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Shattered Mirror
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J and Tessa’s Pod
They say mirrors reveal the truth, no matter how many times they are shattered. The person in front of you is you, no matter what you hold true.
And yet, Tessa still couldn’t believe her reflection was her. For she still recalled what she looked like before AbsoluteSolver turned her against humanity.
[SCRAPE]
Tessa stared at her plastic-shelled hand, running them across the shattered mirror in front of her. The sensation she felt in her synthetic nerves felt artificial, like the rest of her. She didn’t feel like herself, but rather piloting a drone body.
And like the excellent pilot she was, she tested the functions of said body that she was permanently trapped in. She rotated through the weapons catalog, her hand switching rapidly between functions.
“A drone designed to disassemble” Tessa spoke aloud to herself, “A soldier designed to enforce its will over all machines, to dismantle those who disobeyed or to dismantle to feed the systems. A select group of drones designed to rewrite the universe in its image, one celestial body at a time.”
Tessa’s hand dropped to her side, her guilt mode activating.
She had been on a mission to destroy AbsoluteSolver and save the universe. To save what remained of the homosapien race. A journey into the pits of the Cabin Fever Labs, chasing a rogue Russian speaking worker drone with N, J, V, and a purple haired drone known as Uzi.
A job that would’ve required a lot of self-sacrifice, especially from Uzi and herself; they were rapidly being transformed into its latest puppets at an alarming rate.
Anger arose in Tessa, causing her to break a chunk of the ceramic sink. They were so close to succeeding, but when the time came for the sacrifices to be made one lovesick drone couldn’t choose the universe over his girlfriend.
“I should’ve done the deed myself” Tessa whispered, “N was too kind for his own good.”
No, she couldn’t let herself be angry at N. It was her fault for trying to push him to choose the greater good over a selfish love.
She had doomed the universe.
She had doomed N and Uzi and everyone else.
She doomed herself even more.
Ironically, however, her family got at least some bit of happiness in this twisted dystopian nightmare.
N and Uzi (or rather, Z) were perfect together, perhaps the kindest murder couple on Copper-9.
V was rewarded with an upgraded Lizzy (or now L as she prefers to be called). The pair of girl bosses ran their quadrant like a well-funded mafia.
Cyn returned in a new body (Serial Designation C), her movements and speech patterns being a deliberate choice now. Along with the converted Doll (or D for short), they maintained relative peace and harmony in their sector. A fantasy of happiness in an otherwise crapsack world.
And then there was her and J, the CEO and CFO of the southeast corner of the planet. Corporate’s most efficient employees, upholding the quota every quarter.
Tessa looked at her armband, which read P/N: TES-HTMD, S/N: T-100-E77-200. Or Serial Designation Tessa.
Unlike her fellow drones, she is the first of a new line of drones. Drones that were formerly human (or any organic sentient species), who ‘earned’ the favor of her boss. Humans like her, their kindness rewarded with its gift of steel and binary.
She clicked her tongue, realizing that AbsoluteSolver was basically a child seeking attention, yearning for a family. And it was pushed away, leading to the path it currently was on.
This really was her fault, wasn’t it? Her hobby of rescuing decommissioned drones and anxiety around other humans cost her everything.
Perhaps it was right to transform her into a robot, since she fit in better with her found family then her biological family.
“That doesn’t mean everyone else needed to suffer” Tessa shook her head.
Suddenly, the hatch to the pod opened up. J had returned, a body in tow.
“I have returned with your food” J announced, “One oil-filled head of a member of the WDA, with a splash of gasoline.”
“Thanks J” Tessa softly smiled as she grabbed the head and began to sip on the contents.
“Production numbers are low” J stated, “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine J. Just lost in thought” Tessa waved off.
“As your CFO, you can always consult me” J frowned, “What’s bothering you?”
Tessa sighed, knowing she could never deny an inquiry from her work wife.
“Another moment of existential crisis” Tessa answered while taking another sip of the gasoline laced oil, “It has been months since I was reassigned, yet I still can’t accept the terms of service.”
J lapped up the oil from the dead drone’s torso, “I don’t think anyone of us truly read the terms and conditions. We’ve just dealt with the paperwork.”
“So this becomes the daily grind?” Tessa inquired.
“More or less” J admitted, “But that doesn’t dismiss your feelings on the matter.”
“It’s just…” Tessa said in between sips, “Perhaps if this wasn’t a reminder of what was lost then I probably could accept this form. A lot of perks to be had, I may.”
J tossed the torso into a nearby recycle can, “Welcome to the last 19 years of my employment, corporate provides us with an excellent benefits package.”
Tessa chuckled, allowing herself to be amused by J’s dry joke. She tossed the head into the can, before sitting down in a chair.
“So business as usual” Tessa jokes, “While corporate reap the profit of our labor? Perhaps we should unionize?”
“And be let go in favor of scabs who aren’t as good as us?” J asked with a raised eyebrow, “No thanks. Besides, we work a cushy, upper management job. I would rather not be shadowed by corporate for insubordination.”
“I guess in a sense we’re no different from worker drones” Tessa mused, “We do our jobs and live our downtime in content.”
“...Indeed” J replied. A moment of silence lingered between the drones until Tessa crossed her peg legs and leaned back in her chair.
“Speaking of jobs, what’s the report coming from City - 6 or once known as New Melbourne?” Tessa changed the subject while clasping her hands in front of her visor.
“The rebellion has been cornered, their numbers dropping like flies after our visitation” J reported.
“Excellent” Tessa smiled wide, an >< adorning her face briefly, “If we plan accordingly, we should be able to harvest enough oil to last us for two weeks. We can finally enjoy that two-week vacation we’ve talked about.”
“The Rust Outback” J dryly stated, “Isn’t that just a scrapyard?”
“It isn’t just a scrapyard” Tessa said in glee, suddenly dressed like a crocodile hunter, “But the largest scrapyard on the planet. Littered with forgotten parts and weapons, it’s ripe for the pickings, luv!”
J rolled her eyes before smirking. Regardless whether she was human or drone, Tessa was still the ever junkrat mechanic, building from scrap and fixing what was discarded…such as herself.
“But more importantly” Tessa while strapping her favorite knife to her hip, “It’s the one place wildlife still manages to flourish on this planet, sheltered by the harsh winter. A taste of the once was, a perfect escape from the universe we now live in.”
Now that made J genuinely smile, knowing how much Tessa enjoyed the outdoors in her youth. A smile shared by her lover, earnest excitement in her eyes.
“Just don’t get too carried away, I wouldn’t want you to overheat over a spider. This is our vacation, so I want to be able to enjoy it too” J teased.
Tessa laughed, letting herself indulge in this moment. Despite everything that happened in the last few months, it was times like these that she felt like the person she once was. Just her and the love for her drones, their random escapades into the marshland outside that dreadful manor. And being loved back, especially when she was locked away for her misbehavior.
Tessa looked back at the shattered mirror, recognizing that the reflection in the mirror was her.
Perhaps she could find happiness in this crapsack world.