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Every hunting session was the same. L would bark orders at S and K. Then, they’d break into the bunker where the Worker Drones reside, attack, kill some workers and consume their oil, then leave. It wasn’t uncommon for them to bring some bodies to the pod with them, especially at times when the sun was up more. This session, S managed to get lost, all because she made the dumb decision to split herself from her teammates, so of course she had to hunt on her own.
Hunting alone was always hard, as S had to do all the killing by herself, which she wasn’t exactly fond of. Even when she was with her team, she didn’t feel right killing innocents. But she knew that if she didn’t follow orders, there would be some unpleasant consequences. She tried not to think about that much as she continued to trudge through the snow.
As the sky began to lighten, S knew that sunrise was soon. Now, she began regretting not flying. Dammit, S… The Disassembly Drone sighed to herself. She released her wings, their full span almost doubling her five-foot stature. Hopefully, there will be enough time for her to get back before sunrise.
With a woosh S spread her long, bladed wings, launching herself into the sky. Cold, freezing air blew against her chassis, whistling as it passed through her wings. S wasn’t too high up, as she could still see the ground fairly well. Or maybe her optics just worked better than the rest of her body. At least then, she won’t be as useless. But good eyesight wouldn’t change what L thought about her. Nothing would.
The landing pod was farther than S had anticipated, but finally, she made it. Great… Another reason for L to yell at me... She thought.
S rushed into the landing pod, arriving right on time before sunrise.
There were the other two members of her squad: her leader, L, and K, the so-called ‘pilot’ of the pod.
"Well look who finally caught up. And without bringing back a fresh kill? What the hell's the deal, S?" L barked.
The male Disassembly Drone advanced towards S, getting uncomfortably close, finally stomping his foot against the ground when he was inches away from her. S flinched at the impact of metal against metal, her arms instinctively shielding her head in response.
L chuckled at this reaction. "Oh I get it. You just don't wanna admit that you got soft, hmm?" He smirked.
"I'm not soft, okay?! It's just… I did get a kill." S finally managed to stammer.
“A kill? Really? Are you really that selfish, S?” L sighed, sharply turning his back on his teammate. His nanite acid tail swung behind him, its sharp stinger missing S by barely an inch. S immediately staggered back to avoid his tail.
“I thought you said ‘you eat what you kill’, didn’t you?” S asked.
“THAT was only for K to stop feeding you!” L admitted coldly, his face completely devoid of emotion. His voice was almost a whisper, as if he didn’t want K to hear his confession.
S froze, standing in silence as she took in what her leader just said. Was he really that cruel? She glanced back up at L, only to find his eyes boring straight into hers. They were bright yellow, just like all Disassembly Drones, but they seemed to be even more intense. Even though L was around her height, he still managed to make S feel so small and helpless.
“I’m only doing this so we can be more efficient. We were sent here for a reason, so we must all be of some use ,” L leaned in even closer to S’s face. “And don’t get me wrong, I mean what I’m saying. But you haven’t been the ‘best’ teammate. Your body count has been embarrassingly low, which reflects on all of us. All because you’re too soft to kill some puny Worker Drones? I’ve seen you kill before. It’s honestly such a shame you put all that good potential to waste.”
L abruptly turned around and stormed off. K immediately stood up on her seat in an attempt to appear tall. “That’s enough!” she called, looking down at L with her arms crossed.
“Seriously K!? Can you just stay out of it for once I can handle it myself!” L yelled back, causing K to sigh in defeat and sit back down.
“You’re really gonna side with S? She’s been costing us so much lately!” His voice was filled with so much anger and hatred.
“She’s been trying her best!” K retorted. She crossed her arms and shot L a glare.
S did nothing but watch. She knew that if she tried to interfere, things would end up worse for her. All she could do was watch as her teammates argued. She hated it. Why couldn’t she be in a normal squad that wasn’t so dysfunctional.
Is it L…? Or is it me…? No, it can’t be L. He’s just trying to be a good leader, right? So it has to be me…
Right…?
S turned her back before sitting herself down on the hard ground of the landing pod. She rested her head on her knees, hugging her legs close to her chest. S tried to distract herself, wanting to think about anything but this. Usually, she could easily take her mind off a situation, as she often did when L would scream at her for whatever reason. After a while, S managed to take her mind somewhere else. She imagined herself anywhere but here, anywhere but this horrible place. Now, L’s yelling was barely audible.
S didn’t know how much time passed. For all she knew, it could’ve been days since the argument that ensued. Just as S finally felt safe again, she felt a tug at her jacket, pulling her from her thoughts and causing her to shriek in surprise. All her sensors were still telling her that there was danger nearby.
“Don’t worry… it’s just me.” A soft voice called from behind. It was K. S turned around to face her teammate, who knelt before her. She leaned her head into K’s hand as she ran it through her soft, silver hair.
“Did he…” S’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“Yeah.” K replied before S could finish. “I didn’t even feel it cause I was so angry with how he’s been treating you. To be honest, it just fueled my rage
even more.” She chuckled.
S gently felt around K’s body for any damages. As she did, K remained still as S prodded at her for half a minute. “Relax, S. I sustained no damage. Even if I did, it wouldn’t really matter considering my healing factor is up to par unlike yours. N- No offense…” She muttered the last few words.
There was a few seconds of silence before S responded with a quiet “none taken”.
S pulled K into a hug, squeezing her tightly. “I’m sorry…”
She buried her face in K’s chest, gripping tightly at her coat. Her voice sounded so shaky and soft. Almost as if she was about to cry.
K gently rubbed circles on S’s back, hushing her. “No, no… don’t be. I know you tried your best. Just… Please don’t cry.”
“It’s my fault he…”
K gently caressed S’s face, pushing her chin up to face her. “S… it isn’t. It’s better that it was me anyway.”
Is she really going to just take the blame like that? She had nothing to do with this… so why? WHY is she doing all this for me!?
“NO it wasn’t! I shouldn’t have separated from you while hunting…” S quickly pulled away from K, causing her to jump back.
“S…” She tried to reach for S, only making her pull away more.
“WHY ARE YOU SO NICE ABOUT THIS!? SHOULDN’T YOU BE MAD!?” S’s sudden outburst shocked K. She’s never heard the usually quiet drone yell like this before.
There was a moment of silence between the two, though the moment felt like an eternity. K sighed, before placing a gentle hand on S’s shoulder.
“Of course I’m mad! L has no right treating you like that!” K brushed the bangs off S’s visor, looking into her neon yellow eyes. “Trust me when I say this. I’d beat his ass if I could.”
“Thanks K…” S smiled ever so slightly. “I know I can always count on you.”
The two embraced once again, their foreheads against each other. K gently stroked S’s back, humming softly as she did so. A scoff could be heard from behind the two. K turned around to see none other than L towering above her. “Alright, you two. Break it up already.”
“You need to leave us alone for once. Especially S!” K held a whimpering S closer as if to shield her from L.
“You’re lucky that I’m satisfied with your hunting today. Otherwise, things would be worse for you.” L threatened.
K rolled her eyes. “Look, your threats aren’t gonna work on me. Do what you want to me but I will NOT let you hurt S.”
“Whatever… I give up. Just don’t do… THAT around me. It’s gross.” L waved his hand around, gesturing at his teammates to make his point. Finally, he left them alone.
K leaned in close to S and whispered to her. “He’s gone. You’re safe now.”
S looked up at K, still gripping onto her as if her life depended on it.
K smiled gently at her. “S… I promise you this. No matter what happens, and what L does. I will protect you.”
“No matter what?”
K petted S’s head, ruffling her silver hair. “No matter what!”