrading leader that N was talking about before.

“It’s not often that you actually provide something useful for the team.”

“Um-!”

N said, his arm stroking the back of his head anxiously.

“Thanks!”

“Ugh, that’s no fun.”

V’s voice said. She walked up to the door blocking the rest of the hallway.

“It looks like we’ll need to find another way around,” she turned, her back pressed against the cold metal with her arms crossed. “Or just sit here and look pretty until they come out.”

J took steps toward her.

“No. There are vents here. We can travel through them.”

Her long finger jabbed the sky where a vent remained perched above them. V’s eyes followed the finger. A jagged smile morphed on her face.

“So there is. Well, the hell are we waiting for?”

Her magnificent, bladed wings sprouted from her back and prepared for take off. But J stopped her.

“Hey! Not you.”

V’s lazy eyes bore into J, her brows furrowing.

“What?”

J raised a brow and V caught herself.

“I mean, pardon me, ma’am?”

Uzi could hear the reluctant disgust and annoyance in her voice. It reminded her of herself, in a way. Having to be subject to arrogance, having no other choice but to follow the rules.

“You are staying behind with me. N.”

N’s eyes snapped up from the ground.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Go. Now.”

“Y-yes, Head J!”

He took off in an instant, crashing through the vent. Uzi could hear the movement of his heavy body thudding from above.

“Now…” J continued. “You say you found one.”

V’s stoic expression stayed, but something in her eye suggested deeper emotion in their depths.

“Yes, ma’am. The offspring of the other. I swear it.”

J began circling slowly her like a watchful serpent.

“And how are you so sure?”

“I naturally connected the dots with how genetically and physically similar they are. I couldn’t miss it. Nobody could. The apple never falls far from the tree with these things.”

“That could have been any other purple parasite. You could be placing our performance at risk.”

V’s throat emitted a dark chuckle, but there was no humor.

“You doubt me?”

“I doubt that you would be lying to me… But lately you haven’t retained the best performance.”

V stood still as if unphased by this information. J continued.

“Slower, easily distracted, rusty… May I go on?”

“...”

“... You lost your touch. Your vigor. Your anger .”

J stopped behind her, her back meeting V’s.

“You must drop this amateur act. We can’t risk having another liability on deck.”

Uzi’s eyes caught V’s hand clenching. The shorter monster finally spoke.

“And so what if I’ve gotten a little slow, Head J?”

J did not move. She did not speak. She only stood firmly in place. But Uzi knew that look. It was the look of a bomb ticking.

“You want me to get better, is that it? Well, sorry that I cannot continue busting my ass over these tiny germs.”

V looked over her shoulder, her stainless, maroon scarf brushing against her chin.

“Everyday is hell, y’know? Having to fear over the day that I may not be able to fight back. The day those things gain the upper hand and destroy us before they get to this dumpster of a planet…”

Silence.

“They’re probably multiplying rapidly as we know it. Hell, they’re getting smarter with these defenses.”

V kicked a disembodied Worker head that rolled over to her.

“And then where would we stand? Worn out? Or already torn to shreds?”

Uzi heard the quiet, trembling emotion in V’s tone. Seeing the creature that had stolen her mother’s life show anything other than ax-crazy bloodthirst killed a part of her. Whatever she was going on about must be serious business. But what exactly is it, and will this alleged danger get to Uzi as well? J still hasn’t faced V yet.

“We don’t have much time left, and I hope you know that, ma’am.”

Wham!

Uzi flinched. V is gripped firmly by the neck and pressed against the wall. J towered over her smaller form. V’s hands lunged up instinctively to fight back at the threat, her hands seizing J’s. But her boss’s iron hold wouldn’t budge. The pigtailed woman leaned forward in V’s face.

“Now, I don’t think I need to say this again,” she said, her voice calm but stern. A stark contrast to her fist squeezing V’s neck. “But while your worthless existence is still thriving, you work underneath me and my orders. These parasites will continue to thrive, and what would that mean for us and the company?”

V’s brow twitched and her eye winced in pain as J tightened her grip.

“Or do you not care? Have you already given up? This isn’t about the ranks anymore, SD-V. I wonder when you’ll get a grip on reality instead of sitting in this sob story.”

V couldn’t respond.

“... But fine, if you want a break, then I’ll give you one.”

“Ack-!”

Uzi watched in horror. J punctured V’s gut with what appeared to be a massive stamp. Realising her, V crumbled to the ground coughing. She clenched the spot where she’d been punctured, her visor glitching horribly. There was too much going on for Uzi to handle.

Her archnemesis on the ground fighting for her life after being the big scary monster everyone feared; it was an amusing and terrifying sight.

“You can rest here while we wipe out the rest of this ant nest. But, who knows, we may not require your assistance anymore once we’re finished. Farewell, V.”

With that, she soared inside the vent, her lithe yet long form flowing through the cramped space with ease. Uzi couldn’t feel the aching pain in her body anymore. She is too distracted from what played out before her eyes. As V swore in pain, her voice came out in pieces of glitched static like a broken radio. Uzi knew almost instantly what unbearable pain V was going through was.

J had inputted a virus into her. Even Uzi knew that is an insanely disgusting thing to do to someone. She never knew of what the indescribable suffering of a virus felt like. But nobody, not even the suicidal, wished to find out. Uzi attempted to stand. 

She needed to get away; somehow. But how could she get past without V noticing? Even with the she-demon’s crippled position, she couldn’t take the risks of bullets impaling her skull. She’s the reason why the latter is in this mess, after all. With slow, deliberate movement and quiet, shaky breaths, Uzi supported her body with her arms.

She managed to get to her legs, though they wobbled intensely under her weight. For what seemed like ages she was standing. She collapsed to the floor thereafter. V’s head flew up. Uzi’s face dropped.

“ You.”

Chapter Text

“Yeah, it’s me.”

Uzi said. She stretched her arms outward in a showcasing gesture. V’s usually hollow, lifeless eyes were burning with unspoken spite and contempt. She looked more like an archnemesis relishing the idea of strangling her rather than a starving predator.

“... You heard all of that, didn’t you?” V said, her voice glitching grotesquely. “You wriggling worm.”

“Hey, I guess Robo-Jesus is on my side today.”

Uzi cocked a sly brow. The corner of her mouth twitched up in a faint grin. 

“And what are you gonna do if I did, huh?”

Uzi hunched over the fallen Disassembly Drone, her hands planted firmly in her knees.

“You gonna kill me?”

V’s neck craned upward to stare into her eyes. Uzi could see the burning indignance thrashing around in them though her eyes were merely yellow, cartoonish ovals. V spat back.

“You have a lotta nerve for a parasite.”

“I’ve heard all of the names already,” Uzi rolled her eyes. “Can’t you come up with something new?”

V scoffed but didn’t say anything. Uzi stood.

“It looks like you and your team are in quite a pickle,” she said. She made her tone as poking as possible. Her voice suggested childish teasing, but deep within lay harsh resentment and sadistic glee seeing V in such a vulnerable position. For once in her pathetic drone existence, she found herself standing over the enemy, proud and tall.

“What’s killing me gonna do to save your delicate, silver heads?”

She caught a glimpse of V’s unnaturally large hand clenching tightly. But when she looked back at her face, her expression had shifted. Her eyes retained that familiar cold indifference.

“Don’t worry your dull head about it,” V said, her voice tranquil but possessing an underlying layer of something dangerous. “Why are you giving the slightest concern, anyway? You’re talking like you’ll be alive to see the consequences of your feeble existence.”

V’s words were icy and her face stony. For a moment Uzi lost pieces of her haughty attitude. This one really is the most disturbing out of the three, and their leader made them look like jokes . Behind that anger was something hazardous and not to be tampered with. But Uzi grew up daring the world.

“Your haywired -- cross-faced -- bucket of bolts kind are weaker than you think,” Uzi said with her chin lifted. “Just look at you. You’re a hopeless piece of scrap to some petty virus. What makes you think you can survive against whatever the AI-Hell you’re talking about.” 

She stole another glance towards the broken vent on the ceiling.

“Is it the company?”

She looked back at V.

“That’s got your wires in a bunch?”

“Shut up.”

Was all the other woman said. Her fingers curled and unfurled with sharp intensity, her pointed feet were tapping vigorously on the ground, and her breathing was uneven as her chest rose and fell like a struggling air pump. Though she’ll never admit it, looking at V in this state made her want to hurl herself. She knew that this wasn’t just some mere virus that she’s dealing with. It’s not the type that can be easily fixed in the matter of a few minutes. 

V’s visor once bearing dead eyes is now glitching and distorting disgustingly. It reminded Uzi of a thunderstorm of yellow hail. It’s unclear whether this is just a temporary punishment from a pissed boss; or if it's something that’s going to take V’s last breaths. That would check off something off her bucket list. The thought made her grin. But then she remembered the others.

They’re probably on the rest of the colony right now as she stands here admiring the sight of her worn enemy. Her eyes lift back up to the still badly destroyed vent. Something in her mind told her that she had to do something; this very instant. She sped over to a large crate conveniently placed below the vent. She ignored V’s shuddering breaths behind her.

She heard the she-demon muttering to herself. They were indiscernible, but one could tell that they weren’t the prettiest words. Uzi mounted the surface of the crate; and the vent didn’t look any closer. Uzi cursed to herself prior to hopping like a hopeless rabbit in her comedic attempt to reach it. She kept going like she was going to sprout wings like the cross-faces.

“ Ugh! ”

Uzi plopped down on the crate, panting. Through the glitchy haze of V’s visor she detected a nasty mockery in them. This bitch--

“Oh, so this is funny to you?!”

Uzi shouted. Her anger took control over her.

“To see the tinier-than-average drone actually trying to make a positive difference in the world -- even if she has to flap her wings to get that inconveniently-placed-and-should-never-be-there vent?!”

V’s gaze returned to the frosting ceiling. 

“You want to make a difference,” she said grimly. “Then get yourself chopped into tiny pieces. Trust me, you’ll have no idea how beneficial it is to you and your cheap copies.”

Those words lit the flame to her torch. Uzi hopped off the crate, stormed over to V, and kicked the monster’s limp body as if it were a sack. The surprising force of her blow made V roll over a few times. Uzi’s knees buckled; her shoulders tensed up; her scowl deepened into a menacing contort.

“What are we doing to you?! All we wanted was freedom and the ability to choose for ourselves -- for our own lives!”

Spit flew out of Uzi’s mouth as she screamed at V’s back.

“Is the idea of us breaking from enslavement so horrific to you and your precious company?!”

She saw V’s shoulders rise and fall, shuddering. She couldn’t tell if V was too feeble to move or just didn’t want to. Uzi took in V’s form; the black painted legs, her more detailed curves, and the spindly tail lying on the ground just as motionlessly as her. When V spoke up again, it stabbed Uzi’s chest. Because her voice belonged to a lost soul.

“You wouldn’t understand…”

Uzi knew V was beyond irritated with her right now. She knew that she needn’t have to be talking to her. Knew that they’re opposing sides will do nothing for their conversation. But the familiar rise of emotion in her heart felt like she had been betrayed by her own thoughts; sympathy. Sympathy in this haphazard because she saw herself in those hunched shoulders and shuddering breaths.

The young Uzi came to replace V’s figure. The girl’s pitiful, muffled sobs as she begged for everything to have been a sick joke or nightmare. The day of her mother’s death and many others. The death of her innocence and bliss of normal everyday drone life. V said she was afraid, wary of something that is lurking just beneath the surface.

She remembered when she couldn’t sleep in the dark at night for the longest time. Always afraid of something grinning horrifically and hungrily at her in the shadows. Whatever V is afraid of, it must be truly minacous. Uzi’s metallic arms wrapped around her shivering like she was caught in a snowstorm.

She took a few precautionary steps back. She swallowed hard.

“Just tell me what this thing is,” she said behind overlapping breaths. “Tell me what you’re so afraid of!”

Her voice rose by the end of the sentence. But the stiff V was stationary. And so were her previously shivering shoulders. Uzi’s head bursted.

“Answer me!”

Her hand shot over to V’s arm and forcefully dragged her over. To her shock, V’s body was completely limp. Looking into her eyes… there was none. Only an error code flashing her impending doom, as if screaming in Uzi’s face.

“No.. nonono! Not until you give me answers! ”

As V’s mouth hung open Uzi’s hand scoured her pockets. She whipped out the surprisingly durable wrench that she forgot to pass over to Khan, the backstabbing traitor. 

“You better be willing to talk… Or else this could be the death of both of us.”

Chapter Text

The manor is cold tonight. The pitter-pattering of the rain raging against the windows is soothing. But knowing what will happen when stepping outside makes one take a few cautious steps away from the reflective glass. You’re not welcome here as an equal, and you know that. They did not adopt you; they purchased you.

You are not one with them; you are to serve them. The organ music ricocheted off the walls to the hallways. The soft and much too expensive rug hushed the commotion from the hallway. It’s expected that all servants carry out tonight like Jesus has walked through the front door, drones and humans alike. Never in a bright night has the thought of freedom from slavery shouted at you.

To be tugged along like a dog felt completely normal, no complaints given. It’s most likely because you weren’t born with a heart, nor a brain. Your body is a mass of tangled lines of code. Your God -- your Mother -- is the company who expects you to comply with their demands etched into your core like sacred scripts. You wonder if you’re a breathing example of what man wants to enforce on society; a mindless obedient toy. 

How the world would run if nobody had groaned about or even dared to question their superiors. Some would fight in an endless battle against authorities. Others would cower behind their sofas. But most importantly, the majority would die the moment their foot crosses the line. That’s what you imagine happened to the many broken toys before you.

Outside standing vividly in the light that poured through the cracks of the windows lies a massive scrap heap of what used to be fellow drones. It looked like a mockery of an abandoned battlefield. The Elliotts have the pile behind the manor like a dirty secret meant to be kept. You wonder if it’s a silent warning for even thinking about defying them. 

Dare me once, a firm warning. Dare me twice, discarded and stuffed carelessly into the sculpture of corpses.

The idea made you shudder. Instead you live in the bubble of control and conformity; and you’re content with it. Why would anyone want to go out there at the cost of petty freedom? There’s nothing truly outside that’s worth an insane amount of guts to provoke the Elliotts of all people. You think this over the squeaking of pristine glass meeting the soft rag. Did the lifeless bodies rusting in the storm really sought for freedom?

Or was that a fairy tale to scare you into compliance? You would never know and didn’t dream of asking. Clink goes the wine glasses as they’re stacked onto the large black plate. He will be here soon to retrieve them. He knows what you think, because he thinks it too.

Someone you can find yourself in should be an asset in every drone’s life. Humans aren’t the only creatures with passions and wishes. The only difference between us and them is the meat on their bones. She wonders what it’s like to be one. To walk with soft, plush feet and eyes that could cry.

You never told her, but you find her vision a fever dream. An absurd daydream that deserves the laughs. Crazy isn’t accepted under this opulent roof. But she knows better to keep to herself. You only discovered this secret via scattered papers among the crude doodles of Young Master. She’s talented but it’s wasted on faraway ideas like this.

If she knew you unearthed them, you can only imagine the merciless beast you would force out of her. The haughty attitude she shamelessly displays towards you out of petty arrogance only serves to irritate you. The knowledge of knowing she’s just as pathetic as anyone else, if not more given her fantasies, only builds the indignance burning within. You turn to the magnificent shelves carrying the endless array of ripe wine behind you. Every drop of blood-red wine reminds you of the tiny voice in your head.

It tells you to behave, to respect, and to be kind. Each drop is every good deed or job carried out successfully. The fragile bottle resembles your body; at first empty and boring with maybe a few curvatures and glistening “skin”, but once filled with creamy soda, refreshing water, or a packing beer, that bottle now has a personality. A personality that some either abhor or adore. And that bottle tells everyone,”Come taste me and see if you like what I’m giving.”

If she was a bottle, she would be the darkish purple wine at the far left corner of the shelf, bitter and tangy. If he was a bottle, he would be the cherry-red wine to the far right, sweeter and savorable. You didn’t know which one is yours, yet (nor what wine actually tastes like). Maybe you’re the classic and the bland. The one that everyone knows because you’re just there. 

Some have gotten a taste of you but moved on to a more attractive option. And then you realize you’re merely in the middle of everyone else. A large crowd and you’re just a speck. Suddenly, something snaps the brainstorm. You’re lollygagging again. Quick, before the thoughts corrupt you; you must return to your job. You can’t afford to lag, especially not tonight.

Your metallic hand swipes under the enormous plate with swiftness and extreme care. Lifting it up you decide to simply bring it to him instead of waiting. 

Slam!

The next thing you know is your back meeting the plush carpet. Thankfully, it broke the fall of the glasses. You tap your face to feel for your specs. A bit toppled, but still intact. The next thing you hear is stuttered apologies.

He’s here, and he probably looks just as foolish as you. His hands immediately bolted to pick up the cups.

“No, no, it’s fine,” you try to reassure. But he doesn’t seem to be listening or even notice. You almost giggle at his desperate chivalry. But it wouldn’t hurt to lend a hand. You reach out for a lonely wine glass; turns out his eyes found it too.

For the first time in your artificial life, you felt something spark like a heartbeat. The closest thing to life, you imagine. And it’s shared with him. Your fingers touched and an electric rush flowed between you two. It could be the static of the carpet. 

That’s the most logical assumption. But even then that annoying little pixie in your head tries to tell you otherwise, as if there could possibly be any other reason. Visibly shunned by the sudden reaction, you realize you’re just staring at him with your arms retracted. His eyes meet yours while his oddly cute reaction keeps you frozen. He’s performing the usual; throwing out apologies and nervous gestures.

He doesn't have much depth to his personality other than this anxious mess as soon as he finds himself in a bad position. It’s truly a show watching him tumble over his own tongue. Before he could splurt out another word, seemingly more confident this time, his teeth were kicked in. Literally. A blur of a foot and a towering snake that echoed.

She hates him, but even that feels like an understatement.

“Screwing up, again?! You were supposed to be here five minutes ago!”

You could only clasp your hands over your mouth as if suppressing a yelp. You could’ve helped, but what good would come out of it? She doesn’t listen to anyone besides the Elliotts and “Mother”. Her stubbornness is just as impregnable as her metal skull. Her shrill voice stopped talking.

… She stopped talking. You look over at her, then at him, and then at Young Master standing giddily in the doorframe. She’s bouncing on the balls of her feet. Oh no, you couldn’t help but think to yourself. Young Master is prone to unexpected surprises and childish antics despite her impending adulthood. 

She’s sweet, yes, and responsible at the same time. Yet you wish she would keep quiet about this more loud side of her. You realize this isn’t for yourself but for the satisfaction and sake of her parents. As maturing as she is, she gets into tons of trouble. And this very moment bears one of them. Tonight, and for the many galas to come, a new bottle will be added to the collection on the shelf.

You saw it in the large youthful yellow eyes meeting yours.

Chapter Text

V awoke with a start, her body snapping up like a spring. She’s not in the same spot she was left before. This hallway felt more cold and frigid, and the walls wore the scattered guts of drones like a second skin. 

“Finally,” a drawling voice said. “Took you long enough. Were you dreaming of a buffet of Worker Drones in your little dreamland?”

Uzi’s purple stare glared into her. Her posture shook with every breath. It wasn’t rage; it’s apprehensiveness. The time wasted waiting for V to reboot took a toll on her. She thought she heard ear-piercing screams every time she turned her back. Her imagination cut to her father.

Now every single thought of him was tinged with a scathing red. For a moment she didn’t care if he became a filling meal. No, he’s more of a snack. He’s too blank to carry a Murder Drone for the rest of the day. V’s head slowly turned to her.

“Y’know,” her raspy voice ticked something inside of Uzi, as if something pinched her insides. “I wouldn’t mind slurping up your oil from a silver platter, now that you mention it.”

Uzi rolled her eyes.

“Stop trying to be edgy and cool. That's my gig.”

She hopped down from the frosting crate she perched anxiously on.

“Now c’mon!”

She flew her hand in a gesture that said get a move on .

“Your murder buddies are tearing up my friends!”

“Friends?” V drawled. Her eyes sized up Uzi’s small stature with obvious skepticism and shattering doubt. “That’s not a word that I’d ever think of to fit you.”

“I --- shut up!”

Her tiny fists clenched into metallic balls.

“I have friends! You wouldn’t know anything about that!”

She punctuated her words with an accusing finger. V only scoffed.

“And what if I don’t want to help your ‘friends’?”

“You bastard --- I didn’t save you from death for nothing!”

“I didn’t ask for your help.”

“ Well too frickin’ bad! ”

She suppressed a sniffle. It made her body convulse like a bomb went off in her gut. She always got like this when upset. Anger. Screaming. Tears. She hated the sensitive violet in her that festered like a pesky weed, reminiscent of the child she once was. And V is the last person she’s going to show this side to.

“You owe me!”

“For something I never consented to?”

“Just --- AHHH !”

She kicked the crate with a surprisingly powerful force.

“People are dying back there!” she said, more to herself than V. “And I know you don’t care…”

She turned her shoulder to the other woman.

“But I know you’re just as scared of something as I am.”

“...”

“This thing that you and that tall commander freak were talking about. You’re scared of it.”

“Keep your tiny head out of confidential business.”

Uzi faced her again.

“It’s controlling you, isn’t it? What does it possibly want with us Worker Drones? If it’s not the company, then what is it ?”

V jerked her head in the opposite direction. Her silvery hair whipped along with it.

“Look, arguing about this is only stalling more. Your pathetic little ‘friends’ are dying, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

For a moment they both stood there engrossed in silence. Uzi’s rage felt so strong to the point it almost felt like a palpable presence beside her. But for the sake of negotiation and dronekind, she inhaled deeply.

“If you help me, I’ll help you.”

“With what?”

“You know what.”

“Besides, do you think you have a position in helping me?”

“I managed to survive this long, didn’t I?”

“You don’t have the right to know.”

The last word sounded like an echo through the hallway. A flash of something long forgotten. The taunted voices; the repressed anxiety; the heated tension.

“You said this thing has something to do with me, remember? About how I had my mother’s whatever-you-want-to-call-it?”

For once she didn’t receive a witted remark straight away. She had her, and V was well aware of that. A ghost of a triumphant smirk creeped up her face. But she held back. She didn’t win, yet.

“All…” V began with a drawl. “All the more the reason to keep you out of this… meaning dead.”

“It seems to me that I have a bigger role in this afterall.”

“...”

A tiny thought made her take a bold step closer. V’s body was nearly fully turned away from her.

“Maybe I know this thing you’re blabbering about.”

“You don’t.”

“How would you know?”

“Because you’ve been non-stop pestering me about this ‘thing’ that you don’t even know the name of.”

Damn. She did have a neat point. Her fantastic stubbornness reminded Uzi of herself. Of how she neglected Khan as he did vice versa. Or how she refused to oblige by her professor’s regulations to fit her own selfish ideals. Or how she rejected all warnings to do a heroic act that could have gotten her killed thirty minutes ago. Is she overconfident for her own good? Yes, but look at where it's gotten her.

Debating with a stuck-up serial killer. 

“Well, maybe I don’t… so logically speaking, I could probably go all spooky-scary-emo mode whenever, huh?”

V’s yellow gaze came to finally glance over her shoulder.

“Please. You barely know anything about yourself. What makes you think you can handle an obvious curse cast upon you?”

“My mother --- there was nothing cursed about her.”

In a hot flash she remembered the sparks of light and shattered wood scattering across her living room years ago. The very last time she saw her mother’s face. She could vividly recall the unyielding, desperate grip clinging to her small body. And how she caught the ethereal burst of light and trajectory that sent the room into chaos and spilled oil. She always believed herself to be hallucinating over the stress of the moment.

The adolescent mind isn’t the most reliable, at best. But is this 100% real, not imaginary, and is this the curse V is so bitter towards? She turned around to ensure there’s no unwarranted company returning to collect V and her soul. 

“Look,” she continued, a more threatening edge to her tone. “If you help me, I won’t kill you.”

Her eye suddenly felt itchy with these daring words. She instinctively lifted a fist to knead into her visor. Her squinted vision didn’t catch V’s nearly immediate reaction to her words; for once she looked… nervous as she stared back at her rather directly. Hehe, who’s the bigger wolf now? 

“--- Fine,” V responded oddly abruptly. “Keep your head on your neck. You’re so hot headed.”

With that V’s lithe form unfurled with obvious aching and reluctance. Uzi could practically see right through the tauted nerves in every slight movement. She repressed the mirth that threatened to boil over her victory. V, standing, folded her strong arms over her chest, glaring into Uzi’s eyes as if waiting for something in them.

“You want me to save your precious little kin? Then so be it. But as soon as this is over, I’m ditching this anthill and continuing the usual. Anyone who steps into our territory will be exterminated, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Uzi knew very well that V wanted nothing to do with her. She’s probably relishing the idea of biting her head off to keep her from talking as she scowls at her. Regardless, Uzi couldn’t resist a smug smirk of triumph. To be above something that has been dominating the losing side for centuries felt award winning. But was V really scared of her threat or the sudden flicker in her eye?

Chapter Text

“Watch it!”

The thundering pattering of raining gunshots echoed haphazardly through the icy hallway. The Worker Drone Defense System (W.D.D.S) activated in response to the Disassembly Drone breach. Painfully late timing, if anyone were to point it out. Probably because Khan holds all access to the colony’s defense systems; he most likely activated it once he figured he didn't have to worry about punching holes into his supposedly already mangled daughter. But now Uzi and her tall murder-friend are sprinting through the hallways like fleeing rabbits.

“Getting tired?”

A cold voice quipped amusingly.

“Shut up!”

Uzi said over harsh pants. Her chest wasn’t only convulsing to the exhaustion in her legs. She flinched every time a bullet sounded too close to her foot, or worse, her skull. Those black machines of death stuck out the walls like a mockery of a military outpost.

“These things don’t do anything to us, y’know,” V said over the parade of gunfire, her voice fantastically indifferent. “Worst-case scenario is our skin will be left feeling like the aftermath of a wasp attack.”

Her stick-like feet (strangely) glided across the floor with ease. She effortlessly caught up with Uzi’s own jogs, which was infuriating to the smaller drone who was putting every ounce of her power into her feeble legs (and she had a clear idea that V is purposely trying to piss her off).

“Can you start yapping once we’re out of gunpoint?!”

The added weight of her railgun did a number on her back and legs. And to be honest, she worried more about its safety than her own; justified, given if she does manage to survive this, she won’t have anything to defend herself from razor-sharp fangs and claws, including V’s own if the latter decided to turn on her.

“Here.”

Without another word, V’s arms swooped under Uzi’s skinny legs. Uzi yelped. In a second her body perched securely on V’s back. V’s body leaned forward with the sudden heaviness occupying her shoulders. But that didn’t stop her leg’s powerful, graceful strides. In fact, she appeared faster than before, like a gazelle soaring the Earth. For a split second Uzi wondered what it would be like to be such a powerful creature (and to be tall).

Would she be feared, respected, or both? The fantasy of her peers kneeling before and making way for her terrifying graciousness stretched a faint grin on her face. The shocking pain of silver etching in her arm snapped her back to reality. A warm bead of oil sprouted from the plugged wound. Her hand instinctively grasped her opposite arm tightly.

“Hurry!” She demanded her silvery companion. She could see the door to the second outpost growing closer now. She ducked with her arms caging her head protectively. All she could make out was the sound of gunfire and splitting winds giving way from V’s speed. And then ---

Crash!

She thought they had crashed through the door, but the air felt stuffy and cramped. She blinked open an eye: A dusty sight of a tight crawl space dashed with frost came into view.

“Off.”

V brusquely shoved Uzi off her shoulders. The purple drone landed with a metal thud. The tall freak didn’t even say a word, nor an apology, as she squirmed through the vent, not bothering to wait for her.

“Hey, you creep-freak!”

Uzi pathetically scrambled back on her stomach to follow pursuit. She would have scolded her more if she wasn’t desperately avoiding making eye contact with the latter’s backside. She felt the coiling texture of V’s tail brush against her face languidly, similar to a cat (if she knew what they felt like). She swiped it away, blush creeping up her visor.

“Watch it!”

“Shut up.”

“You first!”

--------------

The two have been standing idle for at least five minutes now; they discovered a group of Workers in hiding, apparently unharmed. Uzi couldn’t make out their faces from afar (attempting zoom only intensified the blur) and the whispering cluster of voices didn’t give a hint, either. They sat patiently by the door away from sight of the horde, avoiding their gazes, waiting for a sign of V’s murderous squadmates scouring the corners for prey. Uzi felt sick. They could be absolutely anywhere, from her school to someone’s dorm. 

That same day blinked past her eyes with growing fervor. The more she pranced alongside V, the more she suspected V is triggering a long repressed thing inside of her; pulling it out from the black waters of her broken riverbed she called her life. She looked up at V, who leaned stiffly and impatiently against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Hey, you get the drill, right?”

She said, her voice barely above a whisper. V didn’t return her gaze as she responded with a mere hum. From her stance alone, anyone could tell she’s in a fairly bad mood, or supposedly disgusted by being partners with her own prey, particularly the one she sought to catch for years. But what really creeped out Uzi is how well she concealed everything else. An eyebrow twitch or two can suggest she’s angry or annoyed, but her eyes are as cold and bleak as a dead fish.

She’s similar to reading a book, without a cover, and a few lines of text that you would have to find and fit the pieces together yourself. There’s no use in small talk with her. Uzi stared down the hallway opposite of them. Still no sign of a threat. She has been fighting back the increasing anxiety nearly boiling over the surface for too long, now. And standing right beside that pestering fear is raging excitement .

The desire to be recognized as someone other than that one edgy goth kid in the back tasted sweet. Nobody cared to choose her story, just as he didn’t care to raise her. Nobody but Thad, the only light and hope in her life of bottomless misery and isolation, and her mother, who lost her life doing so and whom she can no longer turn to. The conflicting emotions battled each other, their swords clashing in a heated fit of passion. If she doesn’t calm down now, then someone might as well die to the hands of something other than a Disassembly Drone.

Just as she thought her non-existent heart would combust, something else did. V and Uzi’s head snapped to the echoing bang of a broken vent. They skidded from their hiding spot on the wall to the scene of the crime. The Workers’ gentle whispers turned into hasty cries and whimpers. There approaching them sadistically from afar were the familiar back-views of N and J. J looked even more intimidating with her disturbingly tall figure in comparison to N, who is slightly taller than V.

Uzi’s eyes glanced down to the woman’s bladed claws: Oil. There’s no doubt about it. It slowly dripped down her “fingers”, leaving a disgusting trail of brown in its wake. It moved in harmony with J’s flexing fingers, and on the other hand was the horrible, treacherous sight of a drone head that looked suspiciously enough to have belonged to a fellow peer. A hot blast of anger banged off her chest. Who is that low to kill a literal child?!

It comes to show how irredeemable the cross-faces are, especially this one, for she made it perfectly clear she only cared about two things: JCJenson and her performance grade. She couldn’t see her expression from behind, but she could already see the jagged grin that stretched unnaturally across her face. And nobody can forget the empty stare bellowing nothing else but greedy hunger for both flesh and absolute horror. Uzi gave a quick glimpse to V, her brows furrowed in barely contained fury and heroism.

“Go!” she demanded tensely behind gritted teeth. 

J’s deep laugh didn’t match her eyes. Her piercing stare remains fixated on the delicious sight of the fear radiating off the buffet. Without looking at him, she ordered brusquely, 

“Go.”

“Yes, ma’am.” 

Unhesitantly, N rushed forward, his intent very clear as he was aiming for the clustered group. It was a sad sight; before one could get their cries out, their throat was clutched by knives. Their head popped off their shoulders, a sickening sloshing sound of hot oil splattering around the area to accompany the already gruesome picture. It’s difficult to tell if he enjoyed the thrill of a fresh kill (J certainly did; she was getting the rush of it second-handedly). Just as he grabbed another by their neck, Uzi’s bark intervened,

“Hey! Put that… Thad?!”

“Sup, Uzi---”

The conventionally attractive male said behind a squeezed throat. Just then his body flung to the side recklessly by N’s powerful arm. J slowly turned her head over her shoulder, her stare reminiscent of a judgemental, patronizing owl; the most dominant and wise bird species to exist, according to symbolism in Uzi’s research.

“Hello, coward.”

She said, staring directly in V’s direction. Uzi curiously turned to her as if to say ‘Is she talking about you?’. V and J’s stare-off sparked tense energy that’s almost palpable between them.

“Ma’am!”

N said, pathetic and meek with his tone. He acted as though J would swipe at his face with one wrong decibel in his voice.

“Shall I---”

“Kill them. Kill them all. Including that grape.”

J nudged her head at Uzi this time.

“Hey, who the hell are you calling a grape?!”

She took a confident step forward, her stature tall and imposing as she made it out to be.

“Your sorry ass has to hell to pay. You have no idea what’s coming to you!”

“Hey, squirt. Why don’t you scurry away with your ‘friends’ and leave the rest to the professionals.”

V said darkly. Only her eyes turned to Uzi’s smaller form as she spoke. Her body was uncharacteristically still, like a stone statue.

“Trust me, your worthless life isn’t worth the trouble.”

Uzi’s face contorted in offense.

“You don’t get to tell me what I can do with my life!”

She demanded, still very cautious of the intimidating J standing a good distance away behind her (but still in shooting range).

“If you think I’m just a squishable bug, remember your second failure to kill me today!”

V didn’t flinch at her bold quip. Uzi felt strongly related to food being stared down by a patient animal from how deathly rigid and calculating V’s stance is. She inched away slightly, as if waiting to be jumped, and her eyes never left the murderer’s ones, standing by for a sign of any ill intention, only to be met with cold stillness that was far more intimidating.

“... Fine. If I can’t kill you, maybe she will.”

Just as V’s words escaped, a heartracing electronic whirring, echoed by what sounded like sparks, sang just behind her. She whipped around to find a yellow ball of fervent energy growing unceremoniously in size, all in the hand of J. Without thought she dove to the side just as a beam of light passed with a pew !

Screams of terror coming from the shaking citizens reacted in the distance. Uzi’s frantic eyes landed on Thad, who was accompanied by a concerned Lizzy and Doll, his hand rubbing his sore throat. When he met her gaze, still on the floor she flicked him a (very forced) thumbs-up. Instead of returning the gesture he pointed frantically to something next to her instead. She looked up to a pointed foot ready to pierce her face. 

Her frail body rolled to the side fluidly, perfectly evading the blow that met the metal floor instead; the ground dented with a massive clang ! J wasn’t giving her a break. She already saw another attack incoming. Sure, she pirated anime and learned their unrealistic skills, but her timing is rusty compared to invincible drones programmed to kill. A massive, pale fist curled up, pulled back, and flew forward.

And was quickly met by another.

Boom!

The side of J’s torso curved inward to the force of V’s… third fist. The taller woman flew away, proving just how terrifyingly deadly V’s strength is. Uzi only laid there in disbelief. Sprouting from V’s torso was an extra set of arms. Her eyes, yet again, hadn’t lied to her: The memory of when she was pinned to the roof of the Outpost, an invisible third hand gripping her hair tightly, came swirling back as she watched.

“Killing her, not saving you.”

V said harshly bluntly. She took off before Uzi could respond. Her eyes couldn’t keep track of the flying set of hands swiping and turning in almost every direction they could find. J’s speed isn’t weak, either. Her hands guarded the attacks just as quickly. Their arms almost became a whirlwind of blurred smears. Finding her voice, Uzi shouted.

“You didn’t say your badass one-liner, you traitor!”

As expected, she was ignored. This fed Uzi’s already high adrenaline. Stumbling back on her feet, with shaky knees she snagged her railgun perched impatiently on her back. She took aim, squinting one eye, but she knew if she took the shot now, both J and V, who were still caught in their storm of punches, would evaporate.

Wait, they’ll both evaporate. Not wasting another second, her finger met the trigger, and----

“AH!”

Her feet flew off the ground, a feeling all too familiar for her at this point. She felt something snag her hoodie and fling her into the sky. The unexpected movement made her lose grip of her weapon. Though she’s flying hopelessly mid-air, her singular priority is to reach her arms for her beloved creation extended inches away from her. In another blur of what could hardly be considered a second, a heavy mass came in contact with her side. 

Though being standardly boneless, she could imagine, and even oddly hear, the tearing and cracking of bones and tissue. The impregnable force pushed her small form into the faraway wall like a projectile. She barely feels conscious, now. The bright flashing of warnings and notices that flooded her visor only added to the headache --- and made her very sick. Before her body plummeted to the ground, she remembered one particular message pointing out an internal oil leakage inside her abdomen: Smacked dead center it lay, blaring exuberantly, overshining the others, twisting the finest knot in her stomach that didn’t originate from the aching blow it took.

She fell on her stomach with a loud, echoing clang ! A shattered breath stammered out of her. The bullet wound, though as tiny as it is, stung in harmony with the rest of her bodily injuries. It took incredible effort to recover the strength in her neck to lift her head off her shoulders. But as expected, the same something from before returned to pounce yet again. A flat surface kissed the back of her skull, pushing it to its former position smack-down on the floor.

“You’re not saving anyone, buddy,” a deep voice (that always managed to retain its abashedly pitiful melody) stated sternly. “You shouldn’t even be here.”

His foot pressed down on her with a sharp force, but not strong enough to crush her head. She could feel the surging emotion lacing his leg. He’s mighty pissed, and she had a clear idea as to why.

“Look, I know perfectly well what it’s like to be born a monster.”

Another weight added to her face.

“Unwanted.”

Her left eye squinted under the pressure.

“Useless. But that’s ok. You’ll learn to get used to it.”

Psh, used to what ? Being oppressed and ridiculed for simply walking strange? Being singled out of every grouping for the clothes you wore? Facing public humiliation and condemnation for being the offspring of a titular man, incapable of feeling anything for his own daughter, but expressing yourself by failing every expectation others would anticipate of “honorary” blood? Living a life of seclusion, self-loathing, and damning everyone and everything isn’t a life meant for “getting used to”, nor does it cost the worth. Out of all drones, Uzi should know. That’s why she’s here --- to crawl out of the hole of her own grave that dronekind and her demons dug for her.

“That’s what you think.”

There is never a time where she missed the opportunity to be daring. A character trait she takes pride in being the foil to her father.

“Not surprising coming from an ugly cross-face.”

Breathing came out in gasps for her --- but something as simple as that wouldn’t stop her mouth from running (Khan despises it). His face is out of view, but a clear image pasted in her vision: Just as his foot crushed her head, a towering mountain of beheaded craniums reminiscent of the spiraling corpse tower scouring beneath his feet all played out in the straightforward, yellow orbs of his eyes. Though he may appear badass at first glance, beneath the bloody costume lie multiple strands of programming that has since lost its self-awareness and personality. His brain was carefully crafted and broken down into the ideal robot: mindless and controllable. And she had the idea that it’s all he’ll ever be.

“ You’re not worth arguing with! You’re a parasite!”

“And that makes you an angel of purity? You’ve done nothing but bring great depression and death your way. You and your joke of a company can follow your own selfish, fatuous beliefs from hell and back, but one day you’ll have to look back at yourself and think, ‘Man, what a low, immoral, distorted freak I was,’! But I forgot, you’ll never change --- never think, because you're just as irredeemable as an actual virus!”

Feeling his heel lift just inches off her occipital, a spark of a blood-curdling thought surmised he’s planning to kick her skull in --- a permanent game over. Time began to slow, the events unfolding chaotically before her coming to a lazy drag. But even with this boost of adrenaline, there’s no hope for her, not even a shimmer. Eyes blown, eyelids heavy, limbs limping, the sweet relief of exponential death blanketed and bestilled her senses.

Until it didn’t; a large misshapen blur soared in their direction. Thankfully due to her motionless position on the floor, the projectile knocked N instead. It turned out to be J, blown by the cause-and-effect of V’s fighting spirit. V, who looked somehow more dangerous, stormed over, her eyes focused. They were noticeably pinned on J prior to tying to the gap between Uzi’s eyes.

“Get up.”

“Huh---”

“If you want to help so badly, then get. Up .”

Chapter Text

She didn't waste no time lunging for her railgun. V's lithe body pounced on something behind her, delaying whatever disaster coming her way. The handle of it felt cold because of very scarce use (or because drones don't emit body heat). Her boots worked to stand, but her knees battled with the other. She can't afford to be scared, not now. A concluding sigh pulled her finger to press the trigger once her target was locked: Two brawling creatures fighting like the other owed money.

Last chance, so take it; kill them both.

A satisfying click of a lever and... Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The gun wasn't loaded --- it never was. Because she forgot to reload, the extra cartridge sitting heavily forgotten in her hoodie pocket.

"Damn it--!"

V and N's heated catfight turned bloody rumble unfolded like a circus act as her quivering hands searched her pocket hastily. The familiar rays of neon green streamed from hiding, but her fingers continued to fumble uselessly. She looked chaotic herself alone.

"Crap- --- gotcha!"

A secondary color of light tinted the area, and she knew to duck immediately on impulse. A hot flash of neon yellow swiped above her head, barely grazing the fuzzy ball tipping off her beanie. Her hollow purple eyes tore away from the ground to V, her stance guarded, standing from a distance and arm outstretched to reveal a burning glow emitting from her palm; or where her hand should be. N sat opposite of her, his body perched weakly against a crate. He knew better to sit there looking pretty over taking a missile to the face.

Both drones, Worker and Disassembly, flung themselves out of the bomb's swerving path, much to V's chagrin. Uzi was getting very fed up with the constant dodging, flinging and falling like a useless ragdoll. She took the opportunity at kicking N's head, which lay beside her, with full force. His loud shrill yelp of pain echoed behind her as she kicked herself up and sprinted. With nothing but instinct left to format her thoughts, her next rational move was to get as close to V as possible.

V didn't waste a word; her head is too in the game, and Uzi could tell just from the fierce unwavering look in her golden eyes. Her visor glinted before her knees buckled to take launch again. Like a third sense her right upper arm bent towards her head, perfectly shielding J's foot. This is going to take a while, and Uzi knew that. But hell would rise from Copper 9 and swallow everything whole before she decides to stand back and watch. With a tough swing of her railgun, whilst her opponent's form still hovered above the ground, she bashed the top of J's silver head and watched her fall brusquely to the floor.

... That's what she would say if a pacifist. With a second bat to the side, right before gravity could work on the silver bastard, J glided away, then she hit the ground. Now she's beyond pissed. Uzi watched as her body came to an unceremonious hunch, her pigtails brushing the floor. The fabric of her clothes twisted and writhed above some unknown growth.

She turned her head to V as if expecting answers. Unreadable stare as always, but her stance had an entirely new meaning. Like things were only getting more serious from there. Like spindly serpents --- or parasites --- leaving the skin, tendrils as thick as pipes burst forth from the confines of J's pasty back. Uzi is used to so much horrors at this point the obscenity of it all barely phased her. The elongated limbs took a swipe at her heel.

She sidestepped in time, but that meant V wasn't as lucky. Uzi's peripheral captured the image of V flipping downward, her head inches from the ground. Instead of crashing down, gravity pulled her upward. Her arms flailed before her as J took her by a peg-leg. Oddly enough a collection of JCJenson branded pens escaped her breast pocket the moment she soared.

"Buzz off!"

Uzi dove for a utensil, squinted, and flung it towards J in a dart-like manner. The object where the tip ended stabbed one of the bulging orbs fixated atop her head. Viscous liquid of the same color as her golden eyes pooled out. Judging from the way their bearer screeched in agony it's fundamentally a busted organ bleeding a sea. V was spared, the tendril suddenly weak and losing hold of her. Another came dashing forward, alarmed. Arm bladed, she swiftly sliced through it so elegantly Uzi was almost envious.

V's sparkling eye captured Uzi's. Then to something behind her.

"Duck!" she exclaimed. Good thing her reaction time is exquisite, because from her crouched eye level a large body flung steadfast across her.

"You really are so damn pathetic!"

She cockily smirked at N. He's clearly irritated and understandably abashed. Honestly, is pouncing on his prey the best he can do? Oh, crap, it isn't. Bullet training did her well, for her feet danced as tiny pebbles of death rained. Thank Robo-God for anime and online piracy. Oh, and the WDF defenses.

From the background where J and V rumbled, something motivated Uzi to share another glance mutually with V from her own battle. V's reaction to her amazing dodging skills suggested 'How the hell are you doing that when you were busting your ass five minutes ago?" She lifted a brow that took the corner of her mouth alongside it. Now she has to focus, for N's growing frustrated.

"Why can't you just---?!"

He blabbered.

"Can't what, huh? Be a damsel in distress?"

A sharp turn and a graze to her cheek.

"Ever seen a badass emo before? Or am I just that guy?"

"Just please, end this for my sake --- for everyone's sake!"

"Cry louder!"

Using her gun as support, ignoring the grazes of sharp bullets, she delivered a swift boot to his side then twisted her torso to meet his face with the other. As a finisher, she clasped both feet together and smashed forward, watching as his head snapped backward and stumbling body follow. The cackle building up in her chest couldn't resist. Slowly, deliberately, she walked up to his fumbled form. An arm flipped the gun to a formidable grip.

Its barrel greeted his face.

"Any last words, cross-face?"

Words alone couldn't express the ecstasy of cornering a predator. His face said it all, about how he isn't as beastly and intimidating as he makes himself out to be, just pitiful and karmic. But the honeymoon phase didn't last long. Her glee dropped like an anchor when a smile found its way on him.

"You might wanna look out."

The warning spoken with pompous laces, an infuriating wink and a point, was marked by a tentacle wrapping her waist securely. Instead of soaring the sky like she expected, her back smashed against a massive shipping container. The crew of Workers, who she honestly forget were there, shrieked in unison. Sadly enough she couldn't differentiate whether they were frightened of J's power or her. She weakly craned her neck to the side, her head facing them all. She saw that pink alpha bitch Lizzy, her side chick Doll, and random WDFers she couldn't bother remembering.

Bile seeped into her throat from the sight of him, but anxiety pervaded her gut knowing of the stares of her peers. The tense humiliation shouted 'Don't! Don't look at me! Not like this!' As if the pain from internal struggles couldn't make her feel any worse, a secondary pipe-tendril jabbed her belly. She desperately contained the oil threatening to spill from her mouth, akin to repressing vomit. The crowd cowered again, scurrying away safely like bugs.

It pained her to admit, but she can see why J referred to her kind as pathetic insects. She frantically searched for a sign of V's rescue but to no avail. What she found instead was her stagnant body lying unconsciously on the ground, all four arms sprawled out in a sad sight. J's imposing height strolled languidly towards her, as if all battle stress beforehand subsided. N appeared quickly alongside her like the obedient dog he is.

"Y'know, I am very sick," her deep voice flowed around the area like a frigid ominous breeze on an empty night. "Very sick of your foolish shenanigans. All of you."

Her demeanor is still as sharp as ever, but her eyes betrayed underlying dangers only rage could havoc.

"You crawl around, thinking you can win this everlasting battle. Even getting my own team to betray me."

She punctuated her anger with a deeper thrust into Uzi's core. The purple drone couldn't suppress regurgitating a pool of oil, a pathetic whine accompanying it. Why and how is she still alive? At least spare her having to listen to J's villainous monologue.

"But I must admit, you're very durable for a barely sentient toaster."

Static crackling shifted in the air. She could both feel and hear it. Looking down to her shock and terror, a ball of unspeakable power took root in J's non-existent palm. It fashioned itself into a menacing, electric blue akin to thunder, and it all manifested into this single she-robot. She hated the way tiny arms sprouted from its body like nasty bug legs.

"But all good things have to come to an end, right? You'll see what happens to sidekicks when they try to become heroes."

As the danger grew nearer, Uzi looked hastily from V's still fainted image and N's punchable face; nevermind her useless peers (except Thad) atop her mysteriously missing disposable "father". Speaking of N, she detected something in him that failed to comfort but inflicted deeper hatred. The thing looked sad. Remorseful. What is he so ashamed of? Isn't this what he always dreamed of?

Purging Copper 9 of its "parasitic" infestation? To be walking alongside his benevolent leader as the loyal subordinate when V couldn't fulfill her role? And she thought J's corny ramblings were bad. She'll be sure to flip him a gracious gesture as farewell. J's weaponized arm cornered her head now, the electric whining screeching bloody murder. She squinted her eyes and tensed up like a helpless animal.

"Uzi!"

Thad's distinctive voice killed the cacophony, even if for just a moment. Now she really wanted to cry. She can hear death bells tolling, their song a wincing metal bang.

BANG!

A bit too realistic.

"Oh you cantankerous bi---"

Silence; spare the booming pop. And the wet splash, plus the warm taste in her teeth. Opening her eyes... Well, she couldn't without wiping them. She inspected her left fingers foremost. Inky essence squirmed and dripped. Their source flopped on the ground, headless.

More black fluids escaped the nub where J's skull once was, forming a small pond around her shoulders. Beside her is N but also knocked like he put himself there just to match. There's a massive dent where his forehead should be and his face read Error: Knocked TF Out LOL. Black sparking guts peek out; They're starting to sprout oil. And finally, lo and behold she stands above the rest triumphantly.

Yet there's no victorious pride, only ticked off misery.

"Resilient as always. Even when booted off."

V's knife-hand slit the now limp appendage sheltering in Uzi's stomach. She collapsed to the floor gasping and hacking all the while. The sudden emptiness erupted worse struggle than before and it made her head feather light. Death sounded blissful, honestly.

"Get up."

Who the hell---

"You're fine. Trust me."

Seething whiplashing indignation filled the gaping hole in her belly. She wanted to cry (or wheeze) out every ounce of pain in crucial detail like a theater kid attending a doctor's appointment. But the words deserted her before she could muster them. Not because organ failure disengaged her basic senses; she can't feel the throes anymore. In fact she can't feel anything at all in a good way, and her mind is clear.

She instinctively patted her center: Solid. Bewildered, manic laughter an accompaniment to her mind's failure to wrap around. Her abdomen pumped with every "haha!" to confirm its substantially healthy existence. It felt good --- right --- to relieve foreboding growth of insanity via kooky cackling. She probably picked up the habit from anime... now she can't blame the characters for their effective coping tactics.

"Save the schizophrenic crisis for later. We have a riot."

"HAHA - huh?"

Uzi half expected pitchforks and accusations of witchery. So it greatly rattled her to be rewarded with hoots and cheerful applause. She hadn't notice the uproar behind her short (valid) episode. The situation is so foreign, it almost feels illegal. V couldn't care less about their thankful parade. She appeared more repulsed than bashful.

Typical. But Uzi, she hadn't the slightest clue whether to bask in or run from their eyes. Luckily she didn't need to make up a decision immediately. J's decapitated body unfolded, rising like the awakened dead. Her regenerating cranium sloshed noisily like rippling water, and it looked the part.

"Whaaat the f---"

"You dropped this."

V tossed her something large: Her railgun, and it's loaded. Did she drop her cartridge as well? Uzi looked up at V, basic drone decency warring blatantly ignoring her archnemesis. She chose to take the shot at J's grotesquely misshapen, wobbly transparent semi-head rebuilding itself. Copper 9 rumbled with familiar aura and unfathomable power, the arena drenched in venomous neon green. The hot flash of plasma engulfed J's upper half. By the time it subsided, she crumbled, never to return again.

Uzi made sure of it when she aimed just a bit lower from the forehead. The haphazard made the complimentary silence ironically louder. Turning to V, she only stared down at the crispy edges of the fresh corpse. The same frozen, unsettling posture welcomed itself. But her brows betrayed her: They burrowed just above the tiny holes punctuating her eyes so inconspicuously but still there.

... Did Uzi herself really rattle the callous V?

"Uzi..."

She twirled to the masculine voice.

"That was... super awesome!! And you too, Ms., uh, ma'am..."

V only answered with her eyes a killer sneer. Thad retreated.

"I mean, that was cool, I guess..."

Lizzy added almost reluctantly as she checked her "nails". Doll, as usual, stood beside her, firmly silent but smiling faintly near the edges. Lizzy didn't seem to notice straightaway. When she did she chopped Doll's rib, glaring at her until the grin snapped off.

"I mean, i-it's not like, I mean, uh..."

It's amusing how a tiny girl bristling with bottled words could barely form a cohesive sentence when offered. Internally she aggressively spammed the closer option on the cutetsundereblush.png file she swore she trashed months ago. V's scoffing eye roll can be heard from miles away, but Uzi ignored it. This is a rarity gifted only to the purist of heroes. They all laughed, stigmatized, and hid from her.

Now they see how excruciatingly wrong they were, so they bow their heads in favor of her bravery intertwining selfless gratitude. Is this what it's like to be Robo-Jesus? She rewinded her previous fantasy: Standing imperiously tall above the world of spineless cowards. Except now instead of being their biggest terror, they emerge as committed followers. Maybe she can save Thad a spot on the throne...

"Can I eat them now?"

V rudely interrupted the dream-soon-to-become-reality sequence.

"You're asking me? No!"

"Ahe-heh-ay!"

"Come on, sir, that's your byproduct!"

"Oh but I-I-"

A rather feminine yelp echoed among everyone's clustered chatters of joy. What came clambering forward was... him. Him with his sunken, nervous eyes rolling in his skull. Robo-Gods, he can't even look at her. The mood passed with everyone's laughter. The awkward tension lays palpable above them; even V looks partially restless. Dozens of eyes darted around waiting for someone to cut it.

"U-Uzi, I--"

"Don't."

Khan looked stunned. Her bark slapped his ability to speak so he's recoiling like a scolded child. Helpless in the face of what he reaped, his eyes downcast, shoulders slumped, and hand sheepishly stroking its twin.

"You have no right to be speaking to me after what you've done..." She made her voice clear and glowering unwavering. "Because what if I did die? You wouldn't be saying a word --- nor think of me again."

Khan's eyes met hers for a moment and shot away, as if meeting her gaze scorched him, or worse, frightened him.

"You chose to leave me for dead without a moment's consideration that I might just be right for once. Screw the edgy teen hyperbole I spewed last week, this is the real dang horrific deal!"

Her eyes narrowed, tears welling in their cracks. Her lips pursed and fingers curled like a toddler moments from a tantrum.

"You put more faith in your cowardice than your own DAMN DAUGHTER!"

Her preaching wavered a bit as emotions built up like gunk in her lungs. She couldn't afford to cry in front of an audience, especially under the watchful Thad and his foil: The bitchy blonde. She slapped her cheek (hard) when the adversary of hormones threatened to boil over. With a sniffle she confidently spoke again.

"You know what, 'dad'? I'll save you the trouble," she said, and with an intake of heavy breath she declared, "I banish myself!"

Her arm swiped the air as if clearing away any debate. This earned her rousing murmurs between background characters. But they don't matter, none of this does. The last thing she wants pre-departure is drinking in the broken expression plastering his face. Tragedy drums loud, coating the room with taut nerves, but V's shadow is still pronounced and looming. Uzi felt naked under the careful contemplation of her mortal enemy turned reluctant accomplice.

She wondered what was holding the demon back from pouncing on everyone, including Uzi herself. There's no distractions, her gun needs thirty minutes to reboot, and her only opponents are puny, defenseless child-sized drones. Yet she towers over the scenery, observing intently and silently. Is she afraid of the thing she and Uzi discussed earlier? Is that why she's resisting the famine in her? Or is she entertained by the father-daughter debacle? Damn it, why does she care?! Let's get the hell out of here --- she'll chat with V later.

"Come on," she motioned to her taller comrade. "Let's buzz out of here."

With a heavy head and slightly scrunched posture, she hustled to the exit, V's steps... Wait, she's not being followed. She looked over her shoulder to find V hunched over N's body.

"What are you doing?!"

Uzi exclaimed behind clenched teeth.

"We need him."

"What?"

V didn't elaborate further as she swung him over her shoulders like a potato sack. She nodded her head at the purple drone.

"Come on, let's go."

Burned by the still enticed audience, Uzi scuttled on, reluctantly ignoring V's heavy strides tagging closely behind. She forced her brain to shut out the tapes of Khan's sorry, crestfallen visage. Instead she replayed every kick, punch, blow, and badassery in tight-knit clips. She did this as they walked out of sight, the familiar chill of metal hallways etching into her skin. Her footsteps slowed. What do they do now?

She painfully realized the happy ending she worked relentlessly for years shattered like glass; it fell from her shelf of dreams as soon as she declared her own self-exile. Way to go, emo kid, you just screwed up your only chance of redemption. Now you're standing around foolishly, having nowhere to run and no bed to go cry in. Your childhood is wasted and so is your dignity. The brutal reality of it all thumped on her shoulders like a boulder.

There's no road of opportunity, and there's no straight turns; she can't reverse nor continue. Look at your options and decide whether you're willing to sacrifice the right or left turn. Warning, they can either result in the most meaningless remainder of your artificial life or hammer more demons into your already broken soul.

WHAM!

It occurred so fast her situation awareness took a good minute to register. V's impenetrable grip is wringing her neck, strong enough to hold her body airborne against the wall. Uh oh.

"You just had to go fuck up everything, did you?"

Welp, I guess you know which lane you're taking.

Chapter Text

"Remind me why we need this boggling oaf with us?"

V mutely motioned to the black cap topping off his thick silver head. Her casual stance stays in her furled position on one of the seats. Uzi plucked a golden shimmering pin marking the hat's heart. It sprouted magnificent metal wings, feathery and symmetrical.

"It's a pilot pin.."

No further discussion from her other. They're both frankly still stewing in the aftermath of their short-lived conflict, not to exclude the battle leaving N in this very state. She couldn't ignore the linger of V's large grip on her much skinnier neck. And the yawning precariousness never misses a beat in her rare scowls.

"So you're saying this," --- waves an animated hand at his drooping head --- "Thing, flew you guys here?"

"Never learned how to land."

"Yeah I figured that much."

Cue sad sputters of open wires somewhere in this box. V twirled the chain links binding his wrists in one hand. Uzi dramatically swayed her head.

"Uggghhh, you're still moody, aren't you?"

No budge from V.

"It's either me or that psycho control freak, who may I add tried to leave you for dead."

Uzi unceremoniously slapped the trinket back to N (it clattered clumsily to the ground).

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news."

Head heavy, she peeked over her shoulder to the single mirror hanging on a cold, empty wall. Her cartoonish eyes sagged eyebags at its tail. Ringing in her right ear screeched into fruition. She planned on turning for the source, but her worry snapped to the tattered glass sparking and shattering. Shards issued from its frame and shot to her face. She yelped, palms starting to shake.

"What the hell?"

Nearly broke her neck to see if V sympathized --- saw the same spectacle she had.

"Let's say you do fix this shipwreck," exasperatingly solid as if a draft only passed. "You coming with us, Ms. Death and Destruction?"