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Chapter Text

….

Core startup; updating protocols….

V.1.2.. Serial Designation-N..

Running diagnostics check… 

Hardware Report:.. Minimal damage.

Damage Report:.. Optic sensors- Cause of Minimal damage . Core is secure .

Software Report:.. Oil tank- 19% .  Seek refills soon. .. Memory files //?// Corrupted. Corruption data implanted by;;.. SSID: (T3SS4)

   A small beep bounced off the walls as a drone- a male disassembler- awoke. Said drone blinked his artificial eyes open, observing his surroundings. The spire was the current homestead of three disassembly drones; Serial Designations J, V, and N. However, looking around, N found the lack of the other two. At this new information he swooped down, his tail unraveling from a metal bar. A large pair of metallic wings slowed his fall, landing quietly on the snow and scattered parts. As his actual eyes- a series of five optics on his head- scanned the area, he was not surprised to find himself alone. V and J usually left him alone now, especially since he started to find joy in hanging out with a worker drone; Uzi. 

   As much as their bond is… well, both weird and socially frowned upon, he loved hanging out with Uzi. They were best friends! Though.. The term ‘best friends’ didn't sit right with him. It wasn't a bad thing! But N just felt like.. He wanted more. The way his core would thrum around her, flutter at every laugh, every touch, and every smile. The disassembler had caught feelings for the oblivious worker. Unfortunately, he would rather keep those feelings to himself rather than ruin what they've made together! Ah, why did N care? It wasn't like Uzi was all he had left. Except she was.  

  Shaking his head from his wandering thoughts, his wings outstretched. Readying his stance for flight, N immediately pounced into the air; the night engulfing his form. Only once he was above the spire did he let himself fall back into his thoughts about Uzi. They didn't hang out last night, Uzi having been busy with… something, he didn't even remember her telling him why. Was she upset with him? Oh no! He should say sorry. Is she just busy? It's not his business to be snooping through. Letting out a frustrated groan, N logged into his personal messaging system. Uzi had exchanged serial numbers with him, so they would be able to text while apart. N figured he could send a message, asking if she was awake.

N;;; Hi :) Are u awake?

     N waited for a moment. It was fine if she was asleep, more than fine! She needs it anyway. Plus, if she was asleep, he could possibly try and refill his tank- However, his mind quieted as he saw the ‘typing’ bubble pop up.

Uzi;;; Ya, whts up ?

N;;; Oh, nothing much! I had just been wondering if you wanted to hang out tonight! It's okay if you’re busy!

Uzi;;; Oh, sure why not. meet me by the door, k?

N;;; Okay!

     The male drone wagged his tail as he changed his route, heading over to the colony’s door as Uzi told him to do so. The hum of his thrusters and whip of his tail was all he heard at the moment, the wind oddly serene right now. Usually the winds of Copper-9 would shake his flight, sometimes even throwing him off balance- causing him to barrel to the side or down. N let out a yelp as he realized he just about missed his target. Quickly shutting off his thrusters and retracting his wings, he was sent plummeting to the ground. With a loud thud and cloud of powdered snow, N hit the ground. He let out a groan, clutching his head as he sat up.

     “Oh robo-god! Dude, are you okay? I open the door and see you hit the ground- don't you have wings?”

     Uzi came rushing out the door, crouching down to N’s side. The worker let out a tiny giggle at the disassembler’s disheveled appearance. The laughter rubbed off onto N, his own giggles chirping out of him. 

     “Heh, I'm alright, Uzi! I just- almost flew by, turns out that might have not been the worst idea-” N huffed out, standing up.

     Uzi dusted off his coat for him, his visor growing a few blush lines as she did so. He was quick to shake them away. 

      “Well duh, ya big goof.” She playfully swatted his arm, “Turning around is better than falling. Pffft, anyways! Did you have something in mind for tonight? Or are we just winging it?” 

     Thinking for a moment, he shook his head. There wasn't much to do on a desolate, toxic planet. Though- maybe they could have fun with that fact.

    “Actually, There’s an abandoned city not far from the spire! Maybe we could go check it out, maybe loot it if we find something of interest! It's only a few miles north, I'm sure we could get there if we fly fast enough, but there's no rush!” N explained. He once again deployed his wings, his thrusters humming to life; preparing for flight. 

    “Speaking of wings, have you been practicing?”

   Uzi shook her head. Usually N would give her small mini lessons while they were out, but they have been busy in their own separate ways. 

  “Nah, but that's fine! I'm sure I can do a straight shot at higher speeds. It's not like if I fall ill plummet to my death- I know you'd help me out. “ N agreed with her. “ And honestly, abandoned city exploration sounds sick as hell! “ Uzi pumped a fist in the air, a wild grin on her face.

   As they both agreed it was best to leave now, Uzi summoned her own wings. She burst up into the air, a little wobbly at first, but she regained her balance. N was quick to join her, his own wings throwing him upwards next to Uzi. With a nod, they both flew up a bit higher, then darted off. The winds felt nice rushing on their faces, the both of them having a never-dying smile. This is what they appreciated, they liked to just bask in each other's presence. N dipped a bit lower, flipping his body around. He was underneath Uzi, both of their stomachs facing each other. The male let out a small giggle, which Uzi couldn't help but copy.

    “What are you doing?” Uzi barked.

   “Flying!”

   “Like that?” She giggled.

   “Why not! It's fun! Plus, my thrusters keep me upright easier!” 

  Uzi gave an understanding shrug in response. Yeah, his flying was way easier than hers. But if he really needed to- and when he teaches Uzi- he can turn off his boosters. Flying, by flapping his wings that is, is definitely difficult considering the open blades; Which was harder to catch air and definitely heavy. Her tail had snaked out, moving to coil around N’s. As heartfelt as the action was, N quickled untangled himself from her grasp, dipping a bit lower as if looking for something. Uzi gave a confused look, as if she did something wrong. Was tail holding something.. Bad for disassembly drones? However, N’s flailing arms caught her attention. His screen read a message; BE QUIET . N let out a tiny hiss, swooping back up and snatching Uzi around her torso. She was pulled closely and tightly into his chest, her wings retracting as he did so. The male drone turned off his thrusters, the once enjoyed quiet of the night becoming unnerving. 

   The two of them started to dip, soon falling from the sky. As N was as calm as he seemed, Uzi was holding back a startled yell. Underneath the clouds was a city- run down, broken and charred. N made quick work to swoop down into a building. With his arms still around Uzi, he directed them into a crevasse between some rubble. Just as the worker was about to ask what the hell was going on , N slapped a hand over her mouth. His visor flashed a message at her; Stay quiet, just for a bit longer.

   Uzi was as confused as ever, however that confusion was over taken with surprise and fear as a bright flash of yellow burst past them. N curled his tail around Uzi, giving a small squeeze like a hug. There was a loud thud, and cluttering of blades near them. Another disassembly drone? N had let go of her, his posture becoming more tense. Uzi was well, mildly panicking. She flashed him a message; What r u doing? N had only shook his head, holding up a finger as if telling her to stay there. 

   Uzi curled in on herself, the scrape of her boots giving a tiny noise. The action made N flinch, and catch the other disassembly drone’s attention.

    “ Little worker drone..~ I can hear you in here~” The unknown drone cooed, footsteps growing closer. 

  Well, that was probably the last ‘calm’ thing that happened before N pulled away, one of his hands switching for a rifle. N did not fire any shots, but was aiming at the other drone as he stepped closer. 

   “ Wh- Ugh! You’re that drone. J’s squad, right? Yeah, we heard about your defective waste of metal! “ The drone- seemingly another male, growled.

   N hissed back, his tail pointing threateningly at the other. “ Get lost! You know there’s nothing here.” His tone was.. Well, definitely harsher than Uzi has ever heard. 

  “Ah, but there is~ You know our sensors don't lie! Unless yours are all wacked out. Ya hiding the oil bank from me? “ The drone’s tail lashed behind him, clearly just testing N’s patience.

  The same patience of which N had just lost. The quieter sounds from before were quickly replaced by an eruption of gunshots, slashes, growls and hisses. It could be mistaken for some dog fight if it weren't for the shots being fired. Uzi had peaked out from the rocks, getting a glimpse of the two males viciously fighting. The sight was completely new to her, not used to seeing N so.. Feral? Upset? Violent? But she knew he was only doing it to protect her. 

  Uzi got a sense of Deja Vu as the unknown drone deployed his wings, effectively pinning N to the wall with a stab to the shoulder. N kicked his legs out, thrashing around- it almost looked like a toddler’s tantrum. Uzi used the opportunity to summon her solver, throwing the disassembler off N. What Uzi didn't expect was for N to immediately jump out, pouncing onto the other male once again. Both of their eyelights have disappeared, replaced with the trademark ‘X’. Uzi yelped, moving away from the rolling pair of drones, clawing and scratching at each other. 

  The worker backed away further, the rather animalistic sounds coming from them becoming worrying. This was.. definitely something she never thought she'd see. As soon as N got the upper hand, his claws plunged into the other male's core. Uzi had looked away, but she could figure out he had.. disposed of the unknown drone. One thing she wasnt sure of though, was the fact N was.. Laughing. Uzi returned her gaze, and she saw N still had the sadistic X on his visor, his oil-covered claws glistening in the moonlight as he laughed. After literally killing one of his own.  

   “..N?” Uzi started, hesitantly stepping forward.

  Upon hearing her voice, N's eyes blinked back, his giggles coming to an abrupt stop. He stared at Uzi, his eyes drifting down to his hands, then to the destroyed core-heart. The disassembly drone once again looked back at Uzi, his hands raised up defensively, and his eyes to hollow circles.

   “I- uhm.. I don't know what came over me I- Hey, at least he won't attack us!” He defended, unsure of Uzi's actual opinion on.. this.

   “ N- No it's fine. That was just- different. I'm fine with you going all uh, fight mode like that, kinda cool if I'm honest- B-but! Uh, you did get just a tad bit… crazy at the end there- Are you feeling okay?” Uzi reached out a hand, placing it on his arm. 

   N nodded, giving a small smile to her. “I'm fine. I think my CPU's a little jacked up- it'll be fine though! Should we continue what we were doing? I'm thinking we go deeper in the city, this area's a little desolate “ He nervously rubbed his arms. He just needed oil, he can find some whenever Uzi gets back to the colony. It’ll be fine.

  Uzi Agreed, her wings and tail coming out. She carefully stepped over the dismantled drone, now standing near a ledge. N joined her, his wings open and thrusters ready. Uzi gave N a playful smirk before tipping over the edge, allowing the winds to catch her wings. N followed soon after, drifting over to Uzi before bursting away. The worker giggled, flapping her wings hard and fast to catch up, which wasn't too hard since N slowed his speed. The drone in question had swooped next to Uzi, a grin on his face. 

   “Just up ahead is where the city actually has loot, I've seen some shops and work places full of stuff! There's even a video store I think you’ll like!” He beamed, pointing around wildly to accompany his words.

  “How do you even know about those things? I thought being a disassembler means you aren't / weren't very.. Open to the world-?” She laughed. 

  “Oh! Well, I wasn't always a-” N suddenly clamped his mouth shut. A moment of silence passed over them.

…

  “You weren't.. Always a disassembly drone?..” Uzi put two and two together. Huh.. that actually didn't make a lot of sense. As Uzi looked back at N, he was already staring at her with hollowed ring eyes. 

   N quickly looked away, giving a tiny nod. “ Yeah uh.. Most of us were reprogrammed and uhm, rebuilt. But that's a conversation for another time! Lets just enjoy this” He was definitely quick to dismiss the topic. As much as Uzi wanted to prod for more answers, she figured it was a sore subject. She decided to drop it for now, but still gave a nod to him. A conversation they will have later.  N was quickly lightened up though, pointing down to a run down building. They all looked the same to her.

  “There! That's the video store! Maybe you can find something there! You like those uhhh… animated humans, right! They might have some little toys related to that!” N exclaimed, leading Uzi over.

  The worker let out a small laugh, assuming he meant action figures . “Maybe! Let's find out.” 

   As the two drones landed, Uzi felt a chill run up her spine. She wasn't one to be nervous or anything, but something felt off. N looked back, there was a bit of strain in his smile- did he feel it too? 

  “I'm just gonna make sure the inside is clear, stay out here, I'll be quick!” N spoke with.. Enthusiasm and chipper tones. 

 “Wh- I can hel-”

“Just let me check it out.” He interrupted.

  Uzi crossed her arms, huffing a bit as she stepped to the side. N had switched a hand out for his tri claws. Well, he definitely felt whatever the hell she did, he was just playing it off. AT least that's what she was assuming from this. Uzi walked over to a run down bench, taking a seat. 

  N walked inside, his visor and optic sensors brightening to work as a light source. So maybe he got a weird feeling when they landed! It was probably nothing. The drone walked quietly, his optics scanning the surroundings. He made sure not to focus too much on the items scattered around, so he could do them with Uzi later. However a sudden clattering in the backroom caught him off guard. Something seemed to have fallen, as seen by a rolling bouncy ball. N froze, the object also making a stop. Turning the corner, he soon realized the cause of the sound was just a wandering robo-roach. N let out a tiny chuckle, burning turning around.

  “Uzi! It’s clear!”

… N did not get a reply. 

   He walked back outside, not seeing her where she was standing before. His eyes wandered to the bench nearby- Empty. 

   “Uzi? ”

Chapter Text

 ...

..

   “Uzi?...”

   N looked around, the only noise he heard was the bristling wind. His tail stilled as his optic sensors activated ‘Search mode’. The drone scanned the surroundings, any footsteps would have been covered by the wind, and if Uzi was.. Taken, he would've heard a struggle! With a small huff in frustration and worry, N switched his hand out for his claws. Walking around the building, he was careful to check any spot the worker could’ve gone. For a drone designed to track workers- he was having trouble. Where and how could she just disappear in thin air? 

   ….

       Air. Uzi could fly- But wait, why would she leave? N deployed his wings, jumping up into the air. Scanning the ground, he found no trace of Uzi. Cupping his hand and claws around his mouth, he called out. 

  “UZ-”

  .. Well he tried. N was cut off by something slamming hard into him, driving him to the ground. He could barely muster a yelp before he made contact with the ground. With a groan, he sat up. One of his wings was bent in an awkward pose- having been crushed by the impact. N barely had time to recuperate his thoughts as Uzi came barreling towards him at alarming speed. He yelped, rolling out of the way just in time, the worker hitting the ground beside him with a snarl.

    “Uzi! What the hell are you doi-”

   N was cut off by a clawed hand to his throat, as he looked up, the golden eyes replacing the purple bore into him, her grin unwavering and all too wide. Mustering up enough courage- and fear, he threw his leg out, kicking the drone off of him. Uzi grunted as she hit the snow, however the action hardly disheartened her violence. N managed to get to his feet, one wing retracting, the other failing to do so. As one of his hands switched for a sword, Uzi’s summoned the solver. N’s tail flicked behind him, his eyes narrowing on the grinning figure in front of him. The worker rose her hand- a chunk of cement behind him raising as well. The disassembly drone quickly jumped out of the way of the speeding rock, however his disabled wing couldn't move fast enough. The appendage ripped off from the socket, earning a pained shriek from N as he felt the metal rip away. 

    “What’s wrong, big brother? Cannot handle a little pain? “ The worker spoke, a voice so different from the one he knew. 

  “I'm not-”

   However, once again, N was cut off from finishing his words. ‘Uzi’ rushed forward, the solver ripping apart his discarded wing, using the blades to shoot towards him. N let out a yelp, merely dodging the flying blades. Cuts and scratches littered his frame as he refused to hurt Uzi. Unfortunately, he realized he would not be able to get out of this without doing something. Switching his sword for a rifle, he aimed and shot at Uzi’s wrist. The first few bullets flew past her- the fourth hitting directly into her hand. She growled in pain as the solver flickered away, her hand now mangled and bleeding profusely. 

    With the small window he granted himself, N shot forward, rifle once again switching, now replaced with his sword. Uzi summoned her solver as quickly as she could, searching for something to hurl at him. N was quicker though, swiftly bringing his sword down on her wrist, severing her hand. With both hands out of commission, the solver was out of the equation. Uzi’s golden eyes furrowed in annoyance, soon letting out a growl. N used his humanoid hand to bash the side of her head. The action caused her visor to flicker off, now displaying a message; [Knocked tf out.]

   N would have found the message comical if he wasn't worried beyond thinking. The adrenaline ran through his wires as he quickly scooped Uzi up into his arms. He was about to deploy his wings to fly- but remembered how… how he only has one at the moment. It’ll take some time to regenerate such material, so walking will have to do for now. Holding Uzi tightly to his chest, N left the scene behind. Both of their removed appendages stay in the snow, oil continuing to leak from them. N let out a stressed huff, looking down at Uzi as they continued forward. Using his inner clockwork and well, common sense, N noticed how the sun would soon be rising. His body did not have the power to get them back home in time on foot. He sighed, once again returning to the video store. It’ll have to do.

   Setting Uzi down, N found a few comfortable items for the worker to lay on. He set them down, maneuvering Uzi’s body so she seemed relaxed. The message on her screen didn't let up, so N decided to sit by her side and wait. The sounds of the quieting winds whistled in the shattered windows. Thankfully N found a spot near the back where the sun won't be able to reach them, though with the day approaching, and his oil levels dropping, it wouldn't be a very… welcome time here. N looked over at Uzi, her body and the solver program starting to mend and regenerate her injuries. He let out a relieved sigh as he saw her healing, well, that was one thing he was happy about solver related. 

   The disassembly drone let out a tired huff, his legs curling up to his chest, tail wrapping around his ankles. He could at least try to get some rest, since it might help speed up the process in healing his wounds. Stealing one last glance at Uzi’s unconscious form, he allowed his body to fall into sleep mode. The rest of the darkness is now only illuminated by N and Uzi’s screen, and his glowing nanite canister. 

   …..

…

  Sss….

   Uzi’s visor flickered on.. What was that hissing noise? The worker lifted her upper half up- where was?.... Her scent sensors picked up a hefty burning smell. Uzi looked around, finding no fire. She was alone, wasnt she with N? What’s burning? 

 ….

N’s burning.

   Uzi jumped up, eyes frantically searching the area. She spotted a dimly glowing cylinder; N’s nanite-filled tail. The worker immediately rushed over, turning the corner of the shelf. Her eyes widened at the sight before her, N was practically steaming, one of his eyes flashing a warning. The other eye was frantically switching from his oval eyes, to his trademark ‘X’. Uzi knelt in front of him, hands gripping fiercely at his arm’s sides. 

   “N? H-Hey what's going on-”

  The disassembler just noticed her as she spoke, his head lolling to the side to look at Uzi. N let out a mix between a whine and a growl, Uzi backing off slightly. 

  “N- Seriously what-”

  Uzi paused her words, reading the warning on his visor closely. [‘Seek oil source immediately. Protocol due to activate in 2:34]’. Oh. He needed oil- and quickly so. Uzi panicked, looking around. She didn't want to find out what ‘Protocol’ meant. The worker let out a huff, mumbling a few words to hype herself up. Bringing her wrist to her mouth, her teeth sank into the metal. Uzi hissed in pain, further deepening the wound. The sudden stench of oil made N perk up, one of his eyes switching to a hollow ring. He looked like he wanted to protest against what she was doing, but his body couldn't give the energy to do so. Uzi quickly shoved her bloodied wrist to his mouth, N turning his head away. Uzi could see the look of restraint he had, he didn't want to hurt her. 

  “N.”

…

    “N.”

   The male drone looked up as her tone hardened. Uzi prodded the oil to his mouth. N reluctantly rose a hand to steady her- really using it to support himself up. He gave her a stare, his drooling mouth only an inch away from her oil. Uzi gave a nod, and that was all he needed before he oh-so gently cupped his mouth around the wound. 

   She could feel her oil being sucked out, it was definitely a weird sensation. Under the pain she felt, it almost tickled. She could feel his tongue occasionally flick her wrist, and she could definitely feel the heat radiating off him cool a bit. A few moments of silence passed before N pulled away. Before she could say or even do anything, he began to lick the injury. Uzi was about to pull away in confusion, but N held her steady. And before she knew it, the hurt had gone away, the wound closed. Huh.

    N licked up a small smear of oil that gathered at the edge of his mouth, the drone seemed a bit out of it before he finally looked up to Uzi; a painfully apologetic expression on his face. 

  “Sorry. I- I didn't want to wake you up. There wasn't anything I could do- the sun was and is still out, and I wasn't going to interrupt your regeneration process- which seemed to be finished. Are you okay? Did I take too much oil? Are all your injuries even hea-”

     Uzi placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping his spiral. 

  “N, I’m fine. I wished you could have woken me up sooner, you know I would've d- wait go back. Regeneration process? What happened?”

   N furrowed his brows. Right, she hardly remembered when Solver was in control. 

 “Uhm. Well, I was inside searching the store, then I came back out. You were gone- i uh, i looked for you, then you found me first” He let out a nervous chuckle, ”Ah, The solver was acting though, so we kinda fought for a bit. I hurt you a bunch, which I'm super sorry for! B-but you're all healed up now.. So.”

   Uzi stared back wide-eyed. Oh. That's why there was a fat gap in her memory. Explained why the hell they were out here in the middle of the day, too. Uzi let out a small sigh. This huge murder bot couldn't stop worrying about tiny things could he? Before N could spiral into mindless rambles, she wrapped her arms around him. 

   Uzi felt N tense up for a moment before his arms snaked around her body, holding her closer. The worker nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, happy at the contact. Uzi felt even more of a success as she heard the clink! clink! Of his tail wagging against the floor. The glass canister housing the nanite acid thumped against the broken concrete ground, Uzi would've thought it cracked if she didn't know any better. 

   The disassembler pulled away, expression near blank as he brushed a piece of Uzi's hair away from her visor. He always loved how vibrant her purple eyes were- They certainly were unique. And the beanie that she seemed to never take off, always looks so soft. N had to refrain from reaching a hand up to the fluff and squish the material. 

    “Uh.. N? You're staring.” Uzi whispered.

  A couple blush lines appeared on the worker, and more ferocious yellow glowed from N.

   The disassembly drone quickly looked away, his face glowing brighter. 

   “S-sorry- I zoned out-”

   “Dude, it's fine. Just a little funky seeing you so blank and staring at me like that” 

   Uzi didn't seem to mind, moving to rest her head on his chest. She could've swore she got a glimpse of his hand coming down to cease his tail wags. The sight brought a smile to her face, her eyes fluttering shut to the sound of N's now rapidly beating core, and the faint whir of his fans. 

   N was… panicking. Was he? Yes. The drone tried his best to keep his composure at Uzi's calm demeanor, that was easy. However, when she laid her head to his chest- that was difficult. They were basically cuddling! N slowly crept his hands forward, moving to gently lay on Uzi's back. His fingers drew circles on her, this earning a small hum in approval from the worker laying against him.

   N happily continued the comforting motion, his tail even coming over to coil around her leg. Uzi sneakily nuzzled closer into N, hoping he wouldn't notice. He did. The male drone let out a content sigh, one hand moving over to play with her hair. They were already cuddling, who cared at this point. Plus it all felt… nice.

   On the near verge of falling asleep, all he could think about was how much he utterly loved this drone on him. She has been nothing but kind, caring, and oh-so helpful. His tail wagged around Uzi's leg, and he instinctively pulled her closer. 

   As he felt himself slip into Sleep mode, one single thought of him spilled vocally from his mouth.

    “I love you.”

         ..

     ..

.

What.

    Uzi shot her head up. What did he say? Is she hearing things? The worker looked up at N's face- a tiny smile, black optics, and a visor displaying [Sleep Mode // Dream Active]. She blinked at him, partially considering waking him up, because did he even know what he just said?! Did he care?

    Did he mean it?

  Uzi let out a harsh exhale, her head once again moving to rest on his chest. The soft beats of his core were calming, the occasional twitch of his tail was cute, and the small mumbles of her name were unreal. Her own core skipped a beat when N dared to tighten his grip around her body, pushing their cores close in proximity. The mere thought of it caused her fans to whir. Uzi was confused beyond all hell, if not baffled. 

    N scooted down a bit, then turned. Their bodies were now curled into each other, N practically removing her abilities to move with how tight he was holding her. Uzi just… accepted her fate. This wasn't bad. She was comfortable. She was happy and content, and it seemed like N was too.

   Uzi let out a small sigh, closing her eyes as she too wrapped an arm around him, cuddling closer into the warmth of his core. The feeling of his tail on his leg tightened for a moment, before going completely slack. N's message of sleep mode flickered off of his visor; his system entering a deeper sleep. 

    The worker relaxed, melting away at the scene at play. Uzi was happy. N made her happy. N even loved her! 

..

  And Uzi loved him back.

Chapter Text

   As the sun settled below the horizon, and the stars and moon lit the sky, two drones found themselves awakening. A pair of yellow optics and eyes powered on, the golden glow illuminating the blank visor in front of him. The CPU of the male drone was still catching up, and his utter confusion was not helping him right now. 

     ‘Uzi? Why is… why are we..’

   His visor gained a few flustered blush lines. They were cuddling! Why? His tail gave a short wag, happy at her comfort, but what even led to this? N was definitely confused, whatever happened in the day with his overheating.. He didn't remember anything. The disassembler hissed quietly.

   N gently but quickly unwrapped his arms from her, but found himself having trouble with getting up. One of the worker’s arms was slung around his torso. He hated how his core skipped a beat in panic. He hated how he immediately stilled. 

    He hated how it brought up repressed memories.  

—---------------------

An arm slung around his torso. Clawing. Pleading.

  “Please! Dont - Dont! J-just leave me alone! I-i..”

   His optics showed the .. worker drone? As a target.

His claws unsheathed. 

  “P-Please! I- I just want to live. . Please oh my- i just- oh god”

  He stepped closer. A sick grin on his face, drool seeping from his mouth just thinking of the taste of that warm… sweet…

He had to make her proud. But he was stalling. He knew he should get it over with. Get the kill and give it to her. She was waiting . He was waiting . The worker was waiting . 

  “N!” J seethed.

—---------------------

“N!” Uzi called.  

   And just like that. It was over. N brought his eyes to Uzi, who looked quite worried. 

  “Are you okay? I woke up- but you were shaking and uh.. Seemed out of it.” She admitted.

  Was he okay? What was okay anymore? N didnt want to think about it. He was fine. Uzi wasn't doing anything, it wasn't her fault. She cared. He cared. Softening his posture and expression a bit, he gave her a small smile. 

  “I'm okay. I just- had a nightmare. I thought about it a little too hard.” He chuckled. “I probably messed something up during our fight.. Or the overheat.” He admitted, gesturing to both his core and head. 

  This however, did not calm Uzi down. N was a bit confused, he said he was okay! N sat up, Uzi followed. 

   “What? Let me check! I don't-” She hesitated. “It's not like I want you hurt or anything. Can I check you over?” The worker looked concerned, but there was a fondness to it. It made his core flutter. 

   “Uhm. I- I don't see why not?” N was… unsure of the situation. What did she mean by checking him over?

   At his granted permission Uzi took a deep breath. She crawled around him, tapping his back to gesture she was checking there first. N tensed a bit, but relaxed. It was just Uzi. SHe was checking for injuries!

   She moved down his coat a bit, seeing a large, outwards dent on the left side of his wing compartment. 

“Jesus! What happened? I mean- i know it probably happened during our fight.., but how?..” Uzi didn't seem pleased. 

 “Oh- Uhm. I don't remember much, but you kinda.. Sorta.. Picked up some ruble, hurled it at me-  andmywingcameoff -!” N quickly replied, as if he was embarrassed, even ashamed that it happened. 

   “Gosh, N. Yeah, now I'm concerned. “

“Pfft, as if you weren't before” N countered, trying to lighten the mood.

   Uzi let out a giggle, gently flicking the back of his head. N turned, sticking his tongue out at her.

  “Well, I'm sure that's gonna take some time to regenerate.” She spoke as she once again came back to his front, A few blush lines appeared on his visor as she leaned a bit closer to him, her eyes trailing down. 

   “Unbutton the top of your coat.”

What?! N almost let out a shriek from surprise.

  Uzi groaned, seeming to catch her poor choice in words. 

“No! I- Ugh! So I can check your outer-core! That is not what I meant!” 

   N flushed. Nodding slowly. Okay. He probably would have short-circuited if she was doing what he originally thought. His hands danced around his coat, the buttons becoming undone quickly. He was beyond nervous, even though she was only checking his outer parts of his core. Does she even know how private or intimate someone's bare core is?! The outer parts are no better!

   As his coat slipped from his shoulder to give more slack, Uzi couldn't help but stare. The glowing symbol on his chest, similar to the worker drones- however the symbol displayed the brand mark of a disassembler. His plating on his chest was seamless, smooth and sleek white.. His shoulders were decently broad and she could just imagine gripping one and leaning up too- Okay Uzi! That's enough thoughts!

    However, as she looked lower, to the latch that concealed his bare core , she couldn't help but worriedly gawk at the dent. That didn't seem very okay. N seemed to notice her concerned stare, and his eyes too trailed down- Oh. That.. that's not supposed to be there. Uzi glanced up at N quickly.

   “Do you think.. Do you think my core got damaged?” N whispered, almost scared that if he spoke too loud the dent would worsen. 

   “I don't know. Do you mind if.. If I take a look?” Uzi stared up at him. It was definitely something very private between drones, both workers and disassemblers. 

     As much as N felt very nervous, uncomfortable, and hell, even scared, he nodded meekly. “I trust you.” 

    Nothing else was said between them as N reached his hand over,  a panel on his ‘ribcage’ opening. After that, he moved his hand out of the way, and gave Uzi the floor. Her hand reached over to open the unlocked panel- sliding the plate over. His small, fleshy core was revealed, the singular eye on it staying shut. 

    Uzi’s breath got in her throat, and N nervously looked at her.

   “What? Is it damaged? How bad is it-” N stampered.

  Uzi could see his core pulse as his nervousness grew. She ripped her eyes away from fleshy material, staring up at him. 

   “N- I just- i've never seen.. A disassembler core before. Yours is a little different from ours.”

   Uzi returned her gaze to his core, taking in the differences. “Sharper claws..Yellow lights, more canisters.. It's even a darker shade than ours.” 

   N seemed relieved, and she could definitely tell. If it wasn't his body relaxing, it was definitely his core. Its rapid beats slowed, as it didn't look as.. Tense? Uzi couldn't help but wonder.. How different their cores were. Tentatively, she reached a hand out to his core. N seemed to realize what she was doing. 

   “Uzi wai-” His voice stopped.

   Uzi’s hands had grasped his core, his consciousness, grasped him , and disconnected him from his body. She had removed his core.

    Uzi yelped as she saw N’s body go slack, all lights immediately turning off, except for his visor which displayed a new message. 

   [ Core extracted. Body system offline. ]

 Oh god. Oh god. She killed him! N is dead and she just-

   “..Uzi?”

  Uzi looked down in her hands. A singular, yellow eye was staring up at her. His core- No. N was staring up at her. In her hands. Holy shit . She just disconnected him from his body-

   “Uzi why are you so- what is- why am i……” Surprisingly, a single eye could show a lot of emotion. He was confused. Uzi could feel the fleshy material of a core pulsating in her hands. She was holding everything that made him him.

   The eye looked down, a crab-like claw moving outwards. It froze as he saw it.

    “You took me out?!” He shrieked.

   The sudden wail caused Uzi to let out a startled scream as well. N leaped from her hands, scurrying over onto a shelf, moving into view of a dirty mirror. He definitely saw himself. In all his weird, fleshy, crab- core heart glory. N quickly turned back to Uzi, and saw his body beside her. He had to hold back another shriek.

   “Am I dead?! Is my body dead?! Uzi- Why did-” N panicked, quickly glancing between his body, Uzi, and the mirror.

   If Uzi didn't know any better, she’d think he was having a stroke. Okay, so maybe she should have asked before touching it, better yet, taking it out as a whole. Uzi immediately felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She really just totally overstepped and invaded him like that!

    “N- I'm sorry I didn't think- I just- I got curious- And i just-” Uzi stampered out, guilt, shock, and disbelief overpowering her systems. “No you aren't dead! You’re just offline! Haven't you been removed before?” Uzi asked, a strong tone of concern in her voice, but trying to deescalate whatever the hell was going on. N narrowed his eye at her, and she could just imagine the look on his face if he was in his body. 

   “I have! Not like I want to remember it though. Nothing good comes from core removal!” He huffed. Uzi was taken aback by his tone, however out of habit, it just fueled her own attitude. The worker crossed her arms.

  “Core removal happens all the time! You need to get your core removed to get new-age bodies! Hello, you aren't that stupid N!” And as soon as she said her words, she covered her mouth, eyes blown wide. N’s eye widened in shock for her even saying that, but it quickly furrowed in anger.

    “Well Uzi, ” His voice dripping with a mocking tone she was surprised to hear, “Maybe you didn't know how I've been living as a murder bot half my life! Or maybe how I'm not supposed to know about workers and their little daily lives! OR maybe how last time my core was removed, it was shoved into THAT thing!” He hissed, pointing a claw at his unconscious body.

   The core in front of her beated with anger, and Uzi was at a loss for words. If she hadn't messed up before this, she definitely did now. The worker sighed, dropping to the floor gently to sit. Her guilt was evident in her miserable face, and N quickly softened, regretting raising his voice. 

    “Uzi I-”

   “Don't apologize. I'm the one who needs to be sorry. I should've asked. I didn't know. I am really sorry about whatever happened last time you were disconnected, and I'm sorry I made you bring it up. I.. I realize my mistake and I'm sorry.” She spoke in a low tone, and N let out a small grumble before crawling over to Uzi. She looked down at him, and he could see the small smile he would've had. 

   “Mind putting me back so I can respond properly?” He stifled a chuckle, and Uzi nodded, her own smile tugging at her mouth. Uzi gently picked him up, getting up on her knees and hovering over his body. N was gently placed back into the small compartment, and Uzi carefully plugged disconnected wires back into the canisters on his core. Once the last one was plugged in, she heard a loud beep from above- Coming from his audio ports. She smiled slightly as his visor showed a new message.

      [Core connected. Body systems powering on. Please stand by.]

    A few moments passed, and a sudden surge of codes and text washed over his visor before his eyes blinked back. A chill ran down his mechanical spine as he looked at Uzi. Quickly wrapping his arms around her, he let out a sigh.

     “I forgive you, Uzi. And I'm sorry for reacting like that, it was uncalled for. I do agree you could have asked, but I don't blame you for not knowing. Plus, it's not exactly a topic that could be squeezed into conversation..” He chuckled a bit, lightning the mood. Uzi joined him with giggles. It's true, it's not .. easy to just bring up trauma, which they both know they have a lot of. 

   “I forgive you too, goof. I'm here if you ever need to talk, you know that right?” N just responded by squeezing her a bit firmer. “I'm serious, don't be afraid to just come up to me.. Anything you need to say, just tell me. Baby steps, together right?” 

    N pulled away a bit to look at her with shocked eyes. How did he get so lucky? J and V were never this kind. N replaced his shock with a small happiness. “Together. And I'm also here if you need to talk, I'll be more than happy to listen.” And at this, Uzi once again hugged him. N returned the action, his arms wrapping around her as if she'd disappear forever. A stretch of silence passed over them, and Uzi finally pulled away. N couldn't help but frown. 

   “What? We can't stay forever. The sun is going down soon, and I'm sure you'd rather sleep in the pod or spire than here tomorrow.” She giggled out, and N could shrug in agreement.

   “That's fair. As soon as the sun is gone, we will head back, and I'll walk you back to the colony! I don't want you going alone” He beamed, and Uzi was happy to see him in a lighter mood. The worker gave a nod before standing up, looking around the store. It was a little eerie being in such a calm environment, remembering how there were definitely humans who tragically died around her as the planet froze over. She almost wanted to snicker at that. Stupid humans.

    “Sounds good to me! Will you have enough energy to fly back though?” She looked at him, watching him get up as he tried hiding a wince.

   “I'll be fine, I'm just a little stiff. My body was a little tense as it went offline. I'll be good!”

   She deadpanned remembering another thing. “Do you even have your other wing? Didn't it get torn off in the fight?” 

    N seemed to remember once she pointed it out, having taken a step back and deploying his wings. They were both there, in shape- mostly. The one that was removed had regenerated fully except for a single blade, which seemed to actively be regenerating, albeit slowly. N seemed to notice her disappointed look.

   “It's fine, it’ll be all there by the time we head out.” N reassured, her expression softening at the fact. 

   The wait for the night wasn’t eventful. The two drones chirped at each other in small conversation, both of them carefully watching the windows for the light to die down. They didn't want to stay any longer than they had too, both of them wanting to just be back in the comfort of home. Though as much as the two of them would keep it to themselves, not telling each other, they both felt at home wherever the other was. 

   As soon as the moon was visible on the horizon, they left. Now high up in the sky and above the clouds, N and Uzi soared next to each other. 

   “Sorry our visit didn't go as planned! That was definitely unexpected!” N piped up, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. 

   Uzi waved him off. “Eh, it's fine. That was calm compared to some of the other things that have happened, right?” N nodded. “Then no need to worry! It all turned out fine.” 

   N smiled at her ease, feeling it spread to him. She was right. They were both okay! N could feel his buzzing wires calm as he relaxed, his tail even loosening up from a tense he didn't know he had. Uzi could feel the air around the disassembler calm down, and she smiled. 

   They both basked in the calm silence of the night around them. The wind wished through their hair, whispering around their wings. They were quick to arrive home, and flying past the spire to the colony doors, they landed softly in the snow. Uzi and N shared a small, sad look, and N brought her into a hug. Uzi happily wrapped her arms around him, her tail even moving to curl around him too. N chuckled lowly at the movement, but his tail also wrapped around her. The drones shared the moment of silence before pulling away. 

    “Tomorrow night?” Uzi asked.

   “Tomorrow night. I'll be waiting.” N responded.

   With a small smile, she turned away. The doors opened with a swipe of the keycard, and before they shut, the worker turned back. They do it every time they hangout afterall.

   “Bye, N.”

    “See you later, Uzi.”

And as the doors shut, N jumped up into the air. Deciding he wanted to spend some time enjoying the calm winds, he flew up above the clouds. N was just about in serenity before a notification interrupted his moment. With a small groan, he opened up the newsletter popup. And at the sender’s name.. He just about short-circuited.

      Dear JcJenson Products!

     N scoffed, reading further.

            We are happy to be recalling all Disassembler models back to HQ for mission redirect! We are pleased to announce our satisfaction with current rouge AI control, and are calling back all disassembling models for status checks, system updates, and hardware repairs! Your time back at HQ will be a wonderful one, and we will be looking forward to having your attendance. Failure to comply with this direct order will result in software and hardware punishment! Please return to HQ tomorrow, December 3rd! We will be bringing models by force if necessary.

   Sincerely, JcJenson (In spaaace.)

    No matter how many times N reread the message, he could not believe it. He can't. And knowing much more of the company's secrets thanks to Uzi… He knows that this can't be good. This isn't okay. And taken by force? Now he knew there was no hiding. N redirected himself, heading back to the spire. He did not want to enjoy the calm winds anymore. As the male drone swooped into the spire, he quickly went to his nest and fell into it. They really had to be programmed to experience misery too? Of course.

    And as Uzi lay in her bed asleep, N lay in his, wallowing in dread, misery, guilt, and anger. 

       He had lied to Uzi. 

      He won't be seeing her later.

      He won't be waiting.

       He won't be able to.

Chapter Text

…

BOOM!

      Uzi snapped her eyes open, a loud sound jostling her awake. The worker scrambled up, curious as to what would make such a noise. However, halfway off her bed, her father- Khan Doorman- opened her door. 

     “Uzi? I need to head to work- something just breached the doors. I- The WDF needs to check it out. Will you be alright here?” Khan asked with genuine worry in his voice, and he half expected Uzi to snap at him for coming into her room unannounced. 

    But instead of anger, Uzi nodded quickly, concern etching her features. “Yeah, i- What even was that? Nevermind.. Go do your thing…. Be safe.” She muttered the last part, but her father heard. The male nodded his head, giving her a small smile before shutting her door. This only worried Uzi more, massive.. Sound, then her dad saying something breached the doors? How many? All three? If that was the case, then it wouldn't be good. And thankfully, a loud, blaring alarm sounded over the speaker system.

   Yellow lights and sirens had woken up the entirety of the colony, signaling doors one and two have been breached. Panic flooded her systems as she quickly slipped her boots and sweater on. Rushing out of her home, her legs ran quickly to where the third door would be defended. As Uzi rounded a corner, the WDF had weapons standing at the door- all of the drones standing in a line, prepared to fight. 

—----------------------------

    213 times. 

   N had read over the dreaded message, 213 times. He was halfway through the 214th when J flew up to the edge of his nest. Her wings retracted as she landed softly on the outer ring of hsi resting space.

     “Get up. We have new orders from the company. They want us to destroy the spire and pod. Something about keeping the toaster from escaping while we're gone. Unfortunately, we need your help in blowing this place up.” The female growled, finding disgust in having to ask him for help.

    N just gave a silent nod, knowing better than to respond verbally to J. He closed the message and stood, deploying his wings to head over to the pod- the place where the company stored an outrageous amount of explosives. 

-

    It had taken about two hours to place the dynamite around the spire, lodging it in weak spots, the surface, and the top. They had also placed some in the escape pod, which J said the company said to do so. N was currently hovering in the air beside V, who seemed to have a somber expression on her face. N was a little confused, but he decided not to ask, knowing he wouldn't explain why he was upset either. J was aiming her bomb dispenser hand replacement at a pile of explosives. Hopefully they were high enough so the explosion wouldn't hurt them. 

     J, giving a wicked grin, turned to the two. “Gotta say, this is the most exciting thing we have done. Let's light them up!” She roared, and N and V switched their hands out for bombs, throwing the firearms down into the piles. 

    BOOM!

    The three drowns were blown a bit back from the explosion, and N widened his eyes in shock. The spire came crumbling down- the pod was blown to pieces. His Eyes drifted back to the colony, probably the last time he would see it. A sad expression came over his face as he saw the first two doors blown off and destroyed. Hopefully Uzi was okay. 

    J narrowed her eyes at the two, her wings widening. “Let's get going. We can't be late.” She huffed, flying off. N and V assumed she had coordinates for the recall meeting, she was the leader after all. And with that, the three disassembly drones abandon Outpost 3. 

—---------------------------

     Uzi narrowed her eyes at the silent doors. Everyone had been standing around for 20 minutes, and nothing had happened. The WDF seemed to notice this, and drew back their weapons. Khan stepped forward, his hand clutching the door 3 remote. Another WDF member saw this, and placed a hand on Khan’s shoulder. 

     “Are you sure? We don't know what's out there..” 

   Khan only nodded, his thumb pressing the open button. The tension was thick as the door slid open, and everyone immediately froze. The first two doors were completely destroyed, and the freezing cold air rushed in. The view of the sky would have been clear if it weren't for all the smoke. Uzi pushed past everyone, her eyes hollowing out as she saw the view. The spire was gone, bodies sprew about as if- 

    As if blown away. 

      Her eyes scanned the area, and she noticed the remnants of the pod, remains of explosives, and lack of disassemblers. The worker hissed. What the hell happened out here? She stepped out of the area of door three.

   “Uzi!” KHan called. 

    The girl ignored him as she walked forward, her boots meeting the snow outside. The pod, the spire, they were blown to bits. Her eyes thinned, mind going blank. She could only assume the worst. Uzi immediately sent a message to her beloved friend.

       Uzi:::  N? What happened? Are you okay? The spire and pod blew up.

…

[[[ Sorry! But the contact you are trying to reach is either offline, or out of range! Resend message?]]]

    The error message kept repeating as she kept resending the message. Was N on a fly? Was…

        Was N dead?

    And as her mind supplied the thought, she dropped to her knees numbly. Uzi immediately threw her hands up to hide her face, and to muffle her sobs.

—------------------------------

     “Hey! Be on your best behavior you two. Looking at you, N. We’re coming up on HQ, I want the company to see we are the top squad. Got it?” J hissed.

    N and V nodded wearily. They had been flying in painful silence since they trashed the spire. N wasn’t in a good mood, flying a bit behind the two females. His mind just wandered to Uzi, wondering if she’s seen the aftermath. If she was worried. Or if she was glad a defective, annoying drone was gone. … She probably was happy with him gone.  The male sighed, and for the first time in miles upon miles, a large building came into view. The architecture was tall and wide, looking like some sort of factory office, which is what it was anyway, so who was N to judge?

      As the three drones landed in front of the building, the sun was just about to rise over the horizon. There were other drones already there, some still flying over and landing. A set of massive doors opened, and everyone turned their heads. As soon as the doors were wide and open, a voice sounded over the speakers.

     If all disassembler models could now head to the courtyard for mission redirection. Thank you.

      “Follow.” J ordered, and the two others gave a small nod. They knew better than to speak right now.

    All of the drones at the HQ moved towards the doors, everyone looking so different.. Yet so similar. N gave a silent sigh, and followed closely behind J as their squad entered through the doors. On the inside, tall white walls lined the building, suited with quotes and pictures to bloat about the company’s success. N had to hold an eyeroll. The hallway lead too an open area, an area suited with fake grass, plants, and a stage. J, V and N all joined the crowd, but still stayed grouped up for their squad. 

   A few minutes passed and everyone was settled, a soft murmur of noise passed over the crowd in the meantime, yet quickly quieted as a screen popped up on the stage. The screen flickered a few times, before showing a human in a hazmat suit. 

    “Welcome! Thank you all for your arrival. As we all know why we are here, let's get right into it, shall we? You have all been summoned for the mission redirects, as we are pleased with the results in rogue AI uprisings! There have been a total of 4 Rogue AI Uprisings that have taken place in the past decade since your arrival on Copper-9! All of which have been taken care of.”

    “Moving into mission redirection, you all have been given an individual mission task. We have recently discovered more Worker colonies that are in need of surveillance. However, as your original missions have called for Rogue Ai prevention, you will be controlling colony population! With the numbers being far too high for our liking, we are decreasing the allowed population per colony from 500, to 250! You are all asked to keep the population under control. No numbers should exceed 275 for over three weeks, and 250 drones per colony is required at all times unless there is a sudden surge that is to be handled.”

    “And with the new colonies, we are dividing squads into singles or pairs for each colony.” A sudden murmur of voices ran over the crowd. “ However, as we understand your models have been designed for squads of three, you will be undergoing a rebuild phase before mission deployment! Your models will be upgraded, made to handle AI uprisings quickly and individually. Rather than having to rely on other squad members. Let us go into the mission assignment.”

    V and N glanced at each other, both weary to be split up. Even if they've had roadblocks, they have been… fond of each other after time. 

     “First squad to be split up, Sigma-Squadron. Serial Designation-J is now assigned to Outpost 1. Serial Designation-V, Outpost 2. Serial Designation-N, Outpost 3.” 

    N’s eyes widened. They were being split up. The drones who he has been with since the start. Being ripped away from each other. J gave a smug glare to N, and V gave a numb, but almost pained stare to N. He couldn't look at them, turning his head down to the ground in silent rage and hopelessness. However, thinking back, wasn't….. Wasn't Uzi’s colony suited in Outpost 3?

   A small spark of hope flared in his core.

…..

    As the meeting went on, The hope was quickly smothered away. 

     “Now that the assignment is over, we kindly ask that you head into the next room. There you will be taken in for maintenance! Your missions will be started as soon as your models are improved. Until then, please stand by!” Another set of doors opened and the screen shut off. N couldn't help but be terrified… Last time he was told he was getting ‘upgrades’ it was torture. Last time he was called for maintenance, it was painful and unbearable. Last time he was told his model was being improved- he was broken. N kept his head to the ground as everyone silently entered the next room. 

—---------------------------------

    Outpost 3 had been tense. An entire day has gone by since the first two doors have been destroyed. Nobody knew what to do. Uzi had run back to her room in tears after her father asked her why she was crying. She didn't want to deal with anyone now. The small worker had been trying to resend the message for hours, that same mocking message glaring at her on her screen. 

    Uzi glared up at her ceiling, mind racing. What happened out there? Where was N? Where was his squad! She felt horrible right now. The drone quickly grabbed a plush, it was a round golden retriever plush. She had wanted to give it to N tomorrow, as a gift. She wanted to thank him for being a friend. Uzi felt more tears stream from her eyes. Her arms wrapped tightly around the plush, her body turning over to curl into a fetal positioning around the plush. Sobs wracked her frame as she held the dog close. 

     Uzi had a feeling she wouldn't be able to ever give N the small gift. She had a dread that she would never see him again. She had a thought that he just left. She had a hunch that he was dead. And she had a horrible voice in her head that told her that she was crazy and none of it was real! 

    Maybe Lizzy was right. Maybe she was just a freak! Maybe she didn't deserve friends. Uzi cried harder, trying to drown out the horrid voices with her sobs. Her hands gripped the dog with such force that she could have swore she heard a strained rip. Uzi growled, immediately pulling the plush closer as if an apology. She wanted to be with N right now, She was scared and worried out of her mind. 

     Thankfully, all the crying had exhausted her. Uzi was able to softly slip away into sleep mode, her arms holding onto the plush as if it would disappear as N did. A frown was evident on her face as her visor turned off. 

—---------------------------

         N tensed up as the loud speaker crackled on. Everyone’s head turned up to the noise. 

   “As we get ready to work on your new and improved bodies, we are now going to have you all wait in stand-by mode! This is a long project, so unfortunately we have to have you all wait your turn! We are only able to work on one drone at a time, so in the meantime, you guys will all be stored in stand-by mode. Serial Designation-A, please enter the door in the front of the room.” 

   Before anyone could protest- everyone’s visor shut off completely, their bodies going stiff into a straight position. The drone who was called into the room nervously looked back, his eyes scanning the frozen crowd. He anxiously turned back, just in time to see two hazmat-ed humans push a USB drive into his head. Soon after, the drone was limp and carried into the room. And thus, the first step to the mission started. 

Chapter Text

        One week . 

   One week is all it took for Uzi to tear herself apart by searching for him . The day after the doors were blown to bits, she set out into the tundra of a world she lives in. Uzi could have sworn she looked everywhere. There was no trace of him. Of course there wasn't! He has wings, why leave evidence after leaving your best and only friend behind because she's a freak?! 

   Ahem. 

   Uzi’s first day alone wasn't good, especially after the shock of being left behind.

—----------------------------

     It's been a month, and she still hasn't got herself together. 

   If anything, it's been worse. Without the comfort of N, she's been crying more often, smiling less, and overall constantly depressed. She never would've known a drone could affect her life by leaving, nevertheless one who was the cause of everyone’s bonded trauma. Uzi doesn't know why, but she almost envies N’s freedom. The fact he can just leave on his own terms! 

    Uzi lays on her bed, silently staring up at the ceiling. A small laugh escapes her mouth. There was a scratch on her ceiling, it happened the first time she snuck N into the bunker- into her room.

-

“N! Retract your wings! You're tearing up the place!” Uzi growled between laughs.

   N was letting out small squeaks every time his outstretched wings hit something, though he couldn't contain his own giggles.

   “I'm trying! Theres- theres something wrong! My wings wont go back in!” He laughed out, despite throwing his arms exasperatingly. 

   Uzi laughed to the point her core was aching. Her giggles carried around the room as she squeezed behind him. PLacing a hand on the base of his wings, she pushed. N let out a strangled chirp in surprise, but his wings eventually slipped back into the compartment. The male drone turned around, still laughing but pulled her into a hug. 

   “Pfft! Thank you! I was beginning to think I'd never get them to go away!” He exclaimed.

    Uzi squirmed out of his grasp, her giggles finally slowing down as she caught her breath. “Whatever! I only did it because if i didn't, my room would be in shreds!” She playfully smacked his arm. 

  “Yeah right! You care~” He spoke in a teasing voice, and once again the room was filled with laughter. So much for being sneaky.

-

    And once again, the room was silent. Memories made in this room now only collect dust. For some reason, she couldn't even bring herself to find the memories enjoyable.

     Was any of it real?

—--------------------------

     It's been two months now since Uzi was left alone. She hardly even had the energy to cry anymore. Her own father couldn't be bothered to check on her, Lizzy has been especially rude, and even drones in the colony look the other way when she passes by. 

   Uzi was once again locked away in her room, curled up on her bed. Her gaze was unmoving on a golden retriever plush. It’s fur matted and dried with thousands of tears. The same tears she couldn't be bothered to shed anymore. 

   The worker thought of N everyday, as if she didn't think of him at all he'd be gone forever. Their last words to each other replaying in her mind. The sound of his laughs, the look of his smile, and the feeling of his touch. All of it was so… foreign now. Uzi craved it, and now that it's gone, she wished she never had a taste of it in the first place. She wouldn't feel as miserable as she does now.

     He’ll be back , she tells herself. He has too.

—------------------------------

      Four months.

    It's been four months since that day. Since that night. She almost hates herself for thinking about it. Uzi has been spending her recent days working on a new project.

    Rebuilding the railgun. 

   Since the colony realized the disassembly drones were gone, everyone has easier access to the world outside. Supply runs would happen often, families occasionally going outside to run around. Snow has since covered the remains of the pod and spire, and it looked like a clean, blank canvas. 

   Uzi has been going outside often, looking for parts- at least for the most parts. On the… harder days, when she really misses him, she would take detours to try and find him. Try and find a hint to where he went at the least. 

   She’s been unsuccessful, still alone. However, Uzi has been dealing with it a bit better. First came the shock and disbelief. Then the numbness. And now she’s determined. He isn't gone. N wouldn't leave her! Not after everything they’ve gone through.

   Not after he said he loved her. 

   Uzi doesn't like to think about what he said that one time. She tries to convince herself that it was platonic! It was.. Right? Shaking the thoughts from her head, she treaded through the snow.

  She was currently looking for scrap metal bits to make the outer frame, something that won't explode in her face. Uzi cracked a small smile, the memory of when she first built it and tested it coming into her mind.

    How she shamelessly blew his head off. 

   How he didnt care afterwards.

   And how they became the best-est of friends after that.

    Uzi smiled more genuinely, finally not shutting out the thoughts of him.

 He will be back. Some day.

—----------------------------------

            ……

….

He’s coming back… right?

    It's officially been half a year since N disappeared. 

   Uzi has finally moved out from her dads. It wasn't easy, but he let her do it. Of course she did not get too far, only a few places down from his. But it was nice to have her own home. It was a simple place, two bedrooms, a decently big kitchen and living room too. It was a little bare since she hasn't bought much decoration other than her room. Though she’d be lying if she had the second room for guests.

   For one, she doesn't want people over. And for two, it would be N’s room if he happened to come back. Uzi frowned every time she walked past the empty room. It hurts to think that that room may never be filled, or that she might not even see him again.

   However, after many months of thinking, she has come to a conclusion.

  The N she knows wouldn't leave her willingly. 

And as she pondered on the thought, it led her to what she is currently doing now.

   She finished the railgun a week ago, and now she's making a drone tracker. Uzi is trying to find out how to convert a synthetic hair sample and voice recording to a pinpoint location. She was lucky enough to find a strand of the silver hair in a shirt she let him borrow once. Uzi almost had a core-attack when she found it, thinking it was a broken piece of metal from how it glistened in the light. 

   She decides not to ponder too much on the fact she has multiple recordings of his voice, and laughter. Needlesstosay, she was obsessed with his smooth sounding voice when they hung out. Uzi still feels the same. Sure he's been… gone.. For half a year, but for some reason she can't get rid of the airy feeling in her core everytime she thinks about him.

   At this point, she has accepted it. And that only drives her more in the search for him.

  He will be back. She will make sure of it.

—---------------------------------

     Today marks seven months, and N still hasn't shown up. Uzi continuously reminds herself that her N wouldnt leave her. Not willingly.

   But with each passing day, and each search ending alone, she can't help but start to lose hope. Uzi was currently trudging through the thick snow in the forest. A few days ago, she found three scratch marks on a tree, spaced out just right to be confirmed as caused by a disassembly drone. However, the marks were anything but new, they looked to be at least a year old. And N hasn't been gone that long, but it's still something right? It's been the only lead she’s had for months.

    Uzi let out an abrupt groan. She has been going in circles. Quite literally. She’s passed this same rock 4 times! This was getting nowhere. The constant failures are starting to catch up to her. And it's not like her drone tracker was doing any better. Alongside her searches for N, she's been searching for parts.

   However, in the blast, it destroyed a lot of valuable material in the pod, but that had been covered by snow for a long time. So she opted to search in the city. And after a month, she cleared that. Nothing.

    Uzi was… disheartened. But she wont stop. Not until she finds him dead or alive. She just needs verification.

—--------------------------

     By month nine , Uzi gave up. 

   After so many sleepless nights, so many failures, and so many days full of tears, she has finally given up. 

    Uzi couldn't find a way to get the tracker to work, but how could it? It didn't make sense anyways. So many hours spent searching the forests and the city, and so many of the hours filled with hope. 

   She didn't have hope anymore. It's been too long. With it being September already, there was only three more months before N would've been gone for a year. Most people don't show up after it's been a year. 

    BUt she knows, very deep down, no matter how much she pushed the thought away- She knows N didn't leave her. He could've been taken, could have been killed. And if she was honest, it's better than facing the fact he abandoned her by choice. Everyday, she still thinks about him. Uzi never knew how much she loved and needed N until he was gone. 

    At that moment, Uzi was laying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She almost misses the scratch up there at her old home. But that's in the past now. She shouldn't care, because she knows that if she does, it’ll drag her down.

   So that's why she threw away the tracker. Uzi can't find N. And she’s okay with that. She accepts the solitude now. 

….

But just because she accepts it doesn't mean that she wants it. She just knows what is the truth now.

    With a groan, Uzi sat up. She has been moping too much lately. The worker slipped off her bed, moving to her living room. On her way there, she once again looked to the empty room beside hers. The scruffy golden retriever plush was sitting on the white bed, surrounded by yellow pillows. With a sigh, Uzi closed the door. She guessed she would have to redo that room. No use for it now.

   Uzi sat down with a huff on her couch. Snatching the remote, she turned the TV on looking for something to pass her lonely time. 

—----------------------------

    And then, for the first time in so long, after eleven full, miserable months, Uzi was happy. 

..

 Maybe happiness was an exaggeration. 

   Uzi was.. Content, with the situation now. She was alone. Wasn't that what she always wanted? Well, yes, but now that she has the solitude, she realizes how.. Quiet everything is. She spends her time watching shows, drawing, and building. She redid the extra room, everything now black in there. Uzi has also decorated the rest of her house a bit more, and it was starting to feel like home.

    Of course, there was just one thing missing. But she knew she wouldn't be able to get that part back. Uzi doesn't like to think about him anymore. But she can't help it when she does, she still gets flutters in her core, thinking about what could've been. It's on the days where he doesnt leave her mind when she goes outside. Like now for example.

   Uzi slipped on her boots, the clunky piece of clothing still holding strong after having them for so long. Her sweater- her iconic ‘Dead Batteries’ sweater- was still as good as new. Her hair has been getting a little longer, the energy to cut it was something Uzi didn't have. Who cared anyway?

    Once deemed ready, she walked out of her home, locking the door behind her. The trip to the outer door was quiet, as like much of her life now. She reached the exit, and her father was standing there, guarding the doors.

   “Going out?” He said,

  “Yup. I'll say an hour max. See ya in a bit, Dad.” Uzi spoke calmly as the doors opened, her father waving a hand.

   Uzi let out a breath as the doors closed behind her, the coldness of the November air stabbing her metal. On the days she takes her walks, she can't help but smile at the bittersweet memories. How often she and N would just talk for hours, how they fly together, how they said their small goodbyes after every hang out. She would be lying if she missed it.

   But it was okay now. She accepted the solitude. Maybe…

Maybe someday she can see his beautiful face again.

Chapter Text

  The snow falls silently in the quiet night, no other noise besides the soft crunch under traveling feet. A soft violet glow reflects into the pure white ground, the footsteps taking a pause. Uzi takes a deep breath, the bitter air piercing her metal frame. A sigh leaves the drone–heavy, yet relieved– and she continues her silent walk.  Her purple eyes take in the beautiful sky, stars and galaxies illuminating the atmosphere with a flurry of colors. N would have loved such a sight. Even…. Even after a year, her mind still wanders to the disassembly drone. She’s accepted it now, the solitude, the quiet. Uzi has always been a loner, she never knew it would be so… difficult to be alone once again. 

     Before she even realized how long she’d been out, Uzi found herself in the desolate city. Decimated buildings surrounded her like tombs in a graveyard, yet she felt no fear being in such a destroyed place. Her and N would always venture out into the city, looting random stores or just causing destruction for the fun of it. The memories brought a solemn smile onto her face, her head dropping with a quiet chuckle. Shaking her head, she continued on. Her entry into the city was easy, save for the snow making a few areas difficult to pass by. She noted with a grim face that within a few years, this city was sure to be lost under all the snow. With the below freezing temperatures and no way to melt all the snow and ice- there's no way this city could stand forever. 

   The worker stretched on, humming a small tune as she traveled. Uzi wasn't sure what she was doing, or where she was going. She only moved forward, just as she had over the months behind her. Her reminiscing was sure to come to a pause though- the familiar clatter of metallic blades zooming in the distance. Just as N disappeared, Uzi wasn't dumb enough not to notice the sudden peace the world had. No more disassembly drones came hunting at colonies, and the nights were as safe and quiet as ever. However, the sudden yet not forgotten noise made her body freeze with a primal instinct to hide. Her visor flared as her eyes scattered around, looking for any sort of hiding place. The sound of the blades in the distance only came closer– the wingbeats picking up pace with her breathing. 

   She needed to go- to hide- anything to prevent yet another tragedy in her life- Uzi nearly tripped over herself as her feet broke into a sudden sprint. Snow sprayed behind her as she ran, her body pushing and working and pleading to go faster. She couldn't die. Not like this. Not without seeing him once again. 

  Before she could turn the corner of a building, a harsh thud sounded behind her as the drone collided with the cold ground. Uzi couldn't help the yelp that left her as she nearly tripped over herself again. The worker wouldn't dare look back– to stare into the piercing yellow gaze of those beasts…even if they weren't all beasts. With a hissing squelch, her wings shot from her back along with her tail and she rushed to the sky. Her body screamed at her as she flapped harder- hearing the drone beneath her leap into the air and rush after her. Uzi panted and groaned, only wishing for the slightest breeze to make her flight easier. 

   The feeling of death came closer– nearly gnawing on her own tail as she tried to flee from the disassembler. Uzi gasped as a building suddenly appeared in front of her, only barely diving to the side in time. The worker circled around the building, slowly working her way up to the roof– if she couldn't flee, she might as well fight and not die out of weakness. She shot up above the roof, the middle of the surface caved and broken in from withering age. Uzi retracted her wings and quickly fell to a safe spot on the roof; she backed away as the chasing drone soon joined her on the roof with a dramatic landing. 

   The disassembly drone slowly straightens its back, the moon shining behind it and darkening its features. Only the predatory gleaming yellow shone bright, that horrid yet mocking ‘X’ mark glaring at her. Uzi couldn't control the tremors that shook her body, her leg wobbling and forcing her to step back to regain balance. She really didn't think this out- she would've been better off running away- she doesn't know how to fight! The disassembler only stared her down, those sharp, menacing claws clicking together in a silent way to say “I can't wait to feel your warm oil coating my tongue.”. Uzi shook, whether it was from fear or exhaustion, she didn't know nor care. She took a second to look over the drone in front of her– she had never seen one so… intimidating before. The large, sharp claws, different from any she's ever seen before, the slight red tint to the golden gaze…. It was almost as if this was some sort of new kind of drone. The serrated edges on the tail’s needle- well, it seemed to be more of a blade now– caught the moonlight and glistened greatly. 

   The drone before her stood silently, as if waiting for her to move so it could strike hard and fast. Uzi’s eye’s hollowed and she took another step back, not realizing how close she had been to the edge before. Her heel met nothing but air as she put her foot down. The weight she had relied on stepping back was thrown off the edge of the building– her core doing flips as she fell from the roof. She wouldn't even let out a scream as she fell, perhaps this was better than the brutal death by the claws of a disassembly drone. Uzi could see the ground rushing closer to her– her eyes shutting to brace for the impact.

…….

    Yet the impact never came. The worker let out a large huff of air after being swept in the strong arms of a disassembly drone. She let out a gasp- the same serrated tail coming into view as she realized this was the same drone that had hunted her down. The disassembler landed softly next to a tree, gently lowering Uzi onto the ground–who quickly scrambled away staring wide eyed at the drone in front of her. The worker panted, her brows furrowing as she tried to find her words.

    “W-What the hell was that?!” Uzi shouted, a hiss in her voice that pleaded for some sort of explanation to whatever the hell just happened.

   The predatory yellow ‘X’ blinked away, now replaced with the casual oval eyes. However those eyes quickly hollowed out as the drone in front of her flinched at hearing her voice.

. . . . .

“Uzi?”

   ……

…….

                That voice.

        His voice.

N’s voice.

  Before Uzi could say anything, she was quickly wrapped up into strong arms. Surprise and utter shock still froze her, but she managed to wrap her arms loosely around him. 

   “Oh my god i- i thought– i never- i never thought i'd ever see you again Uzi- I- “ The disassembler shook, his voice cracking with emotion. 

  Uzi pulled away and pushed him back, with the new lighting, she could really take in his appearance. This…. This didn't look like him. No.. Not except for those eyes.. The voice.. His hair.. His soft, silvery hair. 

    “N?....What..- What happened to you..? You look so.. Different.” Uzi had so many questions, her mind racing and overloading her circuits with every new thought and observation. 

    N looked away, a look of sorrow on his visor. “Heh.. I could say the same. I like the hair.” His response… Uzi huffed. He really avoided the question? Gone for a year then comes back different and just ignores her?!

  Uzi abruptly stood up, crossing her arms. “N! You left! Gone for a year without a trace?! Blowing everything up?! Do you even know what I've been through?! I can't believe you, try to act like you missed me at least!” She yelled, fury rippling within her. N looked shocked, and almost hurt by her words. 

   “A….a year?...”

What.

    Uzi looked at him, confused. “I- Yes! God, what happened for you to not even know how long you were gone and for you to come back looking like that?!” 

   N sighed. “I…Well- it's.. It's a long story. You may want to sit down.” The male sat down, crossing his legs and placing his hands in his lap. Uzi followed, still crossing her arms as she did so.

   “It..It was the night of the explosion..The last day i remember having with you.. I got a message from JcJenson,” N paused, seeing Uzi’s surprised reaction, “Yeah- i know. Anyways, apparently, it was some.. Mission redirect. Originally, we were here to stop “Rogue AI uprisings” or whatever they said before- but with that issue mainly controlled, they needed a new solution to the rapidly growing … uh.. Population.”

   “S-so they brought us back to HQ, and basically all the squads got split to each individually handle all the colonies. I.. I remember being so relieved, being assigned to your colony- which was where I was heading until I saw a drone- which happened to be you. Anywho- They said that since we were going to work solo missions, we needed a new model to handle worker drones by yourself rather than a team unit..-”

—--------------------------

    “Serial Designation N!”

  At that moment, he could feel again- everything came back to him like he had only blinked, and not been frozen for months at a time. There were far fewer drones in the room than there were when he first got here… Where did they go? 

   “Come on! You're next.” 

Before he could do anything, a harddrive was shoved into his head. Almost immediately, his body went limp and he had no control over how he moved. The humans dragged his limp body into another room, throwing him onto a table. Metal cuffs strapped around his legs and arms, he could do nothing but watch as they cut his clothing from his body. They… the people around him were talking as if he couldn't hear them.. And as if he were a mindless object.

I can think! I can! I can feel it! Please don't do this!

  No matter how hard N screamed, no sound came out. He utterly could not move. 

He couldn't move.

He couldn't move as they pulled apart his metal.

He couldn't move as they welded new parts onto him.

He could not move as they removed his tail with brute force.

He could not move as they plucked his wires and burned new ones into him.

He could not move as they reprogrammed his mind.

Would he ever escape this hell?

—-----------------------------------

  N blinked as he left the memory, the pain, the suffering. Uzi looked at him with a sense of worry on her face. N couldn't speak anymore, he couldn't find the energy to. He only pulled Uzi back into an embrace, hugging her tightly as tears seeped from his visor. The worker hushed him, rubbing circles onto his back softly. 

   The snow continued to fall gently around them, blanketing the ruined world in soft, icy silence. Uzi held onto N as he trembled in her arms, his new frame—larger, stronger, yet somehow frailer in this moment—clinging to her like a lifeline. She had so many questions, so many emotions swirling within her, but none of them mattered right now. Right now, N needed her.

"I'm here, N… You're okay. You're here," she whispered, her voice softer now.

    N's grip on her tightened briefly before he pulled away, his glowing eyes still dim with grief. "I never wanted to leave you, Uzi… I never wanted any of this. They— they took me apart. They changed me." His voice cracked as he looked at his own hands, claws once used to protect, now reshaped into something meant for pure slaughter. "I don't even know if I'm… me anymore."

    Uzi studied him, the cold no longer biting as fiercely at her frame. "You're still you, idiot. I can tell. You're the same drone who used to go on ridiculous scavenger hunts with me, the same N who always put everyone else first." She paused, a smirk creeping onto her face. "And the same N who still has the dumbest haircut in existence."

    N let out a soft, broken chuckle, his visor flickering as he tried to steady himself. "I really missed you, Uzi. I thought about you every day. Even when… even when they tried to overwrite everything."

     Uzi swallowed hard at that, a bitter anger bubbling beneath the surface. "They tried to erase you?" Her fists clenched. "Those bastards."

    "It doesn't matter anymore," N said, shaking his head. "I'm here now. But… things aren’t the same. I don’t know if I can go back to the way things were. I don’t even know if I can stay."

    Uzi scowled. "Oh, hell no. You're not pulling the ‘I’m too dangerous to be around’ crap. I don’t care what they did to you, N. You’re my friend. You’re staying with me."

   N hesitated. "Uzi—"

    "No! Shut up. You’re staying." Uzi jabbed a finger at his chest. "You owe me a whole year of stupid conversations and reckless adventures, so you better get comfortable."

     Something in N’s expression softened, and for the first time, the fear in his visor faded just a little. "Okay," he murmured. "I’ll stay."

    Uzi nodded, satisfied, before tilting her head. "But we’re totally getting you some new clothes. You look like a homicidal toaster."

    N snorted, shaking his head with a genuine, if exhausted, smile. "Fair enough."

 As the snow continued to fall around them, Uzi felt something she hadn’t in a long, long time.

Hope.

Chapter Text

   The journey back to Uzi's colony was long and quiet, but not in the usual way. There was an unfamiliar weight in the air, something heavy that neither of them had words for. Uzi walked slightly ahead, her gaze distant, while N followed behind, his steps slower, as if he was still adjusting to the life he now had to lead.

    The cold wind whipped at their faces, but it was nothing compared to the storm brewing in their cores.

     Uzi glanced back at N, watching the way his posture had changed. His once confident stride was now tentative, like he wasn’t sure of his place in the world anymore, or worse, like he wasn’t sure of his place with her.

     She didn’t blame him for the uncertainty. She’d seen it in his eyes when he’d tried to explain himself earlier—his words were hesitant, even though they carried the weight of responsibility. He wasn’t the same drone she’d known. That much was obvious. But something about him remained the same. The way he stood just a little too still, the way his eyes softened when he looked at her… She didn’t know how to process it, but part of her was relieved. He was still here. Still with her.

     Uzi’s boots crunched on the frost-covered ground as she moved toward the colony’s entrance. The towering doors creaked as they opened, the faint noise echoing through the empty walls. The colony seemed so much smaller now, almost suffocating in its silence. It was strange to be back in the place that had once felt like home, yet now felt more like a prison.

     When Uzi stepped inside, she didn’t wait for N to follow; instead, she simply walked deeper into the heart of the colony. She knew he’d be behind her.

    As she passed the familiar structures, memories began to resurface. The chaos, the laughter, the moments of peace when things felt… normal. But it hadn’t been normal for a long time. And now, everything was about to change.

     She didn’t even have to glance back to know N had caught up with her. He was… so much more quiet. Too still. But she could feel his presence. Like a shadow she couldn’t escape, but didn’t want to.

    “Uzi…” N’s voice was softer now, hesitant. “I need to talk to you. About my mission.”

    Uzi didn’t stop walking. “I’m listening,” she replied, keeping her tone neutral, though her core hammered in her chest. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to hear what he had to say. The fear that had been creeping under her metal was only growing stronger.

    N took a deep breath, his voice low but steady. “My new directive… It’s population control. They’ve given me orders to monitor drone numbers in the colony. The numbers cannot exceed 250 per colony. If the population grows beyond that limit, drastic measures will be taken to… keep it under control.”

    Uzi’s pace faltered for a second, but she caught herself. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard of these kinds of missions. The Drones had been tasked with ensuring that the colony populations didn’t overpopulate, but hearing it come from N– the drone she’d known and cared for—made her blood run cold.

    N continued, his voice heavy with a sorrow she could feel. “They’ve given me the power to decide who stays and who…” He trailed off, unable to finish.

    “Who dies,” Uzi finished for him, her voice cold, almost mechanical. The words felt foreign coming out of her mouth. She hated that she was saying them. But the reality of the situation was sinking in.

    “I can’t…” N’s voice cracked. “Uzi, I don’t know if I can do this. If I— if I have to kill them… the drones here…” His voice faltered again, the guilt and conflict in his tone unmistakable. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

    Uzi’s stomach twisted, and for a moment, she just stared at him, her expression unreadable. She didn’t know how to comfort him. This wasn’t the N she’d known. But then again, nothing about this situation felt normal.

    Finally, she spoke, her words sharp, though they held a weight of understanding. “You’re going to need to set down your authority here, N. You can’t be kind to them. Not if you’re going to do what they want. You can’t act like you care about them. If you hesitate… you’re going to end up getting us all killed. And you can’t afford to hesitate.”

    N looked at her, his face unreadable. He didn’t argue, didn’t try to defend his kindness. Instead, he nodded slowly, his eyes distant. “I… I know.”

    Uzi’s voice softened. “You’ll need to be ruthless, N. You need to be the one to make the hard decisions, even if it hurts. Even if it breaks you.” She glanced away for a moment, the weight of her own words crashing over her. “You’re going to have to kill them if it comes down to it. And I can’t stop you.”

    N closed his eyes, his whole body seeming to sag under the weight of what she was saying. “I don’t know if I can. But… I will. I’ll do what I have to do.”

     The silence that followed felt suffocating, as though the world was holding its breath, waiting for the next move. Uzi couldn’t tell if she was relieved or terrified. The truth was, she didn’t know if she could live in a world where N had to be this person. The person who could make those kinds of decisions, the person who could look at another drone and choose whether they lived or died.

   She wasn’t sure if she could live with it. But N? N would have to.

     Uzi led N through the dimly lit corridors of the colony, her movements quick and purposeful. They had been lucky—no one had been at the doors when they slipped inside, but she wasn’t about to push that luck any further. The fewer drones that saw N, the better.

    Uzi slipped into her home quietly. Her living space was tucked into the quieter edges of the colony, away from the bustling common areas. It wasn’t much, but it was hers. The metal walls were draped in black fabric, her own personal touch to drown out the sterile, manufactured look the colony seemed to favor.

     She stopped in front of a door and turned to N. “This was supposed to be for you,” she admitted, pressing her hand against the door knob to let them in. “When I thought—when I hoped—you’d come back.”

     The door slid open with a quiet hiss, revealing a small, dark room. It was completely black, from the walls to the ceiling to the floor. The only contrast was the faint glow of exposed wiring along the corners, pulsing a soft white.

    N stepped inside hesitantly, his optics adjusting to the darkness. He turned to look at her, something unreadable in his expression. “You… really planned for me to come back?”

     Uzi rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe. “Of course I did, idiot. But I got tired of waiting. Figured if you ever did show up, you’d just have to deal with my taste in décor.”

N glanced around again. “It’s very… Uzi.”

“Damn right it is.”

    For a moment, they just stood there, the tension in the air shifting into something quieter, something less sharp. Uzi hesitated before speaking again. “Look, I need you to stay here. Stay hidden. We got lucky no one saw us, but that won’t last forever.”

   N nodded, though there was a flicker of worry in his expression. “What are you going to do?”

    “I need to check something.” She didn’t elaborate. She didn’t want to. “Just… don’t leave this room. If anyone sees you, things get complicated fast.”

  N frowned slightly but didn’t argue. “Be careful, okay?”

   Uzi gave him a half-smirk before slipping out the door.

     The halls were quiet as she moved, her steps light, careful. Getting into her dad’s office wouldn’t be too difficult—Khan was nothing if not predictably careless.

    She slid through the shadows, avoiding the few patrolling drones that wandered the colony this late. It was easy to move unseen. She had practice.

   Reaching the office, she hesitated only briefly before hacking the lock. The door clicked open, and she slipped inside, her eyes immediately scanning the cluttered desk. Papers were scattered everywhere, half-finished notes and documents piled up without care.

    It didn’t take long to find what she was looking for. The colony’s population reports. Her fingers tightened around the pages as she scanned the numbers.

220 drones.

  She exhaled slowly.

  That meant N didn’t have to kill anyone. Not yet.

   Clutching the papers, she slipped back out the way she came, heart hammering in her chest.

    By the time she made it back to her room, she barely made a sound pushing the door open. N looked up from where he was sitting on the floor, his expression immediately shifting to concern.

“You’re okay?” he asked softly.

   Uzi rolled her eyes but didn’t bother hiding the small smile tugging at her lips. “Obviously.”

   She tossed the papers onto a nearby table. “220 drones. We’re under the limit.”

     N visibly relaxed, his shoulders slumping as if a massive weight had been lifted off of him. “That’s… that’s good. That means I don’t have to—”

    “Not yet,” Uzi interrupted. “But if things change, if the population rises… then yeah, you’re going to have to make those calls.”

  N swallowed hard, his hands gripping his knees. “…I don’t know if I can do it, Uzi.”

  She sighed, stepping closer, crouching in front of him. “Yeah. I know.”

    For a moment, there was only silence between them. The weight of everything that had happened, everything that was going to happen, settled over them like a storm waiting to break.

Uzi didn’t know what the future would look like.

     But, for now, at least, they had a little more time.

     The silence in the room stretched for a while after Uzi laid the papers down. N was still sitting on the floor, staring at them like they might change if he looked hard enough.

     Uzi, meanwhile, leaned against the table, arms crossed. Her nerves were still buzzing from sneaking into Khan’s office, but now that the rush was wearing off, exhaustion was creeping in. She glanced at N, watching the way his optics dimmed slightly, his expression distant.

     She pushed off the table with a sigh. “C’mon,” she muttered, nudging his arm lightly with her foot. “Let’s go sit somewhere that isn’t the floor.”

    N blinked up at her, startled for a second before he nodded. “Oh! Yeah, uh, right. Sitting on a couch like normal drones. That’s a thing we do.”

     Uzi rolled her eyes but led him into the living area. The couch was a little worn down but comfortable, positioned in front of a small screen she had rigged up ages ago. She plopped down on one end, gesturing vaguely for N to sit next to her. He hesitated only briefly before following suit, his posture stiff at first before he gradually settled in.

   She grabbed the remote and flipped through the files. “I got a few old movies stored. Nothing special, but better than staring at the wall.”

   N hummed, watching the screen with mild curiosity. “What kinda movies?”

  “Stuff I found in old archives. Mostly horror or action. This one’s got zombies in it, I think.”

  N tensed. “O-oh. Cool. Totally not terrifying in any way.”

     Uzi snickered before hitting play. The screen flickered, casting a faint glow over the room as the movie started. They sat in silence for a while, the only sound coming from the film—some dramatic narration about a virus outbreak and impending doom.

    N fidgeted beside her. He wasn’t really watching. Uzi wasn’t either.

 Finally, she spoke up. “You ever hear from V?”

     N’s expression shifted, caught somewhere between surprised and uncomfortable. “Uh… no, actually.” He scratched at the back of his head. “I don’t know where she is. I don’t even know if she’s… okay.”

     Uzi frowned, tapping her fingers against her knee. “Weird. Figured she’d try to find you.”

“Yeah,” N muttered. His optics dimmed slightly. “I used to think that, too.”

     Silence stretched again. The movie kept playing, but neither of them were paying attention anymore.

    After a moment, Uzi shifted, resting her arm against the back of the couch. “So. New hardware, huh?”

    N perked up slightly, glancing at her. “Oh! Uh, yeah. The company—kind of… ‘upgraded’ me.”

Uzi raised a brow. “Upgraded how?”

    N hesitated, then held out his hand. Small panels along his arm shifted, revealing sleek, reinforced plating and a few glowing nodes along his wrist. “Better efficiency, stronger weapons, a bunch of new systems I don’t even fully understand yet.” He glanced at her sheepishly. “Still figuring it all out.”

     Uzi studied the modifications, her gaze flicking between the exposed hardware and his face. “We should test it later,” she said. “See what you can do now.”

N blinked. “You’d help me with that?”

    She scoffed. “Obviously. Who else is gonna make sure you don’t accidentally blow yourself up?”

 N chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, when you put it like that…”

They fell into a more comfortable silence after that.

   The movie continued playing, neither of them fully invested in it, but neither making an effort to turn it off either.

  For now, just sitting there, existing in the same space, was enough.

    The movie continued playing, its eerie atmosphere filling the room with unsettling tension. Uzi was unfazed, casually leaning back against the couch, but N… well, he was looking significantly less composed.

    His shoulders had inched up toward his head, his fingers were gripping the couch cushion like his life depended on it, and his optics were wide, flicking toward every shadowy corner of the room.

 Uzi smirked. “You okay over there, tough guy?”

     N flinched as a particularly grotesque zombie lunged at the screen, accompanied by a loud, distorted screech. He let out a small, strangled yelp and immediately buried his face in his hands.

“I hate this,” he mumbled. “I hate this so much.”

    Uzi couldn’t help but snicker. “You literally rip drones apart, but a fake horror movie is what gets you?”

     N peeked at her through his fingers, his expression somewhere between embarrassment and mild betrayal. “Those things don’t make creepy gurgling noises!”

    Uzi rolled her eyes and reached for the remote. “Alright, alright, I’ll spare you.” She shut the movie off, leaving the room in a much calmer silence. “Happy now?”

  N sighed in relief, sinking into the couch. “So happy.”

    She shook her head, amused. “Wanna do something else to pass the time? Maybe something that won’t make you short-circuit in terror?”

N nodded quickly. “Yes, please.”

    Uzi stood up, stretching her arms. “Alright. I got some old board games, scavenged a few ages ago. No idea if all the pieces are still there, though.”

 N perked up. “Ooo, board games! That sounds fun.”

    She rummaged through a small storage crate, eventually pulling out a dusty box. “Here. No clue how to play, but we’ll figure it out.”

     They sat down on the floor, opening the game up and attempting to decipher the overly complicated rules. N, naturally, took everything a little too seriously, while Uzi kept making up rules just to mess with him.

“You can’t just take five turns in a row, Uzi!”

“Uh, yeah I can. It’s called ‘winning by any means necessary.’”

“That’s not how board games work!!”

   Their bickering was lighthearted, the tension of earlier melting away. For a while, everything felt normal—like they were just two drones with nothing to worry about.

And then there was a knock at the door.

Both of them froze.

The knock came again, a little louder this time.

  Uzi and N stared at each other, panic flashing in their optics.

“…You expecting someone?” N whispered.

Uzi shook her head slowly.

  The knocking turned into a series of heavier thuds, the sound reverberating through the room.

  Whoever was on the other side wasn’t planning on leaving anytime soon. 

Chapter Text

    The sharp knock at the door sent a jolt through Uzi's frame. She and N exchanged a panicked glance, the tension thick enough to slice through. N's hands trembled slightly as he clenched them together, forcing himself to stay still. Neither of them moved, but the knock came again—sharper, more demanding.

     Before Uzi could signal N to hide, the door creaked open on its own. The dim glow from the hallway cast a sharp shadow across the room, stretching toward them like creeping claws. And then, stepping into the doorway, was V.

    She moved with an eerie confidence, her golden eyes gleaming as she surveyed the room. With a slow, deliberate motion, she reached behind her and pulled the door shut, the click of the lock sounding far too final.

    "Well, well, look at what we have here," V drawled, her voice carrying a dangerous edge. "I knew I'd find you, N. You and your stupid puppy dog act, God I could smell it all the way from HQ."

    N stiffened, instinctively shifting to stand in front of Uzi, his hands twitching at his sides. "V, it's–" he paused, unable to finish.

     V's expression darkened, her claws flexing as she took a step forward and finished his words. "Not what I think? N, you were assigned here to do a job, not to play house with some toaster. Why haven't you started cleaning up this place yet?"

    Uzi’s fingers clenched into fists at her sides, but before she could snap back, V’s gaze snapped onto her like a predator locking onto prey. A slow, sharp grin curled her lips. "Oh. I see. You’ve been busy, haven’t you?"

    A shiver ran down Uzi's frame, but she held her ground. "We have a valid census count. The population is within acceptable limits. There’s no need for you to be here."

    V scoffed, crossing her arms. "That so? You really did a little head count of all you dumb hunks of metal?”

   N hesitated for only a moment before pulling the paper from the table and offering it to V. She snatched it from him, scanning over the numbers with narrowed eyes. The room fell silent except for the faint hum of machinery in the walls. Then, V's claws tightened around the page, crumpling it slightly as a low, menacing growl escaped her.

    "These numbers are old. This—" she snapped the paper toward them, "is from years ago. You seriously thought you could fool me with this?" Her voice took on a sharp, almost mocking lilt before she bared her fangs. "Let me guess—you didn’t actually bother to check, did you?"

    N instinctively took a step forward, his hands raised in a calming motion. "V, just let Uzi verify it. If the numbers are still within range, then there's no need to—"

     "And if they're not?" V interrupted, her voice suddenly colder, more dangerous. Her gaze flicked back to Uzi, a cruel smirk tugging at her lips. "What then? Gonna beg me to spare your precious little colony?"

     Uzi felt her systems run hotter, but she forced herself to stay still, to keep her expression unreadable. "I’ll get the updated count," she said through gritted teeth. "And if it's still under the limit, you back off."

    V tilted her head, considering this, before giving a slow, mocking nod. "Fine. But don’t take too long. I’d hate to get bored waiting."

     As Uzi turned toward the door, her processor ran over every possible way this could go wrong. She just had to find the numbers fast—before V lost what little patience she had left.

    As the door clicked shut behind Uzi, the air in the room grew even heavier. N barely had a second to collect himself before V turned on him, her glare sharp enough to cut through steel.

     "What the hell are you doing, N?" she snapped, voice laced with frustration. "You think you can just ignore your orders and they’ll let you off easy? You know how the company operates. If they think you’re slacking, they'll make sure the only thing left in your head is the directive to kill. Or worse."

     N flinched at her words, his frame locking up for a moment before he forced himself to move. "I know, V. I know that-" His voice was quiet, strained. "But I can't just—just mindlessly slaughter them. I can't do this again. Not after everything."

     V scoffed, though there was something bitter in the way her expression twisted. "You think I had a choice? You think any of us did?" She took a step closer, her voice lowering. "You don’t know what they did to me after the mission change. You don’t want to know."

     N swallowed hard, his vision flickering slightly as old memories clawed at the edges of his mind. The pain, the forced obedience, the endless cycle of violence. He hated it. Every second of it.

     V exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "I’m trying to look out for you, idiot. If you don’t start showing some authority—if you don’t prove you can do the job—they’ll take away your choices completely. And trust me, you do not want to find out what happens when JCJenson decides you’re a liability."

     N turned away, his hands gripping his arms tightly. "I don’t know how to be that person, V. I don’t want to be."

     V’s gaze lingered on him for a moment before she scoffed, crossing her arms. "Then figure it out fast. Because if the population’s over the limit, I won’t be able to cover for you. And you won’t like what happens next."

    Meanwhile, Uzi moved carefully through the halls, her movements calculated as she made her way toward her dad’s office. Every step sent a spike of anxiety through her system. If anyone saw her now, she’d have to think fast.

     And, of course, the universe had a cruel sense of humor.

“Uzi?”

     She barely contained her wince as she turned to see Thad standing a few feet away, arms crossed, an eyebrow raised. "What are you doing sneaking around this late?"

     Uzi’s mind raced for an excuse before she forced a shrug, playing it off. "Uh. Couldn't sleep. Thought I’d check on something."

    Thad squinted at her. "Check on what?"

     She needed to get out of this. Fast. "Just some old files. Dad keeps everything so disorganized, it was bothering me."

    Thad exhaled, shaking his head. "Yeah, that tracks. You get that from him. Still, kinda weird to be doing it in the middle of the night."

   Uzi forced a laugh. "Yeah, well, you know me. No patience."

    Thad didn’t look fully convinced, but after a moment, he just sighed. "Whatever. Just don’t wake up half the colony with your rummaging."

 Uzi nodded quickly. "Got it. See you later."

     As soon as he turned the corner, she took a steadying breath before slipping into the office, her processor buzzing with urgency. She had to find the updated numbers—fast.

     Uzi knew where to go, but that didn’t make the journey any easier. The dark halls of the bunker stretched before her, eerily quiet despite the number of drones supposedly living here. She kept her head low, her hoodie pulled up slightly as she maneuvered through the familiar pathways, only stopping when she reached a door marked ‘Records.’ 

     Taking a deep breath, she pushed it open, stepping into the dimly lit office space. Rows of filing cabinets lined the walls, the musty scent of old paper thick in the air. Her father’s desk sat cluttered, the mess an unfortunate constant, but Uzi knew what she was looking for. Population records. They were always kept in the same drawer—right underneath a pile of useless, half-filled reports about supply chain management. 

    She shuffled through them quickly, her fingers skimming the pages. Her pulse quickened when she finally found the file labeled ‘Colony 3: Census.’ She tugged it out, flipping through it. 

 Her eyes landed on the number. And she froze.

It was worse than she expected. Much worse.

    Her stomach twisted into knots as she stared at the bolded, unforgiving number scrawled on the page.

   The color drained from her visor. This wasn’t a miscalculation, wasn’t a clerical error. This was real. 

    She swallowed hard, forcing herself to breathe. Her hands trembled slightly as she carefully closed the file, gripping it tight to her chest. This changed everything.

As she turned to leave, a voice nearly made her jump out of her plating. 

“Uzi?”

    She whipped around, clutching the paper like a lifeline. Thad stood in the doorway, arms crossed, his visor blinking curiously. 

    “What are you really doing in here?” he asked, stepping forward, his usual laid-back demeanor tinged with something more concerned. 

    Uzi scrambled for an answer. “Uh—just… helping my dad with some inventory stuff!”

    Thad didn’t look convinced, especially after her different answer in the hall. His gaze flickered to the file she was holding. “That looks more like the census records.”

 Uzi stiffened. “So what if it is?”

   Thad sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “Look, I don’t know what you’re up to, but you’re acting… weird. Weirder than usual.”

     “I’m fine,” she snapped, a little too quickly. She took a step back, trying to edge toward the door. 

     Thad didn’t stop her, but he studied her closely, visor narrowing slightly. “Uzi…” His tone was softer now. “Just be careful, alright?”

     Uzi hesitated, grip tightening on the paper. For a brief moment, she wanted to tell him everything. The real numbers. N. V. The impossible situation they were in. But she couldn’t. Not yet.

   “…Yeah,” she mumbled, pushing past him. “You too.”

    She didn’t look back as she hurried down the hall, the weight of the paper in her hands suddenly unbearable. 

     Back in the room, N’s nervous pacing had only worsened. V, meanwhile, leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching him with mild amusement. 

     “I still don’t get why you’re hesitating,” she drawled, tapping her claws against her arm. “It’s not like you’ve never cleaned up a colony before.”

N flinched. “I-It’s different this time.”

   V scoffed. “How? Because of the little worker drone you’ve decided to play house with?”

  N shot her a glare, but before he could argue, the door creaked open. 

   Uzi stepped inside, her face blank, unreadable. 

 N immediately straightened. “Uzi?”

   She didn’t say anything. Wordlessly, she walked up to him and held out the paper. 

     N hesitated before taking it, his optics scanning the numbers. The moment they registered, his entire system stuttered.

    “No…” His voice came out weak, barely audible. “No, that can’t be right.”

    V peered over his shoulder, her visor flickering as she read the count. 

   Her reaction was immediate—a low, frustrated growl. “Great. Just great.”

    N’s hands trembled. His mind raced. Over 300 drones. That was well over the limit. He had no choice now. 

     Uzi clenched her fists. “So what? You’re just going to start slaughtering everyone?!”

   N opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He didn’t want to. God, he didn’t want to. 

  But what choice did he have?

     Uzi’s expression twisted, rage bubbling to the surface. “You’re seriously considering it.”

     N flinched as she shoved him, her hands slamming against his chest. It did nothing, barely moving him an inch, but she didn’t care. “Say something!” she yelled, hitting him again. “You can’t just—just go along with this!”

“Uzi—”

     She hit him again. And again. Each strike fueled by frustration, by anger, by fear. “I trusted you on this, N!”

     N could only stand there, his expression crumbling, unable to move, unable to fight back. 

      Finally, V stepped forward, grabbing Uzi’s wrist before she could throw another punch. “Knock it off,” she snapped. “Beating him up isn’t going to change anything.”

     Uzi panted, glaring at her. “So what, we just accept this?!”

   V’s expression darkened. “…What other option is there?”

   The room fell into a tense, suffocating silence. 

   Because none of them had an answer.

Chapter Text

    Uzi's pacing was relentless. Back and forth, her boots clicking sharply against the cold metal floor. Her hands clenched and unclenched, sparks flickering from her fingers as her internal systems burned too hot. Every second that passed felt like another weight pressing down on her circuits, like the world was daring her to snap.

   N sat on the couch, stiff as a statue, his head in his hands. His vents hissed as he tried—and failed—to regulate his stress. “This can’t be happening,” he muttered. “This can’t—how did it get this bad?”

    “How do you think?” Uzi snapped, rounding on him. “The company doesn’t care about us, N! They never did! Of course, the population’s over three hundred—they weren’t exactly keeping count while they were making you guys into even more destructive bots!”

    N flinched, his expression crumbling into something broken. He opened his mouth, maybe to argue, maybe to agree, but no words came out.

    V, who had been leaning against the door with her arms crossed, let out an exaggerated sigh. “Look, as fun as it is watching you two have an existential meltdown, we don’t have time for this. I stalled long enough getting here—if I don’t report in soon to the colony i was assigned to, they’re gonna send backup. And trust me, you don’t want to deal with the ones they send next.”

    Uzi’s anger flared hotter. “Oh, I’m sorry, are we inconveniencing you? You’re the one who came here threatening to rip N’s head off if he didn’t start following orders!”

V scowled. “I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to say it.”

    The two locked eyes, and for a second, Uzi was sure V would take a swing at her. But instead, V just exhaled sharply, rubbing her temple as if she had the mother of all headaches. “Look, I’m just—ugh. This whole thing is a mess.”

“No kidding,” Uzi muttered.

    V’s fingers tapped against her arm, her eyes flicking between them. For a moment, her expression softened. “I don’t want to fight you guys,” she admitted. “But if we don’t figure something out fast, none of us are getting out of this.”

    N slowly lifted his head, eyes dim with exhaustion. “There has to be a way,” he said quietly. “Something that doesn’t involve… you know.”

Uzi crossed her arms, her mind running a mile a minute. “Maybe we fake something.”

V arched a brow. “Fake what? An entire massacre?”

    N hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. If it looks like the job’s already been done, they might not send reinforcements right away. We could—damage some buildings, scatter some scrap, make it seem like there aren’t as many drones left as there really are.”

Uzi frowned. “That’s a stretch.”

    V was quiet, her expression unreadable. “It might work,” she admitted, but there was doubt in her voice. “But if they catch on, it won’t just be your colony in trouble. They’ll start wiping out everyone, including us, no questions asked.”

    Silence stretched between them. There was no good answer. No way out that didn’t have consequences.

Then—

A noise.

Footsteps.

    The three of them froze. Uzi’s internal systems screamed at her to move, to react, but before she could do anything, a voice called from just outside the door.

“Hey Uzi?”

Her stomach dropped.

Thad.

    She barely had time to process before V was moving, slamming a hand over N’s mouth to keep him quiet. Uzi shot her a glare, but V just rolled her eyes. “Oh, now you care about subtlety?” she whispered.

  Uzi ignored her, forcing herself to sound as normal as possible. “Yeah?”

   Thad hesitated. “Uh… you okay? You kinda stormed out earlier, and I just—” He sighed. “I dunno. Something felt off.”

   Uzi swallowed hard. Thad was sharp—he might not know exactly what was going on, but he could tell something wasn’t right.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said quickly. “Just, uh. Thinking.”

    Thad made a skeptical noise. “Right. Thinking. Totally normal thinking. The kind that makes people yell at each other in the middle of the night.”

Uzi clenched her jaw. “Thad.”

   He sighed again. “Look, if something’s going on, you know you can just tell me, right?”

Uzi hesitated.

Could she?

   Her gaze flicked back to N, who looked like he was about five seconds from a full system crash. V’s face was unreadable, but there was something almost… warning in her eyes.

They had seconds to make a choice.

Tell him the truth?

Or push him away?

The door clicked open. 

   The tension in the room hadn’t settled. If anything, it had only become thicker, more suffocating. N was now hunched over the crumpled paper, rereading the numbers as if willing them to change. Uzi had turned away, arms crossed, her whole frame stiff with barely contained frustration. And V… V just watched. Calculating. Waiting.

Then, a voice cut through the silence.

“Uh… what exactly am I walking into here?”

    The heads of the disassemblers snapped toward the doorway. Thad stood there, brow raised, shifting awkwardly under their collective stares.

    Uzi’s optics widened for a split second before narrowing again. “Thad, again, why are you here.”

     Thad leaned against the doorframe, looking them over with mild confusion. “Well, I was gonna check in on you since you were acting all sketchy earlier, but now I’m starting to think I should’ve minded my own business.” His gaze flickered to the paper in N’s hands, then to V, who was now eyeing him with unnerving intensity. “Yeah. Definitely should’ve minded my own business.”

V’s smirk sharpened. “Too late for that, buddy.”

    Before Thad could react, V blurred forward, slamming the door shut behind him. In a single motion, she had him backed against the wall, one clawed hand braced beside his head, the other hovering near his throat. Not touching—yet—but the threat was clear.

   “You’re gonna want to be real careful about what you say next,” V murmured, her voice sickly sweet. “Because if I get even the slightest whiff that you’re a threat, I will personally make sure you regret ever opening that mouth of yours.”

    Thad swallowed hard, his eyes darting between Uzi and N, searching for some kind of help. N was frozen, still overwhelmed by everything. Uzi, however, took a step forward.

“V, back off,” Uzi ordered, her voice sharp. “We need him.”

    V scoffed, tilting her head but not moving away. “Need him for what? Last I checked, our problem isn’t exactly ‘fixable’ with a random worker.”

   Uzi squared her shoulders. “No, but Thad knows things. He talks to everyone. He knows how this colony operates better than anyone, including me.”

   V considered this, her grip on Thad’s personal space not loosening. “And what exactly do we gain from keeping him around?”

   Thad, sensing a very small opening to save his own hide, cleared his throat. “Uh, well, for starters, I can find out things casually?..I hear things. I can get you info without raising suspicion…?” He muttered, really anything to give him a chance at mercy from the towering female.

V narrowed her optics. “And if you betray us?”

   Thad gave an uneasy chuckle. “I’d really rather not find out what you’d do.”

   V leaned in just a little, enough to make him sweat. “Oh, you’d wish you never heard a single word of this conversation.”

Thad nodded rapidly. “Got it. Loud and clear.”

   V finally pulled back, though the sharp amusement in her gaze didn’t fade. “Good boy.”

   Uzi rolled her eyes. “Enough with the dramatics. Thad, if you’re in, we don’t have time to waste. We need answers, and we need them now.”

    Thad straightened, still a little shaken but recovering quickly. “Alright. Let me do some digging. But if anyone asks, I’m keeping my mouth shut. Just fill me in on… whatever this is.”

V smirked. “Smart choice.”

   As Thad slipped out of the room, Uzi exhaled, running a hand through her hair. “I hope I don’t regret that.”

   N, who had remained quiet through most of the exchange, finally spoke up. “Do you… do you really think he can help?”

Uzi hesitated before nodding. “He’s our best shot.”

V crossed her arms. “Well, this just got a lot more interesting.”

  The three of them explained to Thad what was going on and how they could use his help, the weight of what they had to do settling over them like a storm on the horizon.

And there was no way to outrun it now.

    The air in the room remained heavy, thick with unspoken anxieties. N shifted uncomfortably, eyes darting between V and Uzi, while Thad stood just beside the door, still looking like he was trying to process exactly what he'd gotten himself into.

   "So," Thad finally broke the silence, rubbing the back of his head. "We're, uh, planning a revolution or something? Because I gotta say, not how I saw my night going."

    Uzi shot him a glare, arms crossed. "No. We're figuring out how to fix this mess before the company decides to turn Colony 3 into scrap."

    V scoffed, leaning against the wall with her arms folded, her claws tapping against the metal. "And you seriously think we can just talk our way out of this?" Her golden optics flicked toward Thad, scrutinizing him. "And you trust him to help?"

     Thad stiffened at the sudden attention, his usual casual demeanor faltering under V’s predatory gaze. "Hey, I'm not exactly thrilled about the whole ‘get purged by murder drones’ thing, so yeah, I’d rather not have my insides on the outside."

    V's lips curled into a smirk, but there was no warmth in it. She took a step toward him, voice low and slow. "Cute. But let me make one thing clear, Thad. If you so much as breathe a word of this to anyone who might screw us over, or anyone at all? I will personally make sure you regret it. And trust me—" she leaned in slightly, her fangs glinting as her voice dropped to a hushed whisper— "regret won’t even begin to cover it."

    Thad swallowed hard, but instead of cowering, he gave a nervous chuckle. "Noted. Betray you guys, suffer an unholy wrath. Got it. Very motivational."

    N, who had been watching the exchange with growing anxiety, quickly stepped between them. "Okay! Uh—let's maybe not threaten our new possible ally?" He turned to Thad, eyes pleading. "You do want to help us, right?"

   Thad nodded, exhaling. "Yeah, yeah, I’m in. I mean, I don’t exactly have other options, do I?" He looked to Uzi. "So, what’s the plan?"

     Uzi ran a hand down her face, sighing. "We need to figure out exactly how many drones are here, and if there's any way we can fudge the numbers enough to avoid getting half the colony wiped out."

    V let out a humorless laugh. "Right, because the company totally won’t notice if we ‘miscount’ a few dozen drones."

    Uzi ignored her, turning back to Thad. "You’re good with people. Can you—like, I don’t know—subtly start asking around? Figure out how many drones we actually have and if anyone’s already worried about the population count?"

   Thad nodded slowly. "Yeah, I can do that. Won’t be easy, though. If word gets out that something’s up, people are gonna panic."

    "Which is exactly why you’re gonna keep it casual," Uzi stressed. "No weird questions, no acting suspicious."

Thad gave a mock salute. "Got it, boss. Casual as hell."

    V rolled her eyes, but something about the exchange made the corner of her lips twitch. She studied Thad a little longer before shaking her head. "If you actually prove useful, maybe you’ll survive this after all."

"Wow, that’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me," Thad quipped.

V just smirked. "Don't get used to it."

     As Thad and Uzi exchanged details on how to gather intel, N found himself watching V carefully. She was still guarded, still acting as if she wasn’t sure whether to be part of this or rip it apart before it could start. And yet, she hadn’t left.

   N finally spoke, quiet but firm. "V... I know this isn't what you wanted. But you're staying."

    V met his gaze, something unreadable flashing in her expression before she scoffed and looked away. "Yeah, well. Someone’s gotta keep you idiots from dying."

   N didn’t miss the way her fingers curled slightly, as if holding back something softer.

    Uzi exhaled sharply, bringing them back to reality. "Alright. We have a direction. Now we just have to make sure we don’t get caught."

   A grim silence settled over the group, all of them painfully aware that the real fight hadn’t even begun yet.

    The four of them had all muttered their feelings on the choice, but at least now there was a plan—if a fragile one. Uzi sat at the table, fingers drumming anxiously against the surface, while Thad leaned back against the wall, looking uncharacteristically serious.

    "So," Thad started, glancing between them, "we need numbers, and we need them fast before the company sends someone to double-check for themselves. Which, let’s be real, is probably already in motion."

    "Yeah, no pressure or anything," Uzi muttered, rubbing her temples.

    V, still leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, tilted her head. "And what’s your brilliant plan for hiding the excess population? Hope they just vanish into thin air?"

Uzi shot her a glare. "I’m working on it, okay?"

  N, who had been silent for a bit, suddenly spoke up. "We could fake records."

All eyes snapped to him.

"What?" Uzi blinked.

    N hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, think about it. JCJenson doesn’t count drones in person, right? They rely on data reports we send in. If we tweak those numbers, maybe we can—"

    "—make it look like we’re still under the limit," Uzi finished, eyes widening as the idea clicked in her mind.

    Thad let out a low whistle. "Okay, that’s actually kinda genius. Mess with their data, and we buy ourselves time."

 V, however, looked unimpressed. "If we can pull that off without getting caught."

 Uzi turned toward her. "You got a better idea?"

    V didn’t answer right away, her optics narrowing slightly. Instead of arguing, she looked away and muttered, "No."

    N took a cautious step forward. "V, I know you’re worried, but this could work. If we make it convincing enough, JCJenson won’t have a reason to send reinforcements."

     V exhaled sharply through her nose, clearly still reluctant but not outright dismissing the idea.

     Thad, arms crossed, raised an eyebrow at her. "You really want to follow orders that bad? Even when they’re garbage?"

    V shot him a sharp look, but Thad didn’t flinch.

     "Look," he continued, holding up his hands, "I get it. You’re used to playing by their rules because if you don’t, boom, they rewire your skull. But maybe it’s time to start thinking about how we can bend the rules instead of letting them bend us."

     For once, V didn’t have a snarky retort. Instead, she studied Thad for a long moment, something unreadable flickering across her expression.

    "Fine," she finally said, pushing off the wall. "But if this backfires, I told you so."

    Uzi smirked. "Yeah, yeah. We’ll print it on a trophy for you later. For now, we need to figure out how to edit those reports without making it obvious."

    N nodded. "I might be able to access some of the old systems we used to track population numbers. If I can, I can make adjustments to look official."

    "Good," Uzi said, turning to Thad. "And you—you’re on the ground. You hear anything that sounds like someone catching on? We need to know immediately."

Thad gave a lazy salute. "On it, boss."

     V exhaled, running a hand through her hair, then looked at N. "Just tell me what you need from me."

    There was something in her voice—something softer, almost resigned. Like she’d already made her choice.

   N offered her a small, grateful smile. "Just don’t let me screw this up."

V smirked faintly. "No promises."

    Uzi tapped her fingers against the table, her processor buzzing with everything that still needed to be done. They had a plan. It wasn’t perfect, but it was something.

    Now, all they had to do was make sure it worked.

     The tension in the room hadn’t vanished, but it had shifted. It was no longer the kind of crushing pressure that made their limbs lock up and their processors scream in warning. Now, there was a direction, a plan forming between them like a thread barely keeping everything from unraveling.

    "So," Uzi started, breaking the silence, "JCJenson isn’t just going to take numbers at face value. They’re going to want proof."

    "Yeah," Thad agreed, shifting where he sat by the wall, "Even if we send in fake reports, if they show up looking for verification and see way too many drones walking around, we’re done."

    N frowned, his hands fidgeting with the edge of his coat. "Then… we need to make sure they only see what we want them to see."

V raised an eyebrow. "What are you suggesting?"

     N hesitated, glancing at Uzi before looking down. "A gathering. Something big enough that it looks like the entire colony is there, but controlled enough that it hides the extra drones. If I can sneak into it and get the footage we need, we can send it in as evidence. They won’t second-guess the reports if they see the ‘right’ numbers in a recorded scan."

   Uzi blinked. "Okay, that’s actually a solid plan."

     Thad nodded, rubbing his chin. "We could call for a mandatory meeting in the main hall—say it’s for safety inspections or resource distribution. That’d get most of the workers in one place."

     "And then," N continued, his voice steadier now that the idea was forming, "I go in, scan the crowd, make sure the footage looks legit, and send it back."

     V, arms crossed, gave a small nod of approval. "Not bad. But if anyone catches on that it’s staged, we’re screwed. You’re going to have to move fast."

N exhaled, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah. I know."

     Uzi crossed her arms, leaning back slightly in her chair, processing everything. The weight of their situation was still there, still heavy—but for the first time since V had knocked on that door, she felt like maybe, just maybe, they had a chance.

     Her eyes flicked toward N, watching as he worked through the details in his head, still looking tense, still carrying more weight than he let on. She knew he was scared. He always tried to hide it, but she could see it in the way he held himself, in the way his hands twitched when he thought no one was looking.

     She wanted to say something—anything—to make it easier for him. But the words caught in her throat, tangled with all the things she hadn’t figured out how to say yet.

    Instead, she just nudged his arm lightly with her elbow. "You better not screw this up, dumbass."

  N blinked, then gave her a small, lopsided smile. "I’ll try my best."

    The moment lingered for just a second longer than necessary before V loudly cleared her throat.

     "Great. Glad we’re having a heartfelt moment," she deadpanned. "Can we focus on not dying now?"

   Uzi rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, we get it. No fun allowed."

Thad snorted. "Oh, I like her."

     V shot him a glare, her usual smugness returning. "Enjoy it while it lasts. If you mess this up, I’ll personally make sure you regret ever getting involved in this."

Thad held up his hands, grinning. "Terrifying. Noted- once again."

    V’s optics narrowed, but there was something unreadable beneath the usual sharpness. She wasn’t sure what to make of him—of any of this, really. It was easier to focus on the mission, on survival. But for the first time in a long time, she wasn’t sure if she was just trying to save herself anymore.

   The plan was set. The pieces were moving.

Now, all they had to do was make it work.

    The room settled into a quiet stillness after they finalized the plan. No one spoke for a moment. It was one thing to talk about it, to lay out each step like it was just another task. But now, as the reality of it sank in, they all knew there was no turning back.

     "Alright," V finally said, stretching her arms with an exaggerated sigh. "We’ve got a plan. As much as I love sitting around with you guys, I’d rather not spend the night staring at your stupid faces. So what’s the sleeping arrangement?"

N perked up. "Oh! Uh, I guess, um—"

V groaned, rubbing her face. "N, if you make this awkward, I swear—"

Uzi smirked, cutting in before N could spiral. "You can take N’s room. He won’t be using it."

N blinked, glancing at her. "I won’t?"

      Uzi’s smirk faltered slightly, her expression turning a bit more hesitant. She looked away, arms crossing over her chest. "Well… it makes sense for you to stay with me. Y’know. In case anything happens."

     N’s systems ran just a bit warmer. "Oh. Uh. Yeah! That—that makes sense!" He straightened, hands fidgeting at his sides. "Totally normal. Just… for safety."

     V looked between them, her expression almost disgusted for a moment before she huffed. "Whatever. Just don’t be weird about it."

Thad snorted. "Too late for that."

    Uzi shot him a glare, but there was no real heat behind it. Despite the situation, despite everything hanging over them, the tension in the room had softened just enough to make the weight bearable.

     Thad pushed himself away from the wall, rolling his shoulders. "Well, I guess I’ll head back before people start wondering where I am. We’re meeting tomorrow to get this rolling, right?"

    "Yeah," Uzi confirmed. “In the morning, here. No being late. "

     Thad gave an easy grin. "Don’t worry. I’m in this. As long as your guard dog doesn’t actually kill me in my sleep." He shot a look at V, who merely raised an eyebrow.

    "I did promise punishments," she mused, her voice dripping with mock innocence. "And I do love a good follow-through."

    Thad's smirk wavered just slightly, but he covered it with a laugh. "Right. Cool. Love the trust here."

   Uzi rolled her eyes. "Go home, Thad."

     With that, he gave a lazy salute and slipped out the door, leaving the three of them in the dimly lit room.

    A quietness settled over them again, though this time, it wasn’t entirely uncomfortable. Just the exhaustion of everything settling in.

   V leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "I’ll be in N’s room. Try not to do anything stupid while I’m gone."

Uzi snorted. "No promises."

    With a half-smirk, V pushed off the wall and made her way down the hall, disappearing into the dark.

Now, it was just Uzi and N.

For a second, neither of them spoke.

  Then, Uzi sighed, running a hand through her hair. "C’mon, let’s get this over with."

    N followed her down the hall to her room, his processor buzzing the entire way. It wasn’t as nerve-wracking as facing down JCJenson or planning a full-scale deception, but… something about sharing a space with Uzi after everything made his internal systems glitch just a little.

    As they stepped inside, Uzi tossed her sweater over a chair, turning to look at him with an unreadable expression.

     "This doesn’t change anything," she muttered, shifting awkwardly. "We’re just doing this to make sure you don’t go haywire in your sleep."

   N nodded, swallowing. "Yeah. Makes sense."

A pause.

    Then Uzi sighed, rubbing her arm. "…But, uh. I guess it’s kinda nice not dealing with this alone."

N smiled softly. "Yeah. Same."

    The weight of everything was still there, lingering in the air like an unshakable storm on the horizon. But for tonight, at least, they could pretend it wasn’t pressing down so hard.

   For tonight, they weren’t alone.

    And tomorrow… tomorrow, they’d face whatever came next.

Chapter Text

      Morning came too quickly.

     N blinked his optics online, his internal systems humming to life as he adjusted to the dim light filtering through the cracks in the door. The weight of everything settled in his processors before he even fully sat up—today was the day. The plan would begin.

    A soft sound beside him made his frame stiffen. He turned his head slightly, careful not to jolt the figure resting beside him. Uzi was still asleep, her breathing even, her frame relaxed for once. It was rare to see her like this—peaceful.

    N swallowed, his servos clenching around the blanket draped over them. They had stayed up longer than they should’ve, talking in hushed voices about anything but today. For a few hours, the crushing weight of responsibility had been replaced with something lighter—something warmer. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew he didn’t want to lose it.

    A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. Uzi groaned, shifting under the blanket but not waking up fully.

    "N!" V’s muffled voice came from the other side. "Are you two alive in there or did you kill each other in your sleep?"

     N sighed, untangling himself from the blanket as he carefully slid out of bed. He hesitated for a moment before glancing back at Uzi. She was still out, but not for long. He knew she’d wake up the moment things got loud.

     He shuffled to the door and cracked it open just enough to see V, her arms crossed, optics dim from what he could only assume was a restless recharge cycle.

"Morning, V," he said, voice still heavy with exhaustion.

    "Yeah, yeah, good morning, whatever," V grumbled, pushing the door open further and stepping inside like she owned the place. "We’ve got a big, stupid plan to pull off today, so get your toaster-loving self ready."

   "Not so loud," N hushed, glancing back at Uzi, who let out an annoyed groan but still didn’t fully wake up.

    V rolled her eyes but lowered her voice. "Fine. But Thad’s on his way over, and we need to talk before we actually do this."

   Before N could respond, there was another knock at the door—this one more hesitant.

   "Uh… guys? You decent?" Thad’s voice came from the hallway.

    V shot N a look before marching past him to swing the door open. Thad barely had time to react before she yanked him inside, slamming the door behind him.

   "Whoa, okay!" Thad threw his hands up. "Not even a good morning first?"

   "Good morning," V deadpanned. "Now shut up and sit down."

   Thad sighed, but obeyed, plopping onto the couch. His optics flickered to N and Uzi, then back to V. "So. We still going through with this?"

"Unless you suddenly want to die, yeah," V muttered.

      N sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "We just have to make it convincing. If we do this right, the company won’t suspect anything, and we won’t have to…" His voice trailed off. The alternative was one he didn’t want to say out loud.

   The room fell into a heavy silence, only broken when Uzi finally stirred, sitting up with a groggy, irritated groan.

   "Why the hell is everyone so loud in the morning?" she grumbled, running a hand over her faceplate.

"Rise and shine, purple gremlin," V smirked. "We’ve got a lot to do."

    Uzi glared but didn’t argue. She knew just as well as the rest of them—this wasn’t a day to waste.

Today, they had to make their lie reality.

    The four of them sat in a tight circle, the air heavy with the weight of their scheme. The tension from the night before hadn’t completely lifted, but there was something different now—a sense of purpose. This wasn’t just desperation anymore. This was action.

"So let’s go over it one more time," Uzi said, rubbing her temples as she tried to shake off the last remnants of sleep. "We need to make sure this actually works."

    "Right," N nodded, shifting in place. "Step one: I send an official report to the company, claiming the drone population is just a few numbers away from hitting the limit. Not too much, not too little. Just enough to make them think it's not worth deploying more resources to wipe the colony."

    "Right," V confirmed, arms crossed. "If we make it seem like there's still time before they have to act, we buy ourselves a window to stage the proof."

    Thad leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. "And that’s where I come in. I’ll pull some strings, talk to the right people, and get a meeting called—one where enough drones will gather that N can grab the footage we need."

     "Exactly," Uzi said. "We make it look natural. A casual meeting, something big enough that it’ll seem like the colony population is still under the limit. If we play it right, JCJenson will have no reason to double-check the numbers themselves."

    "But if anyone gets suspicious—" V shot Thad a glare so sharp it could cut through steel. "You better not screw this up, social boy."

   Thad raised his hands in defense. "Hey, I like being alive, thanks. I’m not gonna mess this up."

    V narrowed her optics. "Good. Because if you do betray us, I will genuinely rip your arms from your body." She leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a dangerously low tone. "You’ll wish you never agreed to this. Understand?"

   For a split second, something unreadable flickered across Thad’s face, but he quickly masked it with a nervous chuckle. "Crystal clear."

    N, sensing the tension, clapped his hands together. "Alright! Uh, let’s get moving then! I’ll send the report right now , and Thad can go get that meeting set up!"

    V gave Thad one last warning look before stepping back. "Fine. But don’t take too long. The longer we sit on this, the riskier it gets."

    N quickly opened up his internal interface, his optics flickering as he pulled up the company’s reporting system. His hands trembled slightly as he typed out the fabricated report. Falsifying data to a mega-corporation that could reprogram or kill him at any second… yeah, this was definitely going on his "worst ideas" list.

    After a moment, he swallowed hard and hit send. The report was gone. No taking it back now.

    He looked up at the others. "It’s done."

Uzi exhaled, standing up. "Then we’re in motion. Thad, you know what to do."

    Thad nodded, straightening his posture. "I’ll get that meeting set up. Give me some time." He turned toward the door, throwing one last glance over his shoulder before heading out.

   As the door shut behind him, silence settled over the remaining three.

    N let out a shaky laugh. "So… we’re really doing this."

     V sighed, shaking her head. "Yeah. We are."

   Uzi crossed her arms, her expression unreadable. "No turning back now."

—-----

     Thad walked through the dim halls of the colony, his hands tucked into his jacket pockets as he tried to keep his nerves in check. On the outside, he kept the same relaxed, easy-going energy he always had. The kind that let him slip into conversations naturally, made him seem like the kind of guy you could trust.

   Inside, though? His mind was running a mile a minute.

This is insane.

    Lying wasn’t exactly his forte. Sure, he could talk his way in and out of things, smooth over rough situations, but straight-up deception? That was something else entirely. And worse—if he messed this up, he wasn’t the only one in trouble.

    He exhaled, shaking off the tension in his shoulders. Just do what you do best. Act normal. Be casual. Get this done.

    His path led him straight to one of the small administrative hubs in the colony—a spot where the more "official" worker drones liked to gather and handle system maintenance, supply distribution, and other logistics.

   Three drones were inside when he walked in, two of them focused on a console while another was flipping through a manual.

Perfect.

  "Hey, guys!" Thad greeted with his usual, effortless charm. "Got a second?"

  One of them, a drone named Lucen, looked up. "Thad? What’s up?"

    Thad leaned against the nearest console, keeping his tone light. "So, uh… I dunno if you guys have noticed, but there’s been some weird stuff going on lately. A few drones acting off. Lagging responses, zoning out, that kinda thing. Figured maybe we should run some system checks, make sure nobody’s due for maintenance before something actually goes wrong."

Lucen furrowed her brows. "Huh. I haven’t heard much about that."

   Thad shrugged. "Yeah, it’s been subtle, but y'know, I talk to a lot of drones. Heard it from a few different groups." He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "Could be nothing, but it’s probably better to catch it early, right? Last thing we need is a hardware failure mid-shift."

  The second drone, Tanner, exchanged glances with Lucen before nodding. "I mean… yeah, that makes sense. We haven’t run a full hardware check meeting in a while."

   "Exactly!" Thad said, snapping his fingers. "Better safe than sorry. If we get everyone together, we can run a quick scan, make sure everything’s running smooth. Shouldn't take too long, right?"

   Lucen sighed, rubbing her chin. "Yeah, alright. I’ll get the word out. We’ll set something up in an hour."

   Thad gave them both a grin, forcing himself to stay relaxed even as his circuits buzzed with tension. "Appreciate it. I’ll see you there."

   As he turned to leave, he barely managed to keep himself from sprinting out the door.

  Alright. That went well. That went really well.

   Still, even as he walked back toward Uzi’s room, his mind flickered back to something else. Or rather, someone else.

V.

    Thad swallowed, trying to ignore the way his processor briefly shorted at the thought of her. That sharp glare, the way she’d practically threatened to rip his arms off if he so much as thought about betraying them.

    He wasn’t sure what unsettled him more—the threat itself, or the fact that it had made his system react in entirely the wrong way .

   Nope. Nope. Shutting that thought down right now.

    This was not the time for his brain to be acting weird. He had bigger things to focus on.

  With a shake of his head, he pulled up his communicator and sent a quick text to Uzi.

Meeting’s set. Starts in one hour. Heading back now.

—----------------

    Uzi's optics flickered as she read the message aloud. "Meeting’s set. Starts in one hour. He’s heading back now."

For a brief moment, the tension in the room lifted.

    "We did it," N said, practically buzzing with nervous energy. "We actually pulled off step one!"

    V leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, but even she let a small smirk slip through. "Guess social boy does give us an advantage."

     Uzi exhaled, allowing herself to smile for just a second. "We’re not done yet, but this is a damn good start."

  N practically bounced in place. "Okay, so what do we do until then?"

   V rolled her eyes. "Try not to freak out and blow our cover?"

"Fair point," N muttered.

    Uzi looked between them, feeling something unfamiliar settle in her circuits. For the first time in a long time, it wasn’t just blind frustration or rage. It was something close to hope.

The plan was in motion. Now, all they had to do was see it through.

    The door slid open, and Thad stepped into the room, shaking off the nerves that had clung to him on the way back. Before he could even say anything, he was met with a wave of reactions from the others.

   "You actually pulled it off!" Uzi said, standing up from where she’d been sitting on the floor. "That’s some serious fast-talking, dude."

    N clapped his hands together, his vents clicking as he grinned. "That was amazing! You got them to set up the meeting in an hour ? That’s, like, record time!"

V, who had been lounging against the far wall, gave Thad a once-over before tilting her head. "Huh. Guess you do show some actual good use for us."

   The words weren’t exactly high praise, but coming from V , they might as well have been a glowing review.

   Thad's processor stuttered for the second time that day, and he had to actively shut down any unnecessary thought processes before they spiraled. He rubbed the back of his neck, letting out an awkward chuckle. "Yeah, well… what can I say? I’ve got a way with words."

   V huffed, her smirk lingering. "Just don’t get cocky, talk-boy. You screw this up, and I’ll make sure you're the first on my kill list."

   And there it was . The familiar threat. That should’ve put his mind at ease, reminded him of what was really at stake here.

   Instead, it just made his circuits short out all over again.

What is WRONG with me?!

     Uzi, oblivious to whatever internal battle was going on in Thad’s head, crossed her arms. "Alright, now that we’re actually on track, let’s take a second to breathe before we move on."

    The energy in the room settled, and for a moment, they all just existed together—no immediate threats looming over them, no pressing need to run or fight.

    Thad dropped onto the floor next to N, leaning back against the wall. "So. How’s everyone feeling about this?"

    N let out a nervous laugh. "Oh, you know. Just the usual—mild panic, a touch of existential dread, the overwhelming weight of responsibility for an entire colony. But other than that? Pretty good!"

Uzi rolled her eyes. "Yeah, same ."

    V, still standing with her arms crossed, watched the three of them before shaking her head. "You guys are the weirdest group of co-conspirators I’ve ever met."

   Thad grinned up at her. "That implies you’ve had other groups of co-conspirators."

  V narrowed her eyes. "Do you want me to break something of yours?"

  Thad threw up his hands. "Nope, nope, just saying!"

   N chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "At least we’re working together on this. Even if it’s… you know, kind of terrifying."

   Uzi leaned back against the bed, her expression softening—just slightly. "Yeah. But it’s nice, too. Knowing we’re not doing this alone."

    For a brief moment, the weight of what they were about to do settled over them. It wasn’t just a random stunt. This was real . They were actively trying to deceive a megacorporation that had no qualms about erasing them all if things went south.

  Thad exhaled. "Alright. Let’s get moving."

    N and Thad were the ones who had to go out and collect proof, while Uzi and V stayed behind to monitor the situation and cover for them if needed.

    V pointed at Thad as he stood up. "If you screw this up, I will make you wish you never opened your mouth."

    Thad smirked, despite the way his mind definitely didn’t need the extra stress of processing whatever this weird reaction to her was. "Duly noted."

   With a final round of nods, the four of them stood, the atmosphere shifting back to business.

  As the plan continued in motion, all that was left was to see if they could actually pull it off .

—---------

    Thad casually strolled through the dimly lit halls, hands in his pockets, maintaining his usual laid-back attitude. The tension still sat in his circuits, but on the outside, he was the same easygoing drone everyone knew. Just another normal day, nothing to see here.

    Above him, N moved through the vents with practiced precision, his metal fingers gripping the edges as he crawled along, making as little noise as possible. The two of them kept their conversation strictly to their private transmitters, ensuring no one else could pick up on their chatter.

  "Alright, so far, so good," Thad murmured.

   "Yeah. Let’s just hope it stays that way," N replied, his voice carrying a nervous but determined edge.

   They walked in silence for a moment before Thad’s curiosity got the best of him. He tilted his head slightly, lowering his voice even further. "So… V."

   N almost missed his next grip, his movements stalling for just a second. "Uh. What about her?"

   Thad hesitated, debating if he should even ask, but… screw it. He couldn’t ignore the way his thoughts kept looping back to her. "She’s, uh… she’s intense."

   N let out a quiet laugh through the transmitter. "Yeah. That’s one way to put it."

   "She’s just—like, I dunno—crazy threatening, but also kinda… uh…" Thad trailed off, realizing he didn’t actually have a solid way to finish that sentence without embarrassing himself.

   N, however, did not miss the shift in tone. "Ohhh. Wait a second. Do you—"

    "Nope. Nope. Not what you’re thinking." Thad quickly shut it down, though his own internal systems screamed at the way he felt the need to deny it so fast.

   N, to his credit, didn’t push too hard, but there was amusement in his tone. "Uh-huh. Right. Just curious, huh?"

   "Exactly. Just curious."

"Sure."

    Thad sighed, shaking his head, but he couldn't help the small, amused smirk on his face. "Look, can we just focus on not getting caught?"

"Yeah, yeah. Focusing."

     They reached the large meeting room, and Thad’s sensors picked up the soft hum of approaching drones. Some of the workers had already started filtering in, murmuring among themselves as they took seats and prepared for the so-called “hardware checks.”

   From his vantage point in the vents, N peered down, scanning the growing crowd. His optics flickered as he counted. "Looks like we’re actually pulling this off."

   Thad exhaled through his vents, rolling his shoulders. "For now. Let’s just hope it stays that way."

    The pieces were falling into place. Now, all they had to do was finish the job without everything going horribly wrong.

—--------

    N’s visor flickered as he scanned the meeting hall, quickly tallying the number of drones present. 243. That was just under the threshold they needed. Perfect.

    From his position in the vents, he silently recorded everything—the gathered workers, the murmuring conversations, the way everyone settled in, completely oblivious to the fact that their presence was being used as a lifeline to keep the colony from extermination.

    On the ground, Thad leaned casually against a wall, keeping an eye on things. He did his best to look like he was just there for the meeting, not that he was actually part of something much bigger. His internal systems, however, were in overdrive.

   "Alright, I’ve got enough footage," N transmitted. "Let’s move before anyone gets suspicious."

   Thad gave a small nod, pushing himself off the wall and stretching as if he was already bored of the gathering. He turned on his heel and walked out, the meeting continuing behind him. Above, N slinked back through the vents, carefully making his way out of the area unnoticed.

     The two of them moved quickly but discreetly through the halls, Thad keeping his pace natural while N navigated unseen. The moment they reached Uzi’s room, Thad slipped inside, shutting the door behind him.

    Immediately, he exhaled sharply, his systems struggling to calm down. "Holy crap, we actually did that."

    N dropped down from the vents a second later, his landing light as he straightened up. "Yeah. We did."

   Uzi and V, who had been waiting anxiously, looked up.

"You got it?" Uzi asked, her voice sharp with urgency.

    N nodded, tapping the side of his visor. "Every second of it. That should be enough to convince JcJenson that the population is still under control."

    V smirked slightly, arms crossed. "Not bad, boys. Good job."

    Thad, still coming down from his adrenaline high, looked at her—and instantly, his mind betrayed him again. Something about the way she leaned against the wall, confident and intimidating as ever, made his processors stall for a split second.

    N, ever observant, caught the shift immediately. With a completely silent, smug transmission, he sent Thad a silly emoji—one with raised brows and a teasing grin.

   Thad snapped his head toward him, scowling as he responded privately. "Shut up."

   "Didn’t say anything~," N shot back, sending another emoji—this time, one that looked suspiciously like V’s usual glare.

    Thad groaned internally, quickly shifting his focus back to the mission at hand.

   They all gathered around as N prepared to send the falsified proof. The room was tense but lighter than before—relief mixing with the lingering weight of everything they had just done.

    Finally, after one last check, N pressed send. The data packet shot off, bound for JcJenson’s systems.

It was done.

Now, all they could do was wait.

Chapter Text

The air in the room was heavy with unspoken thoughts, the weight of uncertainty pressing down on all of them. The false proof had been sent last night. They all gathered in Uzi's room once again in the morning to discuss and wait for something back.

Uzi sat on the edge of the bed, one knee bouncing impatiently, her fingers curled into the fabric of her sleeve. Every few seconds, she glanced at the monitor across the room, as if staring hard enough would force a response from the company to appear. So far, nothing.

N stood near the door, arms crossed, his visor dimmer than usual. His systems ran hot from stress, but he didn’t say much—he just shifted his weight, staring at nothing in particular. He was clearly trying to be optimistic, but the tension in his frame betrayed him.

V was leaned against the far wall, arms folded, head tilted back like she didn’t have a care in the world. But she wasn’t fooling anyone. Her fingers tapped against her arm in an erratic rhythm, and every so often, her eyes flicked toward the monitor. She was waiting, same as the rest of them, despite pretending not to care.

And then there was Thad. He sat in the chair by the desk, uncharacteristically quiet, his foot tapping against the floor as he stared at his hands. He had done his part. The meeting had gone off without a hitch. The proof had been gathered. The lie had been sent. Now, all they had to do was hope it worked.

The silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating.

Then, suddenly—

A soft ping.

All four of them tensed. Uzi snapped her head toward the monitor so fast that her joints clicked. The response was here.

“Population status: ACCEPTED. No immediate extermination required.”

For a moment, nobody moved.

And then—

Uzi let out a sharp breath, half-relief, half-exhaustion. She ran a hand down her face, trying to process the fact that they’d actually pulled it off. N sagged slightly against the wall, his visor flickering in something close to disbelief. Even V, who had been playing it cool, visibly relaxed for a split second before catching herself.

Thad was the first to speak, though his voice was quieter than usual. “We actually did it?”

V let out a dry chuckle, though there was no real humor behind it. “Yeah. We did.”

But before the relief could fully settle in, another line of text appeared beneath the approval message.

“Submit continued reports as necessary to ensure routine population control.”

The room went cold.

Uzi’s expression darkened immediately. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

N straightened up, his relief draining away as fast as it had come. “So they expect updates…” His voice was quiet, uneasy.

V’s smirk was gone. Her usual sharp demeanor returned, eyes narrowing as she read the message over again. “Of course they do.”

The weight of what this meant began settling in, pressing against all of them.

They weren’t free. They had bought time, not safety.

Uzi clenched her fists, jaw tightening. “We’re not faking drone deaths forever.”

V’s gaze flicked toward her. “Unless you want them looking into this place personally, we don’t have much choice.”

The words hit like a slap to the face, but V wasn’t wrong. If JCJenson got suspicious, they wouldn’t just send a message next time. They’d send something worse.

Silence settled again. The weight of the situation hadn’t lifted. If anything, it had only shifted into something heavier.

Thad, who had been staring hard at the screen, finally spoke, his tone hesitant but thoughtful.

“…What if we staged it again?”

All eyes turned to him.

He shifted, rubbing the back of his neck. “Like, I don’t mean actually offing anyone. But wreckage, damage, scattered parts.. maybe some oil… If they want proof, maybe we can give them something that just looks convincing enough. I mean when you guys were around before, you all were pretty messy with uh- killing us.”

A beat of silence.

Then, to everyone’s surprise—V actually considered it.

She tilted her head, humming slightly as if running the idea through her processor. Finally, she gave a slow nod. “…That’s not the dumbest idea you’ve ever had.”

Thad blinked. “…Thanks?”

Uzi, still tense, exhaled through her nose. “It’s risky, but it might work.”

N hesitated, but eventually nodded, still visibly uneasy.

V pushed off the wall, stretching her arms over her head. “Guess we have a new job, then.”

The conversation wasn’t over. But they had a lead. And for now—that was enough.

The tension lingered, but now there was movement. A plan—however fragile—had begun to form once again.

V was still watching Thad with a strange expression. He could feel her gaze on him, but he refused to acknowledge it, instead focusing on the screen like it held all the answers in the world. His mind was already racing. He wasn’t dumb—he knew the hard part wasn’t over.

How do we even pull off something like this?

Uzi sat back against the wall, arms crossed, her gaze sharp and distant as she clearly worked through the same question. N, still shifting awkwardly in place, was the only one who seemed unsure if he should even be thinking about helping with this.

Then there was V.

She had finally looked away from Thad, pacing slightly, her arms still folded. “We’ll need to make it believable. If we stage ‘wreckage,’ it can’t be half-baked. JCJenson doesn’t just trust reports. We’d need to give them something they can’t pick apart.”

Uzi nodded, voice flat. “That means scrap. Fake bodies. Signs of a struggle.”

Thad swallowed. “Right.”

V suddenly turned back to him, her visor narrowing. “And since this was your idea…” She took a step toward him, and he felt himself stiffen.

Oh. Here we go.

“…You better not screw it up.”

He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “Look, I—”

But she didn’t stop. “And if I find out you’re playing both sides, I’ll personally see to it that youre my next meal.” Her tone was flat, but there was a dangerous edge to it, one that sent a chill down Thad’s spine.

And yet—

Why was he so caught up on the way she said it?

It wasn’t just a threat. No, there was something else under the surface, something calculating. And for some stupid reason, he found himself liking the way she carried herself—sharp, unyielding, dangerous.

He almost hated himself for it.

Almost.

Thad forced a smirk, masking the flicker of nerves in his system. “Relax, I’m not that dumb.”

V didn’t move at first, just kept her narrowed gaze on him, as if picking apart every inch of his expression. Then, finally—she scoffed.

“Tch. We’ll see.”

She turned away, her focus back on the others, but Thad could still feel the weight of the interaction settling in his mind. He needed to get a grip.

Meanwhile, N, who had been standing awkwardly throughout the whole exchange, finally spoke up. “So… uh. Do we need to get parts? Like… for the whole ‘wreckage’ thing?”

Uzi sighed. “Yeah. But we’re not ripping apart real drones for this.”

V smirked. “Shame.”

Thad ignored the way his processor definitely stuttered at that and quickly jumped in. “I know a place. Old maintenance bays. Some of them have junked drone parts that were never scrapped or fixed properly.”

Uzi nodded. “That’ll work. Maybe V and Thad can head out soon.”

There was a beat of silence. And then—

N sent Thad a private transmission.

It was a single emoji.

A very, very annoying smirk.

Thad immediately shot him a glare. “Shut up.”

N grinned. “I didn’t say anything.”

Thad groaned, dragging a hand down his face.

V raised an eyebrow. “What are you two whispering about?”

Thad immediately stiffened. “Nothing..!”

Uzi rolled her eyes, already standing and pointing to the door. “Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.”

With that, the plan was officially moving forward.

And despite himself, Thad couldn’t stop thinking about the way V had looked at him.

-

The group had come to a consensus. While N and Uzi stayed behind to get the room prepared, V and Thad would be the ones to leave and gather the necessary parts. The plan was simple but needed to be executed carefully—find enough usable drone parts to stage a convincing wreckage, enough to ensure JCJenson couldn’t possibly reject their falsified report.

The colony was quiet for now, the entire population out at some event or another, giving them the perfect cover. The interior of the colony was practically deserted, leaving V and Thad with a rare kind of solitude.

Thad led the way, his feet echoing through the metallic halls, the soft whir of his systems the only sound besides the hum of distant machinery. V followed a few paces behind him, the silence between them a strange kind of tension.

It wasn’t the same as before, though.

Thad had known V to be sharp, calculating, and unapproachable. But now, she was… different. Maybe it was the absence of the others. Maybe it was the quiet of the hallways that made everything feel more real.

V was relaxed now—at least, more relaxed than usual. There were no snide remarks, no biting retorts. Her footsteps were steady as she trailed him, watching the back of his head. She wasn’t glaring at him anymore, either. There was something softer in her gaze, even if she didn’t admit it.

Thad’s mind buzzed as he led her to the maintenance area. He couldn’t help but notice the way her movements seemed less rigid, the tension in her posture eased just slightly, and—he shook his head, forcing himself to focus.

Stop it, Thad. This isn’t the time..!

V moved past him, heading to a shelf stacked with disassembled drone limbs. She carefully pulled down a broken arm, inspecting it with a practiced eye. “This one should do,” she muttered, tossing it over her shoulder to Thad. “We’ll need a few more pieces, though. Nothing too fancy.”

Thad caught the arm with ease and examined it, running a hand over the cracked surface. "Yeah, this’ll work." He looked around at the parts scattered on the shelves, a few rusted wires and old components among them. He quickly grabbed a couple of other bits, tossing them to V, who caught them without a second thought. “So, is this what you usually do? You seem pretty familiar with all this.”

V’s eyes flickered up at him, but she didn’t immediately answer. She moved along the shelves, pulling out a couple more useful pieces, then returned to where Thad stood. "Not really," she said, her voice quiet again. “But... it’s not the first time I’ve had to improvise to get past the company.”

Thad watched her carefully, curious but not wanting to push too far. He had always been a little more comfortable with people, especially when it came to reading them. V, though—she was a challenge. The tough exterior was hard to crack, but there were moments, like now, when she let it slip just enough for him to see there was more to her than the usual cold, calculated façade.

"You’re good at this," he said finally, trying to break the silence with something light. "Better than I am, for sure."

V shot him a look, her lips curling into a small smirk. “I didn’t think you’d be the type to ask for help.”

Thad chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don’t really ask for help. But I know when I’m out of my depth. I mean, you’re practically a walking encyclopedia on everything.”

She snorted, her posture relaxing just a little. “Hardly,” she muttered, but there was a hint of amusement in her voice.

Thad raised an eyebrow, unable to help himself. "Really? 'Cause you act like you know it all. Kinda scary, actually." Kinda attractive too.. WHAT?! Thad almost stumbled at the stray thought.

V paused, her eyes narrowing playfully. “I know enough to get the job done. Nothing more. Don’t get any ideas, Thad.”

“Hey, no ideas here,” he said quickly, his hands raised in mock surrender. “Just... giving credit where it’s due.”

She gave him a long look, her gaze lingering on him longer than he expected. For a moment, he could have sworn there was something else there—something softer—but just as quickly, it was gone, replaced by the usual hardness in her eyes. “You should focus on your part of the plan,” she said, her tone suddenly sharper again. “We don’t need any screw-ups.”

Thad’s smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered, nodding. "Right. Focus." He turned back to the pile of parts. “I’ll just... grab the rest of the pieces and we can get out of here.”

They worked in silence for a while, each focused on collecting the necessary parts. Thad couldn’t shake the feeling that something was... different between them. V wasn’t as cold as usual, and though she kept her walls up, he felt like she was letting him see a side of her that not many others did. It made him uneasy, though not in a bad way—more like something unsettled, yet comforting at the same time.

When they finally had everything they needed, they turned and made their way back toward the rooms. The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable, but there was an unspoken tension that neither of them addressed.

“So,” Thad said, breaking the silence as they walked down the hall. “What now? We give the parts to N and Uzi and call it a day?”

V’s expression softened for a moment as she glanced at him, and Thad felt his heart skip a beat. She wasn’t scowling at him, wasn’t being all business for once. For just a moment, it was as if they were two drones with a shared purpose—no scheming, no pretending.

“We make sure it looks convincing. The company won’t just take our word for it. We’ll have to make sure everything checks out,” she replied, her voice almost gentle.

Thad nodded, though his thoughts were still a little off-track. “Right. We make it look real. We’ve got this, though.”

They arrived back at the room, and Thad opened the door, stepping inside first. V followed him, still keeping a cool distance, but there was something softer in her steps, something that felt less guarded.

N was at the far end of the room, already working on something at the terminal, and Uzi was sitting on the edge of the bed, her eyes scanning the room.

Thad set the parts down on the table, glancing over at N and Uzi. "Mission accomplished?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood again.

N turned around, a faint grin on his face as he nodded. “You two seem to be getting along fine.”

V shot him a glare, her voice still sharp but with a trace of amusement. “We were just getting the job done. No need to make it more complicated.”

Thad smiled at that, though his mind was still on what had happened between him and V. He didn’t know how to process it, and he sure didn’t know what it meant. He wasn’t used to being uncertain, but when it came to V, everything about her confused him.

N raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that? Because it looks like there might be more than just business happening here.”

V crossed her arms, shooting N a glare. “Don’t push it.”

Uzi looked over at them, a small smirk on her face as she saw the tension in the air. “What’s going on here?”

Thad opened his mouth to speak but paused, his words stuck in his throat. He glanced at V, but she wasn’t looking at him.

N chuckled lightly, getting back to the terminal. “You’re both terrible at hiding things.”

The atmosphere lightened a little as they set the parts down and prepared to get back to the plan. But in the back of his mind, Thad couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of confusion. Something was changing, and he wasn’t sure if it was for better or worse.

The air in the room shifted as the heavy planning settled into a lull. With no immediate rush for the next part of the mission, there was time to breathe. The room, once filled with urgency, now felt lighter, almost calm.

V leaned against the wall, arms crossed, her eyes flicking between N, Uzi, and Thad as they all began to relax. She let out a small sigh, glancing at the small pile of drone parts still scattered on the table. "So, what's the next step?" she asked, her tone less sharp than usual but still carrying the weight of their situation.

N, who was sitting at the terminal, spun around in his chair, grinning. "Well, we're not in any rush right now, so..." He glanced over at Uzi, who was lounging on the bed, clearly enjoying the break. "We could just... take a break."

Uzi let out an exaggerated groan. "Yeah, like we have any reason to rush. Everything’s going exactly according to plan." She shot V and Thad a teasing look, resting her chin on her hands. “Don’t get too cozy, though. Don’t want you two getting too comfortable in each other's company.”

V narrowed her eyes at Uzi, a flash of warning in her gaze. "What are you talking about?"

Uzi smirked. "You know, just the whole... you and Thad thing."

Thad's eyes shot wide open, and he quickly shifted in his seat, a sudden wave of heat rushing to his face. "W-What? No, no way—"

Uzi wasn’t letting up. She leaned back on the bed, a grin playing at the corners of her mouth. "What’s the matter, Thad? I thought you two were practically inseparable now."

V immediately straightened, her usual stern demeanor returning. "Uzi, if you're implying anything—"

"Implying?" Uzi cut in, raising an eyebrow. "I’m just calling it like I see it. You two spent way too much time than needed together earlier."

N burst out laughing, his voice light and playful. "I think V’s been a bit... more social than usual." He gave V a mock salute. "Good job, Thad, looks like you cracked the code."

V shot a glare at both of them, her expression a mix of frustration and confusion. "I don’t know what you're talking about," she snapped, her usual cold edge returning in full force. But even as she spoke, her gaze flicked to Thad, who was looking as flustered as ever.

Thad opened his mouth to defend himself but found himself speechless. “I wasn’t— I mean— I don’t—”

Uzi gave a loud, exaggerated sigh. "Oh, you poor thing. You’re practically blushing. Don't worry, Thad. V’s got you all flustered now. Who would've thought?" She snickered under her breath, clearly enjoying every moment of it.

V’s eyes flicked between the two of them, realizing the teasing was getting under her skin more than she’d care to admit. She crossed her arms and turned her back to them, clearly trying to hide the faintest hint of a blush of her own. "I don’t... care about whatever you’re trying to imply. I don’t have time for this."

Thad let out a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, no, no time for this at all. I mean—" He stumbled over his words again. "We have way bigger things to deal with right now. Right?"

N chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "Sure, sure, but what's the harm in a little fun? We all need some downtime."

Uzi grinned. "Exactly! You two can’t deny it—you’ve been hanging out a lot. It’s cute." She poked her head up from the bed, raising her eyebrows playfully. "Can’t fool me, V. I see how you’re looking at him."

V turned to shoot her a look, her expression a little too fierce, but it only made Uzi's grin grow wider. "If you don’t knock it off, Uzi, I’ll—"

"Oh, please," Uzi interrupted, laughing. "You wouldn’t hurt a fly. We’re just messing with you two. You’re so easy to tease!"

Thad cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to shift the focus away from him. "Uh, okay, well... while we're taking a break, maybe we should start thinking about how we can... I don’t know, stay on the company’s radar? Keep things going smoothly? So, uhh... when do we start stage two?"

V glanced back at him, her posture still stiff, but her expression softened slightly. “You're right. I guess we’ll need to keep up the act. We’ve got to make sure we don't get caught slipping.”

Uzi rolled off the bed, standing up with a stretch. "Exactly. No way we're letting things fall apart now. We have the upper hand. Now, we just need to make sure we keep it."

N grinned, clearly happy to be part of something with a little more humor in it. “And what better way to keep the ball rolling than a few more inside jokes, huh?”

Thad smiled sheepishly, his earlier nervousness fading a little, despite the teasing still hanging in the air. He shot a glance at V, but her eyes were fixed on the terminal now, her body language cool once more. Still, he couldn’t shake the thought that maybe, just maybe, there was a little more there than she let on.

The moment of teasing settled into a more comfortable silence as the group began to relax. They didn’t have to keep pretending to be so focused. There was still a long way to go, but for now, it was nice to take a break. And with the weight of their plan still hanging over them, moments like these—however brief—were a reminder that they were still more than just drones carrying out orders.

For now, they were a team. And maybe, just maybe, they could handle whatever the company had in store. But that was a thought for later. For now, the teasing and laughter filled the air as they all took a moment to breathe.

Chapter Text

Im soooo sorry for the delay of the next chapter!! I've been super busy with home life, depression, sleep issues and end-of year school things! My motivation and mental health has been pretty low as of late, but I'm slowly starting to get better! Hopefully with summer coming up I'll be able to get more chapters out! I am really sorry for the wait!! I promise i have more coming, just gotta be patient!! Thank you everyone for your support throughout the story, and for just all the viewers who have read this far!! I am happy to have made soemthing that so many others enjoyed, and im glad I can continue that!! Ill hopefully get the next chapter out within the first weeks of June!! Until then, peace out guys !! :3

5-18-25

Chapter Text

This fic will no longer be continued. I apologize to those who were looking forward to a new chapter, but it has come to an end. Thank you all for all the support and interest you have showed throughout this fic, and I am proud of the work I had made.

More fics may be posted someday. Thank you all for reading my first fic

Love you all <3