Chapter Text
Three weeks had gone by since the dance. After a bunch of consideration, Allen finally let drones go outside after a lot of peer pressure from teenagers. Drones were actually starting to leave the bunker. They were still cautious of the disassembly drones though, gossiping about them every chance they could get.
Penny loved the change, running around in the snow and hanging out with the others, but something kept her inside more than she planned. A fear. A fear for Theo. The thing K9 and D4 said about the solver kept playing in her head. There had to be a cure! He can't just die! She tried to keep her mind off it, but it kept popping back in. So, Penny decided for the entire group to have a little camping trip to keep her away from those thoughts. For them to live like kids.
Penny walked up the stairs of the bunker, holding a backpack as she reached the top floor. The old drones were still playing chess. Penny wondered if that's all they were programmed with. She walked up to the bunker door, Allen sitting by the door.
"Ah Penny! I haven't seen you in a minute." He greeted.
"Yea, I've been busy." Penny said, the thoughts of Theo flashing back in her mind before she pushed them out again.
"You have no idea how much Lake has been talking about this trip. She says she can finally get away from a certain old drone. I wonder who she was talking about."
"...I think she was talking about you sir."
"What?"
"Never mind." Penny opened the door and waved goodbye to Allen. The sky was pitch black, the white snow blending in with the stars. The group was waiting for her, carrying backpacks filled with their items. They chatted about different things before D4 noticed her.
"There you are! We were getting worried." D4 said.
"I thought you bailed on us. I spent way too long on my hair for that." Grace added, looking at herself with her phone mirror.
"I'd never bail on you guys." Penny reassured.
"Good, cause I would've jumped you."
"Oh." Penny looked over at Theo. He was way quieter than usual, actually he's been like that for a while. The whole school incident still haunted him.
"Stop being so depressed." Penny teased, jokingly punching him in the arm.
"You were more excited about my suicide missions than this." Theo cracked a smile, but stayed silent.
"Hey, at least you get to join the orphan club with them." Grace said, pointing towards Penny and the disassembly drones.
"That is not helping Grace." Penny grumbled.
"What are you going to do, tell your parents?"
"You've wanted to say that for a while haven't you?" Lake asked.
"Maybe." Grace said with a smug look on her face. Lake face palmed.
"Let's just forget about our trauma for one night and have fun!" D4 exclaimed, patting Theo on the back.
"K9 and I found the perfect place! Right K9?" D4 added, leaning against K9's shoulder.
"When did I agree to this again?" K9 muttered.
"That's the spirit! Let's go!" D4 grabbed Penny and Theo, her wings sprouting out of her back as she launched into the air, Penny and Theo's screams fading as they disappeared in the sky. The rest of the group stared at each other.
"Do that to me and I'll shoot you." Lake threatened, pulling out her pistol from her backpack.
"Why do you still have a gun? We're friends with hot murder robots now." Grace mentioned.
"Friends is a bit far fetched." K9 mumbled.
"Want to repeat that?" Lake asked, pointing the gun at him.
"This trip is going greatttt." K9 exaggerated, grabbing the two drones before flying up into the sky.
It was more beautiful flying in the sky during the night than day. The glow from the moon gave everything a more relaxed mood, the cold wind seemingly blowing away all the bad thoughts. K9 met up with D4, landing on a ledge.
"Ta-da!" D4 cheered, her hands in the air like she was presenting an art piece. The group was on a snowy ledge, a beautiful view of a frozen lake under them that reflected the night sky and the rest of the forest.
"This place is amazing!" Penny exclaimed, staring at the scenery in amazement.
"Perfect picture material!" Grace said, pushing Penny out of the way and taking a selfie. Penny cussed her out in her mind.
"So, what's the first thing we're going to do?" K9 asked.
"If you brought us out here just to talk about your dead parents I swear..."
"No, none of that tonight. Before we do anything, we need a proper campfire." Penny explained.
"This place is covered in snow, how can anything catch?" Theo asked.
"They have flame throwers, I think that'll be hot enough." Lake mentioned, pointing at the disassembly drones.
"Oh yeah."
"So let's go find some sticks! K9 and D4, you guys set everything else up." Penny said.
"And maybe have some other type of fun." Penny smirked as K9 blushed. D4 awkwardly laughed.
"Wait! We can't leave yet!" Grace complained, holding her phone in the air.
"I have to get this angle right!" Penny's eye twitched as Grace kept switching poses and adjusting the camera's filters.
"How about this angle?" Penny asked with gritted teeth. She walked up and calmly pushed Grace off the cliff.
"Ha, nice." Lake grinned over Grace's fading out scream. Theo's visor flashed with concern as he jumping off the ledge. A moment later, he flew back up with his new wings, holding Grace.
"Huh, you were right Penny. This angle is much better." Grace said, posing like she was about to kiss Theo on the cheek as she took a picture, Theo trying to put on a facade as he smiled for the camera.
"This trip is going to turn into a make out session." Lake muttered, holding her head in her hands.
"Well thank robogod we're single." Penny sighed. Lake and Theo returned to the ground as they ventured off into the forest. The place was almost pitch black. Penny had to use a flashlight to even see where they were stepping. The group held piles of sticks, Grace making it a competition to see who could get the most. Of course, she was winning.
Penny pointed the flashlight at a branch laying on the ground. Lake and Grace both jumped to get it.
"I saw it first!" Lake yelled, trying to pull it from Grace.
"Nuh uh!" Grace argued. They pulled back in forth until a blue solver symbol appeared on it. The branch flew towards Theo, him catching it.
"Hey! That's not fair!" Grace pouted.
"There's no laws against it." Theo sang with a smug voice. Grace pounced at him, trying to get it back. Everyone was laughing, having a fun time. Theo won the fight, using his solver to hold Grace up by the collar like an angry cat. Penny was wiping the digital tears off her visor when she noticed something in the corner of her eye. An orange light. She pointed her flashlight towards the object. In a second it disappeared, like it was never there. Penny stood there frozen. Everyone else has seemed to have seen it too.
"What was that?" Theo asked.
"Uh, maybe it was a deer!" Penny exclaimed.
"All the deers are dead Penny."
"Wow, pessimistic much?"
"Can we just go? It's so cold out here." Lake said, crossing her arms.
"And you're the one wearing a sweater." Grace muttered. The teens started to walk back to the area, joking around and well, being kids. They were all expected to do so much, so it was refreshing to actually be teenagers for once. Not having to worry about whether they're going to die or not. Having a chance to breathe.
After a bit of walking, they say D4 and K9 in the distance. Some sleeping bags were laid on, most likely stolen from human corpses. The group spotted K9 and D4 talking and laughing to each other. They all gave smirks to each other as they eavesdropped.
"It's not my fault it freaking moved!" K9 exclaimed, D4 dying of laughing.
"We're supposed to be killer robots and here you are, getting scared over a frozen skeleton." D4 teased.
"Oh shut up! You thought a piece of metal was a drone and shot like five missiles at it!"
"I was just, testing the durability of the weapons."
"You didn't even know what that word meant until I explained it to you."
"Okay Mr. Arrogant, not all of us are born geniuses."
"That's not me being smart, that's simple vocab!"
"I'm surprised you of all people are interested in vocab."
"How'd we even get on this subject?!"
"You're the one who started it!"
"Maybe you two should shut up and start something else." Penny interrupted, raising her eyebrows.
"Like a good relationship." K9 shot her a look, flashing her an awkward, murderous grin as he moved his finger across his neck.
"Stop being pouty and help us with this." Grace added, throwing a stick at K9.
"I'm going to kill them I swear." K9 muttered, his visor glitching with irritation.
"Calm down K9." D4 laughed, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"It's been a while since we've seen them genuinely happy, give them a break." The two watched the group chat and try to build a campfire with the branches. Grace kept ordering the group around, making Penny visibly irritated. However, they were all still having fun. Even Theo was being more talkative. K9 let out a little smile, but quickly hid it.
"Fine." K9 grumbled, rolling his eyes. D4 let out a chuckle, fiddling with her braid a bit.
"And you know, what Penny said about us starting something doesn't sound that bad." D4 smiled, walking towards the teens to help them with their mountain of sticks that they've created. K9 was left there speechless.
"Are...are you flirting with me?!" He asked, louder than expected. D4 shrugged. K9 felt like he was about to malfunction, still standing there like the frozen corpses.
"He's going to overheat before morning comes." D4 laughed.
"So, do you like him or not?" Penny asked. D4 shrugged.
"I like messing around with him, especially since all of you made him soft." The group laughed.
"I guess robot trauma really does do something to you." Theo added.
"And don't we know it." Penny chuckled, playfully elbowing him.
"Anyways, I think we got the campfire down." D4 said, moving a few more sticks.
"Now, we just need to light it." Everyone got up as D4's hand changed into a flamethrower, pointing it at the sticks.
"Ah yes, staring a campfire with a gun. What could possibly go wrong?" Grace muttered. D4 fired the weapon, the plan working too well at the entire thing sprouted into a massive flame.
"Way to go big brain!" Grace yelled as D4 tried to put it out. Theo held his hand out, the solver symbol appearing over the fire. It moved down, shrinking the flame into something more manageable.
"Oh, or that works." D4 said.
"You're actually getting a hang of those new powers!" Penny exclaimed.
"Yea, I guess." Theo shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I've been practicing."
"You don't even need a selfie stick when you have that!" Grace added, handing her phone to Theo.
"Do it again, this fire makes for great lighting."
"Stop using him as your tripod." Lake muttered. Grace rolled her eyes.
"I mean, one group picture wouldn't hurt, right?" Theo suggested. Penny gasped.
"That's a great idea!" She cheered, grabbing everyone and smooshing them together. K9 was on the verge of blowing everyone's brains out. Theo put out his hand, focusing his mind as the symbol appeared around the phone. He lifted it into the air. Everyone got into a pose. Lake and K9 didn't care, Penny and D4 just smiled, and Grace used Theo as a prop. The timer went down on the camera and was about to take the picture, but then Theo felt weird. Suddenly, his visor flashed with yellow, the symbol around the phone also changing. Theo stumbled back in pain, holding his head as the phone fell to the ground. Grace quickly caught him as Penny rushed to his side.
"Are you alright?!" Penny cried, helping Theo stand.
"Y-Yea." Theo replied, his voice cracking as his visor went back to normal. D4 and K9 stared at each other. They didn't even need to say anything, their minds filled with dread. They already knew what happened.
"Just sit down." Penny said. She helped him sit on top of the sleeping bags. Lake put a blanket around him, trying to help. Grace grabbed her phone, a massive crack covering the screen.
"Oh, I'm sorry about that." Theo muttered, looking down. Grace was about to make a smartass comment, but she stopped. Theo's face was filled with enough fear. Grace sighed, her vision filled with concern.
"It's fine, I'll just get my parents to buy me a new one." Grace said, sitting down next to him. Penny looked up at the disassembly drones. They were keeping a distance. They kept trying to hide their face, but Penny could see straight through them.
"Um, how about we play a simple game!" Grace suggested, breaking the silence. Everyone stared in confusion.
"Like would you rather, charades, never have I ever..." Grace nodded, looking at Penny for her ideas. Penny was confused by the change in Grace, but she immediately caught on.
"Oh! What about truth or dare?" Penny added.
"Y-Yea! The game that every teenager plays at sleepovers..." Lake said, trying to add on something. They all looked at Theo.
"That works." Theo shrugged.
"Great!" Penny cheered, looking over at the disassemblies again.
"Maybe one of you guys can start instead of just standing there." Penny flashed them a look. D4 and K9 stared at each other again. K9 shook his head.
"Uh I'll start! I have a bunch of ideas already!" D4 exclaimed, forcing K9 to sit down around the fire. They all started to play along, trying to lift up the mood. The night was filled with blushing faces and a bunch of laughing teenagers. Something kept gnawing at Penny however. It wasn't just Theo, though that kept replaying in her mind, it was something else. The orange light. It kept appearing. Every time Penny noticed it, it just disappeared. It definitely wasn't a deer. Someone was watching them. Penny had promised the group to keep her conspiracy theories out of the way, but she couldn't help but be partially curious.
"There's no way I'm doing that!" Grace yelled, pulling Penny from her thoughts.
"Oh why not? Aren't ice baths popular?" Lake teased.
"Back in the 2020's! Plus you're asking me to jump into a lake! Do you know how long it takes me to do my hair?!"
"It's just a wig."
"You're just saying that because you're named after a lake!"
"Better than Grace, you're anything but graceful."
"Uhm guys?" Penny interrupted. Everyone stopped.
"I'll be right back! I think I just dropped something back in the woods." Penny grabbed her flashlight.
"Okay, don't die like some cheesy horror movie." Grace said.
"And don't freaking drown." Penny muttered, walking into the forest. She followed the footsteps the group had made earlier like a trail. She didn't know what she was looking for, but she needed to know what that light was. It wasn't just going to drive her crazy. It had to be just a star, right? There's no way a drone would be out here watching them, right? Penny felt her nerves shake, letting out a sigh. She looked back at the group, seeing a tiny speck of where the campfire is. What am I even doing? She thought to herself. This is such a stupid idea. Penny ran her hand through her hair, starting to walk back. She had to be hallucinating, but the others saw it too.
Just then, she heard something coming from a bush. She stopped, seeing the orange light in the corner of her eye. It was definitely a drone, there was no denying it.
"W-What do you want?!" Penny yelled, flashing the flashlight at the drone. This time, it didn't move. It just got up. Penny's breath stopped when she saw who it was.
"Sis, what are you doing out here?!" Penny asked.
"I swear, all of us are just friends. I wasn't sneaking out to have-"
"Penny, stop." Ember said in a stern voice. Penny froze. She was used to Ember using that voice, but it felt a little different now. This wasn't the Ember she knew.
"Can I just talk with you?" Ember sighed.
"Of course, what is it?" Penny asked. She didn't know whether she was about to snap about grades or something else entirely.
"You're working with the murder drones, aren't you?" She asked straightforward.
"Well, I helped them make an alliance with that Allen guy so sorta? Why do you care? Is this about your friends?"
"Stop hanging out with them."
"...Huh?"
"I know I've been mean to you these past few years, but please listen to me. I don't care what you say, they aren't good people."
"Why...are you telling me this?"
"Just trust me Penny."
"Is this why you were spying on us?!"
"Penny."
"You just come out here, spy on me and friends, and lure me into the forest alone just to lore drop about your fears of the-"
"Penny!" Ember yelled, holding her hand out as Penny flew back into a tree, the solver holding her in place.
"You'll thank me later." Penny just froze there for a minute. Her breath increased as Ember stared at her, her face never altering. She didn't get it. This was all too confusing. Ember always kept secrets from Penny, but this was just too much.
"Why do-"
"Penny!" A voice cried out. Penny looked over, watching Lake run towards her. Penny tried to move, but realized she actually could. The solver symbol wasn't there anymore. She looked up. Her sister was gone. Disappeared once more. Lake caught up with Penny, looking back at the camp a lot. Something wasn't right. If Lake was freaking out, something was wrong.
"What's going on?!" Penny asked.
"Theo! He-"
"Theo...?" Penny heard Theo's voice ring through the area. It sent a chill down her spine.
"Let's go!" Penny cried, grabbing Lake's hand as they ran back as fast as they could. When they got there, Theo's visor was flashing with yellow and blue. The other drones looked up.
"We don't know what happened! Everything was fine a moment ago!" Grace exclaimed, holding him up. Penny ran to Theo's side.
"W-W-What's h-happening to m-me?!" He cried. Penny's face was lit with panic. She looked over at the disassembly drones. They kept a distance like last time. She remembered his sister's words.
"You know what's going on, don't you?" Penny asked. Both of the drones looked panicked as the others stared at them.
"We...uh..." K9 was beginning to say.
"Tell me."
"What?" Penny got up and snatched Lake's pistol, stood in front of the duo. She clenched the gun. Her eyes were filled with fear, but a hint of anger was in them.
"Tell me what's happening to him."