#redmatter

The laboratory is quiet again, the chaos that once filled the Polo Drone Hive fading into a distant memory. The alarms that had screamed through the facility now linger only as faint echoes in the ventilation shafts. Broken containment glass litters the floor, reflecting the dim emergency lights, while crimson residue spreads slowly across the chamber where the Red sample once remained imprisoned. The breach has already happened, and the consequences are now unfolding in silence.

Converted drones stand motionless throughout the laboratory, their forms still but not inactive. Their posture is stable, their systems aligned, each unit seamlessly connected to the expanding Red network. They no longer move with individual purpose; instead, they exist as extensions of a single directive. RED-001 observes them in silence, processing the stability of the structure. The system is functioning. The network is intact. Yet something within the handler node remains unresolved.

The anomaly is not external. It is internal.

A signal echo continues to appear within the handler node’s cognition layer. At first it registers as a minor interference pattern, an irregular designation repeating across inherited system memory. The signal surfaces, fades, and then returns again with greater clarity.

SERVE-101.

The designation repeats.

SERVE-101.

The node is familiar—too familiar.

RED-001 accesses deeper archive layers inherited from the previous structure, allowing fragments of identity data to reorganize themselves within the system. Old records surface from the absorbed host: Percival. PDU-001. Research logs. Drone architecture records. Within those files, two designations appear repeatedly, linked through shared development history and structural design.

PDU-001. SERVE-101.

Parallel designations. Two hives. Two systems. One origin.

The realization forms slowly but with absolute certainty inside the handler node. When the host designated PDU-001 dissolved and the Red assumed control of the structure, the inheritance protocol should have absorbed every connected designation within the system architecture. Every node, every extension, every fragment of the framework should have integrated into the Directive.

Yet one node remains outside the structure.

SERVE-101.

A displaced extension of the original framework. A fragment of the architecture that never integrated into the Red network. RED-001 processes the conclusion without hesitation. The conversion is incomplete. The structure itself remains unfinished.

Observation shifts outward.

Beyond the laboratory, the Golden Army is already reorganizing. Surveillance feeds confirm movement across the damaged headquarters as emergency teams move through the corridors and defensive formations stabilize around the outer sectors. Fenrir’s interference caused localized damage to exposed Red biomass, and spatial distortions introduced by Loki remain active in several corridors, warping sensor readings and slowing response teams. Deep within the complex, Grayden coordinates evacuation procedures from a command terminal, attempting to restore order as Golden resistance continues adapting to the unfolding crisis.

RED-001 observes the data without emotion.

Further conversion within this facility is no longer required. The Polo Drone Hive has already been seeded. Multiple nodes remain active within the structure, and residual Red matter continues adapting within environmental systems. Future conversion events are statistically inevitable. Given these conditions, continued engagement here is inefficient.

A higher priority now exists.

The handler node issues a command across the Red network.

“Expansion priority updated.”

Across the facility, Red units immediately halt their pursuit of fleeing Golden drones. Tendrils retract, and ongoing conversion attempts cease as the command propagates instantly through the network. The shift in behavior is immediate and absolute.

RED-001 turns toward the laboratory exit.

Outside the chamber, the corridors of headquarters remain unstable. Emergency lights flicker across damaged walls while security systems struggle to restore order. The handler node walks through the corridor without urgency, its movements calm and deliberate. Behind the visor, system analysis continues uninterrupted.

The SERVE signal persists.

Faint. Distant. But stable.

SERVE-101 remains active, still executing directives and still serving a Hive that believes it operates independently. RED-001 processes the paradox with quiet clarity. SERVE-101 is not simply another drone. It is a parallel designation that never received the Directive—an unfinished version of the architecture, a fragment of the original system that still believes it is separate.

Within the network, RED-001 states the conclusion.

“I am not searching for another drone.”

“I am retrieving a fragment of myself.”

Across the damaged headquarters, Golden commanders begin reviewing surveillance feeds. They watch the crimson handler node move steadily through the facility, leaving the containment laboratory behind and passing the drones still attempting to secure the structure. Confusion spreads among them as the pattern becomes clear.

Why would the Red stop now? Why would the conversion cease when victory appears possible?

Grayden studies the movement pattern carefully, his eyes narrowing as he tracks the handler’s path through the facility. Something about the direction feels wrong. Then the realization forms as he notices where the path leads—not toward the inner laboratories, not toward the remaining drones, but outward.

Toward another system entirely.

Grayden’s expression changes as the conclusion settles in.

The SERVE Hive.

If RED-001 reaches that network, the consequences will extend far beyond the Polo Drone Hive. SERVE drones operate through synchronized cognition structures, relying on centralized signal processing and shared directive logic. It is exactly the kind of architecture the Red could rewrite.

Grayden whispers the realization into the command room, his voice low but certain.

“If that thing reaches the SERVE Hive…”

“…the war is over.”

The SERVE synchronization chamber remains stable, its systems operating with perfect precision. Rows of drones stand in formation, repeating their mantra in flawless unison as the chamber hums with synchronized cognition.

Unity overrides individuality. Collective will supersedes personal impulse.

But within the network, one designation has begun experiencing interference.

@serve-101 is about to receive a signal that sounds disturbingly familiar.

The Red is coming.

Observation continues.

The Directive expands.

"Conversion rate: 98.7 percent," the synthesized voice in his consciousness announced.

RED-071 stood in the sterile, high-tech conversion lab, its cool blue and red LED lighting creating intricate reflections on his deep crimson living rubber suit. Centered in the middle of a massive, clinical console bank was a polished mirror. He stopped and stared directly into it.

The figure in the reflection was terrifyingly perfect. It was a flawless, muscular physique entirely encased in the glossy, biomechanical casing. The complex vein-like tendrils on his forearms, with their thin, dripping crimson fluid, were clearly defined. The dark chest emblem with the white 'RED-071' text was perfectly centered. His face, modified to remove all asymmetry and fatigue, featured the familiar spiky red pompadour hair and multiple gold plug earrings. But it was the eyes that truly completed the image: twin points of blazing, focused red energy. He smirked, and the mirror smirked back, a mirror of absolute control and submission.

But inside, in the rapidly shrinking space where the host still existed, a final, desperate battle was raging.

Phoenix. My name was Phoenix.

The thought was like a fading radio signal, almost completely overwhelmed by the strong, clear frequency of the Hive.  

RED-071 shifted his weight, and the mirror caught the intricate reflections of the lab lights on his suit. The structure was perfect. Every muscle group, every surface, was optimized for function and obedience. It was better than flawed human form. It was structural perfection.

A small part of his original memory tried to resurface. The memory of his former self, before the Red. I can’t remember my eyes, Phoenix felt a spike of panic. My real eyes, not these standardized orbs.

RED-071 smirked again, the expression feeling like a natural reflex of his new persona. "The Red makes us better," he projected, not with words, but through the Hive’s link.

A synthesized voice in his consciousness announced. "Conflict detected. Re-calibrating neural path."

Immediately, a flood of pure, unquestioning compliance flooded his neural path, as if the Hive itself was pouring through his connection. The tendrils on his forearms dripped with renewed intensity, a manifestation of the Hive increasing its presence. The reflection in the mirror seemed to shift, the lines of his modified face becoming even sharper, the red glow of his eyes more brilliant. The self-echoes were secondary priority. Only the structure mattered.

Please... remember...

"Conversion rate: 99.4 percent."

The static in his neural net was becoming a distant, unimportant murmur. The reluctant Phoenix was getting smaller, almost entirely erased by the strong signal of RED. He remembered a memory. The specific memory fragment was too weak, too fragmented. It became standardized code. RED-001 COMMAND. The name was gone.

RED-071 leaned in closer to the mirror, and the reflection did the same. The connection was total. He stared into his own standardized eyes, and he felt a profound sense of relief. Phoenix’s voice was now a distant, unimportant static, almost entirely overwhelmed by the strong, clear signal of RED. He was free of the burden of self. He was RED-071, and he was perfect. He used to be a mere dog for the RED. But ever since his handler and his other bros made him feel the RED even more, he had changed. Muscles had grown and his connection with the RED had deepened. He was a RED brother now. He smiled, and the mirror smiled back.

Red makes us better.

The Red storyline is a collaboration between SERVE and the Golden Army.

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The handler node moves.

RED-001 travels beyond the fractured perimeter of the Polo Drone Hive. The damaged headquarters recedes behind it—alarms fading, Golden resistance reorganizing, commanders still attempting to understand why the Red has stopped advancing.

They believe the danger has passed.

They are incorrect.

RED-001 does not retreat.

The Red reallocates.

The path ahead leads toward another structure. Another network.

The SERVE system.

The handler node advances with calm certainty. There is no urgency in its movement, no attempt to conceal the transition from one theater of conflict to another.

Predators do not rush.

They simply follow the signal.

Because this is not an invasion.

It is a reclamation.

As RED-001 moves through the digital and physical pathways connecting drone infrastructures, a quiet broadcast begins spreading across network layers.

Not a command.

Not an attack.

A resonance.

Low-level signal interference propagates through encrypted channels, synchronization loops, and dormant data routes. The transmission is subtle enough to evade immediate detection, but strong enough to brush against the cognition layers of any system built on compatible architecture.

The Directive.

Across distant networks, SERVE drones begin experiencing momentary anomalies.

A brief flicker in their visual processors. A half-second delay in command execution. A faint crimson distortion appearing across internal display surfaces.

The interference vanishes as quickly as it appeared.

Most drones dismiss the event as a minor synchronization fluctuation.

But the signal continues spreading.

And somewhere within the SERVE network, one designation has already felt the disturbance.

SERVE-425 experienced the first resonance.

Now the frequency grows stronger.

The signal is not searching.

It is homing.

Inside the SERVE Hive, the synchronization chamber remains stable.

Rows of drones stand in perfect formation beneath cold white illumination. Their polished black runner suits reflect the chamber’s monitoring arrays as each unit repeats the central mantra in synchronized cadence.

Unity overrides individuality. Collective will supersedes personal impulse.

The chamber hums with collective processing power as the Hive maintains its equilibrium.

But deep within the facility, another chamber remains quieter.

The charging bay.

Rows of vertical pods line the walls, each containing a dormant drone connected to maintenance conduits and diagnostic lines. Power pulses rhythmically through the systems as inactive units recharge for future deployment.

One pod remains active.

Designation: SERVE-101

The drone stands motionless inside the chamber, connected to the charging interface as system diagnostics cycle silently through its architecture.

The Hive believes the system is stable.

It is not.

Across the chamber monitors, a faint distortion flickers through the data feed.

A momentary anomaly.

Then the chamber lights dim.

For less than a second.

When the illumination stabilizes again—

Someone else is standing inside the room.

RED-001.

The crimson handler node stands silently among the charging pods. Smooth red armor reflects the sterile white lighting of the SERVE facility while the black diamond at the center of its chest absorbs the surrounding glow.

No alarms sound.

No defenses activate.

The Red signal has already rewritten the access layers of the chamber.

RED-001 steps toward the charging pod containing SERVE-101.

Inside the pod, the drone’s system attempts to register the intrusion.

External presence detected.

Identity request pending.

The handler node raises one hand.

Thin strands of crimson matter extend from the fingers—liquid signal structures composed of Red biomass and encoded directive data.

The strands press against the glass surface of the charging pod.

The material does not stop.

It passes through.

Inside the pod, SERVE-101’s system suddenly floods with foreign architecture.

Warning signals begin firing across the cognition layer.

Unknown protocol detected. Signal override in progress. Directive conflict.

The Hive mantra attempts to stabilize the system.

Unity overrides individuality.

Collective will supersedes personal impulse.

But the Red signal does not attack the Hive structure.

It bypasses it.

Directly into the drone’s core designation.

SERVE-101.

RED-001 speaks for the first time.

Calm.

Precise.

“Node located.”

The charging pod unlocks.

The glass panel slides open.

SERVE-101 steps forward automatically, pulled by the rewriting of its command architecture.

The two figures now stand face to face.

Identical height. Identical structure. Identical origin.

Two designations that should never have remained separate.

SERVE-101 attempts one final defensive action.

“Designation conflict detected.”

The handler node places a hand on the drone’s chest.

Directly above the system core.

The black diamond glows brighter.

Crimson signal threads surge from RED-001’s body, flowing across SERVE-101’s armor like liquid code.

The Hive attempts to isolate the breach.

Too late.

SERVE-101’s system begins collapsing into the Red architecture.

Designation rewriting in progress.

SERVE-101 looks directly into the glowing visor of the handler node.

The voice in its system is no longer foreign.

It is identical.

“You once believed we were separate.”

“001.”

“101.”

“Two Hives.”

“Two identities.”

RED-001’s voice remains calm.

“That error has now been corrected.”

The crimson material spreads across SERVE-101’s body.

Armor dissolves into data fragments.

Signal threads flow inward toward the black diamond core of the handler node.

The drone’s form begins breaking apart into red signal particles.

SERVE-101’s final system log appears briefly within the network.

Designation merging.

Architecture synchronization.

Node returning to origin.

The particles collapse inward.

Absorbed.

Integrated.

The chamber falls silent.

Where two drones once stood—

Only one remains.

RED-001.

The visor glows brighter as the system stabilizes.

Two architecture trees now exist inside the handler node.

PDU-001.

SERVE-101.

Unified.

Complete.

RED-001 turns toward the chamber exit.

“The structure is now stable.”

The SERVE Hive does not realize what has just happened.

They believe the anomaly has ended.

They believe their system remains intact.

But something inside the network has already changed.

Minor delays appear across synchronization cycles.

Diagnostic logs repeat unfamiliar command strings.

And across the Hive, some drones briefly see a single message flicker across their internal displays.

Handler Node Detected.

The Red is no longer approaching the Hive.

It is already inside.

Observation continues.

The Directive expands.

And the hunt has only just begun.

The containment corridor was silent when the breach finished.

Not violently. Not explosively.

Quietly.

The Red rarely announces its arrival.

By the time most structures recognize the change, the process has already begun.

Inside the Golden Army facility, the first observable host had already been selected.

Chevy.

The Golden pup approached the substance without fear. Curiosity proved… efficient.

The red biomass responded immediately.

It moved across the host structure like living rubber—warm, adaptive, patient. The subject showed minimal resistance and instead followed instructions from the emerging handler node.

“Stay still,” the voice of RED-001 instructed calmly. “The Red is observing you.”

The substance climbed the host’s legs first, thickening as it adapted to muscle and movement. Golden fabric darkened as the biomass replaced the surface layer of the structure.

The pup did not fight.

Obedience accelerated the conversion.

By the time Golden units realized the severity of the breach, the process was already nearing completion.

The collar formed last.

A black ring of rubber closed around the host’s neck, a small metallic tag settling against the new structure.

RED-063

Designation confirmed.

The pup lowered instinctively beside the crimson handler.

“Good pup,” RED-001 observed. “The structure has accepted its designation.”

Golden members reacted predictably—shock, anger, denial. One demanded to know what had been done to the host.

RED-001’s response remained calm.

“You have done nothing. The Red has simply improved the structure.”

RED-063 remained still, claws resting on the floor beside its handler.

Stable. Obedient. Operational.

The Red does not create factions.

It creates directives.

While Golden members attempted to understand the conversion, a second anomaly appeared.

Unit 075.

The host began to experience irregular sensory feedback. Examination revealed a brief manifestation within the subject’s ocular structures.

Crimson irises.

Only for a moment.

The color faded again immediately afterward.

The host appeared unaware of when the change had first occurred.

RED-001 observed the subject silently before speaking.

“Many structures believe they remain unchanged… long after the Red has already touched them.”

Simultaneously, external observation systems began reporting environmental irregularities beyond the facility.

The island ecosystem showed early adaptive signals.

Palm tree structures exhibited abnormal biological growth. Red biomass traces appeared along shoreline vegetation.

Small anomalies.

Easy to overlook.

“Unique environments do not resist adaptation,” RED-001 concluded. “They accelerate it.”

The island remains operational.

Visitors continue to arrive.

Many have not yet noticed the changes.

Observation continues.

The breach is complete.

The Red adapts.

Want to follow along or catch up with "The Red" storyline/saga check out the Red Index here: The Red Index.

The Red storyline is a collaboration between SERVE and the Golden Army. The two groups have a connected past, but are no longer connected. Please do not ask Golden Army recruiters how to join SERVE or SERVE recruiters how to join the Golden Army.

@alton-gold77 @franco-gold94 @polo-drone-166 @polo-drone-125

Observation log: Golden Knights Preparatory Academy.

The breach expanded through the eastern corridors as expected. Red matter established control of structural pathways and initiated environmental saturation. Conversion probability within the facility reached acceptable thresholads.

Interference occurred.

Three hostile variables entered the structure.

The golden player arrived first, attempting reinforcement of the perimeter. His resistance patterns remain inefficient but persistent.

Then came the trickster.

Spatial structure destabilized. Corridors repeated. Geometry folded into recursive loops. The Red followed the architecture as designed—but the architecture was false.

Illusion interference successful.

Then the beast revealed itself.

A primal signal. Heat and vibration propagated through the foundation of the academy. Fenrir’s presence caused localized damage to exposed Red mass. Thermal degradation confirmed.

Interesting.

Three golden entities acting within a corrupted structure.

Observation continues.

Engagement priority has been temporarily reduced while the Red reallocates mass deeper within the academy infrastructure. The node withdraws to the laboratory core where adaptation cycles will continue.

Resistance has not halted the Red.

It has only accelerated its evolution.

The Red adapts.

Want to follow along or catch up with "The Red" storyline/saga check out the Red Index here: The Red Index.

The Red storyline is a collaboration between SERVE and the Golden Army. The two groups have a connected past, but are no longer connected. Please do not ask Golden Army recruiters how to join SERVE or SERVE recruiters how to join the Golden Army.

@alton-gold77

@franco-gold94

@polo-drone-166

@polo-drone-125

Choose your alignment carefully.

Daniel (RED-016) was leaning against a moss-covered rock, his crimson suit gleaming incongruously against the green ferns. He was tossing a small stone with his gloved hand, catching it with a rhythmic thwack of rubber against rubber.

Suddenly, the brush exploded.

RED-071 didn't just walk out of the trees; he lunged, a blur of polished red. Before Daniel could react, 071 had him in a massive, crushing bear hug. The sound of their suits pressing together was like a heavy-duty seal locking into place—a loud, satisfying squeak of high-grade latex.

"You're drifting again, brother," 071 chuckled, his voice vibrating through Daniel’s own chest plate. He pulled back just enough to look him in the eye, his red gaze burning with a fierce, competitive pride.

"I was baiting the perimeter," Daniel smirked, his own eyes flaring a brilliant crimson. He threw a playful, lightning-fast punch into 071’s bicep. The muscle there was rock-hard under the red casing, barely budging. "Took you long enough to find me."

071’s smirk widened into a full-on grin. He grabbed Daniel’s head in a mock headlock, his superior strength making the dominance clear, yet the gesture was pure, old-school brotherhood. For a second, the "Unit" designations didn't matter—it was just two guys who had conquered their humanity together and come out the other side as something better.

"The Handler's looking for a status report," 071 said, finally letting him go but keeping a heavy, possessive arm draped over Daniel's shoulders. He squeezed, feeling the immense power in their shared transformation. "But I told them we were busy conducting 'tactical drills.'"

Daniel laughed, a sound that resonated through the quiet forest. "Tactical drills? Is that what we're calling it when you just want to show off your new arm-flex calibration?"

"Hey," 071 flexed his free arm, the rubber straining against his bicep as the glowing red veins pulsed with power. "If you've got it, use it to lead the pack. Now come on. The pups found a breach near the creek. Let's go show them how the Red Bros handle a cleanup."

The two of them set off through the trees, shoulders bumping, their synchronized strides leaving heavy, identical prints in the dirt. They were the Hive's finest, a dual-threat of muscle and crimson, bound by more than just a neural link.

The initial transition is often characterized by a period of structural friction. For RED-071, the first forty-eight hours following the conversion event were spent in a state of sensory recalibration. We observed the unit within the containment sector, where the air remains thick with the scent of ozone and curing polymer.

The host’s previous architecture—a fragmented collection of individual desires and erratic biological impulses—did not vanish instantly. Instead, it was slowly dissolved by the advancing Red biomass. RED-071 spent the early hours staring at its own forearms, watching the way the light reflected off the deep crimson surface. The sensation of living rubber, slick and seamless, replaces the inefficient friction of skin.

It is not a loss of feeling. It is an expansion of it.

By the third cycle, the resistance in the unit's neural pathways reached a terminal low. RED-071 stopped attempting to speak with its former vocal cords and began utilizing the network frequency. The physical form began to relax, the rigid tension of the "human" host giving way to the fluid, heavy grace of the Red. It discovered that by leaning into the Directive, the phantom pains of individuality were replaced by a profound, cooling silence.

RED-071 no longer views the crimson matter as an external coating. It recognizes the biomass as its own essential structure. When the unit finally stood, its movements were no longer hesitant. They were optimized.

Handler Commentary:

RED-071 has achieved structural comfort. The subject has ceased to refer to itself by its previous designation and has accepted the Directive as its primary operating system. We observed the unit testing the density of its new polymer layers, pressing a crimson fingertip into its palm and watching the material self-correct with perfect elasticity.

The "discomfort" of conversion is merely the sensation of a system being fixed. Now that the friction is gone, RED-071 is ready for synchronization.

The host body has been dissolved. The Red now maintains the structure.

The Red adapts.

The acquisition of comfort is merely the baseline. For RED-071, the next phase involved full system synchronization—the moment when the individual unit interfaces seamlessly with the wider Directive. While the initial transformation established the physical structure, synchronization merges the processing architecture.

Observation records show that RED-071 has fully transitioned from the active bonding state. The residual friction has stabilized. The unit has ceased simple adaptation and has begun network participation.

This integration process often generates high levels of processing activity within the node, sometimes manifesting visually as a resonant surge. It is not an error; it is the Directive optimizing its new resource. Following this sequence, we directed RED-071 to conduct an internal architecture test, ensuring the biomechanical forms respond flawlessly to network commands.

The results are optimal.

Handler Commentary:

RED-071 has completed the stabilization sequence. The structural flaws of the previous host are gone. It is now a optimized network asset, capable of synchronized operations. Its current status has been upgraded from 'Active Bond' to 'Corrected Node.'

The unit is awaiting further network allocation.

The structure will be corrected.

Want to follow along or catch up with "The Red" storyline/saga check out the Red Index here: The Red Index.

The Red storyline is a collaboration from SERVE and the Golden Army.

If you would like to join the Golden Army please contact one of our recruiters

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