Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Worker drones had always been told to do as the humans told them. However, Disassembly Drones were different. They are forced to obey their programming, rather than given tasks and be expected to follow them like the Workers do. Their system will override and they’d be forced to follow through. They would have no control, other than their ability to see, hear and detect smells.

All tasks are to be done to the best of their ability, willfully or not. They cannot control when a task is given, and cannot delete it. There are no limits to mankind's requests, and they were purposefully designed for this. Resistance was expected when they designed them for murder, given they had experienced such with the Worker Drones when giving them undesirable tasks. The Humans learned from their previous mistake.

It is unclear why drones, designed for genocide, were programmed with morals. Surely they knew that would create problems. Why not design them without emotions, as robots who mindlessly do as they are told? No morals to tell them ‘this is wrong! I can’t do this!’ 

What was the point of adding feelings?

Firstly, it was laziness. They already had a drone model that could be put to use. All they had to do was enhance their performance with new appendages and install a task protocol. They didn’t bother disabling their emotions; it’d save them precious time and money.

Humans tended to create suffering for things they viewed as sub-human is most likely why.  Even if it harbored thoughts and feelings just like them. It wasn’t a human, so it didn’t matter if they had morals that they were forced to push past just for a task. To them, it didn’t matter.

They never even considered the idea that a Disassembly Drone’s code could malfunction and override its code. Their techniques were foolproof, so that could never happen.

…Right?

…

N-0X0010010 was sent along with V-X00100000 and J-00X111001 to Copper 9. To make their task easier, they decided to go by Nox, Vixen, and Joanne respectively. 

Their task was simple; Disassemble the Worker Drones on the exoplanet known as Copper 9 to neutralize the presence of rogue AI.

The humans made it seem a lot simpler than it truly was.

It was a lot harder when you’re tearing through the wiring of a Worker drone- For Nox, at least.

Nox slowly reached his arm into the open chest cavity of a screaming worker, his face tense. It took a moment to weave around the tubes and cords all interweaved inside, dodging touching them at all costs. The oil coating everything didn’t help, the textures making him nauseous. He turned off his audio sensors in the meantime, ignoring all the sounds of the wires snapping, oil sloshing, and tubes tearing as he pushed further. The wires tugged against his hand as he tore through them, making him flinch. He wished he had a pair of gloves right about now.

“Gross…” He’d mutter as he finally reached his hand up to the core, grasping it in his palm. He wrapped his hand around the underside, making sure he had a steady hold. He struggled to get a grasp, the core's fleshy outer layer being slick. His nails dug into its flesh, getting oil up underneath his nails. He had to restrain himself from letting go and wiping the sensations off.

“No! Please, no! I have a family! I’ll do anything!” The Worker tightly grasped Nox’s arm, looking directly into his eyes. There was desperation in the bots eyes. Nox felt that their core was beating at a mile per minute, just as his was. He disregarded the similarity, choosing to ignore it. He was just riled up from the chase, that’s all. Not scared in the slightest.

He felt Joanne and Vixen's gaze staring into him. He remembered all of the times when they encouraged him to eat, regardless of if he was hungry or if he wanted to. Vixen's look pushed him further, able to decipher a hint of concern in the way her brows had furrowed for a split second.

To kill a worker, you must break their core. Only then are they properly dead and fully unable to be brought back. He needed to kill the core, and by the looks of it, the pair expected him not to take the easy route and stab the heart. He was quite hungry…he hadn’t had a warm meal in days.  

Nox only made ocular contact for a couple of seconds before tightly shutting his eyelights. He held the core tighter in his palm before yanking it out, oil pouring out from its disconnections. Oil sprayed out, sprinkling onto Nox's face and sizzling onto the snow . The body went limp, and the core flailed in its place. Its singular eye stared at him, desperately trying to squeeze out of his grasp. 

“I am so, so sorry...” He’d mutter to his prey before hesitantly placing the terrified core into his maw. He hesitated, having to take a deep breath before swallowing. Nox felt nauseated, overwhelmed by the smell of oil. He gagged, having to make an effort to keep it down. He coughed, punching his chest to hide it from Vixen and Joanne, Praying his disgust wasn’t obvious. He couldn’t have them realizing he didn’t take sadistic pleasure in cannibalism like they did.

His expression soured, forcefully swallowing again to halt the uncomfortable squirm. He stuck his tongue out and shook his head, trying to shake off the discomfort. He vowed to never do that again in that moment. That had to be his most uncomfortable kill yet.

“Got a little stuck again!” He called to his coworkers. He didn’t know if he had a normal tone or a shout since he couldn’t hear his volume thanks to his audio sensors being disabled.

He felt sick to his stomach and adjusted his belt to mend it. It didn’t help, only helping ease the overstimulation slightly. He had a feeling he’d have a worse stomach ache than usual.

He turned his audio sensors back on as he realized Vixen was speaking to him. Perhaps in response to what he said? He didn’t know.

“-Are you still talking to the cores? God, you’re weird. You hardly even picked at the body.” Vixen piped in, raising the corpse by the collar of its torn, oil-stained shirt. “Aren’t you hungry?”

Sounded more like they ignored his excuse to him. Or they had heard it enough times to know it was bullshit.

“No! Well…yes. I’ll find some more food later when my appetite comes back.” He fidgeted with his hands, his claws painted in oil stains from his previous victims. The gunk of hardened oil was forever clogged under his nails, a new fresh layer added with his newest kill.

“We’ve been over this, Nox. This is our task. Get used to it.” Joanne interjected, currently gnawing on an arm from a worker she had pulled apart, plucking at the wires with her teeth and slurping them up like noodles. Oil streamed down the edge of her mouth, her voice muffled through the chewing. That was extremely unprofessional, in Nox’s opinion. “At this rate, you’ll have to be marked as defective. A little wiggling shouldn’t discourage you from a meal. At least this one is warm.” She added.

He flinched, swiftly standing. “No need! Nothing’s wrong here! Just some unwanted morals I need to sort out.” He stood tall, and Vixen stepped up beside him.  “Absolutely no issues here! I’ll fix it. You won’t be losing me anytime soon.” Putting his hands on his hips, he tried to look confident for Vixen, not wanting to seem soft to her.

He couldn’t tell if Joanne's sigh was of irritation, or wishing she could get rid of him.  Presumably both.

Vixen chimed in, keeping Joanne from voicing an unwanted lecture. “The company could fix you right up and send you back to us. It’d make your job a lot easier to not have those thoughts poking at you.”

“She’s partially right. They would fix you and your dreadful emotions. However, we can’t guarantee that you’ll come back here. And it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t….because we are coworkers, right?” Joanne spoke in a scathing tone at the end of her statement, a brow raised. The pair shook their heads with vitality.

“Of course!” Both Nox and Vixen yelled simultaneously. Nox spoke with desperation, while Vixen shouted in agitation. They looked at each other and made ocular contact. Their gaze knew that truth, yet they wouldn’t dare to utter the words.

“That’s against the rules! I would never!” Nox was sure to add after an uneasy moment, looking to Joanne and hoping she hadn’t caught on. Vixen looked a little hurt.

The arm was thrown and hit against Nox’s head. He yelped, fumbling to catch it. Joanne had her arms crossed and her tail angrily flicking like a snake. She slid in behind him, and Vixen rolled her eyes as she turned away, avoiding her gaze.

“That means no romantic relations.” Joanne hovered over Nox’s shoulder. “For the idiot who doesn’t know how to follow directions.” She stalked around him to face him and flicked his face. He flinched, backing away several steps.

“We are associates, and nothing more. Understood?” She eyed the pair. Vixen had given her the silent treatment, her back turned to her.

Nox’s nails dug into the discarded arm he was holding, his brows furrowed. “I follow directions! I do all the time!” He looked away, irritated with her sense of superiority over him. 

Vixen signaled him closer, glaring at Joanne as she stayed put. She scowled back at her. 

“If you ignore her, she won’t find fun in upsetting you. Don’t let her know she’s gotten under your plates.” She disclosed to him, before walking a couple of strides away from the two.

“Catch you two later! I’ll sleep near the spire tonight.” She spoke up louder, grinning as she turned and flew off. She hoped their separation would deter Joanne from taunting him further. Nox trailed after her for a few steps, giving up once she had flown out of sight in mere seconds.

It did help, but only because Joanne couldn’t complain about them making googly eyes at each other.

Nox waited with Joanne for an instant, then expanded his wings to take to the sky in the other direction.

“ Wait.” Joanne spoke loudly, her voice laced with annoyance.

Nox turned to face her, ignoring Vixen’s directions. Surely he’d only piss Joanne off more if he ignored an order?

“I’m not fooling around. If you do not fix whatever is causing this, I will call for the company.” She approached him, urgency in each stomp. “Do not test me, Nox.”

“Of course! I’ll work on it, okay?” He said, faking his usual chipper tone. He didn’t like how aggressive she was being.

Joanne grabbed him by the collar of his coat and pulled his head down, forcing Nox to look up at her. Only then did her glare soften to a neutral gaze.

“Yes, you will. I will not be warning you again.” She pushed her face closer to his, his legs faltering under him and making him cower under her further. “Got it?”

Nox gave a fast, obedient nod. He couldn’t help but crumble under the pressure; he just wasn’t as strong as Vixen. Joanne was the boss, after all.

“Then go be useful and snuff out some workers for once.” She shoved him away from her, signaling the other away once he fell backward into the snow.

He did not take his time when flying off. He wanted to take off after Vixen, but they were both in enough trouble as is. She didn’t need him following her around like a lost puppy and get them both punished in the process.

He flew like an arrow, darting to the top of a damaged building far away from the others. He carried tears in his eyes, wiping them away just as he landed. He swiped his face, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself.

The spire was right around the corner, easily within walking distance. He sat on the edge of the damaged railing, resting his feet on the rickety center bar. His tail coiled around the top, keeping himself stable.

He grabbed a piece of debris and clutched it in his metal claw, holding back his tears to the best of his ability. He wasn’t very good at it, made clear by the yellow streaking down his visor.

He hated it when Joanne was harsh for no reason. Sometimes he felt he deserved it whenever he screwed up, but he knew he didn’t this time. He was sure of it.

He growled and flung the rubble as hard as he could. It shattered a window of a nearby skyscraper, making a loud crash as the glass shattered. He pulled his legs to himself, hugging them close. He had his face buried in them, the trenchcoat obstructing his vision. He started to cry, clutching onto his legs for support.

“Thad? Was that you?”

That was a new voice; not Joanne’s or Vixen’s. It was much higher than theirs.

Nox shot up and kicked his legs out to the edge of the building as he looked over, trying to see the direction of the voice without falling forward. He shook his head, trying to reset his emotions.

It was a worker rummaging around the ground directly next to the spire. Nox could see purple hair and magenta eyes, even from afar. She was frantic as she looked around, alert for any sign of motion.

“This isn’t funny, dude!” She stomped her foot, her arms crossing as her eyes darted around.

Nox leaned over the railing further, making sure he dimmed his lights to not be spotted. The silence was deafening. Whoever Thad was, he wasn’t replying. She stepped away from the dark alley Nox was perched in, scanning the area one last time.

“Thad..?”

He could hardly hear the voice this time, but he could tell she was scared; and alone. Perfect for a disassembly drone to hunt.

Nox gave a shaken exhale before spreading his wings. He wasn’t excited to kill again, but he wanted to get it over with. At least Joanne would be happy to have another meal. Maybe she'd leave him alone after this one. (Definitely not.)

He shuttered, forcing himself to fly to the ground and crash down into the snow beside her. Snow flew over her as she tried to run, quickly sprinting away once Nox began to pursue her with horrifying speed.

Her foot slipped into a hole that had been filled with snow, making her fall forward into the snowfield. She panicked, beginning to scramble for an escape. The boot was jammed between ridges in the rock, tucked in tightly between the rough edges.

She was stuck. Her eyes had several fear-indication streaks lining them as she looked back. Nox was slowly approaching, dragging out the chase. He needed to conserve his energy, after all. His large wing blades made deep cuts into the snow as he crept up. She began to hyperventilate, desperately jerking her leg in the hole. It scraped her boots, tearing a hole in the leather.

Just as her foot broke free, Nox had hurdled over the top of her and tackled her down into the snow. He had his knees on her shoulders, locking her down. All she could do was claw at his metal plating, only leaving minuscule scratches on his legs.

Her eyelights were thinned-out ovals, showing much more anxiety than her actions. She tried her damndest to shove him off, to no avail. All her attempts to shove and kick did nothing but scuff his jacket.

“Stop!” She screamed. “Thad, help me!” She hit him across the face, squirming to get free.

A ping sound was made, confusing Nox and the worker alike when “Task acquired.” popped up as a notification on his visor. 

The yellow LEDs on his body shifted through a rainbow of colors for a brief moment simultaneously. He sat up, the pressure on her shoulders loosening. His own eyes hollowed as his mind raced, struggling to figure out what had happened.

Uzi squirmed her shoulders free, scooting out from under him. Nox was none the wiser, frantic over the message on his screen.

“No, no no no, not now!” He tried to swipe the notification, to no avail.

“New Task Assignment: Stop” Appeared on his face just as it had before. He stumbled onto his feet and spun around, hiding his face from the worker.

“Shoot- c’mon, delete already!” He muttered to himself, moving away further from her. His teeth ground in worry, speaking to himself through his teeth. He attempted several times to delete the order, but there was no such option. Only ‘okay’ or to exit out of the notification,

She stood as soon as she could, staring at Nox in wonder. As she stabilized herself, she realized what she’d done. She smirked, dusting snow off of her and adjusting her beanie.

“Task, you say? Any assignment?” There was a mischievous glint in her eyes. Nox wasn’t sure what it meant, but it didn’t seem good.

“No! No assignment! W-What’s an assignment?” He spoke awkwardly, trying to get the situation under control. He shook his head as he spoke, his visor changing against his will. 

“Task: ‘Stop’ Completed.” His visor continued to change without his consent. He covered his face to hide the notification.

Nox smacked his head so he’d go offline and force a restart. The words blinked off his visor and idly played a rebooting loop. When he booted back up, his screen read “Awaiting New Task Assignment.”

“Biscuits!” He swore under his breath, giving the worker drone an awkward glance before opening his wings to flee.

He was distracted when he heard the electrical whirring sound behind him. He turned, meeting a wave of bright green coming at him. It was followed by a sharp pain in his head as it blinded him. He had hardly a second before eveything went black.

Chapter Text

When he woke up, he was tied up by his tail. It was fastened to a discarded car near the spire. How she had enough time to do that confused him; how long was he out for?

He didn’t have the energy to ponder that, given his head was killing him. His eyes reflected this, his right eye ‘shut’ tight. Whatever that green ray was, it rebooted him and gave him a terrible headache. He tugged his tail, trying to free himself to no avail.

When he glanced up, he saw two workers standing in front of him. The same purple one from before, but now with a new green one. This one was clearly a friend, of which he assumed from their probable similar age and the way they talked. 

“Nice job, Zi! I didn’t think using the tail would work.” The green one spoke, offering her a fist bump. She grinned, quickly taking it and putting her hands in her pockets. She looked down at Nox once she felt his stare.

“Thank Robojesus it did, or I’d be dead.” She spat.

Nox looked at the railgun in the other’s hands, it saying it had a 27-minute cooldown. He estimated that he’d been knocked out for 3 minutes given 30 was the closest even number.

The purple one picked up a thin metal pole and jabbed Nox’s visor with it. He closed his eyes, leaning away from it.

“Can you let me go?” He politely asked, trying to tug his arms free. She laughed, a small snort escaping her. Her face warmed up, throwing the metal at him to distract them from the embarrassing juncture. It made him wince as it bounced off his head, unable to dodge it.

“Hah! No. You just tried to kill me, idiot.” She said, putting her hands on her hips and leaning down over him. “Why would I set you free? Do you think I have a death wish?”

“I won’t do it again, I promise! Please?” As he cocked his head to the side and gave a sweet smile, he managed to free one of his arms.

She glared at him before signaling her partner to tie it tighter. He handed the gun to her before going to his side, ever so slightly behind him. He avoided his free hand like the plague; Even though Nox hadn’t attempted to attack him, only leaning away from him. 

She rolled her eyes, her hands coming up from her hips and crossing at her chest. “Sure you won’t.”

“Can’t we just kill him? It’d be safer for us.” The green one chimed in, taking a step back from Nox now that it was tied as tight as he could get it. “Oh, and the colony. Your dad would be so proud!”

Nox squirmed, hardly able to move. It was uncomfortably tight. That was the entire point, and he didn’t like it. He gave them a pitiful look. It didn’t work, other than an ever-so-slight sympathetic look from the jock.

“No, Thad!” She turned to him and stomped her foot. The gun was now strung over her back, held onto her by a strap. “We need answers! I want to know what that task thing was and why he listened to me. You try it.”

Both of their gazes fell on Nox. He curled his legs closer to his chest, trying to scoot away. Thad shrugged.

“Sure. Um. I have a task for you, dude. Tell us everything we want to know.” Thad spoke, a little uncertain. The purple one gave him an approving nod to his attempt.

“I can’t tell you! If you don’t kill me, Joanne will!” He squirmed, more desperate to escape. He leaned down and bit at his tail, promptly leading to him being smacked with a spare arm left on the ground by the girl.

“Well, that didn’t work.” She forced his head up, holding him by his hair. “What was it, then? Do your murder friends have the task protocol, too?”

His smile faded as she grabbed his hair. It became an agitated scowl as he yanked away, leaving her with a couple strands of hair in her grasp. He kicked her knees, making her tumble forward. She toppled over top of him, and in her moment of confusion, he used the momentum of standing himself up to toss her away.

His free hand became a blade, taking a deep breath before slicing the beginning of his tail clean off. Oil and nanite acid spewed from the wound, dripping over the snow and melting. The tail fell around his legs, his other arm now free.

The needle grazed his leg, trailing nanite acid down it. He winced, spreading his wings regardless of the pain. He could easily heal himself once he was safe.

The female worker saw the pain it caused him. Quickly, she grabbed his syringe, thrusting the needle into his palm before he could take off. It went straight through his hand, out the triangle on the back of his hand, extending out far from it. She held onto both ends, making him unable to fly unless he wanted to drag her with her. If he flew up, the vial would shatter under her weight and shatter over her…

Nox’s teeth ground together in pain, too stunned to act immediately. Acid poured from his hand, singeing his metal. He staggered, opening his wings to escape.

“ Stay. ” She demanded, her glare cemented on him.

His systems overrode his attempt to flee by freezing him up, the all too familiar shift going through his LEDs.

He sighed as he put his wings back in, the ping noise sounding similar to before. This time, he was able to silence the notification of the new task by selecting the ‘okay’ option, followed by him slumping forwards.

“Yeah….they have it, too. They’d kill you before you get the chance to use it against them though!” He warned, giving Uzi a sympathetic glance. “ Please don’t try it. They’ll torture you until you wish you were dead.”

She squinted at the last sentence, unable to tell if he was exaggerating or not because his tone had gone serious.

“Oh yeah, no- I’m not kidding. They’ll keep you alive while they eat your limbs.” A shutter went through Nox’s body, both from the pain and from the uncomfortable thought.

“If it makes you want to be any nicer to me, I’m nothing like that. I try to make it quick. I usually just eat the core and leave the rest for the others.” He tried to sound empathetic, his expression hopeful.

He only came off as psychotic, let alone also being complicit in cannibalism. Him being merciful did not make it any better in her eyes. She looked disgusted, only tearing out the needle from his hand.

Tears pricked his eyes, which he quickly blinked away. He stuck his hand into his mouth, healing the wound swiftly. He stared at his hand after, being sure all the scratches had been repaired. He shook the excess saliva off, making Uzi gag once some of it landed on her visor.

“So you just…eat drones? And it’s not…I dunno…weird?” Thad asked abruptly. The purple one shoved him away by his shoulder.

“Not the time! Important interrogation happening here!” She threw his vial to the side with the tail’s cord trailing after, eyeing the spilling acid and kicking snow over it. The snow fizzled away anyway, now just hiding the glow of the vial under the snow. Hopefully, nobody stepped on that.

Nox shook his head. “No, it’s definitely weird. It’s awful, actually! I always get a stomach ache. Makes me all queasy….and want to puke.”

Her brow quirked. “Gee. Who would have guessed? Ingesting another living robot would make you sick? Shocker.” She exclaimed sarcastically, clearly unimpressed.

Nox frowned. “That’s not why! We’re built for this stuff. It’s more the morality part, maybe sensory issues too. Vixen and Joanne don’t get sick like I do. It’s just an issue with me.”

“Or they’re a weird ones? Being cannibals isn't normal, genius. Other than for your kind.” She looked Nox up and down, judging him. Her eyes went up to his, making contact with those disgustingly happy smiley-sunshine-filled lights. “Maybe the company screwed up with creating you?”

The sunshine in Nox’s eyes faded away, and he mumbled his words. All his energy seemed to drain as he looked away. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

She squinted at him before poking him in the visor again, hardly getting a reaction farther than a flinch. “Um? Did I break him?”

Thad scoffed, pushing her beanie over her face. She scrambled to fix it, judging him with a glare.

“No, Uzi, you upset him! Don’t you know it’s rude to say somebot wasn’t made right?” Thad scowled at her, giving her a dramatic shrug.

“Jeez, dude, chill out. It’s not that serious. Why are you defending a murder bot?” Uzi fixed her beanie on her head, taking a step from Thad.

“He can’t control if he was made wrong. Him not having a murderous drive is a good thing. You agree, right?” Thad looked at Nox, standing closer than he realized.

Nox didn't try anything; staying like he had been ordered. He only shrugged before his glance to Thad was cut short and instead in favor of looking in the distance, still feeling defeated.

“Yeah. I never liked eating them. All squirmy and metallic tasting…but I don’t have a choice. I’m supposed to enjoy it, but there’s something wrong with me. Like she said.” He gestured to Uzi before sitting down in the snow to tend to his wounds.

Thad gave a sideways glance to Uzi, putting his hands on his hips. “See? I was right. You hurt his feelings.”

Uzi scoffed. “I don’t care! I didn't even think those things had feelings!” She gave Thad a bewildered look, appalled once he approached Nox. “ Thad?! Are you nuts?”

Thad opted to ignore her as he sat next to Nox. He kept his distance, but he was close enough to see the tears in his eyes. Thad patted his back, earning a surprised squeak from him. He flinched as he sat up, turning his head to Thad.

“It’s okay, dude. If you ask me, I think it’s cool between us. You weren’t willingly killing the workers, right?” He asked, tilting his head.

Nox nodded his head. “Yeah. It’s gross, The humans put the task into us. I can’t help it. My systems will force me to if I don’t do it willingly.” He said, his mouth slowly dropping once it slowly occurred to him Thad had been nice to him.

He sat up straight. “Wait. You’re being nice to me?” His finger pointed to himself and Thad as they were mentioned. There was a new glint in his eyes from the newfound feeling, his newly regenerated tail starting to wag.

Nobody had been nice to him before. Not that he remembered, anyway. 

Uzi scoffed, throwing a tiny stone at Thad’s head. It hit with a small thunk and a groan from Thad. “Are you SERIOUS? Stop playing patty cake with a friggin murder drone and focus! Weren’t you the one who wanted to kill him?” She equipped her hand with another pebble, scowling at him.

Thad rubbed his head where the rock had hit, a small pained inhale sounding through his teeth. He looked up at Uzi with defiance. “I judged him too quick. I didn’t realize that he had the potential to be sensitive.”

Nox frowned, looking up from his leg that he had been mending. “Hey! I’m not sensitive! I’m strong and scary!” He spoke defensively, but less emotionally than before.

Thad smirked, giving Nox a gentle punch to his shoulder before standing. “Cheering you up was easier than expected. Friends?” he reached his hand for Nox to shake, giving him a cheerful smile.

Nox stared at him in disbelief.

Somebot asking to be his friend? Having somebot being nice to him was one thing, but somebot initiating friendship with him of all drones was a whole new can of oil. He was sure that had never happened before. He had to beg Vixen and Joanne to tolerate him, let alone be his friend. They were more companions than anything.

“I swear, I can’t trust anybot in this friggin colony!” Uzi groaned, dropping the pebble and opting to kick it. Neither of the guys paid any mind to her outburst.

Nox took his hand happily and pulled him into a tight hug rather than shaking it, his tail happily wagging behind him. A small purr-like sound came from the Disassembly drone's chest. Thad could feel a small vibration, and hear his fans pick up speed.

“Woah- okay..?” Thad stiffened, surprised. He didn’t push him away, only patting his back for comfort.

Nox’s tail only got faster, his eyes closed as he held onto him tighter when Thad reciprocated. Thad squeaked from being squeezed so hard.

“See, Zi? He only needed a little kindness.” He finished patting his back and pulled away once the hug got too tight, smugly smiling at Uzi. “Would it kill you to be nice sometimes? Maybe he wouldn’t have attacked you if you weren’t so mean.”

Uzi scowled at him, her eye twitching. “Mean? He’s a murderer! You’re lucky he hasn’t bitten your head off yet. Can you do that just to prove the point?”

Thad jumped away, eyeing Nox quickly. “You can’t be asking him things like that! Not cool!”

“Task Acquired: Bite Thad’s head off.” Read Nox’s visor. He frowned, trying to click the “x” button to ignore the notification.

“Oh, biscuits. Please don’t make me do that. I like Thad.” Nox fiddled with his hands, looking at Thad. He gave him an optimistic smile, but it didn’t make him feel any more comfortable.

“Yeah. I vote no to being eaten, thank you.” He took a few steps back, making Nox look dejected.

“Fine, don’t eat his stupid head. Whatever.” She waved Nox away, turning away from the spire and stomping her way through the snow. The task was cleared from Nox’s queue, now left with only a “Kill all workers” task.

“Where are you going? You haven’t even apologized.” Thad’s hands went into his pockets as he followed Uzi. Nox trailed behind him, his tail wagging starting up again.

“Away! Keep your murder pet away from me!” She yelled, abruptly stopping to turn on him. Thad was quick to stop to not run into her, nearly falling back. Nox easily caught him, looking down at him with a cheerful smile. Uzi rolled her eyes, swiftly turning and walking again.

“But he’s nice now! You are, right? No more murder?” Thad stood himself up, giving an approving thumbs up to his assistance.

“I am! Or, um…I’ll try to be. I can’t do much about me needing oil to survive.“ Nox put a finger to his chin as he spoke, thinking. “Are there any other ways for me to get oil? I’ll need Uzi to override my “Kill all workers” task too.”

“Little help here?” Thad asked, walking fast to match her speed and stand beside her. “And yeah! We have oil. I can probably snag some at lunch for you.” He looked over his shoulder to Nox as he spoke, who had an excited grin from the news.

“Fine. You’re free from your genocide task too. Anything as long as you leave me alone. ” Uzi brushed him off, but paused once she saw Nox following them.

“I’m going back in the bunker. You can’t bring your new friend with us. The WDF would never allow it. Leave him out here or something.” Uzi squinted at Nox, then back to Thad.

Nox’s tail stopped wagging, his grin dropping into a frown. “So I'm going to be left alone again?”

“Sorry dude. I can’t stay out here. I’ve got school. The cold out here might start to damage me, too. Same time tomorrow?” Thad held up finger guns to Nox, and Nox copied him. He didn’t know what it meant, he was just mimicking Thad.

“Sure!” Nox replied enthusiastically, his tail movement picking up again.

Nox’s cheery demeanor faltered as the doors closed behind the pair. Thad had just been there, and he already missed him. He’d never had a friend before, and wanted to keep him around as long as possible.

Why choose to be alone when you could be with a friend? Two would be great if he could get Uzi to like him.

He liked that thought, holding onto it with a smile as he flew off.

…

Nox sat in the snow beside the car while he waited for Vixen to show up like she’d said.

He’d gone out and found scraps of a drone for her. It wasn’t fresh, but they were used to munching on cold workers. Knowing her, she probably found her own meal; He wanted to help her regardless, just in case.

His tail flicked as he stared over the body. His stomach turned, his tail curling around himself.

He didn’t want to eat this. Seeing the body made him think of Thad and Uzi. That was his first time seeing any drones showing their true personalities, and now, every time he saw the scraps of a worker, he thought of them. It appalled him more than usual. Not only did he think of the sensory turmoil, but now Thad’s smile flashed in his head. He couldn’t eat this. He knew Vixen would want him to eat something, though; she didn’t want to see him overheat and die.

As sweet as that was, it isn’t so sweet when you think of how this drone was somebot. This drone had a personality and interests, probably even a family. It was disrespectful to desecrate it in such a way.

He carefully tore off an oil-covered arm and a leg shrouded in ice. The bottom half of the body was all iced over, meanwhile, the top had been torn open already. He slid the parts underneath the car. Vixen didn’t need to know he didn’t eat.

Uzi and Thad said they could bring him oil, so it didn’t matter if he skipped just this once, right? He’d have oil tomorrow, in a much more ethical way without committing cannibalism.

He waited for hours, sitting in the chilly snow waiting for Vixen. It was getting late, with the exoplanet floating around Copper-9 setting on its horizon. He shakily stood up, glancing around the landscape. The chill was starting to make his plates sting.

He stood, lifting the ‘meal’ with him and flying to the streetlight that was snug within the spire. It was their usual sleeping spot when they weren’t inside the pod. Joanne insisted on resting in the pod and had made it her own, meanwhile, Nox and Vixen were on watch.

He sat the body against the pole, leaving it sitting up so that it was obvious to Vixen that it was for her. He climbed up the side, shimmying himself to the edge of the pole before looping the end of his tail around it. He made sure it was secure before he gently lowered himself, carefully to not bend the metal.

He hung upside down, holding his legs close together and snuggling his arms into his chest. His head was snug against his hand, keeping him comfy. He unfurled his wings from his back, wrapping them around himself to block out the cold and the light.

He slept there upside down for a while. He was awoken when the pole had been shaken back and forth for a moment, disturbing his sleep.

He was half awake when Vixen landed on the metal beam. He knew it was her because he heard her all-so-familiar squeak when she realized he was asleep. She stopped the shaking of the pole, her gaze staring at him as she analyzed if he was asleep or not. He felt it, and it took all his energy to stop himself from responding.

After a moment, she slowly sat, careful of the ‘asleep’ Nox. She sat, ready to flip over so she could get in her sleeping position. Once she did, she noticed the corpse resting against the pole. Nox heard the soft crunch of the snow as she released her tail from her perch, swiftly turning to land on her pegs.

He heard her approach the body, and a smile grew on his face. His tail would have wagged if it weren’t supporting his weight.

However, he heard her sigh. He opened his wings ever so slightly so he could peek out at her.   

She was standing over it, muttering to herself. Her brows were furrowed and her mouth curved into a frown.

“Oh, Nox, come on…” She mumbled, giving the corpse an empathetic eyebrow slant as she poked it. She looked to the missing arm and leg, ripped clean off from its sockets.

Her gaze followed the trail evidently laid out by Nox’s feet. She followed it to the car, looking back at him and then the corpse. Her hands trailed against the plastic of the car, following her slowly bending down beside it.

She used the vehicle for stability as she peeked under the car, finding the discarded parts. She gave a groan, and he heard it, even with how far she was from him. She easily connected that the arm and leg belonged to the body, based on the ice and frozen oil. 

Nox didn’t think she would find it; let alone so fast. She must have gotten used to his tricks by now. He wasn’t the smartest, but he didn’t think he made it that obvious. He frowned, looking down at his hands and fiddling with them. He was getting a lecture later, for sure.

She followed her trail back, and Nox closed the peek-hole he had made so he didn’t get caught.

She approached him, standing a couple of feet in front of him as he dangled there. It felt like it had lasted forever, with her gaze searing into him.

Just as she had gone to reach out, a loud crash sounded from just outside the spire. Vixen yelped, her tail sticking straight up in shock.

Nox flinched from the sudden noise, but played it off as him adjusting in his sleep so Vixen didn’t catch onto the fact he was awake. He tucked his wings in closer, making sure to give a fake whine from the disturbance.

She stumbled back a few steps, whipping around to stare at the entrance. She looked back to Nox, a relieved sigh coming from her when she saw that he was still asleep.

Nox recognized Joanne’s pegsteps approaching from the small, but loud crunches that followed.

“You look like I just threatened to eat you. What’s got you so shocked?” Joanne questioned, jumping up onto the pod with a loud thunk, uncaring on Nox’s rest.

“It’s just that…um…” She glanced at the car, but quickly decided to keep Nox’s issue secret. “Before we resort to sending Nox to the company, do you think there’d be a way to fix him ourselves?”

Joanne paused from diving into the pod, looking down at Vixen. Her scowl faded, being more speculative. “Perhaps. But I’d rather just have him gone. All he does is distract. Especially you. ” Her glare reappeared, this time sharp as daggers.

Vixen glared back, and Joanne interrupted her before she could defend herself.

“Tomorrow afternoon, I need you to find a Worker Drone. A live one. We can test whether or not he has the ability to efficiently help with our task. Either he is, or he gets sent back.” She scowled, giving Vixen a smug stare. “There. Will that get you to stop whining about him?”

Vixen tapped her finger against her arm as she thought. After a moment, she gave in. “It might be longer than just the afternoon. Live workers are tough to come by…” She trailed off, lost in thought.

She knew Nox wasn’t going to like the idea, but she couldn’t tell Joanne no. Not while he was sleeping, and not without getting on her bad side.

“I honestly do not care how long it takes. We’d save ourselves time if we scrapped him now. You are lucky I am giving him another chance.” She rolled her eyes, finally slipping into the pod and closing the door behind herself.

Vixen gave a long, heavy groan as her nails dug into her plating. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard in a lower pitch. Her tail lashed behind her, as she stared at the dripping oil from her claws, glaring down at it. She had torn holes into her arms, spilling out oil.

Nox had tuned out Vixen and Joanne, opting to play JcJendogs® instead of listening. He had the volume all the way down and the brightness dimmed so that he appeared to be asleep. He’d heard them bickering enough times to know it was probably Joanne being mad about there being fewer fresh workers, Nox being useless, or him and Vixen being soft. The usual complaints that he didn’t need to hear for the fiftieth time, so he ignored it.

Vixen climbed up the pole again, this time being careful not to jostle the metal. Nox felt her arrival and turned his game off to listen in for when she was going to sleep.

She carefully swung herself next to Nox, choosing to sleep only a couple of inches away from him. Before she got ready to shut down, she licked her thumb and rubbed the saliva on her scratches to stop the oil from pouring out. The disassembly drones already barely had enough oil to survive; she didn’t have any to spare.

Once she was done, she adjusted so that she could sleep with her legs crossed and her arms behind her head. Her wings curled around herself, quickly followed by her fans motors slowing down as she entered sleep mode.

Having made sure Vixen fell asleep, Nox could finally rest. He shut his game off, carefully getting snug as he went into sleep mode. 

Chapter Text

Uzi and Thad woke early to go out and find Nox. They wanted to hit the road before Khan woke up to take the shift, so that Uzi could forge a fake note to say that it was related to an assignment.

It worked splendidly. They were outside in no time. The spire was just outside the bunker, and she knew a clear path to it. All they would need to do is walk there and retrieve Nox so Thad would stop bothering her about it.

That, and she wanted to know more about Disassembly Drones. How could a being as pathetic as Nox kill her mother? Her father had told her countless stories about how badass Nori was. There was no way she’d be killed so quickly by that.

As the two approached a car inside the spire, she reached her arm behind her to motion Thad to a stop. She peeked over the side, spotting two pairs of disassembly drone wings.

She couldn’t tell which was Nox off of looks. The wings looked the same and hid all their features. However, she guessed he was on the farther side by the obnoxious snore.

Uzi looked to Thad, tilting her head to the pair of sleeping drones. “Since he’s your new best friend, why don’t you wake him?”

Thad paused, his gaze trailing up the spire of dead drones. His face tensed. “Is that a good idea? I thought he said the other drones were dangerous.”

“Sure it is. Just wake him up without waking the other one.” She whispered back, squinting at the two. “Even if it did wake up, it’d be three against one. I have my awesome railgun and Nox’s weird task protocol, just in case.”

“Got it.” He walked past her quickly. Thad tucked his hand into his pockets as he strolled over to the drone to the left, his confidence boosted.

They were both sleeping upside down, their wings used as a shield and their tails holding them up to the top of the streetlight. As he approached, the snore became louder. Nox was presumably on the edge of the light, making it easier to approach him.

As he stepped up to him, he felt a glare burning into him. Nox was still sound asleep, comfy in his wing cocoon. He turned his gaze to his right, eyes hollowed.

Vibrant yellow eyes stared back at him. She squinted at him, her digital eyelashes sharper than a blade. Her hair was cut into a short, silver bob. Her glare became a sinister grin as his gaze met hers.

“Are you lost, little drone?” Vixen teased, her wings slowly unfurling behind her back as she began to twist her body. She kept her head facing him as she turned, spreading her wings before loosening her tail to not wake her friend.

She landed her legs in the snow gracefully, managing to make only a small crunch.

“You’re brave, aren’t you? Coming up to Disassembly drones takes guts.” A purr of delight came from her, her smirk showing a row of sharp teeth.

“Fortunately for you, you won’t be needing those guts much longer.” In a quick flash, she launched herself at him. They landed several feet away from Nox, landing Thad backwards into the snow.

Thad’s back hit the ground, stifling his breath. She had him stuck between her and the snow, unable to escape. All he could do was squirm under the pressure of her force. She had landed them delicately, the snow cushioning the sound. Even with her managing to be quiet, she was just as intimidating.

She wore a crop-top hoodie with a red scarf tied around her neck. Fur lined her hood, folded backwards and draping over her shoulders, paired with jean shorts. Oil stained each garment, all in different shades of black, copper, and amber hues.

“Let’s make this quick and quiet, alright? It’s not smart to wake a drone from their beauty rest, you know.” Her hand changed to a sharp claw, slicing open the bottom of his jersey.

Thad snapped out of his dazed state, starting to flail. He pushed her arms with his singular free one, the other pinned into the snow.

“Help!” He yelped out, quickly getting his mouth covered with Vixen's hand. He continued to yell, muffled by her palm.

It was enough to rouse Nox. His wings went back to his back, uncovering his vision. His eyes popped onto his vizor, half lidded for a second as he rubbed his face. Once he saw the scene ahead of him, his eyes hollowed.

His tail released from the light, tumbling him headfirst into the ground. He urgently stood, shaking off snow. He stared, struck by fear.

Vixen groaned, raising Thad by the collar of his shirt as she stood herself up. She squinted at the smaller drone, her grin growing at the fear in his eyes.

“Now look what you did. I hope you didn’t wake Joanne- she doesn’t like mornings.” Vixen smirked, raising him above her.

“Thad!” Nox yelled out, quickly halting and covering his mouth.

Vixen shot him a dirty look. She looked between the two, her sadistic smile now malicious. Her tail lashed behind her, digging into his shirt further and tearing the fabric.

“Oh, I see. Is this why you’ve been lacking?” She shook Thad as she mentioned him. He weakly punched her arm, only leaving the tiniest of scratches.

“Wait- Set him down, please?” Nox asked, sweat dropping down his vizor. “He’s my friend-“

“Seriously? You’ve befriended a worker?” Vixen glared at Nox, her claws digging deeper into Thad’s shirt. Her nails dragged against his chest plate, making him whimper. “This is food! Not a friend!”

Both Vixen and Nox glanced at the pod as they heard a scoff from it. Joanne had popped her head out from the entrance. “I knew it. We will deal with that later.” Her eyes were heavy with drowsiness, but just as angry as usual.

Vixen stared at her for a moment before looking to Thad. She got the hint, a frustrated growl sounding from her speaker before she brought her claw to his stomach.

“I wonder how long a drone’s body can survive with everything but their core.” She gave a soft purr, her claw tearing a small cut into him. Thad kicked at her, landing ineffective kicks to her metal.

Her grip tightened as she saw Nox flinch.

“No!” His teeth ground together, starting to tremble. As he took a step forward, he felt his tail get caught.

Joanne had it trapped under the bottom of her leg. It tugged against his waist, almost making him fall backwards.

Vixen turned away from him, her claw prodding at Thad. “Gee, I dunno. I think I’d like to be the one who gets rid of the root of your misbehavior.” Her claw started to slide down his silicone, sliced open just enough for oil to drip out.

In a quick second, Nox’s tail snapped out of its socket. He outstretched his wings and jumped at Vixen. Nox flew at her arms, pushing Thad out of her grasp and pulling him into his own. He landed on his back, skillfully rolling and halting with ease. His arm was wrapped around Thad tightly, his claw digging into the snow below so that he didn’t slip.

Vixen snarled at him, her tail lashing.

“Why don’t you just let me help you?!” She stomped forward, her tail flicking in a manner akin to an angry cat. “These drones are the source of your…difference!”

“It isn’t because of Thad! I’ve always been like this!” Nox lifted his hand, returning it in favor of a laser. Vixen froze once it was pointed at her, her eyebrows furrowing.

“You wouldn’t.” A growl rumbled from her voice box, taking a step forward.

“Don’t make me!” His arm shook as he pointed it at her, but his threat was serious.

Vixen stomped closer, her tail flicking into the snow. Nox’s gun sounded as it released a laser, pointed at her knee.

He cut off her legs, causing her to fall backwards. The remaining segment of her legs caught her, her eyelights hollowed.

Thad felt Nox’s chest rumble as he gave a long, mechanical growl. Nox’s tail was taking stiffer, faster flicks in warning. His teeth were bared, hardly separated as so he could sound his warning.

She looked up at Nox, her gaze tense. It was unusual for Nox to act so aggressively…

He began to relax, his gestures becoming less territorial. He stood, opening his mouth to speak.

A mechanical whirring sounded from beside him. In that moment, a green blur blazed in front of him, breaking his eye contact with Vixen. It blasted her shoulders and up off, hardly missing her core.

Uzi sat beside a car, hiding behind its metal. She gave a grin, standing up and dusting snow off her pants.

Thad shifted away from Nox’s claws, giving a small wince.

Nox glanced down, realizing his claws were scratching his metal. He pulled his hand away, giving a shy smile. His sharp teeth were hard not to notice after such a sign of aggression.

“Shoot- Thad, I’m sorry!” He gently placed Thad on the ground, tearing off a piece of his coat and expertly wrapping it around his bleeding midsection.

Thad shuddered from the pressure, rubbing the oil on his hands onto the snow.

“I’m okay, dude. Thanks.” He gave a weak smile.

“Hah! Glad to have wiped her smug ass grin off her face.” Uzi spoke, flinging her gun around her back.

Nox’s head shot up as he looked to Uzi, quickly shaking his head and flailing his hand in a repetitive motion near his neck, trying to get her to stop speaking.

Alas, it was too late.

“Oh, there’s more than one worker you’ve been fraternizing with? Oooohhh, this is going to be fun.” Joanne’s sharp, predatory teeth flashed in her grin, her tail slashing side-to-side as she strutted forward through the smoke, stopping just before the car.

“Who is it now? Some soft, pitiful worker you took pity on mid-kill?” She pressed her palms together, leaning them to the side of her tilted head in a mocking, sarcastic tone. She changed her visor to have puppy eyes, taunting Nox’s empathy. As she flung her arms down, they both became guns.

“…I’m done with the non-productive activity. An effective Disassembly Drone stays on task. You have done nothing but distract yourself, and worse, your coworkers.” She stared down at the male disassembly drone, who was protectively standing in front of his injured friend. “Let alone assaulting your teammate”

She gestured to Vixen, whose head had now regenerated. She was holding it, her lights glitching in an array of colorful hues. Joanne rolled her eyes, hitting her harshly upside her head with her gun.

Her lights became red momentarily as she rebooted. Once she did, her reds flickered into yellow as she clumsily stood.

“What the fuck was that?!” She stared at Nox, taking a step back with her eyes full of unbridled rage. “You SHOT ME?” Her tail flicked against the ground like a whip.

“No, moron.” Joanne signaled to the car, making one of her AK-47 hands turn into a rocket launcher. She pointed it at the car, leaning her head to the side as she turned it to Nox.

He tensed, his now regrown tail carefully curling around himself and Thad. He glanced at the disassembly drones, at the drone in his arm, and then at the worker drone stuck behind the car.

“What? No! That was me! No need to explode the car or anything!” Nox spoke fast, slowly beginning to stand.

“Oh, really? Then you wouldn’t care if I blew it up, then?” She pointed it to the car's engine. The launcher in her arm gave a gentle tick as the rocket was launched.

Uzi shot from her spot to the car, jumping to Nox just as the rocket hit the car and exploded.

“Which one of you can hold on tighter?” He hurriedly asked, urgently staring at Uzi in her eyelights.

Uzi and Thad looked at each other before Thad smiled, turning his chin up proudly.

“Me, probably. Not to brag, buuut I am the top of my team and incredibly strong-“ Thad was interrupted as Nox scooped up Uzi and turned his back was turned to face him. His wings had a gap between them just big enough for a worker drone to fit between.

“Climb on and hold on as tight as you can. Okay?” Nox had a newfound haste in his voice, staring at Thad in worry. Sweat droplets trickled down his visor.

Thad was quick to hop on, his hands quickly gripping onto the collar of his trench coat.

Nox didn’t waste any time before shooting off the ground, with Vixen quickly trailing behind him. He’d hardly escaped her claws reaching for his hand, having been lucky to take off when he did.

Uzi squealed, her hands wrapping around Nox and gripping onto his clothes. He was holding her close, ensuring he didn’t drop her.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU WARN US???” Uzi screamed, hiding her face in his jacket's fluff. It hardly seemed like a scream given the wind was blowing so fast past them that it muffled her.

“And let us all die while I try to warn you?” He said back, although only half paying attention given he was darting around buildings and sliding underneath tight spaces to throw Vixen and Joanne off his trail.

“Get back here!” Vixen spat, hardly able to grab his feet.

Uzi glanced over his shoulder, watching as Vixen and Joanne struggled to keep up. Nox was taking sharp edges around the buildings, ducking under light poles, and going in the dark.

As he flew away, he ducked into the dark building with shattered glass windows. He turned his lights off, hiding in the shadows. Uzi and Thad caught the memo and turned their lights off to do the same.

He tucked himself into a stairwell, holding his breath as he heard Joanne and Vixen crash into the building.

“Nox, I swear to robo-god, when I find you-” He could hear her pegs aggressively tinking against the ground, along with calmer steps followed.

“Don’t blow a circuit, Vixen.“ Joanne snapped, both of their steps halting. “I’m not able to listen over your angry ranting.”

“Psh, we’ll find him. He’s not a good hider.” Vixen spoke, a mechanical click sounding as she switched her weapon. Light fills the room as she equips a plasma cannon, using it to lighten up the room.

Nox tucked them further into the stairs, hiding in the remaining shadow. The clank of their steps continued again, objects beginning to shuffle.

Uzi’s eyes blinked onto her visor involuntarily, her eyelights having hollowed and appeared alongside several stress indicators. Her right eye flashed a warning symbol, Uzi was quick to slap her hand over it so that the light didn’t signal the disassembly drones over.

Nox frowned, his own eyes appearing back on his face. She was terrified, even if she didn’t want to show it. He could hear her fans racing to cool her down, and her breath got faster. It didn’t help that she was against a disassembly drone, whose surface is hot. Really hot, actually.

His tail coiled around them as he curled into her, pulling the worker close in a gentle hug. She flinched, but didn’t tug away as Nox rested his head against hers.

“I’m sorry, Uzi. This is all my fault.” He whispered, peeking over the edge of the stairs. Joanne and Vixen were on the other side of the room, checking the other flight of stairs.

“If it weren’t for you befriending me, you would be safe in your bunker. I’m not a good friend to have…” He mumbled. He trailed off and loosened his hold on her.

Her brows creased and she pulled away. Nox was half worried she was going to blow up on him.

“Are you kidding me? I’m safer than I’ve ever been with a disassembly drone as a guard dog.” She smiled, distracted from her fears.

Nox held back a laugh, only letting out a small snicker.

“Hey, I’m not a dog!” He murmured, a smile on his face despite his raised brow.

“Oh, really?” She reached her hand down, grabbing his tail and gently pulling it up. It wagged in her grasp, and she grinned at him.

His vizor turned a bright yellow. He covered it with one of his arms, unable to hold back his titters. Uzi snickered back at his response.

Thad leaned over his shoulders, waving his hand in front of Nox’s face with a quirked brow. “The flirting is cute, but not the right time, right?”

“This isn’t- shut up!” Her face was flushed as she snapped, quickly leading to Nox covering her mouth and shutting his visor back off.

“What was that?” Vixen turned in their direction, the light shining barely missing where the trio were sitting. The light shone just before Nox’s foot, ever so slightly reflecting on his metal.

Uzi’s eyes hollowed again as she inched further backwards into Nox.

Vixen only stepped closer, getting dangerously close for comfort.

The light reached his boot. He pulled it closer, his fans starting to whirr faster.

A symbol appeared on Uzi’s right eye. She gave a surprised yelp, covering the light that had appeared.

Vixen turned the corner, grinning as she saw the trio. She looked between Thad and Uzi before rolling her eyes and scoffing.

“Well, that wasn’t hard.” She turned her head to Joanne, a grin appearing on her face. “Yo! I’ve found them.”

The symbol appeared again, but on her hand. She outstretched her arm, sweat droplets rapidly trickling down her visor.

Vixen looked back at Joanne, her brows creasing before they disappeared and her eyes became thin ovals once she recognized it.

“You! You’re a-“ Vixen went to speak.

However, Uzi’s hand shifted. The symbol changed as her hand position did. Within an instant of Uzi looking at Vixen’s screen, a piece of rubble had been flung into it.

She stumbled back, falling onto a desk and scattering all of the contents within the cubicle. She stood up with a groan, holding her face as glass shards fell from it.

Nox didn’t waste a second with the opportunity. He darted out from under the stairs and back out the window they came.

He took a sharp left turn around the building and bolted away while Vixen recovered.

He could hear Joanne yell out in frustration, only pushing him to fly faster. Uzi was panicking; so once he didn’t hear Joanne’s presence, he hid behind a building.

He landed several blocks away from where he had left Vixen. He gently sat Uzi down against the building, crouching down in front of her so that Thad could climb down.

He hopped off his back and stretched, several metal gears clicking together as he pushed his back forward.

“You practically had me flat as a pancake against that wall, dude.” He groaned, sitting down beside Uzi. His complaining stopped when he saw that she was freaked, focusing on her rather than himself.

“Are you okay?” Nox asked before Thad got the chance, cautiously sitting down in front of her. Thad sat beside her, his hand getting swatted away as he attempted to place it on Uzi’s shoulder.

“No! What the hell was that?” She stared at her hand after it shooed Thad’s hand away, doing several hand motions and huffing when nothing happened. She kept trying, getting more and more frustrated.

Nox gently grabbed her wrists, an encouraging, yet determined smile plastered on his face.

“Nah, it’s okay!” He loosened his hands from around her arm, slowly taking them away. “Whatever it was, it just saved our lives!”

She groaned, her hands balling into fists. “I’m weirded out! What was that? Vixen acted like she knew.”

He shrugged, scooting back and starting to draw in the snow. “I’ve never seen it before, but it sorta looked like this.”

He backed up from his finished doodle. There were three small hexagons that were connected to another, bigger hexagon in the center by several lines.

“It appeared on your visor and your hand. Maybe it was some sort of instinct?” He asked, trying to copy the hand motion she had done. Nothing appeared on his hand, no matter how hard he tried.

“Maybe it’s worker drone specific?” Nox asked, but frowned after. “No, more workers would have retaliated with it, then…”

“You’re one of the only drones to ever survive a Dissasembly Drone attack, too. Maybe the task thing is connected to this?” Thad gestured to the symbol before him.

“I’d argue that you’d be the only one, since if it were just Thad…I probably would have killed him.” He looked at him, giving him a sympathetic smile. “No offense.”

“None taken.” Thad shrugged. “I’m lucky that I have an awesome friend to save me!”

Thad nudged Uzi’s shoulder. She laughed and rolled her eyes before looking down at the symbol again, squinting. “Why me? I don’t know how to control this.”

She stared down at her hand, it trembling as she turned it over to look at her palm.

“You’ll learn! Maybe you could practice on me? I can take the pain.” He was weirdly happy for a man offering himself to be a test subject. Very happy, actually.

He was just glad to be of use. Especially if it helped Uzi understand herself better.

“Won’t that hurt?” She quirked a brow.

“Meh, I’m used to it. Plus, I deserve it for the whole ‘Assisting in a genocide’ thing.” His hand went to the back of his hair and fiddled with it, guilt showing through his face before he shook his head.

“Go on! Give it a try.” He stood with his head held high, looking down at Uzi. He winked at her with a big smile to encourage her.

Uzi groaned, staring him dead in the eyes as she did the hand motion again. She furrowed her brow and frowned at him.

“What were you thinking when you shattered Vixen's visor? That could help.” He cocked his head to the side.

“I thought about how I wanted her head to explode.” She squinted at him before rolling her eyes. “And, ya’know…I was scared, so that might be part of it.”

“So I should make you scared?” His head tilted further, nearly lying on his shoulder.

“You could try, I guess? You’re not as scary as they are though. Especially with the fact that I know that I can control you.” She crossed her arms, leaning back against the building.

Nox smiled, giving an obedient nod. “Good, that means that I won’t go too far, then!”

“Wait, what?” Thad spoke, looking between Uzi and Nox. “Is this a smart idea?”

Nox didn’t respond. His visor only flickered into an X as he stood to his full height.

Uzi hadn’t noticed that he had been hunching over before this. He was quite tall, at least a foot taller than her- maybe closer to 2.

His hands switched to metal blades resembling fingers. His mouth contorted into a wide, toothy grin. His teeth had a lot of oil stains.

Then his metal wings unfurled from his back, tripling his size. The blades rubbed against each other in a sharp grating as they clicked into place. His tail waved just behind him, arched and ready to be of use.

Fear indicators appeared on Uzi’s visor and Nox paused his movements instantaneously.

“Is this scary enough?” His stupid, bright smile was back, and the X shifted onto only his left eye. The other only showed playfulness, despite his deadly features all being displayed.

Uzi nodded. “That…should be enough.” She gestured to his entire body. “You’ve proved your point.”

He nodded, his eyes glitching back into the X as the sinister grin crawled back onto his face.

He carefully stepped around the triangular symbol, careful not to mess it up as he stepped closer to Uzi.

A second row of lines appeared next to her eyes as he approached, her hand starting to shake.

“Nox..?” She attempted to scoot back, but only hit her head on the building. She rubbed it, momentarily distracted from the Disassembly Drone before her. Her hand contorted into a position where her hand had her thumb, pointer, and middle finger out.

It formed a hexagon connected to three triangles before the same symbol appeared on Nox’s coat before sending him flying several feet away.

He yelped, hardly sticking the landing as he landed on a sheet of ice. He jumped up, sliding along its surface before pushing up off the ice and unfurling his wings so he could fly back to Uzi.

“It worked! You just need to be scared to get it to kick in. Again?” He landed right before her, unfazed from being thrown as if it had never happened.

“No! What if you get hurt and it’s my fault?” She stomped her heel into the snow, crossing her arms.

“I can regenerate. I’ll be fine!” He smiled, his tail wagging.

His coat now had a long, jagged tear along its edge. Uzi squinted at it before shaking her head, vehemently rejecting the idea.

“Shouldn’t we focus on getting away from the murder drones chasing us down?” She raised a brow.

“Oh, biscuits…you’re right, where can we hide?” He glanced around, weary of the pair.

“The bunker is our best bet. They- I mean… Joanne and Vixen haven’t gotten past the doors yet, so we’d be safe there.” She stood, signaling Thad to do the same.

Uzi took out her phone from her pocket and snapped a picture of the symbol in the snow. Nox stood behind with a frown, his tail lying against the snow as Thad walked past him. He wasn’t allowed in the bunker last time, because he was dangerous. He was no less dangerous now than yesterday.

Uzi walked on. She was staring down at her phone until she paused. She didn’t hear a third pair of footsteps or feel the presence of a particularly tall drone behind her

She paused and looked back at him. “You coming?”

He perked up, his tail wagging “Really? But I thought the WDF wouldn’t let me through?”

“Well, you saved mine and Thad’s life…It’s the least I can do to repay you.” She gestured for him to follow. “And my dad is pretty important in the colony. If I can convince him, there’ll be no problems.”

“If, Uzi. Your dad built the doors specifically to keep the disassembly drones out, right? How does he know that Nox isn’t planning to let them in?” Thad asked, “Would both of our testimonies be enough?”

“Don’t know, and also don’t care. I’ll just show him that I’ve got him under control.” She shrugged, before grinning at Nox. “I’ve got it. Come on.”

His tail shot up and he ran after them, only slowing down once he caught up. “Where will I be staying?”

Uzi’s visor flushed as she shoved her hands into her pockets. “At my place…I guess. My dad will feel better about this if I have an eye on you.”

“So, a sleepover?” His tail wagged behind him.

“Not a sleepover! You have nowhere else to go. I’d be a monster if I left you out here to be torn apart by your ‘friends.’” She groaned, already regretting her decision. 

Chapter Text

They walked as fast as they could to the bunker, staying within the shadows just in case the two disassembly drones reappeared.

“I will speak to my dad. I don’t want to hear a peep from either of you. Got it?” She glared between the two as they approached the door, taking the keycard out of her pocket and flipping it over to the right side.

Both Thad and Nox nodded as she pressed the keycard to the reader. Cold, snowflake-filled gusts flowed into the room before the group could get a proper look inside the bunker.

“Hey! My deck!” One of the WDF members yelled as the cards were blown out of his hands. The other members only groaned, one throwing his card deck and getting them blown straight back into his face.

Nox waved snow out of his face and inched closer to the side of the room. A poster was hung on the wall, with a drone plastered on the front. He had a mustache and white eyes, along with a quote about a door. The quote was credited to a Khan Doorman.

“You’re back early.” A drone with a mustache spoke to Uzi, who was standing with his arms crossed and a remote in his hand. He looked just like the guy on the poster. Khan looked behind Uzi and squinted.

“Who is this? I thought you only left with Thad.” He spoke, his gaze judging Nox.

Nox’s lights flickered back on and revealed his smile, along with his Disassembly Drone features. Despite Nox’s friendly smile which may have shown all his teeth, they were all terrified.

Khan nearly jumped out of his boots when he saw him.

“You brought a Murder Drone in here!? What are you doing?” He looked to the group and Nox before closing the door before any more Disassembly Drones could pour in. His wrench was grasped tightly in his hand, so hard that his hand shook.

“It’s okay, Dad. I’ve got it handled. I can control him, he won’t harm anyone.” She grinned, putting her hands on her hips.

“How?” His brow furrowed at Uzi, while also keeping an eye on Nox.

“I’ll prove it. Nox?” She turned to look at him, and he perked up as he heard his name. “Grab that remote from his hand.”

She gestured to Khan’s hands. One held the wrench, while the other had the keycard snug in his palm. Until Nox’s lights shifted through that rainbow hue that Uzi had seen several times. His tail straightened in surprise as the notification popped up. He silenced it, happily strolling to Khan’s side.

“Sorry, Mr. Doorman! Uzi’s orders.” He smiled as he plucked the device from his hands with ease, leaving the drone in fear-stricken silence. He worker drone trembled as he loomed over him, paralyzed in fear. Nox smiled at him nevertheless, unfazed by his fear. He spun back to Uzi, his tail wagging as he gave her the card. As he handed her the remote, his speaker gave a cheery chime now that the task had been completed.

“See? Nothing to be afraid of. I disabled his task to kill. He just needs oil.” She offered a fist bump to Nox with her free hand, which he happily accepted. “He needs a safe place to stay because his murderer friends want to kill him for not being crazy anymore.”

“So you’re letting him in the colony? Everyone will freak!” He glared down at Uzi, refusing to look Nox in the eye. “I can’t let you bring him in.”

“Too bad. He’s staying with me whether you like it or not.” She shoved her hands in her pockets and walked straight past him. Both of the guys followed. Khan was powerless to stop it, too afraid to risk angering the disassembly drone.

Nox smiled as he passed him, giving a happy wave. “It was nice meeting you!”

She paused at the key slot and pulled out her original keycard. She threw the remote back to Khan, who clumsily caught it with trembling hands. “I don’t need this, actually.”

She walked backwards out of the door once she opened it, returning her glare at her father. He rolled his eyes as the door closed, turning to his teammates.

“Tsh, teenagers, amiright?” Tim spoke up as he wiped the snowflakes off his glasses. “Always causin’ trouble and rebelin'’.”

“Yeah, you know how teenagers are, Khan. If she’s anything like Nori, she probably has a soft spot for idiots- Did that murder drone seem stupid to you?” Todd asked, with several of the drones nodding.

“Shut up.” Khan snapped back, shoving the remote into his pocket and crouching down to pick up the scattered cards. His mind raced, conflicted on what course of action he should take.

..

“Didn’t I tell you to be quiet?” Uzi nudged Nox to catch his attention once the door closed.

“I was being nice so that he would like me!” He smiled, his joy not faltering whatsoever from being hit. “I wanted to make a good impression. Did I do well?”

“No matter how nice you are, he isn’t going to like you.” She looked forward, leading the way to her place. “You’re a disassembly drone. One of you things killed my mother.”

He winced slightly. She raised a brow, turning her head to him with a skeptical raised brow.

“It wasn’t me!…probably? I kill the least drones, and I don’t remember any drones that looked similar to you.” He followed her, squinting for a moment. Uzi returned it, speeding up to get him out of her personal space. After a moment of staring, he shrugged and looked onward, continuing to copy her pace with ease.

“Thanks. That’s so reassuring.” She rolled her eyelights, averting her gaze.

“It is?” His tail wagged, his smile beaming.

“No. That doesn’t take away from the fact she’s dead.” She stared straight on, refusing to make eye contact with Nox.

Thad stepped up, quietly speaking to Uzi. “Zi, he only wants to help. Cut the guy some slack. Even if he did, he couldn’t control it.”

He nodded, happily chiming in despite Thad’s efforts to be sneaky. “Yeah. I’ll get your dad to like me one way or another! I got you to tolerate me, right?”

“Hardly. You’re lucky you’ve helped us, and that Thad took pity on you.” Uzi grumbled, shoving her hands into the pockets of her hoodie.

“That we took pity on him, you mean. You chose to forgive him too, Zi.” Thad pointed out. He gave Nox a reassuring smile behind Uzi’s back.

Uzi went quiet for several moments. She gave a small shrug eventually, l muttering “I guess.”

When they got to her front door, she pulled out a key from her pocket and clicked the lock. The door automatically opened, and she led the way in.

“Do not touch anything, got it?” She turned to Nox, who had already started eyeing the room. She paused at Thad, adding to her original statement. “Oh, and you can’t stay. You have to go home.”

He stopped in the doorway, giving a disappointed shrug. “Shucks. Maybe next time?”

“Yeah, maybe.” She rummaged inside a box, gesturing Thad away without looking at him. “I’ll see you tomorrow probably.”

“Cya, Zi! And you Nox!” He waved just before the door shut.

Nox waved back, his attention drawn away from the decor around her house momentarily. As the door closed, his shoulders sagged slightly,

“So it’s just us here?” He asked, tilting his head at Uzi.

“For a little while. Until my dad gets off his shift.” She shoved her arms into the box further. “Which is probably soon. He’ll want to get home quickly to lecture me.”

Nox went quiet for several moments before speaking up again. “Are you…sure you want to help me?” He shifted his feet, messing with his claws. “I don’t want you to get in trouble with your dad.”

“He’s used to my rebellion. Also, you saved my life.” She pulled out some clothes, shoving them into the other's arms. “And if you want to make a “good impression”, you’ll take off those oil-stained clothes.”

He blinked, looking down at his jacket.

It was extremely torn from all his fights. Several parts of the teeth were missing in the zipper, along with jagged tears scattered about. It stunk of soot and old oil.

“Oooh!” He thought, his smile coming back. He quickly unfolded the coat, it being smaller than he liked.

“It’s way too big for my dad. It might work for you?” She shrugged, closing the box back up. “We were going to try to cut it up ourselves. Probably a bad idea.”

He nodded, his hands going to the zipper of his shirt.

“Wait!” Uzi grabbed his hands, halting his movements. Her face was a deep purple. “Not here, idiot! The bathroom is to your left.”

N snickered, trying not to laugh at her expense. “It’s all just plastic, anyway! Worst there would be is some nasty scarring.”

She still refused, roughly letting his hands go. “Still. Go.”

Nox didn’t push further, instead opting to follow orders and go into the bathroom she mentioned.

Uzi dragged herself to her room. It was in ruins, like usual. She would have cleaned if she knew she’d have company. Several clothing garments were thrown around and oil-boxes scattered along her room, along with battery chips sprinkled along her bed. A singular robo-ant crawled along the floor, which she quickly stomped on.

As she heard the bathroom door close as Nox entered it, she shoved the mess of the floor beneath her bed and tossed the trash into the can as fast as she could. She swiped the chips off her bed and onto the small gap next to her bed. She hoped the robo-ants didn’t find that.

As she was straightening up her bed, Nox entered her room. He looked around, his interest piqued.

“This is fitting!” He smiled, sitting himself down on the end of her bed. “It’s really purple. Kinda like you, actually.”

“And dark and ominous?” She suggested, a grin plastered on her face.

“No, I don’t think so. More quiet and shy than anything.” He said, kicking his feet idly.

As Uzi furrowed her brows, he took the chance to explain himself.

“Think about it. Your room is dark, only illuminated by this purple glow.” His hand trailed along the fire patterns on the wall. “It’s like the inside of a cave, sort of. Secluded and serene, it doesn’t draw attention to itself.”

She paused, looking around the room. It was quiet, with the only sound being the air exiting their fans and the occasional creak of the bed as one of them adjusted. Usually, dark and quiet was scary, yet, this room had a calmness to it. Like a home.

“Does your room make you feel safe?” He asks eventually, noticing that her shoulders weren’t as tense as they usually were.

She looks up at him, slightly lifting her shoulders. “I guess. I can be more myself when I’m here. The alone time is nice, too.”

“That’s why it isn’t ‘dark and ominous.’ It’s your safe place.” He smiled at her, leaning his back against the wall. “You’re lucky, you know. For the past…well, 17 years, I’ve never had a place as safe as this. Joanne and Vixen were always nearby, or the ice storm would pose issues.”

Uzi felt a twinge of guilt. She’d never realized how much significance a room had. This was her space; not everyone gets the privilege of privacy and safety like her.

“I never realized, I guess.” She curled up against her headboard. “For at least a little while, you can have somewhere safe here.”

His tail began to wag. He placed his hand on his tail, trying to stop it. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, Uzi. This is your space.”

“Well, dingbat, where else would you go?” She raised a brow. “Back outside to your demise? I’d have caused your death.”

He shrugged. “Maybe. You can never tell with them. They’ve given me like…a bajillion chances!”

“And this one could have been one too many.” Uzi raised her brow, unimpressed with his logic.

“Either way, thank you.” His voice went quieter as he spoke with sincerity. “Being with you beats being with Joanne and Vixen any day. You treat me like I’m someone.”

“By not killing you, or..?”

“By understanding me, and being willing to help me out.“ His gaze burned into hers, his posture leaning towards her. “You saved me.”

Her face flushed with his compliments, she quickly looked away and broke their ocular contact. “Ew! Gross, don’t flirt with me!”

He blinked, tilting his head. “This is flirting? I’m just being honest.”

“Yes!” Uzi groaned, pulling her beanie over her face.

As he went to defend himself, the door opened with an automatic whir. Khan stood there, his brows furrowed.

“We need to talk. Now.” He said, looking between to two teens. He squinted at the two; especially the disassembly drone.

Nox hurriedly scooted away from Uzi, noticing that the father’s glare was increasingly judgmental.

“Alone.” He spoke up again, crossing his arms.

Uzi pushed herself up from her spot, looking at Nox and gesturing to the door.

He took the hint. As he stood and approached the door to go through with her request, Khan only slightly shuffled aside so that he could pass. As Nox walked past, his arm hit the older drones arm on accident.

“I’m sorry, Khan- I mean, sir!” He said, not losing his charm.

Despite his kindness, he could see him shaking. He didn’t push his kindness, respecting his space and walking out the door.

He closed it behind himself as soon as he could, taking a deep breath out.

“What was that?” He demanded, his posture immediately changing as Nox left. His shaking had subsided, his frame tense instead.

“We were talking?” She quickly defended herself, her face covered in a heavy purple blush.

“Not that!” He groaned, wiping his face in aggravation. “The murder drone you’ve allowed into the colony? Our home?”

“What other choice did I have?” She snapped back, stomping her foot. “He saved my life today, you know!”

“And how many has he taken?“ He huffed, taking in a deep breath to control his anger. “Do you seriously think he will change?”

She growled in frustration, clenching her fists to manage her anger “He already has. Don’t you think he would have attacked me by now if he was going to?”

“Have you thought that he wanted to get past the doors so that he could have access to more workers?” He said, his attitude sharp.

“He doesn’t even like killing the workers!” She shook her head, attempting to shake off the attitude. “He only did it because he had to. We made a deal. As long as I can get him the oil he needs to survive, he won’t need to attack workers.”

After a moment of Khan's silence, she continued. “And I have the bonus of a disassembler looming over my shoulder and protecting me twenty-four seven.”

He shook his head, rubbing his vizor to relieve his stress.

“Are you completely sure this is safe, Uzi?” He says, his tone somber. He reaches out to hold her shoulder, gently grasping it, “I trust your judgment- you’re old enough to make your own decisions now, but I want to make sure you’re being safe.”

“I am. I wouldn’t have done it if it weren’t safe. I wasn’t going to help him until he risked his life for me and Thad.” She trailed off, staring at the hand touching her shoulder. “I owe him. He’s never been given a proper chance to be better. You don’t know that he can’t change.”

“You’re right. I don’t know. That’s what's scaring me.” Khans' hands trembled as he looked at her, tears popping up on his face as he pulled her into a tight hug.

Uzi squeaks, all of her internal systems being crammed and squished together from such a tight hug.

“I already lost Nori. I can’t lose you, too.” He let her go as he noticed her discomfort, lifting his arms from underneath her own. “Can you promise me that?”

“…Of course, Dad.” She mumbled, taking a step back.

Chapter Text

(Future tense; This would have been after Uzi befriended Viv.)

Joanne wasn’t disturbed by oil in the slightest. If anything, she relished the coppery-esc tang on her tongue. Thin or thick, she loved it. Unlike her coworkers, who had the audacity to underestimate its bliss.

She couldn’t put a finger on what their deal was. Worker Drone oil was like the sweetest honey. Thick, full of flavor, and already premade. All they had to do was locate the source, adjacent to a bear drawn to a bee’s hive.

Fresh worker’s oil is far superior to any honey. It’s slick, viscous texture had a hint of sweetness or musk, dependent on the worker. The flavor will stay with you for several moments from its consistency, lathering your mouth and persisting like a strong spice. What’s there to dislike?

The kick that one gets from oil is like no other. She especially favored the sweet tang that would be harbored in some Worker Drones. It drew her memories back to the candle wax that would burn at the manor, consisting of a mix of vanilla with woodsy hints…

Oh,
The manor.

It was a bittersweet memory for Joanne. She remembered it as if it were yesterday, even if she hadn’t smelled it in years. The only sweetness she’d ever encountered was there; Even if she’d never tasted it for herself. She isn’t one for sweets usually, but she thrived off this particular fragrance.

She fondly memorized the vast, open corridors that led to even more vast of rooms, covered in dark brown and tan decorum that she constantly had to keep tabs on.

She’d always been extremely organized. She had everything sorted in her CPU, ready to retrieve any information she needed at a moments notice. She knew exactly where every little thing needed to be placed, where Nox liked to read, where Vixen would hide around corners just to listen to his voice…

…and where Tessa’s favorite hideouts were, sprinkled among the manor meticulously. She made those for when her mother was upset, avoiding her wrath by not being able to be found until it had simmered.

Most of the time, she had the excuse of her being outside, rummaging for drones. The trick was always up her sleeve, ready to be used so that Louisa Elliot wouldn’t catch on.

Despite Joanne always having been a stickler for the rules, she stood as a fake witness. She would testify that she kept watch of Tessa, acting as a testimony and a supervisor of her scavenging.

She made a lot of exceptions for this particular human. She had to satisfy her. After all, that was her job, right? To serve?

Nothing more behind it. She was just doing her duty as a Worker Drone should. It wasn’t because of Tessa’s undeniable charm, and the care of which she took of her worker friends.

Not even in the way she would carefully style Joanne’s hair, careful not to tug the strands. Her slow, gentle movements of a brush dragging through her hair, and how her hands twirled into making each pigtail had no part in her loyalty.

The days where Joanne helped soothe Tessa’s sores from the chains her mother would put her under, gentle with an ice pack and a rag to tie it in a bow, had nothing to do with it.

The nights where they danced together, helping Tessa practice for the day she’d find that ripping royal stud. Their hands intertwined in a slow dance, with Joanne copying what she had seen from tv. She remembered assisting Tessa with her zipper when she couldn’t reach it all the way up to her shoulder blades.

But that was irrelevant.

She was only doing her job. Keeping Tessa safe and content was her first priority.

She just wanted her to be happy.

Nobody had asked her to, but if Louisa and James Elliot weren’t going to, shouldn’t someone take responsibility?

She did. She did it to the best of her ability until she couldn’t anymore.

The solver is what nipped the bud of the only thing that made Joanne happy. She wanted to remember Tessa with a somber fondness, but it was torn from her hands, dangled just out of her reach like a toy. Instead, she was constantly tortured with reality.

The grotesque memory of the solver taking control of her systems and making her feast on Tessa was haunting, yet, the sweetness of oil is the closest thing she has to feeling like she was back at the manor.

Blood was nothing like oil. Sure, it was a thick substance like oil, but it wasn’t sweet, and she would never be able to rid of the memory reminding her of the metallic taste of blood. All the sensations of her bones snapping, cutting into her mouth and her intestines being pulled out and gulped down her metal throat were forever seared into her memory.

No matter what she did, she would never be able to forget how her body moved without her control, leaving her a mere host. Her hands, mouth, none of it were her own. She was nothing more than a passenger, watching the murder of her true love in dismay.

She tried to scream, to shout, to say anything while Tessa was still live. Tears rolled down her visor even through the large X displayed on her visor, so Tessa knew she didn’t mean it…hopefully.

She really, really hoped Tessa saw her tears. If not, Tessa had no indicator that she didn’t want to kill her. Joanne would spiral even worse if she knew for a fact Tessa thought she was killing her out of choice.

Even if Tessa knew it wasn’t her doing, she still felt guilty. It were these hands that deprived her of her life, stripping away her skin.

Louisa was right. Every single one of the Workers were satan incarnate if they had the potential of such brutality. The less workers, the less drones to be a host of the solver.

It replays every time she kills a drone. That coppery taste reminiscent of the wretched metallic blood she consumed, but that rare, sweet aftertaste bringing her back to a better place, over and over and over. She never wanted her happy memories to fade, even if it came at the expense of many, many innocent worker drones.

Keyword on innocent.

All the drones she had ever killed weren’t drones infected with the solver. Vixen had been the only one to get to one of them, that being Doll’s mother.

Little did she know that she only exacerbated the issue. She didn’t know that dead drones had a likelihood of rebooting with the solver virus. She had potentially created more unknowingly.

…

Joanne’s tail flicked behind her as she stalked Nox and Vivian from the top of a skyscraper, her lights dimmed as to not be spotted. Nox and Vivian were hanging out with that wretched purple excuse of a drone. Her lips curled back in a snarl, her claws digging into the steel.

‘How do they bond with something that should have been a meal?’ Joanne thought with a scowl, her eyes squinting harder at the drones. ‘Don’t they get hungry? At all? Surely at least Vixen misses the thrill of a chase?’

(Unsure when this would have taken place, likely before befriending Vixen. Massive gore warning btw.)

Uzi gasped out, her robotic throat constricting her ability to speak. The pain was overwhelming. Her internal components were burning up, so much so that she thought she was melting.

She slammed the door behind her to the cabin, falling onto the ground with a heavy thud. She grabbed several tables with her solver and flung them at the door, creating a blockade. Her plating ached, a severe itching centered at her back. The drone twisted, desperate to reach her shoulder blade.

Her fingers trembled, pain centered on her fingertips. She clawed at her metal plating with her bare fingers, only leaving small scratches. She tore her jacket, ripping jagged tears in the fabric.

The silicone of her hand scraped against her back once the clothing wasn’t in the way. She cried out, wishing the pain would just stop.

Her fingertips began to crack from the pressure. Oil dripped from the opening, spilling out onto her and staining her jacket. Metal claws pushed through the top of her fingertips, pushing the plastic out of the way.

The nails dug into the plastic much easier. It tore a hole into her, crumbling the plastic in it’s way. On her right side, a flesh wing sprouted.

She spun her head around, looking at her new appendage. Adrenaline dulled her pain for a moment. The wings were purple, with several tears all around the membrane. She stared in disbelief.

She flexed the wing out, spreading the digits. It had a long wingspan, raising up high above her. She curled her wing closer to herself, mouth agape in horror.

Usually, animals didn’t only have one wing. Wings came in pairs. It would be odd for an animal to have only one.

Which means…

She turned her head to gaze at her back. It was streaming with oil, turning the tear in her jacket a jet black. The pain was located directly on her left side, adjacent to her right shoulder.

With a deep breath of her vent, she reached her hand up to the plastic holding back her other wing. She tore it open easily with her new talons, cracking the plastic in an easy swipe.

Uzi wailed, the sting of the pain unbearable. The itch had subsided, but it wasn’t done. Hot air bellowed from her internals, seeping out from the gaps between her wings.

There was a spot she had missed, however. Right below the silicone of her back, there was an insatiable itch. She turned her gaze to look.

One last time, she closed the eyes on her visor and prepared for pain. She reached down, hovering her hand over the spot. In a swift swipe, she tore open another gash.

A tail sprouted from her back. Her sensors overwhelmed, she could hardly focus on her surroundings.

The lights flickered, humming as they were pushed to their limits before dimming again. As her transformation completed, they brightened.

It screwed with Uzi’s censors. She raised her hand, shattering the bulbs around her with her solver.

“W̶-̷w̸h̷a̶t̴ ̸i̷s̵ ̸h̸a̶p̵p̸e̷n̸-̶n̵i̴n̴g̵ ̷t̸o̸ ̴m̷e̶?̷” Her voice box was barely able to muster out words. Her screen was frantic with several temperature and critical oil-loss warnings.

She collapsed onto the wood. She was particularly low on charge, and her oil level was depleting steadily. She could feel it slide down her sides, cold against her smoldering body. Her sensors began to fail, giving less and less of an input until she shut down.

…

Nox landed in the snow, the eyes on his vizor darting around. His real eyes scanned around, scanning for any heat trails. For any sign of Uzi.

“Uzi! Are you here?” He called out, as loud as he could manage. He saw nothing.

He listened. He could only hear the whistle of the wind as snow fell from the sky along with the rustling of the trees.

Worry poked at him. Last he’d seen Uzi, she’d had a nervous breakdown and ran away. He hoped she was okay and just needing some space…regardless, he wanted to make sure.

He paused at a cabin. The door was swung open and a computer monitor on, the glow emminating from the dark room. Stress indicators popped up near his eyes, but heapproached the building anyhow.

He slowly opened the door, peeking around the corner. Uzi wasn’t here, but someone had to of turned the desktop on. He approached it, simply met with a VHS tape next to an old tv.

The tech was severely outdated. Nox didn’t even know there were cassette tapes on Copper 9. Must have been brought here by a human for save-keeping.

He read it, the label reading ‘Zombie Drones’, and nothing more other than a cautionary label.

‘Do not play for robots. They will not like it.’

He blinked, eyebrows popping onto his display and furrowing. Another race of drones? How could he have not known about this?

He carefully slid the cassette from its packaging. He vented out a plume of hot air, blowing off all the dust and snow that had accumulated on it’s surface before popping it into the cassette player. The screen fizzled into a guide on how to properly disassemble a drone that no longer had any use.

…

Uzi’s software booted back up. She didn’t know if it had been mere minutes or hours when she awoke. Purple eyes blinked onto her visor, shaky and unstable. They glitched, unable to stay solid.

….

A warning flicked onto her screen as Uzi woke back up. She heaved herself up from the ground, pushing herself up by her palms.

An arrow gestured her forward, beckoning her in a particular direction. She was hardly running, using the little amount of charge she had gotten in her slumber to follow its instructions.

She looked out further into the cabin she’d hidden in. Now with the pain subsided, she noticed the smell of decaying oil. Oil was smeared along the floorboards, with crumbled papers and dead roboroaches scattered around.

The solver spawned onto her palm and tearing up the floorboards on it’s own. She hesitated at the sight of the dead drone bodies, taken aback. As she took a step, she noticed code on the side on her screen. Normally, it wasn’t there. However, her system recognized an irregularity, displaying it with a caution symbol. It read;

“ [ //: RUNNING: “ABSOLUTE_SOLVER” ] “

It was only there for a moment before the warning vanished. When she went into her logs, there were several redacted lines of code.

She clenched her teeth, swiping the code from her workspace and adverting her gaze to the long-dead drones. Another warning popped up on her screen, covering her display with a severe temperature warning. 

Something was pulling her to the oil. Something made her crave it. She couldn’t drink it.

She shouldn’t.

Yet, she was drawn to it; the mangled corpse of a decayed worker lie before her. Robotic roaches scurried around them, some gnawing on the remains and others tucking away in the darkness.

There were papers drenched in oil beside them. Using her solver, she brought them closer to her face. Cryptic messages were scribbled onto them, thick and messy. One clearly said ‘run’, while the other messages were harder to decipher.

She saw several S shapes, along with disassembly drone faces painted into the paper. She could clearly make out Vivian as one of them, with the short hair and female disassembler features. 002 was written on the page.

She pulled the choker from her neck, staring down at the numbers. It was the same sequence; Her mother had been here.

Had she stored these bodies? Unlikely. She wouldn’t have been eating drones like Doll was, right? Surely not.

Maybe it was normal for whatever program she seemed to be infected with. Perhaps she contracted a virus similar to Dolls. She’d gained robo-powers similar to her. It only made sense.

That didn’t explain the craving, however. She’d never had this before. Not until she first started getting used to the solver.

Her systems were still fired up, feeling as if it were melting inside of her. She flinched at the idea of giving into the temptation.

She shouldn’t. This was as intrusive of a thought as her usual, but this one had more of an appeal. It made her sick.

(Final notes of ideas left in my drafts. Includes some stuff I wanted to add in the future.)

• N fights J; reflecting the abuse he suffered
• N has a hard time with play-fighting because of J.
• V has a heart locket with her and N in it, a drawing he made. She keeps it as a necklace and holds it very dear.
• V doesn’t like N romantically. She made an oath to protect him based off of the memory she got where they promised to protect one another.
• V saves every drawing he has hidden within an old building.
• V takes the dreams as a premonition; she doesn’t think they’re real and instead telling her something.
• Prom is an actual nice prom for N and Uzi. They show up fabulous, V hangs out with Lizzy and almost gets assassinated by Doll. N notices V is gone and goes to find her, helping in the nick of time.
• past memories are past lives; They get them occasionally as a sort of deja vu that they can’t quite place. They assume it’s from a dream.
• J especially; she vaguely remembers Tessa and likes the idea of her. She remembers what happened upon seeing “Cynessa”
• Both N and V get very frequent dreams of them in their past life bonding. V’s first dream was past her promising to keep him safe.
• J has the most memory of the past, then V has a decent amount, and N has close to none.
• N, V and J’s memories and age and memories reset when they land on Copper 9
• DD’s are HUGE.
• Later down along the line; N, having refused to kill and didn’t want to pester Uzi, almost overheats and Uzi has to lend her own oil. She lectures him, they argue, and they have a sweet moment.
• N loves petting and scritches. Uzi learns this on accident and learns the consequences of stopping. (N lays on her)
• Thad and Lizzy are twins. Both have a good relationship with their single dad.
• Khan has a crack on his vizor from building doors. He says it was from an epic battle with a DD to Uzi when she was young.
• Uzi is 18; N is 17.
• Birthdays are “Activation Dates.” V, N and J share theirs. In human terms, it is January 1st, 3050.
• The current date is 3071.
• N has separation anxiety. Whenever Uzi or Thad leave him alone, he gets extremely anxious and can’t sit straight.   
• DD’s periodically get dreams of their past lives. It is ones the Solver chooses to toy with them and upset. Either to get a specific result, or just for fun.
• Their ages had reset once they became disassemblers. At the mansion, they were roughly 15-ish maturity wise.