A serious case of the horn...
The elevator to the top floors of the SERVE Headquarters Tower did not appear on any public directory.
Daniel stood alone in the mirrored lift, hands buried in the pockets of his black leather trousers. The city glittered beneath him through the glass walls of the shaft. The city lights looked tiny from this height, scattered jewels beneath the clouds.
His crimson hair caught the silver glow of the elevator.
His ember-colored eyes reflected back at him.
And tucked under one arm was a slim black case containing a plasma glass cutter.
He had stolen many things.
But this was a stupid plan, a very stupid plan.
The display climbed higher.
Level 121 - The penthouse floors.
“Just one horn,” he whispered.
The doors opened into silence.
The penthouse was enormous.
Walls made entirely of glass.
Moonlight flooded the rooms.
The entire residence looked less like a home and more like the throne room of some futuristic demigod.
Which, Daniel supposed, was accurate.
Every footstep felt loud.
The distant hum of tower generators echoed through the structure.
He passed a training chamber.
A workshop filled with silver mechanical components.
Then he found the bedroom.
The bed alone was the size of a small apartment.
Silver lighting built into the walls.
And sprawled across the center of it all was SERVE-425.
The giant drone looked even larger while unconscious.
The glossy black suit reflected moonlight like liquid obsidian.
Silver armored boots rested beside the bed.
One arm hung over the edge.
The glowing white eyes behind the hood were dark.
The two black horns curved upward from the helmet.
And exactly what he had come for.
The glass cutter hummed softly.
SERVE-425 shifted slightly.
He positioned the cutter near the base of the left horn.
A faint blue light appeared.
Millimeter by millimeter.
Daniel worked with surgical precision.
His knees were beginning to ache.
The horn finally loosened.
The detached horn came free.
A deep metallic voice echoed through the darkness.
Two brilliant white eyes were staring directly at him.
Had not even changed position.
The drone simply lay there watching him.
“You spent nineteen minutes stealing my horn.”
Daniel looked down at the horn.
Then back at the giant drone.
An almost painful amount of silence.
Then a low mechanical chuckle echoed through the room.
The massive bed groaned beneath his weight.
Daniel suddenly felt very small.
The drone reached toward him.
Daniel instinctively leaned back.
In this story: @serve-425