Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hey… Open your eyes!

Heeeeeyyy… Open your eyes!

A voice reverberated from somewhere, rattling inside the casing of the one person who was around to hear it. It held no direction nor did it leave behind an echo to suggest the direction it might have come from, having faded from audio processors as quickly as a rolling clap of thunder.

A pair of pale orange eyelights flickered on in response to the commanding sound, their owner letting out a sharp and startled gasp as his optics met with a wavering and hazy sky colored not terribly unlike the evening sunset. Taking another deep breath and bringing his hand up to rest it over his chest, he fixed his gaze out on the hazy horizon in the far distance.

He was here again. He quickly realized he must be having another one of those nights.

The orange eyed worker drone blinked as he turned his head around to survey his surroundings, looking for any changes in this place he had grown so terribly familiar yet still unfamiliar with. As per usual, nothing looked out of place or different compared to what he had seen on all of his previous visits. It was... comforting, in an odd sort of way. Familiar, perhaps.

The worker drone shook those thoughts out of his head as he got his arms beneath him, pushing himself up on his elbow joints. The sunset sky managed to capture his attention again as he traced the cloudless horizon back to the open air above him. Varying shades of orange, pink, and purple danced along his optics, leaving quite the striking visual behind.

He wasn't sure if the sunset was supposed to be that color. Something about it felt wrong and he couldn't put his finger on it no matter how hard he tried. It almost felt too lifelike in a way.

There was also the fact that he had once heard seeing a sunset meant one had a terrifying final chance to get inside before night would fall. He wasn't enjoying the view or his current train of thought anymore.

The worker drone tore his gaze away from the sky above as he shook his head, deciding to opt for dealing with those kinds of thoughts some other time. He instead rolled over onto his hands and knees in preparation of getting up, coming face to face with a reflection of himself and the fiery sky above as he stared down at the ground he was currently sitting upon. A set of golden ripples traveled from where his palms and knee joints were resting, breaking up the reflections not terribly unlike rippling waves on the surface of water.

He would have called the reflective water-like floor and the rippling an odd effect... if he hadn't seen it several times now during each and every single subsequent visit to this place.

The worker drone used the help of his reflection to adjust the crooked brown cowboy hat that sat atop his head, the small gesture serving as a bit of self soothing before he pushed himself up to his feet. He shook his hands off as his head turned to linger over the empty and flat space that reached as far as his optics could plainly see. No matter which direction he looked in, it was all the same with no identifying landmarks to allow him to even attempt to guess his location.

As he continued to look around, the sound of a faint whispering started to pick up in his audios which got him to bring a hand up to the side of his head. Much like the odd flooring and the infinite liminal space around him, he wasn't entirely unused to hearing voices while he was here either, though usually he was never able to identify where they were coming from. The sound was coming from all sounds around him and not nearly loud or coherent enough to convey whatever message it wanted to be heard.

The worker drone closed his eyelights with a frown as he attempted to block out the constant low assault of noise that was currently dancing around in his processor. Every great once in a while his visits to this place were met with silence instead of the voices, but those rare moments were few and far in between. Sometimes this place liked to swing back in the other direction and would offer his optics nothing but darkness and instead fill his head with noise.

He got the vague feeling at least one of the whispers was trying to call his name from somewhere out in the great vastness, though he was unable to locate the source even as he spun around on the heels of his boots and tried to chase it by taking a few steps forward. No matter how far he ran or which direction he went in, he never seemed to be able to get closer to those distant voices that were always tugging at the edges of his audios.

The worker drone was stirred from his thoughts by the sound of paper rustling and fluttering in the air reached his audios above the faint whispers, getting him to turn his head in the direction of the sound once more. Several feet away, his optics landed on a series of papers that were carelessly scattered about on the ground as if one had dropped them from a stack or intentionally tossed them onto the floor.

His eyelights narrowed as he stared back at the innocent-looking sheets. There were more papers here tonight than he was used to seeing and that was more than enough to pique his curiosity. Spinning around on his heels once more, he turned to approach the mess as his attention was briefly captivated by the golden ripples his footsteps produced beneath him with every step he took.

The worker drone came to a stop in the center of the scattered papers, being careful not to step on any of them before he crouched down and began to scope the nearest ones into his arms for inspection. Like usual, they were sheets of lined notebook paper that looked like they had been doodled and scribbled upon by an assortment of bright crayons and colored pencils. He always thought these drawings looked like something a child might draw, which unfortunately included the fact that he couldn't always tell what they were supposed to be.

His eyelights danced over the papers he had today as he began to flip through them, taking in the doodles of some wide-windowed buildings, what he thought might be a tree, one paper that was completely covered over with some kind of big and dark splotch, one more drawing that he couldn't make out beyond the fact it had a spiral in the center of it, and finally one more drawing containing a group of four stick figure people. The drawing containing the stick figures captivated his attention the most, getting him to bring it closer to his face as he studied the smaller details of it.

Of the four stick figures in the drawing, three were taller and standing behind the shorter one at the front. The worker drone also noted that three taller figures had a set of five smaller circles on each of their heads, which got him to raise an eyebrow. The only people he had ever seen five circles on their heads like that were the monstrous drones his people had hidden away from years ago. It left him to guess that maybe he was staring at a drawing of them and a worker drone seeing how he couldn't find any of the circles on the shorter figure.

The sound of rustling papers once again reached his audios, getting him to lower the drawing that he had been holding up to his screen. It was then he noticed the drawings that he hadn't picked up had changed around him, some having gained new crayon splotches while others looked like they had been torn or slashed with something sharp. Others still looked as though they had been crudely marked over with some kind of black marker.

The worker drone pursed his lips at that sight, finding that particular turn of events a bit out of the ordinary and confusing on top of that. After a bit of visually searching the pile, he spotted another drawing that looked miraculously undamaged compared to the rest of its cousins covering the floor with it. He realized the drawing seemed to be of another stick figure based on what bit of it he could see from this angle and that got him to reach for it, though he paused as the whispering voices suddenly returned to his audios.

He could have sworn it sounded like someone was calling his name again, though from where he wasn't sure. He opened his mouth to call back to the voice in response, but his voice died in his throat as the faint sound of rumbling reached him instead. He had very little time to question what the source of the rumbling was before the solid ground suddenly gave way below him, getting him to let out a yelp of fear as he immediately felt gravity taking hold of his body.

The worker drone plunged into the depths below as he fell, the once solid ground having reacted if it were nothing more than water now. He involuntarily let out a sharp and surprised gasp, spraying a series of bubbles from his body as his joints and the segments of his plating sprayed the air out of his systems. Doing so turned out to be a bad idea, leaving bitter and coppery tasting water rushing into his now open mouth and across the sensors of his tongue as he hacked and sputtered.

He was fairly certain that worker drones like himself were at least somewhat waterproof due to the fact many of them would have been working outside in the snow or the rain once upon a time so he felt like he didn't need to worry about potential water damage to his systems... but what he did need to worry about was the sheer temperature of the water that he had suddenly found himself dunked into. The water was extremely hot, scalding even and it took very little time for his senses to pick up on that fact.

The worker drone's voice left him in a gargled shriek as the burning pain washed over his casing like a million hot needles being driven directly into his body. It took very little time for the scalding liquid to rip through his internal systems as well, leaving him feeling like his insides had been scorched and like he had swallowed liquid fire. His core felt like it had been set on fire inside the socket that confined it in his chest, leaving his arms and legs violently thrashing as he fought the urge to attempt clawing his own chest casing open.

The sudden shock of his pain and temperature sensors all firing at once disoriented him and left his processor spinning and his core racing, but he was able to form enough coherent thought to know that he needed to try to get out of the water and quickly. His body was going to start melting if he stayed completely submerged in liquid that was this hot. He kicked his arms and legs as hard as he could, now focusing on trying to swim himself upwards towards what he could only assume had to be the surface.

The worker drone attempted to ignore the awful stinging and burning sensation as he fought against the water, setting his sights on the orange glow of the sky that he could barely see from the current depths he was in. The whispers were playing in his audios again even down here, and if anything they sounded even louder now that he was beneath the surface.

Despite his immense struggle and the feeling of his joints threatening to come loose, he felt like he was managing to get closer to the surface as he continued to fight. He was almost close enough to reach out and burst out before he felt something solid lash around his legs and suddenly wrap around them. He let out another gargled scream as whatever held him suddenly yanked him downwards with a violent pull, leaving him at the mercy of whatever thing from the depths had just found him and was attempting to drown him completely.

Wake up... You need to wake up...

The thunderclap of a voice returned to the worker drone's audios like he had been struck by lightning, but he could hardly pay attention to it right now with the way he was currently thrashing and attempting to break himself free of the hold that was dragging him further and further into the depths. Another choking scream left him in time with the next return of the voice, sending another spray of bubbles into the water above him.

OPEN YOUR EYES!

WAKE UP!

The orange eyed drone suddenly woke up in his bed with a sharp gasp, nearly immediately coming up and off of the bed as the scream he wanted to let out died in his throat before it ever left his voice box. Pain suddenly ripped through his head, leaving a painful throbbing situated directly behind his visor as if someone had slapped him as hard as they could with their open palm. He let out a sharp whine as his own hands clapped over his visor, sending him falling back onto his back in the bed as he kicked one of his legs.

He managed to roll onto his side after a long moment of thrashing around in pain, the movement causing one of his hands to slip away from his sore visor and giving him a brief moment of visibility. The sight that greeted him quickly made him realize that he was back in his bedroom, or more precisely, he was back in his own bed and no longer in the throes of a horrific suffocating and drowning nightmare. He was back in his home in Outpost-3, exactly where he needed to be and exactly where he had been when he had first fallen asleep.

The worker drone sucked in a sharp vent as his exposed eyelight jerked and bounced around the room, taking in the sight of his dim string lights on the wall around his bed as well as his desk area that was piled high with sketches that he had made recently and had accidentally dropped on the floor at some point. He vaguely remembered he had left a partially complete project of his out on the desk as well, but he couldn't see it from the current angle he had as well as the darkness on that side of the room.

His processor felt like he was spinning inside his head and he thought he was seeing double vision. Actually, he was sure he was seeing double if not more than that judging by the fact that his hand left several trails of itself as he held it out in front of him and wiggled his fingers in front of his face. The sight of that was absolutely nauseating and made him feel like his fuel tank just lurched.

"My name... is Beau..." The worker drone spoke quietly to himself, soon repeating the sentence over and over again as he whispered to himself. Normally when he woke up from the dreams that brought him to that strange place with the sunset horizon, they left his processor severely fuzzy and unable to sort reality from not reality for a generous portion of time. Reminding himself of the facts or repeating a small phrase was all he could do to help ground himself back into the waking world.

He couldn't stay like this forever, though. He had something that he needed to get up and take care of before it managed to slip out of his disoriented thoughts and be forgotten.

Beau let out a groan as he leaned over the side of the bed and reached his hand down onto the floor, using his arm to support his weight as he slowly slipped himself out of the covers and down onto the ground. He knew from past experience that trying to walk while he had this throbbing headache and was so disoriented was a terrible idea but he wanted to be able to get to his journal. He mentally cursed his past self for leaving said journal on his desk the previous day instead of setting it in arm's reach of his bed in case of a night like this.

The worker drone slowly sat up on his hands and knees so he could crawl, taking a moment to steady himself before he started to slowly crawl across the room to reach his destination. Every shuffling step he took made a silvery taste rise in the back of his throat, getting him to harshly swallow against it. He had no idea if drones like himself could vomit but he felt like he needed to all the same.

He finally managed to reach his desk after what felt like an eternity too long in his processor but was likely only a minute or two if it were even that long. He reached a shaky hand up to his desk and began to feel around on top of it, his fingers briefly brushing over the corner of the journal there before he seized it and brought it down to the floor with him. He opted to lay flat on his torso, attempting to will his spinning processor to stop as he opened the journal and flipped it to its newest page. A pen was nestled between the two pages, having been both a handy way to keep the pen close by and a way to bookmark the page he had left off on.

Beau took a deep vent in an attempt to calm both his churning fuel tank and the shaking in his hands before he lowered the pen to the paper, opting to start with writing down the current time and date after he briefly checked them on his internal clock.

6:03 AM

Sounds + drawings

Sounds did not make sense

Drawings were a tree. Buildings. Murder drones? Worker drone?. Black splotches

Torn up drawings + burned drawings

Fell through the floor. Burning hot water. Almost drowned. Creature in the depths?

The worker drone tapped the back of the pen against the paper as he stared down at it, the double vision still plaguing him as his processor swam with his dizziness and the painful throbbing of his headache. He had started keeping this journal to dedicate it towards this exact reason. The particular dream he had just had was a somewhat rare but recurring thing that happened with him and it was one he had been having for what felt like a few years by now.

He had started keeping the dream journal as a means to make sense of it all and keep track of everything that happened because he couldn't always remember the content of the dreams after having been awake for a few hours. He wanted to find connecting patterns between the experiences he usually had in that place but with how rare it was for him to get those dreams and with how different the occurrences seemed to be every visit beyond a few matching symbols... He felt no closer to figuring it all out than the night he had first started keeping this journal.

At the very least, he felt like it didn't hurt to write it all down to help him remember. He told himself that maybe one day he'd find the piece of the puzzle he was looking for.

Having felt like he got the main points of his dream down on the paper, Beau returned the pen to its resting place in the spine of the journal and closed it, soon pushing it away so it was out of the immediate walkway. The sickly silver taste was still burning in the back of his throat and had him swallowing hard again as he began to silently will for that feeling to go away as soon as possible. Drawing his knee joints up to his chest, he rolled over onto his side as he closed his eyelights and rested against the cold floor in an attempt to soothe his current physical problems.

The thought of trying to go back to sleep crossed his mind, but he felt like he wouldn't be able to both from the lingering anxiety from his nightmare and how sick he currently felt. Instead, he let his thoughts wander over towards the other plans he had already made today. He was supposed to go meet a couple of his closest friends and classmates for a study session later, but that was later. He highly doubted either of them would be awake this early in the morning which meant he'd have to find something else to kill time with until then.

Immediately afterwards, the thought of trying to crawl back to his bed where he'd be more comfortable crossed the worker drone's mind too, but he quickly dashed that thought as well due to having a feeling that any change in gravity right now was going to make him violently ill. He reached his hand up to his visor again, slowly rubbing his open palm against the screen in an attempt to soothe the rest of the slowly declining headache away. He had been resting for about five minutes before a thought for what he could do with his time started to form in his processor.

Six in the morning might have been too early for him to text his classmates and ask them if they were ready to study yet, but he realized it might not be too early or late to talk to a particularly heavy night owl friend he had. That thought got Beau to reach down to fish his phone out of the pocket of his shorts, thankful that he had been lying on the side that didn't have his phone in it. He pulled the device from his pocket and tapped his thumb against the screen to get it to light up, finding himself briefly blinded as the brightness of the screen glared into his optics due to the dimly lit room.

The worker drone waited for his vision to adjust before he clicked into his frequently used messaging app, scrolling down his moderately sized list of contacts that had been texting him the day prior. He rubbed his visor with his other hand as he scrolled through the list, soon stopping on the particular username he was looking for as his thumb hovered over the screen. 'IvoryEmberz' was the username he had been looking for, though he had settled into calling his contact by the name of 'Braiden' after he had insisted that was his real name.

Beau tilted his head slightly as he brushed his thumb against the screen of his phone to open up the chat with his friend. He felt like he had met Braiden ages ago and it was by complete and utter chance as well. They had first both met in a group channel and talked here and there to one another before the conversation had pivoted to private messaging and then they had been talking ever since.

He didn't know much about Braiden due to him being an online friend, though he did know the guy was supposedly from another colony and had two sisters. He found the sibling stories interesting and fun to listen to as an only child himself. Another thing he enjoyed and found quite cool was his friend's photography hobby. He had been sent a lot of pictures here and there that he had snagged of the outside world.

The worker drone had never seen a picture of Braiden himself despite his hobby and knew that the guy's avatar was simply a shot of the starry sky, but he didn't mind any. He didn't need to know what Braiden looked like to know he was fun to talk to and swap pictures and music with. It didn't matter to him if his friend was camera shy himself.

Beau squinted his eyelights slightly as he focused on the chat, his optics skimming over their previous conversation about a recent blizzard that had blown through the area before he scrolled down to the bottom of the messages and tapped the bar to bring up the onscreen keyboard. It took him a bit more time than usual to type out the message thanks to his lingering dizziness but it still looked coherent thankfully.

You: Hey Braiden. I know it’s kind of late but you there?

It took several minutes before there was ever a reply which was long enough to make Beau wonder if his night owl friend was already in bed, but there was a reply soon enough that made the worker drone’s phone quietly ding.

IvoryEmberz: hey sorry was a lil busy with somethin

IvoryEmberz: whats up man

You: Yoooooo

You: Was actually starting to wonder if you were still awake

You: Woke up early

Beau briefly debated if he should tell his friend why he was up early. He reminded himself that it was just a nightmare, after all. He decided against it.

You: You know how it is

IvoryEmberz: oh totally tell me about it

IvoryEmberz: why do you think i pester you all morning :p

IvoryEmberz: look at you go though. might actually be awake early enough to catch the rare and elusive me falling asleep on you

IvoryEmberz: cause you know most of the time ur the one conking out on me

You: Hey. Some of us have school we have to go to. Some of us aren’t stay up all night and then sleep half of the day away night owls either

IvoryEmberz: hey hey hey dont knock it til you try it. might find out you like the night owl style. try it on some not a school night. or somethin

You: Haha… Maybe I’ll give it a try sometime. Gimme something to do you know?

This is how a lot of nights and sometimes mornings went for Beau. He’d usually wind up laying in bed for a while in the mornings or the nights and text Braiden and his other friends that he had until he would either need to get up to go do stuff in the case of the former or fall asleep in the case of the latter. He enjoyed his simple little routines.

You: Oh hey did I send you a picture of that new thing I was building?

IvoryEmberz: oh god

IvoryEmberz: oh robo god

IvoryEmberz: what’s the mad scientist cowboy building today

You: Wowwww dramatic. But thank you I’ll gladly accept that title

You: So my ma has this neat little tool right?

IvoryEmberz: uh huh

You: Okay so… I’m trying to make my own version of it. I want to have it so I have a way to carry some extra tools on me at all times! Might come in handy

IvoryEmberz: so in other words you just want something you can nerd out with. gonna see a brick and whip this crazy thing out of your back pocket like boom look i can do nerdy cool invention stuff with this mind BLOWN

You: Ohhhh you jerk

IvoryEmberz: ;)

The conversation continued like that for some time, mostly consisting of Beau sharing the specifics of his newest invention and his friend playfully teasing him about it here and there. Before he even realized it, a little over an hour had passed by and Braiden's replies had started to get fewer and further between which left the orange eyed drone to think his friend was starting to doze in and out. Thankfully, the headache and the sickly feeling he had when he had first woken up had subsided by now which left him feeling well enough to attempt doing other things.

The worker drone took that time to finally get up and off of the floor, verifying that the dizziness was gone as well before he made his way over to the main light switch in his room. The difference in light once again briefly overloaded his optics, but they adjusted quickly as he looked around the room with his newly afforded visibility. It took him no time at all to spot his favorite cowboy hat hanging off the back of his desk chair now that it wasn't so dark in the room.

He made his way over to his chair before he plucked the hat from its resting place, popping it on his head and straightening it as his gaze wandered over his desk. A fond smile spread out across his faceplate as he regarded his in progress invention that was laid out exactly where he had left it the last time he was working on it. It was a multitool that already had a few tools built into it like a small blade and a flashlight, though he had plans to add even more to it before he'd finalize the project. He admired his handiwork for a few more moments before he finally turned away to make his way over to his standing mirror instead.

The worker drone raised an eyebrow as his reflection came up in the mirror. Cowboy hat, reddish brown hair, orange eyelights, white t-shirt, black vest over that shit, bolo tie, dark shorts, and boots with a metal plate on the toes that he had added himself. He smirked at his own reflection as he brought his hand up, tussling it through his hair before he started to comb it with his fingers.

Beau Doorman, ready to take on the entire world... or maybe at least his colony to start with. One step at a time. His confident smirk only stretched wider as he made a finger gun back at his own reflection.

His attention was soon drawn away from the mirror by the sound of a loud pop from the other room, followed closely behind by the sound of metal crunching and a yelp from who he knew was his father. His eyelights hollowed out on his next blink as he cast his glance towards his bedroom door, his lips pursing together with his confusion. He didn't think that sounded like a pained yelp, but he did think it sounded like surprise. The sound of cackling laughter from his mother reached his audios next, finally piquing his curiosity enough to draw him towards the door.

Beau's bedroom door slid open at his command to reveal the scene before him, leaving him to spot his dad standing in the corner of the living room. The older drone's eyelights had hollowed out as well and were fixed up at the ceiling, which got the younger drone's gaze to track upwards to follow it. It was then he spotted his mother hanging upside down from her legs using one of the various pipes that were built into the ceiling.

His mother held a tool in her hand that looked not terribly unlike a kitchen knife, though part of it had split away to reveal a screwdriver head that she was currently taking to the ceiling vent that was in arm's reach from where she was hanging. He knew what that knife of hers was because that was what he had based his own invention on after having been given her blueprints from back when she had built it herself.

Beau saw something jutting out from the wall out of the corner of his vision and turned his head to look at what it was, quickly locking his gaze with... well, he wasn't sure what it was. He wasn't sure if it was a slat from the vent, a blade of some sort, or some other sharp piece of shrapnel. What he did know was that there was something long, sharp, and metal currently embedded an inch or two into the wall and he had no idea when and how it had gotten there.

"Alice, honey, dear..." His father began as he shifted on his feet and moved his hands to rest on his hips.

Beau knew all too well that was a clear sign he had likely seen something, possibly and very likely whatever had embedded that chunk of metal into the wall.

"Don't you think you should take a break? I need to leave for work soon and I don't want you to get hurt," The older drone continued, the corner of his mouth turning up at an angle.

Beau also knew all too well that was code for 'I don't know if it's safe to leave you home alone right now'.

"Awww, come on now. What's wrong, Khan? Gettin' a lil' scared?" Alice asked as she grinned down at her husband with a wide smirk, not bothering to hide the brief hint of fangs that peeked past her lips.

"That could have very well flown off in my direction and you know it," Khan pointed out as he raised an eyebrow, tapping his finger against his hip as he continued, "but I have several other reasons too, such as not wanting to see you fall and break something. You're making me nervous the longer you're up there like that."

Alice simply laughed in response as she deftly flicked the knife-like tool in her hand, the screwdriver head clicking and folding back down as a bolt cutter head flipped up and out of the tool to take its place instead. Not once did the tool look at risk of slipping from her hand even despite gravity actively working against her.

“You’ve been married to me for how long now? Gimme some credit here. I ain’t that bad at this job.”

“Hey, Ma. Hey, Dad. What’s goin’ on today?” Beau asked as he stepped out of his room and let the door slide shut behind him, watching as two pairs of eyelights fixed onto him.

Khan opened his mouth to respond and had started to speak, but Alice was quicker and jumped in before he could get the words out.

"Mornin', Beau," She greeted as she waved the multitool in his direction. "Did I go on an' wake ya up with all of my tinkerin' in here? I got an idea up in my processor this mornin' an' hit the ground runnin' with it."

“Nah, you didn’t wake me up. I was already awake,” Beau stated as he cast his glance towards the piece of metal that was currently embedded in the wall not terribly far from his bedroom door. “Kinda curious though... What’s the project ya got goin’ on there?”

“Your mother got it in her head she’s going to adjust the vent up there,” Khan began with a heavy sigh, his arms crossed as he used one hand to motion up towards the vent his wife was currently poking at again with her multitool. “The last time I checked, it was completely and utterly fine but you know how she gets when she gets a new project in her processor.”

His glance nervously tracked towards Alice again as a quite frankly ominous cackle came out of her.

“That have anythin' to do with that there?” Beau asked as he tilted his head in the direction of the embedded piece of metal.

“Just a lil’ minor setback. Ain’t nothing wrong with a little bit of experimentin'. Don’t you worry 'bout that none,” Alice replied as she spun the multitool in her hand and it once again took the shape of a screwdriver. “I’m fixin’ this vent up here to try to strike a balance. Half the time I think it’s too warm in here an’ yer dad thinks it’s too cold in here the other half of the time. So I’m tryin’ see if I can fix this so it’ll vent just right an’ strike a balance."

Beau nodded along as he listened to his mother, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he looked back up to her hanging from the ceiling pipe. He had no idea how she got up there in the first place nor any idea how she planned to get down. He watched as she transferred her multitool to her other hand and grabbed another nearby pipe, pulling herself upright before she sat on the pipe she was originally hanging from and reached for a thermos that was carefully balanced upright on the pipe beside her. He only just now noticed it thanks to the shadows. How that didn’t fall when she swung herself up he would never know.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay up there? I really do need to get going for work now,” Khan spoke up again as he watched the orange eyed drone up in the pipes. He had wandered over to the front door of the apartment, though his features were creased with worry as he watched his wife. He immediately cringed as she suddenly swung back down on the pipe, stopped from falling as her legs hooked onto it again.

“I'm gonna be just fine, dear. Don’t go worryin' that handsome little head none,” Alice replied as she transferred the multitool back to her main hand, raising it to begin tinkering at the vent again. “I’ll be seein’ ya later though. Love ya.”

“Love you too, dear. And you too, kiddo. I'll be home as soon as I can,” Khan said before he opened the door to head out.

"See ya later, Dad. Love you too," Beau called after his father as he turned his head in the older man's direction. He thought he faintly heard him muttering something about asking the neighbor to keep an eye on his mother and something about knives on the living room couch before the door closed.

Alice immediately broke out into a cackle as Khan had left, apparently having also heard the mutters as she once again swapped the multitool out for another tool. This time it managed to look like a drill bit. “What do you have goin’ on today, Beau? Ain’t a school day so I bet ya have some plans.”

Beau nodded as he watched his mom work, walking further into the room as he tipped his hat up to see her past the brim of it.

“Had some plans to go meet up with Vivian an' Thad. Big test comin’ next week an' we talked yesterday ‘bout doin' some last minute cram studyin' together," He replied before he raised an eyebrow. "…If ya don’t need my help 'round here. Dad sounded pretty concerned 'bout it.”

Alice snorted and shook her head as she leaned up closer to the vent to get a better look, still working away as she swapped the tool between her hands to get at it from different angles.

“Don’t gotta worry ‘bout me none. I already promised yer dad I’d behave after I’m done fixin' this up," His mother replied in response to the observation.

The piece of shrapnel currently embedded in the wall had Beau questioning otherwise but he withheld his comment.

“I just wanna get this done ‘cause I think it’d be useful for all of us. This thing either doesn’t vent enough or vents too much so I’m tryin’ give it some kinda middle ground."

“Are you gonna need any help gettin' down at least? I reckon I can’t tell how ya really got on up there in the first place,” Beau commented as he pulled out his phone to check his messages. Braiden hasn't texted back so he must have fallen asleep, which left him to send a quick text out to his two study buddies to ask if they were awake yet.

“Do I need help gettin’ down? Nahhhh. I got myself up here just fine. I can get myself down just fine,” Alice responded as she stopped with the drilling long enough to look down at her son, who was giving her a skeptical look. She gave him a wide and sharp smirk in response. “Promise I won’t destroy anythin’ while you or yer dad are gone. Won’t break nothin’ either.”

Beau narrowed his eyes up at his mother yet again before he heard the quiet ding of his phone going off. Checking his phone to see who it was, he could see that Thad had texted him back. That meant he could probably go over to hang out at his place and then Vivian could catch up once she was good and awake.

“You sure yer gonna be fine with me gone for a few hours?" The younger drone asked as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Might hang out with ‘em too before or after we’re done cram studyin' if I don't need to be home in a hurry.”

Alice waved the tool at Beau again, both for emphasis and also to change the tool head out for the bolt cutters again. “You go on an’ have fun. I’ll be just fine here until later. If you wanna grab somethin’ from the kitchen to snack on an' take it with you that’s fine too.”

Beau nodded and turned to head into the kitchen, figuring he could maybe raid it for a power pack or two to take with him and eat on the way. He listened to the sound of his mother’s tools working at the vent cover again as he dug around for something, emerging a few moments later as he walked towards the front door and waved up at Alice again.

“Thanks, Ma. I'm gonna get goin' now if that's okay... I gotta swing by my locker and pick up my books ‘fore I head over to Thad’s place.”

Alice waved to her son again as she flashed another smile in response. Beau smiled and waved back, flashing her a thumbs up before he turned to step out into the metal hallway. He honestly had no idea if his mother was going to keep out of trouble or not. Given how well he knew her, his guess was banking on most likely not.

A sigh left the orange eyed drone as a nervous smile crossed his faceplate, soon shaking his head as he turned to start the trek towards Thad’s apartment. His mother didn’t seem like she was in the mood to blow something up today mood but it was still a little too early in the day to tell.

That was something for future him to worry about in a few hours though. Right now, it was studying time.

Chapter Text

Beau was currently in the process of being reminded why one part of him absolutely hated visiting the Thad’s family’s apartment. While he did always enjoy the chance of being able to see his childhood best friend and classmate, he was less of a fan of the absolute trek that was required to get from his own family's apartment to Thad's apartment. This particular trek took even longer than normal due to the fact he'd had to hike out to his locker to gather his textbooks... which wouldn't have been a problem if his locker wasn't located in the complete opposite of the direction he had to be going.

His journey was not helped by the fact he was currently hefting a collection of textbooks that were likely heavy enough to knock someone out if he were to lose his balance and club that poor someone in the face with the entire stack. He let out an extra loud groan to vent his annoyance out to the entire world, though he was well aware his complaints most definitely did not reach the entire world. It might have reached down the hallway and a bit further if he was being generous with the echo, but he didn't care. It was still enough to voice his displeasure.

The orange eyed worker drone shook his head to himself as he spotted the apartment door he was looking for just up ahead, deciding that he was done complaining for the moment. He shifted his textbooks to one arm so he could free up the use of his hand, taking care to balance them so he wouldn't risk dropping one of them and leaving a dent in the floor right outside the family's front door.

"Thad! Open the door! My arm's gonna snap off an' take the textbooks with it at this rate!" He called, his hand soon joining the noise as he knocked his knuckle joints against the metal door. He could hear movement inside the apartment in response to his knocking, leaving him assured that at least someone was awake inside and hadn't fallen back asleep before he could get there.

Beau continued to wait as he heard whoever was inside starting to walk towards the front door, his arm having started to sag under the weight of the unforgiving textbooks. The door finally slid open a few moments later, revealing a green eyed worker drone with curly blond hair that was currently dressed in a school jersey and a backwards ball cap. The green eyed drone was quick to grin in response to the sight of his guest before he held his fist out to offer a bump.

"Perfect timing, dude. I literally just got up and out of bed and was shuffling into the living room when I heard you knocking. What's up?" The green eyed drone greeted as he received a fist bump from Beau's own free hand. He wasted no time in moving out of the doorway afterwards to allow the other worker drone to enter the apartment.

"What's up? 'Bout to be these books here in a minute. Briefly thought 'bout throwin' them through the ceilin' just to get the dead weight off my arm," Beau joked as he transferred the weight of his books back to both of his arms, wasting no time in stepping into the apartment.

The orange eyed drone was immediately blasted in the face by the chill of the apartment, leaving an involuntary shiver to wrack his frame before he turned and made an immediate beeline towards the kitchen table. Thad was currently chuckling at his joke, having closed the apartment door before he turned to follow his best friend into the kitchen and dining area of the room.

"Where's Vi? She made it here yet?" Beau asked as he dropped his textbooks on the table to relieve the academic weight from his arms. The books made a much heavier thud than he was expecting and caused the table to rattle, leaving him to make a wince as he hoped he didn't accidentally damage anything.

"Nah, Vivi texted me a little bit before you got here and told me she was up and on her way soon. You managed to beat her here," Thad replied as he continued past his friend, heading towards one of the kitchen cabinets before he reached up to retrieve a bowl from it.

"So yer tellin' me we got a couple of minutes of peace 'fore the Queen comes stompin' through here an' lays claim to yer apartment?" Beau joked again as he slipped into one of the kitchen chairs, throwing his arm over the back of it before he leaned to the side to watch Thad standing by the cabinets.

A laugh immediately burst out of the green eyed drone in response to that joke as he bent down to get into another cabinet, quickly pulling out a couple of medium sized battery packets before he turned to join Beau at the kitchen table again.

"Hey, the Queen gets what the Queen wants. I don't make the rules," Thad replied as he sat the bowl in the center of the table where it would be easily accessible. Beau was snickering again as he watched his friend tearing open the battery packages and dumping their contents out into the bowl.

"How 'bout yer mom? Where's she today?" The orange eyed drone asked as he raised an eyebrow, wasting no time in reaching out and plucking one of the batteries from the bowl. His family didn't normally keep batteries in the house except on special occasions due to the fact he and his father both readily agreed his mother didn't need the extra energy boost, which meant he enjoyed the times he got to snack on some of them at a friend's house.

"Mom? You just missed her actually. She said she had some plans to go help the neighbors out today so it's just you and me for now until Vivi gets here," Thad replied with a shrug as he finally slipped into one of the seats as well. Beau only just now realized he had already spread his textbooks out on the table before he had arrived.

The orange eyed drone made a hum to acknowledge the statement as he chewed up the battery that was in his mouth, savoring the taste of the treat as he opened one of his own textbooks to begin flipping through it. He opened his mouth to comment again after he had swallowed the piece of food in his mouth, but he was quickly cut off by the sound of another knock on the front door of the apartment. Thad didn't bother to budge from his seat as he instead raised an eyebrow, knowing good and well that if the visitor was who he thought it was she would let herself in anyway. His guess was quickly proven to be correct as both drones heard the sound of the door opening.

"Thad! Your apartment is just as frozen as the wasteland outside again!" A female voice loudly complained, accompanied by the sound of boots stomping against the metal flooring. Both of the worker drones at the table turned to face the newcomer as she walked around the corner, throwing the tail of her dark red scarf over her neck and shoulders with a huff.

"Hey, Vivi," Thad greeted as he grinned up at the platinum blonde haired drone, giving the woman a wink. She walked past him to get to the empty seat next to him, but not before she paused long enough to dunk his hat down over his visor. He let out a surprised shout, getting the woman to give him a savage smirk of her own.

Beau did not miss the faint green blush marks that had appeared on Thad's screen as he pushed his hat back up, getting the orange eyed drone to snicker.

"About the cold though... What can I say? Mom likes to keep it nice and chill in here. Nice and chill just like me," The green eyed drone added as he winked again, getting Vivian to groan as she flopped down into the seat next to him and deposited her own stack of textbooks onto the table.

"That was an awful joke and you know it," The woman complained as her eyelights immediately found the bowl of batteries, leaving her to reach out to grab a couple of them to pop into her mouth.

"Hey, he had a real point, ya know. Chill dude out here chillin' in a chill apartment," Beau joked, his smirk stretching wide and far on his faceplate. Vivian let out another groan at that as Thad snickered and reached across the table to give his orange eyed friend a high five.

"I now pronounce you both dork and dorker," Vivian mouthed off as she glanced over at the other two's textbooks, looking to see which ones they were currently studying from before she opened hers and began to flip to the appropriate pages.

"Aww, come on, Vivi. You're totally killing me here," Thad joked as he brought the back of his hand to his forehead, getting the female drone to huff and roll her eyelights. He flashed another grin at her before he looked between both of his friends.

"Anyway... You guys manage to get any sleep last night?" He asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Barely!" Vivian immediately spoke up to commandeer the conversation first, getting both of the boys to turn their gazes to her. She huffed again as she moved her hand to push her rounded glasses up, her pink eyelights beginning to scan over the textbook page that was laid out before her.

"...Yeah? What happened?" The green eyed drone questioned.

"Oh, nothing... Just the fact that the next door neighbors decided they were going to throw a roaring party that was loud enough I heard it through my walls!" Vivian complained as she tapped her fingers along the page she was currently reading. "Listen, I'm all for a good and killer party myself but not when I have plans to get up super early in the morning."

Beau listened to Vivian as he popped another battery into his mouth, quietly debating with his own thoughts as he drifted back to how he had been woken up this morning. Not only had he woken up much earlier than he wanted to, waking up with his core racing and his body shaking with the anxiety caused by his nightmare hadn't been fun either. He frowned as he shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"Eh... I've slept better. Woke up pretty early 'cause I had a random nightmare. Been up since 'round six this mornin'," The orange eyed drone commented as he chewed up the battery in his mouth. Thad frowned and nodded sympathetically as he listened to both of the other drones, reaching out to grab a battery for himself.

"I'm sorry you slept so bad, guys. That kind of sucks. I slept like a total rock myself. Only reason I dragged myself out of bed as early as I did is because Beau texted me and reminded me we had this study session going on today," The green eyed drone said, leaning back in his chair as he relaxed.

"Ohhh if I had gotten here and you weren't out of bed yet..." Vivian began as she brushed her hair out of her visor and glasses, "I would have dragged you out by your ankles and stuffed a textbook into your hands anyway. If we have to suffer, so do you."

"Didn't have any other plans, Vivi. Suffering through boring homework and study time solidarity and all of that," Thad chuckled as he flipped over to another page.

"That's enough small talk for now, though. I want to talk about bigger and bolder things. I need a little bit of excitement in my life right now before I decide to pitch these things into the trash can."

Beau couldn't help but snort at that idea as he listened to Vivian. He couldn't exactly blame her for wanting to throw the textbooks into the trash can due to the fact he knew he wasn't much better. He vastly preferred hands-on learning over sitting and reading the exact same textbook over and over again for hours at a time. He simply found it more fun to study with practical experience instead of words.

"Yeah? What kinda bigger an' bolder things are you thinkin' 'bout?" The orange eyed drone asked as he glanced up from his book to look at his friend instead.

"Something exciting obviously, cowboy! Duh!" Vivian replied as she leaned back in her seat, pulling her textbook into her arms where she could still see it before she kicked one of her boots up to rest on top of the table. Thad did not protest.

"We could talk about... I know! How about the tall and scary triple threat out there in corpse party central?"

Beau and Thad shared a look with one another in response to the suggestion, their faces pulling into frowns. The murder drones. That's what Vivian was talking about. They had all heard the horror stories from the few survivors of scavenging teams and travelers that got caught out too late, those drones all spewing tales of tall drones with crossed out visors and wings made of wickedly sharp blades.

Everyone in the colony knew that the monstrous drones had built a spire, an entire spire, out of the corpses of worker drones that didn't survive the attack during the murder drone's initial landing and rampage through the city. No one in the colony would have been surprised if the monsters had added newer corpses onto the spire as well over time, but one could never really tell the difference between those who fell first and those who fell later. The spire's close proximity to the colony served as a grim reminder of the things that hunted their kind, being visible from the front doors of the colony on days where Copper-9's ever present snowstorm had let up.

That thought was enough to send chills dancing up the spinal strut of the average worker drone in the colony. The murder drones' lair was within walking distance of their colony and the monsters could reach them in even less time by flying on their grim and deadly wings. All one could do was pray that the murder drones would never find a way to break past the three reinforced doors that protected the bunker and sealed it off from the outside world and return to the safety of indoors before nightfall. The murder drones never hunted during the daytime.

"Ohhhh no... I know that look in your eye. That means you have something on your mind," Thad observed as he narrowed his eyelights at Vivian, taking in the wicked smirk that was quickly spreading across her faceplate. She held her arm out towards him, beckoning him to come closer before he started to lean over to rest his head against her shoulder.

"Don't you ever wonder what one of them looks like? In person? Come on, you can't tell me you're not curious about it," Vivian commented as she pulled Thad closer to have him properly lean against her, wrapping her arm around his waist to secure him in place against her torso.

Both Thad and Beau froze in response to the woman's words, their eyelights turning hollow. If Beau was honest with himself, he did have to admit he had been at least partially curious what the murder drones looked like in person once upon a time. He had heard that two of the monster drones looked feminine while one looked more masculine, but he didn't know much about their individual appearances beyond that. He had heard stories of the golden crosses on their visors, the huge gaping maws with razor sharp fangs built for ripping apart casing and tubing alike, the wings made of blades sharp enough to cut steel, and supposedly long and pointed tails filled with an acid so strong it could melt through a worker drone's body in minutes.

He couldn't help the slightly morbid sense of curiosity and fascination that started to creep into his processor during conversations like this. It left him wondering which of the facts were real and which ones were mere rumors and fear mongering that had come into being after information being twisted around due to passing through several different sources. He knew for a fact that the monsters were armed and dangerous, that much made obvious by the facts that there were attacks and a need to live inside a reinforced bunker at all, but the side of him that was interested in tinkering and engineering couldn't help but be curious about the murder drones and how all of their moving parts and feral attack programming worked.

"I don't know, Vivi..." Thad started speaking again, getting Beau to snap out of his thoughts. The green eyed drone looked up at Vivian, earning a quick kiss on his forehead that caused his visor to blush a bright green and got the female drone to snicker. "I mean- I guess I am a little curious, yeah, but doesn't that also sound... you know... kinda dangerous?"

"That's why it's just a hypothetical, dork," Vivian teased as she kept her arm wrapped around Thad, hugging him closer as her other hand flipped to the next page of her textbook. "Though... Talking about that does give me an idea."

Thad looked both curious and mildly concerned judging by the look he was giving her. Beau raised an eyebrow as he reached to grab another battery from the bowl, similarly looking curious about what the female drone had on her mind.

"What, uh… What kind of idea?" The green eyed drone asked.

Vivian tapped the corner of her textbook with a smirk, looking around to make sure she had the room's attention before she spoke again.

"I heard talk about a supply run coming up in a few days. Obviously no chance of running into tall and dangerous out there but signing up to volunteer for that might be fun. Would be a good excuse to go outside and actually check things out instead of staring at metal walls all day."

Beau blinked in response to that thought before he perked up, his excitement quickly reaching his visor as his eyelights glowed just a bit brighter. Being able to go outside on a scavenging run sounded interesting to him because he knew it'd give him the chance to look around and see the snow and the buildings in addition to the fact he'd have a chance at finding some new parts for his multitool. However, he knew that supply runs weren't completely without their risks and that was enough to get him to frown as he strewed on that thought.

Sometimes, even the scavenging teams that at the earliest still wound up being out too late due to getting lost in the snowstorm or going out too far before nightfall and became at risk of a murder drone attack. Even if one wasn't factoring in the terrifying worker drone killing monsters, there were still plenty of other dangers outside such as unstable buildings or hidden sinkholes that could potentially severely injure or even kill a would-be scavenger. There was also the possibility of getting hopelessly lost in the snowstorm and never finding your way back home.

The orange eyed worker drone began to chew on the corner of his lip as he continued to stew on those thoughts in his processor. Despite all of the risks, the thrill of being outside and the promise of potentially being able to find valuable scrap parts he needed for his invention felt awfully tempting. He had been picking around for scrap parts around the bunker already, but those pickers were starting to get slim since it had been a while since the last scavenging run.

His interest must have been fairly apparent on his face because Vivian seemed to notice it judging by the way she pointed over at him and smirked.

"See? The tinkering cowboy wonder is interested in it too. It might be fun to actually drag along a familiar face or two too," The female drone commented as she looked down again to meet Thad's concerned gaze.

"I don't know, Vi... I still think it sounds kind of dangerous. I know you like to do some exploring and thrill seeking but that sounds pretty dangerous if you ask me," The green eyed drone commented as he frowned at his girlfriend. "Plus, if that's the one I've been hearing about coming up soon, I don't know if I'd be able to make it and go with you in case something crazy happens while you're out there. I already had some plans that I needed to take care of that morning."

Vivian regarded the green eyed drone again for a moment, leaning down to gently kiss his forehead. A smirk spread across her faceplate again in response to the faint blush marks that appeared on his visor again.

"Don't worry about it, Thad. I know this idea suddenly kind of popped up out of nowhere. I'm not upset," She stated as she gently hugged her boyfriend closer.

"Not to be the bearer of bad news, but... There ain't a guarantee I'll be able to go either. I'm gonna have to talk to my folks 'bout that one," Beau spoke up as he flipped to the page in his textbook, his other hand reaching to snatch another battery from the snack bowl. "Ma probably won't care too much as long as I'm real careful out there but Dad? He probably ain't gonna be too happy since there is a lotta potential for danger out there. Don't think he minds a lil' chaos but I ain't sure how he's gonna take the idea of me goin' out there where the murder drones live even if it is durin' the daytime."

Vivian made a thoughtful hum in response to Beau's statement as she adjusted her arm to wrap around Thad's shoulder instead, still hugging him close to her side as she continued to study off of her textbook. Somewhere during their conversation, she had kicked her other boot up onto the surface of the table to join the first one and looked quite relaxed in her current position.

"I'll tell you what, cowboy. If your dad and your wacky workbench mom give you the green light to go on the scavenging trip, hit me up. If I'm going to go out there in style and get my hands dirty, it'd be way more fun with a friend," She said as she slowly started to swing one of her boots back and forth to entertain herself.

“Does the Queen need to rule the outside too? Is Outpost-3 not enough for her?” Thad asked with a playful grin, earning a wide smirk from the female drone as she reached up to push her glasses back up.

“Absolutely not. Why stop at one little hole in the wall when I can rule the entire world? It’s all about ambition, ball cap,” Vivian teased back as she leaned back in her seat, throwing the arm that wasn’t around Thad over the back of her chair as she relaxed. Her eyelights narrowed after that, a thoughtful expression briefly crossing over her face before she raised an eyebrow on her screen instead.

"Actually, speaking of the entire world... That's giving me a different thought to chew on," She added as she looked between Thad and Beau. "I haven't seen or heard about that purple freak in a while. Do you think she's been around here in a while?"

Beau immediately frowned slightly in response to Vivian's word choice, removing one of his hands from his book to scratch his head instead. "Purple freak... Y'mean Uzi? Is that who yer talkin' 'bout?"

"That's exactly what I said, cowboy. The purple freak. I thought who I was talking about was obvious."

"Her name's Uzi," Beau gently reminded as he raised an eyebrow on his own screen. "Purple freak's a lil' strong if ya ask me. She's not really a freak. Just a lil' different is all."

"A little different? Try a lot different. I mean come on, have you even seen her? She acts like she's never seen even the most basic household things, she hisses, growls, and chirps like some kind of wild animal, and let's not forget the parts where she perches on top of a table and draws her arms up like she's a raptor that came straight out of those old Jurassic Park movies we watched. Does that act like any drone you've ever seen or heard of before?"

Beau opened his mouth to respond to Vivian again, but his voice caught in his throat as he ran her question through his processor again. As much as he wanted to argue with Vivian and defend the other drone she was talking about, he had to admit the behaviors he knew Uzi was infamous around the colony for weren't normal and that he had never seen another drone act anything like the way she does. He didn't know much about her because he had only barely heard her talk in the seldom few times he had passed by her in the hallways or overheard her talking while passing by the medical bay, but he knew he wasn't alone in not knowing much about the girl.

Uzi had been the talk of the colony for some time when a scavenging team had first discovered her and brought back to the colony. From what the orange eyed drone had learned from his father, the team had supposedly discovered Uzi near a pair of corpses and found that the girl had been injured and sick. She was brought back to the colony on the assumption that she was the sole survivor of a murder drone attack on her group, given the statement the scavenging team gave on the state of the corpses. There had been talk among the WDF of allowing Uzi to stay in the colony even after finishing treatment and recovery in the medical bay despite her oddities that were quickly noticed by those who initially dealt with her.

That plan had been dashed when Uzi was suddenly found to be missing some time after the medical staff was out, leaving behind signs that she had willingly escaped from the bunker and back out into the open world. That had done wonders for kicking up the rumors and theories around the strange purple girl and where she came from or who she was. The whispers and gossip only got louder when she turned back up again on her own sometime later, having showed up at the colony's front doors just as sickly and as malnourished appearing as she had been the very first time she was brought to the colony.

Just like before, the exact same thing had happened on her second visit, her third visit, and then every visit after that. Uzi was known as Outpost-3's own mysterious and local drifter by now, known to only show up long enough to have an illness or an injury treated before she would disappear yet again before anyone could stop her. No one knew how to get her to stay for even the full length of her medical treatment sans physically strapping her down. For how sickly she usually seemed to be, she had quite the habit of disappearing before her full course of treatment was even finished from what Beau had heard.

No one knew where Uzi came from, what happened to her to make her act so oddly, why she seemed so sickly and frail, or anything that implied who she was as a person. Many people in the colony had burning questions that she had simply refused to answer or pretended to ignore when she was asked about a few different things. It didn't help that Uzi only rarely spoke unless she was urged into the conversation. That great amount of mystery surrounding her made her a bit of an infamous celebrity among the colony's gossip enjoyers.

"Hey, Zi's not that bad. Her coming around keeps things interesting if you ask me. Same old, same old gets a little boring sometimes," Thad's voice spoke up, dragging Beau back out of his thoughts as he glanced over at the green eyed drone. Said drone shrugged his shoulders before he grabbed a couple more batteries from the bowl to pop into his mouth.

Vivian rolled her eyes as she reached out to grab a handful of batteries from the bowl too, tossing one up into the air before she caught it with her mouth. Thad and Beau briefly clapped at the display before she responded with a smug grin and a nod.

"...Actually, now that I think about it, any day Mrs. Doorman gets her hands on something usually winds up being a pretty interesting day. Sorry, Beau," The green eyed drone commented as he narrowed one of his eyelights and glanced over at his friend.

Beau hadn't been expecting the sudden comment, though it did get a snort out of him that quickly broke out into a proper chuckle. His friends couldn't help but join in with the chuckling and giggling, leaving the group of three to enjoy the lighthearted moment together before the orange eyed drone shook his head and reached up to straighten out his hat again.

"Nah, nah, that's real fair honestly 'cause I think the whole colony feels that one. Even I ain't blind to the kinda wacky shenanigans Ma gets up to when she's bored. Actually, speakin' of Ma's questionable tinkerin'..." Beau trailed off briefly as he took a moment to collect his thoughts and decide how he wanted to tell the story.

Thad and Vivian had both fixed their gazes on their friend, both seeming far more interested in what he had to say for the moment than the textbooks they were currently supposed to be studying from. The orange eyed drone paused long enough to pop another battery into his mouth.

"I woke up this mornin' to the sound of Dad yellin' an' Ma cacklin' 'bout somethin' so I knew somethin' crazy must've happened. Walked outta the bedroom to see Ma hangin' upside down by her foot from one of them pipes in the ceiling an' a big ol' piece of metal impaled into the wall so I ain't got any kinda clue what she's gonna wind up gettin' into by the end of the day. Feels like it's gonna be another one of those days where she's in a tinkerin' mood," He continued.

"Wh- What was she even doing up there? Why was she hanging from the ceiling?" Thad couldn't help but question as he listened to the story, his eyebrows furrowing as his facial expression wound up fitting awkwardly somewhere between concerned and amused. Beau got the feeling he wanted to laugh about the mental image he was getting but wasn't sure if he should.

"She said somethin' 'bout fixin' up the ceilin' vent in our livin' room or somethin' like that, but... Considerin' the random piece of metal that somehow manifested stabbin' into the wall? Kinda get the feelin' that wasn't the only thing she was workin' on 'fore I woke up an' came outta the bedroom to see what was goin' on," The orange eyed drone replied as he shrugged his shoulders, a grin tugging across his faceplate.

"Okay, okay, before you dorks continue to totally hijack my conversation..." Vivian began, though it was clear she was attempting to fight the grin off of her own face in response to the story Beau had told. "I'm still kind of wondering what all that purple edgelord has seen. I mean, she has to be staying somewhere when she's not hanging out around here, right? How else would she be surviving the tall, dark, and pointy jerks at night?"

"Well, I'd reckon she has to be windin' up stayin' somewhere. Or maybe we're not the only colony she visits an' she just drifts between a bunch 'fore windin' up back here again? Orrrr maybe there's some super secret place somewhere she's hidin' in at night," Beau threw out a few guesses in response to the question as he shrugged his shoulders, bringing one of his fingers up to tap his chin.

"Which makes me a little jealous because I bet she gets to see all kinds of places in the city or even places outside the city out there. Even other colonies too, I bet," Vivian commented as she reached for the battery bowl again. "Don't get me wrong, I'm super happy to have a safe roof over my head and have my own house to come back to at the end of the day, but the freedom to go wherever and whenever I want doesn't sound so bad."

"Problem with that is... The trade off's prooobably having to sleep outside with the murder drones unless you find another bunker or some super fortified place to duck into. Unless Zi's perfectly managing to hit up colonies just like ours every single day, I wouldn't be surprised if she's gotten stuck outside a couple of times and had to sneak around the murder bots. I mean, hell, there was that supposed attack when she first got brought in and all from what I heard," Thad pointed out as he leaned up to reach for another battery.

Vivian had also started to reach for the bowl to grab yet another battery for herself, leaving her and Thad to bump hands with one another as they turned their heads to look into each other's visors. Two sets of eyelights narrowed as they got into a silent battle of wits with one another, leaving Beau snickering as he watched both of his friends. Thad was the one who finally caved first after a bit, admitting defeat with an overly dramatic sigh and a wave of his hand before he allowed Vivian to reach into the bowl first.

The pink eyed drone giggled in response as she pulled a handful of batteries from the bowl, wasting no time in tossing one of them into her mouth. She gave Thad a light tug around the waist to draw his attention back to her before she held up another battery between her fingers, letting him bite down on the end of it before she let go so he could have it. Beau couldn't help the mischievous smirk that spread across his faceplate as he fought down the urge to playfully tease the affectionate couple.

"...Sure is a whole lotta studyin' we've been doin', huh?" The orange eyed drone finally spoke up, choosing to opt for the neutral ground instead of the tease that was sitting on the edge of his tongue and processor.

Both Thad and Vivian blinked in response to Beau's statement, though the female drone was the first one to properly react as she let out a loud groan. She looked down at her textbook as if she had just remembered why exactly they were all gathered together in the first place, wasting no time in sticking her tongue out at the inanimate piece of literature as if it had insulted her.

"Ughhhh... It's not like the test coming up is major big anyway. We probably don't have to go all out 'study until your optics want to short themselves out and run away' levels of studying," The pink eyed drone attempted to rationalize as she tapped the corner of her textbook. "I want my juicy and fresh gossip, dang it. I don't want 'random nonsense 101 vaguely pretending to be a different subject but it's actually just the same subject but poorly disguised' again."

The other two drones couldn't contain the snickers in response to her last statement, earning an eyelight rolling from Vivian before she joined in on the snickering. She raised the back of her hand to her forehead, making her best attempt at mimicking a dramatic pose before she groaned again like the current situation was some sort of great inconvenience to her. In some ways, Beau couldn't blame her for being frustrated. She already had some of the highest grades of the class second only to him so it made sense to him that she didn't need to or want to rehash the same things she already knew.

Thad was the first to start properly laughing as the goofiness started to get to him. It took only a short few seconds afterwards before all three friends had broken out into a chorus of laughter, each one of them already having immediately forgotten about their textbooks again in favor of bending over and giggling to various degrees. The laughter and jokes continued for what felt like the next several minutes as each of them resumed snacking on batteries once more, but Beau eventually found himself interrupted by a quiet ding sounding from inside his head.

"Hang on for a minute, guys. My dad's textin' me," The orange eyed drone announced, getting both of his companions to raise their eyebrows and nod. He soon turned his attention inward, his vision quickly being taken up by a pop up window that contained a list of the contacts located in his own internal messaging system.

Vivian and Thad waited for Beau to finish checking up on his messages, instead occupying themselves with hugging one another and continuing to snack from the bowl of batteries. The orange eyed drone's facial expressions went through several stages as he was likely reading through the messages, starting with curiosity, brief confusion, and then a bemused frown before it was finally punctuated by his jaw dropping open slightly and going slack. Thad let out a whistle in response to the look on his best friend's face.

"Okay... A look like that tells me either you just won some kind giveaway you didn't even sign up for or something crazy just happened. Did the WDF pull another Code Alice or something?" The green eyed drone asked as he raised an eyebrow, getting Beau to let out a groan that all but confirmed the answer to his question for him.

"Code Alice! Finally, something fun happened!" Vivian cheered as a wide smirk spread over her faceplate. Thad nearly fell off his own chair with the way she suddenly moved but managed to catch himself against her side again.

'Code Alice' was something that had started as a running joke in the colony before it managed to become semi-serious. Beau had been told by his father that the WDF of the colony had developed a set of shorthand codes for various kinds of emergencies around the colony to shorten time spent relaying messages, which led to Code Alice getting jokingly called one day when one of his mother’s inventions had gotten loose somewhere in the colony and had caused chaos.

The term had since spread like wildfire and was now universal for anything ranging anywhere from ‘Mrs. Doorman pranked a hallway’, ‘Mrs. Doorman’s inventions are on the loose again’, and ‘Mrs. Doorman found the colony’s industrial power cell supply and might vaporize the bunker’.

“Ma apparently managed to boobytrap somebody’s apartment an’ it blew up an’ sprayed paint all over everything,” Beau finally explained as his eyelights refocused again to signify that he was no longer focusing on his internal messages.

Thad and Vivian mutually blinked once and then twice as they looked at their friend in an attempt to process what he just said. The female drone was the first one to react after a moment, a smirk quickly starting to spread out over her faceplate as she let out a mischievous giggle.

“Oh, this is perfect. Just the excuse we needed to get out of all of this studying nonsense. I want to go see where the action and the fun is!” The pink eyed drone exclaimed as she removed her boots from the table, instead setting them back down on the floor again.

“But, Vivi-” Thad started to speak up as he raised an eyebrow in response to his girlfriend, but he didn’t get a chance to finish his statement before she was pressing a finger against his mouth to shush him.

“Nuh uh, nope. No ifs or buts, ball cap. I am getting out of his freezing apartment before either my processor fries itself with all of the reading or I turn into an ice sculpture just like those old human skeletons. I want to go check out what the damage from Mrs. Wacky Workbench is!”

Thad narrowed his eyelights in response to Vivian, getting her to quickly narrow her own eyelights at him as she lightly tapped her finger against his lips. He soon directed his attention to Beau instead, his eyelights blinking away before his screen displayed a question mark to silently ask what he wanted to do in this situation.

“I’ll admit I’d be lyin’ if I said I wasn’t at least a lil’ curious what happened too,” Beau admitted as he reached up to adjust the brim of his hat, unable to keep the grin from trying to turn up in the corners of his mouth. “It does sound a lil’ more excitin’ than sittin’ ‘round an’ studyin’ for the next couple of hours.”

Vivian giggled again with her apparent victory, leaving her to shift where she sat as she leaned up. She looked down at Thad again, the green eyed drone’s visor display returning to normal eyelights as he leveled a playful point up at her. She tapped her finger against his lips one last time before she pulled it away to allow him to speak.

“Come on, Vivi. Can we at least finish off the batteries before we go? These things are pretty tasty,” He spoke up, still giving her a playful pout as he bat his eyelights at her. She narrowed her own eyelights again at this tactic, but it was quickly proven to be effective as she let out a sigh.

“Fineeee, we can finish off the rest of the bowl before we go find out what Beau’s mom blew up this time,” Vivian gave in as she reached out to grab another battery to pop into her mouth.

“I’m guessing we’re gonna leave the textbooks here in case we come back after we’re done checking out the crime scene?” Thad asked as he slouched against Vivian, reaching out to grab another handful of batteries for himself.

“Makes sense to me,” Vivian agreed as she grabbed another battery from the bowl, wasting no time in stuffing it into her mouth. “Like you said, we might swing back around to study again later or hang out. Heavy emphasis on the might for that first one.”

“Oh good,” Beau joined in on the conversation as he grabbed another battery for himself, “I was thinkin’ you were ‘bout to say we weren’t gonna come back here so I’d have to lug all of my books back already an’ get new replacement arms while I’m at it.”

The devious smirk that immediately split across Vivian’s face in response to Beau’s comment was downright evil, her eyelights immediately lighting up with a sense of mischief. The orange eyed drone immediately got the sinking feeling in his fuel tank that he had just made some kind of horrible mistake and given her an opening for something.

“Hmm… Actually… Now that Beau pointed it out… He might have a point, Thad. What if we don’t come back around here and forget our books? Maybe we should carry them back now just in case,” The pink eyed drone said, her eyelights turning hollow as she directed her savage smirk directly at their mutual friend.

The unholy screech that Beau let out in response was almost completely eclipsed by the loud and howling laughter that escaped from Vivian, the sounds echoing out of the apartment and a good distance down the hallway outside.

Chapter Text

Beau glanced up from the jigsaw puzzle he was currently studying at the sound of his father letting out a sigh, his optics looking up in just enough time to see Khan flopping down and sinking into the living room couch. Sitting on the floor beside him and also currently working on the jigsaw puzzle, Vivian giggled at the sound and Thad pursed his lips with a look of concern to his eyelights.

The Code Alice scene had turned out to look just as bad if not worse than the trio of teenagers had been joking about and expecting it to be on the way there. The apartment door that had supposedly been booby trapped didn’t even exist anymore beyond a few scraps of metal that may have resembled the track of the sliding door earlier that day.

By the time they had arrived, his father and a few other members of the WDF were already there and in the process of helping with the cleanup effort, which consisted of picking up the vaguely door-like component and scrubbing copious amounts of bright and multicolored paint layers from the walls, floor, ceiling, and anything else that had been close enough to the blast radius to become a victim.

Beau had no idea where his mom had even gotten that much paint nor did he have any guess where she found the time to rig up the trap. He had a feeling she would have had to have set it after the apartment owner had left their apartment for the day, but he didn’t think he was gone for terribly long after he left to go study.

The only other explanation he could find was that perhaps she had rigged it up the night before, but he would have thought the homeowner would have been home and noticed her rigging a booby trap then. It had been several hours since then and his processor was still spinning as he tried to wrap his head around how it had happened and the exact timeline behind it.

After the trio had stood around and gawked at the painted crime scene for a good little while, his father had finally shooed him and his friends away so they would be out of the way of the cleanup which left all three of them to go back to Thad’s apartment. They did wind up continuing with the study session much to Vivian’s loud and vocal complaints on the matter, but Thad had managed to smooth the mood out a bit with jokes and stories about some recent sports games in the gym.

It was now closer to evening by this point. All three friends had headed back towards the school to deposit their textbooks back into their lockers for their next school day and from there they had naturally progressed to piling up in the Doorman apartment since it had been the closest.

“Any of you kids want anythin’ while I’m already in here?” Alice’s voice called from the kitchen, quickly accompanied by her orange eyelights as she peeked up and over the kitchen island counter.

“Power pack?” Vivian asked, receiving a thumbs up from Alice before she ducked back below the counter and out of sight, followed shortly afterwards by the sound of something clattering inside the kitchen. The younger drone turned her gaze away from the kitchen shortly afterwards to focus on grabbing another piece for the jigsaw puzzle, but she kept her audios listening.

“Can ya catch?” Alice’s voice spoke up a few minutes later as her head once again peeked over the counter island. Vivian gave a nod in response and held her hand up, the power pack immediately being tossed through the air from the kitchen with a sharp amount of perfect accuracy.

The purple eyed drone caught the power pack with ease and without the slightest hint of a fumble, a smirk quickly spreading across her faceplate at her accomplishment. Alice flashed another thumbs up combined with her own smirk.

“Woo, three points!” Thad cheered as he watched the display, earning a snicker from both Vivian and Alice as the latter of the two finally emerged from the kitchen area.

“Khan? Can ya hand me my knife?” The orange eyed drone asked as she approached everyone in the living room, taking a moment to point out the aforementioned knife on the coffee table in front of the couch where Khan was sitting.

Her husband paused where he was currently busy scrubbing paint out of the soles of his boots, instead regarding the cursed invention with hollow eyelights as if he were afraid it was going to burn him just by looking at it..

“Alice, honey, you know I love you dearly. You also know how much that thing of yours scares me. I’m worried I’ll pick it up and it’ll shoot me through the knee joint,” Khan commented as he narrowed his eyelights at the unassuming knife.

Alice laughed as she approached the table and bent down to pick up the knife, the invention not making a single click or shift as she plucked it off of the table and then started to spin it between her fingers. Both husband and son stared at her as if she was doing the impossible.

“Aww, come on now. I dunno why yer so scared of it,” Alice teased as she tossed the knife up into the air and caught it perfectly by the handle again. “It ain’t gonna shoot ya anyway as long as you don’t pick it up at a thirty degree angle an’ twist your wrist to the right. Do that an’ twist it to the left, though, an’ yer gettin’ a buzzsaw.”

At least half of the other drones in the room had no idea if she was joking or if she was completely serious.

“You know, I’m still a little angry with you,” Khan began with a huff as he resumed scrubbing his boot, casting an annoyed stare up at his wife. “It took hours to clean all of that up and I don’t even think we got everything. I couldn’t even find eighty percent of the door!”

Alice only grinned in response to her husband’s statement as she slipped the knife into a holster on one of her legs, soon moving to sit down on the couch beside him. Khan was still leveling a slightly annoyed look at her before she leaned over to rest against him, tucking her head into the space between his neck and shoulder.

“Come on now, it wasn’t that bad. The entire hallway didn’t get blown up this time. An’ you didn’t even have to go on a wild chase for some runaway project! Besidessss...” The orange eyed drone practically purred the word, “It was his fault for messin’ with me in the first place.”

Khan still looked less than amused judging by the look he gave her as he leaned down to look into her visor, leaving her to bat her eyelights at him as she looked up at him with a smirk.

“Ya know ya love me an’ my antics.”

“I love you, not the crazy antics,” Khan counted as he stared down at his wife with her rapidly expanding smirk. “The antics make me stay late for work or have me throwing away clipboard after clipboard of incident reports where more than most of them say ‘Mrs. Doorman’.”

“You knew what you were gettin’ into. Wouldn’t have said yes all them years ago if ya had a problem with me,” Alice purred, her eyelights half lidded as she gave her husband a disarming smile.

Khan managed to hold his annoyed stare for several more moments in the face of the looks she was giving him before he finally let out a sigh of defeat, leaving Alice giggling in triumph as she gave him a sharp smirk of satisfaction.

“Why do you have to be right when I’m trying to be frustrated with you?” Khan teased as he stared at Alice with narrow eyelights, only getting her to giggle even harder.

“’Cause I’m always right no matter what,” The orange eyed drone purred in response, her sharp grin now looking downright ghoulish. She leaned up to give her husband a quick kiss on the faceplate, but it wasn’t long before it transitioned into a proper kiss.

Beau playfully gagged as he watched his parents from where he was sitting, turning his gaze away from them long enough to grab a few puzzle pieces from the pile and match them. Alice ran her thumb along the crevice between Khan’s visor and faceplate before she shot a glare in her son’s direction instead, her mouth twisted up into an absolutely devious smirk that had both Thad and Vivian giggling as they realized Beau was about to get it.

“Just you wait. Soon as you go on an’ get yerself someone that suits yer fancy, I ain’t ever gonna let you hear the end of it,” His mother warned, her eyelights narrowing to match her sharp smirk that was as much of a threat as it was a promise.

Beau blinked in response to that before he narrowed his own eyelights in response to the older drone’s statement. He crossed his arms to show his opposition to that idea, his mouth stretching its way into his own wide smirk as his visor flickered and then displayed a face and tongue emoticon in place of his actual eyelights.

“Ain’t happenin’. I’m too busy scarin’ everybody away with my crazy inventions an’ stuff like that,” He remarked, sounding rather confident in his own statement and his ability to win this impromptu standoff.

“An’? Yer father decided to date an’ marry crazy so clearly there’s people out there that are into that kinda thing.”

The flustered sputter that came out of both Beau and Khan in response to Alice’s statement was enough to get Vivian and Thad howling with laughter, causing the two drones to tip over onto the floor as they hugged themselves in an attempt to contain the noise. The older drone crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat, wearing a prideful smirk and narrowed eyelights in a look of triumph as she asserted her victory over the room. The entire room was hers by this point and she knew it.

Beau went back to working on the jigsaw puzzle after a few moments in exasperated defeat, his friends still laughing over the exchange that had just taken place. Khan had similarly returned to what he was doing with a similar amount of defeat, now quietly scrubbing the paint out of his boots again as Alice cackled and leaned against him to rest.

The room fell into comfortable silence for a few minutes after that, leaving the two adults happily cuddling on the couch and leaning against one another while the trio of friends currently sitting on the floor continued to work on their collective jigsaw puzzle. Vivian cast her glance up at Beau’s parents for a moment before she leaned over to gently nudge him with her elbow, catching his attention before she nodded her head in his parents’ directions in an attempt to urge him to speak about what they had discussed earlier.

Beau raised an eyebrow in response to Vivian as he didn’t quite get what she wanted in response to the initial nudge and nod, prompting the pink haired drone to give a roll of her eyelights as she reached up to push up her glasses. She opened her mouth after that, silently mouthing out an ‘ask them’ which got the orange eyed drone to realize what she wanted him to do.

“...Hey, Ma? Dad? I wanted to ask both of y’all somethin,” Beau spoke up as he looked away from Vivian and the jigsaw puzzle, instead locking his gaze with the curious stares of both of his parents. “Vi was tellin’ me a lil’ somethin’ earlier ‘bout a scavengin’ run comin’ up soon… Was kinda curious if either of ya knew anythin’ ‘bout that.”

Khan made a thoughtful hum in response to Beau’s statement, his eyelights drifting upwards slightly as he leaned into his wife’s touch. He filled the temporary silence of his thinking with the sound of the brush he was using to scrub his boots before he found his son’s gaze again and nodded.

“In two days,” The older drone noted. “The medical bay and some of the storerooms are starting to run low on parts and other goods. It’s not critical yet but the demand is getting higher so we need to start organizing an expedition again.”

Beau glanced at Vivian out of the corner of his vision, seeing her giving him a subtle and encouraging thumbs up to convince him to go on, leaving his gaze to flick back over to the faces of his curious and expectant parents.

“Do you know if they’re still takin’ volunteers for that or…?” He trailed off, letting his request hang in the air for everyone to process.

“I do think they’re still taking volunteers but why are you...” Khan began to question, though his processor managed to catch up with him before he got the words out. His white eyelights instead started to narrow as they began to scan over his son’s face.

“Promise I’d be real careful!” Beau began, immediately sensing that his father had figured out what his plans were going to be. He could see that Vivian had silently crossed her fingers in her lap out of the corner of his vision as she connected a few more puzzle pieces.

“I just kinda… Uh… Y’know. I wanna get out an’ see the city a lil’ bit! An’ maybe while I’m out there I could try to find some new scrap parts for my project? I’m runnin’ outta people an’ places to get scrap from ‘round here since it’s been a while since the last run,” The orange eyed drone continued as he shrugged his shoulders slightly, attempting to sound casual.

“Beau...” The older drone started again as he kept his eyelights narrowed at his son. “You know how dangerous it is to be outside the colony. Even during the daylight.”

The orange eyed drone pursed his lips as he tried to get a sense of what his parents were thinking judging by the looks on their faces. Alice’s expression had managed to remain neutral, though her mouth had stretched into a wide and thin line which was usually a sign she was feeling agitated. Khan’s eyelights had hollowed out, though his expression was still fixed in a frown.

“I know, Dad. I know what kinda dangers are out there an’ I know there’s risk even with all the safety precautions bein’ taken. But… I still kinda wanna volunteer,” Beau replied. “Main reason why I wanna go is ‘cause I really wanna look for those parts for my invention but just seein’ the outside even if it’s just for an hour or two sounds nice too.”

“For what it’s worth, if he gets to sign up I offered to go along with him too. Nothing’s going to bother him if I’m out there to help kick some monster tail too,” Vivian spoke up to join in on the conversation, a confident smirk quickly spreading across her faceplate as the room’s attention was drawn to her.

Khan and Alice exchanged a look with one another as they listened to the two friends, their expressions mostly unreadable. Beau wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or a bad sign which left him a bit nervous about this whole plan.

“Come on… It’s a win-win if you ask me. Beau and I get to see the snow and maybe do some sightseeing, he gets to grab some new parts for whatever dorky invention he’s working on… Maybe he could even bring back some extra scrap parts for you too, Mrs. Doorman,” Vivian added.

Khan immediately let out a heavy sigh in response to that as his shoulders fell, seemingly already knowing how Alice was going to react to that. He glanced at his wife to meet her gaze, seeing that her previously agitated mouth was already twitching and threatening to turn up into a thin smirk as the thought of potentially having new scrap supplies for her own inventions appealed to her.

“...Dear, you’re supposed to be helping me out here. Would you please help me explain why this is a bad idea?” The white eyed drone asked as he studied his wife, though the look on his face implied he was almost sure he had lost the debate already.

“I dunno, Khan… The kids are kinda drivin’ a hard bargain there,” Alice replied as she reached her arm around her husband’s back, resting her hand on his other shoulder. “Even ‘sides that, you know as well as I do Beau’s got my love of tinkerin’ with things an’ if he’s anythin’ like me… He’s gonna get real antsy if he runs out of stuff to work with.”

The orange eyed woman’s head dipped to the side after that, laying directly against Khan again before a wide and sharp smirk completely overtook her faceplate.

“He might even start gettin’ a lil’ bored if he can’t work on his project anymore for a lil’ while,” She added.

“And a bored Doorman is never a good thing,” Khan muttered quietly, a brief shudder running through his systems at that thought. He was well aware his wife was far worse about becoming a terror when she was bored and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t get into or make a few crazy things here and there when painfully bored as well.

“It’s only two days though, dear. He’d be free to pick through whatever salvage is brought back and find some parts that way. He wouldn’t have to go out there into the cold that way,” The older man added shortly afterwards, his eyelights pulling into a frown again.

“An’ I had that thought too, which means that’s probably what I’d do if I ain’t allowed to go out on the scavengin’ trip with everybody else,” Beau spoke up again, having been listening to his parents talking back and forth.

He waited for a moment as he studied both of his parents, letting himself collect his thoughts again before he continued.

“But I was kinda figurin’ if I went out there, I’d be able to look for specific parts I need an’ pocket those myself right away ‘cause I got a better idea what shapes an’ sizes I need. An’… Like I said, seein’ the outside an’ looking at the snow sounds fun too.”

“A couple of points to consider… That run’s leavin’ real early, ain’t it? It’s gonna be leavin’ while the sun’s still up an’ it ain’t goin’ far from what I’ve heard either so it should just be a quick lil’ venture out an’ right back. That’s ‘bout as safe as a supply run’s gonna get,” Alice pointed out as she gently squeezed her husband’s shoulder.

“I’m worried about him going outside and getting himself hurt, dear. I know you’re worrying about him too because something could plausibly happen to him or Vivian while they’re out there,” Khan countered as he continued to frown, getting Alice to nod to acknowledge his statement.

“If it wasn’t Beau goin’, itd still be somebody else’s kid, spouse, friend, sibling, or any other kinda relation,” Alice countered back in response. “All of us are nervous whenever somebody’s goin’ out but you know we gotta have those supplies for things like construction an’ repairs.”

Beau was quiet as he listened to his parents talking back and forth, finding himself somewhat surprised that his mom was actually working to be on his side right now but also thankful for that fact. He had to agree that she thought he was making good points.

Several moments of tense silence passed over the room before Khan finally released another sigh, directing his gaze back to the group of teenagers still sitting around their partially finished jigsaw puzzle on the floor.

“...Would you promise to be safe, Beau? You too, Vivian. I’m being serious. I can’t in my right mind let either of you kids go out there if you can’t promise to be safe and take proper safety precautions,” The older drone spoke up in a firm tone as he looked between the trio.

All three of the teenagers exchanged a look with one another as they listened to Khan, none of the three used to hearing such a sharp and serious tone out of the older drone. Not even Beau could remember the last time he had heard his father sound so deathly serious over a topic like this.

“Of course, Dad. Ain’t no way we’d do anythin’ reckless. I promise,” Beau spoke up softly as he watched his father, frowning as his hands started to ball up in his lap.

“If you’re going to go on this trip, you need to stay with the group and avoid any potential signs of unstable paths or architecture,” Khan continued as he held one of his hands up, pointing a finger upward. “If you’re not one hundred percent sure it’s safe to traverse it, don’t try it. If it creaks too loud or wobbles, get off of it. Watch for early signs of the weather changing too and always assume no one is watching out and paying attention in case you’re actually the only one watching.”

Beau and Vivian both exchanged a look with one another again as they listened to the older drone’s suggestions and explanations of safety precautions, their eyelights narrowing slightly. He knew she had a bit of a thrill seeking attitude that sometimes made her a bit reckless, though he felt at least partially reassured in the fact that he was sure she would never put herself anywhere near something that might actually kill her.

“Just… be safe, okay? That’s all I’m asking of either of you,” Khan spoke up again as he studied both teenagers with concerned eyelights, his shoulders relaxing slightly as they both nodded back in response.

“We’re gonna be safe an’ keep all the risks and safety things in mind if ya do let us go. I promise,” Beau reassured again as he gave his father a small smile, reaching up to adjust the brim of his hat.

“I want ya to stay safe too, Beau. An’ you too, Vivian,” Alice joined in on the conversation again, getting heads to turn to her as she gently squeezed Khan’s shoulder again. “I’ll be honest with ya, I ain’t real thrilled ‘bout the idea of you goin’ out either but I get the need to wander an’ find stuff to tinker with.”

The older orange eyed drone shared a look with her husband again before her gaze leveled onto her son instead, her eyelights narrowing slightly as a familiar wide smirk of mischief tugged its way across her faceplate again.

“Better bring me back some scraps to tinker with too, though. I ain’t gonna let you live down a dangerous trip like that if ya don’t get me some stuff that I can use to mess with yer dad too,” She added with a playful tone and an equally savage grin to match.

Khan let out another sputtering noise of surprise which was more than enough to get the other four drones of the room to start giggling. The white eyed drone couldn’t help but join them eventually, unable to keep the chuckles down as he listened to his family and his son’s friends laughing around him.

Beau couldn’t help but keep chuckling for a bit as he focused on working on the shared jigsaw puzzle again, turning to the side to start digging through one of the piles of pieces that had gotten dumped out of the box earlier and landed in a wad near his knee joint. He waited until the laughter had died down a bit before he cleared his throat to gain everyone’s attention again.

“...Does this mean I’m allowed to sign up an’ volunteer for the scavenging trip thing?” He asked as he carefully connected another puzzle piece, sparing a glance over his shoulder to look at his parents again with a hopeful look to his eyelights.

“Yes, you’re allowed to sign up for the scavenging volunteers… on the condition you promise you’re absolutely sure you’re going to be safe and careful out there and keep everything I just told you in mind about the precautions,” Khan replied as his eyelights narrowed at his son again.

“I’ll be real careful just like I already promised an’ I’ll make sure Vi’s careful too. We can watch each other’s backs while we’re out there!” Beau said as he connected another set of puzzle pieces together, trying to calm the excited jitters that jumped up his arms in response to being given the go ahead.

“An’ don’t forget what I said ‘bout bringing back a part or two for me too. You had better if ya wanna make it up to me,” Alice playfully teased as she joined in again, narrowing her eyelights at her grinning son with a smile of her own.

“Okay, okay, I’ll grab extra for you too, Ma. I’m gonna find all kinds of cool stuff for both of us an’ get my invention up to speed with yours,” The younger orange eyed drone promised as he flashed a thumbs up in his mother’s direction, getting her to nod and smile wider.

There was yet another lapse of silence after that as the teenagers went back to focusing on their jigsaw puzzle and Alice focused on cuddling into her husband’s side and shoulder. Khan himself had gone back to working on scrubbing more paint out of his boots while also leaning into the cuddles, though he found himself distracted soon enough by a pop up message suddenly appearing over his vision.

Alice had been close enough to her husband to see the icon pop up in the corner of his visor to indicate that he was currently viewing or typing out a message on his internal systems. She narrowed her eyelights at him for a moment before she sat up a bit straighter, curiosity quickly taking hold of her processor.

“...Somethin’ work related or somethin’ else? That’s a real serious look,” She commented softly as she raised an eyebrow, drawing the attention of the trio of friends on the floor as they looked up from their puzzle with confused eyelights.

Khan turned his head slightly to acknowledge the fact that he was being spoken to, but he didn’t respond right away in favor of continuing to do whatever it was he was doing inside his internal messaging system. He was quiet for a few more long moments before the icon in the corner of his visor finally cleared away to indicate he was no longer looking at his messages.

“Ron just texted and said that Uzi is here again,” The white eyed drone stated as he realized everyone else in the room was leveling an expectant stare at him. All four drones blinked in response to the statement before eyelights brightened with mixtures of curiosity, confusion, and surprise.

“...Uzi? Y’mean that one drifter girl that comes on comin’ ‘round at random?” Alice was the first to speak up next, still keeping an eyebrow raised as she watched her husband looking down and turning over his boots in his hands to check them for more paint.

“Right. Ron said she turned up at the doors a bit ago but that she was refusing to talk to him or any of the other guards on duty so none of them are sure what’s wrong with her. I told them to take her down to the medical bay and asked if they needed me to come speak with her,” Khan replied as he sat his boots back down onto the floor, well aware that they still weren’t completely clear of paint stains.

Alice pursed her lips together as she listened to Khan, leaning over to sit up straighter so he could move around freely without her leaning against him. She could still remember the first night Uzi had been brought to the colony, having been relaxing in bed and reading with her husband one late night before he had received an urgent message from the guards on duty at the time that the scavenging team had arrived back safely but had also brought an injured drone back with them.

She knew very little about Uzi personally due to not having met the drifter personally, but she did hear some about the girl from Khan after his visit to check up on her after she had been brought in and whisked to the medical bay that first time. She at the very least knew the other drone’s name, that she appeared sickly on her visits, and that she appeared to be around Beau’s age.

“...Are ya gonna have to go on down to the medical bay? Is she sick again or hurt or somethin’?” Beau’s voice suddenly spoke up, cutting through his mother’s train of thought as he watched his father with a concerned frown.

“I may have to go down there if she’s refusing to talk to anyone else. For whatever reason, she seems more likely to talk to me instead of the other WDF members,” The white eyed drone noted as he slipped back into his boots and leaned back against the couch, likely waiting for another message to appear in his systems.

“More willin’ to open up ‘round a familiar face, maybe. Since you’ve been down there just ‘bout every time to check up on her or talk to the door guards ‘bout the visitor,” Alice commented as she leaned her head over to rest it against her husband’s shoulder once more.

Beau, Vivian, and Thad all listened to the Doorman parents talking back and forth with one another before they exchanged a look, each one narrowing their eyelights as if silently questioning if they were all thinking the same thing. Every single one of them had to admit that the fact Uzi had supposedly turned up at the colony just after they were discussing her earlier in the day left them with a perfect chance of an opportunity.

“Hey… I got an idea,” Thad was the first to speak up before either of the other two teenagers could, drawing the adult drones’ attention to him. “If you’re going to head that way anyway… Maybe me, Vivi, and Beau can tag along too?”

Beau and Vivian both turned their heads to look at Thad before they directed their gazes to Alice and Khan again as well, both managing to look at least mildly interested in the idea. Khan narrowed his eyelights and studied the trio for a moment while Alice tilted her head slightly with a curious look to her own eyelights.

“Are you wanting to tag along if I do wind up heading down to the medical bay?” Khan asked as he studied Thad, watching as the younger drone nodded in response.

“I was thinking maybe it’d be fun to go meet Uzi or something,” The green eyed drone replied before he shrugged his shoulders. “I dunno if Uzi would wanna talk to any of us, but… Could be worth a shot. Maybe she’d wanna talk to some drones around her age too about some cool and fun stuff?”

“Thad ain’t makin’ a half bad point,” Alice commented as she crossed one of her legs over the other and directed her attention to her husband once more. “Y’said Uzi doesn’t like talkin’ much ‘fore, right? Have ya ever tried introducin’ her to some kids their age?”

Khan paused for a moment to think at that, making a thoughtful and quiet hum before he shook his head in response.

“Usually it’s myself or one of the other WDF members speaking with her as far as I’m aware,” The white eyed drone replied as his eyelights tracked up towards the corner of his visor. “As well as the medical staffing and anyone else who happens to be visiting the medical bay at the same time, of course.”

“I gotta admit goin’ an’ meetin’ Uzi sounds kinda fun to me too,” Beau spoke up as he joined in on the conversation again, a smile spreading across his faceplate as he reached up to adjust his hat. “Ain’t had a chance to meet her personally yet outside the rumors an’ stories so I’m a lil’ curious. Worse that’d happen is that she doesn’t want extra visitors, right?”

Vivian turned her head to look at Beau and Thad as she listened to the conversations passing around, her eyelights narrowing slightly as she debated with herself. She couldn’t help the brief glint of mischief that came over her face as she realized she would have a chance to potentially ask the weird drifting drone about the outside world.

“Well, if these other two dorks are going to go see the drifter girl… I gueeeess I could tag along with them,” The pink eyed drone spoke up with her own shrug as she reached up to push her glasses up to an acceptable position again.

Alice raised an eyebrow again as she directed her gaze at Khan once more, watching as the other drone pursed his lips and pulled up his internal messaging window again. There was a pause as he scanned over his messages again before he closed out of it again and moved to stand up.

“Alright, I was just told it probably would be a good idea for me to go down there and speak with her so that means you kids are free to come along if you’d like. Though… I may have to make a quick detour before we can leave,” Khan noted as he stood up from the couch.

“Detour for what?” Beau asked with curiosity to his tone as he carefully brushed the puzzle pieces away from his legs and then stood up, taking care not to step on any of them or the half completed puzzle itself.

“Someone asked if I could bring a change of clothes with me because apparently Uzi’s clothing is in rags. I’ll need to run by the storage wing and see if I can’t find something for her to wear.”

“Actually, if you all wanna go on ahead I can probably take care of that part,” Alice suddenly cut in as she sat up. “Pretty sure the other day I heard ‘bout one of the neighbor’s kids movin’ up to a bigger frame so they probably have some clothes they grew out of. I can ask if they got any to spare an’ meet y’all at the medical bay.”

“Thank you, dear. That would be great actually if you don’t mind making the special trip,” Khan responded to his wife before he leaned back down to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Wouldn’t have offered if I minded any,” The orange eyed drone pointed out as she leaned into the feeling of the kiss. She snuck a quick kiss in return onto his own faceplate before she stood up from the couch as well to join him.

Beau watched his parents again as he dusted his hands off on his vest and t-shirt, soon glancing back at Vivian and Thad to see if they were both still interested in tagging along as well. The green eyed drone was currently in the process of helping pull his girlfriend up to her feet before both of them fixed their gazes on their friend, evidently just as interested in going to meet Uzi as he was.

“I take it that means we’re all heading down to the medical bay then?” Khan asked as he gave his wife one last smile and then turned on his heels to head towards the front door of the apartment room. The sounds of several pairs of footsteps following gave him a clear answer but that didn’t stop him from casting his glance over his shoulder anyway.

“Reckon it sure sounded like that’s what we’re gonna do,” Alice replied as she put her on her hips, casting her glance between both Khan and the trio that had gathered up near the door as well. “I’ll see the rest of y’all at the medical bay, alright?”

“See ya in a lil’ bit, Ma,” Beau spoke up as he looked at his mother, returning the smile that she gave him as she reached out to gently ruffle his hair.

“Don’t get yerself into some kinda trouble between now an’ there,” Alice playfully teased as she continued to gently ruffle her son’s hair, getting him to playfully roll his eyelights and smile in response as he watched her.

“Alice, honey, I think if we need to worry about someone getting in trouble between now and the medical bay, I think it’s you,” Khan cut into the conversation to comment with a rather matter of fact tone. “We’ve already had one exploding paint bomb doorway today. We don’t need another one.”

The older orange eyed drone was still cackling by the time the group had departed into the hallway to start their journey towards their needed destinations.

It was a decent bit of a walk to get to the medical bay from the Doorman family apartment, though people like Beau didn’t feel the need to complain as much verbally since the walk wasn’t as much of a distance compared to the day’s earlier walk to Thad’s apartment and back. Alice had split away from the group after they had been walking for a few minutes so she could go visit the neighboring apartments she had previously mentioned, leaving the rest of the group of four to continue the trek to the medical wing of the bunker.

Beau, Vivian, and Thad had started to quietly converse back and forth with one another as they followed Khan onward to the medical bay, the teenagers having fallen into a back and forth discussion about what to expect with Uzi and where the drifting drone had been in the time since her last visit to the colony some time ago. In fact, they were so engrossed in and distracted by their conversation that they nearly managed to run into the older drone who had significantly slowed down in his stride at some point.

Khan placed his hands on his hips as he eyed the approaching door to the medical bay, though his gaze only lingered for a moment before his optics instead fixed on one of the members of the medical team who was currently posted like a guard before the room. The medical drone was currently sipping from a mug that he held in one hand, his tired gray eyelights staring into nothing in particular as they fixed on the space in front of him.

“Dr. Piers,” The WDF leader spoke up as he continued to approach, getting the medical drone to raise an eyebrow and turn his head to meet the visitors before he returned the acknowledgment with a simple and formal nod.

“Mr. Doorman,” The medical drone returned the greeting before he took another sip from his mug, his eyelights briefly flicking past Khan’s shoulder to instead observe the three teenagers that had tagged along with him.

“Khan is fine, doctor. We’ve been over this before,” Khan spoke up before he raised an eyebrow and realized that the medical drone was staring over his shoulder. The white eyed drone glanced over his shoulder long enough to look at the tag-along trio before he directed his attention back to Piers and opened his mouth to explain, but he didn’t get a chance to get the words out before a loud thud reached his audios.

Every drone present directed their gazes to the currently closed medical bay door, most of the group’s eyelights having turned hollow while Piers merely stared on in minor annoyance. Another member of the medical team was speaking on the inside of the room, though the door muffled it enough to make the words unintelligible.

What the door did not muffle and make unintelligible, however, was the sound of hissing and growling from inside the room as well. That sound had all three teenagers blinking at the door with hollow eyelights before Vivian caught Thad and Beau’s gazes and frantically motioned her hands at the door as if to silently emphasize her point from earlier in the day about the wandering drifter drone’s odd behavior.

“...What’s the damage today?” Khan finally spoke up softly as he stared at the door, speaking just loud enough to ensure he would be heard over the sounds coming from within the medical room.

“Her systems are running unusually warm and feverish and her oil levels were abnormally low. Again,” Piers replied in response to the question, taking yet another sip from his mug before he reached out to rest his hand on the door’s indented handle.

“So likely another virus infection of some kind...” The white eyed drone mused quietly before his eyelights pulled into a frown. “What about injuries?”

“I’m fairly certain she’s managed to cut her hand open on something but as you can probably tell by now, she’s been particularly combative today thus far and is refusing to let any of us get close enough to properly examine her. She’s nearly bitten me twice already.”

Khan couldn’t help but wince as he listened to the medical drone’s report on Uzi’s condition, giving a light shake of his head as if it would help him shake the thoughts and the mental images out of his processor before he crossed his arms and let out a sigh.

“Maybe one of us will have slightly better luck with getting her to talk and tell us what’s wrong then...” The white eyed drone muttered before he looked over his shoulder at the trio of teenagers who had huddled up close behind him while following him, looking equal parts confused by and curious about the odd noises coming from within the medical room.

Piers spared one more glance at the entire group behind him before he tugged the door open with his free hand, keeping his mug masterfully balanced in his other hand to prevent spilling any of the fuel that he had inside it with the movement.

“I take it bringing everyone along with you was your idea?” The medical drone asked as he stepped into the room, motioning for Khan and everyone else to follow him into the medical room.

“It was Thad’s idea actually,” Khan replied as he stepped into the room close behind Piers to join him inside the medical room. “He had the idea for everyone to come along and try to talk to Uzi themselves. He had a good point that she might feel more comfortable talking to some other drones her age.”

“I thought it sounded fun, y’know? Thought it’d be nice to help out and come visit. Might be kind of cool to meet the drifter everybody talks about all the time too,” Thad agreed as he joined in on the conversation, glancing behind him before he waved his arm at the door to usher Vivian into the room before Beau and himself.

“My wife is actually supposed to be joining us as well but she detoured to go visit one of the neighbors and ask them for some spare clothes. Someone told me that Uzi needs new clothing?” Khan asked as he turned his gaze to Piers, raising an eyebrow as he came to a stop beside the medical drone.

The gray eyed drone focused his attention on Khan in response to the question, bringing his mug back to his lips to take a long sip from it before he tilted his head to the side as if motioning with it. Khan and the three teenage drones that had now filed into the room behind the adults fixed their gaze on the counters and cabinets on the other side of the room before four pairs of eyelights blinked and turned hollow at the sight that met them.

Hollow and blazing bright purple eyelights that were currently ringed by stress lines burned in the darkness above one of the cabinets, belonging to a drone with purple hair and a scuffed beanie that was currently hissing angrily again at another medical drone who was standing below the cabinet and desperately trying to convince her to come climb down and come sit down. Her fingers were currently clutching the lip at the top of the cabinet and digging slightly into the surface, which gave the newcomers a brief glimpse of the scratched casing of her hands from where they were currently standing.

“Has she been...” Khan started to speak as he narrowed his eyelights at the hissing purple haired drone that was hidden in the darkness, though he didn’t get a chance to finish his thought as Piers made a noise akin to clearing throat.

“Up there that entire time? Pretty much. She shot up there after the second time she tried to bite me and hasn’t come down since,” The tired drone responded with an entirely unamused tone as he too watched the drone hiding on top of the cabinet.

All four of the non-medical drones narrowed their eyelights as they watched the purple haired drone give another spitting hiss at the medical staff below from her shadowy perch, a mixture of emotions and expressions on each of their faces. Khan was the first one to take a few cautious steps towards the cabinet where the other drone was hiding.

“...Uzi?” The white eyed drone spoke up as he crossed his arms again, getting the purple haired drone to jerk backwards into the darkness and release a loud hiss in response to the sudden voice. “Easy… It’s just me. You remember me, right?”

Those blazing and hollow purple eyelights immediately snapped into a sharp and cautious stare as the hiding drone curled into herself and stared down at Khan. Her gaze lingered on him for a moment before it drifted away, her eyelights flicking up long enough to observe the rest of the drones that were in the room with the same level of wariness.

“Will you come down from there and cooperate with the nice doctors, please?” The white eyed drone asked as he continued to watch Uzi, getting her to narrow her eyelights further in response to the request. “My son and his friends even came along if you want to talk to them too.”

A brief moment of silence passed between all of the drones following that, though it was quickly broken by a series of odd warbling and chirping sounds coming out of the purple haired drone as she gripped the cabinet tighter. Beau, Vivian, and Thad all blinked in surprise and confusion as they stared up at the other drone, though the green eyed drone of the group pursed his lips as though he had something he wanted to say.

“You can come down now, Uzi,” Piers suddenly cut into the conversation before anyone else could speak, his eyelights narrowed as he stepped up to join the other medical drone below the cabinet. “You know by now that none of us want to hurt you. We just want to help you because your oil levels are abnormally low and I know you at least have an injured hand if not more injuries. That’s not touching on the possible virus infection causing your fever.”

Uzi let out another spitting hiss in response to Piers’ statements, her observers able to tell that she had arched up on the cabinet judging by the way the shadows had shifted. More chirping and warbling rattled out of the stressed drone as her fingers dug in tighter still on the cabinet, her eyelights still blazing as she glared around at all of the other drones in the room.

When the purple haired drone realized no one appeared to be reacting or backing away from her intimidating display, she finally gave the group a sour glare before her eyelights snapped over onto the tired medical drone again. A popping and crackling noise rattled out of what was likely her voice box, the noise soon forming into hoarse but intelligible words after a moment of strain.

“No! Won’t come down! Bite me!” Uzi spat as she arched up further in the darkness. Those that were closest to her could see that a slight shake or tremble had come to her hands where they were still digging into the lip of the cabinet.

Beau’s jaw hung open slightly as he watched the scene unfolding before him, his eyelights blinking as he attempted to process everything that he was hearing and seeing. He knew what the rumors had been saying about Uzi this entire time, and yet he found himself completely caught off guard and confused now that he was seeing her less than normal behavior firsthand.

The orange eyed drone couldn’t help but stare at the purple haired drone for a few more long moments before he finally managed to pick his jaw up, shaking his head slightly as he attempted to break himself out of his confused trance. He turned his head to look at Vivian and Thad instead, seeing that both of them were equally staring at the other drone as the former frowned and the latter furrowed his eyebrows in apparent concern.

Beau watched his friends for a moment to see if either of them seemed intent on doing anything before he fixed his gaze on Uzi again, a disarming smile starting to spread across his faceplate as one of his hands came up to tip his hat up. The purple haired drone noticed him nearly as soon as he had started taking a few steps forward, stressed eyelights finding him at the same time one of her sharp hisses rang out in warning.

“Hey there. My name’s Beau an’ these are my two best friends named Vi an’ Thad. Do ya wanna come down here an’ chat with all three of us?” The orange eyed drone asked as he stared up at Uzi, attempting to keep his face in a welcoming smile despite something in his wiring screaming for him to back away from the obviously angry and hissing drone.

The purple haired drone narrowed her blazingly bright and hollow eyelights at Beau as though she were studying him and his friends, her trembling seeming to have visibly gotten worse judging by the way her fingers were lightly clacking against themselves and the cabinet edge that she still had a violent vise grip on. The orange eyed drone pursed his lips as he waited for the other drone to do something, but when she didn’t he reached up to adjust his hat again.

“...I actually got an idea if yer willin’ to listen,” Beau spoke up again, prompting Uzi to blink and tilt her head slightly as if curious about what he had to say which gave him the nerve and sign to continue speaking. “Do ya like music at all? I got a whole buncha music on my phone if ya wanna listen to some with me. I bet Thad an’ Vi have even more on their phones too.”

The purple haired drone made another quiet warble as she tilted her head further to the side with her look of apparent curiosity. Beau seemingly had her full attention as he dipped his hand into one of his pockets and pulled out his phone shortly afterwards.

“Is it gonna be okay if I play some music in here?” The orange eyed drone asked as he directed his gaze to Khan and the two medical drones, skillfully navigating to his phone’s music library with a few taps of his thumb even with his optics averted.

“It’s fine by me as long as it’s fine with the doctors, champ,” His father replied as he gave a thumbs up.

Beau nodded before he directed his gaze to Piers instead, but the tired medical drone didn’t seem to care judging by the way he dismissively waved his hand in response to the question and turned on his heels to approach a different counter instead. He briefly caught the sight of the doctor refilling his mug from the jar of fuel resting there before he focused back on his phone to find a good song to play.

The orange eyed drone’s optics quickly landed on the first catchy tune he could find in the list before he pressed play and held his phone up so it could be more easily heard. Soft but upbeat music started to fill the room and soon Uzi was starting to lean more out of the darkness as she stared at the device in Beau’s hands with curiosity.

The purple haired drone finally shifted from where she was on top of the cabinet, giving the onlookers a better look at her as she turned and climbed down from the side of it. Her hands as well as the rest of her casing had definitely been scuffed and scratched in places, her hands in particular being highlighted due to the way she continued to shake and quietly clack her fingers together with the involuntary movement.

It was also readily apparent why new clothes had been requested for her if one considered the state of the clothing she was currently wearing. She was dressed in a long purple t-shirt and striped purple socks, but both pieces of clothing looked a bit damaged like her beanie in the case of the latter or almost completely threadbare in the case of the former.

Several holes were visible in her t-shirt to the point that there was barely any of it left depending on the spot you were looking at. She also had a pair of boots that looked slightly higher quality than the rest of her outfit or at very least newer than the rags she was wearing, but even they hadn’t escaped a few stains and scratches from the looks of it.

Vivian raised an eyebrow and frowned as Uzi started to approach but opted to say nothing as she instead crossed her arms. The purple haired drone seemed to sense the apparent standoffish energy and narrowed her eyelights at her, getting the two drones into a glaring contest with one another as Uzi lowered herself to the floor and sat in a crouched position with her hands on the ground.

Beau narrowed his eyelights slightly as he looked between the two girls and the rising tension between them before he used his thumb to swipe over to another song. This one was faster and had more instruments to it, which was enough to immediately catch Uzi’s attention as she broke her staring contest with Vivian to curiously look at him instead.

The purple haired drone walked - crawled closer to Beau on her hands and feet as though she were walking on four legs before she suddenly leaped upwards, startling the other drone as she landed on the examination table next to him. Once again she sat in a crouched position, perched on the edge of the table as she tilted her head with a clear sense of curiosity.

“Do ya like that song?” The orange eyed drone asked as he raised an eyebrow on his screen and smiled, getting a nod out of the other drone as she watched his phone with a sense of fascination about her. “This one here’s one of my favorites ‘cause a friend sent it to me when-”

Beau didn’t get a chance to finish his thought before the sound of the medical room door starting to slide open caught everyone’s attention and got heads to turn towards the doorway. The newcomer was quickly revealed to be Alice as she stepped through the doorway with a dark colored zip up jacket bundled up in her arms, though no one got a good look at the details before she had turned her back to the group and was using her foot to hook the door.

“Hi, Ma,” The younger orange eyed drone greeted after a moment’s beat, the words spilling out of him before he could think to continue his previous thought with Uzi.

“Hi, Beau,” The older drone spoke back in greeting as she kicked the door closed again. “I ain’t sure if this jacket is gonna fit but this was one of the only shirts they had le-”

Uzi, whether intentionally or unintentionally, managed to cut Alice off before she could finish speaking as well in the form of letting out another one of her somewhat loud and pitch shifting warble-chirps. The older orange eyed drone clearly seemed to be caught off guard and perhaps confused by the sound judging by the way she suddenly froze in place.

What the group wasn’t expecting, however, was for Alice to transition from standing in place to hunching down into her shoulders instead as her free hand came up to rest on her chest over where her core would be. All of the air still in her body left her in one shaky vent, causing a tremble to run through her entire chassis that continued even after she had finished her exhale.

Alice’s hand tightly balled up in the fabric of her dress where it rested over her chest as she heard the chirping sound again, this time sounding much louder as if it were simultaneously directly on top of her and all around her at the exact same time. Her core started to race in her chest as her trembling grew a bit more severe, punctuated by her vents that were now coming out in stuttered cycles.

The orange eyed drone’s eyelights squeezed shut on her screen as she grimaced, attempting to gain control over her core and venting again. When her eyelights opened again and her optics refocused, she wasn’t in the medical room anymore. Instead, her gaze was met by the sight of blurry gray walls and the darkness of a dimly lit room.

She was in the corner of that chamber again and there was the sound of a door opening somewhere to accompany her. That damned warbling chirp sounded again, louder this time. Closer now. Too close.

Someone was talking to her she thought but the words were too quiet and too far away for her to make out what they were saying. Something was suddenly gripping her head, forcefully making her turn as fingers found her ponytail.

Someone was screaming… or maybe it was herself screaming. She couldn’t tell anymore. Her entire body felt like it was on fire and static pounded against every side of her audio processors.

There was another chirp, followed by the sound of an oil-chilling snarl. The fingers gripped and yanked her hair, forcing her head and gaze upward to meet the robotic creature before her. Gnashing razor fangs sat beneath a curve of blue lights that were currently growing brighter and brighter still.

A screech overloaded her audios as a bright flash of light suddenly assaulted her, leaving everything to white out as she lost track of both her surroundings and her body. Where was she? She couldn’t move. She was trapped.

And then there was pain, pain, PAIN-

“Alice? Honey?” Khan’s voice suddenly cut through the loudness in her head, sounding nearly as clear as day despite her inability to hear whoever or whatever had been speaking to her before.

The orange eyed woman took in another sharp vent as she blinked and it was then she found that the scene before her and the searing whiteness was gone. She was back in the medical room as if she had never left it, still staring at the closed door after she had kicked it closed herself just moments prior.

“Alice, dear, I need to know if you’re okay,” Khan’s soft but firm voice spoke up again, getting the woman to attempt taking in a sharp and shaky vent once more as she balled her hands into fists to try to stop the violent trembling that was currently wracking her body and causing parts of her casing to rattle and click together.

“...I’m… I’m okay,” The orange eyed drone managed to force out quietly, still attempting to get her racing core back under control as she brought a shaking hand to her forehead. “I’m okay, I just… I just… Where’s...”

Alice didn’t finish her broken thoughts before the chirping sound reached her audios again, though this time it was much quieter to her than it had been before. This time she did not hesitate as she tensed and suddenly drew her leg up to jerk her knife free from its holster, soon whirling around on her heels to face the monster she expected to see with blazing hollow eyelights and a determined glare.

The orange eyed drone quickly came to the realization there wasn’t a monster as soon as she had spun around, but she did quickly come to the realization that there was something else in the room as her optics found Uzi almost immediately and locked eyelights with her. The purple haired drone made a low warning hiss at the sight of the weapon in her hands, but the older drone’s attention was far more focused on the other drone’s appearance than she was the noise she was making.

Alice took a shaking step back and leaned back against the closed door, immediately slumping against it as her gaze bounced between the other drone’s purple hair, her purple eyelights, her wide mouth shape, and then back again. The older drone took in one last sharp vent as she let her arm fall limp at her side, letting it take the knife with it as she pointed the shaking blade towards the floor and away from everyone instead.

“Mrs. Doorman?” Piers’ voice spoke up from where he leaned against the counter he had previously been refilling his mug from, his tired eyelights still managing to carry a hint of concern to them as he studied the woman in question.

“...Ma?” Beau spoke up quietly as well as he watched his mother slouch against the door with concerned and hollow eyelights. He couldn’t recall a time he had ever seen her look so afraid.

Vivian and Thad looked just as confused and concerned about the situation judging by the frowns that they were both giving Alice before their gazes split to look at the other two members of the Doorman family as if they were unsure of how to address the woman directly themselves.

Alice finally broke her gaze away from Uzi, looking around at all of the other drones as if she was just now remembering she wasn’t in the room. She slowly drew her leg back up to return her knife to its holster before she moved her palm to her visor, rubbing her fingers down the screen as she managed to take a slow and deep vent to collect herself at least somewhat.

“...Alice,” Khan’s voice softly spoke up again, followed closely by the feeling of a hand landing on her shoulder.

The orange eyed drone moved her hand from her face to meet the concerned gaze of her husband who was now standing before her, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. She took one last deep vent and swallowed hard against a non-existent lump in her throat before she offered the jacket that she had brought out to Khan.

“Here… If this don’t fit or if she doesn’t like that, I can go ask ‘round for some more,” Alice spoke up quietly, silently hoping that no one else was able to hear the slight tremble that she could feel in her voice.

The white eyed drone reached out for the jacket that was being offered to him but instead of taking the piece of clothing from his wife, he instead rested his hand on top of the arm holding it and leveled a concerned frown directly into her visor again. She found herself sinking slightly into her shoulders and attempting to avoid his gaze as she frowned.

“Are you okay?” Khan asked again with another gentle but firm tone that expected an answer, keeping his hands resting on his trembling wife. She continued to avoid his gaze to the best of her ability, looking almost guilty as she still frowned.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. I just...” Alice trailed off as she forced herself to take another deep vent, moving her arm to awkwardly shove the jacket into Khan’s chest. “The noise just started me a lil’ is all… Ain’t nothin’ to be losin’ my cool over… I’m okay.”

Khan didn’t look any less concerned despite her attempt at reassurance, though he did take the jacket since she was still insisting on shoving it into his arms. He slung the article of clothing over his own shoulder to free his hands up before he put his palm on her shoulder again, his eyebrows furrowed on his screen.

“Do we need to leave the room and go for a walk together to calm down?” The white eyed drone asked softly, his voice having dropped to a whisper as his eyelights traced over his wife’s still anxious looking facial expression.

Alice was quick to shake her head in response to the offer as she took one more deep vent, closing her eyelights on her screen. Once she opened them again, they were no longer hollow but her mouth was still pulled into a tight and thin line which was telltale of her current mood.

“I’m gonna be fine, Khan… Ain’t gotta worry none ‘bout me right now,” The orange eyed drone replied quietly. “I do… need to go talk to Yeva ‘bout somethin’ I just thought about though.”

Khan was still studying his wife with a concerned frown as he listened to her, his eyelights still tracing over her facial features as he tried to get a proper read on her mood. He spared a brief glance over his shoulder to look back at everyone else in the room before his attention turned back to Alice.

“Do you need to go talk to Yeva now or are you planning on going to talk to Yeva after we're all done here?” He asked softly as he gave her shoulder another gentle squeeze.

Alice was quiet for a moment as she turned the question over in her processor for a moment, finally letting herself meet her husband's gaze with a frown. Now that her hands were free, she crossed them before she started to rub her palms up and down the plating of her arms.

“...I dunno, Khan. Doesn't really matter when exactly but...” The orange eyed drone trailed off as she cast a glance over her husband's shoulder, her eyelights hollow and wary again as she looked at the purple haired drone currently perched on top of the examination table and looking at her with cautious curiosity.

“But what?” Khan tried as he briefly followed his wife’s gaze to the other drone.

Alice shook her head slightly in response to the question, finally tearing her gaze away from Uzi as she instead directed her eyelights to the closed door behind her. A brief moment of silence passed between the two drones as she continued to rub her arms.

“Actually... Probably wouldn't hurt for me to go on down an' talk to Yeva now. It's a lil' urgent,” The orange eyed drone stated as she turned her head towards her husband, though she was refusing to meet his eyelights again.

Khan frowned as he studied Alice for a moment in an attempt to get a read on her mood again before he finally gave a small nod.

“...Do you want me to go with you while you go talk to her? Do you need me to go with you?” He asked softly.

The orange eyed drone was quick to shake her head in response to the question, moving one of her hands up to rub her visor again as she took a deep vent.

“Nah... It's okay. I can go by myself. I don't mind goin' alone anyway,” Alice responded quietly as she peeked out between her fingers to look at her husband again, her mouth pulling into a visibly forced attempt at a reassuring smile.

Khan got the feeling she wanted to go alone but didn't want to outright say that.

“Okay... If you're sure, dear,” The white eyed drone said as he gave her a small nod. “Will you at least send me a message if you need anything? Please?”

The orange eyed drone gave a small nod to acknowledge the statement, though her gaze didn't linger on her husband as she instead directed her eyelights to the trio of teenagers instead. All three had their eyebrows furrowed on their screens as they looked at the woman with varying levels of concern.

“Thad? You got any idea where yer mom is right now? I need to go talk to her 'bout somethin',” Alice said as she fixed her eyelights on the green eyed drone in particular, though she did glance at Vivian and Beau as well to acknowledge their concern.

Thad jumped a bit as the conversation suddenly swung onto him, having not expected to be suddenly addressed as his processor floundered with his attempt to process the question. He pursed his lips as he glanced down at the woman's arm, noting the still plainly obvious tremble there.

“Uh... Mom? I think she said she was going to go help the Smithsons rearrange their furniture today. She might be back home by now if she's not still at their place?” The green eyed drone responded with a slight shrug.

Alice nodded in response to Thad before she looked between Beau and Khan, taking in the look of both of their concerned expressions before she forced a smile in an attempt to reassure them.

“Y'all ain't gotta worry none 'bout me... I'm gonna be fine. I ain't gonna be alone either since I'll have Yeva there so you ain't got nothin' to worry 'bout,” She said before she gently pulled her shoulders away from Khan's touch so she could turn and face the door behind her again instead.

“Mrs. Doorman...” Piers suddenly spoke up as he lowered his mug away from his face, getting the orange eyed drone to freeze where she was before she cast her glance over her shoulder to look at him. “You just had a panic attack. Are you sure you don't want to stay here and lie down for a bit?”

The orange eyed drone's fingers immediately started to scrabble at the door handle in response to the medical drone's statement, the woman clearly not intent on sticking around in that room any longer than she had to be. She let herself out into the hallway, pausing long enough in the doorway to look back inside the room and glare at Piers.

“I'm doin' just fine, Piers. I don't need any kinda programming exam or nothin' like that,” Alice quickly stated in response as her hands held onto the door from the other side.

“As a doctor, I would highly recommend resting for a moment before you go rushing off like you normally would. We don't have to talk about the cause of the panic if you don't want to but I do think it would be beneficial for you to sit while those symptoms calm down,” The medical drone fired back in response as he narrowed his eyelights at her over the rim of his mug.

“Nuh uh, no, I ain't doin' none of this shrink nonsense right now,” The orange eyed drone growled back in response before she directed her gaze to look at her husband and son again, her gaze much softer this time.

“Ma?” Beau asked as his hollow eyelights pulled into a wary frown. “I'm kinda worried 'bout you.”

“I'm gonna be just fine, Beau. I'm gonna go talk to Yeva now, alright? I'll see ya both tonight or first thing tomorrow mornin' if I get back after you an' yer dad are already asleep. I love ya both,” Alice responded as she started to slowly tug the door closed.

“I love ya too, Ma, but are you really sure yer gonna be...” The younger orange eyed drone started to speak up, but he didn't get a chance to finish his thought before his mother dipped completely out of sight and closed the door with a semi-loud slam.

Beau blinked at the spot where his mother had just been before he glanced at his dad and then his friends who looked just as confused and concerned as he felt. Uzi seemed less interested in the conversation and what was happening around her and was instead far more interested in the jacket that Khan was currently carrying over to her.

“Don't worry, kiddo. I'll talk to her later,” The white eyed drone spoke up as he handed the jacket over to Uzi and directed his gaze back to his son. “Better to just let her go for now... You know how she gets when she has her mind set to something.”

“An' that's exactly why I'm worried 'bout her...” Beau muttered as he looked over at Uzi again with a frown on his faceplate, watching as she finished zipping the jacket up to her neck.

The purple haired drone seemed to love her new clothing judging by the way she was admiring the white battery and crossbones logo that was printed on the front of the jacket. Several more of those odd chirping sounds left her as she continued to check out her new clothing by looking at the fuzz around the collar and the sleeves, giving the impression that she was quite happy and curious.

The orange eyed drone vaguely thought he overheard the sound of the medical staff discussing something about starting an oil transfusion for Uzi's low oil levels but he wasn't really paying attention to the full conversation. Instead, his thoughts were far more focused on his thoughts about the purple haired drifter and his mother.

Something about Uzi or the sounds she made had deeply frightened his mother, though he wasn't sure why or what about it had startled her. Sure, he had to admit that the drone in question looked a bit odd right now perched on the edge of the table and hissing at a very unamused Piers currently armed with a transfusion tool, but he didn't know what could have been so bad to scare his mother who practically didn't know the definition of fear.

Beau shook his head to himself as he finally directed his gaze back to his phone, just now remembering that his music library was still open. It had finished the song it was playing and stopped ages ago but that gave him the idea to navigate to one of his playlists instead.

The orange eyed drone wasted no time in sticking on the music again and cranking the volume higher, deciding that it would be a good distraction for himself, Uzi, and everybody else in the room in the wake of everything that had happened. The purple haired drone quickly found herself so distracted with the music again that she barely noticed Piers starting to prep the transfusion.

Everything would be okay… He was sure of it.

Chapter Text

Yeva had thankfully been easy to find once Alice had left the medical bay and begun the search for the woman. The first place Alice had in mind to check for the other drone was her home and, as it would turn out, she had just managed to turn up and catch the other scarlet eyed drone right about the time she had just gotten home and was in the process of unlocking the front door.

Yeva had immediately been able to tell that something was wrong judging by how frightened the Doorman matriarch had looked when she had run up and caught her at the door, which had prompted her to invite the other woman inside so they could talk and catch up on what happened. Alice had wasted no time in immediately throwing her into a kitchen chair to slump into while the homeowner had turned to head into the kitchen.

[I can tell just by looking at you that something has clearly happened,] A scarlet eyed drone began from where she was currently standing in the kitchen of her apartment, sparing a glance over her shoulder to lock eyes with Alice currently seated at the kitchen table.

Alice glanced up from where she had been having a staring match with the table, fixing her gaze up on the other woman with a frown. She held her knife in one hand, having been spinning it between her fingers and flipping it through various configurations while she rested her arm on the table in an attempt to keep herself distracted.

“Sorry 'bout droppin' by on such short notice, Yeva... I know it was kinda sudden an’ outta the blue,” The orange eyed drone spoke up softly before the other drone could finish, letting her gaze drop to the table again.

[Do not be sorry. I would not have invited you in if I were angry. I merely want to know what happened,] Yeva counted as she pulled two mugs down from one of the upper cabinets and then turned to make her way over to the refrigerator. [Was it another dream?]

“Nah, nah... Wasn't any kinda dream or anythin' like that...” The orange eyed drone replied as she spun the knife around in her hair, her eyelights lazily tracking it as it changed between several different configurations.

Yeva made a quiet noise to acknowledge the statement as she walked back over to the counter with the mugs, having retrieved a container from inside the refrigerator that she was quick to set on the counter so she could safely undo the lid of it without dropping it on the floor.

[What was it then?] The scarlet eyed drone asked as she started to pour the container's contents into the mugs. [This is very unusual behavior for you.]

“Wasn't anythin' I dreamed 'bout... It was somethin' I heard an' saw instead,” Alice responded quietly as she finally looked up from the table in enough time to see the other woman approaching the table with both mugs in hand.

Yeva sat down in the chair opposite to the orange eyed drone before she held up one of the mugs to her to acknowledge it. Alice nodded before she put her free hand out on the table, expertly catching the mug as it slid across the table and into her waiting hand.

[Go on then. I'm listening,] The scarlet eyed drone encouraged as she settled into her seat with the remaining mug.

Her eyelights tracked Alice's knife currently spinning around and changing shape in her other hand but she opted not to comment on it as she instead fixed her frowning gaze on the other woman's visor.

“...You met that Uzi kid that keeps comin' 'round yet?” The orange eyed drone asked as she brought her mug up to her lips. Her shaking had calmed down considerably compared to how she first felt leaving the medical bay, but her fingers were still quietly clacking against the mug's handle.

[Mm... The drifter? No, I don't believe I have. I have been hearing all of the stories and the rumors but I've yet to cross her path on my own,] Yeva replied as she brought her mug to her lips to take a long sip of her drink.

Alice took a slow and deep vent as she lowered her drink back to the table, her eyelights closing on her screen as if she were rethinking and second guessing what she had planned to say.

”Yeva... I'm pretty sure that's Nori's kid.”

The scarlet eyed drone had been part of the way through her sip when Alice's words finally settled over her processor properly. When the words finally did settle on her like a sudden clap of thunder, she nearly choked on her drink as she sputtered into the mug.

[Alice...] Yeva began as she brought her free hand up to wipe away the liquid that had spilled onto her faceplate during the choke. [You know as well as I do that Nori and her husband disappeared without a trace after the core collapse. We presumed them both dead. That simply can't be their daughter.]

“I know what yer thinkin' 'cause trust me, I thought that too,” Alice said as she stopped spinning the knife, clutching it a bit tighter in her hand as it reverted back to its normal and unassuming form.

[Then-]

“But I'm bein' dead serious here,” The orange eyed drone cut back in before the other drone could get a chance to finish. “That Uzi girl's got a real familiar mouth shape an' facial expressions, purple eyelights, purple hair... Her hair's even styled kinda like Nori's but without the extra braid on the side.”

Yeva let those words settle into her processor again as she slowly lowered her mug to the table, her eyelights hollow on her screen as she started to stare into the void of the cup instead. She brought her hand not holding her mug up to rub her visor just over one of her eyelights as if she were trying to soothe an ache, though Alice was able to see the slight glitch of her screen between the woman's fingers.

The scarlet drone let out a surprisingly slow and steady vent as her thoughts and the new headache that had settled behind her visor started to take her back to another time and place, one where she had been sitting at a table much like she was at the moment and speaking with another drone with purple hair, a wide grin turned up in a sharp smirk, and bright purple eyelights.

[You only gave yourself one braid? You didn't mirror the other side?] Her own tone was teasing.

The purple eyelights across the table pulled into a point but still managed to carry a clear air of amusement about them especially when combined with her smirk.

“ Bite me! I think it looks really good!” The other drone insisted followed by a laugh, a genuinely happy laugh as she leaned back in her seat and kicked her feet up onto the table.

They weren't supposed to do that but she silently dared their captors to try anything whenever she did it. They never did.

[I did not say it doesn't look good! I was merely surprised you didn't want a braid to match the other side as well,] She responded, flashing a sharp smirk of her own.

“ What's that about wanting to go against the crowd? Yeah, that. Why have two to match when I can have one and look cool as hell while I'm doing it? It's a frickin' rebellion in here!”

Another hearty laugh was shared between both drones.

[Never change, Nori.]

Two thumbs up were held up, framing the purple eyed drone's face as she smiled mischievously.

“ Of course, Yeva... What would you ever do without me?”

“Yeva...”

“Yeva?”

“Yeva!”

The scarlet eyed drone jumped slightly as the sudden voice stirred her out of her thoughts and back into the present, getting her to blink into the bottom of her mug with bright hollow eyelights. She finally lifted her gaze from her drink, meeting the purple orange eyelights that were across the table from her and currently frowning in concern.

“Sorry... I didn't mean to startle ya,” Alice apologized, her voice now several volumes lower than the shouting she had just been doing.

She paused for a moment as she resumed fidgeting with the invention in her hand, once again making it change between several different tools as she spun it around her fingers.

“You kinda just started starin' into yer drink there for a minute... Are ya okay? Did ya start havin' a vision of some kind?”

[No, no, not a vision. It was just...] Yeva trailed off as she looked down at her hand that was still wrapped around the mug, only just now realizing she was trembling slightly as she felt her fingers lightly bumping against the handle of the cup.

The scarlet eyed drone slowly ran her other hand down her visor before she quietly dropped it back onto the table, taking a deep vent to steady herself. That position did not last long before she was bringing her hand back to her screen, this time opting to hold her forehead as she rested her elbow joint on the table to keep her arm propped up.

[I was merely... thinking about a few things. Thinking about the past is all. I may have gotten lost down memory lane for a moment,] She added quietly.

Alice sighed quietly as she gave Yeva an apologetic look, letting the silence settle in the air as she took a sip of her own mug. Some sort of guilty emotion was playing across her facial features and the back of her optics but she masked it well by trying to avoid the other drone's direct gaze.

“I know you probably weren't ready for me to come bargin' in here after a nice peaceful day an' droppin' that total bombshell on you, an' I'm sorry for that one. This just... felt like somethin' you should be in the loop on too,” The orange eyed drone commented as she slowly lowered her mug to the table again.

[It's alright. I would say it was... a necessary bombshell,] Yeva muttered as she took one more slow and deep vent to steady herself, tightening her grip on the handle of her mug in an attempt to steady the trembling of her hands.

“'Bout to get worse here in a second...” Alice commented with a heavy sigh as she brought one of her hands up to hold her visor, gripping the handle of her knife a bit harder in her other hand.

The scarlet eyed drone immediately raised an eyebrow as she brought her mug back to her lips and took another sip, her expression silently urging Alice to go on and continue her thought. The orange eyed drone averted her gaze again as she started to slowly and gently tap her finger against the glass making up her visor.

“I dunno how Uzi managed to learn how to do it, but that kid can make a buncha chirps an' sounds just like a Sentinel. I'm talkin' the exact same sounds. I legitimately thought one had somehow, someway turned up in the colony an' that I had just walked in the room with it 'fore I turned 'round and realized where the noise was actually comin' from.”

Yeva nearly choked on her drink a second time as she suddenly found herself having to force down the memories that the mere name forced into her processor. She finally set her mug back down on the table, deciding that now was not a good time to be drinking on it given the fact she had nearly choked on it twice by now.

[...What do you mean she can make Sentinel sounds?] The scarlet eyed drone questioned carefully as her eyelights narrowed.

“I mean exactly what I just said. I walked in an' had my back to the room so I didn't see who was in it yet an' then I heard that sound an'... I almost lost it right then an' there in front of damn near everybody,“ Alice replied before she grumbled under her breath, pinching the glass of her visor between two fingers.

The scarlet eyed drone fell into an uneasy silence as she listened to the other drone's explanation, leaving her gripping the handle of her mug a bit tighter where it still rested on the table. She remained quiet for the moment, attempting to process everything that she had just been told and make connections in her head to Uzi and things that had happened in the past.

“...Somethin's tellin' me that all ain't a coincidence,” The orange eyed drone spoke up again in a quiet tone as she stared down into the bottom of her own mug. “A worker drone that sounds just like a Sentinel an' looks like the spittin' image of somebody that seemingly died years ago? Somethin' strange is goin' on there, Yeva.”

Yeva was quiet for what felt like an eternity after Alice had finished speaking, having shrunken down slightly into her shoulders as she busied herself with staring into a void only she could see in her drink. Her face was a battleground of different expressions and emotions as she attempted to process the information that had been given to her, leaving her mood much harder for the orange eyed drone to read.

[That... is something for us to get to the bottom of. I agree, that sounds like far too many coincidences and so many so that there is likely a serious amount of substance behind them, but I do not know what that substance is,] The scarlet eyed drone spoke up again, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I think you need to go on an' see Uzi yerself at some point,” Alice stated as she slumped back into her seat, starting to fidget again with her knife. “Ain't any guarantee she'll stick 'round 'cause I'm sure you've heard all them stories 'bout her reappearin' an' then disappearin' again but if that stays a pattern... Maybe she'll come back 'round an' one of us will get a chance to try to get some answers from her.”

Yeva gave a small nod at that, her eyelights pulling into a hollow frown as her thoughts started to race around in her processor again. The corners of her mouth briefly quivered before she moved both of her hands to the table in front of her, clenching them both into fists so tight Alice thought she could hear a bit of creaking from the casing.

“Yeva...” The orange eyed drone tried quietly, cutting through the static in the other drone's head again as those hollow eyelights snapped up to look at her instead. “Y'sure you ain't havin' visions? Yer kinda starin' into space again with this certain look on yer face.”

[Not visions,] The scarlet eyed drone insisted as her shoulders fell. [Just... thinking again. There is... a lot running through my processor at the moment and I am attempting to process it all, to say the least.]

“...Do ya wanna just shelf it for now an' enjoy the rest of the visit?” Alice asked quietly as she flipped the knife in her hand one last time before returning it to its holster.

Yeva immediately looked conflicted in response to the chance to have a change, her fists uncurling to rest on top of the table instead. Her eyelights found Alice again as if searching the other woman's visor for something before she let out a quiet sigh, a look of relief briefly flickering through her features.

“I know yer thinkin' 'bout stuff like Nori, but that was some real big news so I think it needs time to settle. Plus, it's gettin' late an' I don't think we need both of us to start flippin' our lids this late in the day,” Alice continued as her eyelights studied Yeva.

[...Agreed. We can circle back to that topic another time after we've had a chance to rest,] The scarlet eyed drone agreed before she wrapped her fingers around her mug again. [That calls for a change of topic though. Starting with... Why don't you tell me how Khan and Beau are doing?]

The orange eyed drone blinked in response to Yeva's question before the famously wide smirk returned to her face as she put her hands on the table and started to lean over it. She always loved a good chance to gush about her family.

”Well, for starters, I managed to scare the sparks outta Khan this mornin' when I started workin' on the vent in our livin' room...”

Yeva nodded along as she brought her mug back to her lips, determined to chase the previous thoughts away from her processor as she instead slouched in her seat and prepared to listen to a long and enthusiastic story.

The rest of the evening passed by without any further incidents or much other fanfare, leaving Alice and Yeva talking for hours before the much calmer drones had made the decision to part ways for the night.

Beau, Thad, Vivian, and Khan had all spent the meantime in the medical bay with Uzi, finally getting her to calm down long enough to allow Piers and the rest of the medical staff for her injuries and low oil levels. She had still thrown a hissing fit and growled several times during the examinations, but she had at least sat still long enough to allow them.

Alice had come home that night after her long talk with Yeva and immediately found herself reassuring her husband and son that she was fine and that she didn't need the processor evaluation that Piers had offered. Khan had tried to gently press her for a bit of information on what had happened in the interest of making sure she was okay but once it became clear she wasn't intent on discussing the panic attack or the source of it, he relented and instead focused on caring for her in the form of taking care of some of her chores for her and insisting that she take it easy and relax.

Alice hadn't been thrilled about that arrangement and had grumbled about it but she still accepted the help, opting to use her free time for other activities instead. Beau even joined in on helping care for his mother, helping his father make sure that everything was taken care of around the house while she was on bed rest.

The next couple of days passed by like that as well, ticking by in relative calmness, dread, or excitement depending on who exactly you were. None of the three Doormans managed to sleep very well the second night, though the parents had been kept up with much different and more anxious thoughts than the excited ones their son was having.

Presently, a tired Khan was standing in the doorway and watching his son move about his bedroom in a flurry of movement, the older drone's eyelights hollow as he watched the younger drone prepping a backpack to take with him on the scavenging trip. The big day had rolled around and Beau wanted to make sure he had plenty of space to carry back as many usable parts as he could find.

“Do you remember what I told you about the safety precautions? About watching out and avoiding anything that looks even slightly risky?” Khan asked as he leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed.

“I remember, Dad. An' I promise I'm gonna be real careful out there. Me an' Vivian both will,” Beau replied as he slipped his arms through the backpack's straps and then lifted it onto his back. A slow yawn left the younger drone, which was more than enough to get his father's eyelights to furrow into more worry.

“Are you sure you're capable of going out this early? You'll be less alert if you're too tired like that...” Khan muttered quietly as he studied the Beau with bright and hollow eyelights.

The reality that his son was going to be venturing outside the colony had caught up with the older drone and had him doing everything in his power to try to convince Beau to stay home. He trusted the teenager completely with all of his core when he promised he would be careful, but the parental side of his programming couldn't settle with letting his son go outside the safety of the bunker.

“Dad... I'm gonna be fine, I promise. It was just a lil' yawn. I even went to bed earlier than usual last night so I'd get plenty of rest. I'm as alert as I'm ever gonna be,” Beau assured as he adjusted his backpack and his hat with the help of his bedroom's mirror, making sure everything looked good before he turned to join his father in the doorway.

“You're just like your mother. When she gets her processor set to something, she never wants to back down from it either even if it's a bad idea...” Khan muttered as he stepped back to allow Beau to exit the room, a sigh soon escaping the older drone as a wide and toothy smirk started to stretch its way across the younger drone's faceplate.

Beau always took a lot of pride in the fact that he had the drive, confidence, and perhaps slightly reckless tendencies to set his mind to something. He liked emulating his mother and also getting results at the same time.

“I'm gonna watch out for me an' Vi. We both already agreed we're gonna stay in a pair an' stick with the main group as much as possible so we'll be watching each other's backs. We're gonna be real careful, promise.”

Another heavy sigh left Khan as he resigned himself to his son's resolve, leaving him to shake his head and rest his hands on his hips. The white eyed drone turned his head once Beau had joined him out in the living room, casting his glance towards Alice who was busy moving behind the kitchen counter.

“Alice, dear? I'm guessing there's no chance of getting you to help me talk Beau out of this whole scavenging trip thing?” The older drone called out.

Alice turned her head at the sound of her husband's voice and raised an eyebrow, only just now realizing Beau had emerged from his bedroom before she turned on her heels and dipped out of the kitchen to join the two men in the middle of the living room.

“Not a chance. You heard him the other day. He's got his core set on goin' out there an' findin' some new parts for his inventions,” The orange eyed drone remarked with a sharp smirk before her eyelights wandered over to Beau, her mouth falling into a thin line instead.

The younger drone immediately recognized that face as her ‘agitated but not willing to comment on it’ expression again. He wouldn't have been surprised to find out if his mother was starting to have second thoughts about the whole ordeal just like his father.

“Promise I'm gonna be safe, Ma. Already been tellin' Dad that. I'm bright eyed an' alert an' I remember all the safety precautions we went over. I'll go over all that again with Vi when we meet up an' get ready to head out but you know she's gonna respect the dangers too,” Beau said, watching as the thin line of his mother's mouth stretched even wider.

She was really struggling to hold in whatever it was she actually wanted to say about the matter. That thought had the younger drone growing slightly more unnerved but he refused to admit that.

“I know, I know. Ya ain't gotta convince me. I'm the one that helped talk yer dad into lettin' ya go out there anyway,” Alice commented.

The smirk she gave following that statement managed to look at least somewhat genuine.

“I know ya got the tinkerin' mindset just like I do too. I used to have fun diggin' 'round for scraps out there 'fore the murder drones landed here,” The orange eyed woman continued after a pause. “I am gonna give ya a lil' advice though... Just be careful what ya pick up an' be careful if yer gonna be stickin' yer hand in or under somethin' to search. Real easy way to cut yer hand up on somethin' if yer not careful an' can't see what yer grabbin'. If yer gonna grab at something you can't plainly see, I'd at least recommend tryin' get a flashlight down there to get a better look at what it is.”

Beau nodded as he hung onto every word and took in the information his mother was giving him, making sure to commit it to memory as his eyelights drifted to the side of his visor. He took a moment to check his internal clock that was hiding there in his inner vision, realizing that he needed to be leaving soon if he wanted to make it to the doors in time to meet up with everyone else.

“I'll keep all that in mind, Ma. I also haven't forgotten 'bout bringin' back some extra sized scrap pieces for you too. An'... Maybe I can even find some old tools to bring back for Dad while I'm out there,” The younger drone said before he reached his arms out for both of his parents, silently asking for a hug.

Both of the older drones were quick to oblige, one pair of arms wrapping around their son while their other arms found each other to make a full group hug out of it. Beau felt like he was being uncomfortably squeezed a bit tightly in the hug by the time his parents finally let go, but he couldn't blame them for wanting to hold him as tight as they did since he knew they were worried.

Once the younger orange eyed drone was free from the hug, he gave his parents one last warm smile in an attempt to reassure them before he turned on his heels to start walking towards the front door. He had just made it to the doorway when his mother suddenly called out to stop him again.

“Wait a minute, Beau. I want ya to take this with you just in case,” Alice spoke up as she approached her son, pausing only long enough to pull her knife free from its holster before she offered the handle of it out to him.

“...Yer givin' me yer knife?” Beau asked softly as he reached out to take the invention with all the care in the world, his eyelights seeming to glow just a bit brighter as he looked down at the formidable tool in his hands with a sense of awe.

“I don't think yer gonna run into any trouble out there but it'd make me feel better knowin' you have a weapon just in case. I'm sure you remember me teachin' you how to use it,” The older drone replied with a nod. “Even if ya don't wind up havin' to use the blade, you can use the flashlight an' some of the other tools to help pry off any good parts you find. It'll be useful to have.”

Beau gave a small nod as he considered his mother's words, knowing she had made a very good point about taking the invention with him. He tested the weight of it in his hand a bit before he tried flipping it through a few different tools and configurations, getting Alice to give him a thumbs up in approval as he managed to do so without a problem.

“Thanks, Ma. I'll make sure I don't drop it an' lose it somewhere,” The younger drone assured as he gave his mother a beaming smile, clearly excited about the idea of getting to use her invention while out on the trip.

“You go on an' have fun out there, alright? Go have fun an' be careful. I'll try to make sure yer dad doesn't worry himself sick an' blow a fuse in the meantime. We'll see ya in a couple of hours,” Alice said, throwing a smirk over her shoulder to look at her still incredibly worried husband on her comment about him.

Beau couldn't help but snicker a bit at the grumble that came out of his father before he reached out to hug his parents again, making sure to angle the knife blade away from them. He finally pulled away after a bit, waving at his parents with his free hand and a smile before he turned to step out into the hallway.

“Love ya, Ma. Dad. I'm gonna bring back lots of cool stuff, just you wait!” The younger drone called after his parents, getting one to sigh and the other to snicker as they leaned out into the hallway to wave at him and say their goodbyes as well.

Beau waited up long enough to exchange goodbyes with his parents before he turned away from his apartment and broke out into a jog, starting the journey in the direction of the colony's three doors that sheltered the bunker from the outside world. He was leaving a bit earlier than he needed to but didn't feel like that was a bad thing because he wanted to be there and be ready to go as soon as possible so he wouldn't risk missing his chance to visit the outside world.

The orange eyed drone was so wrapped up in his excited thoughts and daydreams that he barely even realized he had reached the first of the doors until the ambient temperature in the hallway had dropped. Being this close to the outside, the entrance hallway to and from the massively huge and formidable hydraulic doors was always colder than the rest of the bunker.

With the unusual chill in the entrance, the set of three massive and impenetrable doors created by his father to keep them all safe from the dangers outside, and the dim and flickering lights that served to light the way in the hallway, something about this area felt charged in a way Beau couldn't exactly put his finger on. Some kinds of emotions were tugging at the back of his processor, but most of them were being covered up by his excited anticipation.

Beau could see that a few of his fellow drones that had also signed up for the scavenging trip were already nearby and leaning against the doors to chat among themselves and wait. He narrowed his eyelights and started to scan over the unfamiliar crowd, finding none of the faces familiar before he found a spot of the wall to lean against and wait too. No Vivian in sight yet.

The orange eyed drone leaned his head back against the door as his eyelights swept through the crowd again, taking one last look to verify that his companion wasn't here just yet before he started to question what exactly he could do to entertain himself until everyone else would arrive and be ready to leave. His thoughts briefly drifted to the idea of playing on his phone, though he immediately realized he could also be using his phone to text people right now as well.

Beau slipped his hand into his pocket to grab his phone, bringing the screen up to his face before he swiped his thumb against it to unlock it and check his messages. He didn't see anything from Vivian stating that she would be late or that she wouldn't be able to make it so that left him to assume she would likely be on her way soon if she wasn't already.

The orange eyed drone trapped his finger against the sign of the phone as he stared at his empty message inbox for a moment. At this hour, he realized there was still a slight chance that Braiden was possibly still awake and hadn't gone to bed yet, but he also knew he didn't really have the time to stand around and text for hours either since the rest of the scavenging team volunteers would likely be arriving soon.

Beau tapped the side of his phone again as he debated with himself for a moment, though he did finally decide to open up his message log with his distant friend.

You: Hey

You: I'm up pretty early today but I'm texting you to let you know I probably won't be around much today so don't freak out if I don't message back right away

You: I'm going out scavenging today! For the first time ever! Isn't that super cool?

You: You have to wish me a ton of luck because I'm going to bring back all kinds of new parts to tinker with >:)

You: And yessss I know. That means I'm being the mad scientist cowboy. I admit it

You: Gonna be awesome!

“Hey, you! Cowboy hat!” A familiar voice suddenly called out, getting Beau to jump slightly before he lifted his gaze from his phone in enough time to see Vivian jogging towards him with a smirk on her face.

“Hey there, Vi. Been wonderin' when you were gonna get here,” Beau greeted as he smiled at his blonde haired friend and slipped his phone back into his pocket.

“You surprised me, cowboy. I thought you were going to wimp out on me and stay home,” Vivian teased as she adjusted the backpack hanging from her shoulder with one hand, using her other hand to gently and playfully slug Beau on the arm.

The orange eyed drone narrowed his eyes in response to the tease and the playful punch on the arm, soon returning his friend's smirk with a playful one of his own as he reached out to lightly shove her on the shoulder.

“Actually, I'm the one that got here first. I coulda been askin' you the same thing. Thought ya might stand me up there for a second, Vi,” He teased back in response.

“And miss out on some free thrills? Like hell,” Vivian commented with a snort as she walked up to lean against the door beside Beau. “Plussss, I can't just have you walking around on your own out there and falling into some random hole somewhere. If you fall into some super secret cave, I have to be there too to check out how cool it is.”

“Hm... I dunno, Vi. What if I wanted that super secret cave all to myself? Had to break my leg to find it but I bet it's real cool,” The orange eyed drone fired back in response with a wide smirk, causing both friends to break out into chuckling laughter until Vivian noticed the glint of the knife in Beau's hand.

“Oh hey, did you steal your mom's wacky knife for this or is that an extra one she had lying around?” Vivian asked with curiosity as she motioned towards the blade.

“This one?” Beau asked as he held up the knife and spun it once, causing it to change the tool head out for a drill bit. “The one an' only. I'm makin' a copy of it for myself if you remember an' that's why I wanted to try to find more scrap parts I need while we're out on this here scavenging trip.”

Vivian whistled as she watched Beau flick the invention again, getting it to change back to the knife blade before she nodded.

“How did you get your grubby little mitts on that one? Did the cowboy sheriff finally get himself a case of sticky fingers?”

“Nahhh, Ma gave it to me on the way out 'cause she said she'd feel better if I had it with me just in case somethin' happens,” The orange eyed drone replied as he snickered and shook his head. “'Course, bein' a multitool means it's got all kinds of other useful stuff 'sides the blade.”

“So what you're telling me is... We go out there in absolute style and if anything tries to give us trouble, we have a portable superweapon on our side.”

“We sure do... as long as I don't accidentally drop it in that super secret cave we're gonna find out there. Then we're gonna have nothin' to defend ourselves with when Ma gets mad 'bout me losin' her knife.”

Both friends broke out into giggling and laughing again as they leaned back against the hydraulic metal door, leaving other drones to walk up and fill out the hallway in the minutes that followed. A few moments after that, another set of drones had gone around and started passing out flashlights to any of the scavenging team volunteers who wanted one.

Once the flashlight distributions had mostly finished up, an older looking drone split off from the crowd and walked up to the hydraulic door. The new drone turned to face everyone before he firmly knocked his knuckle joints back against the metallic door to get the sea of eyelights focused on him.

“If I can have everyone's attention... This scavenging team will be departing shortly,” The team leader began. “Anyone who has second thoughts is more than free to leave if you're not sure you want to go on this trip anymore. No one here is going to judge you if you decide you're too afraid of the potential dangers outside.”

Beau and Vivian exchanged a glance with one another to silently ask if the other was planning on staying and going through with the trip, both of the drones quickly answering each other with nods and grins. They couldn't hear or see any other drones wandering off and away from the scavenging group either.

“Right. As we move forward outside, there are several key factors to remember here...” The team leader began to speak again as he held up the clipboard he had been carrying to read it.

The crowd waited in silence to allow the older drone to speak where still none of them seemed interested in backing out early by this point.

“First of all, we'll be sticking together as a group. If for some reason we encounter a situation where we must split up, always make sure you're with at least one partner. Second of all, keep an eye on your internal clocks. We're not going far from the colony for this trip but I still intend to start having everyone make their way back before it's anywhere close to sunset.”

Beau silently hummed to himself as he listened to the rules and rubbed his thumb against the handle of the knife in his hand, attempting to fight down some of the energetic anticipation that was urging him to hurry up and move. He told himself to be patient but his excitement was making that a difficult task.

“Third of all, keep an eye out for anything that seems slightly dangerous. Stay away from anything that looks suspicious and call out if you see someone about to walk into something that looks unstable. Fourth of all, we'll be keeping an eye on the weather and coming right back if it looks like the snowstorm is about to pick up at any moment to reduce the chances of getting caught out in it.”

The orange eyed drone continued to listen to the team leader listing off all of the rules, still rubbing his thumb against the knife handle in an attempt to keep himself distracted. A quick glance at Vivian out of the corner of his visor told him she was getting antsy from standing around too.

“And finally, we'll be going to that nearby hotel and the car park right next to it. The plan is to gather what clothing, blankets, and so on we can find from the hotel and then visit the car park to find any salvageable metal scraps from the vehicles. When the time comes to start heading back, we'll all meet outside the car park. Understood?”

A ripple traveled through the crowd of drones as they all began speaking over each other with their agreements to the plans. Beau was more than eager to get to the car park where the actual metal bits he could salvage would be, but he also briefly thought about the fact he might be able to find something neat in the hotel to take back as a souvenir of his first ever scavenging run too.

Another quick glance at Vivian told him that she was excited over something as well, though his best guess was that she was probably more excited over the clothes than anything else. He thought grabbing a new shirt or two for himself didn't sound like a bad idea either.

“That's everything I wanted to go over,” The group leader suddenly spoke up again, drawing Beau's attention back to him. “Now is your last chance to back out if anyone is having second thoughts.”

The older drone paused long enough to give the crowd long enough to make their decisions, turning his head and looking around to take a headcount in the meantime. Once he was sure of everyone who was there and who all would be staying, he pulled a keycard out from his jacket pocket and turned to walk over towards the door control panel.

“Alright then... We'll be departing now. Would some of the stronger volunteers be willing to take those carts over by the wall and pull them along with us? We'll use those to pile up as much as we can fit to bring back,” The squad leader continued.

Beau couldn't help the way he rocked onto the front of his boots and bounced slightly in place as he watched the first door beginning to open with a loud hiss and the squeaking of hydraulics, feeling both equal parts excited and anxious. This was his first ever scavenging trip and he couldn't help the enthusiasm that was coursing through his systems.

Vivian looked just as excited about this as Beau was judging by the enthusiastic smirk that had spread across her face as well, leaving both of the friends to share a glance with each other and then look upwards to watch as the third door to the outside snapped upwards and opened.

The scavenging group proceeded into the next segment of the hall beyond Door-3, a shiver immediately running down several drones' backs as the chill in the room dropped once more with the closer proximity to the outside. The team leader swiped his keycard against another panel to open Door-2 next, leaving the scavengers to stare at the massive Door-1 that was their last barrier between the safety of the bunker and the outside world.

The keycard was swiped one last time against the door controls, immediately letting in a blast of cold wind and a light dusting of snow that covered the drones that were closest to the front of the group. Once the door opened completely to allow passage through it, the scavenging team was free to start the journey out into the snow-covered city.

Beau raised an arm to shield his visor as he stepped out into the snow alongside Vivian and the rest of the group, the sudden change from dim indoor lighting to harsh sunlight causing a glare in his optics. His optics recalibrated to the change in light level within a few seconds, allowing him to lower his arm as he grinned and turned his head to take in the sights around him.

The abandoned and frozen city that lay beyond the colony's doors was currently being bathed in a blazing orange-yellow light, causing all of the snow that it was reaching to glitter and twinkle with the reflection of the sunlight. The snow flurry was steady today as it landed on nearby structures and drones alike, though it didn't seem like it was going to be heavy enough to impose a serious threat to visibility.

The orange eyed drone's gaze started to wander as he followed closely with the group, his eyelights briefly finding the massive and looming spire that was vaguely shrouded by the snow in the far, far distance. A shiver ran down his spinal strut, his oil chilling in his inner tubing from the sight of the murder drone lair in the horizon.

Beau never quite understood why the murder drones would seemingly only leave their lair and be active at night, but he found a sense of relief in that certainty since the scavenging team was only going to be staying out and working in the daylight. The group was already starting to veer off in a direction away from the spire though so he knew he didn't need to worry about that concern for today.

“Kinda sucks that Thad couldn't come along with us too... Woulda been awesome if we both could've talked to him too along the way,” The orange eyed drone commented as he started to slip his hand back into his pocket, feeling around for his phone again.

Beau made sure to keep his eyes on where the group was walking so he wouldn't get lost as he continued to follow them, but he did divert enough attention to the phone to open up his camera app. He wasn't sure when he'd get another opportunity to take pictures of the city like this again so he thought it'd make a good souvenir of his trip too.

Vivian seemed to have gotten a similar idea from watching her friend because she had also pulled her own phone out to start taking pictures as well. Both teenagers made sure to keep enough of an eye on where they were walking and where the rest of the group was going so they wouldn't fall behind or trip.

“You know how he is though,” The pink eyed drone commented as she listened to Beau. “Thad got it in his head he needed to spend the morning helping out around the colony instead. Something about helping old ladies move couches or something.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. He's always wantin' to go 'round an' help people out. I like helpin' people too but maybe I'm a lil' selfish for wantin' to come out on this trip instead of stayin' back an' helpin'.”

“If that makes you selfish, then I'm selfish too. I have bigger and better things to be doing than helping an old grandma move her couch. I have a life to live, grandma! You're hurting my style here!”

Beau hated the fact that he couldn't help but laugh at Vivian's joke, soon clapping his hand over his arm over his mouth and faceplate as he tried to get the snickering back under control.

“Robo God, you're terrible, Vivian,” The orange eyed drone commented.

“Thank you, thank you. I always try my best.”

The two friends couldn't help but share a laugh again before Beau started to shake his head and moved his arm up to push his hat down to help keep the sun glare out of his visor.

“Nah, I actually try to help people when they ask me. Maybe I'm kinda rude for not volunteerin' all the time like Thad does but I help out if somebody asks me an' I know it's somethin' I can actually help with.”

“I guess I help out here and there too but don't expect much out of me if I don't like you when you ask me. I'll just shove Thad out there in your face instead,” Vivian commented as she crossed her arms behind her head, bending her back to stretch as she listened to the sound of her boots crunching through a particularly thick patch of snow underfoot.

Both teenagers shared a smile with one another before they raised their phones again, opting to take a few more pictures of passing scenery marked with snow, ice, and a crumbling city that echoed of a civilization before their time. The group as a whole was noisy as they all talked among themselves with some talking to friends, some to family, and others to strangers, but none were particularly worried about the noise level at this time of day.

They were all safe under the cover of the morning son as past experiences and countless routine scavenging trips over the years had taught them all. The murder drones were far from being a pressing concern this time of day and many of the scavengers knew that a group that big would be less likely to be attacked by a scrap gang or a bandit ring too.

Shoes and boots crunched on top of snow, pavement, and shattered bits of glass that had fallen from windows that had collapsed in on themselves years ago, joining the cacophony of voices as the scavenging group continued to make its way towards their destination. The cold wind whipped around them and through broken windows and nearby cars, spraying dustings of snow over every participant but none of the drones seemed to particularly mind.

Soon enough, the hotel building that was serving as their destination began to loom in the distance through the flurry of snow. It was a wide building, complete with two floors and likely several dozens of rooms to search for supplies.

The car park that was also visible in the distance and attached to the side of the hotel building served to make the search area look even bigger than it already did to the point some members of the group were beginning to question if they would even be able to get to everything on this trip or if they would have to come back another day for the rest of the rooms and the car park.

As the group of scavengers excitedly marched closer to the hotel, not one drone heard that faint sound of whispers in the wind that whistled through the many shattered windows that lined the building, nor did anyone catch the brief flicker of blindingly yellow light in one of the farthest windows.

Chapter Text

“Remember, everyone... Stay together in groups, avoid anything that looks suspicious, and be ready to watch for messages or signals telling you when we're leaving,” The scavenging team leader spoke up again as he led the group into the hotel's formerly well decorated lobby.

The lobby would have been quite the breathtaking sight once upon a time, though damages from time and the elements had done their work over the years. The once-ornate glass doors had completely shattered at one point, littering the snow-soaked and ruined carpet near the entrance.

Further down into the lobby, it was clear that the sometimes harsh winds of Copper-9 had done a number on the furniture with some pieces lying in damaged ruins while others were clearly pushed around out of wherever they had originally rested. Some of the wallpaper had started to peel in places and a few paintings were sagging from where they had gotten soaked with snow.

Several things located around the front of the shattered doors looked like they had been bleached by the sun from the constant light exposure to the area. Yet another testament to nature and time's damage on the hotel now that no one was around to upkeep it.

Beau looked around in awe of the massive lobby, his eyelights slowly taking in the sights as he flicked his mother's knife in his hands to switch it to a flashlight. He tilted his head back as he looked up at the ceiling, wondering if it was nearly as big as the massively tall ceilings back in his colony's bunker.

The orange eyed drone immediately realized the ceilings were likely not that tall, but they sure were big and framed with massive and decorated archways. He pressed a button on the side of the flashlight to turn it on, shining it around at some of the overturned furniture in the room with a sense of curiosity.

The whistling noise caused by the wind blowing through gaps and broken windows was louder in here thanks to the broken doorway and other shattered windows likely down the hallway or in the rooms, but thankfully not loud enough to overshadow the chattering of the scavenging group.

“Yo, cowboy, are you coming or are you going to stand there and gawk at the walls and furniture like you've never seen them before? Don't start pulling that purple girl's attitude on me here,” Vivian's voice suddenly cut into Beau's thoughts, followed by a light punch to the arm that stirred him the rest of the way out of his trance.

The orange eyed drone turned his head to look at his companion, watching as she flipped her own flashlight in her hand before turning it on and sweeping the beam over the area. The rest of the group was already starting to disperse towards one of the nearby hallways which Vivian took as her cue to move.

“Now c'mon. Somebody else is going to snatch all the good stuff before I get to it if you keep dragging your boots!” The pink eyed drone proclaimed as she spun on her heels to face the hallway.

Beau opened his mouth to speak but didn't get a chance to before Vivian was already grabbing him by the sleeve of his t-shirt and yanking him down the hallway with her. He stumbled along with her as he tried to regain his footing, nearly tripping on the carpet as his boot caught.

“Hey- Hey- Hey! Slow yer roll a lil'! I don't think they're gonna run outta nice scarves at the wardrobe party 'fore we get there,” The orange eyed drone teased as his friend scanned the hallway with her eyelights, seeing which rooms people had already ducked into before she pulled him into a room that had its door slightly ajar.

“Less talking, more snatching stuff,” Vivian remarked as she let go of Beau's arm, immediately making a beeline towards the closet to raid it for any clothes that had been left behind.

The orange eyed drone couldn't help but snicker at her excitement and shook his head before he turned his head to survey the room they had entered. His gaze quickly fell on a small portable radio that was sitting on the nightstand by the bed, which was enough to get him to walk over to it.

Beau carefully picked up the radio to inspect it, looking at it curiously as he found himself wondering if the device still worked. Even if it did work, he was well aware there weren't really any radio stations to tune into anymore, but he did see that it had a CD player built into it as well.

The orange eyed drone turned the radio over in his hand again to give it one last inspection before he smiled to himself, satisfied to have already found something. He knew he'd enjoy listening to music on it if it still worked, and even if it didn't work at all he knew it would be a free source of parts and good practice if he took it apart.

“Did ya find anythin' yet? I already found a lil' somethin',” Beau commented as he took a moment to carefully stuff the radio into his backpack.

The orange eyed drone took a moment to spare a glance over his shoulder at Vivian, a snort and a laugh quickly escaping him at the sight of the other drone busy stuffing a handful of jackets into her own backpack with an eyebrow raised on her screen.

“Y'know we still got a ton of rooms to go through. Might wanna save some room in case ya find some other cool stuff in the other rooms,” Beau pointed out as he raised an eyebrow back in response to his friend.

“Listen here, cowboy. I'm going to stuff this bag until it's physically bursting and even then I have two arms to carry even more things. Don't underestimate my packing skills,” Vivian replied as she turned to dig through the closet again, immediately finding another shirt to shove into the backpack.

“Okay, okay, excuse me. I ain't gonna question the queen's methods again,” Beau teased with a snicker as he bent down to search through a nearby cabinet.

“You're damn right you won't,” Vivian fired back without hesitation, getting another laugh out of her friend as she continued to search through the closet.

The orange eyed drone brought his hand up to brush his hair out of his visor, narrowing his eyelights as he glanced towards the shattered window in the room. The wind was blowing at just the right angle to blow a dusting of snow through, but the most annoying part was that it was blowing his hair every which way and getting it in his field of vision.

He considered Vivian lucky that she was in the closet and in a wind block because her hair was even longer than his thanks to the bob she had.

“Oh, by the way, I hope you're ready to use those arms and help me carry some extra armfuls of stuff because I can carry twice as much if you carry some of it too. You don't get a chance to say no either because the queen demands it,” The pink eyed drone began as she looked out of the closet and looked at Beau, a wide smirk quickly stretching across her faceplate as she narrowed her eyelights at her friend.

The look that Beau gave his glasses-wearing friend must have been priceless to her because her cackling carried well out into the hallway as the two friends continued to search the room.

The scavenging hunt continued to progress without a hitch, the group slowly but surely making progress towards sweeping through the ground floor of the hotel. Beau and Vivian both had found some additional things to pack their bags with, ranging from clothing to a few books that were in relatively good condition to a few more electronics the orange eyed drone had managed to find.

Several things had also been found by the rest of the scavenging team members and had been deposited into the carts that the group had brought along; those having been left in the lobby to free hands up for actual scavenging endeavors. The group took one last sweep of the ground floor, having felt like most of the valuables had been picked through as thoroughly as they could manage before the leader of the scavenging team started ushering everybody up to the second floor to continue the search.

The group spread out over the hallways again to start looking through the rooms again after they had arrived on the second floor, mostly checking at first to find out if it was worth hauling the carts up the staircase or if there wasn't much left to find that would be worth the extra carrying capacity. Several rooms were picked through with more clothing and some usable bedspreads that hadn't been completely ruined by the years of weather exposure being the majority of the finds.

The scavenging team continued the methodical process of sweeping through the second floor and its rooms for supplies, straying further and further away from the stairs before they came upon a large and well decorated room that was big enough for the entire team to fit inside. The worker drones scattered into the lounge-like room as several flashlight beams swept over the area, allowing everyone to curiously look around the space.

The wind outside had started to pick up by the time the last of the group had finished filing into the room, producing a loud whistling sound as it blew past the damaged windows and caused at least a few of the drones to shiver. Vivian decided that there were more than enough flashlights in here between the knife-flashlight Beau was holding from where he stood beside her and all of the flashlights from the others in the group, which made her decide to turn off her own flashlight and hook it on her backpack for now in case she needed it again.

Several of the group members had started murmuring and chatting among themselves with some discussing their finds, others discussing the scavenging trip, and others still discussing the hotel and curiously wondering what the building would have looked like before it was abandoned and battered by the weather. Other drones that weren't part of conversations had made themselves busy with searching some of the cabinets and the shelves that were dotted around the lounge.

Several minutes of searching the room passed by before a new sound joined in with the chorus of murmuring voices and whistling wind. A low and static-filled whine had joined in with all of the background noise, nearly missed under all of the voices with how low it was.

A few of the drones finally noticed the whining sound and started to shush the others around them, getting everyone to fall silent in a wave. The odd noise was more obvious now that it wasn't being covered up by the sound of everyone speaking and moving cabinet doors.

The group slowly started to come back together as they all looked around the room in confusion, attempting to find the source of the static whine even as the wind nearly drowned it out. The whine began to fade after a few more seconds, though it was quickly replaced by the sound of a low and harsh whisper that was too quiet to be intelligible but loud enough to pick up on several drones' audios and get them to look at their neighbors in search of who was making the noise.

When no one wanted to speak up and claim responsibility for being the source of the whispering noise, one of the scavenging team drones towards the front of the group finally spoke up to break the silence between her fellow drones.

“...Does anybody else hear that? It sounds like...” The worker drone didn't get a chance to finish her thought before a loud thud sounded above the group, getting them all to flinch and some to yelp in surprise as they were startled.

The room fell into silence following the thud, leaving the group to look around at each other with hollow eyelights as they tried to figure out what just happened. Even the wind had seemingly stopped, leaving the lounge bathed in an almost unnatural silence.

The worker drone that had previously spoken up opened her mouth to comment again but her voice was never heard before the ceiling above the group suddenly ripped open with a shriek, spraying bits of flooring and rebar in every direction. Several cries rang out from the group, both pained and surprised as the ruined bits pelted the drones that were unfortunate enough to be in range.

The surprised cries were quickly cut off by the sound of audio-piercing shrieks of terror as a searing yellow blur swung down from the ceiling in a near instant, coupled immediately afterwards by the sound of drone casing cracking in on itself. In the middle of the dust and debris kicked up by the destruction, some drones were able to see that a bright yellow canister had speared through the neck of the drone who had been speaking before.

The worker drone let out a choked and garbled noise as her wound started to gush with both her own oil and the burning yellow acid that had been injected into her neck, her eyelights hollow and fuzzy as her hands came up to scrabble at the sharp barb that was piercing out through the front of her throat. Her confused attempts to pull it out only managed to scratch her fingers against the sharp spike, adding to the hissing in the air as the nanite acid coated her casing.

The victim let out a gargling scream and cry as the canister was suddenly ripped back out of her neck, sending her stumbling towards the rest of the group before she landed on her knees and clutched at her neck that was starting to melt away under her hands. Her attempts to speak came out as clipping bursts of broken static, causing oil to spill past her lips and out of her neck wound with each attempt which put some of the onlookers in mind of some kind of horror movie.

The melting worker drone lurched forwards, catching herself with one hand on the ground as her fuzzy eyelights snapped up towards the rest of the group in a silent plea for help. Her plea for help went unanswered as something moved in a fast blur from above, landing with a hard thud which knocked several of the drones in the room off their feet from the shockwave.

Harsh whispers cut through the air as wings made of blades snapped out to their full size, joining the ringing static currently coming from the injured victim. A blazing golden cross flickered to life among the cloud of dust, the monster it belonged to splitting its jaws open in a wide smile and a dark cackle as what looked like saliva started to drip down its faceplate.

Said monster wasted no time in grabbing the injured worker drone by a fistful of her hair, three razor sharp talons digging into her helmet and visor glass as it jerked her head upwards with a loud and sickening snap. The former drone's head came away completely with the yank, the melted and loose remains of her neck giving way easily with the force as oil sprayed from the now severed tubes that had been inside her casing.

The entire display couldn't have taken more than seconds.

The still living members of the scavenging team all shrieked with their terror, the drones nearly falling over themselves and one another as they all started trying to fall back into the larger hallway to flee from the monstrous drone that had found them. Any hope or prior agreement from the group to stick together was quickly dashed as everyone began to disperse anywhere and everywhere they could to get away, their audio sensors drowned in the sound of crunching metal interlaced with more cackling and disorienting static whines and whispers.

Beau and Vivian had been towards the back of the group so they were among the first to be sprinting out into the hallway, neither drone bothering to cast a glance back at the grisly scene behind them except to make sure that the other one was following.

“What was that thing?!” Beau shouted as he bolted down the hallway alongside Vivian, his temperature uncomfortably spiking as his core began to rapidly cycle in his chest with the sudden onset of simulated adrenaline.

“What do you think it was?! It was a murder drone, you idiot!” The pink eyed drone yelled back at him in response, opting to throw a hollow eyed glance over her shoulder.

Most of the scavenging group had headed in their direction from the looks of it which wasn't entirely surprising given the fact Vivian and Beau both knew the other drones were running for the nearest exit just like they were. That did not stop Vivian from running a bit faster and encouraging Beau to do the same, not wanting to get caught up in the panicked crowd.

The ceiling vent that was several paces away from them was suddenly ripped free from its place with a screech of metal, the shattered remains of the cover being pitched out into the crowd again. Beau raised his arms to shield his visor as he heard screams ring out from the group being pelted again, his oil running cold as he realized one of those voices belonged to Vivian this time.

Beau's terrified eyelights whipped around to find his friend, quickly finding Vivian clutching her arm where one of the sharp pieces of shrapnel had embedded in the casing and drawn oil. A brief sense of relief washed over him as he realized it wasn't a big piece, but that relief was cut short as a crashing sound reached his audios.

The murder drone suddenly burst out of a completely different room on all fours, its fangs bared in manic laughter as the smell of fresh oil no doubt reached its sensors again. Its wide bladed wings scraped along the wall as it launched itself sideways to cling against them, still cackling as it began to rush along the wall towards the group of worker drones.

Several pairs of eyelights looked back as they tried to figure out where the monster was, though all of the gazes were quick to snap forwards again as they tried to focus on where they were going as well. The fleeing drones all rounded around the corner of a new hallway, the group pushing and shoving against itself as the fastest runners started trying to push through and past the crowds at the front of the group as fight or flight instincts ran high.

A screech sounded and Beau whipped his head back in enough time to see the murder drone towards the group with claws and wings outspread with intent. He grabbed hold of Vivian who was also looking back and shoved her head down, causing both to stumble forward and run faster as they darted directly into the main crowd.

A scream of agony sounded as the murder drone landed directly on the back of another drone at the back of the crowd, forcing him to fall forward onto the ground as sharp claws violently shredded through the victim’s casing as if it were paper. Beau looked back to see the murder drone tearing a fistful of wires and oil-soaked tubes out through the worker drone's back, laughing again as it stuffed the grotesque meal into its maw.

It was oilchilling to realize that could have been him or Vivian if they hadn't sped up when they did.

The fleeing group screamed again as another vent cover came loose and was hurled in their direction, narrowly missing taking the heads off of a few of the drones towards the front as they ducked and let it crash into the wall instead with another shriek of crunching metal. The terrified worker drones were forced to change their courses again, a good portion of them turning to rush down another nearby hallway and forcing the crowd to move that way with them with all of the shoving.

Beau's vents came out in heavy pants as he whipped his head around behind him for another look, still hearing the sound of laughter and snapping wires bouncing off the walls as the murder drone greedily devoured the worker drone it had tackled. He was confused how it could still be feeding if the vent cover had just flown off.

The orange eyed worker drone's oil chilled in his tubes again as realization struck him. There were two. There were two murder drones, possibly more. That's how it seemed like it was in two places at once.

Beau's gaze whipped over to Vivian who was running beside him, angrily shouting as she shoved away another panicking worker drone that nearly bowled her over with her shoulder. She had her injured arm held tightly to her chest, her hand covering the bleeding part of the casing as her stressed gaze met his.

He had no idea if she had realized yet or not that there was more than one murder drone here in the building, but he didn't get a chance to inform her of such before another shout split the air.

“Look out!” One drone's voice screamed above the crowd.

Heads started to whip around in search of the danger that had been called out before a good few of the drones towards the back shrieked as they were pounced upon by the previously seen murder drone again. Eyelights blazed hollow and bright as the murder drone went down with two drones speared straight through on the ends of its razor sharp wings, those drones not dead yet but rather shrieking out in pain and fear.

Their screams were abruptly cut short by the sound of a loud crunch as the murder drone violently slung them off of its wings and into the walls. The murder drone laughed as it dropped to all fours again, its acidic tail whipping around behind it and scoring deep scratches into the walls and flooring as it blitzed forward to resume chasing the fleeing remnants of the scavenging team.

Beau shoved Vivian down again and ducked into the crowd with her as both teenagers ran with fear and determination in their visors, simulated adrenaline pumping hard in their systems as their cores rapidly cycled in their chests. There was a loud and booming thud behind them as the murder drone jumped to the wall again, immediately darting along the surface of it as its tail lashed out towards the crowd.

Another worker drone screamed as his side was pierced through with a single strike of the searing yellow tail canister, the nanite acid already starting to hiss and burn through the casing as he tripped and fell. Some other unfortunate drones that happened to be too close tripped on him while others accidentally trampled him and the other tripped drones as they tried to get over the fallen drones and continue down the hallway.

The murder drone chasing them had stopped once more, yanking the poor drone it had speared on its tail up in the air before grabbing his head in its claws and beginning to pull. Casing, wires, and tubing came apart in several loud and continuous snaps that bounced off the walls and joined the panicked footsteps as the monster began to drink the oil that cascaded from the wound.

Another thud sounded, though this time it came not from the feeding murder drone but rather from a nearby locked door suddenly flying off its hinges and out into the hallway, forcing the group to once again change direction as panic enforced a wave that moved in one direction. Beau and Vivian shared a look as they ran, and judging by the expression they gave one another, both were sure they were having similar thoughts.

They were being herded by the murder drones. The monsters clearly wanted them to go somewhere in particular, likely to some kind of dead end or perhaps even to a third murder drone lying in wait.

As the fleeing group of terrified drones started turning to go down another path, Vivian suddenly grabbed Beau's arm tightly and ran diagonal from the group, nearly tackling and bowling over several other drones that were accidentally trying to sweep them into the wave again. The orange eyed worker drone stumbled behind his friend with a yelp, nearly losing his footing in the crowd as he held tightly onto her arm to avoid being separated.

The duo managed to break free from the crowd finally, nearly tripping on their own feet and the carpeting as they turned to bolt down a different hallway instead. Neither drone had any idea if one of the two monsters had gone down the way they were headed but both had assumed breaking away and dispersing was likely better than going with whatever clear plan or route the murder drones had.

Beau and Vivian gasped in heavy vents as they bolted down the hallway together, holding tightly onto each other's arms as if they were afraid letting go meant they would lose each other. They could still hear the awful laughter and shrieks of metal echoing through the hallways, though they felt like the sounds were finally starting to get a bit further away which left them with the hope that the murder drone hadn't seen them take a different route.

The two kept running, the sound of their boots pounding against the floor being masked by the sounds of distant cackles and the wind howling through the broken windows they passed by. Once the distant sounds of the murder drones' chaos and rampage finally stopped, Beau began to scan the passing rooms before he finally spotted a tall open archway leading into what looked like a large room and forcefully yanked his friend into it.

“What are you doing?!” Vivian hissed in a whisper as she got pulled along by Beau, looking around at the room they had found themselves in.

From her initial glance around, she got the feeling the room used to be some sort of bar area judging by the long counters and the series of tables and chairs. There were open and shattered windows in this room, though both drones knew they were far too high to attempt safely jumping out of them and escaping that way.

Vivian's startled glare was quick to find Beau again after her quick glance around, but he merely shook his head in response to her and her previous whisper as he yanked her towards the bar. He pulled her down with him as he ducked beneath the counter, motioning for her to sit down.

“Yer bleedin' everywhere an' we need to do somethin' 'bout that! I don't want ya to pass out on me 'cause you lost too much oil an' yer core couldn't keep up! That an' I'm pretty sure the murder drones were smellin' yer oil too an' comin' after it,” Beau whispered back as he flopped down into a sitting position, finally letting go of Vivian's arm as he held his hand to his racing core.

The orange eyed drone's other hand was trembling violently as he rapidly flicked the knife flashlight, forcing it to turn off to hide the visible beam. The pink eyed drone groaned quietly at her friend's argument due to the fact she felt like they should be trying to get to the exit, but she also knew he had a point.

Vivian sat down against the bar beside Beau, taking in a deep vent before she finally brought her arm up to examine the damage properly. It was slick with oil and currently still dripping thanks to the embedded piece of shrapnel that had gone in deep enough to puncture the oil tubes beneath her casing.

She had a feeling the running and moving with it hadn't helped at all in the long run and had likely only contributed to the damage and cuts, but a little damage to her arm wasn't the worst thing that could have happened. It wasn't a terrible cut so she knew the oil loss wasn't going to kill her, but actively free bleeding wasn't helping her either while there were two and possibly more starving oil hungry monsters crawling around out there in the hallways.

“Vi? What are you doin'?” Beau whispered as he watched the other drone quickly pull off her scarf, shoving one corner of it into her mouth before she balled the rest of it up in her fist.

“Taking care of this,” Vivian mumbled through the scarf and gritted teeth as she grabbed the end of the shrapnel sticking out of her arm with the balled up scarf.

The pink eyed drone took several deep vents before she yanked the sharp piece of metal out with a single tug, getting Beau to cringe on her behalf as she made a muffled grunt of pain. Her arm started to bleed a bit more now that nothing was plugging the tubing, but she figured this would do less damage than letting the shrapnel bounce around and slice more tubing and wires in the long run.

She also knew that her built-in repair systems would kick in now that the foreign object was removed, which would go a long way towards slowing down and stopping the bleeding eventually by patching the damaged tubing.

Beau watched with a hollow eyed frown as Vivian tossed the piece of shrapnel across the room, letting the scarf fall out of her mouth as she huffed through the urge to cry out in pain again. She quickly tied the article of clothing around the cut on her injured arm, making a good enough knot to ensure that it would stay in place before she let her head fall back against the bar with a quiet thunk.

“I don't recommend doing that in any universe ever. That hurt like hell,” The pink eyed drone quietly hissed as she held her hand over her bandaged arm. She absolutely hated the fact that she was getting oil all over one of her favorite scarves, but she figured it was worth risking a stain and washing it later as opposed to bleeding everywhere.

Beau watched Vivian with a concerned frown as he continued to hold his hand to his chest, slowly sucking in several more deep vents in an attempt to calm himself. Logic told him that the best move would be to get a move on now that his friend was patched up, but he had nearly worn himself out running as hard and as fast as he did even without counting the scares on top of all of that.

The orange eyed drone let out a silent huff as he brought his free hand to his visor. His parents were going to be so upset if he made it out of this alive. He had no doubt they'd be relieved and overjoyed to see him still in one piece, but still upset because this only proved his father's fears that him going on this scavenging trip was going to be a bad idea.

A scavenging team being attacked like this during the day by the murder drones was completely unheard of and as far as he knew, there had never been a report of such a thing as far back as he could remember. He didn't know what made this time unique or why it had happened, but he knew he was trapped in this situation right now and needed to make it out alive.

Beau balled his hand into a fist as he continued to rest it against his visor, turning his head to spare a glance over at Vivian. She looked equally worn out as he felt, though he knew she likely felt even worse with her injury judging by the way her hand shook as she reached to push up her glasses.

Somehow, the orange eyed drone got the feeling that this wasn't the kind of thrill seeking that either one of them had wanted.

Both teenagers froze as the sound of lower whispers began to reach their audios again, slowly sharing a hollow eyed glance with one another. One glance at each other was all they needed to know that neither of them had made that sound and that they had both heard it correctly.

Vivian's fists clenched at her sides as her eyelights narrowed into a sharp yet nervous frown while Beau's hand tightened around the knife's handle as if his life depended on it because it probably did. The low whispering picked up on their audios once more, slowly pitching louder before the sound of a thud came from somewhere on a table out in the bar area.

The two hiding worker drones had no doubt that the noise was a murder drone because they knew the chances of it not being one were slim to none. The more pressing question in their processors was if it was one of the two murder drones before or if it was an entirely new one.

Beau and Vivian held their vents and any urges they had to move as they sat perfectly still and silent, listening to the low whispers and another thud that indicated the murder drone must have jumped down from the table. They realized with the following sound of thudding footsteps that it was walking in their direction, likely having smelled Vivian's oil again.

A low and long hiss all but confirmed their guess as the monster's footsteps prowled closer to the front of the bar counter they were hiding behind. Beau glanced sideways and caught Vivian's gaze for a moment, his hollow and stressed eyelights starting to take on a look of determination.

The orange eyed worker drone clutched the knife tighter still in his hand before he suddenly spun around and bounced up, immediately becoming visible to the much taller monster and the searing yellow cross that marked its visor. If he didn't know any better, he would have almost said it looked surprised to see him as it jerked backwards and snapped its massive grinning jaws shut.

The worker drone was immediately able to tell that this was the same murder drone that had been chasing them in the hallways. Now that it was closer, he was also able to see the messy windswept silver hair it had as well as the loose tie and blazer it wore.

Beau wasted no time in thrusting the flashlight knife out towards the monster, rapidly flashing the bright beam on and off directly in the murder drone's face. That was enough to make the tall monster flinch and shake its head, which was exactly the opening the worker drone wanted.

The orange eyed worker drone raised the knife high before swinging it down as hard as he could with a shout, angling the handle down towards the top of the monster's head. The knife handle collided dead in the center of one of the five odd yellow bulbs on its head, bursting the center bulb open in a spray of too hot oil and some other kind of bright yellow liquid.

The wail that left the murder drone almost sounded like a worker drone in pain as it fell back and away from the bar, nearly stumbling over the stools behind it as both clawed hands came up to clutch at the headband of bulbs. Beau almost thought he heard a sob, but he knew that had to be his imagination.

Vivian took the chance they had been given and immediately bolted out from behind the counter and down the hallway, followed right on her heels by Beau as he was quick to sprint after her. They both had a sinking feeling the monster was only going to be even angrier by the time it recovered and neither of them wanted to stick around to find out.

Both worker drones sprinted down the hallway, taking several turns as they did so before they finally spotted the shattered remains of an exit door sign in the distance. It wasn't the front door but the duo quickly realized that having to run down a fire escape was still one step closer to safety than being trapped in the claustrophobic halls with the thing that wanted them dead.

Vivian lowered her shoulder and tackled the door to shove it open as she reached it slightly ahead of Beau, expecting to be met with the sight of a stairwell. Both drones' eyelights turned hollow as they quickly realized they were not looking at a stairwell but were instead looking at the car park.

The wind suddenly whipped through the exposed and open walls of the car park as if to remind them that they were in fact outside, getting both of the teenagers to shiver. More sunlight was streaming into the area thanks to the open sides, but there was still enough darkness to imply that they still weren't completely safe yet.

“Come on, come on, let's go!” Vivian shouted to Beau as she ran out into the car park building with him, dodging one of the old and rusted vehicles as she immediately headed towards the ramp she could see in the distance.

They just needed to get down to ground level and get out of the building. If the murder drones usually avoided sunlight and the daytime, that told them they would be safe to flee back to the safety of their colony if they could just get out into the sun.

The two friends had made it halfway to the ramp when a loud and long hiss rang out from above them. Their oil chilled immediately as their eyelights flicked up both getting a split second to scream at the blazing yellow cross igniting in the darkness of the ceiling before the murder drone swooped down, sending both of the worker drones stumbling back and falling onto the concrete as the monster landed between them with a loud crash.

Beau scrambled backwards as he tried to get away from the murder drone, quickly realizing that this one wasn't the same one that he and Vivian had just encountered in the bar area. On his initial glance, he could see that this one had a differently shaped frame, was wearing a dark cropped shirt and a skirt, and had long silver-gray hair.

The orange eyed worker drone yelped and rolled across the pavement to get out of the way as the murder drone's acidic tail came for him, the barbed spike of the canister cracking the concrete as it pierced through the spot where his head had been seconds ago. He rolled onto his knees and pointed the knife up at the monster as he switched it over to a small pistol configuration he knew it had, but the monster moved faster than he could pull the trigger.

Beau's eyelights met a blazing cross as the murder drone darted forward and swung a pair of razor sharp talons at him, catching him by the leg as he tried to retreat. He screamed out in pain before the monster yanked him closer, its faceplate splitting open in a display of glinting fangs and a spitting hiss.

“Hey! Scrap for brains!” Vivian's voice suddenly yelled out, getting the murder drone to freeze.

To Beau's surprise, the monster actually did let go of his leg and whirled around with a snarling hiss... only to be met with the pink eyed worker drone as she rushed the murder drone, her facial features containing a similarly fierce and determined snarl. She had pulled her backpack off of her shoulders at some point and now had it tightly gripped by the strap, which enabled her to swing it as hard as she could directly at the monster's head as soon as their eyelights locked.

The bag wasn't as solid as it could have been due to being filled with mostly fabrics, but the weight of it combined with how hard the worker drone swung it was enough to give it some real force. The backpack collided directly against the side of the murder drone's head, snapping it to the side as the tall monster lost its balance and stumbled a couple of steps to the side in an attempt to regain its footing.

Beau used this time to scramble away from the murder drone and get on his feet while Vivian stood her ground and held the bag as if she were prepared to swing again. The monster recovered quicker than either of them could have expected as it whirled towards the pink eyed worker drone with a vicious snarl and drove one of the hooked blades of its wings through her shoulder area.

The sound of splintering casing as well as Vivian's pained scream bounced around the car park as the murder drone lifted her off of the concrete with its wing, violently pulling her closer before razor talons grabbed a handful of her jacket.

“Vi!” Beau yelled as the monster suddenly ripped its wing free from his friend's casing, instead using the grip it had on her jacket to hurl her at one of the various parked vehicles.

Vivian hit the car with a loud yelp alongside a disconcertingly loud crunch, leaving her to crumple onto the concrete right beside the vehicle as she went still. Beau fixed his stressed and hollow eyelights on the murder drone with renewed determination as it faced him again, prompting the orange eyed worker drone to swing his boot up with as much force as he could manage.

The monster's jaws and teeth violently clacked together as the steel end of Beau's boot collided with the underside of its faceplate, getting the murder drone to let out a clipping screech of pain as it stumbled back slightly. Its furious blazing cross leveled on the orange eyed worker drone again, the monster immediately launching itself towards him again with renewed fury.

Beau managed to jerk to the side in just enough time to narrowly avoid being speared by the murder drone's claws, but he wasn't lucky enough to avoid the black cord of the monster's tail as it snapped against his legs and swept his feet out from under him. The worker drone let out a yelp as he crashed onto his back again, leaving him to look up in fear as the murder drone poised over him with its talons raised high and ready to dive straight through his visor screen.

A sudden audio overloading snarl split the air before the monster could do so, the noise accompanied by a loud and pitching whine that caused Beau's vision to fuzz around the edges. He instinctively clapped his hands over the sides of his head as he grit his teeth together, his feet kicking against the ground as he started trying to scramble back again with the chance he had been given.

The murder drone above him turned its head in the direction of the sound, the terrifying cross taking up its visor flickering before it was replaced with a pair of yellow drone-like eyelights. Despite every instinct in him telling him not to, Beau couldn't help but turn his head to look at whatever it was the monster was seeing as well with a sense of confusion coursing through his processor.

The orange eyed worker drone immediately regretted looking and let out a scream as he realized the other murder drone from the bar area was barreling right towards them in a blur of silver and gold. However, instead of getting his head ripped off like he expected, Beau watched as the charging monster slammed into the other murder drone, causing it to screech as they both fell off to the side and rolled across the pavement with the force of the tackle.

Beau's mouth fell open as he watched the two murder drones skid across the concrete in stunned silence. The longer haired one started to hiss and produced several odd whines and warbles that grated on his audios, getting him to clap his hands to the sides of his head again.

The other murder drone gave a spitting hiss and a snarl, making its own sounds before it used its wings to throw the longer haired into a nearby vehicle. The longer haired murder drone gave its own hissing snarl in response as the hollow eyelights on its screen gave way to the dangerous golden cross again, blazing brighter as it launched off of the car and towards the other murder drone with wings, talons, and tail positioned to strike.

Beau watched as the other murder drone met the first one in combat, its own wings and claws colliding with its opponent and producing sparks as they both fell onto the pavement again. One of the monsters gave a loud screech as the other bit down its shoulder and casing with vicious fangs, but the orange eyed worker drone was quickly starting to lose track of which murder drone was which in the tangle of wings and blades.

What Beau did know, however, was that the murder drones seemed to be fighting each other now despite how impossible that seemed. He wasn't sure if they had somehow accidentally mistaken one another for another worker drone or if they were territorial and having a fight over who got to claim him and Vivian as their prey, but he wasn't about to stick around and find out.

The orange eyed worker drone quickly scrambled up to his feet, ignoring the shooting pain and the pop-up warnings that flared in his vision about the damages and current oil loss he was suffering as a result of his leg injury. He clapped his hands over the sides of his head again as a loud shriek as well as a loud pitching whine split the air and fuzzed his vision into static again, doing his best to ignore it and the pain as he hurried over to Vivian who he had not seen move a finger since being thrown.

“Vi- Vi! Oh Robo God- Can you hear me?” Beau whispered as he dropped to his knee joints near Vivian, afraid that speaking too loud would mean the murder drones noticing him or his injured friend again.

Vivian did not respond right away which made the orange eyed worker drone start to worry as he leaned back with hollow eyelights and a shaky gasp, but his fears were quickly squashed as she suddenly swung her arm up and wrapped it around his shoulder. She spit out a small spatter of oil onto the concrete before she got her injured arm under her, biting down the cry of pain that wanted to escape her as she put her weight on it and used it to push herself up.

“G-Get out. Get out now,” The pink eyed worker drone spat quietly, her voice clipping slightly.

“Can ya walk?” Beau asked quietly, receiving a shake of her head in response. He was quick to nod and adjusted her arm on his shoulder, grabbing it with his own hand before he stood up and pulled her up with him.

Vivian bit down another cry as she leaned against her friend, her legs wobbling slightly as her other arm frantically pointed towards the ramp again to urge Beau to start heading that way. Both drones flinched and tried to ignore the awful sounds coming from the murder drone brawl behind them, instead opting to focus on the path ahead as they hurried to the ramp as fast as Vivian could handle moving.

The pink eyed worker drone nearly fell as her legs tried to give out on the steep ramp, but she grit her teeth and forced herself to stay standing with her friend's help. Beau led her down the ramp as quickly and as safely as he could, whispering assurances to her as they both focused on the exit they could see in the distance.

They were halfway through the car park when a loud whine split the air, pitching higher and higher before it fuzzed out both of their visors and drew an involuntary scream of pain out of both worker drones. Neither Beau nor Vivian was sure if that was a sign the two monsters were still fighting or if that was a sign they were now actively being hunted again.

Both of the worker drones shook it off as they kept running, trying their best to fight through the fuzzy vision and the ringing in their audio processes as they set their sights on the blurry snow and sunlight outside. An awful crack suddenly sounded from above them again, getting Beau to look behind him long enough to see the cracks starting to form in the concrete above them.

The cracked ceiling didn't hold up for much longer before it caved in, revealing that the longer haired murder drone had its claws around the neck and head of the other murder drone as they both fell through with the caving in floor. The longer haired monster landed harshly on top of the other one, the other murder drone screeching and wailing loudly with the impact and the talons digging into its casing.

The winning murder drone's gaze suddenly snapped up towards the fleeing worker drones again, its expression and the snarl that let it soon afterwards downright feral as its grinning fangs dripped with saliva and oil alike. The monster spread its wings and started to lunge for them again, leaving Beau to put himself behind Vivian in an attempt to shield her as he grit his teeth together and braced for impact.

The murder drone was suddenly stopped in its tracks before it could reach Beau by the other murder drone springing out of the crater in the foundation and grabbing hold of its tail. The caught murder drone screeched as the other monster swung it back hard by its tail, effectively throwing it into another vehicle.

The shorter haired murder drone let out a vicious snarl as its wings sprung free from its torso again, the bladed feathers visibly sparking before igniting into flames. The flaming murder drone collided with the other one, forcing its head into the vehicle as a ring of fire created by the rattling bladed feathers enveloped them both.

Vivian and Beau couldn't help but stare at the scene behind them for a moment over their shoulders before the pink eyed worker drone nearly stumbled and fell, forcing the two back to reality as they instead focused on the exit ahead of them. The orange eyed worker drone continued to lead his friend with his teeth grit in determination, nearly falling out into the snow with her as they both passed through the archway of the car park and back out into the relative safety of the sunlit city.

Both of the teenagers were partially blinded by the sudden difference in light level, but that didn't stop them from continuing forward away from the car park anyway. Their optics recalibrated quickly enough and restored their vision, giving them a glimpse of some of the other group members bolting out of the hotel doors and immediately starting off in the direction towards the colony.

Another screech from one of the two murder drones split the air as Beau and Vivian both turned to begin hurrying after the fleeing drones, having realized that no one was intent on sticking around for a meet up. Neither drone bothered to look over their shoulders again as they moved onto the street to begin the journey back to the safety of home.

Chapter Text

Beau and Vivian had made it back to the colony without further issue, their injuries having forced them into hurried limping more than running after they had gotten far enough away from the car park. Vivian had been unable to hide her pain after a certain point, leaving her whining quietly as she limped along with her friend's help.

Some of the other scavenging team survivors had made it back to the colony before them and had already alerted the WDF of what happened, which meant that by the time the two teenagers had made it to the colony, Door-1 was already wide open. Several members of the WDF and a few medical drones that had been on standby rushed out to greet them once they had gotten closer, helping them back into the safety of the colony.

Vivian had collapsed onto her knee joints once they were safely inside the colony, no longer able to stand easily on her injuries now that most of the simulated adrenaline had worn off which led to the necessity of a few of the medical drones helping carry her away to the medical bay. Beau couldn't help but worry about her condition, but the fact that she was still clearly conscious and spitting out several curses as she was carried away told him she'd likely be fine.

The orange eyed drone's own adrenaline had worn off now that they were safe, leaving him slumping against the wall as the full pain and oil loss from his injured leg finally started to register properly in his systems. That action nor his injury had gone unnoticed by the medical team and so they had insisted he come along to the medical bay with them when they had to transport Vivian and the rest of the injured survivors who came in.

Word had clearly gotten around to Beau's parents by the time he and Vivian had gotten back to the colony judging by the fact Khan was already waiting at the colony doors alongside the rest of the WDF and Alice. They had visibly relaxed as soon as their son and his friend appeared in the entryway of the colony and proved that they had made it home safely, but the relief didn't last long by the time they realized both Beau and Vivian were injured and still bleeding.

Presently, both of the teenagers had been settled into a couple of beds in the medical bay, though both of them were grumbling slightly about the examinations for different reasons.

“Dad, I promise I'm fine. It ain't that bad,” Beau muttered in assurance to his father and mother as they both hovered around him alongside the medical drone that was busy checking his injured leg.

The claws had hooked deep enough to slice into tubes and draw oil, but thankfully the damage from the wound itself was not nearly as severe as it had initially looked once all of the snow and oil stains were cleaned away to allow a proper view of the actual damage to the casing and internal components.

“It is that bad!” Khan exclaimed in exasperation as he reached up to rub his hands on the sides of his visor.

The older drone took a deep breath to steady himself, frowning as he realized the way Beau was looking at him in response to him raising his voice. He whispered out a quiet apology for yelling before a heavy sigh left him.

“This is... exactly what I was worried about, Beau. I didn't want you to go out there because I was afraid of you getting hurt. You and Vivian both,” The older drone continued softly, his features still pulled into a concerned frown.

“Hey... We made it out fine an' me an' Vivian are okay. A lil' scratched an' dented up but we're still here. You shoulda seen Vi out there too 'cause she was tryin' real hard to keep me safe an' was a big help in us gettin' away,” Beau responded before he turned his head at the sound of the medical drone who was currently examining him telling him to lift his leg.

The orange eyed drone leaned back as he did so, giving the medical drone a better look at the damage to his casing as his gaze started to wander the room. His eyelights quickly landed on Vivian who was currently in the process of pushing her glasses up with a hiss as Dr. Piers poked and prodded at her injured shoulder.

“For the tenth time, yes, that hurts like hell,” The pink eyed drone hissed through clenched teeth as the medical drone carefully pushed her arm back and forced the shoulder joint to rotate for better examination.

Piers leveled a rather flat stare at Vivian in response to her comment as he reached over to grab a cloth from his nearby table of medical supplies that he had prepped.

“I'm aware that it hurts. I'm asking because it's a good thing if it hurts. That means none of your sensors and servos were damaged and that you're still able to move it. We won't have to replace your entire arm or strip it and rewire it,” The medical drone responded with a steady tone as he started to wipe some of the oil away from her shoulder joint with the cloth he'd grabbed.

“Okay, but you can stop jamming your fingers in there like you're trying to plug a pipe leak,” Vivian responded with a grumble, wincing as the medical drone once again poked at the injury as part of his examination. She released a swear in response, earning another unamused and tired look out of Piers as he continued to clean the injury.

Alice looked over at Vivian and Piers for a moment before her concerned and hollow eyed gaze returned to her son. Beau had given her knife back to her already once they had gotten to the medical bay which left her spinning it at her side as she nervously fidgeted with it in an attempt to calm herself.

“What happened out there, Beau?” The older orange eyed drone asked as she flicked the knife through a few different configurations. “Some of them first few ones that got back here were screamin' 'bout a murder drone attack an' then some of the injured started turnin' up.”

Beau took a deep vent and shook his head as he slouched where he was sitting, his own eyelights twisting up into a hollow frown that greatly mirrored his mother's facial expression.

“It was exactly that, Ma,” The younger orange eyed drone responded as he turned his head to look at both of his parents. “We all made it to the hotel just fine an' we were searchin' the whole place an' then... Suddenly this murder drone drops in on us an' chases us out into the hallway where a second one started chasin' us from above in the vents. There were at least two of 'em in there.”

Beau paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, bringing a hand up to rub his visor as his facial expression settled on an upset and shaken frown.

“Vi's arm got all cut up when one of the vent covers got torn to pieces an' threw shrapnel everywhere. That one on her shoulder area happened when we were tryin' flee out the car park an' one of the murder drones cornered us. Got her with its wing,” He continued as he rubbed circles into his visor, attempting to soothe himself.

Khan and Alice both listened to their son's story with grim expressions, taking a moment to look at each other before they directed their attention back to Beau with concerned frowns.

“Never been any kind of reported murder drone attacks durin' the daytime like that...” Alice mused as she continued to fidget with the knife at her side, briefly drawing attention as it clicked and changed configurations again.

“They're not usually indoors either since in most reported attacks, the victims were outside in the open during the night. I don't know if I've ever handled a report of an attack like this because this is... highly unusual,” Khan stated as he crossed his arms, his uneasy glance wandering between Beau and Vivian.

“Outta all the bad things that coulda happened out on that scavenging trip, I'm gonna go out on a limb an' say that none of us coulda expected murder drones at the top of the list. Least not at this hour of the day...” Alice added on to her husband's comment as she glanced down at the knife in her hand.

“There was basically no warnin' either...” Beau started again, pausing only long enough to hiss at the feeling of the medical drone working on his leg again. “Swept through a buncha rooms an' then started hearin' this... whisper noise. Got enough time to question what it was an' then the ceiling caved in an' bam, there was a murder drone. Only started realizin' there were two of 'em when it started lookin' like the murder drone was in two places at once.”

“It's almost like the murder drones knew the scavenging team was coming somehow...” Khan mused aloud to himself as much as he was everyone else in the room. “Unless it was some sort of freak accident or chance that they were in the building before you all arrived...”

The older drone's facial expression pulled into a sharp frown as he continued to work through his thoughts, crossing his arms tightly over his chest as he looked down slightly.

“No... The murder drones being in that specific location at the exact same time we sent a team out was way too perfect to just be an accident. I think the murder drones were specifically lying in wait and the scavenging team was ambushed,” He finished.

Alice frowned as she listened to her husband, still spinning her knife at her side as it flicked through several more random configurations. Her gaze wandered to Vivian and Beau for a moment, both of the teenagers having directed their gazes to the Doorman parents as they listened with uneasy frowns.

“Only problem is figurin' out how the murder drones knew the scavengin' group was gonna be there to even stage an ambush. If they've somehow figured out how to predict us or find out what we're doin', we need to know how or else we're gonna be puttin' more scavengin' teams at risk,” The orange eyed woman noted as she stopped spinning the knife, expertly catching the dull side of the blade against her finger to stop the movements.

“And it's not like we can completely stop and hold off on scavenging runs forever because even if we stretch resources thin and recycle what we can, eventually we're still going to run low on something and have to have more from the outside world...” Khan mused again before he let out a heavy sigh, bringing his hands up to rub his visor in frustration at the entire situation.

The white eyed drone moved to sink down into a chair that was next to the bed Beau was sitting on, the older drone's body resting heavily with his thoughts and his feelings as he slouched in the chair. He was so caught up in attempting to sort his racing thoughts that he only barely noticed and acknowledged the medical drone that was currently treating Beau's leg giving him a concerned look as well.

“I know, Alice. You're right, dear. I'll have to interview everyone that's willing to talk about what happened and compare past incident reports to try to figure out how this happened or how the murder drones predicted our movement... Not that I have past incident reports of daytime murder drone attacks...“ Khan continued as he leaned forward, resting his elbow joints on his legs as he rubbed his hands up and down his visor. “Beau, this is exactly why I didn't want you to go outside of the doors. You and Vivian both could have been killed!”

“If you want somebody to blame, Mr. Doorman, you can blame me instead. “I'm the one who brought up the scavenging trip in the first place and pressured Beau into asking you about it anyway,” Vivian spoke up as she watched the family, looking just as tired as she did frustrated.

Beau was sure she had a lot of things to be frustrated about from her injuries to losing her bag after she whacked the murder drone with it, but he got the feeling it wasn't his parents she was upset with at least.

“Still kinda my fault too for beggin' for permission... You heard me askin' to go on the trip so it ain't just yer blame to take,” The orange eyed drone commented in response to Vivian before he looked at his parents again, his face falling. “...Sorry, Dad. Sorry, Ma. I didn't mean to scare y'all so bad. I just wanted to go find some stuff an' see the outside for a lil' while...”

“Ain't neither of y'all's faults 'cause I let ya go an' helped talk yer dad into it too, Beau. It's the murder drones' fault for attackin' everybody in the first place. Stupid mindless murder machines... Stupid humans unleashin' 'em here in the first place...” Alice grumbled as she tightly crossed her arms, tapping the flat end of the knife against her casing.

“For what it's worth, me and Beau weren't going down without a fight and totally showed those things,” Vivian spoke up as she cut into the conversation, her eyelights hollow as a smirk spread across her faceplate. “Beau smashed one on the head and broke one of those yellow bulb things on its head while it screamed like a banshee. The other one got its head smacked sideways by me and then took Beau's boot to the jaw. I could hear its teeth clack together and I hope they broke.”

Khan frowned as he listened to Vivian, still rubbing his hands over his visor as if it would help soothe the racing thoughts and stress that he was feeling. Alice, on the other hand, had her thin line of a mouth starting to stretch into a ghost of a sharp smirk while one of her eyelights briefly flickered.

“Serves them murder drones right...” The older orange eyed drone mumbled, clearly satisfied to hear about Beau and possibly Vivian having managed to fight back and potentially injure the monsters that had been plaguing their kind for years now even despite her current worry over the situation.

“Now that I've entered the conversation again from backstage though... I have another thought for you to chew on, Mr. Doorman,” Vivian began again, getting the white eyed drone's eyelights to look up at her. “Have any of your old reports mentioned seeing the murder drones fight each other?”

Khan narrowed his eyelights in response to Vivian's statement, his facial expression befuddled as if he couldn't quite process what was said. He had to take a few more moments to run it back and forth through his processor again to make sure he had heard it correctly before his gaze found his son's friend again.

“...What?”

“Vi's right 'bout that...” Beau added which drew his parents' attention back to him. “After I cracked that one murder drone in the jaw an' made it mad, the other one suddenly came outta nowhere an' then tackled the first one. I thought it was tryin' to attack me but no... It was only after the other murder drone. I dunno if they were fightin' over who got to claim us as their hunt or what but me an' Vi used that time to make a run for the exit.”

The younger orange eyed drone paused long enough to wince as he felt the medical drone currently examining him messing with his leg again.

“An'- Get this- Just when we were just 'bout to get to the exit, one of the murder drones came lungin' at us again but the other grabbed its tail an' slammed it into a car so neither one of 'em managed to catch us,” He continued.

Khan and Alice both shared a long stare of confusion with one another as they listened to Beau, which was more than enough to confirm for the two teenagers that neither one of the adults had heard of anything similar to their son's story happening before. The white eyed drone shook his head to further confirm this fact before he leaned back in his seat.

“I've... never had a report of the murder drones fighting with each other, no,” Khan responded softly with a frown. “Most of the reports I have gotten were detailing solo attacks. Even the ones that detailed the murder drones working together mentioned exactly that in that they were cooperating. This is the first I've heard of them possibly being territorial with one another.”

“That last part was a really stupid move if you ask me by the way,” Vivian huffed as she leaned back and crossed her arms, ignoring the ache in her injured shoulder. “Don't get me wrong, I'm overjoyed to be here and not be some ugly murder machine's toothpick right now. But you'd think that if they were fighting over who gets what, they'd at least set their differences aside long enough to actually catch us instead of practically letting us get away by throwing the other one away from where we were going.”

“Saved you?” A crackling voice suddenly spoke up next to Vivian, getting the glasses-wearing drone to jerk her head to the side in search of the source of the noise.

The pink eyed drone quickly locked eyelights with a disheveled purple haired drone that was just barely peeking up at her over the edge of the bed, getting the former to scream in surprise while the latter jerked backwards and hissed loudly in response to the sudden reaction and noise.

“Ah, right,” Piers spoke up as he glanced away from where he was currently digging through repair supplies, noting the hissing Uzi that had backed away from a glaring Vivian. “I forgot to mention that Uzi was still here. She's been hiding up on top of that cabinet again and hissing at us so I'm surprised she came down.”

“What the hell?! Who gave you permission to sneak up on someone out of nowhere and scare the bolts out of them!” Vivian hissed back at the purple haired drone, getting a snarl and a warbling chirp out of her in response.

Alice looked unnerved by the odd noises that Uzi was making again, but she at least seemed to be handling it slightly better than the last time judging by the way she quietly closed her eyelights and covered the side of her head with one hand. Khan noticed this reaction out of his wife and reached over to gently rest a hand on her shoulder.

Beau blinked as he looked over at Uzi and Vivian, several thoughts starting to run through his processor as he stared at the two girls who were currently locked in a glaring match with each other. He hadn't spotted or heard Uzi crawling around on top of the cabinets when he had first gotten here, but that was far from the most important thought that was immediately jumping to the front of his processor.

“Saved you?”

The orange eyed drone brought his hand up and ran it through his hair as he took a moment to process and ponder on the thought that Uzi had presented with her question. The idea that the shorter haired murder drone had deliberately saved him and Vivian felt ridiculous in his mind especially given how that same murder drone had seemed perfectly intent on slaughtering everyone before that moment, but at the same time he couldn't find any explanation why that murder drone would have stopped the other one and thrown it away when it could have let its teammate pounce and catch them both in one swoop before they got away.

Beau frowned as he continued to turn those thoughts over in his processor for a moment, attempting to make sense of them all and the reasoning behind the murder drones' actions. He finally opened his mouth again with the intent to express some of those thoughts that he was having, but he didn't get a chance to before he was interrupted by the sound of the door to the medical room suddenly popping open.

All of the eyelights in the room turned to look at the door and were immediately met with the sight of Thad as he appeared in the doorway, looking as though he had run the whole way to the medical bay from wherever he had been before. His fuzzy and hollow eyelights immediately found Beau and Vivian in the crowd before he rushed over to both of them, winding up somewhere in between them where he could have both of them in his line of sight.

“Oh thank Robo God-” He panted before he sucked in a sharp vent of air, a singular sweat droplet flickering onto his screen. “I didn't know what happened or you two had even made it back yet. I just heard the gossip and word of mouth getting around about the scavenging team getting attacked and then I sprinted here as fast as I could.”

“Deep vents, ball cap. You might blow a fuse with all of that steam,” Vivian teased as she held her uninjured arm out to Thad.

The green eyed drone wasted no time in approaching his girlfriend, taking her hand into his before he gently intertwined their fingers and rested his other hand over the top of hers. The pink eyed drone visibly relaxed with the comforting touch as she smiled, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

“The murder drones attacked us...” Beau spoke up in response to his friend's question, drawing Thad's stressed and hollow eyed stare over to him instead. “Dad sorta thought the murder drones knew we were comin' somehow an' ambushed us 'cause we were lootin' the place we went too just fine an' then suddenly the murder drones burst outta the ceilin' an' then the vent to attack us. There were at least two of 'em 'cause we saw 'em both when we tried escapin' outta the car park.”

Thad listened intently as he nodded along to acknowledge Beau's explanation, stress lines starting to ring the corners of his eyelights as they blazed even brighter in response to the story. His gaze returned to Vivian after the orange eyed drone had finished speaking, leaving his facial features to pull into a frown as he gently squeezed his girlfriend's hand again.

“...Did the murder drones hurt you, Vivi? Is that what happened to your shoulder and your arm?” The green eyed drone asked softly, his eyelights slowly narrowing further on his screen.

“Only after I showed it what's for,” Vivian huffed in response to the question, gently returning the squeeze. “But, to answer your question... Sort of. The cut on my arm was from a flying piece of shrapnel that happened to pierce the casing but the spot on my shoulder came from one of the murder drones hooking me on its wing and throwing me.“

“Same murder drone that got Vi got me with its claws too,” Beau added as he looked down at his leg with a frown. “I'm pretty sure mine ain't near as bad as hers though if just 'cause she's got the cut on her arm an' then the whole gettin' thrown into somethin' bit too.”

Thad listened quietly to Vivian and Beau as he gently brushed his thumb over the former's hand, his eyelights narrowing into a sharp and upset frown. He jumped slightly at the sound of something shuffling and moving around above them, casting his glance upwards in enough time to see Uzi as she was in the process of climbing back up on top of the cabinet she had previously been hiding on top of.

Vivian barely seemed to have noticed that Uzi had moved or that Thad had gotten distracted momentarily, instead focusing on continuing the conversation as she closed her eyelights with a frown.

“At least me and the cowboy showed the murder drones we're a force to be reckoned with before we got out of there. Beau smashed one over the head with his mom's knife and kicked the other one right in the jaw. I beat that same one he kicked across the head with my bag,” The pink eyed drone continued as she shrugged her uninjured shoulder slightly.

Thad was still distracted judging by the way he didn't respond after Vivian had finished speaking, which was enough to get her to let out a huff and gently squeeze his hand in an attempt to get his attention. The green eyed drone blinked as his gaze finally found his girlfriend again, a sheepish grin spreading across his faceplate in response to the pout on her own.

“I'm sure you totally showed the murder drones and looked super cool while doing it too. I bet both of you looked super cool,” Thad quickly assured as he brushed his thumb against Vivian's hand, soothing the pout on her face as she made a proud grin instead.

“Only part I'm really upset about is losing my bag because it got left behind at the car park when we ran,” The pink eyed drone mused. “Way better to lose that than to lose my head but I'm still upset about it because I found some really cool stuff!”

“Priorities, Vivi...” The green eyed drone commented with a nervous chuckle.

“Priorities, Thad! What's a gal to do without her nice bag? I really liked that one too...” Vivian grumbled as she gently squeezed her boyfriend's hand again.

“Okay, look... I'm sorry about your bag because I know you really liked it but I'm glad you're still here,” Thad said as his free hand came up to scratch the back of his head.

“Oh trust me, I know. But having my bag is a matter of life and death too. I either go out there looking boring or I kill it with style,” The pink eyed drone remarked, her face soon pulling into a deliberately goofy face to match the playful tone she spoke in.

Despite his best efforts, Thad couldn't help but snort at the comment, which in turn got Vivian to start giggling. Beau couldn't help but giggle too as he listened in on the conversation which quickly got all three friends to start laughing.

The lighthearted laughter was a welcome change in tone and helped provide a distraction from all of the serious and heavy thoughts that were running around everyone's processors, but it wasn't long before the laughter had died down and Thad's facial expression was taking on something more serious again.

“For real though... I'm seriously glad you guys are okay. I didn't know if I was going to find you guys here or if you hadn't made it back yet or...” The green eyed drone rambled out before he stopped himself with a deep vent, his eyelights taking on a frown again as he gently squeezed Vivian's hand. “I can't believe the murder drones attacked you like that though... Isn't it supposed to be safe in the daytime?!”

“Like I already said... Dad thinks the murder drones ambushed us,” Beau spoke up as he slowly swung his uninjured leg back and forth where it was hanging off of the bed. “Maybe they were nestin' there an' then heard us all come in an' it was just a freak accident, or... Maybe they did know we were comin' somehow an' came to that buildin' to wait on us overnight. I don't think anybody really knows what happened yet.”

Thad nodded slightly as he listened to Beau, his free hand starting to clench into a tight fist as several different emotions warred with one another on his face. His expression finally settled on a look of frustrated anger as he let out a heavy sigh, his mouth pulling into an uncharacteristic pout.

Beau couldn't remember the last time he had ever seen Thad look that frustrated due to how calm and laid back he normally was on average. He got the feeling that Vivian couldn't remember the last time either judging by the way she reached her free hand up to her boyfriend's arm and gave him a gentle nudge.

“Are you trying to melt the floor by glaring at it? That's one hell of a sour face you're making,” The pink eyed drone commented, her eyebrow raising as Thad blinked and snapped his attention back to her.

The green eyed drone's frown softened a bit as he looked into her eyelights, but he still looked unhappy as he shook his head in response to her statement. Vivian reached her hand up from his arm to cup his cheek instead, doing her best to ignore the sting of pain that came from rotating her injured shoulder joint to allow the movement.

“I'm just... worried about both of you, Vivi. You guys got seriously hurt by murder drones. Murder drones that weren't even supposed to be there!” Thad stressed as he tilted his head into Vivian's hand, slowly closing his eyelights as he did so. “I'm angry they hurt you because you could have gotten killed... They probably would have killed you if you didn't get away when you did...”

“Hey, there's no need to glare hard enough to explode the concrete because I'm still here. Beau's still here. We're still out here and ready to show somebody who's boss too,” Vivian remarked in response to her worried boyfriend, kicking her leg up in an attempt to strike a dramatic pose.

“There's you two and all of those other people who got hurt and are coming back injured because of the murder drones... They...” Thad muttered quietly as he leaned forward against Vivian's bed, resting his elbow joints against the edge of it as his free hand came up to rub his visor.

The pink eyed drone frowned in concern as she watched Thad, gently brushing her thumb against his faceplate before she moved her hand to stroke the back of his head instead in an attempt to soothe him. The green eyed drone took in a shaky vent as he leaned against the bed and allowed himself to relax into Vivian's loving and careful touch.

“Speaking of injuries... Beau?” Piers suddenly cut into the conversation as he raised his mug to his lips, getting everyone in the room to jump slightly as if they had all forgotten he had been there with how silent he had been. Even Uzi started hissing quietly again from where she was perched on top of the cabinets, earning a tired and unamused stare from the medical drone as he looked up at her.

“...Yeah? What's up?” The orange eyed drone asked as he turned his attention to Piers, his eyelights only briefly darting away to glance at Uzi at the sound of her hissing.

“You should be free to leave now as long as you're careful and don't put more strain on that leg than necessary,” The tired medical drone continued as he sipped from his mug again. “Your repair systems should take care of the rest of the injury but it'll take longer to heal if you put too much weight on it and split the casing again.”

The orange eyed blinked and then nodded in response to Piers, looking down at his now bandaged leg before he moved it back and forth to see how it felt. The movement brought a bit of pain and got him to frown slightly, but it was still manageable thanks to some of the repair gel that the medical drones had applied to the bandages.

Vivian watched Beau for a moment before she leveled an expectant and hopeful look at Piers, though her hopes were quickly dashed as he raised an eyebrow and shook his head at her over his mug. Her face quickly gave way to a frustrated groan as she threw her head back against the bed, prompting Thad to give her hand another gentle squeeze.

“You'll need to stay here a bit longer, Vivian. I know, I know, I've just unleashed hell on Copper-9 and hell is no longer frozen over,” The medical drone commented as he narrowed his eyelights at the grumbling drone. “I need you to stay here long enough for me to check your oil levels. Your injuries are worse than Beau's which is giving me the sneaking suspicion you're going to need an oil transfusion to catch your systems back up to speed.”

“Hey... That's okay, Vivi. I can hang out and stay with you until the doc says you're all free to go. Mom's not gonna care if she knows I'm hanging out with you here,” Thad spoke up as he looked at the still grumbling and glaring Vivian, giving her hand yet another gentle squeeze.

“I reckon I can stay here an' suffer with ya too if it'll make ya feel any better. I already went out with ya on the trip so I might as well go down with ya too, right?” Beau offered with a shrug, unable to keep from snickering as he listened to Vivian's grumbling.

“Fineeee. You both owe me anyway for how awesome I am. Beau owes me too because I saved his casing out there in the car park. This is the two of you repaying me,” Vivian remarked, one of her eyebrows raising on her screen before the corners of her mouth started to twitch and form into a playful smirk.

The trio of teenagers started to devolve into snickering soon afterwards, leaving the tension in the room to start clearing off once more. Beau's parents seemed to relax slightly as well at the sight of the children having fun, though Alice was quick to retreat into her shoulders again as Uzi got curious about all of the laughter from her perch and started chirping again.

The lighthearted tone in the room continued for some time after that, so much so that the teenagers managed to lose track of time at some point. Vivian almost didn't even notice that Piers was setting up the oil transfusion and likely wouldn't have noticed if it weren't for the medical drone having to dig into the casing of her arm again to get to her oil tubes inside the limb.

The pink eyed drone took that time to stage several loud and verbal complaints to Piers who merely responded by looking her straight in the eyelights and sipping on his mug as if nothing were happening. Beau and Thad used that time to start discussing what the plans for the rest of the day were going to be after Vivian was cleared to leave the medical bay, though it didn't take long for them to come to the agreement that they were all likely to spend the rest of the day relaxing at home after everything that happened.

Neither one was sure which home they were going to wind up in by the end of the day or what they were going to do exactly, but they were both at least in agreement that the rest of the day was going to be spent doing boring and non-exciting activities to give everyone a chance to rest and recover from the awful morning. Thad also had the good point that keeping to easygoing and calm activities would reduce the chances of Beau and Vivian damaging themselves worse by moving around too much with their injuries.

“Okay, here's an idea. You'll both thank me later,” Vivian suddenly spoke up to cut through the silence that had settled in the wake of Beau and Thad's attempted brainstorming, attempting to ignore the annoying weight on her arm where oil was still being transferred.

“What kinda idea are ya thinkin' of?” Beau asked as he looked up from his phone to look at the pink eyed drone, having pulled the device out after the conversation and discussion had started to lull with Thad.

“Why don't we all just pile up in one of our rooms, forget about the rest of the day, and watch movies together? That'd be a way to do something fun without moving around too much,” Vivian suggested as she gave a small shrug of her uninjured shoulder, raising an eyebrow as she looked around at both her boyfriend and her friend to see what their thoughts were.

Beau made a thoughtful hum as he considered Vivian's suggestion, looking down at his phone long enough to finish a text he had been working on before he shared a glance with Thad. The green eyed drone shrugged and gave a small nod in response, getting the orange eyed drone to give his own little nod in agreement to the silent communication.

“Sounds good to me, Vivi. You and Beau could lay down and get the rest you need while we watch,” Thad replied as he turned his gaze back to his girlfriend, giving her a smile.

“Reckon it sounds good to me too,” Beau spoke up as he gave Vivian a nod of agreement as well, letting his foot slowly swing back and forth where it was dangling off the bed. “Don't really think I'm in the mood for horror movies after what happened earlier though...”

“Doesn't have to be horror movies. I have a whole collection to go through so I bet we can find something that's still entertaining but isn't going to drag us through the scrap heap,” Vivian commented as she waved her hand around in the air for emphasis.

The pink eyed drone's gaz started to trail to the side again as she noticed something moving out of the corner of her vision, quickly getting her to let out a startled scream for the second time as she made eye contact with Uzi who was currently leaning over the side of the bed and staring directly at her. The purple haired drone flinched back in response to the sudden noise, though her eyelights still appeared to be captivated with Vivian for the moment.

Thad managed to jump in surprise as well beside Vivian, causing him to squeeze her hand just a bit tighter as he took in a sharp vent. No one was entirely sure if Uzi had startled him worse or if his girlfriend's shout had been the one to startle him instead.

“Uh... Hey, Uzi... Didn't see you there,” The green eyed drone mumbled as he stared at the purple haired drone in question, his eyelights hollow with his surprise.

“Would you quit scaring the hell out of people?! Not everybody appreciates that kind of thing!” Vivian complained, earning a blink and then another hiss out of Uzi as she finally narrowed her eyelights at the glasses-wearing drone.

Thad released a quiet sigh as he listened to Vivian and Uzi, his facial features starting to pull into a frown as he looked between both of the other drones in an attempt to silently ask them to cease the arguing. The hissing died down somewhat in response to the look, but the two still kept a glare leveled at one another.

“...Hey, Uzi? Were you curious about the movies too? Is that why you came down from up there?” The green eyed drone guessed as he raised an eyebrow, once again attempting to provide a distraction from the tension.

Uzi kept her glare leveled at Vivian for a moment before she broke the stare to look at Thad with an air of curiosity around her instead. She tilted her head slightly in response to his questions, making several more warbling sounds before she finally nodded in response.

“Oh hellllll no. I know what you're thinking about, Thad. Stop thinking about it,” The pink eyed drone cut in as she realized where the conversation was headed, expressing her displeasure with a huff and a pout.

“...Thinkin' 'bout what? What's goin' on?” Beau questioned as he cast his glance between his two friends and the purple haired drone with them. He glanced down at his phone again long enough to navigate over to his music app once more, debating if he needed to start playing music to keep everyone calm again.

“Ball cap over here is thinking about inviting the purple haired dork along to our movie marathon,” Vivian replied with a grumble, her displeasure still readily apparent on her visor.

“Hey, come on, Vivi. She's our age. Plus, maybe having her around would help with the whole distraction from the thoughts thing because maybe you can squeeze some of those stories about the outside you wanted out of her. Chance to make a new friend and all of that,” Thad suggested as he shrugged his shoulders slightly, giving his girlfriend's hand another gentle squeeze.

“Here you go doing that inclusive thing you like to do... Not everybody needs to be included in everything, you know,” The pink eyed drone grumbled again at her boyfriend, narrowing her eyelights at him.

“I dunno... I think it sounds kinda like a good idea myself,” Beau cut into the conversation as he thumbed at his phone, looking for a song to play that might defuse the tension in the room again. “Like Thad said, maybe we could hear some of them stories 'bout the outside we were kinda curious 'bout? You know... nicer stories?”

Vivian narrowed her eyelights at Beau instead as she realized he was taking Thad's side, though a heavy sigh left her as she started to realize exactly what they were trying to do. She knew that they were both desperately reaching for any distractions they could get from the disaster of a scavenging trip because she knew it was likely that none of them wanted to be alone with their thoughts right now if the thought processes they were having were anything like hers.

“...Fineeee, whatever. We'll take the purple freak with us if she just insists on coming with us,” The pink eyed drone said with another sigh of defeat.

Uzi did in fact look interested in the idea of the movie and was quick to nod in agreement, though she was quick to start hissing again in response to the nickname for her that left Vivian's mouth. Both drones proceeded to get into yet another glaring match with each other, getting Beau to quickly find a song to play before he turned the volume up on it to grab the room's attention.

The purple haired drone was quickly distracted by the music, soon breaking her contest with Vivian so she could go approach Beau's bedside instead. The orange eyed drone couldn't help but blink in confusion and surprise as he watched quite literally scuttle across the room on her hands and feet as if she were an animal before she sat in a crouched position before him, clearly absorbed by the music that was playing from his phone.

Beau gave Uzi a bit of an unsure smile, unsure of what to think about the odd behavior he had just witnessed and attempting to sort his confused thoughts over it. He quickly decided that wasn't what was important at the moment though as he shook his head slightly to himself, instead focusing on queuing up a few more songs to play to help keep everyone from arguing again.

Vivian's loud grumbling suddenly reached the orange eyed drone's audios again, getting him to look up to see what was going on before he realized she was currently complaining to Piers about how long the oil transfusion was taking. Thad was currently in the process of nervously chuckling and reaching up to gently stroke the side of her hair in an attempt to soothe his girlfriend's agitated nerves.

Uzi had gotten partially distracted by the noise as well and was looking over at the group with confused curiosity, letting out another series of chirping sounds. Beau couldn't tell yet if everything that was happening was a sign it was going to be a fun afternoon or an incredibly long afternoon.

The orange eyed drone let out a low and silent sigh as he allowed his shoulders to relax and continued to surf his library for more music. He didn't really care how the rest of the day would go as long as it was anything to get his processor off of the morning of terrors.

With that thought lingering in his processor, Beau sat his phone down on the bed beside him to let it play its music and turned to join in on the conversations happening on the other side of the room.

Chapter Text

The wind whistled as it whipped through the open and exposed areas of the car park, serving as the only sound that filled the silence of the area in the wake of the screeching and the sound of scurrying worker drones that had died down. Both of the worker drones that had been there had successfully escaped and were more than likely long gone back to the colony they had crawled out of in the first place.

The worker drones may have fled from the car park, but that did not mean the building was entirely devoid of life.

One tall drone lay curled up in a ball on the cracked segment of pavement beneath him, wisps of smoke still trailing up and awake from his wings where they had previously ignited into flames. The damages that had been incurred were already well on their way to healing, but the acrid smell of burnt and melted wires still filled the space directly around him.

The disassembly drone hugged his arms and rubbed them as his tail lashed the concrete beneath him, his tail canister angling up high enough to avoid cracking itself against the hard surface as he tried to get his mood under control. He brought a hand to the band of five eyes that were situated at the top of his head, briefly running a hand over the orbs and then into his hair as he tried to soothe the aching headache that was currently surging directly behind his visor with every thud of his core in his chest.

“D...” He began to speak up as he turned his head enough to look at the longer haired disassembly drone that had retreated deep into the corner of the car park. The other drone sat crouched low to the ground, visibly trembling as she hugged herself tightly in her wings.

The female Disassembler's head snapped up at the sound of the voice as if she had just remembered the shorter haired disassembly drone was still in the car park with her, a snarl spitting past her lips as she turned just enough to peek out from between the bladed feathers of her wings. The fuzzy and hollow golden eyelights were visible for a brief moment before they were quickly replaced by a blazing and unforgiving cross to match her razor sharp fangs that were now in full display with the curling of her lip.

[Stop it. Do not. Not right now,] The longer haired Disassembler fired back at her squadmate in fluent Russian, the quiet volume of her voice nearly lost in the involuntary hiss that accompanied the words.

The shorter haired Disassembler flinched back and curled into a tighter ball in response to the snarl and the glare that left the other drone, a quiet whine and a light tremble wracking his frame from both the physical pain and the realization of his actions starting to crash back down upon him. His tail curled where it was, starting to twist itself into a knot with his stress.

“D... Come on... I just wanna-”

[What could you possibly have to say right now, B? If you were going to acknowledge the fact that the worker drones got away, I am already well aware of that fact. I could have very easily had them the first time or, if not the first time, I could have had them the second time. And why did I not get them? That would be because someone decided to tackle me,] D hissed back in response, effectively cutting off the other drone mid-sentence as her own voice wavered slightly.

“Would you talk to me, please...?”

[Stop it. Please. Just... stop talking. I want peace and quiet right now,] The longer haired Disassembler responded sharply as she turned her back to him, effectively ending any future attempts at attempting to speak with her or read her mood.

B couldn't help but frown at the shutdown and opened his mouth to comment again anyway, though he decided against it before he could get a word out and shook his head to himself instead. He started to rub his hand up and down his visor which did nothing to soothe his headache, though it did make him feel at least slightly better and calmer if nothing else.

Try as he might, the male Disassembler couldn't shake the questions that were still floating around in his processor and demanded he speak up in an attempt to get answers to those questions. His eyelights found themselves drifting towards D again anyway even if he knew it was a bad idea, his words poised at the end of his tongue before they spilled out without another thought.

“...Does 'stop talking' include asking about what we're going to do with the food we did catch?” B asked as he gave the other Disassembler a bit of a hopeful stare.

The fact that D didn't answer him or even acknowledge him with a growl spoke volumes in response to his question, instead leaving him to nod slightly and give up as he settled into resting and thumped his tail against the concrete.

The silence that grew between them stretched on for what felt like an eternity in the B's processor as both Disassemblers sat on opposite ends of the car park from one another. The male Disassembler was well aware that he could check the time at any point on his internal clock to be able to tell how much time had passed during the wait, but he had a feeling that watching the clock was only going to make him even more restless and anxious which led to him deciding against glancing at the clock.

The unfortunate downside to the Disassemblers' plans of staying overnight in the hotel to catch the visiting worker drones meant that they had to remain in the building long enough to wait out the entire rest of the day's worth of sunlight, which was proving to be quite the problem at the moment where one member of the squad was clearly unhappy to be existing in the room with the other. Both of the Disassemblers realized that they could spread out around the hotel and the car park to get some space from one another, but neither could go home to their nests even if they wanted to while the harsh sunlight was still bearing down on the outside world.

B still wasn't sure how much time had passed as the silence stretched on for what felt like a while longer, but it was enough to cause him to start getting severely anxious and restless the longer he stayed in one place.

The male Disassembler slowly forced himself up into a sitting position, wincing slightly at the soreness that his systems were registering in his limbs. He brought his wings around himself to inspect the repairs, the faint scent of burnt wires still picking up in his sensors before he slowly retracted his wings into his back and scooted backwards to rest against the vehicle he neared.

A quick glance over in D's direction again showed him that she had unwrapped herself from her wing cocoon but still seemed perfectly intent on remaining on the other side of the car park away from him. A quiet sound started to fill the air which B identified as her claws clicking together, the blades scraping and screeching against one another as she fidgeted with them to pass the time.

The silence continued to stretch between the two Disassemblers before a heavy sigh finally left D and got B to perk up a bit.

[You can carry back at least two, yes? Then you can carry those two and go back to the spire once the sun has gone down,] The female Disassembler spoke up as her tail canister slowly swayed back and forth behind her.

On himself or their other squadmate, B knew little tail movements like that were normally a good thing and a sign they were both happy. On D, he knew she had a bit of a quirk with using her tail like a metronome of sorts when she was boiling over levels of angry and needed something to self-soothe with.

That was a terrifying sight and a bad sign that had the male Disassembler's core sinking into what used to be his fuel tank.

“Okay, so... You want me to fly two bodies out to the spire and then come back to grab more?” B asked as he balled his hands up into fists, his tail curling to pick itself up from the ground and rest in the air above him.

[No. You can take those two back and stay there. C needs at least one of us to return and show her we made it through the day safely. She will also need someone to check in on her and see how she is feeling,] D responded as she suddenly stood up, wasting no time in turning on her peg-shaped legs and starting to walk towards the door back into the hotel.

“But, D- What about you? What about the rest of the food?” The male Disassembler called after his squadmate as he scrambled to get up and follow her, wincing at the way the sharp and sudden movement made his head spin.

[I will carry the rest of it back. There is no need for you to fly back here. You can stay with C,] The female Disassembler responded again, this time with a more forceful tone that implied she was not in the mood to argue about it.

Her tail had ceased in its movements and had instead curled up behind her in striking position, vaguely aimed in her squadmate's direction as he followed a healthy distance behind her with a frown.

“I really can help carry things back. I don't mind at-“

[I said go home, B. Go home and take what you can carry back with you so C can feed too. I will get the rest of it,] D cut off the other Disassembler as her tail snapped out in his direction, forcing him to flinch back and nearly fall as his foot caught on the pavement.

The longer haired Disassembler did not wait up for him or even spare a glance over her shoulder at him, instead continuing forward with long strides before she disappeared through the door ahead. B's shoulders fell as he stopped in his tracks and stared at the doorway his squadmate had just disappeared through, his tail slowly drooping down to rest on top of the concrete again as it finally settled over his processor that she didn't want to be anywhere near him at the moment.

The male Disassembler was left staring for a few more moments with his tumbling thoughts before he let out another sigh, deciding that there was no point in standing around and doing nothing when he could be gathering the bodies up to have them ready to carry back right away after sunset. The crushing silence was resting heavily over his shoulders as he slowly stepped forward and reached out to pull the door open again, allowing him to slip into the dark and abandoned hotel once more.

Sorry! Hurts. Sorry! Friend! Here! B warbled as he shrank into his shoulders and hugged himself, listening to his noise quietly bouncing along the walls around him as his optics tracked the nearest trail of oil down one of the hallways and got him to start following it.

There was no whistle or call in reply from D.

The winds blowing about the city had picked up as the day had gone on, now leaving it slightly on the harsher side as it whipped through shattered windows and tilting buildings as if it were reaching for the lone Disassembler that was sailing through the air above it all. The sun had finally gone down enough that it wouldn't pose an active threat to him or the other drones like him, but he still found it a bit too warm out to his liking and was busy complaining and grumbling his cares out to the wind on his way.

B had been flying for a bit now which left him scanning the area beneath him and ahead of him with his enhanced optics to reduce the chances of crashing and getting hurt due to the heavy snow that was whipping around him. The last thing he wanted to do was crash face first into a building while he was already still feeling sore from his fight with D and in the process of carrying food he couldn't afford to smash into pieces with a crash landing.

The Disassembler's wings flexed and angled to allow him to slow down as the dark outline of the spire highlighted in his vision, leaving him to dive down towards the road below as he neared his destination at a rapid pace. The bladed feathers angled again as he approached the ground at terminal velocity, once again slowing him down enough to allow him to flip his legs underneath him in preparation of landing just outside the spire's open entrance.

The whispers being produced by B's wings died in the wind as he retracted them into his back once more, leaving him to land roughly in the snow below as he landed perfectly flat on both feet. A sharp gasp left him with the impact as pain rocketed up his still sore and weakened legs, his body and sense of balance not taking well to the shockwave from the rough landing.

The Disassembler sprung forward slightly as his legs jerked on their own, which sent him stumbling forward as he tried to catch his balance again and right himself. Despite his best efforts, he finally lost his footing as he tripped through the entrance of the spire and landed face first in the snow with a pained grunt. The two bodies he had been carrying fell into the snow with him as he went down, sending a spray of the frozen mixture up into the air and over him.

“B? D? Was... that you?” A voice suddenly called out from somewhere above B, drawing his gaze up to one of the higher ledges located along the spire walls as he tried to get his arms under him again.

Here! Hi! Friend! I'm here! Found food! The Disassembler whistled in response as he slowly pushed himself up on his hands to lift his face out of the snow, his arms immediately shaking beneath him as they protested the weight he was putting on them.

Friend! Here! Here! came the whistles in response to B's own as he managed to get his knees under him next. The cold snow was a welcome relief on his too-warm body, but he knew he couldn't stay lying there in the snow all night because he had things he needed to be taking care of.

The Disassembler grunted in pain again as he forced himself up to sit properly on his knees, his tail lashing out at the air behind him before he hooked a sharp talon through one of the corpses' jackets to drag it closer to him. He cast his glance upwards at the ledge again as he swapped his other hand out for claws as well and held one of the arms out straight in preparation of slicing it free from the rest of the body.

“B? You sound... injured. Are you alright?” The voice called out again from above, this time sounding several tones more concerned than it had been when its owner had first called out.

“Hey, sorry- I'm right here. Don't worry!” B called out in response as he sliced the arm off the body, immediately angling the limb upwards to let gravity reduce the amount of oil leakage that was dripping out onto the ground. He clamped his mouth over the severed stump on the corpse to drink some of the oil that was now flowing freely from a few torn tubes, allowing himself to drink until the oil flow had slowed down a bit.

Satisfied with his feeding and savoring the taste of the cooling oil on his tongue for the moment, the Disassembler carefully lowered it back into the snow and turned it onto its side to leave it there for the moment. His wings sprang free from his body once more, the whispers returning in full force as he flapped his wings and then propelled himself upwards towards the ledge he had been viewing moments before.

One golden optical array met the other as B landed on the edge of the ledge with the severed arm in tow, his wings folding down to rest against his back as he looked down at the other drone lying down in the nest before him. The resting Disassembler was quick to frown as she noticed how slow B seemed to be moving, her eyelights brightening into a look of proper concern as she studied her squadmate.

“What... happened?” The female Disassembler asked as she slowly started to force herself up by her elbow joints with a wince, her body immediately creaking in protest as she forced the stiff limbs to move.

B opened his mouth to respond as he watched the other Disassembler, though he paused at the sound of the audible creaking coming from her body as she managed to force herself into a sitting position and then crossed her legs. His own eyelights pulled into a hollow frown as he studied her up and down, his optics scanning over her for any visible injuries before he crouched down and sat on one of his knee joints beside her nest.

“Oh, come on… Seriously… Your frame is still messing up? Has it been this way all day too?” The male Disassembler asked, effectively ducking under her question about him as he watched the other Disassembler with concerned eyelights.

“Answer… True. Yes. It has been, but it is better… than it was last night. Moving is easier,” The other Disassembler noted as she watched B, her eyelights narrowing further into a skeptical frown. “That did not... answer my question, though.”

“I can... go over what happened in a bit. I think you should eat first because you probably haven't had anything all day, right? If this isn't enough, there's the rest of this dude's body down there and another one,” B said as he shook his head in response to her statement and offered the severed arm to her.

The female Disassembler sighed at this clear attempt to dodge her question yet again, but she decided against fighting it this time as she instead reached out to take the arm. She slowly shifted one of her hands into talons, frowning as one of the claws briefly caught and was stuck in place before it snapped all the way out in the position it should be in.

“You are injured... Did the plan not go as expected?” The Disassembler asked as she hooked her claw into one of the plating segments on the arm, prying and ripping the panel loose before she popped it into her mouth.

“Just drilling straight down to business there, C...” B commented as he shook his head, taking a moment to turn around and crawl to the edge of the ledge so he could sit and dangle his legs from it.

The other Disassembler made a quiet hum to acknowledge his statement, an eyebrow turning up on her screen to encourage him to keep talking. B cast his glance over his shoulder long enough to verify that his squadmate was listening before he let out a sigh and brought his hand up to rub his visor.

“Your answer's kind of... yes and no. The group showed up just like we expected and everything went nice and smooth at first. D got up in the vents while I pounced down on the group and chased them, no problem. I bagged a few during the chase while D was helping me herd them and keeping them away from the stairs.”

C nodded as she listened along to the story, her eyelights still turned up in a look of concern as she studied the way the other Disassembler seemed to tremble slightly. She was quiet for a moment as she turned her head to look out over the spire as if in search of someone, her optical array sweeping the area before her stare returned to her squadmate before her.

“...Where is D now?” The female Disassembler asked as she hooked her talon through the opening she had made in the arm, carefully threading a tube out through the hole before she bit into it to start sucking the oil out.

“See, I was getting to that part. Here's where I start screwing up,” B started as he kicked his leg out. “Two workers figured it out, right? They figured out they were being herded and split off from the group. I told D what was going on and split off too to chase those two down because one was already injured and the scent of the oil was easy to track.”

The male Disassembler cast a quick glance over his shoulder to check on C once more, getting her to nod as she continued to sip on the oil tube and encouraged him to continue with his story.

“So, the worker drones run into this little bar area and I'm thinking 'perfect, I can trap these guys here now'. The problems started when I prowled up to the bar where they were hiding and one of them popped out to smash me right on the head. Burst one of my eyes up here,” He continued as he reached up to gingerly touch the previously injured yellow optic on top of his head. His vision in that optic had thankfully come back quickly after that little attack but it still left a sore ache behind even hours later now.

C did not speak in favor of keeping the oil tube between her fangs, but the narrow eyed frown she was giving B in addition to the fact that her tail was twitching and twisting behind her in agitation gave the other Disassembler a good indicator of what her current thoughts and feelings on the story were. The male Disassembler waved at her over his shoulder in an attempt to silently tell her it was okay to help ease her concerns.

“I screamed of course because that hurt like hell and I guess D must've heard that because she came running to check on me. I told her I got hurt and before I could say another word, she shot off in hot pursuit of those two workers because they hauled it out of that bar after attacking me.”

“...B. Where is D right now? Did they... hurt her too?” The other Disassembler asked as she pulled the oil tube free from her mouth, keeping her claws wrapped around it to prevent it from falling back down inside the arm or spilling.

B looked at C again with a frown, staring at her for a moment before he turned away to stare out at the spire walls in front of him again. A quiet whine escaped his voice box as his shoulders started to sag, getting his squadmate's expression to turn up in a look of fear at the sudden change in behavior.

“That's the part where I actually start messing up,” The male Disassembler spoke quietly as he crossed his arms over his torso, hugging himself as he lowered his head and refused to meet C's gaze. “After my eye fixed itself and I could see again, I chased D and the workers out to the car park. I got out there, saw her about to put her claws through one of the worker's screens, and I...”

“...You what?” C asked quietly after noticing he had trailed off, her worried gaze keeping him well within her line of sight as she brought the tube back to her mouth to continue drinking from it.

“Okay, so...” B started as he reached up to scratch the back of his head, his tail thrashing against the side of the ledge in agitation. “I might have... maybe... tackled D before she could put her claws through that dude's screen? And then I might have started fighting her while the two worker drones got away? And... She might have gotten away from me at some point but then I threw her into a car?”

His explanation tumbled out so quickly and so breathlessly that it took C a few additional moments to run it through her processor again and pick out exactly what he had said. B was clearly waiting for her reaction judging by the way he had hunched down into his shoulders and was still anxiously thumping his tail against the ledge beside him.

It took about another full minute before the weight of the male Disassembler's previous statement finally settled over the female Disassembler.

The reaction came in the form of the oil tube falling out of C's mouth with a quiet pop, her jaw hanging open slightly as she stared at her squadmate with complete and utter disbelief. B was quick to whirl around where he was sitting on the ledge to face the other Disassembler again, quickly shaking his hands back and forth as he attempted to silently assure her it was going to be okay and to not freak out over what he had just said.

“C-”

“What- What happened?! B- How- Why- When- What- Wh-aaat-” C tried to get a proper sentence out but quickly found herself unable to as her voice clipped and sputtered with her sudden influx of new emotions and racing thoughts bouncing around in her processor.

The female Disassembler took in a sharp vent before she started to try to speak again, but she once again found herself cut off as her core painfully squeezed inside her chest and forced her to let out a wince. B was quick to notice what was happening and scrambled closer to her, coming to rest on his knees just before the nest again as his squadmate brought her free hand up to rest over her chest and tightly gripped the fabric of her dress.

“Hey, hey, deep vent. Take one big vent for me,” The male Disassembler instructed quietly as he reached out to touch one of her shoulders, giving it a gentle and encouraging shake as his tail twisted into anxious knots behind him.

C shook her head slightly in response to B’s instructions as her face pulled into a frown instead, her hollow eyed stare locked onto her squadmate as she found herself far more interested in circling back to what he had just said as opposed to following through with instructions. Her core clenched and seized again in her chest, causing her to let out another shaky vent before she closed her eyelights in a tight frown and squeezed the fabric of her dress again.

“Please take a deep vent for me? I know you’re probably super mad at me or super confused right now but please, C- I need you to calm down because I know it hurts,” B spoke up again as he moved his other hand to his squadmate’s shoulder, giving the joints a gentle and careful squeeze as he tried to reassure her and drag her back into focusing on the moment.

The female Disassembler tried to take a deeper vent but her attempt to do so came out stuttering as her core skipped a beat or two more than it should have. She soon released her dress and instead balled the hand into a fist, bringing it back against her chest in a hard and firm whack that left a clang echoing around the inside of the spire.

C was finally able to take in a sharp and deep vent in response to the sudden strike, leaving her to bend over slightly as she went back to holding her hand over her chest. Her core still felt like it was beating slightly off rhythm to what it should normally be doing, but she was able to continue drawing in slower and deeper vents as she closed her eyelights again and attempted to focus on calming down.

B held onto her shoulders for a moment in an attempt to help keep her steady and grounded, his facial expression pulled into a silent apology as he watched the other Disassembler attempting to get her core back under control. Her eyelights finally snapped open again a few moments later as she leveled an incredibly annoyed and unamused expression his way, causing the male Disassembler to flinch back slightly and meet the glare with his own wide and nervous grin.

“Yes, I am- giving you my best annoyed expression,” C spoke with a rather flat tone despite the emotional outburst she had just been teetering on the edge of. “What truly happened? Why did y-you get into a fight with D? Why did you hurt her?”

B immediately shrank into himself in response to the questions, his arms drawing up against his chest as his tail tucked up under him and wrapped itself around one of his legs. Her words chilled his too-warm core like he had just been stabbed straight through with an icicle, leaving an upset whine to tear out of his voice box in time with his shrinking into himself.

The female Disassembler’s expression wavered slightly at the sound of the whine, but she was quick to regain her composure with a hard stare as her tail flicked up and lashed at the air above her.

“I didn’t- I didn’t mean to… I just- Just- Sorta- You know… Just sort of...” The male Disassembler trailed off again as he tightly hugged himself, another whine tearing out of his voice box as one of his hands came up to rub his visor again. “...I messed up big time, C.”

“That statement is… true. That much is obvious,” C stated before her glare finally started to soften. Frustrated as she was, she couldn’t bring herself to direct all of the anger out on her squadmate who clearly looked distressed over the situation. “I was being… serious, B. I keep asking because I want… to know what happened.”

B took in his own shaky vent as he closed his eyelights, though C was still well aware his other optics located along the top of his head were focused solely on her. He was quiet for a few moments, letting the whistling wind outside the spire fill the silence as he attempted to calm his frayed nerves enough to gather his thoughts.

“I don’t… know what happened. Not exactly,” The male Disassembler quietly muttered. “I just sorta… I saw D about to stab that one worker clean through and I just kind of tackled her before I even realized it. I didn’t even realize what I’d done until I was on top of her and she was shouting at me. I swear it was like my body just kind of moved on its own. I don’t know why I did that.”

“Then why did… you not stop after you tackled her? Why would you keep fighting? And why… would you tackle her in the first place? You have never done that before any other time we have hunted together. What made this time different?”

B’s tail unwrapped from his leg and started to anxiously thrash behind him again, his mouth pulling into a thin line as his eyelights narrowed into a frown again. He met C’s expectant gaze and gave a heavy sigh as he tapped his fingers against the visor glass beneath his fingertips.

“So, uh… You know how I’ve been using that phone to stalk those chat rooms and get news on the colonies around here? Well… I sorta maybe made a mistake there by deciding one day a while back I would, you know, text one of those workers? I wanted to mess with their head a little and send them all kinds of random stuff to see if I could weird them out for fun,” The male Disassembler started as his hand moved from his visor and started scratching his head instead.

C crossed her arms as she committed to listening, her tail slowly thrashing back and forth in the air behind her as a look of unease passed over her visor. B found himself glancing away to avoid having to meet her gaze again.

“I was pretty bored that day so it was just supposed to be a quick couple of hours of entertainment. The worker did not get weirded out like I expected and you know how I am. I got competitive so maybe I kept texting this worker to see if I could find something that would really mess with his head...”

There was another pause as if the male Disassembler was afraid to continue his story.

“...Long story short... I started chatting with a worker like an idiot and didn’t realize how it was going to backfire on me and bite me in the tail later until me and D were in that car park and I recognized the worker D was about to spear. I just jumped right into action without even thinking about it… Before I ever knew what I was doing,” B finally finished his thought as he ran his fingers through his hair, sinking into his shoulders again as he continued to avoid the other Disassembler’s gaze.

The silence passed heavily between the two Disassemblers after he had finished speaking, broken only by the sound of the wind whistling through the spire of corpses they called home again. Neither one dared to say anything for what felt like an eternity between them, one silently waiting for the other’s reaction while the other one stared at her squadmate with a look caught somewhere between confusion, frustration, and sympathy.

It was C who finally decided to speak up and break the silence, drawing the attention back to her as she let out a low whistle of a vent.

“B… You know we can’t-”

“Can’t befriend the food? I know, C… I know...” B spoke up suddenly, cutting the female Disassembler off as he shrank further into his shoulders and pressed both of his hands to his screen. His tail whipped around behind him and sent a spray of snow that had gathered on the ledge into the air, his mouth visibly quivering. “I said I wouldn’t get attached and look at what I did- I screwed up again. I accidentally made myself care about something I’ll probably have to eat in a couple of weeks!”

“B...”

The male Disassembler suddenly stood up from his sitting position, his eyelights flickering away to take on the visage of the ever familiar burning golden cross as his hands moved to the side of his head to grip his hair. A low laugh bubbled out of his voice box as his tail whipped the air behind him, making the sound of a whip-crack as it lashed against the wall beside him.

“Haha, what am I emotional about? That’s right, you guessed it! A freaking toaster! Scrap metal I’ll be picking my teeth with! Oil that I’ll burn through in a week! Just another terrified face to block out! Just another lifeless shell to add to our wonderful macabre art show!” He shouted as his hands flew around from his head, instead motioning to the mountain of long since dead worker drone corpses forming the walls and ceilings of their den.

C looked taken aback by the other Disassembler’s outburst, leaning back slightly with bright and hollow eyelights as she rested her hand against her chest, her fingers balling up in the fabric of her dress again. “B-”

“Just another mistake on my belt! And for what? A worker drone friend that I’ll inevitably have to kill? A temporary friendship? Woo! Look at me, C! I made a temporary friendship with my lunch! Guess how much it cost me? My own squadmate!” B shouted before he collapsed onto his hands and knees, burying his visor in his balled up fists as his body was wracked with a sob.

The female Disassembler’s voice died in her throat as she stared at the trembling and quietly sobbing form of her squad leader before her. She could see that B’s temperature was starting to spike with his emotions again in her thermal vision, which was enough to get her to shift to sitting on her knees instead as she leaned towards him.

“C, you were right. I hurt her. I attacked her. I yelled at her. I betrayed her trust. And she looked so hurt about it too. She looked at me like I had reached in and just ripped her core out. I chose a toaster over her. I don’t know if she’s going to forgive me. I don’t know if she’s even going to come back tonight. If she gets stuck waiting out the sunlight in some random building or gets caught out in a snowstorm, that’ll be my fault too!” The male Disassembler continued, his voice box crackling with static from the strain all of his shouting had put on it.

“B… Look at me...” C instructed quietly as she slowly crawled closer to B, the severed arm she had been feeding from having been temporarily forgotten beside her nest. A quiet whine slowly rattled its way out of her own chassis at the sight of him being so upset.

“Right… There’s another one of my mistakes...” B muttered quietly as his visor remained buried in his hands. “Here I am forcing all of my problems and the consequences of my own mistakes on you… My other squadmate who isn’t feeling well right now and shouldn’t be forced to comfort me for my own stupid screw up. I’m a huge failure as a leader… I failed D… I’m failing you right now...”

The female Disassembler let out a huff in response to B’s statements before she reached out, her joints popping and grinding in immediate protest of the sudden movement. She bit down the wince as she gently grabbed hold of the other Disassembler’s head and forced him to look up at her, determined to help distract him.

“Frustrated… Listen to me. Yes. You made a mistake. However, I do not think that… it is a permanent mistake. D is upset just like you. It may take time but she will not… permanently hate you. You can start by… apologizing to her if you have not already and by giving her the same story you have given me.”

C paused after she finished speaking, placing her hand over her clenching core again as she took in another deep vent. She kept her gaze fixed on the other Disassembler before her head tilted slightly, soon releasing a series of whistles.

Here. Safe. Here! Safe! She whistled, her head tilting slightly to the other side.

Here. Hi. Here, B warbled quietly in response before he frowned at his squadmate, his tail lashing at the air behind him. “C… You gotta calm down. Your core hurts again, doesn’t it?”

The female Disassembler shook her head as she forced herself to take a shaky but deep vent, her tail curling up behind her again as she managed to force the best serious stare she could manage at B.

“And you,” She began as she took another deep vent through a tight squeeze in her core, “need to get something to eat. Your temperature spiked during that.”

The male Disassembler blinked several times in response to her statement before he cast his glance back down to the ground below, only just now remembering he had in fact brought back two spoils from the morning’s hunt. His face pulled into a pout as the morning’s events briefly flashed through his processor again, reminding him that D said she would get the rest of the food and bring it back.

“Sorry, C… I got so wrapped up in my rant that I totally forgot you were busy feeding before that. If you’re still hungry I can go get the rest that arm came from,” B offered as he slowly sat up straighter.

C looked down at her hands, squinting her eyelights as she willed the hands to retreat and unsheathe her claws once more. One pair came out without issue while the other got stuck bent at an angle, but one gentle flick of her twist freed the claws and let them fold out properly.

“There is no need. I can easily climb. We can eat together,” She said as she wiggled the blades of her clawed hands, clicking the talons together.

The male Disassembler looked unsure about the idea that his squadmate was suggesting as he listened to her joints clicking again, but he knew better than to try arguing with her as he watched her crawl to the edge of the ledge. He turned to the ledge himself as he watched her hook her claws in and swing her legs off, letting herself dangle for a moment before she swung her legs up to hook onto the underside of the surface.

B let out a quiet sigh before he spread his wings out again, the whispers piercing the wind as he hopped off of the ledge and glided down to land gently on his feet in the snow below. He looked up in preparation of catching C if she slipped and fell, but she climbed down perfectly on her own and made sure her legs were steady on the ground before she unlatched from the wall.

C looked around in search of B’s harvest as she turned away from the wall, quickly spotting the two corpses still laid out in the snow before she started to approach them. The other Disassembler realized that she was still moving noticeably slower than usual, her limbs clicking and forcing her to jerk occasionally as parts briefly hung and servos failed to respond on time.

The male Disassembler followed C to the meal, his eyelights remaining locked on her to watch her and make sure she was okay as he moved to his down on his knee joints beside the pair of corpses. The other Disassembler sat down with him on her knee joints as well, slowly snaking her tail out from behind her before she slightly thumped the canister against B’s shoulder.

B was aware that the little gesture with her tail was her usual way of silently telling him or D to cheer up and calm down. He gave her his best attempt at a small smile in spite of his mood, earning another gentle thump on the shoulder before he directed his attention to the food before them both.

“Where is… D right now? She is safe, yes?” C asked as she focused on the body that was missing its arm, reaching out to pick up the stump in one set of claws so she could peer inside it and use another claw to start digging around inside to find another oil tube.

“Back at the hotel last I knew...” The male Disassembler replied as he hooked his claws into the neck of the second worker drone corpse, wrenching a chunk of the casing loose before he popped the piece into his mouth and crunched it effortlessly between his fangs. “She told me to go on ahead and take back whatever I could carry and she’d get the rest. Which… I dunno how much of that was her just trying to shoo me off quicker...”

“I am still of the belief that D will come back. She may not wish to talk right away… but I believe she will come back,” The female Disassembler commented as she delicately threaded one of the oil tubes out of the body using her claws, soon bringing it to her mouth so she could take a light sip from it.

B whistled quietly to acknowledge C’s statements, though he didn’t have a response for her as his thoughts were busy starting to cloud over with the sight and the scent of the fresh oil before him. His claws finally closed around the component he had been digging around inside the worker drone’s neck for, wasting no time in yanking it out through the hole he had created as the part came loose with a loud snap.

The male Disassembler tossed the now broken voice box into his mouth and rolled it on his tongue, savoring the taste of the sweet oil before he swallowed the part whole. A low rumble had started in his chest, the force of the purr causing his casing to vibrate as he hooked his talons into the dead drone’s torso and tore the front casing away in one sharp yank.

B wasted no time in shoving his face into the casing piece as he brought it to his mouth, meticulously licking it clean of oil before he discarded the scrap piece into the snow behind him. His squadmate seemed to have a similar idea judging by the fact that she was currently using one set of her own claws to peel back the torso of her own meal, though her gaze did briefly find him as if she were checking up on him to see how he was doing.

The male Disassembler gave C a small smile to indicate that he was feeling at least slightly better before he leaned over the open torso to peer inside it, his claws dipping back inside the meal to fish out an oil-soaked wad of wires and tubing he could stuff into his mouth. He would be lying if he said he had completely calmed down and that the day’s thoughts weren’t bothering him anymore, but he found the food as well as the cooling sensation circulating through his burning hot core thanks to the oil intake a welcome distraction.

B’s louder and satisfied purrs mingled and mixed with C’s as she started working her way through the torso innards as well now that the arm tube she had been feeding from was completely dry. The two Disassemblers eagerly continued their meals without another word, one gleefully pulling oil soaked parts and wires out by the handfuls while the other preferred to eat by slicing smaller chunks out at a time and sipping the tubes dry.

The male Disassembler had worked through most of the innards in the open torso before his eyes landed on the real prize that he wanted. The fallen worker drone’s dim power core was nestled neatly in the socket that kept it in place in their chest, but he knew that it wasn’t going to be staying there for long as he reached inside again to hook his talons around the vital part.

B gave the encased core a hard yank, starting to wrench it free with a series of loud snaps and crackles as wires and struts gave way one by one. He brought the power core up to his mouth, opening his jaw wide as he locked his fangs around the guarded socket and bit down hard in an attempt to crack it open.

The metal socket groaned and creaked in protest as it buckled against the force of the male Disassembler’s bite, the casing soon starting to crack and splinter before it split in half with a loud crack. He pulled the encased core back out of his mouth to inspect it, holding it carefully in one hand as his other hand peeled away the now broken socket to reveal the delicate inner component that he wanted to get from it.

B admired the now exposed core in his hands, his mouth starting to salivate as he held the part up to his face like a trophy. There was a little voice in the back of his processor telling him that it was wrong to eat another drone’s core due to it being considered the heart and the soul for many drones like himself, but the other voice in him knew that the biggest and most delicious pocket of oil cycled around inside the power core of the body.

The male Disassembler made his choice swiftly, using his tongue to scoop out the delicate core from its resting place in the broken socket before he swallowed the part, his purring pitching louder as he once again savored the taste of the oil. His gaze briefly found C again, seeing that she had torn away the other corpse’s visor at some point and was currently pulling out and eating pieces of the head components that she could reach with her claws.

B leaned over to peek into the body’s chest cavity, seeing that the other Disassembler had done a fair job of picking it clean as well before she had moved onto the visor. He reached a talon down inside to start pushing some of the scraps away to reveal the body’s power core, earning a curious look from C as she sipped from one of the oil tubes she had pulled out through the drone’s open head.

The male Disassembler tightened his claws around the core and wrenched it loose much like he had the one from before, quickly bringing the part up to his mouth to crack the socket open with his fangs once again. The protective shell came apart into two pieces before he offered it to the other Disassembler, earning a surprised but grateful look from her before she accepted the core and started munching down on the exposed part.

Both of the Disassemblers continued their meal until they had eaten their fill and properly cooled their overheating systems down with the fresh oil, their prior troubles mostly having been temporarily forgotten as they relaxed in the moment of peace they had found. After both of the drones had finished feeding, they sat back in the snow and both took a moment to lick their talons and fangs clean to get every last drop of cooling oil they could possibly get.

“That’s way better...” B rumbled as he slowly swiped his tongue along his upper fangs, cleaning up the bits of oil that had gotten hidden behind the teeth as his shoulders visibly relaxed.

“Calmer now… True?” C asked as she licked a small patch of oil off of her claw, soon using that same talon to pick a piece of loose wire out of her teeth.

“Yeah, I think so. Maybe not totally calm but definitely calmer than I was. Kinda like going to slip into my never before seen happy place with a food coma levels of better,” The male Disassembler joked, grinning slightly at the snort that escaped his squadmate in response.

B’s grin faded soon afterwards as his face slipped back into a neutral expression, though he still seemed more relaxed than he had earlier. He looked over his claws once more to verify that he had gotten all of the oil from them before he swapped them out for his normal hands again and comfortably leaned back where he sat.

“I’m pretty worn out though… Between D kicking my tail earlier and my own emotions kicking my tail a little while ago, I feel like I’m kind of running on fumes by this point,” He added as he dipped his head back, staring up at the tall ceiling of the spire above them.

“Then perhaps… a rest is in order now,” C suggested as she folded her hands into her lap, expertly managing to avoid slicing even a tiny cut into the delicate fabric of her dress and apron. “We have been fed. D has likely already fed as well or will feed on what she brings back. We could… take the rest of the night off. It may not hurt to stay near the spire anyway so we will be here when she gets back.”

B took a moment to consider C’s ideas before he nodded and slowly rolled over onto his hands and knees so he could get up. Between all of the racing emotions that he had dealt with over the course of the day and the residual soreness he still had from the events back at the hotel, he couldn’t deny that he was truly exhausted in more ways than one.

“Resting for at least a couple of hours sounds pretty good right about now, not gonna lie. I feel like I got run over by a truck,” He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.

“Then we shall rest,” C stated as she stood up, carefully brushing the snow from her dress before she directed a smile towards her squadmate. “I will be up in my nest again if you need me, B. Rest well, yes?”

B nodded again, earning another smile from C before she turned on her peg-shaped feet and turned to approach the wall. She hooked her claws into the surface and gave it a few firm tugs to confirm that she had a proper hold on it before she glanced over her shoulder.

“I’ll probably be up in my nest too. Feel free to give me a shout if you need any help with something. Not planning on going anywhere without telling you first,” The male Disassembler spoke up as he watched his squadmate start to scale up the wall towards her nest.

B received a response in the form of a nod and a wave of C’s tail before she continued the climb up towards the ledge again. He watched her go to make sure that she wouldn’t slip before he turned to the wall himself, bringing his own talons back out and hooking them into the surface as he brought a foot up to rest it on the nearest piece that was jutting out towards him.

He started to climb and deftly scaled up the wall with practiced ease as he set his sights on another small ledge built into the wall of the spire, soon reaching his destination as his optical array popped over the edge and gave him a view of the alcove that had been built into the wall stuffed full of blankets and other soft fabrics that had been salvaged from various buildings over the years. D and C had once mentioned that they thought the space looked a bit cramped, but he thought it was plenty of room and found it quite cozy.

B pulled himself up and over the ledge before he crawled into the nest, moving with a fluidity that could almost be described as gliding as he dove face and arms first into the soft and bundled fabrics. He spread his limbs out once he had made himself comfortable, letting himself sink into the blankets with a small and content smile.

His gaze started to wonder as he lay there to rest, his optics soon finding the multitude of cellphones that were stacked together and tucked into a little hollowed out corner of the wall. The devices were part of an ever growing collection of trophies he had collected from past hunts, but he also made use of them at times for their contact lists and messaging apps to keep tabs on the activity of the nearest worker drone colonies.

B’s head turned to the side as he directed his gaze to a particular phone sitting on one of the nearby blanket lumps, his eyelights narrowing as he studied the device for a moment. Out of all of the various phones he had collected, he considered this specific phone to be his and had personalized it with pictures, music, and anything else he could get on the device by sharing files from the other phones.

One such personalization he had on the device was his own personal username and contact list, the thought of which had his face pulling into a frown. It was that same contact list that had managed to land him in his current situation in the first place.

He released a heavy sigh as he reached out and carefully scooped the device up, deciding that playing some music would help calm his nerves. His face and core immediately fell at the sight of a notification appearing on the phone as soon as he unlocked the screen, knowing that the notification was there to indicate that he had new and unread messages.

He was also well aware that those messages could only be from one person.

The Disassembler let out a groan as curiosity got the better of him, leaving him to open his messages as he rolled over onto his side and curled up in a comfortable ball. He would have said that it wouldn’t hurt to just read the texts, but he was quickly proven wrong as his beating core iced over in response to the text on the screen.

ScrapbrainCowboy: Hey

ScrapbrainCowboy: I’m up pretty early today but I’m texting you to let you know I probably won’t be around much today so don’t freak out if I don’t message back right away

ScrapbrainCowboy: I’m going out scavenging today! For the first time ever! Isn’t that super cool?

ScrapbrainCowboy: You have to wish me a ton of luck because I’m going to bring back all kinds of new parts to tinker with >:)

ScrapbrainCowboy: And yessss I know. That means I’m being the mad scientist cowboy. I admit it

ScrapbrainCowboy: Gonna be awesome!

The timestamps on the text messages told B that they had been sent earlier that same morning. He slapped one hand to his forehead as he held the phone with his other, immediately spitting out a quiet curse under his breath.

The worker drone had warned him that he was going to be going out with that scavenging party but he had missed it due to leaving his phone behind before going out to camp out at the hotel overnight with D. He moved his hand up to his hair, nervously running his fingers through the silver strands as he used his thumb to scroll further down in the chat to continue reading the new messages.

ScrapbrainCowboy: Hey… Um…

ScrapbrainCowboy: I know you’re not awake right now but…

ScrapbrainCowboy: We got… Um…

ScrapbrainCowboy: The murder drones… The murder drones attacked us

ScrapbrainCowboy: I don’t know how they did it but

ScrapbrainCowboy: The murder drones were already there when we got there and they

ScrapbrainCowboy: yeah

ScrapbrainCowboy: that happened I guess

ScrapbrainCowboy: I made it back and my friend that went with me came back okay too but…

ScrapbrainCowboy: …

ScrapbrainCowboy: Hey… Braiden?

ScrapbrainCowboy: Stay safe okay?

ScrapbrainCowboy: I know you take pictures outside sometimes and I

ScrapbrainCowboy: Just be careful okay

ScrapbrainCowboy: I may not text back tonight because I’m gonna be watching some movies with friends but I’m okay. Little banged up but alive

ScrapbrainCowboy: Be safe if you’re going out tonight… Please

B couldn’t stop the involuntary whine that tore out of him as his eyelights glossed over the last message on the screen, the sound almost guttural as he lashed his tail out at the air above him. That worker drone had nearly gotten killed and yet here he was worrying if one of the drones that had almost killed him was safe and okay.

He knew he was the one to blame for that because he was well aware that the worker drone didn’t know that ‘Braiden’ wasn’t a real person, but it still set his processor buzzing as he rubbed his free hand down his screen. He found himself once again resisting the urge to sob as the cord of his tail harmlessly lashed against the wall.

“Ughhhh… Robo God, cowboy… Why...” He muttered quietly to himself as he curled his hand into a fist against his visor. He told himself that he shouldn’t care because caring about that worker drone was what led to this situation in the first place.

One hollow eyelight found his phone screen again as he frowned at it, attempting to decide what his next move was going to be. The logical side of his processor was telling him that he should just ignore the messages and ghost the worker drone, maybe pretend that one of the murder drones got him too.

That thought almost made him laugh, as morbid as it was and ironic as it was. Despite his better judgment telling him to leave the worker drone alone, he couldn’t help himself as he started to type out a message into the on screen text box.

You: wait wait wait what do you mean you got attacked by murder drones??

You: dude-

You: what the hell happened?!

B whined again as he tossed his phone onto one of the blanket lumps in his nest, immediately regretting his decision to text back as he clapped both of his hands over his visor and thrashed his tail about in agitation. Here he was on his way to repeat the exact same actions that had landed him in trouble.

He felt like a complete and utter failure, which left him almost grateful for the fact that he was so tired. If he was tired, he knew that he could just sleep for a few hours and that way he wouldn’t be awake to deal with the thoughts or the guilt that was currently plaguing him. If he was lucky, maybe he would wake up and discover that the day’s events were all just one bad dream.

“ Yeah… That sounds nice... ” B quietly thought to himself as moved his arms behind him, resting his head on top of them before he let his optics flicker off in preparation for sleep mode.

Chapter Text

After Vivian’s oil transfusion had finished and she was cleared to leave the medical bay as well, the worker drone teenagers had decided to go through with their plans for their movie marathon. Khan had stated that he needed to get started on the incident reports and fill in the families on what had occurred on the outside but had instructed his son to send him a message if he or his friends wound up needing anything.

Alice had decided that she didn’t want to meddle too much into the kids’ hangout time and settled for similarly telling Beau to message her if he needed anything, except her statement had been punctuated by her pulling him into an overly warm hug. She had only let go after he had started lightly complaining about her messing up his image in front of his friends, though she took that opportunity to mess up and ruffle his hair before telling him to have fun and try to stay off of his bad leg.

He hadn’t missed the way his mother’s hand was trembling during that moment, but she had busied herself with waving him and his friends out of the door before he could really question if she was okay, instead dodging the question by telling them all to go have fun and get some rest while they enjoyed their movies.

Beau’s leg hurt more than he had expected it to now that all of the simulated adrenaline he’d had earlier in the day had worn off, which left him settling into walking with a slight limp to reduce the weight that he was putting on the bad leg. Thad had noticed his struggle and offered to give him a shoulder to lean on, which Beau had accepted gratefully to help reduce some of the pain.

Vivian had been able to walk fine on her own and didn’t mind walking without support, though she made sure to avoid swinging her sore arms too much while the group walked. Uzi had resorted to slinking out of the medical bay on all fours when she went to follow the group, though she did eventually straighten out and walk properly on two feet once they had started to head off down the hallway in the direction of Vivian’s apartment.

Vivian still hadn’t been completely on board with the purple haired tag-along, but she did at least commit to attempting to tolerate the situation. Beau had noticed that Uzi walked with a bit of an odd gait even while on two feet, reminding him more of something prowling with the way she moved while slightly hunched over and drawn up into her shoulders.

None of the trio knew how to explain that without calling it another one of Uzi’s odd habits.

The teenagers all wound up piling up in Vivian’s bedroom once they had gotten to her apartment, having been informed along the way there that she had a television set that could play movies for them in there. Once they had all gotten settled down and comfortable strewn about the room, they proceeded to spend most of the day watching movie after movie after movie as part of their movie marathon.

The group had steadily worked through a good portion of Vivian’s collection by the time the evening started to roll around, the morning’s events having started to drift further and further from their minds as they all allowed themselves to relax to the best of their abilities. Beau, Vivian, and Thad still found themselves jumpy due to having not forgotten completely what had occurred with the murder drones, the bandages that Beau and Vivian had serving as a good reminder of that, but they did manage to shove those thoughts to the backs of their processors while they welcomed the distraction brought on by the fun and joy of the movies.

Currently, the group was in the process of watching the last movie from the initial stack that Vivian had gathered up when they had first entered the room hours before.

“That was literally the worst movie I think I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Amazing,” Thad spoke up from where he was currently lying down and hanging off the side of the bed. His eyelights were locked on the screen of the television as the credits of the movie scrolled by to the tune of some of the whiniest, most unfitting background music he had ever heard.

Vivian immediately snorted at that comment from where she sat on the bed with Thad, sitting up and leaning back against the wall with the help of some pillow that had been gathered up and neatly piled up behind her.

“I know, right?? That’s what I said when I first watched this! It’s so bad it’s good!” She agreed giggling as she attempted to stifle the urge to break out into complete and proper laughter.

“He didn’t just have one knife, Brenda! He had two knives! Two! That’s the number after one! That’s a lot!” Beau spoke up from where he was sitting on the floor and leaning back against the bed, doing his best impression of one of the movie characters as he quoted a line directly from the movie they had just finished.

Vivian lost her attempt to hold in the laughter after that, breaking out into a loud and uncontrollable cackle that immediately had Beau and Thad start laughing with her. Even Uzi started laughing with the group from her position on the floor, the four drones’ laughter filling the bedroom as they all played back the scene that Beau quoted in their processors.

“That has to be one of my favorite movies in the whole collection,” Vivian finally spoke as she regained control of her laughter, a brief giggle managing to slip between the words. “I don’t know how anyone can make a movie that bad and get it out there in the world. Do you they ever stop and think ‘hey, maybe this isn’t a great idea’ or ‘we played god and it was a horrible idea’?”

“Nahhh, you can’t tell me a movie that bad wasn’t done that way on purpose,” Beau commented with a snicker as he stretched his legs out, slouching against the side of the bed. “That’s either the stupidest movie ever made or it’s somebody’s beautiful parody masterpiece. Roll the dice an’ take yer pick which one.”

Thad couldn’t help but snicker as he listened to the other two drones, watching as the credits finally came to a stop on the movie. He rolled over onto his side to face Vivian, giving her a grin as he slipped his arm under his head and used it to prop himself up.

“That was the last movie, right? Is that everything in the collection?” He asked as he raised an eyebrow on his screen.

“Nah, that was just everything on the first shelf,” Vivian replied as she leaned forward a bit and reached out towards Thad, playfully twirling the little curl of hair he had sticking out of the front of his ball cap. “I have some more movies scattered around here and there but I was trying to pick around the scary ones and go for the fun action movies or the funny terrible movies like the one we just watched.”

Thad couldn’t help the faint green blush that crept onto his visor as his girlfriend played with his hair, tilting his head slightly into the feeling. He hummed thoughtfully for a moment before he fixed his gaze up on her face, meeting her smile.

“What are we gonna do then? Go for another round of movies or…?” He questioned as he leaned into Vivian’s touch.

The pink eyed drone was quiet for a few moments as she considered his question, soon shaking her head in response as she moved her hand down to gently stroke her hand along one of Thad’s cheeks instead. The green eyed drone eagerly leaned into her touch as he relaxed with a happy smile.

“That does sound fun but trust me, nothing’s going to top the absolute masterpiece of flaming hot garbage that we just watched,” She commented as she smirked. “I was really enjoying them, don’t get me wrong, buuut it’s starting to get pretty late and I want to do something else before everybody has to take off for the night and go home.”

Vivian’s gaze found Uzi who was currently curled up in a ball on the floor and watching the now static display on the television with a sense of fascination. The pink eyed drone couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the sight of the other drone once again being fascinated at the sight of completely normal household fixtures.

“Psst. Hey. Hey, you. Purple girl. Are you listening to me?”

Thad glanced up at Vivian again as she continued before he turned his attention to Uzi as well with a raised eyebrow. The purple haired drone stared at the static dancing on the television screen for a moment longer before the fact that she was being spoken to finally settled over her, snapping her out of her trance as she turned and leveled a hollow eyed stare at the other drone.

“Okay, good, now that you’re back on Copper-9 and not busy floating around in whatever version of space lives in your head...” Vivian began as she gently twirled Thad’s hair again, a wide smirk present on her faceplate. “You’ve been all around the area while you’ve been hanging outside and not showing up at the colony, right? I bet you have some fun stories to tell about cool stuff that’s out there.”

Uzi narrowed her eyes in response to Vivian’s question, her eyelights still hollow as her mouth pulled into the shape of a circle. At least one person in the room tried to suppress the giggles that threatened to escape at the sight of the funny face.

The purple haired drone produced another series of odd warbles before finally ending it with a chirp, leaving Vivian staring at her as she narrowed her own eyelights. The silence stretched on for a moment longer before Uzi pulled a face as if she was being inconvenienced by the lack of noise.

“What do you want to know?” The purple haired drone broke the silence again, her voice coming out a bit hoarse as her voice box crackled briefly and spat a hiss of static.

“Everything, duh! Does it look like I get out of the bunker often?” Vivian asked as she waved her bandaged arm slightly to draw attention to it. “Seeing how you apparently live outside and only blow in here on random occasions like a rolling blizzard, I’m sure you’ve seen waaaay more of the outside than any of us have. And I’m curious!”

Beau looked back at Vivian for a moment before he fixed his gaze on Uzi as well, seeing the face she pulled and the eyebrow she raised before he decided to jump in to give the conversation a potential place to start.

“I’m actually kinda curious too if ya feel like tellin’ stories an’ talkin’ ‘bout it at all,” He admitted, drawing purple eyelights over to him instead. “Do ya have a place you stay when yer out there durin’ the night? Or do ya just kinda driftin ‘round from colony to colony an’ stay overnight in one of those places ‘fore leavin’ again? Clearly, you stayed here a couple of nights now.”

Uzi studied Beau for a moment with a thoughtful expression, making another quiet warble before she rolled over to lay on her fuel tank so she could face the group.

“Cabin,” She answered as she shrugged her shoulders slightly, folding her hands together so she could rest her chin on top of her hands. “Just a little cabin I found. Took some of the blankets there and made a comfy bed. I go back there when I’m not exploring.”

“I didn’t know there were any cabins around here...” Thad spoke up to join in on the conversation as well, looking equally interested by this point. “I’ve only heard about all of those big buildings outside and maybe a few smaller houses here and there. That can’t be anywhere in the city, right?”

“Not in the city,” Uzi confirmed as she drew her legs up behind her, slowly kicking them back and forth in the air as she warbled again. “Out by some trees. Little cabin out in the middle of nowhere. Pretty frickin’ sweet. Don’t see others out there. Walls are all there too so it’s defended in a snowstorm. Nice place to go back to.”

“Must not be too far out in the middle of nowhere if you can take a whole entire trip into the city and be back and hiding inside that cabin before nightfall,” Vivian commented as she raised an eyebrow.

The thought of morning’s experiences with the murder drones briefly crossed the pink eyed drone’s processor again, but she forced those down in favor of dealing with that some other time. She had other things on her mind than going over all of that again when she was supposed to resting and not stressing out.

“So! You just said you’ve been out and about and exploring. Surely there's something cool out there besides random building after random building. Tell us some of those cool stories there,” She added, attempting to smoothly cruise past the topic of what happens after nightfall.

Uzi chirped a few times as her head lolled off to the side, her eyelights tracing the grooves in the flooring. She fell into silence for a moment, which was long enough to have Vivian narrowing her eyelights before the purple haired drone broke the silence by lightly tapping her finger against her own faceplate..

“There’s a lake that’s pretty cool. Not too far from the cabin. All frozen over so you can slide on it. Looks nice when the snow gets all over it. Snow banks there are good for sitting on and looking at the stars,” Uzi responded as she slowly kicked her feet back and forth.

The other three drones looked at Uzi with curious expressions as she began telling her story, all three of them interested in hearing more about the area and more about the outside in general. The purple haired drone noted this apparent interest as she glanced around the group for a moment before directing her attention back down to the floor.

“Found something else while wandering around… Old park maybe? Big space with a bunch of old trees. Trees are fun to climb. Big building pretty close to here. Building had a lot of rooms with different stuff in them. Saw a sign that called it a ‘mall’. Lots to explore in there and didn’t see all of it. Think someone was living there too because it didn’t look totally abandoned and dusty like a lot of places. Never met who was there though,” Uzi continued as she moved both of her arms to read on the floor, laying her head on top of them as she let herself relax.

The purple haired drone paused long enough to warble again, seemingly in response to no one in particular before she came to attention again and started back up with the story.

“Oh yeah. Was a time when I was walking and fell into somebody's secret hideout. Got pretty mad about that. Threw a shoe at me. Think they thought I was some kind of raider.”

“Hold on- You fell into somebody’s secret little hideaway?? How did that happen?” Thad joined in on the conversation again, pushing himself up on his elbow joints as his eyelights turned hollow in response to the story.

“Well, see, there was this sinkhole...”

The stories continued for quite some time as Uzi began to slowly recount more of the various stories from around the city outside, which kept her audience of three captivated for quite some time before Beau started to find himself struggling to keep his head up as the storytime went on. His processor felt a bit foggy, though he couldn’t exactly be surprised given how much energy he had spent earlier in the day.

The orange eyed drone continued to listen to Uzi’s speech the best he could as he relaxed his head against the edge of the bed, letting his optics power down for a moment as he crossed his arms and let them rest in his lap. He took in a deep vent as he relaxed against the bed, continuing to listen to the purple haired drone’s story as he let himself rest.

He silently assured himself in his processor that he would rest his head just long enough to help soothe some of the fuzziness that was clinging to him and making his thought processes harder to work through and comprehend. Try as he might, it was not long before his systems started to darken as he unintentionally slipped away into sleep mode.

Beau jerked himself awake with a quiet gasp around an hour later, a sense of confusion washing over him as he looked around at his surroundings with fuzzy and hollow eyelights. His optics slowly tracked over the room, flicking around and over various details in a daze as he noted the decor and the television set that was stationed a few feet away from where he was sitting.

“ Right… Movie marathon… Vivian’s room. That’s right,” He quietly thought to himself as his processor worked to catch up with him and remind him of what he had been doing before he had accidentally fallen asleep. He didn’t even remember dozing off.

He found himself letting out a quiet sigh as he leaned back and let his head thump against the edge of the bed behind him. He still felt quite sluggish but he wasn’t sure if that was coming from the apparent exhaustion he had or if the sluggish feeling was coming from his systems still shaking off the last vestiges of sleep and still working through initial startup.

The orange eyed drone looked down at his bandaged leg after resting his head for a few moments, slowly drawing the knee joint up before he stretched it back out again in an attempt to get his systems to wake up. There was still a dull ache in his leg and he had a feeling it was going to hurt to walk on it again, but he also figured he didn’t have to get up and start walking just yet.

He brought a hand up to rub his visor as he dipped his head further back to stare up at the ceiling. He guessed that he must have dozed off in the middle of one of Uzi’s stories but he still wasn’t completely sure due to how fuzzy his processor felt at the moment.

The thought of the purple haired drone got him to lower his head again and glance around the room in search of her or either of his best friends.

Beau’s gaze found Thad and Vivian first as he started to look around, noticing that the former had curled up with his head on his girlfriend’s leg while the latter was still slumped back against the wall where she had been sitting. Like him, they both seemed to have similarly dozed off judging by the fact that their visors were displaying a very clear system message to state that their sleep modes had been activated.

He couldn’t help but smile at the sight before his gaze wandered again in search of Uzi now that those two had been accounted for, soon spotting the purple haired drone still lying on the floor where she had been before. She had curled herself into a tight ball and was resting her head on her arms, similarly asleep judging by the system message on her own screen.

Beau got the feeling that she must have been sleeping peacefully or having good dreams because her faceplate had stretched into a wide and unrestrained smile.

The orange eyed drone leaned his head back against the bed again as he rested his hands on the floor, processing the fact that they must have all dozed off and taken a nap at some point throughout the storytelling. He reached up to rub his visor again as he let out a quiet groan, still trying to shake off the grogginess that was clinging to his systems as a popup window pulled up in the corner of his vision to allow him to check his internal messaging system.

His attention was immediately met with the fact that he had one message from his mother, the message in question having been asking if he or his friends wanted anything to eat. He cringed as he sent a quick message back in response, apologizing for missing her message initially and explaining that he had fallen asleep and taken a nap.

Seeing his mother’s message did make him start to wonder if he had any other messages, though he wasn’t sure if they were spread out around his internal messages, his phone, or both. He had no doubt that word about what happened during the scavenging trip had spread far around the colony by now and that there would likely be a lot of people talking about it or asking the survivors questions.

Beau began the process of scrolling through his internal messages as he watched the text scroll by and across his vision, though he didn’t see any other new messages there which left him to slip his hand into his pocket to find his phone instead. Turning the screen on with a few taps from his thumb, he began to scroll his favorite messaging app as his vision cleared up enough to allow him to properly see the device’s screen.

He could immediately see several messages from various classmates who had definitely heard about the scavenging trip incident, the previews of the messages all asking some combination of whether he was okay, whether Vivian was okay, what happened, and so on. He decided that he would dedicate himself to answering all of those messages and reassuring everybody in a minute, opting to finish scrolling to the bottom of his contacts list first.

His eyelights soon landed on a particular contact as he scrolled, his face pulling into a frown as he paused and hovered his thumb over this particular message. Braiden’s contact was lit up in a way that implied it had new messages, and judging by the timestamps on it, he could guess that the messages had been sent a little while ago while he had been napping.

He couldn’t help his curiosity and tapped on the contact to properly open the chat back up.

IvoryEmberz: wait wait wait what do you mean you got attacked by murder drones??

IvoryEmberz: dude-

IvoryEmberz: what the hell happened?!

Beau felt a brief pang of guilt jump through his processor as he frowned at the phone screen, immediately guessing that Braiden must have seen his earlier messages. He had a feeling that sending the messages he did earlier might scare his friend anyway, though he had a feeling the fact that he had suddenly gone radio silent and hadn’t replied back probably didn’t help with the worry either.

He let out a quiet sigh and muttered an apology under his breath before he started to type out his own messages.

You: Hey… I’m still alive. Sorry I got back to you so late

You: I’m hanging out at a friend’s house right now and accidentally dozed off while watching movies so I didn’t see this until now. Didn’t mean to spook you with the sudden disappearing act if I did

You: Second of all…

You: Yeah there was… Uh… You got my texts from this morning right? About going out on the scavenging trip?

You: Me and a friend went out on that together and…

You: We were out at this hotel that’s pretty close to our colony to raid it for some stuff. Had a car park too so I was expecting to get some scrap parts to work more on that invention I’m working on and stuff

You: That’s the main reason I thought I’d go besides… you know… getting to see the outside a lil’ bit. A chance to actually see the outside myself not just live it vicariously through stuff like the pictures you send me sometimes and all of that

The orange eyed drone paused in his texting as he stared at the screen, his face pulling into another frown as he rolled Braiden’s question about what happened around in his processor again. He wasn’t sure how much he wanted to talk about what happened and wasn’t sure how much he felt like revisiting those memories at the moment, but he knew his friend would probably insist on it just to make sure that he was okay.

Plus, he started to figure that maybe it wouldn’t hurt to tell Braiden what happened so that way maybe his friend would know exactly what to look out for if he ever found himself in a similar situation with one of the murder drones. He turned that thought over in his processor once more before he started to text again.

You: What happened was…

You: We got to that hotel like I said and then we started looting through the rooms looking for stuff we could scavenge and take back to our colony. Swept the entire first floor and all of that before we moved up to the second floor

You: Second floor was… Um… Second floor was where things happened

You: We got to the second floor and were looking around there and then… I guess the murder drones were above us or camping out somewhere in the hotel or something. I don’t know, man

You: All of a sudden the ceiling just straight up explodes and one murder drone shoots down out of the hole like a bat out of hell before it kills somebody. Then it chased us all out into the hallway

You: There were at least two murder drones in that hotel because while that one was chasing us, another one started following the whole group from the vents and tried to cut us off in various places. Me and my friend who was with me figured out that we were kind of being herded along so we broke off from the crowd and wound up running into a little lounge or bar area

You: But… I think the murder drone from the hallway must have either seen us or smelled my friend’s oil because she got hurt and was bleeding. It followed us into the bar area and was going to kill us probably until I attacked it first

You: You should’ve seen the way I smashed it right on the head and burst one of those weird light things on top of its head if you’ve ever heard about those. Had my ma’s knife with me so I was able to fight back

You: Y’know… That thing I was gonna make a replica of? The knife thing?

You: Okay, that’s getting off topic… Me and my friend took that opportunity to run and got out into the car park before the second murder drone practically pounced right on top of us. We got into a fight with it and I kicked it pretty good right in the jaw, but…

You: I thought we were going to die, Braiden. We were really losing that fight bad. The other murder drone showed up too which I thought was a surefire sign that we weren’t making it out of there alive

You: …

You: You’re never going to believe what happened next

You: The murder drones actually started straight up fighting each other!! I’m dead serious too-

You: That hallway chaser one popped out and I thought for sure that was the end but instead of pouncing on me and ripping me to shreds, it tackled the other murder drone instead and they both started screeching and rolling around and just- Yeah

You: Me and my friend managed to get away while they were distracted because of that

Beau was about to start typing again, though he paused and blinked at the sight of a symbol appearing along the bottom of the screen to indicate that Braiden was typing. He still felt a bit bad about missing his friend’s concerned messages when they were first sent, but at least he hadn’t kept the other drone waiting for too long from the looks of it.

IvoryEmberz: ok first of all, screw you for making me worry about you and giving me a near core attack

IvoryEmberz: :p

IvoryEmberz: second of all

IvoryEmberz: you just caught me fresh off of a snooze too so good timing there, cowboy wonder

IvoryEmberz: third of all… robo jesus

IvoryEmberz: what do you mean they started fighting each other? like actual fighting fighting?

You: I meant fighting fighting because I know what I saw! They were screeching and biting and clawing each other and I mean they were seriously fighting!

You: Also uh… Sorry, Braiden. I didn’t mean to scare you so bad… It’s been a day…

IvoryEmberz: it’s all good cowboy. but robo jesus yeah. tell me about it. i felt that all the way down to my struts

You: Huh? Did you have a bad day too?

IvoryEmberz: ha… nothing compared to your level of had a bad day. seriously i can’t hold a candle to that. that’s some messed up stuff

IvoryEmberz: nah… i just did some stupid stuff and i’m feeling like an idiot for it is all. nothing major

Beau frowned at the phone screen before he cast his gaze around at the sleeping forms of his friends again. He already felt like he could use a distraction from digging back into the events that happened at the hotel again, plus he didn’t like the idea of leaving one of his friends hanging alone with the thoughts of whatever harsh day they had themselves.

Braiden also seemed quick to jump away from the topic of the murder drones and provide a conversation hook about his own day, which gave the orange eyed drone the impression that his distant friend similarly didn’t want to think about the murder machines and the damage they could have done.

You: ...Do you wanna talk about it? Your bad day I mean

IvoryEmberz: hey i said it’s nothing major. promise it’s just some really dumb stuff

You: So? We tell each other dumb stuff all the time

IvoryEmberz: you got your own problems today from the sounds of it dude. you don’t have to shoulder mine too while you got stuff going on because it sounds like you went through hell

You: I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t offering to shoulder it. What’s wrong?

There was a good long couple of minutes of pause before the indicator that Braiden was typing appeared on screen again.

IvoryEmberz: just some pretty dumb stuff like i said. i accidentally did something stupid and dumb and it sparked a huge fight with one of my sisters

You: Doll or Cyn?

IvoryEmberz: doll. i’m sure you remember me mentioning her

IvoryEmberz: but yeah i did something really stupid and she got really upset about it and now she’s kind of refusing to speak to me

IvoryEmberz: still nothing compared to what you went through today so don’t let me overshadow that but uh

IvoryEmberz: yeah

IvoryEmberz: that’s what happened

IvoryEmberz: pretty stupid on my part huh?

Beau turned Braiden’s messages over in his processor again as he slowly drew his knees up to his chest where he sat, moving his injured leg slowly so he wouldn’t risk damaging it again. He immediately got the feeling that his friend was feeling moody due to the word choice he was using, which also told him that the fight must have been particularly nasty.

He pursed his lips as he ran that thought through his processor once more. Now that he was thinking about it, he couldn’t remember a clear time when Braiden had described him and his sisters getting into a fight, or at least not one of this magnitude that led to one of them refusing to speak to the other.

You: ...Are you okay?

IvoryEmberz: me? pretty sure i should be asking you that cowboy :p

IvoryEmberz: but yeah i’m fine. just… angry at myself for totally messing things up like that. it was for a really stupid reason that wasn’t worth it at all

Beau’s attention was drawn towards the bed as he heard the sound of the sheets starting to rustle, getting him to turn his head before he noted the sight of Thad starting to stir or at the very least shifting positions to make himself more comfortable. He didn’t have much time to ponder that or ask before another message appeared on the phone screen out of the corner of his vision.

IvoryEmberz: i actually kinda screwed up x2 because i dragged cyn into the middle of it too by virtue of complaining to her about what happened. which is… kinda like how i’m dragging you into it right now too by telling you all this

IvoryEmberz: doll avoiding me kind of means she’s avoiding cyn too because she’s, uh… avoiding the house altogether. that’s kinda got me a little upset too because cyn didn’t do anything and is kind of getting crossfired right now

IvoryEmberz: i’m not mad at doll really because i know i was entirely the one in the wrong during that fight. i just… did some things. said some things. i just kinda got lost in the moment and didn’t even really realize what i did until after it

IvoryEmberz: annnnnd now she’s super upset with me and avoiding me which is fair but… robo god i feel like an idiot. especially since i’m pretty sure cyn is pretty upset too since she got stuck in the middle of this too after she was just minding her own business and resting

IvoryEmberz: and now here i am shoveling it in your direction too after you went through literal hell and back today. that’s kinda screwed up too huh?

You: Hey I literally asked you what was wrong. You’re not shoveling it in my direction when I literally asked you first

You: Did Cyn get involved in the fight too? Besides getting stuck playing middleman?

IvoryEmberz: no she didn’t… well… sorta

IvoryEmberz: she wasn’t around to see the initial fight so she questioned where doll was when i came back home without her. then she kind of got rightfully angry with me when I told her what happened with the fight and what it was about

IvoryEmberz: just some personal stuff before you ask

IvoryEmberz: but after cyn laid into me she calmed down and told me that doll will probably get over it eventually after i apologize and give her some time but

IvoryEmberz: i dunno man. still kinda feel like hot garbage about it

There was another lull in the stream of messages again, which was enough time to allow Beau’s attention and thoughts to wander as his free hand came up to scratch his head. He hadn’t seen Braiden anywhere near this upset in a while from what he could remember and that left him both rather concerned and even more inclined to continue listening despite his friend’s earlier insistence about not wanting to shovel his troubles off in his direction.

Another message popped up on the phone screen before too long, drawing his eyelights again.

IvoryEmberz: …

IvoryEmberz: ok… maybe i’m not ok

IvoryEmberz: i messed up so badly and ruined so many things. way too many things. i’m still hardcore messing things up

You: Hey… Hey… It’s okay

You: I dunno what happened but it’s probably gonna be okay if Cyn says Doll is gonna bounce back from it. No doubt in my processor you both know your sister better than I do

You: It’s just a little disagreement or just a little fight right? Not the end of the world or anything like that

IvoryEmberz: it’s not the first thing i messed up, cowboy. really the fight earlier was just a bunch of my past stupid decisions finally swinging back around and punching me in the face

IvoryEmberz: and i just… just...

Beau let out a quiet whistle of a sigh between his teeth as he frowned at his phone screen, making sure to keep the volume low in hopes of not disturbing the sleeping drones in the room with him. He couldn’t help but be curious about what had gone so terribly wrong on Braiden’s end to supposedly cause such a huge fight with people he otherwise heard the man normally getting along great with.

He did get the feeling that it was likely something his friend hadn’t felt comfortable with disclosing since he hadn’t already heard about it, but he couldn’t help the nagging sense of curiosity even if he didn’t like that he was having it. He started to type out another message to send, but he was distracted by the sound of rustling on the bed again.

The orange eyed drone’s gaze flicked up and found Vivian and Thad again, the latter of which was still curled up in the former’s lap. Vivian herself was beginning to stir, releasing a quiet groan as she slid a hand under her glasses and rubbed her visor.

“Ugh… What time is it...” Vivian muttered quietly, the system message about her sleep mode blinking away from her screen to be replaced by her slightly hazy and still groggy eyelights.

The pink eyed drone immediately noticed the weight of Thad who was still curled up in her lap, soon regarding her boyfriend with a fond smile before she reached down to gently stroke the top of his head. Her eyelights wandered away from Thad shortly afterwards, her gaze finding both Beau and a still sleeping Uzi as she raised an eyebrow on her screen.

“What time is it? A whole bunch of time later,” Beau joked as he waved his free hand, getting Vivian’s gaze to lock onto him. “Nah, it’s only ‘bout an hour later. Guessin’ we all dozed off ‘cause when I woke up just a bit ago, everybody else was asleep.”

Vivian nodded to acknowledge Beau’s words as she continued to gently stroke Thad’s head, letting out a quiet yawn as she slumped back against the wall to get comfortable again.

“Not long enough apparently. I’m still worn out. I feel like I could go right back to sleep if I let myself,” She commented as she watched her boyfriend with a happy smile.

Beau was quick to nod in agreement as he leaned his head back to rest it against the edge of the bed again, letting his hand with his phone rest in his lap as he decided that he would get back to texting in a moment once he didn’t have a distraction.

“Tell me ‘bout it. I woke up kinda out of it too an’ could’ve dozed right back off right then an’ there if I didn’t kinda focus an’ shake it off. I was checkin’ my messages ‘cause it looks like word got ‘round ‘bout the scavengin’ trip an’ I had a buncha people blowin’ up my phone to check on us. Wouldn’t be surprised if you an’ Thad are gonna have a ton of messages too.”

Vivian nodded again at the thought as she continued to gently stroke Thad’s head for a moment, her eyelights soon narrowing as her gaze found his screen for a moment and studied it. The system message about his sleep mode was no longer blazed on the display now, instead having been taken up by a closed pair of eyelights.

“...Are you seriously pretending to sleep just so I’ll keep petting you?” She teased as her eyelights narrowed further at her boyfriend.

Thad did not verbally respond to Vivian’s question as he instead kept himself still and quiet in her lap, though his mouth quivered and started to stretch into a smile despite his best efforts to keep his face neutral. Vivian let out a huff as she watched his reaction, moving her hand down to the side of his head to play with some of his blond curls.

“Don’t think I can’t tell you’re awake. I can see that dorky and totally obvious but cute little grin you’re making at me right now,” The pink eyed drone teased again as she used her free arm to lightly nudge him on the shoulder.

“Mm… If I say I’m still sleeping, do I get to keep lying here?” Thad asked quietly, his grin tugging wider at the second huff that came out of his girlfriend.

He tilted his head slightly into the feeling of her fingers in his hair, finally cracking an eyelight open to look up at her. Vivian responded in turn by narrowing her eyelights again and sticking her tongue out at him, earning a laugh out of him.

“How long have you been awake?” She asked as she took one of Thad’s curls between her fingers, gently twirling the loop around one of her fingers as she looked down at the green eyed drone.

“Only a little bit. Beau was awake before I was because I heard him tapping away at his phone,” Thad replied as he rolled over onto his back, staring up at Vivian with a bright smile as she continued to gently play with his hair. “Hey there, gorgeous.”

“Hi, dork,” Vivian responded as she leaned down enough to kiss Thad’s forehead, holding her lips there for a moment before she pulled back with a satisfied smirk at the sight of the obvious green blush that had formed under her boyfriend’s eyelights.

She resumed gently twirling his curls around her finger again before her gaze went to Uzi’s still sleeping form for a moment and then over to Beau again as she shrugged one of her shoulders slightly.

“I don’t know about you two but I’m still pretty tempted to go back to sleep. It’s getting pretty late anyway,” The pink eyed drone pointed out as her eyelights briefly drifted to the top corner of her vision to check the time on her internal clock.

“Yeah… It’s gettin’ pretty late. I actually got a message from Ma a lil’ while ago askin’ if I wanted anythin’ to eat… which I missed ‘cause I was busy nappin’,” Beau said before he reached up to rub his visor. “Speakin’ of that… I am gettin’ kinda hungry, much fun as I’m havin’ here with you guys.”

“Can’t really do much else tonight unless we start up another round of movies,” Vivian commented before she glanced over at Uzi for a brief moment. “Plus, our storyteller over there looks like she’s down for the count anyway.”

“Think it’s ‘bout time to start callin’ it a night then?” Beau asked as he tilted his head slightly at Vivian’s statement. His own answer came out almost immediately in the form of an involuntary yawn escaping him.

Vivian hummed thoughtfully as she continued to gently twirl Thad’s hair around her finger. She glanced down at the other drone who was clearly enjoying laying there in her lap and admiring her judging by the warm smile he gave her when their eyelights met.

“What do you think? Should I start kicking all of you out before I start charging rent? If I’m going to start running a hotel out of this place, I think I’m going to need some payment upfront,” She joked as a smirk quickly found its way across her faceplate again.

Thad and Beau both couldn’t help but snort at the statement, attempting to contain the laughter so they wouldn’t risk waking Uzi up. Thad put on his best attempt at a pout as he looked up at his girlfriend, taking a moment to bat his eyelights at her.

“You’re gonna charge me rent to stay here and hang out with one of my favorite drones in the whole wide world? You’d really make me move when I’m all comfy and cozy right here?” He playfully teased.

“I would. You’ll have to hand over the goods if you want to keep staying here because I’m not running a free hotel out of this apartment,” Vivian teased back, both drones soon breaking out into giggling that was joined in on by Beau.

The three friends shared their happy laughter for a good few moments before the pink eyed drone finally managed to calm down, shaking her head before she looked down at Thad again and gently poked him on the cheek with a finger.

“ You get to stay an extra hour or two before I start charging you rent because you have the special boyfriend discount. These other two on the other hand? Premium prices. Extra if you even think about raiding my kitchen.”

“Aww… What? I thought you were gonna offer me the ‘been friends for years’ discount! C’mon now, Vi. That ain’t fair,” Beau teased back in response to Vivian’s joke, snickering as his gaze drifted back down to the phone in his hand.

Once he lifted the phone again to look at it, he could see that Braiden hadn’t sent another message yet but he could see that the other drone was currently in the middle of typing another one out. The orange eyed drone watched his phone for a moment before he started to use his thumb to type out a quick message stating that he’d have to go for a bit and text back soon.

“Fineee, I’ll knock off the charge for sitting here and looking cool with me,” Vivian joked again, drawing Beau’s attention back to her before he broke out into snickers again with her and Thad.

The pink eyed drone continued to gently twirl her boyfriend’s hair around her fingers before she rested her hand on the top of his head to gently stroke it again, her smile softening into warmness compared to the devious smirk she had been wearing.

“If you wanna start heading back to your own place to get something to eat, you can go ahead, Beau. It was fun hanging out with all of you guys. I think I really needed that after the craziness that happened today,” She added.

“Oh? Are you admitting you had fun hanging out with Zi too?” Thad asked as he looked up at his girlfriend with a raised eyebrow and a grin, immediately earning a huff out of the other drone.

“Okay, fine, whatever. The purple girl was interesting to talk to too. It was fun to hear something different than the usual topics everybody goes over all the time here in the bunker,” Vivian admitted as she kept stroking Thad’s head. “That being said… Somebody needs to wake her up too. I’m above charging her rent either.”

I can get her if ya want since I’m gonna be on my way out anyway,” Beau offered as he slipped his phone back into his pocket and then flipped over onto his hands and knees. He got his uninjured leg underneath him first as he gripped the side of the bed, taking a deep vent before he pulled his bandaged leg under him and slowly stood up.

He winced at the feeling of pain that shot up his leg and his torso from his injuries protesting the movement, though it didn’t hurt as much as he had been expecting it to. He slowly let go of the bed and leaned forward a bit to try the rest of his weight on the bad leg, noting that it held fine without too much wobbling or too much pain.

“If you’re in a hurry to get home, I can always wake Uzi up when I get up and get ready to leave,” Thad offered as he turned his head enough to look at Beau, watching as he tested his injured leg. “Orrrr, I can leave now and help you walk back to your place if you need any help.”

Beau took a few steps towards the bedroom door, taking his movements slowly to test his injured leg and ensure he’d keep his balance before he looked back at Thad and shook his head. “Nah, I think I got it. Still hurts a lil’ but I think I can walk on my own this time. I’ll talk to both of ya tomorrow, okay?”

Thad flashed a thumbs up at Beau before he looked over at Uzi, likely debating if he should get up and wake her up now or wait until he was going to leave anyway. “See you tomorrow, Beau. Don’t trip and fall and crack your face on the way back.”

“Don’t you worry ‘bout that anyway. I’m gonna be real careful. I’ll see you later too, Vi. Mind tellin’ Uzi I said bye too when ya get her up an’ runnin’ again?” Beau asked as he stopped in the bedroom doorway, turning his head back to look at the group again.

“Fine, fine, I’ll tell the purple girl you said goodbye and exited the building in the most overly dramatic and dorky way possible,” Vivian teased, soon snickering as Beau deliberately tipped his cowboy hat in response to her statement. “See you around, Beau. You better text us both in the morning so we know you’re still alive.”

“Okay, okay, textin’ you both first thing in the mornin’ or whenever I finally drag myself outta bed to the land of the livin’ to grab my phone. That’s a promise,” Beau replied with a grin, earning another snicker out of both of his friends.

All three friends shared a wave and a final goodbye with one another before the orange eyed drone turned on his heels to head out of the bedroom. He wasted no time in crossing Vivian’s apartment to reach the front door, shifting most of his weight onto his good leg as he walked which did force him into a slight limp but felt more comfortable than walking straight.

He found himself thankful for the fact that Vivian’s apartment wasn’t as far away from his family’s apartment as Thad and Yeva’s was, meaning he wouldn’t have to walk as for or as long on the injury.

Beau had just neared the front door by the time a loud warbling noise followed quickly by a hiss reached his audios, getting him to snicker and shake his head as he reached out to put his hand on the door. He could immediately guess that they must have woken Uzi up.

“See you later too, Uzi. Was fun hangin’ out with ya an’ the rest of everybody else,” He called back over his shoulder, hearing another loud warble that he couldn’t be sure was directed at him or one of his other friends.

With that, the orange eyed drone stepped out into the hallway and turned to start the journey away from Vivian’s apartment and back towards his family’s own apartment. His thoughts started to drift back to Braiden as he walked, leaving him once again wondering what was on his friend’s mind and what seemed to be bothering him so badly.

He continued his walk as he started to slip his hand back into his pocket to grab his phone, deciding that it likely wouldn’t hurt him to text back as long as he paid attention to where he was walking. It was a rather straightforward hallway, or rather it would be after rounding the corner up ahead, that was currently empty of other drones so he knew he wouldn’t have a risk of accidentally bumping into anyone due to being distracted texting.

Beau swiped his thumb against his phone screen to open his messages again, looking up long enough to round the corner and check the hallway for obstacles again before he directed his gaze back to the screen. He could see that Braiden had been typing more while he hadn’t been paying attention to the phone, but whatever messages had been typed had been deleted in the time before he could read it.

His eyelights pulled into a frown as he stared at the three text boxes on the screen that stated messages deleted by poster, finding the fact that they had been deleted a bit odd. He couldn’t be sure of what his friend had typed before the messages had been deleted, but the fact that they had been deleted at all had him rather confused.

You: Hey Braiden? Everything okay over there? What’s up with the deleted messages?

Several minutes passed before Beau received an answer, giving him enough time to reach the end of the hallway and turn down another one to start the next line in the maze.

IvoryEmberz: hey yeah everything’s ok

IvoryEmberz: don’t worry about it. i just started rambling about some stupid stuff

IvoryEmberz: you finally get your eviction notice? :p

You: Seriously man what’s wrong? Beating around the scrap pile like this isn’t like you

IvoryEmberz: promise it was nothing important. just some dumb rambling

You: Come on Braiden

IvoryEmberz: don’t worry your little head about it, cowboy. i got everything off my processor earlier

IvoryEmberz: actually. hey. i got an idea

IvoryEmberz: wanna tell me about those movies you were watching earlier? haven’t seen a movie myself in ages

You: you’re avoiding the question again

IvoryEmberz: was it that obvious?

You: You’re not going to tell me are you

IvoryEmberz: nope

IvoryEmberz: so how about those movies

Beau released a heavy sigh as he rounded another corner, deciding that it was a lost cause to continue arguing with his friend. He knew how stubborn Braiden could be and knew that arguing now would be like trying to dig through a brick wall.

With a shake of his head, he resigned himself to following the topic change, starting the process of typing out information about the first movie the group had watched that day. The corners of his mouth quivered a bit as he briefly entertained the idea of embellishing the stories or making up a few things to mess with Braiden’s head in exchange for switching the topic on him, but he decided to play nice.

Somewhere outside the bunker, a keening whine carried in the wind.

Chapter Text

Several days had passed by since the ill fated scavenging trip that ended with a few deceased drones and many more injured. Against the colony’s better judgment and wishes, another much smaller scavenging team composed of some of the top performing WDF members had to leave the safety of the colony’s reinforced doors, both to collect some supplies that the colony still desperately needed and to attempt to recover the bodies of the fallen drones for their families.

The fallen drones were never recovered despite an extensive search which left the search party to assume that they had been taken away by the murder drones, but the scavengers did bring back the carts that had been taken to and subsequently abandoned at the hotel along with what supplies had already been piled onto them. The carts’ contents combined with another quick run to some of the other abandoned buildings not far from the colony entrance had netted some much needed supplies for the colony, but everyone in charge of sorting the supplies knew it wasn’t nearly as much as they needed.

The prospect of another bigger and proper scavenging trip loomed over the heads of the drones of Outpost-3, striking fear into the families, friends, classmates, co-workers, and survivors who were still reeling from the horrific result of the last major scavenging trip.

Beau was no stranger to the shadows of stress that were hanging around in the aftermath of the scavenging trip, though he had a feeling most of the other survivors of the trip felt similarly. His body was still sore from his recovery and the amount of exertion he had to put out during the escape, and he still carried around a certain amount of guilt in his processor for scaring his parents so badly.

His parents had clearly been worried about something bad potentially happening during the scavenging trip and he had insisted that it was fine and had talked them into letting him go… and they turned out to be completely right in their fears. He could see how badly it had shaken both of his parents to know that they could have lost their son that day, and that thought had terrified him once it started to sink in on his own processor.

Once he had the proper time to process just how close he had come to dying, how close Vivian had come to dying as well, he had a good meltdown over that once he was on his own. Coupled with the secondhand stress he could feel in his household while his father had to fill out incident reports and painfully tell the families and friends of the fallen drones that their bodies couldn’t be recovered for their funerals, he had not been doing well or feeling well.

Presently, Beau sat on the edge of his bed frowning as he flicked through the music library on his phone in an attempt to find something to soothe himself with. He had just recently gotten home from school and had a set of homework waiting for him to complete, but he couldn’t be bothered to take care of it right now while his hands were shaking hard enough to rattle his casing.

Technically, it had been his choice to return to school. His father had worked with his teacher to get him pulled out of school for a few weeks in the interest of having time to recover from his traumatic experience, but after a few days of sitting around at home with nothing but his phone and his thoughts to keep him company, he had insisted on going back to school if just to have something else to occupy his mind.

In a way, going back to school had helped occupy some of the hours in his mind, but in other ways, it had arguably made him feel worse to come back home exhausted and now with the thought of homework that needed to be completed hanging over his head. For all he knew, the teacher wouldn’t count the homework against him because he was aware of the situation and the fact that he had returned to school much sooner than anticipated, but it still managed to eat away at his processor.

Beau decided to abandon his search for the perfect song when it finally started to cause more frustration than good, the worker drone instead settling for resting his elbow joint on his leg and rubbing his visor with his hand. He felt like he needed to get out of the apartment for a little while, even if it was just for a short walk around the neighboring hallways before coming back home.

He took in a deep vent before he slowly forced himself to his feet, wincing slightly as he put weight back on his previously injured leg. The wounds had visibly healed by now, the bandages had been removed, and his oil levels had been declared okay, but he still felt a bit of lingering soreness that he didn’t find pleasant.

He wasn’t sure how much of that was normal and how much of it was from the fact that he had tried to stay active even despite the injury, much like how he was planning to leave to go for a walk around the colony now. He decided to force that thought into the back of his processor along with his voice of reason urging him to stay off his feet.

The orange eyed drone glanced into the mirror as he passed by it, pausing long enough to use it to straighten and adjust his hat as he squinted an eyelight at his reflection. He looked almost as terrible as he felt with the obvious stress lines ringing his eyes combined with his hair that was slightly messy from where he had been nervously running his hands through it.

He took a moment to try to comb his hair out with his fingers, doing the best he could to get it smoothed out again before he finally turned to head into the living room. He was immediately greeted by the sound of someone or something rustling things around in the kitchen, indicating that at least one of his parents was currently home.

Beau turned on his heels to approach the kitchen with a sense of curiosity about him, quickly getting the answer to his question about who was home once he saw his mother’s ponytail peeking up over the top of the counter. Alice turned her head at the sound of someone approaching, casting her glance over her shoulder before she turned around and stood up from her crouched position to properly face her son.

“Hey there, Beau… How are ya feelin’?” She asked softly as she raised an eyebrow on her screen.

“Doin’ just peachy keen, Ma,” Beau responded, though judging by the frown Alice gave him, he knew that she knew that was just as much of a lie as he did. He shifted the weight to his other leg as he motioned towards the cabinets, attempting to find a distraction. “Do you, uh… Do ya need any help findin’ whatever it was you were lookin’ for?”

“Nah, I got it. Don’t you worry ‘bout that none. Sides, I don’t want ya crawlin’ ‘round on that leg an’ hurtin’ yerself,” Alice replied as she leaned against the counter behind her, frowning at the way Beau seemed to shift all of his weight onto his other leg. “...That leg’s still givin’ ya trouble, ain’t it?”

“Just a lil’ bit. Ain’t enough to really notice unless I lean that way an’ put all my weight on it,” Beau replied as he leaned against the island counter in front of him to relieve some of the weight on his leg. “Promise I’m fine, Ma. Ain’t gotta worry.”

“I’m yer ma. It’s kinda my job to be worried ‘bout you,” Alice responded as she raised an eyebrow again, crossing her arms as she studied her son. “You sure you shouldn’t be lyin’ down an’ restin’? Or at least sittin’ down? That thing’s gonna take a while to heal up if ya keep movin’ on it ‘cause yer probably overworkin’ the joints an’ struts.”

“I can walk on it fine so it’s a lot better than the other day, Ma. Feelin’ a lil’ better every day. I’m just… kinda gettin’ tired of sittin’ ‘round all day. I did that for those first couple of days an’ then I started gettin’ a lil’… I dunno… Antsy? That’s why I wanted to go back to school. Appreciate all the time off restn’ but at the same time, sittin’ ‘round an’ doin’ nothin’ was givin’ me way too much time to think about… certain things.”

Alice frowned as she listened to Beau, giving a small nod to acknowledge her statements before she followed it up with a quiet sigh and brought her hand up to rub her arm.

“Yer just like yer ma right there. I don’t like sittin’ ‘round an’ stewin’ in my thoughts either. That’d be exactly why you catch me always workin’ on somethin’ half the time,” She commented before she stood up from where she was slouching against the counter. “You got any plans for today? Or were ya comin’ out of the bedroom ‘cause yer hungry? I could get ya somethin’ to eat.”

“Nah… I think I’m good right now. I just heard somebody rummagin’ ‘round in here an’ I was curious if it was you or Dad,” Beau replied as he propped his chin up on his hand. “Don’t really got any plans today ‘sides the fact that I was thinkin’ ‘bout takin’ a walk. I was gonna try to work on some homework, but… I can’t focus right now so I was thinkin’ a walk might help clear my thoughts out a lil’.”

The younger drone paused as his mother leveled a sturdy frown in his direction, a nervous grin quickly spreading its way across his face as he raised his free hand in a placating gesture.

“I know, I know… I should be restin’ an’ not goin’ out an’ about on my bad leg. But, like I already said, I’m gettin’ kinda antsy just sittin’ here an’… I wanna get out of the house for a lil’ bit,” He added as he did his best to hold his mother’s stare.

Alice let out another quiet sigh in clear disapproval of Beau’s plans but decided against commenting on it when she and Beau both knew that she was just as guilty of having similar habits whenever she was injured.

“You just goin’ for a walk an’ comin’ right back or do ya got other plans for while yer out an’ about?” She asked.

“Not sure yet ‘cause the original plan was just goin’ for a lil’ walk an’ then headin’ right on back here, but… I could stop by an’ check in on Thad an’ Vi while I’m out. Might at least check in on Vi an’ see how she’s healin’ up,” Beau replied as he lightly shrugged.

Alice’s mouth pulled into a thin line as her eyelights trailed off slightly towards the side, the older drone seeming to be thinking judging by the body language and thoughtful expression she gave off. Beau started to question what she was thinking about, but she quickly spoke up again and interrupted him before he could ask.

“If yer gonna be leavin’ the house anyway… I want ya to do sometin’ for me,” She began, her son raising an eyebrow in preparation to listen. “I want ya to swing by the medical bay an’ get that leg of yers looked at just to make sure it’s healin’ up okay. I don't think it’d hurt since it’s still botherin’ you a lil’ bit.”

Beau immediately let out a groan at that thought, looking less than thrilled about the idea as he thought about the extra trip he’d have to make all the way to the medical bay.

“Maaaaaa. I don’t think it’s worth a whole check up ‘cause it ain’t that-”

“Hold yer struts there an’ lemme finish what I was sayin’,” Alice suddenly cut in again, holding up a finger. “I was gonna add to that an’ say… I heard a lil’ rumor that some people were clearin’ out some old junk from the warehouse an’ put it with the junk parts them WDF members brought back in their haul. Sounded kinda like there was some pretty good pickin’s in there...” She added, her mouth tugging into a wide and sharp smirk as Beau’s demeanor changed immediately.

“...I wonder what kinda parts are mixed up there...” Beau mused aloud to himself as the thought of potentially being able to find more parts for his invention crossed his processor, a smirk quickly stretching out over his own faceplate. “Thanks for the tip, Ma. You’re the best!”

“Now, listen. That ain’t a tip off. That there’s a trade,” Alice stated as she tapped her fingers on her arms. “I still expect ya to go on down to the medical bay an’ I’ll message Piers if I have to t’ find out if ya actually went or not. I’m tellin’ you ‘bout the junkyard refill ‘cause I know yer just as eager as I am to have some fresh parts to work with but I want ya to look out for yer health too, Beau.”

“Okay, okay… Fine. I’ll swing on by the medical bay ‘fore I come on home, Ma. Promise.”

“Attaboy. I got a few lil’ projects of my own I wanna work on ‘fore the day’s over,” Alice said as she reached down to draw her knife from its holster, spinning it a few times before flicking it into a drill bit and smirking again.

Beau could only imagine what she had planned.

Now go on an’ git ‘fore somebody else beats ya to all the good stuff,” The older drone continued, motioning towards the front door with the invention in her hand.

Beau blinked before he smirked and nodded in response to his mother, giving her a wave and a happy smile before he turned to walk towards the front door. He wound up lingering in the doorway of the apartment long enough to glance back at his mother.

“Try not to blow anythin’ up while I’m gone though, Ma. My ‘Ma’s ‘bout to do somethin’ crazy’ senses might be a lil off since I ain’t back in perfect condition yet but I’m kinda gettin’ the vibe right now.”

“No promises!~” Alice called after her son in response, waving her knife around to shoo Beau out of the door as her smirk stretched even wider.

A cackle left her soon afterwards as the apartment door closed behind the younger drone, immediately leaving him to start wondering about the probability of the WDF raising another Code Alice before the day was over. He let that thought stew in his processor with a low chuckle of his own as his amusement accompanied him on his way towards Vivian’s apartment.

Beau took his time to reach the other apartment, allowing himself to enjoy the walk for what it was as he passed through the hallways at a leisurely pace. With his lingering excitement about being able to dive for scrap aside, he immediately felt more at ease now that he wasn’t sitting around alone with his thoughts.

He occasionally found himself waving at some of the other drones he passed by on his way through the maze-like hallways, making sure to steer clear of their paths as he walked to make sure that he wouldn’t accidentally bump into anyone and trip. The friendly waves and smiles that he received back in response lifted his spirits a bit more, leaving him smiling to himself as he continued his journey.

The orange eyed drone finally came to a stop in front of Vivian’s apartment door, shifting his weight onto his other leg again before he reached out to give the door a firm knock.

“Vi? Are ya home? I swung on by to come an’ check on ya. Wanted to see if ya needed anythin’ while I’m out an’ about anyway,” He called out, hoping he was loud enough to be heard through the metallic door.

A couple of minutes passed while Beau stood and waited, though he could hear movement from inside the apartment to indicate that someone was home. He leaned against the door frame as he decided to wait a bit longer, the door soon popping open to reveal a yawning Vivian who was currently in the process of adjusting her glasses.

“Oh… Sorry, Vi. Were ya busy nappin’? I probably should’ve texted ‘fore I came on down here anyway,” Beau spoke up as his face pulled into a frown at the sight of his tired friend’s face.

“Get in here, cowboy. You already hiked the whole out here across no drone’s land,” Vivian joked with another quiet yawn as she turned away from the door, motioning with her hand to usher Beau into the apartment with her.

The orange eyed drone was immediately hit with a wall of heat as he entered the doorway, his eyelights narrowing slightly at the feeling before he fixed his gaze up on the ceiling. He could guess that nothing was likely on fire in the apartment which left him to assume that the heat was coming from the heater.

“I actually wasn’t asleep for very long. I laid down on the couch and dozed off while I was texting Thad. I thought you were him for a second because he said he was going to come by and check on me too,” Vivian explained before the corners of her mouth started to curl back into a devious smirk. “I’m starting to think that maybe I should go out and get hurt more often if it means I get more of this pampering and special treatment.”

Beau hated the way that he snorted at the joke she made, though Vivian clearly intended for it to be laughed at judging by the way her smirk stretched wider across her faceplate. Both friends quickly broke out into a good chuckle that lasted long enough to lift their moods, the laughter finally dying down as a smile appeared on each drone’s face.

“I see I’m continuin’ my stream of havin’ real good timin’ though if I got here just in time for Thad to show up too. Gang’s all here!” Beau commented as he flashed a thumbs up at Vivian.

Vivian returned the thumbs up with her own before she walked back over to the couch, wasting no time in flopping back down onto it and sinking into it. Beau could see that she had gotten her scarf cleaned since the scavenging trip or had at the very least found an identical scarf that she had hidden away somewhere in her apartment.

“So, what’s the special occasion? You came by to check up on how I’m doing?” The pink eyed drone asked as she tilted her head back to lean it against the soft cushions of the couch.

“Uh huh. Wanted to check up on ya an’ see how yer arm’s doin’ since it’s been a few days,” Beau replied as he reached up to adjust his hat, his face pulling into a frown. “I also, uh… needed to get outta the house for a bit. Wanted to go for a walk anyway to clear my head an’ figured I could by while I was out anyway. You need me to do anythin’ while I’m here?”

“Oh, come on. I might be in the castle but I’m not the helpless princess in distress here,” Vivian huffed as she kicked her feet up onto the coffee table before her. “To answer your question, I think I’m doing just fine. My shoulder is still a little sore in particular but I think it’s healing nicely. How’s your leg doing? I can tell you’re standing kind of crooked.”

“Yeah, about that...” Beau began as he walked over to sit down in one of the other various chairs dotting Vivian’s living room, “My leg’s still kinda sore probably because me gettin’ up an’ pacing around hasn’t been helping. Since I was gettin’ out of the house anyway, my ma wants me to run by the medical bay an’ get it looked at just to be on the safe side. Though… Ma also told me some of the warehouse got picked through an’ junked so there might be some scrap I can go look through on my way back...”

Vivian immediately let out a groan at that thought.

“Oh Robo God, are you still looking for parts for that wacky workbench project of yours? Beau, look me in the eyes and tell me why we need to have two wacky knives flying around the colony.”

“Hey now, Ma’s wacky knife came in real handy on that scavengin’ trip! Did ya forget the part where I got to bash that murder drone over the head with it?”

“Oh no, you’re right, I almost forgot about the fact that you actually had a cool as hell moment for once in your life- Of course I remember that! Kind of hard to forget it when we were busy fighting for our lives. For what it was worth, though… You must have socked it pretty hard since it screamed like that.”

“Then ya see the usefulness in havin’ it! Not that I plan to go pickin’ anymore fights with them murder drones again… Once more than enough,” Beau said, frowning as he shrugged his shoulders slightly. “Nah… I got other plans for that knife. Mostly wanted to make it ‘cause I kinda want one to match with Ma, y’know? But, besides that, I think it’d be useful for future inventions an’ other stuff I wanna do.”

“Still sounds like more wacky workbench things if you ask me,” Vivian teased before she turned her head at the sound of knocking coming from her apartment door. She immediately let out a grumble at the thought of having to get up before she planted her boots back on the floor to get up.

“That’s probably Thad if I had to guess,” She said as she turned to route around the coffee table to approach the front door.

Beau nodded in response to Vivian and turned his head to watch as his friend reached out to open the door. From where he was sitting, he could immediately see Thad once the door slid open which brought a smile to his faceplate as he raised a hand to wave at his other friend.

“As you can already see, Beau’s here too. It’s like you both know how to show up at the exact same time. Do you have some super secret psychic long lost twin connection that I don’t know about or something?” Vivian teased Thad with a smirk, earning a chuckle out of the green eyed drone as he shook his head.

“Hey, if I suddenly gained mind reading powers all of a sudden, I’d want to know about it. Who forgot to tell me that day?” Thad added to Vivian’s joke as he stepped into the apartment with her.

Much like how Beau had felt when he first walked into the apartment, Thad seemed to notice the difference in temperature as his face pulled into a frown. He glanced at the heater controls on the wall for a brief moment before he pointed a finger over his shoulder.

“Oh yeah- Hope it’s okay if my mom came with me too. She wanted to see how you’re doing too but besides that… She, uh, brought you a little something,” The green eyed drone added.

Vivian raised an eyebrow in response to Thad’s statement as she raised a hand to wave at Yeva, watching as the woman stepped into view too from behind Thad. “Hey, Ms. Morozova. I’ve already been assuring the conga line that I’m fine so you’re the next one in line.”

[Good. I had hoped that your recovery was going well,] Yeva responded before her narrowed eyelights found Beau, getting him to flinch back slightly with a nervous grin. [As for you, do not think that I haven’t heard from your mother on how you’re doing as well. See that you’re out and about as opposed to resting like you should be.]

“Hi, Yeva… Nice to see ya too,” Beau greeted as he nervously flashed a small thumbs up. “An’ I know… Trust me. I already heard plenty outta Ma herself this mornin’. I’ve been gettin’ restless sittin’ ‘round all day an’ doin’ nothin’ in my room so I wanted to get out of the house for a lil’ while. Felt like a better idea than sittin’ ‘round an’ stewin’ in my thoughts.”

Vivian listened to the conversation passing back and forth between the two drones, waving long enough to get Yeva and Thad’s attention to tell them they could go sit down before she turned on her heels to approach the temperature controls on the wall. She reached out to turn the heater down, leaving a blast of colder air to escape into the room from the ceiling vents above.

Beau found the slightly colder air relieving because he had felt like the sweat droplets were going to start appearing on his visor display at any moment. Both Thad and Yeva looked appreciative of the now cooler room as well, the former flashing a thumbs up in his girlfriend’s direction to imply such.

“Okay, curiosity is killing me now. What did your mom bring?” Vivian asked as she turned to go sit back down on the couch, flashing a smirk as Thad playfully rolled her eyes at her immediate insistence.

Yeva didn’t seem offended by this sudden question, instead shrugging it off with a chuckle before she approached the couch where Vivian was sitting. Both Beau and Vivian’s eyelights turned hollow at the sight of a bag in the older drone’s hands, both teenagers immediately recognizing it as Vivian’s bag that had been lost and left behind at the car park after the struggle with the murder drones.

[I did not stop and check to see what is in there so I am unsure if anything was lost. I was more focused on retrieving the bag itself. You were upset over losing it, yes?] The scarlet eyed drone asked as she raised an eyebrow.

“This is… That’s...” Vivian stumbled over her words as she took the bag from Yeva, blinking as she turned it over in her hands a few times to verify that it was indeed her bag. She could feel that it even still had some weight to it to indicate it still contained some of the things she had gathered too.

“I… dropped this back at the car park… How did you manage to get this?” The pink eyed drone asked as she looked up at Yeva with both shock and curiosity etched into her facial features.

[You heard about the WDF team that went out to retrieve some of the extra supplies that were left at the hotel, yes? After they came back, I might have gone looking for your bag to see if it wound up mixed up in their haul by any chance,] Yeva replied, catching Thad staring at her out of the corner of her vision and giving her a look as he raised an eyebrow. She responded to her son’s stare with a brief smirk of her own.

“But how did you know that I was even missing a bag?” Vivian asked as she turned the bag over in her hands again, staring at it almost as if she wasn’t sure it was real.

“I told Mom about it,” Thad joined in on the conversation as he walked over to sit on the arm of the couch beside Vivian. “I know you were a little beat up over losing it so I told her about it when she asked how you were doing. It was her idea to go look for it so you’ll have to give her all the credit for that one.”

“Thank you both. Really. It wasn’t the total end of the world losing this bag because that was a pretty worth it trade for getting away safe, but it is kind of nice to have it back where it belongs,” Vivian responded with a nod, a smirk soon managing to stretch its way across her faceplate. “And it feels like it even has all of my extra loot in it too!”

Both Beau and Thad turned their heads to look at Vivian as they both raised eyebrows at her, getting her to snicker as she waved a hand at both of them to dismiss their stares.

“Hey, listen. I’m allowed to find some positives in the negatives, okay? That’s a win in my books,” She added.

“The queen still came out on top, didn’t she?” Thad teased with a playful grin as he watched Vivian leaning towards him.

The pink eyed drone gently grabbed hold of the back of his jersey to tug him down, leaning up just enough to kiss on the cheek as he dipped far enough back for her to reach. Thad’s visor immediately erupted into a bright green blush, earning a smirk out of Vivian again.

“The queen always comes out on top. No exceptions,” Vivian teased back with her wide smirk as she gently helped push Thad back up into a proper sitting position. “So! If you told your mom about my bag, that means you told her about me clocking a murder drone in the head with it, right?”

[I’m sorry; you did what?] Yeva asked as she blinked several times in response to the pink eyed drone’s statement.

“Thad!! You didn’t even tell her the best part of the story! You had one job and you didn’t even make me sound cool!” Vivian teased that again as she unzipped her bag to start going through what was inside, getting Thad to laugh as he gave her a shrug.

“Ah, yeah… I dunno how much ya heard outta Thad but me an’ Vi sorta got cornered by one of them murder drones an’ got into a fight with it ‘fore we managed to escape. That’s how my leg got hurt an’ when Vi’s shoulder got torn up pretty bad. She managed to sock it in the head with her bag an’ I kicked it upside the faceplate with these boots. Bought us some time,” Beau spoke up as he joined in on the conversation again.

Yeva’s eyelights narrowed slightly as she turned to face Beau, quietly taking in his story and his quick explanation of what had happened before she brought a hand up to her forehead. [What on Copper-9 did you kids get into out there…]

“Oh, nothing, unless you count the part where we got chased by murder drones and almost got turned into toothpicks,” Vivian commented in a flat tone before she kicked her leg up, her energy returning in full force. “But that didn’t happen because we kicked murder drone tail and looked fabulous while doing it!”

At those words, Beau immediately struck a pose with his friend, earning a snort and then a laugh out of Thad from where he was still sitting on the chair arm of a couch. Even Yeva couldn’t help but let out a quiet chuckle at the scene, leaving Vivian to look proud of herself for settling off all of the laughter as she smirked.

“Who are you kidding? You look fabulous all the time,” Thad said as he turned his attention to Vivian again, his mouth tugging into a grin at the slight blush that started to spread out over his girlfriend’s face in response to the compliment.

“You’re damn right I do and you better not forget that either. You already forgot to make me sound like the hero of the day,” Vivian teased as she regained her composure, playfully shoving her boyfriend’s arm and receiving a snicker and a nudge back in response.

Beau snickered at his friends’ antics again, listening to the conversation passing back and forth before he took a moment to check the time on his internal clock. He pursed his lips for a moment before he frowned at the time readout he was getting, shifting his hands to his knees joints before he leaned forward with the intent to stand up.

“Well… It’s been real fun hangin’ out with everybody an’ I’d love to hang out some more but I should probably get goin’ pretty soon. Ma wants me to get my leg checked out ‘fore I go home an’ I got a place I wanna visit ‘fore I go on back too. Should probably leave soon so I can make sure I’m home at a decent hour for dinner,” He spoke up, drawing the other three drones’ attention over to him.

“Aww, is the court cowboy leaving the queen’s castle so soon?” Vivian playfully teased as she watched Beau stand up, earning another snicker out of the orange eyed drone. “Thanks for dropping by, Beau. I appreciate you coming by to check up on me. You have to get that leg fixed up so we can go on some more adventures.”

[Hopefully inside the bunker this time?] Yeva questioned as she raised an eyebrow at Vivian and Beau, the stare she gave the other drone as intimidating as it was questioning.

“No promises!~ There’s a whole world out there to go see, after all,” Vivian responded, a hint of mischief sparkling in her eyelights as she grinned back at the hard stare Thad’s mother was giving her.

“Inside the bunker,” Beau agreed as he tested his weight on his leg again, taking a few steps towards the door. “Much as I complain sometimes ‘bout there not bein’ a whole lot of interestin’ sights or things to do in the bunker, I think I’d take that over havin’ another tussle with them murder drones. Like I already told Vi, once was more than enough. Would like to not get into that situation again if I can help it.”

“Where are you heading off to next? Going to take care of the other things first or going to swing by the medical bay first?” Thad asked as he watched his friend walk to the front door, raising a hand to wave at the orange eyed drone as he turned back to look at the group in the apartment.

“Probably gonna run down to the medical bay an’ get that taken care of so that ain’t hangin’ over my head all evenin’. Ma made it pretty clear I better take care of that ‘fore I come on home. After that, I was gonna swing by the scrapyard an’ see if I can find some new parts. Figured I better get goin’ sooner rather than later ‘cause I know Ma probably wants me home in time for dinner,” Beau replied.

[Take care, Beau. It was pleasant to see you even just for a little while. Tell your mother and father I said hello, yes?] Yeva called after Beau as she watched the younger drone reach out to grab the door handle.

Beau nodded in response to Yeva as he leaned against the door frame, giving a wave to his two friends and his friend’s mother with his free hand. “I’ll pass on the message, I promise. See y’all later. It was nice gettin’ to see everybody for a bit.”

“See you, Beau. Don’t be surprised if I drop you a text or two later. I wanna hear more about that cool project if you manage to snag some new parts for it,” Thad spoke up as he flashed a thumbs up at Beau.

The orange eyed drone returned the thumbs up in response to the group of three and waved one last time before he turned to step back out into the hallway. He turned on his heels as he wasted no time in starting down the hallway again, keeping his thoughts firmly locked on the next set of plans he had in his processor.

Assuming the visit to the medical bay wouldn’t take terribly long, he was sure it would leave him with plenty of time to be able to search the junkyard with plenty of time to spare at his leisure. While he knew there hadn’t been a hard rule set that he needed to be back at a decent hour before he left, he figured that would be a nice thing to do since his mother was currently worried about his health.

Beau made his way through the hallways as quickly as he could manage on his injured leg while still taking it slow enough to not hurt himself, letting his thoughts mindlessly wander as he shoved his hands into his pockets. He looked up as he turned around another corner and neared the entrance of the medical bay, though he paused and raised an eyebrow at the sound of a hissing noise coming from inside the room.

He pursed his lips as he lingered outside the door for a moment, already starting to debate if he should go in or come back another time and tell his mother that the medical drones seemed to be busy already. Try as he might to make an excuse to walk away, curiosity got the better of him as the odd noise sounded again and got him to open the door and peer into the medical theater.

“Uzi, the sooner you hold still, the sooner you and I both can get out of here if that’s what you want,” Piers remarked in a flat tone, his tired eyelights fixed in a face of annoyance where he stood beside one of the examination tables.

Uzi sat perched on the table, her back arched up as she hissed and warbled at the medical drone with a pair of blazing hollow eyelights. The doctor seemed unfazed by the intimidating display, instead standing steady by the table with some tools for an oil transfusion in one hand and his ever present mug in the other hand.

“...Uh… Is now a bad time to drop by?” Beau spoke up as he stood in the doorway, drawing both sets of eyelights towards him. He didn’t spot any of the other medical drones in the room, leaving him to guess that they were either in the storage room or out on break right now.

“Now's not a bad time. You just might have to wait a minute while I try to get this done,” Piers responded, briefly leveling a narrow eyed stare at the purple haired drone who quickly hissed back in response. “What brings you here, Beau? Did you cut your hand open on a piece of scrap again?”

“Nah, no scrap related accidents this time. Now that ya said that though, ya might’ve just jinxed it into happenin’ later,” Beau joked in an attempt to help soothe the poor exhausted medical drone as he entered the room. “Nah… I swung by ‘cause my leg is still givin’ me some trouble an’ Ma insisted on me gettin’ it looked at. I think it’s fine ‘sides just bein’ a lil’ sore still but she really wanted it checked on just in case.”

Piers took a sip from his mug as he listened to Beau, finally giving a nod before he tilted his head towards one of the other examination tables. “Take a seat if you want. I’ll get around to looking at it in a minute if one of the others doesn’t get back from their break before I get to you.”

Beau nodded in response to the doctor’s statement and walked over to the table, hopping up onto it and relieving the weight on his leg as he sat still. He raised an eyebrow as he listened to what he assumed was more angry warbling out of Uzi again, the purple haired drone once again glaring Piers down as he returned the stare.

“Hey, Uzi. How are ya doin’ today?” Beau asked as he slipped his hand into his pocket to find his phone again, glancing between the other two drones for a moment.

Uzi visibly jumped slightly and warbled as she turned to face Beau, almost as if she had forgotten he had walked into the room in the first place, though she didn’t look angry or terribly startled as she stared at him for a moment. Her voice box proceeded to crackle again before the words finally started forming properly.

“Hi. Doing okay,” She responded simply.

Beau nodded in response to Uzi as he glanced down at his phone, already starting to thumb his way through his music library. “I’m kinda surprised yer still hangin’ ‘round since it’s been some days. Heard ya don’t like stayin’ in one place too long normally.”

Uzi tilted her head slightly as she ran Beau’s words through her processor, a rising and falling warbling sound coming out of her in response to his statement before she turned to face him more properly. She did not notice Piers in the process of preparing the oil transfusion tools behind her.

“Having fun hanging around, I guess,” She replied. “Don’t get to watch movies out there.”

Beau glanced up at Uzi again, noticing what Piers was up to behind her back before he turned his attention back down to his phone and picked out a random song to play, turning the volume up enough to let it be heard in the room. The purple haired drone was immediately distracted by the sound, looking at the phone before she tilted her head slightly to listen to and enjoy the music.

“I take it there’s no electricity out there in that cabin ya mentioned?” The orange eyed drone questioned as he slowly swung his uninjured leg back and forth in time with the music.

“Lights work. No movies out there,” Uzi said before she tensed at the feeling of the transfusion tool suddenly getting stuck into her arm. Immediately she whirled around to hiss at the medical drone responsible, getting Piers to hold up a placating hand as he leveled an unamused stare at her.

“You’re running a fever high enough to be concerning again and your readings are saying that your oil levels are low. I know you hate this thing but you need more oil because that is absolutely not a healthy range to be in. I’m sure you already know this because of how many times you’ve visited needing a transfusion. Whatever virus you currently have is being aggressive with your systems,” Piers stated in response to Uzi, seeming completely unfazed by all of the angry hissing.

To the purple haired drone’s credit, she did sit still and didn’t immediately attempt to pull the transfusion line out.

“Bite me!” She hissed, followed shortly afterwards by another warble. Piers responded by taking a sip of his mug and taking a seat next to the table she was perched on so he could keep an eye on the oil bag as the transfusion started.

Beau found himself looking between the two drones again, his free hand coming up to adjust his hat as his other hand pressed the volume controls on his phone to turn the music up in an attempt to help soothe Uzi.

“So… That cabin’s got power if the lights work. Anythin’ else work out there? You got anythin’ fun to do while yer stayin’ out there or is it it all explorin’?” He asked as he tried to draw the purple haired drone’s attention back to the previous conversation.

Uzi hissed at the repair drone again before she finally turned back to Beau, ignoring the odd feeling in her arm from the transfusion as she instead focused on the music playing from his phone.

“Mostly exploring. Some old games too I found in other cabins,” She began, pausing briefly as a thoughtful expression crossed over her face. “Mostly explore when I’m not home. Passes the time that way. And sometimes I see cool stuff like I was saying the other day. Sometimes collect little trinkets and things to tinker with too.”

Beau immediately blinked at her last statement, having to take a moment to run it through his processor again to verify that he had really heard it before he looked back up at her again. “Hold on now… You like tinkerin’ with things?”

Uzi nodded in response to his question, transitioning her body into a proper sitting position on top of the table as she crossed her legs and started to pick at some loose threads hanging from the torn striped purple socks she wore.

“Yeah. Collect scrap parts sometimes. I like figuring out how they’re put together. Make little trinkets. Gives me something to do when the weather’s too bad to leave the cabin,” She replied as she slowly twisted a loose thread around her finger, looking at it curiously.

Beau blinked again as he stared at Uzi with an air of surprise, tapping his thumb against his phone screen to switch it to another song. “...Yeah? I like buildin’ stuff outta scrap too. I actually have a half finished project at home right now.”

Uzi immediately looked just as interested in the change in conversation topic as Beau did, moving back to her perched sitting position as she leaned forward slightly. She still didn’t move away from the table completely, sitting still enough to allow the oil transfusion to continue to work.

“What’s the project?” She asked with a hint of curiosity behind her tone.

“You ain’t seen it, but… Okay, well, you might’ve seen it if ya saw that knife my ma carries ‘round. That ain’t just a normal knife. Looks like one but it’s got a buncha other tools built into it too that she uses when she’s makin’ new inventions. But anyway, I’m mentionin’ Ma’s knife ‘cause that’s what my project is. I’m tryin’ make a replica so I have my own version for my own projects. That an’ I think it’s cool as all hell,” Beau explained, his eyelights lighting up with his enthusiasm as he slowly kicked his uninjured leg back and forth again.

Uzi leaned further forward on the table, stopped only by her grip on the edge of the surface to keep herself from falling off onto the floor. She held onto every word Beau gave with a similar look of enthusiasm, looking more and more curious about his project with every passing detail that he gave.

“...That… sounds useful actually,” She commented.

“I know, right? Use an’ cool at the same time,” Beau commented with a smirk, proud of his choice of invention. “How ‘bout you? If ya like to tinker, ya probably like buildin’ stuff too, right? Got any cool ideas or projects yer workin’ on?”

“Maaaybe… Railgun?” Uzi replied, a wide smirk immediately tugging over her faceplate at the bewildered look that crossed Beau’s face.

“No- There ain’t no way. Are you bein’ serious right now?”

“Concept right now,” The purple haired drone said as her smirk started to tug even wider at the sight of Beau starting to grin with her. “Just need the parts. Already have a few at my cabin.”

Beau’s jaw hung open slightly in borderline disbelief before he broke out into absolutely giddy chuckles as he listened to Uzi. He couldn’t remember the last time he got to talk to someone other than his mother and father who was into inventing things, and questionable outside-the-box things at that.

Piers managed to keep a straight face even as he listened to the conversation about potentially doomsday level inventions due to his close proximity to it, though a nervous sweat drop had formed in the corner of his visor. The medical drone looked at the oil bag again to make sure the transfusion was still going smoothly before he stood up from where he was still sitting next to Uzi, instead turning to approach Beau instead.

The doctor wordlessly held his hand out as he approached, leaving Beau to nod and raise his injured leg to let Piers take a better look at it as he realized what he was silently asking for.

“Mostly just food for thought, but… Pretty cool, right?” Uzi continued with a wide and toothy grin.

Beau could have sworn it almost looked sharp for a moment.

“ Real cool. I mean, are ya kiddin’ me? A railgun? Ain’t no tellin’ how much scrap yer gonna need for somethin’ like that though… You usually find yer scrap out while yer explorin’?” Beau asked as he glanced down at Piers, watching the repair drone as he carefully inspected his injured leg.

“Mostly, yeah,” Uzi responded as she rocked back and forth slightly where she perched, resisting the urge to scratch at the transfusion line that was still clamped to her arm. She warbled quietly as she tried to ignore the itchiness as well. “Sometimes I find broken stuff. Take it back, take it apart. Found most of my tools in some old building.”

“That’s what I do too. Sometimes when supply runs go out or stuff breaks ‘round here, it gets thrown in the scrapyard an’ salvaged since it’s all junk parts that ain’t useful on their own without bein’ recycled,” Beau said before he paused, his eyelights narrowing slightly. “...Actually… After I was done here, I was gonna go an’ pick through the scrapyard to find some parts for my own invention. You got pockets on that jacket of yers?”

Uzi took a moment to feel around her jacket, quickly locating a pair of pockets that were sewn in on either side of the zipper. She was quick to give a nod in response as she tugged one of the pockets with her thumb for emphasis, looking curious about where Beau was going with his statement as she raised an eyebrow.

“If ya wanna get out of the medical bay for a lil’ bit, maybe you can come down with me to the scrapyard? Might be able to find some parts for yer own tinkerin’ that you can stuff into yer pockets to take home with ya when ya leave again,” Beau offered.

The purple haired drone’s eyelights immediately brightened and lit up in response to the offer, the other drone wasting no time in enthusiastically nodding and warbling out her agreement where she shifted on top of the table.

“After that oil transfusion is finished. You’re not getting out of it that easily,” Piers suddenly cut into the conversation, earning a glare from Uzi as she loudly warbled and hissed in response to his sudden interruption. “And you,” He began as he looked up at Beau, “better not cut your arm open on a piece of scrap or fall and crack your visor on a random scrap pile.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll be real careful, doc. Promise,” Beau responded as he gave Piers a nervous grin, glancing down at his injured leg as the medical drone continued to inspect it. “...How’s my leg lookin’ though?”

“You’re able to move it and the foot just fine, right?” Piers asked as he glanced up once again, receiving a nod in response. The repair drone continued to inspect his leg for another few moments before he carefully let it go.

“Uh huh. So what’s wrong with it?” Beau asked as he watched Piers turn to walk back over to Uzi and check on the oil transfusion’s progress.

“Strain, I’m pretty sure,” Piers responded as he took a seat next to Uzi again, leveling a pointed stare at Beau as he reached for his mug that he’d left on the side table. “The original injury you had has healed up nicely, but your repair systems haven’t completely reinforced the newly healed parts yet. You shouldn’t cause any stress fractures or cracking as long as you don’t try to run a marathon around the colony, but it’s still going to be a bit sore until that finishes up.”

The orange eyed drone was quiet as he listened intently to what the medical drone had to say about his condition, giving a small nod as he took in all of the information that he was being given before he directed his attention down to his leg. Piers seemed to sense that he had more questions on his processor and made a noise akin to clearing his throat to get the attention back on him.

“It might heal a bit faster if you’d sit down and stop putting the strain on it, but it will heal up completely regardless eventually. I’d guess… maybe by the end of the week if not sooner if you stay off of it and let it mend,” The doctor added.

“Can’t stay off it completely though, doc. I still gotta do stuff like goin’ to school,” Beau commented as he gave the medical drone a small grin, shrugging his shoulders slightly in response to the narrow eyed stare that Piers had leveled at him.

“I meant as much as you’re reasonably able to stay off of it. Going on your scrapyard trip isn’t exactly going right back home and staying off of your leg, is it?” Piers questioned as he raised an eyebrow, his eyelights still narrowed into a sharp stare.

“C’monnnn, I got stuff I wanna do too. Sittin’ ‘round all day’s borin’ an’ it makes me antsy to sit too long. Plus, you just said yerself that it’ll heal eventually, right? Then I ain’t got nothin’ to worry ‘bout. Just a couple lil’ aches an’ pains ‘fore the weekend hits.”

Piers responded by releasing a heavy sigh and taking a long sip of his famously ever present mug, keeping the stare leveled at Beau for a few moments to convey his medical disapproval before he turned his gaze to check how much was left of the oil bag for Uzi’s transfusion instead.

“Just don’t run track around the colony or trip and fall on the first random scrap piece that rolls under foot or else we’re going to be stuck seeing each other again before tomorrow’s over and I’m going to laugh at you,” The doctor commented.

Beau couldn’t tell how much of his comment was playful sarcasm and how much of it was a sign that Piers was totally done with the day and ready to burn it all down. He settled for flashing a thumbs up at the medical drone with his free hand, putting on his best attempt at a reassuring smile.

“No reckless stunts here ‘sides the walkin’ around,” He assured.

“Good. Keep it that way,” Piers instructed as he took another sip of his mug and lazily watched the transfusion progress.

Beau wasn’t sure if more tired rings had appeared under the medical drone’s eyelights or if he was just imagining things. Uzi was starting to get a bit more agitated with the transfusion, having started to warble and grumble again as she scratched at the casing a short distance away from the transfusion line.

“Uzi. Don’t pull that out else it’s going to take even longer,” Piers warned as he noticed her scratching out of the corner of his vision.

“Bite me. Not pulling it out. It just itches,” Uzi complained in response to the doctor, her words falling off into a grumble as she stopped picking at her arm and instead gripped the edge of the table again.

Beau looked between the other two drones again before he picked out another song to play from his phone in an attempt to distract Uzi from the oil transfusion once more. The purple haired drone was still grumbling and warbling but she did perk up slightly as she tilted her head to listen to the music again.

“Hey, at least once we’re done here we get to go poke ‘round the scrapyard an’ find some cool stuff. Most of that stuff in there is junked anyway so it’s kinda pick an’ take whatever ya want rules in there. Free reign to grab anythin’ that looks useful and that ya can carry,” He spoke up again.

Uzi was quiet for a few moments and then settled slightly again as she listened to both the music and Beau’s words, though she still didn’t seem too happy with the oil transfusion situation as she leveled a sour look at Piers. The medical drone responded by narrowing his eyelights at her in return.

“Just sit still and let the transfusion finish and then I’ll let you go if you’re really that determined to get out of here,” Piers stated before he took yet another sip from his mug. “I’ll check your oil levels again later today when you get back.

Uzi still seemed a bit grouchy judging by the way she grumbled and warbled but she resigned herself to sitting still until the oil transfusion was over. Beau took the moment to browse the music on his phone and set up a queue of songs to listen to before he sat the phone down on the table next to him, intent on letting it automatically work its way through the list he’d created.

All three drones in the room found themselves listening to the music as they relaxed and quietly waited for the time to pass.

Chapter Text

The rest of Uzi’s oil transfusion thankfully went by without too much issue, the purple haired drone in question managing to stay somewhat calm if not willingly still while the repair drone managed to keep a hold of his temper despite all of the prior difficulties. Beau had kept the music going on his phone to help keep the other two drones calm, finally having settled for putting his entire music library on shuffle so he could be surprised by the music just as much as the other two were.

Putting the entire shuffle did play a wider variety of music for them, but it came with the added side effect of the shuffled songs occasionally not matching to sometimes hilarious degrees. Something could be said about the impressive variety of music and genres on Beau’s phone that indicated his music tastes, but Beau himself was far too busy getting into snickering fits as the shuffle went from the softest music to the heaviest of metal music.

Uzi seemed to find the sudden changes in music funny as well or perhaps she was simply picking up on Beau’s energy, but either way, she had also started to giggle any time there was a particularly sharp change in genre again. Even Piers looked to be somewhat amused by very sudden changes judging by the looks that crossed over his visor at times, though he refused to admit it.

The purple haired drone was grateful when the oil transfusion had finally finished up and the line was removed from her arm, sparing neither Beau nor Piers from the amount of chirping and warbling she did at the itchy feeling that was left behind. The medical drone had cleared both drones for leaving but not before reminding Beau not to run and telling Uzi to come back if her fever showed any signs of spiking again.

Beau had decided to take a moment to check his messages and the time again before he finally got up to leave the medical bay, Uzi following close behind him as she hopped down from the table she had still been perched on and then slunk after the other drone.

“Thanks again, doc. Really appreciate the help,” Beau called after Piers as he stepped out into the hallway once more, pausing long enough to wave back at the medical drone who responded with his own wave as he sipped from his mug.

Uzi briefly spared a glance behind her and gave a small nod to acknowledge Piers, though she was quickly more interested in turning to follow Beau into the hallway instead. She was back on all fours again as she slunk out right on Beau’s heels, watching the medical bay door slide closed behind them before the orange eyed drone reached up to adjust his hat and cast his gaze toward his companion.

“Alright, so… You ever explored the colony enough to stumble across the scrapyard in all yer other visits?” Beau asked as he started the trek down the hallway, followed side by side by the purple haired drone as she crept along the ground beside him.

Her eyelights turned up in a thoughtful expression in response to his question before she shook her head, soon tilting her head slightly with a look of curiosity to silently urge him to continue.

“There’s a lil’ spot in the colony where junk gets dumped off from the scavengin’ runs, from the warehouse, or from folks’ apartments when their stuff starts breakin’ down. Lots of people have different names for it, but a lot of people I know call it the scrapyard or the junkyard. Whenever a team comes back with some supplies, that stuff gets sorted. The tools an’ other things that are usable exactly how they are get put in the storage sector so whoever needs ‘em can go get ‘em. The stuff that’s broken beyond repair or scraps that ain’t big enough to be used on their own gets tossed in the scrapyard.”

Uzi nodded along as she continued to listen to Beau, keeping her gaze fixed on him as she hung onto every word with a look of curiosity. The orange eyed drone took a right around the nearest corner and led them both into a new hallway before he resumed speaking.

“Scrapyard’s got a lil’ bit of everything. Torn up blankets, tools that got snapped in half, broken furniture… All of that goes into the scrapyard so the material can be salvaged. People like my ma get hired by some of the other sectors ‘round here like the medical bay crew or the engineerin’ teams an’ go in to pick though the scrapyard an’ salvage what they can. Can’t use a lil’ piece of scrap metal for much on its own… But that lil’ piece of metal can be melted down an’ turned into a screw or used as a patch in a weld, for example.”

“Soooo… Why pick through scraps when there’s a bunch of things in the storage place?” Uzi asked as she raised an eyebrow. “No supplies for jobs there or…?”

“That’s another part I was gettin’ to. It’s also my ma’s job to go in an’ recycle parts from the scrapyard. Drones like her collect the junk, break it down into components, an’ then hand it off to other drones so they can make what they need outta it. Lots of the storage sector’s supply is from the scrapyard when it ain’t from the outside world ‘cause things get recycled over an’ over again,” Beau replied as a smile spread over his faceplate.

He always had enjoyed watching that process in action ever since he was a little drone. There was something magical to him about watching his mother at work and he still enjoyed it even now.

“Actually… I got an example for ya. Let’s take a broken table. You followin’ along so far?”

Uzi took a moment to try to imagine a table in her head for the example Beau was about to give, nodding along as she looked ahead of her to watch where they were both currently walking.

“Okay, so, ya got this table that’s broken. Totally broken and can’t be fixed in its current state. That gets put in the scrapyard. Drones like my ma come along an’ take this table, right? Then they break that table down into parts. What can ya get out of a table if ya break it down into parts?”

Uzi was quiet for a few moments as she pondered on the question she was given, a series of warbles coming from her as Beau swore he could nearly hear the gears turning in his head. She turned that thought over in her processor a few more times before she finally blinked and looked up at him again.

“Metal, screws, hinges, wood… Right?”

“See, you get it. All those parts that get stripped off get given to the engineers or put somewhere in the storage sector where all the raw materials go an’ then those parts might recycled into buildin’ a new table or buildin’ some other furniture or tools. That’s exactly why there’s a group of drones dedicated to sortin’ an’ breakin’ down that kinda stuff. ‘Course… Sometimes stuff gets plucked straight from the scrapyard if it’s usable right away. Torn up cable an’ wires might get pulled outta the pile an’ carried away straight if there’s enough there for somebody to splice together.”

Uzi nodded again as she produced another set of curious warbles. She could see where recycling certain things over and over again would be useful since she got the feeling that she was a bit of a minority in willingly going outside as often as she did.

“And we can just take from there?” She asked as she raised an eyebrow on her screen again.

“There’s another rule of the scrapyard. It’s a free for all in there. The harvestin’ drones go in there to get stuff to break down but… Typically the medical bay an’ the engineering teams take from what’s sorted in storage first so the scrapyard’s open to anybody an’ everybody that wants to pick through it. Lots of people with inventin’ hobbies or other DIY projects they need scraps for. Scrapyard’s fair game an’ no drone’s land, which is what makes it fun,” Beau replied as a wide smirk stretched across his faceplate.

The two drones turned down another hallway as they continued the journey toward the junkyard, leaving Uzi to realize she was starting to get less familiar with the area with each turn. They had started to pass most of the features of the hallways that she recognized, leaving her to guess that she had likely never been down this way before and that was why she had never seen this scrapyard that Beau was talking about.

The orange eyed drone himself seemed to know exactly where he was, which indicated that he had likely been down this way many, many times before over his time living in the bunker. The purple haired drone found herself grateful to have a guide because she really didn’t feel like getting lost today.

“Why I wanted to run down to the scrapyard today is ‘cause my ma told me the storage sector got cleaned out,” Beau started again as he broke the short silence the two drones had fallen into on their walk. “That means whatever got cleaned out an’ wasn’t needed anymore or was broken’ got dumped out with the rest of the junk. That means now’s a real good time to go pickin’ an’ diggin’ for some new parts for my inventions an’ yer own inventions too.”

Uzi nodded along in agreement again as she made a few more warbles, looking more curious than ever about the idea of getting to pick through the junkyard parts as well. The duo made another turn down the seemingly endless maze of hallways, leaving the purple haired drone to realize that she was getting deeper and deeper into unfamiliar territory, though she trusted that Beau still seemed to know where they were judging by the excited purpose he had to his step.

One more turn down the hallway and suddenly they arrived at a large and spacious room that Beau was quick to usher Uzi into. The purple haired drone’s eyelights immediately hollowed out with a sense of wonder as she took in the impossibly tall ceiling as well as the incredibly wide and long walls that barely felt like they could fit inside the colony in her processor.

She could immediately see what Beau had meant about the place being a junkyard of sorts, her optics spotting piles upon piles of metal scraps and all sorts of other scraps spread around the area, some even starting to form small hills and mountains in the room. She could also see some old shipping containers- she thought they were called- scattered around the room and stacked high in certain places as well as a good amount of torn up and cracked furniture here and there.

The purple haired drone was also quick to notice some other drones were already here and were walking about exploring the room which had her face pulling into a cautious frown, though Beau did not seem deterred by the small crowd as he marched a few steps ahead of her and waved his arms around to motion to the wide open room.

“And here we are… The scrapyard!” Beau exclaimed, his eyelights sparkling with his enthusiasm as a wide smirk split his faceplate.

His gaze was already quick to find one of the nearest scrap piles, his optics raking over some of the bits of exposed wire and other scrap pieces he could see as he set about wondering what sort of treasures he could find hiding inside. He realized that Uzi was looking at him again after a few moments and turned his head to her, giving her a smile as he motioned for her to follow him and join him at one of the nearest scrap piles to start picking through it.

“Lots of people in here...” Uzi commented quietly as she slunk over to join Beau beside the small mountain of junk, transitioning her posture to rest in a crouched position beside her companion.

The purple haired drone hugged her legs and knee joints as she cast a glance over her shoulder to a different pile several far feet away, watching the other drones that were picking through it and talking among themselves. Beau spared a glance over his shoulder to look around at some of the other drones as well before his attention returned to the pile in front of him, immediately plucking out a sharp piece of shrapnel and turning it over in his hands a few times to examine it.

“They ain’t gonna bother ya, promise,” The orange eyed drone assured as he glanced at Uzi out of the corner of his visor. “Probably got a few scavengers here like you an’ me in here right now plus there’s probably some actual harvesters at work too. Might be a few more people comin’ in an’ out to dump off more junk they ain’t got a use for.”

Uzi cast her glance out again at some of the various other drones going about the scrapyard before she warbled quietly and focused back on the pile she and Beau were currently sitting at. She started to dig through the pieces as well, eyeing a few of the metal pieces of shrapnel that she pulled out before starting to search for some wires that she could pocket.

Beau was carefully digging through the pile with a purpose to his eyelights, a part of his programming already working to highlight potentially useful parts that his optics could find in the heap of junk. He found himself sorting the parts as he continued to pick through the pile without even realizing that he was doing it, grouping the parts out on the floor beside him by sizes and types as he continued his search for the particular kinds of parts he needed for his invention.

Uzi picked out some various parts herself to inspect them before carelessly tossing them back towards the pile when she determined they weren’t what she needed, though her companion kept catching the parts before they landed and sorted them on the side in the appropriate piles. The longer that went on, the more the purple haired drone started regarding Beau with a confused stare out of the corner of her vision.

The two drones continued to search for several long minutes as they slowly but surely broke down the scrap pile they had decided to work on searching through. Uzi managed to find one small length of copper wire that she thought would be useful and carefully tucked it away into her hoodie pocket before she finally turned her head to spare a proper look at Beau’s handiwork.

The orange eyed drone seemed to have not found any parts he planned to keep yet, but he had sorted the pile's contents into various smaller piles. It took Uzi a moment to realize that the parts had been sorted by various types and materials.

Uzi found herself raising an eyebrow as that realization settled over her before she slunk around Beau’s side, eyeing where he had sorted out a pile of broken pipes next to a pile of what looked like bits and pieces of glass.

“...Why’s it all in different piles? Wasn’t that extra work?” She spoke up, getting Beau to jump slightly as if he had just remembered that she was there with him.

“Huh? Oh… Truth be told, I didn’t even realize I was sortin’ stuff out ‘til you said somethin’ just now,” Beau replied with a chuckle as he looked over at the small piles of parts that he had made.

The orange eyed drone looked over the sorted bits one more time to verify that he couldn’t see any parts he wanted to take before he got on one knee joint and then stood up. He looked at his hands before he wiped them off on his shorts, turning his head to look around in search of another promising scrap pile to start searching through.

“Guess I just sorta felt like I should sort it? Felt right in my processor somethin’. Makes it easier for the harvesters an’ other DIY people comin’ through here too ‘cause that way they don’t gotta dig through a whole jumped up junk pile to find what they’re lookin’ for.”

Uzi tilted her head slightly as she listened to Beau and raised an eyebrow, though she did have to admit that she thought he had a point about it being at least slightly more efficient for other groups that would likely search the pile after them. She crept forward deeper into the room with her orange eyed companion as she too began to look around at the piles of scraps and other junked items, leaving the two to wordlessly pass by a different group of drones that were sorting through things before a loud voice suddenly sounded from the duo’s right.

“Hey, look! Look! I found one!” The voice remarked, belonging to a white eyed worker drone with glasses that was currently standing on top of a rather large junk pile several feet away.

They thrust their hand into the air in triumph, holding up what looked like a bundled up extension cord as they turned their head to look at another drone that was standing at the bottom of the pile and opened their mouth to speak. The glasses-wearing drone did not manage to get a word out before one of the parts they were standing on visibly rolled and slipped out from under their foot.

With their balance thrown off, the white eyed drone tripped and fell off of the pile with a yelp before crashing onto the floor below. The fall wasn’t very far and no one seemed to be in a particular hurry to help the fallen drone up which implied they were most likely fine, but their fall did draw the attention of a few onlookers.

Uzi watched the drone and their subsequent fall with a look of confusion and a loud warble, unsure what to make of the situation that had just unfolded before her as she blinked with hollow eyelights. Her warbling drew the attention of some of the nearby drones, though she completely missed the fact that they were staring in favor of watching this other drone.

Beau had also turned his head to look at the source of the yelp, having glanced over in just enough time to see the other drone trip and fall onto the ground below before he cringed and whistled quietly between his teeth.

“An’ that’s why you don’t go climbin’ up on top of the piles...” The orange eyed drone muttered quietly under his breath as he shook his head at the other drone, getting Uzi to glance up at him.

Beau stared at the drone that fell and their companion that was currently helping them up off the floor for a few moments, his eyelights narrowing as he studied the two drones before his facial features suddenly shifted with a look of recognition. He took a few steps towards the two drones, prompting Uzi to follow him as she looked up at him with a confused and cautious stare.

“Hold on a minute… Sylph? Benny? That you guys?” Beau asked as he raised an eyebrow at the two drones they approached.

The taller drone who had remained at the foot of the pile helped his companion to their feet before he turned his head at the sound of Beau’s voice and the approaching footsteps furious pink eyelights locking onto both Beau and Uzi before a wide grin spread across his faceplate.

“Beau, my mannnn,” The pink eyed drone greeted as he held an outstretched fist towards Beau, his grin only widening as the orange eyed drone returned the gesture by bumping his own fist against his knuckles. “What’s up, little dude?”

“Yer only a year older than me, Benny. Stop tryin’ pretend I’m the lil’ guy here,” Beau responded to the comment with a huff as he put his hands up his hips, though a smile still threatened to appear on his faceplate as it tugged on the corners of his lips.

“Whatever you say, little man,” Benny teased back in response, his grin stretching even wider at the look that crossed Beau’s face as his eyelights turned up with glee. The displaced square pixels that ran along the bottom of his visor shifted a bit as his eyelights turned up, sitting just above his cheeks and under his eyelights as they settled.

Benny wasn’t the only drone Beau knew that had that graphical glitch with his screen that resulted in the displaced pixels, though he didn’t know exactly why it happened nor did he think anyone really knew besides the fact that it could sometimes pop up as either a system glitch or as a result of damage to the visor. Beau had once heard one of the older drones comparing the glitch to something called ‘freckles’ that they had seen on some humans’ faces before the core collapse happened and wiped out the biological life on the planet.

“Careful, Ben… One of these days, you’ll make him made enough that he’ll put confetti streamers in your shoes,” The white eyed drone cut into the conversation, sparing a brief glance at Beau to silently say hello before they focused on spooling up the extension cord they still held in their arms.

“You sure bet I will. Quit bein’ an idjit,” Beau playfully teased Benny as he gave the other drone a light shove on the shoulder, getting an innocent smile and a snicker out of him. “Nice to see ya too, Sylph.”

The white eyed drone gave another small nod to acknowledge Beau’s greeting as they fidgeted with the extension in their arms. They sank ever so slightly into their oversized shirt, refusing to meet the other drones’ gazes as they focused on their task.

Benny looked over at Sylph to see their progress on spooling up the extension cord before he focused back on Beau with a smile. A sudden curious warbling noise drew his attention, making his eyelights turn up in confusion before his gaze trailed downward to meet the purple haired drone that was currently accompanying Beau.

“Hey, wait… Is that the rare and elusive Uzi I’ve heard so much about? That super mysterious drifter of ours?” Benny asked as he motioned a hand towards the drone in question.

Uzi narrowed her eyelights in response to Benny, warbling at him for a few moments as she seemed to study the other drone. Beau watched her for a few moments to see if she was going to respond on her own before he directed his attention back to the pink eyed drone and nodded.

“Uh huh, that’s Uzi,” Beau replied as a smile spread across his faceplate. “I bumped into her while I was at the medical bay an’ invited her to come poke through scrap with me. Somethin’ fun to do.”

Benny nodded as he listened to Beau, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow as he regarded Uzi for a moment with genuine curiosity. He studied her for another few moments before his gaze found the orange eyed drone again, his features slowly pulling into a concerned frown.

“How are you, uh… doing, by the way? After the whole… You know...” He trailed off, but Beau still caught the unspoken words and the meaning behind the question.

How are you doing after the scavenging trip?

“I’m doin’ okay… Sorta okay. Maybe not super okay. But I’m managin’ the best I can. Kinda avoidin’ thinkin’ too hard on it though. Been tryin’ put it behind me,” Beau muttered back in response, getting a concerned look and an understanding nod from the other drone.

The orange eyed drone found himself looking away from Benny as his gaze tracked down to Uzi instead, looking at the confused and curious look on her face as he sensed a good opportunity to change the conversation topic.

“Uzi, this is Benny an’ Sylph. These two are a couple of harvesters in trainin’ that I’ve met a few times now ‘cause they’re some of my ma’s co-workers an’ I watch her work sometimes,” Beau explained. “Benny, Sylph, this is Uzi. The super cool an’ mysterious drifter.”

Benny and Sylph both nodded in greeting, the former cracking an inviting and friendly smile towards the purple haired drone. Uzi didn’t seem keen on verbally responding as she studied the other two drones with narrowed eyelights, but she did wave back in response as she produced another quiet warble.

Beau looked between the three drones for a moment before his eyelights drifted to the extension cord that Sylph was carrying. He made a quiet hum as an idea quickly popped into his processor, getting him to look between the two harvesters as he quietly clapped his hands together.

“Actually- Hey, Benny, Sylph, you guys been here for a lil’ while? Been goin’ through lots of these piles?” He asked.

Benny raised an eyebrow at Beau’s question before he nodded, turning slightly to motion to some piles a bit further back. “Yep. We were digging through those and this big one here before Sylph fell and busted their tail. Are you looking for something?”

“Got a lil’ project I’m workin’ on back at home an’ I’m lookin’ for some springs an’ hinges ‘bout this big,” Beau replied as he brought his hand up and pinched two fingers together to visually mark out the size he needed. “Also lookin’ for some broken tool heads or some broken power tools to gut if you’ve seen any.”

Benny listened to Beau for a moment before his expression turned up thoughtful again in response to the request. Sylph appeared thoughtful as well for a moment before they suddenly turned and raised a hand to motion to one of the piles a bit further away from the group, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Saw some springs around that size over there. Saw some hinges too but not sure if there’s any in the right size,” The white eyed drone commented.

Beau followed the motion and fixed his gaze on the particular pile before he nodded and flashed a thumbs up in response to Sylph. Benny followed the gaze out to the pile as well before he nodded in agreement with the assessment and pointed to a different pile not far from the one the glasses-wearing drone had pointed out.

“Don’t know about power tools but I know that pile over there had some broken screwdrivers and a hammerhead if I remember right. Might be worth your while to poke around in there too once you’re done checking the other pile,” Benny added.

“Pile number one an’ pile number two… Okay. Thank ya both. I wanna get all them parts eventually so anythin’ I can get helps right now,” Beau said before he glanced down at Uzi again, seeing how she was also staring at the piles that had been pointed out.

“We get you covered,” Benny stated as he flashed a grin, the pixels dotting his visor seeming to briefly displace again. “What are you working on anyway? Or is that some top secret Doorman project I don’t get to hear about?”

Beau’s faceplate immediately split with a wide smirk as he was given an opportunity to share his invention, his eyelights turning up with glee. “You’ve seen my ma’s knife, right? I’m tryin’ make my own replica of it. I like tinkerin’ with stuff just like she does so I wanna have all those tools on the go too. That an’ I just think it’s super cool.”

“Your mom’s already a menace with that thing… Do we really need two of those running around?” Sylph asked quietly as they listened to Beau, their eyelights turning hollow as they looked mildly concerned by the knowledge they were just given.

“That’s exactly why we need two of ‘em runnin’ ‘round,” Beau replied with a laugh as his eyelights hollowed out, one of them briefly twitching as his smirk stretched wide enough to show his teeth.

The other three drones present found themselves staring at him for a long moment before he finally recovered from the brief moment he was having, shaking his head as his eyelights tracked up to the corner of his vision to check the time on his internal clock.

“I should probably get goin’ an’ start diggin’ through that pile if I wanna get anything, though… Gonna try to be home at a decent hour for dinner an’ I don’t wanna go home empty handed if I can help it,” Beau said as he reached up to adjust his hat.

“Yeahhhh… Me and Sylph should probably get back to work too. Engineering department called up some cables and other goodies they needed. They couldn’t find the stuff they needed in storage so off we went down here. Should probably get back to that as much as I love standing around and chatterboxing,” Benny commented as he put his hands on his hips.

“Hey, it’s all fine. Works out just fine since I need to get a move on too. Y’all go on an’ have a good rest of yer day, yeah? Was fun to bump into ya an’ chat for a minute. Really appreciate the help gettin’ pointed in the right direction,” Beau said before he turned to start walking in the direction of the junk piles, throwing a hand over his shoulder to wave as he earned a wave in return from both of the harvester drones.

“Good luck finding what you need, Beau. Have a good harvest!” Benny called after the orange eyed drone before he looked at Uzi who had started to follow Beau, waving in her direction too. “It was nice meeting you too, Uzi.”

Uzi jumped a bit as she was suddenly addressed again, looking back at the pink eyed drone with a warble and narrowed eyelights before she gave a nod to acknowledge the statement.

“...Nice to meet you too,” She responded before she waved at Benny and Sylph, soon turning to follow Beau the rest of the way towards the junk piles after she had done so.

Beau spared one more glance back at the harvesters as they waved before turning to dig through the large pile Sylph had previously fallen from again. A snicker finally left the orange eyed drone as he fixed his gaze on the junk piles ahead again.

“Pretty cool, ain’t they? I think they’re both pretty fine to hang out with. I trust their word too when it comes to pickin’ out some good stuff. Bet there’s a treasure trove in these two piles,” He commented as he approached the closest of the two piles that had been pointed out to them.

Uzi listened to Beau as she followed him to the junk pile, the orange eyed drone having already started to pick through the contents with just his optics alone judging by the way he was studying every little visible inch of the pile.

“Seemed nice enough, I guess. Super cool,” She responded as she crouched down next to the scrap pile, looking for a safe opening among all of the sharp parts before she shoved her hands in to start digging.

Beau nodded in agreement with Uzi as he too began to pick through a weak spot in the junk pile, his eyelights once again filled with purpose as he began the hunt for the springs and hinges he needed to continue with his invention. Neither drone spoke for a few minutes as they worked, though the orange eyed drone was quick to break the silence.

“...You got any plans what yer gonna do after we get done here? I gotta go home after this if I wanna be there at a decent hour but I’m curious what kinda plans you got,” He spoke up as he raised an eyebrow, appearing curious.

Uzi warbled in response to Beau’s question as she continued to dig through the pile, pulling out a clump of wires to inspect it. She was quiet for a few moments as she focused on the wires, only just properly processing that she had been asked a question once she noticed the other drone was looking at her.

“Probably go back to the medical bay room… thing. Doc’s been making me stay there. Fever and all that,” She responded.

Beau listened to Uzi as he continued to dig through the pile as well, soon pulling out a coiled piece of spring that he inspected with nearly sparkling eyelights. He tested the spring by lightly stretching it and bending it with his fingers before he sat it out on the floor beside his knee, intending to take it with him once he was finished searching.

“Piers ain’t too bad… He’s a real good doc as much as he likes to stay on people’s cases. Really knows what he’s doin’ an’ all that. He’s the head doctor of the whole bunker for a reason,” He commented as he carefully combed his fingers through the pile.

Uzi immediately grumbled and warbled at the mention of Piers, a quiet hiss spitting past her lips before Beau started to snicker. She continued to dig through the scrap pile, but she sunk into her shoulders to give her best impression of pouting.

“He can bite me for all I care...” The purple haired drone quietly complained.

Beau tried and failed to contain the laughter, earning him another grumble and a warble out of the other drone. He continued to dig through the scrap pile with one hand as his other hand waved slightly at Uzi.

“Fine, fine, I’ll make it up to ya. Once we’re done here, I’ll walk back to the medical bay with ya so you don’t have to get bored on the way back. I gotta go back in that direction anyway to get closer to my apartment,” He offered.

Uzi was still grumbling but considered this trade for a moment, soon making a small nod as she started to pick through another bundle of stripped wires she found. Beau took the nod as her answer as he pulled another spring from the pile to inspect it, giving her a small nod of his own to acknowledge her silent response.

“Come on then. Let’s look for some good stuff ‘fore we head on out.”

Chapter Text

By the time Beau finally got back to his apartment, he was starting to feel a little bit worn out from all of the walking. His leg had started to cramp up a bit more again between all of the walking and all of the crouching he had done while digging through the junk piles back at the scrapyard, but he considered the trade off worth it for the nice selection of scrap parts he had carried back in his arms.

He had also had fun hanging out with Uzi, which was another reason why he had considered it worth it. However, like all fun hangouts, he eventually had to part ways with her after he had walked her back to the medical bay and then started in the direction of his own home.

He eyed the front door of his family apartment as it became visible on his side taking a moment to transfer his haul to one arm so he could reach out to open the door.

“I’m home!” The orange eyed drone called out as he stepped through the door, immediately casting a glance around the living room as he looked around in search of either of his parents.

He heard movement from the bedroom and turned his head toward it, quickly spotting his mother popping her head out of the doorway. A smile quickly spread across his faceplate as he waved at her, receiving a wave in response.

“Hey, back a lil’ quicker than I thought you’d be. I thought I was gonna have to come chase ya down for stayin’ out way too late an’ gettin’ up to mischief,” Alice playfully teased as she narrowed her eyelights at him, a wide grin spreading across her faceplate as well. “I don’t know if I trust ya didn’t get up to mischief, though. That lil’ grin’s got mischief written all over it.”

“Totally. Shoulda seen me, Ma. I gave ‘em what’s for while I was out,” Beau joked in response before he held up his arms to show off the haul he had gotten, immediately drawing his mother’s gaze to the parts with interest. “Ran by the scrapyard ‘fore I headed back this way an’ found all these. Think I’ll be able to make some good progress with these ones here.”

Alice stepped out of the doorway to the bedroom and walked into the living room to join her son, inspecting the parts in his arms as he held them out to give her a better look at them. She crossed her arms and nodded, looking impressed with the selection before a wide smirk stretched over her faceplate again.

“Look at ya. Gettin’ better an’ better at spottin’ some real quality parts with each trip. Makin’ yer ma real proud of ya,” She stated as she reached out to gently ruffle Beau’s hair, earning a playful eyelight roll out of him. “Did ya swing by the medical bay like I asked ya to too?”

“Uh huh, I sure did. I kinda went on a whole lil’ adventure today, actually,” Beau replied as he smiled. “First, I swung by Vi’s place to see her an’ bumped into Thad an’ his mom while I was there. Yeva said hi, by the way. After I left there, I went on to the medical bay like I promised. Bumped into Uzi ‘cause she was still there an’ gettin’ another oil transfusion so I hung out with her while gettin’ my leg checked out. After that was over, I invited her to hang out with me an’ we went to the scrapyard together where I found this stuff. Bumped into Beny an’ Sylph while we were there an’ talked to them for a bit. Poked ‘round in the scrap ‘til it got late an’ then I said bye to Uzi an’ came home.”

Alice nodded as she listened intently to Beau recounting his outing, her face slowly pulling into a frown at the mention of Uzi and the oil transfusion. She listened to the rest of what he had to say before she turned her head slightly, staring off into the distance with a thoughtful expression overtaking her features.

Beau noticed the fact that his mother had started to stare off into space and frowned, waving a hand back and forth in an attempt to get her attention back before she suddenly spoke up again.

“Sounds like ya had a fun time out there then. I’m glad you got some of those good parts ‘fore those other two knuckleheads has a chance to swipe ‘em too,” The older drone commented, her mouth turning back up in the familiar smirk as her eyelights found her son again.

“You, uh… Got somethin’ on yer mind, Ma? You went kinda quiet for a sec there when I brought up Uzi again,” Beau commented as he narrowed his eyelights at his mother, his eyebrow raising slightly to emphasize his questioning look.

“Nah, don’t you worry ‘bout that none. I was just thinkin’ ‘bout some silly stuff. Ain’t nothin’ important,” Alice stated as she smiled at her son.

Her mouth had pulled into a wide and thin line which was a silent indicator to Beau that he should probably drop the topic before he started pressing too hard about it. That thought had him quietly chewing on the corner of his lip.

“Circlin’ back to all yer runnin’ ‘round, though… What’d the doc tell ya about yer leg?” His mother spoke up again before he got the chance to, very obviously attempting to brush past the first subject.

Beau weighed the potential outcomes and benefits of pressing his mother about whatever was clearly on her mind as he took a moment to study her face, attempting to read her expression and mood as he took in her eyelights and the line that her smile had pulled into. She seemed to be aware of his attempt to read her judging by the way she tilted her head slightly to the side and smiled wider, her eyelights narrowing in response.

Both of the orange eyed drones entered a sort of silent standoff with one another as they both stared directly into each other’s visors with narrowed eyelights, neither one wanting to nor willing to back down from the desire to ask questions and the warning not to respectively.

“Ma...” Beau tried as he narrowed his eyelights further at his mother, his own mouth pursing into a thin line in a very similar fashion.

“I ain’t gonna answer that question, Beau,” Alice responded simply, her tone a touch or two lower than it had been before as she returned the stare and moved her hands to rest on her hips. “I want ya to answer mine ‘bout the doc instead.”

“Not until you tell me what’s on yer mind first. You keep doin’ that whenever Uzi comes up an’ I wanna make sure yer okay, Ma,” Beau insisted as he stood his ground, keeping his own narrow eyed stare to match his mother.

The other drone’s eyelights narrowed tighter as a wide smile stretched across and nearly split her entire faceplate, which Beau immediately recognized as another warning sign in spite of the almost playful look to it. She did not verbally respond to his statement, instead her next chosen method of attack was to give her son a hard stare with the clear intent of outlasting his desire for an answer.

Alice seemed to think that if she waited just long enough, Beau would eventually lose interest and either move on from the topic or disengage from the conversation entirely. Beau seemed just as intent on winning the standoff as she was, similarly falling into silence as he returned the heavy stare to silently state his intentions.

The staredown between mother and son continued for what felt like several long minutes in both of their processors until the sound of the front door opening finally broke their staring contest, getting both drones to turn their heads to look at who or what had just arrived and entered the apartment. Khan stood at the doorway, taking a moment to wave back outside in the hallway to what was likely one of the neighbors before he fully turned to enter his family’s apartment.

It only took a few seconds for him to lock eyes with his wife and son, blinking a few times as he took a moment to parse the rather serious looks that were plastered on both of their faces. His own face pulled into a frown as his eyelights bounced between them again.

“...Did I miss something here while I was at work? I know those looks. Those are your serious looks,” Khan commented as he slowly approached his family. “Usually whenever those looks come out, you’re either determined to win something or about to beat someone up. Or both.”

Alice opened her mouth with the intent to respond to her husband, but Beau was quicker and cut in before she could get a word out.

“I went out for a walk today while you were at work an’ I was tellin’ Ma ‘bout it. I ran by the medical bay to get my leg looked at ‘cause she asked me to an’ I mentioned bumpin’ into Uzi again while I was there. Ma started actin’ kinda weird again so I was askin’ if she was okay an’ she kept dodgin’ my question. I know the look she gets when she’s got somethin’ serious on her mind plus I remember what happened when we all met Uzi the other day,” Beau explained quickly, narrowing his eyelights back at his mother again as he caught her gaze out of the corner of his vision.

“An’ I was promisin’ Beau it’s nothin’ to worry ‘bout. I just got caught off in my thoughts again which I think ain’t nothin’ worth worryin’ ‘bout. I was just thinkin’ ‘bout some stuff from the past, Beau,” Alice spoke up to share her side of the story, still leveling her gaze at her son as she shook her head slightly.

Beau’s gaze did soften slightly as he listened to his mother, though he still looked concerned and had a look of determination to his eyelights as he frowned at the older drone. She shook her head slightly again to reiterate her stance, crossing her arms together as she started to rub her hand against one of them.

Khan placed his hands on his hips as he looked between his wife and son, remaining quiet for a few moments as he listened intently and took in both sides of the story. His face pulled into a frown as they both finished, a hint of concern coming to his eyelights as he regarded Alice for a long moment and shifted where he stood.

The older orange eyed drone finally broke her stare with her son to look at her husband instead, her frown softening a bit before she shook her head in a silent response. Khan noticed the silent plea for help in her expression and sighed quietly as he closed the gap between him and his family, reaching out to thread one of his arms around Alice’s shoulders.

Do we need to talk about it tonight, dear? Is this a private conversation for you and me?” Khan asked quietly as he leaned in closer to his wife, resting his forehead against the side of her head as he gently squeezed her shoulder.

Alice frowned as she turned her head slightly to look at her husband in the corner of her vision, quietly attempting to think of an answer to his question before she settled on shrugging her shoulders slightly. Khan gave her a patient smile and an understanding nod as he moved his other hand up to gently cup her cheek, turning her head just enough to catch her lips for a soft and quick kiss.

Beau kept his eyelights narrowed as he looked between his parents, clearly waiting for some kind of answer as he frowned. Khan only just seemed to remember that his son was watching before he slowly broke the kiss and turned his head to look at the younger drone.

“I think your mother’s fine, Beau. You know how she gets when she doesn’t want to answer something. I think it’s probably better not to press it right now,” Khan said softly as he gave Alice’s shoulder another gentle squeeze.

Beau only now realized that his mother was lightly picking at the strap of the old choker-style necklace she was wearing, which he knew was something she only did when she was very uncomfortably nervous or being reminded of something unpleasant in the past that she didn’t want to discuss. Guilt immediately surged up in his systems as he grit his teeth together.

“...Sorry, Ma… I shouldn’t have kept pressing,” Beau mumbled as he reached up to scratch the back of his head, his look of determination gone in an instant as he instead looked at his mother with an apologetic frown.

Alice sighed quietly as she continued to pick at the strap around her neck, her finger briefly knocking against the metal plate that was attached to it. “It’s okay, Beau. I ain’t mad at ya ‘cause I know yer askin’ ‘cause yer worried. It’s just… tied up in somethin’ I ain’t ready to talk ‘bout yet.”

Beau reached up to adjust his hat as he gave his mother a small nod, still looking a bit guilty as he glanced away to avoid both of his parents’ gazes. He knew his mother had been through a lot before he was born and that the humans had not been kind to her from the way both of his parents talked, but she had never really sat down to explain what exactly had happened because he knew it was one of the number one things she didn’t like talking about.

“...I, uh… To answer yer question ‘bout what the doc said… Piers said my leg’s doin’ just fine,” He spoke up quietly, willing to change the subject now for his mother’s sake. “Just a lil’ strin. Told me it’d probably be better by the end of the week or sooner if I’d stay off of it an’ don’t run around the colony. He said it should be fine as long as I don’t try to sprint or do stuff like that.”

“What did I tell ya ‘bout stayin’ off that leg? Even Piers agrees with me,” Alice commented with a huff, though there was a hint of a teasing tone behind her voice as she stopped fidgeting with her necklace. “I’m glad ya had fun though, Beau. Sounds like ya needed the lil’ outin’ out of the house. You look an’ sound like yer in a way better mood than ya have been.”

Beau nodded in response to that, a small smile tugging onto his faceplate before he held up all of the parts he was carrying again. “I got all these too which means I get to work more on my project. Good ‘cause I’m startin’ to get that itch for inventin’ again. Been a lil’ too long for my likin’.”

“Just like yer ma in that regard,” Alice commented, her mouth starting to tug into a relaxed smirk again. Beau could see that she was somewhat at ease now compared to her attitude a few minutes prior.

“It’s like I’ve always said… Doormans have to stay busy or else things start happening. A bored Doorman is a scary Doorman,” Khan chuckled before he smiled and leaned over to gently press a kiss to the side of Alice’s head. “Speaking of staying busy… Do you want to sit and rest while I get dinner started, dear?”

Alice considered the question for a moment as she leaned over, resting her head against her husband’s shoulder for a moment before she looked up at him. “Nah, I don’t really feel like sittin’ either. I can help ya get things ready.”

Beau looked between both of his parents for a moment before he looked down at the parts in his arms and cast his glance in the direction of his bedroom door. Alice was quick to pick up on what her son was thinking about before she nodded.

“You can go ahead an’ go work on on yer project if ya want to, Beau. We can come get ya when the food’s ready if yer eager to get to buildin’,” The older orange eyed drone spoke up, glancing at her husband long enough to ask for his opinion before she watched him nod in agreement.

“Thanks, Ma. I’ll be in my room if anybody needs me!” Beau announced as a small smile tugged its way across his faceplate again, earning a nod from both of his parents before he turned on his heels to walk toward his bedroom.

He could faintly hear the sound of his father whispering followed by his mother’s giggling, but he was already too far out of earshot to make out what was being said as he approached his bedroom door. He cast a glance over his shoulder to see if his parents were talking to him, but he quickly noticed that they had already turned to head toward the kitchen.

The orange eyed drone turned back around to enter his bedroom, a small smile still displaying on his faceplate as he enjoyed the lighter mood he had compared to how he had felt earlier in the day. His mood wasn’t perfect by any means because his prior stress hadn’t just completely disappeared, but he felt at least somewhat better after spending some time with his friends and getting a few new parts to use in working on his invention.

One part of him still felt a bit guilty over accidentally stressing his mother out and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t still worried about whatever was on her mind, but he knew it was well within her right to not want to talk about it. If she wasn’t ready to talk about it, then he wasn’t going to make her talk about it, he decided.

He shook the thought away as he walked over to his desk, regarding his invention-in-progress with a fondness and a happy smile again before he carefully dumped his armful of materials out onto the flat surface. The thought of his unfinished homework briefly crossed his processor again as he spotted his backpack on the floor, but he was more eager to get back to work on his invention now that he did have new parts to work with.

Beau sat down at his desk, taking a moment to fish his phone out of his pocket before he looked at the screen. He couldn’t see any new messages on it yet, but he did want to leave the phone lying out on the desk so he could play music from it while he worked.

He took a moment to scroll through his library before he settled on a playlist, turning the music up so he could hear it properly before he set the device on the corner of his desk where it was both out of the way and could continue playing. He directed his attention to his tools next, still lying scattered out along the desk’s surface from where he had been working on his invention prior to running out of parts.

The orange eyed drone reached out to pick up one of the tools he needed and with that, he began working on affixing the screwdriver head he had salvaged from the scrapyard to his invention.

Beau spent what felt like the next little while in focused silence, carefully working to attach the new tool before he moved on to rigging the springs and hinges he needed on his invention for the part to be able to switch in and out properly with the rest of the built in tools. He wasn’t exactly sure how much time had passed but then he hadn’t exactly been watching the time either, though he did have a small guess for how many minutes had passed judging by how many times he heard the song on his phone change as it was left to play.

He finally set the tool he had in his hand down and reached out to carefully pick up his invention, his eyelights narrowing as he pressed a trigger under the handle to verify the new parts inside were changing and moving properly and not getting caught on one another before he nodded to himself with a satisfied smile. The song switched over again as he was testing his invention, getting him to glance over at his phone as his attention was drawn away by the particular music that was starting to play.

Beau pursed his lips as he listened to the song, immediately recognizing the song as one that Braiden had shared with him a while back. He hadn’t been the biggest fan of the song when he had first heard it, but after putting it in a few of his playlists and listening to it enough, he did find himself growing a liking for the song just like how his online friend seemed to like the song enough to warrant sharing it in the first place.

The orange eyed drone’s eyelights slowly turned up into a frown as he continued to listen to the music. Braiden hadn’t texted him back once since the last conversation they had during the movie night, which had started to make him grow a bit concerned about his friend.

Not only did he find it unusual by this point for both of them to go so long without messaging one another, he found it even more particularly concerning given how his friend’s mood had come across during their last messaging session. Braiden had seemed like he was in a terrible mood and had kept insisting on changing the subject, which made him worried that either something bad had happened on his online friend’s end or that something serious was happening at home.

Beau released a heavy sigh as he carefully set down his invention, laying it out where he could easily reach it again before he instead reached to pick up his phone instead. He swiped his thumb against the phone screen to switch it away from his music player and over to his messages instead, quickly navigating through his list of contacts to find his chat with Braiden before he tapped on it to open the chat back up.

He could see the previous worrisome messages again as well as Braiden’s insistence on talking about the movies Beau had watched instead, which he had agreed to do and wrote out a list of amusing summaries for his online friend. They had talked later into the night about the movies themselves and some songs that they had both been listening to before Beau had gone to bed that night due to his sheer exhaustion by that point.

He had texted Braiden back the following morning to ask if he was feeling any better, having been expecting a reply that night, but he had never received one. He never received a reply the next night either… or the night after that.

The sudden radio silence and lack of messages after the awful mood that Braiden had been in had left him feeling a bit alarmed, especially when combined with the fact that he knew his friend had a habit of going out at night and taking pictures of the stars. Combined with the recent experience he had personally had with the murder drones, it left an uneasy weight in the pit of his fuel tank and the sinking feeling that something bad could have happened.

“Come on, Braiden… Where are ya...” Beau muttered quietly as he stared down at the phone in his hand, his visor etched with concern at the thought of his online friend possibly running into trouble the night after they talked and that’s why he hadn’t texted back after that last night.

With no responses, he could only hope his friend was in fact safe and had merely lost his phone somewhere or been so busy that he couldn’t even spare the time to text for some reason. He turned those thoughts over in his head a few more times before he held his phone in both hands to start typing out another message for his friend.

You: Hey… It’s me again

You: I don’t know if my other messages got through or if you lost your phone or if you’re taking some space to yourself or what’s going on on your end, but…

You: I’m worried about you, dude. Seriously

You: It’s not like you to just suddenly drop off the face of Copper-9 with no warning. Especially after you seemed like you were really upset the other night

You: I’m not mad that you haven’t messaged back. Just… kinda worried. It’s been a little while and I’ve heard from all of my friends lately except for you, and… I know you venture outside sometimes

You: If you are taking some time to yourself, you don’t have to text back if you don’t want to. I just kind of… wanted to check in on you, I guess. See if you were doing okay and all of that

Beau paused to read over his messages, staring at the bright phone screen for a long moment of silence before he glanced up to look at his invention out on the surface of his desk again. His gaze lingered over the partially finished multitool for a few moments longer before he raised his phone camera to take a proper photo of the work in progress.

You: So uh… I think I forgot to send you a picture of the new thing I’ve been working on when I told you about the other day I woke up so early

You: I was working on this monstrosity

Beau paused long enough in his texting to attach the photo he’d just taken to his message before he sent it through the chat as well.

You: That monstrosity. The mad scientist cowboy has been working away at getting that up and running

You: It’s got a few tools built into it already but I still want to add a few more before I finalize the whole thing

You: It looks like something out of a horror movie right now cause it’s all gutted out on my desk while I add hinges and all kinds of other mechanisms I need but when I go to put it all together, it’ll be a lot smaller than that and only have one tool out at a time instead of… well… all of the tools being spilled out all over my desk

You: Guess that’s, uh… what’s been going on with me in the last few days. You know. Besides the whole resting and recovering from… all of that the other day

You: I’m doing fine, by the way. My leg’s mostly all healed up by now. My doc’s just telling me I need to stay off of it more until some of the soreness finally goes away

You: And… yeah. That’s everything I can think of besides doing stuff like hanging out with my friends

You: Hope everything’s going okay over on your end

The orange eyed drone stared at the phone screen for a moment longer with a frown before he reached his arm out with the intent to set the device back down on the edge of the desk, but he quickly paused at the sight of a little string of text suddenly popping up along the bottom of the screen to indicate that Braiden was typing. He sank back into his desk chair in relief at that sight, happy to see that his friend evidently didn’t meet an ill fate outside of his colony like he had been starting to fear.

His relief was short lived, however, at the sight of the messages that finally popped up on his phone screen.

IvoryEmberz: you don’t have to worry about me beau

IvoryEmberz: actually it’s probably better if you don’t worry about me

Beau’s eyelights immediately pulled into a hollow eyed frown as he read the two short messages on the screen. Something about the messages didn’t sit right with him and it didn’t sit right with him at all, leaving a sinking feeling in the pit of his fuel tank again.

You: Hey… Hey… First of all I’m glad to see you’re okay but second of all where did that come from?

You: You can’t just send me something like that after suddenly going radio silent for a few days and not expect me to be worried

IvoryEmberz: i was being serious there. you don’t have to worry. come on. having a meltdown while you’re probably sitting right next to your cool invention isn’t your style

You: Braiden. Seriously

You: What’s going on?

You: You were laughing and joking with me the other day and then all the serious stuff came up and now… Yeah this is kind of concerning

You: Remember how you joked about me scaring you? Now you’re scaring me a little bit

There was enough of a pause between messages that Beau started to fear Braiden was going to go back to not texting, but the typing indicator did pop up on screen again before too long. It took several minutes before Braiden actually finished his message, the indicator disappearing and reappearing more than a few times almost as if he was starting and stopping typing again or typing part of a message out before deleting it and retyping it.

IvoryEmberz: sorry cowboy

IvoryEmberz: didn’t mean to scare you so bad

IvoryEmberz: you wanna… uh… tell me bout that invention of yours?

IvoryEmberz: said you got some new tools for it? What kind of crazy mad scientist adventures are you going to get up to out there with it?

IvoryEmberz: or is the chaos some super top secret business I need some super exclusive access to?

IvoryEmberz: c’mon man. don’t leave me hanging here. you have me invested in this whole crazy project now

Beau stared at the phone screen for a long moment, feeling slightly flabbergasted at the obvious attempt to roll straight past his last set of texts as if they didn’t even exist. He knew Braiden was doing a hell of a job ducking his concerned questions the last time they had texted by insisting they talked about the movies instead, but this felt like it was on a whole new level given his recent absence.

You: Oh no you don’t. We’re not starting that. Nuh uh. No way

You: I know what you’re trying to do and we’re not doing that again tonight

IvoryEmberz: i don’t know what you’re talking about cowboy. the suspense about your mad scientist superweapon is driving me nuts here

IvoryEmberz: or wait

IvoryEmberz: is it a game? is that what this is? is it a guessing game?

IvoryEmberz: do i get a cool friend bonus discount on my hint?

IvoryEmberz: come onnnn gimme something to work with here doc superweapon

You: It’s not a game it’s-

You: Ugh!

You: You’re doing the thing again you did the other night where you wanted to talk about the movies and wouldn’t tell me what was going on

You: Except now make it fifty times more concerning

You: HOW

You: am I not supposed to be wondering what’s going on with you when you dropped off the face of Copper-9 without a warning, which you haven’t done in months of us knowing each other, and then you come back and your first message is “don’t worry about me”

You: …

You: Do you have any idea how that sounds? How concerning that is?

There was another lull in the messages for a long moment, leaving Beau anxiously bouncing his leg beneath his desk as he used his free hand not holding his phone to ruffle his bangs. He leaned back in his desk chair, letting his eyelights wander the room as he waited to receive another message in reply.

His gaze found his standing mirror again as he started to comb out his messy hair with his fingers in an attempt to soothe himself, only just realizing that his eyelights were bright and hollow in the reflection. He rested his hand on the desk again after he let it drop away from his hair, clenching his fingers into a fist as he took in a deep vent and tried to calm his nerves.

The orange eyed drone slowly started to turn his gaze away from the mirror to look back down at his phone screen, though the sight of something flickering in his reflection out of the corner of his optics had him snapping his head back up to look at the reflective surface again. For a brief second, he could have sworn that he saw his eyelight flickering, causing him to bring his hand up to touch his visor screen where his eyelight displayed.

He frowned at the mirror as he gingerly touched his visor before he pulled his hand away again, waiting to see the flicker happen again for a long moment as he leaned back in his chair. He did not see any sort of flicker or unusual movement out of the eyelight again while he stared at his reflection, leaving him to shake his head slightly as he was left with the impression that his imagination must be messing with him and causing him to see things.

The phone started to beep in Beau’s hands again to indicate that new messages were rolling in, though he continued to stare at the mirror for a moment longer. He squinted his eyelight slightly before he closed it, still waiting to see a flicker before he released a quiet sigh and finally directed his attention back to his phone to read the newest messages.

IvoryEmberz: …

IvoryEmberz: ha…

IvoryEmberz: man… i’m really screwing up lots of things here lately aren’t I

IvoryEmberz: i can’t get food right, i can’t do my job right, i can’t help my sisters with all of their problems, i caused a huge massive fight with one of them and she’s still avoiding me, i can’t even ghost somebody right

IvoryEmberz: i can’t stop making the same mistakes over and over again because i’m an idiot with no impulse control and apparently i can’t learn my lesson like a normal drone

IvoryEmberz: hell here i am doing it again. doing it right now. the exact same mistake

IvoryEmberz: and i don’t have anybody to blame except myself. it’s my own stupid fault i got myself into this situation and i

IvoryEmberz: robo god i could’ve just not but noooo i had to be stupid and now it’s hurting literally everybody in the process. people that don’t deserve to be hurt because of me and a stupid mistake

IvoryEmberz: i ruin everything beau. i’m real great at that. that’s the only thing i ever accomplish

IvoryEmberz: even made you worry too so that proves i’m one hell of a friend too aren’t i

IvoryEmberz: haha… so much for that cool friend bonus discount huh…

Beau was taken aback by the sudden outburst, staring at his phone for several long moments with hollow eyelights as he tried to process where to even begin dissecting the rant his friend had just suddenly dropped into their shared messages. He blinked several times, sitting in stunned silence for a moment before he rolled closer to his desk again in his chair, resting his elbow joints on the desk’s surface before he started to type again.

You: Hey… Braiden…

IvoryEmberz: what cowboy

You: I don’t think you ruined anything? I know you had a fight with your sister but

You: I wouldn’t call that ruining everything. Sounds to me like you do a lot of good for your sisters too. I mean come on you tell me all kinds of stories about cool stuff you’ve all done and seen outside together

You: And… yeah you did make me worry

You: I’m still worried

You: But I’m not mad at you. I promise it’s not that bad

You: You’re just worrying me here lately because I can tell you’re not doing well and you’re using some super scary words to word it

You: Especially after the whole… dropping off the face of Copper-9 for a hot minute. I get it if you need some space to yourself but just… Robo Jesus don’t word it like “don’t worry or think about me” next time

You: You’re a great friend and I’m glad to see that you’re okay and still kicking it just fine

There was another pause in messages as Beau idly swiveled back and forth in his desk chair, letting his boots lightly scrape along the floor as he did so to prevent himself from swinging too far and smacking his leg against the desk. One more brief glance at the mirror didn’t show any flickering of any kind, leaving him to decide what he had seen before must have just been a trick of the light or his imagination.

His vision output was still coming in perfectly clear as well which told him there was nothing wrong with his optics themselves or his visor from what he could tell, which left him to shrug his shoulders slightly as he decided it was nothing to worry about. His eyelights drifted back to his phone in his hands.

IvoryEmberz: nah… i’m not as good of a friend as you think i am

IvoryEmberz: i kind of suck there actually cowboy

IvoryEmberz: …

IvoryEmberz: too much of a coward to just fix my own stupid mistakes so instead i keep repeating them or whining about as if it’s not my own fault

You: Hey, hey, knock that off

You: You keep going on about the mistakes and I keep telling you it’s okay

You: It’s not the end of the world I promised

IvoryEmberz: you don’t understand beau

IvoryEmberz: if you knew the kind of dumb stuff i’ve been up to you’d be thinking way different

You: Well then… If you’re so convinced you’re making mistakes… Why not try to improve them? Never too late to start improving and fixing mistakes

IvoryEmberz: kinda hard to do that when i’m right in the middle of making a big ol mistake right now like i already said

You: What’s the mistake you’re making right now? Could start on that and try to fix that

IvoryEmberz: ...i… can’t fix that super easy

IvoryEmberz: okay no that’s a lie

IvoryEmberz: i could fix it super easy. i could fix it so insanely easy. one click of a button easy even

IvoryEmberz: but…

You: ...But what?

Beau’s attention tracked away from his phone briefly as he looked over at his bedroom door, hearing the faint sound of cabinets opening and closing from in the kitchen. He could hear his father’s voice followed by a cackle from his mother but he didn’t hear any footsteps heading in his direction to indicate that they were coming to tell him dinner was ready yet.

IvoryEmberz: you’re not gonna like it if i told you

You: ...Why? Does it have something to do with me?

IvoryEmberz: no it’s just

IvoryEmberz: well

IvoryEmberz: goddamn it i hate this

You: Hey, take a deep vent. What’s up?

IvoryEmberz: the mistake is texting you cowboy

IvoryEmberz: that’s the mistake

IvoryEmberz: the mistake was ever texting you and befriending you in the first place

IvoryEmberz: i know i know

IvoryEmberz: before you jump me i know that sounds awful

IvoryEmberz: trust me when i say you’re cool as hell and it’s been super fun swapping cool stories with you

IvoryEmberz: it’s just… it’s better for you if we stop talking. even if you hate me for it

IvoryEmberz: i’m sorry i’m a coward and had to drag this out and make it hurt even more than it should have. sorry i had to be a huge idiot and text you in the first place and make this happen

IvoryEmberz: i tried to ghost you and i totally failed at that and just made it even worse with this whole conversation

Beau sat and stared at his phone for a long minute in stunned silence, struggling to process what exactly he was seeing in his messages. Whatever he was expecting Braiden’s perceived mistake to be, it definitely hadn’t been this or anything even remotely close to this.

The messages had his eyelights pulling into another hollow eyed frown, leaving him staring at the device in his hands as he kept watching and waiting for another typing indicator to pop up. He wasn’t sure where to even start or how to comment on the string of messages that had been sent, his processor tumbling for a long moment as he thought over the implications of Braiden’s sudden disappearance.

The realization that it had all been an attempt to ghost him and drop contact with him settled heavily over his shoulders, pressing down on him like a weight. Given the context of some of their previous messages together, that thought only set off even more worry about his friend and his friend’s current mental state.

You: Braiden… What?

IvoryEmberz: sorry beau

IvoryEmberz: just… trust me on that one okay?

IvoryEmberz: believe me i love texting you and hanging out and talking about all kinds of stupid stuff

IvoryEmberz: it’s nothing you did it’s just

You: Then what is it? We’ve been talking for ages! I thought we were pretty close friends even!

You: Is this… Is this about you not being okay? Or about you needing space or something like that?

You: You’re not hurt are you? Or going to do something risky?

IvoryEmberz: no cowboy it’s

IvoryEmberz: gah

IvoryEmberz: you don’t want to know beau

IvoryEmberz: you don’t want to know why

You: Yes I do want to know why!

You: If there’s something serious going on on your end I want to know what’s going on

You: Like if this is something we can work on together or something you can vent to me about…

IvoryEmberz: i’m being serious here when i said trust me

IvoryEmberz: you really really don’t want to know why

You: Why would it be for the better? You don’t sound like you’re okay right now and I’m worried about you because of it. How am I supposed to just stop texting you?

You: You’re my friend. I don’t want to just ditch you and leave you alone with whatever’s rattling around in your processor right now

There was another long pause in messages as Beau sat at his desk, anxiously kicking his boots together beneath it as he tried to soothe his nerves again. Something about the situation didn’t sit right at all in his processor as he stared at the phone screen in anticipation of seeing the typing indicator again.

He knew there was some kind of reason that Braiden was beating around the scrap pile from and the fact that he was being told that he didn’t want to know why was proof enough for that fact, though he didn’t know what the reason his friend was hiding was nor why he was so insistent on the fact he wouldn’t want to know. He ran a free hand through his hair again as he turned that thought over in his processor a few times, unable to come up with any possible explanation for why he wouldn't want to know.

Even if it was because of something not great going on on Braiden’s end, he still wanted to know what it was. Both curiosity and concern for whatever was going on with his friend behind the screen were tugging at his processor, demanding he get a proper answer for his questions.

The orange eyed drone drifted his attention back down to his phone screen yet again in preparation for typing out another message to insist on hearing the explanation regardless of what it was, but he was stopped by the sight of a new message already on the bright screen. Braiden’s next message had finally come through, though instead of it being a text, it came in the form of a video file.

Beau frowned at the video file on the screen for a moment, realizing that the pause must have been Braiden recording and sending the video. He hovered his thumb over the file for a moment, waiting to see if he would get another text but after he didn’t see the texting indicator anymore, he finally tapped on the screen to open the video file.

The video opened to what looked like somewhere outside most likely, or so Beau guessed because of the few banks of snow he could see surrounding the area. The snow banks were the only thing he could see, his eyelights being drawn to what looked like a wall or perhaps some kind of pile of scrap in a junkyard.

He squinted as he brought his phone closer to his visor to get a better look as he tried to figure out exactly what he was looking at, his optics zeroing in on what looked like a splotch of red light amid the sea of white and gray from all of the metal and snow that was covering up the scene. The red light was far enough in the distance that it made it harder to make out exactly what it was, but he could at least make out that it was in the vague shape of a triangle.

Whatever it was, it was flickering and sputtering as though the light was trying to remain on and not die out completely. Before Beau could ponder what he was seeing or what the purpose of the video was exactly, a masculine voice suddenly spoke up and got the orange eyed drone to jump slightly as he lowered the phone away from his face with hollow eyelights.

“Fine… You really wanna know why?” The voice asked, speaking just loud enough to be heard over the faint whistle of the wind in the video. There was a shakiness to the speaker’s voice, almost as if whoever it was was struggling to actually get the words out or struggling to keep a level head.

The camera slowly turned away from the scrap pile and faced back toward the person holding the camera and speaking… and it was then every drop of oil Beau had in his systems froze in an instant as his core tried to skip a cycle or two. Facing was the image of the very murder he had encountered back in the hallway and the bar area of the hotel, the creature’s head shaking as it came into camera view.

The monster’s visor was currently blazing that damning golden cross, reflecting off of the camera lens and making a flare that only framed its face and made it look even more sinister. The creature’s tail- the same tail that Beau had watched spear another worker through the throat and choke her on her own oil- curled up behind the monster in an arc, sending a spray of snow into the air that was quick to settle in the monster drone’s windswept hair and the shoulders of its jacket.

A faint hiss filled the air as the snow began to rapidly melt as soon as it made contact with the murder drone’s body, sending faint wisps of steam into the air and off screen. The glistening yellow acid inside the monster’s tail joined in with the light from its screen and those five odd yellow bulbs along its head to flare off of the camera, nearly blotting out the entire view of the scenery around the creature itself.

The monster’s face pulled into a wide frown and stayed like that for a few seconds, almost as if the murder drone was hesitating about something. It opened its mouth several times as it was preparing to make a noise, closing its mouth and pursing its lips each time as if it could decide exactly what it wanted to do with itself.

One of the creature’s hands suddenly flew up in a blur with a downright frightening speed before it smacked itself right in the center of the forehead, leaving Beau to notice that the terrifying creature had an actual hand and not the wicked and cruel pair of razor sharp talons he had watched tear through drone casing like it was paper back at the hotel. It sat still for a moment longer in this position, its fingers curling and digging in to grab a fistful of hair where its bangs draped over its visor screen.

The murder drone seemed to take a deep vent judging by the way its shoulders rose before Death itself spoke- actually spoke- with a voice far too drone-like to suit its horrific and monstrous visage.

“This is why. Hey, cowboy.”

Chapter Text

The video file had finished playing and closed itself automatically shortly after the face of Death finished speaking those few simple words, but Beau had barely even noticed it had done so as he instead stared into an empty space only he could see. Time felt like it had slowed down in his processor and everything felt much further away than it actually looked, leaving him staring numbly at his phone screen.

The sounds around him felt dull and quiet as well, including his own core which was rapidly and loudly cycling in his chest under the weight of what he had just witnessed. The room felt like it was spinning around him as his processor struggled to make sense of what he had seen and the realization that he had been given.

He slowly leaned forward over his desk, letting his arm with his phone fall limply against the surface while his other arm stayed propped up on his elbow joint and brought his hand to his visor. He only just released the vent he didn’t realize he was holding, the air whistling quietly as it rushed out of his systems.

Beau tensed where he sat slumped forward in his desk chair, biting his lip as he tried to fight down the sudden and strong urge to react in some way. He wanted to yell, to throw his phone across the room, to do anything really but the thought of either startling his parents in the other room or breaking his phone by throwing it and the haunting video as far away as possible kept him from doing anything.

Instead, he found himself whirling around in the swiveling desk chair, turning to face his standing mirror again as he stared at his own reflection. His eyelights were blown bright and hollow with obvious stress lines ringing them as he brought his hand up to vigorously ruffle his hair, unsure of what he was doing or why he was doing it but desperate for a distraction from the thundering thoughts in his processor all the same.

He had been texting Braiden and had been worried about his friend, he knew that much. His friend had been insisting that he didn’t need to be worried about what was going on before he had started acting like it was a mistake for them to keep talking or for having talked in the first place.

He had pressed on with wanting to know the reason why they shouldn’t keep talking and then… He had received the video file. There was a video file in the chatroom that he shared with his close online friend that he had known for months now.

There was a video file of a murder drone in the chatroom with his close online friend. There was a video file of the same murder drone that had chased him and Vivian in the halls and tried to corner them in the bar in the chatroom with his close online friend.

There was a video of the same murder drone that had brutally murdered several other worker drones in cold oil during the hallway chase and had laughed while doing it in the chatroom with his close online friend.

Beau’s gaze finally snapped away from the mirror after what felt like an eternity in his processor before his eyelights found his phone again. There had not been another message sent in the chatroom since the video file had been sent nor was there another typing indicator to indicate whoever or whatever was on the other side of the screen was about to message again.

He took a deep vent before he slowly brought his phone to his face again, staring at the video file in the chatroom with hollow eyelights as he tried to ignore the spinning feeling in his processor. He didn’t know how he had gone from texting his good friend to getting a video of a murder drone in the chat, leaving him in a daze as he struggled to process and piece together exactly what had happened.

He had been so sure that he was talking to a worker drone this entire time, having been certain of the fact that Braiden was a worker drone. What he didn’t understand was how he had just been speaking with Braiden before the video came in featuring a horrific mindless monster that sounded far too eerily similar to a worker drone.

The orange eyed drone slowly slid his hand down the center of his visor as he stared directly at the phone screen, his optics gazing into the quiet chatroom with a hollow eyed frown. Every logical part of his processor was screaming at him to do something, but he didn’t know what he was even supposed to do or what he should do about the situation that just unfolded.

One part of his processor was trying to tell him that he should delete the chatroom and purge the memory files of what he had just seen from his systems. Another part of his processor was trying to tell him that he should block the contact and throw the phone across the room as if the murder drone was going to come through the screen through the video file and harm him somehow.

However… The other more illogical parts of his processor were screaming just as loudly as he tried to sort through the confusing whirlwind of thoughts that was tumbling around in his head as his thought processes scrambled to find any possible explanation they could find for this situation and the video itself. Another little tiny part of his processor dared him to send another message and make the first move in the chatroom confrontation now that it had fallen silent.

Beau found his thumb hovering over the video again before he pressed the play button on it to watch it again, feeling an uneasy twisting in his fuel tank as his optics and audios once again took in the monster on the screen and confirmed that it wasn’t just his imagination. There was a full blown murder drone in the video and it was the exact same one that he and Vivian had encountered.

His processor spun again as his systems tried to make sense of the situation yet again, constantly teetering back and forth on what conclusion it wanted to come to. He still didn’t see the indicator on screen to imply that someone was typing a new message as he sank into his chair, curling up into a ball as he drew his knee joints up to his chest and brought his phone closer to his visor.

He was able to find some comfort in the knowledge that the murder drone wouldn’t be able to get to him because as far as he was aware, Outpost-3 was one of the most defensive colonies around thanks to his father’s hydraulic door inventions. He also found some comfort in the fact that the monster didn’t look like it was anywhere near the colony judging by the unfamiliar surroundings in that video, plus he highly doubted that it would somehow know where he and the rest of the people from his colony lived anyway or else he had a feeling it would have gunned for them all after what happened at the hotel.

The orange eyed drone took another deep vent as he continued to stare at the phone screen and the video file, his fearful frown slowly starting to change and morph into one of determination and perhaps even a bit of anger as he studied the bright screen. He gripped the phone a bit tighter in his hands, taking care not to crush the device as he closed his eyelights for a moment.

He waited for a few seconds in an attempt to calm his nerves and his rapidly cycling core before he opened his eyelights again, finally tapping his thumb against the screen so he could pull the onscreen keyboard back up.

You: I don’t know who you are but I was just using this chat to talk to one of my close friends

You: What did you do to him??

You: Where is he??

Beau immediately sank back into his shoulders as soon as he’d sent the text messages, his core loudly cycling in his chest and threatening to skip a cycle or two again as he nervously chuckled and brought his hand up to ruffle his hair again. All of his confidence drained out of him in an instant as his processor caught back up to him and made him realize that not only had he just texted the murder drone that had Braiden’s phone, he had also made demands of it.

“I’m dead… I’m so dead… Thank Robo God for the doors for once...” He muttered quietly to himself as he ran shaky fingers through his hair, still trying to calm his rapidly cycling core as he tightly clutched his phone in his other hand.

Just when he was starting to wonder if he should flee his bedroom and apartment and get as far away from his family as possible before a terrifying and furious murder drone came to hunt him down and kill him, his phone beeped again to indicate a new message had been received and slowly drew his bright and hollow eyelights back to the device in his hand.

IvoryEmberz: hey. cowboy

You: Oh no- Don’t you hey cowboy me…

You: You

You: Just

IvoryEmberz: beau

You: How do you know my name

You: Did you read our chat too when you took his phone

You: Did you kill him too

IvoryEmberz: beau listen to me for a sec

IvoryEmberz: i’m being dead serious here

IvoryEmberz: sit down for a minute and listen

You: Stop it-

You: Stop typing like him too- You’re not him

You: You’re not him

IvoryEmberz: LISTEN

Beau immediately shrank further into his shoulders as he flinched at the sight of the message on screen, suddenly feeling extremely small where he sat as he was forced to confront the realization that he was talking to Death and sitting there and arguing with it. His processor didn’t know which part of that to focus on first, unable to decide if he should be mentally kicking himself for continuing to likely make the monster even angrier after he realized his mistake moments ago or if he should sit and process the fact that the murder drone was actually talking to him and apparently capable of doing so.

It had spoken actual words, however brief they were, in that video it had sent and it was currently responding and texting back now with seemingly no issue judging by how quickly the responses rolled in after the ones he sent. He had been under the impression that the murder drones couldn’t even speak, let alone read and write.

As far as he had known his entire life, the murder drones were mindless machines made to ruthlessly wipe out his kind because the humans who originally made the worker drones got angry that they were still alive and well after Copper-9’s core collapsed and flash froze the surface of the planet. The monsters shouldn’t be able to act like worker drones or sound like worker drones.

Before Beau could turn those thoughts over in his processor and question what was going on, his phone beeped with the sound of another message rolling in. He gripped the phone a bit tighter once more before he took a deep vent and held it up to read the messages.

IvoryEmberz: sorry

IvoryEmberz: that was kinda harsh

Beau balked at the idea of a murder drone apologizing for how it texted as the messages continued to roll in on the screen, giving the stunned worker drone very little time to recover from the rapidly growing list of micro surprises.

IvoryEmberz: but seriously stop and let me type for a second before you keep flying off the handle

IvoryEmberz: …i’m talking like braiden because i am braiden

IvoryEmberz: i’ve been braiden this whole time

IvoryEmberz: i know there’s probably no way in hell you believe it

IvoryEmberz: but i’m being serious here

IvoryEmberz: …why do you think i said you wouldn’t like the reason

IvoryEmberz: why do you think i said i made a mistake

IvoryEmberz: why do you think i said i’m a coward

IvoryEmberz: if i had just ghosted you that’s less bad than just totally shattering your worldview ain’t it

IvoryEmberz: that’s why texting you at all was a mistake

IvoryEmberz: wouldn’t have to worry about it or be like “oh robo god i’ve been lied to for months” if i had never talked to you in the first place

IvoryEmberz: but instead i messed that up too

Beau’s core resumed its loud and rapid cycling as he read over the words onscreen, his hand once again coming up to rest on his visor as a nervous tremble ran through his body and caused some parts of his casing to clack together. He was trying so, so hard to hold onto his denial and his disbelief that he wasn’t actually talking to a murder drone and that the ‘worker drone’ he had been talking to for months now wasn’t actually a horrifying monster, but between the alternate explanation being Braiden getting hurt by the murder drone who now had his phone and all of the texts that were currently rolling in, his grip on that comfortable blanket of denial was rapidly slipping away.

The orange eyed drone sat in silence for what felt like several long minutes in his processor, warring with his own thoughts as he fought to hold onto that disbelief. He didn’t know which of the two options was the lesser of the two evils and that was leaving his head spinning as he tried to come to a conclusion between the truth and his comfortable denial.

He knew the logical answer was that he should be blocking the contact now and never speaking to the murder drone again while purging the memory that this had ever happened and that he had ever known ‘Braiden’ in the first place, but there was still a small part of him that couldn’t bring himself to hit the block button that was right there on screen even as he stared at it due to his morbid curiosity driving him to want to speak more to this murder machine that was apparently way more sentient than he had ever thought.

You: Braiden you tried to kill me and my friend

You: Not Braiden

You: Gah- Whoever you are-

You: You chased us in the hallway!

You: And attacked us again in the bar!

You: And you straight up did kill some of the other worker drones-

You: You-

You: You

You: You… stabbed somebody through the neck and ripped her head off!

You: And you attacked all those others…

You: Oh… Robo God…

You: Why am I talking to the murder drone what am I doing

Beau sank into his desk chair again as he wrapped his arms around his legs to hug them to his chest, resting the heels of his boots against the edge of the seat. His core was rapidly cycling as he ran his fingers through his hair again, the air in his systems starting to leave him in quicker vents as the reality of what he had seen at the hotel started to settle over him with a renewed vengeance.

He had witnessed more than a murder or two and here he was talking to the murderer in a totally normal text conversation as if that didn’t happen. Here he was talking to the murder drone responsible for it all. Here he was talking to a murder drone that was not only responsible for those deaths but likely hundreds if not thousands of other deaths too.

His processor was still spinning as he anxiously ran his fingers through his hair, watching the words rolling in on screen. He absolutely hated the way this murder drone managed to sound so much like a worker drone.

He would have been awestruck by it if it wasn’t absolutely terrifying to know that these death on wings drones could masquerade so easily as a worker drone just like him. Clearly, they were skilled at it too if he had managed to fall for it for months.

He lightly slapped himself on the forehead as he once again tried to calm himself down, forcing himself to take a deep vent as he started trying to take apart the situation in his head and break it down into logical parts. The fact that the murder drone even could text him for months and pass as a worker drone that easily had to say something about it whether he liked the implications of that or not.

The fact that the monster could crack jokes and have interests to talk about had to say something about the way it was programmed or the way its processor worked. Still a horrific cold-oiled murderer, but significantly more sentient than he or any other worker drone he had ever talked to in his colony had ever thought.

There was also the matter of the texts that were still rolling in. He finally focused on his phone long enough to properly parse the messages again.

IvoryEmberz: i didn’t recognize you in the hallway cowboy. not until i got a better look at you at the bar

IvoryEmberz: that really freaking hurt by the by

IvoryEmberz: …ha… who am i kidding… i totally deserved that, didn't i…

IvoryEmberz: …you remember when i said i got into a fight with my sister?

IvoryEmberz: how i kept making dumb mistakes that led to that?

You: …Wait... you were still serious about all of that?

You: How does a murder drone get into a

Beau abruptly stopped in his texting as his thoughts slowly drifted back to the hotel yet again, reminding him that he had seen this murder drone again after the bar. When he and Vivian had escaped out into the car park and been attacked by the second murder drone, the one he was currently talking to had also appeared again.

Uzi’s words from back when he and Vivian had first arrived safely back at the colony after the ill fated scavenging trip immediately jumped to the front of his processor again, reminding him that the purple haired drone had asked if the murder drone had saved them both by fighting off the other one. Realization suddenly struck him like an open palmed slap to the face as he froze and turned that thought over in his processor a few more times with bright and hollow eyelights.

You: …You fought that other murder drone off on purpose

You: You could have killed us

You: You could have let the other one kill us

You: You chose not to

IvoryEmberz: i said i got in a fight with my sister

IvoryEmberz: and i royally pissed her off

IvoryEmberz: ha… i know you probably don’t want to hear about my drama and problems anymore… least of your concerns right now… why care about the big scary disassembly drone

IvoryEmberz: but yeah. when i said i got into a fight with my sister and messed up so bad that’s what i was talking about

IvoryEmberz: we don’t… fight like that… we’re not supposed to

IvoryEmberz: but i couldn’t let her kill you

IvoryEmberz: i was being serious, you know. you’re a super cool dude and a great friend. i couldn’t let you die if i had anything to say about it

IvoryEmberz: …and i’m sorry i’m screwing you over now

IvoryEmberz: it’s my fault everybody’s in this mess. it’s my fault i hurt her. it’s my fault i led you on and probably hurt you with this whole revelation. lots of things are my fault

Beau had to set his phone down on his desk before he slumped forward over the table and held his head in his hands, attempting to process all of this new information that was being dumped on him. This murder drone was actually capable of caring enough about somebody to the point of wanting to protect them from its… no… his own teammates or whatever they were.

All of those months spent laughing and joking around and sharing pictures and music all kinds of personal stories had actually been genuine and real. He had actually befriended this murder drone to the point he let him and Vivian get away on purpose.

Even outside of that, there was the fact that he had befriended the murder drone in general if all of the nights they spent talking late and sharing stories about their lives and their thoughts and their fears were anything to go by. The murder drone could think, talk, and feel things just like any worker drone was able to.

The orange eyed drone slowly picked his phone back up from his desk again to stare at the murder drone’s last messages, his eyelights narrowing slightly as he read over the words again. The other drone hadn’t said ‘murder drone’. He had said something else.

You: Hang on… Disassembly drone?

IvoryEmberz: murder drone’s your name for us cowboy. not ours :p

IvoryEmberz: …disassembly drones. we’re disassembly drones

You: ...

You: Do you have a name?

You: …Is your name seriously Braiden?

IvoryEmberz: b

You: B?

IvoryEmberz: b

IvoryEmberz: my uh

IvoryEmberz: my name’s b

IvoryEmberz: technically my full name’s “serial designation b” but who has time for all that nonsense

IvoryEmberz: …i made up braiden cause i wanted a worker sounding name

You: Then Doll and Cyn are…?

IvoryEmberz: d and c. same naming scheme

IvoryEmberz: d’s the one you saw and the one i got in a brawl with if you didn’t already guess

You: …Why?

IvoryEmberz: …why what?

IvoryEmberz: that’s a super vague and loaded question cowboy

You: Why… EVERYTHING

IvoryEmberz: pick one. not picking up what you’re putting down yet

You: Why befriend me?

You: Actually no

You: Scratch that. I have more important questions

You: …You and your sisters… teammates? have been hunting worker drones like me for years. I watched you killing people back at that hotel

You: Why do you do that?

You: We thought you were mindless and designed to ruthlessly hunt us and kill us but you’re obviously not mindless if you’re able to talk to me like this

You: So why do you hurt people?

You: Is it something in your programming? Did the humans force you to do that when they sent you?

IvoryEmberz: you

IvoryEmberz: are not gonna like that answer either

IvoryEmberz: just sayin

Beau chewed on his lip for a moment as he stared at his phone with an uneasy feeling starting to twist in the pit of his fuel tank again. Something in the back of his processor was telling him that he shouldn’t press on that information given what had just happened as a result of him pressing for information earlier but another part of his processor recognized this as a unique opportunity to be able to farm more information out of these drones that had been hunting and haunting his people for years now.

For all he knew, he was the only drone in the entirety of Copper-9 that had this opportunity or would ever have this kind of opportunity. He didn’t exactly see the terrifying drones just going out of their way to normally befriend the worker drones or else he or anyone else he knew surely would have heard differently by now, which meant that there was a very real chance he was the only one capable of getting these kinds of answers and finding out why the mur- disassembly drones do what they do.

He also wasn’t sure if he’d ever get this opportunity again if he didn’t take it now.

He took a deep vent to try to calm his nerves once more before he nervously frowned at the phone screen again, attempting to mentally prepare himself for whatever the rest of the conversation might bring and whatever the answers might be before he tapped his thumbs on the screen again.

You: …Can’t be much worse than the whole “Hey this friend you’ve been talking to for months? Actually the guy that chased you a couple of days ago” right?

You: I want to know what’s going on with that too

IvoryEmberz: okkkkkkay so

IvoryEmberz: like i said

IvoryEmberz: not gonna like that answer either

IvoryEmberz: but… we hunt worker drones because we have to eat

You: I stand corrected

You: WHAT DO YOU MEAN

IvoryEmberz: okay so

IvoryEmberz: you know how you worker drones need to have fuel and stuff like that?

You: Yeah??

IvoryEmberz: i dunno who thought it was a good idea but… we don’t eat fuel. instead we eat oil and material. which means… uh. yeah. we eat people sometimes

You: What

You: THE HELL BRAIDEN

You: B

You: WHATEVER YOUR NAME IS

IvoryEmberz: hey you think i asked to be made like that?? trust me i’d love to pop the tab off of a fuel can and drink that. way faster and easier that way

You: WHY

IvoryEmberz: i don’t know why, cowboy! take that up with whoever made us!

You: Why

You: Do you have to eat people

IvoryEmberz: two reasons there

IvoryEmberz: one

IvoryEmberz: somebody thought it would be FUNNY to mess with our cooling systems apparently. i dunno if we don’t produce coolant or if we don’t produce enough or what’s going on but we have to feed on oil to keep ourselves from overheating and freaking melting into slag. oil is the only thing that brings the heat down

IvoryEmberz: trust me. i’ve tried other things before

IvoryEmberz: and two

IvoryEmberz: our bodies use the materials we intake to repair ourselves. dunno if you noticed it in the heat of the moment but my eye you smashed- that hurt like hell by the way- regenerated by the time i got out there to where you and d were

IvoryEmberz: we’re equipped with repair nanites but the material to do the patch jobs doesn’t come out of thin air. kinda like the repair systems you workers have but way faster

Beau once again fell into stunned silence as he slumped forward at his desk and put a hand on his head. He didn’t know whether to have a more visceral reaction to the fact that the murder drones had been eating people or the fact that those odd yellow bulbs were actually eyes.

His processor felt like it was spinning again as he tried to take in all of the information and sort all of it, starting to find it a bit overwhelming as he tried to make sense of it all. He did want answers and was happy to get those answers in a way, but the more answers he got, the more confused and overwhelmed he continued to feel.

The orange eyed drone slowly ran his hand down his visor before he dropped his arms to the desk again to continue with the texting.

You: Okay. One more question

You: We…

You: We went out to that hotel during the day because the colony thought we had noticed that you guys don’t hunt during the day

You: There were… never any attacks during the day before… Not that any of us heard about or documented…

You: Why did you never attack in the daylight before? What made that day special?

IvoryEmberz: well uh

IvoryEmberz: the short answer is we can’t go out in the sun

IvoryEmberz: the longer answer is… we can’t go out in the sun because if we do it burns us. extremely painful. feels like being set on fire

IvoryEmberz: which is extremely ironic for me personally to say

IvoryEmberz: but yeah. it burns us and it burns BAD. makes us overheat super stupid fast too. i’m not talking pleasant fuzzy warmth. i’m talking lethal levels of this will burn us alive and kill us

IvoryEmberz: so we’re nocturnal. normally we sleep through the day and then we go active at night to… well. see the above texts and use your imagination

You: Robo God you’re literally vampires

You: Or cannibals

IvoryEmberz: eh vampire sounds a hell of a lot cooler don’t ya think?

IvoryEmberz: …vampire sounds a little nicer too

You: I

You: This is way too much

You: Way too much at once

IvoryEmberz: …sorry cowboy. i know it was my fault

IvoryEmberz: technically my fault for messaging you in the first place but

IvoryEmberz: also kind of my fault for leading you on and just… not ghosting you like i should have… maybe that would have been better

IvoryEmberz: you can block me if you want. if it makes you feel better

Beau didn’t respond to those texts as he instead sank into his desk chair, staring at the phone screen with stressed and hollow eyelights. His processor was still spinning as he tried to sort all of the thoughts and feelings whirling around inside his head like one of the blizzards that frequently slammed the outside world beyond the colony.

He wasn’t sure how to feel or what to think about his friend now or all of the revelations he had been given in such a short amount of time. He ran a hand down his visor again as his thumb slowly found the block button on his phone screen and hovered over it, though some sort of stray thought in the back of his processor prevented him from actually bringing his thumb down to press the button.

Instead, he found himself staring at the phone with a frown, caught between the rational decision and the emotional wants as he tried to convince himself to block the contact and move on to forget about the entire situation. He sat like that for several minutes before he finally took in a deep vent, opting to set his phone down on the corner of his desk again before he rubbed both of his hands over his visor.

He felt awful after that entire conversation on top of being terribly confused and unsure of where to go from there with all of the new information he had about the disassembly drones that had been haunting the outside for years now. He didn’t even know where to begin unpacking all of that conversation, let alone who he should tell if he should tell anyone anything about the information that he had been given.

On one hand, he learned a lot of possibly valuable information and explanations on how the disassembly drones worked and what their motives were for a lot of the things they did. On the other hand, he wasn’t sure who would even believe him about actually talking to one of the terrifying drones or what they would do with that information in the unlikely event they did believe every word that he said.

He did know that the information could be used to perhaps avoid the disassembly drones better in the future during things like supply runs once those were to start back up again, but there was also a small little voice inside him that wondered if that information was going to be used against the disassembly drones and weaponized against them to push back against their reign on the outside world. He didn’t know why a sense of creeping unease and guilt washed over him at the thought of that information being weaponized against the disassembly drones but it did and it left an awful taste in the back of his mouth.

He heard his phone beeping again with another message, but he didn’t feel like checking it right now as he instead rested his visor in his hands with an uneasy frown. As selfish as he knew it probably was, he couldn’t stand the thought of his… friend… getting hurt because of information he decided to share.

Beau sat like that for several minutes before there was a sudden knock on his bedroom door, nearly causing him to jump out of his own casing with how hard he jerked and whipped his head around to face the door. Another knock a few moments after the first finally jarred him out of his head before he blinked, finally processing that someone was in fact on the other side of it.

“Uh- Yeah- You can come on in. The door ain’t locked,” He called out to whoever was standing on the other side.

The orange eyed drone rubbed his hand on his visor and took a deep vent as he tried to calm his nerves at the sound of the bedroom door sliding open. He slowly spun his desk chair around to face the open doorway, immediately spotting his father as the older drone poked his head into the room.

“Hey there, champ. I know you don’t like being interrupted when you’re in here tinkering away but your mother told me to tell you that dinner is almost...” Khan spoke up as he locked eyelights with Beau, though his voice trailed off as he started to take in the sight of the look on his son’s face.

Beau waved at his father as he forced the best smile he could manage on his faceplate despite his mood, giving the older drone a small wave to greet him. Khan’s own face pulled into a concerned frown as he stood up straighter in the doorway, sticking his hand out to hold the door open and keep it from closing.

“...What’s wrong, Beau? Did something happen?” The older drone asked as he raised an eyebrow on his screen.

Beau flashed a thumbs up as he snapped up to sit straighter in his desk chair, still attempting the best reassuring smile he could manage as he shook his head slightly in response to the question. His father only narrowed his eyelights in response as though he wasn’t quite convinced by the look he was being given.

“Nothin’ bad happened or anything, Dad. Sorry if I spooked ya,” The orange eyed drone began as he rolled away from his desk in preparation to get up. “Thad was just textin’ me an’ sharin’ a real spooky ghost story that got me pretty good. Real scary, I tell ya. Caught me off guard an’ freaked me out a lil.”

Beau found himself holding his next vent as he lied right through his teeth, attempting to keep his facial features as straight as he possibly could as he silently hoped his father would buy his excuse. Khan studied him for a moment with narrowed eyelights, leaving him unsure if the older drone was convinced or not.

“Must have been a pretty scary story then, huh? Your mother and I enjoy a good horror movie together every now and then ourselves,” Khan spoke up, getting Beau to sink slightly into his shoulders with relief at the fact that his father wasn’t pressing him about his mood any further.

“Horror movies are real good too! Those are nice an’ fun. I like bein’ scared a lil’ when it’s all in good fun,” Beau agreed as he stood up from his chair, taking a moment to stretch before he rolled the chair back under his desk.

He could feel his father’s gaze drilling into the back of his head but tried his best to ignore it as he glanced at his phone sitting on the desk and reached out to pick it up. Thoughts of the disassembly drone he had been texting ran through his processor again, getting him to chew on his lip for a moment before he came to the silent conclusion that he wasn’t sure how to feel or what he should tell people yet.

Khan continued to watch Beau as he let out a quiet and deep vent, casting his glance over his shoulder to look towards the kitchen before he looked back into the bedroom with a patient smile. “Maybe we should all pile up in the living room sometime and watch a movie together. It’s been a little while since we all did something together as a family!”

Beau internally sighed with relief again as his father gave him an out from the questioning about his mood, tapping his thumb on his phone to wake it out of sleep mode before he directed a more genuine smile towards the older drone. “Sounds like fun, Dad. I’d be down for a movie or two. Might have to let Ma pick the movie though since you got to pick it last time.”

“I have much better taste in movies and she knows it. She just doesn’t like it when I show her up,” Khan joked with a wink, earning a crooked smile from Beau as he tried to hold in the snicker that dared to escape him.

“Khan! Are you over there sayin’ somethin’ silly again? Somethin’ like… The fact I actually have amazin’ tastes in movies an’ pick out the exciting ones?” Alice’s voice suddenly called out from the kitchens, getting both of the drones to jump before Khan cast a sheepish grin over his shoulder.

“Yes, dear. I was definitely praising you. I promise!” The white eyed drone called back to his wife as he leaned back and out of the doorway to look towards the kitchen.

“Yer damn right you were,” Alice called back in response, the playful tease readily apparent in her tone before her voice was masked by the sound of a pot clanging.

Khan continued to stare towards the kitchen before he looked back at his son who was unable to hold in the escaping snickers.

“Busteeeed,” Beau commented as a wide grin started to tug over his faceplate, leaving his father to chuckle and shake his head as he reached up to adjust the goggles he always wore strapped to his helmet.

“I swear I always forget how good your mother’s hearing is until she pulls something like that,” Khan responded to the comment, unable to stop the small grin that found its way onto his own face in response to Beau’s amusement. “...Hey, kiddo?”

Beau glanced down at his phone screen to look through his messages again but directed his gaze up at his father once he had heard the question. “...Yeah?”

“You know you can talk to your mother and me about anything, right? Anything that’s on your mind and at any time too. We may not always be here if both of us are working that day but we’ll always have time to sit down and talk with you when we’re both home from work,” Khan said as he stood up straighter in the doorway, studying the younger drone as his face pulled into a brief frown.

“I know, Dad. I really appreciate that offer too. Promise I’m doin’ just fine right now though. Just… had some stuff on my mind like what happened a few days ago on the scavengin’ trip. That’s why I wanted to get outta the house for a lil’ bit so I could clear my head with a walk,” Beau replied as he reached his free hand up to adjust his hat.

He spared a glance down at his phone screen again as he tapped his thumb against his messaging app, clicking into Brai- B’s contact once again to check the messages that had been sent while he wasn’t looking.

IvoryEmberz: i’ll uh… yeah… i’ll leave you alone now. silence tells me you probably want your space. i don’t blame you

IvoryEmberz: that was… a whole lot of stuff so i can’t blame you

IvoryEmberz: i’ll see you around beau

IvoryEmberz: well. hopefully not outside and maybe not through text if you want to block me

IvoryEmberz: yeah okay that was kind of a dumb thing to say. force of habit i guess

IvoryEmberz: just… take care of yourself i guess

IvoryEmberz: i’m… sorry about the hotel

IvoryEmberz: see you cowboy

Beau frowned at his phone as something crunched in his chest at the sight of the messages, unsure why the words on the screen upset him as much as they did. He felt like he should be angrier with this situation and the fact that he had been lied to for so many months but some part of him still felt like, despite all of that, the friendship was still real given that they had spent hours upon hours talking to one another now.

The sound of Khan clearing his throat caught Beau’s attention, getting him to look up from his phone again and blink at the older drone as he just now remembered his father had been standing there and talking to him. The older drone’s face had pulled into another frown of concern, though Beau wasn’t sure if it was because of his last statement or because of his sudden zoning out while checking his messages.

“You know… I know you’re probably getting tired of seeing Dr. Piers so much lately but we could also set you up to talk to him. He does therapy work in addition to repairs if you need someone to talk to. It might help you process some of the thoughts and the stress you’re having,” Khan noted as he crossed his arms, leaning to the side to use his shoulder joint to keep the door propped open.

“Eh… I dunno, Dad. Reckon I’m doin’ just fine on my own right now. Guess I can keep it in mind but I think I’m doin’ fine,” Beau replied as he reached up to scratch the back of his head, using his other hand to return his phone to his pocket.

“At least consider it, okay? If you don’t want to talk to Piers, talking to us is an option too like I already said. You don’t have to deal with processing everything on your own. I know that was a major experience for you and Vivian. Thad too,” Khan said as he shook his head. “Even I considered talking to Piers for a minute or two once all of the work stress has calmed down. We could always go together if you don’t want to talk to him by yourself.”

“I’ll keep it in mind, Dad. Promise,” Beau replied as he walked over to join his father at the doorway, forcing a small smile onto his faceplate as he flashed a thumbs up. “Reckon I’m fine right now though like I said.”

“That’s fine, champ. I’m just letting you know it’s an option,” Khan stated as he stepped out of the doorway to let Beau out into the living room with him, giving the younger drone a smile as he pointed his thumb towards the kitchen. “Now come on, let’s go check on dinner before your mother throws a spoon at us. You can tell me all about your new invention while I help her finish everything up.”

Beau was quiet for a few moments as he considered this offer, soon nodding and giving the older drone a smile as he turned to follow his father towards the kitchen. The text conversation that he had with the disassembly drone was still weighing heavily in his processor and he still wasn’t sure how to sort all of his thoughts and feelings on the situation yet, but he decided he would save that for later after he had something to eat and some time to quietly process.

For now, he decided that he needed some time away from his thoughts if he wanted to be able to return to them eventually and start unpacking everything he had been told with a more level head. He took a deep vent as he followed his father into the kitchen and waved at his mother with a smile, receiving a warm smile in response.

Beau’s thoughts were still drifting even as he sat down at the kitchen table and prepared to tell his father about the progress he had made so far on his invention. He silently resolved himself to figure out what to do with B some other time, deciding that he would figure out where to go from there later.

You: just… take care of yourself i guess

You: i’m… sorry about the hotel

You: see you cowboy

B stared at his phone for the longest moment, taking a deep vent as he frowned at his last messages that he’d sent on the screen. A few of the falling snowflakes had fallen onto the device and melted, leaving behind little blobs of water on the screen that were easily wiped away as he swiped his thumb on the screen to close out his messaging app.

He clutched the phone in his hand as his gaze slowly lifted to look out over the destroyed city before him, his tail twisting in the air behind him. He was standing just outside the spire and had been for the last little while, still well within the shade as the late evening sun washed over the area and bathed the outside world in a deep and vibrant orange-red.

So many thoughts were warring and tumbling around inside of his processor, leaving him unsure if he felt better or worse about the fact that he had finally revealed himself to his worker drone friend. It was part of what had kept him standing out here in the snow and rooted in place for the last hour.

On one hand, there was a good chance that Beau would cut off contact with him now that he knew which would take care of the whole talking with the food problem. On the other hand, he likely just irreparably wrecked his friendship with the worker drone and had no idea if what he had done was the better option or if quietly ghosting him without an explanation would have been the less hurtful option.

The disassembly drone clutched the phone in his hand tighter still as he looked out at the bit of road that was barely peeking out of the snow a good few feet away. He reeled his arm back for a moment and ground his teeth in frustration as he considered throwing the phone and spiking it against the concrete ground, though he managed to convince himself not to do it as he stood still in that position for a long moment of tense silence.

The particular phone he was currently holding had all of his music and pictures that he had taken over the years of having it and would be sad to lose if he broke the device during the toss. This one also had his personal contacts list on it, however small that may be, which was enough to get him to lower his arm again as he whipped his tail against the snow covered ground with a loud crack.

“Look at you! You’re messing everything up again just like you always do. You’re so stupid and you do stupid things and you hurt people and you ruin everything! Just like how you ruined the squad...” B muttered quietly to no one but himself as he slapped the open palm of his free hand to his visor screen, running it down the glass with his upset frustration.

He felt the urge to do several things. He still wanted to pitch the phone, he wanted to text Beau and see if he could get the worker drone to talk to him again, he wanted to sit in the snow and cry it all out for a moment, he wanted to scream at the sky… and yet, he let himself do one of those things as he slowly picked his tail up from where it had dropped into the snow.

Instead, the Disassembler turned away from the street and started to walk alongside the shaded wall of the spire, his face pulled into a hollow eyed frown as he slipped his phone into one of the pockets of his blazer. He kept hugging the shade as he circled around to the entrance of the spire again, dipping into the safety of it before he fixed his gaze on the two ledges that he knew held his squadmates’ nests.

Hi! Here! Back! Safe! Came the whistling sounds that left B’s chest and bounced around the inside of the spire walls, leaving his tail twisting into knots before him as he anxiously waited for a response and switched his hands out for his talons.

Hi! Here! Friend! Came one set of whistles in response to B’s leaving him to turn his head up to glance over at the other nest that he didn’t hear a response from.

He knew that D was up there because he could still catch her scent inside the spire, but he started to get the feeling that she wasn’t particularly keen on answering and pinging back to him unlike C. He waited for a few more hopeful moments for a response, but when he still didn’t get one he finally deflated and let his arms hang limply at his sides as his shoulders sank.

B tightly clenched his claws together and took in a deep vent in an attempt to hold in the rest of the pings that wanted to escape him, vigorously shaking his head to himself before he turned to face one of the walls of the spire. He reached out to embed his sharp talons into the wall, testing his weight on the spot he’d hooked into for a moment before he started to scale up the wall to the ledge nestled above him.

He quickly climbed up to the ledge and pulled himself over it on his claws and knee joints, not pausing to spare a glance at C or D before he slipped into the blanket pile that made up his own little nest alcove. He slammed his head down to bury his visor in the soft fabric, immediately feeling every bit of his shame and self pity starting to wash over him like a crashing wave of water.

“You’re a failure. You make the biggest mistakes of everyone on Copper-9. D’s never going to forgive you for attacking her. Beau’s never going to forgive you either for lying or anything else. You don’t even deserve to have a worker drone forgive you. You’re lucky that C’s not angry at you but even if she was, that’d be your fault too.”

B wasn’t sure how long he was lying in the blankets but it felt like it was the better half of an eternity in his processor while he was busy ripping himself to shreds in his racing thoughts. He finally rolled over in his nest to lay on his back and stare up at what vaguely passed as the ceiling to the alcove, taking a deep vent as he tried to fight off the urge to cry again.

He thought that he had already done enough crying when he embarrassingly broke down in front of C a few days ago while explaining what went down at the hotel. He was not about to let himself cry again if he could keep himself from it.

The disassembly drone turned his head to glance over at his collection of phones that he kept oh so lovingly tucked away safely in the corner of his little alcove, feeling bitterness start to seep into his thought processes. An urge bubbled up in him to pitch those too and throw them out into the spire and down onto the snowy ground below, but he shook his head as he reminded himself that he needed those for information gathering and for keeping tabs on the nearby colonies.

That thought had him threatening to bite through his lip as he tightly clenched his teeth together with a quiet creak. Finding out that a scavenging team was leaving from that nearby colony with the massive doors is exactly what had started this entire mess beyond befriending a worker drone in general.

He just hadn’t known that the colony with the doors was the exact colony Beau was from nor did he expect to ever bump into the worker drone in person. He ran his fingers through his hair and gripped it for a moment as his other hand slipped into his pocket to grab his phone again, the impulse to check it running strong in his thought processes again.

B tapped his thumb against the screen to check it, trying not to frown at the wave of disappointment that rolled through him at the sight of there being no new messages in his notifications. He curled his free hand into a fist and lightly knocked it against his forehead as he forced himself to remember why exactly Beau most likely would not be texting him back.

“It was for the best anyway. This is what you need to do for the good of your squad. This is what you needed to do to start making amends to D. This is what you should want, anyway. It’s just a worker drone. Why should you care? Why should you want to make friends with your food? It doesn’t matter.”

The disassembly drone rolled over onto his side and curled up into a tight ball as he started to lose himself in his thoughts again, shaking his head as he held his phone up so he could navigate to the music library he had on the device. He didn’t care enough to look for a particular song to play, deciding that he instead just needed any kind of song just to have something besides the biting silence and his thoughts to keep him company.

As he was busy scrolling through his music library, his thought processes continued to scramble and race before his vision started to slowly fuzz over with a bit of static. He frowned and shook his head as he attempted to clear the static from his optics, though it seemed to only steadily get worse as his thoughts became louder and started to race faster in his head.

He brought a hand to rest over his visor as he let out a quiet huff, attempting to ground himself and block out the noise that was currently pounding through his processor at a pace so fast that he was struggling to even make sense of it. Images started to flash through the static one after another, giving him the briefest glimpses of smiling faceplates, worker drone limbs, and yellow eyelights.

You’re not one of them. You’re not, you’re not, you’re not-

Eyes, eyes, eyes, too many eyes. Claws reaching, grasping, tearing, losing control, falling, falling-

“Haha, look! Wh-at do you think, B? N-Now you caaan play the mon-ster instead! Oooo… You sound so s-scary now! Yo-u always wanted to-to be big and s-scary to protect us… Isn’t that r-riiight… little buddy?”

NO, NO, NO, NO

WHERE AM I

IT HURTS

HELP ME

Pain! Sorry! Pain! Pain!

B took in a sharp vent as he managed to snap himself out of the thoughts that were racing around in his processor, the static finally clearing away from his visor to reveal the ceiling of his nest again before a few of his optics found his phone once more. He found the first playlist in his music library he could and took a moment to adjust the volume slider so it wouldn’t play loudly enough to disturb C and D before he tossed it onto the lump of blankets next to him, opting to focus on that instead of his own thoughts.

He listened to the faint music beginning to play as he grabbed one of the loose blankets and yanked it over his head, wasting no time in biting down on the fabric as it got close enough to him. Between the music playing, the whistling wind blowing through the spire, and the blanket stuffed in his mouth, he could only hope that his squadmates couldn’t hear the quiet and broken sobs that escaped him as his body shook.

Chapter Text

C crossed her legs one over the other as she hunched over in her nest, her fingers twitching as they found a loose hanging string in the fabric of her dress to idly twirl as her optics trained themselves on the ledge that contained B’s little alcove. With the faint whistle of the wind blowing up and through the spire, she had nearly missed the small and distressed pings that had left her squadmate shortly after he had slipped into his nest but the sounds of nature hadn’t completely masked it from her audios.

She turned her head enough to cast her glance over towards the ledge that held D’s nest, briefly wondering if she had heard B’s distressed pinging as well or not. She continued to twirl the loose string around one of her finger joints as she waited for a sign that the other Disassembler had heard the noise, but she did not make any sort of clear attempt to raise her head or even glance in B’s direction.

A heavy sigh rolled out of her frame as she let her shoulders sink, her facial features pulling into a pout as she looked between her squadmates’ nests. She was unable to tell if D honestly hadn’t heard the noise or if her current actions were another attempt at ignoring B as part of their ongoing silent feud.

C wasn’t sure how exactly to take or interpret the fight that had been going on between the two which had left her silently stuck in the middle as she continued to quietly hope that they would both start talking to each other again. She had started to debate if she needed to get up in the middle of them and try to bridge the gap herself, but she kept getting hung up on that thought due to not being sure if her interference would cause more harm than good or not.

On one hand, she understood D’s fury and why she was upset that B had attacked her. It was an incredibly rare occurrence for their squad to get involved in arguments, let alone ones that ended or began with a physical fight.

On the other hand, she could admittedly see why B might have attached to this lone worker drone even despite it not being a very well thought out decision. She considered it not a well planned decision because this situation could have occurred at any point where he was put in a position of potentially hurting the friend or finding out that she or D had hunted the friend, and yet… She felt like she couldn’t fault him for wanting a friend outside of their group of three.

She was well aware that it had been several years by this point since any of them had been able to speak with anyone that wasn’t each other, let alone a worker drone that, under normal circumstances, would have been too afraid to dare to attempt to do so. She found herself wondering if B was enjoying the novelty of having a worker drone as a friend or if, perhaps, it was a semblance of normality he was chasing.

“Are you lonely, B? Is that what it is? Are you missing being able to have friends…?” C silently questioned as she finally looked away from D’s nest to look over at B’s again with features still pulled into a frowning pout.

She could see that the other Disassembler had curled up into a tight ball and was partially obscured by one of the blankets that he had pulled over himself as well as hear the very faint music that was playing from one of those phones he always kept in his collection. She had to admit to herself that she was starting to worry a bit about him ever since the venting he had done a few days prior, having not realized he had been dealing with so much stress lately.

Not only did she know him well enough to know that something was clearly off with him and bothering him, she had also noticed that he had withdrawn more than normal anyway following the conversation he had with her and was spending more time bundled up in his nest like he was doing at the moment. She had also noticed that he had stopped using his phone as often and even when he did use it, she did not miss the forlorn look that crossed his facial features more than once.

C chewed on those thoughts in her processor for a moment before she finally let out another slow sigh and lightly slapped her hands onto her knee joints, deciding that she was getting useful done by just sitting in her nest and waiting for nightfall. She slowly transferred herself to sitting on her hands and knee joints, casting one more glance in D’s direction before she crawled out of her nest and approached the edge of the ledge it was located on.

She took a moment to swap her hands out for her talons, wincing as the joint of one of the claws snagged as it was deploying and got itself stuck and bent at a rather uncomfortable angle. She shook her hand in an attempt to get the claw to come free on its own but it did not seem intent on budging even after the vigorous shaking.

The second annoyed sigh of the night quickly rolled out of the disassembly drone before she inspected her other set of talons, noting that they appeared to be in perfect condition and were flexing perfectly fine without a stuck joint. Between that hand and the two non-bent talons on her other hand, she still felt confident enough in her ability to climb.

C hooked her talons into the edge of the ledge before letting herself dangle off of the side, stretching one of her legs out to hook the peg into a solid spot on the wall. She adjusted herself to move over and latch onto the wall instead, wasting no time in climbing down towards the snow covered ground below once both sets of claws had been securely hooked into the scrap metal.

She climbed a bit slower than she normally would have to compensate for the fact that she was down a talon due to the currently nonfunctional bent one, though she was used to making such adjustments and found it easy to correct her grip around it. She stepped away from the wall once she reached the bottom, trying one more to get the bent claw unstuck as it clicked and jerked against the stuck joint in an attempt to free itself.

Still not finding any luck with getting her talon to fix itself, she opted to ignore it for now as she turned to approach the wall that was closer to B’s nest instead. She hooked her claws back into the wall and quickly scaled up it, only slowing down once she reached the ledge that contained the other Disassembler’s nest.

Hi! Friend! C whistled as she peeked her head over the ledge, staring directly at the vaguely B shaped blanket lump that was currently curled up in the alcove.

She tilted her head slightly as she waited for a response, seeing the lump start to stir a bit before a band of dim yellow eyes peeked out enough from the blanket to look at her.

Here. Hi. Friend, B whistled quietly back in response, getting C’s features to pull into another frown as she carefully pulled herself up and over the ledge.

She was used to her squadmate being much more vibrant in his responses which told her that something had him terribly upset. His pinging did not have the energy and eager response behind them that she had come to expect out of him any time they communicated through them.

“How do… you feel, B? I had wondered why you stepped outside… momentarily,” C began as she sat down on the ledge to face the blanket nest, crossing her legs again and taking a moment to smooth out her dress as her features creased with an inquisitive yet worried expression.

B’s gaze seemed to shrink as he took a moment to stare at her, the lights of his optics slowly dimming even further before there was a rustle of fabric and the blanket was pulled overhead to completely obscure him from vision once more. What visible length of his tail cord that she could see began to work itself into nervous knots in an obvious display of one of his typical nervous habits.

“I’m fine, C… Don’t worry about it...” He finally mumbled, his voice barely audible above the music that was still playing from his phone nestled somewhere in the blanket mound.

“If you are going… to tell a lie, at least tell a convincing lie. That was neither convincing nor reassuring in any sense of the words,” C remarked as her annoyed tone came back with a vengeance, though her eyelights worriedly stared at her squadmate as she started to fidget with her talons in her lap.

She paused long enough to mess with the claw that was still bent back at its odd angle and refusing to cooperate properly, but she didn’t let her attention linger on it for long before she decided that was currently the least of her concerns at the moment and brought her attention back to B instead.

“I am… worried, B. I have seen you not only act differently around the spire in the last few days, I also heard your distress call a short while ago. I do not know if… your music was an attempt to cover it or an attempt to calm yourself but either way, it was… not lost on me. What is on your processor?” She continued as she carefully threaded her claws together.

A long moment of silence passed between the two Disassemblers, the void being filled by the ever present whistle of the wind as it traveled through the spire and the faint music that was still playing from B’s phone. Enough silence stretched to leave C assuming she would have to be the one to break it again and so she opened her mouth to speak once more, but she was interrupted by the sound of a quiet whine escaping her squadmate from beneath the safety of his blanket.

“Just… leave me alone, C. I’m laying here and wallowing in the deep, dark, swirling pits of my owl self pity and despair while I wait for the ground to open up and swallow me,” B muttered from beneath the blanket as his tail curled into another stressed knot in response to his current negative emotional state.

C leaned back slightly where she sat, her features twisting up in a frown that contained both confusion and concern as she attempted to figure out where to even begin attempting to unpack that statement.

“That was incredibly melodramatic and you know that as well as I do,” She noted as she slowly raised an eyebrow on her screen, earning a quiet chuckle from the other Disassembler. “Tell me honestly though, B… What has… made you so upset lately? What has you upset at this moment? Is it your ongoing fight with D? Worrying about… me? Is it about the meltdown you had the other day?”

A heavy sigh emitted from the B shaped blanket lump before it finally shifted as he sat up and pulled the blanket away from his eyes and screen. C’s concern returned in full force as she saw him briefly rubbing his hand against his screen where digital tears had left a track in the display.

“I don’t know, C… A little bit of everything, I guess? Everything kind of really sucks right now actually and it’s my fault it’s all falling apart like a house of cards somebody blew on,” He replied as he let his arms fall into his lap, his tail lightly lashing the cord against the blankets behind him. “D won’t talk to me, you’re not doing well because you have all the added stress of us fighting on top of the problems you normally have, and I...”

C frowned as she listened to her squadmate before he trailed off, lightly scraping her talons together as she fidgeted with them in her lap. Her own tail curled slowly before she moved it around to the side to gently tap the canister against his shoulder.

“...And you what?” She asked softly.

B glanced away from C as he turned his head to stare at one of the walls forming his alcove instead, his tail once again twisting into a tighter set of knots as he opened and closed his mouth a few times as if trying to find the words he wanted to use. He refused to meet her gaze directly for several long moments before he sank into his shoulders and looked down, the dimly lit frown that came over his face being enough to squeeze her core with how unlike him it was.

“I… told my worker drone friend I am. Who I actually am. I sent him a video of myself with the crossed out visor and everything too so nobody can pretend I’m not a monster. That’s why I stepped out of the spire for a second. I was recording that,” B spoke up finally after a moment, his voice barely above a whisper.

C’s eyelights turned hollow on her screen as she listened to B, her next vent stuttering as it tried to catch in her systems. She wasn’t sure whether the look of hurt on his face or the hurt in his voice was getting to her the worst, but it was enough to get her to frown as she reached out to carefully grip his arms with her clawed hands and give him a light shake.

“B. Look at me. You are not a monster. Do not call yourself that.”

“I appreciate you trying to cheer me up, C, but I’m being serious here. How does me terrorizing the worker drones and nearly killing the guy I befriended not count as being a monster? And even then, messing up D so badly is another really stupid thing I did that makes me a terrible squadmate!” B insisted as his eyelights tracked down to C’s talons carefully wrapped around his arms, his optics focusing on the one singular claw that was still bent much too far backwards.

The male Disassembler blinked before his facial features pulled into a frown of his own, quickly casting his glance up at his squadmate’s face as he lightly shrugged his arm in an attempt to draw attention to her claws. C was quick to shake her head as she glanced down at her stuck talon, trying once more to unsuccessfully get the joint to free itself.

“C-”

“It is unimportant right now… True. Do not worry about that. It does not hurt. I am far more… concerned about your current well-being than a stuck claw at the moment,” C quickly spoke up to interrupt the other Disassembler as she took a deep vent and fixed her gaze on him again. “If you are a monster… That makes D and I monsters as well. We are… the same as you. We are all disassembly drones. We are a squad.”

“No, I- C- I didn’t mean it like that- There’s nothing wrong with you and D!” B scrambled to assure her as he nearly tripped over his words, a quiet whine rattling out of his frame as he tensed hard enough to nearly recoil away from her entirely.

“Is that… so? If you truly believe there is nothing wrong with D and I, then nothing is wrong… with you either. What makes you the exception when we are all in this same boat together?” C questioned as she slowly raised an eyebrow at B again. “...This has spun out of that situation with that worker drone friend of yours… Yes? I have a sneaking suspicion this has not been brewing just because of… the disagreement with D. Are you that attached to your new friend?”

B went back to avoiding C’s direct gaze, instead keeping his attention locked solely on the bent talon as he watched the way it clicked and struggled to free itself from its odd angle. He sank into his shoulders again at the question that she proposed, looking somewhat guilty with the implications of it before he made a slow and small nod.

“...Doesn’t matter what I think or if I’m attached to the friendship or whatever. Didn’t matter before because you were right. I can’t just make friends with somebody that we might have to hunt later on down the road for food,” He muttered quietly as he shook his head. “Really doesn’t matter now that I showed him what I actually am. I was lying and calling myself a worker drone before so now he’s… He’ll probably be too scared to talk to me again anyway so the problem’s gonna resolve itself.”

C was quiet as she studied the other Disassembler with a concerned frown, slowly withdrawing her talons from his arms to fidget with them again in her lap instead. Be took her silence as a sign to keep talking and took a deep vent.

“I was just gonna… y’know… ghost the guy or something and let that take care of itself. Pretend I lost my phone or pretend something happened to me or… I don’t know- It wasn’t planned that well. I was just trying to cut contact the only way I knew how after the whole incident. Rude as hell actually but I just- I didn’t know what to do, C,” B muttered as he brought one of his hands up to run his fingers through his hair.

C lightly thumped her tail canister against his shoulder again to encourage him to keep going, being careful to angle the spiked barb of the canister away so she wouldn’t accidentally stab him with it.

“And then this guy- This worker drone- He just… He starts texting me again earlier, right? Because I hadn’t talked to the guy since that day when things went down. And I… I don’t know… I should have just ignored the texts or blocked the contact but I didn’t so I decided to open it up and look at it.”

B paused once more as he slowly drew his knee joints up to his chest, lightly gripping his hair as his fingers stopped stroking their way through the strands.

“I looked at it and the guy’s worried about me. He was texting me because he hadn’t heard from me and was worried about me. So, like the grand idiot I am, I decide to text the guy back and tell him that he doesn’t need to worry. Clearly, that was the wrong thing to say because that just freaked him out even more and then it snowballed from there. I didn’t know what else to do so I finally went for the nuclear option and just… stepped out of the spire for a minute to record a video of me so I could send it to him like this. This is why you should forget about me.”

C continued to listen to B as she fidgeted with her talons in her lap, lightly clicking the claws against one another before her eyelights hollowed out in her concerned frown. She could tell that the other Disassembler was upset judging by the way his tone had changed during his explanation which had her turning her head to the side as she turned her thoughts over in her processor a few more times.

She was quickly starting to figure out that this situation was infinitely more complicated than she had realized or been anticipating. What she could see and understand was that B had indeed gotten himself very attached to this new friend of his to be so torn up about the current turn of events and how things had ended up.

“...Do you believe you’ve… scared away this friend of yours now?” She asked.

“I don’t know how I wouldn’t have scared him away,” B muttered again as he finally dropped his arms to let them rest over his knee joints instead. “He didn’t block me immediately so I guess that’s something but after talking for a little while he stopped texting me. Which- I can’t blame the guy for needing space. I’d need space too if the guy I was talking to for months was suddenly like hey! Guess what! I lied to you this whole time and I’m actually the killer robot you saw chasing you!”

C was quiet for a long moment again as she curled her tail to rest behind herself, still fidgeting with her claws in her lap as she turned the conversation over in her processor again. She glanced over her shoulder to look towards the nest of their other squadmate, silently wondering if D had been listening in on the conversation at all or not.

She found herself taking a deep vent before she turned to face B again, her talons producing a light metallic screech as she briefly pulled one over the other.

“I am… sorry, B. I may have been… a bit harsh in our last conversation about what happened at the hotel and about this worker drone friend of yours. I did not realize you were… so attached to your new friend,” She spoke softly, her shoulders sinking slightly with her mood.

“I just… thought it was kind of nice, I guess. It was kinda nice to have somebody to talk to about totally normal things. Don’t get me wrong- I love talking to you and D- But… We don’t really get to just sit down and talk about music and movies or cool projects we’re working on or anything like that because it’s always hunt this, hunt that, eat, rest, repeat. All the time,” B spoke quietly as he shrugged his shoulders slightly, sinking into his knees as one hand started to run through his hair again.

He paused briefly again as he took a deep vent, his tail twisting up into another knot where it rested on the blankets beside him. C got the feeling that he was struggling to not lose his temper and get emotional again.

“It was… nice to be able to sit down and talk to somebody about… I don’t know… normal things instead of where are we going to hunt tonight or are we rationing enough oil… It was nice to pretend to be normal if just for a little while and talk about goofy or stupid stuff that’s on my processor,” He added quietly, a quiet whine rattling out of his chassis as he did so.

C’s shoulders sank further as she listened to her squadmate and took in the quiet whine that left him as soon as he finished speaking. Her core briefly squeezed in her chest again as she regarded the other Disassembler with a look of concern and sympathy, her tail twisting into its own nervous knot before she cast her glance out into the spire.

The evening sun had all but vanished by this point, leaving the spire entrance and the interior of the spire soaked in the dark midnight blues of nightfall instead. She narrowed her eyelights slightly as she considered the time before she glanced at B out of the corner of her vision.

“I have… an idea. Why don’t we… go for a walk? Or, perhaps, go flying around the local area? It may help take your mind off of things. We could even… talk about something fun or look for constellations if you would like,” She offered as a small smile tugged its way onto her faceplate.

B immediately perked up a bit at that thought as his tail started to slowly work itself out of the stressed knots it had found itself in, though the excitement was short lived before his features pulled into a look of concern that he directed at her. C found herself raising an eyebrow as she silently questioned what was on his mind.

“Okay, as much as I really appreciate the offer to have a distraction and all of that… Are you really sure you should go out and walk around with how much trouble your frame has been giving you lately? Don’t you want to rest?” He asked, his tone laced with genuine concern.

“Annoyed sigh. No, no… I do not want to rest,” C replied as her eyelights immediately pulled into her signature annoyed frown, leveling directly at her squadmate. “I have been resting enough these past several days. I appreciate your concern… but I want to do something other than rest. I am starting to get restless. I am also… not completely incapable even if it is a bit more difficult to move at the moment.”

B winced slightly and nodded as he gave C an apologetic look, reaching out to grab his phone that had long since stopped playing music so he could return it to his pocket. “Sorry, C… I know you’re capable and didn’t mean to imply you’re not. I just- You know I worry a lot about you. Me and D both do.”

“And I am sure you are well aware that… I worry about the both of you as well. That is why I am offering for.. the both of us to go on a walk. I believe you could use a distraction and it would be something simple and calming for the both of us to enjoy,” C said as she smoothed out her dress and moved to sit on her knee joints instead.

The clicking that her stuck talon made during the movement suddenly reminded her of its current state, getting her to level her annoyed stare at it instead.

“Before we depart though… Was there… anything else on your mind? Anything else that you wish to go over while we are still… on the serious topics?” She added as a few of her optics focused on her squadmate again instead of her claw.

B fell into silence again for a few moments in response to her question, his head turning to stare off to the side for a moment. His tail curled and formed another knot as a wistful look slowly overtook his features again.

C immediately started to worry about the look and reached out to gently take his arm again, though the look was gone nearly as quickly as it had come as he suddenly and vigorously shook his head. The other Disassembler took in a deep vent before he refocused on her, making a rather obvious attempt at forcing a smile onto his faceplate as the corners of his mouth twitched.

“Nah, I think I’m good now, C. I think I just want that distraction right now,” Be replied before she had a chance to question what was on his processor again. “I think we should, uh… I think we should take care of that bent talon first though. Did you climb up here with it like that? How long has it been stuck?”

C let out a sigh at her squadmate’s insistence on avoiding whatever was clearly still weighing on his processor, though she made the decision to not attempt pressing the issue again as she instead turned her attention down to her claws.

“Yes, I did climb up here with it in this state. I used the other hand and the two… that are not bent,” She replied. “It got stuck like this when I… swapped my hands out to climb down from my own nest so it has not been stuck for terribly long.”

B nodded as he listened to C, frowning at her talons before he pulled his arms far enough away to safely swap his own hands out for talons. “...Do you need any help? Any luck with getting the joint unstuck on your own?”

“Negative. I have tried several times already,” C responded with another annoyed sigh as she shook her head. “I have tried to shake my hand to… get it to come loose and have been attempting to bend it back into place naturally. I am sure… you heard it clicking. I believe one of us will have to snap it back into its proper place.”

B frowned as he listened to C, motioning his talons towards himself as he did so to get her to hold her hand with the bent talon out for him before he carefully took it in one of his own to hold it still. His other hand slowly curled a claw beneath the bent one before he glanced up at her face again.

“...Want me to snap it?” He asked.

C nodded in response to the question before she took a deep vent, moving her free hand to grip a portion of the ledge outside the nest. B leveled an apologetic look at her and took his own deep vent before he focused on her stuck talon.

“Okay… On three. One… Two...” B started to count before he suddenly yanked his claw up, jerking C’s claw up with a loud pop and a snap as it was forced into standard resting position.

C did not manage to bite down the involuntary yelp of pain that left her, digging her other claws into the ledge with a screech of metal as her tail lashed the air behind her. The other Disassembler gritted his teeth together as he winced at the noise she made, his eyelights quickly turning hollow.

Sorry! Safe! Okay! Safe! B whistled as he carefully let go of her hand..

C hissed between her teeth in response before she took a deep vent, slowly releasing her vise grip on the ledge as she looked at her previously stuck claw. It was now in a proper position with the rest, allowing her to move it freely as she tested her claws by curling and uncurling them.

“Sorry, C… I know that hurt like hell,” B apologized quietly before he moved to crawl out of his nest, joining the other Disassembler on the edge as he perched beside her with an apologetic frown.

“Do not be. It is… not your fault. If you had not done it, I would have had to,” C commented before she hooked both sets of claws into the ledge and felt around with her leg to find a foothold. “Now… come on. We are going for that walk now.”

B nodded in response as he followed the other Disassembler, hooking his own claws in before he hopped down to climb down the wall with her. C reached the bottom first, planting her pegs firmly in the snow before she directed her gaze up towards the ledge that contained the third nest of the spire.

“D? B and I are… stepping out for a bit. I do not know if you overheard any of our conversation but B needs a break so we are… going to leave for a walk. We will not go far so we will still be in range for a message if anything happens,” C called out, watching B out of the corner of her vision as he reached the ground next.

A moment of silence passed in the spire, leaving C and B to wait by the entrance as they waited for any kind of response or acknowledgment from their silent squadmate. C frowned slightly after a few more moments of silent waiting before she turned to head towards the outside, though she paused again at the sound of D’s suddenly calling out from above.

[...Be safe,] The other Disassembler spoke loud enough to be heard above the whistle of the wind.

B perked up at the sound of D’s voice as he cast his glance up at the ledge that contained her nest. C could tell that he was happy to finally hear her speak even if it wasn’t him she was directly responding to.

“Thanks, D. We’ll see you in a little bit,” He called back in response.

“We will be safe,” C called out as well before she looked at B, curling her tail around in front of her to motion towards the spire’s entrance. “Come now. Perhaps we can find… a place to sit and talk or look at the stars if the cloud cover is not too thick tonight.”

B nodded before he turned on his heels to follow the shorter Disassembler out into the city, pausing long enough to cast one final glance over his shoulder towards D’s nest before he hurried out into the snow to keep up with C.

C cast her glance over her shoulder to verify B was following her before she directed her gaze in front of her with a smile. “Or, better yet… Here is another idea… Why not tell me about this new worker drone friend of yours?”

“...And then he tried to dunk the ball but fell and busted his tail instead.”

Beau hummed quietly to acknowledge the statement as he sat at his desk, blankly staring at the several pages of homework that were spread out on the surface before him. He had promised himself that he would at least attempt to get his homework started while he was eating dinner and so that was where he found himself now.

He cast his glance over towards his phone, having propped it up against the handle of his unfinished invention to angle the device’s camera towards him while freeing up the use of his hands. He had called Thad a few short minutes after retreating back into his room after dinner, deciding that he’d rather have the company over the music while he tried to work away at his homework.

His phone’s screen was currently showing a video feed of the grinning green eyed worker drone where he sat lounging on the couch in his own apartment, likely holding his phone up with his hand judging by the angle and view it was giving Beau.

“Reckon that guy figured out real quick what happens when ya brag an’ then try to show off. Instant karma,” Beau commented with an amused smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyelights as he tapped his pencil against the desk.

“Oh, totally. The dude bragged a whole bunch and then immediately botched it. I helped the guy up because I felt bad he got hurt, but maaan. Karma’s a thing, I swear. That’s what happens when you brag like crazy,” Thad commented as he shrugged his shoulders, throwing one of his arms over the back of the couch as his other hand continued to hold the phone up to keep himself in the camera view.

[Oh? Is that your way of saying you’re expecting karma to come around for you too one of these days?] Yeva’s voice suddenly cut in from somewhere off-screen, getting Thad to blink with hollow eyelights before he turned his gaze away from the phone screen.

[Wh- Mom!] Thad shouted back in response to the other drone, forcing Beau to clap a hand over his mouth in an attempt to hold in the urge to laugh.

Beau’s auto translate function couldn’t keep up fast enough to catch the rapid fire Russian that followed as Thad spoke to his mother, but he didn’t need to be able to translate it to hear Yeva’s faint laughter in the background of the video call. He also didn’t need to be able to see Yeva to imagine the downright savage grin that was likely on her faceplate by now.

“Hi, Yeva,” Beau spoke a bit louder to be heard on Thad’s end of the call, unable to stop the snickers that started rolling out of him.

He had left his pencil behind on his desk for now, his eyelights instead glued to his phone screen with an air of amusement. Yeva was heard chuckling again in the background, though her voice did get a bit louder as she presumably moved closer to Thad and his phone.

[Hello again, Beau. How has your evening been?] The older drone greeted him once she was close enough to be clearly heard through the phone.

“It’s been okay, I reckon. Hung out with Uzi for a lil’ bit after I went to the medical bay, visited the scrapyard an’ picked up some parts to tinker with, came home an’ had dinner with Ma an’ Dad, an’ then I decided to call Thad while I work on my homework,” Beau replied as his eyelights tracked down to the pages on his desk again, having reminded himself that it was there as he sighed and picked up his pencil again.

“Look at Mom swooping in and stealing my conversation like she’s the star of the show,” Thad playfully teased as he cast his glance away from the phone screen again, earning a chuckle out of the unseen drone. “You just gave me the info I wanted though, Beau. I wanna hear some cool stories about that thing you’re working on!”

Beau blinked at Thad’s question as he leaned back to slouch in his desk chair, responding with a light shrug. “Eh, not a whole lot to report there yet. Got some new tools to attach to it an’ some stuff to work on the switching mechanisms but that’s ‘bout it so far. Still not where I want it to be ‘fore I consider finalizing it.”

Thad nodded and hummed thoughtfully as he took in Beau’s response, taking a moment to shift where he sat before he flipped down to lie on the couch and rest his head against the armrest. His head turned as his eyelights tracked something moving off-screen again, seeming to watch it for a few moments before he directed his gaze back to the phone with a frown.

“Okay, cowboy… Tell me what’s up,” He spoke with a quieter voice than before.

Beau was caught off guard by the statement, returning his friend’s look with his own frown as he stopped slouching and sat up straighter to see his phone screen properly. He turned the words over in his processor a few more times before he raised an eyebrow, bringing his free hand up to rest his chin on it.

“...Tell you what’s up? What do ya mean?” He asked.

“C’mon, Beau… You don’t have to play that game with me,” Thad spoke up with a quiet sigh. “Normally you’re super excited to talk about your inventions and tell me how the entire thing works and what inspired it all. You didn’t sound too enthusiastic to be talking to me about it just now plus you’ve just been kind of slouching there and staring with this… dead look in your eyelights.”

Beau blinked again as he listened to Thad, frowning as he looked down at his homework again and moved his hand to scratch the side of his head. “...Sorry. Reckon I didn’t even realize I was doin’ anything weird. Didn’t mean to spook ya.”

“Hey… You don’t have to be sorry. I just wanted to know if you’re okay because you sound like you’re super down in the dumps and that’s not really like you,” Thad commented as he curled one of his arms to rest behind his head, his features still pulled into a concerned frown.

Beau continued to stare at his homework as he avoided the gaze of his best friend on the video call screen, his eyelights pulled into an uncomfortable frown as he tapped his pencil against the page he was on. The words were starting to swim as he looked at his textbook propped up just above the homework, prompting him to let out a quiet groan as he dragged his hand down the front of his visor.

He still couldn’t focus despite his best efforts nor could he think of how exactly to answer Thad, both of which were leaving him with a slowly mounting sense of frustration. The green eyed drone pushing him for an answer out of worry had him drifting back to his conversation with the disassembly drone, reminding him that the only reason he had found out about the other drone’s identity and got left with the thoughts he was currently having was because he had kept pressing the subject too.

Much like how he had avoided bringing the subject up to his father, he wasn’t sure if he should bring up the topic of getting to talk to a disassembly drone with Thad either. He glanced over at the phone again to see that his friend was still clearly waiting for a response judging by the expectant look on his face before he shook his head slightly and shrugged.

“I think I’m just pretty distracted today...” Beau finally replied as he leaned back in his seat, dipping his head back to rest it against the headrest. “Felt pretty good earlier when I got to hang with you an’ Vi for a lil’ while an’ then I hung out with Uzi too a lil’ while after that like I mentioned. I was havin’ some good fun workin’ on my invention when I first got back home too but then I wound up gettin’ kinda off in my thoughts again.”

“...Yeah? What’s on your processor?” Thad asked as he shifted around on the couch to relax more comfortably, still keeping his arm under his head as he held his phone directly above him.

Beau chewed on his lip for a brief moment as he tried to decide how exactly to go about answering the question, taking a moment to try and sort his thoughts out in his processor before he took a deep vent and crossed his legs together beneath his desk.

“I dunno… Just a lil’ bit of everything, I guess? Everything that’s been goin’ on lately… You know what I’m talkin’ ‘bout,” He responded simply as he stared at his phone. “Still got all that swimmin’ ‘round in my head an’ I’m still a lil’ sore from all of that. Leg’s still botherin’ me a lil’ bit too.”

Thad’s face immediately fell in response to Beau’s answer, several thoughts and emotions seeming to go back and forth on his face as his eyelights slowly narrowed and turned hollow. His facial features twisted up into a bitter frown, a few moments passing before a knot appeared in the corner of his visor display to represent his anger and frustration.

“...I’m still mad about that,” He finally muttered in response as he pulled his arm out from under his head to rub his visor. “I’m mad that the murder drones hurt you and Vivi so badly and could’ve killed one or both of you if you hadn’t gotten lucky. Plus, you both might wind up with a scar or two because of it. Don’t get me wrong, scars are pretty badass and all, but it makes me mad to think about where they came from. That’s not even counting all the other people who got hurt and the people who just didn’t make it back...”

Beau couldn’t help the way one of his eyelights squinted slightly as he listened to Thad say ‘murder drones’. Hearing his friend say that didn’t quite sit right with him, getting him to run a hand through his hair as he watched the phone screen and silently nodded along to the small rant that his friend was starting on.

Sure, he had just been calling the disassembly drone in his contacts list a murder drone just a short while ago, but somehow the thought of saying it again after hearing what the drones were technically called was causing a slight bitter taste to start forming in his mouth.

“It’s because callin’ them murder drones is reducin’ them down to what they do an’ not who they are,” He realized quietly to himself. “An’ ‘murder drone’ is reducin’ them down to the mindless killin’ machine caricature we made of them...”

“It’s really hard not to be angry about this whole thing if you ask me,” Thad’s voice began again, drawing Beau out of his thoughts as he refocused on the video screen.

The green eyed drone was still lying on his couch, though he had moved his free arm to fidget with one of the two metal plates he had pinned to his jacket. Beau was never sure exactly what those were beyond the fact that he knew his mother and Yeva had something similar on the choker necklaces they always wore.

“There’s all the people that the murder drones have hurt and killed over the years and for what reason? Because the humans decided they didn’t want us anymore? They could’ve just left us all alone but instead, they sent these scary death machines after us!” Thad continued, his facial features pulled into an upset frown.

Beau frowned as he continued to listen to Thad, quietly tapping his pencil against the surface of his desk before he propped his head up on his hand again. “In that case… Ain’t it kinda the humans’ fault for sendin’ those drones here in the first place?”

“It’s the humans’ fault they’re here but I’m still blaming the murder drones too because they’re the ones that are actively running around and shooting people. I can blame the problem and the source of the problem...” Thad mumbled quietly as he closed his eyelights, taking a slow and deep vent.

Beau fell into silence again as he turned Thad’s words over in his head, his thoughts starting to drift towards the conversation he had shared with B again as well. He knew that his green eyed friend wasn’t wrong about the disassembly drones hurting people, but if B had been telling the truth… The disassembly drones supposedly had to hurt at least someone to be able to have food to eat if they didn’t want to die.

“...Do ya ever wonder if there’s a reason why they hunt people?” Beau asked quietly as he glanced at his phone screen again.

“You mean besides being programmed by the humans who sent them here to wipe us all out?” Thad asked as he raised an eyebrow on his visor. “I always assumed they programmed to wipe us out because humans hate us or whatever. I mean- Come on, dude… You can’t tell me those murder drones have empathy with the way they just rip and tear through the first poor unfortunate worker drone that walks into their line of sight. You even saw the damage yourself first hand...”

Beau chewed on his lip again for a moment as he continued to frown, slowly tapping his finger against his faceplate as he held his head. He had to admit that he wasn’t sure how much empathy the disassembly drones had but he knew they had at least some considering the fact that B had expressed feeling bad for upsetting him and previously dumping his problems on him.

He also knew that they could, in fact, think like worker drones if his months spent talking to B nearly every night was to be believed. He opened his mouth to comment on Thad’s statement, though he paused at the sound of a ringtone starting to play from both phones involved in the video call.

Thad blinked before he raised an eyebrow at the ringing, lowering his phone towards his face where he could more easily read the text that had appeared on his screen. “Who- Oh! Vivi wants to join in on the call. You cool with that?”

Beau blinked at his phone screen as well before he responded to the question with a nod and reached out to tap a button on the screen to confirm the new caller’s access to the call. His video feed with Thad split and shrank to allow space for a second video screen to pop up, revealing Vivian’s face as she stuck her tongue out at the screen.

“Hey, Vi. How are ya doin’?” The orange eyed drone greeted as he reached up to adjust his hat.

“Terrible! Who decided to run off and make a secret video chat party without inviting me?” Vivian responded with a clear tease to her tone before she snickered and shook her head. “I’m doing fine. I was bored and I saw that you were both online so I hope you don’t mind me dropping in.”

“We were waiting for your arrival, Your Highness,” Thad teased with a goofy smile before he crossed his arm behind his head again, looking considerably more at ease.

“Where’s my red carpet rollout then? Gosh, Thad. You knew the queen was coming and you didn’t even bother trying to make my entrance look grand?” Vivian playfully teased again as she pushed her glasses up with her free hand. “I can see Beau’s making a face though. What did I miss before I crashed the party in style?”

“Eh… Didn’t miss nothin’ too important. Me an’ Thad were just talkin’ ‘bout what happened at the hotel an’ things like that. I mentioned it was still hangin’ round on my processor,” Beau replied as he leaned back to slouch in his chair again.

His homework was currently staring him down from the surface of his desk, though he made an attempt to pointedly ignore it as he fixed his gaze on his phone instead. His focus was once again not where he needed it or wanted it to be.

“An’ before that happened… Thad was tellin’ a story ‘bout some stuff that happened during gym class,” He added.

“I was also complaining about the murder drones too,” Thad cut in after Beau finished speaking, letting out a sigh as he shifted to get more comfortable on the couch again. “I was telling Beau that I’m still pretty mad about… well… everything that happened. I’m upset that everybody got hurt and I’m upset that you guys kind of had your time outside ruined because I know you were pretty hyped up for it and probably would have had a great time if things didn’t happen.”

Vivian raised an eyebrow as she listened to both of her friends, a huff soon escaping from her as she shifted where she sat on her own couch. A quiet thud was heard somewhere in the background of the call, leaving Beau and Thad to guess that she had kicked her boots up onto something.

“For what it’s worth, I still looked totally awesome giving that murder drone what’s for and socking it right upside the head. That’s a trophy in itself even if everything else was totally terrible,” She remarked. “But, trust me… I’d love to give those things a piece of my mind about that entire experience if I could.”

Beau was quiet as he listened to both of his friends speaking, briefly chewing on his lip once more as he silently drummed his fingers on the surface of his desk. He warred with his thoughts and urges to say something as he tried to sort through his potential word choice, not wanting to risk saying something that could potentially upset his friends even more.

“...Hey, Vi?” He finally spoke up again after a moment of internal debating, his expression unsure as he pulled his hat down slightly over his visor.

Vivian was quick to raise an eyebrow again in response to his question as her eyelights tracked across her phone screen to look at his particular video feed. “...Yeah? What is it?”

“Do you remember what Uzi said when we were there gettin’ treated at the medical bay?” Beau asked as he continued to quietly drum his fingers on his desk. “When we were wonderin’ what happened with the drones fightin’ each other? Uzi commented on that an’ asked if that shorter haired one had saved us.”

Vivian was quiet for a long moment as her eyelights immediately pulled into a thoughtful frown. She tapped a finger on her chin for a moment and reached to push up her glasses yet again before a look of realization dawned across her facial features.

“Oh- You mean when the purple girl decided to pop in out of nowhere and scare the bolts out of me? Yeah, I remember that,” She replied, taking a moment to quietly grumble afterwards before she shook her head slightly. “She did ask if that one murder drone saved us… Am I remembering that right or did my processor get completely scrambled during that?”

“Yeah, yer rememberin’ right. Uzi was listenin’ in I guess while we were recountin’ what happened and threw that out there,” Beau said as he reached up to mess with the brim of his hat. “I’ve been, uh… Been thinkin’ ‘bout that a lil’ today too. Didn’t really touch on it back there ‘cause I had so much goin’ on but I’ve been thinkin’ on it now an’ I’m kinda curious what your opinion is, Vi. Do ya think that one rescued us? Could’ve helped the first one kill us or could’ve at least not let us get away when we started runnin’ but it did...”

Thad looked between the two video feeds that contained his friend and his girlfriend, his eyelights pulling into a confused frown as he started to fidget with the plates that were pinned to his jacket again. “...Hang on… What are you guys talking about? What did I miss?”

Vivian blinked at her phone for a few moments, looking equally confused by the questions as she stared at the corner of the screen that contained Thad’s video feed. Beau looked slightly confused as well for a moment before the pink eyed drone suddenly snapped her fingers, another look of realization crossing over her facial features.

“That’s right- Thad got there after that whole explanation,” She commented. “We were telling Beau’s parents what happened at the hotel. You missed the part where we were explaining how we managed to get away from the murder drones. We got chased through the hallways by murder drone number one and then when we made it out to the car park, we got attacked by murder drone number two. The second one is the one that tore up Beau’s leg and got my shoulder.”

Vivian paused for a moment, either to take a vent or to gather up her thoughts, which left Beau an opening to jump in on the conversation as well.

“The one that tore me an’ Vi up threw her outta the way an’ then was about to attack me again too ‘fore that first one showed back up,” Beau began, drawing both sets of eyelights to his video feed. “I heard these god awful sounds an’ looked in enough time to see that first one barrelin’ right at me. I thought it was after me but it turned out it had its optics on the other one. They tackled each other onto the concrete an’ then they started fightin’ each other which gave me an’ Vi a chance to run. Didn’t stop until we made it back to the safety of the colony.”

Thad remained quiet for a long moment after Beau finished speaking, his eyelights turning hollow as he attempted to process the information that he was being given. His head turned to the side for a moment to stare at something off-screen, his gaze remaining locked in that direction before his attention finally came back to the phone itself.

“...Why do you think the murder drones would fight each other? There’s no way those things would actually just… rescue you, right? I mean- Obviously, they were there to kill everybody!” Thad said as he brought his hand up to ruffle the tuft of hair that was curling out of the front of his hat.

“What I thought happened is that the murder drones got into a fight over territory or whatever the hell they were doing,” Vivian said as she rolled his eyelights and shook her head, her features soon taking on a frown. “Pretty stupid move if you ask me because it cost them both of us. They could have gotten Beau if the second one didn’t get tackled and then they had a chance to get both of us when we got lunged at again by that same one but instead, the other one started fighting it again.”

“I'm kind of glad it did cost them both of you, Vivi. I’d rather you and Beau still be here and alive,” Thad sputtered in response to her comments, his eyelights blazing brighter on his screen as he raised an eyebrow at the phone.

“I’m glad too obviously! Robo God! I’m reckless but not that reckless. I like my head still attached to my body too, thanks,” Vivian commented before she stuck her tongue out at Thad. “I’m just saying that they had a chance to get us and didn’t because they were too busy fighting over who got to kill us or whatever. That’s what I think happened anyway because I can’t think of any other reason why they’d just let us get away like that.”

“Because one of them recognized me and had a change of heart,” Beau responded silently in his processor, biting his tongue to keep himself from actually repeating the thought out loud.

He quietly drummed his fingers as he tried to think of how to join in on the conversation again, squinting one of his eyelights as he shook his head slightly.

“I dunno ‘bout that, Vi… I mean, I agree that yer makin’ a real good point, but they were definitely workin’ together to try to kill us an’ everybody else ‘fore they got out to the car park. Somethin’ made them decide to turn against each other out there or else I imagine they would’ve kept workin’ together,” He pointed out, drawing both of his friends’ eyelights back to him again.

Vivian fell quiet for a moment as she considered Beau’s words, her eyelights narrowing as she took a pause to turn those thoughts over in her processor a few times. She finally shrugged as she leaned back in her seat and let out a sigh.

“...I don’t know, cowboy. Good point but why would they just suddenly change their mind? Seemed to me like they were either going to herd us into a dead end or just keep chasing us in circles while they picked all of us off until we both noticed what was happening and broke off from the group. Maybe the first one attacking us in the bar before we got outside had something to do with it? Maybe it claimed us as its prize and got mad that the other one almost took the prize instead?”

Beau chewed on his lip again as he listened to his friend speaking, sinking back into the desk chair once more as he slumped a bit. He could hear Thad responding with another take in response to Vivian’s guesses, though he was barely processing any of the words as he instead started to drift back into his own thoughts once more.

He knew that Vivian did have a very valid point but he had a sneaking suspicion B hadn’t been lying to him about what happened at the hotel. That thought stuck in his processor for a few moments before his eyelights slowly narrowed, leaving him to start questioning himself about whether his assumption was actually correct or not.

He knew that the disassembly drone had definitely saved him and Vivian from D because that much was obvious, but he wasn’t sure what other motives were there. Was he actually sure that B had been telling the full truth about why he and his squadmates hunted worker drones like himself in the first place?

Did he really believe that B was telling the truth that they had to eat people to regulate their cooling systems unlike worker drones like him or was that just a cover up for something else? He also never got a chance to ask B how they knew the group was coming to the hotel in the first place or if that had just been a stroke of freakish chance.

“Hellooooo? Copper-9 to cowboy. Cowboy, do you read me?” Vivian’s raised voice suddenly cut through Beau’s thoughts, getting the orange eyed drone to jump slightly before he fixed his gaze on his phone again to meet the concerned faces of his friends. “Did you get lost in la la land or something? We were talking this whole time.”

“Huh? Oh… Yeah… Don’t worry ‘bout me. I just got my homework laid out in front of me over here an’ got distracted crunchin’ a problem in my head,” Beau lied, hoping he sounded at least somewhat convincing as he forced his gaze back to the surface of his desk so he wouldn’t have to meet his friends’ gazes.

He wasn’t sure how to even start trying to pick through and explain everything to them, especially since he wasn’t entirely sure what was the whole truth and what was fibs that he had been given to mask the real answers. The only fact he could be sure about was that the disassembly drone had saved their lives for one reason or another, whether it was because of genuine caring or because of similar reasons to what Vivian guessed.

“What did I miss while I was gettin’ distracted?” Beau spoke up as he raised an eyebrow, attempting to deflect the attention from him so he wouldn’t have to answer questions.

“I was trying to piggyback off of what Vivi said and trying to figure out why the murder drones would just let you two get away too but then I started getting kind of… I don’t know. I don’t want to think about it or you two getting hurt. Not this late,” Thad replied as he rubbed his visor, a cool smile returning to his faceplate soon afterwards. “Sooo… Instead, I asked if both of you are coming to my sports game tomorrow night. Vivi said she’s gonna go obviously but I was curious about you.”

“What sports ga-” Beau’s face pulled into a look of confusion for a moment before he caught himself, his train of thought catching up to him as he remembered that Thad did in fact have a game coming up soon.

His best friend had had a game coming up for a while now actually now that he thought about it. With everything that had been happening lately, the date had nearly slipped his processor completely.

“Ohhh, wait… That is tomorrow, ain’t it? I lost track of the days in there somewhere… Are they even still havin’ it with what happened with the scavengin’ trip the other day?” The orange eyed drone questioned as he raised an eyebrow.

“I actually commented on that… I asked around about it yesterday and asked the couches if they were still going to have it and they said yeah. They said they were going to do the first half at least and see how everybody’s feeling and if everybody’s cool, then we’ll finish out the game like normal. If not, I think one of them said we’ll make up the next half another day or redo it later on,” Thad replied as a thoughtful expression crossed over his face.

“I’m kind of getting the feeling that going ahead with at least half of the match anyway is specifically because of what happened with the scavenging trip. I mean, come on, you can’t tell me the whole colony isn’t desperate for a distraction,” Vivian commented as she joined back in on the conversation. “Not that I’m saying people want to forget about the people that got hurt. I think everybody’s just desperate for things to start going back to some semblance of normal because nobody could have predicted something crazy happening so suddenly like that.”

“Yeah because you can kind of turn your thought processes off for a couple of hours when you watch sports and just forget for a little while. I know I’m waaaaay too busy being in the moment and making shots to dwell on bad thoughts too when I’m in the zone and actively playing. It’s a great way to blow off steam,” Thad agreed as he nodded.

Beau made a quiet and thoughtful hum as he listened to his friends, considering the offer to go down and watch Thad’s upcoming game. He had to admit that he honestly did like the sound of just being able to turn his thoughts off for a few hours and enjoy the moment much like he had been doing during the group’s movie marathon and again while digging through the scrapyard earlier.

He still had so many things rattling around in his processor about B and the other disassembly drones and it was starting to feel slightly overwhelming again. He was currently caught up in not knowing who or what to believe and that was enough to drive him towards welcoming this new distraction with open arms.

“C’mon now, ya really gotta ask if I’m gonna drop by an’ watch my best friend totally winnin’ out there in the gym? ‘Course I’m gonna come on by an’ watch,” He replied, the corners of his mouth tugging up into a genuine smile.

“Sweeet! I’m totally gonna win now having my best bro and my girlfriend out there to cheer me on!” Thad exclaimed as he pumped his free hand into the air, leveling a wink towards Vivian’s half of the video call.

Beau playfully rolled his eyelights in response to the obvious public display of affection while Vivian couldn’t help but giggle and smirk.

“You’re both gonna cheer me on, right?” The green eyed drone asked as he raised an eyebrow, his faceplate tugging wide into an excited grin.

“No, we’re just going to sit there in the bleachers and look pretty,” Vivian mouthed in response as her smirk curled wider. “Of course, we’re going to cheer you on! Duh! Why else would I be there? Actually, no, I can think of one other reason why I’d be there. The other reason is to look at you and admire how good looking you are.”

Thad’s visor immediately erupted into a bright and obvious green blush in response to Vivian’s comment, earning a laugh out of her. Beau pretended to look disgusted with the turn in conversation and faked a gag.

“Grooooss. Y’all two need to go an’ get yer own video call if yer gonna be all lovey dovey with each other. What’s next? Kissin’ yer phone screens so you can kiss each other goodnight?” The orange eyed drone playfully teased, earning a round of laughter out of both of his friends that soon got him laughing as well.

“Aww, dang it, speaking of goodnights… I think I’ll have to get off of here soon,” Thad’s voice suddenly cut in once he managed to gain control over his laughter again. “My phone’s starting to run out of juice so I’m going to have to go plug it in and charge it.”

“Probably wouldn’t hurt for me to jump off here soon either,” Beau spoke as he reached up to adjust his hat again, a smile still stretched wide across his faceplate as he shook his head. “I really actually need to focus on homework if I want it done ‘fore bedtime. I’m gettin’ nothin’ done here ‘cause I’m too busy sittin’ here an’ laughin’ with everybody.”

“I can’t believe this! You’re both abandoning your queen? What’s a queen without her loyal guards?” Vivian asked in mock surprise, throwing a quiet gasp into the mix as she moved her free hand to rest on her chest.

“Hey, hey, I can call the queen later after my phone gets charged up and talk to her until she falls asleep. Maybe I can even give her those goodnight kisses too...” Thad offered with another grin, getting Vivian’s face to pull into a thoughtful expression as she narrowed her eyelights.

“Very well then, I’ll accept this fair trade,” Vivian remarked in response before she snickered and shook her head with a smile, a small blush having formed on her visor. “See you, Beau. See you too, Thad. I’ll talk to you both later.”

“See ya, Vi. Appreciate ya comin’ to hang out with us,” Beau said as he waved at Vivian on the screen, getting her to wave back and flash a thumbs up in response.

“Love you, babe,” Thad said as he winked at his own phone, wearing a warm smile on his faceplate as Vivian blew a kiss at her own phone.

“Love you too, dork. See you guys,” Vivian spoke up before she gave them one last smile, her camera soon cutting off as she disconnected from the call and left Thad’s singular video feed to take up the majority of Beau’s phone screen again.

“Alright, I wasn’t kidding about the phone needing to charge part. This thing’s on like eighteen percent or something and dropping fast because of the video call,” Thad spoke up again before he raised an eyebrow, his playful energy falling away again. “...You sure you’re gonna be okay, Beau?”

“I’m doin’ fine, I promise. Just a lil’ sore an’ I got stuff on my processor like I said earlier,” Beau replied before he smiled at the phone again. “Thanks for humorin’ me for a lil’ while, though. I really appreciate you pickin’ up the phone since I kinda called outta the blue.”

“Hey, it’s no problem. You know I’m always down for a chat whenever I’m not busy. Only reason I’m hopping off now is because this thing is going to die and kick me out of the call anyway if I don’t,” Thad said as he sat up from where he was lying on the couch. “Have a good rest of your night, okay? Try not to stress out too hard about stuff.”

“I’ll try not to. See ya, Thad. You go on an’ have a good night too,” Beau said as he waved at his phone again, getting a wave back in response from the green eyed drone before a click and a beep indicated that the video call had finished.

All of the video screens finally cleared away from the phone screen to reveal his normal chatroom with his two friends instead, indicating that he was now finally alone. His smile wavered and fell away soon afterwards, a heavy sigh leaving him as he made an uneasy frown and sank back into his desk chair once more.

“What the hell’s goin’ on today...” The orange eyed drone mumbled quietly to himself as both hands up to gently rub circles into the sides of his visor.

His day had felt like riding out a blizzard between school, getting swamped by his thoughts and deciding to go for his walk, hanging out with Thad and Vivian, hitting the scrapyard with Uzi, coming home and talking to his parents, homework, and finally the video call. He sighed as he closed his eyelights and continued to rub circles into his visor, attempting to soothe himself as his thoughts started to race again with the returning silence.

The entire conversation he had shared with B over their chatroom was still looming over his head, leaving him still unsure of how to feel about it even after having a little bit of time to try to sort it out since it had first happened. His conversation with Thad and Vivian didn’t exactly help his case either because now he had some doubts planted in his processor about what the disassembly drone had said.

One part of him wanted to trust B because he had been talking to the other drone for months now even if it was under a different alias but the other part of him was questioning how much of what had been said and seen was the real B or if it had been fabricated. The fact that they were communicating through texting made it easier to potentially lie because he had time to stop and plan out exactly what he was going to say on top of the fact that texts wouldn’t convey the emotions behind them as easily as words would.

It didn’t help that he knew B was clearly a skilled liar as well considering how he had gotten Beau to believe he was talking to another worker drone from another colony with two sisters and had kept the lie convincing for months. That meant he was left with no idea what was the truth and what had been dressed up on purpose.

Beau continued to stew in his thoughts before he finally moved his hands from his head to rest them on the desk instead, his expression pulling into a look of determination again as he clenched his fists. He knew that he had to talk to the disassembly drone again if he wanted to get answers to the questions he didn’t ask the first time around and he knew he needed to get to the bottom of whether B was lying to him or not.

He was going to need a way to talk to the disassembly drone but give him no room to lie or spend time calculating his answers if he wanted to ensure that he was getting the truth out of the other drone. He slumped more into his seat as he turned that thought over in his processor again, quietly drumming his hands against the surface of his desk as he realized he was going to have to think over that plan in the coming days and come up with a solution to allow the kind of talk he wanted.

The orange eyed drone cast one more glance towards his phone as he reached out to pick up his pencil again, deciding that he would definitely talk to B again soon because he needed his answers too much to avoid the disassembly drone forever. He decided he was going to have to save that for another day, instead realizing that he needed to focus if he wanted to get his homework done before it got too late.

Beau took a deep vent again as he finally turned his gaze away from his phone, letting his thoughts linger in his processor as he silently spoke aloud to no one but himself and the empty bedroom. “What’s going on with you, B...”

Chapter Text

Beau spent the next few days thinking about the disassembly drone he had spoken to and the last conversation that they had together. He had been somewhat distracted between supporting Thad at his game, schoolwork, working more on his invention, and spending time at home with family, though his thoughts kept drifting back to B whenever his processor wasn’t occupied with the current happenings.

He never let go of the idea of wanting to speak to the disassembly drone again to try to find out the truthfulness behind everything he had been told and had been sorely tempted to text B again that night after he called Thad and Vivian or the night afterwards, but he had stopped himself from doing so. If he was going to talk to the disassembly drone again, he wanted to be able to catch him off guard and not give him an easy way to lie and cover up the questions.

The only problem he was seeing thus far was coming up with a way to force B onto the spot and make him answer the questions quickly. He felt like texting the disassembly drone again wouldn’t be a viable option because it would give the other drone too much time to calculate his answer between texts as well as mask things like his emotions or body language that might otherwise tell him if the other drone was telling lies.

He had briefly entertained the idea of calling B which would have given the disassembly drone less time to contemplate than a text would, but he still didn’t feel like that was a perfect solution either because he wouldn’t be able to see the other drone’s body language. His next thought had been to attempt a video call with B, but he felt like that also wasn’t the completely perfect solution because the camera would only be able to show so much of the other drone and that was if he even agreed to sit and point the camera at himself.

That left Beau continuing to think over the few days that had passed in an attempt to come up with the perfect plan. His processor had finally hatched an idea after those few days of thinking though while it was a potential solution, it was also an incredibly risky solution.

He realized that the only way to both hear B and ensure that he was seeing the disassembly drone’s full body language at the same time would be to meet the other drone in person. Upon first thinking up that idea, he had immediately rejected it in his processor under the statement to himself that it was too risky because even if he did manage to get outside somehow, he didn’t know what B was going to do since he had already tried to attack him and Vivian once before.

He also knew that if he went outside in an attempt to find B, he would potentially be risking bumping into D or C instead and he was sure that D at least would definitely try to kill him if she managed to catch sight of him based on how things had ended at the hotel. He knew less about C overall and wasn’t sure if she would be as dangerous as D, but he decided that he shouldn’t trust his safety with her presence either given the fact that she was such an unknown variable in this situation to him.

Even meeting B himself felt like a risk because of the aforementioned attack but Beau also figured that if the disassembly drone was telling the truth about having to eat worker drones like him, that meant meeting him face to face would effectively be presenting himself on a silver platter for the vampiric drone to kill and feed on. He’d have to have a death wish to risk going through with that meeting and the plans surrounding it.

And yet… While Beau was currently sitting in his room and fiddling with his invention at his desk, his thoughts were drifting back to the risky idea he had gotten yet again. Despite how much he knew it was a risky move if not an outright death wish, one small part of his processor was trying to tell him that this was Braiden.

This was the drone he had been talking to for months and gotten close to through sharing silly memes and having long chats while staying up way too late at night. This was also the drone that had saved his and Vivian’s lives from the other disassembly drone upon recognizing him.

This was also the drone that had apologized for making him worry and for scaring him. With all of that in mind, he felt like maybe he would be safer meeting B face to face than his instincts were trying to tell him he would be.

Despite all of the risks, he trusted B even if he did acknowledge that it was a bit foolish of him to do so when he was actively questioning what the real truth was. He wanted his answers, truth, and, perhaps… One small part of him that was still hanging onto ‘Braiden’ and the friendship they had shared wanted to see and meet his friend face to face too.

The orange eyed drone took in a deep vent and let it out in the form of a slow sigh, leaning forward to rest his elbow joints on the surface of his desk. He still held his invention in his hands as he was stewing in his thoughts, absentmindedly clicking buttons and flicking it to switch the multitool between the few different tools he had built into it so far.

He felt a twinge of satisfaction as he watched the tool switching back and forth, satisfied to see that the switching mechanisms he had added were working perfectly without a single problem that he could notice. He was very happy to know that his invention was turning out exactly according to his blueprints though it didn’t exactly help him with his current thoughts and predicament.

His gaze drifted towards his phone that was currently sitting out on the desk and playing music for background noise again, his face slowly pulling into a frown as the thought of either talking to B or attempting to arrange some kind of meet up continued to weigh on his processor. Even if he was going to make a dumb decision and make the risky choice, he knew he would still have to have some kind of plan for how he was going to do it.

Beau leaned back in his desk chair as he continued to fidget with his invention in his hands, letting his thoughts wander again as he began trying to formulate a plan in his head. It was currently fairly early in the afternoon so he couldn’t think of any possible way that he could go outside now without being spotted by either his father or the other WDF members.

Even then, he knew going out during the daytime would be the worst and potentially deadly decision because the other two disassembly drones would no doubt be inside the giant corpse spire with B if he was right about them sleeping through the day and waking at night. He could believe that one right off the bat even without clear proof because he had gotten so used to B’s prior late night and early morning texting schedule.

That left him with the option of venturing out into the night if he wanted to have a chance at B being at the spire alone or asking him to meet him out somewhere away from the spire which still came with the potential of possibly bumping into the others, but he could silently hope that B would agree to meet him somewhere away from the other two. He also knew that different groups of the WDF worked all night so they were something to contend with as well even if he did try to leave at night.

The orange eyed drone cast his glance over towards his bedroom door, his eyelights narrowing as he started to chew slightly on his lip. His parents were both currently away at work at this hour but he knew that they’d be back before the evening was over which meant he was going to have to find a way to sneak past them as well if he wanted to go outside because he already knew they would never agree with his plans.

He already knew that there was no way they’d be willing to let him outside at all for a long while after the ill fated scavenging trip, let alone to go meet one one of the very disassembly drones that was responsible for it. His father being the head of the WDF didn’t help his case at all either because while it meant that his father had a few master keycards lying around that could control the three hydraulic doors that guarded the colony, his chances of stealing one and putting it back without his father noticing that one was missing felt slim to none.

He also knew that if he tried to go out through the front doors and got spotted by the working WDF guards, they would no doubt report his presence back to his father and that would mean his parents would find out about his sneaking out anyway. That all but meant he couldn’t go out through the front doors and would have to find another way to sneak out of the colony that didn’t involve keycards or the main entrance.

“Maybe through an old emergency door? Or some other kind of spot… Vents maybe?” Beau quietly mused aloud to himself as his gaze wandered away from his bedroom door and looked up at the vent cover that was built into the ceiling instead.

His processor chewed on that thought for a moment before he sat up a bit straighter in his chair, the thought of a certain purple haired drone suddenly crossing through his head as he blinked. Uzi was known around the colony for staying for a few days and then disappearing without a trace only to come back again and repeat the process.

If the WDF didn’t know where she was during those times, that meant she had a method for getting outside that didn’t involve going through the three main doors because they never saw her leave. If Uzi was still in the medical bay, that meant he could go and ask her how she had been getting out and possibly learn how to discreetly sneak out himself.

The orange eyed drone raised one hand to rub his chin as he contemplated this new potential idea of his. This plan hinged on Uzi still being in the colony where he could ask her, though at this point he felt like it was the best idea he had besides continuing to wait around and try to figure out his own methods.

That left him with figuring out when and how to go about checking the medical bay for Uzi and, more broadly, how to set the stage for sneaking out in general. He had already established that he was going to have to sneak out in the evening or at night but by that point in the day both of his parents would be home and would definitely notice his absence.

He knew that he could say he was going to visit Uzi but he had a feeling that they would start questioning where he had been if he was gone for several hours while outside. He didn’t want to make them worry either because they had already had enough stress lately even without his incredibly foolish risk taking behavior.

That meant he would also need to have a believable excuse to get him out of the house and stay out of the house for the evening or a chunk of the night. He did not trust being able to simply sneak out of the apartment after his parents were asleep due to how much of a light and sensitive sleeper he knew his mother was.

Beau fidgeted with his invention again as he spent a few minutes contemplating his options again, his eyelights slowly drifting towards his phone as an idea started to form in his processor. He could pack his backpack and pretend he was going to hang out with one of his friends because he knew his parents wouldn’t question his whereabouts right away if they thought he was at Thad or Vivian’s house and studying with them or hanging out for a few hours.

He just needed to get one of his friends to agree to cover for him if his parents were to ask where he was after too much time passed.

His first thought was to ask Thad, though as he turned that over in his processor again, he realized he wasn’t sure if he could trust Thad to cover for him if he knew he was going to be up to something sneaky. He knew Thad wouldn’t rat him out for malicious purposes though he did worry that his best friend would tell his parents out of genuine concern.

He also knew that if Thad didn’t tell his parents, there was a good chance Yeva would rat him out instead if Alice asked how he was doing and Thad’s mother told her that he hadn’t been to their apartment or had left already. By process of elimination, that left him with the option of trying to rope Vivian into helping him out.

The orange eyed drone stared at his phone for a few more long moments as he debated with himself before he reached out to pick up the device, wasting no time in swiping his thumb against the screen to switch over to his contacts. He scrolled for a moment to find Vivian’s before he tapped on the call button and raised the phone up where he could hear the speaker, waiting patiently as he started to slowly spin himself back and forth in his desk chair and listened to the ringing.

“How dare the court cowboy call the queen,” Vivian’s voice suddenly spoke up on the other end of the call once it was picked up, her tone immediately playful. “Speak now, mortal. You have my attention.”

Beau couldn’t help but snicker as he leaned back in his chair, still slowly swiveling it from left to right as he kept one foot on the floor to spin himself. “Hey, Vi. Nice to talk to ya too. How are ya doing?”

“Hey, Beau,” Vivian greeted before she was heard snickering with him. “I feel fine right now. I’m still resting up at home. What’s up though? Need somebody to talk to again while you’re busy?”

“Actually, about that...” Beau began as he stared down at the invention he was still fidgeting with in his free hand, hesitating briefly as he started to second guess if he should go through with his plans. “I actually… wanted to ask ya for a favor if ya don’t mind.”

“Okay… You sound like you’re serious so I’m immediately going to go out on a limb and guess it’s not a goofy little favor for a prank type of deal,” Vivian commented, her playful tone falling away quickly to make way for her normal tone. “Depends on what the favor is. What’s going on?”

“Okay, so… I ain’t gonna beat ‘round the scrap pile too much. I got some potential plans tonight that I wanna do but I kinda need yer help to trick Ma an’ Dad. I might be busy for a few hours an’ I don’t want them worryin’ ‘bout where I am or noticin’ that I’m gone. I wanted to ask ya if maybe… I could come over later an’ then go from there so they think I’m busy at yer apartment.”

Vivian was quiet as he listened to Beau’s request and was silent for a few moments longer, which was enough to get the orange eyed drone to start silently fretting over his decision to go through with this plan before she finally took in a deep vent on the other end of the phone and spoke again.

“Okay, you either have some kind of surprise party planned, you’re setting up for a really sneaky prank, or you’re thinking about doing something really stupid. My stupidity senses are tingling and telling me you’re thinking about doing something really stupid. What are you up to?”

“Nah, nah- I’m not up to anythin’ stupid. I’m just...” Beau started to respond before he trailed off, cringing in his seat as he silently reminded himself that he was in fact about to do something terribly stupid if his plan worked out accordingly.

“Just what?”

“I just… I need ya to trust me here, Vi. I’m doin’ somethin’ kinda sneaky an’ I know my parents would flip out if they found out what I’m doin’ but it’s… somethin’ I really wanna do. I’ve been planning it for a few days now an’ I think I can do it tonight if everything falls into place but I need somebody to cover for me so I can be outta the house,” Beau continued as he sat his invention down on his desk, bringing his hand up to hold his visor instead.

“Do you have any idea how reassuring that is? Come on, Beau! You’re definitely planning something stupid!” Vivian scolded, getting the orange eyed drone to flinch as he heard her let out a heavy sigh on the other end of the call. “What stupid thing are you doing and does it come with the risk of you getting yourself killed?”

Beau found himself biting his tongue to hold in the automatic ‘yes’ that wanted to leave him in response to the question.

“Nah… Promise I ain’t doin’ somethin’ that risky ‘cause I ain’t that stupid. I’m just doin’ somethin’ personal that also happens to be sneaky an’ would totally get me grounded if I got caught. Promise I’ll be safe,” He lied as his face pulled into an uneasy frown. “...Please, Vi. I need to do this. I’ll do anythin’ ya want to pay ya back. All I need is for ya to cover for me if my parents ask where I am.”

“Ughhhh… Fine, fine, I’ll do it,” Vivian muttered, her tone laced with annoyance and perhaps a bit of concern. “On one condition. If you manage to get yourself maimed doing whatever it is you’re doing, I’m not lying for you then. Either you’ll tell your parents how you got hurt or I’ll tell them you made me cover for you. You’re not going to lie and say you got hurt by slipping and falling or getting into a fight with a cabinet at my house.”

“Ah… Yeah… I reckon that’s a fair trade. I can agree to that,” Beau responded quietly, a nervous chuckle managing to roll out of him despite his best efforts to hold it in as he rubbed his visor.

“Okay. Tell me what you need me to do then.”

“Alright, so...” Beau started as he turned his desk chair around, looking out over his room. “When Ma an’ Dad get home later, I’m gonna make up an excuse like goin’ over there to hang out or study with you ‘cause that’ll get me outta the house for a lil’ while. If I wind up bein’ gone for a few hours, I need ya to make an excuse for me. Like… I dunno… maybe I dozed off on yer couch or somethin’. That way they’ll think I’m asleep over there an’ won’t wonder where I am.”

“And you’re doing this tonight?”

“That was the plan. Like I said, I was gonna start the excuse when they both get home from work,” Beau replied as he eyed his backpack lying on the floor next to his desk. “I’ll probably stick ‘round for dinner so they don’t gotta worry ‘bout that an’ then I’ll leave. I can text ya when I’ve left the house so you’ll know when to start watchin’ the clock.”

He could hear Vivian audibly grumbling on the other end of the line.

“Okay, fine. You owe me freaking big time after this though, cowboy. I don’t like this whole thing but I won’t say anything to anyone. I was planning on being home all evening anyway doing whatever around the house so it’ll work out.”

“Thanks, Vi. Seriously. I really appreciate it an’ I promise I’ll make up the favor later,” Beau said as he immediately sank into his desk chair, nearly slipping out of it with how far down he slouched in it as his confidence started to wane.

“Just… be careful, Beau. Whatever you’re doing,” Vivian spoke up again in an unusually soft tone for her. “I mean it too. I actually care about you, idiot. You’re my closest friend next to Thad so don’t get yourself killed doing something stupid.”

Beau felt a stab in his core at Vivian’s words because he knew he couldn’t truthfully promise that he’d be okay, but he still felt like he needed to go through with his plan. “...I won’t, Vi. I promise.”

“Okay… Good. Now… If you go back home instead of coming to crash on my couch when you get back, at least text me to let me know you made it back safely. If tomorrow morning rolls around and I haven’t heard anything or seen you, I’m going to either call your parents or coming to look for your stupid self myself.”

“Yeah, yeah… That’s fair too,” Beau replied with a quiet chuckle, slowly running his hand through his hair. “I’m pretty sure I’ll be back pretty quick though. Hell, I might even be back ‘fore we even need the excuse. I just wanted the excuse as a just in case kind of thing, y’know? I’ll, uh… I’ll talk to ya later though, okay? Thank ya again. Really.”

“You’re welcome, cowboy. Text me whenever you’re ready, I guess. Bye for now,” Vivian replied, her voice still a bit on the quieter side.

“See ya, Vi,” Beau said before he pulled the phone away from his head and tapped his thumb on the screen to end the call.

He immediately let out a nervous laugh as soon as he was back in the privacy of silence, lightly gripping his hair in his hand. He felt more guilty than ever about the idea of trying to sneak out to meet B and wondered if maybe he should reconsider his plans, but that other small and loud part of his processor kept demanding that he push forward to get his answers.

The orange eyed drone slowly turned his head back to face his desk, eyeing his invention that was still sitting where he had left it. One part of him felt like should take a weapon with him which got his thought processes to start working as he narrowed his eyelights at the half finished tool.

Logically, he knew that a simple weapon would do him next to no good versus the disassembly drones, but he felt like the sense of security might help him feel a bit more at least. His invention still wasn’t complete and he didn’t want to risk breaking it by swinging it around, but his eyelights did drift towards the sets of other tools that littered the surface of the desk as he decided he could take one of those with him instead.

Beau took a deep vent and exhaled slowly as he returned his attention to his phone, beginning the process of starting to navigate back to his music library as he decided he would work out exactly what he was bringing with him in a few hours from now. Right now, he decided that he’d let the music calm his nerves and pass the time as he found another playlist to fill the silence and set the phone aside to free up the use of his hands.

His invention wasn’t going to keep making progress on its own, after all.

The rest of the day passed by agonizingly slow in Beau’s processor as he tried to keep himself distracted with the work on his invention and tried not to think about the recklessly dangerous plans he had for the night. He had hoped that some of his nerves would have settled by the time evening rolled around but if anything he actually felt even worse than he had during his initial conversation with Vivian.

As foolish as he still knew it was, he was holding onto the hope that everything was going to work out perfectly as he convinced himself to keep going through with his plans.

The orange eyed drone had found it fairly easy to convince his parents to let him leave the house, having spoken with them during dinner and given them a fib about going to study for a project he needed to do with Vivian. He wasn’t sure how convincing he had sounded but he felt like it must have worked well enough if neither of his parents had stopped to ask him what he was actually doing or ask him if something was going on.

He had decided to take his backpack along with him to help sell the illusion that studying with Vivian was what his plans were, though the bag was empty save for a select few things he had decided to pack to take with him. After he left the house, he made sure to send a text to Vivian herself to let her know that he was leaving the house and would need her to back him up.

The other drone had texted back and expressed her concern with his plan once more but agreed to cover for him again on the promise that he would stay safe. He had done his best to reassure her that he would be perfectly fine even if he knew he couldn’t be completely certain of that fact.

Beau’s fuel tank was twisting both from the anxiety sitting on his shoulders and the lying he had done to his parents and friend about serious events but he knew this was the only way he was going to be able to do what he wanted. His core was racing in his chest while his processor fired through every possible hypothetical scenario it could think of where everything could go terribly wrong, but he tried to force those thoughts away as he took deep vents to try to calm himself.

He knew that he didn’t have to panic just yet because there was every chance things would go well just like how there was every chance they could go badly. He also knew that he hadn’t confirmed if Uzi was even still in the colony or not, which meant that his plans still had a chance to be dashed anyway if she wasn’t around.

The orange eyed drone let his small bits of hope carry him to the medical wing as he silently hoped that Uzi was still in the colony, only finally snapping out of his thoughts when he realized that he was nearing the door that he needed to enter. He closed his eyelights and took a deep vent as he stood before the medical bay door, taking a few moments to rest in one last attempt to calm his nerves before he reached out to rest his hand on the handle.

He knew that he was rapidly running out of chances to rethink his plans and back out, but he felt he was determined to follow through with his plans to go meet the disassembly drone as risky as they were. He felt like he was never going to have his answers or have the full truth if he didn’t go through with it and merely going back home and texting B still didn’t feel like a solution in his processor.

He stood like that for several more long moments as he debated with himself in his head, finally opening his eyelights again once he decided that he had spent enough time standing around and hesitating. He brought his other hand up to gently knock on the door to warn the occupants that he was coming in before he slid the door to the medical room open.

Beau wasted no time in stepping inside the room, bringing his hands up to adjust his backpack as he anxiously fidgeted with the straps around his shoulders in an attempt to self-soothe again. His optics immediately met with the sight of another worker drone getting what looked like a cut on their hand treated by one of the medical drones, which was enough to get him to wince slightly on the injured drone’s behalf before he turned his head to look around the room in search of who he came to find.

His face pulled into a frown as he quickly realized he didn’t see Uzi anywhere in the room during his looking around, but he did see Piers sitting next to one of the counters and currently sipping from his mug. The head doctor had been quick to look over and notice him at the sound of the door opening, his eyebrow already raised as he leveled a questioning stare at the other drone.

“What’s the matter, Beau? Is your leg still giving you trouble or did you manage to do something else to yourself?” Piers spoke before Beau could, lowering his mug as his eyelights drifted down to the other drone’s previously injured leg for a moment.

“Nah, no injuries or anythin’ like that today, doc. My leg feels just fine now,” Beau assured the medical drone, though Piers’ eyelights still held a skeptical look that the orange eyed drone was quick to wave off. “I actually came on by to check an’ see if Uzi’s still here…?”

Piers continued to study Beau for a moment before he leaned back in his seat, crossing one leg over the other as he raised his mug again to take another sip. He pointed a finger out with his free hand as he held the mug, getting the younger drone to turn around and look towards the cabinets that lined the walls next to the door as he followed the point.

Beau jumped slightly as he immediately locked eyes with a pair of bright and hollow purple eyelights that were staring directly at him from the darkness above one of the cabinets. He raised a hand slightly to wave in greeting as he smiled, getting the purple haired drone in question to learn further out of the darkness with a quiet warble.

“Hey there, Uzi. Dunno if you heard me just now but I came by ‘cause I was lookin’ for ya,” Beau spoke up before he paused briefly, his processor reaching for a convincing cover up. “I was gonna ask if… You wanna come hang out for a lil’ while? Figured maybe you were gettin’ a lil’ bored hangin’ ‘round in here. That’s if yer not too busy, of course.”

“We’re not busy at the moment so Uzi is free to leave if she wants to. We already did er exams earlier,” Piers cut into the conversation before he paused to take yet another sip of his mug. “Granted… That’s if you can get her to come down from up there. She’s been hiding up there for a little while now.”

Uzi didn’t verbally respond but she did lean even further out from the top of the cabinet, making a series of chirps that Beau felt indicated her interest in his offer. Her eyelights briefly over in the direction of the injured drone who was currently being treated before her gaze found Beau again, her head tilting slightly as if she were curious.

If the orange eyed drone didn’t know any better, he would have said that her eyelights appeared dilated ever so slightly compared to how he remembered them looking the last time he had seen her. He let that thought go as he waved at her again to beckon her to join him, getting the purple haired drone to slink further out of the darkness before she started the process of climbing down from the cabinets.

“Was thinkin’ that maybe we could go for a walk an’ find somethin’ fun to do? Maybe we can talk some more ‘bout those inventions again or somethin’ like that,” Beau suggested, getting Uzi to nod as she climbed the rest of the way down the cabinet to join him safely on the ground.

His fuel tank twisted again as he felt a little bit guilty about telling a half truth and enlisting Uzi’s help, but he knew that Piers would catch on that something sneaky was happening if he just openly asked her how she always got outside so easily. The purple haired drone reached the floor before she stared up at Beau from where she sat with her hands on the floor in front of her, her eyelights immediately narrowing into what almost looked like a suspicious stare.

“Don’t break anything while you’re out. Otherwise, I’ll have to see you both again in twenty minutes and I’m not going to be happy about it,” Piers deadpanned before he turned away in his chair to reach for a clipboard that sat on the counter beside him.

“We ain’t gonna break anythin’ on a short lil’ walk, doc. Promise. Ain’t got nothin’ to worry ‘bout there,” Beau assured before he turned on his heels to head back towards the doorway, glancing over his shoulder long enough to verify that Uzi was following him before he waved at the repair staff.

He took a deep vent as he stepped out into the hallway and heard the door closing behind him, mentally preparing himself to go through with the next part of his plan before he turned with the intent to face Uzi. He was immediately met with a hard stare from the purple haired drone who had transitioned to standing on two feet at some point, jerking back in surprise with his own hollow eyelights as she crossed her arms.

“Core’s racing. Scared? Or nervous?” Uzi immediately asked, an eyebrow slowly raising on her screen as Beau blinked at her and returned her stare with his own look of confusion.

“I- What?” Beau questioned as he brought a hand up to his own chest, attempting to recover from the sudden scare that the other drone had given him.

“I said, your core is racing,” Uzi replied, letting out an annoyed warble immediately afterwards. “So. Are you scared? Or nervous?”

“I...” Beau continued to stare at the purple haired drone in confusion as his processor trailed off and fumbled in an attempt to form a response to her questions.

He knew that she wasn’t wrong about his core racing because it had been racing with his nerves ever since he left the house, but he wasn’t quite sure how she could tell. He started to fear that maybe his core was running much louder than he thought it was or that he was being too obvious about his intentions of doing something dumb.

“Well, okay, ya got me there ‘cause I am a lil’ nervous ‘bout somethin’, but-”

“But what?” Uzi asked as her eyelights narrowed, getting Beau to blink and frown as she cast her glance down the hallway and started to bounce one of her legs up and down where she stood as if she were impatient.

“Okay, so, I might’ve… told a lil’ fib in there… I’m sorry, Uzi,” Beau started as he reached up to pull his hat down by the brim, his voice barely above a mumble as he gave the shorter drone an apologetic frown. “I kinda didn’t come to ask if ya wanna hang out. Now don’t get me wrong- I’ve had a lot of fun hangin’ out with ya at the movie night an’ while we were pokin’ through the scrapyard. But… This time, I actually came by to ask ya for a favor. Kind of a secret favor too so I wanted to get you out of hearin’ range of the medical team.”

Uzi let her arms fall out of their crossed position as she bounced her leg, leveling a clear and disappointed frown at the other drone. Beau continued to give her an apologetic look as he shrank slightly into his shoulders, a look of guilt crossing over his face as she continued to stare at him for a long moment before she finally sighed and let out a series of quiet chirps and warbles.

“Fineeeee. What favor?” The purple haired drone asked, sounding far less upset than Beau expected her to be and instead sounding slightly annoyed yet curious.

“Alright, so… We’ve all heard ‘bout how you tend to drop by the colony an’ then leave again after a lil’ while, right? Well… I reckon nobody knows how you’ve been sneakin’ out so far ‘cause nobody ever sees you leave. Where I’m goin with this is… I’m doin’ somethin’ kinda sneaky right now an’ that sneaky thing requires me gettin’ outside. I can’t go out the main doors ‘cause I’m definitely gonna get spotted if I try that. I came to ask ya for help ‘cause I thought maybe you could show me a sneaky way out?”

Both drones were left in silence after Beau finished speaking, leaving the two staring at each other as one set of narrowed eyelights bore into bright and nervous eyelights. The orange eyed drone started to fidget with the brim of his hat as he stared down at Uzi, putting the best nervous grin he could manage on his faceplate in an attempt to look at least somewhat disarming.

“...Please? Pretty please?” He asked quietly. “Yer the only person I know that’s good at sneakin’ ‘round...”

Uzi’s eyelights narrowed further as she listened to Beau, seeming to study his face for another uncomfortably long moment of silence. She finally turned her gaze away from him, looking down both sides of the hallway before she put her hands on her hips and quietly warbled.

“Promise you won’t tell?” She asked, her tone low yet sharp somehow to his audios.

“Where yer secret exit is? Nah, I ain’t gonna tell on ya. I just wanna be able to go outside myself without gettin’ caught,” Beau was quick to assure, shifting slightly where he stood as he shrank under the weight of her suspicious stare again. “Promise I ain’t gonna tell nobody… Ain’t gonna tell none of the door guards or the medical drones. Yer secret’s safe with me.”

The purple haired drone continued to frown at him, still clearly looking skeptical of his words as she chirped. Beau rocked slightly on his feet, his processor struggling to find a way to convince her before he started to adjust his hat again.

“...I can make it up to ya too, Uzi. If yer gonna be stickin’ ‘round again for a few more days after this, maybe I can come by again tomorrow or in a couple of days an’ we could actually hang out an’ watch more movies or somethin’. Or, maybe, I could show ya my invention I’ve been workin’ on if yer interested in that.”

Uzi finally threw her head back in a loud groan, letting her hands fall to her sides again as she did so. She took a few steps closer to Beau before her head suddenly snapped back into a proper position to look at him, her eyelights blazing bright as she hunched over and glared directly back into his visor.

“No talking about my hiding place after this. Don’t. If I find out you told… I’m coming after you,” She warned as she jabbed an accusing finger against Beau’s chest, her tone laced with every bit of the warning her words carried.

Beau couldn’t help but flinch back again in response to the apparent threat, blinking at the shorter drone with his own bright and hollow eyelights. He finally raised both hands to flash a set of thumbs up gestures at her, giving her the best reassuring grin he could manage despite the screaming currently happening in his processor.

“Yer secret’s gonna be safe with me. Swear on it,” He replied quietly as a series of droplet icons appeared all over his visor display to represent him breaking out into a nervous sweat.

Uzi continued to study the orange eyed drone before she drew her hand back and stepped away from him, letting out a quiet warble before she turned her head to look up and down the hallway again. Her eyelights seemed to scan around for a moment before she finally directed her gaze back to him.

“Okay, first thing’s first… We need a vent,” She spoke, her voice quiet. “Usually go through medical, but… Not an option right now. Need another vent. Somewhere where nobody will see.”

“Uh...” Beau frowned at that, blowing air from his mouth as he turned his head to look up and down the hallway as well.

His eyelights scanned some of the various doors he could see from where he was standing before he reached up to scratch his head. Uzi started to bounce her leg up and down again, giving him an expectant look as she waited for his answer.

“There’s gotta be somethin’ ‘round here somewhere… Pretty sure most if not just ‘bout every room in the colony has a vent cover in it. The trick is findin’ a room where we can actually reach it an’ can count on somebody not walkin’ by an’ catchin’ us climbin’ up there,” He mused as he scratched his head.

Uzi chirped as she listened to Beau and narrowed her eyelights into a thoughtful expression, still bouncing her leg up and down where she stood. Beau was starting to get the impression that she was starting to get a bit agitated standing in one place judging by how much she was moving.

“Any ideas?” She asked as she raised an eyebrow.

Beau continued to look around for a moment as he moved his hands to fidget with the straps of his backpack again, rubbing his fingers against the material as he continued to think. He turned on his heels to look down the hallway before his facial features suddenly lit up, accompanied by him quietly snapping his fingers as an idea settled over him.

“I just got a potential idea. Pretty sure back on down the hallway, there’s an old lounge or common room or somethin’ like that. Not a lot of people use it since it’s real outta the way an’ I think a lot of the old furniture there is worn out. Might be a place to peek in an’ see if anybody’s in there ‘cause we might be able to use that one if nobody’s around,” He replied.

Uzi considered Beau’s words for a moment before she gave a nod in response, getting the other drone to nod as well before he turned on his heels and motioned for her to follow him down the hallway. He looked over his shoulder long enough to notice that Uzi was skittering after him on her hands and feet, getting him to raise a questioning eyebrow as he watched her in a brief bit of disbelief.

She returned his questioning gaze with her own raised eyebrow, clearly confused by his own confused look in response to her movements. He continued to stare at her for a moment before he decided not to question it, instead turning his gaze back around to face the front as the duo continued down the hallway together.

“Anyway… Like I was sayin’… I promise I’ll make it up to ya for kinda lyin’ an’ draggin’ you out here just to help me with my lil’ thing. I don’t mind hangin’ out or showin’ ya my invention or whatever you wanna do,” Beau began again after a few more moments of walking, deciding to help fill the silence. “I just… Well, you probably get it. You wanna go out an’ do stuff outside. I’m in the same situation here so that’s why I asked ya for yer expertise on it ‘cause you clearly know yer way ‘round the place when it comes to bein’ sneaky.”

Uzi warbled and chirped in response to Beau’s statement, keeping perfect time with him and his pace as she crawled after him on all four limbs. If he didn’t know any better, he would have said she almost looked more comfortable like that than on her normal two feet because she certainly didn’t seem to mind the position any.

“...What are you doing anyway?” She suddenly asked, tilting her head slightly as she stared up at him with a look of curiosity.

“Uh… Somethin’ real stupid?” Beau responded with a sheepish look as he brought a hand up to scratch his head again, his mouth spreading into a wide and nervous grin as he felt Uzi’s gaze boring into the back of his head. “Somethin’ real, real stupid but I’m gonna be safe ‘bout it. Basically, I’m arrangin’ a meetin’ with somebody I know outside the colony which is a lil’ dangerous given what’s outside, but… I wanna do this.”

Uzi’s eyelights narrowed as she moved up to walk beside Beau, giving him a heavy stare as another warble left her. The orange eyed drone glanced down at the other drone and gave her a thumbs up in an attempt to assure her that everything would be fine, though he didn’t know exactly what was running through her processor at that moment.

The orange eyed drone soon fixed his gaze in front of him again as the duo continued their walk down the hallway, only finally coming to a stop once they neared a particular door that he stopped to point out. He waved at Uzi to catch her attention and tell her to stop, getting her to fix her gaze on the door as well with a curious chirp.

“This should be it. Pretty sure this one’s the lounge ‘cause I was sneakin’ ‘round the place a few years ago with Thad an’ Vivian an’ we stumbled across this room,” Beau said before he reached out to slide the open just enough to peek inside, his optics having to take a moment to recalibrate and adjust to the difference in light level before he could properly see inside the darkened room.

The fact that the light wasn’t already on inside the room immediately told him that the room was most likely empty. He cast his glance down at Uzi for a moment and gave her a thumbs up before he pulled the door open the rest of the way to allow himself and his companion into the room.

Uzi was quick to follow Beau as soon as he slipped into the room, still staying low to the ground as she crawled after him on all fours. Her eyelights squinted against the darkness before she directed her gaze up at the other drone who was currently feeling along the wall and searching for a button to turn the lights on.

After a bit of fumbling around in the dark in the unfamiliar room, Beau finally managed to locate the panel with the on-off buttons and tapped his finger against the on button. The overhead lights in the room sputtered and flickered a bit as they came on, but they managed to stay on and bathed the room in a dim light which was enough to let the two drones look around and verify that they were the only people in the room before they shared a look with one another again.

“See what you meant by unused,” Uzi commented as she moved into a crouched position, her eyelights bouncing around the room as she took in the sight of all of the dusty and battered furniture that would have been comfortable once upon a time but not now with their holes and broken springs.

“Exactly. Works out better for us since it’s less likely somebody’s gonna walk in while we’re busy,” Beau said before he directed his gaze up at the ceiling, his eyelights narrowing as he began to look it over for their ticket to the outside world.

After a few moments of searching, he spotted a vent cover and raised an arm to point it out to Uzi. The purple haired drone looked at him before she used his point to track her eyelights to where he was looking, a series of warbles leaving her.

“What about that one up there? Gonna have to figure out how to reach it, but… Looks wide enough to fit our shoulders through,” Beau noted as he stared up at the vent cover.

Uzi’s eyelights narrowed as she took a moment to study the ceiling vent, warbling yet again before she finally nodded. “That’ll work. Been through smaller and fit fine so this one’s perfect.”

“Only problem is figurin’ out how to reach it… Ceilin’s a lil’ less high in here than it is in a lot of other areas in the colony but there’s no way we can just jump up there...” Beau mused aloud, his face pulling into a thoughtful expression as he quietly tapped a finger on his chin.

He turned his head to look around the room again in search of something they could use, his eyelights soon finding one of the old sofas in the room. Climbing up the surface would provide a height boost as long as they were careful not to get their legs hooked on a few of the snapped springs that were sticking up and piercing through the cushions, though he wasn’t sure if it was going to be high enough to reach the vent.

Uzi had crawled further into the room while Beau was busy thinking, her own eyelights scanning around and looking at the available furniture as she searched for something they could climb. She looked at the sofa too as she passed by it but quickly directed her gaze past it as she continued the hunt for something suitable, though she didn’t get far before her optics spotted what looked like a table leg sticking out from behind the same sofa in the corner of her vision.

Uzi backed up enough to peek into the space behind the seat, finding what looked like a round folding table that had been tucked in between the seat and the wall and left there for some time judging by all of the dust on it. She studied the table for a moment before she stood up to free up the use of her hands, reaching out to grab hold of the table.

Beau was still deep in his thoughts as he tried to figure out a solution for their current obstacle, though the sound of something dragging and rolling across the floor drew him out of his processor. He glanced over towards the sound to see Uzi rolling the folded table along the floor, blinking as he watched her move it to the center of the room where the vent cover was.

“...Where’d you manage to find that?” He asked as he turned to walk over and join her.

“Behind the couch,” Uzi replied as she looked up at the vent in the ceiling, taking a moment to position the table beneath it before she flipped it upside down to reach the folded table legs.

She took a moment to pop the first leg free and secure it in place before she popped the next one out, securing it into place as well before she slowly and carefully tipped the table to flip it back up. The table legs hit the floor with a quiet thud but did hold steady as the table stood wide in the center of the room, letting Beau see that it was quite a bit taller than the low sofa cushions.

The orange eyed drone approached the table as he looked between it and the vent cover, taking a moment to judge the distance before he looked at Uzi again. The purple haired drone pushed her hands down on the table and jumped a few times, testing to see if the table was sturdy and would hold the weight before she clambered up onto it.

“...You think this table would be able to hold another chair or somethin’ like that?” Beau asked his face pulled into another thoughtful look, his eyelights flicking back and forth between Uzi and the vent cover as he attempted to judge the distance again. “It’s still just a lil’ too short, I think.”

“Orrrr,” Uzi cut in as she waved at Beau to beckon him up onto the table with her. “Could give you a boost? Think you can reach it if I boost you up.”

Beau considered Uzi’s suggestion for a moment as he climbed up onto the table too, immediately noticing that it felt a bit wobbly as he stood up and put his arms out at his sides to steady himself. He stared up at the vent again before he slowly stretched his arms up as far as he could reach, once again noting the distance as he glanced at the other drone.

“I think I can reach up an’ undo the latch if ya think you can boost me up high enough, yeah. You sure yer gonna be able to get me up there, though? Yer gonna have to hold me up for a good minute or two while I get the cover open an’ then get me up there so I can climb in.”

Uzi nodded in response to Beau’s question before she bent down and cupped her hands together to offer a foothold for him to stand on. “I can hold you. Easy. C’mon.”

Beau gave the purple haired drone a bit of a skeptical look before he nodded, raising one of his boots up to rest it in her hands before he reached out to grab hold of her shoulder to help him balance. He flinched slightly at how warm she felt to the touch, his hand briefly pulling away before it returned to her shoulder.

“You feel like yer runnin’ a fever again… I thought Piers said you already had exams today?” He questioned with a frown as he made sure his foot was secure.

“I’m fine,” Uzi responded as she shifted her fingers to lock them around Beau’s boot. “Feel fine. I’ll tell the doc later. Hang on right, okay?”

Beau continued to frown in concern as he studied Uzi, but he decided not to press it and tightened his grip on her shoulder to hold himself steady. She started to count quietly to give him time to prepare before she boosted him up, shoving him up and towards the ceiling vent with ease.

The orange eyed drone’s eyelights hollowed out as he was boosted into the air, having not expected nearly that much strength out of Uzi’s small and seemingly sickly frame. He wobbled slightly before he reached out to grab hold of the vent cover, able to reach it easily with the boosted height as he threaded his fingers through the slats to help steady himself.

He looked down briefly at Uzi again, giving her a thankful nod and a smile as she held his leg straight to assist with his balance. He focused back on the vent cover soon afterwards, reaching to undo one of the latches that were holding it closed before he let it swing free and dangle by its remaining latches.

The purple haired drone watched Beau as she carefully held him steady, watching as the vent cover came loose. He looked down at her again before he nodded his head up towards the vent to signal to her, getting a nod from her in return as she started to lower him slightly.

Uzi thrust her arms upward to give him a sharp boost into the air again, letting Beau leap off of her hands as he made a grab for the edge of the vent. His hands caught the edge of the vent before he tightened his grip, left dangling from the opening for a moment before he glanced over his shoulder and reached his boot backwards to hook it against the vent cover.

He used his foothold on the vent cover to boost himself up just enough to reach further into the ventilation shaft, digging his fingers in the best he could to hold himself in place before he hooked his knee joint into the opening. He managed to successfully push and pull himself up the rest of the way into the vent, taking a moment to look around it as he adjusted his hat.

The vent was a bit of a squeeze and might have bothered him if he was the slightest bit claustrophobic, but he thankfully found it plenty big enough to allow him to sit up on his knees and easily turn around if needed. He crawled a bit further into the ventilation shaft before he turned around to peer back down through the open vent, keeping his hands and knee joints a safe distance from the edge as he looked down at Uzi.

“Reckon that worked just fine, don’t ya think? Vent feels good an’ sturdy. Not creakin’ like it’s gonna buckle under my weight or anythin’. Plenty of room to move an’ turn around too,” Beau said before he frowned. “That bein’ said… I ain’t sure how yer gonna get up here, though. I can put my arms out an’ pull ya up but yer gonna have to be able to reach me first.”

Uzi let out another warble before she turned to look around the room, her face pulling into a thoughtful expression. Her eyelights locked onto and stared at something that was out of Beau’s field of view before she hopped down from the table and looked up at him again.

“I’ll find something to stack. Wait a minute.”

“Somethin’ to stack on the table?” Beau asked as he raised an eyebrow. “Are ya sure that’s a good idea? That table wobbled a lil’ even without a chair or somethin’ stacked on it. I don’t want ya to risk fallin’ off into the floor an’ breakin’ somethin’. Piers might actually kill us if that happens.”

“Oh, come on,” Uzi immediately grumbled in response as she walked away from the table, making a low warble and a chirp as she left Beau’s field of view. “Have some faith in me. Not that freakin’ clumsy.”

“I’m not sayin’ yer clumsy. I’m sayin’ that table’s a lil’ wobbly an’ might tip the chair or whatever yer gonna stack on it over an’ it’s gonna take you down to the floor with it if it does.”

“Bite me. I’ll be fine,” Uzi shot back in response, leaving Beau to look skeptical as he waited for her to come back into view.

The orange eyed drone decided that he likely wasn’t going to be able to argue with her at this rate, so he instead settled and moved back into the vent to take a look around it again. He could hear some faint sounds echoing around him, though he wasn’t sure how many of those sounds were coming from other rooms and traveling into the ceiling and how many were coming from the various heating units he knew were built around the colony and currently working.

He looked deeper into the vents as he squinted his eyelights, able to see that there was a turn coming up a good distance away if they were to start crawling in that direction. He found himself starting to wonder if at least some of these vents were connected to some sort of outside ventilation built somewhere in the colony.

He knew that the vents had to lead somewhere for them to have been able to let air in and out when the humans used to use the bunker once upon a time. His processor chewed on that thought for a minute as he realized if that was the case, the disassembly drones could have arguably broken into the colony at any point in his life if they had ever discovered the ventilation systems.

Beau didn’t get much time to dwell in his thoughts before the sound of something thudding started him, getting him to whip his head back in the direction of the sound with hollow eyelights. He immediately started to fear that Uzi had indeed fallen, but he was quickly proven wrong as he saw a pair of scarred hands holding onto the edge of the vent entrance.

“I- I was gonna pull ya up when you were ready. I was just waitin’ for ya to say you were ready,” Beau sputtered as he watched Uzi peek up and over the edge before she locked eyelights with him. “I didn’t even realize you had gotten back with somethin’ to stand on already.”

“I just jumped. Found something tall enough to stand on,” Uzi replied as he pulled herself up further into the vent, managing to hook her knee joint on the edge before she hauled herself up completely into the space to join Beau. “Still wanna go outside?”

Beau blinked as he realized he was quite possibly reaching the point of no return soon, taking a moment to run that thought through his processor before he slowly nodded in response to her question. “Yeah… I still wanna go. Where to from here?”

Uzi was quiet for a moment in response to his question, her eyelights narrowing before she looked past him and further into the vent. She continued to stare down the vent for a few more long moments of silence, leaving the orange eyed drone to start looking at her with confusion and a slight bit of concern as she appeared unresponsive.

Beau started to debate on if he should reach out and gently tap her on the shoulder to try to get her attention or snap her out of the apparent trance she had fallen into, though she suddenly warbled and started to move again on her own before he could do anything.

“Should be this way,” Uzi replied as she moved to slip past Beau, prompting the orange eyed drone to press himself against the wall of the ventilation shaft to give her enough room to crawl past him and take the lead.

“Thanks again for helpin’ me out here, Uzi. I appreciate you humorin’ me an’ showin’ me yer lil’ secret route. I don’t know if I coulda figured out how to sneak outta here without yer help,” Beau spoke up as he started to crawl after Uzi to follow her down the ventilation shaft, earning a warble out of the other drone as she acknowledged his statement.

“You’re welcome. Just don’t tell. Tell and we have a problem,” Uzi commented as she continued to crawl along the vent, throwing her glance over her shoulder long enough to narrow her eyelights at the other drone before he gave her a nervous and reassuring grin in return.

The two drones fell into a comfortable silence after that, neither one making an attempt to fill the silence again as Uzi led them both down a turn and continued to travel along the vent. Beau found himself once again trying to go over his current game plan in his head as a frown crossed over his facial features.

Once he was outside, he was going to have to find a way to meet up with B as part of the next step of his plan. Marching straight into the spire didn’t sound like the smart option because he knew if he walked straight into the disassembly drone nest and B wasn’t there, there was a good chance he might get turned into ribbons by D or C if she was the type to be violent and attack on sight as well.

He also had to worry about the possibility of getting spotted by the other two disassembly drones if he were out and wandering around in the open because he wasn’t sure if he’d get lucky enough to have B intervene and save him a second time.

The orange eyed drone quietly considered his options in his processor as he followed closely behind Uzi, not wanting to risk getting lost somewhere in the vents with the unfamiliar turns they were making. He had a feeling that texting B was going to be his best option because he knew he could at least try to arrange a meeting that way or at least find out where the disassembly drone was exactly.

He wasn’t even sure if B still had his contact after their last talk with one another but he could only hope that the other drone didn’t block his number so he’d still be able to send a text out. His core started to cycle a bit faster again as some of the nervous anxiety started to return to him, getting his eyelights to hollow out as he stared straight ahead with a frown.

The logical side of his processor was trying to bubble up again and argue about the safety of sharing his location or arranging a meet up with a drone that could very easily kill him and potentially eat him, but he still wanted to believe that he would be safe with B and was determined to see it through now that he had come this far.

“Just up ahead,” Uzi suddenly spoke up as she glanced over her shoulder to look at Beau, getting a nod from the orange eyed drone as he continued to crawl along the vent behind her.

With the way the vent was popping and creaking as the two worker drones traveled along it, Beau could only hope that no one inside the colony was noticing the sound or, if they were, would mistake it for sounds of the weather. Uzi continued forward ahead of him as she crawled along with practiced ease, soon reaching a forked path in the ventilation shaft.

Beau glanced down one side to see that the vent continued further down that way, though the purple haired drone seemed more interested in the other side that was covered over by another vent cover. She took a moment to work it free before she pushed it out, letting it fall with a clang before she slipped out through the opening it made.

The orange eyed drone winced slightly at the clanging noise made by the fallen vent cover before he crawled forward to slip his arms and head out through the opening as well, silently hoping that no one had heard the noise. His concerns were immediately forgotten as his optics were met with the sight of a still small but sizable tunnel compared to the vent they had just been crawling through.

His eyelights blinked on his visor screen as he turned his head to look around the dimly lit tunnel, feeling a blast of cold wind blowing through it from somewhere as he took in the lighting and the sight of thick and braided bundles of cables running along the walls. His optics slowly traced the cables as he pinked a bundle to follow with his gaze, seeing that several were continuing up and down the hallway while others were curving downward and looked as though they connected to something through the floor.

“Here’s where I go,” Uzi spoke up, her voice echoing slightly in the tunnel as she moved past Beau and crouched down to set the vent cover next to the vent entrance she had removed it from.

Beau quickly realized that she was likely using the cover to mark which vent they had entered the tunnel from so they could easily take the same route back, leaving him to make a thoughtful hum as he realized that was a smarter idea than putting the cover back where it belonged since it was unlikely anyone but them would be around to see it.

“Lots of vents connect here. Tunnel stretches pretty far, I think. There’s a ladder somewhere. Leads outside,” The purple haired drone continued as she stood up straighter, wiping the dust off of her hands.

“This is… Is this some kinda maintenance tunnel?” Beau questioned as he looked around, adjusting his hat from where it had gotten crooked during the vent crawl. “This has to connect over the whole entire bunker… You could probably access this from dang near any vent… I wonder if it connects to some kinda room somewhere in the colony?”

“Don’t know. Just know the vents lead here,” Uzi replied before she lifted her head, seeming to go unresponsive again for a moment before she spun on her heels and turned to head down the tunnel. “Guessing… You want me to wait for you? While you do whatever you’re doing outside?”

Beau raised an eyebrow in response to Uzi’s question as he hurried to follow her down the tunnel, adjusting the straps of his backpack as he followed close behind her and listened to the echoes caused by their footsteps. One part of him briefly thought about extending the invitation to her and offering to let her come outside, though his face pulled into a frown as that thought ran through his processor.

He didn’t want to risk putting her in any unnecessary danger because he wasn’t sure how B might react to anyone that wasn’t him. He had seen first hand the amount of damage that B could do to other worker drones and didn’t want to see it happen to Uzi either.

“That… might be kinda nice actually? I ain’t gonna make ya wait up on me but I’d kinda appreciate havin’ the help to guide me back to that room we took. I paid attention while we were takin’ the vent here but I ain’t used to vent crawlin’ like you are and the path was a lot more winding than I expected,” Beau replied as he let out a quiet sigh. “...Besides, I don’t want a friend to come with me an’ get hurt...”

“What? Think I’d get hurt?” Uzi suddenly asked, getting Beau to flinch as he looked at the purple haired drone with hollow eyelights. Her own eyelights were skeptical again as she cast her glance over her shoulder to look at him. “Thought you said you’d be safe.”

“I am gonna be safe ‘bout it!” Beau was quick to insist as he put his hands up, though he didn’t know if he looked or sounded the slightest bit reassuring. “I just mean… Y’know… It’s a lil’ dangerous outside at night considerin’ what lives out there… An’ there’s all the old buildings an’ all of that. Still has some lil’ bit of danger even if yer bein’ super careful ‘bout it.”

“And I sneak around outside on a regular basis and live out in a cabin in the woods somewhere when not here. You really think I’d be in danger out there?” The purple haired drone accused, getting Beau to sink into his shoulders as he started fidgeting with his backpack straps again.

“I just- Don’t want ya to get hurt followin’ me ‘round, okay? I care ‘bout my friends an’ don’t wanna lead ya into somethin’ dangerous as part of my kinda stupid plan. Especially if yer still tryin’ to fight off a virus or somethin’ judgin’ by how warm yer runnin’,” Beau replied as he frowned.

Uzi’s eyelights narrowed into a sharp stare as she watched the orange eyed drone, getting him to sink even further into his shoulders as he started trying to avoid her gaze by looking away. She continued to study him for a long moment before she let out a huff and turned her gaze forward again to look down the tunnel, evidently deciding against commenting any further on that subject as she led him down the tunnel.

Beau managed to relax a bit once Uzi’s scrutinizing glare wasn’t staring into his soul, though he still felt a bit nervous and uneasy. A shiver ran through his body which got him to cross his arms and hug himself, though he couldn’t tell how much of it was from his nerves and how much of it was from the wind that was blowing through the tunnel.

He noticed that the air seemed to be getting colder and windier with each step they took through the tunnel, which he found unsurprising due to his guess that the maintenance tunnel was very likely positioned above most of the heaters built into the colony’s ceilings. The wind still managed to surprise him, though, which gave him the thought that the wind was likely coming in from somewhere outside but he wasn’t sure from where beyond whatever exit the tunnel had.

The orange eyed drone got his answer soon afterwards as Uzi led him around a corner, leaving his optics to spot a short ladder that was built into the wall of the tunnel several paces ahead. The ladder led up to what looked like a hatch on the ceiling, the edges of which were currently covered over with visible amounts of frost and ice.

Beau squinted his eyelights as he took in the sight of the hatch, quickly realizing that it was the source of the cold air as he listened to the faint whistle of wind that was managing to make it past the gaps in the ice. The purple haired drone stopped a few steps away from the ladder and turned to face him, using a hand to motion up towards the hatch as she let out a series of warbles.

“Here. Should take you outside if you can get that hatch open. Not sure which side of the colony. Isn’t my normal route,” Uzi stated, earning a nod from Beau.

“Thanks again, Uzi. I’m plannin’ on headin’ right back here soon as I get done talkin’ with the friend I wanna meet up with. Gonna save the GPS coordinate too so I don’t go off an’ get myself lost out there,” Beau said as he stepped past the purple haired drone to approach the ladder.

“Don’t get killed,” Uzi suddenly called after him, crossing her arms as she turned to watch him choke on the air intake he had been taking and cast his glance back at her.

“I ain’t gonna get killed. I’ll be back ‘fore you even know it ‘cause I’m gonna be real careful while I’m at it,” Beau said before he fixed his gaze on the hatch separating him from the outside, taking a deep vent before he reached out to grab onto the ladder.

“Pretty sure there’s another ladder outside. Should get you down to the ground,” Uzi spoke up again with a chirp as she watched the other drone test his weight on the metal rungs.

Beau nodded at Uzi again before he focused his gaze upwards once more with a determined frown. He closed his eyelights for a brief moment in an attempt to calm the anxiety in his racing core before he gripped the ladder tighter, letting the cold outside wind that was leaking into the tunnel greet him as he began the ascent to the exit.

Chapter Text

Beau quickly discovered that he had another obstacle blocking him as soon as he reached the top of the ladder. The latches that were holding the hatch in place had opened easily with just a bit of coercion to force the long since rusted and squeaky pieces to move, but he found the real problem moments later.

His first attempt to push the hatch open quickly revealed that the ice and snow that had dripped down between the edges of the covering and the ceiling had frozen it into place and rendered it immovable. The orange eyed drone grumbled with himself and mentally cursed at the predicament but decided it wasn’t going to do anything to stop him if he had anything to say about it.

A few hard beatings to the underside of the hatch with the side of his arm finally managed to loosen some of the ice that held it in place, causing a series of loud cracks followed by the sound of shattering icicles as they fell to the bottom of the tunnel floor. He flinched at the sound and cast his glance down towards the floor to verify that his purple haired companion hadn’t been impaled by any of the raining shards of ice, though it looked like she had been anticipating it if her distance from the ladder and hatch was any indication.

He called out an apology to Uzi before he continued to beat on the hatch, determined to try to break it free from the rest of the ice. It took a few more hard and swift hits to the center of it, but it finally popped free with a loud thud on his last strike.

Beau was immediately assaulted by a blast of cold wind and a spray of snow before the hatch fell back into place with another loud thud, leaving him to wipe off his visor as he silently prayed to whatever gods were out there that someone else didn’t hear all of the noise. His eyelights hollowed out again as his processor started to catch up with him and made him realize that this was his last chance to back out before facing the outside and the dangers that lie out there.

He swallowed against the nonexistent lump in his throat and took one last deep vent as he silently resolved himself to see his plan through before he pushed the hatch up once more, taking it more quietly this time as he gently pushed it. The wind and snow greeted him again as he climbed up the ladder enough to peek out over the outside area.

His optics were immediately met with the snow covered roof of the bunker as well as a strip of solar powered lights to his left and right. He quickly realized that those solar lights must have been installed once upon a time by the humans to mark out where the hatch was and provide light for anyone working on the roof after dark.

The fact that the solar lights were currently reflecting an image of the stars above made him realize that the sun had set in the time it took him to get outside the colony. Pale moonlight bathed the crumbling buildings and the streets he could see from where he was, lighting up the outside world in varying shades of midnight blue.

The orange eyed drone cast his glance around as he surveyed the area in an attempt to figure out which side of the colony he had come out on, though he knew his real reason for looking around was procrastination. He cast his glance back down at Uzi for a moment, mouthing out one last silent thank you to her before he finally hauled himself the rest of the way up the ladder and out onto the roof.

He could hear and feel a sheet of ice crunching beneath his hands and knee joints as he crawled out onto the snow, though he didn’t pay it much mind as he stood up. He turned in place for a few moments as he once again tried to figure out where he was relative to the few outside landmarks he knew about.

The snow flurry wasn’t particularly thick at the moment, which gave him plenty of visibility as he looked around. His optics quickly found the handlebars of what he assumed was the ladder down the side of the colony a short distance away, taking a moment to note where it was before he continued to look around.

He finally turned enough to see the looming shadow of the spire in the far distance, a chill immediately dancing up and down along his spinal strut as he used it to get an idea of his bearings. He noted his current coordinates in his systems so he would be able to find the ladder and the hatch again before he glanced back at the opening in the roof.

Beau vaguely realized just how easily the disassembly drones could have gotten into the colony at any time with how readily accessible the hatch was, getting another chill to run through him as he tried to chase that thought away and grabbed the hatch to close it again. He realized that it had a visible handle on the outside, though that handle could be lowered to make it lay flat against the cover.

He also realized once he had completely lowered it into place that it was barely visible beyond the handle and a very slight gap that formed the edges around the opening. He had a feeling that the hatch was completely invisible on average by the time the constant snowfall had covered it up.

"Explains why they ain’t never used it then… Probably never seen it...” He mused quietly to himself before he used his boot to pick the handle down against the hatch so it would lie flat.

For his own peace of mind, he took a moment to kick some of the thick snow that surrounded him over the hatch, covering it up the best he could before he took a few steps back to observe. The snow didn’t look perfectly undisturbed but the hatch itself was covered and camouflaged again.

The orange eyed drone took a deep vent before he turned on his heels, his core starting to race in his chest again as his anxiety came back in full force. He took a few steps away from the safety of the hatch, pausing long enough to throw a glance over his shoulder and look at the covering before he finally continued the rest of the way to the ladder.

He crouched down and crawled over the edge of the ledge it was connected to, testing his weight against the top rung before he started to descend the ladder with careful steps. It was frozen and felt a bit slippery in his hands which made him grateful for the good grip his boots had as he tightened his fingers around the handlebars.

It took him a few long moments of climbing to reach the bottom due to how tall the ladder had to be to reach the top of the colony and the speed at which he was descending, but soon he was planting his feet firmly on the snow covered ground. His eyelights closed as he stood in the darkness and snowfall of the night, still attempting to calm the rapidly cycling in his core as he ran his plans through his processor again.

He just had to meet up with B and ask him some questions. He just needed to figure out where the disassembly drone was first.

Beau started to fidget with the straps of his backpack again as he found himself stalling once more with his anxiousness, though he didn’t let himself linger in his thoughts for too long before he dipped his hand into his pocket to grab his phone. He unlocked the screen of the device once it was in his hand and scrolled over to his messaging app, his thumb hovering over B’s contact for a long moment before he clicked into it.

He chewed on his lip as he stared at the phone screen, his eyelights briefly drawn to the small droplets that had formed on the device due to the snowfall. He wasn’t sure how long he spent standing there and staring at his phone in nervous apprehension, but a small thought in the back of his processor finally snapped him out of his trance as he reminded himself that he was going to lose his chance to meet the disassembly drone if he wasted too much time until sunrise.

He let out a quiet sigh and shook his head to himself as he slowly began typing out a message to send, attempting to quiet the shaking in his thumbs.

You: …B?

You: Are you there?

The orange eyed drone stared at his messages for a long moment before he lowered his phone to stare out into the dark moonlit streets, bringing his other hand up to nervously comb his fingers through his hair. He tried to calm his nerves by watching the snowfall, watching the way the individual flakes seemed to twinkle and glitter in the moonlight as they danced in the wind and provided a stark contrast to the backdrop of the crumbling and decaying city long since abandoned.

The sight was as beautiful as it was melancholic.

Something about the view made him feel wistful though he couldn’t put his finger on what exactly was causing that feeling. The city looked and felt so much different at night compared to how he had seen it during the daylight on the day of the scavenging trip, leaving a ball of emotions he couldn’t quite identify swirling around in his systems.

He was stirred out of his thoughts several minutes later by the feeling of his phone vibrating in his hand to indicate that it had just received a new message. His brief moment of peace was shattered in an instant as he remembered exactly what he was doing and why he was outside, making his fuel tank twist again as he slowly raised his phone to view his messages.

IvoryEmberz: beau?

IvoryEmberz: i thought…

IvoryEmberz: i thought you weren’t gonna talk to me anymore

IvoryEmberz: i figured you would have blocked my contact

Beau chewed on his lip again as he stared at the messages on the screen, his fingers shaking slightly as he tightly gripped the phone in his hand and looked at the timestamps to settle it into reality that the messages were new and recent. The logical part of his processor was screaming at him to turn back now and head back to the ladder so he could return to the safety of the colony, reminding him that it wouldn’t do him, his parents, or his friends any good if he were to go out into the snow and die tonight to the disassembly drone.

There were still so many risks involved with his plan that were directly flying back into his face now that he was outside and had confirmed that he could still contact the disassembly drone. And yet, the other side of his processor didn’t really want to or wouldn’t let him turn back as he thought about the fact that he had come this far.

He was distracted from his current thought spiral he was teetering on the edge of as his phone beeped in his hand again and drew his attention.

IvoryEmberz: …still there cowboy?

Beau stared at his phone again, frowning as he used one of his thumbs to carefully wipe some of the water droplets off of the screen. He was already outside and already in contact with the disassembly drone so he had everything he needed to commit to the plan.

Despite all of the dangers, the other part of his processor really did want to trust B if just to get the answers that he really wanted. Yet another part of him just wanted a chance to speak to his friend again and wanted to hope that meeting him in person would go over perfectly fine.

He gripped the phone as he continued to chew on his lip, turning his thoughts over in his processor a few more times before he finally started to type out a response.

You: I didn’t block your contact

You: I texted you because I want to talk actually

IvoryEmberz: …you wanted to talk?

IvoryEmberz: about what?

You: I want to TALK talk

You: As in directly

You: …I’m actually outside right now because I wanted to meet up with you

There was enough of a long pause between the messages that it left Beau feeling more nervous than ever as he cast an uneasy and wary glance out into the sprawling city before him. He wanted to believe that maybe B was just busy for the moment and couldn’t get to his phone right away, but that other tiny and fearful part of his processor was talking again and trying to convince him that he was in danger and that the disassembly drone was hunting him down right this second.

"Now yer just bein’ paranoid… That’s doomsday thinkin’,” He quietly scolded himself as he gave himself a light and gentle slap on the cheek, though he knew that he also had every right to be afraid considering there wasn’t a total lack of danger involved in his current situation.

He ran his hand through his hair again and ruffled it before he saw his phone screen lighting up with more new messages.

IvoryEmberz: uh

IvoryEmberz: did you get a typo in there or somethin? i thought you meant you were actually outside

You: …

IvoryEmberz: …are you being serious

IvoryEmberz: say sike right now

You: Dead serious

You: I… wanted to talk to you more about stuff. About everything I guess

You: I had more time to think about it and all I came up with was… I don’t know if you’re telling the truth or not or how much truth you’re giving me

You: So I want to actually talk to you face to face

IvoryEmberz: beau what the hell

IvoryEmberz: it’s dangerous for you out here dude

You: I know

You: …Trust me I know. I already went over this a billion times. I’ve been beating back the verge of a panic attack for freaking ever now

You: But I trust you. Maybe it’s stupid to trust you but I do. I WANT to trust you

IvoryEmberz: you’re

IvoryEmberz: not near the spire are you. please tell me you’re not near the spire

You: No

You: I mean I can see it way off in the distance from where I’m standing but I’m not near it or coming up on it

IvoryEmberz: okay good. don’t do that

You: …Can we meet up somewhere else though?

You: Please

You: I don’t know if your systems can save and view coordinates like a worker drone but I’d be really surprised if they couldn’t. Maybe you could give me a coordinate and I can come to you?

There was another short pause between the messages, leaving the orange eyed drone to lift his gaze from his phone and look out over the darkened streets once more. He could tell that B was clearly still worried about him and saw that as a potentially good sign that the disassembly drone really wouldn’t mean him any harm.

His shoulders started to relax slightly as he shifted where he stood and watched the gentle snowfall, kicking some of the snow away from his boot before he held the beeping phone up again to check it.

IvoryEmberz: i think you need to go back

IvoryEmberz: back to the safety of your bunker

IvoryEmberz: we can text all you want. call even

You: I reckon I came this far. I’m already out here

You: …Maybe I wanted to meet you too

You: I came out here looking for answers but honestly maybe I want to meet my friend too

IvoryEmberz: already met me at the hotel

You: You know what I meant. I want to meet B. The actual person. Not the thing that tried to kill me

IvoryEmberz: goddamn it cowboy why are you making this difficult

You: Come on, B. Please

Beau was left staring at the phone as there was another lull in messages, though he was left waiting for long as one more message showed up on the screen bearing a set of coordinates. He stared at the coordinates as he wiped a few more water droplets off of his screen again, his eyelights narrowing slightly as he realized that must be B’s current location.

He took a moment to copy the coordinates into his systems as he looked at a popup in the corner of his vision, noting that the location was a ways away from his current location but still within walking distance if he were to start walking or jogging right this minute. It was also a healthy distance away from the spire.

He looked out over the sparkling snow and took in a deep vent as he opted to keep the coordinate popup window in the corner of his display so he could use it to navigate to where he needed to be. If the disassembly drone had sent his coordinates, that meant he’d be meeting the other drone very soon if he were to follow through with it.

He chewed on his lip as he once again found himself considering his options and listening to both sides of his processor, though he finally gripped his phone with resolve.

You: Be there in a bit

With his last message sent, Beau carefully wiped his phone screen against his vest to get rid of the droplets and then returned the device to his pocket. He turned to face the direction the coordinates were pointing him towards, staring out into the abandoned cityscape for a moment before he started to shrug his backpack off of his shoulders.

He unzipped the bag before he reached down to feel around inside of it, his fingers soon finding and closing around a cold piece of metal before he pulled it out to examine it. He had smuggled a wrench outside with him, though it wasn’t just any plain wrench.

He had specifically packed his father’s favorite wrench that he had borrowed with permission once upon a time while working on his invention. He had decided that he could take the wrench as a weapon if anything were to go wrong.

Realistically, he knew the wrench wouldn’t even make a dent on the disassembly drones in an actual fight, but the security of having a weapon helped put him more at ease. It also made him feel lucky in a way because it was his father’s wrench that he had supposedly had since even before the core collapse.

If that one little tool could survive so much, it made him feel like he could survive too.

"Come back alive an’ bring back Dad’s wrench… You got this, Beau,” The orange eyed drone assured himself as he slipped his backpack on again.

With the bag now secured in place and the wrench clenched firmly in his hand, he took one last deep vent before he stepped out into the night, his path illuminated by the bright moonlight that was shining down from above. Determination was in his steps as he crunched across the snow and ice covered road beneath his boots, opting to stick close to the streetlights to use them as a landmark.

The coordinates still remained in the corner of his vision, giving him a small reading beneath them to make out his estimated distance from his destination. The distance would give him some time to think, though his current pace stated that it would not take him long to reach the coordinate.

The abandoned streets and buildings seemed to stretch for miles and miles in every direction Beau could see, leaving him to wonder just how big the city actually was before it had fallen into ruins. It gave him an odd feeling as he quietly crunched his way through the snow, letting his thoughts start to wander as he walked.

He couldn’t help but wonder what lay hidden around the city or even beyond the city. He had gotten a few tastes of the outside over the years due to following his father around and watching him work on the exterior of the bunker, but he had never really gotten to explore like this on his own.

He had also seen a lot of the pictures that B had sent him of various fixtures around the city, which… made a lot of sense now that he thought about it in hindsight. His eyelight twitched slightly as he ran that through his processor again, thinking about the fact that B had been sending him photos of the outside for months now and was only ever active at night or the very early hours of the morning.

The signs had arguably always been there and yet he had genuinely thought he was talking to a worker drone from another colony the entire time. He wasn’t sure if that was a bigger statement on how much of a skilled liar B was or just how drone-like the disassembly drones actually were.

"Both, probably,” He noted quietly.

The orange eyed drone brought his hand up to wipe away some of the snowflakes that had gotten stuck to his visor, grumbling quietly about the fact that he was walking directly into the wind and therefore getting sprayed by the flurry. It was melting faster than it was completely blocking out his vision, though he still found it annoying.

He could see a large building coming up in the distance as he continued towards his destination, briefly taking a moment to try to guess what the building used to be once upon a time. The shape of it didn’t imply that it was a residential building so that left him guessing that maybe it was a market or some kind of warehouse.

He could also see what he thought used to be a parking lot before it was claimed by the snow due to the few cars that littered the area before the building in neat rows. His curiosity wanted to tug him towards the building to get him to explore it, but he forced those thoughts down with a shake of a head due to having other things to focus on at the moment.

His navigation systems informed him that his destination was around and past the building so he would have to continue past it if he wanted to reach the coordinate in a timely manner. He ignored his biting curiosity as he crossed the parking lot, listening to the icy concrete crunching beneath his boots as he found himself wondering if that building had any interesting parts or trinkets to find.

Beau rounded the corner of the building after a few more minutes of walking, shifting the weight of his backpack as his vision was immediately met with the sight of a clearing located between a set of streets. He froze with hollow eyelights as his optics found Death hovering a few inches above the snowy ground, wings stretched wide as the bladed feathers glinted in the moonlight.

The disassembly drone’s tail twitched and swayed slightly in the breeze behind him, forming an imposing yellow arc as the glowing acid made sure Beau knew it was there. He did not appear to have noticed the worker drone judging by the way his crossed out visor was tilted down towards the phone he held in a pair of drone-like hands, though Beau couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched.

The orange eyed drone tensed where he stood, gripping the wrench tighter at his side as he stood still. Silence passed between the two drones, the disassembly drone never once tilting his head up to give any obvious sign that he had acknowledged the worker drone’s presence.

After a few more moments of tense silence passed, Beau started to get the sneaking suspicion that he was being expected to make the first move. He shifted where he stood before he finally started to cautiously step forward, his vision starting to fuzz out into static at the edges while his audios started ringing quietly with low whispers as he neared the disassembly drone.

“...B?” Beau spoke up so quietly that he wasn’t even sure the words had actually left his mouth as he looked up at the hovering drone.

He saw the acid tail twitch slightly to the side before his vision suddenly exploded into a world of monochrome and glowing yellow, all of the air in his systems leaving him in a startled gasp as he hit the snow on his back. Hollow eyelights met a blazing yellow cross that was positioned directly above him, belonging to the disassembly drone that was crouched over him and currently hovering a razor sharp talon mere inches from the center of his visor.

He hadn’t even seen the taller drone move.

“I told you it’s dangerous out here and told you to go back where it’s safe and yet you’re out here walking right up to me,” Death spoke in a normal albeit higher pitched voice as the claw lightly tapped against Beau’s visor. “I could kill you right now. Eat you even! I was feeling a little hungry right before you walked up...”

Beau tried to move his arm that held the wrench as he made a startled sound, but it had already been pinned down by the disassembly drone’s larger and much warmer hand. The bladed wings had spread out around him, though the worker drone could see that the actual sharp feathers were angling downwards and away from his body.

He couldn’t see the tail but didn’t feel a stabbing or a burning sensation so that told him that he hadn’t been stung by it. His core cycled fast enough in his chest that he was sure the other drone could hear it, leaving him opening and closing his mouth a few times in shocked silence as he tried to find his voice.

“Heh… Must be my lucky night… Not every day your food willingly comes right to you,” The disassembly drone spoke up again before his faceplate suddenly cracked open in a wide and menacing grin, razor sharp fangs immediately visible and glinting in the moonlight.

He let out a slow vent as a low chuckle left him, blowing a cloud of hot steam into the worker drone’s face that proceeded to fog up his visor glass.

“What’s the matter, Beau? Big scary murder drone got your tongue?” The monstrous drone purred, the words rolling smoothly past the open mouthed grin.

“...You ain’t gonna kill me. I know ya won’t,” Beau spoke up quietly with a wavering voice as he stared directly into the blazing cross that took up the other drone’s visor, not daring to move an inch as the talon pressed against his screen. “If you actually wanted to hurt me, you would’ve done it the second I rounded the corner.”

B’s savage grin slowly fell away, instead being replaced by a frown as he stared down at the worker drone. The vicious cross on his visor slowly sputtered out and was instead replaced by a pair of yellow drone-like eyelights, a pair of eyebrows appearing with them shortly afterwards to complete the frown.

He studied Beau for a moment before his talons retreated from his screen, the sharp blades swapping out for an ordinary hand once more. His wings pulled away next and folded down, retreating back into his body with a series of clicks and leaving him looking smaller and less imposing than he had before.

The disassembly drone finally stood up and moved away to allow Beau to get up, the taller drone soon turning away as he brought his hands up to run them through his own hair and lashed his tail against the snowy ground. The worker drone took in a few slow and deep vents in an attempt to recover from the scare as he squeezed the wrench tighter in his hand.

“Go home, cowboy. It’s not safe for you out here,” B finally spoke up again after a moment of silence, letting his hands fall away from his head so they could hang at his sides instead.

“But I’m already out here an’ I ain’t dead yet,” Beau responded as he pushed himself up so he could look at the other drone. “An’ I already told ya, I wanna actually talk to you. I came all this way. What’s a lil’ talkin’ gonna hurt?”

The disassembly drone kept his back turned to the worker drone for several long moments before he crossed his arms and finally turned to face the shorter drone with a frown. Now that Beau was closer and wasn’t actively fighting for his life, he could get a better look at B.

The first thing he realized was that the disassembly drone was tall, definitely taller than he was and likely ever would be. He was sure that B was still taller than even Thad, Yeva, and the other security coded worker drones he knew around his colony as well.

His eyelights drifted next to B’s limbs, noticing that the disassembly drone’s legs were thicker and likely reinforced compared to a worker drone’s legs, also noting that both ended in a vaguely boot-shaped flat foot. Next, he noticed that the taller drone’s forearms were thicker as well and ended in hazard stripes, leaving him to guess that the wider cone shapes likely hid all of the tools and mechanisms that allowed the disassembly drones to swap their hands out for their talons.

Now that he was looking more closely at B’s arms, he could see that parts of his hands and arms were slightly ashen colored compared to the pristine white of the rest of his casing. With the coloration and shape of the marks, it left him to wonder if perhaps they were scorch marks from having been burned at some point.

His processor briefly brought him back to the hotel car park again, pulling up the image in his head of the two disassembly drones fighting until B’s wings had burst into flames. Maybe he wasn’t too far off the mark in assuming that the off-colored patches meant that the other drone’s arms had been scorched.

“Beau? You computing one of those mad scientist schemes of yours? Hellooooo?” B’s voice suddenly cut through Beau’s thoughts, getting the worker drone to blink as he realized he had been staring.

The orange eyed drone instead directed his gaze up at the taller drone’s visor, seeing that his eyelights had pulled into a questioning stare with a raised eyebrow. Without the terrifying cross he had been accustomed to, B’s visor really did give him the look of any ordinary worker drone.

Sure, he had never seen a worker drone with yellow eyelights specifically, but the size and shape made the disassembly drone’s face look just like anyone else's. Beau would have almost mistaken him for a worker drone on his face alone if it wasn’t for the headband of five yellow bulbs that was situated towards the front of his head.

“Nah- Nah… I was just… thinkin’ for a minute,” Beau responded as he slowly stood up, having to tilt his head back to properly meet the taller drone’s eyelights. “You look… a lot different than I was expectin’ in person.”

“What do you mean? You’ve seen me before,” B pointed out as he rested his hands on his hips, sparing a brief moment to brush off the side of his blazer before he stopped and looked at the worker drone again.

“You know what I meant. I didn’t exactly get much time to see ya when I was busy runnin’ for my life an’ all,” Beau said quietly as he gripped his wrench, bringing his other hand up to rub the side of his arm.

One part of him was shrinking in a primal and instinctual terror under the disassembly drone’s stare, making him feel like prey that was being sized up by an alpha predator. The other part of him was seeing a drone just like him standing before him and a friend he had been talking to for months at that.

“Didn’t get a good look, huh? Guess you think I don’t look like the big scary monster you were expecting?” B asked as he took a few steps towards the shorter drone.

Somehow, even despite his bigger size, his footsteps were much quieter in the snow than Beau’s ever had been. He moved with a practiced and graceful fluidity to his movements that was downright unnerving to watch.

“I wasn’t gonna call ya a big scary monster!” Beau was quick to reply, though he flinched into himself with a guilty expression as he immediately heard himself. “I just meant… Y’know… You look real different without all the weapons an’ the cross an’ all that. Could’ve mistaken you for a worker drone if ya didn’t have those glowin’ things on yer head.”

“Speaking of those ‘glowing things’ on my head… My eyes are up here, cowboy,” B remarked as he stopped before Beau and crossed his arms again.

The worker drone blinked at the disassembly drone’s visor before his eyelights slowly tracked up towards the headband of lights, getting B to stick his tongue out at the shorter drone.

“Ding ding! X marks the spot! Or doesn’t mark the spot in this case,” B commented as a wide grin stretched across his faceplate, giving a brief hint of his fangs as his lips curled.

“Right… I… forgot you said those were eyes...” Beau muttered as he stared at the headband with hollow eyelights.

Now that he was looking directly at them, he could feel an intense gaze boring directly through his and into the back of his head. He could only stare into the taller drone’s true eyes for so long before a shudder ran through him, forcing him to look away and suck in a deep vent as his primal prey-like fear returned in full force.

“And I spy with my big beautiful eyes… This thing,” B commented as his tail drew up out of the snow and moved towards Beau.

The acid canister lightly knocked against the worker drone’s hand and the wrench he held, getting Beau to jerk and scramble a few good paces away as he tried to get away from the sharp acid tipped weapon. The Disassembler couldn’t help but chuckle at the reaction.

“What’s up with that anyway? You gonna take my eye out again?”

“Hey- Hey- I didn’t know it was an eye! I dunno what I thought it was but I didn’t know those were yer optics!” Beau insisted as he drew his hand up to his chest, staring directly at the taller drone’s tail as if he were afraid it was going to strike him at any second.

The acidic canister waved at Beau before it drew back behind B, settling into a slow sway.

“An’ besides that… I kindaaaa thought you were gonna hurt me or my friend so I just kinda- did that. You stalked towards us an’ I know we had to run,” The worker drone continued before he shrank into his shoulders again.

“C’mon, Beau. You gotta humor me a little bit here. You need to lighten up!” B teased as his tail continued to slowly sway behind him.

The wind picked up slightly, making his side swept hair ruffle in the breeze as a spray of snow pelted both him and Beau. The flakes sizzled and melted nearly as soon as they landed on the disassembly drone.

“...Seriously though. If I can’t scare you off then at least talk to me. You’re the one that came out here looking for a chat, right?”

Beau frowned and raised a hand to wipe the snow away from his face, sticking his tongue out slightly. The direct winds were chilling him slightly which had him starting to huddle into himself, though he was still determined to remain outside for now.

Between the occasional cloud of steam that escaped B’s mouth and the fact that the snow was melting off of his body as it touched him, the worker drone felt like that was a testament to how much hotter the taller drone’s systems were running compared to his.

“I, uh… Reckon you weren’t lyin’ ‘bout that whole coolin’ system thing?” Beau asked as he started to motion towards some of the snow that was turning to slush around the Disassembler’s feet. “Snow’s meltin’ just from you standin’ there...”

B sighed in response to Beau’s comment, a cloud of steam escaping him as if to prove the point before he brought his hand to his mouth. A set of talons returned again as he began to use them to pick at the way too sharp fangs.

“Told you so. I wasn’t lying about the needing oil thing either or the fact that extra material speeds along the repair process. I had to regenerate my eye after you smashed it in but it works good as new now,” The Disassembler replied.

Beau tried to force down his nerves again as he watched the taller drone picking at his teeth. He was almost sure he saw one of the talons pull a chewed up piece of frayed wire loose but he tried not to think about that.

“...Are ya really gonna melt if ya don’t feed on that oil?” He asked quietly.

“Slowly and painfully,” B confirmed as he crossed his arms once more, tapping his talon against the casing. “Bet you’ve probably caught a bug with your cooling systems once or twice before. You know how that feels? You get pretty hot and it feels uncomfortable and makes you grouchy? It’s like that but you just keep getting hotter and hotter and hotter until you feel like your core is on fire and before you know it you’re spitting up your own melting insides. Use your imagination on what happens from there.”

Beau blinked with hollow eyelights as he stared at the taller drone in utter disbelief, his jaw hanging open slightly with his shock. The Disassembler looked completely serious about what he had just said, his body language and tone doing nothing to betray the truthfulness behind the statement and imply a lie.

“...An’… Oil’s seriously the only thing that stops that from happenin’?”

“Food just keeps getting scarcer too,” B commented with a nod in response to the question, stretching his arms above his head. “Three mouths to feed so we don’t die and only so many things to feed on. Been long enough that most workers have learned how to hide and fortify so we can’t get in easily. I mean, hell, you’re from that big colony with the hydraulic doors, right? Stuff like that’s why we had to start resorting to setting up traps and attacking patrols.”

“...That how y’all attacked everybody at the hotel? Nobody was really sure if it was a freak accident you just happened to be in the buildin’ or if y’all knew we were comin’ somehow. We really thought it was safe ‘cause there had never been an attack in the daytime,” Beau said quietly, crossing his arms where he stood.

“Well, first of all, like I told you through text… We can’t go out in the sun,” B replied as he threaded his fingers together. “The hotel thing though… I did know about it ahead of time, yeah. I, uh… I have my personal phone I’ve been texting you from for the last forever but I have a whole collection of burner phones with different accounts that I use to look at texts and messaging boards. That’s how I find out news about the local colonies and patrols or trips they’re going on.”

The taller drone paused for a moment as his tail started to slowly lower towards the ground, his eyelights studying Beau as he waited for a reaction out of the worker drone. When he didn’t get one after a few moments, he took a deep vent and decided to continue speaking.

“I knew about the scavenging party heading out so I told C and D about it. Me and D left the night before and camped out there until everybody showed up the next morning. And, before you start freaking out, no, I didn’t find out about the trip from you. I didn’t even know you were from that colony until I saw you mixed up with the rest of the group, and… I recognized you from your avatar and a few of those selfies you’ve sent me before.”

Beau was quiet as he let the Disassembler’s words settle over him, his eyelights blazing bright and hollowed as he stared up at the other drone. A sharp shiver ran through his body and caused parts of his casing to clack together, though he couldn’t be sure how much of that was from the biting chill of the wind and how much of it was from the conversation at hand.

His thoughts raced and tumbled around inside his processor all at once, leaving him reeling as he tried to handle it all and process the information that he was being given. His lips quivered for a moment before his mouth moved first, his thoughts unable to catch up in time before he started speaking.

“B- Yer tellin’ me you literally stalked a buncha chat rooms or wherever yer gettin’ yer news from an’ planned on murderin’ us all! A buncha innocent drones that just needed a few supplies an’ then were gonna go on home! An’ then we- The colony tried to recover the bodies an’ none of them were found which meant nobody got to say their goodbyes or have proper funerals ‘cause there was nothin’ left of ‘em after you probably ate them! This is why people started callin’ y’all murder drones!!”

Beau realized what he said immediately after he had said it, clapping a hand over his mouth as regret surged through his systems and made his eyelights burn even brighter. Suddenly Death looked so terribly small, having shrunk into his shoulders as his own bright and hollow eyelights displayed on his own visor.

The Disassembler’s tail had drooped to the ground, curled up in the accumulated snow as the canister lightly thumped and lashed against the pile it had landed on. The worker drone could hear the sizzle where the acid tipped barb of the tail was dripping and leaving small marks in the snow.

B was hugging himself again as he turned his head to avoid the orange eyed drone’s gaze, though Beau was still sure he was being watched by at least of the optics on the other drone’s head. The worker drone also could have sworn he briefly heard a quiet creaking sound from how tightly the Disassembler was gripping his own arms.

An uncomfortable silence passed between the two drones for several long moments, the space between them filled by nothing but the faint whistle of the wind around them and the snow that was currently hissing and melting from the nanite acid. Beau was finally the one who decided to break the silence, his voice catching in his throat before he shook his head slightly.

“...I didn’t… That kinda just slipped out- I didn’t mean to say that-” He stammered as he reached up to pull his hat down, trying to hide away in his guilt as he avoided the taller drone’s gaze the best he could.

“Nah… It’s cool… I probably deserved that anyway,” B cut in quickly, letting out a quiet chuckle as he brought a hand up to run it through his hair.

He gave the worker drone a grin, though it didn’t reach his hollow eyelights or remove the stressed lines that had appeared beneath them. Beau thought he looked incredibly tired all of a sudden before the Disassembler took in a shaky vent and kept speaking.

“We just… We don’t wanna die any more than you guys do, cowboy… But because of the way our systems are set up, our options are either don’t hurt anybody and then burn to death orrrr we hunt people and kill them for food. We can’t exactly just drain a little bit off of one and keep going either because we’d have to find a whole bunch to feed all three of us and that just wastes time when it’s not like anyone’s just going to want to volunteer to be an oil bank for three giant scary monsters!”

Beau was quiet as he listened to B, slowly turning his gaze back to the taller drone as he let go of his hat. His face pulled into a hollow eyed frown again as he took a moment to consider and process the statements, moving his hand to scratch the back of his head.

When B put it like that, he realized it wasn’t nearly as simple as he and the other worker drones had been boiling it down to for years. He knew he didn’t want to die which was exactly why he was relieved to have escaped with his life after the events that transpired at the hotel, which made him feel like he couldn’t exactly turn around and fully blame the Disassembler for not wanting to die either even if his way of survival meant hurting other people.

He was also starting to slowly realize that he couldn’t exactly call B’s reliance on oil for survival his fault either. He realized that if worker drones like himself had been built with functional cooling systems that didn’t constantly require consuming oil, that must have meant that the disassembly drones had been built to hunt and burn alive on purpose.

“Reckon yer… Um… Sisters? Squadmates? Gotta drink oil just like you too? You said three,” Beau commented quietly as he fidgeted with the strap of his backpack. “You kept callin’ ‘em yer sisters when you were textin’ me before, so… I ain’t sure which one’s the right term.”

“Squadmates,” B replied as he ran his hand through his hair, the curling strands seeming insistent on keeping their general shape despite the wind. “We don’t share any code whatsoever so we’re not actually related. For all I know, we didn’t even come off of the assembly line at the same time. Actually… I’m pretty sure we came off of completely different assembly lines entirely since D is programmed to speak Russian and me and C are programmed for English.”

“Speakin’ of D, that brings me to another question… Why did ya save me from her if you could’ve just eaten me like the rest you caught durin’ that chase? You let the two of us get away,” Beau spoke up again, kicking a small pile of snow that had accumulated on his boot.

“Answer’s the same as last time. Didn’t wanna see my friend get turned into ribbons whiiiich earned me a beatdown from D because I guess I did attack her first but also she was really determined to get to you and your buddy. Like, seriously. You must’ve really made her mad for her to be that determined,” B replied with a shrug, leaving Beau to listen as he narrowed his eyelights.

“Well… Vivian sorta socked D upside the head with her bag ‘cause I got pinned down an’ then I might’ve kicked her in the jaw tryin’ get her off of me ‘fore you got there an’ tackled her,” Beau responded quietly, getting the Disassembler to cringe as his tail went stiff behind him.

“Yeah, that’ll do it. D gets mad when her prey fights back,” B said as his tail slowly relaxed and returned to a slow sway. “And then I tackled her without even thinking about it, an… Yeah. She’s still seething over that whole thing, by the way. As in won’t talk to me and barely even looks in my direction levels of mad. Haha… Man, I’m really doing a great job of being the squad leader right now, can’t you tell?”

Beau pursed his lips as he listened to the taller drone, unsure if he was meant to answer it or not. B was smiling to himself, though his eyelights blazed bright and hollow as he looked off to the side at something only he could see.

“...Sorry ‘bout that. I didn’t mean to land ya in a bunch of hot water with yer squadmates.”

“Nothing you have to apologize for, cowboy. I’m the one who dug the trench and landed myself in it. You weren’t doing anything besides just existing blissfully unaware of what was going on out here. Which… is technically my fault too since I sort of lied about my identity to you for months,” B mumbled as he ran his fingers through his hair again.

“...What was the purpose of that exactly? Of botherin’ to talk with me, I mean. Why bother with befriendin’ me? Did ya have any idea there was a chance this was gonna make a whole problem with yer squad or blow up in yer face somehow?” Beau asked as he raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, maybe I knew there was a chance you would get killed somehow. But, first of all, I was hoping I’d never run into you outside and catching you at the hotel was pure chance. Second of all… No, I didn’t know it was going to blow up in my face like this. And third of all… I don’t know, Beau. When we first started texting, I kind of just… Well… You remember,” B said before he paused to gather his thoughts.

The worker drone gave him a small nod to encourage him to continue speaking.

“You were texting on that chat room I happened to be lurking on and I was super bored that day and thought it’d be fun to mess with you for a couple of hours. Had less to do with you specifically and more just ‘Hey, here’s an active chatter, let’s mess with him’. So I started sending you all that random junk trying to weird you out and you kept biting so I kept texting trying to find something that’d mess with you because I’m kind of competitive like that.”

“An’ then we wound up talkin’ ‘bout random things like our lives an’ hobbies,” Beau added before he frowned at B, taking a moment to run those statements through his processor again.

What started as randomly crossing paths and exchanging bad jokes with one another had gradually turned into a real and genuine friendship where both parties had willingly talked for countless hours late into the nights and mornings and shared deeply personal thoughts. Their hopes, their dreams, their fears… Beau realized it wasn’t terribly unlike what they were doing right this minute with the only difference being the lack of phone screens separating them.

“Yeah, that,” B agreed as his tail drew random shapes and lines in the snow with the barbed point. “It’s… been nice to have a friend, y’know? A normal friend. I think D and C are great and we’ve been through thick and thin together, but… It’s kind of nice to have someone to talk to outside of that little circle. We can talk about random stuff like movies and photos and music or whatever and don’t have to think about the stressful things like hunting or rationing out the oil we managed to get.”

Beau frowned as he stared at the taller drone with sympathy. If he had any lingering doubts about B’s truthfulness before, it had all but absolved by now. He could see that he acted just like any worker drone and he had an explanation for why his squad hunted and killed people the way they do.

It still left a weird feeling twisting in the pit of his fuel tank to know that he had watched this very drone kill people right in front of him just a few days prior, but the other part of him reminded himself that B would burn alive and die without oil to feed on. It left him with a lot of conflicted and confusing feelings that he was trying to work through while he was standing in the snow before the Disassembler.

“...Do, uh… Do C an D have anythin’ like that? Someone to talk or hobbies or anythin’ else to distract them from all the existential stuff too?” The worker drone tried, attempting to find the neutral ground somewhere in the conversation.

“Not that I know of… Definitely not any worker drone friends at least,” B replied with a sigh, his eyelights pulling into a frown. “We lean on each other for a lot of support stuff which is- Probably the main reason why D’s as mad as she is. She doesn’t even have anybody to vent to that’s not one of us unlike how I kind of vented to you about having a fight with her even if I lied about the details. And then I just… started running my mouth and dumped everything on C and I don’t even know if she’s heard D’s side of the story yet or if D hasn’t been talking to her either because she’s so busy avoiding me.”

“...How’s C handlin’ this whole thing, y’think? What’s her take in all of this?”

“About that- I don’t know what D’s told C but I’m pretty sure C’s on my side because she asked me about you actually,” B began as he rested his hands on his hips. “Don’t worry, I didn’t share anything private or anything. I just told her a few things about how we’ve been talking for a long time now about how I think you’re pretty fun to talk to and… Pretty much everything I just went over. She was pretty mad at me at first but I think she kind of backtracked her opinion when I told her the long version of the story.”

Beau nodded along as he listened to the Disassembler, chewing on that thought in his head for a moment. C was the only member of the squad that he didn’t know much about. He couldn’t claim to know much about D either, but B had talked more often about D here and there and he had at least seen her and her hostility towards worker drones face to face.

C was a bit of a wildcard in his mind which left him unsure of what to think about her. B had offhandedly mentioned that C was prone to getting sick often, though that was back when he was under the impression his friend was a worker drone with siblings so he wasn’t sure that still held up true or not.

He did rest a bit easier at the thought that C might be supportive of her squadmate having a worker drone friend because that told him that he might have another ally among the disassembly drones. That just left him to worry about D.

“Between you and me… I’m actually really worried about C in all of this. Arguably even more than D,” B suddenly spoke up, cutting through Beau’s thoughts again as he fixed his eyelights on the taller drone. “C’s been stuck in the middle of it all because she’s been taking care of my pitiful self and D’s been indirectly ignoring her since she’s staying away from me. And that’s just- That has to be a ton of extra stress on C. She’s been having a ton of trouble lately too so that extra stress reaaaally isn’t good for her.”

“...What kind of trouble has she been havin’? This ‘bout her bein’ sick?” Beau asked as he raised an eyebrow again. “I know ya mentioned her havin’ a habit of gettin’ sick but I wasn’t sure if that part’s still true or...”

“Ehhh… Sort of? I haven’t seen her catch an actual virus in ages so I guess if you wanna go that route… No, she doesn’t get sick often. Instead, C’s got some pretty serious issues with her frame,” B replied with a frown. “None of us have ever been able to figure out why exactly she’s got a ton of problems but we know no amount of her self healing has been able to fix those issues.”

Beau tilted his head slightly as he listened to the taller drone, his features taking on a concerned frown as he waved his hand slightly to urge the Disassembler to keep speaking.

“She’s got like- Her body or joints or something will just straight up quit on her sometimes which can lead to her getting injured if she falls while walking or flying. Along those same lines, sometimes her hands get stuck when switching weapons and sometimes her wings get stuck at weird angles. Sometimes they free themselves but if they don’t… We’ve had to literally snap her wings or talons to get them back into place. She also has problems with her core too where it’ll start skipping or stuttering if she gets too worked up.”

Beau visibly cringed as he listened to B, gritting his teeth together as he tried to imagine one of his own arms suddenly locking up and forcing somebody else to snap it back into place. He didn’t have any experience with his core regularly skipping cycles, though he had heard from some other drones with weaker cores that it was the cause of some fairly intense chest pains.

“...I’m guessin’ all the times you were talkin’ ‘bout her bein’ sick you actually meant her frame or her core was actin’ up on her?”

“Bingo. It hits her at random so there’s no way to predict it. Like, seriously. Some days she’s totally fine and can move just fine. Other days she’ll be walking around fine and then suddenly her knee joints will hang and she goes crashing into the pavement. Annnd then there’s other days where her body is messing up so badly she’s basically bedridden and in a ton of pain. That’s actually why she wasn’t at the hotel too,” B said before he turned his head in the direction of the spire that was looming in the far distance.

Even this far away from the spire and in the company of one of its inhabitants, Beau still found it a chilling and imposing sight.

“We usually hunt as a group so we can catch more and watch each other’s backs. When C’s having a good day, she joints me and D to hunt as a trio. She was having some hellishly bad issues with her body the night before me and D left to go camp the hotel so we told her to stay behind and rest and promised to bring some food back,” The Disassembler continued before his eyelights flicked down towards the snow at his feet.

His tail suddenly lashed out at the snow, sending a sizable chunk of the frozen mixture into the wind where it promptly sprayed Beau directly in the face. Even through his now snow covered optics, he caught the amused grin on B’s face as he protested.

“She was, uh… still feeling pretty bad when we got back that evening because she was still having some trouble when I went to talk to her and bring her some food. That was when I broke down and told her what happened, sooo… That wasn’t very cool of me.”

“Was C feelin’ any better tonight? Did ya get to talk to her at all ‘fore I dragged you out here to come meet me?” Beau questioned as he wiped his visor screen free of the snow, his face pulling into another frown.

“She was awake when I left but I don’t know how she was feeling… I was out of the spire in a hurry when I got told you were outside because I wanted to find you before you got yourself into something stupid, B replied as he ruffled his silvery hair. “I told C I was gonna go for a walk and take some pictures.

Beau nodded at that, though he couldn’t help the brief look of disappointment that flickered over his facial features. Despite the initial scare when he had first walked up to meet the Disassembler, he was enjoying getting to meet his months-long friend in person and also enjoying the comfortable banter now that things had settled.

“Ah… Right… That means yer gonna have to go on back, won’t ya? Are ya gonna have to go back soon ‘fore C starts gettin’ suspicious an’ worryin’ ‘bout where you went?” He asked as he started to fidget with the brim of his hat.

“Yeahhh, I’m going to have to get back to the spire eventually. If not because of C getting worried, I’ll have to go back when it gets closer to sunrise. The spire’s walls completely block out the sun if you didn’t already guess so that’s where we usually nap through the day,” B said before he noticed the way Beau looked disappointed, slowly bending down to be more eye level with the worker drone. “...What’s with the long face, cowboy? Pitiful puppy dog look doesn’t really suit you.”

“Come on now, I ain’t makin’ a pitiful puppy dog look! I ain’t that mopey lookin’!” Beau protested, earning a snicker and a sharp smirk from the taller drone as his lips curled back enough to flash his fangs. “I was just… thinkin’ for a bit an’ realizin’ that when you have to go back, I’ll have to go back to the colony. I had to pull a lot of strings to get out here ‘cause I had to sneak out an’… I dunno if I’ll be able to pull it off that easily a second time.”

“Being sneaky, huh? Rebellious mad scientist cowboy,” B teased, briefly sticking his tongue out at the worker drone before he stood up straighter again. “You might have to go back home, but… If you’re going to stubbornly keep my contact even though I told you several times not to… I might just ‘accidentally’ text back.”

Beau couldn’t help but roll his eyelights at B as a grin tried to tug its way onto his own faceplate, though he kept his expression neutral the best he could.

“An’ I might just stubbornly keep yer contact an’ let ya know I made it back safe. But… I was just thinkin’ ‘bout the fact that it’s nice to, y’know, actually see ya. Sure, maybe I was worried for a split second there you were gonna put a claw through my screen, but now that we’re just talkin’… I’m gonna miss hangin’ out. Would be kinda cool if we could just hang out like any ol’ normal friends.”

B narrowed his eyelights in response to Beau’s statement and fell silent as his tail flicked the air behind him. The worker drone briefly started to worry that he had angered the Disassembler, though the taller drone appeared thoughtful rather than angry as he tilted his head back to look up at the stars.

A few moments of silence passed between the two drones before B lowered his gaze, casting his stare out in the direction of the spire looming in the distance again. “...Okay, you saying that just put a really stupid idea in my head.”

Beau raised an eyebrow again as he followed the B’s gaze to the silhouette of the spire, attempting to suppress the shiver that wanted to run down his spinal strut. “...Can’t be any stupider than me willingly sneakin’ out here to meet the guy who could’ve fileted me ‘fore I even stepped out of the shadow of the colony if he wanted to, right?”

“Yeah, about that- You’re about to get your boots knocked off by my incoming stupidity. First off, it’s not going to solve the problem of you having to pull strings to sneak out again some other day after you have to go home. But… I did think of a way we could hang out some more tonight without me totally freaking C out by being gone for too long.”

“An’ the catch is…?”

“The catch is me maybe taking you back to the spire with me so I could introduce you to C and maybe D and then we could all hang out together,” B replied so quickly the words nearly clipped into one another.

Beau had to take a moment to attempt parsing the quick sentence, his eyelights quickly turning hollow as it started to settle over him. He opened his mouth to respond to the Disassembler, but B was faster.

“And, before you freak out on me- I know it’s a really stupid idea. I know D just tried to kill you the other day, I know. But, I was thinking that if C’s on my side in this whole debate… It should be safe to introduce you to her. I think she’d be okay with meeting you and maybe that would give her somebody to talk to,” The taller drone continued. “D’s still a problem, but… Maybe with both of us, we could convince D there’s no harm in having a worker friend or two.”

The worker drone continued to stare at B with hollow eyelights, his thoughts tumbling around in his processor at a rapid fire pace as he tried to settle on one particular thought to start with. One part of him could see the logic behind the idea because it would give the two a way to hang out for longer and he also figured it wouldn’t hurt to have C on both of their sides.

The other part of him knew that there was a chance D was going to be furious to see him again if she didn’t want to immediately attempt to kill him again considering the argument he had accidentally caused. He chewed on that thought in his processor for a few moments longer before he started to scratch his head again.

“Y’know D’s probably gonna want to try tearin’ me limb from limb, right? If she’s real mad at you, I have a feelin’ she’s gonna be twice as mad if she sees my face again anywhere near her,” Beau commented as his hand tightened around the wrench again. “I’ll trust C if yer pretty sure we can trust her since you know her better than I do but I’m still kinda worrin’ ‘bout what D would do.”

B nodded as he listened to Beau, letting out a thoughtful hum to acknowledge the shorter drone’s thoughts. He was quiet for a few moments as he contemplated their potential options and plans, his tail slowly swaying behind him before he spoke again.

“I could try messaging C and asking her if D is hanging around the spire right now or not. Then we can go from there and decide if it’s worth risking it with D or if she stepped out of the spire and I can just introduce you to C right now.”

Beau was quiet for a long moment as he considered the options, his unease readily apparent on his face as he directed his frown towards the distant spire yet again. He knew this was a dangerous plan but he still thought it might not hurt to have C on his side too plus he knew that B would be nearby to help him if things started to go wrong.

“...C got a phone or somethin’ too where you can text her an’ ask?”

“Nah, I’m the one that juggles all the phones around. We have built-in messaging systems,” B replied before his eyelights drifted up towards the corner of his visor.

An icon appeared in the corner of his screen, leaving him to fall silent for a few moments as he likely focused on typing out a message in his systems.

“...I bet you worker drones have built-in messaging systems too. Remind me later and I might slip you my ID tag for that,” He added as he rested one hand on his hip.

Beau blinked at that revelation and nodded in agreement before he shifted where he stood and kicked some more snow off of his shoes. He watched the icon in the corner of the Disassembler’s visor before he let his gaze wander, instead taking in the sight of the snowy city around them.

He had enough time to read a distant street sign and ponder if worker drone and disassembly drone messaging systems were compatible before he heard the sound of crunching snow and turned his head, quickly spotting B starting to walk in the direction of the spire. He hesitated for a brief moment before he hurried to follow the taller drone, setting into walking a healthy distance behind B’s swaying tail.

He had a feeling the Disassembler could easily reach him and strike him with before he could even blink if he really wanted to but he was choosing to trust the situation. That still didn’t stop his optics from warily tracking the movements of the acid canister.

“...Did C say anythin’? Is D at the spire?” Beau asked as he crunched through the snow and Ice behind B, adjusting one of his backpack straps while his other hand held the wrench closely at his side.

“C said D left to go ‘clear her head’ which means D went for a walk too and might be gone for a hot minute if we can get over there quick enough. I told C I’m bringing someone to the spire so she’ll be expecting us too,” B replied as he continued ahead of Beau, settling into a brisk walk that forced the shorter drone into a jog to keep up with his longer strides.

“Okay, so- That means it’s just gonna be you an’ me an’ C then, right? At least if we beat D there?” Beau asked as he jogged a still healthy distance behind the Disassembler’s tail, holding his hat down with one hand so it wouldn’t get blown off by the movement or the wind.

“Right. It’ll just be us and C so I can introduce you to her. I’d get over there faster if I flew but you can’t do that and I don’t want you having a core attack on me if I try to yank you into the air with me,” B replied as he continued forward, his heavier feet crunching ice and brittle pavement beneath him.

Beau took a deep vent as he continued following the taller drone, attempting to calm his nerves. His core was starting to cycle a bit faster again and he knew it wasn’t just because of the impromptu exercise he was putting in. He felt fairly safe with B by this point but C was another unknown factor and it put him back on edge again.

He wanted to trust that B was right in his assumption of C being on his side of the worker friend debate, but it still made him nervous to think about meeting another disassembly drone especially given the fact that he didn’t have the added bonus of knowing her beforehand. Beyond that, the thought of going inside the spire that the Disassemblers called home made his core race in a not so pleasant way.

The shot of simulated adrenaline might have been fun had it not been covered up by the anxious fear that settled into his systems as he thought about the fact that he would quite literally be walking into the lion’s den. Not to mention the fact that walking into the spire would also feel like walking into a mass grave.

“I will say one thing though… I want you to stick close to me when we get to the spire,” B’s voice suddenly cut through Beau’s thoughts. “If D beats us back there, I want you to be close so I can shield you in a hurry if I have to. That means actually hanging close and not like ten feet behind me, cowboy.”

Beau at the other drone’s statement and shrank slightly into his shoulders before he sped up his jog to get closer to B, still giving the acid tail a wide berth as he came around the Disassembler’s side. He caught his friend giving him a thumbs up out of the corner of his vision.

“...An’ yer sure things are gonna go down okay with C? Yer sure she’s gonna be on our side?”

“Preeeeeetty sure. I care enough about you to not risk throwing you into something I think is too dangerous. I trust C’s on our side and I think with me and her both we can convince Do to leave you alone,” B said as he turned his head to look down at Beau. “It’ll be fine. Besides, you already stubbornly stayed out here even after I tried to scare you. Don’t tell me you’re gonna get spooked back inside now!”

“I dunno, B… C or D might be the one to scare me back inside. Yer not as scary as D an’ C’s a wildcard so I ain’t sure how I’m gonna feel ‘bout her yet,” Beau commented as he shrugged his shoulders, unable to stop the grin that started to tug across his faceplate at the sight of the stare B was giving him.

“Hey- Wait a minute- What’s that supposed to mean? I’m totally as scary as D! Beau, I literally pinned you to the snow the second you walked up!” B insisted, his lips visibly quivering where he tried to fight the urge to grin himself. “You looked like you were going to jump straight out of your casing right then and there!”

“Hm… Nah, not that scary. I’ll admit ya got me on the shock factor but clearly you weren’t scary enough if I’m still hangin’ ‘round after that one. Couldn’t scare one lil’ stubborn worker drone back inside.”

“Are you seriously trying to tell me I’m not scary enough to be the boogeyman? And here I thought I was doing pretty good. Guess I’m gonna have to speedrun getting even uglier. Maybe learn how to do a handstand too so I can knock some hats off for good measure.”

Beau choked on his next vent before he couldn’t help himself and burst into laughter at B’s comment, getting the Disassembler to start laughing with him. The two drone’s laughter carried them further into the city as they headed towards their destination, their joy punctuated by the howl of the winds and the crunching snow beneath their feet.

It took a short while longer to reach the looming shadow of the spire even with the quick pace the duo had set, leaving Beau to realize that the spire had actually been much further away than he initially assumed due to its size in the distance. As they drew closer to the disassembly drone lair, the worker drone started to pick out the occasional flicker of sputtering red light in the snow flurry which had him frowning in confusion and curiosity.

It took him until he was close enough to finally see the walls of the spire in detail that he realized the red lights belonged to the error-message-displaying visors of corpses, their last moments emblazoned on their faces and set in stone by the system messages that said those drones would never again turn back on or rise again. It was a sobering sight compared to the lighthearted laughter that he had just been sharing with B on the journey there.

B had settled into a more serious expression as they neared the spire as well, his goofy grins instead replaced by a tense line of a mouth and cautious eyelights. He put himself directly in front of Beau as they got closer to the entrance, curling his tail to aim at the air before him as if he was poised to sting at any moment.

That sight had Beau’s fuel tank twisting with anxiety again, but he forced it down the best he could as he tried to let some of the curiosity about the other Disassemblers take its place. His thoughts were still racing but he felt like it helped at least a bit.

He didn’t even realize that his hand had tightened so much around his wrench that his casing was creaking quietly.

B’s footsteps had grown much quieter and lighter as he made his way towards the low entrance of the corpse spire, reaching his hand out to run his fingertips over the various pieces of unrecognizable and twisted scrap metal jutting out from the structure as he cast his glance back at his worker drone companion. The orange eyed drone took in a deep vent and slowly nodded to convey his agreement to going through with the plan, earning a nod in return before the taller drone disappeared through the entrance of the spire.

Beau slipped into the entrance of the lair right behind B, his eyelights immediately highlighting the scene as his systems worked to point out copious amounts of scrap parts littered around the snow and the macabre walls. He looked around for a moment to look at some of the various scrap parts on the ground around him, hearing his boots crunch on a few of them as he followed the Disassembler.

He couldn’t help but briefly wonder if there were any usable parts scattered around that didn’t come from a corpse, but that train of thought quickly trailed off as he spotted a large mechanical fixture in the center of the open space. His jaw fell open slightly as he looked at the fixture, his systems once again highlighting bits of bolts or sheet metal in the snow that he ignored in favor of the bigger picture.

He would have called it a spaceship or perhaps some kind of landing pod just on an initial glance. He remembered hearing stories of the night the disassembly drones had landed on their planet from some of the surviving witnesses who lived in his colony.

"That must be the pod they came in on then...” Beau realized, though that thought had his face pulling into a frown. Even from this distance, he could see the extensive amount of damage that the vessel had taken.

Before Beau could think too much about the landing pod or the state it was in, he was drawn out of his thoughts by the sound of a shrill whistle. The grating sound made him jump slightly as he turned his head to find the source of the noise, quickly discovering that it was coming from B.

The Disassembler had waked forward while the worker drone was distracted with the landing pod and now had his head turned up to stare directly at a ledge that was built higher up on one of the spire walls. Beau’s mouth pursed in confusion as B let out another whistle, the sound breaking off into a few clicks at the end.

“...What are ya doin’?” The worker drone spoke up, directing his gaze up at the ledge as well as he reached up to adjust his hat.

“Trying to find C...” Be replied as he turned his head to look at another ledge, letting out another whistling warble before his gaze returned to the first ledge. “Doubt she stepped out if she knew we were coming… Might’ve accidentally dozed off while waiting? That’s possible if she’s still not feeling well.”

“Guessin’ she normally sleeps up there on that ledge?”Beau asked as he narrowed his eyelights at the high platform.

He didn’t hear B respond but he did glance over to the side, catching a glint of light as the Disassembler’s wings snapped free from his back. The worker drone flinched as the edges of his vision started to fuzz over with static again, the low ringing whispers reaching his audios next as he vigorously shook his head in an attempt to block it out.

He didn’t know what the cause of the static or the whispering was beyond the fact that it seemed tied to the disassembly drone wings somehow, having noticed it back in the hotel and again when B had startled him earlier. His fuel tank lurched as the sound continued and brought a biting sense of anxiety over his processor, but he attempted to ignore it as he figured the Disassembler needed the use of his wings at the moment.

A low pitched whine suddenly pierced through Beau’s audios, getting him to clap his free hand over the side of his head as his eyelights narrowed into a pained frown. He would have missed the quiet sound under the whispering of B’s wings if it hadn’t been sharp enough to hurt.

The sudden rush of wind suddenly pulled at the worker drone from behind, nearly pulling him off balance as he dug his boots into the snow in an effort to not fall. He tensed his legs and briefly cast a glance over his shoulder, his bright and hollow eyelights immediately being met with a blinding yellow cross mere inches from his own visor as it took up his entire vision.

The scream that he wanted to make died in his throat as something razor sharp clapped around both of his shoulders, jerking him backwards and gouging into his casing with white hot pain. Two solid points connected with his back shortly afterwards, his backpack doing very little to cushion the harsh impact as his casing let out a loud crack.

The sudden force to Beau’s back sent him flying, the sharp blades in his shoulders being ripped free from his body with the sound of screeching metal and tearing fabric. He flew a few feet away before he hit the ground, a scream finally ripping itself free from his voice box as the momentum forced him to roll through the snow over discarded pieces of sharp scrap metal.

He thought he heard B shout, but he couldn’t make out any of the words as his audios started ringing and his body involuntarily drew up from the pain rocketing down his spinal struts. Pained tears appeared in the corners of his eyelights as his feet kicked at the ground, attempting to get underneath him as oil ran down his wounded shoulders and blackened the snow beneath him.

The orange eyed drone managed to flip over onto his side, his fingers tearing at the ground as he attempted to move. He threw his gaze over his shoulder as a spray of snow kicked up behind him and fell over him, his terrified eyelights quickly finding another glowing cross that was lunging right towards him.

In a moment of panic, he swung his arm out at the cross, pain shooting up his arm as the wrench in his hand roughly collided against the attacker’s visor with a loud crack. The other drone let out a screech of pain, which drew another involuntary scream out of the worker drone as the sound overloaded his audios. Something sharp tightly wrapped around his side and yanked him forwards through the snow, digging into his clothing and casing.

Beau caught a brief glimpse of black and white before he was pulled upwards via the hold on his side, feeling a rush of wind in his hair as the force of the movement forced his head back. He saw the motion blurred smear of the snow below him, getting the brief realization that he was in the air now before he swung his wrench at whatever it was that had a hold of him.

He heard a clang as his weapon collided with something as well as a low hissing sound, feeling the grip on his side jerking as one of the sharp implements popped free from his casing. He swung his hand down once more with the intent to strike again, though his arm didn’t reach its destination as it was stopped by a flash of yellow and a sharp barb piercing directly through the casing.

The worker drone let out a shriek loud enough it caused his voice box to clip as he felt the sharp spike twisting inside his arm, causing his hand to contort and lock up as wires were pulled and twisted around. The wrench fell to the ground below as searing pain shot up and down his limb, focused around the entry point of the barb.

The smell of burnt wires and casing reached his sensors next and he didn’t need to look to know it was coming from him. His arm felt like it was on fire but he didn’t get a chance to look as his back arched and he screamed again at the feeling of the sharp objects in his side yanking themselves free from his casing.

“C! C, stop!” B’s voice shouted from somewhere, though he could barely hear it over the whispers and the rattles of bladed wings combined with the loud ringing in his audios.

Several warnings about his injuries flared through his vision as his systems tried to run diagnostics, but he didn’t get a chance to view any of them as he was suddenly whipped to the side by the acidic tail that had impaled his arm. Beau’s world exploded into motion again as the barb pulled itself free and pitched him towards the ground, leaving him to land roughly in the snow before he cried out and brought his arm to his chest.

He could see a yellow glow surrounding the hole that the spike had left behind as well as the blisteringly hot sludge that was starting to slough off with his melting casing as the acid worked on eating through his limb. He felt another sharp gust of wind blow over him as something landed near him, sending a spray of snow raining over him as his eyelights unfocused with his pain and his fear.

“C, wait! Don’t kill him! That’s him! That’s my friend!” B shouted again as his voice sharply echoed in the spire, shrill with a sense of urgency.

Beau couldn’t see his friend from the position he was currently in but he could hear the rapid sound of running footsteps approaching him. He heard another set of quick and lighter footsteps approaching him as well, though he didn’t look around as he instead whimpered and pressed his arm against the snow in an attempt to relieve the awful burning sensation.

“This- is your friend?!” Another voice spoke up, Beau quickly identifying it as female as he also guessed it belonged to the second set of footsteps he’d heard.

The worker drone gritted his teeth together as he curled up in a tight and defensive ball, keeping his arm pressed as tightly as he could manage against the snow as he tried to find some relief. He let out a yelp as he felt someone touch his other arm and kicked his legs out at the other person, hearing a loud clang as the steel end of one of his boots struck the leg of whoever was near him.

He heard a spitting hiss come out of whoever he’d struck, but that didn’t stop the warm hand from grabbing his arm again and gently rolling him over onto his back. He rapidly shook his head as he frowned, kicking his feet at the snow again in an attempt to get away.

“Stop it- Do not struggle. Let me see how bad it is,” The female voice instructed, a hint of concern laying her tone as the hand on his arm tightened slightly.

Beau shrank into the snow the best he could before his eyelights finally focused enough to let him look at the drone above him, his optics immediately being met with the sight of a hollow pair of bright yellow eyelights framed by two long silver twin-tails on either side of her face. The same yellow headband that B had sat atop her head like a halo, framed by the black hair bow that was fluttering slightly in the wind.

The worker drone’s mouth fell open slightly as he tried to find the words to respond to this Disassembler, but his voice merely came out as a pop and a squeak due to the strain he had put on his voice box with his screaming. He was instead left helplessly staring at the drone above him, his optics sweeping downwards just long enough to see the black and white dress she was wearing as well.

“I will repeat, let me see how bad the damage is. You are injured,” The Disassembler spoke as she narrowed her eyelights at the worker drone beneath her. His mouth uselessly opened and closed a few more times before she let out a huff. “Fine then, I will check for myself.”

“W-Waai-it-” Beau finally managed to speak up, his voice still clipping from the amount of screaming he had done.

The Disassembler’s hand reached for the hand of his injured arm and gently wrapped around his wrist with the intent to pull his arm closer, getting Beau to flinch slightly. Her longer fingers briefly brushed against his hand, and it was then both drones froze as a quiet buzz sounded and a small arc of electricity jumped between their fingertips.

Chapter Text

For a long moment, neither worker drone nor disassembly drone dared to move as they both stared back into each other’s visors with an equal amount of confusion and surprise. Beau was the first one to finally break the stare after what felt like an eternity in his processor, his eyelights drifting to the side enough to look at the other drone’s hand around his arm.

Above him, C had continued to stare at him for a moment before a quiet trill left her, gone nearly as soon as it had sounded. The odd sound got Beau to turn his head back up to look at the Disassembler again as she leaned back, her free arm drawing up against her torso as if she were surprised.

B entered the worker drone’s field of view as crunching snow signified his arrival, though he froze as he heard C let out the trilling sound as well. His eyelights were hollow with what looked like rattled terror, but his mouth fell open as he slowly looked between his squadmate and his friend before his gaze settled directly on the other Disassembler.

“...Did you just-”

“I did not!” C all but shouted as she tore her gaze away from Beau to look at B instead, rendering the worker drone unable to see her face anymore due to the position he was currently in.

He could, however, see B’s face and could see that the other Disassembler’s facial expression was caught somewhere between stressed eyelights and a wide grin that was trying to tug its way across his faceplate.

“I’m pretty sure you just-”

“B!”

Beau looked between the two Disassemblers with confusion for a few moments before a sharp sting of pain shut up his arm, getting him to let out a pained gasp as he jerked his arm in C’s grasp. He gritted his teeth together as fuzzy eyelights found his arm again, seeing that the puncture hole in his casing had grown bigger as the glowing nanites still worked to eat away at his body.

The noise he made seemed to snap the other two drones out of their standoff as their concerned gazes snapped back to look at him instead. B was the first to spring into action as he dove onto his knee joints in the snow beside his friend and squadmate.

“Robo Jesus, Beau- Are you okay?” B stressed as he moved his arm beneath the worker drone’s back to help him sit up.

Beau cried out in pain again as the Disassembler’s hand brushed across the area of his back where his casing had cracked, getting the taller drone to wince and whisper out a rapid set of apologies. He moved his arm upwards, helping hold the worker drone upright by the back of his head instead as he gently pulled the other drone up to sit.

“A-Arm- My arm,” Beau whimpered, his eyelights closing into thin lines as he gritted his teeth together again. Both Disassemblers directed their attention to his arm, two sets of hollow eyelights quickly finding the melting wound.

“Okay- Uh- Don’t- Don’t panic, okay? Don’t panic,” B was the first to speak up, earning a brief look from Beau as the irony of the frantic words was not lost on him. “There’s a way to fix your arm. It’s kind of gross but it’ll stop the nanite acid from eating through everything and you won’t even have to lose the arm. We just have to-”

The canister of C’s tail lightly knocked against the back of B’s head, the spike carefully angled away to avoid stabbing through his casing. He jumped in response, cutting off his ramble as he looked at his squadmate with surprise and a bit of confusion.

She directed her gaze back down to Beau as her eyelights found the acid wound on his arm again, her features pulling into an apologetic frown. She curled her fingers around his hand before she pulled his arm out to the side where she could properly see the extent of the damage, getting a pained whine out of the worker drone in protest of the movement.

“How d-do we fix my-” Beau started to question but didn’t get a chance to finish his thought before he was distracted by the sight of C bending down towards his arm.

His eyelights blazed brighter as he tensed in the brief moment it took her to reach his limb, jerking again as he tried to free himself from her grip. He closed his eyelights in expectation of her biting his arm or trying to rip it off as he felt her faceplate press against the limb, though the sharp punctures or snap he was expecting never came.

He cracked an eyelight open to look at what was happening, his jaw soon dropping open at the sight of the Disassembler pressing her lips against the wound. C held her mouth there for a moment before the burning sensation in his arm suddenly drained away in an instant, instead replaced by a cool and numbing tingling that coursed up and down both inside and outside the casing.

She leaned back from Beau again a few moments later as she licked her lips to get some of the acid that had touched her own faceplate off, giving the worker drone a better view of his arm. Before his optics was a shimmering silver-blue liquid that was running over the blazing yellow acid-burn patches of his casing and knitting the damage back together.

“…Did you just kiss me?” Beau blurted out before he had a chance to stop himself, immediately freezing as still as a statue as his processor caught up and he realized what he just said.

Despite the terror he had just been feeling and the rest of the pain still wracking his body, bright orange blush marks appeared beside both of his eyelights as he desperately prayed for time to rewind itself in that instant. C looked just as stunned as if she had only just realized what she had done as well, her hands moving to clap over her face as she leaned further away.

“I did n-not!” The Disassembler quickly insisted, her voice briefly catching before it settled again. She refused to meet Beau’s gaze as he blinked at her. “I was merely… neutralizing the nanite acid. It was going to keep burning you if I did not fix it.”

“Wha-”

“Trust me, she was fixing your arm,” B started as he cut into the conversation, a brief ghost of a grin trying to tug across his faceplate again despite his current mood. “It’s really gross but there’s a neutralizer for the nanite acid in our saliva. It’s meant for us to be able to stop the acid if we accidentally stick ourselves or each other with our tails.”

“In yer spit?!”

“Hey, don’t look at me! I’m not the one who designed us! You think I want to do that whenever I accidentally stick my leg while walking around? That being said… I’m not sure why she did that when she could have just spit the neutralizer on the-”

B didn’t get a chance to finish his thought before he was suddenly yanked into the air with a yelp. Beau got a brief second to notice that C’s tail had wrapped around the other Disassembler’s leg and hoisted him into the air before he was thrown across the corpse spire, flying an impressive several feet before he landed in the snow and rolled for another good two feet or so with the momentum.

The worker drone blinked with a mixture of surprise and confusion as his jaw hung open slightly again at the display. He caught a bit of movement out of the corner of his vision and turned his head, though he was quick to shrink into his shoulders with hollow eyelights as his optics caught the sight of C with a blazing yellow cross on her visor and a fanged snarl on her lips.

The Disassembler’s head was turned away from him and was facing B instead, but he still felt like at least one of the optics on top of her head was still trained on him. A growl spat past her lips before she turned her head back to Beau, the terrifying cross and fangs disappearing in an instant to instead be replaced by gentle golden eyelights and a soft if not apologetic smile.

“I am… extremely sorry for hurting you,” C began as she slowly stood up, soon bending down to offer a hand to him while her other hand brushed some of the snow off of her dress. “When B stated that… he was bringing someone to the spire, I mistakenly assumed that… he meant he was chasing a different kind of worker drone here. I did not realize you were the friend he mentioned.”

Beau stared at the taller drone for a moment as his processor briefly paused on her mention of chasing other worker drones, though he quickly decided he didn’t want to ponder the exact meaning behind that. He shook his head slightly before he reached out to take her hand, wincing as his sore body protested the movement.

He tried and failed to not notice the fact that her hand was noticeably bigger than his.

“Nah… Nah… It’s okay… It’s kinda my fault anyway… I’m the one that insisted on sneakin’ out here an’ hangin’ out with B. That means I sorta accepted the risk the second I stepped outside,” The worker drone responded quietly as he gripped C’s hand.

The Disassembler slowly and carefully pulled him to his feet, getting a hiss to spit past his clenched teeth as his damaged back and side shifted and protested the movement again. C whispered out a quiet apology before she let go of his hand, drawing her arms up to her chest as she gave him a sheepish look.

“I am… still sorry for hurting you. It is a bit too late to say this but I… do not mean you any harm. Not now that I am aware of who you are.”

“Kind of my fault too, cowboy,” B grumbled from where he was still lying face down in the snow. He got his elbow joints under him before he pushed himself up, the snow immediately melting off of his body with audible hissing. “It was my idea to bring you to the spire. Hell, I’m even the one that insisted on it. I just didn’t expect C to do that.”

Beau turned his head as he listened to B, shaking his head at the male Disassembler and flashing a brief thumbs up before he turned his gaze back to C. He thought she wasn’t as tall as B was now that he was comparing the two, but he still had to crane his head back to be able to direct his stare into her headband of optics.

“Hey, I’m still in one piece. I ain’t dead so it’s all fine,” The worker drone responded quietly, forcing the best smile he could manage. An ache in his shoulders and side drew his attention, getting him to frown as he stared at the bleeding slash marks that were currently staining his clothing with oil.

“You could… have also been fine had I not attacked you in the first place. You are bleeding, after all,” C pointed out quietly as her eyelights drifted towards Beau’s injured shoulder.

“I ain’t dead,” Beau repeated as he held a hand to his injured side, wincing at the movement again before he pressed his hand over the wound to help keep the snow out of it.

His eyelights unfocused briefly as he directed his attention inward instead, pulling up an internal window across his vision. Text began to print and scroll through the window as he started up a system diagnostics test to check the state of his injuries, starting to chew slightly on his lip as he waited.

The worker drone listened to the faint sound of B’s footsteps crunching up in the snow behind him as he waited for the diagnostics check to finish running its course. He could still vaguely see C past the swarming text in his vision, though the Disassembler didn’t look to be doing much beyond anxiously waiting.

A quiet ding sounded inside Beau’s head to alert him to his diagnostics finishing before the results printed along his vision for him to read. He quickly directed his attention to the parts he was most concerned about as his mouth pulled into a thin line, taking in the set of warnings alerting him of the damage to his body.

Thankfully, most of his injuries appeared to be mostly surface level on the casing with little damage to his internal struts or wiring. His systems did warn him of the fact that a few of his oil tubes had been slashed and were leaking, though his diagnostics did not project the final level of oil loss as critical or life threatening.

The text warned of slower functions until his oil levels would be replenished and advised outside repairs, though from what he could gather he would be fine for now with just his internal repair systems working to patch things slowly.

“I ain’t bleedin’ too bad. My systems are sayin’ I’m gonna be just fine. Lil’ dinged up but the real damage ain’t as bad as it looks,” Beau announced as he cleared the results window out of his vision, letting him see both of the concerned Disassemblers standing before him.

“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay, cowboy? I can try to rush you back to your colony or some other worker drones or something if you need medical attention right now,” B offered as he frowned, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m gonna be just fine, B. Honest,” The worker drone replied as he shook his head slightly, still holding his hand to his side before he cast his glance upwards to look between both of C and B’s headbands.

“B has… told me a bit about you. I was made aware of what transpired at the hotel from there I was… told about the friend he managed to make,” The female Disassembler commented after a moment, starting to wrack her hands where they still rested over her chest. “Upon hearing of the events that took place, I was initially in the camp of believing it would not be a good idea due to differences between… worker drones like yourself and us. Conflicting needs, if you will.”

A sense of unease started to twist in the pit of Beau’s fuel tank again as C let her last statement hang in the air for a moment, leaving him to start feeling impossibly small under her unwavering stare. B’s words from earlier and C’s apologies assured him that it was unlikely he was going to be eaten by either of them, but the thought still hung over him like a lead weight.

“However, I began to change my mind after I realized B seemed quite attached to you and your friendship,” C suddenly continued, getting Beau to nearly deflate under the relieved tension as he remembered to vent and let out a sharp whistle of air. “He was… rather distressed over the entire situation.”

“Which I told you about because I told you about the whole going nuclear bit and complaining to C about the entire thing,” B spoke up as he inserted himself into the conversation again, still running his fingers through his hair in a likely attempt to self-soothe.

“He mentioned… enjoying speaking with you as well as enjoying the chance to discuss and enjoy normal matters. You may have already guessed from looking around, but… We do not have much in the way of recreation around here,” C added as her tail curled and motioned in an arc around her. “We do not have free access to movies or games out here. Anything… we do have has been scavenged while exploring.”

“Which is why I told C I enjoy talking about our stupid stuff super late into the night and getting dumb movie quotes from you,” B commented. “Because I just… can’t do that with her and D. I mean, come on, you can only talk about the stars or the cool fountain you passed for the fifth time this week before it gets boring. And when we’re not talking about the same old stuff… What else is there to do besides discussing where we’re going to get food?”

Beau frowned and nodded along as he listened to the two disassembly drones talking back and forth, his lips soon pursing as he tried to gather his thoughts again. “Right… You told me ‘bout how it’s nice to have a friend outside the whole… huntin’ bits.”

“And that’s exactly what I told C when we got into a conversation about you. I went over the whole thing about how it’s nice to have a worker drone friend that lets me talk about the… y’know… not all of the disassembly drone stuff.”

“And that was… a large driving factor in backtracking my initial opinion on the matter. That in combination with seeing how upset B was when he believed he had frighted you away for good with his identity reveal,” C added.

“Well… I’m not gonna lie an’ say the reveal wasn’t scary ‘cause it was real scary. Truth be told? It’s still scary. Kinda hard not to be scared in the presence of what I’ve been told to avoid my whole life an’ not feel a lil’ bit like prey. Especially after I’ve seen B in action an’ been attacked tonight,” Beau admitted quietly. “Has it been fun meetin’ everybody? Honestly, yeah. But… It’s still a lil’ scary too.”

“Which is why I tried to scare you into going back inside when you first walked up on me, cowboy,” B said as he curled his tail, vaguely gesturing it in Beau’s direction. “You didn’t listen to me.”

“Like I said before, I already came all this way an’ I ain’t dead yet. I’m even in the whole… corpse spire thing right now so I’m kinda committed to the bit by this point,” Beau remarked, though his voice didn’t sound nearly as confident as he wished it would have. “...I trust you. Both of ya. I wouldn’t have hiked out here if I wasn’t committed to gettin’ to know ya.”

“And it almost got you killed… Or I guess I almost got you killed since coming out here to the spire was my idea. Damn it,” B muttered as he moved his hand to his visor, rubbing his fingers down the glass before he let his arm fall and hang limply.

“An’ I agreed to come to the spire when I could’ve said no so it’s even,” Beau countered as he looked down at the injury on his side, frowning with hollow eyelights as his hand came away slick with his own oil.

“There is also the fact that… I made a mistake and attacked Beau. I chose to shoot first and ask questions later as I incorrectly assumed that… I was meant to help with a hunt as opposed to paying attention and noticing what was actually happening,” C sighed, blowing a faint cloud of steam into the frigid air.

“Might as well start calling all three of us the ultra fail trio or something at this rate since every single one of us has done at least one stupid thing tonight” B commented, his eyelights narrowing into a thoughtful expression. “...Or would it be the ultra fail quad? Has D messed something up tonight?”

“Do you wish to imply that D has… messed something up? Do you really want to be on the receiving end of that?” C questioned as she raised an eyebrow on her visor, an air of amusement starting to surround her as the edges of her mouth quivered.

“Hey, I’ve already been having major screw up hours these last few days. Might as well slap a clown wig and some honking shoes on me by this point and call me a fool.”

Beau couldn’t help the slightly clipped laugh that escaped him as he listened to B, unsure if the current conversation was a disguised attempt to lighten the mood and make him more comfortable or if it was B and C’s normal way of bantering with one another but he appreciated it all the same. One part of him still felt a bit anxious under the taller drones’ gazes but the other part of him felt safer and more comfortable in their presence compared to how they had all started off.

C appeared amused by B’s jokes as well judging by the way her mouth had stretched into a wide grin, still very obviously visible even despite the fact that she had brought her hand up to cover it. B himself had crossed his arms and was pretending to frown with his eyelights, though the smile couldn’t stay off of his own faceplate as he took in the laughter from his squadmate and friend.

“Are you feeling any better tonight, C?” B asked as he turned his head to the other Disassembler. “Sorry that I didn’t get a chance to ask earlier before I bolted out of the spire to go find Beau before something else found him first.”

“I am fine. I feel better tonight than… I have in some time. My voice box is still acting up as you can tell. But physically… I feel wonderful and easily able to move… even if that was perhaps to Beau’s misfortune,” C replied as she cast another apologetic look in the worker drone’s direction.

“I didn’t know y’all could move that dang fast...” Beau commented. “B tackled me earlier as part of his scare tactic an’ I didn’t even see him move ‘fore I hit the snow. Didn’t really see you movin’ either. Took me a good moment to even realize I got hurt ‘cause it all happened so fast.”

“Believe it or not, C’s actually faster than me on a good night when her frame’s cooperating. She’s the fastest one out of all three of us on a night like tonight,” B said, getting the worker done to turn his head to look at him with curiosity.

“...There one that’s stronger than the rest? If C’s the fastest one of the squad?”

“That’d be D. She can lift and throw some super heavy stuff with ease compared to me and C,” B replied as his tail started to slowly sway behind him. “I think my skill set is supposed to be a mix of the two? I’m not as strong as D but I’m faster than her on average. Ditto but in reverse with C. My best guess is I’m built that way so I can fill in for either role and complement whichever one I’m hunting with.”

Beau’s processor briefly drifted back to how B was using his speed to play the role of chaser for D during the hotel, but he quickly pulled himself away from that train of thought. “You mentioned somethin’ ‘bout bein’ a squad leader… That have somethin’ to do with it?”

“Maybe… That’s a good point actually,” B mused as he looked up slightly. “Me being the squad leader means exactly what it says. Somebody thought this idiot should be the guy in charge and made me the guy in charge. Or… at least I’m supposed to be. Decisions are more a group thing we come up with together instead of just letting me call the shots.”

“Do ya like bein’ the leader of the squad or…?”

“Robo God, no. Hell no. Why do you think I let D or C call the shots half the time? I’ve been spectacularly failing all over the place over the course of this entire thing if you hadn’t noticed from all of my whining. A good leader wouldn’t be failing at everything like I’ve been doing.”

“Time for being negative… false. Do not start this again, B. You are not… a terrible leader nor are you failing everything,” C cut in as her tail curled to lightly thump the canister against B’s shoulder. “D will get over it. Things will return to normal soon enough.”

“Is, uh… Is she really gonna be gettin’ over it if I’m standin’ right here? I’m sorta the cause of the whole argument ‘sides what B did to make her mad,” Beau pointed out as his eyelights pulled into a hollow frown.

“It is not your fault. You have… done nothing besides merely existing at perhaps the wrong place, wrong time,” C said as she directed her gaze down to the worker drone. “If I can come to learn that… one singular worker drone friend isn’t going to mess anything up, D can come to learn as well.”

“Where, um… Where is D right now?” Beau asked as he turned his head to look around the spire, half expecting the third Disassembler to appear and swoop down on him at any moment. “B said you said somethin’ ‘bout her leavin’ to go on a walk...”

“Correct. D went for a walk… true. When she tends to go for a walk alone, she usually… makes a long and thoughtful stroll out of it. She should be gone for some time which gives us plenty of time to get to know one another,” C replied. “You are safe here with the two of us.”

Beau nodded as he listened to C, letting her words sink into his processor. His racing core had calmed down significantly compared to how he had felt upon first walking into the spire. He couldn’t help the way his eyelights still tracked the taller drones’ acidic tails any time they came closer to him due to their swaying, but he at least felt somewhat confident now he wasn’t going to be killed and eaten.

“...Actually… Speakin’ of gettin’ to know each other… Never really did introduce ourselves to each other, did we? Since everything kinda went zero to a hundred for a second there,” The worker drone spoke up again as he looked between the two Disassemblers.

“Then we shall… get around to proper introductions,” C said before her faceplate pulled into another smile. She carefully held the edges of her dress before offering him a formal curtsy. “Hello. I am Serial Designation C. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“And you’ve already heard my name several times now but I’ll repeat it anyway. Serial Designation B at your service,” B commented, bringing one of his hands up to the side of his head for a salute as he pulled a deliberately goofy face.

“That just leaves me then… My name’s Beau. Beau Doorman,” Beau introduced himself as he reached up with the intent to tip his hat, his fingers quickly being met with nothing but air as he grabbed at the empty space where the brim of his hat should have been.

The worker drone blinked twice in confusion before he moved his hand around in search of his hat. He finally directed his gaze upward, immediately noticing the lack of the hat’s brim in his vision. His eyelights squinted in confusion before he realized that he must have lost his hat at some point during the brawl with C.

“Where’s my…?” Beau trailed off as he slowly turned to the side to look around, ignoring the ache as his eyelights scanned the snowy ground on the inside of the spire.

He tried to ignore the chill that jumped up his spinal strut as he glanced over what he was sure was one of his own oil stains in the snow.

“...Where is your what?” C questioned as she tilted her head slightly.

“My hat. I had it on when I walked in here with B so it must’ve fallen off somewhere durin’ the chaos...” Beau replied as he continued to look around. “My wrench too, actually. I know I dropped that one when my arm got stung.”

B whistled quietly as he turned his head to scan the open ground of the spire as well, though Beau got the vague feeling that the Disassembler’s eyelights were only moving around and scanning the snow for his comfort rather than actual use. His tail curled behind him as he continued to search, his gaze soon spotting a bit of brown that was standing out clearly among some of the snow and scrap.

“Waaaait, there’s your hat. Found that one at least. Not sure where you dropped your wrench yet...” B mused as he curled his tail forward in the direction of the hat.

Beau couldn’t help the way he leaned away from the Disassembler’s tail as it moved past him to point out the hat’s location. He was relieved to see that the hat looked undamaged before he nodded and flashed a thumbs up at his friend to silently thank him for finding it.

The worker drone started to take a step forward to go retrieve the piece of clothing, though as soon as he took the step a sudden jolt jumped up and down his body and caused him to stumble as his joints briefly locked up. He let out a sharp gasp as he tried to catch his balance again, though his injured body didn’t seem to be having any of it as he tipped forwards.

“Whoa, whoa- Take it easy!” B’s voice spoke up from his side, punctuated by the sound of snow being crunched underfoot.

Beau felt two pairs of warm hands grab him as both Disassemblers caught his arms before he could fall completely, catching him just before he managed to plant his face into the snow. His sore shoulders protested the sudden stop and the gentle pull that was required to get him back on his feet, getting a pained hiss to spit from between his teeth.

“Thanks, y’all… Would like to not fall an’ eat snow if I don’t have to...” Beau muttered as he steadied himself on his feet again.

“Are you okay? What happened?” B questioned as he let go of his friend’s arm with narrowed eyelights, though he still seemed to be hovering close as if he was prepared to catch him again.

“I dunno what happened. My body just kinda locked up for a sec there. Sorta felt like I was gonna collapse an’ I think I would have if you two didn’t catch me,” Beau responded, meeting the concerned gazes of both of the Disassemblers as his own eyelights pulled into a frown.

“Do you know what caused it? Are your systems… throwing any sort of warning?” C asked as her fingers started to click slightly from where she was still wracking them and fidgeting with them.

“Nah… My systems didn’t say any- Ohhh… Wait, I think I got an idea what it is… The diagnostics I ran earlier said my systems might slow down a lil’ with the oil loss so I bet somethin’ hung up for a bit there… Less oil movin’ ‘round,” Beau mused quietly.

“Okay, here’s an idea then. Maybe you should sit down and rest for a minute?” B suggested. “That way you won’t risk falling on your face and cracking your visor on a piece of metal before your repair systems start kicking in.”

“But what about my-”

“Chill out and rest, cowboy. Seriously, you got tossed around like somebody shoveling snow. I’ll grab your hat and try to find your wrench,” B quickly spoke up to cut off the other drone before he turned to walk towards the hat where it rested in the snow, not stopping even despite Beau’s protest.

C watched her squadmate for a moment before she turned her gaze to Beau, seeing that the worker drone looked mildly annoyed with the command to sit and rest. She was also able to see the faint and brief shiver that traveled up his body as the wind shifted outside the spire and blew a blast of freezing wind directly through the low entrance.

“Perhaps finding… a place for you to rest out of the cold would be best. You are shivering. Getting you out of the wind will also reduce the amount of snow getting into… your injuries,” She suddenly spoke up, getting Beau to look up at her as her gaze started to wander for a moment before it settled on the damaged landing pod in the center of the spire.

Beau studied the taller drone for a moment before he followed her gaze to the landing pod, his vision once again being swarmed by various floating tags as his systems highlighted various salvageable parts. “...That’s the ship y’all came in on, right? Or landed in, I guess.”

“Correct. That is the ship we were sent in on. We used it… for shelter from the sunlight in the earlier days of us living here on the planet,” C replied with a nod.

‘Before we built this spire of corpses around it’ went unspoken but was felt in Beau’s processor all the same.

“That may be a decent place for you to rest. It would be out of the wind and there are seats inside you could sit in,” The Disassembler added.

Beau nodded slightly as he continued to study the pd, his eyelights slowly sweeping over the bits of torn metal and dark scorch marks that had been burned into the surface of it. Just from a glance, he could tell that the pod was severely damaged, beyond damaged even.

The spacefaring vehicle was borderline destroyed and that was just what he could gather from looking at the outside of it. He had no idea what sort of state the interior or the internal components and wiring of the ship were in.

“That thing looks like some kinda bomb detonated directly against it an’ blew it all to pieces,” Beau commented as his eyelights pulled into a frown. “I mean, look at it! That kinda damage doesn’t just happen… Did one of y’all crash land or somethin’ when you first got here?”

“Hey, hey- Excuse you- I did not crash land the spaceship!” B chirped as he suddenly entered the side of Beau’s vision again, getting the worker drone to jerk to the side in startled surprise. “...Not on purpose anyway. Piece of junk started shaking itself apart as soon as we entered the atmosphere. I tried to slow it down or at least deploy those limbs you see to land with and it wouldn’t respond. All we could do by that point was strap into our seats, keep our heads down, and eat the impact.”

“I didn’t know you were a pilot,” Beau commented as he put his hand to his chest, trying to recover from the sudden startle as he narrowed his eyelights at the wrecked landing pod and took in the sight of the damage again.

“I sure am… or was, I guess? I guess not really now that the ship practically blew itself up? I don’t know,” B replied as his arm entered Beau’s vision to offer the worker drone’s hat to him. “I’m with C, though. That’s probably the best place for you to rest right now. I still gotta find your wrench really quick.

Beau opened his mouth to say something again, though he paused and gritted his teeth instead as another cold gust of wind managed to thread itself perfectly through the entrance of the spire and spray up some of the snow around his legs. Another shiver danced along his spinal strut as a popup overtook the corner of his vision to warn him that prolonged exposure to the cold could cause his systems to start freezing up and cause damage over time.

Frozen joints were easy to thaw out with a source of heat and he knew he was in no shortage of heat given how warm the Disassemblers seemed to run, but he still didn’t care for the idea of having to worry about unfreezing himself on top of having to deal with his current injuries.

“Okay, okay… Can we go in the pod? The wind’s really startin’ to get to me,” He spoke up as he directed his gaze up at C again.

The Disassembler nodded before she stepped forward and offered her arm for him to hold onto, a small but encouraging smile on her faceplate as she did so. He carefully threaded his own arm around hers as he took a step forward, grateful for both the assisted balance and the warmth of her casing.

The two drones continued towards the crashed spaceship together, the steps being taken slowly to ensure Beau wouldn’t slip and fall in the event of his body trying to hang up again. C let the worker drone establish his balance again once they reached the pod before she climbed up the ladder that had been installed on the side of the craft, wasting no time in opening the entry hatch at the top of the pod and reaching down the ladder to help him climb up.

Beau joined C at the top of the pod before he cast one last look around at the walls. Countless worker drones were frozen in time, each one bent at odd angles to help with the construction of the place. If he didn’t know any better, he would have almost said some of them were sleeping. So many had their faces pulled into neutral lines despite the error messages that were burned into their visors.

He could have sworn it even looked like a few of them were smiling as though they died so quickly they didn’t have a chance to scream… or as if they had been happy to meet their end. Something twisted in the pit of his fuel tank at that thought.

He didn’t want to look around anymore.

Beau hastily shoved his thoughts away as he instead leaned over the hatch to peer down inside the pod. The glow of C’s various optics greeted him from inside, indicating that she was already waiting at the base of the internal ladder and likely prepared to catch him if he were to lose his footing.

“The pod here is… not much, but you are more than welcome to make yourself at home and get comfortable,” C began as she watched Beau descending the ladder, a smile spreading across her faceplate again as he made it safely to the bottom.

Beau nodded before he turned his head to look out over the pod, his optics attempting to adjust to the difference in light level as the Disassembler brushed past him to ascend the ladder again and close the hatch. The interior of the pod was bigger than he had imagined based on his view from the outside, leaving him to note that it was still small but more than spacious enough for a small group of drones to move around freely without stepping over one another.

He could also tell that the pod had definitely been lived in if the various bits of clothing and other trinkets that were scattered around the floor and other surfaces were any indication. His eyelights swept around the pod once more before they landed on a set of three chairs that were all gathered around the center console.

“...There a certain one of these chairs I should sit in? I don’t wanna steal yours if you’ve claimed one of ‘em,” Beau asked as he turned his head back to C, watching as she descended the ladder to join him once more.

“Any of the seats are fine. You may sit in whichever one you like. They are… all the same beyond where they are positioned,” The Disassembler replied before she offered her arm to help him again.

Beau accepted her help and walked with her as she led him to the nearest seat, soon allowing himself to be lowered into the chair as he gave C a grateful nod. He sat there for a few moments before he sank further into it and tossed his arms over the side of the armrests, finally allowing himself to fully relax.

The seat wasn’t as comfortable as his bed or the seats back in his apartment even but it felt luxurious in the moment for his aching body. It was far less cold inside the pod too due to it offering shelter from the snow and biting wind which he was also very grateful for.

“Do you need anything else?” C’s voice cut into Beau’s thoughts again, getting him to glance at her where she had taken the seat across from him. “If you are… still cold, I may be able to find a blanket for you.”

“Nah… I think I’ll be fine now. Infinitely better now that the wind ain’t tryin’ stab me,” Beau replied as he tilted his head back against the chair, allowing his hat to slip down partially over his visor. “I don’t wanna risk gettin’ oil stains on any more of yer stuff than I have to.”

“Do you honestly think a few… oil stands will bother either of us?” C questioned as her eyelights narrowed into half circles, giving him a rather piercing stare.

He could only hold her stare for a moment before he had to look up into his hat.

“...Okay, ya got me there. That’s a real good point,” Beau noted as his optics traced a weaved pattern on the inside of his hat.

The silence grew in the pod soon afterwards between the two drones, though neither one seemed to find it uncomfortable despite their differences. The Disassembler seemed more than comfortable sitting in the presence of a worker drone and the worker drone felt comfortably safe in his current situation despite how the night had initially kicked off.

He still felt a bit guarded perhaps, but he felt like that was a healthy amount of caution to have given how new this entire situation was for him. Despite their friendliness, he still knew what his new friends were physically capable of and what they were driven to do.

Beau wasn’t sure how much time passed by in silence, but he felt like it had been a few minutes at least. He had taken a moment to finally lower his eyelights out of his hat to glance around again and that was when he locked eyes with the Disassembler sitting across from him again.

Both of the drones stared at one another, each one just as curious about the other before C gave him a smile. It was far too wide for a normal drone and he was sure he caught a brief glint of razor sharp fangs as her lips parted slightly with the movement and yet, he still got a sense of warm fondness from the expression.

It felt less like the smile of an excited and hungry predator and more like a person happy to see a friend of theirs. Even though his conversations with B had taught him that C’s visor didn’t contain the bulk of her optics, her eyelights still managed to sparkle with curiosity as she looked at him.

The worker drone started to chew on his lip as his thoughts slowly drifted back to what had happened outside or, more specifically, the spark that he had shared with the taller drone when they had brushed their hands together. He knew what drones sharing a spark meant and he partially knew why it had happened.

Even though he had just shared a terrifying first meeting with C, he couldn’t deny that she was pretty. The combination of her outfit, her hairstyle with the hair bow, and her warm and gentle gaze was making his core flutter and not with terror and anxiety this time.

However, that still didn’t completely explain to him why they had shared a spark. Unless…

Beau finally broke his gaze with C as he used his feet to make the chair swivel slightly to the side, pretending to be interested in the cracked and destroyed console instead. In truth, he was interested in the electronics, but he was more so trying to hide his face from the other drone.

He had a feeling that the worry he was blushing right now wasn’t just a worry which had him refusing to meet her gaze. His systems felt a bit warmer than usual and his core had started to cycle just a bit faster.

“Talk to her,” His thoughts whispered.

“So, uh… C...” The worker drone began as he sat up a bit straighter in his seat, prompting C to perk up in her own seat as she was addressed. The gentle and inviting smile on her faceplate made him pray that the blush marks were gone from his visor. “I-”

The sound of the landing pod’s entry hatch suddenly opening cut Beau off before he could get his words out, leaving him to grip the armrests of his chair.

“Okay- Hey, Beau? I think I found your wrench. I think? Turns out there’s a bunch of random tools strewn about out here when I started digging around in the snow but I think I found your specific one,” B’s voice quickly followed through the opened hatch.

Beau visibly deflated in his seat as his previous statement he wanted to get out died in his throat, leaving him to let out a near silent vent before he swiveled the seat around to look at the ladder that led outside. B was lowering himself down the ladder, his tail curling upward to wrap around the hatch’s handle and pull it closed as he went.

“Thank ya, B. Really appreciate the help ‘cause I didn’t wanna leave that behind,” The worker drone said before he reached a hand out for the wrench, prompting the Disassembler to hand it over to him as he continued past him and C to flop into the final empty seat.

“Sooo… Did I miss anything while I was busy digging around in the snow out there?” B asked as he sank into his chosen seat like a sack of bricks.

“Nah, you didn’t miss anythin’. Me an’ C were just hangin’ out while I rested an’ warmed up a lil’,” Beau replied as he cast his glance over in C’s direction again.

The Disassembler once again caught his gaze with a happy smile that made his core cycle a bit faster again. He silently hoped the other two couldn’t hear it.

“How’s your side feeling?” B asked as he brought a hand up to run it through his hair. He still looked tall even with how far he had sunk down into the seat.

“Better. It still hurts a lil’ but it’s not too bad,” Beau partially lied. “Just a lil’ bit sore. Think I’m good now though. I just needed to sit for a minute.”

“I will say… I have enjoyed getting to your friend, B. He seems… quite friendly,” C joined in on the conversation as she directed her head towards the other Disassembler, though Beau still had the feeling at least one of her other optics was trained on him.

“Huh? Oh yeah, the cowboy’s pretty cool. That’s what got me to stick around talking to the guy in the first place. He was funny and nice enough that it was fun to talk to him. Even if he did keep shooting down all of my attempts to catch him off guard with something stupid...” Be commented as he directed his gaze over to the worker drone.

“Yer lucky I didn’t get bored an’ decide to block ya those first couple of times. Wouldn’t have gone on to make a friend out of ya if I did, and… I like bein’ friends with ya. It’s been a lot of fun. I wouldn’t be out here right now if we hadn’t been friends,” Beau said before his voice dropped to a near whisper. “...Dunno if I’d even be alive right now if we hadn’t been...”

Both sets of Disassembler eyelights pulled into hollow eyed frowns, a clear indication that both of the taller drones had managed to hear him even despite the whisper. The worker drone was quick to shake his head and put his hands up as two sets of optical arrays drilled into him.

“I mean, c’mon now. If me an’ B weren’t friends but everything else went down exactly the same an’ me an’ my friend had gone on that scavenging trip… We might not have made it outta that alive. Sure, there’s a chance we could’ve taken a different route an’ would’ve wound up fine, but… If we took the same route? I’m almost sure D would’ve killed us if B didn’t get to us first,” Beau explained as he started to slowly swivel the chair from side to side.

“If you had survived the scavenging trip though… You would not have come out here and… nearly gotten killed a third time by me,” C pointed out as she shrank into her shoulders, her fingers finding a piece of her dress fabric to occupy themselves with.

Beau quickly decided he hated the look of guilty hurt that was clinging to her like a dark shadow. He thought she looked infinitely less cheerful than she had just moments ago, the bright smile that had been lighting up the entire pod instead replaced by a quivering lip. A small glance at her tail told him that even that had lost its energy where it lay on the floor around her feet.

“An’ I ain’t dead! Look at me. I’m feelin’ better already,” Beau assured even though he had the feeling they both knew it was as much of a lie as he did. “I’m gonna be just fine. I can’t even really get mad at ya since you didn’t know an’ I’m the one that hiked out here. We went over this already.”

C hardly looked convinced by his words, but she did manage to force some semblance of a smile back onto her face. The worker drone returned the smile to the best of his ability in an attempt to reassure her, deciding that it felt right to do so somewhere in his systems even if she had been the one to attack him.

“But she could have killed you and eaten you because she is still a disassembly drone and so is B. They’re still the apex predators in this room while you’re exactly the type of thing they prey on or did you forget that already?”

Beau swallowed hard against the non-existent lump in his throat as he tried to force his thoughts and the small little voice away. The realization of what exactly he was currently spending his time with along with a healthy side dose of guilt for seeing them that way started to settle heavily on his shoulders again.

“They’re people too, not monsters,” He silently affirmed in his head. The spiral graveyard outside tried to remind him otherwise as he tried to force down the bitter and silvery taste that was welling up in the back of his mouth.

“Y’know- You scared the hell outta me when you suddenly dropped in from the ceilin’ back there at the hotel,” The worker drone suddenly spoke up again as he directed his gaze at B.

It was a terrible choice of subject blurted out in the spur of the moment that had him digging his fingertips into the armrests of his chair, but he desperately wanted a distraction from his thoughts. Thankfully, perhaps even mercifully, the Disassembler seemed willing to bite on that subject.

“Honestly, I think you scared me as much as I scared you. You popped up over that bar counter like a damn jack-in-the-box and I had a ‘Wait a minute… Is that Beau?!’ moment,” B commented in response as his tail flicked through the air. “And then I chased you and D both down after my eye regenerated because I knew she went after you.”

Beau chewed on his lip again as he listened to B, slowly swiveling back and forth in his chair. The faint pang of guilt started to twist in the pit of his fuel tank again, but he tried to dispel it with a sigh as he reached up to pull his hat down partially over his visor again.

“I’m… sorry ‘bout that, by the way. I can’t remember if I ever apologized for smashin’ yer open or not. An’… Speakin’ of D...” The worker drone let his voice trail off as he looked between B and C with a frown. “I’m sorry ‘bout causin’ a whole huge ruckus with her. I already apologized to B for it, but… I guess I want you to hear it too, C.”

“Hey, hey, don’t start that up again. I’m the one who dug the trench and got everybody into this mess since I’m the one who befriended you first. And… It was technically my choice to make a move and stop her from getting you two,” B mumbled as his tail started to draw various shapes in the air.

“An’ don’t get me wrong- I’m real happy to be alive right now ‘cause, again, I don’t think I would be if you hadn’t showed up an’ tackled D. But I’m still sorry for the whole feud that kicked up. I didn’t mean to accidentally come in an’ hurt yer friendships or whatever y’all got goin’ on ‘round here. ‘Specially since B’s made it sound like yer all real close an’ yer the only people y’all have to talk to...”

A loud snapping sound suddenly split the air of the pod, getting Beau to jump hard enough in surprise that he nearly came an inch or two off of his seat. Turning his head towards the sound of the noise, he quickly realized that it had come from one of B’s hands… or rather one set of his talons.

The blades had seemingly closed together in a pointed snap, the thin tips expertly pressed together without slipping past one another. The worker drone was almost sure the point shape made by the claws pinching together would easily be able to punch straight through metal.

Silence fell over the pod for a long moment after that, only being interrupted by the whistle of the wind outside the pod and the creaking of the chairs as the occupants shifted in their seats. B’s tail lashed at the air before he finally opened his claws back up, flexing the sharp fingers in a series of clicks as he spread them out and then curled them again.

“Chill out for a minute, cowboy. Nobody’s mad at you. Nobody’s blaming you. Nobody’s asking you to take the blame or demanding an apology,” B finally spoke up again, his tone softer than it had been before. “I was serious when I said this whole thing is pretty much entirely my fault. You didn’t screw up somehow or drive a wedge between our group just by existing.”

“B is correct. I do not blame you for the feud that has… spun up between those two. Do I blame B for it? Yes,” C began, catching a sheepish smile from B out of the corner of her vision. “But I also blame D as well. This situation started… due to B’s actions but the only reason it has been carrying on for as long as it has is because… D is acting bitter and avoiding the conversation that needs to happen. It is equally their fault. Not yours.”

“And I’ve already taken responsibility for my half of it because I know I’m the one who started this whole mess. I’ve just… handled it badly on both sides. Handled it badly with D and I handled it badly with you by trying to ghost you and scare you off as a last resort,” Be spoke up again as he ran his fingers through his hair.

Beau’s hands tried to find something to occupy themselves with as he listened to the two Disassemblers, his fingers eventually finding a pair of bolts on the sides of the armrests that he could trace. “...What was it you said earlier? Somethin’ ‘bout a fail squad? Startin’ to seem more an’ more correct at this point.”

B threw his head back at that, letting it thunk against the headrest of his seat as his tail once again lashed at the air. “And I’m the leader of the fail squad. I’ve done enough stupid stuff over the last however long it’s been now to deserve an entire crown.”

“You are not a failure, B. How many times must I repeat that?” C questioned as she leaned back in her seat. “You have… not ruined anything. But! Before we continue any further… I have another idea.”

C paused for a moment to clap her hands together with a smile. Beau shrank back slightly with how loud the noise was in the confined pod.

“Before we… go down another spiral, why don’t we change the subject? There are more fun things to discuss than… worrying. Apologies have been given. Serious statements have been made and I say we find a new subject now.”

“Only problem with finding a new subject is figuring out what to talk about...” B mused as he turned his head to look around the pod, his tail twisting into a spiral beside him.

Silence fell in the pod again as each drone tried to think of something else to say or where to take the conversation next. Beau slowly swiveled himself back and forth in his seat before he came to a sudden stop, an idea starting to form in his processor as a smile threatened to spread across his faceplate.

“...Hey, B? I got a real important question.”

“...Yeah? What’s wrong?” B asked as he narrowed his eyelights.

“...What’s a jack-in-the-box?”

The question managed to hang in the air for a pause of silence before the Disassembler’s tail abruptly stopped in its movements like the snap of a whip. “Do you seriously not know what a- Are you yanking my chain right now?”

“All I’m hearin’ is that it’s a jack an’ that it’s in a box apparently.”

Every single one of B’s optics seemed to scrutinize the worker drone. Said worker drone started fighting the best he could in an attempt to keep his expression neutral.

“Okay, well, it’s this noisy little toy thing that plays music when you grab the handle and cra- Don’t think I can’t see you smiling, cowboy.”

Beau couldn’t help bursting into laughter finally as he lost his attempt to stay neutral. C started to giggle as his laughter started to get to her, though it wasn’t long before she was laughing herself. B did his best to frown at Beau but wound up joining in the laughter as well with the other two drones.

The tension in the landing pod noticeably lifted as the group shared a minute or two of playful laughter. The worker drone was the first one to start calming down as he settled back into his seat with a small smile tugging its way across his faceplate. Looking between his two Disassembler friends, he could see that they were both visibly calmer and at ease as well.

Beau’s eyelights scanned the pod around him again as he tried to find another conversation topic to keep everyone distracted from the stress. Now that his gaze was wandering and properly taking in the scenery, his systems were starting to highlight a few damaged places in the interior of the pod as well.

He could see that the console had been visibly marred as if a pair of sharp talons had been holding onto it and were wrenched free, ripping out several strands of wire with it while they were at it. He could also see some sort of mounted wall screen above the console that had similarly suffered a massive blow that left a wide spider web of cracks along its surface.

The worker drone almost felt like the screen was going to shatter completely just from him glancing at it. He had no idea how it hadn’t already fallen apart. He shook his head slightly to himself before he turned his gaze away to continue his visual examination of the pod.

Beau spotted some of the various trinkets and clothing that were scattered around next. Assorted bracelets, necklaces, some coats and shirts, ribbons, a few mugs… All sorts of random objects he wouldn’t have found out of place in a home if it wasn’t for the odd and jumbled collections of it all piled around in different parts of the pod. It left him wondering how many of the items were used or worn and how many were collected just for the sake of it.

Not that he could blame anyone for it. He knew several people with collecting hobbies.

The worker drone started to slowly swivel back and forth in his chair again, keeping the heel of his boot planted on the ground to do so. As he stared at the collection of trinkets long enough, he realized there was a pattern to them. While he had initially assumed they were strewn about randomly, he noticed that particular types and colors of trinkets were kept to three distinct areas.

He could guess that the pile with the ribbons likely belonged to C at the very least based on the hair bow that she was wearing and the additional ribbon he could see tied around the neck of her dress.

Beau studied the piles for a few moments before a fourth set of trinkets caught his attention on the other side of the room. From where he was sitting, he could see this collection of goodies contained a few books, what he thought was the box for an old board game, a folded up blanket with a print he couldn’t make out, and a slightly worn and damaged plushie of an animal.

Unlike the other piles of belongings, this one looked carefully organized as if someone had dedicated time to not only placing the objects there but also ensuring that they were arranged in a deliberate display.

“...Hey, B? C?” Beau finally spoke up again.

“Yeah? What’s up?” B asked as he got to the question first.

“How many people are part of yer squad again? Is it just you three?”

“Uh huh. It’s just me and C and then D. Why?”

“Well… I was askin’ ‘cause I noticed the lil’ collections,” Beau paused long enough to wave his arm in the direction of one of the piles. “I figured those are some of yer belongings since they’re all grouped up. I’m countin’ four collections though if I count that one way over there with the books an’ other stuff. It looks so organized an’ taken care of I was wonderin’ if it belonged to somebody.”

The air in the landing pod changed in an instant as soon as the worker drone finished speaking, leaving him to realize that he might have made a mistake once he turned his gaze to C and B again and saw that both drones had directed their gazes towards the fourth collection. Two pairs of golden eyelights had pulled into hollow rings and were darting around over the trinkets while the rest of their bodies including their tails had gone deathly still.

Too long passed by in heavy silence, leaving Beau’s thoughts to start scrambling as he rapidly tried to figure out what kind of faux pas he had just accidentally committed. He opened his mouth with the intent to apologize, though his voice died as he heard a quiet whining sound come out of C.

The Disassembler whispered something, but he wasn’t able to make out any of the words. One of her hands fidgeted with part of her dress before her fist balled up in the fabric. She let out a sudden and sharp vent as her other hand came up to rest over her chest, her fingers busying themselves with fidgeting with one of the buttons on her clothing.

“Nope! Nope-” B suddenly blurted out without a warning, getting Beau to jump as he tightly gripped his armrests. His eyelights were locked onto him now, but the worker drone got the feeling that his headband had C in sight judging by the way he leaned in her direction.

“I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to scare-”

“There’s… There’s nobody else, cowboy. It’s just us three,” B quickly cut Beau off. “It’s always just been us three since we landed. That stuff over there is just, uh… Just some stuff to pass the time with. We usually wait out blizzards and stuff like that in here so we had to have something fun to do while we’re cooped up for hours.”

Beau slowly sank into his shoulders with a look of guilt as he listened to B’s explanation. He didn’t need to be an expert to hear the way the taller drone’s voice quivered and proved that there was a lie in there somewhere, but he knew better than to try to press whatever sore spot he had accidentally uncovered.

The worker drone started to fidget with a loose piece of the armrest he was holding onto as his processor rapidly scrambled to find something else to say. His attempt to find a new subject to talk about and keep the lighthearted mood going had completely backfired and set the tension ten times higher than it had been before.

Before he could find the response he was looking for, he was distracted by the loud clang produced by B suddenly jumping to his feet. Beau and C both directed their hollow eyelights towards the taller drone as he waved his tail towards the entrance of the pod.

“Here’s an idea I just had… If you’re feeling better, Beau, we could all go for a little walk or something. I could show you some of the cool places I usually snap pictures of around here,” B suggested as he shrugged his shoulders slightly.

Beau finally unhooked his fingers from the armrest and reached up to fidget with the brim of his hat instead. He knew B was trying to find a distraction for all of them again and so he started to seriously weigh the suggestion in his processor.

He still felt sore all over due to the night’s previous events and wasn’t sure how steady he was going to be on his feet because of it but at the same time, he knew he was eventually going to have to get up and walk again sooner or later if he wanted to get back to the colony before sunrise.

“I’m feelin’ a lil’ better so I might be able to handle a walk, yeah. Lil’ tour of the place sounds kinda fun,” The worker drone replied as he carefully pushed himself up to sit straight with the help of the armrests, ignoring the pain again as he prepared to get up.

Beau had just pushed himself up when another loud clanging and clattering sound pierced through his audios and startled him. He quickly looked around the pod in search of the noise but to his surprise C and B looked just as confused about the source of the sound which clued him in that it hadn’t come from either of them.

A low whisper briefly picked up in his audios before it was covered up by another loud clang and it was then he froze in place as he realized with horror that the sounds were coming from somewhere outside the pod. He hunched into his shoulders again as his core nearly skipped a cycle in his chest, leaving every drop of oil in his body to chill.

Beau had his worst fears confirmed for him when a muffled but still audible voice picked up on his audios from outside the landing pod, his processor firing up his auto translator as it identified the language he was hearing as Russian.

[...C? B? Where are you?]

Chapter Text

Beau felt like he had been dunked in ice water as he ran the voice through his processor. He couldn’t imagine any other worker drone willingly wandering into the spire nor did he imagine any other worker drones knew B and C’s names which left him with only one guess as to who had just arrived at the spire.

He was already backing away from the pod’s entrance before he had even realized it, nearly falling over himself as he backed into the side of the console and sank down against it. B and C had reacted in an instant as soon as the voice spoke up and had burst into a flurry of movement so fast the worker drone’s systems had barely been able to track them.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen C move at all until he realized she was already standing between him and the ladder that led out of the pod. He did see at least a bit of a motion blur of yellows and grays as B had launched himself over to the exit to guard the hatch.

“I didn’t think she’d be back this quick!” B hissed as he stared up at the hatch that led into the pod, his tail thrashing and whipping around the air like the deadly weapon it was before it curled as if ready to strike.

“T-To be fair, we di-d lose track of… time while we w-were talk-taalking,” C spoke up, her voice coming out like a screeching record compared to how it had before.

Both Beau and B flinched at the noises and directed their gazes to look at her, one in visible concern and the other one in a mixture of confusion and concern.

“Deep vents, C. You’re gonna throw your core out of whack. I know you’re freaking out like me right now but you gotta remember to breathe,” B instructed as he gripped the ladder, his hollow eyed frown staying firmly locked on her.

C did as instructed as she took an audibly loud and sharp vent, balling her hand into a fist as she did so. She struck it against her chest a few times with a series of loud clangs before she managed to take a much less sharp vent.

“I am f-fine. I am well… True. Do not worry about me. We have more… urgent things to worry about at the mo-moment,” She announced with a still somewhat rough voice as her tail thrashed in the air behind her.

“Is she okay?” Beau couldn’t help but ask despite his worry about what was going on outside, his voice barely above a frightened whisper as he glanced in C’s direction again.

“Remember what I said about C’s core acting up when she gets really worked up and stressed out?” B explained quickly before he shook his head, his eyelights still pulled into a frown. “As much as I hate to agree, C’s right though. We have other things to worry about right now. Like keeping you from getting turned into a toothpick.”

Beau sank down further against the console in an attempt to make himself smaller, knowing he was still well in plain sight and now unsure if he was going to be able to get himself back into a standing position with the way his back was injured. At the same time, he felt like all he could do was get as far away from the pod entrance as possible because he felt like a cornered and trapped animal.

“What- What are we gonna do? Am I supposed to just hide out in here an’ hope D goes away? Or hide under that shelf over there or somethin’ while one of you tries to convince her to leave the spire for a bit?” He asked as he became aware of the weight of the wrench in his hand again, giving it a tight squeeze.

“Hiding’s not gonna be an option here. You’re hurt so she’d be able to smell your oil and know something’s up in here,” B grumbled as he stared up at the hatch with squinted eyelights. “Good chance she already knows something’s up too. No way she hasn’t picked up on the scent of your oil stains out there in the snow by now.”

The worker drone flinched and shrank into his shoulders at that revelation, his next vent leaving him in a sharp and frightened gasp. He looked between B and C with bright and hollow eyelights as his core started to race again, bringing all of his earlier anxieties and fears about becoming food tonight rushing back to the front of his processor.

“We are going to have to speak with her, B. T-There is no other way out of this that I can find sh-ort of one of us taking Beau and… running with him,” C stated as she looked at the other Disassembler.

Beau hadn’t even realized that her talons had come out until he heard the sound of the blades clicking and running across each other as she flexed them at her sides. B let out a heavy sigh and nodded as he tightened his grip on the ladder.

“I know, C. We can’t keep stalling either or she’s going to climb up and check in here for us anyway. She’s going to come looking for the source of that worker drone oil too, probably. Damn it!”

“Y’all are goin’ out there to speak with her?! What about me? Do I need to try an’ run past while you talk to her an’ keep her distracted?” Beau asked as he gripped the wrench tighter still in his hand.

“Not an option, cowboy. She’s fast enough to catch you if you try to run and she notices you sneaking off. Our only option is introducing you to her and explaining the situation,” B replied as he looked back at Beau.

The worker drone’s next vent caught at the Disassembler’s statement before the air left him in a sharp whistle. The vibrations of his racing core sounded so loud in his own audios that he was sure the two taller drones could likely hear it as well.

He shot a look between both B and C, but he quickly realized that both of them looked serious about this plan. He slowly, reluctantly, reached up to grab the corner of the console with his free hand so he could start trying to pull himself back up to his feet.

“But she’s probably gonna try to kill me if she sees me, ain’t she? You said yerself she’s the strongest one here an’ it looked like you were strugglin’ against her a lil’ bit back at the hotel. What if you can’t keep her from shreddin’ me this time?” Beau questioned as he squinted one of his hollow eyelights.

“There’s two of us this time so that’ll help a little bit if it comes down to that. I’m hoping it won’t come down to having to exchange blows with D again because that was awful, but… Me and C are both here to hold her back from attacking you if we have to,” B replied as he put his foot on the bottom rung of the ladder.

“An’ you think that’s gonna actually work?”

“It is… the best option we have from the sounds of it. If all else fails… I am much f-faster than her and might be… able to take you and run before she can hurt you. I am hoping she is willing to l-listen to what we have to say,” C replied as she started to walk towards the ladder as well, her peg shaped legs clicking against the metallic floor of the pod.

“Here’s how we’re gonna do this, Beau. When we go out there, you’re going to stay behind me and C the entire time, got it? I don’t want to risk her lunging at you or trying to shoot you if she starts getting angry,” B instructed as he ascended the ladder, stopping just before the hatch before he peered down at the duo below.

The back of Beau’s mouth started burning with a silvery taste again as he listened to B, trying to commit the instructions to his processor as he nodded and approached the ladder. His head felt like it was spinning from both the anxiety and the realization of how close he was to potentially dying once again.

C seemed to notice that he didn’t feel well and reached out for him as if she was intent on touching him or ushering him closer, though she seemed to have changed her mind as she instead pulled her arm back and gave him a small smile.

“You will be safe, Beau. We will n-not let you come to harm. That is a promise,” C assured before she started to follow her squadmate up the ladder. Her tail curled away to give the worker drone plenty of room to follow without the risk of being stabbed before he nodded down at him.

Beau wanted to trust what both of the Disassemblers were saying but after his prior experiences, he couldn’t bring himself to feel reassured by the words even if he tried. He appreciated the attempt but it did little to calm his racing core or the way his hands shook slightly as he reached behind him and shoved his wrench into one of the side pockets of his backpack to free up his hands.

He still tried to force the best smile he could on his faceplate as he glanced up at C with hollow eyelights and started to climb the ladder after her.

“Remember… Stay behind me and C. It’s gonna be a fifty-fifty shot on if things are going to stay civil or get super hectic here in a minute and I don’t want you to be in direct line of fire if it swings towards the latter,” B said as he reached up to grab the hatch with razor sharp talons. “Everybody ready?”

C nodded in response with a look of confidence on her facial features, though the same couldn’t be said for Beau’s look of frightened anxiety. The worker drone took in a deep vent to try to calm his nerves before he forced himself to give a small nod.

“I’m ready. I trust y’all,” Beau responded quietly, though he wasn’t sure how confident he sounded nor was he sure how confident he felt about that statement either.

B closed his eyelights and took a deep vent before he pushed the hatch open and wasted no time in catapulting himself up and out of the opening, leaving a frigid blast of wind to take his place as it spread down into the pod. Beau shivered again as he gripped the ladder tighter, though he couldn’t be sure how much of it was from just the cold.

C climbed up and out of the pod shortly after her squadmate, though she didn’t completely climb down as she instead perched at the top before the ladder and curled her tail near the exit. She glanced down at Beau again before she shifted forward to allow him to climb further up, but she didn’t stray far as she remained perched and leaned forward to look down below the pod.

[...What have I missed? Why are there fresh oil stains?] D’s voice reached Beau’s audios as he carefully peeked his head out of the pod, moving slowly and carefully as he threaded himself through the coil of C’s tail and tried to watch out for the sharp injector-barb on the end of the canister.

“Well, uh...” B spoke up loudly, giving off the impression that he was making his best attempt at confidence.

Beau could barely see him through a small crack of vision afforded by a small gap between C’s arm and her torso. He could also see D towering a few steps away from the male Disassembler as he rested her own sets of talons on her hips.

[...Did one of you get hungry?] D questioned as her eyelights narrowed into sharp points, giving Beau chills from where he was watching. [I was under the impression we still had rations left over from the last outing.]

B didn’t flinch in response to the melting stare, instead only standing up straighter as his chest puffed out slightly to make him look bigger. His tail was deathly still behind him as were his talons at his sides, but the former had angled itself towards the landing pod as if it were ready to catch someone.

“That’s not what happ-”

[Then what did happen?] D cut off the other Disassembler, her eyelights narrowing even further as one set of her claws clicked together as she moved them from her hip.

Her tail had started to sway back and forth behind her at irregular intervals, distracting Beau slightly as his eyelights tried to automatically track the movements of the glowing yellow canister.

B stood up straight still as his tail curled though even with all of the slouch gone from his posture, the worker drone could see that he was nearly a whole head shorter than the Disassembler that stood before him. A whistle of air was heard followed by the sight of a brief cloud of stream venting out from around his head so Beau could guess he had sighed.

“Listen, D, it’s- It’s gonna be hard to explain but I need you to bear with me for a minute here. I have a perfectly good explanation for things but it’s-”

[It’s what,] D cut off B again, causing him to flinch as her tail continued to sway behind her in some odd rhythm only she seemed to know.

One part of Beau almost wanted to say something, but he gritted his teeth together as he forced down the urge to do so and instead cast his glance at C in an attempt to read the mood of the situation. She remained perched atop the landing pod directly in front of him, appearing tense as her claws fanned out to rest on the pod’s surface at her sides.

“D, I know you are… currently angry with B, but you need… to give him a chance to speak and explain if you want answers,” C spoke up from her position, her tail forming a tighter coil around the pod entrance.

Beau froze as D’s head and eyelights swung in C’s direction and therefore at least partially in his direction, nearly causing him to fall off the ladder with how hard he jerked further down inside the pod in an effort to not be seen. He decided he was unable to keep watching the tense exchange as he instead focused his eyelights elsewhere, quickly realizing that was a mistake as soon as he locked optics with one of the long-dead red visors of one of the many spire wall inhabitants.

He tried not to think about the fact that he was arguably seconds away from joining the vertical graveyard in their tomb if the confrontation were to end badly. He tightened his grip on the ladder as he squinted an eyelight and forced himself to start staring at C again.

[What happened then, C? What have I missed while I was away?] D questioned again, though her tone sounded at least somewhat slightly softer compared to the one that she had taken with B.

C shifted a bit where she perched, though she seemed to be mindful of not moving enough to accidentally risk exposing Beau. Her tail finally, carefully, unwound itself from around the opening of the pod, instead curling up into the air to peek over her shoulder.

“You are… correct in assuming that a worker drone was here, yes. That assumption is… true. The reason why there is oil… is because I attacked and injured him,” She responded as her tail remained poised above her.

[...Where is the worker drone now then,] D spoke up as her gaze remained laser focused on C, her voice carrying a demand rather than a question. [Did he manage to escape from both of you at once?]

“That’s the part I was trying to explain before you started talking over me,” B said as he inserted himself back into the conversation, getting D’s razor sharp glare to snap back onto him fast enough that he visibly flinched. “Just… listen for a sec, okay? There’s some explaining to do.”

D looked between B and C for an uncomfortably long moment of silence, her gaze seeming to linger for longer on the latter as opposed to the former. Beau wasn’t sure if that was a sign D could tell he was there and hiding behind C or if she would have been focusing more on her anyway even if he hadn’t been there.

[...Then start explaining,] D said as her gaze returned to B, her eyelights still narrowed as her tail started to sway in an odd pattern behind her again.

“Okay, so- Like C said- A worker did come here. But the worker didn’t...” B trailed off as his face pulled into a frown, his tail twisting into a knot as he tried to find the words he wanted. “This… kind of has to do with that whole thing that happened back at the hotel.”

At those words, D’s eyelights seemed to shrink slightly as they became more narrow. A snap sounded as her claws clenched shut at her sides, the metal talons narrowly missing cutting into her own forearms with the way they curled.

Beau’s oil ran cold and it wasn’t just because of the chilling wind.

“I sort of- befriended the worker you tried to attack and I didn’t want you to kill him so I just kind of… didn’t even think about it and leaped straight into action before he got his head chopped off,” B explained quickly, the worlds tumbling out of him at a rapid pace before he stood up straighter and clenched his own clawed hands at his sides.

Silence fell in the spire immediately after B finished speaking, leaving the three Disassemblers and the hidden worker drone all waiting for the next move or reaction. Too many seconds passed by in the heavy tension before the male Disassembler sucked in a sharp vent and decided to continue speaking.

“How I befriended the guy is kind of a long story but that’s not important to the conversation right now. What is important to the conversation right now is… Yeah, I befriended a worker drone and I didn’t want him to die so that’s why I stopped you at the hotel,” He continued, his tone a bit softer than before.

C shifted where she sat on top of the pod again, still clearly intent on monitoring the situation happening below as her claws lightly clicked against the pod’s hull. Beau could see that her tail had tensed more than it had before which gave him the impression that the situation was starting to stress her out too the longer it went on.

[You know why befriending a worker drone is a terrible idea, B. You of all people should have a clear idea of why seeing how you were appointed the leader of our entire squad and our job,] D accused as she took a step towards B.

“I know why it’s a bad idea, D. I know we have to eat people like him if we don’t want to die in a huge flaming fireball. I know,” B insisted as he held his hands up defensively, his talons briefly clicking together.

[Then why,] D pressed as she took yet another step towards B, her eyelights glaring with daggers hidden behind them.

“Come on, D, what’s the harm in having one little worker drone as a friend? Is it really hurting anybody to have one guy as a friend? Is it hurting anybody to have a friend to talk about stuff that doesn’t revolve around work?” B asked, his shoulders shrugging slightly as he kept his hands raised.

D let out a low hiss of frustration as she continued to stare down at B, her tail having long since stopped its movements to go completely stiff behind her. The male Disassembler seemed to be leaning away from her as his own tail tensed in a tight coil behind him, though he didn’t seem intent on moving from his spot.

“D, calm down. I know you are… frustrated… but I have to admit that I agree with B. I do not… see the harm in allowing ourselves to mingle with the worker drones here and there. I am not… saying we should let ourselves overheat, but I do… not see why we can’t have a friend or two around,” C cut into the conversation again as her tail lashed the air above her.

[You know why we do not need a fourth member of our group. We do not need someone else hanging around us and potentially causing all sorts of trouble. We are fine with just the three of us and no one else,] D spat as she directed her gaze to the perched Disassembler again.

“I agree, we are fine with just the three of us. We manage to… accomplish plenty with just the three of us. However, we are… not trying to recruit a worker drone to help us. We are merely saying that… there should be no harm in having friends,” C replied, her tone managing to remain neutral.

[And what if there comes a day where one of you has to feed on the worker drone friend to avoid overheating? You would not let yourselves overheat to the point of shutdown, would you?] D challenged as her talons tightly clenched together at her sides.

“Now you are getting off in specific hypothetical situations that may or may not actually hap-”

[And what if it did happen? Or what if something else were to happen and injure the worker drone or even kill them? Are you both prepared to lose another member of the group you have gotten attached to?]

At those words, all of the activity in the spire suddenly fell away to deathly silence and stillness. Beau’s thoughts immediately started to drift back to how C and B had reacted when he had asked them about the fourth pile of belongings they had inside the landing pod, a sense of unease starting to bubble up in the pit of his fuel tank again as he realized that D must have meant that there was another member of the squad once upon a time and something had happened to them.

The air itself felt like it had changed in the spire, though the worker drone couldn’t tell how much of that was in his head and how much of it was brought on by the crushing weight of the thick tension that hung over the area. He couldn’t easily see C and B’s faces from where he was, but he could tell the reactions they had by the way they had both gone still and sunken into their shoulders.

Even looked like she regretted what she had just said judging by the way her tail had lowered towards the snow and her glaring eyelights had turned fuzzy.

“...Let’s not go there...” B finally spoke to break up the silence, his voice quiet. “I bet nothing bad’s going to happen to him. Nothing bad’s happened to us yet, right?”

[I absolutely can go there and I can list several reasons why having a worker drone in our lives could end up badly not just for you but for C as well,] D responded sharply as she took another step towards B, her eyelights burning fuzzy and bright as her claws closed at her sides again with a loud snap.

Her mouth moved to indicate that she was speaking again, though whatever she had said this time was much too quiet for Beau to make out beyond the murmur of her voice. B seemed to take a few steps back in response to what was said, his tail suddenly lashing out and striking at the snow beside him as D started to whisper again and prompted him to stomp his foot into the snow.

“Just- give it a chance, okay? There’s more to our lives than just surviving every single day or worrying about the next meal! Why can’t we enjoy having friendships and casual hangouts with people again?” B suddenly spoke up again.

D’s eyelights had filled back in over the course of his last statement, leaving her with a look of anger one more compared to the unnerved stress she had taken on moments prior during the seemingly tender and sore spot of discussion. Her tail curled up and out of the snow to resume the odd metronome-like pattern of swaying behind her.

[We can enjoy friendships and hangouts with each other. We do not need an unknown fourth party coming in and complicating things for all of us,] She asserted again before she directed her gaze to C as if to ask for her opinion on the matter.

“I am… not on your side in this argument, D. I am still of the opinion that there is nothing wrong with befriending a worker drone,” C responded as her claws lightly clicked against the top of the landing pod, her voice quiet.

[You should be well aware that I am making a perfectly sound and reasonable argument as to why letting in an outsider would be a terrible idea.]

“I am also making a perfectly sound argument as to… why it is not a terrible idea. I believe there is no harm in allowing ourselves to have friendships,” C countered. “If you will not listen to B… Will you listen to me and my reasons?”

D fell into response in response to the question, seeming unwilling to meet C’s gaze as she turned her head away slightly to look at the wall of the spire instead. Her tail turned up in a spiral behind her before it unwound suddenly, lashing at the snow with all the force of a whip as a crack sounded in the quiet.

“D...” C tried as she curled her own tail around her side.

[For what reason did you bring the worker drone here and into our home?] D questioned as her impatient and accusing glare bounced over to B instead.

“I’ve been telling you! That worker drone’s my friend and I brought him here because… Okay, first of all, he came outside on his own and said he wanted to meet me. I bought him here so he could meet C because I’ve been telling her about him while you’ve been busy ignoring me and trying to avoid me entirely these last several days,” B replied as his tail tensed into another stress knot.

And I mistook B’s friend for something else and… attacked him which made the oil stains. After that was cleared up, I was introduced and everything worked out fine from there,” C added as she lightly clicked her claws against the top of the landing pod again.

“And nothing bad happened. We didn’t spontaneously combust or roll over dead or have anything else huge and crazy happen just because we said hi to a worker drone and introduced ourselves to the guy,” B spoke up again before D could get a chance to respond, his voice trending a bit more towards the confident side again.

[I never said you were going to drop dead. You are putting words in my mouth now.[

“You didn’t say it but you kind of… implied it? I mean, come on, you more or less implied that us befriending the guy was going to spell the end of the world and that’s why we can’t do that. We met him and nothing bad happened to either of us so I can’t imagine something bad just spontaneously happening in the future either,” B commented as his tail unwound itself from the knot it had found its way into.

“I still agree with… his side on this whole argument. It will not hurt us to have one outside friend, D. It could… even be good for you to learn to trust outsiders again. We can keep ourselves safe, you know,” C said as her shoulders slowly relaxed.

[...Where is the worker drone now? You let him escape after you were done speaking with him and he was done invading our home, did you not?] D questioned as she narrowed her eyelights at both of the other Disassemblers.

Neither B nor C made an effort to answer their squadmate right away, instead turning their heads to share a glance with each other. A low clicking sound picked up in Beau’s audios which he quickly identified as B’s claws anxiously tapping together.

D continued to look between B and C with an expectant look to her expression before her eyelights narrowed further into another dangerous glare. Her tail had stopped its movement yet again as she placed her talons on her hips and expertly avoided slicing the fabric of her skirt.

[...Is the worker drone still here in the spire? Is that why you two are acting like this?] She guessed, her voice quiet but her words laced with a tension so heavy they fell over the space with the force of a falling building.

Beau tried to fight down the urge to let go of the ladder and let himself slide back down into the pod completely. From the way the conversation was going, he had a sinking feeling that meeting D face to face was not going to end pleasantly for any of them.

The worst part was knowing he didn’t have anywhere he could run to. Those thoughts left a bitter taste in the back of his mouth again as he gripped the ladder tighter.

He thought he could try to slip back down into the pod and hide there until daylight, but that would run into the problem of him not getting back to the colony when he promised he’d be back. He also knew that to do that, he’d still have to successfully manage to sneak out of the pod and into the sunlight to truly escape the situation which he felt was extremely unlikely.

C seemed to be aware of the dire situation as well judging by the way she turned her head slightly to subtly glance over her shoulder at Beau before she returned her stare to D and B. Her tail lowered itself before it formed a defensive circle around the pod’s entryway again, leaving the worker drone drawing back as he tried to avoid the barbed spike of her tail canister.

B opened and closed his mouth a few times as if trying to find his words in response to D’s question before he scratched the back of his head with the blunt side of his talons. He cast his glance up at C as if wanting to know what she was going to do before he looked back at their squadmate who was looking more and more frustrated with each passing second of silence.

“Okay, so… Maybe you got back a little quicker than we were expecting you to and we also lost track of time in general so maybe we didn’t usher the worker drone out of here in a hurry...” He replied quietly.

[The worker drone is still in the spire, isn’t he,] D growled in response to her squadmate, taking another step towards him.

C didn’t verbally respond as she listened to the exchange but she did let out a warbling whistle not terribly unlike the noise that Beau had her or B make earlier when he had first entered the spire. D visibly reacted to the noise, looking surprised for the briefest of moments before she narrowed her eyelights into a glare again and responded in turn with her own whistle.

“You will not harm him. There will be no more fights here tonight. There h-has been… enough action here today and among this squad… for the last few days in general. I am tired of it and desire a break,” C announced with proper words this time.

“We can’t really force you to meet the guy if you’re dead set against it but just- Will you at least let us escort him out of the spire without trying to rip him to shreds? I can take him home and get him out of your hair so you won’t have to worry about him for the whole rest of the night,” B offered as his tail flicked from side to side behind him.

D cast her glance between B and C as she listened to what both of them had to say, her features pulling into a bitter frown as her arms dropped from her hips to dangle at her sides again. Her squadmates remained silent for what felt like at least a full minute, waiting for her to jump in with a comment before C made another quiet trill to draw attention back to her.

“It is ultimately your choice. I believe… you should meet him because I think it would not hurt for you to have a friend. But I also agree with B. You do not… have to meet the worker drone if you downright refuse, but at least let us lead him away.”

D was quiet still for several moments longer, keeping her gaze locked on C perched above her before she turned her head away to look out over the area of the spire. It took a few more seconds of her gaze wandering the spire before Beau realized she was likely searching to try to figure out where he was hidden.

The worker drone nearly fell off of the ladder with how hard he jerked his head down into his shoulders again the second the taller drone’s eyelights snapped onto the landing pod. He managed to see that her eyelights had angled ever so slightly to the side, leaving Beau to wonder if she could see him just like how he could barely see her if he ducked his head far enough.

[...You hid the worker drone in the pod, didn’t you? That is why C has been perched up there and blocking the entrance to the inside the entire time?] D questioned as she stared up at the perched Disassembler.

“As we said, D… It is… your choice if we introduce the worker drone to you or if we leave to take him back home now,” C reminded as she tapped her claw against the top of the pod yet again.

D fell into silence again as she listened to C’s words, her expression slowly starting to fade from anger and instead taking on a nearly unreadable neutrality that Beau had trouble discerning. Even her tail had lowered closer to the ground, though he still noticed the fact that the canister’s barb was angled towards the pod.

B and C waited for a long moment to see what their squadmate was going to do, soon directing both of their gazes towards the pod once several moments had passed by in silence. The perched Disassembler turned her head over her shoulder to look at Beau where he was still hunkered down on the ladder with hollow eyelights, a small smile spreading across her faceplate in a likely attempt to reassure him.

“You will be safe. B and I will… make sure you stay safe. We can escort you back towards… your colony if you wish to go home for the night,” She spoke softly as she turned to face the worker drone where she perched, her tail curling away from the entrance of the pod to allow him to safely move as she offered a hand to help him up.

Beau looked between C’s outstretched hand, her gentle gaze, and the pod below him as he stalled in an attempt to have more time to run her words through his processor again. He knew by this point that there was no possible way for him to stay hidden now that D knew exactly where he was so continuing to hide wasn’t going to do him any good, leaving him to take a deep vent as a fearful shudder ran through him.

“I’m afraid I’m gonna die here tonight, C… Which… I guess I kinda brought that on myself. Already cheated death twice with y’all,” Beau muttered quietly as he reached out to take her hand, keeping his other hand secured on the ladder so he wouldn’t start tipping backwards.

You are… not going to die. Do not worry about such things. I know… my words may not do much… but I can assure you that you will be protected,” The Disassembler stated as she gently closed her hand around his.

Beau’s hollow eyelights pulled into an uneasy frown as he let C tug on his arm and pull him up, gritting his teeth together at the feeling of pain that jumped up and down his injured shoulder with the movement. He fought down the urge to yelp as she pulled him up and out of the pod completely, letting her hold onto both of his arms to ensure that he wouldn’t wobble and fall off as she turned her gaze downward to look at B and D again.

“D… This is Beau. He is… B’s worker drone friend. I am aware that you all ran into one another back at… the hotel but here is your chance to get to know one another outside of a confrontation,” C began as she gently loosened her grip on both of Beau’s arms to allow him to stand on his own.

The worker drone made sure he was steady and had his balance before he carefully let go of C’s arms as well, his eyelights turning away from her to look down and meet B and D’s stares instead. He flinched under the intensity of D’s gaze, immediately getting the feeling that she wasn’t pleased judging by the way he could feel her multi-eyed stare piercing straight through him like a laser.

C looked between both of her squadmates as if trying to read the current mood before she locked her eyelights with B. The two seemed to share some sort of silent exchange that Beau couldn’t quite pick up on as the male Disassembler nodded in response before C directed a gentle smile back to him.

“Do you… need any help getting down from the ladder?” She questioned as she tilted her head slightly, her arms drawing up to rest closer to her chest as her wrists went limp. “I am… aware that your shoulders are still injured.”

Beau looked down at the ladder leading to the ground below before he cast another uneasy glance at D and B who both seemed to be watching his every movement. One anxious part of him was starting to feel like cornered prey again under the watchful gazes of the taller drones.

Another anxious part of him felt like D was going to pounce at him at any minute, but he was slightly reassured by the fact that both C and B were watching him and would be close enough to grab him or their squadmate before something bad could happen. A gentle touch on the arm from C drew him out of his thoughts and reminded him that he still hadn’t answered her question.

“Sorry- Ah… I reckon I’ll be fine, C… Ain’t very far, after all. I can get down on my own,” He replied, giving her his best half attempt at a shaky smile despite his current mood.

C nodded and watched Beau as he turned around and carefully lowered himself onto the pod’s ladder, her hands producing a click as they swapped back out for intimidating razor sharp talons. The worker drone was only half paying attention to what she was doing as he started the climb down to the snow below, keeping his head turned to the side to peek over his shoulder enough to keep an eye on D and B and note that neither one had moved yet..

Beau quickly reached the bottom of the ladder before he turned around and stepped off into the snow once more, his boots crunching the ice and accumulated flakes underfoot. He met D’s gaze for a brief moment before he managed to look away, instead catching the brief flicker of yellow produced by C’s tail as she leaned over the side of the pod.

He turned his head enough to track C’s movements too, his hollow eyelights blazing just a bit brighter at the sight of her hooking her claws into the metal hull of the pod and climbing straight down the side of it like a roboroach clinging to a wall. She continued the wall crawling until she had reached the snow-covered ground, but even then she was still crawling for a moment on all fours as she scuttled over to join Beau and her squadmates.

“There. Now we can do… proper introductions,” C spoke up as she crawled through the snow, only coming to a stop and standing back up with a straight back once she had put herself a few steps ahead of the worker drone.

Beau found himself watching the Disassembler with a mixture of confusion, slight fear, and awe as he watched the way she moved before she came to a stop. He blinked and nodded finally as her words registered in his processor, his thoughts tumbling as he tried to find his voice again.

“Right, uh… Introductions now...” He mumbled as he reached up to fidget with the brim of his hat, finally chancing a glance at D again and doing his best to direct his gaze into the array of optics on top of her head even if it made him feel like every single one was drilling a hole into the back of his own optics.

“Just us here, cowboy. We’re all friends here,” B suddenly spoke up as he took a few steps closer to the worker drone, putting a particular emphasis on ‘friends’ as he briefly cast his glance in D’s direction. “You don’t have to be nervous or anything.”

Beau was aware that B was trying to reassure him with his statements, but he still couldn’t help but level an unamused stare at the Disassembler in response to the comment he’d made. Said Disassembler seemed to realize that wasn’t the best thing to say judging by the nervous grin that stretched wide across his faceplate moments later.

The worker drone continued to hold his stare with his Disassembler friend for a moment before he closed his eyelights, still attempting to calm his nerves and his core that was rapidly cycling in his chest. He listened to the whistle of the wind for what felt like an eternity in his processor but was likely only a second or two at best before he turned his gaze back to D, his jaw tensing as he forced his optics high enough to meet her optical array again.

His anxiety was not at all helped by the fact that D was towering over him like a giant with her height and forced him to lean his head even further back to be able to make eye contact with her.

“Right… Uh...” He stalled once more before he took a deep vent, his hand fiddling with the brim of his hat before a look of determination passed into his eyelights.

D responded in turn by narrowing her own eyelights and clicking her talons together at her sides, sending a sharp chill down his spinal strut.

“...My name’s Beau Doorman,” Beau finally began after a few more moments of silence, one eyelight squeezing itself shut on his screen as he continued to hold the Disassembler’s stare. “An’ I’ve already been hearin’ it plenty but… Yer name’s D, right? Nice to meet ya, um… properly an’ all.”

The worker drone’s words held in the air after he finished speaking, punctuated only by the sound of the whistling wind as it passed between the spire again. B and C looked at him for a moment before they turned their attention to D, both having an expectant look on their faces as they waited for the conversation to continue or at the very least waited to see what her reaction was going to be.

“...I-” Beau started speaking again after a few more moments of silence in an attempt to break it, but he didn’t get to finish his thought before a low hissing sound suddenly split the air.

In a near instant, D’s lips curled back into a wide and razor sharp smile, punctuated by the hiss she was making that quickly pitched louder. A loud clicking sound was heard as one of her clawed hands swapped out for what looked like a sort of gun instead, the motion almost missed by Beau with how quickly it happened. There was another loud snap soon afterwards followed by a chorus of harsh whispers that caused the edges of his vision to start fraying with spikes of static.

The worker drone let out a yelp as he was pulled backwards, feeling a rush of wind and snow all around him as something solid shoved him back against the landing pod and caused him to let out a cry of pain as his still injured back collided with the structure. His optics strained as they tried to focus through the whining static that was currently blurring out his vision, but he managed to spot what he thought was the back of C’s dress and shimmering metallic blades standing before him.

Beau brought both of his hands up to cover the sides of his head as he gritted his teeth, trying to block out the audio stabbing whines of snarling and clicking whistles and the high pitched whispers pulling in time with the static in his vision. His optics tried to readjust to the interference, giving him a bit more visibility to confirm that C was standing before him with her claws and wings spread wide on both sides of her.

“No m-more fighting! I already s-said that you will not harm him!” C snarled as she spat the words out, each one of her feathers rattling together like a grim wind chime as the static whines pitched even louder and got the worker drone to involuntarily start sinking to his knees in the snow.

[There is no reason to keep a worker drone around!] D roared back in response, her words punctuated by another set of whining whispers that joined in with the first. [I am going to solve this little problem so it will no longer continue to be an issue!]

C's response to her squadmate’s statement was another metallic snarl, getting Beau to flinch as he curled into himself in an attempt to block out the assault of noise around him. One part of him knew he needed to get up and run while he had the chance or at least get behind something besides a single drone to shield himself, but his body refused to move or respond to his commands as it left him stuck in the snow and trembling as he covered his audios from the overwhelming sounds that sent spikes of pain and static crashing over his systems.

There was one more snap and yet another pitch of whispers which was finally enough to draw the worker drone’s attention again. C was still before him but he could see that B had also stepped between C and D as well, rattling his wings that had curled up into the air like an intimidating halo of blades and razor sharp steel.

“Stand down,” B snarled, leaving Beau to guess that he was speaking to D at the moment as he heard a spitting hiss respond and prompt the male Disassembler to rattle his wings in response.

[This entire thing is a mistake and I am going to fix-]

“Stand down,” B ordered in a much louder tone, cutting D off before she could finish speaking as his wings rattled again to emphasize his point. “I’m not going to warn you again, D. I don’t want to fight you again like what happened at the hotel but I’m not going to let you hurt Beau either. We can all still get along if you’ll just try.”

Several seconds passed by in tense silence after he finished speaking, leaving the air feeling charged as no one seemed to dare to make a move after that moment. After the silence had stretched on for what felt like a full minute, Beau removed one of his hands from the side of his head and started to push himself up, but he didn’t get far before another loud snarl out of what he thought was D made him flinch again.

B seemed to take offense to D’s reaction and snapped his wings out of their haloed position to stretch them to their full width instead, a loud and rattling shriek suddenly sounding from him and getting Beau to scream in pain as his hands immediately clapped over the sides of his head again. Even C seemed to react poorly to the screech judging by the way she suddenly jerked and hunched over at an odd angle.

Beau fell backwards into a sitting position and started kicking his feet as he tried to push himself back with just his legs, curling himself up into a tight ball as errors started to swamp over his vision and warn him of system interference and disruption. Every wire in his body started to scream that he needed to move at any cost even if it meant ejecting backwards out of his own casing and yet something was keeping him locked in place and unable to do anything beyond uselessly kicking his feet at the snow.

From what the worker drone could see through the new wave of searing static whipping around his vision, D seemed to have similarly reacted badly to the effects of the noise much like C had judging by the way she had staggered backwards and away from B. Her wings visibly twitched before they folded down against her back, which did a tiny bit of good towards clearing some of the static away from his vision.

The spire fell into silence again from there, but unlike last time there was no more hissing or even hints of aggression out of any of the three Disassemblers, instead seeming far more busy with staring down one another as their tails flicked around. Beau wasn’t sure if that meant they were actually being silent or if they had taken the conversation to an internal messaging thread that he wasn’t privy to at the moment.

After sitting in silence for what felt like an additional full minute, Beau finally decided to chance letting his arms fall away from where they were still holding the sides of his head. He moved his hands to rest in the snow beside him instead, balling them into fists before he started trying to push himself up again but he didn’t get far before his legs and knee joints gave out and sent him crashing back into the snow with a yelp.

The worker drone winced in pain before he started trying to get his limbs under him again, but his systems seemed to not be willing to work and allow him to move properly. He heard clicking before more of the static swamping his vision started to clear away, giving him more visibility as he realized C was turning towards him and crunching through the snow to get to him.

“What is wrong? Are you hurt?” The Disassembler spoke up quietly as she knelt down in the snow beside him, forcing him to focus on his audio filtering to be able to hear her over the faint crackle of static that was still playing over his audios.

“Can’t get my legs under me- Dunno why-” Beau responded quickly, just as whisper-quiet as her as strained to even force the words out of his voice box.

He didn’t know what caused the disturbance to his systems beyond the noise that B had made, but even then he didn’t know how and why a sound would have thrown every single one of his functions out of whack in such a way. He uselessly kicked at the snow again before he felt one of C’s arms wrap around his torso, prompting him to lean back slightly to let her get a proper grip on his clothing.

The Disassembler’s free arm held onto one of his to help keep him steady before she gently and carefully pulled him up to his feet, carefully setting his boots back down on the ground once more. His leg tried to buckle again but he was prevented from falling as she quickly wrapped her arms under his and held him up to keep him standing.

B looked back at the worker drone and his squadmate for a moment with a frown that teetered somewhere between concern and guilt before he turned his back to face D again, his wings flexing and rattling one final time before they folded away to hide inside his back again. Beau was grateful to see more of the static clear away from his vision and his audios as he relaxed slightly.

“I just want everybody to get along, D. That includes Beau too. I want all of us to get along together,” The male Disassembler spoke up as he brought his hand up to once again run his fingers through his hair.

[I do not want to get along with him, B. Have you not been listening to me this entire time? I refuse this turn of developments and I do not have to participate in it if I do not wish to,] D growled back in response as her eyelights narrowed into a hollow and deadly glare again.

“And that’s okay, okay? We just want you to chill out and not try to murder the guy on sight,” B insisted as he held his hands up in a placating gesture.

[What is your suggestion then? I continue to stay here and ignore the worker drone as if he is not standing right there? I have to ignore that the cause of so many of our recent problems is actively right here and running around the only home we have? The only safe space we have?] D questioned as an eyebrow hiked high on her screen.

“I mean… Is it really that hard to ignore him? You’ve been ignoring me for basically a whole week now even though I’ve been walking around and talking to C that entire time and even trying to talk to you!” B continued. “Just… Me and C like him. We want him to hang around. And I respect your comfort and opinion on the matter, I really do, but it’s not just your choice to make. Me and C get a say in what’s going on around here too because it’s our home too.”

Silence fell between the two speaking Disassemblers again, leaving Beau to look between them with a frown as he leaned against C to use her support so he wouldn’t fall backwards against the pod. He glanced up at her, seeing that her eyelights were busy bouncing back and forth between both of her squadmates as well with a concerned frown.

[...Fine then. I see how it is and I see what all of you want. You clearly do not want me around as long as that worker drone is here and causing a headache and, frankly, I do not wish to be taunted by being around food I am not allowed to eat either,] D finally spat with venom before she suddenly whirled around to face the entrance of the spire, not bothering to wait for anyone’s response as she started walking with a brisk pace aided by her height.

“D, wait, that’s not what I-” B called after his squadmate as he chased her out of the entrance, though the rest of his words were lost under the boom that sounded when D suddenly launched herself into the air with her wings.

The male Disassembler shouted under the broken sound barrier and held a hand out to reach towards the sky, but D was already well out of hearing range by the time the yellow blur of movement stopped its ascent and shot off into the distance like a bolt of lightning. Beau leaned on C’s arm for support as they both walked up to join B, the worker drone’s eyelights hollow as he looked up at the sky with both of the remaining Disassemblers.

His thoughts warred with themselves as one part of him felt relieved now that D was gone given the situation they had all just been put through but the other part of him felt a surge of guilt stirring up in the pit of his fuel tank as he thought about the fact that it was his presence that once again caused a huge fight. His eyelights slowly narrowed into a frown as a bitter silver taste burned in the back of his throat again, leaving him feeling a bit sick from all of the stress and anxiety.

Beau was stirred out of his thoughts by the sound of a pair of wings springing free from their hiding space once more. His vision frayed over with static again and the low whining whispers before he focused against the visual disturbance, spotting B with his wings spread wide and crouched down like he was preparing to launch himself into the air after D.

“B, let her g-go for now,” C suddenly spoke up with a loud enough voice to be heard over the pitching whispers produced by her squadmate’s wings. “She is… angry and will w-want her space, I have a feeling.”

B froze in response to her words, though he didn’t turn to look at her yet as he continued to stare up at the sky as if he was considering launching himself up and into the air after D anyway. He was still for a few moments before he slouched in defeat, his wings folding away with a series of clicks before he turned his head to look in C and Beau’s direction, his expression pitiful as his tail sagged into the snow below.

“But I’m worried about her, C… I know she’s angry again but I’m worried about her going out there and running into something while she’s too distracted with her thoughts to pay attention,” He responded before his mouth pulled into an upset frown, a low and warbling whine bubbling out of his chassis soon afterwards.

“I know how you feel because I am… worried about her as well,” C agreed as she put her free hand on her hip. “However… I feel as though try-ing to go after her now may just… upset her even more if she needs some time to herself.”

But what if she’s not back home in time before sunrise? I don’t want her to risk getting caught out in the sun or something like that,” B was quick to respond as his tail spiraled into a knot in the air beside him. “If she gets caught out in the sun and gets hurt, that’s going to be my f-”

“It is not your fault,” C quickly spoke up to stop him before she spared a brief glance downwards to check on Beau as well. “It was… D’s choice to leave on her o-own. I’m sure she will… be watching the time. If not, I trust her to find… a safe place to wait out the sun before coming back in the evening.”

B didn’t look the slightest bit reassured by C’s words, instead only looking more guilty as he shrank into his shoulders. Another whine rattled out of his body, soon followed by a series of other whistles and warbles. The female Disassembler gave him a sympathetic frown before she returned the odd noises with a series of her own, each warble making her casing rumble slightly.

“If it would m-make you feel better, B… I can… go after D myself and try to find her. At the very least, if I cannot convince h-her to come back tonight, I can keep an eye on… her to make sure she is okay and will have a safe place to shelter come morning,” C offered as she tilted her head slightly.

B contemplated his squadmate’s offer, turning his head to look up at the sky and the direction D had flown in as his tail uncurled itself from its stress knot and lashed at the air. He finally turned his head back to meet C’s gaze again, giving her a small nod as his facial features fell into another upset and guilty frown.

“Might not hurt for at least one of us to go check on her…” He agreed quietly as he ran a hand through his hair. “I’m just- Just- C, this is the second time I’ve messed up and made her mad and she marched off without giving me a chance to apologize or explain things. This is exactly how it went down at the hotel too.”

“B… You are not... in the wrong this time. Not in my… opinion,” C noted as her tail lashed at the air, followed soon by the shake of her head. “You merely… told D not to hurt your f-friend. You told her to stop. Technically, by that logic, I told her to stop… as well.”

“And look where that got me!” B stressed, getting both C and Beau to flinch slightly at the sudden reaction before he let out an apologetic whine. “Maybe she was going to forgive me eventually but now? I’d be more surprised if she did forgive me and get over it...”

“And that… is why I’m going to be the one to speak with her. This… feud has gone on for long enough and it is hurting both of you. I am tired of seeing you at each other’s… throats over something so small,” C replied as she looked down at Beau again, her eyelights tracing over his face.

“I’m sorry...” The worker drone spoke up, his voice barely above a whisper. “This whole thing ain’t B’s fault. This one’s my fault ‘cause I’m the one who decided to play risky games an’ sneak outside to come see him.”

“I would argue… this confrontation was D’s fault instead of either of your faults,” C commented as she shook her head again. “She is… caught up in the past still. She will come around with time and some… care, I believe.”

The Disassembler gave Beau a light nudge with her arm, her mouth stretching into a thin and gentle smile. Her fuzzy eyelights implied that she was still feeling a bit frazzled by the entire situation but nothing about her tone or body language conveyed that she was angry at him or even B.

“That being said… I should… likely go find D now before she gets too far. I want to be back in time to let you know what she said and take shelter from the sun,” C spoke up again as she directed her attention back to her squadmate.

“You sure you don’t want me to go look for her instead?” B asked as his tail lashed at the snow behind him, kicking up a spray of the frozen mixture against the back of his legs that he didn’t seem to mind.

“I still think… it is best if I try to speak with her for now. At least for tonight,” C responded before she gave a small smile. “Perhaps you can… stay here with Beau and talk some more if you would both like that.”

B gave a small nod as he stood up a bit straighter and approached the entrance of the spire again, his tail dragging the ground behind him and leaving a groove in the snow where the canister’s weight pressed down. His eyelights bounced between C and Beau as his facial features pulled into another defeated pout.

“Are you really sure you’re going to be okay going out alone to look for D?” B questioned as his eyelights narrowed slightly. “Nothing feels out of place, right? I don’t want you to be flying back and then crash right before the sun’s about to come out because your wings suddenly pick right then to lock up on you.”

“You have seen how… I have been moving around tonight. I appreciate your concern but I will be fine. I believe everything is… in full working order as it should be today so you do not have to keep fretting about me,” C replied as her tail curled towards B, lightly thumping the canister against his shoulder. “Besides… I can send you a message if anything happens while I’m out or if… it looks like I will not be back in time before the sun rises.”

B was quiet for several long seconds as his tail curled into another stressed knot where it was resting on top of the snow at his feet. His gaze slowly looked between both his squadmate and his friend again before he sighed and gave a small nod as he stepped to the side to be out of the way.

“Just… be careful, please. You know I trust you but I don’t want you getting caught out and hurt either,” He spoke softly as he ran his fingers through his hair.

C nodded back in response before she directed her attention to Beau once more, gently taking his arms into her grip. The sudden touch made him freeze as he looked up at her, though he didn’t yank his arms away despite his instincts trying to scream at him to do so in that moment of startled surprise.

“I am… sorry to cut our time short, Beau. I enjoyed meeting you but… I should go find D and see how she is doing now. Can you stand on your own yet?” She asked as she continued to gently hold his arms.

Beau slowly leaned back from the Disassembler and gently wiggled his arms to ask her to loosen her grip so he could attempt to stand in place without any support, prompting her to gently let go of him as she kept her arms nearby in clear preparation to catch him should he start falling again. He wobbled a bit as he tested stepping left and right and then back again which got the taller drone to tense, but he never did lose his balance completely.

“I think I got it… Sorry ‘bout that bein’ the second time y’all had to help me move ‘round the spire though. My whole body just froze an’ wouldn’t do anything,” Beau muttered as he brought his hand up to adjust his hat.

“It is… perfectly fine. You do not have to apologize. It was… not your fault,” C responded as she drew her arms up to rest them closer to her chest again.

“Still reckon I feel a lil’ guilty ‘bout it though. Between forcin’ you both to help me ‘round an’ then comin’ in here an’ causin’ another huge shake up with D… Especially since B’s real upset about that now,” Beau continued with a frown as he flipped the brim of his hat back enough to give him a more clear view of C’s optical array.

“I will speak with D and… get things cleared up. It will be okay,” C stated as she reached one hand out for his free arm, giving it a gentle squeeze in an attempt to be reassuring. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

The worker drone frowned slightly as he looked up at the Disassembler. His balance still felt a tiny bit off, but even then he was feeling just as shaky under her and B’s gazes. He had long since stopped paying attention to the glowing red faces of the lost souls forming the walls around him if just to preserve his own peace of mind just a bit longer, but the knowledge that they were still there and arguably looking in his direction made him feel even smaller combined with the Disassemblers’ gazes.

“Still kinda sorry it happened though even if it ain’t my fault. At least not intentionally… I just wanted to come out here an’ meet B. I know I coulda texted him at any time ‘cause I still had his number but I wanted to meet him face to face for some different reasons,” Beau added as he shrank slightly into his shoulders.

“Stop with that. I have… said you do not need to apologize and I will continue repeating it if I must,” C cut in before the worker drone could get any more words in, gently squeezing his arm again. “Now… I really do need to go catch up… with D now before it gets closer to sunrise. I’ll have to leave you with… B for now.”

“That’s okay, C. I ain’t mad at you or anybody else. I know you gotta go do stuff… An’ I hope you manage to find her too,” Beau said as he gave the taller drone a small nod, earning a nod in return as she gave him a soft smile.

“Thank you. It was a pleasure to meet you. I am… sorry about all of the mess that has happened… here tonight. If you are… still here by the time I get back, I will spend a bit more time chatting with… you but you are not obligated to stay if you must be going back home to your colony soon,” C commented, giving the worker drone’s arm one last careful squeeze before she finally pulled her hand away.

Beau nodded in response to C’s statement to acknowledge what she said before he narrowed his eyelights slightly. He briefly turned his attention inwards to check what the time was on his internal clock, tilting his head slightly to the side as the digital numbers blazed to life on the inside of his optics and took up part of his vision.

“I probably do need to be headin’ on back eventually… Least ‘fore the sun starts comin’ up. I promised some friends I was gonna be back soon or else one of ‘em might tell my parents somethin’ happened to me,” The worker drone replied as he started to fidget with the brim of his hat again, flipping the stiff piece of fabric back and forth between two of his fingers.

“That is… perfectly fine if you must go back home to your colony before daybreak,” C stated as she gave a small nod. “Perhaps… you will… come back to see us another night if we did not scare you too badly? I enjoyed your company.”

Beau’s lips pursed at that as he let that question revolve an extra round in his thought processes. His voice box was spitting out his answer before his words even reached his conscious thoughts.

“I wanna come on back, yeah,” The worker drone replied quickly before his processor finally caught up, getting him to slightly slap his open palm to his face in an attempt to slow both his racing thoughts and his core that was starting to race in his chest once more.

He took a deep vent as he tried to gather his thoughts again, hearing at least a brief snicker out of B.

“I mean- Sometime… Maybe. If y’all will have me ‘round. I don’t wanna risk settin’ off D again if she’s gonna be hangin’ ‘round, but… If there’s any time where she’s out for a while I wouldn’t mind comin’ on back or at least meetin’ up with one of ya away from the spire,” Beau continued after he had managed to gather his thoughts. “It might be a while ‘fore I can safely sneak back out here again ‘cause like I said I had to do somethin’ real sneaky to get out here in the first place, but...”

The worker drone let that statement trail off and into the cold winds because he doubted he needed to finish it to get his point across. Both of the Disassemblers seemed to have perked up with the idea even if the changes in behavior were subtle.

One part of Beau found himself appreciating their tails and how much easier they made it to read their moods. C was the first to break the silence yet again as she clasped both of her hands together and smiled even brighter, her eyelights closing on her screen as her head dipped slightly to the side.

“That sounds lovely, Beau. I would… enjoy another visit from you. I assure you I will not accidentally hurt you next time, though...”

The worker drone got the feeling her statement was supposed to be taken in a slight bit of jest judging by the tone she had spoken it in, though a look of guilt still managed to briefly flutter across her features before being replaced once more by the bright and inviting smile.

“I’m still alive. I’m gonna be just fine. I can probably hit up someone back in the colony for some repairs an’ fix all the cracks good as new,” Beau assured her as a small smile tugged on his faceplate. “I can even text B an’ let him know I made it back home safe an’ then he can tell you too.”

C visibly relaxed a bit more again before she gave a nod and another warm smile, moving her hand up to her cheek as if she needed help setting her head upright again. She looked between the worker drone and her squadmate for a moment, giving them both a small nod before she turned as if she had just now remembered she really did need to be going to hunt down their frustrated squadmate that had previously stormed out of the spire minutes ago.

“I would like that, Beau. But… I really must be going now… before I get distracted once more. Have a… good rest of your night and day tomorrow, yes? We will… see you another time if you come back for another visit,” She spoke up over her shoulder, starting the steps to walk out of the threshold of the spire’s entrance.

“Night, C. I… really enjoyed meetin’ all of y’all too. D maybe a lil’ less since she kinda threatened to take my head off again, but… Enjoyed meetin’ you an’ B a lot. You go on an’ have a good night too,” Beau called after Disassembler as she stepped out of the entrance.

He thought he heard C giggle, muffled by the distance between the two of them. The happy sound made just a bit of warmth radiate through his systems despite the freezing wind.

Beau and B both continued to stand at the entrance of the spire as they waved to C, watching as she waved back in response. She continued to step through the snow before she paused in the middle of the empty street, turning back around long enough to look at the two drones standing by and watching her.

She gave both of them a smile, her gaze and happy grin seeming to grow just a bit brighter as her attention lingered on the worker drone a bit longer than her squadmate. Just as quickly as she had paused and turned around, her wings suddenly came free from her back in a display of sleek and rattling feathers that reflected the moonlight above her.

Beau tried not to stare for too long as she stretched her wings out to full length and gave them a light test flap to verify that they were still working correctly. He told himself it was because of the way staring at the outstretched flight-capable weapons made the fraying static come back to his vision, but at the same time he couldn’t seem to explain to himself why he was still staring.

Or maybe he didn’t want to admit to himself why he was staring.

C’s smile stretched even wider before she brought her hand up in a very brief gesture that the worker drone might have called a salute. With that done, she suddenly propelled herself up into the air without another moment’s notice, leaving behind a booming crack in the air in her wake that had Beau clutching at the sides of his head again in reflex.

The resulting shockwave of wind left behind by her wings also threatened to throw the worker drone off balance, but B’s hand caught him by the back of the head and held him upright before he could tip backwards.

“Guess that just leaves me and you now, cowboy. No telling how long it’s gonna take C to find D,” B commented as he carefully pushed the worker drone back upright and flat onto his boots again. “C’s fast and can cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time but D’s pretty good at not being found when she doesn’t wanna be found.”

“D kinda sounds like one of my best friends back home then,” Beau commented as he gave a small nod to thank the Disassembler for catching him. “...Not the one you saw at the hotel, I mean. My other friend didn’t come with us on that scavengin’ trip ‘cause he had other things to do an’ was busy. But that guy’s just as good ‘bout bein’ able to up an’ disappear when he wants to.”

B hummed thoughtfully at that as his tail swept through the snow at his feet, kicking some of it up into the air with the force of the movement. Beau bit back the verbal complaint that wanted to leave him as some of the frozen mixture was sprayed against his own legs and boots.

The Disassembler was looking outside of the spire again, his eyelights focused on nothing as the worker drone guessed his optical array was either watching the snowfall or looking after the skies where D and C had departed to.

“Hey… I got an idea,” B suddenly spoke up again to break the brief lull of silence, turning his head to look down at his worker drone companion. “You wanna get out of here for a little bit and go look around? Walk and talk? Might help you and me feel a little better now that we’re not in a rush to get somewhere.”

Beau narrowed his eyelights at this offer as he watched B point his thumb out towards the street. The worker drone let the thought stew in his processor for a moment as he studied his taller friend and the expectant look he was being given.

He once again took a moment to check the time on his internal clock before he let his gaze wander, taking in the sight of the spire around him and the landing pod nestled in the center of the space behind him. After a few more moments of getting his final looks of the area, he finally turned back to the Disassembler with a small smile.

“Sure. Goin’ for a lil’ walk sounds great right about now. I’d like that,” Beau replied, getting B to nod in response to the answer before he motioned for him to follow.

With that, both Disassembler and worker drone turned on their heels and started to crunch out onto the snow covered asphalt outside, leaving the shadow of the spire looming behind them.

Chapter Text

For the first several minutes of their walk, neither Beau nor B seemed interested in making an effort to break the silence that followed them as they instead opted to simply enjoy each other’s presence while they walked along one of the old roads that would have been driven on many years ago while the humans still occupied the planet. The wind whistled between the broken windows of old and rusted cars while the snow crunched beneath them, providing some white noise to help break the silence.

Beau appreciated the silence for a bit because it gave him some time to gather his thoughts and try to calm his nerves, though it started to make him feel a bit more worried that he had managed to upset his Disassembler friend during all of this too given how the initial offer had been to walk and talk. It left him anxiously staring at the back of the taller drone’s head as he followed him through the city streets.

“...Whatcha staring at, cowboy? Did I get something on my back or something?” B suddenly asked after another minute of silence, getting Beau to jump as he only just realized the Disassembler must have been able to see him staring the entire time.

As if to confirm his suspicion, the worker drone could have sworn he saw one of the yellow optics on B’s head glow just a bit brighter for a moment.

“Nah… Nothin’s on yer back,” Beau assured as he rubbed his thumbs against the straps of his backpack, staying close behind the Disassembler as the two walked.

B gave a small nod to acknowledge his statement, though he didn’t seem to be interested in making any attempt to speak himself as he continued to silently crunch through the snow along their path. It took the worker drone a minute to realize that B was most likely waiting for him to elaborate or explain what was on his mind.

“I was just… thinkin’ a lil’, I guess. Thinkin’ ‘but everything that’s happened tonight an’ all that,” Beau continued, glancing down towards the ground as he listened to a patch of ice cracking beneath his boot.

“...You wanna talk about it?” B asked as his tail curled up in the air, briefly flicking the canister back and forth.

“Just… thinkin’ ‘bout the whole turn of events with D an’ things like that,” Beau responded quietly as he once again adjusted the straps of his backpack, attempting to get them into a position where they weren’t actively digging into his shoulder injuries.

“Right… Can’t really blame you there given how much crazy stuff has happened tonight...” B agreed quietly as he let out a sigh, sending a visible plume of steam into the air above his head.

“B?”

“Man, this night has really been something, huh? First, you sneak out here, then I take you to the spire and totally fumble warning C ahead of time which got you hurt, then D showed up and that massively blew up in all of our faces… Been a hell of a night,” The Disassembler commented as he brought his hand up to run his fingers through his hair yet again.

“Woulda been a lil’ less chaos had I just stayed inside like I’ve been sayin’… but I have a feelin’ yer gonna fight me on that if we get back on that topic again,” Beau said as he tilted his head slightly.

“I can and I will fight you on that. Don’t test me,” B replied as he pulled his hand free from his hair, instead using it to waggle one of his fingers in the air to emphasize his point.

Beau couldn’t help but let out a quiet chuckle at that which got the Disassembler to chuckle as they both continued to walk through the accumulated snow on the way to whatever destination the taller drone’s stride was currently taking them to. They lapsed into a calm silence after the giggling had died down, leaving the only sounds to be the crunching footsteps and the whistling wind again.

“...Different topic time now?” The worker drone asked as he raised an eyebrow on his screen.

“Different topic time now,” B agreed as he flicked his tail against the ground a safe distance away from his worker drone companion, sending a spray of snow into the air.

Beau nodded in response to the statement as he squinted slightly at the feeling of some of the disturbed snow spraying onto him again due to the direction of the wind. He shook it off soon afterwards as he instead focused on following his taller friend, letting his gaze break away to look around and take in the sight of the abandoned city around them.

He was fairly sure they were walking on what would have been a sort of major road through the city given how wide it was and how many old vehicles were still lined up along the street and frozen in time with frost and debris. If he looked in the right cars as they both passed by, he could still see some of the flash frozen skeletons sitting inside the vehicles at either the wheels themselves or in the various passenger seats.

He frowned as he watched one of the skeletons in particular as they walked along the road, noting how the remains were posed in such a way that it looked like the human had been driving before they met their sudden end. He found himself wondering if some of the humans knew that the end was coming and had been trying to get away from it or if every car he could see with a skeleton had once contained a human going about their daily business before their lives ended in an instant.

Beau frowned and finally managed to tear his gaze away from the abandoned vehicles, a shiver running up and down his spinal strut as he shook his head to shake the depressing thoughts away. His other thoughts tumbled around in his head and played over themselves as his process tried to sort through too many feelings and questions at once, though he finally settled on one as he fixed his eyelights on the back of B's head again.

“...There any reason why C's wearin' a maid dress? I see that yer wearin' kinda formal clothes too with that tie an' blazer but...”

"Seriously?” The taller drone questioned, his expression blank as he threw the gaze of his eyelights over his shoulder to stare at Beau.

“I mean- I was kinda curious-” The worker drone replied as he shrank into his shoulders with a small yet nervous grin.

“You have the chance to ask me anything about the outside world or us disassembly drones and you opt to ask me about C’s fashion sense??”

“It was the first neutral topic I could come up with on short notice!!” Beau insisted as he waved his hands around in front of him, getting B to slap a hand to his own visor as he let out a groan in response to the worker drone's statement.

“You're an absolute dork, you know that?” B responded, though there was a tease behind his tone.

His tail suddenly lashed at the snow again, sending a spray of snow flying onto Beau that he was almost sure was intentional. The worker drone managed to pull his hat down in enough time to effectively shield his visor from the frozen mixture.

“I might be a dork but I reckon I'm a curious dork too,” He replied as he shook his hat out to get the snow off of it and returned it to his head.

Beau could almost feel the eyelight rolling that B gave him even though the Disassembler had his back to him again, which was enough to give the worker drone squinting as he stuck his tongue out slightly. The taller drone suddenly spun to the side at a certain degree on his heels before he marched off the road and into the snow again, forcing Beau to hurry to catch up with him as he nearly slipped on a patch of ice.

“I'll be honest with you, I'm not totally sure why C wears that old dress either,” B began as he ran one of his hands through his hair again, continuing to follow a path only he knew.

Beau caught his balance after his near slippage and continued to follow the Disassembler, his eyelights brightening as he listened intently to the taller drone with a sense of clear curiosity about him.

“Me and D settled into other clothing styles as you can probably tell by looking at us compared to C, but... I think she still likes being able to hold on to that little piece of the past. I've never asked her about it but I've always assumed it reminds her of home,” B continued as he rested his free hand on his hip, still continuing to lead the worker drone behind him.

“...Reminds her of home? Y’mean... before y'all got here in that spaceship?” Beau questioned as he narrowed his eyelights, getting the feeling that he was dangerously teetering on the edge of intensely private information but curious all the same.

“Yep,” B responded simply with a pop of his mouth, failing to elaborate further as he continued to crunch through the snow with a clear destination in mind judging by his stride.

The worker drone started to chew on his lip as he weighed the potential benefits of keeping quiet or trying to press for a bit more information to both sate his curiosity and find out more about his new friends. All of his previous thoughts were quickly put on hold, however, as his optics locked onto the sight of a sizable and decorated fountain in the distance where the Disassembler was currently leading him.

Beau's jaw dropped in awe as the duo neared the fountain, now able to properly see all the intricate detailing and work that had gone into the walls of its well and the spouts along the top. Like the vast majority of liquids on Copper-9, the fountain's water had likely frozen solid years ago during the initial flash freeze from the core collapse, but it left an ethereal view of the permanently frozen in time arches of water that were currently glittering with the moonlight that was bathing the area.

He was fairly certain he had seen this particular fountain before in some of the pictures B had sent him before, but he was quickly realizing that seeing it in person could hardly be compared to seeing a photograph of it. The sight was absolutely breathtaking to him.

“I like to come here sometimes when I'm thinking about stuff or when I have some time to just sit and relax for a bit,” B's voice suddenly cut into his thoughts, getting the worker drone to look at him.

B approached the side of the fountain before he curled his tail, using it to sweep off a chunk of snow from the masonry so he'd have a flat surface to sit on. His eyelights found Beau again as he turned to sit, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his blazer.

“I thought you might think it was pretty cool too. Makes a good hangout spot,” The taller drone added before he blew a puff of steam out into the air.

Beau continued to stare at the beautiful fountain for a few moments before he snapped out of his trance, nodding in agreement with B's statement. The Disassembler's tail curled up again and knocked a huge chunk of snow away from the top of the fountain to give Beau a place to sit before he sat down on the stone a few spaces away.

“Pictures sure as hell didn't do it as much justice as seein' the real thing, that's for damn sure...” Beau commented softly as he placed his hands on the cold stone on either side of him, allowing himself to enjoy the view as he stared out over the light snowfall and the cold winds rattling a few distant road signs.

B nodded in agreement as he rested his arms in his lap, clasping his hands together before he started twiddling his thumbs. The fact that his head was turning and his eyelights were moving around implied to Beau that the Disassembler was looking around and enjoying the scenery as well, but he had no idea what the taller drone's full optical array was currently focusing on.

Beau started to slowly swing his feet back and forth where he sat, his legs having been forced to dangle a bit due to his average worker drone height versus how tall the fountain was. Silence had grown between the two drones again which gave him some time to sort through the thoughts in his processor, though there were still far too many of them all tugging at him at once and demanding answers.

The worker drone continued to stare out at the scenery for a short while before he turned his gaze to B again, watching as the taller drone stared out into the city as well. The Disassembler seemed to notice he was staring after a few moments had passed judging by the way he turned his head slightly to acknowledge him.

“You're staring at me again, cowboy,” B pointed out, getting Beau to break out of his light trance again as he blinked and reached up to sheepishly pull his hat down.

“...I wanted to ask... Where did y'all come from?” The worker drone tried, his gaze having moved away from the Disassembler to instead stare at some of the distant vehicles in what he guessed used to be a parking lot once upon a time.

“Where did we come from? Our landing pod obviously. You saw it with your own two optics,” B responded, a sharp and toothy smirk quickly starting to spread across his faceplate in response to the look that the drone immediately fired in his direction.

“You know exactly what I meant,” Beau responded in a flat tone, the corners of his mouth quivering as he fought off the urge to grin as well.

“Hmm... I don't know if I know, cowboy... You might have to use your words and spell it out for me,” The Disassembler playfully teased again, his smirk and look of amusement unrestrained as he leaned forward to dodge a handful of snow that the worker drone tried to toss at his face.

“C'mon, now yer just teasin' me by this point an' bein' a jerk,” Beau fired back in response before he stuck his tongue out at the taller drone. Despite his best efforts to fight off the grin, his mouth was still managing to tug into a smile against his will.

B didn't bother to try to deny the accusations this time, instead leveling a wide and sharp grin at his friend as his tail started to slowly sway back and forth in amusement. Beau slowly looked away from the Disassembler as if he were getting distracted by the scenery before he suddenly tried to sneakily launch another hastily wadded snowball at the taller drone, narrowly missing again as B dipped backwards and let the snowball fly over him.

The Disassembler stared back at Beau with an even sharper smirk after he watched the snowball fly overhead, getting the worker drone to narrow his eyelights in response to the look. Both drones held their stares with each other before they broke out into light chuckles, continuing their laughter until Beau finally winced and hugged his injured side with one arm.

”Nothing like a little bit of fun to break up the heavy mood,” B commented as he placed his hand on the fountain beside him, kicking at some of the snow by his feet.

“Fun until the laughin' an' shakin' makes things start hurtin' a lil' again,” Beau replied as he let out a huff, his free hand coming up to adjust and straighten his hat again.

B glanced over at Beau long enough to stick his tongue out at the shorter drone, not looking at all apologetic for the situation before he turned his head away again to stare out into the falling snow. His foot found a particularly big pile of snow in range of where he was sitting and gave it a hard kick, sending a spray of glittering flakes into the moonlight.

“...Okay, no more jokes though. I'll answer some questions for real now if you really want me to. Can't guarantee I'll have an answer to everything but you can shoot now,” He spoke up quietly.

Beau chewed on the corner of his lip as he turned his gaze to meet the taller drone again, attempting to get a read on the Disassembler's mood or facial expression. He carefully scooped up another pile of snow in his hands to fidget with it, letting it trickle out and fall between his fingers as he looked down towards the ground.

“...Can I ask 'bout where y'all came from then? Like I was tryin' to do earlier 'fore all of the jokes started up? Or is that one kinda in the off limits department?” The worker drone asked equally quietly as if he were afraid he might upset his friend by asking the wrong questions.

“Yep, figured that one was coming...” The taller drone mused aloud as he clasped his hands together in his lap and closed his eyelights. “We’re from Earth originally. That’s probably not surprising though because the humans had to put us together and then shove us into those deathtrap landing pods somewhere out there in the galaxy.”

Beau slowly tightened his hands into fists as he listened to B, squeezing and crunching the last few wads of snow that he had left in his hands as he took a moment to run his friend’s words through his processor again. He didn’t miss the way the Disassembler’s tail canister flicked back and forth towards the end of his explanation.

“...That makes sense. Ain’t that the planet where the humans originally came from?” Beau asked as he tilted his head slightly, raising an eyebrow.

“I think so but who's keeping track when I think they're all over the solar system and beyond by now or something,” B responded as he shrugged his shoulders, finding another small snow mound to kick over. “They were still around on Earth, by the way. Didn’t get frozen off the face of the planet unlike here unless somethin’ happened since we got sent here.”

“But... Wait... If y'all came from Earth... Were there worker drones there y'all were, you know... sent after? Or were you only there long enough for them humans to ship y'all straight off to Copper-9 with the rest of us here?” Beau continued, starting to fidget with the brim of his hat between two fingers.

B crossed his arms as he listened to his friend's torrent of questions, his tail curling to start drawing shapes in the snow with the barb of the canister as he gave another shrug in response to most of the questions that were presented to him as part of that same string of words. Beau seemed to catch on after a moment that he was launching a barrage before he decided to slow down, giving the taller drone a silent apologetic look in response.

“They had us doing some little things for them up until all three of us got shoved into that pod and then shot here. Held onto me long enough to download a star map into my head and off we went,” B finally responded after the questioning had slowed down, still continuing to trace shapes into the snow with his tail.

Beau couldn't help but find himself curious about what all of the supposed little things were, but he started to chew on his lip again as he weighed the benefits of pressing. He could guess the simple response had been the Disassembler's deliberate attempt to step around the particular questions he had asked so he had a feeling trying to unravel that thread would only upset him.

He continued to chew on that thought for a moment before he decided against pressing it, instead frowning as he brought one of his hands up to scratch the back of his head. Silence was starting to stretch between the two again as Beau tried to think of what to ask next that wouldn't cross over the line, which left him feeling a bit awkward as he averted his gaze from his Disassembler friend and busied himself with staring at the snow instead.

B seemed to notice that the conversation had lulled, leaving him staring out at the snowfall for a minute before his eyelights drifted to look over to the other drone. He let out a heavy sigh that sent a visible cloud of steam fluttering into the wind as his tail curled up to rest in the snow beside him.

“...You can keep asking me questions, you know. I didn't say you had to stop,” He noted as his eyelights pulled into a frown.

“I know ya didn't say stop, but... I'm kinda gettin' the feelin' that ain't a topic you'd be too happy to continue right now which tells me I'm gonna need to find some other questions or somethin' to start tossin' yer way,” Beau responded with a small shrug of his shoulders, still avoiding the Disassembler's gaze as his eyes traced over what he thought would have been an intricate stone pathway once upon a time judging by the way the snow was indented on its surface.

“Still didn't mean you had to actually and totally just clam up and not say anything at all. I wasn't trying to tell you that you had to shut up or something,” B countered as he reached up to run his fingers through his hair, starting to feel the awkwardness of the silence settling over him as well.

The worker drone nodded slightly to acknowledge B's statement, though he still didn't make an effort to look at the Disassembler as he fidgeted with the brim of his hat instead. A few more moments of silence passed between them both before Beau finally leaned back and tilted his head up to look at the starry night sky above.

“I think we're both kinda still, y'know, shaken up over that whole thing with D an' all... Or at least I am. Kinda gettin' the feelin' yer still pretty shook up by it all too 'cause you looked real upset 'fore we left the spire,” He muttered quietly as he allowed the falling snowflakes above to land on his visor and faceplate.

“Come on, cowboy... Didn't I already say different topic time earlier? You don't have to start beating yourself up again over my mistakes,” B commented as he turned his head to face his friend again, raising an eyebrow as his tail canister lightly thumped the snow at his feet.

“I know... I know ya said different topic time but I'm gonna be honest with ya. I'm really strugglin' to come up with somethin' else to say or what else to ask 'bout 'cause I'm kinda strugglin' to gather my thoughts up an'... I wanna be careful 'bout avoidin' the minefield of topics you clearly don't wanna talk 'bout or discuss,” Beau replied as he continued to stare up at the falling slow, balling his hands into fists where they rested on top of the fountain's edge.

B frowned as he listened to the other drone, making a sheepish look before he let out a heavy hiss of a sigh. Both of his arms came up to cross themselves behind his head, leaving him to stretch as he bent backwards slightly to pop some of his joints.

“...Both of us really are bad at this whole conversation thing, huh? I mean, come on- How does this keep happening?!” B questioned as he continued his stretch in the form of raising his arms above his head, his tail starting to uncoil as well before it lightly lashed at the snow once more.

“Because I ain't good at holdin' down a conversation an' comin' up with things on the spot evidently an' yer kinda forcin' me to play 'guess an' find out if ya get an answer or get stabbed in the neck for guessin' wrong' or somethin' like that,” Beau replied as he lolled his head over to the side to rest his faceplate against his shoulder joint, sounding only partially sarcastic as he stared at the taller drone.

"Ouch, cowboy. Way to make me feel bad about kind of sucking at playing twenty questions! I already knew I kind of sucked at this game but you didn't... have to...” B started to tease back in response, though his voice slowly trailed off as he turned his head enough to catch a glimpse of Beau.

The worker drone noticed the way his friend trailed off and sat up straighter as he raised an eyebrow, though his look of confusion and sarcasm quickly started to melt away into a look of genuine concern as he watched the way B's eyelights dimmed and hollowed out before turning into a frown that tried to avoid the shorter drone's gaze. Beau finally sat up the rest of the way before he turned himself the best he could on the uneven seating to face the Disassembler properly.

“...B? What’s the matter? The look on yer face is makin’ it look like you’ve seen some kinda ghost or somethin,” Beau spoke up quietly as he studied his friend with his own hollow eyelights.

B jumped slightly at the sound of the worker drone’s voice, leaning back slightly as if he had just remembered the other drone was still sitting there and still with him. His fuzzy eyelights studied Beau for a long moment before he took in a deep vent, bringing a hand up to rub his visor as he frowned.

“I'm fine. I just...” He finally mumbled in response to Beau's question before he closed his eyelights, shaking his head slightly.

“...You just what? Did I say somethin' wrong?”

“Nah, it wasn't anything you said wrong... You didn't do anything wrong,” The Disassembler replied quietly, letting his head hang against his hand as he rested and thumped his tail against the snow again.

“Then... What's the matter? Did somethin' bad happen?” Beau pressed as he brought one of his hands up to fidget with the brim of his hat once more.

B was quiet for a few moments as he let the silence hang in the air, though he finally let out a slow sigh as he lifted his head from his hand to meet Beau's concerned gaze again. The worker drone raised an eyebrow as he continued to fidget with the brim of his hat, giving the taller drone an expectant but not forceful stare.

“Nothing bad happened... I was just thinking about something,” The Disassembler responded quietly again as his tail lashed at the snow around his feet.

He ran his hand through his hair again for a moment before he balled his hand into a fist, resting it over the top of his head as though trying to decide where he wanted to go with his next statement. Beau’s mouth pulled into a thin line as he watched his friend and silently debated if it was worth the risk to push the topic.

“...You sure it wasn't nothin' bad? I was bein' serious when I said it looked like you'd seen a ghost or somethin' like that,” The worker drone tried again quietly.

“You just, uh...” B started before he lightly gripped his hair in apparent frustration judging by the look on his visor, though Beau couldn't tell if the frustration was directed at him or something else.

“Don't gotta talk 'bout it if you really don't want to... I just wanna make sure yer okay,” Beau spoke softly as he held onto his hat. “Last time I'm gonna push it if ya really need me to go an' drop it now.”

“That, uh... That little head tilt thing you did a minute ago… That just... kinda reminded me of somebody else that does the head tilt thing like that... or at least used to do that,” The taller drone mumbled in response, flinching slightly as he did so as if he hadn't meant to start talking.

Beau blinked as he listened to B and took in the tone of his voice and the facial expression that he was currently making. He took a moment to run the Disassembler's words through his processor again before his thoughts started to drift back to what he had seen inside the pod and what D had said during their confrontation in the spire.

“...This 'bout that fourth member of yer group D was talkin' 'bout?” He asked quietly as though the words were fragile, preemptively shrinking into his shoulders as he waited to see what B’s reaction to the question was going to be.

The low pitching whine and hiss of static that left B in response to the question was all the confirmation Beau needed in of itself, but that left the worker drone unsure of what to say from there or how to backpedal away from what had already been proven to be an incredibly sensitive subject. He stewed on those thoughts for what felt like a short eternity before he opened his mouth with the intent to apologize, though he was cut off by the sight of the Disassembler holding up a finger to tell him to wait.

“Yeah, it's... It's about that... I guess that part wasn't exactly subtle, was it? You figured that out pretty quick and stuff back in the pod with the little memorial we had...” B spoke quietly as he lowered his finger, instead curling his hand back into a fist.

Beau immediately flinched, shrinking further into his shoulders as his eyelights started trying to avoid the Disassembler. He had figured it was a possibility that the fourth member of their group didn't exist anymore given what D had been saying during the argument, but somehow hearing confirmation of it made the realization settle on his shoulders like a lead weight, especially so when he thought about how much he had been prodding out of curiosity.

“They're not dead if that's what you're worried about!” The Disassembler quickly cut into Beau's thoughts before he could think too much, though the taller drone looked unsure of his assurance shortly afterwards. “Okay, I don't... know how they're doing, to be honest... but they weren't dead the last time we all saw them. Let's put it that way at least.”

The worker drone's mouth opened and closed as he attempted to process B's statement, attempting to decide whether he was supposed to keep quiet and continue listening or if that was his invitation to start speaking again. He started to fidget with the brim of his hat again as he decided to opt for silence, leaving the deafening lack of noise to settle into the space between both drones again.

Neither worker drone nor Disassembler made an attempt to say anything else for a long moment, leaving them both staring at one another as a set of dim hollow eyelights bore into a set of bright hollow eyelights. Both drones had settled into nervous fidgeting with one playing with his hat and starting to pull it down over his visor while the other was running his thumb across the knuckle joints of his balled up fist.

A click suddenly sounded after a few more moments of stretching silence, getting Beau to blink in confusion as he attempted to place the noise to the source of it. He quickly got his answer and nearly fell off of the fountain with how hard he jerked backwards out of reflex at the sight of the Disassembler's fist swapping out for a pair of glinting talons.

“B, I-” Beau stammered as his eyes locked firmly on the sharp claws that snapped and clicked together to interrupt him, getting him to flinch and whimper quietly.

“Settle down, cowboy. I'm not going to hurt you, promise,” The taller drone said before he looked down at his talons with his own frown, curling and flexing the blades for a moment before he lifted his tail from the snow beneath him.

Beau continued to lean away slightly from the other drone as he frowned at the claws, though his shoulders did sag a bit to indicate that he had relaxed a bit more. His eyelights warily found B’s lifted tail next as he found himself briefly wondering if he should move out of stinging range, though he chose to trust that the Disassembler wasn’t going to hurt him.

“...I thought… maybe I crossed a line or somethin’ an’ made you mad...” He muttered quietly as he moved his hands down to rest on the fountain on either side of him, still keeping B’s tail in his field of view as his eyelights stared at the taller drone.

“I’m not mad at you,” B assured as he slowly flexed his talons again, his eyelights framing themselves in a half lidded stare as he seemed to stare through his hand rather than at it. “I’m just… thinking about the past and stuff now.”

“I’m… sorry I brought the other person up an’ all of that… Should’ve learned my lesson ‘bout it back in the pod when I asked about the pile of stuff an’ you an’ C looked so freaked out so I’m sorry ‘bout that part,” Beau said as he started to slowly kick his feet back and forth.

“You didn’t know the first time so I’m not mad about that either. Not like I ever went out of my way to mention a fourth person,” The Disassembler counted as he finally let his arms fall into his lap, angling the blades away to avoid cutting himself.

“Yeah, but… I still sorta brought it up… Technically I even asked ‘bout it again a lil’ bit ago,” Beau pointed out as he slowly kicked his feet, finally turning his head away from B to watch the snowfall again so he wouldn’t have to guiltily meet his friend’s gaze.

“Again, I’m not gonna fault you for it. You’re just being curious and all of that and I technically did promise to answer all of your questions or whatever,” B sighed as he leaned back, sending another cloud of steam into the air as he threw his head back. “Plus, you were worried about me after I kind of freaked out for a second there.”

“I didn’t… mean to do that, by the way. I like kinda doin’ that lil’ head tilt look with some of my other friends when I’m bein’ sarcastic. Kinda a habit I picked up from my Ma I think ‘cause she does that a lot… I didn’t know it was gonna dredge up bad memories for ya or I wouldn’t have done that...”

“How many times am I gonna have to tell you that you didn’t know and it’s fine? You’re gonna force me to sound like a broken record at this point, cowboy,” B commented as he narrowed his eyelights, his claws briefly clicking together. “But… Yeah... That guy had a habit of doing the head tilt thing too so I guess I kinda just… saw them for a second when I saw you doing that out of the corner of my optics.”

Beau made a small nod to acknowledge the Disassembler’s statement, still making an effort to not look at him as he continued to watch the snow and found himself starting to fidget with the straps of his backpack again. The taller drone’s tail lowered back towards the ground, soon resting in the snow beneath his feet.

“Haven’t seen ‘em since Earth so we made a little small pile of stuff,” B continued without prompting, giving a small shrug as his tail rested in a coil. “We actually do play the board games there sometimes or read the books, but… I don’t know. I guess you could call it a bunch of sentimental stuff or something. It was C’s idea and me and D agreed to help her put it together because it made her feel better.”

Beau was quiet as he let his friend speak, giving another small nod to acknowledge the statement. He continued to slowly kick his feet back and forth for a moment before he finally looked at the other drone again, chewing on his lip for a moment as he tried to find what he wanted to see in his processor.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with bein’ sentimental or anythin’. I know lots of people keep stuff that reminds them of people or places, so… Can’t really blame ya if you wanted to keep stuff ‘round that reminds ya of an’ old friend… squadmate?”

“Friend. Back on Earth, remember?” The Disassembler said before he swapped his claws back into his hands with a series of clicks, raising his arms above his head with the intent to stretch. “That’s enough of that topic though… I don’t really want to talk much about that one if that’s okay with you.”

“Right- Of course. I ain’t gonna make ya keep talkin’ ‘bout the other person or Earth or anythin’ if ya don’t want to,” Beau quickly agreed, getting a brief and small smile to stretch across B’s faceplate.

“Thanks, cowboy... Appreciate the mercy.”

The worker drone nodded yet again before he brought his hand up to scratch the back of his head, having relaxed considerably as the conversation managed to smooth itself over and the tension in the air started to lift a bit. His processor was still chewing on the conversation he had just shared with the Disassembler and he had a lot of questions rattling around in his thoughts still about Earth and who the other person was, but he was intent on keeping true to his word and letting it go for now for the other drone’s sake.

Unfortunately, choosing to drop the subject for now did come with the side effect of needing to come up with another topic which had Beau frowning slightly as he watched some of the snow blowing across the distant road he could see from where he was sitting. B seemed to either be waiting for him to come up with a topic or was at a similar loss for words as he stared out into the falling snow as well.

Neither drone made an effort to break the silence as they both sat on the edge of the fountain for a while, one slowly kicking his dangling boots back and forth while the other moved his hands to rest on the fountain and leaned back to comfortably slouch. Beau was a bit surprised to find that the silence didn’t feel terribly awkward or uncomfortable in the wake of the conversation, instead letting the sights and the sounds of the area wash over him.

He felt somewhat at peace compared to the up and down moods that had been plaguing the night and the conversation just moments prior even if his mood had only improved by a bit. Glancing over at the Disassembler to see how he was feeling, he could tell that the taller drone had relaxed a bit as well but still gave off the impression that he was being plagued by his thoughts judging by the troubled facial expression he was currently making.

Beau slowly kicked his feet back and forth again as he studied B, his face pulling into a thoughtful frown as he decided that while the quiet was currently peaceful they needed to do something more if they wanted to properly lift the mood and move past the stress. The Disassembler has gone back to staring at the ground and the snow around his feet as his shoulders shank slightly, once again giving the worker drone the impression that he was going over and wrestling with his thoughts in his processor. 

He frowned slightly as he continued to watch his talker friend, attempting to think of a way that he could possibly go about helping cheer B up. He shifted his hands where he sat on the edge of the fountain and accidentally placed his hand directly into a pile of snow which was enough to give him an idea as he started to ball his hand up inside the frozen mixture. 

“Hey, B?”

“Yeah? What is it, cowbo-” B started to reply as he lifted his head to look in Beau's direction again, though he was promptly cut off before he could finish what he wanted to say as the blob of snow that the worker drone had balled up struck him in the visor and sent the frozen flakes.

The Disassembler let out a shout of protest as he brought his arms up to wipe the snow out of his visor, prompting the worker drone to giggle at the way the talker drone's eyelights peeked through between the snow and his casing. B immediately narrowed his eyelights as he took in the smirk that was quickly starting to spread across his companion's faceplate, the look silently issuing a challenge.

“Are we really gonna go there right now, cowboy? You really wanna go there right now?” B asked as he narrowed his eyelights further, his hand already dripping to the snow beside him to grab the biggest handfuls of snow he could manage.

Beau didn't bother to respond to the questioning, instead finding himself far too focused on moving as fast as his injured body would let him rock forward and off of the fountain so he could get away from the incoming barrage. His boots hit the snow as he wobbled on his legs, but he managed to keep his balance as he stuck his arms out on both of his sides.

The Disassembler wasted no time in pitching the first handful of snow he had at the worker drone with lightning speed, getting Beau to yelp and then laugh as he moved to the side and narrowly avoided taking the flying snowball to his own face. B’s tail suddenly lashed out at the snow instead, sending a spray of the frozen mixture up that the other drone wasn't as lucky to dodge the second time around.

“Hey! Hey! C’mon now, usin’ the tail ain't fair ‘cause I don't have one of them like you!” Beau immediately protested as he kicked his leg back at B, sending some of the snow that had landed on him back at the taller drone.

“All's fair in love and war, cowboy. You brought this war on yourself the second you decided to get the first strike with a sneak attack,” The Disassembler replied with the best serious tone he could muster, though his faceplate had stretched into a wide and toothy smirk.

At that statement, B’s mouth suddenly fell open in an unrestrained cackle before his eyelights flickered and allowed his visor to take on the familiar blazing yellow cross instead. The worker drone immediately felt like he had made a grave error in his challenge but also quickly realized it was far too late to back out now that the challenge had been issued.

Beau instead focused on rushing around the fountain in an attempt to put the spouts built into the center of it between him and B so he would have at least some cover from the snowball warfare, though he wasn't hiding for long before he crouched down by to scoop some of the snow from the fountain's edge and used it to fire back at his friend. The Disassembler effortlessly dodged the attack attempt before he dropped low to the ground and started to skitter around the fountain at an alarming speed, prompting Beau to shoot before he started sprinting away towards the nearest vehicle instead.

“Not gonna get away from me that easily, Beau!” B shouted as he chased the worker drone to and around the parked car, the taller drone soon pausing long enough to scoop up another handful of snow from the trunk of the vehicle and hurl it towards his friend.

Beau threw his glance over his shoulder long enough to see the snowball flying towards him before he spun around on his heels to face it, nearly slipping on the ice again as he did so. He quickly pulled his hat off of his head and used it like a makeshift shield to block the frozen projectile, causing the snowball to explode on impact into another spray of glittering snowflakes.

The snow cleared in just enough time to show him that even more snowballs were already on the way, forcing him to run again as he laughed and covered his head with his arms. He could hear his Disassembler friend laughing as well, though the current situation made it harder for him to tell if it was happy laughter or malicious laughter that was coming along with the fact that he was currently winning the snow fight.

The two drones continued to chase each other around the area and toss snowballs back and forth at one another for what felt like ages in Beau's processor, though he certainly didn't complain as he enjoyed the lighthearted mood once more. He was happier to realize that B seemed a lot happier as well, likely having gotten just as absorbed in their game as he was.

By the time the snowball fight had progressed for some time, both drones had landed a fairly equal amount of hits on one another as they both alternated between chasing and rushing each other as well as ducking for cover behind the various cars that littered the remains of the old road. Beau wasn't sure if he was better at the game than he anticipated and B was an easier target than he would have thought it if the Disassembler was deliberately going easy on him, but he was having fun all the same and feeling a little swell of pride every time he did land a successful hit with one of the snowballs.

Like all good things though the fun eventually did have to start the process of winding down and coming to an end if just because of how late it was getting. The worker drone hadn't even realized the time and had effectively lost track of it before he spared a brief moment to check it while he was crouched behind another vehicle and in the process of packing another snowball together in his hands.

Beau's lips pressed together as the mumblers of his internal clock took over his vision, telling him just how late it had actually gotten while time was busy flying during all of the fun. Something told him that B had similarly started paying attention to the time at some point judging by the way the snowballs had stopped or at the very least significantly slowed down after a while.

The worker drone finally spared a glance over the hood of the car he was hiding behind, keeping his head low in the event of needing to take cover again as he clutched the snowball he'd made in one hand and reached to adjust his hat with the other hand. The Disassembler was standing a few feet away, his hands on his hips and his tail slowly flicking back and forth as he stared up at the sky with narrowed eyelights.

“B?” Beau spoke up, prompting the taller drone to briefly glance down and acknowledge him before his gaze returned to the sky.

“Starting to get pretty late, huh? Sun's gonna start peeking over the horizon in a little while from now…” The Disassembler mused as his tail flicked again. “I dunno about you but I totally lost track of the time.”

“No, yeah, I did the exact same thing. Somethin’ ‘bout time flyin’ when yer havin’ fun an’ all of that,” The worker drone commented as he looked down at the wad of snow in his hand. “Do ya think C’s found D by now?”

“That's… a really good question actually… I do need to go back and check on things at the spire at some point now that you've mentioned that. Then again… I think I need to start heading back anyway because the sun's gonna be up in no time if I lose track of the time again,” B said as he brought his hand up to scratch his head.

“...Does that mean it's time for both of us to finally part ways an’ go on home now?”

“Probably… I'm having fun too, cowboy, but I'm gonna have to get out of the sun whether I like it or not and I know you gotta get home before you're missed,” The Disassembler replied as he let out a sigh, his mouth tugging into another smile. “Plus I really gotta go check up on C and D like you said.”

Beau nodded in agreement before he finally started to stand up from where he had been crouching in hiding, only looking and sounding slightly disappointed at the idea that he finally had to go back home and leave B’s company. He had certainly enjoyed getting to meet the talker drone and at least one of his squadmates despite the ups and downs, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't also somewhat eager to get home and relax his sore body in his own bed and familiar bedroom.

“Yeah… I'm kinda eager to go see my family an’ friends back at the colony too, except I'm not sure how many are actually awake at this hour…” The worker drone mused before he shrugged his shoulders slightly. “Kinda lookin’ forward to my nice an’ warm comfy bed if nothing else.”

“Oh Robo God, yeah, I can second the need for a cozy comfortable bed right about now. It's getting closer to my all day hibernation or recharge or whatever you wanna call it so I'm probably gonna hit the blankets too as soon as I finish checking the shower for C and D.”

The Disassembler paused long enough to bring his hand to his chin as he stared down at the shorter drone, prompting him to silently raise an eyebrow in questioning.

“You probably need the rest anyway since you got your behind kicked and your systems need time to repair, right?”

“My repair systems are gonna work fine regardless of if I'm up an’ movin’ around or lyin’ down but they might work a lil’ faster if I wasn't up an’ movin’ an’ constantly puttin’ strain on ‘em, yes. That bein’ said… I'm kinda like you an’ need my recharge time anyway so a nap sounds real nice right about now.”

“Think that's our cue we should probably start heading back then, cowboy. Kinda gonna miss getting to hang out with you and shoot the breeze in person because that's been pretty fun,” B commented before he turned his head to look in the direction of the spire.

Beau immediately sensed an opportunity the second B had turned his head away as the worker drone clutched the ball of snow he still had packed into his hand. He waited until the Dissembler started to turn his head back to face him again before he chucked the snowball, managing to hit the taller drone right in the visor and faceplate once more and causing him to sputter as some of the frozen chemical mixture wound up in his mouth as well.

“...You were totally waiting for that the entire time so you could do that on purpose, weren't you,” B guessed as he brought his arm up to wipe the snow off of his screen. 

“It was one more for the road,” Beau replied as a wide smirk stretched across his faceplate, though he quickly found himself regretting it again as the Disassembler’s tail suddenly lashed a large pile of snow near him and sent a huge plume of snowflakes falling onto the worker drone.

“One more for the road,” B asserted with an equally savage smirk before he shook his head slightly. “Okay… Fun as this is, we should probably actually get a move on, Beau.”

“Yeah… I should probably start headin’ on back to the colony now… I know how to get back there ‘cause I know the way back but it's gonna take a bit to walk so I probably better start sooner rather than later, huh?”

“Yep, I gotta get back to the spire soon too. Though…” B trailed off as he made a quiet and thoughtful hum, casting his gaze skywards once more. “I probably have a little bit of time since I can move pretty fast while flying… Plus I don't know if D is with C or if she's still out here somewhere…”

“...What's the idea yer havin’?”

“I was thinking I could walk you back to your colony if you want. At least part of the way back anyway,” The Disassembler suggested as his tail settled into a slow sway behind him. “I was thinking that, for one, that'd be a second chance at the whole walk and talk thing but, for two… I'm not one hundred percent sure where D is right now so it might be safer for you if I walk with you just in case.”

Beau was quiet for a few moments as he let B finish speaking, soon letting out a quiet and thoughtful hum as he wiped his hands on his shorts to get the last bits of clinging snow off of them. He knew that the Disassembler made a valid point about the possibility that D was still haunting the area which already had him leaning towards a certain answer even without the added bonus of being able to talk to his friend a little bit longer.

“I reckon that sounds like a real good idea… Gotta be safer that way at least,” The worker drone agreed before he flashed a tired smile.

“Right then… That means we should probably clear out of here now,” B stated as he turned his head in the vague general direction of Beau’s colony.

The worker drone nodded in agreement before he turned on his heels and took a few steps in that direction, briefly checking his internal GPS to verify that he was going in the right direction. He didn't get far though before he realized he didn't hear the sound of his Disassembler friend walking with him and spared a glance over his shoulder.

B turned out to be right behind him and merely inches away once Beau had turned to look behind him, prompting him to let out a surprised yelp that got the taller drone to smirk in mischievous satisfaction. 

“Don't do that to me-” The worker drone huffed as he put a hand to his chest, his next vent leaving him in a harsh whistle.

“You have to admit it was funny, though. I thought you could use a little extra excitement in your life,” B teased, unable to stop the snickers at the glare his friend gave him. 

“...Yeah, okay, I'm leavin’ now ‘fore you manage to give me a core attack pullin’ stunts like that.”

“Awwww… Okay. You can go ahead and ditch me and my super cool hangout spot whenever you're ready. That being said… I'm surprised you're running off already without taking a picture of that super cool fountain as your souvenir.”

Beau came to a sudden stop and glared up at the taller drone, receiving a wide and sharp smirk in return. He opened his mouth to speak but instead opted not to as he simply spun back around to face the fountain area again.

B was unable to hold in the echoing laughter as the worker drone started to fish his phone out of his pocket with a series of grumbles and protests that carried off into the area and night.

Chapter Text

It took a short while to make it back to Beau’s colony once he and his Disassembler friend had finished up at the fountain and started on their journey, though the time passed quickly in both drones’ processors. Beau felt like they hadn't been walking for more than just a few minutes but the moons slowly getting lower and lower on the horizon implied otherwise about the passage of time.

The rest of the walk had thankfully remained lighthearted and fun as the energy from the snowball fight managed to linger, leaving both of the friends in happy if not tired moods. Both made a point not to talk about B’s squadmates or past again, instead filling the space between them with jokes and discussing how their lives had been during the time they had stopped texting one another.

Beau was still excitedly rambling about his invention in progress and the things he had found in the scrapyard for it by the time the duo finally neared the colony enough to see the bright lights that marked out the front gate. B was the first to come to a stop once the entrance was visible, prompting his worker drone companion to stop beside him.

“Alright, cowboy… Looks like this is our last stop. You sure you're gonna be okay tonight?” The Disassembler asked as he slipped his hands into his blazer’s pockets, watching his friend with a raised eyebrow.

“I reckon so. I think I'm gonna recover from the injuries here just fine but if yer worried, I bet I can find somebody to look at it,” Beau replied as he looked up to meet the taller drone’s gaze.

“Good because I don't want you up and dying on me after we just got to meet each other in person,” B said as he flicked his tail. “Seriously though, I'm glad you're okay.”

“An’ I'm real glad I'm okay too but I'm kinda worryin’ a lil’ ‘bout you too,” Beau noted as he narrowed his eyelights at the taller drone.

“Huh? What are you worrying about me for? I'm not the one that got my tail handed to me tonight,” B commented as narrowed his eyelights in return.

“Doesn't mean I can't still worry ‘bout ya when I know a lotta stuff happened tonight like the stuff with C an’ D,” Beau pointed out. “Glad we're both doin’ a lil’ better now but that doesn't change the fact stuff kinda happened.”

“Hey, you don't have to worry about me. I feel way better now compared to how I was this morning. I'll probably be heading off for my day nap soon anyway when I get back to the spire so I'll have time to sleep the thoughts off.”

B stretched his arms over his head and let out a yawn shortly afterward to emphasize his point, his tail lashing at the snow again. Beau found himself resisting the urge to yawn with him but was only half-successful in doing so as a quiet whistle of air left his systems.

“Still can't help but worry a lil’ bit anyway, y’know,” The worker drone said as he fidgeted with his hat.

“Everything's gonna be fineeee,” B assured, grinning just wide enough to briefly flash his fangs. “I think we both just need some sleep to decompress from everything and then we can backtrack back to normal.”

“As normal as we can be anyway after everything you've been tellin’ me all night…”

“What's that, cowboy? Are you implying I can't be normal?”

“Nuh uh, that's not what I meant!” Beau was quick to assure. “I meant, y’know, things can go back to how they were but also not totally the same ‘cause now I have the added knowledge of, ah… exactly who an’ what you are.”

“Yeah, yeah, you're fine. I knew what you meant. I'm just yanking your chain again,” B said as his mouth briefly tugged until a smirk, his tail flicking again. “Seriously though, you're gonna go home and I'll go back to the spire and we'll both get some much needed recharge time. Then things can go back to normal.”

“Normal as in… Goin’ back to doin’ stuff like textin’ each other an’ sharin’ silly stuff we find?” Beau asked as he raised an eyebrow.

“Bingo. You just gotta promise not to go totally radio silent on me again. Too late for you to say you got scared off and go back to hiding in your little hole in the ice again,” B replied as his tail slowly swayed behind him.

“I still got yer number saved in my phone so I'll make sure to text ya back sometime before I crash tonight,” Beau assured as he returned B’s smirk with his own smile. “Goes in reverse too ‘cause you better not drop off the face of Copper-9 an’ scare me like that again either.”

“No dropping off the face of the planet and acting like we're dead,” B agreed before he fixed his gaze skyward, taking in the colors before he let out a quiet sigh. “Okay… I actually gotta get going soon though. It's late as hell for you and early as hell for me.”

“I need to be headin’ back too if I want any hope of sleepin’ at least a lil’ bit tonight before mornin’,” Beau mused as he looked up at the sky as well.

“You better text me back or else I'll come hunt you down myself and force you to hang out with me again,” The Disassembler teased as he gave another toothy smirk, prompting his friend to look at him before another flick of the tail threw a spray of snow at him.

“Hey, hey, no need to huntin’ me down for sport. I promise I'll text ya back real soon,” Beau said as he wiped the snowflakes from his faceplate, his eyelights drifting downward as he eyed some of the piled snow on the ground.

“That's a promise then, cowboy,” B agreed with a grin before his tail fell on top of the snow pile Beau had been staring at, likely with the intent to keep him from kicking it up.

Beau narrowed his eyelights as he realized what B was doing, receiving a similar look and a sharp smirk in response from the taller drone. The two briefly held their stare before Beau stomped on some of the thinner snow beneath his boots, spraying both him and the Disassembler with the frozen mixture.

“Okay, okay… I'll see you later, Beau. I'll let you know when I hear something from C or D and figure out how they're both doing,” B spoke up again as he let the disturbed snow melt off of him. “You go on and have a good night, okay?”

“You too, B. I'm glad I got to meet ya. I'll talk to ya again soon,” Beau called after the taller drone as he turned and started to walk away from the colony.

B’s wings sprang free from his back with a loud click once he had backed away, filling the air with a low chorus of whispers and buzzing static. Beau squinted against the static that was starting to cling to his vision again as he waved after his friend.

B gave a brief salute and one more smile before he fixed his gaze upward and crouched slightly. One flap of his wings sent him skyward, leaving Beau to watch as the yellow blur of lights rose higher into the sky before it took off in the direction of the distant corpse spire.

He continued to stare after his friend before he fixed his gaze on the overhead stars again, taking a deep vent. He wasn't sure where to begin sorting his thoughts now that the visit was over, but he decided that could wait until after he had some rest.

Beau turned his attention back to the colony for a moment before he focused on his internal GPS instead. Using the coordinates he'd saved, he started routing around the street so he could get back to the side of the bunker that held the ladder and hatch that he'd used to get outside earlier in the night.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets to warm them as he walked, only just registering the fact that his systems were warning him about some frost buildup around his casing and joints. He found himself unconcerned due to the fact he knew he'd be going back inside where the colony's heaters were soon enough, but he still shivered slightly regardless.

His optics scanned the massive bunker wall as he neared it and started to loop around it, his GPS directing him forward. He found the ladder he was searching for soon afterward, wasting no time in pulling his hands back out of his pockets so he could start the climb.

He made sure his grip was firm on the ladder before he started his ascent, doing his best to ignore the ache in his shoulders and side as his body reminded him of his injuries with the movement. He focused on keeping his grip steady against the slight shake in his arms, keeping his optics locked on the lip of the roof as he climbed.

Once he reached the top, he wasted no time in hailing himself up and over to get his boots back on flat ground. He spared one final glance at the outside world before he turned back, following the strip of solar lights to find the snow-hidden hatch again.

The hatch had, predictably, gotten partially stuck again from the slight amount of ice that had accumulated around it over the course of the night. His injured shoulder protested the tugging as he had to pull to get the hatch free again, but it thankfully popped open quickly without too much of a fight.

Beau felt the tension finally starting to unwind from his body as he lowered himself onto the second ladder and back into the safety of the bunker, closing the overhead hatch behind him before he started to climb down. He heard the sound of rustling fabric as he descended, his optics quickly finding Uzi as she pushed herself to her feet where she had been sitting beside the foot of the ladder.

“Sorry ‘bout that, Uzi… Wound up stayin’ out a lil’ longer than I expected,” Beau apologized as he descended the last rungs of the ladder and looked at the other drone. “I'm actually kinda surprised yer still here an’ waitin’ for me.”

“Started to wonder if you were coming back,” Uzi commented as she narrowed her eyelights.

“Hey, hey, I said I was gonna come back an’ I did. I'm doin’ just fine,” Beau assured as he stepped away from the ladder, letting his shoulders sink as his arms dangled limply at his sides.

Uzi tilted her head as she stared at him, her eyelights flicking over his face before they traveled downward. It did not take long for him to realize that she had likely spotted the visible oil stains and tears in his clothing, prompting a nervous grin to spread across his faceplate.

“What happened?” She asked before he could get a word in, her eyelights narrowing further.

“About that…” Beau stalled in an attempt to find the words he wanted to use, withering slightly under the other drone’s stare. “I, uh… had a lil’ oopsie while I was out there an’ got a lil’ hurt?”

Uzi’s scrutinizing gaze continued to drill into him with such an intensity that he started to feel slightly uncomfortable as he waited to see what she had to say. She opened and closed her mouth in a way that implies she was similarly struggling to find her ways, but she ultimately decided not to speak as she instead looked down the tunnel.

Beau narrowed his eyelights slightly at the sudden change but opted not to question it, instead casting his gaze down the tunnel as well. He couldn't hear or see anything in the distance, leaving him wondering what exactly Uzi had noticed.

“...Uzi?”

“Glad you're okay or whatever!” She suddenly blurted out, keeping her back turned to him as she started into the tunnel.

Beau blinked as he watched Uzi march forward, his processor only just catching up to the fact she was already walking away. He quickly hurried to catch up with her, his face turning up in a confused friend as he came up by her side.

“Hey now- Did ya see somethin’ I didn't? Or did I say somethin’ wrong?” He questioned as he looked down at the purple haired drone.

“Nope,” Uzi was quick to reply, keeping her gaze locked straight ahead as she let out a low series of chirps and warbles. “Just… going back now. Stayed here to guide you back.”

“Well, I really appreciate the help in findin’ that vent we took again, but… You seem kinda like yer in a hurry right now or like somethin’s botherin’ you. You sure pulled a face just a second ago.”

“‘M fine. Late so I'm getting tired too,” Uzi responded with a shrug, letting out yet another quiet warble.

Beau studied Uzi as he walked alongside her in an attempt to get a read on what she was thinking, but he found it hard to pull anything from her facial features beyond the fact that her mouth had pulled into a wide and thin line. He did, however, notice that her eyelights had dilated and brightened significantly.

“Alright… If yer sure nothin’s wrong…” Beau commented quietly, turning his gaze away from her to follow the tunnel instead.

“I'm sure. Not sure if that can be said about you though,” Uzi mused as she briefly glanced up at him, having transitioned from walking properly to slinking along on all four limbs again.

“I'm doin’ fine. It looks a lot worse than it actually is!” Beau claimed, his grin nervous once more.

“But you're bleeding.”

“Ah, ah- Was bleedin'. I ain't bleedin’ anymore as far as I can tell. Just got a couple of lil’ stains I can fix with a change of clothes. The repairs will take care of themselves with time, rest, an’ maybe a lil’ repair gel so I ain't worried ‘bout that either.”

Uzi made a quiet series of warbles before her head dipped lower, her gaze seeming to intentionally avoid Beau. She suddenly skittered forward after a moment, forcing the other drone to have to pick up the pace to keep up with her.

The duo made it back down the tunnel in record time at their current pace, leaving one with a purposeful air to her skittering steps while the other had to rush after her and wince at the strain being put on his injured body. Uzi didn't seem interested in commenting again while Beau was far too busy trying to keep up to say anything, though neither drone seemed to really find the silence awkward.

The purple haired drone finally slowed down once they neared the open vent and the cover the two had left behind earlier, pausing long enough to glance at her companion to verify he had followed her before she slipped into the vent. Beau slowly lowered himself onto his hands and knees before he crawled into the vent after her, once again attempting to ignore the body aches.

“Yer gonna have to slow down a lil’ if ya want me to keep up with ya, Uzi- I know we both got places to be but I can only move so fast,” He complained as he squeezed himself against the side of the ventilation shaft, allowing the other drone to turn around to put the vent cover back where it belonged.

“Sorry. Need to slow down?” Uzi asked as she fixed the vent cover back in place, giving the slats a light tug to verify it was secure.

“Might help a lil’ bit, yeah. Reckon I'm in a hurry to get back too but I can only move so fast like this an’ I'm gonna get myself real lost if I try to go on back without ya, I'm afraid.”

“Fineeee. We'll go slower. Still better keep up though. Not coming back if you fall behind,” Uzi said as she started crawling down the ventilation shaft, though at a considerably slower pace.

Still a bit too fast for Beau’s liking as he had to scurry after her and keep his head low to avoid bumping it, but not quite as straining as before. Good enough.

The two worker drones were crawling for some time, the silence between them only partially filled by the sounds of the distant heaters and the vent itself as they forced it to dip slightly with their combined weight. Uzi continued to take the lead as she crawled forward with purpose to her movement, though Beau wasn't going to complain because he trusted her sense of direction by this point.

After a few more minutes of silent travel, Uzi picked up the pace again as she kept her gaze locked on the visible light that was sitting at the end of the path they had taken. Beau once again found himself silently complaining about the speedup, but he opted not to comment once he saw the other drone stop at the light and realized where they were.

“Anybody hangin’ out down there or is the coast clear?” He asked quietly as he joined Uzi at the vent opening they had used earlier in the night.

“Gonna find out…” She replied as she gripped the edges of the vent.

Uzi leaned down and out of the opening, a quiet series of warbles and chirps leaving her as she surveyed the room beneath them. Beau sat back on his knees to wait, peering through the small visible gap between the edges of the opening and her arm to look around as well.

Once the purple haired drone seemed the room safe and clear of anyone that might catch them, she glanced back at Beau and flashed a thumbs up. He nodded back in response, though it only took a moment before his face pulled into a frown.

“Reckon now the only question is how we getting’ down without hurtin’ ourselves… We had to stack some stuff an’ boost each other up to reach so that's gonna be a good lil’ drop. That ain't countin’ the fact that I'm not sure if that table's gonna take the landin’ or if it's gonna tip over with us on it.”

Beau only got to muse on their predicament for a moment before Uzi’s warbling drew his attention back to her. To his shock, the other drone suddenly dove arms first through the opening in such a way that he couldn't immediately tell if she had slipped out or if she had jumped on purpose.

A loud thud followed by the sound of something clattering got his fuel tank to lurch.

“Uzi?!” He shouted as he raced to the edge of the vent to get a better look below, taking care not to accidentally launch himself over the edge as he put his hands on both sides of the ventilation shaft to secure himself in place.

Beau's hollow eyelights immediately met with the other drone in question as she stared up at him with a look of confusion where she stood on top of the table they had used. He returned the look with one of his own as his mouth gaped, his processor too caught up in trying to figure out what just happened to let him form proper words.

“Why staring? Did I do something?” Uzi questioned, warbling quietly as she rested her hands on her hips.

“How did- I thought- I thought ya fell an’ broke somethin’ ‘cause I heard-” Beau stammered as his eyelights and eyebrows turned up in deeper confusion.

“Heard me get down? Landed fine. Not as bad as it looks,” Uzi replied as she tilted her head. “Didn't break anything either.”

“Then what was the loud thud abou-”

“Just the table clattering,” Uzi shrugged, appearing completely unbothered in a way that both calmed Beau’s concerns and fostered a bit of fear.

Both drones blinked at one another before Beau let out a heavy sigh, deciding it was better not to question it. He instead turned his attention to the table, narrowing his eyelights as he tried to judge the distance and how much it might or might not hurt if he were to jump straight down.

“Can find something taller for you to land on?” Uzi offered, drawing his attention back to her. “Or… Could jump and I can try to catch you? Think you could make the distance fine.”

“I don't doubt I could make it if you could jump down an’ land without a scratch, but… I ain't sure how safe that jump’s gonna be for me specifically since I'm already kinda sore an’ busted up.”

“Can get something for you to land on? Less of a drop?”

“That's what I'm thinkin’ if ya don't mind,” Beau agreed before he glanced around the room in search of something suitable.

Uzi let out a quiet warble as she hopped down from the table, quickly disappearing from his sight as she scurried around the table and slipped away to elsewhere in the room. Beau started to chew on his lip as he waited, staring down at the table and chair below.

“Reckon this situation here is my fault… Probably could've made this jump fine if I wasn't already hurt,” He commented as he let himself lie down on his chest, dangling his arms out of the vent opening.

“You think?” Uzi chirped from somewhere outside his current field of view.

“Hey- Gettin’ hurt out there wasn't part of the plan so I'll admit I didn't prepare for that. That bein’ said, I wasn't really thinkin’ ‘bout how we were gonna get down easy after we climbed up here either. We didn't plan this escape out very well, did we?”

“Don't need plans normally when I go by myself. Easy to climb out and leave,” Uzi stated before the sound of something scraping across the floor joined her.

“Kinda makes me wonder how yer able to do that,” Beau said. “Able to get up an’ out by yerself, I mean. Took you boostin’ me up for me to get up here in the first place.”

“Different route. Vent’s easier to get to. This isn't my usual route,” Uzi replied as she entered Beau’s field of view again, dragging an extra tall chair behind her.

“I'm gonna have to take yer easy route the next time I wanna sneak outta here ‘cause gettin’ back in is turnin’ out to be a way bigger hassle than I expected,” Beau grumbled.

“You're going back outside?” Uzi questioned with a clear hint of disbelief.

“I didn't mean tonight!”

“But again?”

“I know, I know. I know what yer thinkin’ I'm bein’ real stupid an’ you'd be right. Promise I got a method to my madness though!”

“You're an idiot.”

“Just… gimme down from here, please? I can walk with ya back to the medical bay an’ you can make fun of me all ya want on the way back. I just wanna get out of the vent.”

Uzi rolled her eyelights but obliged his request, pulling herself up onto the table before she pulled the chair up with her. She took a moment to position it beneath the vent opening before she looked up at Beau again, giving him a nod as she tightly gripped the chair legs to hold it in place.

Beau got back up on his hands and knees, taking a deep vent before he reversed himself. He held onto the edge of the vent before he swung his legs out, letting himself dangle briefly to make sure he was lined up with the seat before he let go.

His feet landed flat on the chair, his arms immediately pinwheeling as he tried to catch his balance. Uzi held the chair steady and prevented it from tipping over, letting him catch his balance before she let out a quiet warble.

“Thank ya, Uzi. Really appreciate the help,” Beau said before he climbed off the chair and back onto the table.

“No problem. Going back now?” The purple haired drone asked as she hopped off the table to put her feet back on the floor.

“Goin’ back now,” Beau agreed as he hopped off the table. “C'mon. Let's get outta here before someone spots us.”

Beau nervously shifted on his feet as he stared at the apartment door before him, his processor racing as he tried to figure out exactly how he was going to explain this mess to the person inside. Unfortunately for him, he was aware he didn't have the luxury to stand around and sort his thoughts because he was risking getting spotted by someone in his less-than-ideal state the longer he stood out in the hallway.

He had already risked that enough with his walk to the medical bay with Uzi. His core was still racing from the trek he'd had to do to get from the room they had used to sneak out to the medical bay, let alone the travel from the medical wing to the apartments.

He took one last deep vent as he closed his eyelights, deciding that the only thing he could do was get everything over with. He raised his hand to give the door a few quiet but firm knocks, casting his glance up and down the hallway.

“Hey, Vi…? It's Beau. Are you gonna mind if I come in?” Beau asked quietly as he rested his hand on the door handle, keeping his volume down in hopes of not waking anyone else in the adjacent apartments.

Several moments passed by in silence, though he continued to wait as he watched the door. He had just raised his hand to knock again before he heard movement starting up inside the apartment and rapidly approaching.

The door suddenly flew open, forcing Beau to pull his hand away to prevent it from getting caught. Hollow pink eyelights stared out at him as he returned his friend's gaze with a nervous grin, but he didn't get a chance to say hello before he was grabbed by his t-shirt and yanked into the apartment.

“What the hell, Beau?!” Vivian snapped as she tugged him out of the way of the door, ungracefully slamming it shut behind him. “Do you have any idea how late it is? I was actually starting to think you weren't coming back after doing whatever stupid thing you went to do!”

“I know, I know- It got way later than I meant it to ‘cause I got busy doin’ stuff an’ it went longer than I was expectin’,” Beau was quick to apologize, withering slightly under the other drone’s sharp glare. “But I made it back in one piece!”

Vivian opened her mouth with the clear intent to yell at him again, though she didn't get the words out before her gaze instead drifted downward. He quickly realized that she was likely staring at his injuries before he clapped a hand over his side with a nervous grin.

“What is that?” Vivian asked, her voice barely above a whisper despite the heavy demand and expectation to answer behind the tone.

“It's nothin’!” Beau was quick to insist, immediately flinching under the venomous glare that came his way. “I mean- It’s- I'm- Um-”

“You mean what?” Vivian demanded, balling her fist up in his t-shirt before she dragged him closer.

Beau uselessly tried to find his words again, unsure of what he could say to appease her. She held her sharp glare with him as she held onto his shirt, forcing him to stand still as she glanced over his oil-stained sleeves.

“I'm okay! I'm just- Just… Y’know…” Beau muttered, trailing off again as he realized there was little he could say to wiggle his way out of his current situation.

“What happened,” Vivian asked in a sharp tone, making it very clear that her words were a demand rather than a question.

Beau shook his head as he turned his head away, avoiding her stare with his own guilty frown. He waited until she finally let go of his shirt and backed up before he brought a hand up to rub his visor.

“Okay, so… Maybe I did a lil’ somethin’ stupid while I was out an’ did get myself hurt. I swung by on the way back ‘cause I wanted to let you know I made it back safe, but… I also wanted to ask ya for another favor too.”

Beau finished his statement with a nervous but hopeful grin, anxiously waiting for his friend's response. Vivian stared back at him in such a way that it gave him the feeling she was reeling from the shock that he had enough nerve to ask for another favor in his current state.

“Oh no, noooo, no, no. I am not doing another favor for you after I just had to cover for you!” She was quick to argue. “You haven't even answered my question about what happened yet!”

Beau put his hands up in a defensive gesture, his eyelights pulling into a guilty frown. Vivian continued to glare, but her features did soften slightly as she started to realize how uncomfortable he looked.

“I was gonna ask if you could help with patchin’ up all of… this,” Beau quietly spoke up, gesturing towards his side injury.

“You didn't go to the medical bay and get that checked out the second you got back?” Vivian questioned, her mouth visibly quivering as she fought the urge to frown at him again.

“I couldn't just go to the medical bay ‘cause Piers an’ the rest of the team would've questioned how it happened an’ probably would've told my parents ‘bout it,” Beau replied as he glanced at the floor, starting to fidget with his hat.

“And you thought I wasn't going to question what you got yourself into?!” Vivian accused as a knot icon formed in the corner of her visor to indicate her growing frustration.

“I just- I trusted you’d be able to patch me up okay ‘cause you have that medic drone codin’ yerself an’ I was thinkin’ maybe you would keep my secret like how you helped me sneak out in the first place.”

Vivian let out a harsh sigh as she brought her hand to her visor, rubbing her palm against it before she pinched the glass between her fingers. She grumbled quietly under her breath before she took a deep vent and let her hand fall away to look at her friend again.

“Okay, fine, whatever. I'll patch up your boo-boos you got doing whatever stupid thing you did.”

“Really? You'll help me out?” Beau asked hopefully as his gaze snapped back up to meet her. “I really appre-”

“However,” Vivian interrupted, holding a finger up to emphasize her point. “I'm only going to help you on one condition.”

Beau didn't even try to hide his anxiety as he visibly deflated with a shrill whistling sound, all of the air left in his systems coming out in one quick burst.

“Okay… What's the catch?” He asked, fidgeting with his hat in an attempt to self-soothe.

“The catch is that you tell me exactly what happened and where you got those injuries because, unfortunately for you, I'm not stupid and I know you didn't get those from getting into a fight with a wall,” Vivian replied as her eyelights narrowed.

Beau frowned as he continued to fidget with his hat, stalling as he ran her words through his processor again and mulled over his options. He knew that he needed his injuries patched up both because of the damage and the fact that his parents would likely notice them, so he knew going home without getting repairs was out of the question.

“...Are you gonna tell me parents ‘bout me sneakin’ ‘round an’ gettin’ hurt if I tell ya what happened?”

“The original deal before you went on this grand little secret agent adventure of yours was that I wasn't going to lie for you if you got hurt doing something stupid,” Vivian reminded as she crossed her arms.

“But I can't just tell them ‘bout-”

“Shut up and listen for a moment, okay?” Vivian interrupted again, letting out a sigh. “What I was trying to say is that was the original deal we made but I can immediately see why you can't just go straight home and tell them without getting them both to blow a fuse.”

Beau chewed on the corner of his lip as he listened, his thoughts racing as he gave a small nod to acknowledge that he was listening. He remained quiet to give her another chance to speak, though he did lift his optics just enough to look at her as she remained silent.

“Meaning…?” He tried.

“Meaning I'm still not going to lie for you… but I won't tell your parents about whatever caused it either,” Vivian finished with a frustrated sigh, pushing her glasses up. “I'll patch you up the best I can with what I have here but it's your job to lie for yourself if you get caught. I am not being your accomplice, got it?”

Beau stared at his friend as she finished speaking, his eyelights blinking once and then twice before he finally reacted in the form of slumping where he stood. Vivian let out a surprised shout as she reached out to catch his shoulders, stopping him from falling as his knee joints buckled.

“I'm fine, I'm fine-” He was quick to insist as he got his footing back, leaning into his friend’s touch to help steady himself.

“Oh yeah, and I'm the queen of Earth. Absolute bullcrap!” Vivian hissed as she gently tugged one of Beau’s arms up to loop it around her shoulder and support him.

“I swear I'm fine! I just got a lil’- I dunno, Vi… All the tension just kinda popped out of my body all at once when you said that…” Beau said as he leaned against the other drone for support, allowing her to lead him to the couch.

“Or, even more likely newsflash for you, you got the absolute bolts beaten out of you by whatever did all of that to you and it's finally catching up to you, idiot,” Vivian grumbled.

The two friends made the short walk to the couch before Vivian unlooped Beau’s arm, keeping a careful hold on it as she helped lower him onto one of the cushions. He winced as he went down and let out a sharp whistle of a vent once he was properly sitting, giving a small nod to thank her for her help.

“Reckon how late it is ain't helpin' me either… Really startin’ to feel the lack of energy in addition to all the ouch,” Beau commented as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“That's what you get for sneaking out!” Vivian huffed as she walked away from the couch, marching toward the kitchen with an air of purpose.

“Hey now! I came back in one piece!” Beau called after her.

“That's debatable!” Vivian's shout answered him as she disappeared around the corner and into the kitchen.

Despite the state he was in, Beau couldn't help but snicker. He appreciated her concern but the tone she spoke in managed to get to him all the same.

He quieted down after a moment of laughter and leaned his head against the back of the couch, closing his eyelights. He was undeniably sore from both the one-sided brawl and all of the running around but, looking back on it all, he felt like it had been worth it even if the night had started off frightening.

He was happy to have been able to meet B and even C in person and he already found himself craving visiting both of them again. He needed to find an easier way to sneak out and he needed to heal first, but at least he knew subsequent visits were less likely to end with him getting hurt.

The weight of his phone in his pocket reminded him that he needed to text B and let the Disassembler know he'd made it back safely, but he decided he could put that off for a bit. For now, he was content to dim his optics and relax against the soft couch cushions.

His moment of peace lasted for a grand total of five minutes before a loud slam on the coffee table startled him and nearly got him to jump a full foot off the couch, his reaction punctuated by a near-shriek. His optics reactivated to be met with Vivian where she leaned over the table, her smirk diabolical in a way that could have put the actual Disassembler grins he'd seen to shame as she rested her hand on top of the repair kit she set down.

“Oh, I'm sorry, did I scare you?” Vivian feigned innocence, giving him a little pout before her smirk returned in full force.

“What was that for-” Beau breathed as he held a hand to his chest, his core audibly whirring with its heightened activity.

“Sweet, sweet payback for dragging me into this mess and turning me into an unpaid accomplice,” Vivian snorted as she opened up the repair kit.

“You don't regret that one at all, do ya,” Beau observed in a flat tone.

“Absolutely not,” Vivian replied with an air of amusement as she set aside a roll of bandages.

Beau sighed as he glared at his friend with hollow eyelights, continuing to rest his hand over his core as he waited for the cycling to calm back down. His gaze broke away after a few moments to watch her work instead, watching as she continued to pull medical supplies out of the kit and sort what she had.

“Okay, cowboy, tell me where it hurts. The deal is I'm only going to patch you up if you tell me where all of those injuries came from,” Vivian said as she narrowed her eyelights at Beau, resting her hand on top of a bottle containing repair gel.

“My side an’ back here are the worst of it,” Beau explained as he sat up straighter.

“I'm worried about your side because that's where that huge oil stain and whatever happened to your clothes is,” Vivian stated as she kneeled down beside the couch. “Now, shirt up. What's left of it, anyway.”

“Aw, come on. Now yer just exaggeratin'. My clothes got a lil’ torn up but they're not in total rags yet,” Beau said, earning a look from Vivian that involved sticking her tongue out at him.

He stuck his tongue out in return before he lifted his clothing enough to expose his side. He couldn't see the injury himself from the angle he was sitting at, but he guessed it must have looked nasty judging by the way Vivian immediately gawked.

“This is…” Vivian mumbled as she reached out to touch his side just above the injury, holding him still while she leaned in to inspect the damage.

“Does it look that bad?” Beau asked with a nervous chuckle, crossing his boots. “I was under the impression it wasn't that bad since it stopped bleedin’ a lil’ while ago…”

Vivian muttered something that he didn't quite catch as she observed the injury, her optics tracing the size and shape of it as her eyelights slowly drifted across her screen in time with where she was looking.

She shifted her hand around as she gently pushed him into different positions to get a proper view of every angle of the damage, her touch remaining careful as she managed to avoid accidentally jamming her fingers into the split casing. Beau anxiously waited for either a question or a reaction, unsure if he should start explaining then or give her a moment to properly process what she was seeing.

He wasn't kept waiting for long before his friend’s gaze snapped up to him with such an intensity that it nearly made him pull away from her.

“This is absolutely not something you just got by tripping and falling,” Vivian observed in a heavy tone. “This was from some kind of blade and I can tell right now that it wasn't surgical or clean with how jagged these cuts are. What the hell did you get yourself into?”

Beau nervously chuckled as he avoided her gaze, unable to tolerate staring at her scrutinizing glare any longer. Even being turned away, he could still feel her optics boring into him in a way that demanded answers.

He knew it was far too late to try wiggling his way out of explaining things now.

“Alright, so… I might've done somethin’ a lil’ stupid an’... I might've had some business outside the colony an’ had you cover for me while I snuck outside?”

“You went… outside…” Vivian repeated, giving Beau the impression she was repeating aloud to help process the weight of what he just said.

“That's why I wanted ya to cover for me ‘cause, y’know… I could sneak out if my parents weren't expectin’ me to be home for a few hours.”

“Are you trying to tell me somebody jumped you out there?! Is that where all of this came from?” Vivian questioned.

“You could say somethin’ like that happened…” Beau muttered under his breath, unsure if she would catch what he said.

He was left to guess that she either hadn't or had chosen not to comment with the way she continued to inspect his injuries. He wasn't sure which of those two options he preferred.

“Whatever you got hit with, it must have been sharp as hell because I can tell your casing was basically little to no resistance for it,” Vivian commented as she gently turned him. “If these had cut deeper, it would have risked puncturing your fuel tank. Robo Jesus.”

“Buuuut they didn't go that deep so all’s well… right? Ain't nothin' to worry ‘bout?”

The withering glare Beau could feel Vivian giving him without even looking at her was enough to get him to clam up again.

“You have to start working with me here because I have no idea what caused this. I've never seen injuries like this before,” Vivian said as she finally pulled away from him, crossing her arms to wait for an answer.

Beau fiddled with his fingers in his lap, his thoughts tumbling around in his processor as he tried to think of how to delicately explain what happened. He started to chew on his lip as he stalled, well aware that he needed to answer her sooner rather than later if he wanted any hope of her treating his injuries instead of leaving him to fend for himself.

Even then, he knew that she deserved the truth regardless of her willingness to help him since he had forced her into being his accomplice anyway.

“Vi, I-”

“Wait. I have seen injuries like this before,” Vivian suddenly interrupted. “The size and shape of the slashes remind me of how the cuts on your leg looked when… when…”

Beau could feel the tension in the air change the second Vivian connected the dots in her head and came to a realization. The resulting stare she gave him was nothing short of icy and molten at the same time, leaving him wishing he could disappear off of the face of the planet right at that very second.

“Beau.”

“I-I promise I can explain everythin’ if you'll just gimme a sec an’-”

“These slashes on your side look a hell of a lot like the ones you got on your leg when that murder drone managed to grab you in the car park. I swear to Robo God if you're about to tell me you ran into one of those murder drones again while you were out there…”

Beau’s lips pursed together as he immediately went back to avoiding Vivian’s gaze, uncaring how unsubtle the action was. Sweat droplet icons started to appear in various places across his visor as a dead giveaway to his nervousness, but he couldn't be bothered to care about that right now either.

The silence started to stretch heavily between the two drones, leaving the injured one of the two to start shrinking into his shoulders. He heard the sound of his friend taking a long and slow vent through her mouth before he braced for impact.

“What do you mean you ran into the murder drones again while you were out there?!” Vivian roared, getting Beau to flinch even though he had been expecting it.

“Promise I got a good explanation for it!!” Beau was quick to insist. “I got a real good explanation for it! I mean- I obviously wasn't gonna just sneak out an’ go lookin’ for ‘em without some kinda reason!”

His friend immediately gawked in response to his last sentence, prompting him to cover his mouth as his processor caught up to him and made him realize what he said. Neither drone dared to speak again for a moment, leaving them staring at one another before Vivian threw her hands in the air.

“You went outside to look for the murder drones on purpose?!”

“I said I had a reason for it!” Beau insisted as he waved both hands in front of him, attempting to placate his friend.

“You need to start explaining right now because all I'm hearing is that you did something so incredibly stupid it nearly got you killed and eaten!” Vivian argued. “We saw what those things can do with our own optics so why would you deliberately go looking for one again?!”

“It's- It’s kinda a long story-”

“You better start explaining right this second then if you want any hope in hell for me to actually patch you up and not say a word about any of this!”

“I was gonna! I'll tell ya everything, I swear! You just gotta let me get a word in, Vi!”

Beau’s words hung in the air as he finished speaking, leaving the duo frowning at each other. Vivian relented first after a long period of silence, letting out a quiet sigh as she motioned with her hand to urge him to go on and continue his story.

“Okay, so, it's like…” Beau started, pausing to scratch his head. “You remember how I have that friend I text sometimes? Y’know, that online one I told ya ‘bout that's from that other colony? The one that sends me all the cool pictures?”

A silent nod from Vivian answered his question and told him to keep going.

“It would turn out… That buddy of mine wasn't actually a worker drone? Turns out I had been talkin’ to one of the murder drones that entire time an’ we kinda actually accidentally made friends with each other?”

“You're joking,” Vivian commented as she stared back at him with a flat expression.

“I ain't jokin’. That murder drone we ran into at the hotel bar that went on to save us from the other one in the car park? That. That's who turned out to be my friend. He said he recognized me from our chats together once he got close enough an’ that's why he saved us.”

Beau waited for a moment to give Vivian a chance to get her own thoughts in, but he got the feeling her processor was too busy chewing on the new information as she stared back at him. He cast his own glance away again as he started to twiddle his thumbs in his lap.

“I didn't realize that at the time ‘cause I still thought my mystery buddy was a worker drone. I only found out after we all got back an’... I hadn't heard from him in a few days so I started textin' him again an’ he revealed who he actually was. He was tryin’ scare me away ‘cause he was worried ‘bout me gettin' hurt, but you know me… I'm just as stubborn as Ma is. So, I wound up hatchin' a new plan. An awful one, but somethin' I felt like I really needed to do.”

“And that plan was sneaking out to go meet the murder drone which is why you needed me to cover for you,” Vivian said as she finished his thought.

“An’ now I'm back inside all safe an’ sound! I learned a lot of stuff from gettin’ to talk to him an’ learn more ‘bout him an’ his squadmates. It was real cool stuff, Vi. An’ it explained so many questions we've all had for years ‘bout what they do an' why they do it!”

“Safe and sound, my exhaust pipe! Sure, you're actually alive after your supremely stupid stunt, but you still got the bolts beaten out of you!” Vivian stressed. “The murder drone did this to you, right?”

“Yes? I mean, no- I mean- The one I went out there to see didn't hurt me at all,” Beau was quick to assure. “Nah, he didn't put a scratch on me. The one that hurt me was one of his squadmates ‘cause he took me back to the spire to introduce me an’ she wound up mistakin’ me for a target an’ attackin’ me.”

“What do you mean you let the murder drones take you back to their giant corpse party nest thing?! Beau, you literally waltzed right into the lion’s den on purpose like you were asking for them to eat you!”

“T-There was a reason for that too!” Beau stammered as he frantically waved his arms. “Turns out B- that's my buddy's name- had been tellin' the other one ‘bout me an’ thought it would be fine to introduce us so that's why he took me there. He was gonna be my bodyguard in case somethin’ happened!”

“He wasn't a very good bodyguard considering the state you're in!” Vivian hissed. “You're telling me those things have names now?!”

“They're just like us! I mean- They're kinda like flyin’ robot vampires with way too many guns an’ stabby things, but! They talk like us, they have names like us, they laugh an’ crack jokes, they have hobbies an’ enjoy talkin’ to people… They're just like any worker drone when they're not huntin’ an’ that's how I was able to befriend those two.”

Silence fell between the two friends once again as Vivian stared at Beau with a flabbergasted expression, leaving him to nervously chuckle as he brought his hand up to gingerly touch his shoulder.

“I can tell ya more if you wanna know more, Vi, but can I at least ask ya if that was enough info in exchange for repairs now?” He asked, his mouth stretching into a wide and nervous grin. “All of this is really startin’ to hurt.”

Vivian finally seemed to snap out of her stupor, though she still didn't look happy as she sighed and turned back to the bottle of repair gel she had left out on the coffee table.

“You're one of the stupidest, most reckless drones I've ever met. Right up there with Thad,” She grumbled as she opened the bottle and reached for a roll of bandages next.

“An’ yer gonna tell me I'm the one that's reckless after you went on about wantin’ to live on the edge an’ get some thrill from goin’ outside?” Beau teased as he watched Vivian soak the bandage in the repair gel.

“The difference is my idea of thrill doesn't involve going out and getting myself killed by deliberately going right to the monsters, idiot,” Vivian huffed.

“An’ I didn't get myself killed so you gotta give me at least a lil’ credit there.”

Vivian shook her head as she listened but opted not to comment further. She instead turned her attention back to Beau now that she had the bandage, motioning for him to lift his shirt again as she shuffled closer to him.

“Your side is ripped up and I saw a crack or two on your back so I figured the best way to do this is to wrap your entire waist,” Vivian explained as she stretched the bandage out. “I'm going to warn you right now though, this is probably going to itch and burn like hell.”

“Can't be any worse than what I'm already feeling, right?” Beau quipped, earning an eyelight rolling from the other drone before she firmly pressed the bandage against his side.

True to her warning, his casing immediately erupted into an icy-hot burn as the nanite repair gel clung to him and started to spread over his injuries. He hissed between his teeth as he resisted the urge to jerk away, instead doing his best to remain still as Vivian started the process of wrapping the rest of the roll around his torso.

He took a deep vent as he allowed her to continue her work, directing his attention up to the ceiling as he kept his arms and shirt out of the way. His friend still didn't speak again as she continued to wrap the bandage, leaving him to guess that she was either still contemplating everything he had told her or too focused on her work to talk.

“...Are ya gonna be too mad at me if I ask ya for another favor?” Beau asked, immediately feeling the glare snap onto him again.

“Choose your next words wisely,” Vivian warned as she finished wrapping the bandage, giving it a light tug to ensure it was fitted properly.

“You might've already thought ‘bout this one, but… My clothes are all torn up an’ stained now. I was wonderin’ if maybe I could ya to try to fix ‘em for me? I really like this shirt an’ vest.”

Vivian gave him a blank glare before she let out a sigh, her eyelights drifting to one of the visible tears in his t-shirt. She mumbled something under her breath about supplies before she finally shrugged.

“The stains I might be able to get out because I was able to clean my scarf. No promises on being able to completely hide all of the damage though because I'm not a miracle worker when it comes to sewing,” She responded, her voice starting to sound more tired than angry.

“That's okay ‘cause it doesn't gotta be perfect. I just wanted to know if ya think you can save it.”

“I can try to save your clothes. Again, no promises,” Vivian replied as she turned back to the repair kit.

“Guess that means I'm gonna need somethin’ else to wear on the way back to my house in case anybody spots me… Could say I changed clothes ‘cause I spilled some low-grade on myself…” Beau mused aloud as he scratched his head.

“Is that your way of saying you want to borrow some of my amazing wardrobe too on top of everything else you've been making me do tonight?” Vivian questioned as she narrowed her eyelights.

“Just for tonight so I can leave my torn up clothes with you an’ have somethin’ to wear on my way home!” Beau quickly responded. “Surely you got somethin’ like a plain t-shirt or sweatshirt I can borrow, right? I'm only a couple inches taller than you so your stuff would probably fit.”

Vivian hummed thoughtfully as she sat back and studied Beau, her eyelights sweeping him up and down. He couldn't tell if the look on her face was supposed to be reassuring him that she was considering his favor or if her expression was a threat she was planning something dastardly.

“I guess I can go look around my closet and see what I can find if you ask me nicely enough,” She finally replied as she stood up.

“Would the queen of the palace be kind enough to bestow her lowly lil’ court cowboy with somethin' to wear?” Beau asked again, giving her his best pout.

Vivian let out an absolute bark of a laugh in response to the wording of Beau’s question, but it evidently seemed to be enough to spur her into action as she turned on her heels and walked toward her bedroom. Beau watched her go until she had passed through the doorway and disappeared out of sight, leading him alone where he still sat on the couch.

Now that he was alone, he let himself relax back into the cushions again. The bandages were still annoyingly itchy where they clung to his body, but he made an effort not to pick at them while the repair nanites were busy working their magic.

His thoughts began to drift again as he waited, once again finding their way back to B and his squadmates. He remembered that he still hadn't texted B to let him know that he had made it back inside safely, getting him to chew on the corner of his lip.

He had been planning to wait and text his friend once he was back in his own apartment, but now that a good amount of time had passed and he was busy waiting for Vivian anyway, he decided that it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and text. Pulling his phone free from his pocket, he wasted no time in flicking over to his messaging app to find B's contact.

He was slightly surprised to find that there was a new message already waiting for him.

IvoryEmberz: helloooo? cowboy? i thought you were supposed to text me once you were inside

IvoryEmberz: don't tell me you survived all of that just to slip on a patch of ice and break your neck on the way in

The sight of B’s usual attitude was a very welcome sight that brought a small smile to Beau’s faceplate.

You: Sorry, B. I totally fell off the top of the bunker and fell on my screen. I'm now haunting your phone as a data ghost

IvoryEmberz: do i get dibs on your body then? i mean if it's just laying out there in the snow…

You: …

You: What. The. HELL.

IvoryEmberz: too soon for that kind of joke?

You: WHY

IvoryEmberz: HEY I'M JUST SAYING! STUFF'S GONNA GO TO WASTE JUST LAYING AROUND

You: You're a jerk, you know that?

IvoryEmberz: and proud of it ;)

IvoryEmberz: okay okay. jokes aside. i’m glad you're back inside now

You: I'm not totally off the hook yet. I got my friend to treat my injuries and that's exactly the problem. She's MAD

You: She made me tell her what I got up to since she obviously saw where C got me

IvoryEmberz: ouuuuuch

IvoryEmberz: i don't envy you right now cowboy

You: Yeah, so. She knows everything now

IvoryEmberz: are you gonna bounce my contact over to her for me then?

You: What- Why?

IvoryEmberz: enrichment

IvoryEmberz: otherwise known as more people to troll and prank into next week and back again

You: I dunno, man. Vi’s pretty feisty. She might actually win

IvoryEmberz: bet

Beau couldn't help the way he snickered as he read the messages rolling in on his phone screen, his smile growing just a bit warmer. Despite everything that had happened in the past few days, it already felt like things were starting to get back on track and get back to the way they were between him and his distant friend.

His now not-so-distant friend, that is. His disassembly drone friend that lived just outside the colony and within walking distance.

Beau started to type out another message to respond to B, but the sound of a door slamming closed caught his attention. Glancing up from his phone, he took a wild guess that the sound had come from somewhere in Vivian's bedroom.

“You okay in there, Vi?” He called out, his question answered soon afterward by the sound of approaching footsteps.

“I'm fine and I found the perfect shirt for you to wear,” Vivian replied as she appeared in the bedroom doorway.

Beau immediately started to realize he made a terrible mistake as he stared at the near faceplate-splitting smirk his friend was giving him. The fact she stepped out with her arms behind her back as if she was hiding the outfit only compounded his fears.

“Vi, y’know I love ya as a friend. I need ya to think ‘bout this for a moment,” He said as he held a hand out to her as if it would stop her. “I got hurt tonight so I ain't exactly in the condition to fight. Have mercy.”

“Mercy is for the nice guys, Beau, and unfortunately for you, I'm not a nice guy,” Vivian purred as she approached, her grin seeming to somehow stretch even wider despite all odds.

Beau shrank into the couch as he watched his friend with hollow eyelights, clutching his phone to his chest as if that would help him too. A bit of movement beside Vivian caught his optics, getting him to look in enough time to see a brief hint of something glittery, sparkly, and purple before it disappeared behind her again.

He suddenly found himself regretting every single decision that had led him to this point.

“Vi-”

Vivian cut him off with a series of devious giggles, her grin implying she was feeling quite proud of herself before she finally pulled the shirt out from behind her to reveal it. Beau’s jaw immediately dropped as his optics were met with a bright pink t-shirt, his gaze lingering briefly on the sequins that covered it before he noticed the glittery purple ruffles that made up the puffy sleeves and the skirt that rested at the bottom of the piece of clothing.

He couldn't have picked out something more optic-stabbingly colorful if he tried. He wasn't sure if even Vivian would ever wear a shirt that colorful or if she kept it specifically for times like this.

“No.”

“Either you wear this or you walk home as naked as the day your frame was made,” Vivian said, smirking as she shook the shirt for emphasis. “Pick your poison, cowboy.”

Beau continued to gawk at both Vivian and the shirt as she held it out to him, his processor reeling. He knew she was serious about her threat to send him home without anything to wear at all, leaving him staring at the offensively sparkly piece of clothing as he tried to choose his next words carefully.

“Are you sure there's nothin’ else in yer closet I could borrow for the night? Anything less… sparkly?” He asked hopefully.

“Nooope. You either wear this or you go home naked,” Vivian repeated, her smirk wide. “Unless you want to go ahead and leave right now in your ruined clothes.”

Beau let out a groan as he slapped a hand to his visor, pinching the glass beneath his fingers as his friend continued to giggle. He slipped his phone back into his pocket before he held his hand out to her, feeling a sense of embarrassed defeat washing over him as she dropped the shirt into his waiting grip.

“You remember where the bathroom is, don't you?” The she-devil asked as she continued to smirk, watching as Beau stood up.

“Yeah, yeah… I know where it is… Be right back,” He muttered as he waved Vivian off with his free hand, ignoring her victorious cackles as he shuffled past her with the sparkly clothing in hand.

Beau wasted no time in shutting the door behind him and tossing the sequined shirt onto the counter once he made it inside the bathroom. He let out a heavy sigh as he took his hat off and stared at the glittery monstrosity, debating if he cared about getting his clothing repaired after all.

Remembering that the torn clothing would make him look more suspicious compared to the sparkly shirt that could be explained away as one of Vivisn’s pranks, he shook his head in defeat before he started to shrug his vest off. The t-shirt was removed next, leaving him staring at himself in the mirror as his eyelights narrowed slightly.

The bandages currently wrapped around the lower half of his torso made it clear he had been injured, but at least he knew he could hide that with clothing. His shoulder injuries didn't look as bad as he expected, but he decided he should mention them to Vivian as well before he picked up the colorful shirt again.

He had just slipped his head and arms through the clothing before a brief flicker of orange in the mirror caught his optics, getting him to pause and stare at it. He was once again met with his reflection as expected, his tired eyelights staring back at him as small lines appeared beneath them to mimic eye bags.

He guessed that he must have been imagining things again.

Beau finished putting the shirt on before he looked at himself in the mirror one last time, grumbling under his breath. He looked just as ridiculous as he expected, especially once he put his hat back on, but he decided it was too late to back out of it now that he had committed to the situation.

“Okay, I'm comin’ out now, Vi,” He called out as he scooped up his ruined clothing, deciding he could hand them off to his friend.

Vivian, predictably, completely lost her composure once Beau stepped out of the bathroom and entered her line of sight again, leaving her laughing so loudly that it started to cause her voice box to clip. He was quick to retaliate by throwing his bundle of clothing at her, the laughing drone appearing completely unbothered even as the toss caught her off guard and resulted in her getting hit with a faceful of fabric.

“Oh, this is great. You should take a picture so it'll last even longer,” Vivian remarked as she managed to calm down, a wide smirk still plastered across her faceplate as she tucked the damaged clothing under her arm.

“I hate you,” Beau grumbled, his hands balling into fists at his sides as her laughter started anew.

“No, you don't. But hey, think about it this way, cowboy. I'll call us even now,” Vivian winked. “Is that all you need before I finally get to go to bed?”

“Do ya mind takin’ a quick glance at my shoulders too before I get outta here? Got grabbed by the claws there too but it didn't look as bad to me as my side when I looked in the mirror. Still kinda want a second opinion though since you know more ‘bout this stuff than I do.”

“Are you going to pose for the camera and let me take a picture of you in that shirt if I do that?” Vivian asked as she raised an eyebrow, her shark-like grin returning in full force.

“Wha- I thought ya said we were even now!” Beau protested as he threw his hands up.

“That was before you asked me to do another thing for you! Now we have to get even again!”

“Yer havin’ way too much fun with this whole entire thing.”

“Oh, absolutely,” Vivian snickered as she motioned toward the living room. “Now come on, cowboy. Back to the couch so I can take a look.”

Beau nodded in agreement and turned to walk over to the couch again, doing his best to ignore the feeling of the shirt's ruffles swaying as he walked. Vivian no doubt noticed the movement as well judging by the way she started giggling again, prompting him to let out a huff as a knot icon formed in the corner of his visor.

“As long as ya promise not to do the thi- Yer doin' the thing,” Beau observed as he watched his friend pull her phone out of her jacket.

“Smile for the camera! Say ‘thank you for saving my hide’,” Vivian instructed as she pointed her phone at him, her smirk wide.

“I really do appreciate ya helpin’ me out an' all an’ I thank ya for that, but is this really ne-” Beau started to speak, but he was unable to finish before a bright flash came in time with the sound of a shutter going off.

He immediately flew into a series of loud protests as his optics were temporarily overloaded and whited out by the phone’s camera flash, his volume matched only by Vivian’s own playful and barking laughter. Beau was so caught in both his verbal complaints and the lights dancing across his vision that he failed to notice a small and flickering string of text that briefly appeared in the corner of his system overlay.

//:Absolute_Solver_String = True

Chapter Text

A bright flash of lightning split the sky, racing between the dark storm clouds that were currently brewing above the mansion. A lone worker drone sat on the cushioned windowsill that belonged to one of the lounge windows, her head tilting over slightly as she began to count in her head.

The rolling clap of thunder caught up approximately eight seconds later, the noise causing the window to rattle slightly. The waiting drone stopped counting, bringing her hand up to gently push her head back up and straighten it.

That particular clap of thunder came quicker than the last. She could tell that the storm was getting closer.

The worker drone turned her attention away from the storm clouds, instead focusing on her reflection in the polished glass. Bright yellow eyelights framed by fluffy silver bangs and a long strand of hair on each side of her faceplate peered back at her, the eyelights slowly drifting back and forth as she studied herself.

Bringing unsteady hands to her neck, she attempted to carefully straighten the ribbon that served as the necktie for her dress and uniform. The constant twitching of misfiring servos interrupted her as she tugged on the edges of the ribbon, forcing her to wait for the shaking to settle so she wouldn't accidentally pull the knot apart.

She remembered a time long ago when her body had been just as functional as her fellow worker drones that filled the manor, but that felt like an eternity ago now. Now, her body tended to fail and disobey her attempts to command it.

The young mistress of the house had called it a consequence of being deactivated once and repaired after being salvaged from the garbage heap. ‘A few little bugs we’ll have to iron out,’ she had said.

The golden-eyed drone knew it was something much more sinister than that.

The shaking in her fingers finally calmed enough to allow her to straighten her necktie, leaving her staring at her reflection again with half-lidded eyelights. Her processor briefly flashed back to glaring red and the sensation of being crushed until a voice came to her, promising safety.

If only the first voice that had promised safety had actually meant it. If only the devil had rode in with the form of a devil and not an angel.

Maybe she wouldn't have believed it if it had.

Her head tipped over on its own again as her neck joint failed, leaving her staring at the window from an odd angle. She didn't bother to push it back up again- not yet- and instead reached up to cover one of her eyelights.

The reflection of a bright yellow triangle on the back of her hand made her want to frown, but she had already complained a hundred times and a hundred more times about the changes. She knew by now that complaining never changed anything because if it did, her body would have been hers again a long time ago.

Now that she thought about it, she was surprised that her string of complaints hadn't managed to stir up the very thing she was complaining about in the first place. Normally the monstrosity would never miss an opportunity to hijack her thoughts and inject its own comments and taunts meant to toy with her, but it had been unusually silent since she had woken up.

She knew better than to question the moment of peace she was being given, but she also knew better than to let her guard down. In her past experiences, any time the devil went silent, it was usually plotting or deliberately trying to lull her into a false sense of security.

“Hey, C? You doing okay?” A voice suddenly spoke up from somewhere behind her, finally drawing her out of her thoughts and back into the land of the living.

The golden-eyed drone pushed herself away from the window, using her grip on the cushioned seat beneath her to turn around. Her crooked gaze was immediately met by a familiar drone, an eyebrow hiking on his screen as he watched her movements.

“Did you hear what I said that time or…” The newcomer asked, flipping his fluffy sideswept silver bangs out of his visor.

“Heard you… negative. Repeat?” C asked as she straightened her head once more.

“I was asking if you were okay and if you got your chores done yet,” The other drone replied as he placed a hand on his hip. “D's busy and I have some free time so I thought I'd ask if you need any help.”

C hummed quietly, her eyelights slowly tracing over the other drone. He had unbuttoned his suit jacket at some point and untucked his undershirt in a subtle act of rebellion toward the uniform dress code, which got a brief smile to tug at her faceplate.

She felt like she could always trust his antics to give her a little bit of amusement. She almost considered purposely undoing her neck ribbon to rebel a bit with her uniform as well.

She realized she was already rebelling with the large blank bow that she wore atop her helmet. That was an extra article of clothing that wasn't part of the standard uniform.

Satisfied with her rebellious self-inspection, she felt a smirk ghosting across her faceplate.

“Earth to C… Earth to C… Do you copy? Are you still here?” The butler’s voice suddenly pierced into C’s thoughts again.

“I can- hear you just fine, B,” She replied as her voice briefly clipped, punctuating her statement with half-lidded eyelights as she glared at the other.

“Hey, hey, I was just making sure!” B was quick to assure as he held his hands up. “I wasn't gonna blame you for not hearing me since the thunder is pretty loud right now.”

C knew that there were more reasons for his concern. She was no stranger to the knowledge that many of the other drones in the manor thought she was prone to zoning out.

If only they knew.

“There is… a storm rolling in, agreed,” She said as she looked past the other drone and instead watched the window behind him

“Sounds like it's gonna be a pretty noisy one too. Big thunder, lots of lightning, lots of rain…” B commented as he joined C at the window. “Wanna bet on if the power’s gonna go out tonight?”

“One battery? Or two?”

“Two. I could go for a good snack right about now,” B replied as he stretched his arm over his head, letting out a quiet yawn. “What's next on your schedule?”

“Checking… Checking…” C narrated in a mutter as her head dipped forward in time with the day’s assigned schedule splashing over her internal visual display. “Dusting… Laundry… Table prep.”

B hummed as he listened to C, tapping a finger against his chin. The maid waited for him to finish chewing on whatever thought was currently running through his processor, finding a loose string on her dress to fidget with in the meantime.

“Yeah, I think I got enough time to help out with that stuff,” B finally stated as he slouched against the wall. “Whatcha wanting to knock out first?”

“L-Laundry. Most time consuming task… True. Formally requesting… B's assistance.”

“Laundry, huh… Yeah, that'd probably go a little faster with two of us carting clothes around,” B agreed, offering his hand to C. “Does that mean break time's over now?”

“Break time concluded… True,” C responded as she ceased twirling the loose string, instead reaching to take the other drone's hand.

B clasped his hand around hers, keeping a firm but not painful grip as her fingers trembled and twitched in his grasp. She allowed him to hold onto her arm as she crawled towards the edge of the windowsill, her head bobbing around as gravity took hold of it from the movement.

“Crawling… Crawling… Crawling…” C vocalized as she moved, her eyelights flickering before settling into a frustrated pout.

Narrating her actions was yet another quirk that had appeared in her programming shortly after being ‘repaired’. Some others found it endearing while others found it off-putting, but she hated it and found it embarrassing despite how uncontrollable it was.

Despite her personal frustrations with it, B never commented on it as he instead smiled and patiently waited. He held her hand to keep her from losing her balance as she slowly lowered one foot and then the next to the floor, giving her arm a light tug to help her stand up completely.

“You got it?” B asked as he allowed C to lean against his arm.

“Affirmative… Nod,” C replied as her head dipped backward, prompting her to push it upright as she mimicked a nod with the movement.

“To the laundry room then?”

“To the laundry r-room.”

B held C’s hand for a moment longer as she steadied her balance, finally giving him a small nod to tell him to let go. Her knee joints faced inward as she hunched slightly, but she kept herself standing as she smoothed her dress out with unsteady hands.

B gave a thumbs up before he turned on his heels to start heading for the archway that led out of the lounge. C turned to follow him as she took care not to trip over the rug beneath their feet, her eyelights briefly drifting towards the wall.

A bright flash of lightning lit up the room again, giving her a reminder of the approaching thunderstorm outside. Shadows danced along the wall and in her vision, briefly catching her attention as she looked further up the wall.

She saw her own shadow stretching along the surface alongside B’s, but that wasn't the main thing that caught her optics. What actually caught her optics was a series of shadowy tendrils and scythe-like claw appendages spiraling outward from her shadow, seemingly curling toward and reaching for the other drone’s shadow.

A brief glance behind her revealed a lack of extra appendages. She resisted the urge to let out a sigh as she drew her hands up to her chest, thankful that B seemingly hadn't noticed the odd shadows.

C’s head tilted slightly again as she joined B at the archway, giving him a small smile. He returned the smile before he dipped into a bow, putting one hand to his chest.

“Ladies first,” B stated as he motioned out into the hallway, his grin spreading wider across his faceplate as C giggled at the display.

“Completely u-unnecessary… but still- appreciated,” C commented, smiling at B before she passed through the archway on unsteady steps.

“Nope, wrong, it's actually totally necessary because you're my friend and I gotta make sure I'm treating you right,” B replied as he took a few wide steps to catch up to C, falling in line with walking beside her.

“Being silly… True. You are being… very silly right now. Giggle,” C responded, covering her mouth with a hand as she let out a small laugh.

“Oh yeah? You think I'm being silly? Good. That means my super secret plan is working then,” B declared as he crossed his arms behind his head, leaning back as both drones walked down the decorated hall.

“Secret plan? Inquiry… What are these… plans you're speaking of?” C asked, raising an eyebrow.

“If I told you what my super secret plans are, they wouldn't be a secret anymore, would they?” B teased, sticking his tongue out slightly.

“Counterargument… You cannot say that and expect me to… not be curious. Curiosity piqued… True.”

“C’mon, C… I just told you that it's not gonna be a secret anymore if I just tell you what they are! How am I supposed to just drop that and tell you?”

“Because I am… curious? You do not w-want to leave me curious… Do you?” C asked again, looking at the other drone.

B turned his head to meet C’s optics, raising an eyebrow once he realized she was staring. She responded by giving him her best pout, folding her hands together as she tilted her head to complete the innocent and begging stare.

“Tell me… please?” C inquired again, her pout holding steady.

“You're driving a really hard bargain with those puppy dog eyes,” B sighed as he gave an exaggerated shrug. “Fineeee… I guess that means I have to tell you now.”

“T-Tell me then,” C giggled, tilting closer to B before she reached out to hold his arm and steady herself again.

“My super secret plans are… getting you to smile and laugh, obviously! C’mon, C, you deserve to laugh and lighten up a little,” B replied as he tilted his arm up to help.

“Are you implying that others don't… deserve to laugh a bit too?” Curious look,” C narrated again, a wave of silent frustration washing over her.

“I mean, I’d say pretty much everybody deserves a little R&R every once in a while unless they're just a huge piece of work. You, however, deserve a nice break. You're dealing with a lot and trying to keep up with work on top of that.”

C narrowed her eyelights as she watched the other drone, continuing to lean against his arm as the duo rounded a corner. A sudden crash of thunder made her jump slightly, but she paid it no further mind as they passed by the tall windows lining the hallway.

“I do not… think that is how things work, B,” She said, her mouth forming into a small smile. “I have not… done anything to warrant special treatment over anyone else in the manor.”

“Awww, don't be so modest!” B said, giving C a light and playful nudge with his elbow joint. “You and D both totally get special people points from me because you're my best friends in the whole wide universe. Tessa too!”

“Best friends…” C repeated, her smile stretching just a bit wider. “And what about…?”

“Him too! You didn't think I forgot about our awesome buddy and all the things he does for us, did ya?” B beamed with a toothy smile. “I have four amazing best friends that help me get through the day.”

“We do not… do much, B. It is hard to… so much when there are constant chores and other things to attend to.”

“And that's exactly why I treasure moments like this where I get to chill and hang out with you guys,” B said as he gently removed his arm from C’s grasp, wrapping it around her shoulders instead.

C leaned into B’s friendly touch, using it to help keep her balance. Both friends shared another smile as they continued onward toward the laundry room, leaving the two in relatively high spirits.

“Inquiry… Do you think… Tessa will be free later? Does she have… more studies lined up later this evening?” C asked after a few minutes of walking in comfortable silence.

“Thaaaat might be something you'd be better off asking D if we bump into her… She stays on top of Tessa’s schedule better than I do since that's her job or whatever,” B replied with a thoughtful look. “That being said, I hope Tessa’s free tonight because it's been a hot minute since we all got to pile up in her room and watch a movie together.”

“Whose turn… was it to pick the movie?”

“Yours, I think. I picked the last one and Tessa picked the one before that.”

Another rolling crack of thunder interrupted the two, prompting both drones to watch the nearest window they passed by. The rain had started by now, coming down in a steady downpour as it pounded against the glass.

“I think… the universe is trying to tell us we should watch… a horror movie,” C observed as she watched the rainfall.

“It was a dark and stormy night…” B played along as he curled his fingers into a claw shape. “Is that actually what you want to watch? I don't want you to get too freaked out right before recharge time.”

“It is quite hard to be frightened by a movie when you are currently busy living your own real-life horror story,” C wanted to say, but it went unsaid as she brought a hand to her chin.

“I am… still thinking,” She instead replied, her face thoughtful. “I do not… find horror movies particularly frightening, but… Big brother finds such movies scary… True.”

“Shoot- You're right. I didn't even think about the fact a movie like that would probably freak him out…” B admitted as he scratched his helmet.

The butler paused at that, his eyelights narrowing. C let out a curious hum as she watched the other drone, conveying a silent request to know what was on his mind.

“Actually, speaking of, where is he?” B asked. “I haven't seen him like… all day. I saw him long enough to say good morning when I first woke up but then he was out the door. I figured he'd be hovering around you but I didn't see him.”

C listened as she frowned, sorting through the day's memory files in an attempt to recall if she had seen the individual in question. She had been the last to wake from sleep mode and so she knew that he had already left to handle his chores by the time she was awake.

After a bit of racking her processor, she was fairly certain that she hadn't seen him all day. Make that two people she couldn't remember seeing or hearing from since she woke up.

“I do not recall… seeing him either,” C replied, shaking her head slightly. “Do you think… he is alright?”

“Do I think he's okay? Yeah, I think so. I think we would've heard about it by now if anything big happened,” B assured. “If you're worried though… Maybe we can go look for him after chores?”

“I would like to… Yes,” C agreed as she moved her hand to carefully adjust her neck ribbon again. “I am… curious where he has gotten off to.”

“My best guess? He's probably either super busy or he's doing exactly what I'm doing right now and he's helping out other drones around the place. You know how he is,” B said as he eyed the approaching laundry room.

He reached to open the door once the two neared it, casting a final glance at C. She slowly unwrapped herself from his arm, reestablishing her balance before she carefully smoothed out her dress.

“Or, third option, he's hiding out in the library right now. He could be on the hunt for more of those dog books he loves so much,” B continued as he stepped into the room, moving to the side to hold the door open for C.

“He does like those books… That is… a likely explanation,” C agreed as she entered the room, her optics immediately finding a set of laundry carts they could both use.

“Could swing by the library and look for him there too then,” B suggested as turned to join C.

“I think… it would not hurt to check if we are passing by anyway,” C replied as she crossed the room on careful steps, reaching for the handle of the nearest empty cart.

She took the cart in hand and turned her head to watch B, watching him grab his own cart to aid in transporting the laundry. He flashed a thumbs up in her direction with a free hand, wasting no time in pushing the basket on wheels toward the doorway they had just come from.

C twisted her cart around and started to follow B, though she had only taken a few steps when her core suddenly skipped a cycle and sent a sharp jolt through her body. She let out a quiet and uncomfortable gasp in response to the feeling, tightening her grip on the cart’s handle.

It wasn't terribly unusual for her core to skip a cycle or two on occasion given how frail her frame and systems were. What was unusual, however, was the fact that her core proceeded to skip several more cycles in rapid succession while sending convulsing jolts from her chest cavity to every inch of her casing.

C let out an involuntary static-filled whine as she hunched, curling into herself as one hand left the laundry cart to grip the fabric of her dress instead. B looked back at her and all but abandoned his cart, his eyelights pulling into a hollow-eyed frown.

“C? What's wrong?” He asked as he pushed her own laundry cart to the side, giving him a better view of her as she took in a sharp and shaky vent.

“I don't- D-Don’t-” C tried to speak up, but another particularly strong jolt rocked her body and forced her to double over as her voice fizzled and died in her throat.

She felt B grabbing her shoulder and her upper arm, but it did nothing to soothe the painful sparks and misfiring servos running amok throughout her body. Her visual overlay began to flash in her optics, rapidly flickering back and forth between searing white and the sickly yellow that she had grown so accustomed to.

She must have made some sort of noise because she felt B’s comforting grip suddenly tighten, but she couldn't hear herself as her audio processors began to ring. She was sure the other drone was talking to her, but she couldn't hear him either.

After what felt like an eternity of incomprehensible sound and painful static shocks, she started to get the sensation that something inside her was being stretched thin and strained like a rubber band. And much like a rubber band that had been stretched much too far for much too long, she felt it suddenly give way and snap.

C’s body felt like it was collapsing in on itself as her vision whited out and then gave way to a cold and unforgiving darkness.

“C! C, please- Please, wake up…!”

C's processor slowly started to float back into awareness as a faint voice reached whatever was left of her audio processors, but her systems couldn't pinpoint who the speaker was. She could also hear a faint beep in her head, which she identified as the sound of her optics throwing an error after a few moments of numb confusion.

Darkness clung to her vision like a veil, giving her the impression that beeping meant her optics were currently offline or rebooting. A low whine of crackling static joined the rest of her senses as a voice spoke to her again, rendering her unable to make out any of the words being spoken. 

She let out a low and pitiful whine as a slight tremor wracked her body, curling in on herself as control of her limbs slowly started to come back to her. She felt a pair of hands wrapping around her arm with a light touch, though she was still unable to identify who even as she tilted her head in their direction.

The hands gave her a gentle tug, giving her the sensation of being pulled. The feeling continued until her internal gyroscope told her she was sitting upright.

“...hear me? …us? C… C…” The voice managed to get past the static in C's head, giving her the impression that the speaker was closer this time.

“Whoooo…?” C tried to ask, though she couldn't be sure if she had actually spoken aloud or not.

The soft hands on her arm suddenly let go, quickly replaced by the feeling of arms wrapping around her sides instead. She was left to assume she must have made some sort of noise as the arms pulled her into a gentle, almost cradling hug.

“What happened, B?” The voice spoke again, this time clear enough for C to identify the familiar accent and person it belonged to.

“I don't know! We were getting ready to do laundry and then she just collapsed!” B’s voice responded from somewhere else, his tone laced with frightened concern.

C took in a shaky vent as she leaned into the comforting touch of the person holding her, turning her head until she tucked her visor in against their shoulder. The arms shifted accordingly to better cradle her, allowing her to recline back against them as she felt her legs get gently scooped up into their lap.

“T-Tessaaaa…” C whined again, her words getting mixed up in a burst of static that also spilled from her voice box.

“Right, C… You're right. It's me…” Tessa replied softly as she shifted her hold on C again, bringing one hand up to gently stroke the back of the drone’s head.

C let out a quiet whine as she allowed the comforting touch, dipping her head back into Tessa’s hand. Tessa responded in turn by gently tightening her other arm around C’s torso.

“What… happened…?” C asked slowly, her hands finding Tessa’s clothing before they balled up in the fabric to return the hug.

“We were hoping you'd be able to answer that one for us…” Tessa replied as she continued to gently brush C’s hair. “B said you suddenly collapsed and were totally unresponsive.”

“Yeah, you just- You made this awful face and then you hit the floor like a rock!” B’s voice stressed. “I tried to wake you but you weren't responding at all and I didn't know what to do so I- I went to find help and got D and Tessa.”

C let out an acknowledging mumble as she attempted to dig back into her memory files. She could faintly recall her chat with B on the way to the laundry room, but she couldn't remember anything that had come afterwards.

The most logical conclusion she could come to was that she must have temporarily gone offline and lost consciousness, though the cause was still unknown to her despite her digging through her processor for an answer.

“I don't… know what happened…” C admitted quietly, soon burying her face in the comfort of Tessa’s shoulder again.

“Right, well… Figuring out exactly what happened matters less than making sure you're okay. We can figure out the hows and whys later,” Tessa said as she gently held the back of the drone's head.

C relaxed into the touches, allowing her body to rest limply as she stopped trying to force her joints and servos to work. The ringing static had calmed down significantly by now, allowing her to rest a bit easier.

“Can you see?” Tessa asked after a beat of silence, prompting C to tilt her head up slightly. “Your visor’s been offline since you woke up… I wanna know if it's just the display or if it's your optics too.”

“Can't see…” C replied with a slight shake of her head, immediately regretting the action as the motion made her dizzy.

“Right… I was worried about that… Bloody hell,” Tessa cursed quietly in time with C feeling her hand gently touch her faceplate. “That means we have about a fifty-fifty shot of something either being damaged or your optics failing to reboot properly when you did…”

C tilted her head back as she listened to Tessa’s musing, doing her best to aim her stare where she thought the human’s head was. Tessa’s thumb gently brushed against her faceplate as she did so, rubbing small and soothing circles into the casing.

“Do I… need repairs…?” The drone asked, letting her head lean into the grounding touch.

“We're gonna figure that part out, okay?” Tessa replied in a gentle voice, her thumb gently pressing tighter against C’s faceplate. “We can try a reboot first if you don't want to go straight to all of the tools.”

“Please…” C responded with a quiet whimper, tucking her head into the human’s shoulder again.

“Righty-o…” Tessa began in time with her arms shifting to gently help C sit up. “Can you go into your processes for a minute and do a manual reboot for me?”

C gave a small nod in response, her head falling forward slightly before it was gently pushed upright by Tessa's hand again. She followed the human’s instructions, turning her attention inward as she intuitively filtered through her internal processes even without her internal visual overlay to guide her.

She felt her consciousness get pulled under again as her systems cycled through a soft reboot, though it thankfully didn't last long. She was aware and grounded back in her senses moments later, her grip tightening slightly on Tessa’s clothes.

A quiet buzz sounded inside her head as various parts fired up again in response to the reboot-induced diagnostics test, leaving her in anxious anticipation. She briefly caught the sound of voices again, but her audio processors didn't finish loading in time to properly catch the words.

There was a brief and faint flicker in the darkness that served as C’s vision, getting her core to skip a cycle as hope surged through her. The flicker must have been visible on her visor as well because she immediately felt Tessa’s hands gently pulling her head up to give the human a better look.

A circling symbol appeared and took up C’s internal view, offering a promise that her optics had successfully rebooted and were in the middle of loading her visual processors. Her body felt like it rattled with the force of the relieved sigh that left her as she realized she likely wouldn't need repairs after all.

The next few seconds felt agonizingly slow in her processor as she waited for her optics to finish booting up, but once they did so, the darkness was quickly overtaken by a bright white visual overlay as her sight returned to her. She hissed quietly at the bright lights as her systems had to take a moment to recalibrate and adjust.

“Look at that! There we go!” Tessa exclaimed happily, drawing the maid drone's attention upwards as her calibrations finished.

C was immediately met with the smiling face of her human companion, the twinkle in her eyes being an obvious indicator of her own glee that the reboot has been successful. She found herself returning Tessa’s smile with a small one of her own, allowing herself to comfortably slump into the human’s touch as the hug returned in full force.

“C… Are you okay? Do you remember what happened yet?” B’s concerned voice reached C’s audios, only just now reminding her of the other drone's presence.

“No, I… do not know what happened… My processor still feels… a bit fuzzy,” She admitted as she turned her gaze to the butler.

C was immediately met with the concerned faces of both B and another maid drone who stood beside him. D’s facial expression remained more stoic than B’s, but her concern was still detectable by the hollow white rings that were currently serving as her eyelights.

“D… B-” She started to speak, though her voice clipped and cut out briefly.

B and D took her pause as an excuse to approach both her and Tessa, wasting no time in kneeling down beside the human so they could both be closer to their fellow drone.

“Easy, easy… You just went through whatever that was and then an extra reboot on top of that… Your systems are probably still catching up,” B gently warned as he placed a hand on C’s arm.

D’s hand joined B’s on C’s other arm, silent but conveying that she was present and there to help. C nodded before she took a slow and deep vent, attempting to both calm herself and get her core back to its proper rhythm of cycles.

“I'm… okay… I am alright,” C spoke under her breath.

Regardless of her quiet volume, it must have been heard by the other three as they each gave her a gentle and reassuring squeeze.

C brought a hand to her visor, rubbing her fingers against it with a frown. She once again began the process of trying to sort her thoughts, fighting against the bits of static that still clung to her memory recall as she tried to remember what happened before she woke up on the floor.

“...Hey… Whoa… Wait a minute… That's different…” B’s voice suddenly cut into her thoughts, prompting her to glance out at him from between her fingers.

“...Different? What is different?” She asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

B brought a hand up, pointing a finger at C’s visor. It took her a moment to realize that he must have been pointing out something on her display.

“Your eyelights weren't always white… Were they?”

The butler's words struck C’s audios with such sharpness that she wasn't even sure if she had heard him correctly. In an instant, she froze and forgot to vent again as her other hand tightened its grip on Tessa’s sleeve.

“...W-What do you mean…?” C asked quietly. “They're not… yellow…?”

“That's what I said! They were yellow this morning, weren't they? But they're definitely white right now!” B confirmed as he gave C’s visor a light and gentle poke to emphasize his point.

“Huh… That’s an odd quirk…” Tessa mused as she looked down at the white-eyed maid in her arms. “Reboot must've messed with something and made the colors go all wonky… Might be harmless though? C, are your optics throwing any errors?”

C heard Tessa's words but found herself unable to answer as her processor instead latched onto one tiny thought that was brewing in the back of her head.

Why were her eyelights white?

[...C? Tessa asked you a question,] D’s voice cut in, C’s auto translation functions working quickly to translate the Russian even despite her current confusion.

“I…” C trailed off, instead giving a sharp shake of her head in response.

She began to wiggle and squirm in Tessa’s hug, prompting the human to loosen her grip to allow C to pull away. She pulled her arms away from B and D as well before she scrambled up to her feet, nearly falling over as her internal gyroscope protested the sudden change.

C looked down at the concerned and confused faces of her friends before she looked around at her surroundings, resting a hand over her rapidly cycling core. She spotted a mounted mirror a few feet away and hurried over to it as quickly as her unsteady steps would take her.

Fuzzy and hollow white eyelights stared back at her from her reflection, brightening in time with the gasp that left her. She leaned closer to the mirror, rubbing her fingers over one of the eyelights as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

“...C? Are you right?” Tessa asked, though C didn't spare a glance her way even as she heard the human get up from the floor.

“N-No, this is… This isn't correct… This is not…” C frantically muttered back in response, now rubbing both hands over her visor.

“Well- You'd be right because that's not your original color and I'm sure that's a strange discovery, but! If your systems aren't throwing any errors, then you can at least rest easy knowing your vision is fine!”

C turned her head to meet Tessa and both of the drones at her side, finding no comfort in the words despite the human's attempt at reassurance. A feeling of dread coiled around the maid's processor and core, though she couldn't quite place where it was coming from even as her venting started to become quicker and uneven.

Her eyelights flickered and brightened further as they quickly swept over the three faces of her concerned friends, leaving her thoughts racing. It struck her then.

“...Wait… Where is… Where's…?” C stumbled over her words as the realization that someone was missing from the group crashed over her.

There was one more person that wasn't currently present that should have been there.

[C, calm down. You are going to overwork your core,] D warned gently. [Take a deep vent. Where is who?]

“Where is he- Was he not with any of you?” C breathlessly questioned.

“Are you talking about… Don't you remember? Actually, okay, maybe you don't remember if your processor got scrambled…” B muttered. “He wasn't with us before you collapsed. It was just you and me.”

“D? Have you seen him?” C asked, her tone pitching higher in urgency.

[C, I will need to know who you are talking about before I can answer that question,] D replied, her eyelights narrowing in confusion.

“No one has seen him anywhere then? Anywhere at all??” C asked again, her hands shaking slightly at her sides now.

“Hey now… D's right… We can't answer your questions if none of us know who you're looking for…” Tessa gently reminded her with a concerned frown. “Why don't you sit down with us and rest for a minute so you can tell us what's going on?”

“No… No, I can't… There's no time for that… Something is wrong somewhere. I can feel it,” C stressed as her hands came up to hold her head.

“Hey, C, I'm with Tessa on this one. I think you should sit down for a minute and get some deep vents in before you overwork your systems,” B cut in as he reached out to gently grab her shoulders.

C let out a shaky vent as she met B’s gaze, her eyelights fuzzy and hollow as she gave him an uneasy frown. The butler gave her a small smile in an attempt to comfort her, but his eyelights still conveyed his concern for her.

“Something has happened, B. I just know it,” C whined.

“But what happened, C? The only thing I've seen today besides the thunderstorm is the thing that happened to you,” B said as he studied C’s face with a frown. “Did you have a bad dream or something while you were unconscious?”

C stared back into B’s eyelights as she took a deep vent, her hands soon coming together to fidget in an attempt to self-soothe. The other drone gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze to help comfort her as well.

Despite all of the comfort and reassurance, she still couldn't shake the feeling of dread that was coiling around her processor and core like an ill omen.

“Something is wrong… Something is wrong,” C repeated after a moment.

“Hey, why don't we all just-” B started to speak, but he was interrupted as C suddenly pulled herself free from his touch.

The maid drone looked around at the concerned faces of her friends with hollow eyelights, drawing her hands to her chest again. She took a few steps back until B took a step toward her, prompting her to whirl around on her heels and take off in the other direction.

She heard her friends calling out to her, but she didn't stop or slow down as she ran into the hallway. If anyone was following her, she couldn't hear them over the sound of the ringing in her audios and the window-rattling thunder outside.

C barely registered the feeling of her feet touching the ground, surprising even herself with how fast she was running. Her core rapidly cycled in her chest with simulated adrenaline as she took a sharp turn around the corner, nearly throwing herself off balance as her arms flailed at her sides.

There was a certain someone that her processor screamed she needed to find. Even if he turned out to be okay, she needed to actually see him to believe it.

The real challenge was going to be trying to figure out where he was in the giant sprawling estate filled with all sorts of winding hallways.

She wasn't sure how long she had been running by the time she finally came to a stop at a fork in the latest hallway she found herself in. She doubled over where she stood, resting her hands on her knee joints as air vented in and out of her body in uneven huffs in an attempt to cool down her systems.

The brief pause gave her enough time to examine the two directions she could take, her optics scanning one before her eyelights flicked over to the other. A terrible sense of foreboding landed on her shoulders with the force of a lead weight and threatened to crush her as soon as she did so, sending a shiver down her spinal struts.

She knew which direction she needed to go.

C wasted no time in hurrying into the foreboding turn of the hallway, nearly tripping over the lip of the hallway rug that got underfoot as she turned too quickly. She was sent stumbling forwards, but she managed to keep herself from falling as she stuck her arm out and caught herself on the wall.

She pushed herself off of the wall and continued her run as her other hand rested over her chest, her core rapidly and painfully cycling as it stuttered through a few of said cycles. She took a deep vent in an attempt to help regulate her systems, only finding a marginal amount of relief as the excessive physical activity immediately threw her core off-cycle again.

As she rounded the corner one last time, her gaze quickly landed on the sight of another worker drone standing in the center of the hallway. Even with his back turned to her, she could recognize the fluffy silver curls of hair that stuck out from beneath his helmet.

Her shoes audibly squeaked against the hardwood flooring beneath her as she forced herself to suddenly slow down, nearly sending her off balance again. Her vents left her in ragged and uneven huffs as her systems felt too heated from her exertion, but she found that the least of her concerns at the moment.

Her body shook as she started to approach the other drone as quickly as her now clumsy and tired footsteps would allow, forcing her to put one hand on the wall to help her balance. She didn't come to a complete stop until she was a mere few feet behind him.

“...B-Big brother?” C tried quietly, breathlessly, as static clipped her voice.

The butler’s head tilted back slightly as she spoke up, but he didn't answer her. Instead, he raised a trembling hand to hold the side of his head as his posture slumped forward slightly.

C waited seconds for an answer before she hobbled forwards, wasting no time in reaching out to the other drone. Her hand landed on his shoulder, using it to steady herself before she gave it a light squeeze in an attempt to get his attention.

“Talk t-to me. Please,” She pleaded.

The other drone was quiet still for a few more moments before his free hand slowly came up to brush over her fingertips on his shoulder. His hand held hers for just a full minute before he slowly turned to face her.

The first thing she saw as he turned was a fuzzy and hollow white eyelight framed with a single tear at its edge, complete with the shaky smile that stretched over his faceplate. The next thing that she saw… was the matching yellow eyelight that took over the other half of his screen.

C let out a choked gasp as she took a step back from the other drone. She felt like nearly every single process failed in her systems at that moment, leaving her trembling and sputtering as she tried to process what she was seeing.

“B-Big brother…?” She questioned again, her voice barely coming out above a whisper.

“Oh… Haha… Your eyelights aren't yellow anymore…That means it worked…” The butler finally responded just as quietly as his wide smile became crooked.

“T-That means what worked? What d-did you do?” C asked as she stared back into mismatched eyelights, her own eyelights hollow in the reflection of his visor.

“M-Maybe now… You won't struggle as much… It’ll be easier for you…” The butler continued despite her questions, his grin growing more lopsided by the second.

“B-big brother… W-What…” C sputtered as her hand tightened in the fabric of her dress that rested over her chest.

“I-I… diiidin’t know if it would work but I thought… M-Maybe it was worth a try… A-Anything to make you feel better! A-Anything to make it n-not hurt… A-Anything to take your p-pain away…” The butler continued to mutter, bringing both of his hands to his head as he proceeded to lightly grip at the silvery curls.

C snapped out of her trance, the air left in her systems leaving her in a shrill whistle of a vent. She stumbled towards the other drone again, catching herself by grabbing onto the front of his suit.

“N… N, what did you do? What have you done to yourself?” C begged as she tightened her grip on the other drone's buttoned jacket.

The butler continued to stare at her with his crooked smile, though it didn't match the sound that worked its way out of his chassis next. A whimper escaped him before it turned into a static-filled sob loud enough to make his body shake, forcing C to tighten her grip in an attempt to help keep him steady.

“I j-just… w-wanted to…” N mumbled, the rest of his words being lost as his voice box clipped and strained with static.

“You w-wanted to what? S-Speak to me, N. Please!” C begged again.

“I j-just… waaaaanted… to help….” N finally sputtered after a moment, his head tilting back as another shaking sob wracked his body.

His eyelights pinched into a look of pain, his smile finally faltering and falling away to complete the grimace. C felt something starting to drip onto her as she held the other drone, terrified eyelights flicking down to her arms.

A mixture of what looked like oil, water, and some other kind of crimson liquid she couldn't identify had dripped onto her casing and was starting to run down her arms and onto her dress. It took her a horrifying moment longer to realize that the liquids were coming from N and that they were leaking out of every available crack they could find from the crease between his screen and faceplate to the small opening where his neck joint connected into the bottom of his head.

“I juuuust… w-wanted… waaaaanted… w-waaanted… to heeeelp… W-Wanted… help… Help… me…” N gurgled, his voice cutting out as more of the oil mixture proceeded to spill from his mouth.

His hands twitched before his fingers began to dig into his hair, gripping at the curls. C’s hands quickly reached for him before he had a chance to pull at the strands, leaving him to make a grab at her before he found her arms to grip instead.

“N? B-Big brother?” C questioned as she let the other drone hold onto her.

N shook his head slightly as it dipped forwards, his facial features still pulled into a sharp and pained grimace. C did her best to support his body even as the brackish liquid mixture stained her arms and dress, uncaring of the mess as she slowly reached up for his faceplace.

“N-”

She didn't get a chance to finish before N suddenly let out a shrill and static-filled scream not terribly unlike a wounded animal. His knee joints buckled in time with his body starting to violently convulse, sending him crashing into C as both drones fell to the floor.

C clutched N close to her as they both went down, using her body to help cushion his fall as she landed roughly and let out a sharp gasp. She recovered quickly despite the ache in her joints and pain receptors, instead focusing her attention solely on the other drone as he continued to seize in her arms and wildly kicked his feet at the floor.

He started to choke after a moment as more of the mixture poured from his visor and mouth, this time coming out more red than black. C quickly rolled him over onto his side, allowing him to spit up some of the liquids that were plaguing his systems.

N’s visor display began to sputter after a full minute of convulsions, a burst of static leaving his voice box as he tried and failed to speak. His screen finally blinked one last time and went out, leaving his face lifeless.

C let out a startled cry as N’s body went still and limp, leaving him resting in the pool of oil and water that was currently staining the floorboards. She gently grabbed him by the arms and gave him a light shake in hopes of a response, noting the lack of lights on the back of his hands too.

“N?” C’s voice came out as a fearful squeak. “B-Big brother! C-Can you hear me?”

No amount of shaking seemed to rouse N from his slumber or shutdown, leaving his body lifelessly resting on the floor. The maid let out a whimper as she continued to gently shake him, unwilling to give up until she had a sign of life.

“No, no, no, no… B-Big brother, this- isn't funny a-anymore,” C stressed as she brought one hand to N’s faceplate to give his head a gentle shake as well.

A full few minutes before N suddenly let out a sharp gasp and began to cough. The butler rolled over to face the floor again, spitting out more water onto the already-soaked carpet as C let go of him.

“N? N, are y-you okay?” C was quick to ask as she shifted herself onto her knees.

N didn't acknowledge her, instead keeping his head angled toward the floor as his hands balled into fists. C reached for one of his hands, resting her palm over it in an attempt to make her presence known again.

“W-Will you… talk to me? Please? I have to k-know if you're okay…” She stressed.

N was quiet and still for a few moments longer, his hand soon uncurling from a fist to allow C’s palm to rest on his. His body started to shake again in time with a low sound starting to bubble up from his chassis, getting the other drone to frown.

It took a moment for C to realize that the sound she was hearing was laughter. He was giggling.

“O-Oh, we have sooooooo much to t-talk about… Little buddy,” N finally spoke again as his head raised, leaving him staring back at C with half-lidded golden eyelights and a rictus grin.

C would have screamed if she could have, but she was so startled that her voice came out as a pop of static instead. She jerked away with such intensity that it sent her crashing backwards again, leaving her kicking her hands and feet at the floor as she scrambled back from him.

“A-Awwwww… W-Whaaat’s wrong? I t-thought you were usually hap-haaaappy to see your big brother!” N exclaimed, his vicious grin giving way to an exaggerated pout instead.

“N-No… You're not… T-This isn't… This is a trick… I-It’s a lie…” C mumbled, her body trembling as she continued to scoot further away from the person she thought she knew.

“D-Don’t magic tric-tricks usually haaave an explanation?” The other drone questioned, raising an eyebrow as its half-lidded stare and grin returned. “Whaaaat’s the ex-explanation for this one then, h-huh? Wanna take a guess?”

“This is a l-lie! You're lying! Y-You’re not N! Y-You're not supposed to be him!” C shouted, her voice shrill.

The monster wearing N’s faceplate let out a thoughtful hum as it slowly pushed itself to its feet. It seemed to have some trouble with staying upright as it hunched slightly, but it kept its balance and remained standing.

“I-Is th-that really how y-you talk to your big brother, little buddy? I-I’m hurt, C… I th-thouuuught we got along!”

“Stop p-pretending to be him!” C shouted again, her voice box crackling due to the high-pitched frequency.

“B-But what am Iiiii supposed to-to be if I'm n-not N?” The monster questioned again, its face full of malicious delight.

“You're supposed- to be me!” C shouted, slapping her hand over her core for emphasis. “You're supposed to be part of me! You came to me and made a deal with me! You didn't p-pull him from the- the scrapyard like you did to me! You never had any r-right to go after him!”

“Oh, but there's w-where you're wrong, little buddy,” The demon said as it crossed its arms behind its back and leaned forward. “You're not Host C anymore.”

“You're lying!”

“Awww, come onnnnn, don't be like that. Would I eveeeeer lie to you?” The golden-eyed drone asked as it took a few wide steps forward, moving as though it were stumbling and being carried forward by the momentum. “When have I ever lied to y-you?”

“You're l-lying to me right this very second! This has to be some sort of- Some sort of trick or- or an illusion!” C shouted back in response, scooting further away from the devil as it stalked toward her on crooked steps.

The golden-eyed monster let out a giggling chuckle that sounded far too much like N’s joyous laughter for her liking before it shrugged its arms, punctuating the movement with an even wider grin that flashed a visible set of fangs. Floating strings of golden and holographic code surrounded it before it disappeared in a flash, forcing C to shield her visor with her arm as her optics were overloaded by the light.

By the time her optics finally recalibrated and readjusted enough to allow her to see again, she lowered her arm to find that she was alone in the hallway. She took in a shaky vent as she pushed herself up, quickly turning from left to right as she looked up and down the hall with hollow eyelights.

C couldn't see a single trace of the butler or the all-too-familiar monster that was currently wearing his face. The only thing that told her she hadn't imagined the entire encounter was the fact that her hands slipped on the slick and now-stained flooring beneath her.

A brief flash of light appeared in her peripheral vision, causing her to involuntarily flinch as she covered her face again. She let out a yelp as something grabbed her by the neck of her dress and yanked her off of the floor, leaving her feet dangling about an inch off of the ground.

Hollow white eyelights met sickly golden ones again as she looked up, meeting the gaze of the golden-eyed butler once more as it gave her a mocking sneer of a smile. C uselessly kicked her legs in an attempt to get away from the monster, but the fact that her feet couldn't reach the floor rendered her unable to move.

“H-Haaaave you realized that this is all real y-yet? Or do you think you n-neeeed a few more reminders?” The monster asked, sticking its tongue out at C with a smirk.

“L-Let me go… Let me go!” C screamed as she struggled in the golden-eyed drone's grasp, attempting to pry its fingers loose as she gripped the arm and hand that kept her lifted off the ground.

“A-Awwww… Sooooo scared of m-me and for what! I t-thought we were friends! You act like you h-haaaate me!” The golden-eyed drone whined, giving C its best pout again.

She hated how similar that expression was to N’s when he was begging Tessa for extra batteries to snack on.

“I was never friends with you and never will be,” C all but hissed at the monster, seeing her own defiant glare reflected back at her through its own visor.

Both drones stared back at one another, leaving the monster to be the first to break the impromptu staring contest. Its eyelights fell into a half-lidded glare, the playfulness all but gone from its expression as a knot-shaped icon appeared in the corner of its visor to convey its frustration.

“Give me back my brother,” C continued, bearing still-sharp fangs at the monster before her.

The golden-eyed drone looked unfazed and unamused by her display, merely responding by narrowing its eyelights further. She was suddenly yanked closer to the monster before it carried through with momentum, using its grip on her to hurl her down the hallway.

C flew at least a few feet before she landed roughly on her side, hearing both a crunch and a crack as her body collided with the floor. She choked on a scream as several warnings flared in her vision in time with her pain receptors firing, warning her of external damage and oil leakage.

“Newwwwsflash for you, little buddy…” The devil began, drawing C’s attention as she shakily pushed herself up with her undamaged arm. “Y-Your ‘big brother’ came to me first.”

“T-That’s not… possible… N never- How-”

“Come on, come onnnnn- Ask more i-interesting questions! Youuu’re boring me!” The golden-eyed drone interrupted, its tone equally as frustrated as its facial expression.

It made a noise like clicking its tongue against the roof of its mouth, its head lolling to the neck joint. The gravity caused the same water and oil mixture from before to start leaking from its visor and mouth, dripping down its faceplate.

“B-Biiiiig ol’ i-incorrect buzzer for you! You're wrong becaaaause it i-is possible! H-Honestly, use your processor for once…”

C pushed herself up enough to allow her to look up at the other drone, but she found herself unable to force herself up completely as the pain receptors in her side protested the movement with a sharp stab. She hissed between clenched teeth as she stared back at the monster, her eyelights flickering in both pain and confusion.

The demon waited approximately twenty seconds for C to give an answer and when she didn't, it let out a frustrated grumble and threw its hands up, nearly making itself wobble backwards from the movement.

“Stop plaaaaying dumb! I know you’re no-t THAT stupid!” The golden-eyed drone complained. “Biscuits. W-Whatever. I'm booor-ed with this c-conversation anyway.”

C’s eyelights burned brighter as she watched the demon with N’s face turn on its heels, beginning the process of walking away from her. She took a sharp vent as she fought through the pain her body was giving her, ignoring its attempts to warn her not to move as she tried to drag herself forwards with her good arm.

“W-Wait- Wait! Come back!” She yelled after the departing monster, doing her best to drag herself after it even as it continued to walk away.

The golden-eyed drone took two more steps before it came to a stop. Its head lolled backwards on its neck joint before it turned just enough to look over its shoulder, its eyelights once again half-lidded as a vicious and sharp smirk spread over its faceplate.

“Come back? Come back! N-Nooow that's pretty funny… Y-You were so desperate for me to l-leaave and never come back a-and now you don't want me to go?” 

The devil paused long enough to turn around and face C again, its hollow eyelights and grin coated in malicious glee as it started to stalk towards her on unsteady feet. It managed to move with far more grace while using his body than it ever had while using her body.

“Buuuut th-at’s because it's n-not about me… Is it?” It continued once it stopped in front of C, squatting down to be closer to eye level with her. “You don't waaaant me to leave because that m-means taking your little b-buddy with me.”

“You can't… Y-You're not…” C tried to speak, but something prevented her voice box from vocalizing properly.

At the same time, her tactile sensors started to register the feeling of something slick running down her faceplate and chin. Bringing a trembling hand to her face, her fingers came away wet with the same oil and water mixture that continued to leak from the golden-eyed drone before her.

“What was t-that? Soooorry, did the b-big fish get your tongue? You'll haaave to speak up more than that!” The demon informed her, giving a rough and unfriendly poke to the forehead of her visor.

“You c-can't be… real… T-This isn't real… All of this… must be a bad dream… It has to be…” C gurgled in response, choking on the water that spilled from inside her systems.

“It's worse. It’s y-your living nightmare,” The demon purred, its faceplate nearly splitting in two with the size of its grin. “Now… Drown with me. Join him in the depths.”

C began to choke as more water spilled from her faceplate and mouth, rendering her unable to form words beyond static gurgles. The golden-eyed drone above her began to shake as a sound bubbled out of its chassis, first sounding like a whimpering sob until it escalated into unrestrained cackling.

A roaring boom of thunder suddenly sounded off from outside as a bright flash of lightning illuminated the whole room around both drones, casting large and twisting shadows around the hallway. The twisting shadows of coils and limbs that appeared behind the devil were gone as quickly as the lightning faded.

“N… P-Please…” C choked, weakly reaching a hand out not for the monster but rather for the drone that was trapped inside the monster.

“N’s not here right now… It's my turn to play.”

The demon gave one last smile and a wave before it disappeared in a golden flash of lightning, leaving the maid crying out as her optics were briefly blinded by the light. When her systems recalibrated, she was alone again.

C openly sobbed as her arm fell limply to the floor, both due to the waterlogged servos swarming pop-ups in her vision warned her about and the sense of defeat that fell over her like crashing waves. Even if she wanted to get up and go after him, to go after the devil that stole his face, she physically couldn't.

She couldn't do anything.

She managed to turn her head just enough to bury her visor into the floor, giving her some privacy as she wailed. Even the pain of her skipping and stuttering core was drowned out by her emotions and the crushing silence of the hallway.

As her systems eventually started to wear themselves out from the crying and darkness started to take up her vision again, the only sound she had to keep her company was the tiny and quiet voice that started to coil into the back of her processor.

Wake up… You need to wake up…

Wake up, C!

OPEN YOUR EYES!

WAKE UP!