Chapter Text
N did have regrets. Many regrets. After all, he wanted to express his crush on V sooner, rather than later, but he know he was too shy to actually grow a spine and tell her. And that’s not to say that V was a very… communitive person.
N: “V, is that you?”
V: “Yes, it’s me N. I’m off hunting, tell me later.”
N: “So, V. Do you remember anyth-”
V: “No.”
N: “V, where are we going?”
V: “N! You scared me!”
Yeah. Not a lot of long talk. And J had already stopped talking to either one, she just kicked the hell out of N. Mostly because ‘he couldn’t kill’ and that ‘he was a waste of parts.’ It hurt, but N was sure that J didn’t mean it, surely no-one’s that bad?
Copper 9. That’s where they camped out. Hunting, flying, and just killing any drone that was unlucky enough to meet them. And there were quite a few who were. N just killed the drones quickly, smoothly, unlike V, who was beginning to grow a little sadistic. Not extremely, but more like slowly slicing them apart before she impaled their cores. Meanwhile J just vanished on hunts, but somehow always found a group of drones to kill. Always. It was kind of creepy how she found so many.
Monthly checkups always made N cry inside. He always had to endure J’s ranting on how useless N was, always saying things like:
“I can’t believe we got sent you!”
“You’d be worth more as spare parts!”
“Can you try do your job once in a while, you know?”
Before J would either beat N up or slap him. Kicks, hits, punches to the face, stabbing his legs, anything goes, as long as J didn’t attack N’s core. N took it. He thought that he didn’t deserve all this, but he also thought that J knew best, after all she was their leader! Though sometimes, J could get a lot worse.
“I thought I told you to guard the exit! Not to play around!” J spat, eyes flashing.
“B-but, I-I did, J.” N muttered, downcast.
“No, you didn’t. A drone carrying it’s baby escaped. And you’ll have to be punished for that.”
She thrust her tail straight at N’s arm, while her hands sliced his legs. N cried, or did he scream? Either way, he couldn’t tell, they just seemed to blend into one pile of hell. The hits started, shattering his glass, denting his body. The cap he wore, it slid off, falling on the ground like his tears. He didn’t want this. But did he deserve this? He didn’t know.
“J, stop. He’s going to die.” V put a hand on J’s shoulder.
“And let him make a mistake again? No.” J spat back, raising a leg.
“J, he’ll die. And N’s learnt his lesson, hasn’t he? He knows he needs to kill the drone and baby right?” V said, looking at N.
“Y-yeah, I’ll g-et the ba-by.” N whispered, his audio box still repairing.
J grunted, kicking him. “Get up, and go.”
N winced, but took off nonetheless. “Thanks V.”
Flying felt so free, to be alone, and alive. Here, he could cry, laugh or scream, and no-one would ever notice. Wasn’t that the greatest joy? Freedom? N flew, looping and gliding, acting like a child who just got their birthday present.
“Come on N, where is that drone?” N muttered, diving low, and turning on his heat-seeking. Buildings, snow, a dead human… there. The drone carrying the baby. Seemed to be struggling, as it was climbing the building with difficulty. Well, that just made it easier to hunt then. He smiled, his eyes flicking to the golden X sign. He dove, claws extended as his hunt began.
Entering a window, he dropped down gracefully, looking for the two. Peeling walls, broken glass, torn doors and oil everywhere suggested one of them had been here before. Probably V, with the oil splatters everywhere. He pounced into empty rooms, his confidence waning with each second. He was sure that they were here, his heat-vison didn’t break, right?
Groaning, he moved through the rooms, finding a few interesting things. One was a comic book that he stashed into his pocket, another was a little comb and finally, he found a coloring set. He smiled. He was going to go back to the spire, to try relive him, after this mission.
A cry, a broken cry. He detected it immediately, flying through rooms until he found the source of the noise. Room 3054. It was open, and on a bed, was the drone. But he was crying, his tears flowing down the screen, as he stared at his hands. What happened.... oh.
The baby wasn’t there.
He walked into the room, his footsteps making almost no noise, until the drone turned towards him. N thought to himself, “So it’s the father.” Before the man jumped up as if he’d been shocked, only staring straight at N. His eyes hollowed out in fear, he clutched his jacket, trying to find something to defend himself with.
N raised an eyebrow. He thought he could defend himself with that?
“Hey, mister. Where’s the baby?” N said, his voice soft.
“It’s a child. She’s around 5.” The man said, his eye rims hollow, as he wiped the tears off.
“Some dick just took her away. Probably for parts.” His tears flowed down again.
N could only stare at the man in shock. Why did people have the need to steal a freaking child? That was sick, and he knew what to do. His next words shocked the man.
“Sir, I can try get the child back….” N sheepishly told him, staring straight at the ground. “T-that’s if you want me to though! I’m not forcing you!” he quickly corrected himself, wide-eyed.
“Seriously? You’re not going to kill me? You’re going to take the child back to me? Why?” The father asked, his eyes widening, but not crying.
“Well, isn’t it the right thing to do? To save a child?” N stated, looking at him for clarification.
“I never thought I’d hear a Murder Drone ask to save another drone, or to tell me what’s right or wrong.” The man muttered, as quietly as possible. “Sure. You can save the child, but you should know who took her.”
N raised an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure I could take all of them on if I wanted to, you know?” He transformed his hand into an SMG, waving it around. “Think this can get rid of all those drones, can’t it?”
The man smiled. “Damn right it can. Save her, and I will be indebted to you. They’re likely out of the hotel by now, so if you want, you’ll have to catch them outside.”
N smiled back, “Thanks.” His wings shot out, and he jumped, flying out the window and onto the cold ground outside.
The man laughed, mostly to himself. “I guess not everyone here is bad after all.” He glanced at N’s retreating figure, as it flew out of his sight.
N flew past decaying buildings, steel parts and drone corpses, as if they had been carelessly thrown around after a party, like paper in a trash can. Ignoring that, he searched for the drones. There. Around 5 of them, carrying what seemed to be a child. Good. Now he knew what to do. His eyes flicked to a golden X, but this time, he didn’t let it fade.
He pounced, swords unsheathed. The first man stood no chance, his head rolling, while his body collapsed like a bowling pin. The second fared no better, his oil coating N’s daggers. The third reached for his dagger. He never made it halfway. The fourth ran, while the fifth snapped out of his terror, and had it replaced with a smile.
“You want it! Then get it!” He threw the child down, and N saw it. A revolver, a working one too. His smile never faded, as his revolver was pulled out.
He fired.
N caught it, his body shuddering.
“You won’t get her.” He winced, revealing his SMG.
The crack echoed throughout the air.
N winced. He’d saved the child, and that was all that mattered. Though it woke up, seeing a Murder Drone should’ve made it panic, yet it… hugged him?
“So cool.” The girl whispered, right into his ear. N, when he heard that, seemed to bluescreen. This child had to be insane, for who’d willingly get close with him, a Murder Drone?
“Hold on.” He muttered, deploying his wings.
He flew, arching throughout the air, flying without any care. But his wound got worse, now it felt like someone was continuously stabbing something into his chest. His winces became small cries, hurting whenever he moved. He just hoped he’d make it.
“What’s wrong?” The child asked, holding onto his neck.
“n-nothing.” N replied, almost crying from the pain. His chest wanted to cry, but he kept going.
The hotel finally arrived, N reaching the window, just as he collapsed. He screamed, the sound ripping through the room. The father rushed over to him, propping him up. One look was all he needed.
“N, thank you, for saving my daughter. I don’t know how to thank you.” He muttered, tears forming, but of happiness.
“I-it’s fine. The lea-st I can d-” he coughs out some oil.
“h-here, t-take this.” His hands are close to bricks, but he still pulls out the items he collected before. A comic, a comb and a colouring set. His hand shook as he pressed it to the man saying,
“I-I don’t n-need it. G-give it to y-your daught-er.” He coughed out some more oil, his vision beginning to fade.
“Is this death? Hurts a lot more than it should.”
His eyes flicked, dimmed, and faded, before the father shouted:
“You’re the best drone that can exist here.”
N’s smile remained, even after death.
N woke up, looking at where he was. It was empty, and some giant gate stood in front of him.
“Is this the afterlife? Is anyone here?” He called out.
“Hey, calm down.” Someone yelled back.
“WHA-” N screamed, jumping. “W-who was that?”
“Christ, N did you not know? You’re in the afterlife, dumbass.” The voice replied, before a drone stepped out. “You’ve died, and looks like if you want to go back alive, you have to follow me.” He muttered, pulling out a card.
“What the fuck.” He stared at the card, as if it had just insulted his mother.
“N, what does this card say?” the drone said to N.
N, in a shy voice, said, “It says that I’m a paragon.”
The drone could only stare at N and the card. His breathing stilled, and a bluescreen appeared right on his face. He hit his head, the bluescreen flashing away. “How in the living god are you a paragon? You’re a Murder Drone for god’s sake!”
N could only stare as he ranted.
“I mean, you’ve killed thousands! That’s already instant disqualification! If you’re a paragon, then I’m Saint Peter himself! Have I died and is someone testing me?” The drone rambled, before composing himself.
“Ok, N. Long story short, you died. Now if you want to become resurrected, you have to make it through all layers of hell, and then you’ll be resurrected. Our first stop is…. Murder. Fuck.”
N widened his eyes. “M-murder?”
The drone groaned. “Yes, murder. Well, lets get it over with.”
When N arrived, he thought it would be much more than he imagined. Yes, it was scorching hot, but other than that, it doesn’t seem that bad. And there’s the God of Murder. It was a bored looking drone, with a skull on each side of the desk, while his attendants took notes.
N arrived, and sat down on a chair as the judge recited his crime.
“Serial Designation N here is accused of the mass murder of 5,000 drones since his time at Copper-9. This is a crime that can only be punished with the most extreme measures. This drone will have to pay the penalty. Assistants, what do you recommend?”
The first assistant told the Judge,
“N here is a violator of the highest order, so I would recommend that he be permanently killed so that, what?” the assistant stopped as N’s drone gave him a card.
“Holy shit. He’s a paragon.” The assistant said, rubbing his eyes as if this was a dream.
The judge looked at the card.
“He is. This drone is a paragon? How does that happen? Well, since your option is off the table, what you recommend?” the judge asked, clearly processing the turn of events.
The other assistant mumbled, “Since we can’t kill him, how about lingchi? 25,000 cuts should be enough right? Or should I go with 50,000?” he asked the judge.
The judge glanced at N, and said, in an authoritative voice,
“This is a special case. The events leading to this trial were unique. N here has shown he is a virtuous drone, but his crime of mass murder cannot be forgiven. This means I shall sentence N here to lingchi, of 35,000 cuts. Are there any objections?”
“How about 30,000 cuts?” N’s accompanying drone asked. “He’s a special case, so his punishment shouldn’t be that extreme, but also extreme enough to set a baseline and punishment for his crime, that is why I recommend 30,000 cuts.” He calmly stated.
The judge nodded. “I see. This is indeed a special case, but your recommendation of 30,000 cuts is too light. I shall stick with my final order of 35,000 cuts.” The judge declared. “Tie him up!”
“What’s lingchi?” N asked, somewhat afraid, as he was bound to a pole.
“You’re going to be sliced 35,000 times with a knife. It will hurt like hell, so just be prepared for that.”
“But I’ll die!” N stuttered, his eyes widening.
“No you won’t. You’ll have time to heal up, and even if you die, you’ll be brought back to continue this punishment. So, good luck N.” The drone muttered.
N glanced at the array of knives, all looking ready for some action.
“What did I get myself into?” N cried.
The judge ordered, “Begin!”
The screams began to fill the area, continuing, unrelenting.
Notes:
Any other layers of hell N should get tried at?
What's your opinion on this?
Once again, thanks to perfectlycuckoo for getting me introduced to this.
Chapter 2: Sloth and Greed
Summary:
N's finally done! RIght?
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Oil. Veins of it. Flowing and breathing, falling and rising with N. He couldn’t stay awake, he couldn’t. The pain, a knife after another, like it was stuck in by the drones he killed. They stared at him, as if they sliced the knife into his body, drawing out more oil. All he could do was take it, and weep.
“He’s going to pass out. Wake him up.” The god muttered, displeased.
N could feel himself move in and out of consciousness. If he could just take a few blows unconsciously, then he could recover. His eye lights dimmed.
That didn’t happen.
One of the assistants stuck a magnet into his head, the clang and flow of the magnet rushing through him, giving him a new life, but one he didn’t want to live. His eyes sharpened, darting around, crying gently as his hands could not move. And from that, his question remained unanswered.
“Why is this happening?” he would cry, to be met with the same answerers.
“You murdered thousands.”
“It’s your punishment.”
“Because everyone has to be punished.”
He didn’t know when it stopped, only when he finally woke up, to see his body still stuck to the pole, but all the cuts were gone. They could only remain inside his head. If only scars could go that easily.
“His punishment has been finished. Guide, when you’re ready, send him to the next trial.” The god muttered.
N’s eyes widened. “Another trial! I’m going to go through this again?” He cried, trying to rip through his binds, to slice through them, but they seemed to be made of something unbreakable. “I can’t! Please! Just let me out!” He sobbed, clawing like a cornered animal.
The guide walked up to him.
“I’ve met many who are like you N.” He muttered.
N stopped.
“They beg that they should not be punished, that they will never do anything if they can go back up.” The guide told him, flatly.
“And I tell them this.”
“Then why didn’t you do it before?” The guide put an arm over his shoulder.
“You will be punished, one day. There is judgement. That’s all I can say. So I want you, N, you goddammed golden retriever, to just accept it. And to move forward with your life, to still remain that place of joy I know exists.” He poked his chest, as if demanding his core doesn’t die on him.
N could only nod.
Boat rides were surprisingly boring, moving through the river, seeing hoards of fish swim past him. But N still remembered what his guide said. It made sense didn’t it? To not lose himself, no matter how much he was punished? Could he still survive if he ended up like V?
His fingers grazed over the river, staring.
“I’d be more careful. The fish here do bite.” The guide muttered, silent over the entire journey. “I would recommend that you don’t do anything stupid, we’re going to arrive.”
Sloth. To be lazy over the life you were given.
N stepped up to the podium, a witness to be decided over his guide, to be given the verdict by a god. A god that quite bored of all the proceedings. His face looked tired, as if he’d seen the same verdict millions of times, which he probably did. His hands fiddled with a pen, while he sat, bored on a comfortable chair.
Before N could get his bearings, his guide launched into his defence.
“N here has shown that while he may not be the best at the job he was given, he has certainly proven himself to be enthusiastic, to try do his best. He’s apologetic, he’s determined to be better, and he knows when he’s not needed. You can pull the memory files if you want.” His guide said.
“Then pull them out! Let’s see!” The god muttered, looking somewhat eager.
They first began with a manor? A manor? N searched his own memories, but couldn’t seem to remember anything about a manor, nor V and J being so small, being workers. His frowned slightly. He was sure that didn’t happen, that they were playing with him. Yet, he still looked on.
He saw his young self balance glasses, bowing, and moving through like water, always working.
He saw himself volunteer on more risky tasks, so that no-one else could take the fall.
He saw himself support V and Cyn when they struggled, when V froze up occasionally, and when Cyn tripped while working.
He smiled at the drone, or himself? He didn’t know.
The memories changed.
He still volunteered as much as possible, unless J clamped down on it.
He hunted, dashed and locked onto prey.
And then he saw his final memory. Him saving the child from the other drones.
The child latching onto him, not with fear, but joy, as he sped through the clouds.
His pain, and his acceptance over himself, as he gave the father what he found.
Her father thanking him, saying that he was the best drone out there.
That was it.
N could feel something prickling, he sniffed, trying to bottle himself up. The god looked content, surprised but happy. He smiled, it dancing through his face, before he announced his verdict.
“Serial Designation N here has proven himself to be a drone, a drone that tried, both at serving and killing. He worked himself, not for any selfless desire, not to see a number of kills go up, or for a reward. Even though his crime was murder, he has been punished, and his diligence is something that should be looked up on. He was not the best, but the best at trying.”
“And he found, somewhere behind all those lines of code, his younger self. His protective instincts, honed over years, jumped to life. Taking that bullet, ignoring the consequences, making someone else smile. You do deserve the title of a paragon.” The god smiled, his face seeming to light up, as N’s eyes widened.
“Thank you.” He mumbled, looking down, clearly embarrassed.
They boarded the boat, but N’s curiosity remained, his childish one. He turned to the god, and he asked,
“What happens to the guilty ones?” His eyes wide and curious.
“They are punished.” The god said, his face seeming to fall closer to indifference, snapping his fingers.
N saw what happened to those who failed. Those who were convicted.
He saw drones run, and scream, as they were hunted by animals, bears and wolves. Not themselves. But animals. They dashed and dove, and the drones always died, yet they kept running, kept screaming because the finish line was so close. The line that lets them out of this.
“Their punishment for laziness, is to put all their effort into a goal.” The god muttered, snapping his fingers, but the images still remained. Those hollow looks, those scared expressions. No one could outrun those animals.
N whispered, only to himself. “Is this what it feels like to be hunted?”
He hopped onto the boat again, his legs swaying slightly. He could still see those eyes, those mouths and screams. He tried to banish them, but they still remained. He didn’t want to end up like this, to be chased, sliced or whatever hell could give him. He didn’t want it. Is that what it felt like to be a worker? To live your life in fear, to hover over uncertainty? Knowing that going outside would be a death sentence, but is necessary? They weren't toasters, then. Bravery is found within those workers who go outside. Those who know they could die, but know what they are doing is right. J was wrong.
“We’re passing through Greed.” The guide said, snapping him out of his blank gaze.
N jumped slightly. “We’re not getting tried here? Why?” He asked, completely shocked.
“You want to be here? You’re not a greedy person. When was the last time you desired something, so much that you had to push others away for it?” The guide stared straight at N, daring him to reply, to tell him that he deserved to be there.
N searched his memories, or the ones that he had. No, there wasn’t anything that he really desired to the point he pushed others away, either because he didn’t know many others, or that J already did that.
“Though, it would be wise to see what sort of punishments are shown here.” The guide muttered, circling the area.
N wished he hadn’t looked. Rooms of suffering dotted the place. Over there, a drone ran, trying to grab a can of oil, dangling right in front of him. It was attached onto a string, on a pole stuck to his head. Far enough that he couldn’t get it, close enough for him to try. And he tried. But he couldn't.
And next to him, stood another drone, plunging his hands into a lake, an empty dead lake. But underneath all the death, were chips. Tens of thousands of chips, telling the drone to claim them. Yet they moved, sifted, and fell, like sand in a sieve. He begged, cradled, and swallowed, but they always fell through, just long enough for him to believe. To do it again.
“And we’ve reached the worst of greed.” The guide hissed.
N’s eyes widened. A drone, sitting on a glowing iron throne, an iron crown on his head, holding a glowing iron sceptre. He sat, never got up, those pieces of metal glued to him, yet N knew he would be screaming, but silent. And there he saw it, with his optics. Ants, bugs, all of them, skittering in straight lines, past him. A mock parade, for a mockery of power.
His guide laughed, “And those are the ones who want control, over anything else. They push and shove, so they get what they deserve. Nothing but pain.” His laugh seemed to bounce off the walls, hitting everywhere. Yet N could only stare.
He knew who would sit on the throne, who would be nothing in this world, just as she was nothing in her current one.
J.
Notes:
Short chapter because I'm bored.
(I will add all his journeys later, just enjoy this)
Chapter Text
N stared. His eyes widened. He could see the drone, his eyes wide with pain as he held his scepter, yet he couldn’t scream. N watched his pain, his suffering, yet he could only see J stuck on the throne, as she silently cried. N wondered if she knew, she didn’t, right? Then shouldn’t N just warn J? It was the right thing to do.
N jumped, his wings extended, but he remained on the ground. His eyes widened in confusion, staring at his wings. He tried to fly again, only to remain grounded. He could still move his wings, but they wouldn’t obey him when he wanted to fly. What was going on?
“N, you can’t fly here. It’s impossible, and you’d end up back here if you tried anyway.” His guide sighed at him, as he dragged him onto the boat.
“You can only travel through this boat.” He said, grabbing the steering wheel.
Envy.
“If you’ve been jealous of someone else’s position, status, or anything, that’s good reason to throw you into this place.” The guide mutters, as he begins to sort through N’s memories.
The guide’s eyes widened then narrowed.
“Of course you have no envy. You’ve literally had your memories turned into a molten mess, so you don’t hate anyone. Why is that in your personality folder?” He sighed, “At least we’re out of this hell.”
N was surprised. He thought he’d at least be bitter towards someone for being better, but he found nothing. He didn’t care about J’s pens, or V’s high quota. He just existed, doing his job, but happy with what he has. He knew no one else other than those two, so there weren’t any workers that he could talk to, not that V or J would let him.
The guide sighed.
“N, how the hell are you this… pure? I don’t know how to say it. If you were a worker, not a murderer, then you’d be one of the best people that I’ve guided through hell.” He muttered, running a hand through his hair.
“And I’ve guided a lot of people.” He told N.
“Oh, thanks! I’m glad I’m doing well!” He smiled, making his guide laugh.
“Don’t get your hopes up, buddy.”
They moved through a river. A river of the dammed, trying to rise and claw at the boat, pleading for another chance at salvation. Their hands gripped the boat, holding on, yet they could never hold on for long.
N stared. Drones hugged the boat like fleas, not letting go, until they couldn’t anymore. Water leaked from their bodies, or scraps of it. N’s eyes widened, asking the guide,
“What are they doing?”
The guide stared at N, replying back,
“They’re trying to get a second chance. They want to get onto this boat so they can leave this hell.”
N’s eyes widened.
“And we’re leaving them here? Can’t you just let one drone on board? Who’s going to notice?”
A pause.
“No, I can’t. They have to serve their time here, before they can leave. And I’m not risking all this for some drone I don’t even know.” He muttered. “But you still care, somehow.”
The ride continued in silence.
Lust. N didn’t understand it, and from what he saw, he never wanted to. How could you let yourself be dragged into such pits, unable to crawl back? Your mind occupied, disgust recoiling at you for every action. It was as bad as drugs, only without the shame.
N’s fleeting crush for V flickered, collapsing. Is this what it would lead to? Those fantasies, desires that couldn’t ever be found? How could this happen?
His guide interrupted.
“So, this is breaking your vow of lifelong chastity?”
N stared.
“What’s chastity?”
A blank silence.
“Two more!” His guide called out, as they reached the hell of Pride.
“Pride! I guess you’ve not got a lot of it, courtesy of J.”
N stared. “What do you mean?”
His guide replied, “Thanks to J treating you like trash, you’ve never boasted, never cared, never actually tried to make others notice your achievements. You became a lot more quiet about what you did. It’s cruel, but at least what you were humble.”
N thought back to the times J belittled him, calling him trash, useless and a waste. His mind found plenty of them, each playing like a corrupted recording, and he never fought back. Why would he? He though he deserved it, but did he?
“I see you’re reminiscing your past. No point to it. Just focus on getting through, and we’re passing the convicts of this place.”
And N stared. Drones with tears flowing down their eyes, trying to be noticed, only to be ignored, discarded and destroyed. Their achievements wouldn’t matter here. All that mattered in this hell was to suck up and remain humble, at least you wouldn’t lost yourself.
Over there, a drone tried to flaunt his money, only to be shot down by someone richer. Another tried to show his genius, yet all his designs, and ideas were claimed as the work of a madman. Ridiculous, useless, a waste.
“That’s some of the punishments here. Wouldn’t want to end up here, because having your ego shattered hurts more than a physical wound.” His guide muttered into his ear, passing another drone trying to slice his arm.
“What’s he doing? He’s going to die!” N cried out, as the drone’s arm was severed.
“As I said, your ego being shattered is one of the worst experiences you can feel. Sometimes, you have to remind yourself that you’re real, not some speck in this hell, so some turn to unconventional measures.”
The oil remained stuck on the wall.
Finally, N arrived. Violence.
N gulped, his skittish tail stopping.
“You sure I’ll be fine?” N asked, sweat collecting on his head. “I did commit a lot of violence…”
“Relax, it’ll be fine! I’ve seen these trials before! The god’s going to call a few witnesses, and they’ll talk, before we can reply back. Don’t worry! As long as we don’t get a bad witness, we’ll be fine!”
“Um, ok.” N smiled and gave a half-hearted thumbs up.
They entered the court.
In front of them sat the god of violence. His eyes seemed to rove over the place, tired of the processions. His battle axe lay beside him, while he fiddled with a revolver. He looked at N and the guide, raising one eyebrow as attention. He began his trial.
“Serial Designation N here has been accused of the act of mass violence committed against the victims of the murdered drones in Copper-9.” He announced, his voice flat, his eyes moving and locking onto N’s terrified expression.
“B-but, I already paid for my crimes to the drones! I paid them!” N cried out, hands clasped together.
“Yes, for killing them. Not for slicing, stabbing or shooting them. Big difference.” The god snapped back. “Though, we will see how the witnesses stand up against you.” He snapped his fingers.
A drone appeared on the witness stand. It was a female, her eyes confused before landing onto N. Her eyes snapped open, as if she’d been electrocuted. She gasped out, tripping as she tried to run away.
“Miss, please calm down.” The authoritative voice of the god helped slow her panic, but unease still remained.
“Am I really that bad?” N thought to himself, before the witness flatly replied,
“Yes, he did slice my head off. That was it, quick and painless.” She muttered, looking anywhere but at N. The god, satisfied with her answer, snapped his fingers. She was gone.
The next few witnesses stood the same responses. Shock and confusion as they ended up here, terror and surprise seeing N, and quiet resignation as they accounted for N’s act of violence against them. They talked softly, as if N would lunge at them should he hear.
One drone looked at N and froze up, his body tensing, his screen flashing before he crumpled. He didn’t get up, even with the magnets. Displeased, the god snapped his fingers, his body vanishing.
“One more witness.” He said, though his eyes seemed to gleam in anticipation.
The witness was female, her attitude and posture asking for someone to go confront her so she could beat you to the ground. And judging from her reaction by seeing N, she sure as hell was going to direct it at him.
“Y-You! You murderer! You killed me! I was outside with my husband, and you didn’t spare a second thought about that! You didn’t! You stabbed me and left me to die, my husband had to kill me! Do you not understand what that does to someone?!”
N stammered, “b-but, t-that wasn’t me-”
She laughed, staring at N as if he’d gone insane.
“Of course it was you! You haven’t changed at all! I know that! You only care about killing, don’t you? Don’t you? You don’t give a damn about anyone, you just want our oil, you greedy, violent mass murderer! You deserve what’s coming to you!” She screamed right at N, her composure completely breaking.
N began to cry, sobs that could only be heard to himself, tears that he didn’t show anyone else.
“You’ve made you point clear, miss.” The god muttered, snapping his fingers, but not before the witness glared right at N.
“So, I believe this case is clearly cut. N here has been charged on all counts, and his punishment will be delivered momentarily, beginning with-”
“Please, sir! I-I know what I did was wrong!” N stammered, his eyes bright from tears.
The god, slightly unfazed, continued, “If you know what you did was wrong, you should’ve stopped yourself. Continuing with the punishment, N will be sentenced-”
“I’ll never kill another drone! I’ll never harm another drone, unless it’s for self-defense!” N cried out, his words echoing through the room.
This time, the god stopped talking and got up, walking over to N.
“And you are honest about this? That you will never harm another drone unless they harm you first?”
His reply was instant. “Yes, I will stick with my words.”
The god’s eyes narrowed, an eyebrow raised.
“That’s interesting. I’m curious how this will play out.” Sighing, he announced to his clerks,
“N here has had his crimes dropped and will be reincarnated, so long as he sticks with his words to never harm or kill another drone unless it’s for self-defence. I agree to the terms.”
N’s eyes widened, he began to shake and cry, tears finally flowing as he thanked the god again and again. His starry eyes glinting, his expression one of a man finally free.
A snap, and N began to fade from this hell as the god called out,
“Oh, and you’re keeping your memories here. Can’t have you forget that vow.” He laughed, a short one, but still one nonetheless. N smiled back, and to his guide. His guide stared, before cracking a smile and a wave.
That was what he last remembered of this hell.
Though, as he looked at where he was, he guessed he hadn’t changed where he was at all.
Notes:
Now he's done! Who do you think the ranting woman was?
Also, I wrote this at 12am. If it sounds rushed, it's because of sleep deprivation and my week of exams. (Yay, I couldn't write because I needed to study for subjects I still suck at!)
Chapter Text
V and J stood over him, staring directly into his face. That’s what he saw when he booted up. Those two towering over him, V with indifference, while J stared in disgust. She pulled him up by the collar and told him,
“You’re late. Go out and be useful, hunt something.” Kicking him in the leg. N didn’t notice, his mind still stuck on his journey. The phantom pain of those cuts, dotted around his body, invisible to everyone but him. His hard work, J’s greed, jealousy, and his agreement. His eyes widened. How could he tell J that he couldn’t kill anymore? How would she take it?
“Poorly.” N thought, already imagining J beat him for his stupidity, and that’s if she even believed him at all.
The slap brought him back. N winced, looking at J.
“You there, liability? Go out and hunt, quota hasn’t gone down.” She muttered, pushing him out the vehicle and into the snow speckled landscape.
Glinting snow, flecks of it streaming down, gracefully landing on N’s hat and visor. He laughed, wiping it away. He stared at the snowflakes, each one perfectly sculpted. And they were everywhere. All the buildings and ground were covered by this gentle, white blanket.
Looping and diving, he landed, laughing at the beauty of Copper-9. He never noticed it, with him killing, but now that he didn’t need to, what could stop him? And he really wanted to lie down on the snow…
Screw it.
He fell down, moving his arms and legs to create a snow angel, his tail out of the way. In this place, he wasn’t a murderer, more like a curious drone experiencing something beautiful for the first time.
He jumped up to witness his handiwork. There it was, his figure in a snow angel. It looked so silly but so amazing, he noticed his height fully stretched in front of him. He wasn’t that tall right? But it didn’t matter. All that currently mattered was getting this memory safe.
A small alert hit his visor, telling him about his oil.
Oh right. He still needed to have oil. Whoops.
There! A drone, male, walking though the landscape, his gaze focused on something else, not the drone quietly approaching him. N gulped, and tapped his shoulder. He turned around, confusion turning into terror, as he tried to run off. N’s tail stopped him, winding around his leg. The drone begged,
“Please, don’t kill me! I-I was out scavenging for parts! I have to g-get back to my family!” He cried, desperation clearly in his eyes.
“Calm down. I’m not going to kill you.” N said, surprising the man with a smile.
“Wha? Then why’d you sneak up on me?”
N looked at the ground, slightly embarrassed. “Um, long story. What matters is that since I won’t kill you, could you give me some oil?” N told him, extending his claws.
The man’s eyes widened slightly staring at the blades.
“I don’t know how to do that.”
“Oh! That’s easy!” N replied back, throwing him a claw. “Just slice your arm and fill it in a cup or something!”
The man stared at the claw, worried, before replying, “Can you do it? I-I don’t want to slice myself…”
N stared at the man. This was violence right? But this man consented to it, so then it wasn’t, right? He couldn’t say that N harmed his body, since he agreed. N gulped, worried if he was wrong. But he knew this drone couldn’t slice himself, so N grabbed his claw and slit his arm.
The man winced rather loudly, as he began to fill a cup for N. N took it, drinking greedily, before going in to fill up again.
“Wait, wait, wait! You wanted more than a cup?!” The man backed off, covering his arm.
“Well, yeah, I need 3ish cups to live. Don’t worry! I can get another cup from someone else! So two cups from you will be fine, ok. Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you.” He pulled the man’s hand off his arm, filling his cup.
“Oh, and your wound.” He spat on it, causing the man to jump slightly, but his eyes widened when he saw the wound close up.
“Yeah, our saliva has healing properties! Helps a lot when we’re injured!” N chirped, downing the cup. “So, now you can go!”
He took off, as the man could only stare, replaying the confusing interaction he just had with a Murder Drone.
He whispered to himself, “I think I’ve finally lost it. A Murder Drone that doesn’t want to kill me? I’m getting myself checked up.”
N flew back, his oil reserves at a good capacity. He felt glad. He was designed to kill, yet he could find a way around that! He didn’t have to kill or hurt! He’d found a way to survive without killing! It felt weird for N, like discarding something, almost a part of him as he made that choice with the drone. But he was glad he did it.
N thought about telling V and J that they could have oil without killing, but realized the futility of it. V enjoyed the drone’s pain, while J wanted quota up, and that didn’t include wounded drones. It was his secret, and his alone.
N’s month passed in surprising joy. His loss of his desire to kill meant that lots of drones would react quite strongly to his announcement that he wasn’t going to kill them. He replayed a few memories in his mind.
N remembered talking to a drone, who as soon as he heard that N wasn’t going to harm him, dropped to his knees, thanking the gods. When N extended his claws, the drone sliced his arm, still in shock thanks to N sparing him. He began to laugh as he poured a cup at N, slapping himself to keep him awake.
Another funny adventure was when a drone tried to hit him with a pipe. He got it thrown out of his hands. N chased after him, trying to get his attention, but failing every time. Eventually, he just let the drone go.
N did meet a few drones who meekly asked if N could go for someone else, listing a few reasons, whether it being that they were too weak, too scared or that they just couldn't, N listened. He agreed and took off, leaving the drones to stare at N’s silhouette like some fleeing angel or demon.
Finally, N met a younger drone. He was a teen, with green piercing eyes and a relaxed attitude that faltered when he saw the murder drone, but regained himself pretty quickly. He even gave a hello to N. N still replayed the conversation the two had.
“So… Little awkward, but could you give me some oil?” N muttered, staring down on the ground.
The teen’s eyes hollowed slightly, before smiling back at him.
“Weird request, but sure!” He laughed, making N jump.
“Did you just laugh?” N asked, stunned.
“You can hear me, so of course I did!” He chuckled, bumping his arm against N’s shoulder. He flinched.
“What, you haven’t got any friends? You should make some, you know?” The teen told N, his goofy smile still stuck on him.
“Well, I don’t know how to….” N cringed at his voice, feeling awkward at his confession.
“Just introduce yourself! Like what your name is, what you like doing and something that will make the drone interested!” The teen told N, as he poured N a cup.
N drank it asking, “So that’s all I have to do?”
“Yep.” He replied back, already walking away.
“Just don’t freeze up too much, especially if it’s a girl!”
And he left, letting N stand alone, snowflakes falling onto his cup, like little dancers drifting on the pool of oil.
Maybe N would try that if he found a friendly drone…
“N.” J’s voice rang out, anger laced right into the words.
“Yes?” N replied, clearly worried about what J would do.
“I checked quota. We’re off. Massively.” J spat, walking right towards N, her tail swinging from side to side.
N flinched, already looking for plans to escape. He could jump through the window or through the door, but both would require him to fight J. Again, J helped pull him out his thoughts by pinning him to a wall, her tail rising, like a serpent ready to strike.
“I know me and V here have been doing their jobs like normal, so that just leaves you. Tell me, where’s this sudden aversion to killing?” J glared at N, a hand free, shifting to her claws. She moved it across his chin, drawing oil straight from it.
“If you don’t fix it, I’ll do it for you. After all, can’t let those thoughts get too deep inside you…” her voice changed, sweet, yet false. N knew it. And when she changed her clawed hand to a USB, he realized he had to push.
J stumbled back, mostly in shock of what N just did. She moved a hand on her chest, as if he’d dented her, yet all he did was a push. However, a push was enough for J to come swinging at him.
N dodged, claws grazing across his face as J lunged, drawing a small oil trail. He backed off and kicked, foot colliding with J’s head. She spun, disoriented, before colliding with the side of the wall.
“N, you are dead!” She screamed, tail swinging right at him. He wasn’t fast enough.
The acid burned a hole clean through, dripping down his leg. Her tail still embedded into his leg, she pulled, and he tripped. That was enough for J to land on top of him, her peg leg ready to pierce his chest, into his core, and destroy it. J smiled, revelling over her power she had on N. This time, he wasn’t sure if she would actually pierce his chest.
He didn’t give her that opportunity. His hand, now a single, sharp sword, travelled almost horizontally at J’s joint. He heard her scream, felt the pressure release and saw her eyes, livid and ready to kill.
He didn’t give her the chance. And as smoke began to cover the spaceship, J wheezing, N flew. He flew, out of sight until he couldn’t see the ship. And that meant that J couldn’t too. One last glance back, that’s what he allowed himself before his wings pushed harder than ever.
Smoke cleared, and J looked around, eyes searching for N. That bastard. He’d kicked her and sliced her leg! And disobeyed direct orders from her! He was dead the moment she saw his face coming back at her, and she would enjoy pushing her leg through that pathetic drone’s chest-
“Don’t.” V muttered, eyes looking at the snowy night. “He’s gone.”
“Yeah, thanks for telling me.” J snaped at her. “So what now, oh great saviour?”
“N’s going to come back. He always does. Even if today was extreme, N’s going to come back. He doesn’t have anywhere else to stay.” V rolled her eyes, as if the conversation was over, and it would be.
J looked at V, then at the sky. N did try fly off, yet by morning, he always returned. N would apologise to J, muttering about how he should’ve listened to her, referring to the points she always made in her head.
N would return. J was sure of it.
That didn’t mean his actions would go unpunished though. Oh, no. This would have to be looked at, and what J would find, she would tear into N.
N winced, landing on his leg. The acid seemed to bore through him, leaving a gaping, pulsing yellow hole as a replacement. Thank god that his spit could heal nanite acid! He spat on his leg, missing pretty badly. He sighed, spitting on his hand, rubbing it on his leg. The wound healed up pretty quickly, metal soon covering his wound. Now what? He checked his oil gauge. 60%. That was enough for a few days. He’d have to go out hunting eventually, but not now. What mattered now was finding somewhere that the sun couldn’t enter.
N finally found his desired place. It was a little shabby, since he was sleeping in an outdoor bathroom. But he’d slept in worse, and honestly, it didn’t feel so bad. No one would notice that he was asleep, because who’d enter a human bathroom?
N sat, already beginning to power off. He reflected on today. The fight with J, he knew that he couldn’t come back. J would probably have a new kind of torture designed just for him, and it made him shudder. But where could he go? He didn’t want to sleep in a bathroom forever, even if it wasn’t a bad sleeping place.
He sighed. Small steps, and then he’d focus on more important ones. Though he’d need to be fully charged to do that. So he slept, pushing all his thoughts away, letting sleep take him.
It was night when N woke up again, slowly stepping out the bathroom. His eyes searched for oil that he could drink, perhaps a discarded corpse that V had too much fun playing with, and ignored some oil.
No luck. The corpse was clean. Damn. He sighed, pacing the abandoned city. What now? Honestly, he didn’t know what to do. It was really the first time he hadn’t been ordered around, and as cruel as it was, it still made part of his life. And that part was gone. He walked around, lost, until he found a worker.
He was on the street when he noticed her, she was pretty far away. She was carrying something on her back, and she clearly didn’t notice him. That was good. Hopefully she wouldn’t run off, because that would be really annoying. He sighed, flew behind her and landed, rather softly. He cleared his throat, making the worker spin around to face him.
He noticed her expression, one of surprise and fear, before shifting back into determination. N smiled at her, dropping her guard slightly. That was good.
N spoke up.
“Hi! I’m N, and I am kinda lost, so could yo-”
He noticed she was pointing the gun at him. He looked at her, surprised and a little hurt.
“Was that not a good introduction? I thought I did a good job.”
Sighing, he tried to finish his sentence, before her voice rang out.
“Don’t come closer! This will blast your head off, and don’t try me! I know how to use this!” She gripped her gun tighter, hands trembling, but firm.
N seemed to miss that warning. He walked up to her, still trying to introduce himself. But she wasn’t bluffing.
He noticed her finger on the trigger steady, and that was all the warning he got. He ducked, just as she fired.
He saw the light, green and pulsing, as a wave of heat flew over him, and god did it hurt. It felt like he’d just been roasted alive, skin breaking, but alive. And for N, that was all that mattered. He smiled, letting the wind catch his hair.
Wait.
Wind catching his hair? That shouldn’t happen, he had a cap on! Unless… He put his hands on his hair, expecting to feel cotton, but he felt his own white hair. Oh. He’d lost his cap. It must’ve flew off somewhere, in the mad rush to duck. He looked around, expecting to find his cap somewhere, but there was nothing. He was a little sad. But that didn’t matter, he decided that he could talk to the drone in front of him, he could find his cap later!
He walked forward. She walked backward. He moved, and she moved. N noticed that he wasn’t getting any closer, so he had to shorten the gap. So he jumped, colliding in front of her, causing both to fall on the ground. It was a little awkward.
“Sorry.” N muttered, getting up as well as pulling her up to face him. Her face was still slightly shocked, before moving back to a more neutral expression. N stared at her, but before he can introduce himself, she slaps him.
“Ow.” N muttered, facing her.
“Holy hell. I’m still alive.” She breaths out, shaking.
“Well, of course you are! I’m N, by the way.” N smiled at her, walking closer.
“H-hey! Personal space!” She snaps at him, pushing her arms to stop him.
“Oh, sorry. Um, why are you out here? I thought drones like you wouldn’t risk their lives…” N stared at the ground as he asked, wondering if the question was too personal.
“I was collecting a part for this railgun. Well, good knowing you! I have to go!” She said, looking at the railgun, avoiding his gaze as she began to walk away.
“Wait! Can I follow you?” N asked, as if asking a worker drone if a murder drone could follow her home was totally normal.
“It’s not what you think! I got kicked out by my squadmates, and I don’t know where to stay!” He begged her, eyes shining. It seemed to work, with how the girl looked away slightly, flustered.
“Fine, but won’t you kill everyone?” She asked.
“Nope. Can’t anymore. I’ll just take some oil and in return, help defend the colony.” N replied.
“Fine, but where will you live?” She asked, as if it wasn’t obvious.
“With you!” N beamed, and that seemed to stop her thinking for a while.
“W-what?! Y-you can’t!” She sputters, flustered and looking away from him.
“Why not? I sleep hanging upside down, kinda like a bat. Here, I’ll show you.” He flew to a lamppost, and he did hang upside down, tail helping keep him supported.
“See!” He beamed.
“Oh, alright! You can stay!” She huffed back, walking off. “God, I thought he meant sharing a bed with me!”
N beamed, walking over to her. “Thank you! By the way, I never got your name.”
She stopped, turning towards N. She sighed, before replying. “It’s Uzi.”
“Uzi? Like this Uzi?” He changes his hand, and an Uzi does form, surprising her.
“Um, yeah.” Uzi replies, slightly shocked. “Wait, he can do that? Holy hell, Murder Drones have guns?”
“Cool! I can’t wait to go to your house, Uzi!” N smiles at her.
“Yeah, whatever.” Uzi snaps back, though it lacks the bite she applies to most people.
They arrived at the colony doors.
Big, steel doors. They were unbreakable, and J and V had put that definition to the test. Eventually, they gave up, agreeing that the residents were untouchable, but that if any drone got in, they were to notify the others as soon as possible.
N stared at those doors. Now he could really see why J and V couldn’t break in. Those doors were designed to be unbreakable, props to the designer!
Uzi knocked on the door.
N noticed the outer door slide open, smoothly too. And in front of the door stood a few workers. Their eyes noticed Uzi, then N. And they looked fearful.
“Oh biscuits.” N muttered, as the drones began to panic.
Notes:
This was a lot longer to write
I'm giving an early post because of holiday plans! So enjoy this chapter!
3.2k words!
Chapter Text
N stared at the panicked expressions. A drone almost fainted, and another did faint, while most just stood still, as if accepting death, though there were some curses here and there. God, this was what it felt like to be hunted, fear, acceptance, rage, or all of them flashing in the drone’s eyes.
“Calm down!” Uzi yelled at the drones, irritation laced into her words.
“He’s not going to kill all of us, he’s here to help out with stuff here.” She muttered, staring at the drones like this was all obvious.
“W-well, we need Khan’s approva-” a drone muttered, but Uzi snapped at him.
“N here isn’t going to kill you! Shouldn’t you care more about your safety than Khan telling you what’s right?” She yelled at the drone.
“Y-you sure?” He asked, hand still on the radio.
“If he wanted to, you’d all be dead.” She muttered, pulling N in.
“Um, hi! I’m N!” He said, waving at the drones.
They walked, passing through drones, confused and terrified ones too until they reached Uzi’s room. N walked in, and it was a very… purple room. Bright purple with black paint, gears, maps, drawings and a general lack of disorder. J would freak out if she saw that room.
Oh wait.
J’s going to kill him.
After that quick rain check, N walked over to Uzi. He muttered,
“This room does suit you very well.” He said, patting her shoulder.
“Hey! P-personal space!” she told N, backing off.
N blinked, confused. What was personal space? Did people have different standards of it, or was there a universal guideline that was followed by everyone? N would ask Uzi about this, though for now he listened.
“Hey, Uzi. How’s everything going?” He asked, rubbing his head.
“It’s fine, just school being annoying as usual.” She sighed, groaning.
“Oh. Should I accompany you to school then?” He asked, curious.
Uzi stared at him, flustered and confused, face lighting up slightly.
“Oh, um, I’ll think about it…” Uzi spluttered.
“God, N just wanted to go to school with me! What do I do? If N follows me to school, everyone will think I’m dating a Murder Drone! I mean he’s- No!”
“Well, at least people will stop throwing stuff at me! And being annoying with N around! Well, at least I’d have someone who doesn’t want to bully me…”
“Get it together! He’s a Murder Drone!”
“But he hasn’t killed me! So he should be fine!”
“N, you sure you won’t kill anyone?” She asked, worried.
“Of course! So when do we begin!” N asked, beaming.
“I’ve never seen someone happy going to school. It’s Saturday.” She muttered.
“Oh, so we should go to sleep right?” He asked, already hooking onto her roof.
“Um, sure.” “Why am I surprised that he can just hang upside down like a bat!”
“Well, good night Uzi!” N told her, already falling asleep.
“How did this happen to me? How?” Uzi silently cursed herself.
For Uzi, morning couldn’t come sooner. She’d rather have the entire morning to freak out than have half a day. She opened her eyes to see N, still hanging from her roof, eyes open and staring at Uzi.
Her eyes widened, still in shock of having N with her, though that changed even more when N, being the genius he is, slipped from her ceiling, falling right on top of Uzi. Her visor flushed in embarrassment, trying to get N off her, though, damn, either she was weak or he was heavy. N, still slightly groggy, yawned.
“Thanks for breaking my fall, Uzi.” N muttered, putting on a groggy smile.
She stopped, visor still bright purple.
“Um, what now? Can we explore the colony?” He asked, rolling off the bed with a small thump.
“Uh, sure, give me some time first.” Uzi muttered, shaking all over.
“You ok Uzi? Need help?” He asked, staring at her.
“N-no! It’s fine!” She spluttered, leaving the room.
N looked at her with concern as she walked out, breathing heavily. His mind wandered, looking at the room he was in. It was a very purple room, full of posters, gears, copper wire and a mess of drawings, all connected by red thread. He looked at it all, picking up a few wires. Were they edible? He would have to ask Uzi that.
N wandered, looking at the room she lived in. Did all drones have a room? A room where they could call safe? A place where they stored stuff like Uzi? Or was it different, but the same for all drones? Different colours, desires, posters, but still a bleeding out of ‘themselves.’ And N helped kill those drones. Could their parents look at a child’s room the same when he interfered? Could they still remain those havens? His thoughts wandered, asking himself questions he couldn’t answer.
Then N noticed it. A small photo. A family photo. N stared at it. Uzi was being carried on her back by her father, while her mother had a small smile on her face. N stared at the photo. Did Uzi still have her parents, or did N tear their lives apart again, leaving this photo as a memorial? God, did Uzi blame him?
N stared at the photo. He’d ask, but only when Uzi could be confident about this. He’d give it time, and he was fine with it.
They walked out, looking at the colony, though it was mostly N. His eyes widened at everything, asking about the vents, stores, and even asking if there were any robo-dogs. Each time, Uzi answered honestly, ignoring the sad expression on N’s face when there weren’t any dogs around.
Eventually, they bumped into another drone, WDF patch on him. He stared at the two, concerned, but not fearful, managing a small smile at the two.
“Um, Hi! I’m just getting some cards for us WDF members to play.” He muttered, quickly walking away from the two.
“Cards? Can I take a look?” N asked, perking up.
“You sure? I guess we could look at some cards…” He muttered.
“No, it’s fine!” Uzi quickly intervened, dragging him away. “He should first know the layout of this area first!”
They left, leaving the drone alone, walking into the store.
“Uzi, what was that for?” N asked, eyes curious.
“It’s just, I don’t like talking to a lot of people.” She sighed, eyes staring right at the roof, sighing.
“It’s just something that I’ve been used to for a long time. I don’t talk to a lot of people, and they don’t talk to me.” She muttered, pulling N along.
“Oh, so that’s why you didn’t want to talk to the drone. He was friendly though.” N told her, walking right beside her.
“He was, but I’m not.” She bluntly told him.
N’s next sentence died on his tongue when he heard something. It sounded like a small plea, a voice wanting guidance.
“Uzi, you hear that?” N asked? “I think it’s a child.”
She tilted her head, eyes narrowing in concentration.
“Yeah, I do. Should we investigate?” She asked
“Yes we should! What if something bad happens?” N gasped, already thinking of the worst possible outcome. “No time to lose!” He grabbed Uzi’s hand and flew off, searching for the noise. Corridors, seemingly identical ones flashed past him, posters and maps falling to the ground like snowflakes, and the voice getting louder.
They stopped, until they could clearly hear the cries. N looked at Uzi, and she looked back. The door was open, and they entered. Dark and empty, but the cries/calls still rang out, asking for a saviour. N gulped, calling out, extending his hand. The child took it, eyes blinking out tears.
“Hi, could you tell us where you live?” N asked, eyes soft and ready to accept his answer.
The child mumbled a location to N, his eyes roving over him, trying to find friend from foe. There wasn’t a clear line. Eyes that could change, hands that could change to blades, and a smile that could stretch. Yet, they were buried, locked away, demons who once took control and had to be purged.
“Uzi, could you send me a map? It’ll help me navigate easier.” He told her, and she obliged. He scanned the map, clearing paths and locating dead-ends, until he found a path. This was going to be a wild ride.
“You two, get on my back. I’m flying.” He grabbed the child and plopped him on his coat, and extended a hand to Uzi. She took it, hugging his collar, both scared and excited.
“You two ready? Because I’m going!” N told them, wings spraying out and he jumped.
Twists and turns, corridors he ignored, flashes of light, maps and drones ducking and the screams, silent, yet alive. The child closed his eyes, while Uzi’s remained open. N turned quickly, movements a blur as he ended up slowing down gradually. He flew down, letting the child and Uzi off.
“How was it?” He asked, eyes displaying nervousness. “God, I hope I didn’t damage them! Was I going too fast?”
“It was cool!” The child brightened at him, feeling his wings. He shuddered, or was it a flinch? Yet, it still felt nice, someone willingly coming up to him, ignoring who he really was.
“What the child said.” Uzi muttered, a smirk forming. “Though you could’ve given us some more warning.” N stared at her, surprised. He could tell Uzi meant it as a joke, and he accepted it, grinning at her,
“Well, I’ll do better, that’s if you want to fly with me!”
The door opened, and a woman came out. Her eyes calmed when she saw her son, then widened when she saw N, moving to protect her son.
“Don’t kill him! He’s just a child!” She begged.
“Calm down miss, I’m not going to.” N replied, yet hurt by her comment. “How long will it take for me to be accepted, if I do at all?”
“Yeah, he dropped him home.” Uzi muttered, glaring at the woman.
The child nodded, confirming Uzi’s story. She stared, frown breaking down into a small smile. She sighed,
“Sorry, I over-reacted. Thanks, Murder Drone.”
“His name is N!” Uzi told her.
Her face fell slightly, “Sorry I didn’t use my manners. Thank you N. I know it would be a lot, but could the two of you join us for a while?”
N opened his mouth, but Uzi intervened.
“No, we’re going home.” She hopped on N, and N gave them a wave, taking off to fly though the complex, leaving a stunned mother and a happy child.
“What was that for, Uzi? Was it just you not wanting to talk to people?” N asked, stopping at their room.
“Yeah, I don’t want to talk to people much, and people who don’t care about you.” She muttered, avoiding N’s surprised gaze.
“Well, I think that’s nice of you!” He cheered, stretching. “What’s for dinner?” He asked.
“Can you eat batteries?” She asked, looking at him.
“Never tried!” He perked at her.
“God, you’ve never had a battery?! I’m going to have to fix you up then!” She said, already running off.
N smiled at the display. Would the batteries be good, or would they not do anything? Well, N thought, you’ve got one life, so you might as well try everything! Or before you die and have to get tried. He sighed, trying to repress the memories of his adventure there.
Uzi ran back to her room, bag in hand.
“N, you need to eat this.” She pulled out a battery and pressed it into his palm.
He nodded and put it into his mouth. He crunched, and felt the sparks run through him, battery acid flowing through him, leaving a small, charged residue on his tongue, which he might have bit. It wasn’t bad, but checking his oil, it didn’t improve it. He’d be stuck on oil for a while.
“It’s not bad, but doesn’t help my oil problem.” He told her, while she sucked on a battery.
“Dammit. Looks like I’ll try something else.” She ran off again, coming back with a mess of food. Wires, chips, a small magnet, hell, she somehow got hold of power wires! She pressed all this into N, forcing him to eat. He smiled at this show, eating and swallowing without much complaint, giving his opinion each time. It was nice to spend his time here, food strewn around, both of them giving each other food, and a few laughs here and there.
J got mad easily, especially if it was about N. He hadn’t come back, and that was surprising, and very infuriating. She couldn’t report this loss to the company, or they could fire her. She’d lose out on the perks of being in charge, and her opportunity to earn Jc Jenson memorabilia!
She kicked a chair, denting it, as she stared into the sky.
“Where the hell is that bastard?” She muttered, eyes scanning the sky. He had to come back, there’s no chance he would’ve survived out there, he couldn’t hunt, nor could he kill. He had to come crawling back, yet, every hour, J’s nerves frayed slightly. He wasn’t any closer to begging J for forgiveness, and every hour, she got more angry.
“You’re breaking my patience, N. Keep hiding, and I will have to find you.” J hissed at the open sky, willing it to show a map of where N was.
That night, she looked out the window. No N. Where could he be? Every hour was another level of disobedience, and another reason for J to dispose of him. Soon, she wouldn’t even consider his apologies, no matter how much he would plead.
“I hope you know what you’re doing N, because I certainly do.” She muttered to herself, a mantra to build her resolve, layer by layer, as the snow fell outside.
N was hiding, and J was seeking.
Notes:
So, that's not going to end well...
Chapter Text
The day was over, both Uzi and N were getting ready to go to bed, N still hanging from her roof like a bat, eyes still glowing like twin lanterns. His smile still remained on his face, only disappearing when his eyes dimmed, falling asleep.
Uzi looked at him, smiling slightly as her own body began to power down, but not before she still played back the day the two just had.
“God, today was so weird. I would’ve spent today doing nothing, sitting in my room or something close. Then N here got me on a goose chase to help a kid!”
“Though… It wasn’t so bad…”
She groaned, tensing and relaxing. Visor flashing, rubbing her eyes. Why did N have to change today so much? She enjoyed it, sure, but it was too soon. Though her mind wandered, already imagining the two on another adventure. Well, there was an event that she wanted N to go to…
She slapped herself. N didn’t need to go, he didn’t! It was fine! She could be the loner, honestly she had been doing it for ages, hadn’t she? It was nothing different this time, and wasn’t it better keeping N from attacking everyone?
“Only because you never had someone to talk to who’s your age, right? I’m sure he’d be fine accompanying you! He doesn’t hate you and also wants to know more about this place!”
Did N want this? Or was she wrong about him? After all, he could be all smiles, but who knows what he could do with so many drones seeing him, a Murder Drone. She didn’t want N to be hurt, even if he could easily protect himself.
“Look at you, getting all possessive! Sad thing that N doesn’t know about it!”
No, it wasn’t like that! Uzi screamed at herself. It was just making sure that N wouldn’t face any troubles by himself! She was looking out for both of them!
“If that’s the case, then why should N be left alone when you’re going to the event? Wouldn’t it make sense for the two of you to go together then?”
WHY DID N HAVE TO CHANGE THINGS SO MUCH?!
The day was over, wasn’t it? N perched on Uzi’s roof, his mind wandering. How was today? Exciting, thrilling and nice. N remembered the child’s look, his eyes staring at him, not with fear, but with curiosity.
Was he still a murderer? N was sure he wasn’t. He got another chance, and he used it to the best ability he could, right? And it was nice, giving instead of taking from others. Was this how worker drones lived? Trying to build something for everyone? N found that admirable, and he wanted to be part of it.
He stared at his fingers, those smooth, white digits. He used those hands to help, not harm. Should he have felt repulsion towards it? He didn’t. He found a sense of joy, bubbling from his chest at breaking free, not killing. Those thoughts flashed at him, demanding his attention. He couldn’t keep up.
With a sigh, he powered himself off, focusing on the matter until tomorrow. Yet, he still remembered the child that looked at him, and how the father stared at him, before he died. They both saw through him.
N woke up first, eyes blinking as he rid himself of the weariness of his night. He unfurled his wings like a mast, stretching, before landing down on the ground. He saw Uzi, still in bed, her body moving around, tossing and turning slightly. He stared. What was he supposed to do?
He wanted to comfort her, but didn’t want to awaken her, but she also needed to be comforted. She looked like she was having a bad time, eyes closed firmer, mouth narrower and even her breaths seemed slightly shuddery. He stared, his hand hovering over her. He sighed.
His hand, moving slowly over her back, little circles that he traced, palm down. Over and over, until Uzi calmed down. Her eyes relaxed, her breaths seemed to silence themselves, as if they’d been muted, and her tense body relaxed, joints shifting for a deeper sleep. N smiled, eyes and mouth sparking with joy. He continued, gentle presses and circles being applied to her back.
He took his hand off her, examining it. He never looked at his hands before, how gentle they could be, despite him being designed for harm. He couldn’t imagine that both his hands and his claws were both in the same body. His claws. Slicing and hacking though drones, to be drawn out like a brutal magic trick. And this time, N did it again.
He stared. And he stared, joints locking into place. Those claws, they reminded him of blades, sharp, precise ones. And he remembered his crimes, those knifes being stabbed into him, surgically and cleanly, just like those claws.
His legs were still rooted, and he couldn’t deploy his wings. Limbs shaking and his mind going overdrive. He wanted to get rid of those claws, and he wanted it gone now. He took in a breath, arm shaking slightly as he wrapped his hand around a claw.
He pulled.
And pulled.
His cries remained silent throughout, tears welling up, as the claw began to snap off, breaking and snapping off his hand, sparks flying from the damage. He didn’t care, all that mattered was getting that claw off his hand. And he continued to do that, continued to twist his loose claw until it broke off, with a well of oil flowing from the stub.
The flow of oil stopped.
His finger began to heal itself, another sheet of metal covering the wound, and like a flower, another claw grew back.
N stared, eyes slowly widening at the sight. All the pain was for nothing, wasn’t it?
His unshed tears streaked down his face, a slow, steady rhythm of despair.
No, he couldn’t give up. He wanted to get rid of those claws, and even if he had to suffer from it, he would. At least the pain would be worth it. His claws carried memories, memories that he wanted buried. And he wanted out of his body. So he continued to pull.
Uzi’s olfactory sensors told her something was wrong before her eyes did, a lingering smell of oil, drifting and bleeding into her room. Then she saw N. She ripped off her blanket, falling on top of him, eyes wide.
“N, what happened? Are you ok?” “Of course he isn’t, you dolt! He just tried to rip his fingers/claws off him!”
“Um, I’m fine.” N muttered, the lie unconvincing to himself, least of all Uzi.
Uzi stared, waving her hand at the mess of oil.
“That’s not the sign of someone who’s fine. Perhaps someone who needs help though.”
“I’m fine. It’s a small matter.” N mumbled, staring at the roof.
“Then look at me and say that.” She pulled his face towards her.
“It- it’s, a small..” N sighed, looking down. “I just wanted to get rid of these claws.” He told her, still staring right at the ground.
“N, I can help. I think I can modify your weapon system, but I will have to open up your arm. You ok with that?” She asked, looking at him.
He nodded.
Now N was sitting on Uzi’s bed, arm held out, while Uzi stood close to him, her hand holding a screwdriver that was removing the screws on his arm. She took a breath, before removing the plate.
“God damn.” She muttered, staring at his arm.
She could now see everything inside his arm, how below all the claws were small gears, which she guessed was to retract them and replace with another weapon. There was also a tangle of wires past the gears, all connected to a box, which was halfway in his forearm.
She stared at the box. It had a glass screen, displaying the current weapon in use, its material composition, damage, need for repairs and more functions. She stared at it. It must be the control box for the weapons.
“N, can you change the claws into something else?” She asked, focused on the box, which she now realized had etchings on it, covering it like runes.
N nodded, changing it into a rifle. The screen flickered again, displaying his rifle, inner machinery, ammunition and damage. She stared at it. Where did N keep ammunition?
“N, does your body store ammunition for the guns?” She asked, after finding nothing that could indicate that he had a storage system. It didn’t hurt to ask though.
“I’ve never thought about it… I think whenever I use it, my body just produces it, so I don’t need to store it.” N admitted, scratching his head.
“Wait, so you generate ammunition?” She gasped. “Oh! So that’s why your claws grew back! N, it’s because your body must’ve used material so that it could be turned into your claws!” She stared at the control panel.
“If I can hack it so that it doesn’t recognize your claws as weapons, you’ll be unable to regrow them.” She said.
“Mind if I pull it out?” She asked.
N nodded, all the confirmation that Uzi needed.
She grabbed the box and pulled slightly. Some wires were attached to it, nothing serious though. She pulled out a pair of scissors and made a clean cut, slicing through the wires keeping the box attached to his body.
She set it on her table, looking at the glass screen. God this was going to be a mess. She just hoped that it had a file system inside, so that she could delete the necessary information containing the claws. She called to N to change his weapon to the claws, and he did. Now she could take a closer look. Her eyes widened slightly. She could delete the claws, but when she confirmed the order, it required a password. She bit her lip. This would require some hacking.
She found a port for the device and stuck it in, connecting it with her laptop. A dictionary hack, it should work. She had already downloaded several dictionaries on her laptop, and was running through all of them, using word after word on the screen. It continued to deny entry.
She sighed. This shouldn’t take long, right? She could try short-circuit it so that it would blank out, but she didn’t want to damage anything else on the device, which could mess up N’s system.
Around an hour later, the screen finally flashed green. She gasped, finally accessing the ability to delete his claws. She called N over.
“N, you’re sure about this?” She asked, finger hovering over the delete key. He nodded.
She sighed, and pressed her finger down.
They stared, staring as N’s claws were retracted, fingers replacing where the claws once were. He stared at Uzi, who looked at the panel. There wasn’t a selection for claws. Slowly, and with caution, N tried to change into his claws.
Nothing happened.
He changed to his rifle.
A rifle slid out.
He stared at the rifle, slowly turning it into his normal fingers, harmless ones. He looked at Uzi, his smile reaching his eyes. He grabbed onto her, hugging her, tightening his hold on her, even when she tried to wriggle out. He shook slightly from the unshed tears, rubbing circles on her back.
“Thank you Uzi. It’s now easier to ignore, the pain.” He whispered into her ear.
Hours later, N sat on her bed, still fiddling around, thanking Uzi, until he got a ping.
He needed more oil.
He was confused, he didn’t need any more, he was certain his reserves could last another day! Then he looked at the mess he caused. He had just bled out on Uzi’s room, that’s where his reserve had gone. He needed oil, and he needed it soon.
Swallowing down his nervousness, he asked Uzi, “Uzi, um, do you know where I can get some oil?” He looked slightly bashful, staring right at the ground.
She stared back. “How much do you need?”
N sighed. “I’m going to get into big trouble if I can’t get any soon.”
Uzi groaned. The drones had oil reserves, and gasoline but since N couldn’t wait, that just left herself. God, she wanted to cry in frustration. Karma didn’t exist, did it?
“You can use me instead. Just don’t take too much.” She sighed, stretching out her arm. He stared right at her, worry etching his face.
“Fine, I’ll do it.” She sighed, grabbing a claw and slicing a wound for N to drink from. N stared at the oil welling up, his desire overpowering embarrassment. He bent down and put his teeth into the wound, sucking out the oil.
Uzi stared, visor purple with embarrassment, seeing N like this.
“Well, you always told people to bite you, can’t complain it happened now, can it?”
“Shut up! I said it as a joke, not for a Murder Drone to actually do it!”
“Then you should’ve been more careful. But you’re enjoying this aren’t you?”
“No, I’m not!”
“I’m pretty sure even N can feel the heat radiating off your visor.”
N continued to drink, ignoring the mess Uzi was in, only focused on getting the feeling of bliss, letting his oil tank fill up. 10% to 60%. N took that much oil, detaching from her arm before licking off any oil still on there, and healing her wound. He smiled, happy with his work, while Uzi finally calmed down enough.
“Uzi, I need to thank you for what you just did. If there’s any way I can repay you, I’ll do my best to fulfill it.” N told her.
Uzi stared, processing the words. She bit her lip. There was one thing that she wanted N to come to, and it would make the entire matter a lot easier to handle. She sighed.
“N, could you attend the prom my school is hosting?” She asked.
“Not if you don’t want to! It’s just so that my classmates can stop with the remarks with me being a continuous loner! It would be nice to have someone too.” She clarified.
“Sure! What should I wear?” He asked.
“Something formal. A suit or a tuxedo.” Uzi muttered, trying to ignore the mental images of N being dressed in either.
“The prom’s in a week, so you have some time to prepare.”
“Uzi, why me? Surely you’ve got someone else that you can ask to attend the prom?” He questioned.
“Well, no. You’re basically the only drone I’m on good enough terms to attend this prom.” She told him.
“So we’re friends!” He perked, jumping in joy. His smile brightened as he gave her another hug, trying to express his joy to Uzi.
“N, calm down. We still need to sell these claws.” She pointed to the stack of ripped claws.
“I’ll go out to sell these, you can come if you want.” She told N, picking up a few.
“Of course! I do want to know and explore more of the bunker!” He chirped, helping pick up several, making sure to leave a few.
She sighed, opening the door.
“Then let’s go.”
J still stared at the night sky, no matter how futile she thought that N would come back, asking for forgiveness. He hadn’t returned. Now J turned away from the entrance, miffed that N wasn’t back. They needed a new plan.
“V! Get over here!” She yelled at her.
V, picking her teeth with her claws, walked over, bored.
“We’re searching for N. We’re going to spend a few hours searching the land, and if we find N, we are to bring him here. Understand?” She raised an eyebrow.
V groaned, looking at the roof.
“I don’t understand why this is our problem. Can’t we just let N stay where he is? I mean, at least it’s less annoying without him.”
J bit her lip.
“V, listen here.” She pulled V against the wall.
“This isn’t a matter of comfort, but one of security. You want to know how it will look if they found out that we got a drone lost? We’ll be scrapped. You understand that?” She pointed a finger right at her visor, poking it with every word.”
J let go, walking out the door.
One jump, and she was off.
V stared at her, sighing. She deployed her wings too.
The two drones were now searching for N.
Notes:
Sorry for the late upload. Holiday plans and procrastination got to me.
Hopefully you enjoy this!
I'm not sure how to plan this further, other than the prom. I might finish it sooner rather than later.
2.7k words
Chapter 7: Interlude
Notes:
Sorry for the late publish, I just procrastinated again. God I need to focus: Next chapter will probably be a late one too, just saying. Also this is a bit of a filler, before the prom.
Chapter Text
The store wasn’t very far, only a few minutes to walk there, but enough for N to point out more features of the bunker, the buildings carved into walls like runes, or how the ice sprouted like flowers, growing where no-one wanted it to grow, but still persisted.
They arrived at the store, the green neon sign indicating it’s purpose. There was no welcome sign. Either you bought or sold, no loitering, wasting time, or anything else. What mattered here would be efficiency. The door said the same story, only an open sign decorating the door. She pushed it anyway, N ducking to avoid hitting his head.
“Why is he so tall…” Uzi muttered, looking at N.
“So, Uzi! Now what? Do we get clothes for prom?” N asked, humming a tune. His steps seemed more bouncy, more happy, as if something had been released from him. Well, something had! His claws weren’t his anymore! And he got something out of it! Those chips were in Uzi’s pocket, as they walked along the snowy path.
She sighed, pointing at a map, then at a store. N stared, the red dot a sign of where they were. He sighed. It would still require a lot of time walking, but flying could speed this up, though he wanted to make sure Uzi was fine with it. So he asked.
“Hey, Uzi. Should we fly there instead?” He asked, fiddling with his thumbs, eyes darting around. He was nervous.
“What? Sure.” She replied, walking up to him.
“Come on, crouch down, I can’t get my leg over your back if you’re standing up.” Walking up to N, raising an eyebrow.
N complied, getting down, letting Uzi sit on his back, legs wrapped around his waist, while her hands rested on his shoulders. He checked she was secure, shaking a bit, before he stood up, his wings unfurling, 2 angel wings, sharp, yet beautiful. He took off.
Places flashed past him, the restaurants that some drones dined in, some that still dined, their drinks and food halfway in their mouth, laughs and conversations that froze when they saw N, flying past them. No-one drank for a minute after he left.
“We’re here, Uzi!” N said, bowing down, letting Uzi climb off him. They got to the tailor, a big sign displaying it’s intention. No clothes too tight or too lose! The two drones walked in, N nervous, but confident, and Uzi looking around, looking like she’d fight anyone who’d ask why she was here.
The store was rather big. There were plenty of suits, blazers ranging from grey to blue, fitted with accompanying ties and pants. Each arranged to complete order, almost for display, not for use. N looked at another isle. The dress shirts stared back. Each organized into different colors, light blue mixing with black, stripes running down some shirts, checkerboard patters adorning others.
Bowties ran down another isle, tied up neatly, while pocket squares, perfectly folded, rested on the blazer pocket. N stood, staring at the tuxedos. Could he fit in one? He realized he could, and he found one that fit. A white undershirt, with silver lines running down it, giving it a twinkle, while he found a black blazer. He looked at the bowties and pocket squares, grabbing both. He looked at the measurements. He’d fit in these. God, he’d look so dapper in these! Now he just had to find Uzi!
N wandered around, bag in hand, looking for Uzi. Thank god he was so tall, it helped him find everyone, and he found Uzi! He could see that she was browsing some dresses, all purple. He noticed how she looked around, staring at the other drones, as if they’d shove her, or taunt her. N saw that, and he walked over.
“Hey Uzi! That dress looks really nice on you!” He said, pointing to the one she was looking at. It was purple, with no sleeves. Simple and pratical. That summed up Uzi pretty well, N thought, not noticing her blush and slightly panicked expression.
“Um, thanks N.” She muttered, head down, as she continued to browse.
“Should I accompany you? You seem to be having some trouble.” N said. “Well, I don’t know how much help I can give, since I don’t know much about your preferences.” He admitted.
“No, it’s fine!” She said, already grabbing the dress N pointed out. “I was going to finish up anyway! Let’s just go and get this checked out!” She walked off, slightly faster than usual, slightly warmer than usual.
They walked over, ignoring the drones that stared, the drones that stopped browsing. And what replaced curiosity were rumors. Rumors that spread not on truth, but on surprise. For now, it would be slow, though it could spread quickly.
N walked over to the cashier, handing him his bag, Uzi doing the same. The cashier looked at the two. His lip curled upward, eyebrow raising at the situation, but still scanned their clothes anyway.
“Congratulations.” The cashier told the two.
That only helped spread the rumors.
They arrived back home, N helping Uzi off his back. Uzi sighed, opening the door. She looked in, wary, eyes darting around. She sighed, body visibly relaxing. N stood behind her.
“What’s wrong?” He asked, clutching his bag.
“My dad. He’d freak out if he saw you here.” She muttered, walking past the door. “He’s in his room, so as long as we keep quiet, he won’t notice us.” She walked up the stairs, making sure to muffle any noise.
N followed up behind her, carefully avoiding making any noise, at least until Uzi gasped in shock, frozen. N walked up to see what was wrong, looking right into the eyes of Khan Doorman.
Khan raised an eyebrow, mouth thinning slightly.
“Uzi, I do hope you can explain why you brought a Murder Drone here.” He said, voice calm, or was it emotionless?
Uzi stared, voice box almost frozen, before she spoke up, just before N could defend himself.
“Dad! He’s not here to kill anyone! If he was, we’d all be dead!” She exclaimed.
“Still, why did you bring him here?” He asked.
Uzi froze. She had to explain why he was here, but then she’d have to admit to her nighttime adventures, and there was no way that that information would go over Khan’s head well. So she froze, trying to come up with an idea, while Khan turned to N.
“Are there any other drones out there? Any other males?” He asked to N.
“No, sir. Just me and 2 females, V and J. There aren’t any other males.” He replied, looking at Uzi to see if he just guaranteed his chances of being kicked out. She stared back, panicked, but not freaking out. He was fine.
Khan listened. Then he smiled, or more like his upper lip ticked up slightly. Uzi noticed, her eyes widening. He barely smiled, yet here he was, giving one to N. What was going on?
“So, Murder Drone. You can stay here.” He said, his small smile not falling. Uzi heard him, heard how contradictory he just sounded. For all his efforts to keep the drones safe, he’s perfectly willing to just let one in?
“Then why bother with the doors?!” Uzi yelled, her mind thrown into chaos. “Why put all that effort into those doors when you just let N here in?! WHY?!”
Khan listened. His composure not breaking, yet his still pinched his nose, sighing at Uzi’s outburst.
“I let N stay because I know he’s a good drone. I know this because one of my friend’s daughters was saved thanks to N. He wouldn’t stop telling me for weeks after that happened. You still remember that?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.
N took the information in. He still did, the drone’s panic from him, turning to surprise, then desperation, asking N for help. When he returned, his face changed, joy, relief and what N now realized, respect. He wasn’t given any, no matter how hard he tried. Was this why Khan trusted him? What if he wasn’t Khan’s friend? Would he still trust him?
“Yes, sir.” He nodded. He didn’t want to overthink it, especially because he’d probably have more questions that he’d want answered if he asked Khan. “So can I stay here?” He asked, still nervous he’d back out.
“Yes, N. You can stay here. I do know you’re not a killer. If you excuse me, I have to go check the maintenance of Door 2. Some of the gears are close to rusting away.” Khan nodded to the two, before walking down the stairs.
Both Uzi and N looked at him as he walked out, whistling a tune.
“Oh come on! Why does dad have to care more about you than me? I mean, he barely smiles, yet he just did at you! It’s so unfair!” Uzi groaned, lying down on her bed, blankets ruffled, the dress she got forgotten.
N listened. He was good at listening, hearing how Uzi complained, never breaking pace until she eventually stopped, looking at N.
“Sorry for the massive rant. It’s just annoying seeing Khan like this, and also the fact he’s never cared about me much…”
“Uzi. It’s fine. I’ll listen to whatever you say, ok?” He reassured her, placing his hands on her shoulders.
“Oh, thanks.” She muttered, looking down as she fiddled with her hair.
“Well, um, are you ready for prom?” She asked, after calming herself down. She looked at N, who replied,
“Yep! Got the clothes and everything! So all we have to do is just wait! Don’t worry Uzi, I’ll be there!” N told her, nodding his head.
“God, he’s so silly. But why is that so cute?” Uzi muttered.
“All right. I’m going to sleep. It’s been an exhausting day, N.” She sighed, pulling the blanket closer to her.
“Goodnight N.”
N looked at her. She had the sign [Sleep Mode: On. Replaying memories: On.] plastered on her screen, mumbling slightly. He sighed. Today wasn’t so bad for him. Sometimes, he’d get lucky, no matter how bad he thought it could get. That’s what he thought as he slept, hanging upside down, from her roof.
“Where is that toaster!?” J yelled, kicking a chair. She’d just spent the day searching for N, V in tow. They found nothing, not even a dead worker from before. All that effort for nothing, N was still gone. What’s more, they spent too much time searching, so J had to go without oil for the day.
“God, stop being a diva.” V sighed, picking her teeth. She’d found a drone, as they headed back. This time, she didn’t play with it. She needed the oil without J noticing.
“I’m sure that he’ll be back. I mean, where could he be?” She sighed, spinning round the chair.
“You said that yesterday, and look what’s just happened.” J growled. Her mind began to deduce potential hiding spots. They checked all the buildings, or the ones closest to them. They didn’t find any new footprints though, so he had to be hunkered down somewhere.
“You don’t think he’s in the bunker?” J asked, the words sounding stupid even to herself.
“And why’s that? I’m pretty sure those toasters, stupid as they are, won’t let us in.” V replied.
“Well, then where could he be?” J snapped at her. Could N seriously be living with the drones? It was far fetched, but N had actively gone against her, and she thought that impossible. Perhaps they could scout the area…
“How about this. Let’s scout the area. See if there’s a weak spot, like the vents, or a weaker section of the wall.” J told V.
“Tomorrow then. I need my sleep.” V muttered, already walking outside.
“Bastard.” J muttered. She hoped N would be in the bunker, then she could both wipe the drones out and finally discipline N. Two birds, one stone. But that was for tomorrow.
What mattered now was sleep, and plans.
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Amara_02 on Chapter 2 Fri 13 Jun 2025 12:07PM UTC
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Darkshashow on Chapter 2 Fri 13 Jun 2025 04:41PM UTC
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Darkshashow on Chapter 2 Fri 13 Jun 2025 04:37PM UTC
Last Edited Fri 13 Jun 2025 04:42PM UTC
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14XKCD on Chapter 2 Sat 14 Jun 2025 01:10AM UTC
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Darkshashow on Chapter 2 Sat 14 Jun 2025 10:03AM UTC
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Darkshashow on Chapter 3 Sat 21 Jun 2025 11:28PM UTC
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14XKCD on Chapter 3 Sun 22 Jun 2025 03:05AM UTC
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Amara_02 on Chapter 4 Wed 25 Jun 2025 01:46PM UTC
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14XKCD on Chapter 4 Thu 26 Jun 2025 04:28AM UTC
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Darkshashow on Chapter 4 Tue 01 Jul 2025 05:14PM UTC
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Darkshashow on Chapter 5 Wed 02 Jul 2025 02:01PM UTC
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14XKCD on Chapter 5 Wed 02 Jul 2025 03:06PM UTC
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14XKCD on Chapter 5 Wed 02 Jul 2025 05:09PM UTC
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Darkshashow on Chapter 5 Wed 02 Jul 2025 05:23PM UTC
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14XKCD on Chapter 5 Thu 03 Jul 2025 06:04AM UTC
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SiriSummers (Guest) on Chapter 6 Sat 12 Jul 2025 01:20AM UTC
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14XKCD on Chapter 6 Sat 12 Jul 2025 02:24AM UTC
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SiriSummers (Guest) on Chapter 6 Sat 12 Jul 2025 09:04AM UTC
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14XKCD on Chapter 6 Sat 12 Jul 2025 01:44PM UTC
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SiriSummers (Guest) on Chapter 6 Sat 12 Jul 2025 03:37PM UTC
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Darkshashow on Chapter 6 Sat 12 Jul 2025 11:58AM UTC
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14XKCD on Chapter 6 Sat 12 Jul 2025 01:43PM UTC
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