Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Uzi edged through the frozen wasteland, light on her feet, on high alert for the whisper or flash of noise indicative of a Murder Drone. Her railgun stayed tucked under her arm. Their lair was a ways away yet, and the thing wasn’t exactly functional until she got close enough to find the missing piece, but the quicker she loaded it when she got there, the better.

Besides, maybe she was hoping they’d spot a lone worker casually wandering into their home base with a cool gun and hesitate long enough to up her chances.

Ok so that was probably a stretch. Fine. But scary gun privileges were better than nothing if she was seen. Which she wouldn’t be, ideally.

Uzi ducked into an alleyway between two cold husks of skyscrapers to take a breather and check her surroundings. The wind whistled around her, harmonizing with the deeper, colossal echo that weaved through the city. The highest mankind could reach, barely skimming a great tide. Humans never had this storm to remind them how broken they were. They’d left it in their wake.

Stupid humans.

Uzi huffed and backed further into the alleyway, scanning it, snow quickly muffling the roar. There were a few side streets that connected here. She had no idea if this would take her where she needed to go. It could be a safer option, but it could also keep her out longer, or back her into a corner.

No, the way she’d been going was fine. Just a quick look around and she’d be back on track.

Uzi trotted towards some scrap, shoving the larger pieces from the wall with a scrape and a clatter. She knelt down to poke through the rest, grumbling to herself. There was a decent collection of parts here. If she could—

Uzi froze.

Blinking, she sat back, looking around and straining to listen. That could’ve been the wind playing tricks, but… it really sounded like…

A whisper, then a flash of colour from somewhere down the alleyway, glancing off the snow in tiny fractals.

Noise.

There was a Murder Drone here.

Suddenly colder than her surroundings, Uzi stared at the unsearched piles of scrap littered in patches down the alley, among which were several worker bodies. Possibly exactly what she needed. Did it know she was here? She could try to grab the part and fight. If she ran, it would catch her. But if she hadn’t been noticed…

Its noise reached her again. Distant, but loud. The colours that accompanied it spun and flickered feverishly. She still couldn’t see the Drone itself, but it wasn’t coming from above her, or moving closer. The tone of those thoughts seemed rather preoccupied.

Here goes nothing.

Slowly, she rose to her feet, creeping towards the scrap and the genocide robot. The closer she got and the clearer its thoughts, the more she relaxed. She still couldn’t make out any words, but there was no way it’d notice her over its own cacophony.

Nothing in that pile. Shoot.

No backing out now. The sunk-cost fallacy wouldn’t allow it.

Uzi edged ever closer, crouching to quickly and quietly search another body, and a few words filtered through the snow. Glancing up, she noted that it— he— was cocooned between the rusted remains of a dumpster and more large metal sheets. What in the…

‘…stupid.’

Uzi blinked. Shook her head, turning back to the worker. When she found the glowing green core she cheered silently to herself and swung her gun around, slotting it in place. It clicked louder than she expected. Wincing, she held her breath, looking towards the hidden drone. Somehow he still hadn’t heard her. His thoughts spiralled in yellow and blue with flashes of red-orange, not quite angry, but definitely not happy.

‘… should’ve…’

Another fraction reached her.

‘… stupid… how was I… doesn’t matter.’

Oof. She winced. Now that was bitterness if she’d ever heard it.

Emboldened by her shiny new death machine, and achingly curious, and also probably an idiot, Uzi edged closer. A few feet from his hiding spot, she peeked around the scrap metal to see more clearly.

‘… was right, though. Probably deserved it but she changed them still should have known better. She knows best. How could I have known Of course, it was just a dumb thing to do but I didn’t know! Should’ve…‘

The torrent was interrupted by the warped echo of a giggle, accompanied by a flash of neon pink and red. Within the shapeless light morphed the shape of a Murder Drone with pigtails. There was a faint shout, red, and the colours and whispers tumbled over themselves again. Uzi moved closer, resting a hand on the thin metal.

It tipped and fell with a crash, and she stumbled back with a yelp, gripping her railgun. The Murder Drone let out a yell too and jumped up, hitting the wall behind him, eyes blown wide.

‘FOUND trouble I’m in trouble why would they look? Trouble sorry say sorry sorry—‘

He saw her and deflated. With a puzzled frown, he studied her, and the gun, and gave her a look.

‘what?’

Uzi narrowed her eyes, backing away. She kept the gun trained on his head. Pale light jumped outward from him in whisps.

‘Worker drone? What is that thing where did she get a gun does she want to fight us?’

“Can you shut that off??” Uzi snapped, jittery. If possible, his blank look grew blanker. Blank squared.

“Uh… no?”

‘Would if I could, stupid noise’

He inhaled, blinking.

‘shut up shut up shut up shut up’

“What— um. Why are you— you know this is literally like. Where we live. Disassembly Drones. It’s kind of our job to kill you and stuff.”

“Yyep.”

She continued edging backwards. He suddenly stood up straighter.

‘Worker! Worker why am I talking? This is my chance kill the worker J will be happy. You can fix it kill the worker’

Uzi stumbled farther back and shot him a glare.

“Woah there, pal,” she snarled. He at least had the decency to look guilty.

‘Worker is kinda cool. NO, N, BAD, SHUT UP she’s not here she’s not here shut up she’s not here’

“It is my job though,” he said.

Heart pounding, Uzi scrambled for a distraction as he stepped forward, eyes switching to an X and hands to claws. The wisps of light turned to static. He stalked towards her, and Uzi’s finger tightened on the trigger as she backed away in a rush.

“Uh— N, right? That’s your name?”

He paused. The X flickered away as he eyed her.

‘My name how did she know did I think that? Must’ve thought it That’s not good.’

“So it is then. Huh. Weird name.”

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

N growled and batted away the cloud of light, shaking his head.

‘Stupid. Focus!’

He advanced again.

“Uh— what were— hey, what were you beating yourself up about back there? And who’s J? If you don’t… mind my asking. Um.”

N halted entirely and flinched back with a sharp breath, and the noise exploded outwards. Uzi jolted away from the panicked cloud.

‘Heard how much did she hear? don’t think about it don’t think about it She’ll kill me don’t think about it I don’t want it to happen again I’m dead if she finds out kill the worker won’t matter DON’T no no no not now—‘

“AH! Sorry— no, I— just— i-ignore all this—“ N grabbed frantically at the neon lights that had burst all around him as if trying to tear them down. “Shoot. Ah— “

His voice wavered as he swiped at formless particles. They only reformed around him, images and voices tumbling over each other. Some his own, others taunting or cold. Uzi clutched at her sweater, staring, agape. An error flashed across N’s visor. He pressed his hands over his ears and fell into a crouch.

‘Stupid stupid should have listened when she said NO don’t do that you can’t could though no no no don’t let her see J would be happy paperwork! She’d have paperwork can’t breathe no one likes paperwork and if I shut down no no no she heard there’ll be paperwork if anyone likes paperwork it’s J STOP STOP STOP IT please I don’t want to One use they have one use for me and maybe it’d be easier it would be easier but wouldn’t care I can’t it’s not even a big deal she knows what’s best nobody cares and why should they SHUT UP so dramatic, why take it personally they’d laugh wouldn’t they CAN’T BREATHE—‘

Vaguely, Uzi registered that this was her chance to run. But she sat there. She stared, reeling. Her core had been ripped out her throat and presented to her, smugly, on a silver platter. She knew this pain, to some degree. She’d been dragged to the Planet’s center and back time and time again. As a child, no less. But this?

She’d never seen this.

There was so much of it.

Of course. Who else would stumble across a Murder Drone having a panic attack? She really had the strangest luck.

What was she even supposed to do?? This was awful. The images lashing at him were horrific and the echoing voices— memories, those were his memories— only grew louder and more jumbled. Some of the glimpses she caught made her sick. N hunched farther with a whine. Errors tore across his visor, piling, and he pressed against it, hands curling into fists. Fractures cobwebbed the glass. Uzi gasped and reached out. She faltered.

Ah, screw it.

Murder Drone or no, she couldn’t leave someone to suffer like this. Rushing forwards, Uzi dropped to her knees, skidding to a stop in front of him. She caught his wrists and tried to pull them away but they didn’t budge even slightly. His eyes shot open, and he jerked back.

“No! I’m sorry, I— I—“

His gaze landed on her and cleared slightly.

‘…What? The worker why is she still here Why what is she doing?’

Uzi lifted a hand, keeping her expression level and non-threatening. Her gun sat discarded behind her.

“Don’t kill me?” She tried.

“I— what— I have t— why would you—“

‘don’t understand What is she doing? her or me It won’t matter. we can’t both live If J finds out…’

“Hey.” Uzi snapped in front of his eyes, startling him back into himself. “Hi. You with me?”

N opened his mouth. Closed it again, nodding slowly.

‘how did she do that?’

“Great.” Uzi sat up on her knees, scooting closer. She opened her arms and looked off to the side. N just stared.

“I— uh— wh-what’re you—“

“It’s called a hug, N.”

“Wh— why—“

“D’you want it or not?!”

N shrank a bit. The vortex around them had slowed, but only by a tiny margin, and his breathing was still too quick. He looked down, voice small, wavering.

“yes please…”

Uzi leaned forward to tug him into her arms. He melted instantly at the contact, gripping the back of her sweater and shaking. His tail— the creepy stabby thing, with the nanite acid, what the heck— looped around her as well. Uzi rested her chin on the top of his head and tried not to think too much. N was doing enough of that for the both of them.

Closing her eyes, she settled in the snow, tucking the taller drone close. And very much actively not thinking about how ridiculously bizarre this whole situation was. As the whirlwind gradually quieted down, she started hearing something else.

Oh.

He was crying.

Yeah no that checked out.

Sighing deeply, Uzi hummed, (what, she was bored!) swaying gently in time. Ever so slowly, over the next while, the storm slowed to a murmur, and his grip slackened. Wind whistled and battered at the structures around them. But it left their moment of peace untouched, a still bubble where they could breathe.

Uzi opened her eyes when he finally drew back with what looked like massive effort. He looked down, rubbing his arm. His tail thing swept an arc in the snow.

Uzi squinted. She shuffled closer, ducking to study his face.

“Your visor,” she said, gesturing. “The— it was cracked, and now—“

“Yeah. Um. We can regenerate.” His voice dipped, glitching, and he cleared his throat with a wince. Uzi leaned back on her hands.

“That explains a lot, actually.”

N grimaced, knowing exactly what she meant by that. A laugh echoed with a flash of red.

“Yeah…”

They sat in silence, minus the occasional thought jumping out at her. Nothing earth-shattering or especially coherent. (Unfortunately. Man, wouldn’t that be convenient. “Random Murder Drone blows up Earth, Humans Extinct!” Ha.)

“Um. I uh. Sorry,” N added. Uzi waved him away.

“Nothing to apologize for.”

“You shouldn’t have had to see that.”

“And you shouldn’t have had to live it.”

N stopped and considered her, opening and closing his mouth a few times.

‘You don’t know that AH SHOOT no—‘

“No one deserves that, N,” Uzi said firmly, leaning forward to rest her arms on her knees. N tensed. He looked away.

‘J says I do she’s right shut up’

They fell into silence again while he reprimanded himself. Uzi wasn’t sure what to do about that. Telling him a million times that he deserved better wouldn’t change his thinking overnight, it wasn’t that simple. He needed time. And a less awful situation.

Eventually, N tried again.

“I also… tried to kill you?”

“Hmm. Actually, you never got around to that. You’re just looking for a reason to apologize.”

He went to protest but caught himself.

“… okay, fine… maybe.”

N slumped back into the snow, staring upwards. An error briefly flickered on his visor, and he blinked it away. Uzi shuffled over and laid down too, just out of arm’s reach.

“So what now?”

“I die, probably.”

‘would be for the best’

N froze, inhaling through his teeth. Uzi ignored the stray thought.

“Or, alternatively…” this was so incredibly stupid… “d’you, like. Want out?”

He turned to give her a puzzled look.

‘Out? Out of what Leave? Maybe Could I really do that?’

“What do you mean?”

Uzi rolled into her side and propped her head on her hand. She fixed him with an even gaze, lowering her voice.

“Come back to the colony. You’ll be safe with us. We can help each other.”

He sat up, staring down at her.

“Wha— really? Just like that?”

“Sure.” Uzi shrugged. She turned back to the sky, snow drifting to settle on her visor. “You could have killed me like fifteen times by now. The others are clearly hurting you. And you really aren’t capable of lying effectively, so.”

“… Fair.”

“Care to tell me anything about yourself that isn’t traumatic?”

N laughed, relaxing a bit more. Uzi sat up, allowing herself a small, pleased smile. N extended a hand and she shook it.

“I’m serial designation N, nice to meet you! I’m usually much less of a downer than I have been. Uh. Sor— Aah. Yep. Mm.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Uzi,” she chuckled. “And I want nothing more than to blow something up.”

‘Uzi. Uzi. Uzi.’

“Just… at the moment, or…”

“In general. All the time. I actively try to be a downer, because I can.”

“Oh.” He considered that. “… Huh.”

Uzi watched his confusion, immensely pleased with herself. She glanced skyward again.

How long had she been out here? It would probably be dawn soon. She’d need to convince her Dad to let in a Murder Drone, also, so that would be fun.

“We should probably get going.”

“Okay. I can, um… if you wanted to get there faster, I could fly us?”

She brightened.

“Yeah? Sick! We’re doing that.”

N stood and offered her a hand, pulling her upright. He abruptly wrapped an arm around her and his wings extended with a sharp ringing sound. They rocketed into the air, tearing through the wind. High above the skyscrapers. A rush, a real taste of what humans never fully conquered, something so much bigger than themselves. Uzi whooped and almost punched him in the face by accident. N tightened his grip, mind buzzing with concern, but his hold was strong and steady. She wasn’t worried.

Just like that, neither of them were alone anymore.

This was what true freedom meant.

And it was all hers.

Chapter Text

Ok so I still really like this AU. People seem to want a continuation, and I’m more than willing to write one, as soon as I have the time— which will be soon. I only haven’t yet bc:

1. no ideas

2. I wanted to focus on my other fic

The other fic is going through a lull though and while I’m determined to work on it still, I’m not 100% completely focused on it and nothing else.

So! Ideas! I’ll continue to search for inspiration, but in the meantime, I leave this to you. Concepts, scenes, dialogue snippets, whatever you imagine they might get up to— immediately after this, any time later, heck, maybe you have a prequel idea! Nothing is too small. I can’t promise to stick to prompts but they might get me to write. If not, who knows, maybe someone else will write it and we can actually get Chaos Walking AU to be a thing :0

Okay, so, update as of august 2024, here’s what happened: I wrote a bunch of the chapter based on vague vibes and not much else, and puttered out. And then realized it’s because it was bad. Sooo I might still try and come back to this, maybe if I get inspiration from the finale, but it’d probably be from scratch. And I might have to rewatch Chaos Walking if I’m gonna try writing stream of consciousness like that again lmao. Probably better to think of it as a oneshot.