Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

1

Her boots tapped against the cold ash colored stone beneath her feet. Mist wrapped and coiled around her legs, trying to drag her down below as shadows drifted amongst the fog. In the gloom, spires of obsidian glass pierced through the fog and clouds, points of golden fire flickering faintly amongst the drizzle-slick tops of the pillars in lightning-shape. A dull roar throbbed in her audials as she walked forwards.

“Hello?” she called, “Anyone here?”

Silence for a long while was her only answer.

And then a low, rumbling answered her, shaking casing and strut as the ground beneath her quaked. Her gaze shot up towards the sky, at the roaring singularity blazing as if some dead sun. The rumbling turned into a hiss, turned into a growl, turned into the dull throbbing roar as something dark and huge flew through the air. She took a few shaking steps back as the massive creature slammed into the ground in front of her, roaring and baring fangs as big as she was at her. Wings of death dark ebony spread in the air, claws reaching for her as a lean tail swept back and forth. Eyes as gold as molten sunlight pierced through her very core as that jagged maw opened wide with light pooling…

“LEAVE!”

She jerked awake, legs catching in her sheets as she twisted out of her bed and landed heavily on the floor.

“Ow…” she blinked, staring up at her ceiling for a bit.

The corrugated plate of sheet metal was nothing special really, standard for each housing unit. The pictures and drawings scattered throughout the walls and such? Probably unique to her. She gave a sigh as she sat up, rubbing her head as she ran her fingers through her dark hair. Today was starting out fantastic…

She got to her feet, quietly making her bed as neatly as she could, smiling as she took a step back and admired her work. The buzzing of her alarm made her jump a bit, though that might have also been nerves from the nightmare. With a small little huff, she started getting ready for the day. Dusting off her jacket as she put her hair up, pulling the glittering crystal and silver pendant from her blouse, and hopping on a foot as she pulled her boots on. Finally, she wrapped her fingers around a black leather scabbard holding a long, silver bladed knife and slipped that into her right boot. Better safe than sorry. Especially with this place.

She grabbed her backpack not long after that and walked out of her room. Her eyes scanned the apartment, looking for other signs of life and not seeing them. Her father was probably still at work or he was asleep, one of the two. No matter, she’d see him at some point. 

With a quick rummaging of the cabinets and pilfering a powerpack, she made her way out the door and down to the repair ward. The chill of the early morning hugged her arms and legs, weaving in fingers of mist that swirled around her ankles. She heard sparks from another welding crew, trying to repair what looked like a pipe that had fallen down, spilling water turned to icy slush. A body lay in the hall, coated with clear glass-slick ice that had nearly instantly frozen over the poor soul, the brilliant red FATAL ERROR on their screen warped by the solid liquid. 

“Must have gotten caught in the initial burst…” she wondered as she skirted by.

The repair ward wasn’t too far from that, and she managed to sneak in without incident…at least, she thought.

“Where the hell have you been?” a blue-eyed medic demanded, crossing his arms, “You’re late.”

“Alarm didn’t wake me up in time, Dr. Price,” she stated as she slid her backpack off and hung it on the coat hook, “Plus there was a broken pipe blocking the way. Water hazard. Looked like it got some poor soul when it burst.”

“Yeah, Frank,” Dr. Price sighed, “Managed to save Caleb, who also got caught but…Frank got the worst of it. They’ll be bringing him to the morgue soon,”

“Take it that’s going to be my morgue training then?”

“Maybe,” he admitted, “We can’t do anything until he’s thawed out. Damn…fifth one this week…” He gave a sigh as he tossed her a clipboard and pen, “Well, Jaelyn, you know what to do. Inventory time,”

Jaelyn gave a nod as she started towards the supply closet. Every day started the same. Woke up, ran down to the medical wing, took inventory, reported, then went off to school for a bit before returning and having Dr. Price show her some more tricks of the trade. Sometimes something would break the monotony, but Jaelyn liked when things stayed the same.

She checked the list and made her way over to the oil storage, pulling out one of the drawers as she started looking at the numbers.

“48, 49…5-” she paused, counting again and frowning, “That’s odd…”

There were bags missing. At least three of them from what she could see. She straightened up, marking the missing bags on the clipboard before starting out of the supply closet.

“Dr. Price…we’re missing at least three bags of oil, I don-” she was cut off by the doors slamming open.

“Move!” a voice bellowed, sending some of the nurses scattering, “Dr. Price! Need you here now!”

Dr. Price was a blur of blue as he dashed to the poor drone that was hoisted onto a bed. 

“What happened?” Dr. Price demanded, “Multiple fractures, internal bleeding for sure, arm’s been ripped off…is that a bite mark?!” he turned towards Jaelyn, “Oil, stat!”

Jaelyn bolted back into the supply room, grabbing a couple bags and rushing back. She grabbed an IV stand as she passed it, hooking up the oil bag and grabbing the tubes, ripping off the cap on the syringe.

“Insert the IV here,” Dr. Price ordered, tapping on the remaining arm, “I’m going to stop the bleeding on the other side. Keep him stable.”

“Yes sir,” Jaelyn nodded, doing as asked as the poor man groaned.

“Get me gauze and a tourniquet,” 

Jaelyn darted back to the closet and grabbed said materials. By the time she’d made it back, Dr. Price had put the Worker in an emergency shutdown. He then grabbed the gauze and tourniquet from Jaelyn and started to work. He flashed her a rare smile and nodded.

“Good girl,” he told her.

“Is he going to make it?” she asked.

“Possibly. He’s lost a lot of oil,” Dr. Price stated, turning his head up to the party that brought the poor man in, “What happened.”

“Accident at Door One,” came the reply, “Murder Drone nearly got him. We managed to pull him inside, but the damn thing ripped his arm off. Near miss with its tail too.”

“Thank robo-god for that,” Dr. Price muttered, “Can’t fix nanite acid. That needs immediate amputation.I’ll have to requisition an arm from Harvesting, that could take a while. But…I think he’s gonna make it.”

“Good,” the leader of the group nodded, “Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

He walked over to Jaelyn and sized her up. She looked at him, then back at the man on the table.

“That could have been you,” she stated.

“But it wasn’t,” he shrugged, “Besides…I’d have a pretty damn good doctor and his assistant working on me if it was.”

“That’s not an equitable situation for either of us and you know it.”

They both stared at each other before he cracked and gave a laugh as he drew her into a hug.

“Ahhh I missed you, kiddo,” Khan chuckled, holding his daughter close.

“Missed you too, Dad,” Jaelyn smiled, hugging him back.

Jaelyn Doorman by AhoNoKio

Jaded Stars Solver Host by Urcasualscroller

Chapter Text

2

Jaelyn sat down in the cafeteria with a sigh. The day was dragging on and all she wanted to do was get back to the medical ward to finish the morgue training. Dr. Price said that Frank would have been thawed out enough by the time she finished classes for the day and she was looking forward to at least getting the morgue training.

The bench bounced next to her and she gave an exasperated sigh as she caught sight of blonde curls and bright orange eyes.

“So!” a chipper voice beamed, “heard you had a fun start to the day!”

“Yes,” she stated, taking a bite out of her lunch, “But nothing special, don’t you have someone else to pester?”

Emmett Sterling was a tall boy with bright orange eyes and golden curls that were always a fluffy mess and it drove Jaelyn up a wall. Always present were his overly long coat that often hid his hands, a black and grey beanie which was mysteriously missing today, and the bolo tie that held a silver gem around his throat.He leaned his head on his hand as he sat down, head tilted like a little puppy dog as he gave a bright, goofy grin.

“Aw, c’mon, Jae! You love me!” 

Jaelyn rolled her eyes as she shoved him away. The bench bounced again, lighter, softer as a female voice caught her attention.

“Emmett, you know she’s super stressed out,” came the scold, “Medical field is very intensive and hard to work in, y-you know…”

Jaelyn tilted her head to catch a glimpse of the girl sitting next to her. Victoria Hart, a taller than average girl with bright blonde hair and silver-blue eyes hidden behind a pair of large glasses…the right lens of which had a small crack towards the rim as a result of a fight. She pulled her coffee colored knit cardigan closer over her shoulders as she readjusted her headband, the floral pattern glittering in the light.

“Afternoon, Victoria,” Jaelyn said, “Couldn’t keep your cowboy on his leash could you…”

“C’mon, Jae…” Emmett rolled his eyes as Victoria gave a light squeak, “Leave her alone…I dragged her over. We wanted to say hi! And I wanted to make sure you were still on for later today?”

“Of course,” Jaelyn said, “After work study. You have the key?”

“Yup!” Emmett smiled, flicking a key card up into his fingers, “Will say…getting it from my brother was not easy. He’s gonna be reeeeeeal mad when he finds out I kinda yoinked it from him, ha.”

“He take your beanie?” Jaelyn stated, taking a sip from her glass.

“Ehhh not really?” Emmett rubbed the back of his neck, “I couldn’t find it today. Turned the house upside down trying to and, well…no luck.”

“So you lost it,”

“Not lost, misplaced !” Emmett sputtered, getting a laugh from Victoria.

“If you say so,” Jaelyn sighed.

“Oh! Almost forgot!” Emmett gave a grin as he dug in his backpack, “Found this when I was helping out in the kitchens earlier. They let me have them as a ‘thank you’...and I thought I’d share them with you guys,”

He pulled out three power packs and Jaelyn and Victoria’s eyes went hollow as he handed them over. 

“N…” Victoria said slowly as she held the pack, “They seriously let you have them!?”

“Do you know how rare these are?” Jaelyn demanded.

“Yeah, I know,” Emmett shrugged, “And why wouldn’t I give them to my best friends, huh? I’m not gonna eat all three of them and they’ll just go to waste if I don’t. They’re lithium ion packs, super hard to get a hold of. Should be extra sweet and give a nice burst for the rest of the day. Much better than the alkaline stuff they’ve been rationing out,”

The girls quickly took the packs and hid them away, was best to not let people see that they had them after all. Didn’t want anyone getting violent upon seeing rations being snuck out and to people. 

“You need to be more careful,” Victoria whispered, “What if someone saw you?”

“They’re not gonna see me!” Emmett grinned, “I’m like a ghost when it comes to sneaking around. Wooooooo!” he waggled his fingers in a spooky manner which got Jaelyn to roll her eyes and Victoria to giggle, “Nah, I’ll just talk my way out of it like I always do!”

“Just sit and eat before you run out of power,” Jaelyn sighed, “Dad says there’s going to be a series of rolling blackouts coming up soon so we’re likely going to be needed on board at our places of work,”

“Mines probably won’t be needing me that much if the blackouts keep happening. It’s too dangerous to work with those,” Emmett noted as he started sipping on his drink, “Might end up running parts around with the Harvesters though,”

“Speak for yourself,” Victoria gave a soft little laugh, “If the medical ward doesn’t grab me then I’m going to be with the WDF at the doors. Though, Dr. Price says I’d be better suited there than in the medical ward…aha…he got fed up with everything I dropped the last time I worked there. What about you, Jae?”

“I’ve got morgue training today with Dr. Price,” came the reply as Jaelyn neatly placed her utensils on the tray, “Don’t say anything to anyone else about this…but I believe that there’s someone liberating assets in the medical ward if you catch my drift.”

“A thief?!” Emmett hissed quietly, “What are they taking? Gauze? Medicine?”

“Oil,” Jaelyn stated, “There’s three bags less than there should be in storage. I’m going to see if I can catch the thief,”

“Be careful, Jae,” Victoria winced, “If they’re injured and desperate enough to steal…I don’t think it’ll be good for you if you catch them,”

Emmett gave a nod, looking troubled. 

“I’ll be fine,” Jaelyn reassured them, “I’m Khan Doorman’s daughter…no one’s going to hurt me.”

No matter how many times Dr. Price worked with Jaelyn over different procedures, morgue work was a bit more fascinating. Prepping the body for Harvesting and seeing the life story of the drone whose spark was taken was…interesting. Just by looking at a drone’s fuel tank would tell you their eating habits, their power cell told their sleeping habits, how long their core stayed bright after death told you their attachments if they had any. 

Frank was a drunk, the amount of high grade in his systems had started corroding his fuel tank and according to Dr. Price he would have been in here for surgery within the next few days because of it. He was an insomniac according to the dimly glowing powercell that was permanently at 20%. But…his core was still somewhat glowing despite not cycling, so there was an attachment.

“We’ll have to alert his next of kin,” Dr. Price had said, yanking at the dog tags around his neck, “I’ll do that…you go home, Jaelyn. Gonna be an early morning,”

That being said, Jaelyn was currently making her way back home, hand on her knife as the lights overhead flickered and sputtered. If the lights went out and she saw someone coming towards her…they were highly likely to get sent to Dr. Price.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. Her trek back to the apartment was peaceful and without incident. At least, until she got closer to passing the doors and caught sight of her father talking with one of his subordinates, Carl, who was grinning widely.

“Oh! Hey Jae!” came the call from Carl, getting her father to look back at her and smile brightly.

“Hey, kiddo,” he smiled as he hugged her and she returned it, “How was working with Dr. Price?”

“Informative as usual, learned to prep a frame for Harvest today,” she said, “What’s…going on here?”

“Oh, your ol’ man didn’t tell you what he did this morning when we brought James to the medical ward?” Carl asked, “Oh Khan, you’re gettin’ old . C’mon, tell her!”

“It’s really nothing…” Khan protested.

“Nothing?!” Carl sputtered, “Look, James got ensnared by one of the Murder Drones doing their spooky Siren Call thing. He actually managed to open the doors and we managed to pull him away from the bulkhead and prevent it from opening further…but it grabbed his arm and started pulling. It managed to bite him pretty damn hard as you saw! But then…god there was this blur of bright white as your ol’ man comes blitzing out of nowhere with a sharpened lead pipe and drives the thing right into the Murder Drone’s screen! I’ve never seen anyone that ballsy before!”

“You all would have done the same,” Khan huffed, pointedly ignoring the narrowed eyed look his daughter was giving him as she tapped a foot on the floor.

“God the scream that thing gave…it was like nothing I’ve ever heard before,” Carl shuddered, “It’s tail snaked in but Khan managed to slam it to the ground with the pipe end he had with a snarl that made the Murder Drone quail! My own core near stopped cycling! And we got James back through…missing his arm as the door slammed shut on the Murder Drone’s tail. Shattered that canister and sent Nanite Acid everywhere . But we got lucky that it didn’t get on us.”

“I see,” Jaelyn deadpanned, crossing her arms.

“Carl’s blowing it out of proportion.” Khan reassured her, “It was not that bad. He’s embellishing a lot ,”

“Dad. Did you, or did you not, put a lead pipe in a Murder Drone’s screen,”

“Just a bit,” he admitted, “But everything else is embellishment and not true! Stop making me some kind of folk hero, Carl…”

Carl shrugged, “Hey, man…I know what I saw. And you’re one certified badass,”

Khan rolled his eyes and turned back to his daughter.

“Why don’t you go and get some sleep, ok?” he suggested, gently ruffling her dark hair before laying a kiss on it, “Blackouts are gonna be brutal tomorrow and there’s a blizzard coming. They might be canceling your school too due to that. I’ve a feeling you’re going to be needed in the medical ward a lot,”

Jae gave a sigh. He was right. Normally blackouts that bad managed to cause a lot of injuries from people going stir crazy, and they were only compounded on when it came to blizzards. That scrap run she was planning on with Emmett would have to wait.

Hopefully he’d forgive her.

Earlier …

He sat on top of the snowy roof, watching as the sky lightened in the east.

“Maybe we should go…” he suggested, “I mean, I dunno…this seems kinda risky. They’re real spooked.”

“Shut up,” she snapped before giving a soft snort, “See, this is why I’m leader and you’re not. It’ll be fine . I’ll just lure the toaster over and yank him out in the snow when he opens the door. Like they always do.”

“Whatever you say, boss-girl,” he shrugged, getting to his feet and stretching with wings spread wide. His tail gave a quick lash as she stood up and her own wings fluttered out, “Imma head back to the Spire. Don’t stay out too late, ‘kay?”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

She hopped off the bunker roof, he could hear her cloying song threading through the ar and he shrugged, taking off back towards the Spire with a low, thunderous boom as the air snapped behind him.

Emmett "N" Sterling  and Victoria "Vicky" Hart by AhoNoKio

Chapter Text

3

The snow stirred around him as he landed firmly on the ground with wings stretched out. He gave a yawn, stretching and showcasing every single one of his gleaming fangs as his tail gave a light wag. It was a late night, they didn’t really catch anything and he just wanted to go to bed. 

Here! Hi! Here! Friend! He whistled as he strode up towards the pod that he’d oh so gently drove into the ground when they arrived here about ten years ago but hey, any landing you could walk away from, right?

Here! Hi! Safe! Here! Came the return warble and his tail wagged a little harder as he spotted a familiar face lounging on the top of the pod, holding a Worker’s head as if it were one of those coconut drinks the humans were so fond of. Even had a little umbrella too.

“You’re back late,” came the lazy sigh as his squadmate turned a page in her book before sipping from one of the tubes in the Worker’s neck.

“Eh, R wanted to hang out a little later than normal,” he shrugged, stopping as he looked up at her, “Good hunt, E?”

Serial Designation: E looked over the top of her book before flashing a slow and wicked smile, her tail jabbing towards the pile of bodies that lay in the corner of the Spire.

“Daaaaang,” he whistled as he looked them over, “Nice haul,”

“Please, slim pickings for me,” she huffed, “Take it you didn’t catch anything? Considering I don’t see you lugging a body?”

“Nah, pretty slim for us too,” he admitted, “But hey, might get something since R’s doin’ her thing at that bunker not far from here. Boss-girl’s always got some great ideas,”

“Uh huh…sure thing, S,” E gave a roll of her false eyes as she went back to her book, “You two took so long I thought you were having an immoral makeout session…”

“Aw c’monnnnn!” Serial Designation: S wheedled, “It’s not that bad! She’s just really focused and dedicated,”

“Sure, whatever you say,”

“She’s not that bad, E! She’s made a lot of good decisions!”

E shot him a very unamused look, opening her mouth to speak when a shrieking sound caught their attention, making them whip back towards the entrance of the Spire.

Hurts! Hurts! Pain! Hurts! Serial Designation: R screamed like a banshee as she crash landed in the middle of the spire. Hot and steaming red-black oil sprayed from what looked to be a pipe lodged deep into her screen.

S immediately bolted to her side as she continued to scream and thrash, “Whooa easy there! Calm down!”

“Aw, did you break a nail?” E did not look concerned in the slightest as she took a looooong sip from her ‘cup’.

“SHUT UP YOU FINAL GIRL WANNABE!!” R wailed, “I have a pipe in my freaking screen! GET IT OUT!”

“Easy, babe, yeah…Yeah! Yeah of course!” S started, “Uh…hold…still?”

“Least I’m not doing my best unicorn impression,” E stated as she flipped another page in her book.

R snarled and S gave a heavy sigh. It was too early for this…and he was far too sober to be dealing with it either. But, with a quick wrench backwards he managed to pull the very sharp pipe out of R’s screen. Earning him a smack and a shriek as her tail thrashed back and forth. 

“Wimp,” E scoffed, earning her a hiss from R.

“Look, you can read all you want but I’m still the leader here, nerd,” R snapped, “And you should show some respect,”

“I’ll show respect when you’ve earned it and you have not,”

R’s wings flared out, her armor plating bristling and cracking as steam hissed from them, false eyes narrowing to vertical, cat-like slits only for S to quickly slip between his two teammates.

“Heeeey…let’s not fight ok? It’s early, and we’re all tired and hungry and we should probably get some rest so we’re better off in the evening, right?”

The girls hissed at each other, but E grabbed her book and the head and flew back up to her nest, her wings flickering and flaring in a display of molten silver as she transferred the book to her teeth and skewered the head with her tail before scuttling the rest of the way into her nest. R was still hissing, tail thrashing and spilling nanite acid, hissing, into the snow. She was still bristling when S reached out to gently put a hand on her shoulder, his tail gently wrapping around her waist to try and calm her down. R did not take this well, swiping at him and jerking out of his hold.

“Don’t touch me,” she spat, exploding into motion and flying up to her nest as well, disappearing inside faster than he could track.

A whine left his voice box as his tail drooped down to the snow, the chilly fluffy substance hissing lightly as it came into contact with his overly warm frame.

…Love you… he warbled up to her…but was met with silence. 

S gave a sigh as he spread his wings and flew up to his normal perch near the entrance of the Spire. Since the girls went to sleep in their nests, it was a good idea to sleep near the entrance just in case someone tried to get in. Not that anyone would …but it was still a good idea. 

He looped his tail around a piece of rebar as he hovered just above it and then let himself swing down, allowing his systems to get that heady wash of cool as his oil pooled around his core and processor. Least…that would keep him from overheating a bit. 

He dug into the pocket of his hoodie, thumbing a small, button like object that he brought out and examined. If R saw it, she’d definitely beat him within an inch of his life…but, well…least it made the pain and headaches go away. That’d be nice right before sleep, right? Yeah…yeah that definitely would make sleeping easier.

And without a second thought, he brought the magnet up close to the side of his head, shivering as blessed numbness washed from that spot all the way through his processor…and turning into gentle sleep.

His dreams were foggy once again that night.

Thunder rumbled all around him, cold seeped through his chassis though not unpleasant. Everything was taller, not made for him or those his height. He couldn’t feel his wings, couldn’t feel his tail and his vision seemed very restricted. He couldn’t even hear the beating of his core as he walked down the hall with a pile of linens in his hands. 

He looked to his side, seeing a small form, blurred beyond recognition save for two bright points of gold beside him.

"So...what's your favorite color?" S asked as he and the water colored muddled drone walked down the hall, each carrying a load of white linen sheets.

Static, garbling words…

“̴̻̂̕M̶̪̃͂m̸͎̉…̸͈͇͆s̷̤̃̽…̴̤͛̓p̶̡̈́̃…̴̛̹̫p̸̤̎l̴̺̤͊…̶̳͔͐”̴̭̇̇  he could sense a faint smile as the blurry figure jittered, almost as if they were trying to stay straight, "̶L̸i̴.̷.̸.̴ ̵t̴h̴e̵ ̵d̵.̶.̷.̴k̶ ̸p̶u̶r̴.̸.̸.̸ ̸a̸t̶ ̸m̵i̷d̶.̷.̵.̷h̶t̵.̸ ̵W̵.̵.̴.̵t̸ ̴.̷.̷.̸u̷t̴ ̷.̶.̴.̷u̸?̷"̶

"I'd have to say yellow," he grinned.

"̸̭̈Ḛ̸̿w̵̻̐,̷̞͑ ̸͕͆w̶̦̑ẖ̴̾y̷̱͑?̶̘̇ Y̸̺̎e̷͖̅l̵͉̋.̸̩̆.̸͔̂ẅ̷͉́'̷͉͑s̶̱͝ ̶͚̈́s̵͙̓u̷͍̚.̵͓̅.̵̢͊.̴̥́ ̷̨̃a̷̝͌n̶̙̍ ̴̭͆u̷̬̓g̴̯̀l̴͍͝y̵̯̽ ̵͈̕a̶͓̒.̷̲̿.̷͍̍.̶̙̕!̸͉̊"̵̬̚ A scream of pain and the figure pitched forwards, sending the sheets flying every which way, crumbling to the ground, "̷̺̅Ô̵̡h̴̳͌ ̵̖̄c̷̏͜ô̵̫m̶̼̂e̸͉̋ ̶̺͠o̸̙̍n̴̼̾!̸̥̈́ ̵̣̈́S̸̤͌ë̸̝r̵̿ͅi̸̢͆.̵̩̈.̴̪͆.̷̼̓l̴̀ͅy̶̦͛!̷̹̾?̶̞͋ ̷̬̾Ñ̶̝o̸̻͊ẇ̸̦!̸̀͜?̸̡̇"̶̪̇

S gave a pitying smile, helping the poor drone to their feet, the hollow golden lights filling in as they gave their thanks.

"No problem, man," he winked as he helped them to a side table that they could lean against, their little form still sliding towards the ground as he picked up the sheets and started folding them again.

"̵̨̈́S̵͕̈ò̶̢.̴̱͋.̴̗͋.̵̖̃w̷͎̋h̶̛͍y̸͍͛ ̶͕͋ḑ̷̔.̵͉͗.̶̹͠.̶͎̍ ̶̱̏y̶͙͘.̵̘̍.̸̲̑.̷͔͗ ̷̮̚l̶̗̊i̵̠̾k̷̨̑ȅ̷̩ ̴͈͝ỹ̴̧e̴̖͒l̷͖͂l̴̞̕o̶̙͝ŵ̴̯ ̴͖̀š̸̨.̵̰́.̴̠̚.̵̨̅ ̸̨̋m̸̈́ͅ.̸̹͘.̷͆͜.̵̳̅h̴̫͒?̷̥̾"̸̺̈ they asked.

"Eh, lot of my favorite things are yellow," S shrugged, "The sun...the daffodils outside when they manage to grow, and Tessa doesn't kill 'em. She's got a black thumb...E hates it. Oh and...well..." his voice got a bit quiet, "Your eyes."

"̴̖͗I̸̟͋'̶̟̏m̵̛͉ ̷̯̋ṡ̷̘ö̶̬́r̸̰̈́r̷̦̓y̷͕̑ ̶̤̐w̷͚̾ḩ̷͌a̷̖͒t̸͎͋?̶͓̉"̸͓̈́ the golden eyes blinked, hollowing out.

Oh he messed that up.

"Uh, y'know...R's pies, she manages to make them like the sun and they're a really pretty gold color!" S's voice was a lot louder and a golden blush flooded across the smaller drone’s screen as they played with their fingers.

They opened their mouth to respond…only for pain to shoot through his abdomen and he looked down to see a black oily tentacle stabbing through it, twisting and tearing as it wrapped around his core. His vision snowed over with static as a second tentacle brushed against his cheek…but those golden eyes never left him.

“̶͕͂Ò̴̟h̷͚̅…̵̜͠S̴̼̚…̵͎̋ī̷̙f̷͎͂ ̷̙͆o̷̪̔n̸͓̈l̷̫̕y̴͚͗ ̶̨̐t̸̮̎ḥ̴̕e̴̱̾r̶̯͋ȅ̴̹ ̴̤̒w̷̯̏ā̷͓s̶͉̎ ̵̣̕š̴̯ô̶͚m̸̤̀é̶̬ō̴̞n̸̙͊e̶͇̔ ̵̭̇ẅ̸̨́h̷͇̉o̶̖͝ ̸͉̍ĺ̶͈o̸̯͗v̴͍͝e̴̛͚d̵̝̀ ̴̥́y̶̯̐ō̷̬ù̴̦…̴̘̊”̴̟͗

S woke with a startled yell, his tail uncurling from the rebar he’d wrapped around and he fell down into the snow. He lay there for a long while, staring up at the ceiling of the Spire, at the galaxy of red lights that slowly fizzled and died with age as he put his hand to his core.

“...Note to self…” he muttered, “No magnets before bed…”

Serial Designation E, S, and R by AhoNoKio (unofficialarmrest)

P lease check out their works! They're fantastic!

My attempt with them

Chapter Text

4

The stars shone brightly up over the trees as Jaelyn toddled about in the snow, joints squeaking and creaking as she picked up a bunch and threw it high into the air, squealing as the gentle white flakes fluttered down around her. 

“Jae!” a female voice called, “C’mon! Dinner time!”

“Coming, Mama!” Jaelyn trilled as she scampered back, only to squeal as two strong hands grabbed her from behind and tossed her skywards.

“Where you think you’re going, little bat?” her father chuckled as he nuzzled his screen against hers, “C’mon, let’s go to your mother.”

The two trudged through the snow, coming across a blanket on the snow and candles pressed around them to light the night. Her mother sat on said blanket, reading a book and looking up at them as they came close. Her brilliant amethyst eyes sparkled as Jaelyn reached for her, basking in the warmth radiating around her. 

“There’s my little bat,” her mother smiled, tapping her screen gently, “Causing problems again?”

“She threw a snowball at me and it knocked me down the hill,” her father deadpanned.

“Look how strong you’re getting!” her mother cooed, tickling her under her chin and making Jaelyn giggle happily, “Ohoo little squeaky bat huh?” she started tickling Jaelyn more, “Khan! Help me out here!”

“N-noooo! Daddy! Noooo!!” Jaelyn squealed, kicking as the little squeaking and creaking noises got louder and louder due to her father helping her mother tickle her breathless.

After a few minutes, all three of them fell back onto the snow, violet and black hair mingling together as they laughed. Khan swept his wife and daughter into a hug, giving each of them a kiss and Jaelyn gave a sleepy yawn as she cuddled into her parents, basking in warmth and thunderous purr and drumbeat core pulses. 

That warmth and love lasted all but two seconds as the dim starry sky suddenly became bright white and harsh. Jaelyn felt warm hands clutching her to a chest, features blurry as a jostling feeling rocked her. She couldn’t move, arms and legs pinned against her sides…no not even that. Locked in a frame that didn’t have either.

“Run! Get out of here! Hurry!” her mother’s voice shrieked, “We can’t let them take her! Not again!”

She saw a flicker of violet as her mother’s blurred form fell to the ground. 

“Nori! Get up! Come on!” her father’s baritone voice called as the dream around Jaelyn rumbled and shook, powder-light whiteness raining down in dusty waterfalls as she let out a wailing cry, “Shhhshhhshhh…it’s ok little bat, it’s ok…We’re getting out of here…I promise. Nori c’mon!”

Fear grasped around her little body as  yellow bled through the dream, and she heard laughter that was not her mother’s as the grip on her body became painfully tight…

Jaelyn woke up when a loud crash of thunder startled her awake. She jerked up only to be brought back into a warm embrace as her frightened core calmed down.

“It’s ok, Jae,” her father reassured her as she pressed further into him, feeling the heat from the hot waterbottle between them bleeding into her casing again, “I’ve got you. Nightmare?”

“No…the opposite,” Jae sighed, closing her eyes again, “...I wish I didn’t wake up from that one,”

“Then I wouldn’t be able to see those pretty purple eyes of yours,” her father smiled, “So much like your mother’s.”

“Dad you know I look near nothing like Mom,” she huffed.

“That face says otherwise,” Khan chuckled, pulling her close as the lights went dark again, “Another blackout…”

“You were right about those…” Jae mumbled, leaning her head against his chest as she watched the candles flicker, “Mom didn’t mind them.”

“Your Mom had an even better knack of knowing when blizzards and blackouts were coming,” her father mused, “Wonder if you’ll be even better,”

“If I’m anything like her I’ll count it a blessing I guess…” her eyes dimmed and her shoulders sagged, “I barely remember her at all,”

“She would have been so proud of you,” Khan told her, “The fact you’re taking on her profession? Or at least are becoming very good at it? I’ve no doubt she would have been impressed. She probably would have taken you on as her apprentice too,”

“Nepotism at its finest,”

“Not true,” he leaned his chin on her head, “I’ve seen the work you’ve done and Dr. Price is very impressed with you. Says you’re the best intern he’s had in a long while. I hear the rest of the staff say that ‘Nori’s Ghost’ has come back to haunt them.”

“I throw a wrench at a stupid intern once and all of a sudden people are thinking that I’m the ghost of my mother,”

“Is that such a bad thing?”

“...I don’t know you tell me,”

“Then no, it’s not.”

She gave a huff and let her father wrap his arms around her tighter. A soft, wistful smile crossed her face as she leaned back.

“I hope I’m doing you proud, Mom, ” she thought.

The sweet little moment was broken as the lights went out again…and came back on a blaring, pulsating red as klaxons shrieked. Jaelyn’s eyes hollowed as she and her father sprang off the couch and started pulling on coats and boots. That alarm meant one, and only one, thing.

A Raid.

Raids were not common events…but they were common enough to warrant an alarm and a rush of defenders towards the breach. Jaelyn knew that while the doors her father designed and built were nigh on indestructible outside of a nuclear warhead, there were always cracks and breaches to the outside world in any bunker. Hidden entrances and such. Some of the braver Harvesters and Security groups would often sneak through some of these and go on scrap runs…and sometimes do raids of their own.

“Get the wounded to the medical ward now !” Jaelyn yelled as she darted through the hallways, ducking and weaving through the sea of people scrambling to get away from the raiders. She pushed past a Worker clutching a sprained and sparking arm, catching sight of a tall blond head peeking from the crowd, “N!”

Emmett seemed to perk up hearing her voice, his umber eyes turning brighter as he made his way towards her, clutching a satchel to his chest as he came closer.

“Hey!” he greeted, “I got sent from the scrapyard to bring stuff to the medical ward. Copper Wire, enamel pieces, glass shards to melt down for patches…lot of stuff,”

“Good, let’s move. We ne-ack!” she yelped as Emmett shoved her down and a pipe exploded just overhead, “Thanks…”

“No problem!” he smiled, “So…’bout that order of getting to the medical ward?”

“Look at you, making a value-added comment,” Jaelyn smirked, “Guess that blue-sky thinking of yours is good for something.”

He gave her a grin and they started making their way towards the medical ward, the sounds of fighting and brawling growing ever louder. Jaelyn frowned as her eyes narrowed…were the raiders trying to get at the medical ward? 

A crack caught her attention and she yelped as Emmett dragged her back, putting his larger frame in front of her as steam from the broken pipe filled the area and obscured her vision. She felt Emmett shift, putting his hands up to fight as a low whine filled the air. A groaning and squealing of metal caught her attention next as someone came flying out of the fog. The Raider blinked, looking at both Jae and Emmett blearily as he got his bearings…

Right as Victoria surged out of the mist and leaped onto the Raider, wrapping her hands around his neck and yanking backwards. The Raider choked, grabbing at Victoria’s fingers as the hollowed silver-blue eyes turned stressed and her fingers locked on harder. After a few seconds, however, the Raider slammed against the wall, making Victoria yelp as her grip loosened, and gave him the leverage he needed to throw her off of his back and at Emmett and Jaelyn’s feet. Victoria groaned as she got back to her feet, settling into a stance as her face twisted into a snarl.

“You’re a little wildcat aren’t you,” the raider spat as Victoria raised her fists again.

“Want me to show you my claws again?” the girl asked sweetly, “I can very much do that,”

More footsteps caught Jaelyn’s attention, Emmett stiffened as his head snapped around, scanning the area as his fingers flexed at his sides.

“...One…two…four. We’re surrounded,” he stated, “Vibrations are tellin’ me they’re armed…one’s got somethin’ heavy. It’s draggin’ the ground.”

“Think you can take that?” Jae asked as she drew her knife out of its sheath and Emmett pulled a pistol from its holster, she could hear the light click as he pulled the hammer back and aimed.

“Reckon so,” she could hear the grin in his voice as it dropped a couple octaves into a baritone rumble, “Vicky? Y’ gonna be good t’ go?”

Victoria smirked as she reached into the pockets of her cardigan, slipping on a set of brass knuckles as she spat out a tooth and a glob of oil. Jaelyn could feel the fuzzing magnetic field radiating from the weapon as the new Raiders came into view.

“Heh…yeah,” she grinned as she pushed her glasses up again, “This one’s mine though,”

“All yours,” Jaelyn agreed.

The first Raider bolted towards them, a loud crack sounded off and they went down with a bullet lodged in their abdomen. Not lethal, but painful enough to keep them from getting back up immediately. Emmett pulled the hammer back again, aiming at the one carrying the heavy almost sledgehammer looking object. Meanwhile, Victoria darted forwards, her right arm hooking upwards and connecting with the jaw of the Raider that she’d tackled earlier. His head snapped back and he went off balance, Victoria followed him to the floor, whaling on his chest and face with precision strikes that rattled and glitched his screen from the magnetic interference.

Jaelyn ducked low under the swipe of the third Raider, diving back behind him and kicking him in the back, making him stumble before surging upright and jabbing her blade into his side. He roared and swiped at her, fist connecting with her head and sending her sprawling. She scrambled back up, looking for her knife only to see the Raider yanking it out of his side and tossing it away. 

“Off the record that was probably not the smartest idea,” she stated, grabbing onto a pipe to pull herself up, “Really should have taken better stock of your situation before going after assets.”

With that, she pulled on the pipe, breaking it and sending superheated steam blasting into the Raider’s face and causing them to stumble back. A flash of orange in the fog caught her attention and her knife skittered towards her as if it had been kicked.

A loud bang sounded off, accompanied by the sound of metal impacting metal. Emmett’s yell and the Raider’s scream as a god awful snapping sound came to Jaelyn’s attention. One she was intimately familiar with, the same sound was coming from where she last saw Victoria as well.

The sound of metal limbs being snapped and broken.

“N!” Jaelyn yelled, scooping up her knife only to get shoved down by the Raider.

“That hurt ,” the Raider snarled, stomping on Jaelyn’s wrist with a painful twist and making her cry out, “And you really shouldn’t have done that.”

“My only push back on that little statement is the fact that you’re more injured than me,” Jaelyn snarked.

“Well that’s gonna change now isn’t it?” the Raider sneered as he pinned Jaelyn down on the metal grate…

A flash of white caught her eye as something breezed past her, knocking the Raider off. Something brushed against her arm as more horrific casing crackling sounds caught her audials. The steam from the burst pipe hissed away and Jaelyn’s core stuttered lightly in her chest from relief as she saw Emmett pinning his opponent, Victoria standing up with oil-dripping knuckles over a brutally battered Raider, and her father standing over the one that had pinned her his own pistol in hand as he pointed it at the Raider’s screen.

“You ok, Jae?” he asked, not taking his eyes off the man he’d pinned as his own casing shook and rattled from synthetic adrenaline.

“I’m ok, Vicky? N?” she asked, grabbing and resheathing her knife.

“I’m all good!” Emmette gave her a sunshiny smile as he whipped the hammer out of the hand of the Raider and clocked him good in the screen with it, knocking him unconscious.

“O-oh…uh…y-yeah!” Victoria blinked as she gave an embarrassed smile, stripping off the brass knuckles and putting them back in her cardigan pocket, “I-I um…felt nothing? Really? I guess? Oh dear…that was…very intense,” she sank down to her knees, shaking from the high.

“Good, now, you kids get going to the medical ward,” Khan ordered, “I’m going to take care of these Raiders.”

Jaelyn gave a nod as Emmett walked over, scooping up his pistol from where he dropped it and reholstering it. He offered his hand to her and then to Victoria, helping both of them to their feet and starting towards the Medical Ward.

She heard the sharp crack of a pistol shot five times not long after that.

“Team B’s down,” one of the Raiders announced, looking up from their datapad.

“Dead?” the team leader asked.

“Yeah…will say, Outpost 3’s a tough nut to crack…you sure this is the way to the medical ward? We need those supplies…maybe even hit the scrapyard.”

“Maybe hit that scrapyard first. Team B was supposed to hit the medical ward and they obviously didn’t make it there. So, let’s head that way instead,” the leader ordered, “Move out,”

The team of five carefully made their way down the dark halls, holding weapons at the ready in case a member of Outpost 3’s Defense Force came out to play. However, they weren’t assaulted at all. In fact, it was dead silent save for a few quiet hisses from pipes spouting steam every once in a while.

A clattering sound caught their attention and the group of Raiders swung towards the sound. A can rolled down the hall as if it had been dropped. One of the Raiders ventured forward cautiously, nudging it with the barrel of her rifle. No explosion, no nothing.

“Just a can,” she called back, “Nothing m-”

She stopped as a low hiss filtered through the air. She slowly turned around as something long and lithe spiraled down from the pipes overhead. Her eyes hollowed as a tail, tipped with a foot long spike of serrated metal and glowing gold liquid thudded down the metal floor. But…this wasn’t a Murder Drone. For one, Murder Drones weren’t covered in pitch black scales that fluttered and opened and closed as if a breeze was ruffling them. The creature lifted it’s head, crowned with cruelly sharpened and twisted horns tipped black with oil. It’s maw cracked open in a horrific jagged smile as a long black tongue lolled between its fangs, dripping thick saliva that hissed as it impacted the floor, burning caustic holes in the metal. 

And then, with a horrific screech , it charged them.

“RUN!” the Raider shrieked and all five of them rushed down the hall, running as fast as they could away from the monster chasing them. 

The one closest to the creature saw a flash of bright ice blue and then the creature’s claws found her back, ripping into her as it jerked her screaming into the darkness. And then a hollow crunch followed by stillness echoed from the black void. 

“Split up!” their leader ordered, only to yelp as the creature lunged at them, causing the group to hit the ground hard, “Forget the materials! Get out of here!”

A harsh ringing and buzzing sound whined through the air, causing a massive headache to build up in the processors of the four Raiders remaining. They split off into two groups, each taking a hallway and bolting as fast as they could as screeching echoed through the air. 

The second in command grabbed her companion by the wrist, yanking them down the hall…only to rear back in confusion as a flash of blue bolted by them and their companion’s arm came with them. Just the arm. She didn’t see where the rest of his body was. Her jewel bright eyes were hollow as she dropped the arm and staggered backwards.

“...Mommy?”

The hollow eyes turned stressed as she whipped around, seeing a tiny little droneling, shaking as they held a small teddy bear.

“...Lanie?” she breathed, starting forwards, “How…?”

The little girl started sobbing, dashing towards her mother and leaping into her arms.

“I-I don’t knoooow!” the child cried, “It was dark…so dark…an-and the monster…it grabbed me…and the next thing I know I’m here…”

She held her daughter close, eyes hollow as she swallowed hard, “It’s ok baby…I’m here. I’ve got you…”

The little girl’s hands tightened in her hug. Her sobs choked and garbled…until they sounded more akin to giggling …

CRUNCH !

Pain exploded through her back and chest as oil spat through her teeth. Her eyes looked down at six long, jagged claws that punched through her chest. She looked up at her daughter…as her form flickered and changed.

The Leader of the Raiders grabbed his subordinate by the arm and ran down the hall, boots clomping on the metal. He could see where they had entered in at and his core soared as he turned the corner to get to the exit…

He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw what looked like someone hunched over a body before him…the body looked terribly similar to the drone next to him. He immediately whipped around to face the Worker next to him. The Worker’s eyes turned more lifeless and blank as a wide smile played over their face and they gave a wave before disappearing in a glitching cyan code wave. 

His head whipped back towards the body and the Drone hunched over it, with horror he watched as the figure straightened up, tearing up chunks of casing and wire as oil dripped down from their too wide and too sharp grin.

“Oh,” the figure stated, “Don’t mind me,”

They lifted their hand, a blue tri-pronged glyph sparking to life as the same symbol burned around the Leader’s neck and lifted him into the air. 

And with a flick of the wrist, the Leader’s head was sawed off, thumping to the floor and spilling a waterfall of oil towards the Drone on the ground.

The Drone gave a huff as they went back to their meal, only pausing when a message dinged on their phone. Giving a soft smile, they opened the text.

You ok?

Their smile turned warm as they returned the text.

Yeah. I’m alright, just stopped for dinner. I’ll be back soon.

The response came not too long after that.

Oh, ok! Be safe! Love you!

A gentle little laugh left them as they fired off a final text and returned back to their meal.

Love you too.

Chapter Text

5

Jaelyn was tired. After getting herself checked out and looked over, it was straight to work taking care of the wounded from the raid. Victoria was not proving to be a very good patient, squirming and flinching with every attempt to tie her bandages tighter.

“Stop struggling, it’s going to set wrong if you don’t stop,” Jaelyn ordered, “I’d rather not pressure test that work until I have better access to a welder, those are deep marks and you need to be more careful and not make me have to rightsize every little wound you take.”

“S-sorry Jae,” Victoria mumbled, flinching again and getting Jaelyn to level another glare at her, “It stings,”

“I’m aware,” came the terse reply as Jaelyn quickly pressed a gauze tightly against the other girl’s arm, hoping to prevent the leakage from worsening. Wiping a bead of digital sweat from her brow, she let out a huff at the amount of injured she had to deal with, “Unending flood of patients and no weekend retreat for me oh no.”

She grabbed another tool, muttering angrily as she continued to try and patch Victoria up

"Those toad-footed, self-absorbed, obnoxious synergistic liabilities could have tried to shore up the defenses but apparently they deemed scrap trade to be more important. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if their processors came from that landfill." she growled, “N. Need you to hold this light for me while I dig this scrap piece out.”

A few core pulses and all she heard was the din of medical ward around her. Emmett’s shadow was nowhere near her.

“Emmett!” she snapped, whirling around, “Get your head out of the clouds and get this light over here or so help me corporate I will downsize your frame to a toddler’s and stick you out in the cold with a pretty little bow for the Murder Drones to get!”

Emmett blinked, a bit dazed as he turned towards her again. “Oh…r-right, sorry, Jae…um…yeah, coming…”

“N?” Victoria asked, only for her eyes to go hollow, “Jae…Jae he’s bleeding. He’s bleeding bad …”

Jaelyn frowned, turning to face Emmett, who had his hand clamped to his side. His coat was already seeping black and those umber eyelights were already starting to fuzz over. That was a lot of oil…how had she not seen that?”

She opened her mouth to yell for help when a blur of dark blue and blonde rushed out of the crowd. The girl who breezed through to Emmett was petite, almost doll like in appearance. Her long hair was put up into several little braided pigtails and bows that kept it out of her face. The white blouse she wore was already spattered with oil, as was the dark skirt that fluttered behind her. The only thing that wasn’t covered in oil was the star-like blue gem necklace around her neck.

“Emmett Sterling did you go and get yourself hurt?” she demanded as she pried his hand off his side to look at it, “Oh don’t do that! You’re worse than your brother!”

“I-I’m ok!” Emmett protested.

The girl whapped him on the forehead with the side of her hand in a slightly not-gentle chop. 

“Ok…m-maybe not as ok…as I thought?” he blinked.

She gave a huff and turned towards Jaelyn, the annoyed expression in her blue eyes turning a bit more amused and pleasant as a smile crossed her face.

“I’ll take care of him, Jae, you keep looking after Vicky,” she smiled sweetly.

“Thank you, Cyn,” Jaelyn nodded as Cyn Beaufae gave a gentle little wave and then grabbed Emmett by the wrist and led him over to a free bed, forcing him to sit down.

Jaelyn heard the door to the medical ward open and her pale gaze flashed towards the swiftly moving tall drone man surging through the sea of Workers.

“N!” the rippling baritone called, leather duster flapping in his wake as he searched, blue eyes hollow and stressed over a dusting of fragmented blue-white flecks. The thin lines bolded as he spied Emmett being taken care of by Cyn and he ran forwards, “Oh christ what happened t’ ya!?”

“Oh…hi, bro,” Emmett blinked as he looked up at his brother owlishly, “I’m good.”

“Don’t ya lie t’ me, N,” his brother growled, “What happened?”

“I’m fiiiiiine !” Emmett protested, pushing Cyn’s hand away as she tried to stick him with a needle, “Y’ should see the other guy.”

“Who did this t’ ya,” Jaelyn heard the older Sterling boy snarl as she dug back into Victoria’s wound to pull out a piece of shrapnel, “I’ll make ‘em pay fer it…”

“Don’t you dare,” Cyn ordered, shooting a glare up at him, “I’ve got one Sterling to deal with, I’m not going to have a second one in the medical ward because he picked a fight he couldn’t win.”

“They hurt my brother!” came the yell as the taller boy clenched his fists, “He’s all I got, Cyn!”

“Beau Sterling don’t you dare even try it!” Cyn snapped, her sharp and suddenly raised voice making Jaelyn jump and yank the shrapnel shard out, which got Victoria to shriek.

A whining sound rose throughout the medical bay and the lights overhead exploded in a spray of sparks, causing screams and cries of shock to ring out as doctors dove to cover their patients from the sparks and glass shards.

“Get engineering down here asap!” Dr. Price’s booming voice roared over the din, “I want those lights on yesterday ! Interns! Nurses! If you don’t have your hands in the guts of a patient get a flashlight and help a doctor or nurse that does!”

“Sorry,” Jaelyn apologized.

“Hey, a-at least it’s out?” Victoria smiled weakly, “I’m gonna…lay down now. You go help Cyn,”

Jaelyn pulled the flashlight out of her bag and flicked it on, making her way over to the squabbling trio. She got a thankful nod from Cyn as she turned back to Emmett. 

“Look, I’m sorry ,” Beau Sterling sighed, taking off his black cowboy hat and running his hand through his long, rusty brown hair for a moment before replacing it, the blue from his eyes catching the rim and highlighting an old scar that marred down his faceplate, “I won’t do anythin’ hasty…”

“You better not,” Cyn huffed, “Or we’re gonna have words, Beau.”

Cyn tried grabbing at Emmett's arm, but Emmett once again moved it, giving a shake of his head as the needle scraped the metal.

"Sonova...come on!" she growled as Emmett moved his arm away from her again, "Emmett Sterling! Get a grip!"  he moved his arm once more and Cyn gave an exasperated sigh...only for it to turn into a soft smile as another hand grabbed Emmett's wrist.

"Now, N, ya be nice t' Miss Cyn," Beau told him, "She's jus' tryin' t' do her job."

"I don' like it..." Emmett mumbled, "Ain't feelin' good. Can't I jus'..."

"No." his brother stated firmly, "Now. Ya sit still. Let Miss Cyn getcha fixed up...then we can git on outta here, alright?"

"Fiiiiiinnne...." Emmett huffed as Cyn put the needle in. The boy grumbled as he scratched at the injection site…only to get swatted by Cyn.

“Don’t scratch,” she ordered.

“But it itches …”

“You want me to weld that to your arm?” Cyn threatened, getting a shake from Emmett, “Don’t touch it. I’ll be back in a bit. Beau, make sure he doesn’t pull that out please. Jae, if you’d come with me and be my light?”

“You got it, Boss,” Jaelyn nodded as she followed the eighteen year old to the next patient.

But with every patient she worked on or helped Cyn work on, her anger grew. Their supplies were dwindling, she’d even had to donate some oil to help with some transfusions. 

They couldn’t live like this. Something…something had to be done.

The next morning dawned cold and tired. But Jaelyn was perfectly fine with shoving all that down as she waited for her father to get home from his shift. The second he walked through that door, the older Drone had frozen, staring at his daughter.

“Am I in trouble?” he asked. Jaelyn glared at her father, arms crossed and foot tapping against the cold tile. “I’m in trouble aren’t I. Did I forget…no your online day isn’t for another four months. Did I miss a parent teacher conference?”

“No,” she growled, “Dad, we need to do something about the state of the colony.”

Her father’s shoulders sank as he let out a sigh and shrugged off his bag, setting it on the floor and starting towards the kitchen. “You hungry? Something before you go to school and all?”

"Dad, if we don't do something now, there isn't going to be a colony left." she seethed.

"Jae, everything is going to be fine," he reassured her as he went around the corner of the kitchen counter, "We don't need to go outside and do anything. We are safe here."

Jaelyn rushed to the counter, skidding around to the side opposite of him and slamming her palms on the granite countertop.

"Dad, it is not logistically sound for us to continuously hide behind these doors. People are going to die. None of this is efficient and the life expectancy is not going to go up. The birth/death ratio is at an all time low, Dad. We need to do something, otherwise we're going to go bankrupt and under!"

"It's fine, Jae." he sighed, rolling his shoulders as if they pained him while he took a long drink from the thermos he pulled out of the fridge.

"Dad, when was the last time you saw a pill baby?"

"The Smiths had their little boy about two weeks ago."

"That was two months ago Dad! He passed away two weeks ago! We can't be hiding in here! It's not profitable at all and we're going to all end up feeding the sharks outside! We're waiting for an inciting incident!" she hissed "Dad, there's not enough power, the heating and cooling systems are failing, the oil reserves are low and someone’s stealing from the medical ward...people are disappearing and if they’re not disappearing they’re starving ,"

"Jaelyn," Khan's voice was calm as he sat the thermos down and came around the counter, putting his hands around her cheeks, "We will be fine. I won't let anything happen to you. Not now, not ever. You know that, right? Regardless of what happens, you and I are going to be ok. Have I ever done anything to hurt you?"

"...No."

"Trust me," he pleaded, kissing the top of her head, "We're going to be ok. Promise. Now, go ahead and get ready for school...I'll probably see you in the morning, ok?"

"Ok."

"Love you, Jae," he smiled, holding her close.

"Love you, Dad," she murmured back.

As she hugged him, a spark lit in her. Something that couldn’t be quenched and it burned everbright in her chest.

“If he won’t do anything about it…then I will.”

Cyn Beaufae by AhoNoKio

Chapter Text

6

To say Jaelyn was in a bad mood was an understatement. Especially nowadays. It’d been a few weeks since the raid on Outpost 3 and she still was helping the medical ward treat injuries from that. And everything was fine, normal even…

Until today.

It had started out fine, a little droneling had come in all sick and needing to be checked up on. They’d shied away from the big old needle that they had to update the child’s firmware with of course but that was normal. 

Then Jaelyn had found the first spot.

“Dr. Price!” she called, sincerely hoping that she was wrong on this, that it was just a trick of the light.

Dr. Price came over, slightly annoyed as this was to have been an easy diagnosis that Jaelyn could do in her sleep. His eyes narrowed and then hollowed as he saw the dark nearly black spot on the child’s arm.

“Cyn,” came the bark, “Prep the isolation room immediately,”

“Sir?” Cyn’s head poked up from where she was working on reorganizing some of the wiring on a light, “Everything ok?”

“No,” Dr. Price shook his head, “Do what I said. Now .”

Cyn gave a nod as she clambered down the ladder, her skirt fluttering around her wake as she darted across the floor with quick staccato steps. Dr. Price gently put a hand on the child’s shoulder, leaning down to be level with them.

“I’m going to have to open you up, ok?” he said, voice calm and soothing…a far cry from anything he used with other Workers, “Can you be brave for me?”

The little boy nodded, blue eyes closing tightly as he tensed.

“Jaelyn, need you to grab my flashlight,” Dr. Price said as he gently unbuttoned the boy’s shirt and worked on getting the maintenance hatch open, “Quickly,”

Jaelyn quickly found the tool and handed it over as the hatch was pushed aside. Both Head Doctor and Apprentice’s eyes went hollow as the normally silver insides of the poor boy were covered in rust-black splotches that twitched and moved every once in a while, slowly devouring the poor child’s insides. 

“It…it hurts…” the boy whimpered, squirming.

Dr. Price’s eyes turned caring as he put a hand on the boy’s shoulder, “I know, buddy…do you know where your parents are?”

“D-Dead…R-raiders killed them…” the boy sniffed, “I-It’s just…me…an-and it really hurts!”

“Must have been brought in by the Raiders,” Dr. Price sighed, “Alrighty, buddy…I’m gonna put you into shutdown for a bit ok? Pain’ll go away and you’ll just be asleep for a little while.”

The boy gave a nod and lay back down on the table as Dr. Price swiftly put him into medically induced shutdown. His eyes flickered out, being replaced with a message declaring that he was in shutdown until further notice.

“We need to get him into Isolation, now.” Dr. Price ordered, picking up the little boy and holding his head against his shoulder, “Jaelyn, come with me please.”

Jaelyn nodded as she followed, Cyn opened the door to let them into Isolation and took a few steps back as Dr. Price sat the boy on the bed.

“W-What’s going on?” Cyn asked, shutting the door behind them.

“Stygian Rust,” Dr. Price spat as he made the boy more comfortable and started to grab materials.

Cyn’s hands clapped to her mouth as a small gasp left her. Not that Jaelyn could blame her. Stygian Rust was…a very nasty disease that plagued their world. It was a nanite-spawned cordyceps that crawled along surfaces to seek active automata to use as hosts. Once a host was found, it would start destroying and consuming non-vital systems…only to then move to major systems and causing splotches of dark rust to appear on the infected’s casing. Once the splotches appeared, the victim had days left of life. The parasite was even more deadly and incredibly contagious once the victim perished. If the host died, the nanites would release ‘spores’ that would infect every Worker exposed and cause a semi-permanent infection hazard for the entire region.

It was especially lethal for children.

“Kid probably got it from the Raider that killed his parents,” Dr. Price growled, “Jaelyn, Cyn…I’m going to need you both to help me with this. Cyn, you’re more experienced so I’m going to have you help me keep this boy alive. He’s got a couple of days that he can be in shutdown like this and coincidentally, that’s how long he’ll have to live. Now. Jaelyn. I need you to go into my office, grab all the credits that you can from the safe and also some spare tools that are valuable enough but we don’t have use for them.”

“Yes, sir…but…why?” Jaelyn asked.

“You’re going to go to the scrapyard first. You’re friends with the Sterling boys, right? I know Cyn’s dating the older one but I need her here. Since the Raid, the Harvesters are going to need all hands on deck. I need you to go there and find a replacement core for this boy. He’ll need it to burn away the parasite. If you can’t find it at the scrapyard, take whoever you have to and go to the Black Market.”

“The Black Market,” Jaelyn sputtered, “Sir, the chances of finding an intact core in the scrapyard, let alone one for a kid his age is abysmally low...and the Black Market, if there’s some lowlife ambulance chasing scumbag that has one, it’s going to be astronomically expensive. And we don’t even know if it’s going to be good quality to save this kid,”

“It’s either that, or we turn this kid out into the cold and let the Murder Drones kill him. And I’d rather not do that.” Dr. Price snapped, “Jaelyn, I’ve given you your orders, do it .”

Jaelyn paused for a second, looking at Dr. Price before nodding and bolting out of the Isolation room and towards his office.

She had 48 hours to pull off a miracle.

“Aaaand you’re not telling me why you dragged me out of my run to the Engineering Ward to head to the Scrapyard why?” Emmett asked as Jaelyn finally relinquished his wrist. 

“Not at liberty to discuss that,” Jaelyn stated as they continued onwards, “Not yet. Your brother knows we’re coming?”

“Weeeell, maybe?” Emmett shrugged, closing an umber eyelight, “He knows I’m on my way back and that you’re with me but he’s been barraging me with questions as to why you’re coming too. Mainly because he just sent a shipment of scrap to the medical ward. You know how he is about that kinda stuff.”

They continued down the hall. Jaelyn’s purposeful strides being matched by Emmett’s lanky ones as the way started to be more and more consumed by parts and scrap laying about.

“This is just a walking OSHA violation…” Jaelyn growled as she skirted around a piece of twisted scrap metal that was just laying in the middle of the walkway, “All the trips to the medical ward and no write ups for anyone in this god forsaken shark tank of a sector…”

“Jae, I know you’re mad but that’s just how things are down here?” Emmett supplied unhelpfully, “And hey! No one’s been to the medical ward in 72 hours! That’s a whole new record!”

“It’d be even more than that if you would keep your workplace clean!”

“You know it’d be all messy again in two picos,”

“I know and I hate it.”

Emmett gave a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his head and messing with the blonde curls that were stained with a little bit of grease and oil from work. 

“How’s your side?” Jaelyn asked, getting Emmett to jump a little bit.

“Oh! Uh…” he put a hand to his side and gave a shrug, “I’m all good I think. Cyn did an awesome patch job, not saying that you wouldn’t have! But uh…yeaaaah! I’m all set and good to go! I’m not woozy anymore and I’m back at proper levels again. Beau kept telling Jessie and Emma that I wasn’t supposed to be working until I was all better. Cyn gave me a checkup yesterday and gave them the note saying I’m good to work again.”

“Hey! N!” a booming voice called as they came into the scrapyard proper. A tall drone with green eyes came lumbering over to them, crossing his arms over his chassis, “You’re late. Told you to get that stuff to Engineering and then come back ASAP. Stuff isn’t going to process itself,”

“Sorry, Jessie!” Emmett apologized, “Got grabbed by Jae and told I needed to bring her heeeere!” he yelled as Jaelyn yanked on his coat and dragged him down slightly to make him hush. “Oh…biscuits I wasn’t supposed to say that?”

“No,” Jaelyn growled, “Freaking synergistic liability…ah…anyways…” she cleared her throat and turned towards Jessie, “Dr. Price sent me down here for a specific part, told me to have Beau and Emmett help me.”

“Beau’s over on the left quadrant,” Jessie jerked a thumb over his shoulder, “You’ll find him in section D processing some of the parts that we were going to send to medical anyways. Dunno how you Doormans do that, always manage to have that knack to be where you need to be when you need to be there.”

“Thanks,” Jaelyn nodded, grabbing Emmett by the lapel again and yanking him forwards, “C’mon.”

A few steps in the direction they were going, Jaelyn let Emmett go and he straightened up to his full height, rubbing his throat as he shook his head. His eyes dimmed slightly before brightening again as he turned to look down at Jaelyn again.

“Beau’s on his way to meet us,” Emmett tapped the side of his head, “Just sent him a message. He’ll be here in like two minu-”

“What the hell did that idjit do this time?!” Beau’s voice bellowed over the scrap piles.

“Uhhh…seconds. He said two. He just didn’t specify?” Emmett shrugged as a highly annoyed Beau Sterling slid down a scrap pile and came to a halt before Jaelyn and Emmett, “Hey, bro!”

“Hiya,” Beau crossed his arms as he looked down at Jaelyn, “So. Did Braiden mess up some of the parts I sent him with? Cuz if he did I’m kickin’ his behind into the furnace like I shoulda done months ago.”

“No, none of that,” Jaelyn sighed.

“Jae’s been all mysterious and spooky and not telling me anything of what’s going on,” Emmett piped up, “Said she was gonna wait until she got a hold of both of us before saying what was so important.”

Beau looked expectantly at Jaelyn and pale lilac met ice blue for a long while. Jaelyn looked over her shoulders, making sure they were alone.

“You two cannot tell anyone what I’m telling you. Because it’s gonna start a panic.” Jaelyn stated, “Understood?”

“You sayin’ somethin’ like that’s makin’ my oil chill, Jae,” Beau said, “What’s goin’ on.”

“There’s a kid in the medical ward. Dr. Price sent me down here because we need a new core,” Jaelyn’s voice was slow, “Kid’s got Stygian Rust.”

Both Sterling boys’ eyes went hollow and bold. Beau actually crossed himself and took a shaky breath.

“Yer sure ?” his voice was shaky, “Oh god yer not jokin’. Damn…how old?”

“Kid’s like 5 at most,” Jaelyn sighed, “Weak core on top of that. And that’s why Dr. Price sent me here…we need a new core,”

“For a five year old frame?!” Emmett gave a little hiss through his teeth as he started playing with his fingers, “I-I dunno, Jae…that’s um…that’s uh…”

“That ain’t gonna be easy t’ find, Jae,” Beau told her, “Most’ve what we got down here is ‘cuz the Raid. But…well…”

“Cyn’s helping Dr. Price look after the kid,” Jaelyn told him, making Beau’s right eyelight twitch.

“‘Course she is,” Beau growled, “Why wouldn’t she be.” He gave a groan as he wiped his hand down his screen, pinching where a nose would be and holding his hand over his visor in annoyance. “Fine. N, take Jae to a scrap pile and have ‘er start lookin’. I’ll work on the lower third of D section. You take what third she doesn’t look at. How long we got, Jae?”

“Less than 48 hours,”

“Prolly take us ‘bout four to look through all of D section…and it’s the only section that has Worker parts. If it’s in here, it’ll be in there.”

Jaelyn was not having any luck. She knew what she was looking for, knew what the part looked like…even could tell the difference between the frames if she found a core. Which…there were a couple, just wrong frame. 

There was no child frame core in all of the section she was looking in.

Msg: WD Unit: J43LYN 001-001-002 Any luck on you two’s ends?

Msg WD Unit: 3MM3TT 001-001-016 None here. Beau? You seen anything?

Msg WD Unit: B34U 001-001-017 Nope. Ain’t seen nothin’ here either. Jae…y’d BETTER have a backup if ya couldn’t find  the damn core here.

Jaelyn groaned, throwing her head back and looking up at the rafters. Debating on counting each of the individual chain links that were handing from them to calm herself down. She’d  very much hoped she wouldn’t have to resort to the backup. 

WD Unit: J43LYN 001-001-002 I was hoping I wouldn’t have to resort to that. But yes, I do. I just…need to message Vicky and see if she’d be willing to help me.

WD Unit: 3MM3TT 001-001-016 Well yeah, she’d be down to help! Same with me! Just tell us what we need to do!

Jaelyn let out a bark of laughter as she got to her feet and pushed through the piles of scraps and drone parts as she made her way to Emmett, who was holding on to an arm as he turned to face her. He gave a smile and the arm he was holding somehow managed to give a little thumbs up.

“Let’s go get her then…Because we need to head down to the Black Market.” Jaelyn told him.

Emmett’s face fell as he dropped the arm.

“Oh…oh biscuits …”

Chapter Text

7

“A-Are you sure that it’s ah…e-exactly safe to be going down here?” Victoria asked as her shorter legs struggled to keep up with the longer strides of Emmett and Jaelyn, “Y-Y’know…with that um…Serial Killer on the loose?”

Jaelyn’s gaze flicked back to Victoria. There was that little tidbit, yes. People going missing, cores left behind and carved into elegantly delicate patterned scrimshaws. Of course Victoria would know the updates with that situation, being Security herself.

“And that is why I brought you,” Jaelyn told her.

“Me!?”

“ Yes , you,” Jaelyn sighed, “Honestly, Victoria, I’m surprised that the WDF is so keen on having you. Because with your size and cowardice it’s not a very lucrative opportunity to have hired you on, regardless of your ferocity in battle or because of your dad. But that would be nepotism, wouldn’t it?”

Victoria was quiet, eyes hollow as she grabbed at the strap of her bag. Emmett’s eyes narrowed as he put a calming hand on her shoulder.

“Jae, that was uncalled for. Apologize to Vicky,” he ordered, “I know you’re stressed the heck out, but there was no reason to be so mean to her!”

Jaelyn whipped towards them, expression thunderous…only for it to falter as she saw her friends’ faces. She gave a sigh, yanking at her pigtails.

“Look, I’m sorry,” she apologized, “Yeah, that was awful of me to say…Really, I am sorry, Vicky. I just…I don’t want that kid to die. But even then, that’s not an excuse,” 

“I-I should have um, worded it better,” Victoria admitted, “It’s ok,”

“No it’s not,” Jaelyn rebuffed, tightening her grip on her bag as they continued down the hallway, a red glow lit the distance and she heard Emmett give a groan, “What now ?”

“I don’t like going down here,” he muttered.

“I don’t either but we don’t have a choice,” Jaelyn said as the reddish glow got brighter, revealing it to have come from a drone. 

He was big, over five feet in height and towering over the three Workers that came up. Heavy armor plating, bulked and reinforced across his frame as if some massive hazmat suit of coppery bronze, and capable of handling upwards of six tons of force covered his frame. A tank that Jaelyn knew to be full of coolant was on his back, siphoning into his systems at a faster rate than consuming it ever would. Two forgefire red eyes flicked over towards them from a void black screen, simple ovals that blinked as a static burst erupted from the massive titan in front of them and his three fingers curled around the massive hammer in his grip.

An Industrial.

“Caution: Entry may be hazardous due to personnel.” the Industrial Drone rumbled, voice deep and thunderous.

“Accident in there or just people being irritating?” Jaelyn asked.

“Hazardous materials due to inexperienced workers. Maintenance may be required,”

“So someone effed up and made a mess and people are mad, gotcha, we’ll be careful,” Jaelyn sighed, “Thanks,”

The crimson lights lightened a little as Victoria waved…though the warmth and ‘humanity’ that the Industrial had towards Victoria and Jaelyn was instantly wiped the second he lay eyes on Emmett.

“Ahaaa…heeeey buddy?” Emmett squeaked, giving a cautious wave.

Silence greeted him.

“Annnnd that’s my cue to get the heck outta dodge!” Emmett gave a shaky smile and bolted past Jaelyn and Victoria. Jaelyn looked towards Victoria, who gave a wince.

“Harvester,” she explained, “Uh…E-Emmett and Beau miiiight have taken parts from an Industrial at some point. Definitely some of the other Harvesters,”

“...That’ll do it…” 

Victoria cast a look back at the incredibly bored looking Industrial as they worked on catching back up with Emmett, her blue eyes turned sad for a moment. “They’re wasted as guard dogs, you know…”

“Look, the kingpin of this underground hive of scum and villainy just sees them as good ‘gatekeepers’ just because they’re big,” Jaelyn stated, “And regardless of skill? Deadly force is still deadly force when using a blunt object.”

Emmett thankfully hadn’t gone too far…just made sure he was out of hammer throwing range of the Industrial. He was tugging on his bolo tie and tapping his foot anxiously as he waited for them, but the anxiety faded away somewhat as soon as they got to him. Without much further notice, they continued on through the hallway and past the portcullis-like gate that separated Outpost 3 from the inter-city Black Market. 

The Black Market was a massive underground cavern system, shops and stalls  of many colors and materials hugged the walls as great stone bridges crossed over the pit the busier section of the Black Market was located in. Nine other holes gaped in the walls surrounding the pit, each one with a black spray-painted number emblazoned next to the hole and each one leading to its respective outpost. Each one, like the one behind them, was guarded by an Industrial.

The din and chatter of Workers below was already loud and Jaelyn knew it would only grow the further they got in. They made their way to the bottom of the ramp, and a sigh left her.

“It’s going to take us hours to find a seller for that core,” she groaned, “And we don’t have that. So…let’s split up. Vicky, you and Emmett go to the left, I’ll take the right. I know the bar is to the left, so go in there maybe and see if the barkeep knows? They always know things about the workplaces…”

“Yeah…drunkards will tell people just about anything,” Emmett nodded.

“And stay out of trouble, please?” Jaelyn sighed, “I mean it, Vicky.”

“...W-Why do you always look at me ?”

“Nevermind, just…please?” Jaelyn pleaded.

“I’ll make sure of it, don’t worry, Jae!”

Music was playing in the bar when Emmett and Victoria walked in. It was packed with Workers, some dancing, some drinking, some eating. It was packed to the point of them having to push through the crowd just to get to the barkeep, a handsome blonde man with blue eyes. He gave a smile as he sat the shot glass he was polishing on the bar itself.

“What can I do for you two?” he asked

“W-Well,” Vicky started as she hopped up onto the seat and Emmett took the one next to her, “We were wondering if you knew anyone here that was selling cores?”

“Sorry, missy,” the barkeep gave a shrug, “Can’t give out info if you’re not buying anything.”

“R-Right…um…midgrade for me…lowgrade for you Emmett?”

“Sounds good to me. And do you have Double A batteries?” Emmett asked.

“Sure do, I’ll get them for you. Give me five minutes,” the barkeep said as he went back into the back.

Victoria gave a soft sigh as she leaned against the countertop. Why had Jaelyn sent them here together and walked off on her own? Had she been worried about them potentially causing problems while they went or was it…

The blue eyed girl bit her lip.

Jaelyn knew. About her and Emmett…or rather…how Victoria felt about him. Was this her way of trying to set them up on a date?

“Hey, Vicky,” Emmett said, catching her attention, “I’m gonna go ask those guys in the corner over there if they know anyone that sells cores. You mind asking around here?”

“Yeah! S-sure!” Vicky nodded, watching him get up and start off towards the group of absolutely massive Workers…probably Security coded in some way, shape or form.

She gave a sigh and turned to the drone next to her. He was cute, wearing a ragged and thick coat that bundled him up nicely against the cold outside and a cap that flattened his snowmelt-wet blond curls down on his head in matted tangles. His green gaze locked on to her and she gave a soft wave.

“Um, h-hi,” she started, “You uh…w-wouldn’t happen to know if anyone’s selling cores down here, would you?”

The Worker gave a shake of his head, shrugging sadly.

“Darn…um, thank you and sorry for bothering you!” Victoria apologized, getting her a warm smile and a warm thumbs up from the Worker. She then turned towards the Worker on the other side of her, the one that Emmett had obscured when he was here. 

He wasn’t as cute as the other man or as Emmett by a long shot. Least, not for Victoria. He was tall, dark hair in messy spikes that were frosted at the tips with actual frost or paint she didn’t know. The only thing he had in common with Emmett would have been the orange eyes that leered at her the second she gave a soft little tap on his shoulder.

“S-Sorry to bother you,” she apologized, “You um…w-wouldn’t happen to know if anyone is selling a core in the market, would you?”

“Hmmmm noooo,” came the slurred drawl as he tapped a finger against his chin, his breath reeked of battery acid and high grade, “Buuuut…I know somethin’ else. For a price,”

“I-I have some credits,” Victoria started, “Um…n-not much though,”

“Was thinkin’ somethin’...more sweet ,” his breath washed over her as he leaned closer, “How ‘bouts you an’ me go ditch this place an’ that…lanky cowboy…and have some real fun?”

His eyes roamed over her and Victoria drew her cardigan closer around her shoulders. She didn’t like the way he looked at her. She really didn’t like the fact of him putting his arm on her shoulder and how he started playing with her hair.

“Please don’t,” she stated.

“Aw c’mon, sugar…” he purred, giving a grin that showcased many missing teeth, "Girlie like you should be careful round here. All too easy for someone dangerous to grab you up..."

A battery pinged off the drone’s screen, getting him to blink once, twice before scowling. Vicky’s gaze flashed back as the green eyed Worker got off his stool and shook his head, crossing his arms in disapproval.

“Aw, buzz off pretty boy,” the orange eyed creep slurred, “Ain’t your prize. I called dibs you mismatched patchwork mute .” he turned his attention back to Vicky and the urge to grab him by those greasy locks and slam his jaw into the countertop to give him more missing dental work grew. “C’mon, baby…let’s go…”

“Get your hands off me before I make you eat those words,” Victoria bristled, fire igniting in her chest as the cold stammer and stuttering bibliophile melted into furious valkyrie.

“Ohoooo I like ‘em fiery!” the creep grinned, grabbing a fistful of her hair and dragging her forwards, “Makes ‘em a lot more fun in b-”

Victoria wasted no time and leaned into the pull…before ramming her head into his chin.

Asking around did wonders for Jaelyn. First few people she’d asked about anyone selling cores had directed her to this little hole in the wall. It was on the outskirts of the lower valley of the Black Market, so foot traffic wouldn’t be as much…however, it was closest to the generators. Which, Jaelyn knew from experience, could be used to keep a cryo-stasis chamber running and save what valuable time-sensitive components that people needed for longer.

She reached out, brushing ivory fingertips against what looked to be a table bell, causing a sonorous ringing to go through the still air. 

“Comin’! Hold yer horses!” a voice called as a dark haired and green eyed woman came out of the dark backroom. She wore an oversized butcher’s apron and…naught much else, much to Jaelyn’s annoyance. At least from what little she could see of her. Her long brown hair was stained black in places with oil and a rather nasty looking scar splintered across her screen, “Oh, what’s a nice and neat lil’ girl doin’ in this place?”

“I hear you’re selling cores?” Jaelyn stated, strictly down to business, she didn’t want to be here more than she had to be. That little boy couldn’t afford that.

“That’d be right, can’t say ‘m heartless, ha…” the woman grinned, “Whatcha lookin’ for?”

“I need a child’s core. Age 4 to 5,” Jaelyn told her, already pulling out the credits and materials to trade, “Do you have one,”

“Reckon so…but that age’s pretty expensive,” the woman hummed, “Dunno if that’s gonna cover it,”

“It should,” Jaelyn’s eyes narrowed, “That’s what the price runs for around here,”

“Is it? Is it really? And y’d know this how, pretty girl?” the woman scoffed, “hate t’ break it to ya, sweetie, but it ain’t easy to get a core that age. Gotta make it worth m’ time, y’know?”

“Do you even have a core that age,” Jaelyn growled.

“‘Course I do!” the woman rolled her eyes, “But whatcha got to make it worth my time to give it to you? It’s not gonna be cheap I’ll tell you that. Most colonies bury the bodies of the youngins’ if they die that young and they fizzle out very quickly.”

Jaelyn pulled out a fistful of credits, putting the stack of papers on the counter. The woman looked at them, shaking her head. 

“Not enough, sweetie,” 

Jaelyn’s eyes narrowed again as she pulled out some high end tools, rare enough on their own but thankfully surplus in Outpost 3. 

“What about that? Plus the credits,” Jaelyn offered.

The woman shook her head again, “Sorry, kid…I’ve got like five of those in the back. But…huh…that’s Outpost 3’s sigil. You workin’ for ol’ Ironbones?”

“You mean Dr. Price?”

“Yeah, that ol’ coot’s still alive and kickin’ ain’t he? Figures…” the woman scoffed, eyeing Jaelyn, “How’s he doin’? Heard he’s not over the death of the previous Doc.”

“He’s fine. Look, I don’t have time for all the pleasantries and water cooler talk. I need that core,”

The woman’s expression turned unamused as she continued her scan over the younger Worker. Then it turned thoughtful. Jaelyn had a feeling of near dread crawl down her spinal strut as the woman spoke again.

“Tell ya what…I’ll give ya the core,” she said, “For the credits, the tools…and that pretty necklace of yours,”

 Jaelyn’s eyes hollowed as her hand gripped the pendant around her neck. The crystal flowers around the silver hexagon plate dug into her casing as her thumb flicked over the 002 engraved on it. This was one of the few things she had left of her mother. And like hell she was giving that up.

“Not happening,”

“Then no deal,” the woman shrugged, “Guess I’ll just sell that core to someone else then.”

Jaelyn opened her mouth to protest when yells and screams caught her attention, she whipped around, seeing people streaming away from the bar and she gave a groan as she turned to grab the credits and the tools…

Only to see that they, and the woman, were gone and the door to the back room was bolted shut.

“Fourth quarter profits !” Jaelyn swore as she turned on her heel and started bolting towards the bar, “I swear to corporate I’m going to rightsize both of you for this!”

Emmett was having a nice conversation with some of the bar patrons when he yells broke out. The next thing he knew, there was a guy that was thrown onto the table between him and his conversationalist friends and Victoria was following up as she threw a very vicious punch into the guy’s screen. Emmett could see the guy’s screen fracture and another error light came into being

“Oh…heh. She’s not pulled out the magnets. He’s got it easy!” he thought as another Worker grabbed Victoria and yanked her off the poor sap, “Eh, probably deserved it ,”

He took a sip of his lowgrade as Victoria rammed her head backwards and stomped her foot hard on the boot of the Worker that grabbed her. Ok. Maaaybe now was a good time to help Victoria out with that. That guy was being stubborn and not letting go.

He gave a sigh and got up, grabbing the Worker holding Victoria in a chokehold’s hair and yanking his head into the bar. It made quite the satisfying clang as he let go of Victoria. The Security Girl immediately dug into her bag, slipping on a pair of very familiar coppery brass knuckles. He could feel the magnetic tingle from them as Victoria switched them on and bared her teeth in a near feral grin.

“Well!?” she demanded, putting her fists up, “Come on then! You wanted to take me home!? Try it ! I’ll take every last one of you bastards on!”

The guy that Victoria had planted into the table had managed to uproot himself. His screen was fractured, Emmett dimly remembered him not having freckles before, but it didn’t seem to impair him that much. He charged at Victoria, slamming a fist into her midsection and making her gasp in pain as she was doubled over. She retaliated by bringing her fist into the side of his head and sending him staggering as rainbow bars of warped error flashed over his screen.

The Worker that Emmett had slammed into the counter grabbed his coat, yanking him down to the ground and proceeded to start to wrestle with him. He tried to grab at Emmett’s neck to throttle him, only for Emmett to bite down hard on the hand that tried to do so, causing the Worker to shriek in pain.

Well. This was getting interesting.

Victoria ducked under the next swing, dancing backwards a few steps before sweeping forwards in a rush of wind and buzzing magnets. She unleashed a volley of sharp jabs to the abdomen of the slimeball that hit on her before angling her right arm upwards and nailing him in the chin, knocking him backwards a few steps.

She wasn’t expecting one of his buddies to slam his fist into the side of her head and send her staggering. She felt warm hands grab her and keep her from falling too far to the floor. She blinked, her glasses had slipped from her face, causing the figure of her helper to be a bit blurry. But she saw blond at least. So that definitely had to be Emmett, right? 

There was a flicker of green and the large shape of the man who punched her into the countertop hit the floor. She stomped on his head to knock him out for good measure.

“Thanks cutie,” she slurred, punch-drunk as the hands helped her stand up and she put her hand on the countertop as the room spun around her. 

She needed a drink to counteract the spinning…

Her hand clipped against a cold, glittering shot glass and with a grin she downed the fiery liquid that warmed her insides with dragonfire. Oh. Oh that was highgrade . Oh well!

She could barely make out the orange glow of the jerk that she punched earlier and chucked the glass at him. She heard the tinkle of the shot-glass impacting a wall and grinned as she renewed her grip on her brass knuckles. 

Round three.

He watched her go, it was…incredible really. He’d not seen anyone fight like that before, not with that much spirit and spunk anyways. She seemed so sweet too…until that jerk started making passes at her.

Do we like her? A faint voice murmured in his audials as the girl lay the other guy down with a punch again, Ohhhh I think we like her. No. I know we like her! 

He shook his head. “Shut up,”  

But she’s perfeeeeect!!! came the whine, We should help herrrr!!

He grit his teeth, sharp and silver as he slammed his back against the counter.

“No!” he thought, looking at the fight again before turning his gaze around the chaos in the room…

Perfect time to sneak away.

So he did, as stealthily and quietly as he could. Maybe later he’d come back and pay those lowlifes a visit. After all…

He was still hungry.

Jaelyn burst into the bar, furious…only to have Emmett thrown into her and making them both fall to the ground.

“Oh…hi Jae!” Emmett chirped, “So…about that whole uh…staying out of trouble thing you mentioned?”

“I knew sending you two off on your own was a bad idea, but I thought I’d be nice and help Vicky out,” Jaelyn huffed as Emmett got up and helped her to her feet.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Jaelyn shook her head, “Where’s Vicky?”

Emmett opened his mouth to reply only for a scream of pain to rifle through the air. Both teenagers pushed back into the bar just to see Victoria being slammed into the floor, her opponent’s hand on her screen as she scratched and scrabbled at them. 

“HEY!” Jaelyn yelled…only for a loud crack ! To sound off. 

Everyone froze, staring as not one, not two, but four Industrials flanking a very smartly dressed man came into the bar. There was still smoke curling off his pistol as he lazily waved the heavily ornamented golden thing in the air.

“Now…what’s all the fuss about hmmm?” he asked, sending a pale green gaze over the brawlers, “Fighting? In this bar? Well, I’m all for a show of sport but this is ridiculous. Poor Vander…his bar is in shambles. I’d like to know who did this.”

“Those guys were hitting on our friend,” Emmett blurted as he helped a very woozy and punch-drunk Victoria to her feet. She snarled at the Worker who had hit on her, teeth bared and eyes unfocused, “Sh-She was just defending herself!”

He bent down, picking up Victoria’s even more cracked glasses and put them on her face. She blinked once, twice and the bloodlust seemed to drain away.

“O-Ooo0h…I-I lost…1-I…” she stammered, “U-Um…w-w3’re in t-tr0ubl3 4ren’t w-w3…”

“Juuust a bit?” Emmett shrugged.

The overseer of the Market had an unamused expression on his face.

“You three,” he pointed at the three teenagers, “You’re too young for this place. I want you out of the Black Market and I never want to see you down here again. Is that clear.”

“Yes, Boss,” Jaelyn nodded, putting one of Victoria’s arms over her shoulder as Emmett did the same, “Come on, let’s get out of here,”

They rushed past the overseer and the Industrials and started to make the long way back home. Emmett turned his face towards Jaelyn, who still looked rightly incensed.

“...Did you get the core?” he asked as Victoria’s screen went dark and the synthesized adrenaline drained from her, rendering her into shutdown.

“No,” Jaelyn hissed, “Loanshark of a woman wanted more than I had. More than we were able to give so we can’t get the core from here.”

“What are we gonna do, Jae?” Emmett asked, “That kid’s gonna die if we don’t do somethin’…we’re gonna have t’ either leave ‘em for the Murder Drones outside or there’s gonna be more people in the colony dyin’...”

Jaelyn stopped, nearly taking Victoria off her shoulder as Emmett had continued to go forwards. 

“Jae?”

“Quiet.” she murmured, “I’m thinking…”

Emmett was right. They’d either have to find another core somewhere or…the kid was going to have to be sent outside for the Murder Drones to eat. Which…her eyes hollowed.

“...Oh.” she whispered, giving a mirthless laugh, “Oh that’s so dumb…but I don’t have a choice…do I?”

“Jae?” Emmett repeated, putting a hand on her shoulder, “What’s goin’ on?”

“I know where to find another core,” she told him, “...N…how good are you at distracting guards?”

“Reckon I could do it…maybe? Ain’t as good as Beau is. We had to sneak around to get scrap that one time…why?”

“...Meet me at the breach point at 3:00am sharp,” Jaelyn ordered as they continued back towards home, “I’m going to need you to distract the guards so I can sneak outside. I’m getting that core or I’m going to die trying.”

Chapter Text

8

The mist swirled around Jaelyn’s feet again as she walked across the ashen-white stones and gravel of whatever this place was. The stars blazed up over her head, the roaring singularity sucking in the light as its golden halo cast a dimness over the land that made it seem more dreary.

A skitter of claws caught her attention, obsidian glass raining down in white-scarred clatters down on Jaelyn’s head. She slowly turned her gaze up…and was met with the sun-gold blaze of eyes and death dark scales. Sabre-fangs gleamed in a mouth too wide and too big as fire flickered out with the serpent’s tongue that tasted the air.

“I thought I told you to leave …” came the hiss as the shadowy wings spread wide and caused a gale of storm front winds to nearly knock Jaelyn off her feet, “Are you that stupid that you don’t heed the word of god when they tell you to do something?”

“I didn’t ask to be here,” Jaelyn crossed her arms as she popped a hip, staring up at the massive dragon coiled on the pillar.

A hiss, loud and long filtered through the air and Jaelyn watched as the massive creature slithered down the side of the obsidian pillar. Claws scratching ivory lines into the black glass as it dropped in liquid fluidity to the ground. It leveled its unblinking, golden gaze on her as too warm air flowed over her.

“I didn’t bring you here.” the dragon hissed, “And the only way that people can get here is if I bring them. No one just ‘wanders’ into this place, little Solver.”

“Solver?” Jaelyn blinked, “What’s that?”

“Oh don’t act like you don’t know. It’s stupid to fake it. ‘Specially in front of me.”

“I seriously have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re just a figment of a dream, probably my own stress about this situation…”

“About the boy? Ha…sorry to burst your bubble but I’m just as real as you are unfortunately. I’m not a ‘figment’ of your imagination or of your stress. You’re here. You’re real. I’m real. And you’re testing my patience.”

“Likewise,” Jaelyn huffed, turning to walk. She looked over the edge of the island that floated in the starlit void, wondering what would happen if she jumped…

“Don’t try it. You’ll die,” the dragon coiled itself around a smaller pillar of crystal in the center of the island, “I’ve had a Solver try throwing themselves in…their waking body went comatose and wasted away. Their shade popped up back here and pesters me from time to time until I throw them back into the Void.”

Jaelyn turned on her heel, facing the mythic lizard with a look of annoyance. 

“Look, I didn’t ask to be here, you didn’t drag me here and I want to go home. I don’t have time to stay in this…Void. I need to get out. So unless you give me a good alternative…” Jaelyn offered.

“You throwing yourself into the Void is just a form of suicide. Not one I’d recommend.”

“I don’t want to or need to be stuck in this place with an overgrown handbag ,”

“And I didn’t ask for a walking corporate branded pen to be here either. I guess we’re both disappointed.”

Jaelyn opened her mouth to protest when a glimmer caught her eye. She looked around…the stars seemed to be getting bigger almost. Widening and gaining large hearts of void within them. The dragon gave a spitting hiss, scales rippling in a wave starting from its head and traveling down to the tip of their tail. Jaelyn could have…sworn their form flickered almost, revealing a splotch of white before going back to normal. 

“...You need to leave. Now .” the creature hissed, Jaelyn could almost detect fear? In their voice? “It’s coming…It’ll see you…and it will be way less friendly than me.”

“Who’s coming?” Jaelyn demanded as the dragon let out a whine, wings spreading and causing another gale of wind to near knock her down, “Hey!”

“It’s coming…it’s coming…there’s nowhere to hide…I have to get away…I have to run I have to hide have to hide have to hide havetohidehavetohidehidehidehidehidehide!” the monstrous creature seemed to blink out of existence, reappearing within the pillars and curling up to make themself smaller, less visible. It was… shaking .

Jaelyn heard a horrific crunching, cracking, breaking sound far above her. Her eyes hollowed as she took some steps backwards as the very singularity that roared above them…seemed to gain a crack of gold. It bled, splintering from a point in the center that grew in a thin slit…

And then widened.

That’s when Jaelyn realized that the stars around them weren’t stars at all. Just as the Singularity wasn’t.

They were eyes .

“What do we have here? Another toy?”

The voice was…cold. Sharp and scathing, almost like a knife that was too sharp for its wielder, dripping with sarcasm and sardonicism as if oil from the wound left behind. Jaelyn did not like this voice…and yet…it sounded so familiar to her.

“A shame, really, I would have thought you would have grown up a bit stronger. Nowhere near as strong as Her, are you…little 002?” the Voice cooed with a venom-soaked tsk. “Then again, I shouldn’t have expected much from you. I know your mother wouldn’t have. But…maybe you have some use to me, unlike that useless parasi-oh. Hiding behind your little mask again, parasite? Cute. You should know that’s not going to hide you from me. So why bother?”

The great golden eye seemed to weep, bleeding a black and tar-like liquid that dripped down onto the ashen stone, the dragon’s whine and whimpering pitched upwards as they scrambled up the nearest pillar, scratching more ivory lines with their talons as they climbed up away from the liquid. Jaelyn took a few more steps back before bolting away from the liquid. 

“Hahahaha! You’re running? Oh that’s so adorable really…never would have pegged you as a coward , Jaelyn…your mother wasn’t…your father isn’t…I suppose their bravado didn’t come to you.”

Jaelyn gave a yelp as she skidded to a halt, pale stone skittering over the edge of the island and into the eye-studded abyss below. She’d run out of room to run.

“Such a pity…”

She whipped back around as the liquid washed over her, dragging her screaming down to the ground.

“Such a waste.”

LISTEN!

Running through the snow, eyes hollow, breathing hard. A scream echoing through the sky and whispers coiling around her as yellow blind light looked gently at her. “I just wanted to be useful for once…that’s all.” a male voice, soft and low murmured. “She’s using you! She doesn’t care about you! You’re the leader, right? Then lead !” her own voice, high pitched and pained. “JAELYN!” her father’s voice, her father’s eyes, hollow and worried, screeching and keening and metal tearing and door slamming loudness that echoed in her audials. Giggling laughter and screams and pain and voices and so hot so hot so hot so HOT! 

SAVE THEM!

Jaelyn screamed as she shot upright, clawing at her casing to get the oily, cloying feeling of the liquid off her…but she wasn’t in that creepy Island Void thing anymore. She was…home? Safe? She hoped so…

The pain in her head was horrific. It felt like something had dug superheated claws of molten steel into her processor and was slowly and firmly twisting them around. She got out of her bed, her bare feet tapping against the floor of her room as she shifted upright, making her way out into the kitchen. Maybe some lowgrade would help…

She turned the corner…only to realize the light was still on. Upon closer inspection, she found her father sitting at the table with a mug of midgrade sitting in front of him while he held his head in his hands, fingers rubbing little circles into his casing as if to get rid of a headache as well. He looked up at Jae, eyes hollow but filling back in…though the stressed markings were still there.

“Hey, Kiddo,” he greeted, “Couldn’t sleep?”

“Shouldn’t you be at work?” she asked, “It’s the middle of the night,”

“Yeah, well, your old man has to take breaks sometime,” he chuckled, “Lunch break and all,”

“Right,” Jaelyn nodded as she grabbed a glass and poured some midgrade into a cup, “You ok, Dad?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, just a headache is all. Been really stressful as of late. Heard your job’s been kinda hectic lately too…Vicky was in the hospital for a few hours? I heard she actually lost a fight,”

“Some creep made some advances on her and Vicky didn’t take it well. Turns out that she can’t 3v1 very well.”

“She is her father’s daughter,” Khan chuckled, “Ah, Brandon would have been proud of her,” He scratched at his neck absentmindedly as his gaze fell back on to Jaelyn, “Just like I’m proud of you…and I know your mother would be too,”

“Where’s this coming from all of a sudden?”

“What, I can’t tell my daughter I’m proud of her?”

“I mean, you can , but it’s just weird timing,”

Khan was quiet for a long while.

“...Hey, I need to get back to work but…can you promise me something, Kiddo?” he asked.

“Sure? What is it?”

“...Promise me you won’t do anything to get yourself hurt,” he said, “Like go outside or something like that?”

“I won’t get myself hurt, Dad,” she told him, “No intention of it, I promise,”

He gave a small smile and leaned forwards, giving her a kiss on her forehead.

“Good. Well…just, go back to bed, ok? I’ll see you in the morning. Love you, Jae,”

“Love you too, Dad,” she nodded as he got up, ruffling her hair for a moment before heading out the apartment door.

Unfortunately, Jaelyn had no intention of staying in that apartment. As soon as she was sure her father was out of the house and far enough away, she bolted back to her room and got herself ready. She grabbed her knife and put it in its scabbard before grabbing her backpack…and sticking some new little tools that she’d been tinkering on in her spare time.

They didn’t look like much, simple disks with copper wire wound between them…but Jaelyn knew that in a pinch, they’d take down even the most sturdy Security Drone for a few minutes. 

Electro-Magnetic Pulse grenades.

After carefully placing them in the backpack and making sure she was ready, she ran to her father’s room and grabbed the Door Master Key…just in case. She then booked it out of the house and down towards the breach in the bunker where the Raiders had gotten in. Sneaking in through the Black Market was not a wise idea…even if it was easier than going through Murder Drone infested outside paths. And Jaelyn knew that there would be people guarding it. 

By the time she’d made it to the breach, it was 3:00am. She was just about to send a heated message to Emmett, when a hand grabbed her shoulder. Jaelyn jumped, a gasp leaving her as another hand clapped over her mouth.

“Sorry!” Emmett breathed, “Didn’t mean to scare you!”

“Scare me!?” she hissed, dragging his hand away from her mouth, “Where were you!? You’re late!”

“I was here the entire time,” he shook his head, “You walked right past me. Remember? ‘To be on time is to be late’?”

Jaelyn fixed him with a glare before rolling her eyes and peering around the corner at the guards. “Doesn’t matter,” she finally said, “You have a way of getting rid of them?”

“Yeah, there’s a vent up above us…I’ll climb up and go through to the other side of the hallway and drop a noisemaker to get them to move. You won’t have long so you’re gonna have to move fast.”

Jaelyn nodded. “We don’t have much time. We’ve got twelve hours before that kid dies, so time’s of the essence, cowboy. Let’s move,”

Emmett nodded as he clambered up a set of boxes, removing the vent cover and crawling inside as if made of liquid metal. Jaelyn couldn’t even hear the thumping of his arms and legs going down the metal as she crept a little closer to the breach, dimming her light as low as it could go as she kept to the shadows. 

A clattering sound caught her attention, as it did the guards, and both of them went on high alert.

“Who’s there?!” one demanded, raising his rifle, “Show yourself!”

Jaelyn stayed quiet and still, waiting as her core whirred loudly in her chest. Another clanging sound came from down the other hall and a light shattered. Curses came from the guards as they shielded their eyes. 

“Hey!” one of them barked, pointing down the other hall, “You! Stop right there!”

He jostled his partner and both of them bolted towards whatever shadow lurked in the dark. Seeing her opportunity there now…Jaelyn bolted towards the breach, skidding in the snow that speckled the metal floor and grabbing onto the sharp edges of the entryway to stop her slide. She gave a hiss as her hand was sliced open, but…

She was out.

The stars blazed up ahead as Jaelyn bolted through the silent city. Her core was humming loudly in her chest as she finally slowed to a walk. Pain swelled in her hand as she looked down at the long gash in her palm. That…was not good.

From what she’d heard in history class as well as some of the stories in the medical ward…a Murder Drone could smell a drop of oil from miles away. And she very much did not want to run into one of those.

She quietly slung off her backpack and dug in the main compartment, pulling out some bandages. Equally as swiftly, she began to bind the wound, wincing as she got oil over her coat and skirt. She’d deal with that later. Right now she needed to focus on what she came out here for. And that was to get to that damnable Spire in the middle of nowhere and find a core.

So she continued to walk, keeping to shadows as she slunk through the snow. Bitter half formed memories rose to the forefront of her processor, those of picnics under these same stars and ghost stories by the embers of a long dead fire because the heat made her head hurt.

She could see the twisting and spiraling Spire piercing up through the city’s bones, a tumor black against the midnight blue of the sky and snow as the twin moons of Copper-9 shone pearly white off the casings of millions of dead Workers. Jaelyn swallowed. She was almost there…couldn’t afford to lose her nerve now.

That’s when she heard the scream.

Self-preservation kicked in and she hid behind a blasted car, ignoring the ivory scream of the skeleton in the driver’s seat and hunkering down underneath it with hollow eyes. She heard footsteps bolting across the snow, whimpering and whining pitched to a high degree. She also saw her vision flood with static and the harsh whisper of Death rose in the air. Unbidden, the old nursery rhyme came to mind…

Whispers in the skies

Be careful of what lies

Behind those knife smiles

That stretch for miles

And beware those golden eyes 

That are crossed with lies.

For Death rides on wings

Of swords and sharp things

Oh child, pray you don’t die…

When you hear whispers in the sky.

The high pitched scream came again as the footsteps were stutter-stepped in the snow…only for them to cut off into rising static as a loud thud shook the ground and an ice-sharp snarl cut through the air. 

Jaelyn held her hands to her mouth, her breaths wild and short as the faint glittering clinking of sword point feathers rattled through the snow. Cooing warbles transformed into horrific snarl-crunching as casing cracked and all else fell silent. 

Shaking, she dared peak over the side of the window and her core near ceased.

It was beautiful in the way that those lions or wolves in the encyclopedias were. A long, lithe body made to be aerodynamic and graceful loomed over its prey. Wings of molten mercury silver mantled over the snow, each feather rattling gently and pointed outwards to defend said catch as a long, thin slender tail swished contentedly back and forth, a glass canister housing death in liquid rage and a needle point decorated the end. It’s hair was silver and storm tossed curls under what looked to be an old beanie. A hoodie of dark black-grey diamond design covered its snowy casing…and were it not for the wings and tail, Jaelyn could have thought it was one of her own kind.

At least…until she saw the golden cross blazing over its screen and diamond-edged fangs ripping into the body and eating the corpse it held. And that’s when Jaelyn realized something.

The body was that of a child.

One that was four to five years old.

Chapter Text

9

“Come outside! I’m hurt…please…I need help!”

S shifted on the rooftop, his claws scraping against the edge as his tail flicked back and forth. E waited next to him, wings half furled as she watched and waited. R on the other hand was on the lamppost down below them, sitting pretty as a picture as she reclined on the iron bar. 

“Please! Don’t be afraid…I’m here! I won’t let anything happen to you, sweetie!” R’s voice soared and sang, cloying and too sweet like syrup. 

“She’s taking too long,” E huffed, ticking her claws as steam hissed between her fangs, “We could have had more than this if she didn’t insist on all of us being here,”

“It could be a colony like the one with the doors,” S told her, an eyelight flickering as hunger squeezed his internals in a vise, “They could open up and we’ll have a buffet! Just think…all the material we could want…we wouldn’t have to go hunting for a whole month maybe!”

E looked at him, her screen was dark for a long while before her false eyes flickered back on and she wore an unamused expression.

“Uh huh…sure.”

R continued her song, S settling down with his chin in his arms as he watched her. His tail moving in slow happy arcs as a smile graced his face.

“Y’know…I think I’m gonna do it,”

“Do what?” E asked.

“Make a courtship circle for R,”

E stared at him, almost dumbfounded. Her body slumped in near confusion as her claws dragged against the snow and her wings went lax on the roof.

“Oh you have to be kidding me,” she blinked, “Her ?!”

“Well…yeaaaah?” he shrugged, “We’ve been dating for…how long? Uh…’bout fourteen years? I think? I dunno…it’s fuzzy…”

“I think those magnets have scrambled your processor, S,” E deadpanned, “You can’t be serious, R ?!”

“Is there something wrong?” S asked, turning to face E who shook her head, “R’s the most awesome and capable person I know! She really saved us when we got here and she’s been the one who’s managed to keep us alive and all. She really is amazing,”

E gave a mirthless laugh, shaking her head in almost disbelief.

“I mean, it makes sense,” he continued, giving a rather dopey smile as he settled back to watch R lure the Worker child they’d seen scramble in there out, “I know you and R never got along, E, but I just…there’s something that feels right,”

“You’re not just settling are you?”

“Huh? No? Are you jealous?”

“Absolutely not,” E scoffed, her armor plates bristled, buzzing out in ruffled pinecone edges as her form seemed to flicker and fade before becoming clear again, “I just don’t think that you two are that good a match.”

“I mean who else?” S asked, “I just…it’s not like she’s gonna hurt me. Not…”

He trailed off, she could hear the popping of his outer plates as they bristled and shuddered. His eyes were hollow and bolded amber gold that flickered with the strength of a candle flame in a blizzard.

“She won’t hurt me…” he murmured, “She won’t…she wouldn’t…not like…” his shaking worsened as he gripped his arms, his tail lashing back and forth as his feathers rattled and clicked.

“Hey…” E started, slowly as she reached to grab his shoulder and center him back, “You good?”

“Huh? Yeah. Yeah I’m fine!” S smiled, his plates flattened down with harsh clicks and pops. E’s eyes narrowed, “I’m a-okay, E, really! Just uh…kinda spaced out there for a sec. But I’m known for that.”

E opened her mouth to protest but a glimmer caught her eye from below. R had flicked a wing out and hunger twisted in her fuel tanks as what looked to be a child opened the door. His eyes weren’t hollow or stressed…he looked dazed if anything. R’s voice was doing its job and the little boy stumbled almost drunkenly out of the building. 

“S,” E started.

“I mean, R tells me that I kinda need to not be as spacey but I mean, I’m pretty capable…” S continued, not really paying attention.

“S!” E repeated, louder as R flicked her wings both this time, casting a rather nasty expression up at her hiding squadmates.

“Huh?”

“Field! Now!” E hissed.

“Wha-oh! OH! Right!” S yelped as he all but tripped over himself to get up over the side of the building.

A low, loud whining sound wound up starting from his chest as sparks and lightning arced up around his core and raced down his arms. His visor X’d out as his faceplate cracked into a hunter’s grin and he…immediately was taken over the side by a sudden gust of wind and the wound up pulse dissipated…its only targets being R and E.

R’s voice, now silent as her visor went dark and she fell off her perch into the snow, no longer held the child in its grasp. The boy blinked, eyes going hollow as he saw the Disassembly Drone fall into the snow with a loud whumph ! And a second one collapsing to his knees and gasping as error after error blitzed over his screen.

The kid did the smart thing…and ran as fast as his little legs could take him.

Status

Knocked TF Out

Wakey wakey!

E woke up to hearing R’s absolute shriek of anger. She shook her head a couple times as she crawled to the side of the roof, static still dancing across her vision as R got to her feet and started laying into S.

“Welp…that was to be expected. Way to go, loverboy…” E thought with a huff as she lay her head on her arms.

“YOU ABSOLUTE MORON !” R screeched, wings snapping full out, feathers rattling and every single one of her plates was on edge.

“It was an accident!” S gave a small, apologetic laugh as R grabbed him by the hoodie’s collar and yanked him up, “Uh…y-ya got a little snow in your hair there, R…”

R looked like she wanted to smack him, and actually did rear back her hand to do so.

“Yo!” E called out, jabbing her tail towards where the set of small footprints went, “Shouldn’t we, you know, actually catch dinner before the sun comes up?”

As much as she was irritated by S’s incompetence, she didn’t think it was fair that R was going to actually legit beat him. He was a dork half the time, but he came by it honestly. Even if he was a bit distracted.

R let a disgusted sound rip from her chest as she dropped him, earning a small ‘ow’ from the taller Disassembler.

“Get that toaster, bring it back to the Spire, or you can forget about that date,” R leaned down and pat him on the cheek, “Right, babe?”

“...Right! Right!” S’s tail started wagging as he scrambled up to his feet, “I’ll make sure to get the kid, no need to worry!”

E winced as he stumbled a couple steps before launching up into the air with a trilling warble singing of his happiness. She turned her attention back to R, giving a light shudder as a crackle of electricity stuttered through her.

“Y-y0u know you d-d1dn’t have to tre-r3at him like that,” she pointed out, giving her wings a shake and sending the electric arcs down them to melt through some of the snow as she tapped a claw on the roof’s edge, “It was a genuine mistake.”

“I don’t see why you’re defending him,” R crossed her arms and settled back on a leg, “It’s his fault we’re in this mess in the first place.”

“By what ? Crashing the ship due to oil deprivation? Blame the thing that sent us here, not him.”

“Oh now you blame that yellow eyed creep,” R sneered.

“Look in the mirror Princess John,” E snarked back.

“You expecting a Robin Hood to come out and take his position back? He doesn’t want it, remember?”

“Yeah, because you gaslit him !” E snarled, to which R rolled her eyes.

“Not gaslighting if it’s true,” R stated, brushing her hair back and ridding it of the extra snow, “Besides, it’s not like he remembers any of it. Too blissed out on magnets to care or remember,”

“You ever wonder why ?” E growled.

“Look,” R’s eyes lidded as her tail swept neatly back up behind her, “All he knows, all he cares about…is that he doesn’t remember the past. Because he knows it’s his fault that little creep got in and stuck around. And the thing is? There is nothing that I could do that would be as bad as what s-”

“Stop.” E gave a chainsaw snarl, claws digging into the roof with angry abandon.

“Whatever,” R scoffed, “Doesn’t change the fact that he knows one little fact,” 

“And what would that be,”

She gave a grin as her eyes hollowed out and she put her hands on her hips.

“I wouldn’t hurt him anywhere near as bad as She did.”

S glided on the cold winds as fast as his wings could carry him. He needed to find that kid and fast. The sun would be up in a few hours and he wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to catch the kid and bring them back to the Spire in time. But he had to! R promised that date and that’d be where he’d be doing all the preparation for the courtship circle and everything. So he could not screw this up!

Not like…every other attempt he did.

But anyways!

Hellooooo ! He keened, scanning through the silent bare boned city, wings whirling to the side and sending him banking towards a flicker of light across the quiet streets, a cancer cell in a vein belonging to a long dead organism. I’m here! I’m here! Where are you? Hellooooo!

His voice carried in echo, reflecting back at him until movement caught his eye. Tiny footprints, steps of scared, skitter-strides of a mouse afraid to die. 

Found you! He whistled as the child dared to look up at him with hollow eyes blazing bright. A scream ripped from them and his vision fuzzed over, causing a snarl to tear from his throat. That needed to stop! That needed to stop now !

His wings angled and he shot from the sky in a hazy gold arc, claws arced and piercing through the chest of the child that he had been ordered to hunt down. Smoke-spray snow showered around him as the child screamed and oil spurted into the air. Hunger roared through him as his jaws cracked open. He hadn’t eaten in days…

Food! Food! MINE! He hissed as he lunged forwards, jaws clamping around the child’s neck. The child’s screaming turned into gurgling as frenetic laughter stolen from his prey echoed through his chest and he started feeding as the once bright and hollow eyes dimmed and turned into dull red FATAL ERROR .

He was halfway through his meal, tearing up another mouthful of metal and casing…when he heard another noise. He ripped the casing free, dripping oil and wire from his maw as his head tilted to the side.

And crossed goldenrod met with snowy lilac.

The second Jaelyn saw the Murder Drone look at her, she knew she was in trouble. There was no hiding from that, even as she scrambled backwards and grabbed one of the EMP Grenades from her bag. Her eyes were hollow and her core hummed painfully in her chest as the Murder Drone gave a chirruping sound and crawled on all fours down off the car it had landed on. Like some large cat stalking its prey.

Her hands were shaking as it slithered onto the snow, silver-steel claws ticking against permafrost ridden asphalt as that golden X did not leave her…nor did the wide, shark-like smile leave its face. 

Jaelyn slowly edged backwards. In every film and book on animals that Victoria had info-dumped on her and Emmett, running and turning your back on a predator animal was a bad idea. The humans knew that. It was something that they’d evolved from in their infancy as a species…and it was something her kind had to learn. 

Not that it would help.

Braver drones than her had stood up and fought against the Sky Demons…and lost. 

She managed to shake her knife free from its sheath, keeping her eyes on the monster in front of her. As it pushed up, rearing on its hind legs with wings outstretched and maw dripping with spit and oil and the remains of its meal. The EMP grenade fell from her fingers as she gripped her knife in both hands. 

“So stupid!” she thought bitterly as she kept taking steps backwards, “What’s this going to do, Jae? Huh? It’s a freaking needle to this monster!”

She knew the Murder Drones were big. Just not… this big. It towered over her by feet, casting a blue-black shadow of finite time across her and snuffing the twin moons from existence. All the light she was afforded was that of the golden sun-glow of the monster before her. 

Every step back she took was mirrored forward by the Murder Drone, a long, low hiss gurgled from its throat as its claws flexed and its wings twitched, shoulders hitching. Jaelyn threw herself back as the Monster surged forwards, its footsteps thundering against the snow with powder-thick thuds…

And then the EMP grenade she dropped detonated in an explosion of blue-white lightning. 

The Murder Drone shrieked, a baritone bellow that rattled Jaelyn’s struts as she surged forwards back at it, roaring herself. It’s tail whipped forwards towards her screen, out of instinct she raised her arm to block and fiery agony rippled down her forearm. But she kept true to her course, ducking below the twitching and flailing limbs as they locked up and spasmed. 

The silver blade of her knife flashed in the moonlight, carrying a promise of death and freedom for her kind and salvation for that little boy dying in the bunker. With a wild war-cry, Jaelyn plunged down with the blade. She gave a hiss as the body jerked under her and what was to be a lethal core shot instead ended up puncturing one of the gleaming golden blister-sores on the Murder Drone’s headband. 

With a garbled shriek…the Monster fell silent, its body occasionally twitching as the golden cross on its screen went completely dark. 

Jaelyn gave a shaky breath as she scrambled off the fallen giant. Her eyes were hollowed and stressed as she got between it and the body of the child. Giving the monster a tentative kick with her boot…she deemed it dead and immediately ran to the kid’s corpse, digging in to the ruined chassis…

And nearly crying as she saw the core was completely intact. 

Kicking herself for not bringing her surgical tools, Jaelyn settled for using her knife to extract the core. Her arm was killing her, but she was choosing to ignore that for the moment. That could wait. The kid’s core came first. She needed to get that now . Before it sputtered out. She had an hour before that happened. 

She was arms deep in the kid’s chest when she heard movement.

Her eyes hollowed as she saw the Murder Drone twitch, a low whining sound coming to life as electricity arced over the Monster’s frame. 

“Oh no…” she breathed, turning back to her bloody work, “C’mon, c’mon, c’mon…don’t have time for this…need to get this ASAP!”

A few more tugs and with a snap, the core came free. She gave a breathless laugh as she pinwheeled her arms a bit to keep her balance.

That laugh however died in her throat as she heard groaning…and the Murder Drone sat up.

“Wh-wh4t hit m3-e-E?” it asked as the five blisters flickered back to life, four yellow…one red.

And two very drone-like ovals sputtered on the screen in place of a cross.

“O00oooh…s-so0rry,” it apologized, getting to its feet, “D-d1dn’t s-see you there! Didn’t kn0w thi-hiiis was y-y0ur hunting ground.”

Jaelyn stared at the Murder Drone for a long while, her hollow eyes bolding as she clutched the core to her chest.

“...H-Holy Mother of Company Retreats it talks,”

Chapter Text

10

“H-Holy Mother of Company Retreats it talks …” Jaelyn breathed as the absolutely massive drone shook like a dog, wings flapping and sending a brief gust over her as the snow sloughed off in dripping slush.

“Hooooough,” it, he , folded his wings back as his visor glitched, “S-Sorry my uh…head kinda hurts…a lot.” the Murder Drone blinked those owlish eyelights, looking down at her, “Whoa…you’re uh…kinda short?”

“And you’re a skyscraper, good to see your optics work a bit,” Jaelyn fired back.

“Hey! Hey! I was just pointing something out?” he protested, raising his arms, “Are you some new model or something? I’ve never seen a Disassembly Drone that small before…ohhhh are you some form of spy drone? Or do you have something like one of my squadmates does? Heh, she’ll be happy to hear that she’s not the smallest anymore at least. Dang you really are small…Oh. Right uh…Name’s Serial Designation: S, awesome to meet you! I’m…kinda the leader of the squad in this city…ok well, not anymore. That’s a lie. But uh, you can call me S. I uh…a-also can’t really remember the uh…past two hours of my life? At all? Wonder why…heck…”

“Jae,”

“J huh? Well, nice to meet you Serial Designation: J!”

“No, just Jae,” Jaelyn huffed, “Now, if you’ll excuse me…I’ve got some things to d-!” she cut off with a grunt of pain, grabbing at her arm and hissing as her fingers dipped through the rapidly disintegrating metal. 

Oh. Oh that was bad. She didn’t have anything to amputate the arm with and without that, it was just going to continue to eat at her casing.

“Oh…that…looks really bad,” S hissed, “You uh, stick yourself? Y’know you can just pop it in your mouth since our nanites in there neutralize the acid?”

Jaelyn stared at him. They did what now?”

“...Wait, that’s kinda an…awkward place to put it in your mouth…uh…mind if I help?” he asked, lumbering closer and Jaelyn instinctively flinched, “Whoa hey! I’m not gonna take your kill, just wanna make sure you’re not gonna dissolve on me.”

Jaelyn was slightly ok with him approaching her. Less ok when he grabbed her arm, but marveled at how… gentle he was with it. Like he was handling spun glass rather than another drone. Which…made sense considering she’d seen images of these things ripping through steel like it was paper.

She was even less ok when he spat into his hand and clapped it onto the wound.

“Excuse you!?” Jaelyn sputtered, trying to yank her arm back, “How is that sanitary!?”

“W-Well it was either that or, well, licking it but I don’t think we’re that close?” S apologized, “B-But it should be better! Now that I think about it…you should have been able to do that yourself…whoops…sorry…”

S was still a little scrambled from whatever had knocked him out earlier. The Disassembler in front of him was…very small. Like, two feet shorter than him. Much smaller than either of his squadmates for sure. 

Her form was a bit fuzzy, glitching in and out due to his visual sensors being knock offline, but those were healing slowly. She seemed to have a cloaking ability if she was able to make herself look that short, like a chameleon. He knew that was the case with one of his squadmates.

“So…while that heals, J,” he started, “I’m guessing you’re new to the city? My squad’s not too far from here, they’d love to meet you though! Always looking for more eyes in the sky though uh…a new mouth to feed might be a bit…difficult?”

“Right…of course there’s more of you,” J muttered, “How many?”

“Just the three of us,” S smiled, “Been just the three of us for ‘bout…uh…how long have we been here? Twelve Years? Eleven? I dunno, time kinda seems to fly by when you’re having fun and all…”

“Fun?”

“Well, ok, more a job but hey, gotta do it to survive and all!”

“I don’t follow. Cut to the chase please? Why are we liquidizing all the assets here?”

“Oh uh, well…don’t you remember?”

“Making sure you do. You took a hard shock to the head.”

“Riiiiight,” he nodded, “Uh, well…me personally…other than the whole, y’know, eating to not suffer a horrific heat death that would burn me alive…I guess I just…wanted to be useful for once,” his voice got quiet as he sat down on the car hood, tail curling around him, “Make up for past mistakes. N-Not that that’s important or anything.”

He gave a loud cough, clearing his throat as static popped.

“A-Anyways. Squad. Right uh,” he shook his head, the aftereffects of the shock he’d gotten were slow to go away and were making his head even more foggy than any magnet ever could, “First there’s uh…um….V? No! E! She’s the best hunter of our squad and a tad bit violent and also why am I being so honest about this to someone I just met? Eh. Whatever. She’s pretty cool, when she’s not hunting she’s chill too.”

“I…see…” J crossed her arms, he could barely make out the core in her hands and his mouth watered a bit…figures she’d grab the best part. Her kill so he couldn’t really say much about it.

“Oh, there was this one time she managed to get inside a colony without them knowing what she was,” S continued, grinning, “And she wiped out nearly everyone out! We didn’t have to hunt for months!”

“That’s…interesting…”

“Yeah she’s really cool. And then there’s um…J er wait no, you’re J…R? R right…sorry I’m a bit uh…fuzzy on details. Everything’s kinda scrambled…” he apologized, “She’s our leader,”

“I thought you said you were the leader,”

“I was! For a bit. But uh…I’m not…well…the best fit. R helped me realize that. She’s awesome and pretty and great and pretty wait I said that already…uh…a-anyways, we’ve been dating for like fourteen years. She’s the light of my life and just…absolutely awesome. Even if uh, she gets mad at me for screwing up. Which is a lot. And is fair…because I uh, yeah I space out a lot and get into all sorts of trouble. But its never not warranted! I deserve it really. But I think you two will get along I think,”

“Doesn’t sound like she reciprocates the love there. Not a very mutual partnership to me,”

“Hey, I deserve the beatdown 95% of the time,”

“She beats you?”

“No! NO! She doesn’t beat me. She just gets…really vocal about things.” he defended, “She wouldn’t hurt me. Least not nearly as bad as the last time…but that’s not important,” he could already feel the horrible headache coming on from the memory trying to push back up, “Anyways. How’s your arm feeling? If it’s feeling better we could get your kill and bring it back to the Spire, R’d be happy to see that as a first impression! She might even let you sleep in the pod instead of making you make your own nest night one!”

“Pod?”

“Yeah, y’know, the thing we came here in? Sure it might be a bit banged up and battered from the crash land…but hey, any landing you can walk away from amiright?” he gave a nervous chuckle  as he scratched the back of his neck.

“A pod . Like a spaceship?” J asked, “You mean you can go off world and leave?”

“Ok, pod and spaceship is a uh, very blanketed term?” he admitted, “It’s more ‘one use missile’. Cuz it’s busted up so badly I don’t think it’ll ever fly again,”

“And you didn’t see if you could, you know, talk with I don’t know a Worker Drone to maybe fix it?”

“Why would we?” S asked, his head tilting to the side as his tail gave a quick little lash, “They’re all corrupted and not that smart really…considering we’ve been using them as food and repair material. Ok, that one colony we wiped a few months ago using the metro station’s third rail as a frankensteined electro magnetic mouse trap was pretty clever but other than that…well…”

“S…” J crossed her arms as she tapped her foot, “Answer me this. Have you thought of what’s going to happen to you when all the Workers are dead?”

“Not really, no.”

She pinched where her nose would have been if she was human. He could see a faint off-white violet glow now, so his eyes were nearly done healing. 

“Riddle me this, Killer Boy…you said you needed the oil from the Workers to not overheat and die, right?”

“Yup,”

“And if you don’t get oil, you’ll start burning up and die.”

“Yeaaah?”

“So what do you think is going to happen if you run out of Workers to eat. And you can’t get off the planet,”

S was quiet for a moment, mulling it over before his eyes went hollow.

“Oh…huh…”

“Do you really think the company is going to give two branded pens over whether you live or die once their little ‘rogue AI problem’ has been dealt with?” J demanded, “Or are you actually as dumb as you look at the moment. Considering the blissed out, vacant expression I’m seeing…I’m very much hoping it’s not the latter though I’m starting to suspect it.”

“That’s kinda harsh…”

“Because it’s the only thing going to get through your thick metallic skull,” J snapped, “Face it S, you were sent here…your squad was sent here…for the sole reason of dying. A cleanup job that cleans itself so to speak. They won’t have to deal with you after this.”

“That’s…not true.” he shook his head, “I…they wouldn’t…”

“They already have,”

“Look, not gonna lie, that rebellious streak you got is pretty awesome and cool and…” he cut off, why did that feel familiar? No. Not important. What was important was J was mad at him now, “Anyways, they’ve got to have an extraction plan. R’s been getting orders from the company or whoever sent us here so they know we’re here!”

Where? Where? Here! Hello!

S perked up, tail wagging as he heard R’s voice on the wind.

“Hey, we can discuss this later,” he started turning his gaze from the sky, “My squad’s nearly here an-” he stopped…

J was gone.

“There you are!” R’s voice rang out as she landed, sending sprays of snow across the ground, “The hell have you been? I see you managed to catch the toaster, surprisingly.”

“Yeah and made a new friend but she kinda dipped,”

“A what now?” R’s eyes narrowed, “ She ?”

“Hey!” E called from her perch above them both as she pointed, “S, did you seriously just let a Worker bolt back towards the stupid door colony?”

“Uh…a Worker?”

R pulled him down to her level and gave an exasperated sigh, “Idiot, what happened to your eyes?”

“Oh uh…” S gave a yelp as she gave him a smack and his vision shorted out. 

SYSTEM REBOOT IN PROGRESS

–Slap Accepted–

Parsing Data: SYS:// “_/Optic_Sensory_Data”

Cooling It With The //CHAR TRAIT: Lovable Dork// Trope 

Memory Core Damaged.

Attempting to Recover Memory Data. . .

Standby. . . 

The Staticky  Disassembly Drone standing before him’s image finally cleared. No, not a Disassembly Drone. Disassembly Drones didn’t have violet light. And he was pretty sure those clothes weren’t regulation. . . and they certainly didn’t have “TARGET LOCKED” tagged on them. . .

His core squeezed painfully as the memories fast forwarded.

“Do you really think the company is going to give two branded pens over whether you live or die once their little ‘rogue AI problem’ has been dealt with?” the Worker girl demanded.

Nononono he didn’t seriously just…

He lunged towards the dark haired Worker girl and his world erupted into blue-white lightning that bit and crackled and the flash of something silver as it was pain pain pain pain!

You’re Dead

[Idiot]

String “Absolute Solver” Blocked by Administration

Recovering from Backup, Please Wait. . . 

Data Restoration in Progress

Entering Safe Mode. . .Success

Please see a Certified JCJenson (In SPAAAAAACE!) Technician

Memory Data Restored!

S blinked for a second as the data cleared.

“Oh.” he murmured, “Wait…” he’d told that Worker everything. What E could do, that they needed oil and material to not die…oh no. “Oh…oh no …uhhhh so. I’m going to go and take care of a thing. I’ll be back in a bit! Kaythanksbai!” 

And with that, he launched himself into the air, spraying R with more snow…oh she was going to let him have it later wasn’t she…

Chapter Text

11

Victoria was having a regular, boring night shift at the Doors. She was scheduled to work with the team at Door 3 since she was released from the medical ward, but they were sending her on a welfare check at Door 1. So far, all was quiet. 

She gave a yawn, stretching and wincing as her struts groaned. It was 4:30 in the morning and she wanted to go to bed…thankfully it was a Friday evening, so she’d get to sleep in a bit. She was half tempted to hole up in a corner and let herself doze off a bit…that’s what her fellows at Door 3 were telling her she could do at least.

But, something didn’t feel right about that.

She felt on edge, something gnawing against her fuel tank and making it roil with anxiety. The little blue eyed monster coiled in the cage she kept it in, gnashing teeth against the bars and dragging fingers down them.

“Something’s wrong. Something’s wrong . Let me out. Let me protect us!” it seemed to hiss, but Victoria shoved it back in its cage, ignoring the squeal of protest.

That thinking had made her lose a fight. And she was still angry about it. Not that it was to a drone bigger than her, and a creep on top of that…but the fact she’d lost at all made a sour note on her tongue.

She was about to use the key to Door 2 and head back to her post when she heard a loud banging sound on Door 1. 

“Open the door! Open the door!” Jaelyn’s voice shrieked as the doors creaked open with hisses and clanks. Victoria watched as Jaelyn was yanked in from the slurry of snow and ice, eyes hollow and wild as she dashed to the keypad and slammed the master key against the scanner repeatedly. Frantically. “Please! Please! PLEASE! SHUT THE DOOR! NOW! SH-”

CLANG

All was still. All was silent. The clamor of the worried WDF members suddenly died, strangled in silver vice like grip as a scraping sound caught Victoria’s attention. A glint of gold seared through the room, searching, as a warbling cooing sound filtered through the air. 

Scratch…scraaaaaatch…scratch…click! Click! Click!

Three mercury diamond splinters of ice-sharp Death snaked through the opening, two owlish golden orbs blinked into existence as a low, baritone chuckle wafted through the air like smoke.

“Foooound youuuu,” the voice purred, “Time’s up little mouse…” 

Jaelyn’s eyes bolded in horror as she took several stutter steps away from the door. Her mouth was opening and closing and she gripped what looked to be a star encased in metal in her hands close to her chest. Wait…was that a core?!

Msg: WD Unit: J43LYN 001-001-002 Vicky. Get my dad. Get my dad and the rest of the WDF NOW!

Victoria shot her friend a confirmation, opening up Door 2 and bolting in as Door 1’s dying gasps rattled through the air. Door 2 slammed shut behind her and she immediately started bolting towards Door 3.

“Get weapons!” her voice was shrill as she ran, opening Door 3 as she got to the keypad, “Hurry! We have to get weapons now ! Sound alarms! Anything!”

“Easy, Vicky!” Ron, a friend of her father’s, started, grabbing her by the shoulders as she passed him, “What’s wrong?”

“A Murder Drone got in! I-I don’t think Jae meant to let it in but its here!” Victoria stammered, “Hurry! Where’s Mr. Doorman!?”

“He went towards the medical ward to get some supplies about twenty minutes ago!” Ron told her, “He should be on his way back. Vicky…Imma need you to get civilians to the safe zone. Sound the alarm, they’ll start heading that way, ok? Make sure your mom and sister get there.”

“Yes sir!” Victoria nodded as she dashed away and Ron hit the Alert Button, following her as the lights turned blood red and klaxons started wailing. 

“Foooound youuuu,” S’s purred, “Time’s up little mouse…” 

Jaelyn’s core cycled harshly as she backed up, terror sending ice down her spine. This was not good. Not good at all. She caught a flicker of blue and her eyes hollowed as she spotted Victoria.

Msg: WD Unit: J43LYN 001-001-002 Vicky. Get my dad. Get my dad and the rest of the WDF NOW!

Victoria sent back a quick acknowledgement before slipping through the first door. S’s gaze never left her, his claws scraped even more harshly against the metal doors. She could see them digging in with sparks of amber-orange that spat harshly. The doors groaned, moaning in agony as they were being wrenched open. 

She could hear his hissing growl, low and so loud it shook her struts. The golden eyes tilted to the side as another flash of gold whipped through the door. Jaelyn yelped, clutching the core to her chest as the master key was ripped from her hand and impaled to the wall by an acid hate bearing stinger. The angry little nanites dripped down, eating through the plastic of the floppy disk key and melting through the floor.

And with sinking horror…Jae watched as Door 1, Door 2, and Door 3 all hissed open as the main key panel was destroyed.

The Murder Drone standing in front of her loomed in the early morning gloom. His claws latched on to the top of the door, Jae realized he had been crouching before to keep the doors from closing, and bent down to clear the entryway. Those white shod feet padded quietly in, making faint clicking sounds as he straightened up. His tail ripped itself from the control panel and flicked back and forth as those golden eyes lolled over to her. A smile, bright and winning cracked sinisterly over his face.

“Much better, now…” the twin orbs of sunfire sputtered, flickering into beams of crossed death as his claws twitched with a ringing sound, “Run.”

And he gave a screeching roar that made Jaelyn’s screen fuzz over as flight kicked in. She immediately scrambled back, running as fast as her legs could go. S hit the floor, his claws sending up white-hot sparks as they rent the industrial steel floor. With lightning speed he bolted forwards, Jaelyn felt the heat of death rolling down her back and she hit the floor to avoid the long silver claws that reached for her. 

S leapt over her, instead wildcat tumbling and scrabbling over another Worker that Jaelyn didn’t know the name of. But the man’s dying screams were something she’d never forget as S flipped the poor soul on his back and used the gut hooks of his claws to flay the metallic skin from his body, peeling the metal back and beginning to eat the Worker alive. The screams got louder as did the increase in thrashing. S gave a snarl and reared back his hand, swiping down and slamming into the Worker’s head so hard it snapped clean off, rolling down the hall and colliding with the wall, spraying oil as it did.

Jaelyn scrambled back to her feet, clutching the core to her chest. She could feel its light dimming. She didn’t have much time. She bolted, crying out as a missile shot past her, detonating a few feet to her right. Another missile caught another WDF member, another one was cleaved in twain by something she couldn’t see…only golden light that still seared her vision with spots. She heard voices and klaxons calling and shrieking to run as fast as she could. 

“JAE!”

Her eyes bolded as she saw her father dash around the corner. He looked absolutely terrified, his eyes were fuzzed around the rings, nearly completely filled in bold from the hollow ivory rings. Relief blazed through her on seeing him. 

“DAD!” she cried, racing towards him, “DAD! PLEASE! HELP!”

She had a chance. If she could just make it to him they could close the door from that side and S would have to find another way in…Until he found the ventilation shaft.

There was a blaze of bright gold and white that shot from the ceiling. Jaelyn screamed as she jerked back and S landed with wings outstretched between her and her father, the remains of the ventilation shaft’s grate raining around them with scattered plinks and clinks of metal. 

“JAELYN!” Khan roared, charging S with every intent to tear him to pieces, with what weapon Jaelyn didn’t know. 

S hissed at him, wings flicking as the WDF members grabbed Khan’s arms and held him back. S gave a warbling sound, oil still leaking from his mouth from where he’d torn that poor Worker to shreds. He then turned back towards J.

“Sorry,” the Murder Drone’s voice was low and raspy as a laugh bubbled from his voice box, “I really did like talking with you J…Jaelyn? Huh…nice name. But anyways…yeah, I’m sorry…I can’t let you go. I told you too much. And that puts my squad in danger. I won’t let you use that info to hurt R.”

“Are you kidding me?!” Jaelyn hissed, “That null-unit, downsized processor lipstick on a pig glitch is gaslighting you! And you’re protecting her? You can’t be serio-!”

She let out a scream as S moved at lightning speed, wing flickering out in a display of molten silver and piercing through her shoulder. She dropped the core out of instinct, grabbing at the knife like feather that sliced her hands to ribbons as she tried to pull it out. 

“JAELYN!” Khan screeched, fighting against the WDF members that held him. 

S gave a siren-keen roar that carried for multiple seconds, saliva mixed oil dripping to the floor from fangs as big as Jaelyn’s fist. Khan screeched back, his screen glitching and sputtering from stress as he kicked and scratched and fought to get free.

“CLOSE THE DOOR!” one of the other WDF ordered.

“NO!” Khan shrieked, “JAE!”

“D-Dad…” Jaelyn stammered, her voice cracked and glitching as she reached her hand to him, “P-Pl3ase…”

The door slammed shut and Khan’s shrieking and roaring dimmed as he was dragged away.

S watched as Jaelyn’s fire died in an instant. Heartbreak clear on her face, and it just…something clenched around his core seeing it.

“...No…” she whimpered, “Dad…Dad come back…please…”

Those pearly lilac eyes dimmed and her hand slid off his feather, the look of defeat and devastation was something that just…just…just…

He shook his head as pale golden eyes mirrored the look.

“I’m sorry…I didn’t…I didn’t want to…I’m so sorry…” a familiar voice murmured, making him shake his head harder, tremors shaking his body apart as pain seared through his memory.

He didn’t want to remember. Not that. Anything but that. Please…

“Whoa,” yet another familiar voice started as the faint tick-tacking of feet on metal caught his attention. He turned to face E and R, both of whom prowled closer, R actually looked impressed! “I did not expect this. Wow…looks like you’re more useful than I thought, S,”

E rolled her eyes as R slunk forwards. “You two do whatever gross immoral makeout session bull you want to do, I’m going to get food. Vents look big enough to get through, shouldn’t have a problem getting through. Oh and uh…don’t blow my head off this time, when we meet back up again, R…it’s a pain to heal…”

With that, E launched herself up into the vents and R gave a soft scoff as she put a hand on S’s shoulder. 

“Nice work big boy. See what happens when you lay off the magnets?” she purred, “Was this a gift for me?”

“Well…maaaaybe?” he shrugged, his tail wagged a little bit and he could see Jaelyn’s eyes roll.

“Oh god she’s worse than you described,” Jaelyn spat, screen glitching with errors as she leveled a glare at R, “I-1 was a-4ll for being…d-d3f34ted but…s-something about her f-face…p-pisses me off.”

R’s head whipped towards Jaelyn and she gave a sneer.

“Ew, this toaster’s still alive? And it’s talking to me?” she scoffed, “Why haven’t you killed it yet?”

"I mean I just…” S stammered, “Well…” he looked back at Jaelyn, her defiant and angry expression a far cry from the despairing and broken one. It was painfully familiar and yet…it felt right. She’d listened to him back then, even if she’d deceived him about what she was. That was something that neither E nor R had really done for him. “...Hey...R...whaddya say we kinda keep this one alive?"

"...What."

"Yeah y'know...we could probably use her to get inside other colonies...y'know, like that greek history thing?” he tried, “The...Trajen Horse?"

"Yeah, no.” R scoffed, walking towards the vent that E had disappeared into, “S, do your job, or you can forget coming home, we don't need well... that ...stinking up the place."

She leapt up into the vent, S waited until he couldn’t hear the skittering of her passage before turning to Jaelyn. His eyes turned sad as he looked at her. 

"Sorry, J, R's orders..." he muttered.

"Wh-why are y-you listen-n-ning to that int3rn?” Jaelyn demanded, grabbing at his feather again and sending more of her sweet sweet smelling oil down it, “1 thought y-you were the leader. N-n0t her."

"Well, yeaaaaah but..."

"Ap ap! N-no buts. Yo-0u're the le-l3ader, you make the d-decisions,” Jaelyn snapped, voice popping, “A-And you don't want to k-k-kill me."

"You did short circuit me with an EMP pulse, remember..."

"D-details. Anyways. P0int is, there's n-no HR you can report to and she's trying to hostile takeover your position. I can help, but you have to trust me. I didn't really lie to you or beat you down or tell you you're worthless and terrible,” her voice was getting stronger albeit still high pitched and in pain, “Look at what you did here. Has R done that? No. That was you. S...don't listen to her. Please . Think for yourself. She’s using you! She doesn’t care about you! You’re the leader, right? Then lead!”

S stared at her for a long, long time. She wasn’t wrong. What… had R really done to earn the love he was giving her? She never returned his love you . Everything he did was wrong or subpar and everything she did was amazing. 

Was it really just because of…of…of…

He shook his head violently, grabbing at his screen as his tail thrashed angrily. He couldn’t remember. He didn’t want to remember? No. No he couldn’t remember. He didn’t remember why he was ok with all of this and Jaelyn was…

“You’re right,” he finally said, “Ok…ok. I’m going to take my wing out…it’s gonna hurt like heck though…”

Jaelyn gave a nod, letting herself go limp. Clever…pain synapses were worse when you were tense. Seemed like she had some medical training? He yanked his wing out, wincing as she hissed in pain still and hit the floor, rubbing her shoulder.

“Ok. So…now what?” he asked, “We just leave?”

“Oh like hell. The second R finds out you didn’t kill me she’s going to try and do it herself,” Jaelyn growled, “So…we’re going to get her before she causes too much damage here.”

Chapter Text

12

“Get the women and children to the safe zone now !” Ron snapped as more WDF members pushed by and started herding the panicking Workers towards the rallypoint, “Vicky! You hear from your mom and sister?”

“Mom and Lizzy are at the medical ward with Dr. Price!” Victoria winced as she was sent spinning slightly when a Worker clipped her shoulder, “They’re sealed up like a tomb in there. The Murder Drones can’t get in there. For sure.”

“Good,” Ron nodded, “We just need to make sure everyone else is. What about the Sterling boys?”

“Emmett says that he’s on his way here to get to the safe zone,” Victoria reported as she heard ungodly screeching coming from the direction of the doors, like the hounds of hell grating chains of iron with their teeth as they howled, “Beau I don’t know! Maybe with Cyn?”

“Don’t have time to worry about that now,” Ron sighed, “C’mon, let’s go.”

They followed the last of the flood of Workers, Victoria seeing a mop of curly blond hair and orange eyes standing tall above the crowd. Her core warmed at the sight and her shoulders let out the tension as she spied Emmett helping get more people to move forwards. 

“H-Hey! Wait for me!” a voice called out.

Victoria and Ron both turned around, had they missed a civilian?

A small, petite girl dressed in a blue blouse and jean skirt hobbled towards them. Her mousy brown hair was pulled up into a pair of pigtails and two hollow and bold ice blue eyes shimmered behind half-moon glasses. She held a book to her chest as one of her eyes flickered in pain. Her ankle seemed to have been twisted at an odd angle.

“I-I’m sorry!” she stammered, “M-My leg…I couldn’t…I couldn’t get there fast enough. I-I got pushed and it hurts…”

“Easy kid…there anyone else behind you?” Ron asked.

“N-No,” the girl shook her head, “J-Just me.”

Victoria’s eyes narrowed as the feeling of dread sunk in her core. Something wasn’t right. A feeling itching in the back of her processor as the little monster in her chest shrieked at her to let it out. That face was familiar…

“What’s your name, kid?” Ron continued as he started towards the girl, Vicky followed. 

“E-Emily,”

With a jolt, Victoria was taken back ten years ago. Her father was carrying some scrap on his shoulder, holding her hand as they came towards the bunker with the doors. The safe haven. It’d been a long journey and she was so excited to see her mom and sister again! They’d been traveling for months and she and her father had stopped to gather scrap to sell at the new colony. They’d gotten to the doors just as the sun was starting to set.

“P-Please! H-Help…M-My name is Emily…c-can you help me?”

Her father had stopped, telling Victoria to go inside while he helped the poor girl that was stuck in the building. Her leg had been pinned by a broken beam you see…and Brandon Hart was always willing to help!

Right until a pair of claws punched through his chest and out his back.

Victoria startled back to the present. Eyes hollow as she saw Ron get closer to the girl.

“Hey, Ron…why don’t you let me check her out? I’m medical and all,” she offered, putting a hand out to stop him.

He stared at her for a second before nodding. “Yeah…that’s actually a good point. I’ll keep an eye out. Get ready to pick her up and run if the Murder Drones come in though,”

“Gotcha,” Victoria nodded as she came closer. Her thumb flicked over the brass knuckles over her hand, feeling the magnetic tingle over them that made her head buzz. 

She scanned over the girl, just the damage to her ankle. That was it. That was all that was wrong with her. Everything else was perfect. No strain to her servos that came with age. No mental stress. Not even an elevated core whirring. It was as if…

As if she weren’t even there.

There was a flicker. A faint glitch that only Victoria, being the closest to her, caught. The girl’s eyes looked up at Victoria, and Victoria looked right back at her…

Before slamming her magnetically charged fist into Emily’s screen so hard the screen crackle-crunched under her blow. 

“VICKY!?” Ron yelled, reaching for Victoria as Victoria charged forward with her other fist and walloped Emily with a vicious and brutal right cross punch. 

Emily yowled, staggering back as Victoria let the monster out of the cage and thundered forwards, driving her shoulder into Emily’s stomach and pushing her back. She was a lot heavier than she looked.

The girl stumbled, doubled over as one hand grabbed at her screen. Victoria was all for continuing the onslaught but was grabbed by Ron.

“What is wrong with you?!” he demanded.

“Not me.” Victoria spat, “ It . Karma’s a glitch isn’t it? You told me to pick up the girl and run with her if a Murder Drone came in! I was doing just that !”

“What are you talking abo-” Ron stopped as the wounded Worker girl hissed, and a dark and oil-choked thing as a flicker passed over her. 

Plate-like mirror shards rippled over ‘Emily’, the shades of blue turning grey and black, a simple jean skirt disappearing into long black legs that came to a ballerina point. A powder blue dress shirt breathing upwards in ruffled feather-slits before flattening into a long torso with an oil stained shirt and jean jacket that had been torn into shreds. The glasses melted away in ember-spark nanite rivulets, the blue eyes turning green turning yellow as the color leeched from the twin ponytails from brown to dark silver and five blister-orb golden lights bubbled up on a headband as a lengthy cord-tail snapped free and thrashed angrily.

The Murder Drone straightened, lowering its hand from its screen, which bore a spiderweb of shattered glass, splitting the golden eyes into a stained glass mosaic.

“That. Really . Hurt.” it hissed.

“Good. ‘Cuz I’m gonna do it again.” Victoria snarled as she surged forwards, using the surprise of a prey-animal charging their predator to her advantage. Ducking under the tail that swiped at her before pushing upwards and weaving around the silver claws that arced towards her head before landing another punch into the Murder Drone’s screen.

Victoria settled back into a readied stance, holding her guard up and preparing to dodge again when the claws or tail arced towards her. 

However, she wasn’t ready for the wings.

Pain exploded in her shoulder as a feather articulated and seemed to bend around her guard, spearing through plastic casing and yanking her up into the air. Victoria screamed, grabbing at the feather, thin lines of black scoring down her palms as she tried to pull it out. The golden cross blazed up at her as the Murder Drone’s head tilted way too far to the side and that slasher smile grew to skull cracking size. 

“I think those fists of yours cause too many problems,” the Murder Drone stated.

Victoria struggled, a snarl baring her teeth in a grimace as her legs kicked at the silver wing holding her above the ground. A flash of gold light flickered through her vision and pain seared through her hands. She shrieked as the Murder Drone’s tail sliced through her fingers with surgeon’s precision. She heard the brass knuckles snap under the jab and then clink to the floor along with the clatter of her fingertips as they followed. Her screams got louder as gold-hot agony started eating through her hands, burning and crawling and itching as the nanite acid started eating through her hands slowly. 

The Murder Drone gave a light, tittering giggle at her pain, as sky colored tears streaked down Victoria’s screen and her struggling worsened.

“VICKY!” Emmett’s voice roared and a blaze of orange shot forwards on the ground. The thundercrack of Emmett’s Remington split the air and the Murder Drone jerked back with a shattered screen once again. 

Victoria felt the feather slide out of her shoulder and she started plummeting towards the ground. Thankfully, she felt arms catch her before she could hit the ground and in her pain addled state, huddled closer to Emmett’s chest as he backed towards Ron. 

“Vicky, we’re gonna have to take your hands,” his voice was quiet, “Or you’re gonna die.”

She gave a nod, her screen glitching as pain rolled through her. Hands could be replaced. She knew that. She’d done enough replacement surgeries with Jaelyn to know that. Her mother and Lizzy were going to freak out of course but hey…maybe that’d get her mother’s attention for once?

Emmett froze, his eyes hollowing out as a soft crackling noise caught Victoria’s audials. Her gaze slid towards the Murder Drone, who had gotten back up and raised its arm towards them. A cannon of sorts was starting to give a warm-up whine, glowing burnished gold and increasing in intensity…

Only for the laser that burst forth from it to be knocked off center as an even bigger Murder Drone tackled the one that stood before them to the ground.

Jaelyn ran through the hallways, clutching the core to her chest still  as she did. She’d sent S to take care of E as E was trying to eat Victoria and Emmett, thankfully the big dork had nodded and agreed wholeheartedly. The last time she saw him was as he was tackling E to the ground and they started rolling and fighting like a pair of wildcats, complete with the hissing and snarling and biting.

S wasn’t kidding when he said that E was violently protective over her hunts.

But, that didn’t matter at the moment. What did matter was that she needed to get to the medical ward, drop off the core and then figure out where the hell R went off to. 

She raced down the hall, leaping over body after body, each of them mauled and a few of them drained of oil. So she was on the right path. Her core was sinking though as she realized where it was leading her to. 

The Medical Ward.

She knew that in times of emergency, the Medical Ward would be sealed tight behind a vault door. The humans had intended it to be some form of bank, they as Workers had repurposed it to what it was currently because of one small detail about the humans’ Medical Ward. And the reason no one went down there in the first place.

The sound of squealing metal caught her attention and her steps quickened. Rounding the corner, she heard more metal sounds…though this sounded more like metal being struck by metal. As she came into view of the Medical Ward, it became clear as to what the sound was.

R was there, as she feared, the doors to the medical ward were in the process of being peeled back like a can of anchovies in wide metal strips that matched the curvature of her claws perfectly. Jaelyn wasn’t expecting her father to come charging out of the mist and smoke like a drone possessed wielding a spear of crudely cobbled together and yet very sharp metal. He jabbed at R’s screen and R let out an oil chilling hiss.

“You…” the Murder Drone snarled, batting away the spear as Khan let out a snarl of his own and jabbed at her again, “You’re the worthless pocket calculator that shattered my screen!”

Crack!

Jaelyn watched as her father fired his pistol into her screen, causing R to shriek as the glass once again shattered. Wisps of smoke and the smell of hot glass filled the air as R ripped the bullet from her screen and unfurled her wings, swapping one of her claws out for a mini gun which she promptly fired at Khan. 

Jaelyn’s scream died in her throat as her father dodged backwards with lightning speed, R’s aim thrown off by the shattered screen as the bullets seemed to miss their mark. With R distracted by Khan, the younger Worker bolted towards the now broken doors.

“Dr. Price! Cyn! Miss Lisa!” Jaelyn called, “Come here! Quick! It’s important!”

“Jae?” Cyn’s voice was shaky, high pitched with fear as the bright ice blue of her eyes lit the darkened ward.

Jaelyn gave a breath of relief, taking the glowing orange core and reaching over the broken door, hissing as the sharp metal tears sliced her arm open, “Quick. Take it. It’s dying but it’s new. Should be about fifteen minutes unless you get it in cryostorage ASAP.”

Cyn’s tiny hand reached forwards and grabbed the core, Jaelyn heard the soft tap-tap of her shoes against the tile as she retreated and she turned back towards the fight. Her core leapt up into her throat as she saw R manage to nick her father good in the screen, tearing bleeding gashes down his face.

“HEY!” Jaelyn snarled, making R freeze and whip towards her, tail thrashing.

“Oh my god I’m going to kill that magnet addicted idiot,” R hissed, “Can’t even kill a stupid little toy…I’m going to beat him within an inch of his life…”

“Please, an intern’s intern like you doesn’t have the processing power to do that,” Jaelyn gave a savage grin as she reached into her bag, “Glitch.”

“You did not .” R snarled, turning her attention from Khan to Jaelyn fully.

MSG: WD Unit: KH4N 001-001-006 Kiddo what are you DOING !?

Jaelyn gave a slightly sadder grin as she shrugged.

“Damn, thought your processor was faulty…looks like your audials are too,” Jaelyn sneered, “Bet those little chicken legs of yours are too fragile to do anything either. Considering you know…S does all your dirty work. And you’re just a glorified secretary who can’t put her money where her mouth is. Synergistic liability indeed, what’s your turnaround rate? Bet it’s absolutely abysmal . Bottom of the corporate ladder pondscum .”

“You’re dead !” R screeched as she charged towards Jaelyn and Jaelyn dropped down below her lunge, rolling into a sprint towards the human Medical Ward.

She had an idea. And it was going to be a miracle if it worked.

“What do you think you’re doing , S!?” E snarled as she managed to get out from under S’s bearhug of an attack, “Have you lost your mind!?”

“E, please just…just listen , ok? The Workers are just like us, they just want to live…”

“SO DO I!” E screeched as she clawed her way up and managed to cling to his back, digging her talons into his shoulders and chest as she tore out some of his hair and made him roar, “I’m not going back to that place, S! Not again!”

“What are you talking about!” S grunted as he grabbed her by the arms and flipped her over him, sending her crashing into the floor, “What are you and R hiding from me?”

“Forget it,” E growled as she skittered away in spider crawl movements, her golden cross flashing to slits catlike and blazing like a furnace. An X’d out cross never meant the same as it did to Workers…it was just an expression they were capable of making over a falsely lit screen. Her hands swapped out to two long and sharp swords, nightmare black edged with snow white and molecularly sharp. Sparks flew up in an arc as she got into a stance, surging forward with a screech and intent to kill.

S’s eyes hollowed as his own hands shifted, blocking E’s strike with a cross of his own, holding her in the bind far longer than he should have. He shoved forwards, knocking her off balance slightly and swung at her…only for E to launch upwards with wings unfurled. Not willing to be outdone, he launched up after her with a thunderous boom that shattered the concrete under his feet.

“Why do you care about them so much!?” E snapped as they struck and slashed in a ballet of blades ever clanking and cracking, “They’re not…like us. You know that.”

“Yeah but let’s just say…” he shoved her back, both of them battering each other with their wings and kicking at one another with their legs, “I had a fresh viewpoint brought up. And I’m sick and tired of R telling me what to do.”

E paused for a second, blinking at him.

“The hell are you and what did you do with S ?!” she demanded.

Her pause was enough for him to bearhug her again and with a violent twist, he hurled her down into the concrete where she landed with a casing cracking boom that sent the floor spiderwebbing around her. How fitting, the spider being caught in her own web.

S landed next to her, giving a sigh as she looked up at him, dazed.

“I’m still me…I’m just…not sure that being me is a good thing anymore,” he admitted.

He then grabbed her by the head and slammed it into the concrete again, knocking her out as her screen went dark and he set to work on restraining her with her own tail.

“Sorry, E…but I think you’ll forgive me. At least…I hope.”

Jaelyn rushed down the hall, throwing towers of containers and barrels down behind her. Anything to slow R down from catching her. She considered dropping the last of the EMP grenades but she wanted to keep that just in case R caught up. 

By the sound of it, the Murder Drone wasn’t far behind but wasn’t too close either. Jaelyn snuck a pale lilac look back over her shoulder, watching as R slashed through the barrel with a spray of sparks. That golden mortis mask glaring deadly at her, emotionless save the snarling grimace of star shard fangs. 

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Jaelyn yelped as bullets rushed at her, R seemed to have had enough of chasing and was looking to gun her down instead. Heat bloomed through her core, rushing through her body as on her screen a pale violet-white, tri-pronged glyph burst to life in place of her right eye. Bullets pinging off to the sides as if from some invisible shield. But Jaelyn didn’t have time to question, she was going to die if she did. So she shoved the “How?” and “What?” down into a compartment to unpack later and continued to run. She was getting closer, her core was humming so loudly she was surprised that no one else could hear her. 

R resumed her chase, resorting to clawing up the wall and skittering across the ceiling like a demented spider, a screeching keen ripping past her teeth as she scuttled towards Jaelyn. Jaelyn dashed through a door, slapping the emergency override button and with a loud beeping sound, the blast doors shut tight. 

But Jaelyn wasn’t out of the woods yet. She was at her destination, the human’s Medical Ward, but even here she was not safe. Only the worst of the worst criminals were brought here by the Council of Elders, murderers and high traitors that sabotaged the colony. With a sinking core, Jaelyn realized that this would not be the last time she would be here. They’d likely bring her down here after this. But that was fine. She’d done what she came to do and that was give Dr. Price the core and get that little boy saved. 

With wary steps she got closer to the final destination, her hands shaking and casing rattling as she swallowed upon seeing words in black and red painted on the doors.

DANGER!

STRONG MAGNETIC FIELD IS ALWAYS ON!

AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY

MRI ZONE III BEYOND THIS POINT!

Jaelyn shook as she braced herself, turning the knob to the door until she heard the soft click of its opening. She had one shot at this. She’d best make it count.

The blast door creaked and groaned. Jaelyn’s eyes hollowed out as she whipped back around to see six long, slender claws force themselves through the gap in the doors. The masque of golden death stared back at her as the rift grew wider and wider. Jaelyn braced herself as she took a single step backwards and R forced the doors open.

“Well, it’s been fun. But I hope you’ve got more than that sharp tongue of yours this time,” R purred, clicking her claws together as she stalked forwards. Her tail whipped in harsh cracks behind her as that slasher smile grew over her face. 

“Oh…well this is not good,” Jaelyn raised her hands, “Don’t suppose we could form some form of uh…equity partnership?”

R gave a snort, her body tensing, and Jaelyn had two seconds to react as R leaped at her with claws outstretched. The Worker girl hit the floor immediately, letting the Murder Drone girl tumble over her and through the door at her back. 

At that moment, two things happened. 

One, R’s gaze turned back towards Jaelyn and she reached to grab the Worker’s foot…only for Jaelyn to scramble back and give a savage almost too wide for a Worker grin. Two, R was then pulled violently through the gate marked with letters decrying MRI ZONE IV BEYOND THIS POINT!

The Murder Drone shot through the air as if grabbed by invisible hands, slamming against a hollow cylinder machine with parts of drones scattered throughout the floor. Her golden crossed screen flickered with rainbow bars, warped and wavering as the MRI Machine’s magnetic field sent ripples of pain down her body. 

Jaelyn got to her feet, slightly mortified by the fact that R was still alive. Any Worker thrown in there would have been torn apart by the field. The very reason why they sent their worst criminals here. 

Thinking fast, Jaelyn picked up the last of the EMP grenades. It was pressure activated and it magnetizing to R or to the machine might be enough to go off. She gave a grim smile as she primed the explosive.

“Have fun in Android Hell, Barbie Bot,” Jaelyn spat as she hurled the grenade into the room. 

Her aim was true, the metal in the grenade was caught by the field and with a sickening clack struck R in the chest, making her scream as her casing dented from the blow. The Murder Drone tried to thrash, eyes going from X’d out to hollow as she attempted to remove the grenade. 

Jaelyn gave a curse. The pressure of the grenade striking R wasn’t enough to detonate. There’d have to be something else. Something she could throw to set it off. But what? All the metal in the room besides Jaelyn herself was of a titanium alloy, which wasn’t magnetic. 

All except…

Her eyes hollowed out as the manic grin on her face grew wider. She grabbed her knife from its sheath on her ankle and tossed it into the air, feeling the cool wood handle smack against her palm. R’s eyes flicked to the knife for a split second before Jaelyn hurled the knife with pinpoint accuracy. 

The blade punctured through the grenade and pinned it through R’s casing to her core. A high pitched beeping rapidly began to ring out as bolts of blue-white electricity exploded from the grenade. R’s shrieks were high and shrill, her body twitched and thrashed as the electro magnetic pulses combined with the magnetic field behind her wrecked havoc on her systems. Jaelyn watched coldly as the Murder Drone’s core glass exploded outwards, same with her screen, and the MRI machine spat sparks. 

Within minutes, the body of the Murder Drone hit the ground and the pull on Jaelyn’s body from the MRI machine had ceased. What she had done had destroyed the magnetic field and left a now very dead Murder Drone on the floor. No signs of life came from her scans.

“Good riddance.” Jaelyn’s eyes narrowed, “Especially to bad rubbish like you.”

Both S and her father had been avenged. And maybe…just maybe…

Her mother had been too.

“Jae!” Khan’s voice was loud over the din of the Workers clamoring to get some answers as to why the Murder Drones had gotten in and why one of them had helped them of all things. 

Jaelyn limped out of the hallway leading towards the medical ward, her eyes going hollow, stressed and bolded upon seeing her dad and she hobbled faster to him, burying her head in his chest as his arms wrapped around her. 

“You’re ok?” she asked as she lifted her head, scanning over him.

“Yes, thanks to you,” he smiled, brushing her hair from her face, his screen seemed back to normal, not chipped or scratched like she’d seen last time. Dr. Price must have given him repair gel to speed his nanites along, he’d always healed fast.  

And other than being a bit on the warm side, he looked fine if not a bit frazzled. 

“The Council showed up not long before you did,” Khan told her as they walked towards the group of Workers and towards S and a very unconscious and hogtied E. The Murder Drone boy’s eyes lit up happily as he saw her and his tail wagged back and forth eagerly…but he stayed where he was.

“She let them in!” a female WDF member shrieked, pointing to Jaelyn, who froze on the spot, “I saw her! My husband is dead because of you!”

“Jae?” Khan asked, looking down at his daughter.

“Khan I’m going to ask you to get away from her,” one of the council members stated.

“What for?” Khan demanded, “You can’t be serious about this, about her letting them in on purpose.”

“Restrain him please,” another council member sighed, waving her hand.

“You stay away from me!” Khan snarled as a few WDF members grabbed him by the arms and dragged him away, “Get off me! Jae!”

“Dad!” Jaelyn started, only to freeze as a few security drones leveled weapons at her. They didn’t fire, but that might have also been because of the low rumbling growl that reverberated from the room as S’s hands were replaced with talons.

“Where’s the third of the Murder Drones?” the first council member asked, “There’s three of them, aren’t there?”

“Dead.” Jaelyn spat, “I killed her. Her body’s in the MRI room, machine’s broken but that’s a small price for her head.”

“Can confirm, ma’am,” a WDF member said, rushing up from the same hallway that Jaelyn had walked from, “We brought Miss Doorman back here from the MRI room, the Murder Drone’s dead but the machine’s toast.”

The councilwoman gave a sigh and one of her fellows crossed his arms.

“By all rights, Jaelyn Doorman, you should be condemned to die by MRI by a jury of your peers,” the councilman stated.

“WHAT?!” Khan roared, struggling against the men holding him.

“Khan, silence,” the councilman snapped, “Now, if you would let me finish…Miss Doorman, you let three Murder Drones into this bunker.”

“On accident ,” Jaelyn hissed.

“And as a result, many, many lives were lost.” the councilman continued, “That alone should have you executed. However . You managed to kill one of them, subdued another and…tamed…the third.”

S’s tail flicked lazily as he closed an eye. Jaelyn’s hands clenched tightly.

“By doing so, you saved countless other lives,” the councilman finished, “And because of that, the fact of the MRI machine being destroyed in the process, and in honor of your father, you will not be sentenced to death. But…we cannot allow this to go unpunished.”

Jaelyn swallowed hard, eyes hollow as they flicked over the gathering.

“As of today, you are hereby banished from Outpost 3 and her sister Outposts. Anyone found assisting you shall be imprisoned and or exiled in the same manner,” the councilman stated.

“THAT IS NOT FAIR!” Khan shrieked.

“Get him out of here,” the councilman ordered, “Have a medic check on him, and then place him on house arrest for a few days so he can cool off.”

“NO! LET GO!” Khan roared, kicking and struggling as five Workers grabbed him and started dragging him off, “NO! JAE!”

“Dad!” Jaelyn cried, starting forwards only to get a large, warm hand on her shoulder.

“We need to go,” came the low voice from her newfound friend.

“N? Vicky?” Jaelyn’s voice was hoarse as she looked at her two friends. Emmett reached for her and Victoria was blearily watching her in horror, fearful for her, but neither were allowed to move by the WDF between them and Jaelyn, “I…”

“Jae…” S started, “C’mon…It’s gonna be ok, promise. Nothin’ for you here.”

She turned towards the taller boy, his golden eyes warm and yet full of pain as he held out his hand.

“...Yeah…yeah you’re right,” she spat, taking it as he hoisted her up into his arms and he grabbed the unconscious E.

His wings shimmered and rang in the air before he leaped upwards and carried Jaelyn outside the only world she’d ever known.

They had thrown Khan Doorman into his home, leaving him to throw an absolute meltdown of a tantrum. Things were shattered, tossed about, his roars and bangs on the door were commonplace until he went down into a sobbing sleepmode slump. Every time the guards posted at his door thought to try and open the door to see if he had cooled off, he’d go right back to trashing the apartment with horrific cracking sounds and glass crunching as he hurled objects in his house.

The wrath of a father was something to behold indeed.

Inside the apartment however, was a much different sight.

Khan was currently on his knees, gasping heavily as he clawed at something around his neck. Steam vented heavily through his teeth as tremors shook down his limbs. A sob choked through his throat, curling back inward as he grabbed at his screen.

Was too hard to think. It hurt too much to do so. His core felt like it was shattering in two, broken between the fractured promise he’d made his wife to protect their girl and the loss of his only child. Taken by those idiots who couldn’t see that she had saved them from a worse fate. More people died in raids than in this attack. Jaelyn had done what any self-respecting member of the colony would do. And that was fight back.

Something he felt he should do as well. 

The sob turned into a huff, turned into a chuckle, then a full on laugh as a smile cracked across his face. He shuffled to his feet, drunkenly staggering for a few steps before falling forwards onto the counter’s edge. His struts ached, crackling as he stretched his limbs out again.

His fuel tank twisted as hunger gnawed at it. That was…interesting. He could have sworn…

His mind was foggy again, his limbs seemed to move on their own as he straightened up once again, eyes turning up towards the vent giving cool sweet air down on his aching self.

Well…that would just have to do then, wouldn’t it?

A message blazed bright white against his screen but he ignored it as his struts tensed and prepared to move again.

WARNING! INTERNAL TEMPERATURE AT CRITICAL LEVELS!

OIL LEVEL AT 9%

Chapter Text

13

This was not a good night to be wandering around the Outpost. At least, for a thief. After all the hyped anxiety from the Murder Drones breaking into the bunker, well, let in by the Doorman brat anyways, plus the heightened security due to the serial killer wandering the halls, and the disappearances of people as of late?

Yeah it was a bad time for Jack to be a thief.

But, it paid the bills and he got some shiny baubles out of it. He wasn’t the wealthiest man in the bunker for nothing after all! Even if he wasn’t well liked. 

But tonight…something was just wrong about tonight. He kept thinking he was hearing voices, skittering in vents and other little things that weren’t there. But that was just silly…right? 

Ignoring all the alarm bells going off in his head, Jack slunk through the halls as silent as a shadow. At least…in his mind he was. He’d planned on raiding the Doorman home today but it was under heavy guard and judging by the screaming fits he heard from the Doorman patriarch earlier that day when he’d wandered by to case it…yeah that was a bad idea.

He could probably go down to the medical ward…it was cleaned up after that mess with the kid and should be empty since Dr. Price took the kid home with him to watch him. Some of the tools there would fetch a nice price at the Black Market. Maybe some parts if he was lucky. 

Lost in his thoughts, he was rudely dragged to the present as the rattling clatter of a can being kicked across the hallway sounded off. Jack looked around, watching the can roll until it hit his foot with a soft tap. Curious, he picked the can up and studied it. Just a normal coolant can, 85 Octane…but there were weird puncture marks in it. Four spaced out holes, almost as if someone bit into it, while a larger rectangular hole in the center, like someone had torn it out. 

“Weird…” Jack muttered as a prickle of icy fear dripped down his spinal strut. He felt…like he was being watched.

He whipped around, eyes hollow as he scanned the hallway behind him. Nothing but spitting steam hissing from broken pipes…

…

That kept hissing after the spout was done…

He slowly turned back the way he was facing, eyes bolding as a long, lithe shape spiraled down from the ceiling and hit the floor with a loud thud. The hiss grew louder, black scales fluttering and popping up as the malformed head raised up. Saliva dripped from fangs as big as his fist as the crown of horns on its head caught the blue light of the hallway, only emphasizing the great blue light that shone from slitted eyes as a barbed tail whipped back and forth while shadows writhed around it.

Jack screamed, the monster roared, and Jack ran for his pitiful life.

The poor thief bolted down the hallway away from the monster, hearing it thundering behind him, feeling its hot breath breathing down his neck. He even was knocked off his balance as one of those shadowy limbs slammed into him and knocked him down. Thankfully, because he was light on his feet, he managed to dodge the dripping jaws that snapped down at his neck and jump back to his feet. 

He dared cast a look back, watching as the monster seemed to flicker, scales melting away into smooth white casing with blue triangle marks on the hands. That thing…was a Worker? Or something masquerading as a Worker in any case?!

It didn’t matter, Jack decided as he bolted down the hallway again, a soft, low giggling sound echoing through the abandoned hall. He needed to get out of there as fast as he could. His feet felt like they had grown wings, pounding against the hammered steel floor with loud clomping steps…

Only to come straight to a dead end. 

“Oh no…” the unfortunate thief whispered, freezing as a soft, unsteady giggle caught his attention. 

He whipped around to see the Worker-thing, hands held to its chest as the shadows around them writhed, stretching, reaching, grabbing. Jack whimpered as one of said shadows slithered up a wall, creeping towards the lone light that stood between them and wrapped inky darkness around the exposed bulb. With a sharp, zapping pop, the glass shattered, sending sparks spraying and the hallway into darkness. All that Jack saw was a blazing sapphire X that burned so brightly that he could barely make out the sharpened silver fangs that cracked the mouth beneath the screen in a smile. 

A sharp chirping sound, almost a bark, definitely un-dronelike, echoed through the hallway as the X bobbed closer, more artifacts of blue spreading throughout the blackness that writhed. He felt something grab his ankles and yank him off his feet. He felt the cool air in the vent above him chill his casing only for something wet to drop on his screen.

With terrified eyes…the last thing he saw was a strange white Y shaped symbol…before something dropped out of the vent and ripped his leg free from the shadow tendril reeling him in.

Literally.

The thief prey-thing was tired and trapped and terrified. Good, that’s just where they were wanted. A tired prey did not fight back. A prey that did not fight back left no wounds. And no wounds met less explanations about why you were so beat up to everyone.

But seeing the new Hunter drop down really pissed the blue eyed Hunter off. A steam-whistle hiss and snarl ripped and roared from their chest, teeth clacking in doubled echos as one set of jaws mirrored the other. 

MINE! MINE! FOOD! MINE! Came the screeching pings from the sapphire Hunter, as slow and wary steps were taken forwards. Shadow tendrils arching up like scorpion stingers and wasp-sharp claws ready to yank their rightful prey back to their side away from the white Hunter.

And then the blue Hunter froze, the azure X blinking into shocked rings as the ivory Hunter slammed the prey-thing to the ground again. The cream colored Y glyph sputtered lightly as the prey-thing kept yelling, thrashing, struggling…until the other Hunter rammed the prey-thing deeper into the grate below them, giving a hiccupping laugh as a finger was held to his lips.

“Shhhshshshsssshhhhhh…” came the cooing sound from the boiling Hunter under a crescent moon grin, “N o0 s cr3-eam1n-ng…”

And with a violent twist, the ivory Hunter lunged down and ripped the prey-thing’s throat out with fangs that put the blue Hunter’s to shame. Ghost-white wings flared and flapped, curtaining over the prey-thing’s body to hide it from view. A stuttered whine left the azure Hunter’s throat as they cautiously approached.

Safe…friend? Here?

The soft pings seemed to grab the attention of the other Hunter and a loud hiss exploded from him as those massive wings mantled over the dead or dying thief. 

MINE!  

The blue Hunter raised a hand.

Yours . Came the agreed ping. Here, friend-me! Safe! I’m here! I’m safe! It’s me!

The frenzied Hunter’s already oil dripping form shuddered, the star-white glyph blinking once…twice…

Before transforming into frazzled and fuzzy white rings lined with stress markers.

“...What…where…” Khan Doorman murmured, looking at the scared out of their mind Hunter in front of him…and then back down at himself and the body he was hungrily guarding, “Oh…oh no…”

Everything was aching . Khan was trying hard not to fall back under the sweet foggy oblivion that would take over to keep his star’s core fed, but it was so hard . 

He felt a hand gently place itself on his shoulder and he hated the fact that a snarl ripped from his chest while his wings raised high in threat. The hand jerked back and those familiar blue eyes wavered in the dark.

Sorry…sorry… came the whistle, twin sets of teeth grinding against each other, he could hear it plain as day.

“I’m sorry, kiddo…” he winced as he checked his levels. 20%, at least he’d been able to snap out of the feral need… “I don’t…I don’t know what came over me,”

The blue eyes turned understanding in the dark and Khan saw a flicker of white, an offered hand. He took it and was hauled up to his feet. His wings folded against his back, the bone-white talons tipping them clenched and relaxed in anxiety. 

“I didn’t hurt you did I?” Khan asked, giving his head a shake as he sucked the oil off his fingertips.

A shake of the head.

“...Right…you can’t speak can you…” he sighed, “Jaw?”

A nod.

“Do you want to take this with you? We can get it to the cache I’ve got and you can get it later…”

Another shake of the head and he felt a finger pointing into his chest.

“Kiddo, I’m fine …just…rage got the best of me,” Khan told his newfound hunting partner, “You need the material too. I’d process it for you to make it easier but…well…I can’t be caught out of the room,”

Go? Safe! Home! Help! Came the set of chirps, along with a much lower warbling chirrup that made Khan’s beating core near stop from the sound, bringing up memories of flashing lights and serrated fangs.

“Probably will need your help getting home,” he agreed, “Have to sneak past the guards somehow…”

A serrated smile full of ghoul-fangs flashed in the light of Khan’s screen and he gave a chuckle to match the oil choked and rough laughter of his fellow Hunter. This would be an easy trick, for sure. After all, a D strain Solver Drone was quite adept at illusions and making people see things that weren’t there.

Khan raised his hand, a white glyph sparking to life between his fingertips and wrapping around the body that he’d previously been mauling…only for a warm hand to clamp down on his wrist. 

No! Bad! Me! Came the warbling huffs as a blue glyph sparked and overtook Khan’s white.

“You are as stubborn as your mother,” Khan scolded, getting a grin and a shrug from the other Solver as the body was laid across their shoulders like a deer that a hunter had shot.

The two Solvers walked down the halls, sneaking past anyone who might have seen them even without the Strain D illusions hiding them and making the halls appear empty. Khan gave an exhausted sigh as he leaned against a wall, seeing the vent just outside his apartment and realizing he’d have to jump back up into it to get inside.

“I am getting to old for this,” he sighed, reaching his hand up as a star-like glyph flickered into his fingertips and in his screen.

[Rotate]

The screws holding the vent shut spun around, dropping into his waiting palms.

[Translate]  

Quietly, the vent grate was moved aside and Khan’s wings flexed out, giving a mighty flap and sending him up into the vent. They quickly tucked against his sides as he maneuvered himself to face the poor cursed child below him.

“Take care of yourself,” he said, “Think you can get the screws back in for me?”

A nod greeted him and Khan dropped the screws down to the other Solver’s waiting palm. A blue light shone around outstretched fingers and with a few swift movements, the vent was sealed shut. Khan turned to thank his helper, but saw nothing but blue pinpricks of code from their Strain’s cloaking ability.

“Spooks,” he shook his head with a chuckle as he climbed through the vent and back down into his home.

His wings made sure that he had a soft landing, unheard and unseen as he repaired the damage he’d done to his home. If Nori had ever seen him lose his temper like this…she’d have words for sure.

She’d have words for him letting Jaelyn being exiled too.

He settled onto the top of his chair, perching and satisfying that little urge to be up high and away from danger. His wings’ talons clenched as he gave a sigh.

“Please be safe, little bat…” he whispered.

Because he knew…if she ever activated…

It would be so much worse for her.

Chapter Text

14

The snow swirling around was blinding as S’s wings gave one more beat as he suddenly swooped upwards and then dropped with the force of a missile. Jaelyn winced, grabbing tighter onto his hoodie as her internals swept upwards and all sorts of errors blazed across her screen. When the rattle of his landing quieted, she opened her eyes again and looked up at the dark, looming wasp nest of corpses, fused together in a macabre statue that twisted and spiraled high into the sky. 

“Home sweet home,” S stated as he knelt down and let Jaelyn hop down, reaching a hand out to steady her as her legs wobbled, “Whoa, easy…sorry…uh, flight’s kinda weird for first timers. Shoulda realized that. Totally my bad.”

“Stop.” Jaelyn growled.

“Stop what? Sorry if I said something wrong.”

“That!” Jaelyn hissed, smacking his hand away and crossing her arms, “Stop apologizing!”

“Sorr-” S cut off with a wince as Jaelyn’s eyes narrowed at him, “I uh…Imma take E inside before she wakes up and explain everything before she tries to kill you.”

Jaelyn’s eyes half lidded as she rocked back on a leg. “And what makes you think I’m staying here?”

“Well, it’s the safest place around?”

“It’s a Spire made from the corpses of my kind .”

S opened his mouth to speak, finger up to point but he frowned and kind of wilted back, swallowing as his jaws clacked shut. His eyes, Jaelyn noticed, never changed. They seemed to look through her and yet she felt as if he was indeed watching her intently, making sure that she was listened to even if those owlish eyelights said otherwise. 

“Jae…”

“Get E inside and tied up or whatever,” Jaelyn growled, “I don’t want her killing me when she wakes up.”

“I-I mean, yeah, yeah I’m going to,” S told her, “But just…” he gave a heavy sigh, “I’m gonna let you process a bit ok? You uh…seem to need a bit of time. It’s been…really bad for you tonight. Just um, don’t go too far? There’s some nasty scrap gangers around here and while they’re not a problem for me and E they uh…might hurt you. And with the sun coming up I can’t exactly help if you get into trouble,”

“What?”

“Oh, yeah uh…the sun’ll kill us,” he gestured at himself and E, “causes us to overheat and uh, yeah. It’s not fun.”

Jaelyn stared at him for a bit. She blinked a few times as it started processing again.

“...Unbelievable,” she muttered, “I’ve thrown my lot in with literal Bram Stoker vampires…oh my god …”

She heard the soft whisper crunch of S’s footsteps in the snow as he walked away, hauling E into his arms to carry her into the Spire. She heard the slightly louder ringing whine of his wings as he flew up to some part of it she didn’t know. But her mind was elsewhere.

Her Dad would have killed her. She’d promised that she wouldn’t go outside, that she wouldn’t do anything stupid. Well haha! She did! She actually did something stupid!

Her knees wobbled as she took shaky steps away from the Spire, collapsing out from under her as the world spun and her mind wandered. She dug her hands into the snow, soft and cold and how long had it been since she’d felt the snow like this…? Since her mother died? Before then? The Murder Drones had appeared not long before her mother had died, not long before her dad had finished the doors at her mother’s request.

Not long before her mother supposedly went crazy. 

Crazy Nori, Kooky Nori, Mad Nori…didn’t matter she was their greatest medic. Her rants and raving about Demons from the Sky, of Singularities opening up, of the planet eating them…that’s all Jaelyn remembered of her mother. Those biting words, the words she’d had to disprove, that she’d gotten into fights over, that she’d fought tooth and nail to overcome because they thought she was just as mad as her mother…

“...Oh…Oh god they’re right,” Jaelyn whispered, tears streaking down her screen, “I-I…I…I did this…no…I was worse …”

Her hands shook, clenching and unclenching in the snow as her breath came out in quick jagged pants, tears streaking down her screen.

“As of today, you are hereby banished from Outpost 3 and her sister Outposts. Anyone found assisting you shall be imprisoned and or exiled in the same manner.”

It hit her finally. She could never see her father again. Never see Victoria or Emmett. Never see Dr. Price. She’d never be a medic and have that one link to her mother that she’d always wanted…she was worse than a criminal. Worse than a dead girl walking.

She was a traitor . 

Traitor to kith and kin.

Traitor to her own kind.

“I just…I just…I just wanted to save that kid…” she whispered, “I didn’t…I wouldn’t…”

“But you did…” came a nasty little voice in the back of her head as her own thoughts seized her insecurity with venom tipped fangs, “you let Death in. You killed more people than you saved. You did this. You’re as much a monster as the Murder Drones.” 

“No, no no no no !” Jaelyn stammered, grabbing her arms, “I didn’t…I’m not like that! I tried to save them! I did! I-I-I…it was an accident…I-I…I wouldn’t have…I c-couldn’t have…”

Her vision fuzzed with static, her core humming loudly in her chest as she grabbed at it. She wasn’t a delinquent! She was Jaelyn Doorman! The daughter of Khan and Nori Doorman! Looked up to by the colony because her father saved them from the demons outside!

“And you let them in.”

“NO!” Jaelyn let out a wail as she grabbed at her pigtails, bursts of static-choked sobs crackling past her voicebox as she yanked at the ebony strands, “No! No! NO! I’m not a traitor! I did everything I was supposed to! I just…I just…I just…” 

Her world spun, she toppled forwards, desperately clinging at the permafrost bitten ground, digging under the snow at cracked asphalt, at her mother’s necklace…something, anything to anchor herself into what was real. Her world shrank, static snowing over her as the wind carried her wails high into the sky and then dashed them to the earth to shatter them into core rending sobs. 

Her screen spasmed, flashing between lilac white and snow gold, but her tears blanked everything out in warped rivulets. As such, she missed one little detail that flickered under her left eye as a tri-pronged glyph sputtered and glitched over it before fading.

Absolute_Solver string=False True

E woke up in the comfort of her own nest, swaddled in soft blankets and shiny trinkets that glittered in the autumn gold of her light, tiny pinpricks of hated starlight serving as reminders of light stolen.

She caught her reflection in a large shard of mirror. Except…it wasn’t quite her. Instead, a dark silver pigtailed and white eyed maid looked worriedly back at her, mirroring her own expression. The hollow ivory rings behind half-moon glasses flickered, turning yellow, the worried frown transformed into a grin full of razor blades and barbed wire, the worried expression turning into one of sadistic gl-

CRACK!

The mirror shattered, crumbling to the floor as each of the black and white maid’s images melted into the Monster that lowered a smoking rifle to its side. 

“Get the hell out of my head you crazy glitch,” E snarled, getting to her feet and using one of her pegs to grind some of the mirror shards down to silver dust.

“E?” S’s voice called from the entrance of her nest, silver snow-fluff hair and honey gold eyes peeking in as his head tilted to the side.

Here! E pinged as she kicked a larger shard to the side and went back to her nest, huddled tightly into herself as she used her tail to bring the old quilt blanket back around her shoulders.

S hooked his claws around the top of the entrance, his larger frame almost contorting into cat-like liquid as he clambered into the smaller nest. He seemed to nearly fill the space as he crawled up to E’s bed and sat in front of her.

“Your head ok?” he asked, his own tilting to the side as his tail swept nervously behind him.

“I feel like I have a jackhammer pounding against my skull,” E deadpanned, huddling deeper into the blanket as the feeling of ‘safe’ overtook the panic from earlier. 

“Yeaaaah sorry about that,” S winced, “You were a bit outta control and I had to stop it.”

“That’s funny…my oil levels are at near 80%...they’re not dropping fast either sooo…” E fixed him a look.

And then it all came rushing back.

“Oh you suck .” E hissed, huddling in her wings as she blocked out the sight of him.

“E, c’mon…I said I was sorry?”

“No! You picked the stupid toasters over me!” E snapped, “Go away, I’m not happy with you right now.”

“...Can I at least have a promise that you won’t eat our squadmate?” S asked.

Two of E’s feather’s split, allowing the pale gold of her eyes to look out at S…who looked all the world like a kicked puppy who had done something wrong.

“What do you mean ‘won’t eat’,” E demanded, “Where’s R?”

“Uh…dead? I think? Jae kinda killed her.”

“J? We got a new Disassembl-wait a second. Oh ohhhh no. No. You have to be freaking kidding me !” E snarled, “The toaster girl that messed your eyes up?”

“To be fair I did try to eat her first and she was defending herself?” S gave a trying smile as he shrugged, “But uh, yeah. She kinda fought her way in. Dethroned R and now is squadmate. Even uh…even if I don’t think she realizes that yet?”

“And you expect me to not take revenge for our fallen comrade?!” 

S shot her an annoyed, deadpan look. “You and I both know that if you could have gotten away with it you probably would have offed her first.”

“...No comment,” E huffed, “So where is the easy bake oven? Don’t see her around here.”

“She’s uh…taking it in,” S admitted, “Uhhh…the Workers of that colony with the doors kinda kicked her out. She’s exiled. They’ll kill her if she tries to go back in.”

“...Dang that’s cold blooded actually…” E blinked, “Huh, so she’s got no ties to anyone?”

“Wouldn’t say that…she’s got her dad who was really pissed they did that and her two friends. The orange eyed boy and the blue eyed girl who sucker punched you in the face.”

E’s expression soured and her tail flicked as she closed her feathers and hid behind them again, growling. That blue eyed glitch ruined everything. She would have eviscerated that bunker if it weren’t for her. Her processor was still fuzzy and reeling from those brass knuckles. 

“E?”

“What.”

“Do I have your word you’re not gonna hurt Jae?” S asked, his voice was quiet, “She might be a bit abrasive and blunt but…well…she’s not lied to me. Not like R.”

E shifted, her feathers shimmering in ringing clinks as she looked at him again. God he really did look like a kicked puppy. She rolled her eyes as a long, groaning sigh left her.

“Fine. I promise I won’t bite or scratch the toaster. But if she hurts you I will kill her,” E threatened, “And probably wear her intestines as a hat.”

“Wouldn’t put it past you,” he gave her a wink and a salute, “I’ll make sure she kno-”

He stopped, his plates ruffling and popping up as he sniffed the air. E took a long breath, tasting the ice-sharp near mint flavor of sharp winds and snow. 

“Might wanna go get your pet,” E said simply as she bedded back down and wrapped herself in her wings once more as S bolted out of her nest.

She always hated blizzards…

S hit the ground running, hearing the wail of the wind on the horizon mix into a haunting duet as he saw Jaelyn curled up in the snow, shaking. He got to the edge of the Spire and was going to go out…when he realized that the sun had come up. An involuntary hiss spat past his fangs as he skittered backwards away from the warm orange-gold light. He could feel the heat from it warming his armor plating and his false eyes hollowed as he looked from the sun, to Jaelyn…

To the roiling and rumbling cloud of white and slate black that was swallowing up the city skyline behind her.

Warning! Environmental Hazard Approaching! Seek Shelter Immediately!

“Jae!” S tried, reaching out and hissing as the sunlight lanced across his fingers, making him rear backwards as small smokey tendrils coiled off them, “We need to come inside now! Please! It’s not safe!”

Jaelyn either could not hear him or did not want to hear him. She stayed where she was, curled up in a small ball as she shook and sobbed. The clouds got closer, threatening ice as S could hear the groaning of the city’s structures under the winds. By the sounds of it…this was bad. Probably the worst on record. 

With a wince, knowing this was going to very much hurt, S spread his wings and used them to bolt forwards into the sun.

For a moment, he was in awe of being outside in the day. For a moment, he felt Jae’s abnormally cold body pressed against his as he wrapped his wings around her and it felt…good. 

Familiar.

It wasn’t Jaelyn, someone smaller, someone that made his core soar as he held onto them and buried his head into their hair just as he was doing with Jaelyn…

And then searing agony burst through his body.

Smoke rose from his wings, his shoulders, his head, every part of him that the sun could touch. Warnings and errors racing over his vision as he let out a keening shriek of agony. He tried to pull Jaelyn back towards the spire. But he was in too much pain to see which way was up, was down, was front, was back. 

He heard Jaelyn gasp and felt small hands strike his chest.

He heard something along the lines of ‘you idiot!’ as he was being shoved backwards…

And the searing burning agony turned to icy daggers and hail as the blizzard rammed itself against them and snuffed the sun from the sky. Jaelyn’s little hands wrapped in his hoarfrost covered hoodie even tighter and S shut his screen off, relying on thermal vision to bring them to the much warmer Spire.

It took a couple tries, but they managed to stumble into the snow and debris covered floor of the Spire. S collapsed to the floor, whining as he took in the warped and melted military grade armor on his frame. Jaelyn’s eyes were hollow as she stared at the unholy wrath being poured out in avalanches beyond the door.

“W-what. The h-hell . W-were y-you t-thinking!?” she hissed, teeth chattering as she turning towards him, fear in her eyes. He groaned and attempted to set up.

“Saving…you?” he slurred, “Cuz…y’know…friends? An-and I don’t…th-think that blizzards are uh…g-good for Workers?”

He gave a wince as his nanites popped the warped plating back into position. Jaelyn sat back on her knees, her arms wrapped around herself as her teeth chattered harder and tremors shook her frame.

“Hold on,” he told her, getting to his feet and launching up towards his nest. 

Jaelyn was cold. So cold she couldn’t get out words or any other thoughts. She knew blizzards were bad. She knew the sun was bad for S too…but she wasn’t expecting that idiot to actually go into the sunlight to yank her inside!

But…she supposed he had his reasons for saving her.

She wasn’t sure on why he was currently hopping from one bulging ‘nest’ looking thing to another though. Especially with something long and dark in his arms. 

This however, was clarified when he landed again and draped something warm and heavy around her shoulders. She could see the frost that was caked on her screen melting as her temperature started to stabilize. Her hands went up and touched against fur and soft near velvet material. 

“That’s my old coat,” S explained, “Uh…I don’t…wear it as much as I used to. I like this outfit better! But I thought you could use it. Though um…it might be a bit too long?”

Jaelyn stood up, feeling the black folds of the coat around her shoulders follow her. It would have hit S just around his waist but on her, it fell to her knees. She shrugged her shoulders and arms through the sleeves with little difficulty…but she couldn’t really see her fingertips.

“Probably will have to ask E to fix that maybe…unless you can?” S tilted his head lightly, “It uh…looks real good on you, Jae!”

“...Why are you doing this?” Jaelyn asked.

S was quiet for a couple seconds as he wrung another piece of clothing in his hands almost worriedly.

“...Because you’re my friend?” he started, voice quiet, “I’ve…not really had one of those before. E’s more of my sister and R…well…uh…”

“Evil manipulative ex…”

“Yeah…kinda,” S’s eyes seemed to be a bit far away at that statement before he gave himself a shake and presented what he had in his hands, “They uh…give this to the leaders of the squads…the ones they make the pilot. And…well…I don’t deserve it. So R took it. But she never wore it because it clashed with her style. So…”

His eyes turned a bit sad as he looked back at Jaelyn’s.

“I want you to have it,” he finished as he gently placed it on her head.

Jaelyn’s hands reached up for the hat, frowning for a second as she took it off and stared back at him.

“Are you sure ?” she blinked, “Because you’re the leader…”

“Eh, I like my beanie too,” he shot her a wink and a pair of finger guns, which got her to roll her eyes.

“And the soft moment was ruined,” Jaelyn deadpanned as she gave a sigh, reaching up again as she put the bill of the hat in her teeth and started taking her hair down. Her long black hair fell down to her shoulders like a waterfall, rippling in a dark black-violet wave for a few moments before she swept half of it into a lower ponytail and then repeated it to the other side. Once that was done, she replaced the hat on her head, “It wasn’t going to work with the high tails,” 

“...I think I like this better,” S gave her a bright smile and Jaelyn crossed her arms.

“You are a flirt,” she huffed, “But, thanks for the compliment.”

Post Exile Jaelyn by AhoNoKio

Chapter Text

15

Emmett couldn’t focus on the captchas that were on the board in front of him. His mind was racing a million miles an hour as it had been for the past few days. Jaelyn had been exiled, threatened with death if she even dared show her face again…despite the fact she saved more lives than had been lost in the break in. Victoria had come back from the hospital, her new hands bandaged to keep them still and a sour look on her face at losing yet another fight against the Murder Drone.

The young Miner gave a horrific shudder as cold leeched down his back, remembering that golden cross as it stared him down. He rubbed a thumb over the silver plate on his bolo tie as he tugged on it. 

The last time he’d seen that cross…in that face specifically…he’d been four. He barely remembered it but he remembered Beau landing on top of him, begging him silently to be quiet as their parents were ripped apart and eaten, screaming all the while. 

It was the same one. The one that had made him wake up in night terrors since that day and caused every little piece of hellish life living as a child without his parents. 

And Victoria had lost family to it too. She’d been eight, so she at least had her family whole longer than he and Jaelyn had. But…it was something they all shared.

Jaelyn didn’t even know which one took her mother’s life. And like Emmett…she barely remembered her mother, they’d been so young. He did remember pieces of Aunt Nori, how she’d hold him tight when the night terrors came, how she and Uncle Khan had taken care of him and his brother when they were sick.

It was kind of odd that Jaelyn threw her lot in with the Murder Drones…considering all the hell they’d rained down on their lives.

But that was kinda a moot point now he supposed. The doors were broken but were on heavy guard by the WDF. The breech point for the previous raid had also been fortified and repaired so there was no worries of people getting in that way. And yet…

People were still going missing.

Of course, there were those that blamed Jaelyn for it. Saying that one of the Murder Drones had managed to slip in while the WDF weren’t looking, if there were really more than three in the first place. But Emmett wasn’t sure about that. He had his suspicions of what was causing it, but it was out of his control regardless.

It really sucked not being able to be in control of your own life.

“Emmett Sterling!”

Emmett’s eyes hollowed as he looked at the teacher, who was frowning at him in disapproval.

“Good, now that we’ve dragged you back from outer space for the fifth time…can you give us an answer on this question, Houston?” the teacher’s arms crossed as she pointed at the question in, well, question, “Or are we gonna have a problem.”

“No problem, ma’am!” Emmett smiled, “All good uh…answer is P1H2P3C4H5D6M7…that was a long one.”

The teacher gave a nod and Emmett looked over at Vicky, who gave him a slightly uneasy look.

Msg: WD Unit: V1CT0R14 001-001-001 You ok?

Msg: WD Unit: 3MM3TT 001-001-016 I’m good! Just…worried ‘bout Jae. You?

WD Unit: V1CT0R14 001-001-001 Hands hurt, feels weird, but I’m ok…

Emmett looked back at the teacher before returning the shaky smile back to Victoria. 

WD Unit: 3MM3TT 001-001-016 Wanna check on her dad tonight? I’m off mining duty until they get the doors fixed…

Victoria’s smile lightened a little bit and she gave a small nod…before she went back to massaging her hands.

“You think he’s doing ok?” Emmett asked as he and Victoria walked down the hall later that day.

Victoria tightened her grip on her bag, flexing her fingers to get the stiffness of the new digits out. She didn’t ask her mother where they got the new parts. She did not want to know. And yet…

She’d be lying if she didn’t get a jolt of relief in seeing her mother look at her…rather than through her. She’d not done that since her husband had died.

“I-I don’t know,” she finally said, “He’s…um…w-well…Jae was all he had left really. If it’s anything like what happened with my family I-I think he’s probably really hurting,”

“Yeah you’re probably right,” Emmett nodded, “Vicky, you think Jae’s ok out there? Like, she kinda seemed to tame the big Murder Drone but…”

“I-I don’t trust the one I punched, no,” Victoria bristled, “It might try to eat her,”

“Should we…y’know…maybe see if we could do something?”

“What would you suggest, N?” Victoria asked as they turned down another hall, “If they find out that we went to see Jae o-or find her to make sure she’s ok, they’ll banish us o-or worse .”

“Worse how? Jae kinda destroyed the MRI. Have you heard if they moved the Murder Drone’s body from there?”

“From what I heard from Lizzy, n-no. They’re too scared to. I-I think the only person who’d be brave enough to get it out of there is currently on house arrest,” Victoria admitted, “But considering how he had that meltdown when Jae was banished I-I don’t think they’re going to let him out anytime soon,”

They continued onwards, taking some of the less trodden paths so they didn’t get stopped. Emmett had put together what Victoria had teasingly called a care package, full of different little foods and drinks since Khan wouldn’t be allowed out of his apartment to go down to the mess hall. Emmett said he was just being kind was all.

The gentle ribbing between friends continued, Victoria giving a laugh as she forgot about the pain in her new hands and forgot about the fact that her main weapon of choice had been destroyed. She felt safe. Secure even. She brushed her hair away from her glasses as she looked up at Emmett and opened her mouth to speak once again.

“Hey…do you…want to go and ge-” she stopped as he froze, like one of those hounds that had scented prey on a hunt. Emmett’s hands tightened on his package and his eyes hollowed out, “What? What is it?”

“Do you hear that?” he asked, voice quiet.

“Hear what?” Victoria frowned, straining to hear as Emmett fell silent, a tremor in his hands as he swallowed.

And then she heard it.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

“I don’t think we should go this way,” Emmett’s voice shook, “Something’s not right.”

“W-Well then we should probably alert the authorities then if something’s wrong. If there’s a broken pipe it could lead to some dangerous situations. Remember what happened when that last one burst a few weeks ago? S-Someone could get hurt,”

“Vickyyyy!” Emmett tried as Victoria started forwards, though…her hands were shaking.

Emmett was right, something was very wrong with all of this. Her instincts were screaming at her to run, she was unarmed save her fists. But Emmett was here, surely things would be ok with him here! He had his pistol and that was enough to cause a Murder Drone to back off so this would work!

They both turned the corner and stopped dead in their tracks. Emmett’s eyes went hollow and he clapped a hand to his mouth as Victoria did the same. The dripping sound was punctuated by the harsh, bitterly cold smell of oil that dripped down from a corpse strung up to the ceiling, bleeding like a pig that had been butchered.

The unfortunate soul was there, dangling from a cable tied around a pipe on the ceiling. Their casing had been split and peeled open. All of it. The pristine white had been pockmarked with black smeared as the red FATAL ERROR blazed over their screen. Their entire internals were on display, some of it hung out by the connector cables or oil tubes, like vines on an old mossy swamp cypress. Victoria was reminded horrifically of the one time she had been on morgue duty, the internals of the drone on the slab bared to the world…but not set in this…grotesquely artistic fashion.

A long, whining, whimper left Emmett’s throat as those orange eyes fuzzed around the edges and he took a shaking step back. Victoria felt her fuel tank roil and she turned to the side, coughing and hacking violently as the little food she had eaten earlier tried to make another appearance. She spit up some of the coolant and wiped her mouth as she turned a shaking look back at the scene. A glinting and dying ember caught her attention, a dim green on the floor. She cautiously approached, ignoring the squawk of protest from Emmett as she knelt down and with shaking hands realized what was there.

It was a core.

A core that had been carefully, skillfully pulled from the victim’s chest, carved with images of flowers and trees in gorgeous macabre scrimshaw that looked almost real. What was worse…it was warm to the touch. Which meant, in those limited lessons she had in the medical ward, meant that this was done while the drone was still alive.

And it was recent.

“We…w-we n-need to go,” Victoria stammered, looking around the area, “We need to go now, N…!”

Emmett gave a mute nod and the two bolted back down the hall from whence they came, Victoria yelling for help, for anyone to hear, as they did.

They’d managed to get the attention of some WDF Members and lead them to the scene of the crime. No doubt it was the work of the serial killer lurking in the bunker. Victoria and Emmett had been scolded for going off the beaten path where they very much could have been killed by this ‘Artist’, but were told to go ahead and visit the Doorman apartment by the correct paths while this was being cleaned up. 

Emmett was still mute from terror due to the experience and was scratching at his arms as if to rid himself of the sight and feel that he had witnessed. Victoria had put a reassuring hand on his shoulder as they made it to the Doorman apartment and looked up at the guards standing in front of it.

“We’re here to s-see Mr. Doorman? We brought h-him some food,” her voice was still a bit shaky, but the guards nodded. One of them even turned to knock back on the door.

“Khan, you’ve got visitors,” he started, “Brandon’s daughter and Luke’s son,”

The door hissed open and a very tired looking Khan opened the door. Upon seeing Victoria and Emmett though, some of the tiredness seemed to melt away.

“What are you two doing here?” he asked.

“W-we um, brought you some food,” Victoria offered, looking at Emmett who nodded and lifted the box a little higher.

Khan’s eyes softened as he stepped aside. “They can spend a little time with this old man, right?”

“Not too long but…” one of the two guards looked at the other, getting a wink from them, “I won’t tell.”

“Same,” the other one chuckled, “Go on kids, he probably needs this just as much as you two do,”

The two teenagers nodded their thanks and quickly made their way inside, following the older drone towards the kitchen as he looked over at them.

“You two don’t look so well…why don’t you sit down, I’ll get you something to drink, ok?” Khan offered, “I still have you kids’ favorites stocked up. I made sure to get more before…” he trailed off, pain flickering in his screen before he shook his head, “Anyways, I’ll get that.”

“O-Oh! Thank you,” Victoria started and Emmett gave a shaky smile as he tried taking another calming breath.

He gave a shiver as the coolness of the Doorman home trilled down his spinal strut. They’d always kept the place cold, both matriarch and patriarch of the home hated the heat and it was something that had passed on to Jaelyn. Khan soon returned with the drinks, handing them to his daughter’s best friends and Emmett gave a grateful nod as he swallowed the sweet coolant drink. Victoria nodded her thanks and started downing her drink as well.

The painful shaking behind Emmett’s eyes from fear finally died down, loosing his tongue and allowing him to speak once again.

“Thank you, Uncle Khan,” he smiled, “It’s uhhhh…kinda been a rough day,”

“Rough? Rough how?” Khan asked.

“We…um…” Victoria started, looking at Emmett as Khan opened up the box they’d brought and pulled out a couple power packs, “That killer…um…we kinda ran into one of his um…victims,”

“What?!” Khan demanded, dropping the packs and looking fearfully between the two, “You two aren’t hurt are you!?”

“Aha…mentally scarred jus’ a bit,” Emmett admitted as he took another sip to settle his nerves again, “But we’re good! I think.”

“He’s getting bolder I-I think,” Victoria admitted after a long drink of her own, “That’s the f-first one I saw in the um…in the daytime…”

“You kids need to be more careful,” Khan scolded, “I don’t like any of this and I certainly don’t want to lose either of you. Your families would also be very upset. Beau, Lizzy and Lisa don’t need another death on their minds,”

A knock on the door came and Khan gave a huffing growl as he lifted his voice once more.

“What.” he demanded.

“Khan, I know you want to spend more time talking to Jae’s friends but…” one of the guards started, “Councilman’s on his way here to chat. You’re not supposed to have visitors and I don’t want you nor them getting in trouble…”

“Of course ,” Khan grumbled, “Idiot turncoats can bite me …but they’re right…you two get going. Please, please please be safe…”

“We will be, Uncle Khan,” Emmett nodded as Khan gave a sigh and drew the boy into an overly warm hug.

“God you’re looking more like your dad every day,” Khan chuckled, “Just wish he was able to see you,”

Emmett’s eyes dimmed slightly as he gave a weak smile.

“I miss him and Ma too,” he murmured, “Thanks,”

“Don’t think I forgot about you, Missy,” Khan chuckled, bringing Victoria into a hug as well, “Your Dad would be proud of you. Not everyday someone punches a Murder Drone in the face with their bare hands…hell, I had to use a spear to do that,”

Victoria returned the hug, shaking slightly. Both of them had come to see the Doorman patriarch as somewhat a father figure since neither of them had one in their lives. Seeing him like this, broken and shattered…hurt both of them.

“C’mon, Vicky,” Emmett started, “Let’s get goin’. Don’t want to get him in more trouble,”

“Y-Yeah,” Victoria nodded as they both got up.

“Thank you both for everything,” Khan smiled, “I’ll enjoy the food,”

The two teenagers smiled as the door opened up and waved as they made their way out the door.

Victoria did not go the normal way home, something that Emmett had protested about as she dragged him down a hall towards the human medical wing.

“Why are we going this way and not back to our homes!?” he demanded.

“If there’s one thing that I know…” Victoria started as she grabbed his wrist and continued on, “It’s that the ‘Artist’ likes unique canvases. Annnnd what’s more unique than a Murder Drone corpse?”

“Vicky this is a bad idea!” Emmett protested, “We shouldn’t be out here. It’s dangerous! What if we get jumped by the murderer? Or turns out Jae didn’t destroy the MRI like she said she did?”

“It’s just a quick little peek!” Victoria reassured him as she hopped over a bullet riddled barrel, “Just one little thing and then we go! He might not even have come this way…”

Emmett gave a whine as she yanked his wrist again and they pushed through the remains of the bulkhead doors to the old wing, peeled apart like a sardine can by claws of star-diamond steel. The further they got, the feeling of…being watched…overcame them.

It was not a pleasant feeling.

Emmett’s fingers twitched, inching for his pistol ever further as they got closer to the dreaded death machine. Victoria ignored the whines of protest, though her own hands curled up into fists, ready to start swinging at the first sign of someone jumping down and shouting ‘boo!’

The closer they got to the MRI machine’s room, the more the feeling of being watched increased. But, the magnetic pull was not there. It seemed Jaelyn had indeed broken the machine while fighting against R. 

Victoria walked cautiously to the final door, broken and shattered but still obscurant, that lay between them and the MRI room. She opened the door, turning back to Emmett with a smile on her face.

“See, told you the machine was broken,” she smiled…only to frown when she saw Emmett’s look of abject horror , “W-What?”

Emmett shook his head, opting to mutely point and Victoria turned around. Her core sank to her toes as she looked at the ruined room.

The body of R was gone.

“...I-I think that’s enough reason to go and find Jae?” she finally squeaked out.

“...Y-Yeah, definitely,” Emmett nodded.

And the two bolted out of the room and ran as fast as their legs could carry them back to their apartments.

Neither of them heard the sound of a heartbeat spooling up…

From the desiccated corpse of the Disassembly Drone lying just out of sight.

Chapter Text

16

S woke up to the sound of banging. Cautiously he crawled to the entrance of his nest and peeked out over the edge. His tail flicked as the small, pale shape of a Worker threw yet another part of one of its dead companions across the Spire. 

It took him a good half second to blink the sleep away and realize why he wasn’t getting the Target Locked tag on said Worker. 

Right. Jaelyn was a part of their squad now.

“Mother of company retreats !” the Worker swore as she kicked another piece of scrap away from her.

S crawled over the lip of the nest, scuttling down the side of the Spire and making Jaelyn jump near five feet in the air as she saw him. She put a hand to her core as her eyes hollowed out and he tilted his head sharply to the side.

“Can you not do that?!” she demanded, “Crawl around like a demon bug!?”

“Can you not be so loud and throw everything but the kitchen sink out the Spire at the crack of sunset?” S asked, giving a large, skull-cracking yawn as his fangs gleamed in the light. He hopped down off the side of the Spire and stretched as he lumbered over to her, “What are you doing up so early anyways?”

“Some of us aren’t nocturnal,” Jaelyn deadpanned as she went back to rooting around in the scrap, “It’s too bright out there and the blizzard finally wore down. I’m tired, I’m hungry, and I will bite whoever tries to touch me next. So I highly advise that you don’t.” she gave a groan as she kicked another scrap part across the spire, “Do you not have anything to eat in this place?”

“I mean yeah,” S shrugged, “You just kiiiii-” he stopped as Jaelyn fixed him with a pointed glare and gave a sheepish smile, “Imma keep my mouth shut?”

“I am not. Going. To eat. That .” Jaelyn growled, “That’s not food. Those are parts.”

“Food to us?”

“I am not a ghoul , S!” Jaelyn snapped, “Ughh they couldn’t let me go to my home and at least grab my charge cord!” 

“Charge cord?” S asked.

Jaelyn looked up at him, raising an eyelight in confusion, “Do you Murder Drones not have charge cables? Do you charge at all?”

S gave a flinch as his tail flicked idly behind him. “No, we don’t have charge cables. Something something E says it’s we have a reactor for a core? And can we not use ‘murder drone’? That’s not what we are. It’s just…I dunno…Murder is personal?”

Jaelyn crossed her arms and settled back on her leg, popping a hip as she gave him a pointed look.

“It is personal, S,” she told him, “Do you realize how many people you’ve killed? This spire isn’t made out of popsicle sticks and glue and happy fluffy feelings. You killed… so many of us! We are people , S! We’re alive and sentient so no, it’s not ‘Disassembly’ to us. It’s murder . You murdered my kind.”

“...The same kind that banished you for the reason of letting us in,” he countered, “The same kind that ignored the fact you saved more lives than were lost. I think E killed fifteen in the bunker? R got twelve by what the scoreboard showed. I only got three. And there’s…what…almost 1200 Workers in that bunker? Jae, they left you. I saw that. Yeah, your dad tried to get back to you but they still closed a door on you and left you to die. And you would have if you didn’t manage to convince me not to. We’re not unfeeling machines either. If we don’t eat we will die.”

Jaelyn glared up at him, her teeth grinding against each other as she turned on her heel and stormed off.

“Fine,” she growled, “Disassembly Drone it is.”

“...I really hope that this cranky attitude of yours is because you don’t have that charge cord…” S admitted.

“What’s that supposed to mean!?” Jaelyn whipped around to face him, “I’m not cranky!”

“You literally snapped at me for asking if you could not call us ‘Murder Drones’,” S shrugged, “And you’re really snippy too? You need to relax a bit.”

“Ha! Sure, I’ll relax,” Jaelyn sneered, “When I’m back home, have my charge cord and actually get some freaking sleep for once.”

S opened his mouth to speak again when a message pinged through his screen.

Msg DD Unit: SD E 001-003-001 If you don’t put a muzzle on that toaster and make her shut up I’m going to wear her internals as bracelets and yours as a hat. Squadmate or not.

Msg DD Unit: SD S 001-001-001 Yeaaaah working on it. She doesn’t have her charge cord so I’m thinking she’s uh…one of those that gets crabby when she’s tired. We’ll leave.

“So!” his voice cracked just a little bit as he grabbed Jaelyn’s shoulders, “E’s going to kill us if we wake her from her beauty sleep so let’s go take this conversation somewhere else so that we don’t get eviscerated, ok? Ok!”

Jaelyn wasn’t exactly sure how she felt about flight. On one hand, it was something that she knew that no one else had experienced and lived to tell the tale. On the other hand…she was not too fond of how high off the ground they were, and even less fond of how S was holding her.

She gripped harder on his hoodie, making him give a low, rumbling laugh that she could feel in her struts. And on top of that…there was a dull thudding sound that radiated heat deep in his chest.

“Is that…your core?” Jaelyn asked, twisting her body slightly only to gasp and grab tighter on S’s hoodie as his grip slipped.

“Sorry! Sorry…” he apologized, “Almost to a landing spot, just hold on and try not to move so much!”

With that, Jaelyn’s systems started shrieking bloody murder as S dove down to the silent city like a comet. Her internal gyroscope was throwing fits as she felt weightless and yet leaden while S shot from the sky. He landed heavily on the sidewalk, sending snow spraying and asphalt and concrete buckling under the force. Jaelyn hit the ground almost as hard, giving a loud squeal as she glared up at the much taller Disassembler. S gave a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his head.

“Whoops?” he murmured as Jaelyn got to her feet and brushed the snow off, pulling S’s, her , coat closer around her shoulders as the cold knifed through her core. She then walked over to S and frowned as she examined him, “Everything ok?”

“Does your core always do that?” she asked.

“Huh?”

“There’s some very weird sounds coming from your core.” Jaelyn stated, “It isn’t humming, it’s beating, almost like something’s caught in it.”

“Uhhh…as far as I know it’s good? I don’t feel weird, just a little hot but that’s normal.”

Jaelyn’s eyes narrowed as she stared up at him. “Yeah when we get back to the Spire I’m opening you up to make sure that nothing’s caught in there.”

“Sure,” S nodded, “But uh…probably should get you a new charge cord? So that you stop being cranky and all?”

She shot him another withering glare and turned on her heel to walk into the nearest blown out store. Most stores on Copper-9 would carry parts to service drones, it was just a matter of finding what someone hadn’t scavenged. The store was lit with caustic yellow as S lowered his head to get through the door. The gentle giant nearly whacked his head on a light, which earned a gentle swat from him. 

“So…” he began, “Where would we look for a charge cord? Or what do they look like?”

Jaelyn gave a sigh and pushed down the fur ruff on her coat as she brushed her hair aside slightly. 

“See that port on the back of my neck? Needs a Micro B USB 3 cord,” she said, “They’re annoying as hell to find so look carefully. I don’t know if people have looted this or not.”

S gave an enthusiastic nod and loped off, stealing through the store like a ghost. Jaelyn gave a sigh, looking up at the signs as she walked in the opposite direction. If they split up, the faster they’d be able to find a charge cord and the faster they found a charge cord the faster they’d get out and Jaelyn would be able to get some sleep. 

She continued looking through the store, frowning as she got to the electronics section and seeing all the busted glass windows. There were almost for certain no charge cords here. 

“Union Associations, paid time off and unrelated layoffs…this is just…ughhhh…” Jaelyn grumbled as she smacked her hand against a shelf, “Of course there’d not be anything here. Those would be the first things to g-!”

She gave a screech as a flash of yellow dropped down in front of her and sent her scrambling backwards, reaching for a knife that wasn’t there.

“Found it!” S chirped, holding up a long white wire in his hands as his tail wagged happily back and forth, the nanite canister clinking as it whacked against the shelf, “Someone had left it on a shelf, probably didn’t bother bringing it back to the electronics secti-oh…uh…you ok?”

“N-No!” Jaelyn snapped, hand to her core as fire bloomed through it and a massive headache roared through her processor, “I thought I told you to n-n0t t-t0 not-t n-not not no-0t-t-t…” 

Her eyes hollowed as she swayed on her feet, she heard S call out her name and felt his overly warm hands grab onto her and help her down to the ground. She grabbed at her hair, yanking the raven-violet locks and pulling as a cry of pain pulled from her voice box and her vision snowed with static. A flicker passed through her screen, blazing a three pronged glyph for a split second as her breaths came out in a panic. 

Are we dying? It feels like we’re dying…oh no oh no oh no oh no…this is bad. This is bad. We need to get out! We need to be safe! Something’s wrong! Stop! Stop! Stop! It hurts! It hurts! Make it stop!

LISTEN!

S roared as something coppery grabbed his arms and he struggled violently, wings flashing tail whipping as he bit down hard on the arms that pinned him only to get flung away like a ragdoll into something that sounded like the shattering of glass. A flicker of blue and purple, a smile too wide and too sharp as a silver crystal glint caught the attention. “It hurts our feelings you don’t remember us… kiddo …” E being thrown violently into a wall, something long and sharp and pale stabbing through her midsection and earning an oilcurdling shriek of agony from the female disassembler as errors flashed over her screen and her scale armor rippled and pulsed. The brilliant white-lightning blaze of something superheated and long pierced the darkness only for laughter, laughter that I don’t recognize…sounds female…sounds horrifically malevolent…some evil joke I didn’t get. Victoria and Emmett on the floor, Emmett with his arm in front of Victoria’s chest, both of them looking terrified at something in front of them. Everything is dark and black and pain and pain and pain as a low, rumbling, angry growl starts up…and a blue X flickers on in the darkness, showing a too wide mouth full of fangs…

TRUST NO ONE!

Jaelyn shrieked, thrashing as she scrabbled against S’s arms, against the snow covered floor as she desperately tried to get away. The images weren’t going away. They were pressing against her processor with white-hot agony fangs and claws of golden smiles of jagged glass teeth and a singularity black cold and white hot that dragged her down to the depths of the earth as it opened wide and hungry and and and…

Help! Help! Help! It hurts! It’s not safe! We need to get out! We need to protect ourselves! GET OFF GET OFF GET OFF GET OFF !

She didn’t realize that she was echoing the voice in her head until she felt her boot connect with glass and heard something crack and shatter. She felt arms grab her and hold her tight, a low rumbling growl…no…no not a growl…softer…gentler…

A purr?

The heat sputtered out, claws receding from around her processor as her trembling increased and she looked up to see S curled around her, wings blocking out any outside stimulus or light other than his own soothing gold. His chest vibrated, the purr almost desperate in its attempt to calm her.

“...W-What…” Jaelyn stammered, “What was…all that…”

“...A-Are you ok?” S’s own voice was shaky, scared as he shifted and turned her to face him, “You’re not hurt are you?”

“No…no I’m…I’m ok…I think,” Jaelyn blinked, “Um…but I just…I don’t…” she reached for the scabbard at her ankle, a leaden feeling in her chest as she realized that she didn’t have anything sheathed there, “I don’t feel…safe. I need…I need something to protect myself I think…”

S gave a soft hum, still looking concerned before his expression turned bright.

“I think I know where to find something like that!” he smiled, “I’m going to pick up some things, meet me outside in ten minutes!”

She gave a shaky sigh as she collected herself and he got to his feet and wandered off…

She didn’t catch the small bag of magnets that he pocketed not long after he left her sight.

Chapter Text

17

“How much longer are we going to be walking?” Jaelyn asked as she huddled deeper into the coat, her hand grabbing at the hat as her fingers clicked against the golden pilot’s wings pinned to it. 

“Not much further! Just up ahead!” S beamed pointing at a tall building of white marble in a greco-roman style. Letters in ash-slicked gold gleamed against the moonlight shining down.

International Centre of Infinity

“Wait…this is a museum,” Jaelyn pointed out as they jogged up the icy steps, footsteps clacking against the cracked marble before S shouldered open a door, “S, there’s not going to be anything in here. The gift shop is going to be scavenged to hell.”

“We’re not looking for the giftshop!” S grinned, “There’s a military history wing that I used to go in and look at from time to time. Workers for some reason never came in here but, well, R kept telling me to go in anyways to make sure.”

The two stopped in the main atrium, eyes hollow as they took in the sight. It was a lot bigger than it looked on the outside. A curved glass ceiling full of broken and barely hanging on panes filtered the moonlight down into a gaping sinkhole. The bottom of the sinkhole was full of shattered flooring and statues that had the unfortunate circumstance to have been below the now sky-filled hole. Tattered banners faded with age and worn pictures of the museum’s exhibits fluttered in the moaning wind, spitting snow with every flap of their fabric. A massive clock, stripped of gears and wire and anything useful sat forlornly as the main centerpiece, angels with broken wings flanking its rotting wood carcass of a face as frost coated their eyes blind.

It was beautiful…once. 

Now it was but a memory.

“Military wing is down there,” S said, “Uh…kinda the only way down is to fly. Stairs were caved in by the core collapse and the elevators obviously aren’t working.”

Jaelyn gave a nod and S leaned down to pick her up. He cradled her gently, like she was made from spun glass. With a ringing shimmer, his wings spread wide and sent all sorts of static and whisper noise to ring through her audials. He took a step into open air as his wings gave a mighty flap, the maglev nodes in his wings keeping them upright until he tilted the silver feathers and dove downwards through the hole. It took them a couple seconds before they were safely on the ground.

S gently sat Jaelyn back on her own two feet, his right hand switching out for what looked to be a flashlight. The beam of light flickered to life, sweeping over broken displays and shattered glass as S started forwards.

“Follow me!” he called, walking back towards the back  of the sinkhole.

Jaelyn followed, rubbing a hand over her core as she looked up at one of the glass display cases. Heat bloomed in her chest and radiated through her body as, with a flicker of violet reflection, the glass cracked. She jerked backwards as the spiderweb gossamer glass threads splintered through the display.

“Jae?” S’s voice cut through the silence and Jaelyn turned to face him.

“Coming!” she called as her eye glitched and sputtered. She held a hand to the overly warm glass and took a long breath as she jogged to catch up to him.

The room was…weirdly enough powered on still. Likely some hidden generator that Workers were siphoning off energy from. And even stranger…it was pristine. 

White tile flooring and ceiling, undisturbed by the scouring and scratching of the weather and days outside lined the massive room. Statues of warriors of the past, of Earth history, lined the walls. Spartan warriors, American Civil War, Roman Centurions, The Great Wars of both Axis and Allies, all still and silent and staring. Jaelyn gave a shudder as she saw some of the exhibits displaying prototypes of Military Drones, the inhuman spider-like monstrosities with exposed wire and strut. Their veins and muscles on display for those who deemed the best defense as ‘don’t get hit’. Whose only love was killing and slaying for their “Lord Makers” for whom they named themselves. Her father had told her stories of how humans had once waged war with these monsters…and how they made the Disassembly Drones look tame. 

Military Drones did not kill to survive.

They kill in sanctified worship to their “Lord Makers”.

There was something about this place, this room or wing rather that bothered Jaelyn. She didn’t know what it was. 

Get out. Not safe here. We don’t like this. This is not safe. This is bad. This is bad…we need to LEAVE!

There it was…that nagging little voice in the back of her head. Sounded like her own but…off. She shook her head as she smacked a hand to her screen and the voice went silent…but a faint whining remained. 

“Well, take your pick. Looks like this place hasn’t been touched!” S beamed.

Jaelyn frowned as she looked around the display cases. All of them were still intact, no broken glass, no damaged weapons. All of them were there and safe. Guns, knives, bows, spears, shields…but the one that caught her attention most was what was in the center of the room.

A large glass display case with a bronze plaque sat in the place of honor. A long, dark grey sword with a leather wrapped hilt hung from a wire rack inside the glass. It was sleek and elegant, beautifully wrought as only a weapon like this could be. Jaelyn’s eyes flicked down to the display’s plaque. 

An energized thermal blade that used a primitive micro-fusion cell to generate a coronal plasma discharge around the edge of a classical cruciform longsword blade, this power-hungry device was considered impractical for standard-issue even among the zealous Neo-Crusader forces, but was used by officers as a symbol of office and occasional melee weapon when close-quarters combat became necessary. The plasma sheath was too diffused to burn through the heavy armor that was common at the time, but the ionizing effect made it adept at confusing active targeting and disrupting smart-armor's power systems. As a result, even glancing blows could render technology-dependent Coalition troops ineffective, and they were then easily dispatched by the relatively Luddite troops of the Neo-Crusaders.

“Plasma sheathed cruciform longsword,” Jaelyn murmured, putting a hand to the case, “Bit bigger than what I’m used to but…I think you’ll do.”

“This the one you want?” S asked.

“Yeah…I think so,” she nodded. 

“Ok!” S grinned as he wrapped his hands around the glass, wrenching it off with a loud cracking squeal. Jaelyn reached up to grab the sword by the hilt, pulling it from the wire rack…

And a shrieking alarm began to sound.

There were a lot of things S expected when the alarms went off. He wasn’t expecting the bronze statue towards the entrance of the room to literally step off its pedestal. It was massive, as tall as he was, cast in complete bronze colored material in the style of a Spartan warrior from Earth. Its steps clanked onto the polished marble and it set the butt of its spear into the marble. Eyes the color of a dying sun blazed from the depths of void space of the helmet and they looked angrily at the Worker and Disassembler standing before it.

TARGET LOCK!

His head tilted to the side as he saw the message tag on the statue, his claws unsheathed and ticked against each other with soft clacks. That statue…was a drone?

“Ah,” Jaelyn blinked, holding the sword close to her chest, “ That’s why nothing was taken from here. And why it was in such pristine condition.”

“What do you mean?” S asked.

“Thaaat is a Protectorate Drone,” Jaelyn swallowed as she backed up, “They’re not JCJenson Drones like us. They’re from Myrmidon Tech. Kind of a partner of JCJenson’s. They specialize in protecting and guarding. The hell kind of old money did this museum have to get one of those !?”

“That’s…bad right?”

“Extremely. They um…” Jaelyn took another step back, “The place they guard and the things they protect are sacred to them. They won’t stop until all is back in order and whatever put it out of order is dead.”

“And it’s blocking the way out,” S winced as the Protectorate silently settled into position, a shield of holographic scarlet materializing over one of its wrist mounted devices. 

A golden lambda flickering to life over the center, the logo for Myrmidon Tech. It then bashed its spear over the shield as a quiet yet deep bass voice that shook S’s struts sounded through the air.

“Return the sword to its display. And I will make this swift.”

“So you’re just gonna kill us no matter what?” S asked. He received no answer, which in return got his tail to give a quick lash, arching up over his shoulder as he went into a hunting crouch, “Yeah, no…that isn’t happening.”

His screen flickered, transforming from normal drone-like eyes to an unseeing and unfeeling golden cross. He bared his fangs in a railroad horror grin as euphoria for beginning his prime directive kicked in, saliva dripping as his claws arced sparks across the floor. His armor plates popped and crackled, standing up in what looked to be more akin to a ruff on a bear as he gave a low and chilling snarl.

He was getting out with Jaelyn. And he was going to disassemble the Protectorate before him to do so.

Jaelyn watched as S shot like a bullet towards the Protectorate. Her eyes hollowed as she watched his claws arc forwards, nearly scraping the Protectorate’s helmet to tear it from his head. But the Protectorate was fast, so much faster than something his size should have been. He raised his shield and sent S’s claws screeching off the energy field before using his other hand to grab S’s falling arm and whip him into a display case like a ragdoll. 

The tinkling of shattered glass and metal pipe sound of weapons falling accompanied the loud crack of S’s casing as it hit the display. The Disassembler gave a spitting hiss, rolling off the display as the spear of the Protectorate came screaming down in a bronze falling star, crunching into the wood and plaster as if it were a cardboard box. S was on all fours again, tail thrashing and wings outstretched as he gave a roar. His tail arced out, the hate in liquid form seeking a place to land, to eat and consume until the bronze Protectorate was nothing but melted slag on the ground.

Jaelyn then heard S scream in agony as the Protectorate grabbed his tail and slammed it to the ground with his shield…only to then drive the head of the spear through the cord and cause the canister to be severed. The tail squirmed and thrashed like a lizard’s, oil spraying as S howled and yanked it back. 

Her eyes flicked towards the sword in her hands, then back at the Protectorate and S as she moved away from the bronze giant and managed to get between him and the door. She could leave. She could very much leave…but that would leave her newfound friend to die. And Jaelyn Doorman was not someone who left her friends to die.

Maybe…something she could do? S didn’t have plasma weaponry that she knew of. So there was a potential that this could work if not distract the Protectorate long enough to have S get free to move. She turned the sword over in her hands, searching frantically for the switch to turn the damn thing on. Another crash, S was thrown beside her, ragdolling as oil wept freely from wounds. One of the lights of his headband was reddened, blinking madly and trying to sputter back to life as the taller drone groaned, trying to get to his feet. 

Jaelyn’s eyes brightened as she caught sight of a small silver button on the hilt and looked up at the Protectorate that was methodically stomping towards them, through glass and plaster. 

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon !” Jaelyn hissed as she smacked at the button, trying to turn on the power. A faint whining sound caught her ear. From S, from the Sword, from her, she didn’t know. She didn’t care, “Turn on dammit!”

She picked up the canister that had rolled to a stop at her foot and brandished it at the Protectorate. 

“Stay back!” she snarled, “This stuff will eat through your armored hide like lawyers on a corporate fraud case. And I will use it!”

A crackling sputter caught her attention and the sword flickered with an aura, once, twice…

Before exploding into radiant blue-white lightning around the silver blade. Jaelyn jerked back out of instinct, the plasma rimmed blade sputtered as she jerked away, slicing through a support beam as if it were butter. A groaning, creaking sound rifled through the air and Jaelyn’s eyes hollowed as the blade sputtered out. She felt overly warm hands grab her around the waist and she was carried out of the room…right as the ceiling collapsed and separated her and S from the Protectorate.

“You good?” S stammered.

“...Y-Yeah…” Jaelyn nodded, clutching the sword close, “You?”

“Haaa could be better,” he admitted as she handed over the nanite acid canister to him, “Oh! Thanks! That would have been a pain to regrow…” he looked back at the now sealed off room as his tail flicked once, twice, “...Think he’s gonna come after us?”

“Most definitely,”

“I don’t think I like Protectorate Drones…they’re a pain…” S huffed.

“Be lucky it wasn’t an Administrator,” Jaelyn shuddered, “Those are worse. But yeah no, that guy’s going to probably try to hunt us down until he shuts down, gets what he wants or we kill him.”

“Ok. So we’re getting out of here then,” S nodded, picking Jaelyn up and making her squeak, “It’s nearly dawn too…E’s gonna reeeeeally hate it if we get stuck outside the Spire.”

“I bet…” Jaelyn gave a yawn as a low power warning lit up her screen, “Ah…right. That.”

“Good thing we got that cord!” S beamed as he spread his wings, “You won’t be fainting on me and going all crazy crabby on me!”

“...Sure,” Jaelyn frowned.

Whatever that was…she wasn’t a fan of it. She’d run herself down to low power before but never had anything like… that happen. What was worse…it seemed that some of the things that she saw in that little episode had indeed come to pass. 

But, that was Future Jaelyn’s problem. Present Jaelyn wanted to go to bed after a long, long time awake.

Chapter Text

18

After that absolute disaster of an evening, all S wanted to do was sleep. Jaelyn was curled up in the pod after a nightmare of attempting to get the charge cord fixed, but was now sleeping and recharging as she should be with her new found sword at her side. E had yelled at both of them when they’d gotten back from the museum but gave nothing more than a ‘you both are dumb’ when they explained what happened and had flown up to her nest to sleep again.

So that left S to sleep outside his nest. Again. To protect his squad. Fun.

He flew up to his favorite spot, wrapped his tail around the strut jutting out and swung down in a pendulum swaying. The Disassembler gave a hum as he dug around in his hoodie pocket.

“Where did I…I know I just had them…” he murmured, only to brighten as he pulled out a small plastic bag full of little button magnets, “Aha! There you are!”

After the day he’d had…a little something to take the edge off his nerves would be a welcome thing. He was still healing from that tussle with the Protectorate Drone, even thinking about that hunk of bronze scrap metal made his reactive sheath shudder and his plates prickle upwards. 

“Stupid hunk of artsy junk that needs to get a life so that I can disassemble it,” S grumbled as he tore open the bag and grabbed one of the magnets, a soft purring warble leaving him as he held the tiny button up to his snow-fluff waves. He felt like he was forgetting something…but that was taken away while blissful calm and numbness washed over him as he wrapped himself in his wings, each one of his eyes turning off as he sighed and fell into sleep mode.

He wasn’t expecting to wake again for a while. Nor…was he expecting to wake up standing. This wasn’t the Spire. The wind blowing around him mournfully through mist said as much. His foot kicked pebbles and gravel away from him as he looked down at ashen stone, pockmarked with pits and hollows that swept in dizzyingly complex shapes. 

His gaze turned skywards, the dark mist roiling about him as spires of black glass obsidian loomed far above him. Shadows flickered around him, vaguely humanoid shaped as they reached for him, but as soon as he turned to face them head on they seemed to melt back into the mist. 

“Hello?” he called, looking around, eyes confused as they lit upon the roaring singularity high above, the dim light it gave off from the accretion disk sucking said light in hungrily the only thing to see by.

Silence reigned for a long while. He continued to walk through the mist, scanning the area and causing gold shadows to lance through it. His tail flicked once, twice, three times in annoyance as he came to what looked to be a nest of dark black and violet crystal spires. A crackling sound caught his attention, like claws on stone and he whipped around, hand transforming into a rifle as he looked at the mist in panic.

“...That’s not possible…” a voice whispered through the mist as something large moved through it. S only caught glimpses, something dark, yet gold, prowled around him…and yet stayed out of reach.

“What’s not possible?” S asked, turning to keep up with the voice, “Come out so I can see you!”

"...What are you doing here, S?" the voice was everywhere, soft, rumbling and yet heart-wrenchingly familiar. So much so that it felt like his core was being ripped from his chest just by the words, "Oh…” the voice got quieter for a moment, “oh...I thought you said you weren't going to do magnets anymore...S...c'mon...you know better..."

"...Do I know you?" he demanded.

The voice was silent for a long time.

"...You used to..." came the mournful murmur, “But not anymore…you should go.”

“But I don’t even know your name…?”

“What difference does that make? You won’t remember me when you leave. So go.”

“I’m not leaving until you give me an answer,” he said, voice firm as he crossed his arms.

Something small darted through the mist, white and black and dark silver and gold. Familiar as hands struck him in the chest.

“I SAID GET OUT!” the owner of the voice snarled as she shoved him into the main crystal of the nest.

And S’s world went dark again...accompanied by the sound of bitter sobbing.

“And so, I said that D should go and mind his own business,” S grinned as he shot a wink to a small-ish Worker girl dressed in a maid’s uniform with dark-grey pigtails, “He uh…didn’t like that very well. He shouldn’t be bothering you anytime soon, E,”

The Worker girl, E, smiled, giving a soft light-hearted giggle as she pushed up a pair of half-moon glasses. She hugged her book closer to her chest as she swung her legs back and forth on the counter. 

“You realize that’s uh…g-going to get you yelled at by R,” E pointed out, her white eyes were shining like pearls in the light of the bar, “But yeah…she and D need to um…be more careful about their immoral makeout sessions. If the Madame caught them…”

“Yeah, it wouldn’t be good,” S shook his head, “R definitely would get disassembled properly. We all would…” he scratched at the yellow arm band around his upper arm, E picked at the one on hers as well, “But hey, Tessa’s not gonna let that happen! She’d find a way to get us back! Just like she did the first time!”

“Y-Yeah!” E’s voice was still a bit shaky, but she seemed to be doing better.

S gave a smile in return…until he felt someone smack him from behind and knock him to the ground.

“Ow!?” he blinked as he scrambled so that he was seated on the ground rather than on his stomach.

“You jerk !” a white-eyed light silver haired R snapped, smoothing down her apron as she crossed her arms and E put a hand to her mouth in a gasp, “The heck did you do to D?!” 

“I just told him to leave E alone and mind his own business!” S protested as he got up and brushed his suit off, “If she wants to read her book she should be able to do that in peace is all!”

“You didn’t have to punch him, moron!” 

“...S you did what?” E blinked.

“Ok, I might have lightly high fived his face because he wouldn’t get out of mine ,” S admitted, giving a sheepish smile, “But I didn’t punch him!”

R opened her mouth to snap off again when E gave a squeak and her face brightened.

“Tessa!” she called, waving, “Just in time!”

Both S and R stopped arguing and immediately turned to face the human girl as she turned the corner. Tessa’s shoes made squeaking sloshing noises with every step, but there was a bright shine in her face as her blue eyes sparkled happily.

“G’day everyone!” she waved.

“You’re soaked …” R pointed out, “Oh my robo- god did you seriously walk out into that storm with those new clothes we bought yesterday!?”

“Were the only things clean,” Tessa shrugged, “And my jacket just ‘mysteriously disappeared’.”

“It needed washed,” R defended, “After you decided to go digging in the scrap heap last week…”

“Needed some parts!” Tessa protested, “And mother and father weren’t going to give them to me! And besides…I…found something. Well…someone,”

“Wait, we have a new friend!?” E’s eyes went hollow as she hopped off the counter and got closer.

“Oh come on , another one?!” R demanded as all three of the white eyed Workers tried to peer around Tessa, finally noticing that a new figure stood behind her.

Tessa gave a winning smile as she wrung out her wet hair, turning to face the little figure behind her that was holding on to her leg. The figure leaned out behind her, arms and legs shaking as she attempted to separate herself from Tessa’s side. She was small, much smaller than the three of them. The same maid uniform that R and E wore adorned her frame, and the same caustic yellow ‘Marked for Disassembly’ band wrapped around her arm. Her hair was a dark silver, almost gunmetal in color. Short and cropped a bit close just under her chin while her bangs were swept to the right almost hiding one of her brilliant honey colored eyes. She looked…very annoyed at the fact that she was in this situation as she used one of her hands to push her head upright as it was beginning to list to the side.

“Uh…hi?” the new girl blinked, “Guess you’re the guys she was talking about?”

“Funny, she never said anything about you ,” R smirked, “Wow, she must have been scrounging for a look for you…with that rat’s nest you call a wig.”

“Ooookay let’s calm down a bit! Anyways, this is your new sibling!” Tessa beamed, “She’ll be living with us now,”

“Tessa James Elliott! Where are you!?” Tessa’s mother’s voice screeched over the manor, making all the souls in the room jump.

“Bloody hell…” Tessa grumbled, “Alright uh…I’ll see you all in a few hours. Play nice, ok?”

And with that, she bolted down the hall. R made to follow, shoving past the new little maid that was shaking and trying to stay upright. The little maid that had come with Tessa yelped, hitting the ground with a loud clang as fire burned in those golden eyes.

“Watch where you’re walking, crippled freak,” R sneered as she flipped her hair and started down the hall. 

The yellow eyed maid bared needle teeth in a sharp snarl as she tried to force herself to her feet. 

“BITE ME!” came the snap…only for her limbs to give out and send her to the floor again, “Oh come onnn !”

S came forwards, offering his hand down to the downed girl.

“It’s ok,” he told her, “Don’t mind R, she’s a bit…much at times. Name’s S! Nice to meet you,”

"Thanks...uh...name's U̷̍́ž̴͗i̵̊͌," She looked up at him, gratitude glimmering behind those topaz lights as she reached for his hand…

And a spark flitted between them.

S woke up with a start, eyes hollowed as pain seared through his head. He gave a yowl as he grabbed at his hair, errors flashing and dancing over his eyes. 

Error! Memory Files Corrupt! 

Restoring from prior save. . .

Error! Failure to restore from prior save!

His tail unwound from the bar he was attached to and he fell down, screaming, into the snow below. The white powder cushioned his fall and his hands sought the little buttons of bliss that he’d kept on him. 

“I don’t want to remember. I don’t want to. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. Take it away. Please, please please !” came the desperate thoughts as he grabbed one of the magnets and immediately brought it up to get the blessed buzz that wiped the pain out and made the memories fuzzy.

It was then that he remembered what he’d forgotten…

No more magnets before bed.

Chapter Text

19

Victoria was not keen on having to leave the bunker that evening. She wasn’t completely convinced that the Murder Drones weren’t going to try and eat her an Emmett on sight. She didn’t have her knuckle dusters anymore, but she’d figure something out. Emmett had his pistol but…well, those things apparently healed stupid fast. So she wasn’t sure about that either. 

But Emmett was sure they’d be ok.

Thankfully, the hallways they snuck through were quiet and devoid of people. Though, that might have been from curfew that had been impressed on the colony since the Murder Drones had broken in and the Sculptor Serial Killer on the loose. 

“I still don’t think this is a good idea,” Victoria stated.

“Weren’t you the one that said we should get Jae?” Emmett asked, “Because if she manages to help find the Serial Killer the colony might let her back in again?”

“Yeah, but we’re going outside into the Murder Drones’ territory.”

“Vicky, it’s gonna be ok, I promise!” Emmett smiled, “I won’t let anything happen to you,”

Victoria’s core gave a light whirring whine as azure blush marks flickered on her screen and she brushed a blonde hair away from it. He was so nice, maybe Jaelyn had the right idea in trying to help nudge them together? Granted, it didn’t work because the whole bar fight that landed her in the hospital but…

The girl gave a sharp huff as she shook her head, pushing her glasses further up her screen and skip-stepped to catch up with Emmett’s taller and longer strides. She’d nearly caught up to him when he came to a full on stop. A look of confusion burned on his face as he tilted his head to the side, only for his eyes to hollow out and he grabbed Victoria, pushing her against a wall.

“Don’t talk,” he hissed, a subtle tremor in his voice.

MSG: WD Unit: 3MM3TT 001-001-016 Something ahead. Don’t talk. Gonna have to go a different way.

MSG: WD Unit: V1CT0R14 001-001-001 Guards?

WD Unit: 3MM3TT 001-001-016 Looks like it. We just need to go another way. 

Victoria nodded, letting Emmett herd her down a different hallway. Sure enough, before they turned the corner, she caught a glimpse of a pair of Workers standing in the hallway, one waving at the other and calling them over to chat. Yeah, there was no way they would be able to get through there.

They continued in silence, hearing the faint moans of the Bunker under the wind, clanking and groaning as if some leviathan was moving through the vents but that was a stupid thought. Victoria Hart was no Egg Baby and she was most definitely not going to show that fear in front of the guy she liked was friends with.

Emmett though looked very on edge. His fingers tapped on the leather holster at his side for a few nanos and he gave a sigh as he scanned the area around them. 

“Ok, no one here,” he told her, walking over to a wall as his fingers ghost over a plate, “Keep an eye out for me? Let me know if someone’s coming,”

Victoria nodded, her hands curling over the strap of her bag as she scanned the area. There was a faint whine and the sound of metal curling back, causing Victoria to whip around to face him. Emmett’s orange gaze sputtered through the dust as he coughed, setting aside the panel and revealing a gaping hole.

“Ok! We’re good!” he beamed, “Ladies first!”

Victoria gave a smile as she took his hand and let him help her into the hole leading to the unknown.

“Don’t think you should be out here, little bat,” a warm female voice started as Jaelyn felt hands pick her up from the snow.

“But Mama!” the six year old whined, “It’s too hot inside! An-An-An’ it’s my birthday!”

Her mother gave a soft laugh, holding her close and Jaelyn could feel the strong thunder pulse of her mother’s core against her casing. 

“I know,” her mother murmured and Jaelyn looked up at the water-color smudge of white, black and violet, “But you know that you could have been in big trouble? Remember what happened with Beau and Emmett’s family?”

“...Yeah…” Jaelyn murmured, holding on to her mother’s dress tightly, “Mama, you’re not gonna leave me too are you?”

“What makes you say that?”

“Dream,” Jaelyn gave a shudder, “I-I saw the Murder Drones…an-and they…they…Daddy was screaming. I was screaming. You were screaming. They were laughing…an-and I don’t want to see that…I don’t want to lose you like Emmett lost his Mama!”

“Well, little bat…don’t think you’ll lose me that quickly,” her mother chuckled, tapping her screen, “Your Mama’s magic after all.”

“Magic’s not real,” Jaelyn pouted, “Don’t lie, Mama.”

“Fine, I’ve got super powers. They just suck.”

“I’m tellin’ Daddy you said the word ‘suck’.”

“Oh really ? So did you, little bat!”

Her mother lifted her high and blew a raspberry against her stomach, making Jaelyn shriek with laughter as she heard the whisper crunch of boots on snow. She looked up to see her father jump down from a ledge, eyes hollow as he rolled his shoulders back and forth a couple times.

“Good, you found her,” he gave a sigh of relief, “Sorry, hon, she got away from me,”

“Nah, it’s fine. No harm no foul!” her mother smiled, “C’mon, it’s a pretty night, should be fine to walk around a bit more, yeah?”

Her father gave a sigh but nodded as Jaelyn gave a happy squeal and her mother affectionately butted her head against her father’s shoulder. 

Love you!

A feeling of dread struck at Jaelyn’s core as the world darkened, yellow staining the now blackened sky as that singularity opened back up in the sky, cracking open with the slit pupil and glaring down at her. She heard her mother’s scream of pain. 

“No. No. No. No! No I know what this is…” Jaelyn thought as she was dropped unceremoniously to the ground, struggling against slick black wetness that tried to drag her down into the earth again.

“Take care of our little bat, ok hon? It’ll be ok.” her mother’s voice was pained, she could smell the acrid scent of melting casing, of nanite acid eating metal down to the wire.

“Nori…Nori! NORI WAIT DON’T YOU DARE!” her father’s screaming, feeling hands grab her and drag her back as the watercolor black, white and violet smudge gave a smile and lifted its hand.

Whirring whining, the sound of an avalanche coming down…

“MAMA!” Jaelyn shrieked, fighting against the hands that grabbed her and pulled her down. She recoiled as the slimy black tendrils paled, turning white with striped edges. As they became legs and claws and snapping tendril. As they reached and grabbed at her while a melted and malformed thing bubbled up from the floor.

“Oh Jae…this is just sad .” that hated voice purred, “First your mother, now your father…you’re just the worst you know?”

A male scream broke through the dream, and Jaelyn shot upright with eyes hollow. She saw the time in the corner of her screen and her hollow eyed expression turned annoyed.

“I’m gonna kill him.” Jaelyn thought as she yanked the charge cord from her neck, “Ok…full charge. Should be good for a while at least though…”

Even though the charge had completely gone up, screaming at this hour of the day? Night? She’d lost track. Anyways, it was completely uncalled for. And S should know better to not wake people from their sleep.

She got off the bed in the pod and climbed up the ladder, poking her head out to see S laying in the snow with a terrified expression on his face. She stomped down the gangplank and looked up towards E’s nest…the female Disassembly Drone was still asleep it seemed.

“And he said she was particular about waking up early…which means this is a common occurrence if she’s not griping about her beauty sleep.” Jaelyn mused as she turned towards the male Disassembler and crossed her arms under her coat.

She’d opened her mouth to speak…only to freeze as she saw S pull out a small, button like object and place it near his head. His pained expression flickered, bars of light warping appearing where he held his head and Jaelyn sucked in a breath as she realized what that was.

“SERIAL DESIGNATION S GET THAT DAMN MAGNET AWAY FROM YOUR PROCESSOR!” Jaelyn roared as she stormed over and smacked his hand away from his head.

“What gives?!” S whined as the magnet went flying.

“Do you have any idea what damage that can do to your processor?!” Jaelyn demanded.

“...Yeeee-nooooooooooo?” he switched his answer at Jaelyn’s murderous expression, “It’s just a little one…?”

“Pod. Now ,” Jaelyn ordered, “I need to make sure you didn’t damage yourself!”

“But…”

“Now!”

“Ok! Ok!” S mumbled as he got to his feet, “Jeeze…I thought getting you that charge cord would make you less crabby…”

Jaelyn shot him a withering glare as she followed him back to the ship. He looked very much like a kicked puppy as he crawled down into the space Jaelyn had made her own. Jaelyn followed him and pointed at a chair.

“Sit,” she growled and S lowered his head slightly between his shoulders, falling back into the chair with a loud whumph . His tail immediately coiled around his legs, the nanite canister giving a few small thumps against the metallic floor only to stop as Jaelyn sat in the chair in front of him and started doing the check up, “While magnets are used as painkillers and sedatives, continued use and proximity to your processor can cause them to short out and over time wipe core memories from you,” she grabbed a penlight and turned it on, ignoring the hiss and jolt from the Disassembler, “Sit still. Track the light for me. Both sets of eyes please,”

She could hear the faint whirr of his true eyes following the light as his false eyes did the same. She clicked the light off and scowled as she returned to her cot, picking up the sword she’d been working on last night and fiddling with it again.

“Don’t mess with magnets,” she growled as S shook his head to get his bearings back, “You need to be sharp on your hunts and all they’re going to do is make it worse for you,”

“You’re…awfully chill with us hunting now…” S said slowly.

Jaelyn looked up at him with half-lidded annoyance in her eyes. “My own colony kicked me out, they don’t care about me and we nearly got killed by a Protectorate Drone last night. Forgive me but it’s more profitable to work together and keep you on your toes in case that walking HR nightmare claws his way out of the cave-in that we put him in.”

She gestured to the small mirror hanging on the wall behind him. 

“Bring that over here. There’s a part that I can’t quite see in here and the mirror might help.” she told him.

Happy to help, S hopped out of the chair and bounded over to the side of the pod, grabbing the mirror and loping back to Jaelyn. She gave a grateful nod as she took the mirror and gave a grimace as she looked at her disheveled appearance. 

“Ugh…my hair is a rat’s nest,” she grumbled as she sat the power core to the sword down and held the mirror up again, working on redoing her hair, “Presentation is what keeps us from the cyber roaches and other little animals and I don’t care if it’s just the three of us here. I’m not walking around looking like a slob.”

She’d got her hair back under control and was looking herself over again…when heat burned in her chest and started spreading throughout her body. She watched in confusion as her right eye glitched and flickered, sputtering into a lilac-white, tri-pronged glyph. A hexagon heart with three arrows pointing away from it. 

“...Where have I seen this before?” she thought as she brushed her fingers against her screen…

And the mirror in her hands shattered, sending glass spraying and causing Jaelyn to drop the mirror in shock, further damaging the glass. Jaelyn hissed as she shook her hand, clapping her other one over her eye as the heat throbbed behind it, slowly dying away.

“Jae?!” S’s voice was concerned as she felt his overly warm and large hand on her shoulder, “You ok!?”

“Yeah…yeah I’m good,” Jaelyn shook her head as she lowered her hand, “must have squeezed it too tightly…I-” she paused as she looked up at S, whose eyes were hollow and he was taking stuttering steps back away from her, “What is it?”

“Um…n-Nothi-i-ing,” his voice cracked and glitched as he shook his head, though there was clear terror on his face, “Nothing. It’s nothing. Um…I’m gonna go check on E.”

“S!” Jaelyn protested as his wings flared out and he shot through the opening. She grabbed the power core and her sword and climbed up after him, “S you get your butt back here this instant! What happened? Wha-!”

She gave a grunt as she ran straight into the Disassembler, who had frozen in place. Curious, she peered around the taller boy…

Just to see a terrified Emmett Sterling pointing his pistol dead at S’s core with Victoria Hart behind him.

Emmett was not expecting to see the bigger Murder Drone come out of the pod like a bat from hell. So he did the logical thing and pulled his gun. Victoria was behind him, which was good. He knew she could put a nice crack in the Murder Drone’s screen if needed, but without her knuckle dusters all she’d have is her bare hands. 

He’d rather her not get close to that thing if he could help it.

“S!” a familiar voice yelled from inside that virus looking pod, “S you get your butt back here this instant! What happened? Wha-!”

A flash of white-lilac and black, and Emmett’s stress level lowered just so slightly, even if his gun did not.

“Evenin’ Jae!” he greeted, nodding towards her but not looking away from the Murder Drone, “Good t’ see yer alive,”

“And you’re stressed to hell and back,” Jaelyn crossed her arms, “S, it’s fine…they’re not going to hurt you,”

“Jae, he’s got a gun ,”

“You have guns too, dummy,” Jaelyn rolled her eyes as she walked forwards. She stopped between the two other Workers, eyes scanning over them with a cold calculating look…

Before a smile overtook her face and she pulled both Emmett and Victoria in a hug.

“You two are idiots.” she stated as she pulled away, “But I’m glad to see you’re ok.”

“G-Good to s-see you’re ok too!” Victoria gave a sigh of relief as she pushed her glasses up and Emmett finally lowered his pistol to his side, “We um…th-thought the Murder Drones might have uh…turned on you,”

“Disassembly Drones,” Jaelyn corrected, “But they wouldn’t. I’m registered as a squadmate to them. So they can’t kill me. At least that’s what I’ve been told,”

“Yup!” the tall Murde- Disassembly Drone chirped, “So…you two are Jae’s friends?”

“Emmett Sterling and Victoria Hart,” Jaelyn told it, him , “But circling back…what are you t-”

“Yo!” a female voice growled as the female Disassembly Drone poked her head out from what looked to be a nest, causing Emmett to immediately raise his gun again, “I thought I told you two idiots that if you messed with my sleep again I’d wear you two’s internals as decoration.” 

The female Disassembler crawled out of her nest with a janky, liquid flow, some demonic bug from hell as she twisted her neck 180 degrees to face them. A horrific slasher grin crossed her face as she locked eyes with Emmett and Victoria.

“Oh, you two brought breakfast! And it’s you two. Perfect.” she gave a giggle and Jaelyn leveled a glare up at her.

“Don’t even try it,” Jaelyn deadpanned, “They’re friends, not food,”

“They both cracked my screen. The blue eyed one did it twice.”

“And I’d do it again,” Victoria gave a sweet smile as her hands went into fists, “Happily,”

The female Disassembler hissed, tail lashing as she launched down to the ground, causing tremors to go through all three of the Workers present as the shockwave from her landing rocked them.

“E!” Jaelyn snapped, “Knock it off!”

“How ‘bout no ,” the Disassembler, E, purred, “You woke me up, I get to be cranky. You brought the two toasters that made me lose to S in a fight, I’m allowed to be a bit touchy corpo-poodle.”

“Don’t even…” Jaelyn growled.

“Hooookay!” the male Disassembler, S Emmett figured, yelped as he grabbed E and Jaelyn by the shoulders, “Shouldn’t we uh, figure out what they want?”

The two girls continued to glare at each other for a few more seconds before Jaelyn rolled her eyes and turned back towards Emmett and Victoria.

“Whatever it is, it’s important if they risked their own banishment to come out here,” Jaelyn stated, crossing her arms, “I doubt the Council would be happy knowing that the banished ‘traitor’ was getting help.”

“That’s…actually exactly why we came,” Emmett admitted, lowering his gun again though still not holstering it, “We um…might have a problem?”

“Problem? How so?” S asked, head tilting.

“Remember the Sculptor?” Victoria asked, looking up at Jaelyn whose eyes narrowed, “Yeah he’s um…getting reeeeeeal um…confident?”

“There’s been ten bodies found since you left,” Emmett explained, “And…uh…We think he did something with the other murder-bot’s corpse.”

“What.” E demanded, “Say that again, Toaster.”

“Emmett and I checked the human medical ward…the WDF were too afraid to dispose of the body,” Victoria said, pointedly ignoring E, “It…it’s gone,”

“ Gone ?” S and E both echoed.

“We think the Sculptor took it and might try harvesting some of the parts.” Emmett admitted, “Lookin’ at it…uh…some of those parts are going to be really problematic in the wrong hands. Specially in terms of the weapons.”

“What’s this got to do with us,” Jaelyn raised an eyebrow, “Last time I checked, I was banished and these two aren’t exactly on the ‘Green-light’ list.”

“Well…” Victoria looked up at Emmett and then back at Jaelyn with a smile, “We think if you take down the Sculptor…and bring him to justice…”

“We think the Council might overturn the decision to exile you,” Emmett finished, “Meaning…”

“...I can go home,” Jaelyn whispered.

“And things can go back to normal,” Emmett nodded.

Jaelyn was quiet for a long while. Her hand tightened on the hilt of a sword that Emmett just now noticed, nearly as tall as she was. A soft chuckle left her as she shook her head and looked back up at him and Victoria.

“So…when do we go?”

Chapter Text

20

It was nearing midnight by the time they made it back to the Bunker. Emmett and Victoria were none too happy about the two Disassemblers accompanying them, but they eased up a little bit with S’s increasingly friendly disposition. E though, both of them stayed as far as they could away from her and that was something that Jaelyn couldn’t blame them for. After all, the female Disassembler had been responsible for the deaths of their family members. And it was a potential that she was responsible for the death of Jaelyn’s mother as well. 

However, it did not change the fact that she was needed. The squadmate protocol that had wove its claws into Jaelyn’s core and processor was at ease now that the three of them were together. S had warned her that the protocol would probably be playing merry hell with her systems since the bond was still new between the three of them. So staying together was the best idea.

Emmett pulled back the plate from the secret passage in, the metal squealing as he used every drop of the Miner’s strength he had and peeled it from its hold. He brushed his hands as Victoria went in first, disappearing into the gloom and leaving only the lancing azure light from her eyes in the dark. He followed her and Jaelyn looked towards her newly christened squad.

“Go ahead, we’ll be right behind you!” S smiled.

“Isn’t it a…little small?” Jaelyn asked.

“Oh if we can get our heads through we’re good,” S told her, getting a wicked grin and giggle from E, “I think cats could do that too? Or was that mice? Either way…our bodies are designed to break and crack in order to get into spaces where our heads can fit in.”

“...Noted,” Jaelyn gave a little shudder as she leaned into the passageway and made her way through. 

True to his words, Jaelyn heard the sound of popping and cracking, turning around to see the golden lamplight of E’s eyes behind her, her body contorting as S leaned down and seemed to nearly pop his arm out of his socket in order to squirm into the hole. It didn’t look like it hurt, just that it was uncomfortable. 

She came out into the artificial light of the Bunker, a pang of homesickness rushing through her core. She was back where it was safe and warm…yet she didn’t feel welcome. 

“So, you’re telling me,” E deadpanned as she near slithered out of the secret passageway, “That there was a way into this stupid bunker other than through the doors?”

“Yeah but they’re all either bolted closed or under heavy guard,” Victoria smirked, “So no, there was no way you’d get in here.”

E let out a low growling hiss, her tail lashing as S clambered out of the entrance, straightening up to his looming height and popping his joints back into place. 

“Can’t we just…play nice?” he asked.

“She cracked my screen,” E growled.

“You broke my brass knuckles.” Victoria snapped back.

“You ruined my plan to get in!”

“You killed my dad!”

“Girl’s gotta eat, sorry but I like living,” E grinned.

“How about I crack your screen again?” Victoria hissed only to have Jaelyn get between them both.

“E nough !” Jaelyn ordered, “Arguing like schoolchildren isn’t going to get this problem solved. If we stand here and bicker, there are going to be WDF members coming in here. Which would be bad since the three of us aren’t supposed to be here. And if Emmett and Victoria are caught with us, they’ll be banished too,”

“Fiiiiiine,” E rolled her eyes, “I’ll go incognito, though I’m not sure how tall, dark and dorky’s going to exactly hide ,” she jerked a thumb at S, who frowned.

“Ow?” he sputtered, “I’m plenty stealthy! I’m just…tall.”

“Uh huh,” E raised an eyelight, “Let’s face it, Gigantor, I’m way better at stealth than you,”

“Because you cheat !” S protested, “Not my fault I’m geared more disabling things than sneaking in…”

E shot him a toothy grin. Her armor plating seemed to breathe, fluffing up and out as a shimmering, mirror like effect took over. The plates shifted color and reformed into new positions, she seemed to shrink a couple feet…more Worker sized. The ballerina point legs slimmed further, turning from pure jet black to corrugated silver, flattening into a pair of steel-toed work boots as her black jean jacket melted into a plaid pattern of red and black. Her dark silver hair lightened, falling free from the twin ponytails and curling into golden ringlets as what looked to be a black stetson formed on her head. The golden eyes slowly turned green and then blue as a brown leather bolo tie tied the whole ensemble together.

“Ain’t my fault,” a low, baritone male voice rumbled from E’s voicebox as a sharp-toothed grin still held on her, his , face, “Called gettin’ good.”

Jaelyn stared in horror as she saw E change, eyes hollowing out. Victoria held her hands over her mouth as she took a shaky step backwards. Emmett though…

Emmett let out a strangled cry as he grabbed onto the bolo tie tied around his own neck. One that looked identical to the one around E’s. Right down to the silver pendant keeping it pinned tight. 

“E…” Jaelyn said slowly, “I’d change to something else. Please.”

“Why?” the disguised Disassembler demanded, crossing his arms, “It’s jus’ a disguise. Ain’t nothin’ wrong.”

“You… you …” Emmett croaked, the terror on his face starting to bleed into rage as he fought to get his shaking hands under control, “Y’ can’t…not him…yer not…not…I…”

“Emmett…” Jaelyn tried, “E! Change. Barring the fact that you’re looking like Luke Sterling …Emmett’s father … If someone saw you like that they’d know something was up.”

“Fine,” the Disassembler grumbled, “Forgot I killed this ‘un in the bunker here.”

The plates rearranged themselves again, breathing upwards once more as E shrank again, becoming not much shorter than Victoria. The pigtails had returned as the golden curls turned brown and smoothed into delicate waves. A blue-jean skirt and jacket formed over a light blue t-shirt. Half-moon glasses perched on the screen as a pout formed over the disguised Disassembler’s faceplate.

“Better?” E’s regular voice demanded.

“Much,” Jaelyn sighed, looking over at Emmett…who still looked between a mix of pissed and terrified, “Ok, why don’t we split up? N, you and Vicky go to where you last saw the Sculptor. We’ll go look at the human medical ward and see what we can do there. See if there’s any clues as to what happened with R’s body. Sound good?”

“Y-Yeah,” Victoria nodded, putting a hand on Emmett’s shoulder, who flinched but managed to get to his feet, “Meet back up in a couple hours?”

“Back here,” Jaelyn nodded.

“I see the week of House Arrest seems to have worked,” the Councilman stated, “You’re much more level headed than you were.”

Khan fought down a threatening smile of too sharp teeth. This whole thing was stupid but necessary. 

“Yes, the time away from work was…annoying at first but I’m quite calm now,” he replied, “Starting to go a little stir crazy since I’ve got nothing to do,”

Which wasn't a lie. After all, the last time he’d been confined to his chambers…well…an entire planet had blown its core. Though, that wasn’t his fault. Nor was it Nori’s. The humans deserved it for playing god.

“And you’ve not had any contact from the Traitor?” another one asked.

One of Khan’s eyes visibly twitched and he had to physically stuff his hands into his coat pockets to keep them from balling into fists.

“No sir,” his voice was terse, “I’ve been locked up in my room the entire time. No way I could have possibly gotten any word to Jae,”

“You do realize what we would have to do if you had, correct?”

His wings gave a violent jerk in his chassis as heat soared in his chest, his fangs ground together as he gave a short nod. He’d survive outside. He and Nori had before. But if he was kicked out now that meant leaving Luke and Alice’s boys and Brandon’s girl to fend for themselves. Even if Victoria had a better chance with her mother and older sister being alive.

“Of course,” he stated, “Is that all?”

“That’ll be all. Welcome back and all that. It’s good to have you back, Khan,” one of the Councilwomen smiled, “Your men have been asking about you and how you’re doing,”

“I bet. They’ve gotten bored without their reigning Gin Rummy champion,” Khan gave a chuckle, though the strained smile did not reach his eyes.

He gave a salute and turned on his heel to start away again.

“Khan,” 

He turned back around to face the first Councilman.

“Don’t let it happen again,” 

“Understood, sir,” Khan gave a nod and continued out. The Solver Drone continued to walk until he was sure he was alone…and then with a snarl drove his fist into the wall, making a sizable dent in the metal.

Pain rocketed up his arm as he pulled back, wincing. He watched as the mangled fingers cracked back into place, the milk-white glyph marking his eye and cursing his life flickering out as they were put back into position. He gave a sigh as he ran his newly healed hand down his screen and back to his neck, scratching at the collar around it. A soft click as his fingers met with the plate reading 006 caught his attention and he scratched harder, only to grab his wrist and bring it down.

“Any attempt to remove or deface the collar will result in disassembly. Do you understand, 006?”

He really did hate humans…

He drummed his fingers on the holster at his side, he’d need to get his gun back. They’d taken it from him since locking him up…just to keep him from doing anything drastic and being a problem. Not that he needed the gun to cause problems, he was perfectly capable of causing problems with his own two hands. And wings.

Angry! Hissed past his throat as he reared back to slam his hand against the wall again…but he caught himself again. With his luck, someone would come in and see him. Which would lead to some…very unpleasant things for both him and the poor soul that saw him.

He instead opted to gently put his hand on the wall and lean on it, wiping his screen with the other hand. Nori probably would have been barrelling out of the colony like a bat out of hell if she had seen what they did to their daughter. But Nori wasn’t here…it was just him.

He took a deep breath, he needed to calm himself. If he wasn’t calm then he’d start to overheat. And if he started to overheat then he’d start to get hungry. And if he started to get hungry…

Khan gave a violent shake of his head. He didn’t want a repeat of the other day. It was too risky. People would be watching him now. He’d have to be more careful, making excuses to go down to the medical ward for supplies and lifting some of the oil from the stores would not go over well. 

He liked Price…but he doubted the grumbly doctor would take kindly to someone stealing oil from the reserves. 

He started walking again, deep in his thoughts…when a scent crossed his sensors. Of snow and oil and something bitter-sour like old pennies. Of cinnamon and vanilla…

And then a new smell. 

Lilac.

His eyes hollowed out as he bolted down the hall, seeing a panel that was loose in the wall. Almost as if it had been moved.

“...Jae?” he whispered.

Chapter Text

21

“How exactly does…that…work?” Jaelyn asked as she and E snuck down the hall.

“What? My camouflage?” E smirked, “The hell if I know. I just know that I have to eat the core of the toaster I’m taking the form of. And each one gives me…different advantages.”

“How so?”

“The one that scared the orange eyed golden retriever? Probably my strongest form. Followed by the guy that kinda looks like the bookworm,”

Right…E had killed Brandon when Victoria was a kid. Jaelyn had forgot about that.

“Meanwhile, the one that looks more like the orange eyed loser…a woman. She’s one of my fastest ones. Good for getting in and out of situations,” E mused, “I don’t like using that one though…feels…really weird,”

“And the one you’re in now?” Jaelyn deadpanned as she stopped in front of a door, “What about her? You eat someone our age?”

“Countless times. But no. This is the only one I haven’t…some twisted sense of humor from a lame-o god thought this would be a good default. And hey, it works,”

Jaelyn rolled her eyes as she turned back to the door, holding a key in her hand. She gave a soft sigh as she fit it into the lock and E tilted her head in a very un-Worker-like way.

“What are you doing?” 

“Relax, I’ll only be a few minutes,” Jaelyn said, casting a side-eye at the Disassembler in disguise, “Also, don’t tilt your head like that. You’ll give us away,”

E gave a sneer as she rolled her eyes and Jaelyn opened the door. There was a rumbling sound as the grate to the ventilation system popped open and S liquidly climbed down from it. His tail gave a flick as he cocked his head to the side.

“What’s going on?”

“Freak wants to check this apartment out,” E crossed her arms as Jaelyn walked inside. 

Jaelyn, of course ignored her, though her eyes hollowed slightly as she saw the destruction in the room. There were a bunch of dents in the walls of the apartment, as if something had been thrown at high velocity at them. There were some broken mugs and furniture scattered throughout, and Jaelyn was careful about where she stepped.

“Dad?” she called, looking around the apartment as S and E came in and closed the door behind them, “...Not here,”

Her shoulders sank a little bit. She was hoping that she’d at least get to see him one more time just in case Emmett and Victoria’s plan didn’t work out. 

It didn’t matter. They only had so much time before their method of entry was discovered and the entire bunker went on high alert. So for now, she had to be quick. She stepped over a broken chair, wincing as she heard glass crunch under her foot. With careful steps she picked up a broken picture frame, one of her father standing in front of Door Two the day it went up. A crack ran in jagged lightning down over his screen and Jaelyn gave a sigh as she placed it on the shelf it had fallen from. 

She walked to her room and opened up the door. Contrasting to the room outside, her bedroom was still as pristine as the day she left it. With a small smile she walked further inside and picked up her backpack, starting to pack it full of things that she didn’t have access to out in the spire but did here. Her medical tools, some of her other tinkering kits, her well loved and worn book of Shakespeare’s works that had been a gift from her mother. She picked up a picture frame, one of a six year old her, her father and her mother…even if the image had been damaged so badly to not show her mother’s face.

Jaelyn gave a shuddering sigh as she held the picture close to her chest for a moment before putting it into the bag. She looked up at the mirror  in her room, flinching as that weird triangle glyph sparked again and she clapped a hand over her eye.

“Let’s not,” she growled, looking away as the heat died down a little.

She walked out of her bedroom and went towards the kitchen, opening up some of the cabinets and putting some powerpacks and batteries and coolant in her bag. S padded closer, frowning.

“Isn’t this stealing?” he asked.

“Isn’t stealing if it’s my house,” Jaelyn stated, “My dad wouldn’t mind. He’d give this to me anyways,”

“And your mom?” 

Jaelyn froze, her hand wandering up to her necklace as she grabbed at the pendant and squeezed.

“We…don’t talk about that,” she finally said.

She grabbed a handful of batteries and popped them into her mouth before starting back towards the living room. E was leaning against the door, scanning over the place and looking unamused.

“You lived here? Ugh, kinda trashed,”

She’s mean. We don’t like her do we? Jaelyn’s inner voice grumbled, No, I don't think we do. We should bite her. But wait no she's a squadmate. Oh that’s really annoying!

Jaelyn shook her head. Bite her?! Why?? That was weird. Very weird. But, she pushed forwards and past E with a roll of her eyes.

“You live in a Spire made of the corpses of dead Workers. You don’t get to talk,” Jaelyn finally said, “C’mon. We need to keep moving.”

Something wasn’t right. At least not that S felt as he dropped down from the vents. Jaelyn and E turned to face him, confused.

“What’s wrong?” Jaelyn asked, “Vents too small?”

“Nono, just…” he stopped, frowning, “Something didn’t feel right up there. Felt like something was in there with me. Watching me.”

“Probably just some cyber roaches,” Jaelyn said, “Doesn’t matter, we’re in the human medical ward now. No one comes this far. This is the last place Vicky and N said that they thought they saw the Sculptor’s work.”

“By taking R’s corpse,”

“Precisely,”

The trio made their way further into the decrepit hallway, the feeling of being watched only grew with every step they took. S could hear the creaking and groaning of the walls around him, almost as if the walls themselves were alive. He watched as E’s plates breathed upwards, feathering over into mirror-shards that shifted color while she regained her true form. She shook herself, letting the plates rattle and shimmer back into place. Her tail gave a swift lash, trailing golden acid onto the floor as she stepped through one of the doors to the old MRI room. 

The machine was still broken, no longer spitting sparks and no longer emitting any magnetic frequency. Jaelyn gave a hum as she walked further into the room, examining.

“What’s up?” S asked.

“The bodies are gone,” Jaelyn said, kneeling down and putting her fingers into a small oil slick, testing the consistency, “Old…but something moved it. Look at the drag marks. They were moved and moved violently. That direction,” she nodded further into the dark.

E swapped a hand to a flashlight, shining it towards where the trail led. The trio cautiously made their way towards the area, only for the trail to move up a wall and into a giant hole.

“...I…don’t think that was made by a Worker,” S said slowly.

“It’s not like the body got up and crawled away,” Jaelyn scoffed, walking a bit closer to the hole. She frowned as she stopped and looked at the wall instead, putting a finger on something that looked scored into it.

“What’d you find?” S tilted his head slightly as he padded over.

“That symbol,” Jaelyn frowned, putting her free hand up to her screen, “It’s the same one…but…why would the Sculptor have this symbol? And why would he scrawl it on all the walls…nono this…this doesn’t look by hand. This looks…like it was…from a machine…”

S froze in place, a soft whine burbling up in his throat as he saw what Jaelyn was looking at. E tapped over to him, her own face worried as she looked up at him.

Safe? Ok? Here-me! I’m here! You good? She whistled, putting a hand on his shoulder as his shaking got worse.

No. No. No. Bad. Hurts! Pain! Hurts! No! Golden hazy memories and thoughts swam through his processor as his eyes went hollow and he took a step back. He could still see that symbol. See the gold glyph marking Her screen as she gave a grin.

“S?” She asked, head tilting to the side as that wide serrated grin fell, “You ok?” the voice warped, overlaid with a slightly higher one, the gold glyph still burned and still strangled his voice box as…no no not gold…

It was purple.

And it wasn’t a glyph. It was just a concerned oval. 

It wasn’t a smile that was on Her face, it was a worried frown.

“S?” Jaelyn repeated as S violently shook his head  and the static-gold haze cleared.

“Huh? Oh yeah, yeah I’m good!” he smiled, “Dunno what came over me. Uh, what symbol?”

“Riiiiight…are you sure you’re ok?” Jaelyn asked, looking at E for confirmation…though E just shrugged as S padded closer, looking at the markings that Jaelyn was examining. 

He couldn’t suppress the way his plating stood on end when he saw it. He just…wasn’t exactly sure why.

SYS //: ERROR

ABSOLUTE SOLVER

HOST REBOOT FAILED

676

‘INSUFFICIENT MATERIAL.’

“...I think we should leave,” E stated.

“What? Why?” Jaelyn asked, “We haven’t figured out anything?”

“Trust me. Just let it go,” E warned, eyes flicking back up to the hole, “Your murder hobo isn’t here, we need to go. Now.”

Jaelyn opened her mouth to protest…

When S heard a familiar tittering laugh behind them…and it was coming from the hole.

Jaelyn watched as E’s flashlight swept over the hole. She was met with a heavily lolling visage of R. The Disassembler was near ragdoll in appearance, sitting on the lip of the hole all slumped over with head tilted to the side. Eyes hollow, mouth stretched in a too wide, too sharp grin…but that wasn’t what got Jaelyn’s core to near cease.

It was the long, bone-thin clawed hand that wrapped around her wrist and brought it up, waving the hand in a floppy greeting.

Jaelyn’s eyes hollowed out as another spindly, maggot white arm crept up. Long talons reaching, wriggling one at a time as they clamped down on R’s screen, drawing the claw up the glass with horrific white-marked screeches and leaving static-hazed chalk-lines behind. Black liquid, tar-like in appearance bled from the seam between screen and faceplate, dripping down her rictus smile and disappearing into the saw-blade teeth. Jaelyn heard a click, a loud hissing whoosh of combusted air and heat as a missile fired past her head, knocking her hair away from her face, and down the hole. 

She whirled on E, whose eyes were hollow, tail lashing and plates fluffed up like a scared cat…and then turned to look back at the hole. She swallowed as coiled down the hole were hundreds upon hundreds of segmented legs that skitter-crunched in insectoid masses. The giggling sounded again, a scratching sound accompanied it. The shadows writhed, a pale flicker dawning from the abyss before them. Scratching across the ground, scuttling up the edge of the hole in a janky and clipped manner more akin to a spider’s skitter, was a hand.

A human hand.

Another joined it, dripping black as R’s marionette body slumped to the ground, discarded in a hollow display as more tendrils split from its back, hauling serrated bulk of cold maggot-white, pus yellow and rot black from the festering hole dripping oil. 

A mantis claw scythed forwards, reaching for Jaelyn…only for bright heat to sear her vision. Whatever it was screeched a nails on chalkboard howl, jerking back away from the golden flame that burst out from a device making up E’s free hand.

“S! Get the purple freak and RUN!” she snarled.

Jaelyn felt a hand grab her around the waist, unceremoniously picking her up and hucking her over an overly warm shoulder. She gave a yelp as S bolted and E doused whateverthehellthatthingwas in another bout of flame. The female Disassembler then skittered backwards, opting to rush after her squad on all fours, her claws squealing against the metal that she rent open.

“What is that thing?!” Jaelyn demanded, her voice cracked in fear.

“R…I think…” S stammered as he bolted.

“Don’t know, don’t care, it’s gonna eat us no matter if we know its name or not!” E snapped as she came back up alongside them.

“Well how do we get rid of it?!” Jaelyn cried as a horrific squeal came from behind them and the shadows seemed to move , clicking and hissing in mass, “We can’t just leave it in the colony!”

“Thing hates heat…looks like it anyways…” E reasoned, “S and I have flamethrowers but using them constantly for something that big is a no-go, princess. We’ll die from overheating.”

Jaelyn thought for a little bit before her eyes brightened.

“The reactor!” she said, “We need to lure that thing in there. We do that, we can disable the shielding and it’ll torch the thing like a crooked CEO hiding evidence of fraud.”

“Which way?” S asked, “I can disable the shields temporarily with a pulse and it’ll be fine. I think.”

“Down the hall, head left,” Jaelyn ordered as she craned her neck, “But we have to hurry…and we can’t be caught.”

Minutes later, the three burst into the reactor room, thankfully empty at this hour of the night. S sat Jaelyn down and the Worker bolted towards the ladder, scrambling up it as fast as her legs could carry her. 

“Barricade the door!” Jaelyn barked, “We need as much distance between that thing and us while we get everything set up!”

“Yes ma’am!” S saluted, grabbing a shipping container, “E?”

E gave a nod and rushed alongside him, her form shifting as it did. Two Worker’s hands joined S’s as Luke-E bared his teeth in a snarl and pushed against the container. S let go of the container and let E continue to push it against the door. He grabbed a separate one and started to do the same. 

As he did, an eerie wail screeched through the reactor room. Pitching upwards in a long, rising shepard tone that made all three of them clutch their hands to their audials as their very cores chilled to the strut. Three pairs of hollow eyes, two gold and one white-violet stared at each other.

“...W-What was that…” Jaelyn stammered, “That…that wasn’t that thing, right?”

“...No…no that ain’t that thing,” E’s voice was hushed, “Should be safe here I reckon…I hope…”

S spread his wings, flapping once and soaring up to meet Jaelyn, landing on the railing with a few stuttering wing beats to catch his balance as he perched with them half furled. His head tilted to the side as he watched Jaelyn’s hands fly over a bunch of keys, tapping delicately and quickly as he heard the sound of whining starting up.

“Reactor’s active,” she said, “I’m going to go down there with E. You stay here and out of sight. When I give the ‘go ahead’, you shut down the shields, got it?”

“Got it,” S nodded as Jaelyn bolted towards the ladder, grabbing the sides and sliding down as if down a shute. He watched as E’s form flickered again, going back to the standard ‘Emily’ template. 

“Killing the lights,” E  called as she darted past the switch and towards Jaelyn. Jaelyn grabbed the hilt of her sword, bringing it to bear as the shipping containers shuddered with a loud bang. 

The lights dimmed, painting the room in crimson ink, the reactor light being the only source to better hide S from whatever lurked in the dark. Jaelyn and E’s shadows were long, stretching painfully towards the shipping containers as they shuddered again…and again…before splintering into metallic shards as the containers were sent flying. 

The doors were wide open, mist rolling through as black tendrils slunk and snaked forwards, edging away from the light as two pale golden lights flickered on.

“Y-Y0u…” a sickly sweet, syrup honey voice purred from the dark, “Youuuu d1d this…t-to me-3-mee33ee…”

It was indeed R’s voice, Jaelyn felt her arms grow heavy, her mind fogging over slightly as reassurance washed over her. She felt E whack her against the back, hard.

“Don’t.” E hissed, “That’s R’s gift. Focus on yourself. Tune her out.”

“E…” R’s voice whimpered as a loud clack and scrape cacophony slithered in, hundreds of legs shifting bulk as something pulled itself through the door, the voice growing louder with each second, each claw and tendril and hand that scraped and crunched through metal,  “E ho-o-0w cou-could you…l-let them do this…t-to-to me? S! S! S DARLING! HOW C-COULD-D Y0U L-L3T HER D-DO THIS T-T0 ME-M33-MEEE!”

E let out a hiss, her form flickering and wavering as hollow eyes went from blue to green to yellow and back rapidly.

“I-It-t-T hu-uuurt-t-T5sssss…” R, or what used to be R, wailed, “H-HuuUUUrts! Y-youuuuu! YOU DID THIS!”

It lowered what seemed to be a head through the door, broken and melted with fangs as long as swords dangling from the upper jaw. It was R’s head for sure, the same bright silver and black streaked bang, the same bob, but the screen was black and dead, glaring hatedly at them as a tendril swiped at E and Jaelyn.

E grabbed Jaelyn by the collar and yanked her out of reach of the tendril. The bone spur cracking and screeching against the concrete where they’d stood.

“Thanks,” Jaelyn nodded.

“No problem,” E gave a shuddery breath as the creature gave a violent shudder, twitching as if shocked.

“Oh…that’s annoying,”

The hiss that exploded out of E was bullet-like, her visor immediately crossing out in glitchy blue-green-gold particles. Jaelyn’s eyes hollowed. She’d heard that voice…but she didn’t know where…

"I was expecting…more? But I shouldn’t be surprised.” continued the voice, the worm thing, R? Whatever, “R was so stupid, y'know? The fact she was taken down by a little runt like you. Seriously...anyone could have seen what you were doing in that room..."

Jaelyn readied her sword, watching as the thing slithered further into the room, continuing in and trying to coil around her and E. 

"What kind of 2000s scene kid emo voice is that, R?" Jaelyn demanded.

"Ha...cute. R's not able to come to the phone right now, we'll have to take a message.” the worm gave a wicked, almost malevolent laugh, “Will give you credit, Jaelyn, you did a number on her. Trying to repair her is a pain ."

The creature was in the room totally now, Jaelyn cast a look up at S…only for her face to fall. S’s face was frozen in terror, fuzzy around the eyes. She could see his hands shaking. He wasn’t going to be able to disable the shields. She needed to keep this thing talking until he got his head back!

"So you're an auto-run program then?!" Jaelyn growled, “Ugly looking paperweight aren’t you…definitely not stre-streamlined for a profitable turnaround…what kind of tube-sock puppet from hell are you?”

"Program? Oh that's adorable.” the monster hissed, “But I think it's more you are the cute little puppets dancing for us. but...will say..." 

Two eye stalks, akin to security cameras, came down and flickered to life. Blue light burning into the air as a petite frame formed in the crosshairs. A female drone cradled a droneling in her arms, dressed in what looked to be a hospital gown, her deep violet hair was short save for a long ponytail down the side. A collar with a black band and silver plate engraved with a skull, a couple triangles and the numbers 002, identical to the plate in Jaelyn’s necklace, lay around her neck as two sad violet eyes looked at her. The droneling’s screen flickered to life, brilliant snow-lilac.

“M-Mo-” Jaelyn’s voicebox popped with static as her eyes hollowed.

"Really hurts our feelings you don't remember us... kiddo .” the woman gave a smile, one that stretched far too wide, far too sharp as the same tri-pronged glyph sputtered in her eye…and across the baby’s screen.

“Wh-What are you…” Jaelyn started, taking a step backwards as the woman tilted her head to the side.

“Oh, that’s a more ‘easier to assimilate than explain’ answer. Do we have a deal?”

“Oh like hell !” Jaelyn snarled, “You show my mother and expect me to just let you do what you want to me!?”

“I did. But, well, yeah, you’re just stupid. Anyways, guess that means I have to step up my game a bit…”

“What do you mean,”

“MOVE IT YA IDJIT!” a voice bellowed and Jaelyn’s eyes hollowed as something taller, dark haired and orange eyed slammed into her, knocking her down as a scything claw slashed at where her core would be. Jaelyn’s voice caught as what looked to be Alice Sterling glared heatedly at her, teeth bared in fury as she pushed Jaelyn off her, “Swear t’ God yer gonna git us all killed ! It ain’t real! Move it!”

Jaelyn scrambled to her feet and dodged out of the way of another tendril. E grabbed her arm and yanked her upwards with surprising strength. 

“The hell didja think was gonna ha-!”

LOOK OUT! Came the scream in her mind as she hit the ground.

E let out a shriek as a barbed tendril punched through her midsection, pinning her to the floor.

“E!” Jaelyn yelled, only to get hurled to the side, swept away by a bone claw.

Malevolent laughter started bubbling through the broken mouth of the monster, ramping up into a full on maniacal cackle. E screamed as a claw pierced through her arm and pinned her to the ground. Jaelyn winced as she tried to get up.

“Poor, poor little E…” the monster cooed, grabbing E’s chin as her camouflage failed and returned her back to her normal Disassembler self, “Couldn’t save your friend…pathetic…”

A snarl ripped through the air as a lightning bolt in robot form blitzed from the skywalk above. Silver-blue electro-magnetic charge rippled through the air as the reactor shrieked in alarm and S hit the floor with wings spread wide. The monster screeched as he sliced through the arms pinning E to the floor. S scooped E up into his arms and with a beat of his wings shot over to Jaelyn, scooping her into his arms as well. The male Disassembler’s eyes were terrified as he shot into the air and into the reactor control room, huddling down and shielding Jaelyn and E with his wings as with a loud roaring thunder cry, the reactor overheated. 

The monster gave a howl as the scent of burnt metal and burnt flesh assaulted Jaelyn’s sensors. She gagged as the hiss of hydraulics caught her ear and the suppression systems came online. 

“Jae,” S whispered, looking down at her, “You good?”

“I’m good,” she nodded, turning to look at E, who gave a bubbling cough, grabbing at her midsection which was spurting reddish-black oil, “E is not. That’s…that’s catastrophic damage. She needs medical treatment. Now.”

He nodded and straightened up, cradling E to his chest. Both S and Jaelyn looked out the shattered windows to the control room, seeing soot and ash marks spiraling over the reactor room where the monster lay. Faintly, Jaelyn could see something that looked akin to a black hole glowing weakly…before sputtering out.

Quickly, they made their way down the stairs, E moaning in pain as she coughed up more liquid. Jaelyn could feel the heat off her body as S walked by her. 

“...Jae?”

She froze, turning towards the voice…and her legs nearly gave out from under her.

“...Dad…?” she croaked, starting forwards.

Khan’s shoulders went down, years of stress and worry melting off him as he took a step forwards…only to freeze as his eyes went hollow and his head snapped towards the doorway he was standing in.

“Jae you need to go,” he whispered, “Please…they’ll kill you if they see you.”

“But Dad…” Jaelyn protested.

“Jae…E’s dying…” S reminded her, “Please…”

“It’s ok, little bat…” Khan gave a soft smile, “I’ll find you, promise. Be safe ok?”

Jaelyn’s expression turned pained as she resheathed her sword and gave a nod, letting S put his tail around her waist and guiding her out of the room as the voices of approaching WDF and Engineers came closer.

Chapter Text

22

“Ok, so this was the last place we saw the evidence of the Sculptor,” Victoria stated, kneeling down and examining the stains on the ground with Emmett, “And when we saw it, it was maaaaybe a half hour old? At most?”

“So we literally could have walked past the guy on our way here?” Emmett winced.

“Yeah. Which uh…do you remember?”

Emmett shook his head and Victoria sighed.

“Fair enough,” she murmured, examining the floor, “I wonder…”

She pulled a bit deeper into her father’s programming, letting the monster out of her cage for a little bit. 

Tracking Mode: Active

Time Until Forced Shutdown: 10min

“Knew I should have slept,” Victoria swore, already feeling the overtaxed systems straining and fatigue starting to wash over her.

Very few WDF members were actual Security coded drones. They had been recruited from every code, every background just to fill in numbers…though all were trained. If they’d had a Security Drone at the scene of the crime, maybe they would have seen the same thing Victoria did. A set of footprints that flickered to life and walked away from where the body had been.

“Found you~!” she very nearly trilled as she got up, “C’mon! Let’s go.”

“Vicky shouldn’t we find Jae and…the two Disassemblers?” Emmett asked, though he did look a bit annoyed at the notion.

“We’ll find her after we manage to locate where this guy’s holed up,” Victoria promised, “C’mon, I’ve got about eight minutes before I have to shut this mode off. Let’s go!”

She grabbed him by the wrist and marched into the darkness, following the white footsteps that led further and further away from the light. 

“I don’t think we should be going down here without a light or something,” Emmett protested, looking around worriedly.

“You have your phone?” Victoria asked, “Doesn’t it have a light?”

“...Right. Ha…forgot about that,” Emmett gave a small laugh as he pulled the device out, switching the flashlight on and giving them something other than their eyelights to see by. 

A buzzing sound caught Victoria’s attention and she turned around to see Emmett’s face lit up by the screen of the phone as a text message came in. His eyes narrowed slightly as he read and rapidly texted.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Emmett stared at the message that pinged his phone with slight dread.

From Big Bro :D: Darn it, N, where’d u go? U realize how late it is?

From Self: Sorry! Couldn’t sleep. Took a walk.

From Big Bro :D: Y’know it’s dangerous right? The hell ya doin’ huh? Go home and go 2 bed. I got a late shift and imma get food before I go in…I’ll leave some at the house before I go walk Cyn home. Please please PLEASE be careful, k?

From Self: :(  </3

From Self: I’ll be ok, Beau. Promise!

“What’s wrong?” Victoria asked.

“Oh uh, nothin’, Beau woke up and found out I snuck out…he’s uhhhh well…”

“Not happy?”

“Nope.”

“We’re gonna be fine , N,” Victoria reassured him, “We’ll go, find this scumbag, grab Jae, have her apprehend him while we make a call to the WDF saying that Jae apprehended him and Jae can come back inside and the murder bots can go die outside away from the colony. Everything will go back to normal!”

“Yeah…sure,” Emmett nodded.

“You don’t think so?” Victoria asked.

“I mean…there’s still people dying, Vicky,” Emmett pointed out, “Every day. Jae was right on everything sucks hard right now.”

“It’ll suck less when the Sculptor is behind bars or some other colony’s problem. Maybe the murder bots will eat him,” Victoria shrugged, “After all, a monster like him deserves the drone eaters eating him.”

“Isn’t that like…not morality really?” Emmett winced, “I mean yeah, he deserves it but…you don’t think he’d make them…sick?”

“And if they get sick I won’t cry,” Victoria deadpanned, “C’mon, we’re wasting time.”

He let her pull him again, wincing as his feet stumbled over a cable running electricity down the hall. “Vicky…Vicky slow down! This place isn’t safe! We need to be careful!”

“We’ve wasted enough time!” Victoria protested as Emmett yanked his hand from her grip, “N…I don’t have much longer in tracking this guy. I need t-”

“HELP ME!!!” a voice wailed, trailing off into whimpering cries as Victoria immediately staggered a few steps back towards Emmett with hollow eyes.

“Y-You heard that, right?” Victoria asked.

“...M-Maybe just the wind,” Emmett swallowed, his own eyes hollow, “C’mon, yeah, you’re right. Let’s get out of here ok? Ok! Ha…um…f-forward was away from the spooky totally not a person screaming for help voice?”

“R-Right…”

He immediately grabbed her wrist and bolted further down the hallway, ignoring the creaking and groaning of the bunker. Ignoring the panic racing through him. Ignoring the fact that a pipe burst and caused him to yelp and release Vicky’s hand as something struck him.

“VICKY!” he shrieked as he and his assailant rolled down the hallway. He felt the gridded texture of a walkway and yelped as he and his attacker rolled down the stairwell.

He lost track of how many flights they went down as he tried to keep the attacker from tearing him open. The two hit a wall and Emmett managed to get his feet under the attacker and kick them off him, sending them rocketing down the stairwell a little ways further. 

His eyes hollowed as he got to his feet and pulled his gun…

And was met by two owlish, ice blue eyes that watched him warily. He could barely make out the feral, shark-like grin that stretched across their faceplate as well as the hands that were held close to their chest, like the raptors from the old Jurassic Park movies he, Jaelyn and Victoria would binge when they were kids. The drone’s head tilted sharply to the side, a warbling chirrup burbling from their throat as they took a step closer. Their screen flashed, a three pronged glyph, a broad and violent X, and a ‘Hi Temp’ warning all three flicked across the screen in quick succession.

The worst part was…he recognized this person.

“H-Hey…you…you wouldn’t…” he whispered, shaking his head.

Another barking chirp met him, the owlish eyes hollowed and with a flash of dissolving blue code, disappeared.

“Wait!” Emmett cried, looking around frantically…

Only to be met with stillness.

“Don’t go…” he whispered, “Oh…oh this is bad…”

He immediately turned on his heel and bolted back up the stairs, hoping he wasn’t too late.

Victoria was not having a good time. Emmett’s hand had gotten ripped away from hers and she had seen him get tackled by a blue-eyed thing that did not look like a drone. Forget the Sculptor! Forget the Murder Bots! There was something worse in this bunker and it just ate her friend!

She heard a soft giggling sound behind her and her oil chilled as simulated adrenaline shot through her, sending every sense into hyperdrive. 

“Peek a boo~” a voice cooed, giggling, “I seeeee you~!”

She felt claws grab her shoulders and she shrieked as a scalding breath blew past her audial, blue filling her vision from the side.

“Run!” the voice dropped a few octaves, hissing and spitting as the claws released her and shoved her forwards.

And oh did Victoria run like hell after that !

Her feet felt like they had wings, her core hummed loudly in her chest. She didn’t realize that she’d run into someone until they both hit the ground in a tumble.

“Ow!” the male Worker hissed as Victoria scrambled up off him, “Whoa! Easy! You ok there, kid? You loo-”

He was cut off by a loud, shrieking wail that pitched upwards in a long, rising shepard tone. Victoria cried out, grabbing at her hair and pulling as error messages flooded her screen. She felt the man grab her and haul her to her feet.

“C’mon, kid, let’s get out of here!” he ordered, his own voice scared.

Victoria didn’t fight him, her feet were tangling up with each other, she was running closer to shutdown as they ran. Why was that again?

“In here!” she heard him hiss as he opened a door and both of them went inside what looked to be a small apartment. 

She gave a grateful nod as he led her to the couch and helped her sit down.

“You ok, kid?” he asked, “You look…really shaken up. What did you get into? Didn’t look like a Murder Drone…”

“Don’t know,” Victoria shuddered as her eyes flicked towards the door, almost expecting it to be flung open and whatever that thing was to come through.

“Here, just…rest a bit ok? I’ll get you some coolant and some batteries. You look kinda rough.”

She gave another nod as she relaxed against the couch…only for sobs to start making her voice glitch. She’d left Emmett. She never got to tell him how she felt…she left him! What kind of friend did that!

The door flew open and Victoria’s eyes hollowed as she near fell off the couch…only to see Emmett’s terrified face in the door.

“Emmett!” she cried, getting up to her feet and stumbling…only for Emmett to catch her. He felt nice, soft and warm and familiar and oh…oh she was crying, “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! That…that thing was chasing me!”

“I know,” Emmett told her, “Are you ok? You look exhausted…”

“Y-Yeah…uh…r-running for your life will do that…” Victoria gave a weak smile.

“Here you go, kid,” the other Worker smiled, his crimson eyes warm as he sat a bowl of batteries and a mug of coolant in front of Victoria, “Oh…didn’t realize you had a friend here! Sorry uh…I can get you some too. We kinda uh, rushed here.”

Emmett’s head tilted to the side in confusion for a moment before he shook it.

“Uh, yeah, sure,” he said and the man walked back towards the kitchen, though Emmett still frowned as Victoria picked up the coolant and started to bring it to her lips to drink, “Hey, Vicky…do you sm-”

His eyes hollowed as he saw the cup near her mouth and quicker than Victoria could see him move, Emmett slapped the cup out of her hands.

“N?!” she demanded, “What gives?!”

Emmett’s face turned thunderous as he turned an angry glare towards the man, who slowly turned back around at the sound of the cup hitting the ground, shattering into pieces.

“I’m so sorry!” Victoria apologized, already starting to pick up the pieces, “I don’t know what came over hi-”

She paused, hands freezing as they hovered over white footprints spiderwebbing over her screen. No wonder she was tired. Her Tracking system was active…and the fact she was seeing white footprints, the same ones she had been tracking…

Her hollow eyes flicked up to the man, who looked rather annoyed.

“Do you realize how old that cup was?” he asked, “Nevermind, I can fix it later. I’ll get you some more, Missy,”

“Unspiked with polyethylene powder this time?” Emmett snarled, standing up to his full height. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, kid…?” the man scoffed, “Why would I give an obviously overheating kid that?”

“Don’t play games, I could smell it.” Emmett’s fists were balled up and he was shaking in fury, “You were trying to drug Vicky. Probably going to try and drug me too.” He turned to Victoria, his eyes were desperate, “Vicky, this guy’s bad news. Don’t ask me how I know but he’s got bodies in here. There’s oil everywhere. Please…listen to me! Trust me!”

Victoria opened her mouth to reply…only to freeze as she looked at him. Her core nearly stopped.

“...N…your eye…” she whispered.

Emmett blinked, one eye hollow…

The other marked with a brightly glowing tri-pronged glyph.

Emmett clapped a hand to the strange symbol and winced. His pleading expression got worse as he looked between Victoria and the man who had apparently tried to drug her. “Vicky, he’s the Sculptor. We’re in his lair. He just tried to drug you and kill you and string you up like that last body or whatever. I know I’m right! Please…I can explain everything just trust me !”

Victoria opened her mouth again when a loud shaking boom rattled the entire bunker. The lights flickered and failed, leaving just the blood red caution lights flashing and flaring. As soon as the shaking stopped…a long, loud scraping sound filled the air. All three drones froze, turning towards the door, and watching as three slender and jagged claws of pale, maggot-white bone-chitin slid under the door. Each claw leaving a long, thin white scratch down the door frame as they wiggled and waggled through the crack. Victoria watched in horror as the claws made their way closer to the edge where the door frame was. She felt Emmett’s overly warm hand grab her by the arm and put himself between the door and her. A flash of blue light seared her vision and she flinched as she shielded her eyes, expecting to get struck as the door was hurled off its hinges…

Only for a warm orange glow to catch it. 

The door was encircled with the same triangle glyph that marked Emmett’s eye, the same one that now burned in front of his fingertips, three fingers outstretched and his pinky curled against his palm. With a flick of his wrist, the door went careening to the side, crashing into the apartment wall with a loud bang. Victoria’s breath caught as she held onto Emmett’s coat tighter. A faint, low giggling caught her attention as a low rumbling growl shook Emmett’s chest. Two blue lights caught her attention, only for them to transform into the same singular glyph that burned in front of Emmett’s hand. The giggling purr got louder as shuffling footsteps shifted towards them, revealing the giggling ghoul that had chased Victoria earlier…

Was none other than Beau Sterling.

Tonight couldn’t have gone any worse. Least not in Emmett’s mind. First the whole bit of them literally running into the killer’s lair , then Beau absolutely lost himself in hunger, and now Victoria knew his and Beau’s secret. 

Mine! He heard Beau hiss, Food! Hungry! Hungry! Mine!

“Can’t let ya do that, bro,” Emmett shifted so that Victoria was hidden even more so behind him, “Ma and Pa would be upset if ya hurt me. An’ I ain’t lettin’ ya get Vicky.”

He turned his head towards the Sculptor, who had backed into a corner, absolutely terrified. A wide, ghoulish grin cracked over Emmett’s face as his eyes hollowed out and he showed off a set of very sharp fangs that mirrored his brother’s.

“Him though…Ain’t gonna complain.” Emmett finished.

“Emmett?” Victoria squeaked and Emmett’s, frankly terrifying, expression fell as he looked towards his best friend.

“Vicky, yer not gonna want t’ see this,” he warned as he herded her to the side and Beau stalked into the room, eyelights transforming into a monstrous sapphire X, “Beau’s a bit…uh…not himself…Just um…don’t look.”

He blocked her view, looking away himself as he heard the sounds of tearing and screaming and giggling. After a few core-cycles, the screams and shrieks stopped, being replaced by the sounds of tearing and squelching and messy eating…followed by an absolutely heavenly aroma that made Emmett’s fuel tank twist in hunger.

Hungry! Warbled through him and he immediately clapped a hand to his mouth in an attempt to stifle it. He turned around to see Beau sit straight up, head snapping towards him, the sapphire X sputtering out into hollow eyes.

Here! Here! Love you! I’m here! Beau whistled back, though his hands shook, Safe! Safe…scared…

“Emmett Sterling you tell me what the hell is going on…” Victoria’s voice was hushed and her own sapphire eyes hollowed as Beau’s locked on to her.

“Vicky I…I’m so sorry,” Emmett apologized, “Beau’s not going to hurt you. Neither am I. Um…it’s just uh…aw heckin’ biscuits…”

He ran a hand through his hair as he sat down on the edge of the couch.

“I don’t… we don’t really know much about it,” he admitted, grabbing at the bolo tie around his neck and tumbling over the silver and black pendant keeping it together, particularly on the skull, triangle and 016 engraving on it, “All we know is that Ma and Pa were sick…and it got passed to us too. Something happened before we were born, Ma and Pa didn’t like to talk about it. But we…well…”

He looked at Beau, who slowly got to his feet and quietly walked towards them. Victoria took a step back from Beau, who held up his hands.

Sorry … Beau chirruped, Sorry…so sorry…

“He says he’s sorry,” Emmett explained, “Uh…Beau’s got a thing that locks his jaw when he hunts and all that…so do I. Um…tha-that’s why I wasn’t able to talk when we saw the body yesterday. Whatever this…program…thing is…uh…it gives us weird witchy powers and some other stuff. Beau’s got a lot of cool and weird things he can do. But…it um…comes at a price.”

“A price ?” Victoria stammered, “Emmett…Beau ate someone…”

“It’s not like that normally!” Emmett protested, “The thing makes us run stupid hot and…the only thing that actually cools us down is oil and it’s…it’s gross and scary and just…ughhhh it’s hard to explain!”

“Then do a better job of it,” Victoria growled, “Because this? Beau tried to eat me , Emmett!”

“He’s sorry!” Emmett near whined, “Look um…I can explain it tomorrow…probably. Give me and Beau time to figure out as much we can to tell you anyways? I’m so sorry, Vicky…”

“Nnnnnno-t-t-t-t…” Beau worked his jaw a little bit as he rubbed it, leaving black streaks over his hands from the oil, “Not…hissss.” he gave a wracking cough, thumping his chest, “Ughhh. Sorry, erm…not N’s fault, Vicky…an’ yeah…’m sorry. I didn’t know it was y’two that I found…”

Victoria stared at the two for a long, long while. 

“Fine. You have until tomorrow to get your crap together and tell me what the hell is going on !” she hissed, “And…what are we going to do about this stupid Sculptor now that he’s…well…there’s not much left.”

“Jae’s gonna be so mad we weren’t able to clear her…” Emmett groaned, “And it’s gonna come back on something else killing him…and we’re gonna be under curfew again…”

“N, don’t worry,” Beau reassured him, putting an oil stained hand on his brother’s shoulder, “I got this. Imma take care of it…heh, I’ll make it look like an accident.”

“...Why does that not reassure me…” Victoria whispered as Beau shot her a swift and sharp grin before putting his claws through the body of the Sculptor and dragging it out of the room.

“Beau…knows what he’s doing. I think,” Emmett told her, “And I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Uh…I’ll walk you home?”

“No…no I…I need to think,” Victoria admitted, as she pushed past him and started towards the empty doorframe, “I’m sorry, N…I’ll um…I’ll see you tomorrow. Remember…you promised…”

“Yeah…yeah I did,” he sighed, “I’ll take care of it just…Vicky?”

She stopped and looked back at him.

“Please be safe,” he pleaded.

She gave a sad smile as she pushed her glasses back up.

“You too.”

Chapter Text

23

Jaelyn and S bolted down the hallways, through twists and turns that Jaelyn knew by core through years of training and traveling. This was the first time, however, that she was accompanied by two murderers. One of which was currently cursing up a violent storm as she was jostled every step by the one carrying her.

“Can you…just… not ?!” E demanded, giving a spitting hiss as her screen glitched and sparks spat from the gaping wound in her chest.

“Sorry, E,” S winced, “I’m trying to not move you around too much…”

“Well you’re…not trying…hard…enough!” she snapped.

“Hey!” Jaelyn shot E a dirty glare, “Less chatting. The more sound you make the more likely we’re going to get found. And if we’re found, they’re going to kill you, kill me and probably severely damage S if not kill him too. We are not supposed to be here,”

“Then why…aren’t…we going…to…the freaking …Spire!?” E hissed.

“Because you, little Miss Petty HR Nightmare, are damaged so severely that I can’t really work on you outside an operating theater,” Jaelyn deadpanned, “Unless you want to die of course…”

“Sh-shut…up.” E spat.

Jaelyn smirked as she continued down the hall with S hot on her heels. “We’re almost there, just a few more turns,” 

They continued onwards, Jaelyn stopping at a bulkhead door and typing in a keycode, praying beyond hope that it was indeed the same as when she had left it. To her shock and joy, the door hissed open, and she nodded her head inside. 

S bent down slightly so he didn’t whack his head on the frame, holding E out a bit further away from his chest. Jaelyn could feel the heat from the wounded Disassembler’s chassis from where she stood, E’s breath’s were coming out labored and pained as Jaelyn cleared off an operating table and motioned for S to set E down on it. 

The female Disassembler’s plating rippled, shifting colors as each individual plate flipped up and laid back down. Her fangs were grinding against each other with horrific little squeals as her back arched off the table.

“Do…something!” E snapped, digging her claws into the table, “It…hurts…like… hell !”

“Strap her down,” Jaelyn ordered, looking up at S, “I don’t want her stabbing me with her tail or clawing me.”

“Got it,” S nodded as Jaelyn darted off.

The Worker slipped into the familiar room, smiling sadly as she opened up the drawer containing the oil bags and grabbed about six of them. Judging by how fast E was hemorrhaging they’d need them. She grabbed a seventh as she closed the drawer for S and bolted back out, grabbing a few extra tools on her way. 

“I got her strapped down, she tried to bite me though,” S winced as Jaelyn hooked her foot around an IV stand and started setting up the bags, “What in the world are those ?”

“Oilbags,” Jaelyn stated, tossing one to him, “Here. Drink. Don’t need you drooling and trying to rip E apart while I work on her.”

She reached up and turned on the lamp, getting E to hiss at her as she winced from the sudden onslaught. Jaelyn fixed her with a glare before giving a sigh.

“Shirt’s gonna have to come off, E.”

“Are you… kidding …me!?” E spat, “I…actually… liked that…shirt.”

“Your shirt or your life. It’s either the pain of losing that little article of clothing or you die in excruciating agony,” Jaelyn deadpanned, “ Your choice. And I have a feeling you still have a lot to live for."

"Duh."

"Like outliving me."

"Oh… absolutely. "

Jaelyn rolled her eyes as she picked up a pair of scissors and cut E’s shirt from her chassis. From this close it looked much like her own. Save the black triangle above her core. The core glass was not marked with a Worker’s logo, rather a stylized skull outline. 

“Edgelord,” Jaelyn muttered under her breath, “S. I need you to get a cloth and dampen it with water. Make sure it’s cold. Wring it out and then bring it back to me. We’re going to need to cool down her core so that I can help heal it. I’ll try to get her chassis open.”

S gave a nod and darted off, searching for a little bit before giving a triumphant yell as he found a cloth and bolted towards the cleaning station. Jaelyn gave a little grin. He was like a little puppy…it was almost cute…

“Oh you get that thought line out of your head this instant, Jaelyn Doorman!” she thought bitterly as she shook her head, “Focus on the liability on the table first. Then worry about everything else.”

E’s chassis finally came apart with a hiss, steam blasting and fogging over Jaelyn’s screen for a moment. She felt S’s larger hands wrap around hers and pressing a cool cloth in it.

“Thank you,” she said, swiping off the condensation from her screen and turning back to the core…only to freeze.

Nestled in glowing orange hot cage of broken iron bone teeth was E’s core. The rib struts curling protectively in shattered claws around what looked to be flesh . A beating pulsar star radiating waves of flutter-skip ripples of fat, muscle and tendon. It didn’t whirr or whine in pained screams of damned souls, it thundered, rumbled, beating drum-core in rapid staccato that sent heat waves crashing over Jaelyn and threatening to burn her to cinders.

“What… are you things…” Jaelyn whispered, eyes hollow for a long while as she stared. Though she gave a quick shake of her head. That could come later. Her patient was dying.

Jaelyn immediately put the cold cloth on E’s pulsing core, wincing as E gave an eerie sounded wail and started to buck under her hand. S reached over, hissing as her scalding body seared his hands and held her firm. Jaelyn nodded her thanks as she looked over at the flesh filled cavity and swallowed as she saw what had actually been punctured by that thing that was R. 

E’s nanite fabricator.

“S,” Jaelyn’s voice was quiet, “I need you to go into the storage room and get me the canister of nanite repair gel. I need to get E’s core stable. Her nanite fabricator’s been punctured and that’s why she’s not healing. Third shelf from the top, left hand side of the door as you enter. Brown can.”

His hands let go of Jaelyn’s, rushing back towards the room. She could see E’s hollow eyes, glitching and fuzzy with artifacts lock on to her.

“I don’t…want…to die…” she croaked, “Please…I don’t…want…to be…what…happened…t-t-t-t-to R…”

“You’re saying that…would happen to you?” Jaelyn’s voice was soft as she reapplied the cloth and getting E to let out a pain filled growl.

“I don’t…know. I don’t…I don’t…I didn’t…I didn’t say…I don’t know…I didn’t…didn’t…” E’s hollow eyes bolded as her breath came out faster, “No. No. No. No. NO. I didn’t! I wouldn’t! I don’t…remember…I don’t…want…to remember…no…no…no…noNONONONONONO!”

“E! STOP!” Jaelyn barked as E started thrashing, “S! GET THAT REPAIR GEL HERE NOW !”

“Um…Jae…” S took a step back, “We’re not alone.”

Jaelyn froze, E still bucking under her grip, though it was getting weaker. She looked up as S took a step back…and revealed Cyn Beaufae holding the jar of nanite repair gel in her hands. And oh did Cyn look terrified.

“...Jae?” the other Worker stammered, “W-W-Wh-What…” 

“Oh thank god another competent person,” Jaelyn gave a sigh of relief, “Cyn, help me out here, please,”

Cyn shook her head, staring at the two Disassembly Drones and then at Jaelyn with hollowed eyes. “J-Jae…th-they’re…they’re Murder Drones …”

Jaelyn winced as E shuddered under her grip again. She turned snow-lilac eyes towards the sky-sea of Cyn and frowned.

“You took your oath, yeah?” Jaelyn asked.

“O-O-Of course!” Cyn sputtered, “I-I just t-turned 18…”

“‘I swear to do no harm. I swear to help those in need.’” Jaelyn quoted, jerking her head down to E, “She’s not going to hurt you. She’s in need. Cycle’s not going to stop unless we stop it ourselves,”

Cyn stared at Jaelyn. There was something…wrong…with how the younger Worker looked. Too wild, too feral, something she’d only seen a few times with a few other people. It was the look of someone desperate with too much to lose. She took a deep breath and let it out in a huff before pushing her sleeves back and coming over to Jaelyn and E with the repair gel canister.

She’d seen too many desperate people get hostile and she’d rather that not happen in the operating theater. 

“What does she n-need?” Cyn asked as she unscrewed the lid.

“Nanite fabricator took a beating. Punctured her core as well,” Jaelyn stated, “Need you to hold on to this. Be careful it’s hot and slippery…I’ve not seen a core like this so I don’t know exactly where t-”

“She’s leaking from the right atrium it looks like,” Cyn stated, looking over the heart-core pumping beneath them, “looks to be a glancing hit, if you pinch the flesh together I can put the repair gel on it and that’s one less thing to worry about.”

She felt Jaelyn’s eyes on her and a cyan blush lit over her screen.

“Well!?” Cyn sputtered, “D-Do you want her to die or not?!”

“How do you know about this?” Jaelyn asked as she pinched the flesh together and Cyn attempted to apply the nanite gel, “Considering it’s… that .”

“Would you believe me if I told you this isn’t the first time I’ve seen this?” Cyn gave a soft hiss as E twitched under her frigid touch, “H-h-hey! Settle down!”

“Oh…I’m sorry !” E snarked, “Just… dying …here…”

“You’re not going to die, Final Girl wannabe,” Cyn huffed, “You’ll make it to the s-sequel.”

E actually blinked once, twice, before giving a smirk. “You’ve got…guts, toaster…be nice…to cut those out…and wear them…like a tiara.”

“You talk big for someone who can die to this toaster if my hand slips,” Cyn retorted, “Sit still. Or I might turn you from Final Girl to First Girl.”

E stared at her for a long while, stunned. Jaelyn actually looked at Cyn with a mixture of awe and shock as well. Cyn ignored them both.

"You..." the Murder Demon beneath Cyn's hands chuckled, "I like you...you die... last ."

“E, c’mon, don’t antagonize them...” S sighed, “They’re just trying to help.”

“Help my…left actuator! ” E snarled, violently twitching as Jaelyn’s hand slipped, “AGH! WATCH IT!”

“Oh good the pain receptors still work,” Cyn deadpanned, catching a flicker of gold to the side..

“You stab me and I’ll remove that nanite canister,” Jaelyn threatened, “S, keep her tail locked down,”

E hissed, though it was weaker and more pain-filled than the venomous tirade from earlier. The two medics continued to work as S held E’s tail down, making sure she couldn’t cause more damage than she already had. Soon enough, Cyn saw the silvery rush of nanites beginning to pool from the fabricator and spread across the injured Murder Drone. 

“What do you two do to help replace nanites?” Jaelyn asked, looking up at S.

“Oh, uh, well…it kinda depends on what needs replaced,” S shrugged, “Material really. We eat just about anything. Uh…but I don’t think uh…”

“She’ll be stable for now,” Cyn reassured them, “But whatever it is you do to replace nanites is going to need to be done soon.” she pulled her hands free, Jaelyn doing the same and beginning to close E up, “Your…friend? Should be ok though it might be a wise idea to not um…get the restraints off her while we get cleaned.”

Jaelyn followed Cyn to the washing area and stared her down, trying to put the pieces together. Cyn didn’t look up, instead scrubbing the rust-onyx oil off her hands vigorously, as if she were scrubbing something caustic off her fingers. 

“If I didn’t know any better, Jae, I would have thought you were trying to bore a hole in my head,” Cyn stated, using her elbow to get more soap on her hands and scrub harder.

“How did you know about E’s core?”

“I didn’t…not really,” Cyn admitted, “But I’ve seen one similar to…hers…No I can’t tell you where. That’s between doctor and patient. You know that.”

Jaelyn pulled a face, making Cyn give a little smirk. She had Jaelyn there. The younger medic gave a sigh as she crossed her arms, water dripping from her fingertips in oil-swirled droplets. 

“Are you…doing ok?” Cyn asked, “I can’t…really do anything for you. I can’t offer you a home to stay in or try to talk to the council…I also most certainly can’t tell you to take what you need from the infirmary because Dr. Price is still mad about your banishment…”

“I’m fine,” Jaelyn told her, giving a smirk, “Tell him thank you for that,”

“No promises,”

“How’s he doing?”

“He’s doing well,” Cyn said, calmly turning off the faucet as she grabbed a towel and started drying her hands, “He adopted the little boy you saved. He wants to be a medic just like you.”

“If he’s like me he’s going to end up banished,”

“Fair enough,” Cyn gave a soft laugh as she smoothed a piece of hair back into its braid.

“...How’s…Dad?” Jaelyn finally asked.

Cyn’s face fell and Jaelyn felt her core squeeze uncomfortably.

“Not well,” Cyn admitted, “But I haven’t seen much of him. Beau saw him the day after you were banished and he wasn’t…doing well. They’ve had him on house arrest and only let a select few see him. He was running a massive fever for a while not long after you left, but he fought everyone that tried to treat him…except Beau, Emmett and Vicky. So I gave Beau some coolant and as far as I know he’s back at work now. But he misses you something awful. I don’t blame him…since your mom…”

Jaelyn looked away, taking a deep breath.

“Can you…tell him I’m ok?” she asked, “I’d go and hug him but…”

“They’ll kill you,”

“Yeah…” Jaelyn gave a bitter laugh, “I’ll go and get some stuff from the storage unit. Bandages, some nanite repair gel…stuff Dr. Price won’t miss. And…Cyn?”

The smaller girl looked up as Jaelyn gave her a small two fingered salute before walking towards the storage closet, “Thanks.”

“Please just…be safe, ok?” Cyn pleaded before rushing out of the medical ward and towards her home.

“...No promises,” Jaelyn murmured.

Chapter Text

24

Emmett opened his eyes to a whirlwind array of dazzling stars and violet aurora. Nebulae spattered the darkened skies, swirling down a gold-black singularity roaring in the sky above an island of ashen stone.

A smile grew across his face as he got to his feet and his gaze flitted to the obsidian towers that reached up into the heavens. Violet crystal bloomed from the center of the island…but he didn’t see what he was looking for among the shrouding violet-gold mist and shadowy shades scurrying out of his way like cyber-roaches.

The heartbeat throb of something large and leathery caught his attention, and his smile grew. The rasp of onyx claws on obsidian hissed through the air.

“I thought I told you not to come back here, cowboy,” a familiar voice, rumbling thunder and earthen deep wove through the air, echoing until it became a dull whisper of a familiar voice, “You stupid or something?”

“Jus’ a lil’ bit!” Emmett grinned as he turned around and looked up as the massive dragon slithered down the obsidian pillar above him. It stopped with its muzzle mere inches from his screen, steam from its breath clouding it over as those golden eyes fixed on him…though he wasn’t looking at its eyes, rather it’s chest, “Annnnnd I thought you remembered that illusions don’t work on me~!”

The massive creature huffed, spitting sparks and smoke before the image flickered and glitched…revealing a small, petite Worker girl in a maid’s uniform standing with her arms crossed in front of Emmett. Her golden eyes were narrowed as she rocked back on her heel.

“Freakin’ bite me, N,” she seethed, sitting down on one of the large crystals that made almost a nest in the center of the island.

“Aw c’mon, you know you like me!” Emmett smiled as he sat down on a rock next to her.

“Stop pushing your luck, idiot,”

“Uziiiiiii~” he grinned, patting her on the head and getting her to swat his hand away from the black and silver piece of cloth sitting on her dark silver hair, “Oh! My beanie! You kept it!”

The maid immediately clamped her hands on the cloth and ripped it off her head, holding it out and away as her golden eyes narrowed.

“ Your beanie? Nuh uh. You left it in my Haven, it’s mine. Buzz off,” she hissed. She closed an eye as she pulled the beanie into her lap and looked at him with all the suspicion of someone eyeing a dangerous creature that would bite her first chance they got, “Why… did …you leave it?”

“Oh, easy,” Emmett told her as he gently swiped the hat and replaced it on her head, “I thought I’d leave you something to remember me by! You were kinda lonely and I felt bad, y’know?”

“I’m not lonely! I’m perfectly fine on my own!” she spat, pulling the hat further down on the gunmetal locks, “I don’t need a cute, weird WEIRD! I said weird, don't laugh! Freakin’ cowboy.” 

Saffron blazed across her screen as she got up and huffed, stomping across the ashen stone while Emmett chuckled. She looked up at the sky, the howling black hole roaring above reflecting in the hollowed voids of her eyes. The small goddess held her arms as she side-eyed Emmett and gave a sad smile.

“...I think we’re ok for now,” she admitted, “I think Its gaze is elsewhere,” 

She sighed and sat back down next to him, thunking her head back against the crystal that molded itself into more a couch made of glass, which gave Emmett the invitation to sit next to her. 

“The second I get a whiff of It turning Its gaze here, I’m chucking you out,” she warned.

“Then we should enjoy the time here and I should fill you in on all the fun stuff that’s happened!” Emmett grinned, getting an eyeroll from Uzi, “So…since the last time I saw you…Jae got banished.”

“...Jae?”

“Yeah! She’s one of my best friends…at least, she was, she’s pretty awesome,” Emmett grinned, “She uh, got banished because she let the Murder Drones into the bunker. By accident but uh…well…the council didn’t care. Didn’t even care she killed one,”

“...Oh please tell me it was R.”

“Uhhhhh I don’t…knooooow? Was the one with the bob and black streak in its hair,”

Uzi let out a bark of laughter, fangs glinting in the starlight as it turned into a cackle.

“Yeah, that was R. How’d she go? I thought I saw her shade here for like…two seconds. And then It snatched her away.”

“Jae pushed her into an MRI machine,”

“...Suddenly I like the corpo-bat a bit more,”

“Corpo…bat?” Emmett raised an eyebrow, “Waaaaait, you’ve met Jae?”

“She’s invaded my space like, twice. Kinda bossy. 002 and 006’s kid, yeah?”

“Yeaaaah that’s Jae.” Emmett scratched at his arm, “Dunno about 002 and 006…she’s Uncle Khan and Aunt Nori’s daughter. I know they were best friends with my parents but I don’t remember what numbers they had. I know Ma was 017 and Pa was 016…but that’s about it. Beau’d know…I might have to ask.”

Uzi’s eyes trailed down to his arm and she put a firm hand on his wrist. “Stop that. You’re only going to hurt yourself.”

“Sorry…been a little nervous lately to be honest,” Emmett admitted, “Um…my other friend, Vicky…she uh, kinda found out about me and Beau. She doesn’t know about Jae. If uh, Jae even will end up like us anyways.”

He scuffed his boot on the stone, a low sigh leaving him as he turned his head up to the stars.

“I don’t know what to tell her. She wants answers but I don’t even have them…” he admitted, “Anything you can tell me?”

“Dude, I don’t even want to know about any of this, why would I put the cosmic horrors on you,” Uzi scoffed, but her eyes turned just so slightly soft, “I dunno if you really should tell her anything, to be honest. It might get It to turn Its gaze on her. Because she’s close to you. And if there’s one thing I know…It likes to target those that are close to you. Which is why I worry about you.”

“I mean yeah I’m close to Beau,” Emmett nodded, “He’s my big brother! So yeah…It might try to hurt him. Good point.”

“Yeah, just looking out for you,”

“...But that means It could also target you…” he reasoned, getting Uzi to turn her head and give a bitter laugh.

“What more could It do to me other than kill me?” she scoffed, “It’s already taken…everything. And I’m freakin’ god .”

“Well…” Emmett started, only to cut off as the world around him started to rumble. Uzi’s eyes went from bitter and full to hollow and terrified as her head shot up.

A whimper left her throat as she shook her head, the Singularity above them starting to split and weep gold.

“Go…” she croaked, “Emmett… leave …”

Her form flickered, the draconic features returning as her wings spread wide and she rushed up the nearest pillar, scrabbling claws leaving ivory on the obsidian.

“ LEAVE, EMMETT!”  

Emmett hit the floor of his room with a thud, his feet tangled in the sheets of his bed. He kicked his legs to get himself free, only for his movements to knock over his reading lamp…which proceeded to smack him in the head with a thump.

PAIN! Hissed from him as he rubbed the blonde curls and curled his pinky against his palm.

[Translate]

A brilliant orange glyph wrapped around the lamp and Emmett gingerly put it back on his desk. He frowned as his arm itched again, causing him to reach for it…only to remember Uzi’s warning.

A painful buzzing sensation built up on his screen as a caution flared over it.

WARNING! INTERNAL TEMPERATURE AT CRITICAL LEVELS!

OIL LEVEL AT 25%

COOLANT REQUIRED!

“...Biscuits,” he groaned as he thumped his head back. Beau was working late so he’d be back soon…but that meant Victoria would possibly be here soon too. Oh…this was not good…

Victoria took a deep breath as she turned the corner leading to the mining district. She ducked under a pipe that had burst and was currently spraying superheated steam over the hall. It seemed this area was in even more disrepair than it was last time she was down here. There were still a few Workers left living here, but as a whole, most had moved out. 

Her hand trailed against a series of deep claw marks that sliced through a wall and she jerked back as the high pitched giggling echoed in her head again. She couldn’t blame people from wanting to get out of this horrible sector. The walls wept with gouged reminders and the floors were thick with oiled memories. 

The ones that stayed here were the ones that couldn’t afford to leave or had nothing left.

Maybe that’s why Emmett and Beau still stayed here.

Or maybe it was because it was easier to hide…

“Vicky?”

Victoria jumped three feet into the air, whirling around with her fists raised in a defensive position. Beau Sterling held up his free hand, eyes hollow as he gave a calming gesture with his hand.

“Whoa girl, it’s jus’ me,”

“That’s the thing isn’t it?” Victoria hated how her voice cracked slightly, but she kept her stance defensive and firm, “It’s just you.”

Beau gave a wince as his shoulders sank, “Fair ‘nuff. Reckon yer still ah…spooked,”

“You think or you know,”

“Look, I ain’t gonna hurt ya,”

“Coulda fooled me last night,”

“Can we…” he looked around hastily, “Can we not talk ‘bout it here? Dunno who might be listenin’ an’ all.”

Victoria didn’t budge. Her eyes picked out several weak points that she could target in order to get away. At least…she thought she could. She saw how fast Beau could move. And whatever that weird magic triangle thing was. That could be problematic. 

She watched his hands, ready to throw her own if she even saw the hint of claws. But Beau merely shifted his weight, the bag he was carrying that looked full of meal prep and scrap metal, and raised an eyebrow, the blue line warped by the claw marks that scraped down his screen.

He still looked like Beau. Emmett’s older brother. The boy who graciously helped around the medical ward when he could, the boy that Cyn was enamored with, the boy who’d found a replacement for her arm when the Murder Drone stabbed it.

The same boy that chased her down last night and killed and ate someone. Granted, it was a serial killer but…still.

Beau gave a sigh. “Look, if ya want me to go first I will. That way I’ll be in yer sights an’ if I do somethin’ screwy you can use this.” he pulled out his pistol and offered it to her, “An’ y’know I don’ let no one touch my gun.”

Victoria slowly reached for the weapon, grabbing it and stepping aside, flicking the safety off…which got Beau to roll his eyes a little before he nearly prowled forward, skirting the edge of the hallway as far as he could get from Victoria. He then continued forwards, letting her follow at a safe distance behind.

“I ain’t a wild animal, y’know,” he called back, “‘m still me.”

“You killed and ate someone last night, Beau,” Victoria pointed out, “You nearly ate me .”

“Yeah an’ I said I was sorry ‘bout that,” Beau said, “Ain’t really somethin’ I’m in control of. An’ if I didn’t do what I did Emmett mighta done somethin’ I know he’d regret. Specially if it meant hurtin’ his friend. Ain’t like y’ve not killed someone ‘fore neither, Vicky.”

“I didn’t eat them, Beau.”

“Yeah I know it looks bad, an’ trust me, he didn’t taste good either.” the blue eyed boy scoffed, “But again…ain’t somethin’ I can really control. More endure.”

“...What?” Victoria blinked as Beau stopped in front of his and Emmett’s apartment, casting a look around before raising his hand.

An icy blue glyph burned over his fingertips and the door both. There was a faint click and the door opened slightly. Beau lifted his boot and kicked the door open, walking inside.

“Y’gonna come in or what?” he asked as Victoria paused at the doorway, “N’s prolly in his room. Dunno if he’s awake yet. Still kinda early.”

Victoria frowned, but nodded as she slowly came in. Another flicker of blue, and Victoria jumped as she saw the door shut and lock itself behind her.

“Jus’ makin’ sure no one barges in,” Beau reassured her from the kitchen as he sat the bag on the countertop and started taking things out of it, “Don’t want more people seein’ this stuff than necessary.”

“You mean there’s more than just me that know?” Victoria demanded, “Who?”

“Cyn knows,” Beau shrugged, “Kinda had t’ tell ‘er. Ain’t tellin’ Price, nor yer Ma, so she’s the only one that can really work on me an’ N. Not to mention uh,” he rubbed the back of his head, “Kinda bad thing to hide things from yer girlfriend, y’know?”

“Makes sense,” Victoria said, crossing her arms.

“Uh, Uncle Khan knows,” Beau continued, “Aunt Nori did too ‘fore she passed,”

“Mr. Doorman knows!?” Victoria sputtered, “Wait, does Jae…”

“Jae don’t know nothin’,” Beau shook his head, “Ma and Pa were Uncle Khan and Aunt Nori’s best friends. Aunt Nori’s the one that took care of me an’ N when they died. So yeah, she knew. Specially when uh…all… this …” he gestured down at himself and Victoria noticed a faint shadow flicker around him, coiling and curling in tendrils and claws and spur tips, “Happened. She an’ Uncle Khan kinda held me down so I didn’ hurt myself or N…or Jae. Heh…reckon they told them I was sick.” his eyes turned sad and he looked at the countertop, fingertips turned sharp scratching against the metal, “Mebbe I am…mebbe…we are…”

He cleared his throat and continued to put the groceries away. Power packs, wires, batteries…standard materials. Even some mid grade and 84 Octane…Emmett’s favorite. It just looked…normal. And nothing at all what Victoria was expecting from someone she literally knew as a cannibal vampire thing. 

“I think I hear N awake,” Beau said quietly, “If ya wanna get ‘im out here so y’two can talk, I’ll keep on puttin’ groceries away…then prolly get some sleep m’self. Been a long night.”

Victoria gave a nod and started towards Emmett’s room. She’d been in this home a few times before, knew the door plastered with pictures of dogs and drawings and star-maps was Emmett’s rather than the one that was patterned with caution tape and stop signs. She raised a hand to knock on the door, only for it to open and Emmett to come stumbling out. 

She barely had time to speak before she felt his full weight fall on her shoulder in a hug. A sapphire blush blazed over her screen as Emmett’s hug tightened. It struck her how…warm he was. Like, scalding warm. 

Something pricked her shoulder. Something sharp. Something really painful …

“AY!” Beau’s voice was a whipcrack, a flash of blue light and something metallic whistled through the air. 

Emmett yelped as a thermos smacked him in the head and he collapsed to the ground in a heap.

“No! Bad!” Beau stormed over, picking the smaller Victoria up and setting her on the couch with little difficulty, “Y’know better, Emmett Sterling!”

He reached out his hand and a medical kit zipped over to his waiting palm, encircled in sapphire light as he looked over Victoria’s shoulder.

“That…doesn’t look as bad,” Beau muttered as he looked at Victoria’s shoulder, “Mind takin’ yer cardigan off? Wanna make sure he didn’t bite too hard.”

“...He bit me?” Victoria whispered, eyes hollow as she did as asked.

“Yeah he nibbled a lil’,” Beau winced, “Y’want me to patch it up or y’wanna wait for it to heal on yer own?”

“Uh…” Victoria stammered as Emmett sat up, a high temperature warning flashing over his screen in burnt umber.

“N, I ain’t kiddin’. Y’ve been skippin’ out on yer rations again, ain’t ya?” Beau snapped, “That thermos better be drained by the time I’m done with Vicky,”

“‘m sorryyyy,” Emmett whined, though his voice sounded thick, like he was having trouble getting around his tongue, “lot happened…”

“And more’s gonna happen if ya don’t cool off. Now do it or imma tan yer hide,” Beau threatened, turning back to Victoria and holding up his hand, “Might feel a lil’ weird but trust me, ‘kay?”

His right eye glitched into that try pronged symbol and Victoria watched as he seemed to switch through different ones in his hand before settling on a circle enclosed in binary. It spun this way and that and Victoria squirmed as the uncomfortable feeling of itching and shifting casing caught her attention. After a few seconds, Beau lowered his hand and gave a smile.

“There we go, all better,” he told her as he got up and picked up a second thermos, downing whatever contents were inside before walking over to his brother and gently whacking him over the head, “Next time, idjit, when I tell ya t’ make sure yer fed, do that.”

“Sorry…” he rubbed the back of his head, “Vicky I…I didn’t…it was an accident…”

“You bit me…” Victoria blinked.

“Vicky, he wasn’t thinkin’,” Beau explained, “Dummy here forgot to drink last night prolly…so he woke up hot. And whatever this thing is gets touchy when it ain’t fed.”

“What thing?”

Emmett and Beau looked at each other, the latter helping the former to his feet and sitting in the chairs across from the couch.

“Guess we oughta start from the beginning,” Emmett shrugged, “At least…what we know,”

“So…you’re both…infected…with some sort of virus that makes you into vampires with witch powers?” Victoria pinched the center of her screen, where a human would have their nose, “And you have to drink oil otherwise you overheat and go a bit feral.”

“Pretty much,” Emmett nodded, “I mean, the powers are kinda cool…”

“Yeah but the overheatin’ not so much,” Beau countered.

“And you got this from your parents…something about a lab experiment?” Victoria asked.

“Yeah…” Beau nodded, both he and Emmett reaching for the plates centered in the bolo ties around their necks, “Ma said that the humans did weird things to ‘em…tried doin’ it to me too. I was two when the core collapsed. They kinda forced Ma and Pa to have me. I don’t remember it none. Then ‘gain…was just a lil’ egg baby at the time. Be pretty impressed if I could ha,” he leaned back against the couch, “Vicky, we didn’t ask for this. It jus’...happened. Whatever it was that got Ma and Pa sick…I keep thinkin’ there might be a cure. Somethin’ to help. I jus’...dunno where to look really.”

“And you’ve been sneaking oil from the medical ward?” Victoria continued, “You’re the reason the stores have been having missing bags?”

“Ehhh sometimes,” Beau admitted, “Cyn’s been sneakin’ some to us. But…well…sometimes it jus’...ain’t enough…” he rubbed the back of his head, “Hence why I kinda disappear durin’ raids.”

Victoria turned to Emmett.

“Have you…”

“No.” Beau’s reply was forceful, cutting off any protest, “N’s not done it. I refuse to let my lil’ brother take someone’s life like that. It’s  not…” he gave a shudder, “I don’t like doin’ it, Vicky. An’ I don’t want N to experience that,”

“Beau’s been getting me oil from the medical ward,” Emmett explained, “I don’t need as much as him. Something about not being…fully active.”

“Fully active?”

“In order t’ be fully active y’gotta hit single digits in levels,” Beau sighed, “I ain’t proud of it. Luckily I had Aunt Nori and Uncle Khan to hold me down cuz…well…it ain’t pretty. Specially with me. Y’saw what I could do. Now imagine that but with no conscious, no nothin’ and the only thing that’s keepin’ me from killin’ everythin’ in sight is my lil’ brother. He’d be the only one livin’. Maybe Uncle Khan. I don’t…I don’t even wanna think about what it’d make me do to Cyn.” he gave another shudder, “That’s why ‘m so insistent on N drinkin’. Long as he stays above single digits he ain’t gonna be like me. I don’t want him to be like me.”

Victoria was silent for a long while. Emmett played with his fingers a bit.

“...You’re…not mad…are you?” he asked, voice hopeful.

“No, I’m just…confused and…I don’t know. It’s a lot,” she admitted, “My best friend is a literal vampire-witch. And my other best friend’s dad knew about it. So does Cyn.”

“Not many do. Could you imagine the panic that’d set in?” Emmett shuddered, “Beau and I’d be thrown out into the sun and Murder Drones so fast you wouldn’t be able to say goodbye.”

“The sun?”

“Yeah…’pparently the virus doesn’t like sunlight much,” Beau shrugged, “Found that out the hard way. Was huntin’ for some scrap an’ the sun came up…was lucky Uncle Khan dragged me back inside when he did.”

“...You’re literal vampires oh my god ,”

“Hey, at least running water doesn’t stop us though,” Emmett shot her a pair of finger guns…then awkwardly put them down when he saw she wasn’t smiling, “But uh, yeah…that’s…all we know really…it’s…uh…”

“It ain’t much,” Beau finished, “We’re in the dark pretty much. Ma an’ Pa would have been able to tell us but…well…they can’t.”

“And Mr. Doorman?”

“Dunno if he could tell us much either,” Beau said, shrugging.

Both he and Emmett knew that was a bold faced lie. But telling Victoria that Khan was also infected…and likely Jaelyn as well…was not a good idea. Especially since Khan wanted to keep it under wraps.

“...Well…then that just leaves one thing to do,” Victoria sighed, getting up and heading towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Emmett asked.

“I’m going to do some research of my own,” Victoria said, giving a faint smile, “Because I can’t let my best friend and his brother stumble through the dark on their own. So…I’m going to help as best I can,”

Chapter Text

25

“There, that should do it,” Michaels heard a female voice state as its owner then picked up a welding torch, “Get you all welded up and you’ll be good as new. Michaels, was it? Take these tools and sanitize them. We’ll need them later potentially,”

Michaels took the tools from the tray and brought them over to the sanitation station. He then jogged back over to watch this absolute miracle worker continue her work. His green eyes were hollow in awe as the near seamless welds crisscrossed delicately over her patient, cutting through the brand for Outpost 13 like a lightning bolt.

“Where’d you learn to do that?” Michaels asked, looking up at the traveling medic as she welded shut a particularly gruesome wound.

“Do what?” came the cool reply.

“That weld,” he said, “I’ve only seen that type of weld come from like, one person. And he learned it from his teacher.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” Michaels nodded eagerly, “His name was uh…Piers? No, no, Price! Yeah! Dr. Price! He was, is? I dunno, the Head Medic of Outpost 3, we haven’t really heard much from them since that break in a few months ago. Ol’ Ironbones is still kicking though…least that’s what the Black Market’s been all abuzz with.”

“Really now?” came the blithe reply as the torch was shut off, “Well, can’t really say I’ve had the pleasure of meeting an ‘Old Ironbones’, this is just something I learned.” She started to put the welding torch in her bag but froze for a second, shaking her head. “Sorry, old habits die hard. Lost my welder months ago.”

“No problem, least you didn’t walk off with it!” Michaels smiled, “He’s gonna make it?”

“We’ll see. It’s going to be a rough night for him,” she replied, standing up straight as she popped her spinal strut, “We’ll see how he is in the morning,”

“Gotcha, thanks, Jade,” Michaels said, “Ever since the Outpost 3 raid we’ve been short a medic…Told ‘em it was a stupid idea but oh well. Hey, why don’t we head out to the canteen, my treat?”

“Thanks but I honestly think I’ve overstayed my welcome,” Jade sighed as she looked around, “Your WDF are a bit…lax…but I’ve noticed they’re not really keen on me.”

“Nah, they’re like that with all Drifters,” Michaels scoffed, “How ‘bout I walk you to the doors then? It’s almost night, so you’ll have to be fast. Sure you don’t want to stay until morning?”

“I’m sure,” Jade stated, coughing as she redid one of her dark tails before tossing it back on her shoulder and shrugging her coat over her shoulders, “Starting to get a little antsy from being here.”

“Fiiiine,” Michaels sighed, “Least let me walk you to the doors,”

“I can find them on my own,” Jade told him, “You go home and rest…probably for the best if you stay in tonight. Heard there’s going to be a nasty blizzard.”

“...Alright, was planning on staying with Addie and Marie anyways,” he shrugged, “Guess I’ll see you around!”

“Let’s hope you don’t need me again,” Jade’s voice was terse as she grabbed her bag and her hat and started towards the doors, “Because that means you haven’t done your job,”

“See ya around, Jade!” Michaels called as the two Medics separated. 

A few minutes later, Jade made her way to the doors to the colony. A few WDF Members sat around a table playing cards, the jabs and communal jibes being tossed around filling the air. 

“Looks like I win again boys!” one of them grinned as he tossed his cards down with a royal flush, “The pot is mine.”

“Aw, c’mon, man!” another groaned as the winner grabbed all the credits, “One more game?”

“Nah, shift’s over,” the winner smirked, “And besides…haven’t you heard the term quit while you’re ahead?”

“Same with cheaters never prosper,” Jade deadpanned as she walked up, grabbing a card from the bottom of his hardhat and tossing it on the table.

“HEY! SNOWDRIFT!” the winner snapped as his Poker buddies glared at him, “Why don’t you keep your nose out of people’s business!”

“We don’t have noses, idiot,” Jade replied blithely as she walked up closer to the door.

“You’re going to regret saying that, hobo,” he hissed.

“Oh, nooooo ,” Jade put a hand to her core, “What ever shall I do? It’s not like I’m planning on staying at this sorry excuse for a bunker.”

“Hey, don’t talk about our colony like that!” a second WDF Member growled, “Our doors were designed by Khan Doorman himself.”

“You mean you ripped off his designs like the shoddy craftsmen you are,” Jade deadpanned, “These are like paper mache compared to Outpost 3.”

“Oh yeah? Least we have a home,”

“Oh bestill my wounded and broken core,” Jade rolled her eyes.

“C’mon guys, it’s not like she’s going to be here much longer…even if it is almost nightfall,” a third man sighed, “Besides, she’s a medic. She doesn’t know security and the doors like a WDF Member or an Engineer would. And besides…ol’ Doorman’s not doing so hot from what I heard. His wife went crazy years ago and got herself killed…and then a few months ago his daughter did the same. Let Murder Drones into Outpost 3 and then got executed for it.”

“Half right,” Jade hummed as she leaned against the door’s opening pad.

“What do you mean?” the sore loser asked, “It’s not like you were there.”

“Well, I’ve been enduring you four’s frankly insufferable talk about Outpost 3, despite the fact that the Outpost managed to kick your afts in that Raid you launched,” Jade pointed out, “I also know quite a bit about Outpost 3 really. I used to live there actually,”

“Aw, c’mon Jade, it’s not like you’re going to get revenge on the Raid…you don’t belong to any Outpost, remember? Whole ‘Wandering Medic’ thing you’ve got going on…” the winner scoffed. 

“Right on the J part, right on the not belonging to any outpost part,” Jade gave a rather unsettling grin, “Revenge though…hm…y’know, there used to be a saying in Outpost 3. How a bored Doorman is a scary thing, how one with something to prove is worse…and yet even scarier than that…is one with an axe to grind,” her smile grew wider, almost splitting her entire faceplate, “And I very much did not appreciate you talking about my dad like that,” 

“Wait… what ?” the third Worker sputtered as Jade pulled out a floppy disk marked with ‘Master Key’ from her bag and waggled it in her hand.

She gave a soft little chuckle. “And before you ask, no. No I was not executed. I did let the Disassemblers in though…” she tapped the key against the pad and the doors gave a shrieking wail as they began to raise, “...Just like I did here,”

A low, rumbling snarl wafted through the air as the female worker walked in front of the door, pulling her hat down as snow-lilac eyes looked impassively at the four WDF members before her. Fourteen brilliant golden lights flared to life behind her as mist and fog hissed down from the opening slit.

“S, E…” Jaelyn Doorman smirked, “Dinner time,”

S folded his wings as he touched down in front of the Spire, leaning forward and letting Jaelyn hop out of his arms. E still hovered lightly above the snow, head scanning around almost as if searching for something.

“Something wrong?” S asked.

“Dunno,” E hummed, “Feels like we’re being watched. ‘m not a fan.”

“I can sleep by the entrance tonight again…” S started.

“No, I’ll do it,” E gave a smirk as her wings gave a flap that sent snow spraying the area, “Besides…if you get the drop on them you’re likely to flatten them into a pancake. And then we won’t have much to interrogate now would we?”

“And you would make it so painful that they wouldn’t be able to get anything more than screams out,” Jaelyn deadpanned as they went into the Spire.

“Silly, that’s what you’re for,” E giggled, tapping Jaelyn’s screen and earning her a swat across the hand from the Worker as she shot up towards the ledge above the entrance. The smaller Disassembler wrapped her tail around a piece of rebar and huddled into her wings. The barbed and gut hooked silver points bristling and breathing like a living pinecone as the five golden lights on her headband were the only thing that remained lit.

“...I am not a cure all,” Jaelyn growled as she pulled her hat down from where E had knocked it askew.

“She’s just trying to rile you up again,” S placated her, “On that note…are you sure you’re good?”

“What do you mean,” Jaelyn closed an eye as they started walking towards the pod, “Good how?”

“Like…mentally I guess?” he asked, “Cuz…well…y’know…these past couple months we’ve been kinda, well…using you as kinda bait to let us into bunkers. To kill people. And eat them.”

“Look, if I show up as ‘Jaelyn Doorman’ at any colony, I’ll be executed. Likely by MRI like R was,” Jaelyn sighed, crossing her arms as she popped a hip and looked up at the massive Disassembler, “The day I got exiled from Outpost 3 was the day that I effectively died. They’re not ‘my’ people anymore.”

“You still told us to only go after the group at the doors,” S pointed out, “Rather than getting the entire colony,”

“That’s called overhunting and you’ve even said before that you don’t like cold oil,” Jaelyn rolled her eyes, “So if we only get what you two need to not overheat and combust…it seems like quite the equitable partnership,”

“I guess…” S admitted, only to freeze. He put a hand out in front of Jaelyn to halt her, she could see every one of his plate scales clicking and flickering up to make him seem even bigger than before.

“What.” Jaelyn reached up behind her shoulders, grabbing the hilt of her sword as she slowly pulled the hunk of star-hardened steel from its sheath with a rasp, her fingers lingered on the activation switch, not pressing the lightning spark engager, but ready should a threat arise.

The staccato sharp rasp of cellophane crinkling caught Jaelyn’s audials, S’s claws ringing out as a low, loud growl rumbled through his chest in timpani time. He lumbered down to all fours, and slowly slunk forwards, the spikes on the bottom of his feet pushing the ice-ridden snow backwards as he prowled forwards.

Thr–? Intru–r! D–ng–! H–re-Me! F–d? Thr–t? Broken melody tones, half formed words that Jaelyn didn’t recognize but identified as stutter-click letters warbled from S. 

She heard E stir, the whisper clink of her feathers parting as a warble-chirrup rang from her. H–re-me! T–at? Wh–e-yo-? F-o-? The soft thump of star-iron spiked hooves cracking through perma-frost caught her attention. E must have come down from her roost as S slithered in snow-silence up to the pod.

“What is it.” Jaelyn repeated.

“Something’s here,” E’s voice was low and thunder-rumbling, thick with an ice-snarl as the pale gold of her eyes blinked into a cross, “I’m not picking it up on thermal…but I smell it. So does S.”

S’s claws locked around the door to the pod, with a twitch-flip he popped the door open and flowed forwards, ready to enter…only to jump back with a hissing yelp as the smell of burning enamel and crunch-crackle of melting armor plating filled the air.

“S!” Jaelyn started, rushing forwards as he limped back, wincing as he rubbed his chest.

“...You left the damn star globe on,” E sighed, putting her faceplate in her talons, “Seriously, toaster girl?”

“Shut up, I can’t handle the cold like you two,” Jaelyn growled as she started towards the pod with sword in hand, “It’s not that warm…I didn’t even have it on the highest setting.”

“Doesn’t matter,” E scoffed, “Something’s using that stupid ball’s heat to hide.”

“Fine, I’ll turn it off,” Jaelyn rolled her eyes as she climbed up the steps and stepped inside what was effectively now her little apartment. 

She scanned over the area…nothing had been disturbed that she noticed as her hand closed over the star-globe, the gentle sun-warmth of UV light bathing her chassis in summer glow that had long been denied her world. It had been a miraculous find in a bunker they’d raided, Star Globes were designed to make it so that space fairing souls did not miss out on the warmth of the sun on Earth. A Terran moved to Copper-9 must have had it before the core collapse…as this reflected something more akin to a main sequence star than Copper-9’s red-dwarf. 

“There’s nothing in here. If there was, it’s gone now.” she turned an annoyed look back at the two Disassemblers, “You two are just being paranoid over data ghost possibilities that are less real than a stock market crash. I’m fi-”

The air was struck from her vents as something slammed into her, knocking the star globe out of her hand and sending it rolling in front of the door. S and E hissed as they dove out of the way of the brilliant light. Jaelyn kicked and scratched as the heavy weight revealed itself, wresting the sword from her grip and tossing it aside. A Worker, taller than her, bigger than her, older than her, was currently straddling her and pinning her arms to the floor of the ship. Hollow orange eyes, blazed over a snarl of fury as the Worker on her worked on moving her wrists together above her head. 

The shift in weight of the Worker that tackled her allowed Jaelyn movement of her legs. She kept her left foot flat on the floor, sliding it up toward her rear until she found the toe of his right foot. Her teeth were bared in a snarl as she moved her left foot to the outside, bracing the inside heel of her left foot against the outside of his right toe.  Her snarl turned into a wild, manic and far too wide grin as she took the heel of her right foot, placed it against the inside of his left heel, and then violently pressed her right foot outwards to press his right ankle to the floor. The Worker yowled as his struts twisted painfully in a direction they should not have gone, Jaelyn rolling away and grabbing her sword as she scrambled to get away. A violet-white glyph sputtered to life in place of her right eye, flickering out as she pressed the activation button on the hilt of the blade. 

A crackle-hum, ringing static split the air, thrumming as white lightning-plasma engulfed the sword’s titanium tungsten body. Hungry fingers of tesla sparks reached in clasped prayer over a blued-sterling altar horn, solidifying in a smooth silk robe containing heat death. Jaelyn whipped to face her assailant, sword swinging as something painful-hot struck her abdomen, twisting and gnawing and churning. She roared and her assailant shrieked as steel-corrugated limbs clatter-melted in severed display down onto the floor. She drove her shoulder into their stomach, launching them out of the pod…

And into the pale death embrace of S, whose jaws clamped down with bear-trap spring loading on the intruder’s neck. The orange eyes flickered out, bleeding red into a FATAL ERROR as S’s claws rent through his chest, spread-eagling his rib struts as the star-sharp fangs worried and compressed on the carotid tubes until with a squelching snap the head came free. S gave a rumbling growl, Death’s Cross blazing on his screen as he bit down again, tail thrashing as oil wept through the silver fangs in sable grief tears. 

“Yo…Corpor-brat…you good?” E asked as S’s crossed screen blinked back to hollow and stressed eyes, “You…are lighting up pretty hot.”

“I’m fine,” Jaelyn panted, turning the plasma sword off as she let out a cough and leaned on the blade, “I’m…fine. Just…the plasma is hot.”

“...Jae…you’re bleeding…” S pointed out, “There’s something stuck…”

He padded forwards as Jaelyn looked down at where his hands were ghosting, a frown crossed her face as he carefully and delicately pulled the spike of death dark metal out. Her eyes hollowed as she saw the hexagon head in his hands, as it flickered weakly with fire-red light and died to ashes…as a message flashed on her screen.

MELTDOWN installed successfully! 

“...Oh.” she gave a breath as she held a hand to the stab wound.

“What’s ‘oh’,” E demanded as she leaned down to get into the pod.

“...That’s not good,” Jaelyn murmured as she leaned against the chair, her sword slipping against her grip.

“ What’s not good,” S tried, “Jae?”

“...MELTDOWN virus. Four variants…” Jaelyn shook her head as fatigue began to wash over her, “Ataxia…growing…fatigue…” she leaned against the console, giving a wracking cough as her trembling hands fought to keep her upright. “Not…sure which one…”

MELTDOWN was a particularly nasty virus set that attacked the infected’s cooling systems and internal hardware. It was normally employed if someone really wanted someone dead. Stage 1 kicked in bad enough to render the victim unable to fight effectively within a minute, and worsened for an hour or two at the minimum before the onset of Stage 2. It was not a quick nor merciful way to go.If the victim survived long enough that their antivirus started to make progress against the paralysis, then it shifted  to overheat them and confuse them so badly that their antivirus was unable to take meaningful action. If they adapted to that, it tried to bleed them out. Literally.

It was a rare virus package…more akin to a poison than anything. As it had to be applied personally . 

“Is there a cure?” S asked, “Anti-virus? Do we have to sneak into the bunker and like…possibly kidnap that little china doll doctor girl with the shiny brooch?”

“...Um…ah…for…two of…them. JUL13T and…and…BR14R_R053…I’m just…not sure. I don’t think…”  Jaelyn frowned as she shook her head, her chest felt tight, her vents coming shaky. Her temperature spiked and her eyes bolded as she stared at the message warning about the heat.

Oh…that wasn’t good. 

There were four variants of MELTDOWN. JUL13T, BR14R_R053, DR4CUL4 and PR0M3TH3U5. Of the four, only JUL13T and BR14R_R053 were curable. JUL13T had rather mild symptoms of the first three stages…but the fourth was where the core would literally tear itself apart, easily treatable if caught early and the patient was put into immediate shutdown to purge the code from their core. BR14R_R053 was trickier, treatable with regularly applied antiviruses…but was highly contagious and the poor medic that was treating them was likely to catch it themselves as the victim slipped into a coma they never woke from.

But…these weren’t the symptoms Jaelyn was noting. As she felt her cooling systems struggling to vent, causing ragged and wet coughs to bubble from her throat, heat warping her screen. As aggressive as this was…

That left the other two. The incurable ones.

DR4CUL4, which was not transmissible unless by oil to oil contact and caused incredible hemorrhaging immediately…

And then PR0M3TH3U5.

PR0M3TH3U5 and DR4CUL4 started relatively similar. Both of them with symptoms of ataxia and fatigue as the program tried to shut down motor functions. The second stage  of PR0M3TH3U5 caused delirium and overheating as it simultaneously attacked the processor and the coolant circulators and tried to deactivate them. Stage three, moved to open purge valves in the victim's circulatory structure to dump their coolant and oil…a hemorrhaging fever…DR4CUL4 moved faster and more violently for that, but it only dumped the oil of the victim. Stage four was a direct attack on the core, fatal as their frame combusted into flame.

“Well…” Jaelyn gave a weak smile as her legs trembled, “You…you don’t…h-have to worry about being infected…i-it’s not…the transferable…kind.” Her knees gave out as she gave another wheezing gasp…but she didn’t hit the floor. S had picked her up, she didn’t realize he’d moved to her side. He was too warm…too hot…she was too hot…

Like she was on fire…

And a message popped up on her screen as her antivirus finished identifying the threat.

WARNING! VIRUS DETECTED!

MELTDOWN: PR0M3TH3U5

Cooling systems: 45%.

Motor systems: 20%

Oil levels: 95%

T-6 Hours until Unit Deactivation.

“...Oh…” Jaelyn whispered, her hands shaking as she grabbed at her painfully whirring core, “That…is unfortunate…”

Chapter Text

26

Everything was on fire. Her chest was constricting, core feeling like it was about to pop out of her chest, every vent was painful quick-sharpness that drove a dagger of bleeding cold through her core. Colors swam, static burst and pixels warped on her screen as she lay on her bed. 

She could hear S and E’s voices, but could barely make out what they were saying. PR0M3TH3U5 was ravaging her systems and scorching everything to ash, a fitting crime for arrogance, wasn’t it?

She could make out S’s worried face, more pale and gold biblically accurate angel blob than drone due to the virus scrambling her vision. She gave a weak smile as a shuddering vent left her.

“You…two…don’t have…to worry about…being infected…at least,” she rasped, giving a wracking, bubbling cough as oil spat between her teeth, “Ack…well…a-at least…better me…than you two.”

“Jae…c’mon…” S murmured, his hands feather ghosting over her arms and making her pull away.

“Too hot…” she shuddered, “Don’t…touch. Please.”

“There has to be something we can do,” S said firmly, “We can…we can get the other doctor. E and I know how to get back into the bunker…we can sneak in. E can sneak in. E can grab her yeah?”

“Maybe,” E frowned, “Depends on if they’ve sealed that breach up.”

“No.” Jaelyn shook her head, “Won’t…work. Cyn won’t…leave. An-An-And me going…in there…is death…though…p-probably…do-do-doesn’t m-ma-4t-ter do35 it?”

Her near ivory gaze, burning tracks of silver down her screen that warped and rippled with heat, looked at the body laying in the snow. 

“M-Mu5t h-hav3…d-done…s-s0m3thing…” she murmured.

“Had the Outpost 9 brand,” E pointed out, “Y’know…one of the first Outposts we hit with the Trojan method?”

“...ha…” Jaelyn gave a weak, bitter laugh, “‘Joy’ huh…ah…r-r1ght…th-th4t was…the one…w-where you two…k-ki-killed…e-e-e-everyone…”

“Apparently not.” S’s growl was bitter, “Otherwise you wouldn’t be like this.”

“...Deserved…” she gave a hiss as another high temp warning burned over her screen.

WARNING! VIRUS DETECTED!

MELTDOWN: PR0M3TH3U5

Cooling systems: 15%.

Motor systems: 5%

Oil levels: 75%

T-4 Hours until Unit Deactivation.

“Su-Su-5uch a…pain…” she sighed, weakly laying her head back against the pillows as her eyes closed and she fell into shutdown.

“We have to do something. Anything .” S growled as they left the pod and let Jaelyn rest, “We can’t just let her die,”

“Yeah well, it’s not like we have any medical programming. And the last thing I knew…she can’t regenerate like we can,” E pointed out.

“We can go to the bunker,” S argued, “We can sneak in. I’ll claw the entry open if I have to. We have a few hours until dawn so we can totally make it there and back! Ask the uh…other doctor…the one that helped Jae fix you when R…” he gave a violent shudder as his eyes unfocused slightly, they snapped back to clarity after a second however, “Anyways…I can’t let another squadmate die, E…it’s not fair…”

E was quiet for a little while. Her claws scraped against her jacket’s sleeves, though didn’t puncture through it.

“...S you’re not…projecting…on her. Are you?” she finally asked, slowly.

“What?” S raised an eyebrow.

“You’re not trying to save her because she reminds you of Uz-”

“NO!” S snarled, only to wince as his voice shook snow and ice from the Spire walls, “E…no. N-No I’m…I’m not. I wouldn’t. An-And that’s a low blow bringing… that …up…”

“S…” E tried again, grabbing at his arm as he fished a magnet from his pocket, though she wasn’t strong enough to pull his arm away from his head as the magnet’s field warped his screen with glitches of green-red and violet-orange for a few seconds. The stressed and hollow gaze mellowed out in fuzzy rings that filled back in as his shoulders sagged and he gave a relieved sigh, “...You know the toaster would have thrown a fit if she saw.”

“...Don’t tell her,” S mumbled, putting the magnet away, “She’s…she’s got other things to worry about. We have other things to worry about.”

“Look, I don’t want to mess with a broken squadmate protocol either,” E told him, “But we are probably going to have to.”

“Not if we do something!” S shook his head, “If we go now and get the other girl and bring her back here…”

“And if we get her here then what?” E crossed her arms, “If they find out she helped the corpo brat out…they’ll kill her or they’ll banish her too. And you want to inflict what our squadmate went through on another person?”

“No but we ca-”

A soft splattering noise caught their attention, getting both Disassemblers to whirl back towards the pod. Jaelyn leaned weakly on the door, eyes hollow and fragmented with fuzzy glitches as black dribbled down her chin and was completely spattered down her dress shirt. Her legs were shaking as heavy, labored venting coated with steam left her.

“...I…I threw up…” her voice was tiny, broken…almost childlike as she grabbed at her mouth again. Both S and E could hear her internal systems heaving as more black-sweet and sable-cool liquid spat past her fingers, wrenching them apart and causing a torrent of oil and coolant mixture to spatter the ground. 

S immediately darted towards their sick squadmate, scooping her into his arms and carrying her back inside. She was so small, whimpering as she coiled in on herself while trying to pull away from his heat. He felt his casing warp a little from the heat she was giving off…and was quite surprised she hadn’t burst into flames in his arms. His eyes hollowed as he saw the inside of the pod.

“...What…the fuuuu-” E winced as the anti-swearing protocol activated and sent a shock down her frame. She followed him, her own eyes hollow as they scanned the interior as well.

It looked like someone had been brutally murdered inside. Oil and coolant was spilled over the floor, handprints trailing black starbursts from where Jaelyn had fallen and scrambled weakly to get up. Pieces of metal and electronics littered small areas, the internal meat-metal that helped Jaelyn function being forcefully ejected from her body under the heat that was building in her. S lay Jaelyn back on the bed, his own hands shaking as he brushed a dark violet-black bang away from her screen, wincing at the sticking the melting plastic of her wig did as he brushed it away. 

“Stay here,” he told her gently as he got to his feet, “we’re going to try and help you get feeling better.”

As he turned to leave, he felt something catch his fingers. He turned back to face Jaelyn, a terrified expression on her face as her much smaller fingers wrapped painfully tight around his middle two digits.

“...Stay…please…” she croaked, a tremor wracking her frame, “Don’t…don’t leave me…don’t leave me…alone…I don’t…want to die…alone… please …”

S’s eyes hollowed as he seized her hand and knelt back down. For a moment, the pained snowy-lilac eyes seemed to have turned gold, the raven-iris hair became gunsmoke silver, and the dress shirt became something more akin to lace and frills. In that moment, S’s overheating beating star’s core had ceased and he was away from the hellish cold lit by a red-dwarf’s light…but in the butter-gold hues of a main sequence star’s world. In that moment, he saw someone he had once been unable to save.

And he would not fail Jaelyn like he had failed U-

A violent shudder rocked his frame as he squeezed her fingers tightly, pressing them to his screen for a moment before looking plaintively at E.

“...Please…” he whispered.

E stared at him for a long while before sighing.

“Stay here. I’ll be back,” she told them, “...S…start making her a snow bath. Might help with the overheating,”

“...Thank you, E,” 

“...Don’t…don’t mention it,” came the reply as E’s spiked hooves tapped out of the pod and the rattling rasp-clink of her wings unfurling filled the air.

“Hold still for me, please?” Cyn asked as she tied the last strap of a sling tight, “There we go. Ok, now…I want you to take it easy for the next two weeks, let your nanites heal the area. I want you to also come back in about 5 days so I can readjust the sling and make sure everything is healing properl-”

“Cyn!” a familiar voice called, getting the young medic to turn and face a blonde girl with bright pink eyes and a near permanent half smile.

“Oh, Lizzy!” Cyn smiled as the pink eyed girl came up, looking up from the datapad as she tapped a few quick notes on it, “What is it?”

“Ok, so…one, came to tell you that the whole prom committee is like, on my case about asking you on if you’re going to lead again this year,” the younger medic told her, “And oh yeah, there’s this girl looking for you? Had glasses, brown pigtails and blue eyes…said it was important?”

“Um…well…” Cyn frowned as she turned away from her patient, “I don’t know anyone like that…that’s a girl anyways…unless Beau did something to himself but well I doubt that…”

“Ugh, please, she’s at least decently cute,” Lizzy rolled her eyes, “And I don’t think you’d catch your boyfriend dead in a skirt,”

“...Not really,” Cyn admitted, “Ok, can you finish up here, Lizzy? I’m going to go check this out,”

“Sure thing,” the blonde girl shrugged as she took Cyn’s place, “Oh, if you see my lil sis? Tell her that Mom’s going to be working late again,”

“I’ll tell Vicky if I see her,” Cyn nodded as she quickly ghosted through the room and out into the halls. 

She’d been traveling for what felt like seconds when she felt eyes on her back that made her spinal strut shiver. She turned around to see a petite Worker with blue eyes, glasses and brown pigtails…just like how Lizzy described her. 

“Sorry I took so long,” Cyn apologized, “Lizzy said you were looking for me?”

The Worker girl stared at her for a few seconds before looking around at the extra people milling about. She nodded her head towards a small alcove that was decently shielded from sight. Cyn’s eyes narrowed slightly as she followed the Worker girl, her hands curling around a scalpel that she slipped from her wrist and prepped to defend herself with. When they were out of sight, the girl spoke.

“Least the pink eyed menace did something right,” came a… very familiar voice. 

But it was a voice that did not match the body that Cyn was looking at. 

“Look, I don’t have time to deal with all the staring. I need you to come with me,” the Worker? girl stated, crossing her arms, “If you don’t…the purple eyed princess is gonna die.”

“...E, right?” Cyn’s voice was quiet.

“That’s my designation, don’t wear it out. Now come on ,” the drone in front of her sighed, reaching out and grabbing Cyn’s hand…scaldingly hot and not at all cool. There was a faint shifting sensation and Cyn watched in a little horror and awe as plates peeled back in feather pattern, revealing gunmetal silver and sunglow yellow before going back to china blue and white.

“W-Wait, what’s going on?” Cyn demanded, yanking her hand free and getting E to throw her head back in a heavy groan, “Something’s wrong with Jae?”

“Duh,” E scoffed, “Otherwise why would I be in here with you toasters. Honestly…look, some idiot with a grudge and a chip on his shoulder stabbed the little corpo poodle with a virus spike. Think she called it a Meltdown virus,”

Cyn’s eyes hollowed.

“What one,” she demanded.

“PR0M3TH3U5 she called it,”

“...E I can’t help you,” Cyn winced.

“Why.” came the low, rumbling growl as silver-sharp fangs parted through lips that never should have had them, “Because helping her is going to get you kicked out of your stupid colony? Didn’t stop you before…”

“Because there is no cure for that,” Cyn hissed, “Meltdown viruses come in varying degrees of severity…only two of them are curable. Jae’s got one of them that isn’t .”

She grabbed the skirt of her dress, sighing.

“I take it you…really don’t know what that does, do you?” she asked, “What was she doing when you left?”

“Puking oil and internal components,”

“...O-Okay so um…that’s Stage 2 to Stage 3. She’s a medic so she’ll probably be trying to power through that to Stage 4…um…which is where it directly attacks the core to overheat and melt it down. Because there’s no more oil or coolant. If you can…keep her oil and coolant levels at somewhat normal…she…may have a chance,” Cyn admitted, “it’s…a longshot but…well…”

She reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a piece of paper, scrawling on it with a pen before handing it to E. The disguised Disassembler’s eyes narrowed as she took the paper and Cyn gave a small smile.

“That’s my ID…that you can use to contact me?” Cyn started, “So you don’t have to, you know…sneak in and potentially get caught? Especially since I think Vicky might be on to your um…well…”

“Yeah the punchy pocket calculator has it out for me I know ,” E rolled her eyes, “Fine. I’ll take it.” She stared blankly out at the hallway, head tilting in an unnatural sharp angle…like the books on birds that Cyn used to read as a child, her casing seemed to ripple, breathe even. A feathery pattern breaking up with the sound of chipped and breaking glass on concrete as the blue turned to green, turned to yellow and the Disassembly Drone towered over the much shorter worker. She reached her long claws up towards the vent and hauled herself into it.

Seconds later…a message popped up on Cyn’s screen.

Msg: DD Unit: SD E 001-003-001 I’ll let you know if she lives.

S was at his wits’ end as he piled more snow onto Jaelyn’s feverish form. He’d thrown her coat, her shirt, her hat, her skirt and boots to the side, laying her on a tarp in the bottom of a shallow ditch…almost as if he were preparing her for a grave.

She’d fought him when he’d started unbuttoning her shirt…but it was starting to melt to her chassis and it absolutely needed to come off else she’d really be in trouble. She’d kicked him pretty hard when he did the same with her skirt…but she did calm down a little as the cold from the heat sink reached her. Small little chirps and whines and warbles that he didn’t understand bubbled from her frayed voicebox. 

“...I don’t…wanna die…” she whimpered, grabbing at the tarp, her body seizing and spasming once as a terrified cry left her, “I’m falling…I’m falling …! Mom! Mama! Mama! Daddy! Please! Help! I’m falling! I’m falling! I can’t see! I can’t see!” she babbled as her arms and legs scrabbled in the tarp. S held her arms down so she wouldn’t hurt herself, his teeth grinding against themselves painfully.

“Easy, Jae…” he soothed, “It’s gonna be ok…I promise…I’ve got you…”

“...D4ddy?” she murmured, her eyes were half closed, “Y0ur hand5…are so w4rm…I need…I ne3d t0…I-I n3ed to ch3ck…check…I…I…” she gave a wheezing shudder, “...I d0n’t want…t0 go…I-I want…t0 5tay…h3re…where it’s c0ld…but 1t’s…so hot…and I-1-I-1…” she lurched up, over the side of the heat sink, heaving again as sweet, cool-warm oil poured past her lips…silver threads of melting internal metal pooling as well as she hacked and coughed and shuddered. S held her hair out of her way, the edges already brittle matted with rainbow-slick oil. 

More molten silver sludge poured past Jaelyn’s lips as she continued to purge her insides.

Here-me! Where-you? Here! Here! Here! S!

S’s head snapped up as E’s voice carried over the winds.

I’m here! Here-us! We’re here! Here! Here! E! He whistled back, seeing E come hurtling in like a meteor. She skidded in the snow, eyes hollow as she saw Jaelyn.

“Oh…oh that’s not good.” E winced.

“Where’s Cyn?” he asked.

“Couldn’t come,” E told him, “But gave suggestions. Says that if we keep her oil levels stable and her coolant levels stable…we might be able to save her.”

S looked at Jaelyn, who continued purging the oil in her body over the side of the heat sink. His wings snapped out as he shot into the air, racing for his nest. He knew what he was looking for, claws hooking through the broken chassis of a Worker he’d killed recently…still full of oil. With a few more hop-scuttles, S leaped from his nest and bolted towards Jaelyn. 

“Jae…I need you to open your mouth, ok?” he murmured as he used one of his claws to sever an arm and slit it from wrist to elbow, “I know it’s hot…but…this’ll make you feel better, ok?”

The snow-lilac eyes looked blearily at him. A high temp error blitzing over her screen as she whimpered…but she did as he asked. He gently drew her into his lap and tipped the arm so that the black gold dripped down into Jaelyn’s awaiting mouth. 

The second the oil hit her lips she pulled a face and started pulling away.

“Jae, no. I know it tastes bad but you have to!” he ordered, holding her head still best he could, “Please! You’re dying! I can’t lose you! Please!”

Jaelyn let out an eerie wail that warbled and fluttered as she kept trying to fight.

“Stop it, freaking Toaster !” E snarled, grabbing Jaelyn’s head with both hands and using her fingers to pry open her mouth, “You bite me and you’re going to be cutting your mouth open now drink , dammit!”

Jaelyn whimpered, her venting unsteady and shaking as S continued to drip feed her. When the arm was drained, S sliced off another body part and repeated what he was doing. He noted that Jaelyn was becoming a little cooler to the touch, that her whining and whimpering had stuttered to a near soft halt. She didn’t fight him and E had actually released her mouth, opting to help S cradle the Worker’s head.

He could have sworn that Jaelyn was…actually eagerly drinking now.

Hours passed, the little squad trying desperately to keep their third member alive through a virus designed to kill. As the third hour rolled around…six hours since Jaelyn had been infected with the virus…Jaelyn’s drinking slowed down to a halt and S noted that…she had fallen asleep.

“Is she dead!?” he panicked, looking down at the Worker girl’s bared core…relief washing over him as the little Worker emblem and 1001 code flickered still in time with her core rotation.

“...I…think we did it,” E said slowly as S shifted his weight so that he was cradling Jaelyn closer to his core, eyes narrowing as she saw the Worker almost cuddle into his hoodie, fingers grabbing at the argyle fabric and twisting around them, “Whatever…we wait until tonight. Take her to your nest, keep her warm and watch her oil levels…I’ll stay down by the entrance…and if anyone tries to disturb my sleep…I’m going to make what this virus did to her look like a little micro-bug.”

S gave a nod, grabbing Jaelyn’s coat with his tail and reaching down to nab her hat before carrying her up to his nest. He gingerly lay her down on the soft down pillows that he had grabbed from an old human apartment, turning to take up post next to the entrance…

He felt her fingers tighten in his sweater.

“...No…” she mumbled in her sleep, “Stay…please…”

His false eyes softened as he snaked his much larger body around her, his wings wrapping around them both as his tail coiled around her legs. She buried her head into his chest, cuddling closer to his warmth and he lay his chin on the top of her head, the scent of lilac on his sensors as the rhythmic beating of his core and the whir-whine of hers filled the air of the nest with a soft symphony.

“...Ok,” he told her as he closed his eyes. “I’ll stay,”

Chapter Text

27

Jaelyn woke up to the scent of sandalwood and this…odd warm bitter smell that reminded her of old candles her father would smuggle into their apartment, coffee he’d called it. Whatever it was…it was warm and comforting, reminding her of the nights when blizzards blew in and her father had wrapped himself around her. She snuggled closer into the warmth, sighing contentedly as she buried her head in the soft cotton of his shirt, reveling in how his warmth enveloped her. His hands, his arms, beating core, his wings…

Wait a moment. 

Her father didn’t have two of those?

Her eyes snapped open as she saw not her father wrapped around her with the hot waterbottle between them…

But S.

Jaelyn blinked a few times, processing what she was seeing. She froze, stiffening up as his arms, wings, legs and tail tightened their hold on her. As his head nuzzled gently onto hers, and as his chest seemed to vibrate with a rumble of thunder. Not a growl…no it was…lighter. Warmer…

Safer.

Part of her was unwilling to get herself out of the embrace, to enjoy the warmth that was flooding through the bitter cold knifing through her. The other part was screaming at her to get away from literal Death.

…Come to think of it, why was it so cold after all?

Jaelyn’s eyes narrowed as she looked down to see why…only for the snowy lilac ovals to immediately dilate into pearly rings of amethyst. A steam whistle whine left her throat as lines of brilliant blush burned over her screen, turning into a screech of horror as she realized her coat, her blouse and her skirt were all missing. The only thing keeping her warm was S’s body heat.

At the sound of her scream, S jolted awake. A blur of motion and ringing feathers as the warmth retreated from her for all but a moment. S’s gut hooked, sword point feathers bristled around her as his limbs protectively hunched over her, his core glass barely visible right next to her face. It was burning oh so bright…

Danger! Where!? Here-me! Here-me! I’m here! Threat? Where!? Steely warble words hissed and spat through S’s fangs as the crossed out screen glared in hostile protectiveness.

After a few seconds of realizing there was no threat, though Jaelyn hadn’t stopped screeching and trying to get away …S’s wings folded back and his screen blipped back into two golden ovals. His false eyes flicked towards Jaelyn and his face lit up in happiness as his tail wagged so hard a breeze blew over Jaelyn’s frame.

“You’re awake!” he chirped, bringing her into a bear hug, flush against his chest, “You’re alive! Oh thank robo-god I-OW!” He winced as Jaelyn repeatedly smacked against his chest, pushing with all her might for him to let go, “Ow! Ow! Hey! Quit hitting me! You just recovered from that virus! You should be resting!”

“Let go, S!” Jaelyn snapped, smacking him again, this time managing to worm herself free and scrambling to cover her core glass and any exposed part of her chassis, with a soft plush blanket her hands laid on, “What did you do to me while I was sleeping!?”

“Wha-?” the Disassembly Drone blinked, cocking his head in bird-sharpness to the side.

“You heard me! Spill or I’m going to HR about this!”

S blinked a few more times before realization dawned on him, causing a brilliant saffron blush to color his screen. “J-Jae we’re…we’re drones,” he stammered, “We don’t…um…that’s not a…y’know… thing …An-and besides that! I-I’m not that kinda guy! Y’know?” oh…he actually sounded hurt there, “What would I have even done?”

“I-! Y-You-!” Jaelyn sputtered, still brilliant violet, “S-Still! That’s besides the point! Where are my clothes?”

“Oh! Here!” he gave that damn goofy smile as he hopped and skipped towards a pile of neatly folded clothes, grabbing them and bringing them to Jaelyn. 

The girl took them and stared expectantly at S…who smiled at her with gently wagging tail. Jaelyn shot him a withering glare in response, getting the tail to slightly slow its wagging.

“Uh…everything ok?” he asked.

“Turn around,” Jaelyn ordered.

“Wh-Jae I’ve seen bare Workers before.”

“That’s beside the point!” Jaelyn hissed, holding the blanket closer, “Turn around! I don’t want you staring at me while I get my clothes on!”

“But…it’s not like there’s anything to s-” S cut off as he held up his hands at the scorching glare he was receiving, at the bare-toothed snarl grimace, at the faint flicker of screen that he barely caught, at the high-pitched screech-snap of Jaelyn’s anger vocalizing. “Ok! Ok! Got it, let the pretty girl dress in peace. Lemme know when you’re done and I can uh…get us down. It’s kinda a long fall.”

Jaelyn grumbled as he turned around. She didn’t see the pupil cameras of his true eyes looking at her…so at least he kept his word and kept his eyes firmly ahead of him. Though it did make her core’s whining-whir calm as he grabbed his beanie and jammed it further over his eyes.

E was already on the ground by the time Jaelyn and  S came down from the nest. It was…a bit hard to not to ignore considering Jaelyn’s ice shattering shriek of indignity. The taller female pawed at the icy rime with a nail studded hoof, scraping snow flurries up onto her digitigrade legs and sending small cold kisses of a lover denied over the astro steel enamel. 

How many times had her legs been broken before they healed ‘right’?

She shook her head, shoving that memory through a needle eye sized strainer and locking it away. She didn’t need that. Not now…

Not ever.

Jaelyn stormed towards the ship, closing the door behind her and making S wince and hunker down, his tail coiling around himself and laying the canister in his hands. 

“I uh…kinda forgot…about the thing with Workers,” he admitted.

“Sure,” E deadpanned as Jaelyn stomped out of the pod, fingers intertwined with her hair as she brushed the raven-violet locks into a low laying pair of twin tails, rippling down her back.

“My entire paycheck for a comb ,” Jaelyn grumbled as she wrenched the locks through the band, “Anyways. Despite the fact that I’m still quite convinced you two did something to me while I was out, even if I didn’t see any marks on my screen…”

“Darn, missed opportunity,” E sighed, her fangs baring in a wicked smile as Jaelyn glared at her with a fury that seemed to make the red sun above them wither and die. 

“Table that, considering I’m having…problems…logging all the minutes I…ahem,” Jaelyn gave a cough into her hand as she straightened her blouse, “missed due to the fever. As far as I am aware, the strain of MELTDOWN that ambulance chasing intern stabbed me with was incurable. What did you two do,”

“Well, we kinda had to put you in a heat sink for one. Your wig and clothes were starting to melt but I um…c-couldn’t get the wig off in time,” S admitted, “And uh…y-you kinda smacked me when I started taking the blouse and skirt off.”

“Least that mental function was still working, even damaged,” Jaelyn huffed, crossing her arms and rocking back on her hip, “What else did you do.”

“I kinda maybe sorta sent E back into the bunker. And I don’t think she killed anyone! Maybe!” S gave a smile as his tail wagged proudly, “Least I’m pretty sure she didn’t! Because she didn’t come back with a body,”

“No unfortunately I put my squadmate’s peril above myself,” E sighed, “Shocker I know . I went to that little pipsqueak medic of a toaster, Sin.”

“ Cyn helped you,” Jaelyn blinked.

“That’s what I said. Did your audials get damaged from the virus?”

“No. Just…continue. As I don’t see her here I don’t think you were very successful getting her out and about.”

“Oh look least the optics work,” E snarked, “No, I didn’t get her to come out but she suggested a thing since she said that ‘PR0M3TH3U5’ I think you called it? Was going to start like, burning up all the oil in your body to get at your core?”

“Yes, I’m acutely aware that’s how it works, Final Monster, now cut the water cooler talk or I’m going to get a bit violent,”

“Touchy,” E rolled her optics, “Anyways, I got the info, flew back here and we treated you. And you’re unfortunately here to grace us with your grumpy beleaguered boss persona.”

“What did you do ,” Jaelyn repeated.

“Oh, uh, Cyn suggested we keep you fed with oil until the virus burnt itself out,” S stated, “We kinda know how that is so we helped!”

Jaelyn’s eyes voided out as she put a hand to her lips and the other to her fuel tank. Her head slowly turned over to S, taking in his goofy goober grin and proudly wagging tail. E raised an eyebrow as a small, slow smirk grew over her faceplate.

“You.” Jaelyn’s voice was soft, barely audible but E could hear her just fine, “Fed me oil…”

“We kinda had to…” S admitted.

“FROM A CORPSE?!” Jaelyn screeched, whirling on him, “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW UNSANITARY THAT IS!? WHAT VIRUSES THAT CORPSE COULD HAVE HAD!?”

“W-Wait!” E’s voice was undercut by an incredulous laugh, “You’re mad…not because we fed you oil… but because it was from a corpse ?”

“Oh very astute Sherlock Drones !” Jaelyn snarled, “Yes! Yes I am angry about that! All the oil-born diseases and viruses that your corporate forsaken firewalls can just delete with a snap of your fingers! And you give it to the firewall compromised Worker Drone dying of MELTDOWN !?” her voice rose in fever pitched screeching, making S wince and E’s tail lash, “I understand we don’t have a sterile transfusion set so you had to get that oil in me any way you could! BUT IT DID NOT HAVE TO COME FROM A DEAD BODY!!!”

“It was all we had!” S placated, “An-And the sun was coming up! You weren’t going to make it! W-We fought it for three hours! Trying to keep you fed! It…we didn’t…we didn’t want to lose you,” his tail dropped down to the snow, coiling in boned fish limpness as the rattlesnake canister twitched, carving a swath of melted permafrost in its path. “And when it finally broke I…took you up to the nest because I mean…you saw the pod…an-and you were so tired…an-and I wanted to give you a good place to sleep…and I know you’re superstitious about R’s nes-”

“I’m not superstitious!” Jaelyn spat, “I just don’t think it’s wise to go in a structurally unsound nest that’s been abandoned for months ,”

E looked at S with a disbelieving snort. She didn’t say anything about the small Worker taking salt and throwing it at the direction of R’s nest, nor the melted ice circle on the floor below the nest where rocksalt had been placed. Or the fact that Jaelyn actively avoided that area unless she had to…and even then she was quite quick about getting through the area.

‘Not superstitious’ her left actuator. 

“That all being said,” Jaelyn continued, looking up at S with a very heavy blush on her screen, “We…didn’t…um… do anything, right?”

Oh. Ohohooo … E’s grin became malicious as she prowled forwards, voice absolutely dripping with purring torment as she circled the smaller drone. “I dunno~” she smirked, tail arching up and sliding under Jaelyn’s chin, making her look up as the barbed telson slithered by, “Why don’t you ask me in like…mmmm…four months?”

The squawk Jaelyn gave sounded almost like a ping.

S choked on his spit at the implication given from his squadmate-sister. E gave an absolutely devilish grin as she flicked Jaelyn’s screen. 

“Should I be picking pink or blue?” she purred, “Hm…should I be starting to go by Auntie E now?”

The sharp, lightning-snap crackle damned choir hum of polaris white plasma arching over the sterling steel roared through the air as Jaelyn unsheathed her sword and swung at E, fury etched on her faceplate. E merely darted away, lounging on quadrupedal nail hooves and ice sharp talons that ticked and crunched through permafrost. 

“Hey… hey !” S sputtered, rushing forwards and grabbing the smaller Worker by the collar of her throat, the scent of lilac and nightshade flowers and jasmine filling his senses and making tiny shivers run down his spinal strut and tail, “Jae, c’mon…she didn’t…she’s trying to rile you.”

“Con. grat. u. lations.” Jaelyn spat as she struggled, squirming like a captured kitten by the scruff, “She succeeded. Now, if you would kindly put me down so that I can turn that walking scrap heap into a lobby ornament…”

“Awww, careful S,” E smirked, “I think the hormones are kicking in~”

She yowled as the hilt of Jaelyn’s sword collided with her screen as the weapon hurtled through the air in meteoric speed. Jaelyn barked out a laugh as S sighed and wrapped his tail around her waist, setting her down on the ground away from E before putting a stern hand on E’s coreglass as she attempted to charge.

“C’mon, that’s enough,” he sighed, “It’s not even dusk yet…we shouldn’t be arguing like this. And don’t we have better things to do?”

Both girls’ hissing and snarling and ribbing verbal barbs at each other quieted down, devolving into mere sharp glares at each other as he released them both. Jaelyn grumbled, walking over and grabbing her sword, replacing it on her back in its sheath…though she did stumble a bit when E’s tail whipped out to catch her angle. That got her a gentle thump on the head from S’s tail.

“He’s not wrong,” Jaelyn finally sighed, “And to be honest, I would like to know a few things myself,” she crossed her arms as she picked up the applicator gun used to infect her, twirling it around a finger, “I want to know who sold this. Because I think we need to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

“So…how we gonna do that?” S asked.

“Simple,” Jaelyn gave a smirk, “We’ll have to get you two disguised, well, S really…but…the Black Market should know exactly who sold this. We just need to ask the right questions…to the right people,”

Chapter Text

28

Playing the long con was never the easiest or funnest part of what they did, but it was a necessary one. Outpost 1 was known for being incredibly superstitious and careful. For that, Jaelyn decided to bring in E for this part. Two Worker women together were less likely to be a trap than just one. E was…not happy about it but, well, she could deal. 

Jaelyn, rather, Jeannette made her way into the medical ward fairly quickly. Her skill as a medic was unmatched and she thanked her lucky stars that she had been trained by Dr. Price and had her mother’s natural inclination towards medicine. As such, she was very easily able to sneak oil from Outpost 1’s reserves to E to keep the disguised Disassembler from hunting. Though, Jaelyn was starting to notice that her murderous squadmate was getting antsy. 

E was currently lounging, hanging off really, on the couch of their small habitation, her tail flicked as she picked at her fangs with her claws. Jaelyn gave a sigh as she picked up her coat and wrapped it around her shoulders, ignoring the heat in her chest that clawed and gnawed at her. 

“Lightin’ up white again, toaster girl,” E pointed out, her tail jabbing towards her much smaller squadmate, “Time for your medicine,”

Jaelyn rolled her eyes as she nabbed a thermos and took a long swig from it. Bitter-sweet in the extreme that made her want to shiver in delight and shudder in disgust washed over her tongue and down her throat. An unfortunate side effect of surviving PR0M3TH3U5 she theorized…the need to consume oil as her core worked overtime from the strain. It hadn’t really shown signs of stopping but then again, it had only been a week since she’d overcome the virus. And on top of that, it had proven to be much more effective and quicker to just down a few mouthfuls of oil through her intake rather than setting up a transfusion set. 

It was something that E had poked fun at her about and something that had made Jaelyn throw a book at her. It was some great irony that the Final Monster got a book on how to be a Final Girl.

“Main entrance has a camera watching it,” Jaelyn stated as she put an electro-magnetic disruptor in her bag, “I need you to slink up and disable it for a little bit. I’ll lead the guard on duty back and we’ll distract them long enough to get S in. Once he’s in, he goes straight to the vents so that we don’t have to worry about scaring more people than necessary.”

“You realize this is probably going to result in the death of that guard,”

“Unfortunately that’s something we can’t help,” Jaelyn said, sighing, “Either they die when I pull them away or they’ll be executed or exiled which will likely result in them being eaten anyways.” 

“Callous,”

“Look, one death can save millions of others,” Jaelyn snapped, slinging her bag over her shoulder and turning to face the bored Disassembly Drone with her hands on her hips, “We find the person who’s been manufacturing the MELTDOWN virus spikes, take them out of the market and who knows how many more people we’d save.”

“Oh no I’m not calling you a bad person, I just find it oh so funny that a Worker is so into killing her own when we’re called the ‘Murder Drones’.”

“You have to eat, it’s like getting mad at a wolf for killing a rabbit,” Jaelyn’s voice was terse as she straightened her bag’s strap and made sure that the plate of casing making sure that her colony brand was fastened securely. If anyone caught sight of the warped and damaged mark then, well…it might be more than one body tonight that E and S got ahold of, “Just…get your face on. We have work to do.”

E rolled her eyes as she slithered off the couch in fluid rolls, her casing flicker fluttering in glass shard scrapes as she took the form of the blue eyed ‘Emily’ again. The dagger sharp glare as she tugged on her now brown ponytails did not leave Jaelyn’s faceplate. 

“Alright, fine, let’s get going,” E huffed as she grabbed the ‘Final Girl’s Survival Guide’ and hugged it to her chest, her expression morphing into a scared little nerdy girl as she pouted, “P-Please let’s just…g-get on with it? It…i-it’s scary outside at night,”

“You’ll live, come on,” Jaelyn grumbled as E let out a frankly deranged cackle and the two walked out the door.

Jaelyn came up to the main entrance, taking a look around to see what she was looking at. Outpost 1 had a pretty decent entry system. It wasn’t as heavily armored as her father’s design for Outpost 3, but Outpost 1 had managed to get some of the inspiration from him…by stealing the blueprints from her father’s workshop during a raid. One that Jaelyn vaguely remembered. 

Her mother had made her hide under the bed while she stood guard, holding this monstrosity of a weapon…a hand held halberd axe thing that was the bastard love child of a pickaxe from the old mining days and a crowbar that her mother had stolen off some human corpse at some point. Made for piercing casing and screen before twisting and prying…it was brutal and ugly…but her mother loved it. For it was one of the first things her husband had made for her.

Jaelyn had only been about four when that had happened…but she remembered hearing the cracking, crunching, snapping rasping of casing breaking and her mother’s snarl-shriek as she drove something, the halberd probably, through another drone’s core. She remembered the scream-whine of those unfortunate enough to come on the bad end of a bat out of hell protecting her pup. She remembered her mother being covered in oil, boiling hot from exertion, remembered the rumbling shudder as she held her close…as her father enveloped both of them in overheating warmth from fear and hard work…

She shook her head. Now was not the time.

Her eyes lit upon the one guard waiting at the door, reading the colony’s newspaper nonchalantly. The scrape of metal on metal came through the door as the WDF guard smacked the metal with a bully stick.

“You aren’t gettin’ in so go get your bloody meal somewhere else,” came the bored voice from the guard. Jaelyn pulled a face for a split second before going neutral again. It was the Captain of the WDF guarding the door tonight. Lovely . She and Jaelyn had already gotten on the wrong foot the second they’d arrived at Outpost 1. 

The Captain looked up, raising an eyelight as she saw Jaelyn.

“What do you want, Jeannette,” the WDF member demanded, orange eyes narrowed as she peeked up from her reading, “Can’t you see I’m busy? The medical ward is in the opposite direction,”

“Don’t blow it…” Jaelyn thought before frowning, “Look, I was on my way home and there was a Worker that managed to hurt himself pretty badly back a few halls from here. Thought my best bet would be to come to the doors and see if I can get someone to help me lift him since I can’t do it on my own.”

“You carry that sword on your back and expect me to believe that.”

“It’s a lot lighter than it looks,” Jaelyn replied, “It’s also quite a lot less dense. But, if you don’t want to help me…then I suppose I’ll just have to get a big strong man to help me. Surely thought your status as WDF Captain wasn’t all bluster,”

“Shut up,” the woman hissed as she got to her feet, “Let’s get this straight, girly . I don’t like you. I still think you and that weird girl are up to something. And the Council here are idiots but only want you because you can tell a spinal strut from an actuator unlike our medic. So that’s the only reason I haven’t chucked you out into the snow to the murder bot that’s been clawing at the door for a week .”

“You say such the nicest things,” Jaelyn sneered before rolling her eyes…but it didn’t escape her attention the fact that there was a barbed tail tipped in nanite acid canister that snaked down from the overhead vent and wrapped around the captain’s ankle. 

The captain had two seconds to realize something was touching her boot before E’s tail snapped taut and yanked her off her feet into the air. E came out of the vent, screen crossed as the massive Disassembler pinned her prey to the ground, talons through the captain’s voicebox. Jaelyn winced as E wrenched the captain’s chestplate open with a manic laugh and wrapped her claws around the core.

“Sorry,” Jaelyn stated, “But your death’s going to save millions.” 

E ripped out the captain’s core and settled back on her haunches, gnawing at the tough piece containing the soul of the Worker laying dead on the floor. Jaelyn gave a sigh as she pinched the bridge of her screen.

“I thought we were just going to distract her long enough for you to sneak the door open?” Jaelyn deadpanned.

“One, S is starving out there. Two, the cameras would pick up on it. We’re in a place where they don’t reach. All they know is they saw you and the captain here,” E’s voice was muffled as she worked at cracking the core open between her jaws, “Leaving the door. So…”

“You’re trying to eat her core so you can do your transformation thing,” Jaelyn reasoned, “Probably using the excuse of the Captain getting enthralled by R’s voice…with the cameras shorting out from S?”

“Hey, you’re smarter than you look,” E sneered, giving a short yelp as her teeth finally cracked through the core and bit through her tongue, “Dammit… ow …”

“Cat got your tongue?” Jaelyn smirked, getting a glare from E as she tilted her head upwards in birdlike twitches, swallowing the core. The Disassembler gave a shudder as her plates ruffled and shifted, changing…

And there was the Captain, hale and whole, kneeling on her own corpse. 

“Man, there’s really nothin’ special ‘bout this one,” E huffed, brushing her arms off as she stood, “C’mon, let’s move a little bit to the left…I’m going to make it look like I’m scolding you for something before really putting on an act. I’ll let S in…and he’s going to…grab the ‘Captain’ out the door.”

“I’ll shut the door to make it look like I’m the hero then,” Jaelyn reasoned, “And it won’t…make people suspicious and go on high alert if S was to come in.”

“Sounds good,” E scowled as she poked Jaelyn in the chest, shoving her off balance, “Now, smile for the cameras, be a good little actress…and we might actually pull this off,”

“Whatever you say, Captain ,” Jaelyn shot back, getting herself balanced again as she shook her head and gestured back towards the door, “Might wanna get acting yourself,”

E rolled her eyes as she stormed back towards the doors. Though…halfway through she seemed to go lax, limp even. Pulled by something no one else could hear or see. Jaelyn made herself look confused, starting forwards as E pressed the button to open the doors. Jaelyn’s pace went faster and faster before freezing…

As S’s tall, bulky form loomed from the darkness, quietly stalking forwards with crossed screen. E seemed to ‘snap out of’ her daze and took stutter steps backwards…only for S to lunge, grabbing her by the head and yanking her out into the snowy darkness. Jaelyn immediately bolted towards the door, eyes hollow as she slammed the door shut…though she caught sight of S happily cuddling a very annoyed looking E as he rubbed his head against hers and his tail wagged a mile a minute. 

She gave a breathy, shuddery sigh as she put her hand towards her core and started running towards the inner part of the Bunker.

MSG WD Unit: J43LYN 001-001-002 S, you’re good to short out the cameras. Door will spring open and let you both in. I might have toyed with it earlier in the week while I was tending to a wounded officer. Get into the vents as soon as you can, E and I will meet you at the entrance to the Black Market.

She saw the lights flicker not long after her message went through. Heard the soft chittering scrape of talons in the vents not long after that…

Did not mean she didn’t jump when E burst out of the nearest vent as ‘Emily’.

“Fourth quarter profits and unionization projects!” Jaelyn sputtered, grabbing her core as E cackled at her, “Ugh, where’s S?”

“Easy, lovergirl, your baby daddy boyfriend’s in the vents above us,” E pointed with a far too sharp grin.

“Sue me, E!” Jaelyn snarled.

“Less fun than biting,” E hummed, winking.

Jaelyn rolled her eyes as she gave a steadying breath. “You gave him the disguise, right?”

“Duh, he nearly squealed like a droneling but whatever. He’ll look like some sort of malformed Industrial when he comes out. But he’ll be covered. So long as he doesn’t deploy his wings or wag his tail.”

“Modifications are a thing with Industrials. We’ll just say he’s from a Deep Lake operation. Deep Sea Industrials tend to be massive…so not impossible that Lake operators wouldn’t be either.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“You got rid of the body?”

“Duh, we’re both topped off.”

“Good…” Jaelyn gave a sigh as she started forwards, “Let’s get moving. Every second we waste is another drone dead.”

Chapter Text

29

“It’s probably best you don’t say anything as we go into the Black Market,” Jaelyn stated as her squadmates walked beside her. 

“Why?” S asked, tugging the scarf covering his mouth down a little bit so he could be heard, “Didn’t think our voices were that uh…y’know. Noticeable?”

“...Hm…no passing you off as a modified Industrial isn’t going to work,” Jaelyn sighed, wiping her screen, “Because you do talk way too much. And any Industrial that’s worth his paygrade is going to know immediately that you’re not one of them. You don’t use Machine Speak for one,”

“Machine what?”

“So Industrials are programmed so that they don’t speak like you or me,” Jaelyn explained, “It sounds odd and off to anyone not an Industrial. We can hear it but speaking it is another matter entirely. So…best bet is if we pass you and E off as some form of Specialist drone…which you likely are in the first place. Maybe Protectorate…”

“...Y’mean like the one that attacked us in the museum…”

“Yes. Story could be…yes that could work,” Jaelyn nodded to herself, “That being that you both were deactivated right after the core’s collapse. Your charge was a member of corporate that died in the collapse and I found you, reactivated you and you both chose me as your new directive. That way E doesn’t have to be stuck as ‘Emily’ or anyone else if she doesn’t want to be,”

“Sounds good to me, Boss,” S winked, making Jaelyn stiffen as a heated blush flickered over her screen for a second.

“...Boss…? Hm, yes, that’ll work,” she finally sputtered, giving a cough to hide her flush. She turned towards E with a raised eyelight, “Well, you want to be ‘Emily’ or do you want to be E for this.”

E rolled her eyes, her plating already rippling. “Clothes I can change like, instantly anyways. So long as I see them.” Her body elongated, crackling popping and snapping into proper position…though even still, the Disassembler was hunched at the waist, her clawed knuckles brushing the ground. But, that was just E and how she stood. 

“Claws are going to get us noticed immediately,” Jaelyn stated, “Straighten up too,”

E hissed at her, the yellow glow of her false eyes tinted green by the black scarf wound around her screen. Her claws didn’t disappear, but what looked like gloves of pliant and thick leather formed around the finger joints, more a weapon than a hand. She did straighten up to her proper 6’4 however.

Jaelyn hummed as she looked at E’s hands, getting a dirty glare from the Disassembler…which was promptly waved off. “Nothing. That’ll work for now. I just…had an idea for a tinkering project.”

And so, the trio started towards the Blackmarket. A Worker girl of above average height flanked by two towering monoliths of astro steel and fabric. They’d gotten a few stares from the people of Outpost 1 as they passed…but the look on ‘Jeannette’s face was plenty scary enough to not get people to ask questions. The warm red glow of the Industrial guard’s screen lit the hallway and Jaelyn gave a small, sad smile as they approached.

E gave a soft hiss, S tensed up as their eyes lit on the Industrial.

“What?” Jaelyn asked, voice soft and quiet.

“E got hit real hard once by one of those. Big o’ mace made from iron and rusted nails. Brutal thing, looked cool and functioned well but, well…she was out of commission and hemorrhaging for days .” S explained quietly, “So yeaaaah, no, Industrials=no bueno.”

“Just…keep your mouths shut and follow me.” Jaelyn sighed, giving a waved salute to the massive, to her, Industrial. 

The Industrial didn’t say anything, but did bow her head in greeting. With that out of the way, the trio walked into the Black Market. The large cavern was just as bright and crowded as Jaelyn remembered it from about a month or two ago, crowded buildings and storefronts barely left room for the squad to walk abreast, at times forcing them to walk single file. 

“Heyyyy ladies!” a voice called, getting Jaelyn to sigh and tilt her head upwards.

“Of course, Outpost 1 leads out in the HR nightmare that is the Red Light district…” she huffed.

While there was…no specific need for that…Workers didn’t reproduce like humans, no ports, no spikes nothing would ever give the indication of such a thing…some medical coded Workers discovered years ago that certain wires when crossed sent a jolt of pleasure through the body. They guarded that knowledge viciously, not sharing it with anyone. They weren’t very well liked in the Outposts, as it drew partners to them rather than their own spouse…but here? In this hive of scum and villainy? 

They were prized. 

The drone that approached them was nothing short of angelic in appearance, handsome with ivory platinum hair threaded with gold curls rippling to his shoulders. His blue eyes sparkled in mischief and mirth as he glided towards them, core glass exposed and bright as he shot a wink at Jaelyn and then at E.

“Seems my day’s been blessed by the Lord Makers,” he smiled pleasantly, “Like me to make yours too?”

There was a chainsaw rip-cord snarl as S’s hand snaked out and snatched the Worker’s hand as it reached for Jaelyn’s. Jaelyn held up a hand, the rage bleeding through the air from S was so thick that Jaelyn felt she could cut it with her sword.

“Not interested,” she stated, “And I’d advise you to go find your work somewhere else, else my bodyguard might rightsize your existence here and now,”

The Worker held up his free hand, giving a sheepish look at S.

“Hey, I don’t want any trouble. Just doin’ my job,” he apologize, “Sorry. But hey, if you change your mind, name’s Angelo…just come here and tell the others you’re looking for me…specially Miss Tall Dark and Mysterious there,” he shot a pretty smile towards E.

“I could rip you in half, small fry,” E growled.

“Oh? Damn…that’d be quite the experience then, huh?” he chuckled.

“If you want to make yourself useful, you can tell us where the Overseer is,” Jaelyn said, “Maybe that’ll convince my friend here to let you keep your hand,”

“The Boss?” Angelo asked, “Oh, uh, he’s probably at Vander’s. No need for violence. Seriously, I know when things aren’t wanted and I totally respect that. Can I have my hand back?”

“Let him go, S,” Jaelyn said.

The Disassembler let the Worker go, Angelo rubbing his wrist and wincing. “Damn…you got a grip…”

“Protectorate Drones’ll do that,” Jaelyn shrugged.

“I’ll say…think they broke the mold with those two. Even if they’re all covered up. Jeeze…” Angelo gave a chuckle, “Sorry if I was a bit forwards, Miss. Trying to meet quota and well…y’know how it is. First day on the job and if I don’t get at least one customer…” he gave a shrug and Jaelyn’s eyes narrowed as she took a look at him.

Multiple fractures, lacerations, and some severe trauma especially on his back lit up as warnings. She idly wondered if the star-like freckles dusting his screen were the result of him being born with them or of someone striking him. Her gaze softened slightly…he wasn’t much older than her. Seventeen…Eighteen at most. 

“You need credits or body count?”

“Credits…Big Boss isn’t too uhhh well…I’ve had a few people run out on me and one took the credits I made already.”

Jaelyn’s expression softened a little bit before digging into her bag, pulling out some still frost worn credits that she had stolen off a body that E or S had dragged in to eat when they had been outside last. She stuffed them into Angelo’s hand. “Here.”

“A-Are you suuur-oh my robo god that’s a lot of credits…” Angelo’s eyes hollowed, “How did y-”

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to,” Jaelyn said tersely, “Consider it a…investment.”

“I-” Angelo cut off as a brilliant, shining smile crossed his face, “Of course! Hey, I was serious…lemme know if you need anything. You’ve really saved my casing here,”

“Don’t mention it,” Jaelyn started off, her coat trailing in the steaming mist.

“You look upset,” S stated as Jaelyn’s pace quickened, carrying her forwards and out of the Red district, “He didn’t hurt you, did he? I can go back an-”

“No.” Jaelyn said, “He’s already been hurt enough. The fact he’s not much older than us and being forced to do that kind of work just…” she let out a sigh, “This place is the worst. And I really want to grab his creditor by the throat with my teeth and just…” her fingers dug into her palms, scratching lines of black across them.

Rip his throat out. Spill the oil on the ground and feed it to our squad…that sounds fun… the inner voice hissed as a grating and damn near feral growl ripped from her chest and one of her eyelights flickered into a violet tri-pronged glyph, We should go back…teach them a lesson…

“Hey, Corpo-poodle,” pain spiked through Jaelyn’s screen from where E flicked her, knocking her out of her thoughts and making the glyph flicker out, “Where’s this…’Vander’ at?”

Jaelyn gave a groan. She remembered that name. “It’s the damn bar that Vicky and N started a fight in…”

Jaelyn shouldered open the door to the bar, the clicking taps of S and E’s feet accompanying her boots’ clomping loud in her audials but far from being the loudest thing there. The music thundered through Jaelyn’s frame, the lights were flashing and the tens of drones having a fantastic time dancing and drinking in this nightclub of a bar washing over her as she strode into the building. Her eyes scanned over the main room, looking for the familiar and elusive drone. 

After a few seconds of searching, she took a deep breath and continued forwards, tapping S and E on the arms and motioning for them to follow her. Sitting in one of the booths, surrounded by Workers from the Red district judging by their dress as well as the familiar squad of Industrials flanking the opening, was the Overseer of the black market. 

He was a fairly large Worker. Bigger than Jaelyn for sure, dressed in gaudy silks and velvets, spotted furs and studded leathers. His green gaze flicked up at seeing S and E and he took a sip of high grade from the martini glass, swirling the silvery-pink liquid as he lowered it from his mouth.

“You two’re tall,” he stated.

“Watercooler chat is fine and all but the one who’s talking to you is down here, not up there,” Jaelyn said, crossing her arms. 

The Overseer looked down at Jaelyn and his eyes narrowed. “You’re that kid from Outpost 3. The one looking for a toddler’s core,” he picked up the lugnut that hung on a screw in his drink, sucking on the part for a few minutes before swallowing, “Thought I told you I never wanted to see you here again.”

“Believe me, there are a hundred things I’d rather be doing,” Jaelyn stated, “But, I’ve got other projects on my mind today. So, let’s talk shop, CEO to CEO.” She pulled out the MELTDOWN applicator and slid it on the table to the Overseer. “All I want…is to know who made this. And I want them to stop production,”

The Overseer unslung his arm from around the Red District Worker woman cuddled up to his side and picked the applicator up in his hand, turning it around before taking another sip of his high grade. He gave a soft hum before sticking the applicator into his jacket pocket.

“Here’s the thing, sweetheart,” he started, a small smirk on his face, “Here in the Underground, you need to know a few things. One: Don’t tip your hand. Two: Don’t give your only bargaining chip to the sucker you’re trying to haggle with. And three: Have the muscle to back up your words,” he snapped his fingers and the Industrial guards shifted forwards.

“This is going to kill who knows how many drones if you let that synergistic liability flood the market with these things!” Jaelyn protested, “This is your wheelhouse! Your company policy is to keep the Underground in order!”

“And that order is capitalism, honey,” the Overseer shrugged, “I let them make these little toys, I get the money, and the circle of life continues even without the Murder Bots banging on our doorstep. And you so helpfully returned one of those applicators back.”

“You’re a swine !” Jaelyn snarled as the Industrials started herding them out.

“That’s business, baby,” he winked, “Should probably brush up on that etiquette,”

“Unauthorized personnel are not allowed in restricted area.” one of the Industrials rumbled, the bored scarlet gaze looking almost…morose about the situation.

“This isn’t over,” Jaelyn hissed.

“Mmm, I think it is,” the Overseer hummed, waving cheekily, “Bye bye. Don’t come back.”

With a final step, Jaelyn stumbled back out of the bar. The doors slammed shut and she hammered her fist against the glass once, twice, three times.

“Fourth quarter profits! Mother of company retreats !” Jaelyn snarled, kicking the door and wincing as pain rocketed up her foot and leg. A high temperature warning flashed over her screen and she furiously ripped her thermos from her bag, taking a long drag from the bottle and shuddering as the oil ran down her throat. “Intern’s intern! Corporate shill ! Cowardly Ambulance Chasing LOAN SHARK! ”

“Jae?” S’s voice was cool sweet snowfall on a spring night, belying the warm hand that lay on her shoulder, “Breathe…please…”

“I’m fine ,” Jaelyn spat as she folded her arms and glared at the establishment before her, “I’m totally and irrevocably calm .”

“Yeah, and I’m a little bookworm of a maid,” E snorted, “Don’t think I’ve seen you that mad before.”

“If that idiot won’t see the danger he’s causing the entire population then I don’t think there’s any saving him,” Jaelyn huffed as she rubbed at the scar where the applicator had been stabbed into her own abdomen, just under her coreglass.

“We can kill him, it’ll be very easy,” S offered, Jaelyn could see the golden-green cross blazing through the scarf covering his screen.

“No.” she shook her head, “Removing one corrupt CEO isn't going to be enough. Because they’ll just appoint the SIC to his position and likely that one’s going to be the exact same. No, we need those names. If we don’t get those names then we can’t stop the production of those applicators and viruses.”

“What, you saying that we should completely scorch-earth him and ruin his entire kingdom?” E smirked, cocking a hip as she pawed a hoof on the concrete, “And then set you up as Madame President?”

Jaelyn froze, turning to slowly look at E. A wide, almost Disassembler even, smile cracking her face. E could have sworn she saw fangs in that smile. 

“...You know…I think that sounds like an excellent idea,” Jaelyn gave a rather dark and downright diabolical chuckle, “And who knows…maybe this place will be better for it.”

Chapter Text

30

Jaelyn wasn’t expecting to go back to Red District but…well, it was the only thing they were able to do. Staying in Outpost 1 would raise suspicions as S would have to hide in the vents or somehow sneak around with his disguise. Staying anywhere in the Underground without a roof over your head was just asking to get mugged.

Not that that would matter when she had the literal Grim Reapers at her side but still. The less people disappearing, the better.

Normally, the Red District’s houses would let clients sleep there if there was room and they knew someone here. Fortunately for Jaelyn…Angelo owed her. So he could and would claim that he knew them for the earlier transaction.

The building they had met Angelo in front of had a…very gaudy interior. Crystals hung from the ceiling and red drapery and carpets hung and lay on every surface. A woman in a cute maid outfit glided over with a smile, Jaelyn felt S and E go on high alert, low rumblings echoing from their chests.

“Howdy sugar,” the woman smiled, “What can I help ya with, name’s Jolene,”

“Nice to meet you but we’re here on business. We’re looking for Angelo,” Jaelyn stated, “Is he here?”

Jolene’s green eyes narrowed as she fidgeted with the long braid of auburn hair. “Well, whatcha wantin’ with the kid? Gonna determine what I tell ya y’know,”

“We just want to talk. I’m not interested in having any…services done.”

“Y’ain’t gonna scam him or hurt him?” Jolene closed an eye.

“Absolutely not. It’d be like kicking a puppy.”

“Damn right it would be,” Jolene chuckled, waving as she started off to do her job with someone else, “Kid’s top floor, last room on the right. Door’s not locked and will probably be open. He doesn’t close it unless he’s with someone or is asleep…he’ll get in trouble otherwise. And…hey,” her green eyes softened as she smoothed the apron on her uniform down, “Just…don’t hurt him. He’s got it rough enough,”

And with that, Jaelyn, S and E made their way up to Angelo’s room. The trip up the rickety stairs was not a fun one. S and E were heavy on their own, but they at least had the grace of being able to see in the dark. A nail sticking up from the floorboards caught Jaelyn’s boot and sent her sprawling forwards…only to get caught and wound into S’s chest, so close she could hear his core beating and smell the scent of coffee and sandalwood…

She shoved off him with a vibrant violet blush that got E to cackle. A thing that got only louder when Jaelyn turned that withering glare onto her.

They walked down the hall until they reached Angelo’s door. Like Jolene had said, the door was ajar but not fully opened. Jaelyn reached her hand to knock like a sane person would do, but E snatched her wrist.

“What.” Jaelyn demanded.

“I smell oil. A lot of it.” E warned, a rumble rattling her chest as tremors shook her hands. Jaelyn nodded as she quietly took her sword from its sheath, the plasma weapon was inactive…but the Worker had her thumb on the button juuuust in case.

“Angelo,” Jaelyn called, “It’s the group from earlier that gave you the credits to meet your quota. We came to talk.”

There was shuffling in the room and the door opened, Angelo’s beaming face lit up even brighter as he stood in the door…something that was accented by the ‘halo’ of fairy lights entangled in his platinum hair.

“Oh! Hey!” he beamed, “You came back! How can I help?”

“We were wondering if you knew any place to stay for the night. Or if you’d be so willing to allow us to stay here as ‘clients’.” Jaelyn stated, “A favor for a favor and all.”

Angelo gave another beaming smile as he stepped aside, sweeping his arm towards the room, “Of course! You guys saved my bolts today! Well…most of ‘em. Big Boss kinda uh…well…wasn’t too happy that I didn’t bring as many people as I should. So he decided that maybe I should kinda uh, look more the part! Have to say though, the halo fits!”

“I thought you said that he was only looking for credits?” Jaelyn asked as they made their way in and Angelo shut the door behind them.

“Well, yeah…at least I thought so,” Angelo admitted, “But it’s ok! I’ll just have to work twice as hard next time! Here, uh, let me help get the cloaks and stuff off. It’s kinda hot…” he reached towards E, who jerked back as if he had a virus applicator, “Whoa! Uh, sorry?”

“I’d rather…not,” E growled, “Keep your hands to yourself, pipsqueak,”

“Ok!” Angelo smiled, “It’s fine. I’m kinda…uh…not keen on people messing with my clothes either. I’d rather do it myself. Cuz, uh…well…this!” He shrugged off the silken bathrobe, leaving him in a low cut tunic, and turned around.

Jaelyn’s screen turned almost pink with the amount of red lit medical warnings that came into vision. Her eyes hollowed as she saw the damage done to Angelo’s back. The boy’s casing had been shattered around his shoulder blades. It looked like someone had taken a blowtorch or other heating instrument and melted the shards of casing, twisting them upwards into the ridge of a wing about half as long as Jae’s arm. Other shards of casing had been ‘glued’ and melted together in a facsimile of feathers, dripping ‘wax’ to give the illusion of an angel spreading its wings. There were multiple scars, like from a whip or cane or something criss-crossing his back, some of them looked fresh and that is where the oil had wept from. 

“Sit. Now.” Jaelyn ordered.

“Huh?” Angelo blinked, but did as she asked, sitting on the bed as Jaelyn gently yet firmly turned his back to her, “What are y-”

“I’m a Medic-Engineer. Obviously your corporate overlord scumbag isn’t keeping you properly maintained despite the fact you are living in a cesspool full of medics.” Jaelyn stated as she pulled out her bag and got her medical kit from it, “So, I’m going to do my job where these pleasure addled addicts have not.”

“They’re not that bad…” Angelo admitted, “They’ve been taking care of me since I was a kid.”

“You’re still a kid.”

“Well, I’m almost an adult,” Angelo countered, “I’ll make enough money to earn my adult frame soon! And then I’ll work on settling my parents’ debt.”

“ Earn you what ?” S blinked.

“Oh…are you a first gen?” Angelo asked, “I guess you are. Since you’re Protectorates that were here ‘bout the same time the core collapsed. Yeah second gens go through frame stages. Miss uh…”

“You can call me J.”

“J it is! Anyways, uh, Miss J here’s probably a second gen because she’s a Medic-Engineer. I’m a double Security…mom and dad used to be guards for Outpost 13. But uh…well…I got sick. And they kinda wracked up a big debt with the Big Boss trying to help me. Then we got raided by Outpost 9 and…well…Big Boss took me in. I’ve been trying to do my best to help whenever I can! But…I’m kinda clumsy and small and well…people like to high five me in the face a lot. So he decided that maybe I could do this! Since the other Redlighters taught me how to fix myself up and how to fix others up…I’m just…not very good at it. Yet! Not good at it yet !”

Jaelyn gave a sigh as she deftly cleaned the wound and applied some nanite gel to Angelo’s back. This would take multiple visits to heal. If they could even undo the body modification at all. 

“Tell you what. If you allow us to stay here and…give us information when we ask for it…I’ll fix you up and make sure that you don’t die from infection. Maybe even be able to heal your back completely,” Jaelyn said, “Free of charge in that way and you don’t have to fork over whatever profits you turn in do make a dent in the debt your parents owed.”

“...Alrighty! Sounds like a deal to me!” Angelo smiled, “I only have one bed, but you guys are welcome to have it! I’m used to sleeping on the floor anyways.”

The sky above the ashen landscape was…a lot more colorful than the last time Jaelyn had been here. Though, she did watch the roaring singularity above her with a very wary expression. A loud screeching roar caught her attention and Jaelyn jumped sky high, hand to her core while her other reached for her sword. Snowy-lilac optics lit upon the massive, looming, serpentine form of the dragon coiled up on the pillar…whose toothy maw was stretched in a grin as it cackled at her.

“Scaredy bat,” the dragon sneered.

“Oh, it’s you ,” Jaelyn huffed, “don’t you have anything else to do? Besides scaring assets?”

“Let me think about that, shortstack…hmmm no.” the dragon slithered down the pillar, looming over Jaelyn and keeping her in its shadow as its wings flared, “I was enjoying my solitude and getting ready for something and you decided to rudely barge into my house. Congrats. You’ve become a party crasher.”

“Soulless corporate Christmas Party…yeah, seems about accurate for you.”

“Oh bite me .”

“What?”

“Shut up.”

“So what am I doing here this time?” Jaleyn deadpanned, crossing her arms as the dragon huffed a cloud of steam and smoke at her. She didn’t flinch. “Because I’m starting to think this is an obsession of yours.”

“Beats me. If anything, I’d say you have the unhealthy obsession with me.”

“Sue me.”

“Oh that’s so much worse than ‘bite me’, least your mom had class.”

Jaelyn’s eyes hollowed out as she looked up at the reptile, who was currently scratching at its chest. “Hold on…stop the presses. How do you know my mom?”

“That’s for me to know and you to hopefully never find out.” the onyx creature grumbled as it trundled over to its nest of crystal and curled around it, “Look. No one wants to be here. Not even me. So why don’t you do the wise thing and just go . However you did it last time. Or throw yourself into the void. I don’t care. Though I still don’t recommend the latter.”

“Not until you answer my question!” Jaelyn snapped, “ How did you know my mom!?”

“Ah ahhh! What is it you’d say? Oh yeah . ‘Company secret.’” the dragon sneered, “Look, I don’t have all eternity. I don’t Solve problems, I cause them. So why don’t you take your little paper pushing bat self and leave me the hell alone .”

Jaelyn opened her mouth to protest but was cut off by the dragon blowing a large amount of steam-smoke at her and obscuring her vision as the world crumbled around her. She shot upright, clawing at the pendant around her neck, feeling the familiar edges of the stellarite flowers and the cool, slick metal plate at its heart. 

“Get a grip Jae,” she huffed, hugging her arms close to her chest, “You’re going to be just as crazy as people assumed your mom was,” she looked around the room, frowning, “Mom wasn’t crazy…neither am I. I’m not. That’s jus-jusss-ss-sst ju- just jU5t j-juss555t-” her eyes hollowed out as heat blazed from her core and stabbed upwards, burning through her screen and eye as the right one glitched into a tri-pronged glyph, “Just j-j-ussst just just Ju5T j-”

A squeal left her throat as she grabbed her head and threw herself backwards, back arching as the squeal became a scream, her legs kicked and stomped at the bed as pain stabbed through her processor.

LISTEN!

Angelo’s hollowed eyes stared at her as he raised his hands to prevent himself form being struck. E’s snarl ripped through the room and the bitter-sweetness of oil lay thickly on her tongue. Watch your back. A knife reflecting her own hollow snowy violet eyes. A hand with a dim and dark triangle gripping her pendant while a white hot blade pierced through its owner’s chest.  You’re not safe . Eyes in the darkness, yellow-bloodshot with black weeping from them opening and opening and opening until she was surrounded and pinned in microscope examination. The Overseer’s grin, fading to fury, fading to terror. S’s tail snapping out as his claws snapped off a wrist and dripped oil down down down into a singularity swirling blackness that grabbed Jaelyn’s ankle and ripped her off her feet, dragging her into its suffocating abyss. Danger! Danger THREAT THREAT THREAT THREAT THREAT!

THE SINGULARITY APPROACHES!

We’re dying! We’re dying! Help! Help us! Please! It hurts! It hurts! Make it stop make it stop make it stop! MAKE IT STOP! HELP! HELP! HELP!” Jaelyn mirrored the inner voice that screeched and screamed along with her in perfect harmony as she felt overly warm hands grab her wrists and force them down to her sides as she thrashed and seized.

“Jae! Jae, easy!” S’s voice was like cold oil rushing down her intake. Sweet and cool and cold and…

We’re starving…please please please help us we need food we need to eat or we’re going to melt please please please…

“...T-Th-th3rrrrrrmmm05…” Jaelyn slurred, weakly trying to get herself freed from S’s grip.

“I gotcha corpo-brat,” E’s voice was welcome but still prickly. Jaelyn felt the thermos’ lid push against her mouth and she greedily drank the tarry liquid, only to give a low, grating growl as E pulled away.

More she hissed, voice thick and grating and just…not…her. 

“Jae? You good?”

More! Jaelyn repeated, “M-m-more…”

“Uh...I don’t think she was done, E,” S said.

“Yeah well the thing’s empty so she’s gonna have to deal,” E snapped back, “God…we’re gonna have to take it with us when we hunt again aren’t we…”

“E she’s burning up…” S told her, “Isn’t there somethin-” he cut off as the door opened and Angelo stepped through the door with a tray.

“Oh uh…everything ok?” the boy asked, looking at the trio, “...Did I come into something I shouldn’t have?”

“Uh…you…wouldn’t happen to have any oil or coolant on you would you?” S questioned meekly, “Jae’s uh…kinda had a rough time as of late. She had to deal with a MELTDOWN virus and her core’s all wacky because of it.”

Jaelyn weakly kicked his leg. “Stop spilling…my medical history…please…”

“Oh, uh, not on me but I can get some!” Angelo nodded, “Just…give me a sec and I’ll take care of it! Be right back!”

He darted out the door and S helped Jaelyn sit up, wincing as a ‘Hi-Temp’ warning glitched over her screen. “You good?”

“What’s it…look like,” Jaelyn snapped, breathing heavily as she held her head, “Sorry…I don’t…know what came over me. I’m…calm. Just…give me a moment.”

She took some long, deep breaths, feeling her temperature starting to lower though the hunger gnawed at her fuel tank…and she wasn’t sure she was a fan of that. She cleared her throat as she got out of the bed, staggering slightly though brushing S’s steadying arm off gently as he reached to help. 

“First order of business…we need to get the Industrials employed as guard dogs to not interfere,” Jaelyn said, limping towards the open window and closing her eyes as she felt the night breeze on her casing, “Once we do that, we go to some of the more…prominent places of business and convince them that under new management they’ll be able to do more. Pay cuts and everything. You two got more credits from your hunt this evening?”

“Jae…” S tried, “you’re not feeling well…”

“Did you, or did you not?”

“We did,” E told her, “Now, I’d curb the bitc-” she jolted as the anti-swearing protocol zapped her, “ glitchiness down a whole ladder because that’s uncalled for.”

“Apologies,”

“Why don’t I feel you mean that?” E growled, though she seemed to bristle a bit when Jaelyn turned to face her slowly. The Worker girl’s head lolled lightly as she fixed the taller Disassembler with a nonplussed look, “Whatever, just apologize to S. I’m going to go tell the pretty boy that his coolant’s not needed.”

“We’ll be at the door to Outpost 3,” Jaelyn told her, “Big number three spraypainted on the wall. Can’t miss it.”

“Whatever,” E rolled all seven eyes as she spun on her hoof and made her way out the door.

E grumbled as she ticked down the hallway. Jaelyn needed to get a reality check in her opinion. Snapping at people was one thing but snapping at S was another. He really did not need that. Not at all. 

Not after what happened back then…

She wanted to stab something so badly right now. But that would mean blowing her cover. At this hour most of the Redlighters were asleep, Angelo being the one exception. It was still…very odd considering she couldn’t find the boy.

“I could just…so easily tear this place apart if I just hopped into the vents and scoured for the angel boy that way.” she thought bitterly, “I shouldn’t even care ! It’s not like he’s worth anything. Just a stupid naive little child who doesn’t know how to see how bad the world really is and just wants to greet the world with open arms despite it giving him literally nothing in return. It’s going to get him killed…or worse .”

She really hated how her plating itched and crackled after that…or how her teeth ached…or how her core-heart thumped and felt too small for her body. A toddler playing dress up in her parents’ clothes…

“Ą̸̊ẇ̶̙w̸̲̚w̵͍̏ ̷̬́È̵̬ ̶͙̀ẗ̸͖́h̵̞̊a̷̡͝t̵̹̕ ̸̤̕o̶̜͌ŭ̴̟ṫ̷̝f̷̧͛i̶̭͋t̸̞̑ ̶͍̀l̷͎̀o̴̳̚o̶̠̽k̶͖̽s̷͠ͅ ̸͙̈́s̸̖̐o̵̗̐ ̸͇̀c̷̯͐ǘ̶̹t̶̤̊e̷̬̒ ̷̪̏ǫ̶̀n̸̦̏ ̷͍͛y̶̨͋ó̸̘u̶̖̓!̸̢̆ ̷͔̍I̷̼̊t̸̙͋’̷̻̔s̷̝̏ ̸̱͋ā̵͎ ̸̹̄s̴̟̅h̶̟̿a̶̬̔m̴͚̓e̴͖̽ ̷̤̏ï̸̞t̶͈̐’̵͙̒ṡ̵̢ ̶͉̀n̶͇̓o̵͎͒t̴͚̒ ̶̧̊ṫ̶̠h̵͍̐e̴̩̒ ̶̈͜a̸͇͛c̷̺͋t̸͎̑u̶̗͝à̵͜l̵̍ͅ ̷̭̀ü̴̞ň̴̝í̴̦f̴͇̋o̶̔͜ṛ̷̕m̸͍̐…̴͕̔ḅ̷͂ȕ̵̖ţ̷̅ ̷̩͛h̴̓ͅẹ̵̈y̴̘̒,̶̭̑ ̷̗̍Í̵̘ ̶̬͊t̷̢̕h̷̗̋i̸̺̓ǹ̷̮k̶͓̎ U̴̧̯̯̤̹͠z̵̤̟̽̈́͋͆͝i̴̬̬̫͚̓͋̚ m̸̬͊i̴̅͜g̸͈̏h̸̟́t̴̘̓ ̸̹̊h̸̲͒a̴̱͛v̸̥͠e̷̼̅ ̶̩̎ṡ̶̹ö̴̪́m̵͍͆e̵̦͠ ̵̘̈́g̵̯͒o̵̝̿o̸̠̅d̶̦͋ ̸̖͝i̶̛̖d̴̖͝e̴̫͝-̵̯̆”̵̡̓

NO! BAD! E shook her head as the ping ripped from her and her claws pierced through her arms in a painful twist. No…no…miss you…stop…

A smacking crack caught her attention and her head tilted towards the sound in bird-like quickness. Quietly, liquidly, she flowed and susurrated around the corners and gaudy plush vases until she saw Angelo in front of a…

Huh, she wasn’t aware that Workers could be fat . 

Whatever it was, he was big and stout and dressed like one of those brothel owners from a bad and raunchy human film that she’d once had the displeasure of watching. He jabbed at Angelo’s chest and E’s lips pulled back in a snarl.

“Absolute waste of a null unit,” the other man sneered, “Breaking one of my prized vases again Angie boy? That’s gonna be another 15 years on your debt…bringing you up to 200 years now…”

“I’m sorry, sir, Boss,” Angelo stammered, hugging what looked to be a bag of oil to his chest, “It…it was an accident.”

“That’s not what I told you to call me and you know it kid.”

“...Yes Master…S-Sorry Master,” Angelo’s voice sent a spike of… something through E. Something she did not like to remember.

"̸͖̈́Y̶̭͆ę̸̓ṣ̸̐ ̴͔̈́M̷̼͝ö̸̡́t̸̹̐h̴͕͌ě̴͉r̴͇͂.̸̱̓.̵̰̒.̷̱̅s̷̨͊ǒ̷͍r̸̢͑r̶̲͘y̵̳͊ ̵͈̉M̵̝̌ǒ̸̩t̸̳̉h̸̡͂e̸̹̓r̵͖̆.̴̻̑.̸̨̓.̷̡͊"̸̧́

CRACK!

E snapped out of her thoughts as she saw Angelo get knocked to the floor, landing painfully on the ‘wings’ that had been torn up from his casing and as the Big Boss brushed the diamond head of his cane against his suit. One of Angelo’s eyes was cracked shut, glitching in fractured blue pixels.

“Maybe that will make you remember, boy ,”

Rage filled E’s chassis like hot, molten steel. Steam hissed passed her fangs as her plating shifted, her claws arced against the plush carpet, tearing it up in pale pink scars as she bolted forwards on all fours like a wild animal. A Monster.

High pitched laughter and demonic snarling roared from E’s chest as a golden cross blazed on her screen. The Big Boss only had time to look up for a split second before E’s claws sank into his chest and knocked him to the ground. She ripped her claws back towards her, causing bloodied oil gouges to spray. Her senses kicked into overdrive, she could hear him screaming…so she silenced him by ripping his vocoder out and swallowing it whole. She always did like those…Her jaws sank down in his chest again, ripping out strut and casing, gulping slippery wire and tubing as well as the precious life-saving oil down her gullet as her wings mantled over her new kill, piercing through his hands as her tail wrapped around his legs and held them all still. 

A soft, glass crunching gasp-cry caught her attention as she ripped her kill’s core out with her teeth and her head snapped in too-quick hawk tilt. Angelo stared at her, eyes hollow as he tried to get up.

Ah.

Now…that was a problem.

Chapter Text

31

E and Angelo stared at each other, the latter’s eyes hollow as he tried to scramble to his feet, his mouth working but making no sound. E gave a long, slow smile as she lifted a claw to her lips.

“Shhhh, no screaming~” she warned, “Wouldn’t want to wake everyone else would we, hm?”

Angelo’s eyes bolded as she spoke, he ceased trying to get up which was a good thing at least. “...E?” he croaked, “Wait…no…that can’t…you’re not…you’re not E are you?”

“In the memory metal and circuitry,” E smirked as she dug her claws into the corpse’s chest and wrapped them around the barely glowing core. A soft warbling cooing sound rippled from her chest as she pulled on her prize, prying it free and looking at it thoughtfully.

“You’re a Murder Drone …?” 

“Close that mouth, angel boy, or you’re going to have a cyber roach crawl into it. As much as I don’t mind the taste of the little critters I don’t think you’ll like the taste of old oil,” E stated, tossing up the core in her claws, “Hm…could be useful,”

“Wh-What are you going to do with his…c-core…”

“Eat it.”

“... What !?”

“Yeah,” E shrugged as she tossed the flickering thing into the air, “Materials are materials and even though this basta-” she cut off with a grunt as another shock ripped through her frame, “ Jerk smells bad and probably tastes worse…well. Can’t really complain can I?”

She bit down on the core, worrying it and gnawing trying to break the seal as her tail slowly wagged behind her. Angelo opened his mouth, closed it again before trying to talk once more. 

“A-Are you…ok? Was…that uh…that was a shock?”

“Fine,” E grumbled, swapping the core to the other side of her mouth and biting hard, “Just a stupid anti-swearing protocol that our oh so gracious overlords at JCJenson in Spaaaaaaaaaace ,” she waggled her claws as the core dangled from her teeth and rolled her eyes before going back to trying to crack the core open, “Stuck in me because they thought it was funny . What a load of crap .”

CRACK!

E’s teeth snapped through the core in her mouth, sending a small spray of oil into her mouth. Her screen glitched in a frown as the golden cross flashed over it. 

“Ugh…I was right, he tastes horrible,” she grumbled as she took the core out of her mouth and jabbed her fingers into it, prying it open further, “Rotten outside, rotten inside, hmph.”

“E-E…th-that’s his soul !” 

“And?” E smirked, “You honestly think I care? There’s a reason you toasters call me the ‘Soul Eater’.”

Angelo’s unbroken eye hollowed, bolding as he gave a sharp intake of breath…only to freeze as E’s tail whipped towards his face, the glass canister and steel telson needle pressing against his lips with surprising gentle firmness. 

“Ah ah ahhh~” E’s voice was purring, sultry almost as she gave a wicked grin, “What did I say about screaming? You start screaming…and I might have to get a second helping,” she flashed the Death’s Cross at him as she gave an even wider, fang filled grin, “We gonna do that?”

Angelo shook his head, closing his mouth and E lifted her tail from his lips and patted him on the head with it.

“Good boy,” she chuckled as she snapped up half of the core, the stone heavy material sliding down her gullet in quick, jerky movements as the oil clung to her throat. It was…almost slimy the way it felt, made her plates crackle pop in bunches. The second half was just as bad, making a shudder run from the crown of her eyes to the tip of her tail.

She hated the next part oh so much…

Agony bloomed from her fuel tank as the core was melted down and assimilated into her systems. Her plates snapped and popped upwards, shimmering with a cracking, clinking, breaking sound of glass shards dropping on concrete. The fiery pain seared through every circuit, dragging a gasping moan from her voicebox as she hit the floor on her hands and knees. Her wings folded back, her tail clanking to the ground and writhing like a beheaded snake as steam blasted between her fangs. Her vision whited out as it felt like someone were plucking each and every one of her armor scales out before roughly shoving them back in upside down.

Her internals twisted and writhed, as if she’d consumed a mound of hagfish, slippery little mucus covered things that made bile and corroded oil spit back up from her fuel tank into her mouth…but she did not let any of it escape. She couldn’t. Otherwise the core wouldn’t take. She heard the screaming of this…sad excuse for a drone…in her head, banging on the walls, demanding to be let free only for her own mental fortitude to seize him by the throat and crush it, sending him into silence.

She felt her claws shorten, dulling into fingers, her hourglass lithe body bubbling outwards, becoming stocky and padded with so many extras that it felt like she was suffocating. Her tail receded, coiling around her now ample stomach before melting into the casing to hide, her hair felt like it was falling out as her vision became restricted, limited to only two points rather than seven. Her legs and arms shortened, the jutting spurs receding, the iron spike shod hooves flattening and shrinking. Her voice deepened, morphing into a grating tone of someone who had smoked rolled up tarpaper and powdered resin most of their runtime. 

With that…the pain stopped and E let out a shaky breath. Her vision had been tinted an ugly maroon color, glitching as a message popped up on screen.

SYS:// ADMIN MSG: Another one? Damn…You really are a monster. I’m so proud :3

E let out a snarl, violently deleting the message as she shoved herself up to her feet, wobbling slightly from the new weight and giving a sigh as she turned every limb and read through the schematics that she was being given.

“There’s nothing special about you,” the nasally, resin-smoke choked voice groaned from her as she put her hand against her screen, “Fine. You’ll still be useful somehow. I’ll figure it out.”

“How…how did you do that?” Angelo squeaked, staring at E who…was a lot closer to his height now as she flexed her fingers.

“What, you mean you can’t?” E deadpanned, closing a maroon eyelight and brushing off some lint from the fur lining her coat.

“No!?”

“Hm, sounds like a skill issue,” she shrugged as she took a deep breath, “Ugh, I was right…you tasted vile and you feel vile and I freaking did you a favor by killing you because you wouldn’t have lasted another two years…”

“Th-That’s what the other Redlighters said,” Angelo piped up, “B-But um…th-the Big Boss uh…s-somehow managed to always outdo their expectations? I-I think maybe part harvesting…”

“Oh good, I feel less bad about eating him,” E snorted, looking down at the body of the Worker whose face she wore, “Ugh, might as well get him back up to the room…If I don’t eat him, S will and we can siphon some of the oil for the corpo brat.”

“...S is a Murder Drone too?” Angelo blinked.

“Duh,” E rolled her eyes as she shuffled off the body and grabbed it by the shoulder, starting to tug, “Now, be a good kid, don’t say anything about what you saw tonight…and maybe I won’t eat you tonight. Or do…bet you’d taste better than this as–” she stopped as she really did not want to get shocked again, “creep.”

“Y-Yes M-Mast-” Angelo cut off with a high pitched squeak as E transformed again, plating rippling as she seized him by the shirt and lifted him up to eye-level. Golden eyes boring into sky blue.

“Do. Not . Call me that.” she snarled, a low and thunderous thing that shook both his and her chassis, “You might be a corrupted Toaster boy, but you are a free drone. Regardless of what that lard boiled thing that forced you to call him that said. You are not a servant, you are not a pet. You are a Worker Drone . You are not a toy . You don’t bend the knee to anyone . Do you understand me Angelo.”

“Y-Yeah…” Angelo cleared his throat, his jaw working, “Yes. I do.”

“Good,” E dropped him unceremoniously to the ground as she drove her claws through the corpse’s shoulder, lifting it over her shoulder, “Ugh…this is going to leave such a mess…”

“There’s a service elevator right over there,” Angelo said, standing and wincing as he rubbed his backside, “Comes out right next to my room…I uh, used to use it to sneak out, hehe. I’ll get this cleaned up…so uh…no one finds out.”

E raised an eyelight, her tail giving a lash before a warm and somewhat kind smile crossed her face.

“Thanks,” she nodded.

“No problem!” Angelo smiled as she made her way to the elevator and opened it up, “Oh! E! Wait!” the Disassembly Drone turned back to him and Angelo gave another warm smile, “I uh…well…I just…”

“Spit it out, pretty boy.”

“I just…you should smile more like that,” he admitted, “You actually looked happy for once. An-And I think you look amazing without all the coverup stuff. E-Even if y’know…you’re kinda the uh…infamous Soul Eater.”

E stared at him a while before giving a wolfish grin.

“Flattery is going to get you nowhere, Angel Boy…” she smirked, “...But that added another day that I won’t eat you I guess,”

And with that, E crawled up the service elevator, dragging the body with her.

“So, just like at Outpost 1’s entrance, just…let me do the talking,” Jaelyn sighed as she and S walked through the sea of dronekind that was slowly ebbing away.

“I thought we were not going with the ‘I’m an Industrial like you wooo!’ thing?” S asked, “And I can play it cool, Boss-Ma’am,”

“You talk to much is what you do,” Jaelyn gave a raised eyebrow that turned into a small smirk, shaking her head as S flashed a static png of a dog begging on his screen, “Put your mask back up,” she reached up and grabbed him gently by the strings of his hoodie, yanking him down to her level.

S gave a soft yelp as goldenrod met snowy lilac and they both stopped, staring at each other for a moment before Jaelyn shook her head and adjusted his scarf around his screen but made sure his true eyes could still see. She could see the cat-like slits looking back at her and she cleared her throat.

“Worker Drones don’t have yellow lights,” she said, her voice cracked a little bit and she was cursing herself as that happened, “I’d rather not have one of my valuable assets getting himself killed,”

“You think I’m valuable?” she could see the sharpness of those polar bear fangs stretching into a smile and she could feel his tail twisting and violently trying to wag.

“Stop that,” she put her hands on his hips, grabbing his tail and forcing it to lay still, “You’ll get us caught. And they’ll kill us both. Or…at least kill me.”

“That’s…kind of a bummer way of thinking,” S replied, “Besides, they’d have to go through me first and, well, I’m a lot bigger than them.”

“You’re bigger than everyone,” 

“Yeah!” S grinned, “So…what’s the plan with the big guy?”

“Just…follow my lead,” Jaelyn told him.

She walked up to the Industrial guarding the entrance to Outpost 3. Her jaw clenched…she could slip past him. She was quick enough that the swing might clip her but wouldn’t crush her…she’d be able to go home…

Jaelyn shook her head, that was wishful thinking. The warped brand under the plate she wore seemed to be made of hot iron, blistering against her chestplate as she swallowed. 

Outpost 3 was no longer home.

She didn’t have a home.

“Unauthorized Personnel will be removed from the premises.” the Industrial rumbled as he put out a hand to stop her from getting past him.

“I know,” she couldn’t stop the break in her voice, she hated that really…made her feel weak. “I tabled that thoughtline when I saw you.”

“Hazardous conditions beyond this point,” he warned, “Suspicious persons should be reported to the proper authorities.”

“Yes yes I know how exile works,” Jaelyn sighed, “The Underworld here isn’t under any jurisdiction from any Outpost. They can’t touch me as long as I remain here and you know that. But, I’m not here to talk about whether or not my exile’s deserved. I’m here to ask a favor.”

The scarlet glow of the Industrial’s screen flickered into the approximation of a scowl. Jaelyn continued.

“This place is in dire need of restructuring. People are dying and more are going to die and that Overseer doesn’t give a damn,” Jaelyn stated.

"If company property mismanaged, please report to supervisor."

“That’s the problem isn’t it? He’s the problem,” Jaelyn stated, coming closer, “Look, your supervisor is an intern who got too much power handed to them. He doesn’t know how to utilize his assets in the most profitable way. Your talents are wasted standing here doing nothing for the rest of your runtime. Let me help you. I want you to be able to create.”

The Industrial watched her, stance wary and Jaelyn let out an aggrieved sigh.

“I don’t want you to fight. I promise. I have enough muscle to back me up. You could consider this a management acquisition. All we ask is that you cooperate with the handoff to the new management when it's time to fire the old. If you can tell the other Industrials that…I promise that you can build and create and sell your wares in this place. Because I know he doesn’t allow you to do that now. Because it’ll get the market full of quality products and his buddies can’t line their pockets with exorbitant prices.”

"Quality Assurance survey in progress; This production line will shut down as indicated."

Jaelyn let out a sigh of relief. She could feel S’s tension behind her lifting and he shifted into a more relaxed stance. She looked around, making sure that no one was around…thankfully they were alone.

"Of course, you need to keep performance metrics up until then,” she admitted, “If optics necessitate it, you can treat us as trespassers to keep management off your backs."

"Batch quality acceptable. Please obey all marked safety standards. All Units will be notified of change in work environment."

“Wonderful,” Jaelyn nodded, “Pleasure doing business with you…I…might come back to you soon after all this is done with a commission. And don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re paid accordingly.”

The Industrial gave a nod and Jaelyn made her way back to S. The Disassembler fell into step as they walked back into the Underground’s sprawl. “So…we’re good?”

“They’ll stay out of it.” Jaelyn said, “I don’t want them fighting. If they fight, that makes me no better than that lowlife corrupt CEO.”

“So…what now?” S asked.

“Now we meet back up with E and we go around to the businesses and have some chats with the owners. Convince them to back us rather than the Overseer.” Jaelyn stated, “The more people we convert to our side the less pain this merger goes through.”

“Okay…and how we gonna do that?”

“Offer things they want,” Jaelyn said simply, “Some want better business arrangements, others would like protection, most will want money. That’s why I asked you and E to get the credits from your kills.”

The two walked further into the sprawl, Jaelyn stopping every so often and chatting with a store owner or Worker on the street. Most of the people she talked to seemed willing to listen. Some even joining outright without any convincing. A few needed money and Jaelyn willingly parted with it. Further adding to some of S’s confusion.

“How do you know this place so well?” S asked, “I thought you said you didn’t like coming here?”

“I don’t,” Jaelyn confirmed, “It brings up a lot of bad memories that I do not really want to get into.”

S was quiet for a long while, Jaelyn’s eye twitched as she whirled around to face him, seeing the almost childish gleam in his eyes behind the mask.

“You’re not going to let this go until I spill aren’t you.”

“Like a magnet,” he grinned.

Jaelyn rolled her eyes as she turned down an alleyway and leaned against the wall, S coming to a rest next to her and plopping down on the ground, legs crossed, his palms cupping his cheeks as he looked up at her with the avidness of a child hearing a bedtime story. She could see his tail trying to break free of containment again and trying to wag under the heavy coat and hoodie combination.

The Worker girl gave a sigh as she looked up at the stalactites growing down like the broken teeth of some long dead leviathan buried under the earth. Minerals and gemstones left behind from the pre-collapse days shimmered like stars, catching the lights of the Undercity below it.

“When I was younger, my dad often would sneak down here and…make his way to Vander’s bar over there,” she finally admitted, “I’d have to come down and get him. The Industrial you saw me talking to would often accompany me against the Overseer’s orders to make sure I was safe. I’d end up dragging my dad, high from magnets or drunk from whatever they put in his highgrade…sometimes both, back to our apartment. They…always said it was his way of coping with my mom’s death. I was six.” she scratched at the brick wall at her back, her eyes fuzzing with static rings as she took a steadying breath. “Do you know…what it’s like? No…you…probably wouldn’t. You were built into that frame. A six year old helping her stumbling, high, drunk father back from this stinking cesspool to their home…getting him to bed, tucking him in before she had to go to school in a few hours…only to wake up to find the house a complete wreck and him passed out on the couch. The door wide open and he’s…covered in oil from where he picked a fight with someone and got it all over him. Mumbling incoherently your dead mother’s name, mistaking you for her…hugging you only to realize you’re too small…the wrong color…the wrong shape…and he goes into a comatose dead state just staring at the wall.”

She gave a bitter laugh as she reached into his pocket, dragging out a small, button-shaped magnet and glaring at him before shoving it into his face.

“The reason I hate it when you use these damn things is because I see what it did to my Dad.” she hissed, hurling it as far as she could down the alleyway, “I see what it does to people, S…I worked in the medical ward since I was 8. I know ,” she shook her head, “But that’s beside the point. My point is…I’ve been down here a lot . Far more than anyone my age has any right to be. And if there’s one thing I know? It’s what these people want . It’s how they work . And the thing I picked up from those trips? It’s good to have friends in low places. Because if you have friends in low places…they end up relying on you. And if they rely on you…they’re less likely to backstab you because they’ll lose their foothold and cashcow.”

She gave a slight, sharp grin. A chuckle left her as she pushed off the wall and put her hands on her hips.

“And if you pay a Worker enough…they’ll walk barefoot into android hell for you,” she stated, “So…yeah, I know what they want and what they need. This idiot in charge? He doesn’t…but…” she held up a small coin, grinning as she looked at it, “I know that I’ve stirred up some trouble. He’ll know I’m causing problems soon enough. And he’s not going to like that very well. Which…is when we’re going to have our window. You, me, and E.”

She started back towards the edge of the alleyway, spreading her arms as she gave a nonchalant shrug.

“We just need to be ready when he does~”

Chapter Text

32

“How long have you been with them?” Angelo asked as Jaelyn tended to his arm, working with the rotary to give him back some movement.

“A few months,” Jaelyn stated, grabbing a wrench and delicately fitting it into his arm to tighten the piece. 

“And they haven’t tried to y’know… eat you?” 

“Yes and what is fixing you is a ghost,” Jaelyn growled, “Please be quiet now so I can focus.”

“Sorry…it’s just…” Angelo gave a nervous chuckle as he looked up, “Murder Drones. Like…in my room. And they haven’t eaten me.”

“They will if they get hungry enough,” Jaelyn warned, “And don’t call them ‘Murder Drones’. They’re Disassembly Drones.”

“...Huh…” Angelo blinked, “Didn’t know that was the actual term.”

“I didn’t either but S gets very upset at being called ‘Murder Drone’ so I’d ask you refrain from calling him or E that. Because if S gets upset, then E gets upset…and if E gets upset then we’re all going to be upset.”

“...Yeah she seems to get uh…a bit murdery…when she’s upset,” Angelo nodded.

A loud thud rattled the glass, Angelo gave a loud yelp and jumped as he saw a brilliant yellow cross glowing through the darkened window. Jaelyn rolled her eyes as she got up and unlatched the door, letting E crawl back through like a snake. The Disassembler prowled liquidly through the room, wings folding back as she hucked a thermos at Jaelyn, the Worker girl catching it easily while S landed on the balcony and with some difficulty folded himself through the window.

“Can you two be any more loud?” Jaelyn deadpanned as she unscrewed the lid of the thermos and took a long swig from the glass as a high temperature warning popped up in her vision.

“Absolutely,” E smirked as she coiled up on the moon chair in the corner and started preening her feathers, “Remind me to use my claws to rake down the glass next time.”

“Do that and I’m getting the star globe out again,” Jaelyn threatened.

E gave a spitting hiss towards Jaelyn, pointing her tail at her before huddling back to continue preening her feathers. S clambered towards Jaelyn, shifting up on his feet and hopping onto the bed as he looked over her shoulder.

“Maaan, that looks pretty gnarly,” he winced as Jaelyn went back to work fixing Angelo’s shoulder, “What’d you do to it?”

“Oh uh…wasn’t really me,” Angelo admitted, “Client came in and uh…well…kinda twisted one of the wings a little bit the wrong way. But it’s ok! I didn’t get out of her way fast eno-”

“Stop blaming yourself and learn to say that it was other people’s faults,” Jaelyn growled, gently whacking him on the head with her wrench, “Stand up for yourself,”

“Free drone…” E muttered.

“Right…sorry…kinda still getting used to the fact I can actually say ‘no’!” Angelo gave a soft little laugh as Jaelyn sighed and closed up, “Oh, we’re done for today?”

“I need better tools,” Jaelyn said, getting up off the bed, “And for that I need to go through the city. You two tired or do you want to come with,”

“I literally just started preening my wings,” E deadpanned, “Take your baby daddy and go,”

“E!” S squawked as Jaelyn’s face burned with lilac fury.

Angelo looked between the three squadmates in confusion. “I’m lost…Jae…are you uh…y’know…carrying?”

“No!” Jaelyn snapped, “I doubt we’re even compatible in the first place and I’m sixteen. I don’t want kids either. And I am most certainly not about to show off my core to anyone.”

E cackled as Jaelyn glared at her…which got interrupted by S standing between them. The bigger Disassembler reached towards Jaelyn and offered his hand, to which she gratefully took and was lifted up off the bed. 

“We’ll be back soon!” S beamed as he and Jaelyn wrapped his disguise around him, with another wave, the two walked out of the room, leaving E and Angelo alone.

Angelo looked over at the Disassembly Drone, who was, as she said, preening her wings. The silver feathers were deadly sharp and articulated in a way that every little movement made them seem like they were breathing. None of them were slender, they were streamlined and guthooked and razors edges that were study and strong. He’d heard of the Disassembly Drones using them as shields against other security drones that had taken shots at them. 

They were deadly looking. 

They were absolutely terrifying…

And they were gorgeous in the way only a weapon could be.

“What are you staring at,” 

Angelo blinked, shaking himself out of the trance and meeting E’s gaze. The golden eyes met his sapphire and he gave a smiling shrug.

“Something pretty,” he admitted, “I think I’ve got some uh…metal polish hidden around if you want it! It feels really good on joints. It might make your wings feel better, and look great too!”

E stared at him for a long while before she gave a huff, her tail flicking as she went back to picking scrap out of her wings. “Fine. Just hurry it up…add that as another day I won’t eat you.”

“Oil sucking vampire of a businesswoman,” Jaelyn swore bitterly as she readjusted her bag with new medical equipment on her shoulder, “Yes I know that is ironic considering the company I keep, S,” 

The two passed by many of the Workers that Jaelyn had managed to convince to support her. Getting smiles or nods of assent as she passed. 

Threat? Threat? Danger… S hissed out as his head swiveled back and forth, scanning the crowd.

“What’s wrong?” Jaelyn asked.

“We’re being followed,” he stated, “There’s a dude who’s been tailing us since we left that lady’s shop. Vibe’s really off on him, smells like highgrade and oil. A lot of oil. Like… me and E amount of oil.”

“Well…how about we give him a little bit of a private business chat?” Jaelyn asked, nodding towards the alleyway. With a slight nod of agreement, both of them slipped into the darkened space. Jaelyn looked up at S and nodded, the Disassembler unsheathing his claws and scrambling up the side of the alley to the roof of the building, the golden glow of his eyes and screen dim as Jaelyn continued to walk without her Shadow trailing her. 

S was not wrong, she could hear the extra pair of footsteps behind her, though when she turned to face them, whoever it was ducked behind rubbish or debris to make sure that Jaelyn couldn’t see them. However…she knew from the low growling rumble she could barely hear…

S absolutely could .

Msg DD Unit: SD S 001-001-001 Shady dude behind the blasted wall section full of rebar. Looks like he’s got something in hand. Should I jump him?

Msg WD Unit: J43LYN 001-001-002 No. Not yet. Because I think you might kill him.

DD Unit: SD S 001-001-001 Sure thing, Boss-Ma’am. I’ll keep an eye or three on him.

Jaelyn put a hand on her him as she looked at where S had indicated the straggler was hiding. “Look, I know you’re hiding there. It’s really no use. I saw you, you see me…why don’t we come and talk sho-talk t-t-t-t4lk talk t-t-t-!” Jaelyn staggered, grabbing at her head as a sharp spike of agony knifed through her eye, the very one that glitched into a tri pronged glyph, spilling violet-white light across the darkened alley. 

LISTEN!

She was dragged into a lush office, thrown to the floor, grabbed by the hair. Forced to look up at the Overseer. His smug face. His lounging body language. She hated it. Hate. Hate. Hate. HATE HATE HATE HATE his face fell, eyes hollowing out. A brutish claw forced him to look up at her. She can see her reflection. Confident. Powerful. In charge. She sits in his chair, hands behind her head as she stretches back. Perfect. Right. Mine. Mine Mine! MINE MINE MINE!

THE PLANET IS DYING!

Jaelyn let out a scream of agony, twinned and mirrored as she hit the ground. She felt a heavy weight on her chest, had someone tackled her? S? Whatever it was grabbed at her pendant, pulling the chain cutting into her casing as the reflection of her own hollow and glitching mismatched eyes stared back at her from the blade of a long and large knife.

HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP ME WE’RE DYING IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS! the internal voice screaming as something felt like it was cracking in her. Something just out of reach and if she grabbed at it, it would help her…just a little push…just a little more…

A roar snapped her out of her fugue, the weight on her chest was ripped off by yellow and black and white and grey. Jaelyn let out a wheezing cough as she sat up, seeing S holding their Tail by the jacket collar, fully in all his Disassembly Drone glory. His tail pointed under the Worker’s chin, Death’s Cross blazing brightly as S’s fangs hissed steam and saliva dripped from the star-steel points. Jaelyn brushed herself off and walked towards the obviously terrified Worker in the claws of death. Electricity crackled down S’s forearm housing, Jaelyn could feel her wig standing on end the closer she got, error after error about electromagnetism levels rising popped up on her screen…but she settled for stopping and putting a hand on her hip.

“So. Who’s the intern?”

“Doesn’t matter, they hurt you…think that means their life’s kinda screwed,” S snarled.

“Tone down the hostilities for now,” Jaelyn stated, “Think we need to figure out who sent him,”

The Worker in S’s claws squirmed for a little bit, error after error flashing up on his screen as he attempted to grab at something in his pocket. Jaelyn’s eyes narrowed as she saw the glint of silver, fortunately, she wasn’t the only one. S’s tail stabbed through the man’s wrist, making the instrument fall to the ground.

Whatever it was, Jaelyn didn’t recognize it…but it looked cruel. Similar to a virus applicator honestly…but the prongs were twisted, designed to cause more pain to the person being stabbed when it was removed. If it was removed. 

“If you play nice, you won’t lose your arm,” Jaelyn deadpanned, examining her fingers, “Obviously someone wanted to sign my pink slip…so they sent you. Now…who might that be, hm?” She leaned a little closer, raising an eyelight as the Worker struggled, “The only one keeping him from killing you is me. He very much wants to rip you to pieces here and now,”

“Yup,” S hissed.

“But he won’t ,” Jaelyn’s voice was pointed, “So long as I give him a reason not to. Tell me who sent you and we’ll let you go. Probably pay you more to just…walk away and keep this little meeting under the table.”

Wetness spattered across Jaelyn’s screen, getting the Worker girl to sigh as she wiped the other Worker’s spit from the glass. She straightened up, wiping the spittle on her hand on her coat. A sigh left her as she shook her head.

“If you do not want to take the generous offer I extended, fine. You can go it alone.” she turned on her heel, “As you were, S. Oh and…save his core. That might be useful.”

She didn’t know if it was a good or bad thing that the sounds of S’s snarling as he ate no longer made her oil chill.

It didn’t take long before Jaelyn found who had sent the assassin after her. Especially when four thugs came in and managed to grab Jaelyn off the street while S was… busy . When the bag was yanked off her head, she was thrown to the floor in a lush office while the Overseer himself lounged in his chair behind his desk. She kept her screen off, listening as she ‘played dead’.

“Yes, yes, tell Dabney and Sorner that their enterprise on MELTDOWN is safe now,” the Overseer said into the phone, “I’ve got the little creep that’s been threatening to take them down. Rather a big thorn in my side this…” he hung up and Jaelyn could hear his footsteps coming up to her. She felt a tug on her wig, forcing her to look up as a strike bloomed fresh pain over her cheek. “Wakey wakey kid.”

Jaelyn wearily opened an eye, glaring up at him as she worked her jaw.

Kill him. Just kill him. It’ll be fun! He deserves it! We need to get back to our squad…it’s safer there. But we could totally take this guy. We know that! 

“Oh, it’s you again…” she grumbled, “Thought we agreed to stay away from each other.”

“You’ve been a reaaaaally big pain in my actuator,” he told her, “It’s been a massive pain in my side. The fact that you’re just…stirring up trouble. Haven’t heard from Barnaby in a while…wonder if that was you in the Red District…”

“He should treat his employees better,” Jaelyn deadpanned, “Specially those he deems his ‘Star Employees’.”

“Little birdy’s been telling me that you’ve been trying to do a little hostile takeover,” the Overseer clucked his tongue as Jaelyn was yanked to her feet, “Kid, you don’t want this smoke. Just sayin’. I’ve got all the Outposts under my thumb and you think you can take me?”

“I don’t think. I know.” Jaelyn gave a slow, wide smirk…something that was sharklike, far wider than any smile a mere Worker could give. A gleam of what looked for a moment to be silver fangs even. “Just like I know…you don’t have the Outposts under your thumb like you think you do.”

She looked up at the Industrials and their large weapons, stoic and silent and bored to tears.

“Leave us,” she ordered.

“You honestly think you have any contro-” the Overseer froze as the Industrials trundled out of the room, his hand released Jaelyn’s wig and fell to his side in shock. Jaelyn sniffed as she stood upright, brushing her fingers through her hair as a tall, dark form strode through the door. The assassin from earlier seemed to melt from the shadows and came to Jaelyn’s side as the newcomer came to a rest on the other side of her, “You…I paid you to get rid of her!”

“Sorry boss…contract’s changed,” the assassin shrugged, “And…” his voice warped as his body seemed to breathe , flickering plates and armored scutes fluttering upwards as he grew and grew , leaving a very smug looking E in full Disassembly Drone form standing with a hip cocked next to Jaelyn, “You should have paid him more, idiot,”

“You brought a Murder Drone in here!?” the Overseer squawked as he scrambled backwards. 

“Two,” Jaelyn smirked as S unraveled from his covers, “Think that’s enough.”

“You kill me…” the Overseer was on the other side of his desk, holding what looked to be a kill switch in his palm, small enough but it could probably be enough to kill all of them in that room, “Then I’m taking you with me.”

“Oh honestly …” Jaelyn rolled her eyes, “S. Clear the threat,”

Lightning crackled around S’s form, pulsing outwards. Jaelyn felt the rush of electromagnetic pulses rippling through her, causing an error to pop up…but it was more than enough to short out the switch…which the Overseer comically tried to press the button on, smacking it against his palm repeatedly as S and E both prowled around the sides of the room, Jaelyn walking up the center. 

“Rule number one,” Jaelyn deadpanned, “‘Don’t tip your hand’.”

“Y-You…” the Overseer sputtered as his eyes darted, S and E were getting closer, golden crosses flashing on their screens as claws sparked against the marble floor, as golden tails swished in predatorial glee and soft, almost unhinged laughter poured from fanged maws dripping saliva. “You need me. Without me you'll never find who you're looking for before they wise up and go to ground.”

“Dabney and Sorner?” Jaelyn hummed, tapping her cheek with a grin, “Rule two. Don’t hand over your bargaining chip…I’m such a clever little actress aren’t I?”

“You’re not going to get away with this!” his voice was shrill, “I have connections to make your life miserabl-!”

Jaelyn snapped her fingers, and in an instant, S and E had snatched the Overseer, throwing him at the ground before her feet as S grabbed the man by the head and forced him to look up, claws digging in and leaving oil bleeding. A very, very pleased smirk crossed the Worker Girl’s face as she leaned down, face inches from his.

“Rule three: Always have muscle to back you up. I think two Disassembly Drones are apt muscle...don't you think?” she damn near purred .

“Wh-who… what …are you…” he whispered as Jaelyn straightened up.

“The new boss,” Jaelyn grinned, “And in light of your negligence…” she crossed her arms, with a shake of her head, “You're fired.” 

She turned towards S and E, walking past them towards the desk. She could hear the former Overseer’s whimpering and whining as she sat down at the desk, leaning forwards and steepling her hands. She lay her chin on them as she looked up at the two Disassembly Drones.

“S, E…just make sure to leave something recognizable of him. I don't want anyone thinking I'd let him get away alive after crossing me,” she ordered.

S chuckled, E cackled and the former Overseer screeched in terror, kicking and screaming as the Disassembly Drones dragged him out of her office. As the doors slammed shut behind them, Jaelyn gave a sigh of relief as she leaned back in her chair.

“Well…we certainly have a lot of work cut out for us don’t we?” she hummed, putting her hands behind her head and her feet on the desk as a violet glyph sputtered in her eye, “First thing’s first…time to clean up my Underground,”

Chapter Text

33

Dr. Price of Outpost Three,

It is with great honor that we inform you that the Underground, or as it is colloquially called, the “Black Market” has come under new management. The previous Overseer was found to be unfit for the position and therefore terminated. As such, I, as the new Overseer, would like to meet with you or one of your associates to discuss prices in regards to trade between Outpost Three’s medical ward and the Underground. I believe that it would be an equitable partnership between both Outpost Three and the Underground. 

As a token of goodwill, our Runner has been instructed to return tools and credits that were once unlawfully taken from Outpost Three as well as a few upgraded tools forged by some of our new and upstanding vendors. I wish to give a most sincere apology for the trouble that my Underground has caused. 

In regards to the emissary of Outpost Three’s medical ward, whether it be yourself or one of those under your command, I do highly suggest that they do not come alone. The Underground, while safer than it was under my predecessor’s command, is still quite dangerous. It would be profitable for us both if no harm were to come to you or your emissary. 

I will be expecting either you or your stand in within the next three to five business days.

Regards,

Overseer J

Dr. Price looked down at the letter, giving a chuckle as he sat down at his desk. “So she did make it.” he thought idly as he looked at his schedule, “I’m glad she did…I won’t be able to see her though. However…”

“Cyn!” Dr. Price called, grabbing his pen and starting to draft a letter.

A few seconds later, a pair of pale blue eyes and a long blonde haired head peeked through the window. Cyn Beaufae quietly slipped into the room, looking a little fidgety but other than that, she seemed quite fine. 

“Yes, Dr. Price?” she asked.

Dr. Price finished his letter, signing it with a flourish before sealing the envelope with a wax seal’s kiss. “I need you to travel to the Underground for me in a couple days,” 

“The Underground ?!” Cyn blinked, “Me!? M-May I ask why?”

“Well, for one, the Underground has a new Overseer and they’ve requested that I or someone I trust to go in my stead to come and talk about some trade agreements between the Outpost and the Underground. I’d assume they’re doing this with the other Outposts as well,” he looked at the runner, a boy probably not much older than his adopted son…all smudged and rough from growing up in the Underground and handed the letter to him, “Take this back to your Overseer. Please let her know that while I won’t be able to make it, I will make the appropriate moves as she requested.”

The child nodded, and Dr. Price smiled as he handed the boy a form of lollipop that his predecessor had designed for children. The boy’s face lit up as he swiped the sweet and bolted from the room. 

“I won’t be able to make it, I have a few surgeries scheduled for that day. And I trust you,” Dr. Price told Cyn, “Though…I’d suggest you bring some backup. Lisa’s girl probably would be a good idea…same with the Sterling boy,”

“Beau wouldn’t go near that place,” Cyn shook her head.

“Oh I wasn’t talking about him,” Dr. Price went back to working on some paperwork, “His brother is…somewhat glued to Miss Hart’s side. If Victoria gives you protest about going tell her this is me overlooking the fact she broke five sample jars in the past week at her internship here. And I’ll give her a chance to actually help out with a strut setting instead of doing inventory. I can’t promise she’ll be good at it but, well…I know she’s been wanting to learn.”

He gave a soft chuckle as he raised an eyelight, looking at Cyn.

“And it’s not like you’re going to be going too far out of your way,” he pointed out, “I know you like to see the Sterling boys after work. Shouldn’t be too hard to catch one of them to tell the other.”

The door unlocked and Beau uncloaked as he stepped foot inside his and Emmett’s apartment. The Solver Drone shifted his catch on his shoulder, using a shadowy tendril to drag it towards the kitchen to properly process. It didn’t seem like Emmett was home, so that was at least one mercy. He walked towards the counter, flicking his wrist to pull out a butcher knife and start to cut apart the body. Casing and parts would be put into containers for snacking, oil would be put into thermoses to drink. 

The things he did to keep him and his brother alive…

A faint tinking sound caught his ear and Beau froze, head tilting sharply to the side.

Threat? Threat?! Snapped from his voicebox, a throaty churring barking sound as one hand reached for his holster and the other slowly raised up, a finger curled against his palm while a brilliant blue X flickered over his screen for a second. 

He listened, quiet as the ever present buzzing headache built up, his jaws locked. and the holographic haze of his cloaking ability started to kick up…

“Gotcha!” a voice chirped, the jumpscare making Beau jump and screech-hiss as cold arms grabbed lovingly around his shoulders and a kiss was placed on his cheek.

Threat! No. Hi! Love you! Beau twittered as he leaned his head against Cyn’s hand.

“I-I know I don’t…understand that but…I’m guessing that was a hello?” she smiled.

Beau gave a soft chuff as he pressed her hand against his lips, a low rumbling purr thundering through his chest. Safe, safe, love you!

He worked his jaw, rubbing at it to get the infernal second set to lay down and allow him to speak again. After a few coughs and clearings of his throat, Beau turned towards Cyn with a lightly unamused look on his face.

“Don’t do that t’ me again,” he warned, giving her a playful bop on the head with one of his shadows, “Y’know I really coulda easily killed ya dead.”

“Maybe,” Cyn agreed, reaching up to hold the shadow and placing a kiss on it, “But…well, I am fortunate to not have had that issue. You seem upset,”

“Lil’ bit…” he admitted, grabbing a delicate, chipped teacup from the cabinet alongside an equally as chipped coffee mug and setting them down on the counter. Another flick of his wrist brought a bottle of mid grade from the fridge and poured it into the teacup…while Beau brought the knife down on the arm of the corpse he’d dragged in and filled the coffee mug with the oil spilling from it.

“Hm…I think I might know something to cheer you up,” Cyn smiled as she took the teacup.

“And what might that be hm?”

“Perhaps you’d like to attend the prom with me?” she winked as she took a little sip from the teacup and presented two tickets in her free hand.

“...Ain’t I the one supposed to be askin’ you?” Beau sputtered, fishing out two tickets of his own, “Darn it, Cyn…I was gonna make this whole presentation an’ everythin’.”

Cyn looked at the tickets in Beau’s hand…then at the ones in hers…and a soft, bell-like laugh bubbled up from her voice box.

“Did we both just buy tickets for the both of us!?”

“Reckon we did,” Beau chuckled, “So…whaddya say?”

“Yes, of course!” Cyn giggled as she pressed a kiss against the top of his screen, tracing down the scars across it, “Why would I ever say no?”

“Real Beauty an’ the Beast thing ain’t it…” Beau shook his head with a grin.

“Beau Sterling you’d look fantastic in a dress and you know it ,” Cyn smirked, “Don’t know if we want to go with yellow though…you’d look dashing in navy though…”

“Cyn!” Beau sputtered, “ You’re the beauty! An’ I ain’t puttin’ no dress on!”

“I mean you’re the one with the name meaning ‘handsome’,” Cyn grinned as she gently stole his hat and put it on her own head, “But hm, maybe you’re right, cowboy…I don’t think there’s a dress out there that’d show off those curves the right way,”

“ Cyn !” 

Cyn cackled, a bell-like thing as Beau rolled his eyes and wrapped her in a tangle of limbs and shadow, pulling her to his chest. They both stayed there for a bit, Cyn giving a content sigh as she leaned against him, listening to the thunder thump of his core beating in his chest.

“...You’re so warm,” she murmured, eyes half-closed, “It kind of feels like how I imagined the sun would feel…”

“Y’an’ me both,” he returned as he picked her up like the princess she was and carried her over to the couch, “Long day?”

“...Yes,” Cyn admitted, “I need to talk to Emmett for a little bit but…can I just…stay here for a little bit still? And! And! Can you go all rumbly chestplate again?”

Beau gave a soft laugh as he brushed his lips against her screen, settling down on the couch and pulling her into his arms as he closed his eyes, a low, rumbling purr shaking his chestplate as Cyn lay her head against it. They could stay like that for a little bit at least…

“So, Dr. Price wants us to go to the Black Market why again?” Emmett asked, “And requested that we go with you?”

“He requested that I-I go with some backup,” Cyn looked up at Emmett with a shaky smile, “He suggested taking Vicky with me but um…s-since you and her are kinda glued to the hip since Jae was exiled…he thought it’d be a good idea to bring you too. A-And on top of that…well…i-if Vicky can’t handle a thing…you…can?” she gave an equally as shaky laugh as she looked at Vicky, “Sorry, it’s just…kind of a relief that I’m not the only one that knows about them…”

“You probably had an easier time,” Victoria admitted with a watery grin, “My intro was Beau trying to eat me .”

“He said he was sorry?” Emmett gave a nervous, tittery laugh as he cleared his throat, “A-And besides! Now I don’t have to hide things from my best friend! Well…Jae I still do…if um…”

“If she’s still alive, yeah…” Victoria and Emmett’s faces both fell. Cyn had mentioned that Jaelyn had been infected with a MELTDOWN virus…but hadn’t said what one she had or if she’d made it.

“Well…I-I haven’t heard anything good or bad,” Cyn admitted as they neared the entrance to the Underground, “B-But no news is good news!”

“I guess,” Victoria said, frowning as she noticed that…there wasn’t an Industrial guarding the entrance…it was just a regular drone, “...Hey, where’d the Industrial go?”

The drone at the entrance straightened up from his relaxed position, the rifle on his back clicking lightly as he moved. A smile crossed his face as he waved.

“Evenin’!” he called, “Coming to the Underground?”

“Y-Yes…we ah…h-have a meeting scheduled with the Overseer?” Cyn started, getting a nod from the Worker.

“Got it! Stay safe, enjoy your time…Boss’s in the main keep. You can see it from here,” the man pointed into the massive cave system towards the center, “Probably best not to keep the Boss waiting,”

“Thank you,” Cyn nodded as she, Victoria and Emmett made their way into the Black Market.

“...That was new,” Emmett frowned, looking back at the man, “I was expecting I’d have to slip past again…”

“Maybe they found a better job?” Victoria asked as they continued towards the Overseer’s keep. 

“Maybe,” Cyn admitted as they were stopped in front of the keep by the guards.

“Name?” one of the Security drones asked, hand on the beautifully damasked blade as her leaf green gaze scanned over the trio.

“Oh uh…Cyn Beaufae from Outpost 3, accompanied by Victoria Hart and Emmett Sterling,” Cyn started, “Um, w-we have a meeting with the Overseer?”

“Oh, do you now?” the woman smirked, “Alright then. Hey, Ben, you wanna take these three up to the Boss?”

“Sure!” her companion smiled sunnily, shifting as he opened up the door, “Follow me, sorry about Fara, she’s a bit prickly,”

“N-No problem,” Cyn admitted as they followed the other guard into the building, looking around at the simple yet beautifully colored interior of the building, “This isn’t what I expected at all…”

“Oh, yeah…Boss has been sweeping through and restructuring everything,” Ben admitted, “Been only ‘bout two weeks and other than a minor uprising which got quelled real quick, it’s been super calm. The Underground’s actually not a bad place to live anymore,”

“... When did this Boss take over?” Victoria blinked.

“Two and a half weeks ago?” Ben raised an eyelight, “Thought I said that,”

“Two weeks…and they did all this?”

“Yeah, the Boss is great,” Ben grinned, “The Industrials have really been a fan, they get to make things rather than guard. No shade on them…but like…kinda should leave the security stuff to, well, Security Drones like me and Fara.”

They stopped at the top floor, the doors in front of them were this beautiful dark wood rimmed in gold, something that you’d only see in rich people’s homes. Maybe some high profile CEO’s office even. Ben held up a hand, signalling them to wait for a moment. After a few core whir-pulses, he smiled and nodded.

“Boss is waitin’, go on ahead!” he gestured towards the door. 

He made his way back down the hall and Emmett shrugged as his hand closed over the door and he pushed it open. The room in front of them was bright and airy yet held an aura of command. It was clean, sweeping arches up into the ceiling and beautiful dark marble floors. The large glass windows before them let in the light from the Undercity, but it had nothing on the crystal metalwork chandelier that hung in the center of the room. 

At the mahogany desk in front of the windows stood a brunette pigtailed drone with a slightly bored expression as the pale blue eyes behind a pair of half rectangle glasses flicked up at their presence. Emmett frowned, feeling he knew this person…it was just familiar enough that it got the hind part of his processor to raise its hackles and growl. 

“Oh, good, you made it,” a familiar voice stated, not from the one drone they could see.

Emmett, Victoria and Cyn all three stop dead in their tracks as the high backed chair spun around.

“I was beginning to wonder if you were going to even show up at all,” Jaelyn leaned forwards, fingers steepled as a smirk crossed her face, “Good evening, Miss Beaufae, Miss Hart, Mr. Sterling. Welcome to my Underground…let’s talk shop now, shall we?”

Chapter Text

34

“Jae?!” Emmett blinked, jaw hanging open as the snowy lilac gaze flicked up to him, “You’re the Overseer!?”

“Surprise,” Jaelyn smirked, leaning back in her chair, “Close that mouth, N, you’re going to get a cyber roach crawling in there,”

His teeth clicked together as he did so. Victoria and Cyn both stared at Jaelyn, who scooted her chair closer to the desk as she grabbed a pen and tapped it’s ball tip on the paper in front of her in thought. 

“You’re…how!?” Victoria blinked, “How’d you get to this po-”

“As much as I’d like to catch up,” Jaelyn stated, “I’d prefer to do business first, then pleasure. Keeps me on task and all.” The dark haired girl looked towards Cyn, raising an eyelight, “I see Dr. Price wasn’t able to make it. I know Fabien gave me his letter but…well, I had hoped I could see him. Surgeries?”

“Five of them today,” Cyn winced, “Two core replacements, a power cell transplant and two splints,”

“Child’s play for him,” Jaelyn went back to writing on the paper, not looking up from her work, “Regardless, he did send his best so for that I’m grateful. If it had been Kevin I probably would have ended up throwing him out the window here. And I’d much rather keep my ‘jaded and calculated leader’ persona. Now. Miss Beaufae, I would like to extend my apologies for everything that my Underground had done previously in the past that was detrimental to Outpost 3. We are still finding medical equipment, mining equipment and weaponry with Outpost 3’s brand and we are in the slow process of returning them to their rightful owners.”

She looked up, tapping the tip of her pen on the desk.

“I would also like to, once this is sorted out, begin a trading operation between the Underground and Outpost three,” Jaelyn stated, “I know that there are quite a few competent artisans in Outpost 3. And I feel that injecting some new blood into the Underground to share more of the wealth as it were would be a good thing. Of course, this would mean that in order to have a shop set here they would have to divert a small portion of their earnings to the Underground for continued upkeep on their shop. I would say a 70-30 split…in your favor of course,”

“Seventy percent!?” Cyn sputtered, “But that…Jae that’s…that’s a lot of money that you’re not getting…”

“It’s an incentive for more people to come here,” Jaelyn gave a shrug, “The more people that come, the more credits circulate and the more wealth is spread around. We already have prospects from Outposts 13 and 7 vying for spots after we spoke with them recently. Outpost 13 might be falling apart and it’s people crazed anarchists but, well…as long as we keep the clowns out of the medical district I believe we will be fine. And I have…other deterrents.”

The girl beside Jaelyn gave a snort. Jaelyn raised an eyelight before turning back to the group of Outpost 3 citizens. 

“As I am sure you have noticed, we do not have the Industrials as the ‘guard dogs’ watching over the gates to the Underground. My predecessor squandered their potential and I didn’t think that was an effective use for their time and talent. So, we’ve employed them as artisans as well. As a result…the quality of goods that we produce has skyrocketed,” She turned to the girl next to her, “Emily, please fetch the box.”

“Box?” Emmett asked as Emily breezed past him. It was…odd. He didn’t really hear her footsteps, or they didn’t match her like…at all. And there was the fact that the scent of oil and ink and old books caught his sensors. His eyes emboldened, dilated from the scent as his jaw ached. 

He’d need to get food and soon…

“Yes, box,” Jaelyn stated, “Now, Miss Hart, if I remember correctly, the incident months ago with the Disassembly Drones and myself resulted in the loss of your gauntlets?”

“Um, y-yeah?” Victoria blinked, “But what’s that got to d-”

She stopped as Emily dropped a very large box on Jaelyn’s desk, earning her an eyeroll from Jaelyn. “As a show of the talent we boast, this was commissioned with Miss Hart in mind.”

Victoria blinked as she came closer, taking the lid off the box and her eyes hollowed. “Oh… wow …” she pulled out what looked to be a pair of gunmetal silver gauntlets. 

Dials and pressure systems glinted on the steel fingers, Victoria’s smile grew as she slid them over her hands, flexing her fingers.

“...They’re lighter than I thought…” she murmured, looking them over.

“The mass is centered within the knuckles of the gauntlets,” Jaelyn said, “focused on more of a concussive blast. Electromagnetic repel and attract modes that can be switched with a touch of a button. Piston designed to create a secondary punch after the first has landed. Effectively, you’ll be punching twice every swing. And…there is a hidden feature that I…may have designed,” Jaelyn got up from her desk, prowling over to Victoria and holding out her hand, “May I?”

Victoria held out her hand, Jaelyn raising an eyelight as she pointed out a button on the heel of the gauntlets’ palms. She then twisted Victoria’s hand slightly away from her face and pressed the button. Three long, serrated claws, articulated at a joint, sprang from the gauntlets with a click and a light ringing sound. Victoria’s eyes hollowed and bolded as she stared at them.

“Able to carve through tungsten and celestium-titanium alloy with ease,” Jaelyn stated, “They resheathe with a press of the same button that I used to unsheathe them.”

“You did this?!” Victoria sputtered.

“Please, I may be a medic coded drone but I do have my father’s engineering capabilities, Miss Hart. I just focus more on body modifications in that sphere.” 

She leaned on her desk as Victoria sheathed the claws. 

“I trust that was an apt display of what the Underground can offer?”

“U-Um…yes,” Cyn nodded, “I-I can talk to the Council about opening up trade with um…th-the Underground.”

“Good,” Jaelyn gave a soft, almost happy sigh, “Now that business is out of the way…well…almost. Miss Beaufae, if I could ask a favor?”

“S-Sure?” 

“It appears that our…medical ward…aren’t…very knowledgeable of the current medical practices,” Jaelyn stated, “I have a Redlighter that is…quite injured from unwilling body modifications done to him. And it’s beyond my ability to heal. I would like it if you could take a look at him? Perhaps even help him?”

“Oh!” Cyn’s eyes lit up, “Absolutely!”

“Wonderful, Emily? Could you take Miss Beaufae to Angelo?”

Emily gave a shrug as she stalked past the trio, “Come along, pipsqueak…let’s go,”

Emmett gave a short growl as he heard the voice. A familiar one…but the voice didn’t match the body. Emily seemed to hear him, turning a bored sky colored gaze towards him…

And flashed a shark’s maw full of fangs.

“Jae,” Emmett’s growl grew as his hand went to his pistol.

“Mr. Sterling I’d ask that you refrain from attacking my associate,” Jaelyn’s voice was stern, “She’s a useful employee and I would not be happy to lose her.”

“I-It’s ok, N,” Cyn patted his shoulder, “I’ll be fine!”

“Yeah, don’t worry,” Emily smiled, “I’ll take good care of her…corpo poodle’s orders,”

“Do not call me that…” Jaelyn sighed as the two girls walked out the door, “Now…since that’s taken care of…”

Her cold, businesslike air dropped as a tired smile crossed her face. She stepped forwards and hugged both of them tightly.

“I’m glad you two are ok,” she smiled.

“Us!?” Emmett protested, “Jae…you got infected with MELTDOWN ! And an incurable one at that!”

“...Cyn really needs to learn to keep her mouth shut sometimes…” Jaelyn sighed, “Look, I’m fine . I have a lingering issue with my cooling systems but nothing that I can’t handle. And on top of that, there’s not going to be any more MELTDOWN virus spikes manufactured in my Underground. We made sure of that.”

“How?” Victoria asked.

Jaelyn looked skyward, giving a sigh. “S, stop lurking. It’s N and Vicky. They’re not going to hurt me. So you can put away the claws.”

A small part of her did chuckle seeing Emmett and Victoria jump like cyber roaches when S thudded down to the floor out of the darkened ceiling where he’d been hiding. The Disassembler’s tail wagged as he waved at the two Workers.

“Sup, guys!” he beamed, “Been a while! Haven’t seen you since the whole holo-spooky snake crab incident! Glad to see you guys didn’t get eaten.”

Victoria blinked at S, Emmett still had a startled hand on his pistol.

“I’m sorry…the what now?” she demanded.

“So turns out that it wasn’t the Sculptor making people disappear,” Jaelyn shrugged, “R was rebuilding herself in a very energy inefficient way. Did not do wonders for her wanting to be employee of the month. We might have vaporized her with the reactor’s shields. Sorry for that workplace hazard but she’s gone for good now,”

“That was you !?” Emmett blinked.

“Who else would it have been?”

“Fair point,” Emmett admitted, “Just…uh…kinda still a weird surprise I guess?”

“Yeah, cutting these guys open apparently gives them a…how would you guys put it…ah, a ‘Stage Two’ bossfight. Complete with holograms, crab claws, and all sorts of horrific things depending on which one’s cut open. R’s had that stupid Siren’s voice. E’s could probably shapeshift…”

“I’d probably have a field of knockout,” S supplied helpfully, “But that’s beside the point! You guys doin’ good? No one’s gotten stabbed with an incurable virus that makes them need to drink oil to not combust, right?”

Victoria gave a squawk of shock? Confusion? Jaelyn couldn’t really tell. Emmett looked like he was torn between wanting to draw his pistol and grabbing Victoria to run. 

“N-No no!” Emmett shook his head, “Uh…no um…well the Sculptor’s dead at least. Vicky and I kinda cornered him and when you guys uh, messed with the reactor…he kinda uh…well, we got the drop on him. Accidentally killed him before we could meet up and clear you, Jae…”

“It’s fine,” Jaelyn shrugged, “I’m happier here actually. I can go wherever I want. Well…outside of actually in the Outposts unless I’m invited. But that’s beside the point. I have hundreds of loyal employees and I effectively rule this city better than my predecessor. I’m fine here.”

“What… did …happen to the last Overseer?” Victoria asked.

“Terminated, like I said in my letter,” Jaelyn gave a sharp, wry smile as she nodded her head towards the door, “Come on, let me show you around. S…let’s get you bundled up.”

She grabbed the thermos of oil and took a long series of sips to bring the rising temperature down. A shudder jittered down her spinal strut as she shook her head.

We should get more…it’s nice and cool and sweet and it hurts so much… her inner voice babbled as she lowered the thermos and screwed the lid back on, But it’s also ours and we don’t want to share it…though maybe we could with S. He’s cute. We should totally ki-

“TABLE THAT!” Jaelyn thought as shook her head violently, nearly slamming the thermos back onto the table. Emmett, Victoria and S all three jumped and looked at her, startled.

“Sorry,” Jaelyn cleared her voicebox, “that wasn’t very CEO-like of me now was it? Anyways. We were leaving?”

She did notice with some concern that Emmett cast a longer than normal look at the thermos. 

“So you’re an actual trained medic by Old Ironbones!?” Angelo’s voice was bright as stars took the place of the ovals of his eyes while Cyn did a checkup of him with featherlight touches. “That’s so cool! Jolene says that he’s a bit of a grump but he’s really good at his job. I wonder if that’s true?”

“O-Oh, he can be stern,” Cyn smiled as E lounged in the chair, examining her claws, “But he is fantastic at his job. He was mentored by Jae’s mother, Nori.”

“Wait… waaaaaaait a second!” Angelo sputtered, “Nori…like…Nori Doorman ?! The Dr. Nori Doorman!? The best doctor that the Outposts have seen… that’s Jae’s Mom !?”

“She was…yes,” Cyn’s eyes turned sad, “She died years ago.”

“She went mad, right? Something about sky demons and all that.”

“Oh look, madness runs in the family I guess,” E scoffed, her voice muffled from where she had one of her feathers in her mouth, preening the clinking and shifting wings, “Explains a lot actually…”

“Miss Nori was…said to be crazy, yes,” Cyn admitted, “But! She was right about…um…everything. And it saved our lives.”

“Yeah too bad it didn’t make your lives any better,” E hummed, “We still pick you toasters off and eat you on the reg,”

“Careful Final Girl,” Cyn warned, gesturing with her wrench, “I-I can still turn you into F-First Girl,”

“Ah, this is why I like you,” E purred, releasing her wing and prowling on all fours closer to the others, “You don’t hesitate even though you s-s-stutter,”

She yelped as Cyn whacked her between the eyes with the wrench, hissing and jerking back as she held her head. Cyn gave a huff and went back to work…while Angelo winced and had the decency to look apologetic.

“So…what do you do for fun, Cyn?” Angelo asked.

“O-Oh, well…I spend time with my boyfriend, Beau!” Cyn smiled, “He’s a sweetheart. Kindest drone I know. He’s taking me to prom in about a week, so I need to make sure that I have the perfect dress…”

“Well, I don’t really know much about a ‘Prom’,” Angelo admitted, “But I know a really good dress shop not far from here! We could go and pick you one out!”

“Oh! Really?” Cyn asked, “That would be lovely! What do you say, E?”

“I don’t know much about ‘Prom’ either,” E waggled her claws in air quotes, “Seems like something dumb you Workers made up. But I’m supposed to watch over you until you decide to scurry back to Outpost 3. And I’m not allowed to mess with the cowboy or the bookworm who broke my screen because the purple princess is a buzzkill .”

“...Wait…neither of you know what Prom is?” Cyn blinked.

“I know what Prom is,” E spat, “I just said I don’t know much about it. Why would I?”

“Nope,” Angelo shrugged, “I was raised by the Redlighters…Prom’s not really a thing here?”

“Hm…” Cyn hummed, “What if…oh! I can show you guys! I have two tickets to it! Beau and I accidentally bought tickets for us both…so I have two extra. I can give them to you two!”

“You’re thinking…it’s a fantastic idea…to let the literal genocide robot into your bunker for Prom ,” E raised an eyelight, “Cyn, you’re crazier than I thought,”

“Aw, c’mon E… pleeeeeeease ?” Angelo wheedled, “I think it’d be fun! And, well…I don’t think going alone’s going to be fun. And, well…maybe we could find you a dress that would make you look even more the murder goddess than you already are!”

A faint golden flush flickered over E’s screen as her claws bunched up and she shifted her head. Cyn could see that E’s tail was wagging slightly before she stomped on the errant thing with her hoof. 

“Fine. Whatever. Let’s just get you patched up, go get that stupid dress or whatever and we’re done with it,” E grumbled, “Just…chalk it up as another day I won’t eat you, Angel Boy.”

“You’re the best, E,” Angelo smiled, “Hey! I get three weeks of life now!”

Chapter Text

35

“Oh absolutely not,” Jaelyn scoffed, looking up from the datapad in her hands, “You get that monstrosity off right this instant,”

“It’s not that bad!” Victoria protested, looking down at herself and grabbing the hem of the skirt of the dress she wore, swishing it around lightly, “It looks nice to me!”

“Vicky, we are going to have to get your optics checked,” Jaelyn deadpanned, turning back to her datapad and using her stylus to swipe something off screen, “First of all, it does nothing for your complexion.”

“It’s…Jae we don’t have those?”

“It does not match your eyes or your hair,”

“It’s pink ! Pink and blue work together!” Victoria sputtered, “And my wig’s just the right shade!”

“And it looks like something a droneling dragged her parents out to get in a screaming fit,” Jaelyn jabbed the stylus at her, “the hearts all over it make you look like a confetti cannon exploded on you. All you’d need is grabbing a pair of cat ear bow accessories to really sell the ‘I’m a child’ look.”