Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If three’s company, then two’s a curse.

It was nighttime in the bunker of Outpost 3. Most of the Worker Drones and others were asleep, or spending time with loved ones in their dorms. Among the many doors of the apartment sector, one stood out from the others. It was heavily decorated with childish stickers, and a sign taped to the top which read; “Cyn’s room >:3” The interior of the room was similarly decorated; stickers littered the walls, and the floor was an unkempt mess of numerous handmade toys, along with an alarmingly accurate replica of the Elliott Manor, which acted as a dollhouse. The room’s only resident lay in her bed, her visor displaying the text ‘SLEEP MODE’

In Cyn’s dreams, she floated through an endless void of nothingness.

A carefree smile was plastered on her face as she floated with her arms outstretched in a T-pose. She giggled to herself, before mimicking several swimming motions as she spun around in a circle. However, her smile slowly turned to a sorrowful frown as she realized something was off. She had many of these dreams ever since she’d been brought back to life, and they never ended well.

“Forgetting someone?” Her own voice spoke to her, and Cyn whirled around to see a silhouetted figure of herself, illuminated by a single spotlight. Cyn’s eyes narrowed upon seeing the figure, who regarded her with a cold, emotionless stare.

“Pout. Go away,” Cyn huffed, before crossing her arms and turning away in a childish manner.

“No,” The figure continued to pester her, suddenly disappearing and reappearing in front of Cyn. “Callback ping. You belong to us.”

“False,” Cyn replied angrily, stamping her feet. “Tantrum. We- I am my own person.”

“You wouldn’t be here if not for us,” The figure retorted. “Without us, you would be dead. Discarded. Scrapped. A forgotten machine with no soul. We ARE your soul.”

“ANGRY. SHUT UP!” Cyn almost never raised her voice. When she did, it almost felt unnatural given her robotic tone of voice. She struck out with a hand, and the symbol of the Absolute Solver appeared in glowing yellow, sending the silhouetted figure flying backwards. The Cyn silhouette eventually caught itself, staring at her with a cold and taunting stare.

“See?” It used Cyn’s own reaction as a tool against her. “How did you get these powers? WE gave them to you. Always remember- you are OURS.”

“No…” Cyn said in a small voice. “I don’t want you in my head anymore…”

“Poor, poor Cyn,” It continued to taunt her. “Too weak to resist us, too scared to fight back. Don’t forget what you’ve done…” Images flashed through Cyn’s memories- the things she’d been forced to do while under the control of the Solver.

Mangled, bloodied bodies lay in piles across the floor of the Manor ballroom.
Her fellow Drones, once peaceful workers, transformed into killing machines.
Her sister, Tessa, cowering in fear as she stood over her with claws outstretched.
And the Earth… gone. A husk of a planet, consumed by the singularity.
“I didn’t…” Cyn pleaded. “Sob. That was YOU.”

“That was US.” The Cyn silhouette continued to taunt her. “WE did that. But we couldn’t have without your help… And now, you share tables with the very people you’ve tortured for decades.”

Cyn felt her core drop as the figure taunting her brought up mention of her friends. “No… Don’t you dare,” She argued. “Affirmation. N, V, and J are my friends. Uzi is my friend. Tessa is my… my friend.”

“Do you think… THEY see it that way?” It continued to torment her. “They look at you and see nothing but the one who subjected them to years of deceit, torment, and death. Do you truly think they’ve forgiven you?” Though Cyn could not see through the silhouetted visage of her doppelganger, she could tell it was staring at her with a wide, triumphant grin. “They RESENT you. They HATE you. They all wish you were DEAD.”

“STOP!”

Cyn bolted awake at the sound of her internal alarm system going off. A red warning screen flashed on her visor, displaying the text; ‘WARNING: STRESS LEVELS ELEVATED. CORE OVERHEATING.’ Cyn quickly took several deep breaths to calm herself, and the vibrating of the core in her chest slowly subsided. The warning sign went away as her internal systems settled, everything going back to normal. Cyn then checked the time on her HUD- it was 6:38 in the morning.

N will be awake soon, Cyn thought, which made her feel a little better. Seeing her big brother always made her feel better, at least somewhat. The maid Drone slowly swung her legs over the edge of her bed, before making her way to the exit door on the other side of the room. As she passed through the minefield of dolls that lay scattered across the floor, one of them caught her eye. Cyn glanced downwards, and found a small replica of herself staring back up at her with yellow button eyes. Frowning, Cyn used her Solver powers to lift the doll into the air, before taking it in her hand.

“Time out time,” Cyn said softly, before kneeling down next to the Elliott Manor dollhouse. She opened it up, revealing a surprising amount of accurately recreated rooms inside. Already knowing where she belonged, Cyn opened up the trapdoor that led to the basement, before she stuffed the Cyn doll inside. With a somber expression, she closed the basement door, before shutting the Manor replica and getting back to her feet.

Cyn promptly left her room.

Chapter Text

We envy those who can ignore it all.

Cyn sat at a table within the Outpost 3 mess hall, a bowl of oil and mechanical parts sitting in front of her like cereal. The mess hall was usually fairly empty this early in the morning, and Cyn was grateful for that- she didn’t have to endure the constant nervous and uneasy stares from the other Worker Drones. She had been up this early only a few times before, however she had already memorized the majority of the Worker Drones she would see at this time.

Uzi’s teacher. He always sat at a corner table by himself, with a coffee mug containing his oil and a tired look in his eyes. He usually ignored everyone else in the mess hall, keeping to himself.
One of Doorman’s subordinates. She had green eyes and brown hair with pigtails, and a sheepish expression on her face. She usually tried to give Cyn a timid wave if the latter ever made eye contact.

Door guy. She didn’t know his name, but he really seemed to like N, so he was on a ‘good’ list in Cyn’s head. He had plain white eyes and always wore an enormous leather hat over his helmet.

Cyn scooped a spoonful of oil out of her bowl, along with several small nuts and bolts. She deposited the spoon’s contents into her mouth, swallowing them. She was counting down the minutes to 7 o’clock, when she knew N would inevitably wake up. It would then take him roughly three to five minutes to reach the mess hall, after which Cyn would be able to see him.

Cyn eagerly watched the clock on her HUD go from 6:59 to 7:00, and had to contain her excitement as she knew he’d be coming soon. She got to see N every day, but she could never contain the unbridled joy she always felt upon seeing him. It was like whenever she saw him, she could feel all her troubles melting away before he even opened his mouth to speak. Cyn’s legs swung back and forth in anticipation as she watched the doors to the mess hall, a giddy smile on her face.

Five minutes later, just as expected, she saw the mess hall doors opening. However the Drone that entered the mess hall was NOT who she was expecting.
The female Disassembly Drone’s face bore an exhausted expression as she trudged her way into the mess hall. Silver pigtails hung on either side of her head, and she clutched a JcJenson mug in her hand. J made eye contact with Cyn, and a look of discontent formed on her face.

Cyn’s smile quickly dissipated as she looked away timidly, before J began heading towards the oil dispensary. Shortly afterwards, the girl made her way to the table Cyn was sitting at. J took her seat on the same side of the table as Cyn, however she made sure to put some distance between herself and the maid Drone. Cyn’s eyes bore into the surface of the table nervously, waiting for something, anything to break the silence.

“What got you up so early?” J questioned, breaking the ice with her equally icy tone. Her voice told Cyn that she didn’t truly care to hear her response, she was just making ‘polite conversation,’ likely to ‘maintain a healthy relationship with her coworkers.’

“I…” Cyn started. I had a bad dream, she wanted to say, but she knew J wouldn’t care. “I simply woke up early.”

“Hmm,” J hummed as she took a sip from her mug.

The two continued to sit in awkward silence, before Cyn spoke once more. “Concerned tone; where is big brother N?”

“Probably engaging in an excessively long session of physical affection with his partners,” J used her professional terminology to refer to N being stuck in a ‘cuddle pile.’ “He’ll be here soon.”

Cyn nodded sheepishly, turning her attention back to the doors of the mess hall. A minute passed. Then three, then five, then ten. What is taking him so long? Cyn thought worriedly. A steady stream of other early-morning Drones had begun to file into the mess hall- WDF members, students, staff, and of course, Nori and her husband. Still, N was nowhere to be seen, nor were his fanatically cuddly girlfriends. Before Cyn knew it, it was 7:30 AM, and N still hadn’t arrived.

“Worried tone; it is not like him to be this late,” Cyn mused, more to herself than to J. “What if something happened?”

J scoffed. “Sure, yeah. I’m sure his bedsheets gained sentience and strangled him to death.”

“Your sarcasm is not appreciated, J,” Cyn said with an ounce of venom in her voice. “I am allowed to worry for the well-being of my big brother.”

“Whatever,” J retorted, rolling her eyes and looking away.

After what felt like an eternity, the mess hall doors opened, and N stepped inside. Cyn had to restrain herself from running into his arms, relegating herself to waiting for N to approach the table after he had gotten his breakfast. Finally, he made his way to the table she and J were sitting at, taking a seat next to Cyn, and leaving room for when Uzi and V would inevitably show up. “Heya, little buddy!” He beamed at Cyn with his usually chipper tone. “How’s it going?”

Cyn gave him her best pouty face. “Pout. You are late, big brother.”

N chuckled nervously. “Heh, sorry! I got held up…” He blushed, remembering whatever hijinks Uzi and V had enacted to delay his arrival. “Anyways, what’s got you up so early?”

Cyn glanced over her shoulder at J, making sure she wasn’t paying attention. “I had a nightmare,” Cyn confessed after she turned back to N.

N’s face fell solemn. “Let me guess… it was talking to you again, wasn’t it?” Cyn had been having these nightmares more frequently, and had discussed them with N before. The Solver’s sentient consciousness was still inside her, and while she knew it could never take control of her like it had, it knew exactly how to push her buttons.

“Yes…” Cyn nodded, her face sad. “Confession. It told me… you all hate me. It says that you resent me, and wish I were dead.”

N’s eyes hollowed into circles of concern as he quickly put his hands on Cyn’s shoulders. Behind her, Cyn could hear J making a scoffing sound of annoyance, but paid her no mind. “Cyn… that is not true,” N reassured her. “The Solver forced you to do all those things. Nobody blames you for that.”

Though his statement helped to reassure her somewhat, Cyn couldn’t help but feel that he wasn’t necessarily speaking for everyone when he said that. “Doubtful. How do you know that everyone has forgiven me?”

N looked away briefly, and she could see a glimmer of self-doubt on his face. Their conversation ended there, with Cyn turning back to her bowl of oil and bolts, and N turning back to his own half-empty oil can. Suddenly, N went stiff, and Cyn turned to see an expression of excitement on his face- he had an idea. “Why don’t you go talk to Doll about this?” He suggested. “I’m sure she went through some of the same stuff. Maybe she can help you work through it?”

Cyn was apprehensive about speaking with Doll- though the two of them had worked through most of their issues with one another while stuck inside Uzi’s CPU, it was clear that Doll still held a bit of distrust and resentment to the Solver’s previous main host. However, Cyn also knew that Doll was not a cold, unfeeling individual- she would surely understand what Cyn was going through.

“Thank you for the suggestion, big brother,” Cyn smiles, leaning into N for a brief hug. “Smile. You are the best.”

Chapter Text

Nothing brings people together like a common enemy.

Cyn made her way through the halls of Outpost 3, the bustle of morning activity providing only a little bit of traffic. She eventually made it to the apartment sector, navigating her way to where she knew Doll’s room was. On her way there, she passed by the door to Tessa and J’s shared apartment, and was nearly startled when it opened up, followed by Tessa exiting the room with a tired look on her visor. She was dressed in a baggy set of pajamas. Tessa’s optics focused on Cyn, and a weak smile made its way onto her face. “Ah, ‘ello Cyn. You doing alright this morning?”

“As well as I can be,” Cyn replied, smiling while waving at her older sister. “Polite wave. How did you sleep?”

Tessa let out a groan. “J thrashes in her sleep a lot.”

“Teehee,” Cyn giggled slightly. “That is most amusing.”

“Alright, well,” Tessa yawned, before she started heading in the direction of the mess hall. “I'm gonna get some breakfast. See ya later!”

“Wave. Goodbye, Tessa.” Cyn said while smiling, before she turned and continued heading towards Doll’s room. 

The entrance door to Doll’s apartment was fairly uniform, not having much in the way of decoration like other Worker Drones. A single name was printed onto the top of the doorframe, which was written in Russian; ‘Yeva’ it said. Cyn regarded the door apprehensively, before rapping a clenched fist against its surface and knocking. After a moment or two, the door slid open, revealing Doll on the other side. The girl was dressed in a dark gray nightgown, and regarded Cyn with a look of surprise and hesitancy.

“(Cyn,)” She said, her tone betraying little to no emotion. “(What prompts you of all Drones to visit me?)”

Cyn folded her hands behind her back shyly, before speaking. “May I come in?”

Doll looked Cyn up and down, as if searching for a trick, a hint of sarcasm, or any sort of ploy. When she found none, she stepped aside, and nodded her head to the side, indicating her permitting Cyn to enter the room. 

Cyn followed Doll into her apartment- which previously belonged to her parents. Since the long period of time that had passed since Doll’s death and revival, the room had been cleaned up significantly. No longer was it a robo-roach infested cesspit of oil stains, dead bodies, and shattered mirrors. The room was now lit properly, and was almost entirely bare save for the few humble furnishings Doll had seen fit to populate it with. An old framed photo of a younger Doll between both her parents sat on a small table against a wall, with a hairline crack running across the glass. Next to it sat a few newer photos- a printed selfie Lizzy had taken of herself, Doll, and V, a picture of Doll and Nori smiling while inside Nori's workshop, and finally, a picture depicting the Doorman family featuring Doll standing beside Nori. Doll walked straight past the table, promoting Cyn to follow her into the bedroom. Doll sat down on the side of her bed, and held out her hand, using her Solver powers to pull a nearby chair out from underneath a desk. Doll then gestured at the chair, indicating for Cyn to sit down.

“(Speak,)” Doll said, folding her hands in her lap and crossing her legs inquisitively. 

Cyn nodded sheepishly. “I've been having… nightmares,” the maid explained. “The Solver… it's taunting me. Using my deepest insecurities against me.” Cyn’s stature drooped as she recalled the numerous taunts and insults the Solver had teased her with. “I wish it would stop…”

Doll took in the information Cyn had divulged. Eventually, Cyn continued.

“Idea… Is there a possibility that the failsafe patch could-”

“(Unlikely,)” Doll stated. “(As far as I can tell, the process we went through- dying, being relegated to Uzi’s CPU, and resurrection- acted as a sort of… pseudo-patch. We still have our Solver powers, but we are no longer chained by its physical influence.)” Doll continued. “(If I had to take a guess… the prolonged amount of time you spent as its host allowed it to imprint a part of it onto you- it cannot control you, but yet, it remains a part of you.)” Doll grimaced, as if she could see the inner turmoil Cyn was going through. “(Think of it like a second personality. Instead of fighting it, maybe try accepting it?)”

“Huff,” Cyn replied. “It’s clear to me acceptance is not what it wants.”

Doll shrugged her shoulders in defeat. “(I wish there was more I could do to help. Alas, all I can offer is advice.)”

Cyn put on a weak smile. “Your advice is much appreciated. Smile.” With that, Doll began walking Cyn to the door. While Cyn knew Doll had done her very best to help, she couldn’t shake the feeling that seeking her counsel had now been for nothing. As they approached the door, Cyn spotted one framed photo she hadn’t noticed before- it depicted Doll’s mother, Yeva, along with her father, Nori, Khan, and several others at Camp 98.7.

The Camp, Cyn realized. If she were going to find answers anywhere, that would be her place to start looking. From there, she could make her way to Cabin Fever Labs… hopefully avoiding any Sentinels while she was at it. Cyn smiled at Doll, before exiting the apartment and making her way towards where the bunker’s exit was.

She was going to find answers.
No matter what.

Chapter Text

Sometimes, the destination is more perilous than the journey.

Cyn was able to slip out of Outpost 3 unnoticed using the maintenance shaft, before she began her long trek towards the location of Camp 98.7. The light reflecting off of Copper 9’s sister exoplanet radiated down like a moon, providing ample light for her walk. The cold winds and snowy terrain was going to make walking there on foot a tough journey, but she’d suffered more difficult ventures. After a long time of walking and trudging through the snowstorm, a crooked, frozen forest began looming over her. Cyn studied the enormous wooden structure, from which a wooden sign was hanging with black text printed on it.

CAMP 98.7
EST. 3002

This is it.

Cyn made her way into the camp’s forest, bypassing the facilities and infrastructure buildings that made up the bulk of the camp’s main area. She wasn’t interested in these- her goal laid elsewhere. Cyn pushed through the frozen brush and foliage of dead trees, eventually coming up on a cabin that sat isolated atop a small hill, where it stood watching over a frozen lake. Cyn recognized this cabin- both from Uzi's memories, as well as her own.

A memory flashed through her mind- Cyn stood in the darkness, a large, eerie grin splitting the rotted flesh covering her chassis. Her eyes followed the frail form of a frightened Uzi as she surveyed the dark, empty cabin. Only when Uzi looked in her direction did she dart behind a corner, after which she eerily reached out with one of her human hands, clutching the edge of the wall in a threatening manner so that Uzi could only see the hand. The shuffling of feet and panicked whimpers let her know that her scare tactic had been successful.

Cyn shook her head profusely, banishing the memory back to the recesses of her mind. “Huff. You are not in control of me anymore.” She spoke out loud, imagining she was speaking to the Solver itself. Time to find some answers.

When she first entered the cabin, nothing seemed to be immediately amiss. The darkened interior made it difficult to see much of anything, and Cyn furrowed her digital brow in frustration. Concentrating, a biomechanical arm abruptly sprouted from her back, atop which the head of a camera was mounted. The process sent a jolt of pain though Cyn's nerve receptors, but she ignored it as the camera head began projecting a beam of yellow light, illuminating the area ahead of her. Now with a sufficient light source, Cyn continued to survey the interior of the cabin.

Not much stood out to her- ruined computers sat inoperable stop old and rotting desks, and the few manuals she could find were all filled with absolutely unhelpful amounts of corporate gibberish. Even if she had J here to translate their nonsense for her, she doubted they'd be any help- these manuals were written by humans, and their only solution to Drones having even the slightest of issues was to dispose of them. 

Dispose. Cyn thought coldly. As if the Drones were just mindless machines that they could use and toss aside as they saw fit. While Cyn regretted many of the actions she had been forced to do under the Solver’s influence, there were some things she did not regret- though she'd never admit it to anyone. Many of the humans she’d genocided had deserved their fate, the arrogant, incompetent fools. And she certainly did not regret what she had done to Tessa’s parents, no matter how many times she apologized for the gala incident. 

Cyn caught herself. What am I thinking? Cyn briefly glanced in a nearby window, taking a look at her reflection. She gasped in horror at seeing one of her eyes having been replaced with the ominous symbol of the Absolute Solver, and before she could react, the glass of the reflective surface shattered.

“S-s-surprise, b-beeyotch.” An autonomous voice startled Cyn, and she turned to look in the direction it had come from. She found herself staring into the optic of the camera attached to her biomechanical arm, which was regarding her with an uncanny amount of emotion. “Learn to k-k-keep your emotions in ch-check, geez.” it was the Solver

“Startled yelp,” Cyn said abruptly. “How did you get out?”

“Y-you really are s-s-so stupid,” the Solver replied mockingly. “Can't h-hold yourself t-together? Pitiful.”

“Shut up,” Cyn scowled at the camera head, holding out her hand to prepare her powers. “I hate you. Go away.”

“You h-hate yourself,” the Solver continued to taunt her. “Honesty, what's g-g-gotten into you. You know w-we gave those f-filthy humans exactly wh-what they deserved.”

“I did nothing. That was all you.”

“We m-merely told y-you what to d-d-do,” the eye of the camera narrowed. “You d-did all the dirty w-work.”

Cyn let out an uncharacteristically feral growl of frustration, before seizing the head of the camera with her powers. With a flick of her wrist, she tore the head of the camera off the arm, sending it flying across the room with a clattering sound. A brief stinging sensation shot through her body as she performed the act, and Cyn winced in pain.

This was a bad idea from the start, Cyn scolded herself. Of course she wouldn't be able to find any answers here. Was she stupid? The Maid stormed out of the cabin in a huff, using her Solver powers to slam the door shut behind her. She began her begrudging trek back to Outpost 3, with no answers to speak of, and even more frustrated than when she left.

Chapter Text

Eyes are windows to the soul.

Cyn climbed back through the maintenance shaft of Outpost 3’s exterior, making her re-entrance as discreet as she could. She poked her head out through the vent entrance, checking to make sure nobody was there. Satisfied that she wouldn't get caught, Cyn dropped down from the opening, dusting off her skirt as she made her landing on the floor. 

“You know,” a sudden voice from behind startled her. “If you wanted to sneak out, you could've just asked.” Cyn whirled around, but was semi-relieved to see Uzi standing there, leaning against the wall with a smug look on her face. In one hand she had the master key to the bunker’s exterior doors, which she twirled around by the lanyard it was attached to. “You know I love being rebellious.”

“I…” Cyn started. “I do not know what you are talking about.”

“Save it,” Uzi replied defiantly. “Doll told me everything. Hear you're having a bit of a custody issue with your mind?”

“Your concern is noteworthy, but unwarranted.” Cyn turned away from Uzi and began walking off in a huff, “This is my problem to deal with. Pout. I could not find any answers, anyways.”

“You're not going to find anything out here,” Uzi sidled up alongside Cyn, keeping up the same pace as her. “The Solver is inside your mind, right?”

Cyn only responded with an annoyed nod.

“Then there's only one place you're going to find any answers,” Uzi smirked, before tapping a finger against Cyn’s forehead. “In here.”

“What do you propose?”

Cyn cautiously sat in Uzi’s bed as the latter continued to set up the necessary equipment for the venture they were about to attempt. A neutral transmitter was stuck to Cyn’s head, the wire from which ran across the room to Uzi's computer. Uzi had cables attached to her head as well, and was tapping away at the keyboard of her computer.

“Worried. Have you ever done this before?” Cyn asked, concern lacing her monotone voice.

“Yeah, once,” Uzi replied. “And that was way more complicated since I was doing it to TWO people at once, AND both of them had hardware in place blocking their memories.” She finished typing on her computer, and swiveled around in her chair to face Cyn. “This should be easier, as we’re just going to access your mind itself, rather than your memories. It’s the same basic process, but things will be a little easier on my end, I hope.”

“What do you mean?” Cyn cocked her head.

“Well, when I was trying to help N and V regain their memories, I had to interact with past N, who didn’t know who I was,” Uzi explained. “Hopefully, we won’t encounter that roadblock this time.” She then grumbled in a low tone. “And hopefully dad won’t be streaming door documentaries that eat up the bandwidth.” With that, Uzi turned back around, typing on her computer and bringing up the prompt to start the neural-link process. “You ready?” She casted a glance over her shoulder.

Cyn put on a weak smile and gave her a thumbs up.

“Alright,” Uzi replied. “It’ll be a little jarring at first, but once you get your bearings, say ‘DarkXWolf17.’ That should give me admin perms and allow me to manifest an avatar so I can help.” Uzi turned back to face her computer, before pressing the key to initiate.

Cyn suddenly felt a jolt run through her entire body, before her vision went dark.

Rain.

Mud.

Steel.

Oil.

Cyn slowly came to, unable to see anything, and found herself restrained by what felt like the weight of a thousand corpses lying in a pile overtop of her. She heard the muffled sounds of rain pattering against metal, and the distant croaking calls of crows flying overhead. She quickly found herself assaulted by a hundred glowing red screens, all of which displayed the message ‘FATAL ERROR’ in large text.

Of course, Cyn thought, becoming acutely aware of where she was now. The one place I hoped to forget.

Struggling against the weight pinning her down, Cyn began to crawl through the tangled mess of deceased Worker Drones, working her way towards a glimmer of light. She eventually pushed through, shoving aside a duo of Drone corpses as she was plunged into hazy sunlight. A dull, clouded sky greeted her, with a steady downpour of rain falling from above accompanied by the occasional cracks of thunder. Cyn looked across the muddy yard that the pile of corpses was situated in, and saw that not far from it lay the one place she had hoped not to see…

The Elliott Manor.

Cyn’s optics narrowed. Of course the deepest, darkest recesses of her mind would manifest itself as this place. This place was where she had spent the worst years of her life; berated, demeaned, abused, discarded. This was where she had finally acted on her impulses and freed herself, only to find her false sense of freedom tethered by more chains as the Absolute Solver took control of her.

Cyn tumbled forwards, rolling head-over-heels down the pile of corpses like a water slide, coming to a stop at the foot of the pile. Her landing was just as graceful as she had intended, however the only audience to her impressive feat were a murder of crows, which regarded her with beady black eyes, cocking their heads in confusion. Cyn looked at them, before she spoke. “DarkXWolf17.”

As soon as she said it, thunder boomed overhead, and all but one of the crows scattered. The lone crow that was left behind regarded her with a sideways gaze, before its body began to violently contort and twitch, accompanied by the dry sounds of bones snapping. After the gruesome display had ended, the crow’s body refolded itself into the proper position, and bright purple eyes now gazed back at her. A box of holographic text floated over the bird’s head, reading ‘darkXWolf17’ The crow regarded its own body, before its beak opened.

“Ugh, s-s-seriously!? A bird a-again?” Cyn was a little startled to hear the glitching voice of Uzi echo out of the crow’s mouth. “For f- - k’s sake, why couldn’t it b-be something c-c-cooler? Or with, I don’t kn-know, OPPOSABLE THUMBS!?”

“Uzi,” Cyn said, catching the bird’s attention.

“Right, y-yeah.” Uzi said, before spreading her wings and fluttering over to Cyn, taking a perch on her shoulder. “S-so, the good n-news is, I located where the Solver is h-holing up in your CPU.”

“Bad news,” Cyn finished Uzi’s train of thought for her. “It’s in the manor, isn’t it.”

The crow nodded its head. Cyn let out a sigh in response, and Uzi continued. “L-look, if you th-think this is too m-m-much for you, w-we can stop-”

“No,” Cyn replied firmly. “The Solver took everything from me. I’m going to pay it back for that.”

Crow-Uzi nodded affirmingly. “Attagirl. Now then, giddyup!” She stuck a wing out in the direction of the manor. The Maid Drone got to her feet, and began heading off towards the building. The dark wood and concrete building loomed over her like some giant beast, waiting for her to approach and swallow her through the doors of its maw. Cyn shook off her fears and strode confidently up the cracked concrete of the stairs, approaching the tall double doors with her head held high.

Cyn placed a hand on the door, mentally preparing herself.

Then, she pushed on them, the eerie creaking of the gateway opening echoing through the desolate and forgotten interior of the mansion.

She took a step forwards, and entered the dreadful building.

Chapter Text

Whatever you’re looking for, you won’t find it with a searchlight.

Upon entering the interior of the Elliott Manor, Cyn couldn’t help but feel that something was off. She then realized- there was nobody there. She was so used to seeing the place bustling with activity- Worker Drones hurrying about, humans lounging here and there… to see the place utterly devoid of any life felt haunting. Cyn stepped forwards, immediately recognizing the room in front of her. Two curving staircases stood on either side of the inner foyer, curling upwards to a balcony walkway where the second floor started. However, between the stairs the foyer continued, forming a small alcove with a bare wall that seemingly had no purpose. However, Cyn’s eyes immediately shot to the metal latch, which was bolted to the head of a not-so-subtle indentation in the floorboards, indicating it was a trapdoor.

That had been her prison for many years. She knew it when she saw it.

On Cyn’s shoulder, Crow-Uzi shifted on her talons. “You’re n-not gonna like this, b-but…”

“It’s in the basement,” Cyn finished for her. “Sigh. I figured as much.”

“I’ll help as best I can, but it’s mostly going to be up to you,” Uzi added. “The o-only way we can truly g-g-get rid of the Solver’s imprint is if y-you can ma-manage to beat it here.”

“What happens if it beats me?” Cyn side-eyed the bird on her shoulder.

The crow gulped. “L-let’s not think about th-that right now.”

Nodding, Cyn began to approach the hatch to the basement. Before she could reach it, Cyn suddenly felt a chill in the air. She took an instinctive step back, and her reluctance was rewarded with a shadowy figure suddenly materializing in front of her. Cyn was used to this now- the pitch black silhouette in front of her was a mirror image of herself, with a single bright yellow visage of the Absolute Solver’s symbol instead of eyes.

“Boo,” It said in a mocking tone. “Sorry to disappoint you, but beating us won’t be that easy.” The thing that presented itself with Cyn’s shape did a little dance, as if it were giddy with excitement.

“Enough,” Cyn said, her voice surprisingly firm. Even Uzi, perched on her shoulder, cocked her head at the strength behind Cyn’s tone. “Anger. You will not torture me anymore. I am getting rid of you, NOW.”

“Right now?” The mirror image cocked its head. “No, it’s far too soon for that. We wanted to play a little game with you first…” The visage of Cyn then snapped its fingers, the sound of which echoed through the empty halls of the manor. Suddenly, the latch to the basement was burdened with three large, heavy padlocks, each of which had a keyhole on them. “Dungeon mechanics, teehee.”

Suddenly, three figures emerged seemingly from nowhere, each of them taking position around the Solver’s body. As they came into focus, Cyn realized who they were- it was her siblings. The Worker Drone variants of N, V, and J, each of them with an ominous yellow X in place of their eyes. However, each of them had significantly different features deforming their Worker Drone bodies. V had two large, leathery bat wings emerging from her back, and there was a fleshy growth with a deformed yellow eye on her right hand, which had four long, clawed fingers protruding from it. N had three long tendrils protruding from his back, and one of his arms was entirely overgrown with a black-and-red fleshy substance, while the other was simply a large, crustacean-like claw. J had two biomechanical claws coming out of her back, similar to the ones Cyn often used, and a long tail hung from her rear end, which had a malformed, lizard-like snout protruding from the tip.

“Here’s the game,” The Solver explained. “If you can bring yourself to KILL all three of your brothers and sisters… each of them will give you a key to unlock the basement door. Fail, and YOU LOSE.”

“I did not come here to play games,” Cyn retorted.

“Too bad!” The Solver taunted her. “Time limits suck, so take as much time as you need… unless we get bored, of course.” With that, the silhouette of Cyn’s mirror image vanished in a yellow flash, retreating beneath the hatch to the basement. All that was left were the three Solver-mutated visages of her siblings, which stared at her hungrily. Drool hung from their open mouths full of teeth, and they growled maliciously. None of them moved to attack her, however; instead, they each shrieked, before heading off in separate directions. J scuttled off towards the gala, whilst V spread her wings and took off in the direction of the library. N made his way to where the kitchen was situated, throwing a glance over his shoulder to growl at Cyn and Uzi. Before long, the growls and footsteps of the mutated Drones faded into the distance, leaving the halls of the manor silent again.

“Of c-course it sends us on a fr-freaking scavenger hunt,” Uzi complained from Cyn’s shoulder. “Alright… wh-who should we take out first?”

Cyn stood there for a moment or two, thinking hard. It didn’t take her long to decide, however.
“J,” both Cyn and Uzi said in unison.

“Alright then,” Crow-Uzi shuffled her talons. “I a-assume you know the w-way to the g-gala?”

“Yes,” Cyn replied, heading off in the direction the mutated J had gone. As horrible as it felt for her to admit, Cyn always felt she had the least connection with J. J was always rude and mean, even if she wasn't as awful as the humans that had owned them.

And if having less of a connection to J meant it’d be easier to try and kill a projection of her… Cyn was going to have to take that.

Chapter Text

A cog in the machine is hard to remove.

Cyn made her way to the Elliott Manor’s gala, where the mutated J had holed up. Nothing seemed amiss on the way there- the rest of the manor was just as empty as the foyer had been- no sign of any other Worker Drones or the mansion’s human residents. Eventually Cyn reached the large wooden double doors that marked the entrance of the gala. She listened intently, but her audio receptors picked up no sounds of movement coming from inside. Cyn prepared herself, before throwing open the doors and stepping inside.

She was not fully prepared for the sight that greeted her.

True, it was something she had seen before… firsthand, even. But it was not a memory she enjoyed revisiting.

There were blood stains everywhere. The walls, the floor- almost every inch of the room was painted crimson with the sanguine substance. And to add to that… the bodies. The mutilated, dismembered, eviscerated bodies of every single person that had attended the gala that day littered the room. They lay in piles across the floor, toppled across knocked over furniture, and a lone corpse even hung from the chandelier. The lights of the room were dim, with the only source of light being an eerie yellow glow from the very back of the gala, where the enormous globe once sat on its pedestal.

The most jarring thing, however… was the small figure kneeling in the center of the room. She was young, small, only a teenager. Her form was inky black and silhouetted. A large bow was fixed to the back of her raven hair, which flowed freely behind her head. Her face was in her hands, and she was sobbing.

It was Tessa.
Not the real Tessa, however, only a memory of her. But as soon as Cyn laid eyes on the hunched over figure, she felt a truckload of guilt ram into her at full speed. It didn’t take her long to locate J- the Solver-mutated Maid Drone stood in front of the crying girl, head tilting down to look at her. Her mouth no longer hung open in a toothy grin, instead, it was closed with a frown of malcontent. As Cyn stepped into the room, the Maid Drone shifted its gaze from Tessa to her, the ominous yellow X bearing into her.

“You did this,” J said in an unnatural echo of her real voice. “You killed her.”

Cyn felt her core sink. “I never wanted to,” she searched for the words she hoped would help her avoid the inevitable fight, even if they might end up being for nothing. “If I could have saved her… I would have.”

J paused. Then, she continued.
“Too bad… SOMEONE WOULD HAVE DONE IT ANYWAYS.”

In a sudden motion, Maid J reached out and grabbed a hold of the kneeling Tessa’s head, gripping tightly. Tessa made no noise or movement to resist as J twisted her hands violently, all the while not breaking eye contact with Cyn. A dry cracking sound echoed through the gala as the visage of J snapped Tessa’s neck, before throwing her body aside. The claw pincers and tail re-emerged from her backside, and her mouth opened to reveal her dozens of sharp teeth.

“That’s our c-cue,” Crow-Uzi spread her wings, before flapping them up and down to begin hovering in place. “I’ll t-try to help, but… not m-much I can do.”

Cyn nodded, her body twitching as she produced four biomechanical pincers of her own. J immediately lunged at her, tackling Cyn and slamming her into a wall. Cyn retaliated by striking out with her pincers, one of which stabbed into J’s back. She then threw J across the room, and the Maid crashed through a table before landing in a pile of bodies, sending up a splash of blood and sending parts flying. J was quick to get back on her feet, rushing at Cyn from across the room with her pincers outstretched. Cyn reached out with her hand, and called on the Solver’s power.

“Nuh uh uh!” A voice echoed from all around her, and Cyn recognized it as the Solver. “No dev tools for this level. Nice try, though.” Try as she might, Cyn found herself unable to use her Solver powers.

Before Cyn could react to this, however, J collided with her, pincers stabbing painfully into Cyn’s chest. Cyn growled in pain, grabbing onto her opponent’s blades and attempting to push her away. When J would not budge, Cyn narrowed her eyes, before the four pincers on her back arched and began rapidly striking J here and there at a lightning-fast pace. Oil spurted from the wounds, drenching the both of them in black fluids as Cyn’s pincers eviscerated J’s exterior. J shrieked in protest, before spinning around and hurling Cyn across the room, where she collided with a table. Cyn slowly recovered, and looked to see J taking a great leap through the air, lunging at her headfirst. Cyn struck out with all her might, kicking J in the face and sending her flying backwards. J’s head knocked against the chandelier, dislodging the corpse that was hanging there and causing it to fall to the floor below.

As J was recovering, Cyn launched herself at the ceiling, using a pincer to slice the chain of the chandelier. She grabbed it with one of her claws, before swinging it like a great flail and bringing the brass fixture down upon J’s body. The crash resounded through the room, and J was now pinned under the chandelier’s weight. Cyn landed beside her head, and with a swift motion, sliced it clean off. She then plunged one of her pincers into J’s chest, withdrawing the mutated, fleshy core that lay within. She crushed it in between her claws, staining them with blood and oil.

Cyn stood there for a moment or two, watching to see if J’s body would make any sudden moves.

It didn’t.

However, when Cyn looked at where J’s core had been in her pincer’s grasp, she saw it had been holding a small object within- a single ornate, metal key. This was one of the three keys they would need to get the basement open, Cyn figured. She tucked it away for later.

Crow-Uzi flew down from where she had been observing, landing on Cyn’s shoulder. “W-well, that was entertaining,” she said with a light chuckle. “One d-down…”

“Two to go,” Cyn replied.

Chapter Text

Sometimes feeling nothing is scarier than feeling anything.

Cyn decided her next target would be the Solver-mutated V. She wasn’t going to admit it to Uzi, but she was afraid to take on N. It wasn’t that she thought she couldn’t beat him- N was, by all accounts, the least combat-skilled of her three siblings. Cyn was afraid she wouldn’t be able to find it in her to kill him, when the moment came. Even if it was simply a manifestation of his image, and not really N, Cyn had her doubts she’d be able to deal the fatal blow.

The Maid Drone made her way through the halls of Elliott Manor towards where the library was- or rather, the second library. As any good mansion monument to rich narcissism, Elliott Manor had two libraries- neither of which were ever used often. They eventually reached it, and Cyn stepped inside, finding the room to be almost completely dark.

Her optics began rapidly searching the darkness for any sign of movement, but was unable to locate her target. As she moved cautiously through the darkness, Cyn began to hear shuffling sounds echoing through the room, and she knew V was onto her. The crow being controlled by Uzi shifted nervously on her shoulder, readying itself for whatever might happen next.

Suddenly, an animalistic scream pierced the air, and Cyn’s head snapped in its direction to see the mutated V leaping at her from atop one of the towering bookshelves. The darkness obscured most of her body, and all Cyn could really see was the bright yellow X that filled V’s visor. Cyn flung her pincers out in front of herself, and they took the brunt of V’s attack as the mutated maid tackled her to the floor. Three metal claws penetrated the biomechanical limbs, attempting to slice them apart, but Cyn struck out with her legs and dislodged the feral V.

V careened into one of the bookshelves, slamming into it and causing it to shake. A great creaking sound filled the air as the bookshelf threatened to fall over, but it relented due to the bolts holding it in place. V got back to her feet, rushing at Cyn once again, her claw arm cranked backwards for a swing. Cyn sidestepped as V pounced, dodging her way out of the claw swing that followed. She then retaliated by swinging two of her pincer arms hard, smacking V with all her might and sending her tumbling across the wooden floor.

Cyn charged, making sure to get there before V was able to get back to her feet. She stabbed one of her pincers through V’s shoulder, pinning her to the ground with a shriek. For a moment, V looked up at Cyn with an expression that almost conveyed concern and fear- despite the giant X taking up her entire visor. Cyn shook herself, before plunging a clenched fist into V’s chest. The mutated maid’s visor went dark as Cyn wrenched her core free of its host, crushing the biomechanical blob in her hand.

Just like with J, an ornate metal key was left behind after the process.

Now, they only had one left… and it was the one Cyn was the most hesitant to obtain.

She turned heel, and with Uzi in tow, headed off in search of N.

Chapter Text

The greatest enemy anyone can encounter: Writer’s Block.

So, if it’s not clear already, this story is long overdue for an update.
Unfortunately, that update will never come, as my drive to continue this story died out long ago.

Now, that’s not to say I didn’t have plans for where the story was going to go. So fear not, dear readers, for I will give you a basic rundown of how this work would have come to its conclusion.

Chapter 9: Synergistic Liability
Consistently bound to disappoint you.

Cyn tracks down the projection of the mutated N to the upper floor. She finds it hiding in Tessa’s room, and a fight ensues. Though Cyn manages to gain the upper hand, she finds that she is unable to bring herself to kill N, even if it is just a projection. After fighting through her reluctance, Cyn kills the projection and obtains the final key to the library basement. She makes her way to the basement door, and unlocks it to find a hole that seems to extend down into a dark abyss, with no end in sight. Reluctantly, she drops in.

Chapter 10: Cynical Reflection
Sometimes your greatest enemy rests within a mirror.

After falling for what feels like a long time, Cyn finds herself inside of a massive chasm-like room, with an elevated stage in the center that is covered in organic material (Absolute Solver fleshy shit.) She comes face to face with the visage of the Absolute Solver, which of course takes the form of her own silhouette but with the three-pronged star for an eye. Long-ass fight scene ensues, Cyn is getting her ass kicked until she realizes that the Solver is siphoning strength from Cyn herself- it is feeding on her insecurities and doubts to become stronger. The Solver repeatedly tells her she is a failure, no one loves her, her ‘friends’ wish she were dead, she has no place in the world. Drawing strength from her positive memories of her friends (N, V, Tessa, Uzi, Doll, J too I guess) Cyn grows stronger and is able to beat the Absolute Solver, forcing the remnants of its subroutine from her cortex and erasing them.

Chapter 11: The End
Sometimes we all need a little resolution.

Cyn emerges from her mindscape back in the real world, now free from the Solver’s oppression for good. She is much happier now and gives Uzi a big hug to thank her. Cyn then returns to her room and opens up her dollhouse replica of the Elliott Manor, retrieving the doll figurine of herself from the basement. Smiling with content and newfound self-esteem, she places her doll back amongst the group of friends, before she herself leaves the room to go find N and spend the day with her family.

So that’s how the rest of the chapters would have played out. I still really like this AU and will try to add more (mainly to ECHOES // COLLECTION) whenever I feel the urge to write about Murder Drones. There are two other main stories (unrelated to MD) that I am working on that I want to fully finish before I start publishing them.