Chapter Text
There Uzi was, in class as the bell rang for school to end, and as usual, people were not noticing her existence, despite the crazy things that just happened like a month-ish ago. In high school, things like that get old real fast, yes, even a planet-busting apocalypse gets boring to talk about with teens. Not to mention, the homecoming dance was coming up tonight and that's like, waaay more important. Getting ignored was nothing new for her though, but at least she wasn't getting ignored by the people that mattered the most to her. Speaking of which, now that Uzi and N were official, things got really awkward, well more awkward with the two of them who have never been in a relationship before. Not to mention, the announcement to her parents...
"Sooo, you two are a thing now huh?" Nori said as she glares at them from the table in her living room. Still just a heart, only twice as menacing.
"Y-yes we are ma'am!" N exclaimed as you could see the sweat pouring down his visor, so much so that he was worried he was going to short circuit here and there. Which honestly, doesn't sound that bad compared to what's going on here.
"Call me ma'am again and I'll twist your head off," the heated mother fired back in quick succession at that remark.
"Mom stop!" Uzi spouted, fearing that her mother might actually kill her newfound boyfriend.
The both of them had their Solvers turned on and oh boy, you could blast the tension with a rail gun and even then, that wouldn't defuse this situation...
"Now honey, our daughter is smart enough to make her own decisions right?" Khan said as he tried to calm his still wife, Nori down, winking at Uzi as he finished his statement. His daughter smiling back in response.
"Uh huh, need I remind you, Uzi that it's because of his kind that I'm like... this," she remarked as she points to herself, making her point abundantly clear.
"Hey, don't lump N in with them! He's a good guy now!"
"Yeah, I don't even eat that many drones now!" N excitedly says as he agrees with his girlfriend.
Nori squints her eye and sighs as she thinks back that this guy did help her daughter in not getting herself killed against Cyn.
"Fiiine, I'll accept this... for now, but I'm keeping my eye on you two,"
"Oh yaaay!! I was so worried that you wouldn't accept me and I have no idea what I would do f you didnn't and-" N continues to ramble on in words too fast for normal people to understand as he picks up Nori from the table and spinning her around excitedly with her in his hands as Nori threatens him with violence to put her down every few seconds.
So in summary, Uzi got herself a pretty cool boyfriend, her parents accepted him (for now at least), she saved her planet and people from absolute obliteration, and she has some cool powers to boot. So, why wasn't she happy right now? Well...
"WHY ISN'T ANYBODY TALKING ABOUT ME?!" Uzi yelled out as she slams her locker with more force than necessary.
"Ex..cuse me?" N said as he hands Uzi back the books that he was holding for her.
"I mean, I frickin' saved the planet and everybody on it but I haven't heard a single thank you from ANYONE!"
"I mean, to be fair, no one saw you do that besides us... and what about doing the right thing without expecting compensation?" N says, trying to defuse his clearly ticked-off girlfriend as he's holding her hand down the hallway.
"SCREW THAT NOISE!"
"O-okay, yeah you're right,"
"And plus, I have myself a cool badass boyfriend who's a freaking disassembly drone and yet, the couple everyone's talking about right now are Thad and Lizzy?!"
Oh, Thad and Lizzy got together offscreen by the way. Real cute stuff.
"I know right?! They suit each other so well and they're so cute and-"
"N..."
"I mean- yeah! They should be talking about us, and not the other... cute couple," N remarked as he kinda takes back what he just said in response to Uzi's horrifying glare.
"Hey losers," V calls out as she dismounts the Sentinel Raptor she always brings to school. The Sentinel, always looking to bite someone's head off.
"Oh c'mon V, do you have to bring that thing everywhere?" N groans, feeling the slightest bit of fear to even look it in the eye.
"Hey now, don't say that about my comfort animal. Anyway, what's the sad purple one complaining about this time?" V says as she notices the disgruntled look on Uzi's face.
"She wants more people to talk about her,"
"Oh wow, now that's reaaall sad and pathetic, even by her standards," V sneers as she hears what N just said to her. Knowing full well how to use this to her advantage.
"Bite me!"
"Look, it's Thad and Lizzy!" a random student whose name Uzi can't remember points out for everyone to hear. Everyone turning their heads to look at them. The two of them looking as conventionally attractive as they usually do as they strut down the hallway.
"Oh my god, there is literally no other couple that's as cute as them!"
"Literally, I can't think of anyone else on their level."
"Not like anyone's that delusional to think they're as important as those two."
"They're totally gonna win Homecoming King and Queen, there's like no competition at all,"
The remarks from the group of randos in front of them very much did not help in calming Uzi's mood as anyone could've guessed. I mean, she could just go ahead and snack on the students in front of her and be done with them right?
"I'm gonna go to my room now," she said as she felt herself losing control, turning her back and walking quickly back to her room.
"Do you want me to walk you back or-"
"NO!"
The loudness of her voice caught the attention of everyone in the hallway.
"I-I mean, everyone here can bite me!"
With her catchphrase out of her mouth, twice, she ran off, leaving N worried and V confused.
"What's her deal?" Lizzy says as she walk up to the two murder drones.
"Girlfriend problems, N?" Thad asked the concerned boyfriend as N watches Uzi run off with worry in his eyes about what could be bothering her this much. I mean, it can't just be being ignored right? She should be used to that so what other problem could it be...?
________
The door to her room slammed as she looked at herself in the mirror, thinking back on the thoughts she just had.
"You should've just disintegrated them," an eerily robotic voice from behind her uttered.
"I don't need this right now," Uzi grunted in response to the voice behind her.
"Oh too soon? Maybe you should finally tell N about me and that will make your emotional state better," the yellow-eyed tail taunted as it reveals itself beside her in the mirror.
Yes, Uzi has not told anyone that Cyn is currently alive, sentient, and kicking inside her. Technically living inside Uzi and being its unintentional host. She couldn't tell them... what if they hated her for this? What would N think of her...?
"Urgh, I'm being such a bad girlfriend..."
But before she could continue pondering her existential crisis and relationship problems, a few loud knocks can be heard from the door as she desperately, rather adorably tries to hide her tail from being seen. The door opened and there was her dad, not noticing the genocidal A.I. hidden behind her.
"Hey there sport, so since your school's homecoming is coming up soon, I was just thinking we could go for a little father-daughter dress choosing session for what you're gonna wear," the dad suggests in an attempt to bond with his daughter.
"O-oh no, I was just thinking that I would go alone y'know? That way I can surprise you with what I chose, okay haha, bye!" she says as she promptly and quickly exits her home, making sure a certain someone goes unnoticed by her dad as she quickly shuts the door to her home.
"Oh... these kids grow up so fast," Khan says as he tears up, thinking that his daughter has grown more independent with herself.
But his tearful proudness of his daughter was cut short by a knock on the door a moment after Uzi's departure, revealing said daughter's boyfriend.
"H-hey, Mr. Doorman sir..." the disassembly drone said as he sticks his head in from the entrance.
"Oh please N, I think we're beyond just calling me that,"
"Um o-okay then... Dad?" he says with bashful eyes, looking up at Khan with full expectancy.
"Uhhh, you know what, sir is just fine," Khan says as he reels back, not ready to take in that responsibility.
"Alrighty then! So, I have to ask, where's Uzi? She seemed really stressed-"
"Oh, she just went outside to get herself a dress for the homecoming dance,"
"Ah is that all- WAIT WHAT, ALONE?!" N says as he reels back from Khan's response.
"Yep, my daughter's growing up to be a strong independent woman and I couldn't be prouder, wouldn't you say.... N?" the father's wholesome moment for his daughter got cut short as he looks to see N gone from the entrance.
The drone in question was rushing to the exit of the bunker, muttering to himself like a crazy person, like a certain someone else.
"What if she gets ambushed by J? No, she can handle herself just fine right? But with how she's been feeling lately... argh, I've been such a bad boyfriend..."
Two peas in a pod aren't they?
_________
As the snow piles up on the outside with no signs of stopping and the winds being as strong as ever, the lonely worker drone was walking around aimlessly with no objective in sight.
"S-so N, it might be awkward for me to tell you this but your girlfriend has had the parasitic A.I. maniac that tried to kill you inside her for quite a while now..." she says, talking to herself. On her 87th iteration of this speech.
"This is not gonna work..." she says with a sigh.
"You are terrible at giving confessional speeches," Cyn says to her, the tail of Uzi's wagging in front of her face in a nonchalant demeanor.
"Why not you just let me take over and I'll do the talking for you?" the A.I. says in a totally not suspicious manner.
"Pfft yeah, like I'll ever do that. Trust me I'm totally prepared for-"
"Uzi?"
The girl turns around to see her boyfriend standing behind her amidst the snowstorm. He heard everything, the secret's out.
"Is that... Cyn?"
"W-wait N, I can explain-"
"Yes it's me. Hi N, I missed you!" the tail behind her says giddily as it knows what its doing to this situation.
"Have you... been keeping this from me?"
"N-no, I-I..."
She could see it, it was brief from someone like N. But she's seen that look many of times in her life. The look of disapproval... and all she could muster to say was,
"I-I'm sorry..."
In that instant, she sprouts out her wings, she couldn't take it anymore.
"Wait Uzi!"
She couldn't hear what N had to say as she quickly flew away into the night sky. The look of guilt, shown in both of their visors.
_______
She flew a good distance away from where N was and hopefully, he couldn't find her this far out. Maybe it would be better if she wasn't found?
"Well, that could have gone better," Cyn mocks, feeling proud of itself for what it just did.
"Yeah, no thanks to you!" Uzi fumed, not believing what was happening to her right now.
"All your problems could be solved if you were to just... let me take control,"
"For the last time! I'm not letting you... in?"
Uzi's threats for Cyn were cut off by loud synchronistic beeping sounds that could be heard from the distance. Flashing lights of red could be seen a few meters ahead of her. Uzi, filled with caution and curiosity approached the light.
*Beep!*
*Beep!*
*Beep!*
As she slowly walked towards the object, it was small but she could see it was shaped like some sort of beacon.
"You should touch it," Cyn suggested.
"Don't tell me what to do!"
When she got close enough to it, slowly and surely her morbid curiosity got the better of her, and she reached out for the object.
"What the heck is this-?!"
*Pinngg!!!*
A loud electromagnetic pulse then erupted from the object, messing with Uzi's head and making her circuits all fuzzy. She could feel herself losing control of her body...
"N-no, I can't..."
This was its opportunity...
"Let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in, let me-"
___________
"Uzi!!! Where are you?! I'm really sorry! I feel terrible and I'm a horrible boyfriend!" N repents as he flies in the sky, looking for Uzi. Then, something caught his eye.
Her beanie was found lying in the snow, she's never seen without it... and not to mention, the heaps of junk around them were all contorted and misshapen, and N knows... that only the Solver could be responsible for this. N was already panicking but only panicked more as he picked up a beacon-shaped object from the ground. And as he turns it around, he sees a company name that he's all too familiar with.
JCJenson IN SPAAAAACEE!!!!
"Oh no, oh no, oh no..."
N quickly scanned his surroundings and found Uzi's bootprints heading towards... the bunker.
________
Two worker drones were outside of the bunker, wanting to get away from the crowd of homecoming for some "alone time".
"And why do we have to be outside the bunker to make out?" the boy drone asked his partner.
"Because wouldn't it be so totally hot for us to make out here in the freezing cold, away from people and where no one could hear us?" she answered in a seductive and clueless manner.
"Oh yeeaah, that makes sense,"
But before their private session could begin, in the darkness, they notice a pair of yellow eyes staring at them in the distance... menacingly.
"Wh-what is that?" the boy asked with a look of fear in his eyes, not moving an inch despite that though.
"I-I dunno but we should not move and just keep staring at it," his partner answered, suggesting a totally brilliant idea for the both of them.
"That sounds like a good ide-"
Before the worker drone could finish his sentence, he was promptly cut in half as the girl could only watch in horror as his entirely unavoidable death unfolded in front of her eyes. A sinister smile crept upon the many-limbed figure as it tore the drone's partner to shreds, devouring its entrails with a giddy laugh. The girl, still not moving from her position, obviously, knew that she was next, and sure enough... she was.
*Insert stock woman scream sound effect here*
_______
In the bustling school ballroom, the homecoming dance was currently going on. Disco lights were flashing all over the dance floor, parents and students alike were there, enjoying life without a care in the world. V was busy threatening people by the neck to vote for her for homecoming queen while her Sentinel was too busy breakdancing with Thad and Lizzy on the dance floor. With many other students in the room, telling everyone how much fun they're having.
"Oh man, this robo-dino's got some moves!"
"Ahahah, I sure love dancing and being alive right now."
"I can't wait to tell my loving parents about how much fun I'm having!"
Khan, on the other hand, was facing a situation all too familiar for him, waiting for his absent daughter during a school dance.
"Hey Khan, where's your daughter?" Doug, a parent worker drone said to Khan.
"O-oh you know, she's just late cuz she's too busy being independent herself," he reassures Doug and also himself.
"I hear you Khan, I just love watching my kid growing up. And it sure would suck if I couldn't do that anymore for some inexplicable reason," he says as he lovingly watches his son dunk his head into the bowl of punch, not realizing that there's actually nothing in there.
Just then, the doors to the ballroom burst open, with a figure dripping with oil, except... it's not theirs. The sinister smile on its face only grew larger as it saw the many snack opportunities in front of it. It raises its hand to one of the students as if about to do something to them...
"Wait a second, who is that aga-?" the student's remark was quickly cut off as the Solver's power took little to no effort crushing him into nothingness. Screams from students and parents alike rang from the ballroom as one by one, each of them got assimilated in creatively gruesome ways.
"Uzi! What are you- urk?!" Khan's pleas to stop are cut short as he gets thrown aside by the Solver. The Sentinel tried to strike Cyn down, but to no avail, as it got thrown out of the room with the Solver using its abilities to lock the doors so no one could get in or out.
"Uzi, what the hell's gotten into you?!" V says as she points her submachine guns at what she presumes to be her friend.
"...Uzi's not here right now.." Cyn utters as it twists its head backwards at V. Its yellow eyes, seemingly piercing through V's heart. V recognizes those eyes anywhere.
"W-we got rid of you... What did you do to her Cyn?!" V threatens her, her hands hesitating to pull the trigger.
"I didn't do anything to her. The real question V, is why didn't you do anything for her?"
"Wh-what? What're you-?"
"Uzi was struggling V, and yet, all you did was make fun of her instead of helping, why do you think she got to this stage?" the malignant A.I. says to her, lying through her fangs and enjoying every second of it.
"N-no I-"
*Shing!*
And in that split second of distress for V, Cyn disarms her, literally. And holding her up by the neck with her tendrils. Ready to crush her to pieces until...
"Let her go, you freak!"
"Hope you love having your head crushed!"
Both Lizzy and Thad jumped out to save their friend, Thad was equipped with a pipe he broke off from the wall while Lizzy had a table leg. However, their attempts would prove to be worthless as Cyn used the Solver to stop them in their tracks, then held them up from the ground using said power as they uselessly tried to fight back.
"And let's not forget about you two, such horrible friends for not noticing Uzi's troubles," Cyn adds as she tightens the pressure around all their necks.
"Wh-what, I didn't... know about-"
"I'm... sorry Uzi, I should've-"
Lizzy and Thad tried to form a sentence of sincerity for their friend but couldn't as they could feel their voiceboxes being crushed.
"Honestly, it seems like I would be doing Uzi a favor by disposing of all of you. Well then, goodb-,"
"UZI STOP!"
Right before the Absolute Solver could finish the job, N shows up panting, fresh from the snow. He sees the carnage in front of him and a look of genuine concern appears on his face for the girl he loves. As Cyn looks at N's face, the color of its eyes shifts for a second from yellow to purple.
"And what do you think you're doing?" Cyn says as it points its hand to N, ready to use the Solver on him.
"I'm really really sorry for not noticing your problem sooner Uzi..." he says as he slowly makes his way to her.
"It's too late for that, 'boyfriend', I'm in full control now," Cyn says confidently, but the fact that its hand was shaking and struggling to use the Solver on N said otherwise.
"I... shouldn't have looked at you like that, I can only imagine how hard it was for you to keep a secret like that,"
"....." the drone N was talking to didn't say anything, its eyes shifting color by the second as N walked ever so closer to them.
"I know you're in there Uzi, and I know you'd never want to hurt me," he assures as he was finally in front of her, looking at his girlfriend in the eyes with a smile telling her that it's going to be okay.
"Y-you don't know that..."
"Sure I do, look at this," he says as he nonchalantly grabs one of the sharp tendrils from Cyn's back and... stabs himself in the shoulder.
"WHAT, N?! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING IDIOT?!" Uzi says as she quickly pulls the tendril out of him. All of her friends who were in Cyn's grasp a second ago, were instantly released in the process also.
"Haha, ow. See? Didn't I tell... you?"
Before he could finish his last word, he was hugged by Uzi.
"Please don't do that again..." Uzi shakily pleaded to him as her hands shook on his body.
N's response to that was to hug her back, only tighter than her, which was no easy feat. A few minutes passed by, and they finally stopped hugging. Instead, holding each other's hands, not wanting to let go of each other just yet.
"I-I'm sorry you guys... I should've told you..." Uzi confessed, feeling so guilty of herself. All of them didn't say anything for a moment until...
"Yeah, you really should've idiot," V speaks up, a look of frustration plastered clearly on her visor.
Uzi closed her eyes and lowered her head, expecting a well-deserved mocking for herself.
"But I guess it's kinda my fault for not noticing sooner, and maybe, just maybe, I'm feeling apologetic now or... whatever,"
Uzi looks up at V, as she sees her embarrassingly trying to avoid eye contact.
"Yeah, maybe next time you don't bottle up your emotions in case you go on a psycho killing spree?" Lizzy suggests in a sarcastic but sincere manner.
"I'm pretty sure what she means to say is that you can always come talk to us if you have any problems," Thad translates the infamous mean girl language.
"What the- Thad?! Don't tell her that!" Lizzy yells out as she punches him on the shoulder.
Uzi cracks a smile as she looks at her friends goofing off as they always do, not having a care in the world about what she just did. But then she looks at N.
"N, what about-"
"Oh, you don't have to worry about me Uzi! You know I'll love you no matter what, genocidal A.I. and all!" he blurts out without a hint of embarrassment at all in his voice and an adorable wink to her direction.
"Wh-what, y-you're so gross N! But... thank you anyway," she says as she goes back to hugging him, burying the embarrassment in her face in his chest.
The surviving students and parents come out of hiding and look at the couple at the center of the dance floor. V, noticing everyone's faces of fear and relief, gets herself an idea and makes her way to the stage. Grabbing the microphone to make a grand announcement.
"So, since all the votes have been completely obliterated except mine, conveniently enough. May I present to you your Homecoming Queen and King, Uzi Doorman and Serial Designation-N!" V announces excitedly as the spotlights above point toward her two friends.
"Wh-wha-?!"
Both Uzi and N were stunned as murmurs from the crowd around them could be heard. But all those noises would seen be drowned by-
*Bang!*
"Does anyone have any objections?" V says as she fires her submachine gun to the ceiling, then flailing it around for all to see.
"Well, they are pretty cute..."
"Who knew the both of them suit each other that well?"
"I've always thought those two were great actually."
The doubts slowly became acceptance as the crowd around them clapped for the newly crowned and totally adorable, Homecoming King and Queen. The both of them looked at each other with smiles on their faces as they walked towards the stage, ready to be crowned.
"Ah, they grow up so fast..." Khan says as he watches on, wiping away a digital tear and continuing to clap for the daughter he's so proud of.
"Oh son, you survived! Thank goodness nothing horrible happened to us just now!" Doug, the loving parent drone as he hugs his son.
"You can say that again, dad!"
Both father and son embraced each other as they survived the carnage and are happy to continue being alive with each other... until the disco ball fell from the ceiling and crushed the both of them a second later.
________
Meanwhile, in the Proxima Star System...
"Mr. Jenson, sir, the test proved successful. The Absolute Solver is still habiting Copper-9!" the human secretary said to his boss.
"Good, good... and what's the progress on Project MacGuffin Version 2.0?" the boss in question asked as he menacingly sat on his office chair.
"It's almost done sir, only a few more days left until it's complete."
"About time... the age of drones will finally come to an end. Mwehehehe, nyahaahaha!"
"Um sir, some constructive criticism, I think you should work on your evil laugh,"
"Yeah? Well, you're fired Carl."
The boss in question though, while firing the poor secretary who just wanted to what's best for him, had no idea that his room, more specifically his vintage boombox was bugged and everything they just said, was heard. And who heard that vaguely evil plan of his? Well...
"Ahhh crap, I’m so screwed," J groans as she leans back on the chair of her still-broken spaceship.
To be continued...