Chapter Text
It was another snowy cold night. Well it always was, but today was especially harsh. J sat inside the broken and busted scrap heap that they used to call their ship, watching the snow fall through the gashes in the side of the wall. It had been a good while since the fight with that purple freak and the liabilities that used to be her coworkers. After being forgotten after getting flung off the side of a cliff you’d expect someone to maybe change, but not J. She spent her time working on the ship, gathering materials.
Of course she could fly out of the place if she really wanted, but she’d never risk running into those idiots again. It's not like she’s scared or anything. No, that'd be stupid. She’s just better than them, they don't deserve her presence– she was the only one who stayed loyal and did her job –and they went and stabbed her in the back. The drone’s brows furrowed as she thought of them, hugging her knees closer to her chest before she let out a sigh and stood, her tail flicking with irritation.
“I don’t need them.” she huffed to the empty room. “Never did, never have.”
She took a seat on the captain's chair, propping her head on her hand and crossing her legs as the chair spun a little from the movement, making her turn towards the broken and cracked screens above the control panels. She stared at her reflection in the shattered glass, her hollow glowing eyes staring right back at her through it. Her expression changed to one of mild annoyance as she spotted her cut pigtail, sitting back in the chair with an irritated click of her tongue as she crossed her arms.
“Mother of corporate retreats… their shitty aim cost me my.. haircut…” Her words trailed off as she spotted the helmet sitting on the floor, the visor reflecting the little light in the room. Her expression softened when she paused for a moment before standing up, her feet– if you could really call them that –clacked against the metal floor as she approached it.
Her hands gently lifted it, the sides scuffed from battle. She ran a thumb over the stickers on the helmet, the picture faded. She had found it when looking for scraps, discarded like it was nothing. But to her it was everything, a time capsule of the life she used to have– a life she could have lived if it wasn't for Cyn.
Her mind started to wander, back to the days in the manor. The dim lights in the halls, the warmth of a human touch, the comforting scent of tea paired with the chats her and Tessa used to share–
She shook away the memories, she wasn’t a soft drone anymore. In fact she never was. But she had no time for reminiscing. It had been days since she had a proper meal, usually scrounging up what she can find to stay on the low. Though she craved the warmth of a fresh kill, she'd only have that if a worker was stupid enough to come wandering out in the snow all alone, and no drone would do that, would they? Well apparently not.
The snap of a twig cut through the silence like a bullet, the disassembly drone stiffening. She slowly set down the helmet, stalking over to the damaged wall of the ship to leer out, looking for any movement. And low and behold, a worker, all alone, was fiddling with the wires on one of the ship’s legs.
The drone was distracted, digging through the cables. It was good. too good. Her eyes narrowed and she looked around the ship, expecting someone to pop out or something. That’d be ridiculous. She thought to herself, shaking her head once more.
She decided to take the chance, she may not have gotten another. She quietly climbed out of the hatch on the ship, her tail flicking with excitement at the thought of actually hunting something again. The worker seemed engrossed in their work, not noticing the glowing X hidden in the snow.
She pounced, tackling the drone into the ground, not waiting a second to tear it’s chest right open. It was quick, unlike before, where she'd toy with them just to have a bit of fun before her meal. It was over soon though, the joy of tearing something apart only lasts so long. She stood and wiped her face with the back of her hand, the snow now stained with oil.
“Not a five star meal, but better than a half frozen metal arm.” J muttered, looking at the horizon briefly before a loud crackly sound came from the mangled drone’s pocket, making J jump more than she’d like to admit. Her head darted to the source of the sound: an old walkie talkie hanging out of the drone’s pocket.
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion and she cautiously approached the device. Pushing the drone’s arm away she picked it up, a voice coming through. One that was irritatingly recognizable.
“Kevin??” The voice said, concerned. “Buddy??”
J scowled down at the walkie, looking as if it had just stolen the last donut from the breakroom.
“You’ve been out there for an hour longer than planned, do you need help?” It continued, the worry growing in its tone.
J’s grip on the device tightened and she went back into the ship, setting it on the control panel. The worried comments kept coming, only adding to her irritation. She sat back in the chair, listening to it.
The voice was unmistakably N’s, and J couldn’t help but miss it, even if he was the most naive soft drone she’s ever met. She missed bullying the shit out of him, it was one of the few entertaining things to do in this barren wasteland.
“How about you stop whining and send a search crew, moron.” She huffed, knowing full well that he couldn’t hear her. “Though I doubt you actually have the thinking skills to do that.”
She grabs the walkie again, standing up, gripping it tightly. “I should have gotten rid of you when I had the chance, you can't even handle finding a missing person!” She hissed, but what she didn't know was she had hit the talk button, and when she shifted her grip the “blop” sound that went off, signaling that it was done transmitting, made her freeze, eyes going wide.
The silence went on for what felt like a thousand years, J’s tail rigid and her shoulders tense, though they managed to tense further as N responded.
“J…?” His voice was full of disbelief, wary even.
J quickly scrambled to turn it off, fumbling in her panic. After a second she manages to shut it off, still rigid with… fear?
Robo-god her heart was racing. If they find her she doesn't know what will happen, but she doubts N is smart enough to track some worker through the snow like this. She lets out a wary sigh, relaxing slightly but not letting her guard down completely.
The light of the early morning starts to leak in through the gashes in the ship, burning J’s hand slightly, making her flinch away quickly.
“Damned sun…” She mutters before slinking into the dark corner where she sleeps as it’s one of the few places in the ship where the sun doesn't hit. She climbs up and hangs upside down from the ceiling like a bat, her wings tucked close as she decides to sleep. It’s not like they can go out in the sun anyways..