Chapter Text
It was a cold, harsh, and stormy winter night. Unfortunately for Copper-9, this was extremely common.
The light from the orbiting planets shone down on the ruined city, lighting up the snow and debris-covered streets below. Not far above the wreckage, a single drone flew at high speeds, weaving through the maze of broken buildings and abandoned towers. Her short brown hair was swept back by the wind, bright purple eyes scanning the area as she went. She moved quickly, not letting herself slow down as she rounded a building, turning onto a smaller street and scanning again. Her systems picked up nothing but debris, though the occasional drone corpse popped up, which wasn’t uncommon. She was used to seeing them, and it solidified in her processors that she was most likely alone.
“Ugh, I’m sweaty! Who programmed that?!”
The drone abruptly halted midair, turning her head in the direction the voice came from. Her systems picked up on the source nearby, her curiosity taking hold as she landed and moved closer to see what was happening. She kept her footsteps quiet, minimizing the crunch of the snow as she reached a building corner and peered around it.
As soon as she saw the bright yellow lights of a murder drone, she immediately hid again.
Her programs ran rapid-fire as she pressed herself against the wall, her breathing growing shallow in panic. This wasn’t her first murder drone encounter, but she soon heard more voices and realized it was most likely a squad of them. There was no way she could survive three on her own, so she made the quick decision to sneak away and pray to robo-god that the one she’d seen hadn’t noticed her. Taking a moment to refocus, the drone closed her eyes and took a breath before turning to head back the way she came.
Unfortunately, she took one step and bumped right into the very same murder drone she had just seen before.
She stumbled back as her eyes switched to panic, staring at the drone in front of her. He was staring right back, but instead of his visor showing the ‘X’ she had seen on other murder drones, he had the same oval-shaped eyes that worker drones did.
“Hey there!” He said cheerfully, giving her a friendly wave. “I haven’t seen you before. Are you lost or something?” The brown-haired drone remained frozen, staring at the murder drone before her as she tried to process what was happening.
“I- uh-…” she tried to speak, but her words failed her. No experience she had prepared her for something quite like this.
“N! Get back here!”
Both drones turned their heads at the voice, but the murder drone was the one to reply.
“Be right there!” He called. His gaze fell back to the drone in front of him, and without a word, he hooked his hands under her arms and took off. A startled cry escaped the violet-eyed drone, her feet kicking helplessly as she was flown around the corner to where the other drones awaited. She braced herself, preparing for more murder drones and her imminent disassembly, but her face quickly turned to confusion as she saw it was actually two worker drones. One had neon purple eyes and dark purple hair, while the other had neon green eyes and a tuft of blonde hair poking out from under a baseball cap. Both of them looked up as the two landed, giving the same looks of confusion the brunette was giving them.
“Uh, N?” The purple-eyed one spoke first. “Who the hell is that?”
“Oh, I found her hiding over there.” N replied in a chipper tone. “Say, what is your name?” He leaned over to look at her curiously, seeing an expression of pure bewilderment on her face.
“Uh…” she hesitated, glancing between the three drones around her, “…Seraph.”
“Ooh, cool name!” N said cheerfully. “I’m Serial Designation N, it’s nice to meet you!” Seraph looked at him with a confused expression, his friendly demeanor completely different from the murder drones she usually dealt with.
“O-kay.” She managed at last, her gaze turning to the worker drones. “And, uh… who are you two?”
“I’m Thad.” The green-eyed drone replied. “That’s Uzi.” He pointed a thumb at the purple-haired drone, who Seraph noticed was eyeing her suspiciously. She didn’t drop her gaze, though, instead looking over both worker drones for any signs of injuries. Her systems picked up nothing, which resulted in a mix of relief and confusion.
“Uh… hi.” She spoke. Uzi’s eyes narrowed further, her arms folding over her chest as she tilted her head.
“What’s a worker like you doing out here?” She asked curtly. Seraph’s expression changed, looking mildly offended.
“I could ask you the same thing.” She replied, matching Uzi’s energy. The two stared at each other in silence, which caused N and Thad to exchange confused and mildly worried looks. After a solid thirty seconds, Seraph finally relented, letting out a small sigh.
“…I’m looking for a new colony.” She admitted. “I heard some voices and came to check it out, then tried to run after I saw him.” She pointed a thumb at N, who froze for a moment before gaining a sheepish expression. Uzi’s suspicion lessened at her explanation, though, changing to a more bored look instead.
“There’s a bunker about a mile southwest of here.” She said simply. “It’s a giant metal door sticking out of the snow; can’t miss it.” Seraph nodded once, but before she could move, Thad spoke up.
“Actually, speaking of the bunker,” he said, turning to Uzi, “that’s the reason why I came out here to get you.” Uzi’s expression changed to confusion, and both N and Seraph also looked at him with interest.
“After the break-in,” Thad continued, “things seemed to settle down, but now some drones have been disappearing, and when I went to grab your gun, your murder friend’s corpse… i-it looked like it… crawled away.” The statement caused all three drones to gain looks of panic, with N glancing over his shoulder frantically. Seraph was quick to take a step back, shaking her head as she held her hands up.
“Yeah, no, I am not risking that.” She said. “You guys have fun, though, I’ll find another colony.” All eyes fell to her, but N was the one to speak up.
“Well, that might be tricky.” He told her. “Active bunkers are few and far between, from what I know. My squad only ever found this one in the whole city- uh, when we were actively hunting worker drones, that is.” Seraph turned her gaze to N, staring at him silently for a moment as she processed his words. Her programs were still actively being cautious of him, but she was overriding the ones telling her to run and merely nodded.
“Got it.” She said at last. “Well, either way, I’m not setting foot in that bunker if drones are disappearing. You guys can deal with it, I’ll wait out here with him.” She pointed at N as she took a seat on some debris, but much to her surprise, Uzi’s expression turned angry.
“N’s coming with us.” She snipped. Seraph’s visor changed to confusion, raising a virtual eyebrow.
“You’re really gonna bring a murder drone to a populated bunker?” She asked, a disbelieving tone in her voice. Uzi’s glare only hardened.
“Bite me.” She retorted. “He’s coming with us.” Seraph felt a twinge in her processors at Uzi’s tone, but relented and raised her hands up in a surrendering motion.
“Fine then.” She replied calmly. “You guys go ahead. If you don’t die and find out what’s taking the other drones, you can come back and let me know. I’ll just wait here by myself.” Uzi’s anger faded to mild annoyance at Seraph’s answer, while Thad gained a look of concern. N, however, seemed to be lost in thought before his expression changed and he stepped forward.
“Actually,” he said, drawing Seraph’s attention, “there is someone you can wait with!” Seraph once again quirked an eyebrow, but felt some curiosity and decided to follow along.
“And who is-WHOA!” Before she could finish her sentence, N suddenly scooped her up again, taking off and flying her over to a nearby spire. Seraph’s scans quickly picked up that it was made of worker drone corpses, but she hardly had time to process it as N flew them in through an opening and over to a crashed pod. He landed neatly on top and set Seraph down, who stood there in confusion as N knelt down and opened the pod’s hatch.
“Come on!” He said, signaling for Seraph to follow as he climbed in. Seraph tilted her head slightly, looking down at the battered pod beneath her feet. A bad feeling settled in her systems, but she decided against her usual programming and followed N, climbing down into the pod.
Halfway down, she noticed the second murder drone and froze completely.
Seraph felt her panic kick in as she stared, the new murder drone meeting her eyes coldly. It seemed like time itself slowed down as her programs raced through her head, trying to get her to do something, but failing to decide what. Despite the clear tension, however, N still remained cheerful, keeping a smile on his face.
“Seraph, this is V.” He introduced her. “Don’t worry, you’re safe here.” Seraph’s gaze flickered over to N before looking back at V, noticing the clear murderous gleam in her eyes. The sight alone sent a shiver through Seraph’s body, but she forced herself to climb down the rest of the ladder.
“Somehow, I’m not so sure about that.” She muttered. V narrowed her eyes slightly, but N didn’t seem to notice.
“Yeah, she can be a little mean,” he admitted, “but she can’t get you. We’ve got her secured, and since you’re a new friend, she’ll behave herself. Right?” He put light emphasis on the last word as he cast a glance at V, who silently glared back at N. Seraph blinked once before she looked V over, noticing a sturdy chain connected to a collar around her neck. A padlock was holding the collar shut, but as Seraph’s gaze wandered down the chain, she noticed something hidden under the chair V was seated in.
One of the links had been snapped.
Seraph gained a terrified expression as she noticed this, quickly looking back to where N was to see he had vanished. Instead, he was suddenly behind her, already halfway up the ladder out of the pod. The worker drone tried to follow, but N moved faster than she could react and was soon back up at the hatch.
“Well, I gotta go help Uzi, so you two have fun! Byee!” He said, waving as he left the pod. The hatch closed behind him with a solid ‘CLUNK,’ and was soon followed by metal wings flapping as he flew away. Seraph remained frozen for a minute before slowly turning around, looking at V with an expression of pure horror.
“…That chain’s not connected.” She said at last. V smirked, her eyes gaining a sadistic gleam.
“Nope.” She replied.
A solid ten seconds passed where neither of them moved.
Then, everything happened at once.
Seraph turned and leapt up as high as she could, grabbing onto the ladder and scrambling for the hatch. V rushed out of her chair after her, her visor changing to her signature ‘X’ as she readied her claws. Seraph looked back just as V lunged, managing to raise one boot and kick the murder drone square in the visor. The impact sent V back just long enough for Seraph to get the hatch open, forcing it aside as she hauled herself out of the pod.
V let out an angered growl as she pursued, leaping out of the open hatch as Seraph jumped away and hit the ground. The murder drone grinned and extended her claws, pushing off of the pod with full force, ready to slice the worker to pieces. She felt a psychotic glee as she saw Seraph’s panicked eyes, but there was a sudden flash of movement and V’s claws wound up sinking into the snow.
“What?!” She exclaimed, glancing around angrily for her target. The sound of flapping above her drew her attention, and she turned her gaze to see something she had never been prepared for.
Seraph was hovering ten feet above her with her own set of wings.
“What the hell?” V blurted, eyes reverting to their normal ovals. “Where did you get those?!”
“I built them!” Seraph shot back. The response only worsened V’s anger, her visor re-activating its ‘X’ as she unfurled her bladed wings. Seraph was quick to react as she turned and flew off, slipping through one of the spire’s openings and racing out into the city. V followed right after her, surprised by how fast the worker drone could fly, but refusing to give up the hunt.
The wind howled as Seraph swooped down the street, weaving through the wrecked buildings to try and shake V. Her wings caught the air as she made a tight turn, ducking under a hanging bar and racing away down a smaller alley. She made a few more evasive moves until she couldn’t hear V behind her, so without quite thinking, she glanced over her shoulder to check.
She got her answer as a bullet barely missed her head.
Seraph let out a shrill scream, tucking her wings and diving as a barrage of bullets shot past her. She swerved around another corner, her movements more frantic as she could hear V chasing her again. More bullets flew by as Seraph rapidly scanned the area, trying to find something when her systems locking on a loose piece of metal not too far down. With one strong flap, she propelled herself forward, snagging the metal and tearing it clean out. With the momentum she had, she swung herself around and released, launching the scrap straight back at V.
“Wha-?!” V blurted before rapidly switching to her sword, slicing the scrap clean in half. The pieces flew by her and fell back to the ground, but as she refocused, she realized she had lost sight of Seraph. She stopped midair as her eyes flickered back to ovals for a moment, but they soon returned to the iconic ‘X’ as her systems scanned the area for signs of the worker drone. Unfortunately, since Seraph had been flying, there were no footprints or major disturbances she could track, leaving her with nowhere to start.
“Grr, I’m not letting you get away that easily.” V growled, starting down the street again. She had yet to let a worker drone escape her, and she refused to let that change.
Meanwhile, Seraph remained tucked behind a building on a side street, hiding carefully behind the rubble. She listened as V took off in a different direction, waiting until she was completely out of range before even daring to move. She peered out and scanned the area around her, confirming V wasn’t nearby as she snuck out and started back the way she came. She kept low as she crept through the shadows of the buildings, keeping her steps light to minimize the noise. She managed to round the corner when a blur raced overhead, landing hard in the snow down the street and causing Seraph to freeze. V had doubled back, and picking up on the few footprints the worker drone left, was soon able to pinpoint her location.
“Found you.” V spoke, her voice dripping with a sadistic venom. Seraph didn’t bother to hide anymore and spread her wings, launching back into the air. She only got so far, however, as V quickly pulled her gun and fired, the bullet cutting the arm of Seraph’s left wing. A searing pain shot through the worker drone’s systems and she screamed, losing her balance and crashing back into the snow. She felt another wave of pain as she hit her back, barely managing to recover as V rushed for her. She quickly tried to push herself up, but was stopped as the murder drone slammed a clawed hand against her chest and pinned her down in the snow. Frantic violet eyes stared up at the glowing yellow ‘X,’ a murderous grin right alongside it as V raised her claws to deal the final blow.
SHNNK!
V froze, her eyes reverting to ovals. Her gaze turned down from Seraph to her stomach, seeing a large knife had pierced her side. Oil spurted from the wound, Seraph gripping the handle tightly as she drove it deeper. The pain finally registered and V lurched slightly, allowing Seraph to shove her back, bring one leg up and kick her square in the chest. The murder drone stumbled, and Seraph immediately wormed out from underneath her, spreading her wings and launching back to put distance between them.
“Ghk-” V choked as she staggered slightly, taking a second to regain her footing before looking at Seraph again. The worker drone stared her down, wings flared, oil-stained knife at the ready. Her scanners locked onto the smaller weapon, studying the shape before she realized it was actually made from a severed murder drone’s claw. Her processors started racing as she took this in, her usual programming overridden by new thoughts and jamming up her mind. The wound in her side stung harshly as well, but despite her frustrations, she let out a small chuckle and retracted her claws.
“Didn’t expect an actual fight like that.” She said. “Gotta say… I’m impressed.” Seraph’s hardened expression faltered immediately, changing to a look of utter confusion as all her processing stopped short.
“Wha-… you… what?” She blurted, unsure how to properly respond. V straightened up slightly, her side glinting for a moment as a strange silver liquid healed her stab wound. Seraph’s expression gained an edge of concern at the sight, but she quickly refocused on V.
“Most worker drones just scream and cry and beg for mercy when I find them.” V explained, grinning at the memories. “But you actually put up a fight, and didn’t make a show of it like that purple thing.” There was an air of annoyance in her tone at that last part, and Seraph briefly wondered if V was referring to Uzi. She decided not to ask, however, still keeping her grip on her knife.
“So… what now, then?” She questioned instead. “You still gonna try and kill me?” V hesitated for a moment, changing one of her hands back into claws as she thoughtfully tapped her chin.
“Hm… no.” She replied. “Not yet, anyways. You’ve proved to be… interesting.” There was a mildly sadistic edge to V’s tone, and Seraph’s programs once again told her to run. But, despite it all, she stayed put and even relaxed her stance somewhat.
“Alright, then.” She said, carefully putting her knife away. She started to retract her wings as well, but her left one stopped halfway and she let out a pained hiss. She quickly unfurled it again, moving it closer to her face and noticing the crack and dent where V’s shot had hit her. There wasn’t severe damage, but it was definitely something she’d need to repair.
“What’re you looking at?” V’s voice sounded much closer, and Seraph yelped in surprise as she noticed the murder drone was suddenly right next to her. She instinctively took a step back, expression both annoyed and spooked, but she forced herself to calm down.
“Just checking the damage.” She replied, relaxing her wing and letting it settle behind her. “Nothing serious, but I’ll need to repair it later.” V looked at the wing in confusion, scanning it over before turning her focus back to Seraph.
“You said you built these?” She asked, sounding unconvinced. “I didn’t think worker drones were smart enough to make something this advanced.” Seraph’s expression once again turned annoyed, but she maintained composure.
“Well, I was.” She replied calmly. “And, as cringy as it may sound, I’m not quite like other worker drones.” V raised an eyebrow, gaining a disbelieving smirk.
“Is that why you’re freakishly tall, too?” She asked, knocking on Seraph’s head. The worker drone winced slightly at the hit, but straightened up and met V’s gaze. She didn’t even have to look up; just as V said, Seraph was about two inches shorter than her, which was far beyond the set height range for worker drones.
“Manufacturing defect.” She explained, rubbing her head. “Honestly, not one I’d really complain about.” She chuckled lightly as she said this, her gaze soon turning upwards to the two planets shining above them.
“We should probably get back before N does and realizes we’re missing.” She said, turning her eyes back to V. For a brief second, V’s expression changed to worry, but she quickly caught herself.
“Yeah, best he doesn’t know about this.” She replied, holding up the broken chain still connected to her collar. Seraph nodded as she stared at the chain, her gaze turning back to her wing for a moment before she looked back down the street. Without a word, she turned and started to walk, which earned a confused look from V.
“Wait, you want to walk back?” She asked in slight disbelief. Seraph glanced over her shoulder, meeting her gaze.
“Well, I can’t really fly with a damaged wing.” She replied flatly. “You can fly back if you want, though.” She turned back again after she spoke, continuing to walk in the direction of the spire. V held an annoyed glare for a moment before she sighed, spreading her wings and taking to the air. Rather than flying off alone, however, she dipped down, hooked her claws under Seraph’s arms, and flew off with her.
“WHOA-!” Seraph cried out on instinct, but her tone changed as she realized what was happening. “What is it with murder drones and picking me up today?” The comment earned a glance from V, which was accompanied by the ghost of a smile, but the worker drone saw neither. V was quick to fly them both back to the spire, swooping in through one of the larger openings and landing neatly on the pod. She promptly let go of Seraph, who took a step away before looking back at V and gaining a small smile.
“Thanks.” She said. “Now come on, let’s head in.” She didn’t wait for a response as she stepped over to the open hatch, climbing down the ladder to get back inside. She had to adjust slightly with her one wing, but she managed to fit and was soon back in the shelter of the pod. V quickly entered after her, closing the hatch behind her as she climbed down the ladder and sat back in her seat. Seraph kept her gaze on her for a minute, blinking once before she sat down on the floor and reached a hand behind her head. V picked up on the sound of a compartment opening, followed by rummaging, and finally Seraph pulled her arm back with a few small tools in hand. She watched with mild curiosity as the worker drone brought her wing closer, setting all but one of the tools in her lap as she adjusted to see the damaged spot.
“Do you just carry those around with you?” She suddenly asked.
“Yep.” Seraph replied, not even glancing at her. “Since I can get damaged very easily outside of a bunker, it helps to have repair tools on hand.” V said nothing in reply as Seraph focused back on her wing, taking a small pen-like tool and holding it up to the crack. There was a small flash of light as she turned it on, which was followed by sparks as she moved it slowly over the damage. V noticed a grimace on the worker drone’s face as she did this, yet she kept working, moving carefully as she welded the crack shut. Once she had finished, she let out a low sigh of relief, setting the pen aside and picking up a different tool.
V found herself unable to look away as she watched Seraph work, seeing how careful and precise her movements were. It confused her that she was interested by this, since normally she couldn’t care less for worker drones, but she kept watching anyways. After a few minutes, with Seraph switching between various tools, she dusted off the area where the damage had been and flexed her wing. V scanned over the wing as well, and much to her surprise, she couldn’t even tell where the initial crack had been.
“There, that’s better.” Seraph broke the silence as she retracted her wing again, looking rather pleased with herself. V blinked once, glancing back at her with a blank expression.
“You are definitely the weirdest worker drone I’ve ever met.” She said at last.
“Explorer drone.” Seraph blurted in reply. V’s expression turned confused.
“What?” She asked, tilting her head slightly. Seraph’s visor displayed momentary panic, and V noticed the smallest blush alongside it.
“Uhh…” Seraph hesitated for a moment before she let out a sigh, “…well, in recent weeks, I’ve been referring to myself as an explorer drone. Since, y’know, I haven’t been working, and instead exploring the planet… making notes, and….” her voice trailed off, the blush on her visor worsening slightly as she shifted her gaze away.
“Yeah, okay, now that I say it out loud, it sounds pretty stupid.” She admitted. V’s expression turned somewhat annoyed, though she felt a small twinge of something lighter in the back of her processors.
“I mean, it’s no more stupid than being a worker drone.” She replied flatly, crossing her legs. The comment made Seraph pause, her gaze flickering over to V before she let out a small chuckle.
“That’s an interesting way to put it.” She said, gathering her tools back up. V merely stared as Seraph put her tools back in her backpack, which made the murder drone notice it for the first time. There were no straps she could see, but it fit flush against Seraph’s back and stayed cleanly in place. V tilted her head slightly, scanning the pack under the shawl the explorer drone was wearing and quickly realizing it was entirely made of metal.
“So, that’s where your wings are stored?” She asked bluntly. Seraph perked up at the question, gaining a gleam of excitement in her expression.
“Oh yeah!” She replied, adjusting her shawl to give V a better view. “The mechanics were tricky, but this-” she stopped mid-sentence as the sound of wings beating could be heard outside, prompting both drones to look up. The pod hatch opened not long after, and climbing down the ladder came a rather distraught-looking N. The expression caught both Seraph and V by surprise, but neither of them had a chance to speak up as N’s gaze fell on Seraph.
“Oh, right, you’re here.” He said in a sullen tone. “Listen, you should probably go, and… it’d be best if you don’t come back.” Seraph’s eyes widened slightly at his words, her gaze flicking over to V. She noticed a glint of concern in the murder drone’s expression, but it was quickly replaced by a look of annoyance. N didn’t react to either of them, instead moving to the far corner of the pod, sitting down on the floor and pulling his knees to his chest. Seraph felt a twinge of sympathy at his saddened state, but not wanting to risk upsetting him further, she got to her feet.
“Uh, okay.” She spoke, keeping her voice soft. She moved over to the ladder and started up, but before leaving, she turned her gaze back to V.
“Bye, V.” She said quietly. There was a disappointed look in her eyes, which made V’s annoyed expression soften just slightly. The explorer drone made her way up the ladder before she could reply though, climbing out and closing the hatch behind her with a heavy ‘CLUNK.’ Seraph hesitated as she debated flying off, but she wound up deciding against it, sliding down the pod and landing on the ground to begin her walk.
——————
After about ten minutes, Seraph found herself standing outside of the bunker, which was lit by a singular floodlight and blanketed in snow. She stared at it silently for a moment, old memories flickering through her processors before she shook her head and forced them away. She took a deep breath and walked up to the heavy steel door, bringing one hand up and giving it a firm knock. A few seconds of silence followed before the door opened slightly, revealing a white-eyed worker drone on the other side.
“Uh, can I help you?” He asked, looking at her in confusion.
“I’m looking for a new colony.” Seraph replied. “My old one was… compromised.” The worker drone’s expression saddened at her words, and he silently opened the door fully to allow her to enter.
“The W.D.F. can help you get situated.” He told her. “Come on, I’ll take you to the main office.” Seraph nodded as she stepped in, waiting as the worker closed the door and headed down the large hallway. She followed him in as he led her to the office, knocking on the door and stepping back as it slid to the side.
“Ron?” A brown-haired worker drone answered, looking at him in confusion.
“Got a new drone looking for a colony.” Ron explained, pointing a thumb at Seraph. The explorer drone waved at her sheepishly, feeling awkward due to the fact she was nearly a head taller than both of them. The brown-haired drone looked up at her for a moment, also realizing the situation and gaining an expression of sympathy.
“Sure, we can help you.” She said. “You go back to your post Ron, we can take it from here.”
“Thanks, Sarah.” Ron replied. Seraph’s expression briefly flashed with panic as she heard the name, but she collected herself and focused as Sarah led her into the office. It wasn’t long before Seraph was sat down at a meeting table, where Sarah and another worker drone sat on the other side across from her.
“So, uh… Seraph, was it?” The other worker drone said, taking a moment to remember her name. “What sort of skills do you have?”
“Well,” Seraph started, “I studied mechanical engineering for a couple years and learned how to modify myself with fully-functional wings. I actually have the blueprints and schematics right here.” She reached behind her as she spoke, the compartment in her wing-pack opening again and allowing her to pull out a small tablet. She turned it on and tapped on the screen a couple times before handing it over, allowing the two workers to look over her designs. They both remained silent as they scanned over the blueprints, waiting a few seconds before Sarah looked back up at Seraph.
“You drew these?” She asked. Seraph’s expression briefly turned confused.
“Uh, yeah.” She replied. “If you want to see the actual model-”
“No need.” Sarah interrupted, holding one hand up. “These are more than enough.” Seraph blinked, mildly surprised, but felt an increase in confidence.
“I’m glad to hear that.” She said.
“Yep.” Sarah replied, glancing over at her co-worker. “These drawings prove you’re more than capable to be our colony’s new art teacher.” Seraph’s expression quickly dropped, changing to a mix of shocked and mildly offended.
“Art teacher?” She echoed. “But- those are real blueprints, the math adds up and everything-”
“Yes, we see that,” the other worker interrupted, “but this colony doesn’t really have a… need for this kind of tech. So we’ll be utilizing your art skills instead.” Seraph opened her mouth to protest, but she stopped short as she realized there was no point in arguing. They had just let her in; they could very easily kick her out again.
“Alright, I accept.” She said at last. Both workers seemed pleased with her answer, and Sarah returned Seraph’s tablet to her.
“Wonderful.” She said, pulling up some papers. “You’ll start first thing tomorrow; here’s a map of the bunker, your housing unit number and your key. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to come back and let us know.” Seraph put her tablet away before she looked down at the papers, picking up the map and scanning it over. She promptly inputted it to her important memory files, knowing full well she was going to need it later.
“Thank you.” She said simply, taking the other papers and getting up. The two drones nodded as Seraph turned and left, walking out of the office and holding up the map to search for her new unit. She thankfully had no trouble finding it, but as she arrived, she felt a small twinge as she stood in front of the door. The same memories from before tried replaying, but not wanting to dwell on them, Seraph took the key and quickly opened the lock. The door slid open silently, allowing her to step in and take a look around.
It was a pretty standard unit; main area, kitchen, dining table, couch, and a hallway to the left where the bathroom and bedroom were. She knew the setup well, as it was the exact same setup she’d known before. A grimace crossed her face as she shook her head, once again stopping the old memories from playing out. She instead focused on settling in, taking out the little stuff she had brought and putting it on the dining table.
She opened the compartment on her wing-pack, taking out her tablet, tools, and the still-stained knife she had stabbed V with. She focused on it for a moment, studying the blade as she used her free hand to pull out the other two that looked identical to it. Her glowing violet eyes looked back at her in the reflections of the blades, causing her to sigh and set them down on the table with her other belongings. Her gaze then turned to the rest of the unit, which was pretty much devoid of any signs that anyone lived there.
“It’ll become a home.” She told herself. “Just… gotta live in it a bit first.” She stood still for a moment before she heard footsteps outside, her survival programs kicking in and causing her to panic. Her eyes locked on the door as they approached and passed, and soon Seraph realized it had just been a worker drone walking by. She let out a soft sigh as her body relaxed, one hand moving up to her head and pushing her bangs aside.
“I’m gonna have to get used to that again.” She muttered. An idea popped into her processors at her own words, her head peeking up slightly as she looked back at the door. A small bit of excitement stirred in her systems, and after ensuring she had her key, Seraph left her unit and decided to go greet her new neighbours.
The first door she knocked on didn’t give any reply, but she figured it was a night shift worker and would check another time. Turning on her heel, she walked down the hallway to the other unit, stopping outside the door and giving it a polite knock. This time, she promptly heard footsteps, and the door soon opened to reveal a white-eyed worker drone with red goggles on his helmet and a grey moustache.
“Oh, hello there!” He said, his voice a bit deeper. “How can I help you?”
“Hi!” Seraph replied, smiling. “My name’s Seraph- I’m new to the colony. I actually just settled into the unit next door, and I thought I’d take some time to meet my new neighbours.” The drone’s eyes widened, but he gained a friendly smile.
“Ah, I see!” He said. “In that case, welcome! I’m Khan Doorman.” He extended one hand to Seraph, who promptly met him in a handshake.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Doorman.” She said politely. “Is it just you in this unit?”
“Oh no,” Khan replied, letting go of Seraph’s hand, “my daughter Uzi lives here as well. She’s, uh… not very social, though.” Seraph blinked in surprise, her memory files pulling up an image of Uzi on instinct. She glanced between the image and Khan, her confusion growing as she saw practically no resemblance.
“I see.” She said at last. “Well, it’s no problem, I can understand. I should get back to my own unit anyways, it’s getting late and I have to be available tomorrow.”
“I hear ya.” Khan replied, nodding. “Take care, Seraph! Hopefully you’ll feel welcome here in the colony!” He gave her a thumbs up, which Seraph returned with a kind smile. The two parted ways as Seraph headed back to her unit, opening the door and walking over to the dining table. Her eyes fell on her tablet, and after a moment of hesitation, she picked it up and headed over to her new bedroom.
The door slid aside as she approached, her movements slowing as she took in the new space. Like the rest of the unit, it was blank except for the needed furniture, which brought a saddened feeling to the explorer drone. She promptly shook it off, however, deciding to settle on her new bed and put her tablet on the nightstand. She began her shutdown sequence as she laid back, her processors powering down one by one as her body readied for sleep mode. A small yawn escaped her as her optics switched off, one last thought running through her mind before she shut down.
“Hopefully, this place will welcome me.”
——————
Meanwhile, back at the pod, N still hadn’t moved from his spot. He remained seated with his knees to his chin, his tail curled around his feet. V found the whole thing rather annoying, especially since he hadn’t moved in over three hours.
“I hate your personality normally, but this is somehow worse.” She said bluntly. “What am I being punished for?” N didn’t reply, which worsened her annoyance, but a small spark of concern lit up in the back of her processors. Her expression softened as she looked down at her broken chain, gently nudging it with her foot to cover up the snapped link. N still didn’t notice or move, and V’s annoyance resurfaced as she folded her arms.
“So he gets to have a worker drone friend, but as soon as I do, he makes her leave?” She thought angrily. “How’s that fair?” Her anger bubbled up as she turned her gaze away from N, but after a second, she realized just what she had thought and gained a slightly panicked expression.
She had called Seraph a friend.
She shook her head at the idea, forcing herself to shut it down. She would not let herself befriend a worker drone, not when her entire purpose was to kill them.
“Explorer drone.” Seraph’s voice spoke as her memory brought it up, but it only made V’s frustration worse. She clenched her fists as she grit her teeth, once again forcing the thoughts away. Seraph was not a friend, and she wouldn’t let that change, even if she had been upset to see her go.
Growing fed up with the conflicting programs, V let out a groan and forced her systems into shutdown, her processors powering off as she sat back in her chair. She didn’t want to think about any of it further, and N’s sulking didn’t help at all to distract her. She just needed to rest; Seraph was gone, and that was that. Her optics soon switched off, and letting her head hang, V fell into sleep mode.
Tomorrow, things would be back to normal.