It was a quiet night in Seraph’s housing unit, the explorer drone seated at her desk with her tablet and a stack of papers. She was once again grading student assignments, carefully scanning over each art piece before filling out the digital rubric and moving on.

It was tedious and time-consuming work, but it was something Seraph had grown accustomed to. Plus, she was able to find some joy in it when she noticed one of the students listening to her suggestions and making improvements. Of course, there were still some who refused to properly try, happy to skim through with barely passing grades just to be able to graduate.

A grimace found its’ way to her face as Seraph marked off Darren’s assignment, filling out his rubric before a low groan reached her audio receptors. Her gaze flicked to the ceiling, figuring one of the pipes was settling until her bedroom’s vent grate swung open and a figure dropped in. Seraph snapped up as the sudden visitor landed elegantly on her bed, hardly making a sound as she sat down and kicked her legs over the side.

“Hey, Seraph~” She said, grinning widely. Seraph’s expression quickly turned annoyed.

“V, I told you not to just show up through the vents.” She scolded. “What if I had someone else in here?”

“Free food, I guess.” V replied, still grinning. Seraph annoyed look only deepened, but she simply sighed and leaned one arm against the back of her chair.

“What are you even doing here?” She asked. V merely shrugged.

“Got bored.” She answered bluntly. “N’s asleep, so I’ve got time.” Seraph’s expression changed slightly, seeming less annoyed before turning her attention back to the papers in front of her.

“Well, unfortunately, I’m currently grading papers.” She told her. “So you’ll have to wait until I’m done.” V’s grin faded immediately, and she flopped onto her side on Seraph’s bed.

“Oh come on,” she groaned, “grading papers is boring! Come have fun with me!” Seraph’s processors halted momentarily as a few ideas for ‘fun’ slipped through them, but she shook her head.

“Sorry V, this can’t wait.” She said firmly. “I need to have these all graded by tomorrow.” V’s tail flicked in irritation, a loud sigh escaping her as she rolled onto her back.

“Seriously?” She complained. “It’s Just a bunch of papers! Who cares?”

“The school board.” Seraph replied, not even glancing at her. “And I have to, if I want to keep my job.”

“Well, if I cared about my job, you’d be an oil splatter on the wall right now.” V countered, turning her head and grinning wickedly. Seraph stopped her movements momentarily, the image flashing across her internal screen before she spoke.

“Touché.” She admitted, a sigh following. “Look, I’m about two-thirds done, I just need twenty minutes and then we can do whatever you want.” V perked up slightly at the offer, rolling fully onto her side as her eyes remained focused on the explorer drone. One minute passed, then two, and soon V came to the conclusion that twenty minutes was still too long to wait.

“This is boring.” She whined. Seraph didn’t even look up.

“Then go find something to do.” She said in a deadpan tone. V pouted once more before jumping off of Seraph’s bed, moving right up to the brunette’s side.

“But I want to do something with you!” She grinned, trying to convince her. “Come on, you know you hate this stuff. The stupid school board doesn’t have to know!”

“V, seriously-YEE!” Seraph’s annoyed tone turned to a surprised squeak as V had tried to grab her arm, the murder drone’s fingers accidentally grazing her ribs. The reaction caused V’s eyes to widen, while an embarrassed blush started to form on Seraph’s visor. This stirred a memory in V’s processors, soon realizing what was going on and turning her confused expression into a wicked grin.

“Seraph~” The teasing tone in V’s voice was more than enough and Seraph shoved off her desk, launching herself clean across the room. V grinned excitedly and dove after her, barely missing the explorer drone as she leapt from her chair and rushed out the door.

“Get back here!” V shouted, her hunting programs kicking in as she gave chase. Seraph didn’t even look back as she ran into the main room, sliding under the dining table in a quick attempt to hide. A few seconds passed before claws reached around the underside of the table, earning a startled gasp and sending Seraph rushing out from the other side. V had been hoping for this, however, her tail rushing down and wrapping around Seraph’s ankle before she could get away.

“WH-oomph!” Seraph hit the ground as she was tripped, barely managing to roll over before V pounced on her. Her visor held that iconic ‘X’ before switching back to her usual eyes, but her sinister grin remained.

“Nice try~” She purred as she straddled Seraph’s hips. “I appreciate the little hunt, though~” Seraph opened her mouth to protest, but quickly snapped shut as the tips of V’s claws gently glided down her side. The action sent a rush of tingles through her nerve system, her body twitching as she clamped her hands over her mouth.

“Oh no, you’re not holding out on me~” V spoke as her tail unwound from Seraph’s ankle, her claws changing back to her normal hands and snagging the brunette’s wrists. Seraph tried to hold her arms in place, but V was much stronger and easily pulled them over her head, securing them with her tail so she couldn’t pull them down again.

“V, c-come on!” Seraph managed, a small blush tinting the edges of her visor. “I still have-EEP!” She quickly snapped her mouth shut as V gently wiggled her fingers over her stomach, causing her to squirm.

“Ooh, does someone have a ticklish belly?~” V cooed. “Come on, you’re only making this worse for yourself~ I’ll find the spot that breaks you one way or another~” Her tone caused Seraph’s blush to increase, her eyes shutting as she clenched her jaw to hold back her giggles. Her feet kicked and pushed against the floor, trying to worm her way out from under V, but she didn’t have the strength with the tickling distracting her.

V wasn’t making it easy, either. She moved from Seraph’s stomach to her sides, swirling her fingers in a way that made the explorer drone squeak and thrash. She bit her lip to try and hold her laughter back, but a wobbly smile stretched across her face as she was already starting to near her breaking point.

“Aww, are you gonna laugh?~” V continued teasing as she crept her hands up to Seraph’s ribs. “I just know you’re about to break~ Maybe I should try right… here!~” In a flash, she started spidering her fingers up and down her ribs, catching Seraph by surprise and causing her to squeal. The tickling quickly spread through her nerve system and she started laughing, tossing her head back and kicking her feet against the floor.

“Nooohohoho-haha!” She cried. “V-hehehee!” The murder drone’s grin stretched wide across her face in triumph, her fingers continuing to dance over Seraph’s ribs and earning more laughter.

“There you go!~” She said in a teasingly sweet voice. “Aww, look at you~ You’re just a giggly mess, all from a little tickling~” Seraph’s laughter shot up in pitch in response, a steady line of blush covering the bottom half of her visor.

“Don’t tehehease! Hahaha!” She squealed, trying to hide her face in her arm. “I stihihill have-haha! H-Hahahave wohork to dohoho!” Her pleas were unsurprisingly ignored, as V kept tickling up and down her ribs to find which spots were more sensitive.

“Nope, no work.” She replied simply. “You chose work over me, so now you face the consequences~” She slipped one hand closer to Seraph’s shoulder joint, her fingers grazing under it and earning a loud shriek of laughter.

“NOHOHahAha nahat thehehere!” Seraph howled, her laughter turning into cackling. V took note of the almost psychotic sound that her laugh held, finding it rather endearing and wanting to hear more.

“Not where?~” She replied, acting oblivious. “You mean here?~” She moved both hands up and started tickling under Seraph’s shoulder joints, earning more hysterical cackles. The explorer drone was slamming her feet against the floor at this point, tossing her head from side to side as the tickling overwhelmed her nerve system.

“V-HEHEHAHAHAA!” Seraph’s laughter echoed throughout the unit, her visor glowing from her blush and a wide grin spread across her face. V wound up staring at her for a moment, a faint blush dusting her own visor before she collected herself and chuckled.

“Seems I’ll have to keep a memory file on this spot~” She mused, continuing to trace and tickle under her shoulder joint. “Especially if it allows me to hear your adorable laugh~” Much to her surprise, Seraph shook her head even faster in disagreement.

“IHIHIT’S NAHAHAAT!” She managed, causing V’s eyes to widen. A spark of challenge went off in her processors, and she pressed her fingers a bit harder against the sensitive spot.

“Are you really trying to argue with me right now?” She questioned. “Maybe I’ll just have to keep tickling you until you admit your laugh is cute~” She didn’t give Seraph a chance to respond as she sped up her movements, skittering under her shoulder joints and over her ribs in a full-on tickle attack. A loud shriek escaped Seraph’s voice box as a result, soon dissolving into frantic cackling and thrashing.

“NAAAHAHAHAHAHA V-HEHEHEE!!” She could hardly speak from how hard she was laughing, her visor practically glowing from her blush. V could feel her trying to pull her arms out from her tail’s grip, prompting her to tighten her hold just a bit more.

“All you have to do is admit it and I’ll let you go~” V practically singsonged as she kept tickling, keeping note of which spots got stronger reactions and focusing on them. Despite how hard she was laughing, Seraph seemed determined to hold out, not wanting to give in and tell V what she wanted to hear. It was clear her nerve system was getting overstimulated though, as her visor briefly flashed with a warning symbol that prompted V to slow down.

“Wow, you’d rather face overstimulation than admit it?” She said, both impressed and concerned. Her hands remained still over Seraph’s ribs, but the explorer drone was still able to calm down and catch her breath.

“My… m-my laugh is not adorable.” She managed, panting. “A-And you started this! I was just trying to do my work, but you pulled me away from it!” V’s expression quickly turned to a pout.

“Oh come on, you and I both know this is more fun than work!” She argued. Seraph opened her mouth to protest, but her voice box failed and she blushed again. She shut her mouth and turned her gaze to the side, the silent action telling V all she needed to know.

“See? You agree with me.” She said, a smug grin crossing her face. Seraph’s blush worsened further, but she let out a small sigh and looked back up at V.

“Okay, yeah, I do.” She admitted. “But I still have work to finish, V.” The murder drone gained a look of annoyance, clearly not happy with Seraph’s response. The brunette felt the hands on her ribs twitch slightly, and she realized she had to act fast.

“Look, I’ll be as quick as I can!” She tried. “And once it’s done, I can give you all the attention you want! Promise!” V’s hands remained still again, and she quirked an eyebrow while scanning Seraph’s face.

“You promise?” She pushed. Seraph quickly nodded, a slightly nervous expression crossing her features before she felt V’s tail loosen. Her arms were soon freed, and V slid off of her to allow the explorer drone to get back to her feet.

“Fine, but you better be quick.” V told her, standing up. Seraph got up off the floor and gave her a thankful smile.

“I will.” She assured her. “I’ll be no more than fifteen minutes.” V still held an annoyed expression, but she nodded once, reluctantly agreeing. Seraph felt a wave of relief at this, her smile growing.

“Oh, I’m locking the door though.”

By the time V processed what Seraph had said, the explorer had already rushed back into her room, the door shutting behind her. V ran up and tried to pry it open, but it held firm, proving she’d been too late.

“Seraph!” She shouted, hearing the brunette’s laughter on the other side. She let out a growl before folding her arms, glaring through the small window on the steel door.

“If you’re not out in fifteen minutes, I’m coming back through the vents!” She warned. Seraph only giggled in response, but she knew better than to test V and quickly got back to work. She pulled up the next assignment and got to grading, one thought hanging at the back of her processors as she did.

It had been three weeks since the incident with the eldritch snake-crab that had been J, and Uzi was still as gloomy as ever. At first, she had just been upset about N, but now prom was coming up, and the teen wanted to do anything but attend it.

She already knew her dad wouldn’t let her skip, even though she had made her hatred for the event clear. She refused to look at any dresses, avoided anyone on the committee, and tuned out any talk of the event. No one was going to ask her to go anyways; Thad would’ve been the only possibility, but he already had a date.

She was drawn from her angsty thoughts as her internal clock reminded her of the time, making her realize she was going to be late for school. As much as she wanted to just stay home, she knew her dad wouldn’t tolerate it, especially since she had missed a lot already from her time at the spire with N. The thought of him made her gaze wander up to the ceiling covered in papers, her eyes focusing on one particular sketch among them. It was a very badly drawn sketch of her and N, but Uzi could still tell effort had gone into it, which made guilt churn in her core. This guilt made itself heard as she let out a long groan, already sure this would be a very long day.

——————

Seraph idly tapped her pen against her cheek, her brows furrowed as she got lost in her own head. A lot of things had occurred over the week since she had talked to V, but what had most of her attention was the fact students had suddenly started going missing.

Of course her first instinct was to ask V, but she could tell the murder drone hadn’t been responsible, and N didn’t seem vicious enough to do it by himself. She decided to turn to the school’s security footage instead, but all cameras at the crime scenes had been scrambled, which left her with nothing to work with.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a frustrated groan, drawing her gaze over to where Uzi was sitting. The purple-haired drone was crumpling up a piece of paper, tossing it haphazardly at the recycling bin before grabbing for a new piece. Only after a few moments did she crumple that one as well, and Seraph noticed her pile of paper was quickly growing smaller. A frown crossed the teacher’s face at the sight, and she quietly got up from her desk, grabbing some more papers and walking over to her. She reached Uzi’s desk just as she was crumpling her last piece, her shadow drawing her attention up.

[You okay?] The text blipped onto Seraph’s visor, helping to avoid drawing the other student’s attention. Uzi’s scowl only deepened in response, her gaze turning away as she grumbled something the teacher couldn’t hear. Seraph decided not to push further, instead silently setting the papers down and retreating back to her desk. She could feel Uzi watching as she moved, only sparing her one last glance before sitting down and returning to her own work.

After what felt like forever, the final bell rang and the students quickly got up to clear out. Seraph calmly watched them go from her desk, though she kept her focus mostly on Uzi. The purple-haired drone had haphazardly thrown her papers between the pages of her notebook, trudging out of class with her head hanging low. The explorer drone made no movements to follow, instead focusing on cleaning up her own space first before stepping out of the classroom.

“Maybe I should have a talk with Khan about her…” she thought, turning to head back to her unit. As she began the walk, however, a psychotic-sounding laugh suddenly reached her audio receptors and she stopped, turning around to see Uzi pulling the missing persons flyers off the bulletin board down the hall. She promptly skipped away with them, still laughing, abandoning her books and backpack in the middle of the floor as she left.

“…Okay, yeah, that talk needs to happen now.” Seraph determined, quickly moving to grab Uzi’s discarded stuff. A few of the pages came loose as she picked up the teen’s books, revealing them to be covered in the strange symbol Seraph had seen on Uzi’s first project. She had no idea what the symbol meant, but she chose not to dwell on it as she finished packing Uzi’s things and headed for the Doorman unit.

She made a quick stop at her own unit to put away her belongings, but just as she re-emerged, she saw Lizzy and Doll walking away with an annoyed Uzi in tow. The sight alone made her both confused and concerned, and as soon as the three were out of earshot, she promptly went to the Doorman unit for answers.

Knock knock knock!

There was a few seconds of silence before the door slid open, and Seraph was greeted by a cheerful-looking Khan gazing up at her in surprise.

“Seraph!” He exclaimed, his chipper tone matching his expression. “I wasn’t expecting you. What can I do for you?” Seraph’s expression flashed with concern, but she promptly corrected to a more calm face.

“I’m here because I need to return Uzi’s belongings.” She stated, holding out Uzi’s bag. Khan’s eyebrows raised, and after a moment, he took the bag back from the brunette.

“Oh, thank you.” He said, though hesitation flashed across his screen. “Did she, uh, forget it in your class?”

“Actually, she left it out in the hall.” Seraph admitted, her concern showing more clearly now. “She had… abandoned it, to take the missing persons posters off of the bulletin board.” Khan’s brow furrowed at her words, his grip on the bag tightening somewhat. The action caused a stir of guilt in Seraph’s systems, and she let out a small sigh.

“Mr. Doorman,” she started again, “I feel like you and I need to have a talk about Uzi.” Khan met her gaze with a quizzical look, though Seraph could see the underlying worry in it.

“What about her?” He asked.

“Well,” Seraph took a breath, “Her behaviour compared to the other students is… concerning. She’s kept isolated, her classmates don’t treat her well, and if I try to ask, I’m met with very short and cold responses. All in all, I’m worried about her.” Khan blinked, and the same flash of worry passed over his expression, but he kept neutral.

“I see.” He replied. “Well, I did talk to her other teacher, and two of her classmates will be taking her to prom tonight. That should help her be more social!” He gained a hopeful smile as he spoke, while Seraph’s expression gained an edge of disbelief.

“You mean Lizzy and Doll?” She blurted. “They’re the two that bully Uzi the most.” Khan’s smile dropped at her response, and Seraph felt her guilt double almost immediately.

“Mr. Door-… Khan,” she tried, taking a gentler tone, “I want to help Uzi, and I’m sure you do too. But forcing her into things, and worse forcing her with people she does not get along with, is only going to hurt her.” Khan’s expression flickered with regret at her words, but he managed to steel himself, meeting her gaze once again.

“Well, if that’s the case, how about you come help chaperone the dance tonight?” He suggested. “That way we can both keep an eye on Uzi and make sure she has a good time! She honestly could use some better role models too…” his voice wound up trailing at the end, but his words made Seraph’s expression soften a bit.

“Well, I’ve been assigned as a chaperone anyway.” She admitted. “I just need to get my outfit on, but I’ll meet you there.” Khan perked up in response, and the gleam of hope on his screen helped ease Seraph’s guilt a bit.

“Sure, sounds good!” Khan said, sounding more excited. “I’ll see you there, then!” Seraph nodded and waved as she left, heading back to her own unit next door. Her outfit was already laid out on her bed, and she took a moment to look it over before taking her day clothes off to put it on. It slipped on her easily, and as she looked into the mirror to adjust her top hat, she couldn’t help but feel a small tug in her processors.

“I wish V could’ve come…”

Seraph froze, eyes hollow as she stared at her reflection. She quickly shook her head to clear the thought, as well as stop any others like it from forming.

“Come on Seraph, you know better than that.” She muttered. “V can’t come because she would cause a school-wide panic. The students’ safety comes first.” She glanced back at the mirror again, taking a breath to clear the small blush on her screen before fixing her hat one last time. Feeling as ready as she could be, she headed out of her unit, turning down the hall to head back to the school.

——————

Meanwhile, back at the pod, V was growing increasingly annoyed at N. His sulking had reached a whole new level, and it was taking all her willpower not to jump from her chair and chop his head off. But she still had him believing she was chained down, so she kept herself seated.

Her new plan was to have him to free her, and with Seraph having told her about the prom, she saw a perfect opportunity. Given his inability to catch enough to eat, she hoped that he might just be desperate enough to go along with it.

First step was to have him get them nice outfits, which he had done with surprising efficiency. A full black three-piece suit for himself, and a lovely strapless red dress for her. She had to admit, he had an eye for fashion. Now all she had to do was convince him.

“We can’t interact with the workers anymore, V.” N told her. “We’re too dangerous.”

The response made her eye glitch. She had hoped he would’ve been more compliant, but she wasn’t giving up easily.

“Uh, exactly.” She replied. “We show up, fabulous, the sad purple one lets us in- cause she has no friends- we kill everyone and pop her little head off.” She kept a casual and proud tone as she spoke, but N still remained unconvinced.

“I’m not freeing you for prom murder, V!” He argued, growing louder as he spoke. “J went holo-spooky snake crab, and we maybe grew up in a haunted mansion!” He stepped closer, grabbing the back of her chair and getting much too into her personal space for her liking.

“Aren’t you worried we have no idea what we even are?!” He near shouted. She was quick to shove him away, her chair spinning in the process and leaving her with her back facing him. The pod fell silent for a moment, and V felt an expression of worry cross her screen, her gaze shifting to the broken mirror on the wall. She remembered how it shattered when Uzi looked into it, how that cursed symbol had flashed on the worker’s screen and vanished again.

“Promise me you and that purple thing will stop prying into that stuff.” V spoke at last, her voice softer now. N didn’t reply, and through the fragments of the mirror, she could see a concerned look etched on his screen.

“If you free me now,” she tried instead, turning her chair back to face him, “I promise we’ll only kill what we need to survive. Just you and me, N.” N’s gaze flickered over to the key on the console, but he made no move for it, instead looking back at her.

“…What about Uzi?” He asked. V’s expression quickly shifted to annoyance.

“She’s a worker, N.” She replied, her tone growing stern. “We can’t bring her along.”

“And what about Seraph?”

V froze, her eyes turning hollow as a shot of panic rushed through her systems. N was looking right at her, his expression showing nothing but sadness and hurt.

“I heard you two talking the other day.” He spoke again. “Were you planning to leave her here too?” V hesitated, her gaze flicking away for a moment before she steeled herself.

“She doesn’t matter to me.” She lied, folding her arms. N’s saddened look deepened, though it now held an edge of sympathy.

“Are you sure?” He asked. V glared at him coldly.

“Yes, I’m sure.” She spat. Despite her harsh tone, N could see she wasn’t telling the whole truth. It wasn’t the usual anger he saw from her, her shifting gaze and tightly folded arms making her seem almost afraid.

“V…” he hesitated, trying to find his words, “…if you’re hiding something, we can figure it out together.” There was a somewhat hopeful tone in his voice, and V’s stern expression cracked slightly. A brief flicker of panic went across her screen, though N didn’t seem to notice.

“Even if we each only have pieces,” he continued, “please, what do you kno-”

His sentence was cut short as V swung her sword, slicing his head clean from his shoulders. His body stumbled and collapsed against the wall of the pod, and V stood before him, a mix of sadness and guilt on her screen.

“What’s best for you.” She replied. “Even if you hate me for it.” She gave him a quick salute in an attempt of respect, then grabbed the red dress and flew out of the pod hatch to head for the bunker. She knew N would be angry when he woke up, but she couldn’t let him stop her. This had to be done, one way or another.

——————

“Any sign of her yet?”

Khan and Seraph stood by the wall of the gym, looking out into the crowd of drones. Prom was in full swing, with many people chatting and dancing, but neither chaperone had seen Uzi yet.

“Nope, still no sign of her.” Seraph answered Khan, managing to keep her voice steady. Khan frowned, his gaze turning to the clock on the wall to check the time again. Seraph felt a pang of sympathy as she watched him, already having a feeling Uzi was skipping but not having the heart to say so.

“Hey, I’m sure she’s fine.” She tried reassuring him. “Maybe her dress tore and she’s just looking for a way to fix it.” Khan looked up at her, managing a small smile in thanks for her efforts, but all attention was quickly drawn as a spotlight was activated and Lizzy walked out on stage. The sight of her alone made Seraph’s concern for Uzi increase, but she kept quiet as Lizzy stepped up to the mic and grabbed it.

“Okay, listen up, nerds.” She spoke, her voice carrying through the gym speakers. “We’re doing this a little early, but since the entire prom court mysteriously disappeared, your queen by forfeit is, uh… this.” As soon as the words left her mouth, a figure landed behind her on stage, kicking up a small cloud of dust. Their body was obscured in the shadows, but there was no mistaking the haunting glow of their bright yellow LEDs.

Panic swept over the crowd, and Seraph felt time stop. The frantic cries of the students were muffled to her as she stared up at V, in a strapless red dress, poised and ready to kill. She only briefly looked away to see Khan, who also had a terrified expression, his body frozen as he watched the scene onstage.

“Easy, judgy-bots.” Lizzy’s voice cut over the crowd, drawing Seraph’s attention. “V’s my friend. She’s done with the murder or whatever, we’ve been hanging!” As she spoke, a projector screen rolled down from the ceiling, the projector displaying various photos and selfies of V and Lizzy. Seraph looked up at each of them as they flashed by, feeling a storm of emotions flood her processors. She still couldn’t bring herself to move either, watching as V walked up to the front of the stage.

“Yes, best friends.” She said, her voice carrying that same sadistic tone Seraph heard when they first met. “So easily manipulated~” Her psychotic laugh soon echoed through the gym, her claws switching out for guns when she suddenly froze.

“Prom queen?” She blurted. Everyone in the gym fell silent, and Lizzy managed an awkward smile in response. Another girl then stepped on stage with a crown, causing V’s expression to twist with embarrassment. Seraph felt her thoughts and emotions stop short, the realization that V was being crowned prom queen rendering her completely confused. Lizzy, however, was quick to regain composure, taking advantage of the silence.

“So, forgive and forget, or I’ll get my dad to dock your frickin’ grades!” She snapped. “And you can’t sit with us, Rebecca!” The blonde pointed into the crowd, the spotlight falling on another drone with blue hair and purple bangs. She was momentarily stunned by the sudden attention, but her expression soon turned angry.

“Fine, I forgive her!” She snapped back, folding her arms. “Settle.” This response prompted many of the other drones to relax, murmuring their agreements and even applauding for V.

“Clap harder, losers!” Lizzy shouted. The crowd quickly erupted with applause, cheering and chanting for V to give a speech. This was enough to snap Seraph out of her shock, and she soon started to move, weaving through the students to try and get to the stage.

V, who was still recovering from the awkward situation and the crown being placed on her head, was quick to notice Seraph in the crowd. Her core stuttered for a moment at the sight of her, guilt rushing her processors as she saw her expression. She retracted her wings and claws without thinking, a flash of fear for how she looked making her move to the front of the stage.

CRASH!

Everyone froze as the roof of the gym suddenly caved, with N and Uzi landing a few feet behind the crowd of students.

“Unhand them, you fieeee… eend?” Uzi’s bold tone soon turned uncertain as she stared at the crowd. “I’m confused.” Seraph also found herself confused, but in the moment of looking back, she noticed a flash of red out of the corner of her vision. She turned to see Doll standing there with a murderous grin, her hand poised strangely, and the symbol that the teacher had seen on Uzi’s drawings was glowing at her fingertips. Doll pointed her hand right at V, and that was all it took for Seraph to know that something horrible was about to happen.

“On second thought, you’re way hotter than Doll.” Lizzy suddenly blurted, panicking. “Run, idiot!” V hardly had time to process the words before Doll closed her hand into a fist, a wave of energy rushing through the crowd at the disassembler. Metal bars shot out from underneath the stage, two piercing through V’s arms and another through her left leg.

At this, panic ensued.

Drones began screaming and running, scrambling in every direction to escape the new threat. The gym doors locked, trapping everyone inside. V struggled to escape the bars, sounds becoming muffled as panic took hold. Lizzy was tossed like she was nothing. The other drone’s neck was snapped, her body crushed into oil. Everything was happening so fast, and she was helpless to stop it.

“{Hello, V.}”

The voice cut through the fog like a blade, and V’s gaze snapped forward to see the worker responsible. Doll glared at her with nothing but hatred, and before V could speak, a wave of pain overtook her as memories from someone else were forced into her vision. A small droneling hiding in a cabinet, watching as V herself caught and killed two adult drones, laughing maniacally. The memories vanished as quickly as they came, but it was all V needed to realize why this drone was out to kill her.

“{Anyway, you get it.}” Doll said, her right eye glitching from normal back into the symbol. Another metal bar stabbed through V’s stomach, causing her to choke as oil spurt from her lips. Seraph’s eyes hollowed at the sight, and without even thinking, she rushed forward and grabbed at Doll’s arm.

“Doll, that’s enough!” She tried, though her voice was far more panicked than she wanted it to be. “Please, this won’t solve anything!” The symbol disappeared as Doll focused her attention on the taller drone, her expression looking scarily bored.

“{Seraph. The one teacher to actually care.}” She said, her calm voice even scarier. “{This is not something that concerns you. Please, do not interfere.}” Before she could respond, Doll’s hand once again lit up with that symbol, and Seraph felt an invisible force grip around her waist. With shocking strength, the brunette was thrown backwards, slamming into the gym wall with a choked cry. The sound of groaning metal followed, and by the time Seraph could focus again, she had been pinned against the wall by twisted metal beams.

Horror flooded V’s systems at the sight, but it was instantly replaced by rage. With a growl, she wrenched her right arm free, switching her hand for a gun and firing right at Doll. The navy-haired drone hardly blinked. Her eye flickered, the bullets bouncing off a force field. With a flourish of her hand, a large kitchen knife appeared, launching forward and slicing V’s free arm clean off. V gasped in pain as her arm went flying, everyone else watching from the sidelines in horror, including Uzi and N.

“Holy crap, what is she doing?” Uzi blurted, turning to N.

“This isn’t what I expected at all!” N replied frantically. There was a beat of hesitance afterwards, but he spoke again, “I guess we should, uh….” he trailed off, but his intention was easy to read. Uzi let out a groan in response, but didn’t argue. Meanwhile, Doll had used her powers to tear down a ceiling fan, altering the blades to become jagged and sharper. With a flick of her wrist, the fan shot off, flying straight for V’s head.

V felt time slow as she watched the blade rush at her, her gaze turning away for only a second to see a pair of panicked violet eyes on the wall, watching helplessly.

“Seraph…” the name sent a wave of fear through her systems, “…if I die here, what happens to-?”

She couldn’t finish the thought as there was a sudden flash of motion, and N kicked the deadly fan off course. It wound up embedded in the ceiling behind them, and Uzi leapt out from behind V, kicking the knife from earlier right back at Doll. The red-eyed drone deflected it easily, and after a second, the symbol from her eye appeared on the locked gym door. The trapped students were quick to realize and rushed out, shoving Khan along with them as they made their escape. The older drone didn’t run though, instead watching the stage from the hall with a worried expression.

“{Uzi, you would really side with the Murder Drones?}” Doll spoke, a tone of betrayal in her voice. “{I’m not the only one who’s lost family to them.}” This statement caught both N and V by surprise, their focus quickly shifting over to Uzi.

“Bite me!” Uzi shot back. “Whoever started this wants us to fight! I’m not dealing with anything well, but…” she hesitated, her voice softening, “…I’m done dealing with everything alone.” Her gaze turned over to N, a small smile crossing her face as she met his eyes. N returned the smile, still looking mildly concerned, while V’s gaze once again flickered to the blip of purple light in the shadows against the gym wall.

“We move forward together, or not at all.” Uzi’s voice drew V’s attention again, a frown on her face as she looked over at the purple-haired drone. Doll, however, looked unamused.

“{Cute,}” she said, her tone soon turning annoyed, “{but I don’t need help.}” Her eye once again switched back to what Uzi recognized as the Solver symbol, and another metal beam erupted from the stage, stabbing through N’s leg. Using the opportunity, Doll tore two more ceiling fans down, launching them forward at high speeds. In a split second, Uzi was shoved aside, saving her as the blades sliced N and V to pieces.

“NO!” Seraph’s sudden scream was heard over the music, drawing Doll’s attention to her. The two drones made eye contact, and Doll’s cold stare caused Seraph’s core to freeze in pure terror. Doll reached into a back pocket in her dress and pulled out another knife, the older drone unable to look away as she raised it up…

…and was thrown off as a chair raced by her head.

Doll quickly turned her gaze, now glaring at Uzi from across the gym. The red-eyed drone took the opportunity to lock the gym doors again, ultimately locking Khan out of the gym as well. Seraph was hit with a flood of emotions as she looked down on the scene, feeling relief at not dying but concern for Uzi and fear for V. She couldn’t see either of the disassemblers now, just the pipes from earlier and a splatter of oil leading backstage.

Uzi, meanwhile, stood completely open in the centre of the gym, and Doll’s knife was now pointed at her. She had nothing within reach to defend herself, having already thrown the nearest chair, so when the knife was thrown right at her, she reacted on instinct. She held out one hand and winced as the blade pierced it, but was quick to recover, pulling it out and approaching Doll. Doll’s expression briefly flashed with surprise at Uzi’s move, but she didn’t let it stop her, readying her solver to use on Uzi directly.

--// ERROR: absoluteSolver_trn [like object non-interactive]

The note on her screen made Doll freeze, panic appearing on her face before she turned angry and pulled a third knife. She once again threw it at Uzi, but this time, Uzi merely deflected it and kept walking. Doll couldn’t mask her panic anymore, slowly backing away as she realized this fight had just gotten a lot more complicated.

Meanwhile, hidden behind the curtains backstage, N and V were working to piece themselves back together again. A severed arm slowly crawled towards them, prompting N to pick it up and look it over.

“Is this-?”

“Mine!” V snatched it from him before he could finish, holding the arm in her teeth. An angry scowl donned her screen, and N felt a mix of frustration and sympathy.

“Ew.”

Both drones looked up at the sudden voice, seeing Lizzy standing nearby. She was surprisingly unhurt despite having been thrown, and a mildly disgusted look sat on her screen.

“You look like garbage.” She told them.

“You freakin’ traitor!” V spat, her voice muffled by the arm still held in her teeth. Lizzy gave her an annoyed look, snatching the arm from her mouth.

“As if you weren’t using me to try and kill everyone, Ms. Petty.” She retorted, her gaze turning to the severed arm. “Where does this freaking go?” V held an angered glare, while N attempted to be friendly.

“Thank you, Lizzy!” He chirped.

“Shut up, loser.” Lizzy and V replied in sync. N quickly slumped back against the wall, silently hoping Uzi was at least doing okay.

From up on the wall, Seraph watched the fight anxiously, her eyes darting between Doll and Uzi. A stray knife stabbed into the light controls, causing the gym to become lit up in flashing rainbow colours. Doll grabbed the knife with her solver and threw it. Uzi flipped to dodge it. She landed back on stage, stopping the knife with her boot and kicking a microphone stand at Doll. Doll caught it with her solver, holding it before launching it back at Uzi and pinning her down.

“Crap!” Seraph managed to keep herself from shouting this time, but her panic had increased tenfold. Doll was duplicating knives now, and had several of them all pointed at Uzi still stuck to the floor. Seraph struggled hard, but the metal beams refused to budge, so she came up with a desperate plan and tried to copy the hand symbol Doll was doing.

“Maybe it’s an underlying code…” she flicked her hand as much as she could, but there was no glow, and no moving of metal to be heard. She quickly gave up, knowing it was no use, leaving her to watch helplessly as Doll went for the kill. Just as the knives were about to hit, a blur shot in front and the knives ricocheted off of N’s outstretched wing. Seraph’s eyes widened in shock, since the last she saw him Doll had dismembered him.

“Quit saving me!” The brunette could hear Uzi’s shout even from where she was, watching as N helped her to her feet before suddenly twirling her. Their movements quickly became a mix of a dance and an attack, moving together to counter against Doll and blasting her back with an explosion. The force shook the room and Seraph, a cloud of smoke briefly blocking her view as the fight below continued on. She could hear the sound of things being thrown, but it wasn’t until the smoke cleared that she saw Uzi kick Doll square in the face.

Doll was sent sprawling from the hit, the lights finally settling back to normal as Uzi landed and readied for another attack. Doll didn’t stay down long, getting back on her feet and readying her hand, pointing the solver symbol at Uzi once more.

BANG!

The shot echoed through the gym as Doll suddenly staggered, oil spraying from a large crack in her screen. Her eyes flickered before she collapsed, and behind her stood V, her right hand swapped for a gun and a piercing glare on her screen. Uzi, who had flinched from the shot, quickly met V’s gaze with a glare of her own.

“V! We-” Uzi hardly got to speak as V suddenly turned, unfurling her wings and flying up to the side wall. Seraph flinched at V’s sudden approach, eyes wide in surprise as the disassembler swapped her hand for a tool she didn’t recognize.

“Hold still.” Was all V said, and Seraph tensed as a loud hum started from the device and a yellow laser shot out. It sliced through the metal beams like they were nothing, soon falling away and freeing Seraph from their hold. The explorer didn’t even have time to fall as V grabbed her, holding her with a gentleness Seraph did not expect and flying her back down to the gym floor.

“I-I, uh… thanks.” She managed, before letting out a yelp as V smacked her upside the head.

“Don’t ever do something that stupid again.” She scolded. “She could’ve killed you!”

“Wh- me?!” Seraph exclaimed in a mix of surprise and offence. “I thought she had killed you! I saw you and N get sliced to pieces right on stage!”

“Please, I’ve survived worse.” V folded her arms, brushing off Seraph’s concern. “You, on the other hand-”

“A-hem!”

Both drones stopped arguing at the sound, turning to see Uzi and N staring at them. Uzi looked very annoyed while N looked surprised, and the realization that they’d heard everything made both Seraph and V look away.

“As I was saying,” Uzi continued, clearly frustrated, “we needed Doll alive for answers, V!”

“What?” V replied in annoyance. “She’s fine! Ah…” her expression changed as she looked down at Doll, seeing her lying still in a large puddle of oil.

“A little tuckered out…” V muttered, now mildly embarrassed. Seraph couldn’t take her eyes off Doll’s body, a mix of horror and sympathy swirling in her processors.

“V did that on purpose!” N suddenly exclaimed, snapping Seraph from her daze. “She’s hiding mystery stuff and being overdramatic about it!” V’s expression immediately turned angry.

“N, you suck!” She snapped.

“Both of you, shut it!” Uzi shouted, drawing all eyes to her. She glared the disassemblers down before her her gaze turned to an object on the floor. She knelt down to pick it up, finding it was Doll’s bracelet with a strange tag and a unit key attached.

“Lucky for you, we’re not done yet.” She spoke again, standing and holding up the bracelet. Seraph felt her concern rise, glancing over at Doll’s body, but chose to say nothing and merely followed as Uzi, N, and V walked out of the gym. Khan was waiting anxiously on the other side, his face lighting up when Uzi walked through the doors.

“Uzi!” He exclaimed, rushing over. “What happened in there? Are you-”

“I’m fine, dad.” Uzi interrupted him, annoyed. “We handled it.” Khan froze at his daughter’s words, his expression saddening as he stood there, unsure what to say. Seraph felt a wave of sympathy for him, walking over to put a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s good of you to care, Khan.” She told him, giving him a small smile. Khan’s sadness faded slightly at the reassurance, and he gave a small nod in response. His gaze turned back to Uzi after a second, and Seraph looked over to see annoyance, but also a mild twinge of guilt on the teen’s face.

“Uzi, maybe you should go back with your dad.” She suggested. “It’s been a long night-”

“No way.” Uzi cut her off, masking her guilt as she folded her arms. “I’m finding out what the hell was going on at Doll’s place, with or without you.” Seraph gave her a harsh look, but much to her surprise, Khan stepped in between them.

“It’s alright, she can go.” He said. “Just keep an eye on her for me, will you?” Seraph met the older drone’s eyes with worry, but Khan only smiled, giving her a small, sincere nod.

“Alright, if you insist.” Seraph relented at last. “I’ll bring her home myself later, okay?” Khan nodded again, his smile widening slightly as his gaze turned back to Uzi. Her annoyed expression faltered, guilt reappearing as she shifted her gaze away, but neither said anything as Khan turned and started the walk back to his unit. All four drones watched him go, and Uzi felt guilt stirring in her core before she shook her head to refocus.

“Come on, we have a unit to check out.” She said, starting off down another hall. N, V, and Seraph followed silently, with N and Seraph looking wary while V kept a bored expression. Soon enough they reached Doll’s unit, and a strong tar-like smell could be detected seeping out from under the door. Seraph recoiled slightly at it, but said nothing as Uzi used the key from Doll’s bracelet to unlock and open the door. It slid aside with a soft hiss, and the scent increased tenfold as the group stepped into the pitch dark unit. N soon found the light switch and turned it on, and all four drones looked at the kitchen with shock and horror.

The kitchen was covered with worker drone bodies, oil stained all over the floor and appliances. Scattered parts hung from hooks or were thrown in pots, with one arm laid out on a cutting board, and the upper half of one drone could be seen stuffed into a top cabinet. ‘FATAL ERROR’ shone in bold red letters on their visor, and both Seraph and Uzi felt a chill at the sight. The sound of metal clinking made both of them freeze, but their fear quickly vanished as they looked over to see V idly chewing on a dismembered arm.

“Ugh, self respect!” Uzi scolded, pulling the arm out of the murder drones’ mouth. V gave her an annoyed look before licking residual oil from off her hand in a fashion much like a cat would. Seraph watched the murder drone with a mix of concern and confusion, but promptly shook it off and silently headed further into the unit. She chose to check down the hall first, opening the door to the bathroom and finding the blood-filled tub and stack of mirrors leading up to the ceiling vent.

“…Well, that leaves more questions than answers.” She muttered. She looked back over as N pulled a sheet off of something at the dining table, revealing two more drone corpses that had been sat in dining chairs. Each of them had a bullet hole clean through their visor, their bodies posed in fear, and Seraph was quick to notice one of them had hair the exact same colour as Doll.

“I… think we found her folks.” N said quietly. Both V and Seraph walked over to look, though V seemed rather unbothered.

“Literally didn’t even taste that good.” She said casually, picking her teeth with one claw. N’s gaze fell on her, a mix of concern and disgust on his face.

“V, you kinda suck.” He told her. V only laughed, picking up one of the roaches with her claws.

“Yeah, I’m not doing okay.” She replied, eating the robotic insect. Her smile faltered as she felt eyes on her, and glancing over, she saw Seraph looking at her with nothing but worry. A sudden rush of guilt flooded V’s systems and she forced her gaze away, turning instead to watch as N helped Uzi climb over the kitchen counter to join them.

The purple-haired drone warily approached the two bodies, noticing a lanyard around the neck of who she could only assume had been Doll’s mother. With careful hands she lifted the name tag, showing a photo of the same drone when she was alive, accompanied by the number 048 and the name ‘Yeva.’ The bright red eyes in the photo only confirmed that the woman had been Doll’s mother, and Uzi couldn’t help but feel a twinge of empathy for her classmate.

A strange, quiet noise suddenly reached Uzi’s audio receptors, drawing her attention from the name tag. Her eyes widened in horror as she looked up to see Doll at the other end of the table, completely healed, and using her solver to point a bullet right at her.

“{Just in time for dinner.}”

BANG!

The sound of the shot faded, but no collision followed. Instead, the bullet had been caught, by Uzi, with her own solver power. All eyes were focused on Uzi now, each of them displaying fear, but Doll’s expression also showed sympathy.

“{I… I’m sorry for you…}” she managed, a genuine tone of worry in her voice. Uzi hardly heard her, still staring at the bullet frozen in front of her. Her solver soon deactivated and the bullet shot, swerving around her head and piercing through the glass of the window behind her. All eyes had followed it, but soon refocused on Doll, who was giving Uzi a saddened look.

“{If I find what I’m looking for,}” she said, “{I’ll help you too.}”

“What?” Uzi blurted, now even more scared than before. Doll didn’t explain further, her body starting to glitch and fade like she was a hologram.

“{I am sorry.}” She told her.

“Wait! Oh, don’t you dare!” Uzi shouted, but Doll was already disappearing. V leapt into the air and launched a rocket at the navy-haired drone. The explosion clouded the room in smoke, but as it cleared, there was no sign of Doll anywhere. Uzi let out a loud groan of frustration, tossing her head back and her arms up as she shouted.

“I hate it here!”

——————

Meanwhile, outside the bunker, the wind howled as a single worker drone made his way through the city. He scanned up and down the ruined streets, stopping only when he noticed something familiar sticking out of a pile of snow. Kneeling down, he brushed it aside to reveal the object, soon finding a pair of circular-shaped glasses.

“Oh, that’s where I left my excuse to be outside right now.” He said, straightening up and putting on the glasses. His vision became clear with the help of the lenses, and he turned his gaze up just in time to see something hurtling out of the sky right at him. He barely managed to dodge it as it crashed, part of it exploding and sending debris flying. The worker shouted at what he now realized was a landing pod, scrambling to his feet to make a run for it, but a second pod immediately crashed down in front of him and cut him off. He cowered as it exploded too, surrounding him in a ring of fire and debris, the flames roaring and crackling in the harsh wind.

A moment of silence passed after, but as the worker raised his head up, he heard more noise and saw a third pod coming down from the sky. This one didn’t crash, however, instead using its strange legs to slide down the sides of the buildings and land neatly in the street. The door of the pod opened a second later and a figure leapt out, brandishing a sword as they landed, reeled back, and sliced the worker’s head clean off.

His head flew in a high arc, oil trailing behind as it landed and rolled in the snow, his glasses landing on his face a second later. The attacker let the oil drip off of their sword, the light of the fire glinting off of the blade and illuminating them, revealing them to be human. A space helmet obscured their face, but a baseball cap and a bow sat on top, and a name tag was pinned to their suit with the name ‘Tessa’ engraved in it, along with the title ‘Certified Technician.’

“Righty-o, work to do.” Tessa spoke, sheathing her sword. “Eh, J?” At the call of her name, the disassembler emerged from the ship, flying over and hovering next to Tessa. She tossed a set of keys to her that the human caught easily, hitting a button on a remote and locking the pod behind them.

After her first visit, V found herself once again thinking about Seraph. Considering how their introduction had gone, she honestly hadn’t expected her to come back, much less be so friendly.

Which is why it surprised her further when Seraph made visiting her a part of her daily routine.

Every night, when N would head out on patrol, Seraph would sneak in to check up on V. Their hangouts started pretty awkwardly, with neither having much to say, but V honestly didn’t mind the silence.

“So… how fast can you fly?”

The question had come suddenly, breaking the usual quiet between them. It was Seraph’s third night visiting, and the two had been seated on the edge of a ruined building, tucked in the shadows and idly watching the storm blow past.

“How fast?” V echoed, looking at the explorer drone in confusion. “Why the hell do you want to know that?”

“I’m curious.” Seraph replied, meeting her gaze before looking forward again. “Counting all the times we’ve been flying- our chase included- I’ve never exceeded 200 kilometres an hour. That’s mainly because if I did, I’d crash into a building, but I honestly built these to be able to go much faster than that.” She ruffled her wings slightly as she mentioned them, drawing V’s gaze. She stared at them in silence as she processed Seraph’s words, her memory files pulling up times she had been flying, but not remembering exact speeds.

“Never thought about it.” She said at last. “Workers don’t tend to be able to fly, so I haven’t bothered checking.” She gave Seraph a sideways glance as she spoke, causing her to blush slightly.

“Heh, fair.” She admitted, hesitating for a moment after. “…Did you want to find out?”

“Find out?” V questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“How fast you can fly.” Seraph clarified. “We can go over the city, that way there’s no obstacles. Just gun it and see what speeds we get.” V mulled over the offer for a minute, a small spark of curiosity lighting in her processors at the idea. A smile soon crossed her face and she looked back at Seraph, the tiniest gleam of excitement in her expression.

“You know what, you’re on.” She told her. Seraph smiled widely as she got to her feet, her wings twitching in anticipation. V was quick to jump to her feet as well, but her smile turned to a sly grin as she suddenly spread her wings and launched herself up. The force threw Seraph off balance, almost sending her falling off the building, but she caught herself and straightened up.

“Hey, rude!” She shouted, taking off after V. The murder drone hardly heard her, continuing to fly upwards until the city was far below her. She hovered for a moment as she looked back down for Seraph, her scanners barely managing to lock onto her before she suddenly shot past.

“Whoa-!” V wound up startled by the sudden movement, but quickly recovered and turned to see where Seraph had gone. The explorer drone was now hovering about fifteen feet away, a massive grin on her face as she met V’s eyes.

“Bet you can’t catch me!” She hollered. She turned and took off before V could answer, but the statement set off the murder drone’s hunting programs and she smiled wickedly. Her eyes glowed with excitement as she flapped her wings, launching herself through the sky and after Seraph.

The wind howled as the two raced through the open sky, the city becoming nothing but a blur below them. V wound up making a lunge for the explorer drone, but Seraph had seen it coming and rolled, going over V before speeding up. A small shockwave followed her, a faint sound left behind on the wind, and V’s expression turned to surprise as she realized that Seraph was laughing. It caused the murder drone so much confusion that she almost missed herself falling behind, flapping her own wings and chasing after Seraph again.

It was an hour later when the two finally made it back to the spire, and Seraph couldn’t shake the grin on her face. Her hair was ruffled by the wind, her charge lower from the energy used in flight, but none of that mattered to her as she landed swiftly and neatly beside the pod.

“Oh my robo-GOD that was awesome!” She shouted, turning as V landed beside her. “V, do you realize how fast we went?” V hesitated in her reply, quickly realizing she hadn’t been tracking their speed at all during the entire flight.

“I, uh… didn’t check.” She admitted. Despite this, Seraph’s excitement didn’t falter.

“We were going 950 kilometres an hour!” She exclaimed. “We broke the speed of sound here, V!” V’s eyes widened in surprise, having almost forgotten the shockwaves both she and Seraph had made earlier while flying. She had hardly noticed to begin with, having been too focused on trying to catch the explorer drone to give it much thought.

“…Hm.” Was all she said in reply, but Seraph still remained excited about it. She continued to ramble, unable to stand still and ultimately pacing around the area as she talked. She wound up talking so fast that V had a hard time keeping up, and it showed on her face as Seraph stopped mid-sentence when she looked at her.

“Oh- shoot, sorry.” She apologized, a light blush tinting her visor. “I was rambling again. I’ll shut up.” V hesitated for a moment, looking the explorer drone over before speaking up.

“You’re… it’s whatever.” She replied. “Maybe slow down a bit.” Seraph’s earlier embarrassment eased up, her smile widening somewhat.

“Oh, okay!” She said. “Well, as I had been saying, I wanted to ensure maximum speed, which is why I based the shape of the wings on a falcon. That’s a bird from Earth, they’re…” Seraph once again continued to ramble, but V was able to understand a bit more. Her chattiness and excitement was a strong contrast to the awkward tenseness that V had dealt with before, but despite everything, she couldn’t help but feel intrigued by her. It was weird, given how she normally got annoyed when N was excited and chatty, but somehow, Seraph was different.

——————

After the speed test, V noticed a significant change in Seraph. She started talking a lot more during their hangouts, telling V about her day and whatever ended up popping into her processors. She did give V a few chances to talk, but the murder drone usually stayed quiet and merely listened as Seraph kept rambling.

Just over two weeks passed with the two still hanging out, but V had slowly been starting to grow overheated. N hadn’t been able to gather enough oil for either of them, leaving her to have to sneak out and hunt for herself again. She had wholeheartedly expected Seraph to back out, but once again she was accompanied by the explorer drone as she headed out into the city.

It didn’t take long for V to track down a small camp, and one unlucky drone had happened to be wandering outside. She was quick to pounce and kill him, Seraph watching from the rooftop as oil splattered across the crisp white snow. After tearing him apart, V flew back up with his head in hand, oil stained on her mouth and claws as she grinned.

“Oh, that’s much better.” She said with relief. “Honestly, if I hadn’t found him, I might’ve considered just killing you.” Seraph’s expression flashed with panic, which V wound up laughing at.

“Hah! Nah, I’m kidding.” She said, idly taking a sip of oil from the worker’s head. Seraph managed to calm down after a moment, a slightly nervous chuckle escaping her lips before she looked down at the worker head. Her internal screen flashed briefly with a memory, but she shook it off and looked back up at V.

“Hey, uh…” she hesitated, trying to find the words, “…I’ve been wondering- why exactly do you guys kill worker drones? Is it just for fun?” V paused mid sip, glancing over at her before lowering the head from her mouth.

“Well, I have fun with it.” She replied, grinning with oil-stained teeth. “But, full truth, we have to or we die.” Seraph’s eyes widened again, her face displaying panic a second time, but for a different reason.

“You… die?” She echoed, speaking slowly. V nodded, downing the last of the oil from the head before crushing it in her claws and tossing it aside.

“Our systems are constantly at risk of overheat.” She explained. “Worker oil helps reduce it for a while, but go too long without it, and…” she trailed off at the end of her sentence, but Seraph got the message.

“I see.” She managed at last. “I… I had no idea.” V couldn’t help but scoff.

“Of course you didn’t.” She replied. “It’s not like we tell workers this stuff. We just do it.” There was a pause as Seraph realized V did have a point, but several other thoughts ran through her processors as she took in the new information.

“You got that face.” V’s statement suddenly halted the explorer’s thoughts, drawing her gaze.

“What?” She asked.

“You always make that face when you’re thinking really hard.” V explained. “Kinda like this-” she furrowed her brow and pouted, which Seraph could easily tell was an over-exaggeration. She scoffed and chuckled, a blush tinting her visor as she lightly pushed V’s shoulder.

“Come on, I do not look like that!” She argued. V only laughed.

“Yes you do!” She told her. “You look like something got stuck in your circuits!” Seraph wound up laughing at her words, shaking her head before collecting herself.

“You’re awful.” She said sarcastically. “I have no idea why I even hang out with you.”

“You can always leave.” V replied, carefully picking her teeth with one claw. Seraph’s smile faltered somewhat, looking at V for a long moment before shaking her head.

“Nah.” She said at last, turning her gaze out to the city. “Call me crazy, but… you’re the best friend I’ve ever had.” V’s expression changed as she glanced at Seraph, but she was quick to cover it up.

“You’ve sure had horrible friends, then.” She chose to say instead. Seraph let out a small chuff.

“More like no friends at all.” She admitted. “So, not only are you my best friend, you’re also my first.” This time, V didn’t cover her expression fast enough, and Seraph noticed the slight concern in her eyes. It was surprising to the explorer drone, but she didn’t let it show and simply shrugged.

“Eh, it’s in the past.” She told her. “I don’t try to think about it much. Now come on, we should get back before N does.” She got to her feet and unfurled her wings, prompting V to do the same. She was silent as she followed, keeping Seraph in her view as they started the flight back to the spire.

“Oh yeah, I meant to ask,” Seraph piped up, breaking the silence, “how did you know there were worker drones there?”

“Oh, there’s small camps all over the place.” V replied. “They’re always paranoid though; they see anything that flies and run for cover.” Seraph’s eyes widened at her response, a look of realization on her face.

“That’s why I never saw them!” She exclaimed. “They must’ve thought I was a murder drone!”

“Can’t say I blame them since you’re not supposed to fly.” V replied, a lightly teasing tone to her voice. Seraph’s expression quickly turned deadpan, but V picked up some amusement in her eyes and merely laughed. After a few minutes they reached the spire, parting ways as V headed back in while Seraph continued on to the bunker.

As V sat back down in the pod, she found herself replaying her and Seraph’s earlier conversation. It was rather shocking to hear that Seraph had no friends before her, making her start to wonder about the explorer’s life in the bunker. Over the weeks the two had spent together, V had learned Seraph wasn’t from the same bunker as Uzi, but she never mentioned anything else about it. V hadn’t cared much at first, but as she mulled it over in her processors, she couldn’t help but want to know more.

Her thoughts were cut off as she heard the sound of wings outside, realizing N had returned to the spire. He didn’t come inside the pod, however, making it clear to V that he hadn’t been successful in his hunt. She figured he was scared to tell her, but she didn’t pay him any mind as she thought back to Seraph and wound up getting an idea. It was a risky one, sure, but she wasn’t one to be afraid of consequences. So, as she heard N move to his usual sleeping spot and settle in, she once again slipped out and flew off into the night.

——————

It had been a few hours since Seraph had returned to the bunker, set in sleep mode as a mix of memories and images made up dreams in her processors. Most of them were pretty much nonsense, but they soon paused as her emergency systems detected strange sounds and started her boot-up sequence. She let out a small groan as her optics switched on, only to see bright yellow eyes a few inches away from her own.

“GAH!” Seraph cried out as she scrambled back, pressing up against the wall. As she put some distance between herself and the intruder, she quickly recognized who it was and her initial panic turned to anger.

“V?! What the hell are you doing here?!” She snapped. Despite her outburst, V’s expression remained neutral.

“Got bored.” She replied nonchalantly. Seraph shot her a glare, quickly getting to her feet.

“You do realize you could cause mass panic just by being here, right?” She told her. “How did you even get in?” V gave her a slightly smug look, folding her arms.

“Your ‘secret’ hatch in the roof made it easy.” She replied. Seraph’s face went blank.

“You… found that?” She asked, a tone of worry in her voice. V’s expression softened, but she held slight amusement.

“Don’t worry, no one else will find it.” She said. “I only knew ‘cause you mentioned it in passing a while ago.” Seraph relaxed slightly at the statement, only to pause as she fully processed the words.

“You actually remembered that?” She spoke softly, looking at her in surprise. V’s eyes widened momentarily and she glanced away, but a very small blush appeared on the corners of her visor.

“Please, you gave away good info.” She countered, playing it off. “As if I’d just forget it.” Seraph didn’t reply immediately, still studying V’s face before shrugging.

“Alright, I’ll take your word for it.” She said calmly. “But you still need to get out of here.” V looked back at her, regaining her smug look.

“Can’t.” She replied. “The sun’s up, it’ll kill me if I leave.” Seraph’s expression quickly turned to disbelief.

“What in the vampiric-…” she let out a long sigh, “…alright, fine. Then we’ll need to get you a disguise.” V’s smug look vanished, turning to confusion.

“Disguise?” She questioned.

“Well, I was planning to use today to run errands since I don’t have to teach class.” Seraph told her. “And, to be blunt, leaving you alone in a bunker full of defenceless workers seems like a really stupid idea.” For a moment, V gave her an annoyed pout, but it soon turned to her signature sadistic smile.

“Yeah, fair enough.” She admitted. Seraph nodded once before moving over to her closet, opening it and searching through the options. She then pulled out a larger shawl in purple, similar to her own but sporting a hood.

“This should help to cover your, uh…” Seraph’s gaze turned up to the lights on V’s head, realizing she had no idea what they actually were.

“Optic enhancers.” V told her. “These help give me better scanners, tracking systems… you know, all the things that help me hunt.” Her sadistic grin widened, causing Seraph’s expression to turn deadpan as she tossed the shawl to her.

“Now I feel less bad making you cover them.” She said flatly. V’s smile vanished as she rolled her eyes, looking at the shawl for a moment before silently putting it on. The fabric felt surprisingly comfy, and she adjusted the hood so it covered her enhancers. A few extra views on the sides of her vision turned to darkness, but she was still able to see regularly and looked back at Seraph.

“How’s this?” She asked. Seraph looked her over in silence, and V felt an unexpected twinge in her processors. She wasn’t sure why, but she suddenly worried that Seraph would think she didn’t look good in the shawl.

“Cute.” Seraph said at last, causing V a small wave of relief. That reaction confused her even further, causing her to miss something that Seraph had said.

“What?” V asked, tilting her head slightly. Seraph moved back to her closet, rummaging around again.

“I said we need something to cover your legs.” The explorer drone repeated. “As nice as your body looks, your model is clearly not a worker drone, so we need to cover it.” V blinked, a blush re-appearing on her visor for a moment before she collected herself and smirked.

“So you think I have a nice body?” She teased. Now it was Seraph’s turn to blush, hers much more prominent as she halted mid-search and glanced at V.

“I meant it from a technical standpoint.” She replied, actively keeping her voice steady. V raised an eyebrow, which only made Seraph harden her gaze. The murder drone let up, giving her a simple shrug while still smirking. Seraph rolled her eyes, but the fluttering in her systems took a moment to settle as she went back to searching. She soon found a long black cloak, one that she had picked up a week ago to treat herself, and smiled.

“Here, this should be perfect.” She said, walking up to V and handing it over. V took it with hesitance, looking at it before turning back to Seraph.

“This won’t fit over my jacket.” She said bluntly. Seraph tilted her head.

“Then take off the jacket.” She replied as if it was obvious. “You can leave it here and come back to get it once we’re done.” V’s expression turned annoyed again, and she shoved the cloak back into Seraph’s hands before reaching under the shawl. It was long enough to cover half of her upper body, so Seraph heard nothing but a zipper and some shuffling before V tossed her jacket aside and onto her bed. She then took the cloak back without a word, putting it on under the shawl and letting it wrap around her. As expected, it hung two inches above the floor, covering the murder drone’s entire body.

“Perfect!” Seraph said with a smile, giving V one last look over. “Now come on, we got shopping to do.” She turned and started for the door, prompting V to follow her out of the unit. Workers were moving down the halls as the two stepped out, and Seraph cast a quick glance at V to try and gauge her reaction. Much to her surprise, V merely watched them go before refocusing on her, her expression completely neutral. Deciding not to ask, she gave V a nod before starting down the hall, heading over to the bunker’s set up marketplace.

The market was decently busy when the two arrived, many drones buying their usual supplies or simple things for themselves. The sounds of various conversations at once filled V’s audio receptors, and she wound up wincing slightly from how much there was to process. It wasn’t until she felt a sudden hand on her shoulder that she refocused, looking over and seeing Seraph’s hand there.

“You good?” She asked quietly. V could see the concern clear in the explorer’s eyes, which only made her feel embarrassed.

“I’m fine.” She replied firmly, turning her gaze away. “Just do your stupid errands so we can get out of here.” There was a momentary pause before V felt Seraph’s hand leave her shoulder, seeing her walk past out of the side of her field of view. The murder drone followed as she moved over to a smaller booth, which she noticed was stocked with batteries, small cable packs, and other random electronic parts.

“Hi, Marvin!” Seraph greeted the shopkeeper with a wave, prompting him to glance at her. “Just looking to get my rations.” Marvin gave her a friendly smile, gesturing to the various items he had available. Seraph was quick to grab three packs of AAA batteries, some bottles of antifreeze, and after brief hesitation, snagged a small bag of burnt graphics cards.

“A little snack for later.” She told V with a lopsided smile, moving back over to Marvin to pay for the items. V watched silently as she went through the process, her processors taking a moment to absorb the new information she had been given. She knew worker drones didn’t have to eat, and all of them were programmed to know the true functions of everything there. It was confusing to her, but she didn’t dwell on it for long as Seraph finished paying and started walking off, prompting her to follow.

The errands didn’t last long, with Seraph stopping in a few places for only a little while. V was surprised how little the worker drones cared about her, as she expected the disguise would just make her look more suspicious. But they just kept about their business, with only a few casting glances at her before continuing on.

“Wow.” V couldn’t help but speak as she and Seraph headed for the exit. “These guys really don’t pay attention, do they?”

“Yeah, they don’t care unless it’s an immediate threat.” Seraph replied, looking back over her shoulder at V. “It’s why I had you put on that-oof!” She cut off as she wound up bumping into someone, stepping back to give them some space. Both Seraph and V looked down to see a blonde drone with pink eyes giving them an annoyed glare, an iPhone held in her left hand.

“Jeez, watch where you’re- oh, you.” Her tone turned flat as she recognized Seraph. The explorer drone’s expression briefly turned annoyed, but she caught herself and switched to a calmer demeanour.

“Sorry about that, Lizzy.” She said. “Wasn’t watching where I was going.” Lizzy merely rolled her eyes, but she wound up noticing V and focused on her.

“Uh, why do you have a murder drone with you?” She asked. Seraph’s expression instantly switched to panic, while V raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“Well, at least there’s one worker who’s not completely oblivious.” She commented, cracking a smile. Seraph looked over at her, her panic now mixing with confusion, while Lizzy folded her arms.

“Honestly, I noticed that drab outfit first.” She said. “Did she let you in or something?” She pointed at Seraph, whose panic faded a bit as she looked back at Lizzy.

“No, I didn’t.” She replied, a bit of a sterner edge to her voice. “And Lizzy, can you please keep this a secret so the bunker doesn’t go into mass panic?” Lizzy gave her a look, her eyes holding a small glint of malice.

“Hm, I don’t know.” She said calmly. “What’s my grade in your class again?” Seraph’s expression immediately turned angry, but she took a breath and steadied herself somewhat.

“80.” She replied.

“90.” Lizzy countered.

“85.”

“87.”

“Deal.”

“Perfect.” Lizzy gave Seraph a smug smirk, and the explorer drone’s eye glitched slightly in annoyance. She was surprised, however, when she looked over at V and saw an amused expression on her face.

“Did you seriously just let a teenager blackmail you?” She asked. Seraph’s expression turned hurt, opening her mouth to speak when Lizzy cut in.

“She’s only like… three years older than most of us.” She told V. “I’m surprised she was even hired as a teacher.” V raised an eyebrow, having been unaware of the little age difference between Seraph and her students.

“Seriously?” She blurted. “The way you talked about them made it sound like you were teaching dronelings.” An embarrassed blush lit up on Seraph’s visor.

“Okay, I-… what I meant, I-I didn’t say they-…” she tripped over her words, and both Lizzy and V exchanged looks. That action alone made Seraph clam up, and she turned her gaze away.

“Anyways,” Lizzy spoke up, “you’re surprisingly cool for a murderer. Wanna hang sometime?” V’s expression turned to surprise at the teen’s statement, but she smiled.

“Sure, why not?” She replied. “Could be fun.” At that point, Seraph had more than enough, reaching under V’s cloak and snagging her wrist.

“O-kay!” She blurted, cutting into the conversation. “Well, it was nice seeing you Lizzy, but V and I still have things to do, so we’re going. I’ll see you in class.” She didn’t give Lizzy any time to respond as she briskly walked off, pulling V along behind her. V looked at the explorer drone with a mix of annoyance and confusion, not understanding her reaction.

“Uh, what was all that?” She asked. Seraph let out a hard sigh.

“I just… I don’t want to talk about it.” She told her. V only grew more confused, as well as annoyed.

“Alright, fine.” She replied uncaringly. “Be that way.” Her tone made Seraph tense even more, her grip on V tightening for a moment before they reached her unit and went inside. Seraph quickly dragged the murder drone back into her room before letting her go, marching up to her bed and snagging V’s jacket.

“Here.” She said, tossing it at V. “When the sun goes down, you leave. Until then, you stay in this unit.” The harshness of her tone caught V by surprise, but Seraph didn’t give her time to respond as she moved to her desk and sat down. The murder drone watched as she grabbed some of her tools before unclipping the choker from around her neck, setting it down and fiddling with it.

The silence hung heavy in the room, and V wound up sitting down on Seraph’s bed. She took off the cloak and shawl, silently putting her usual jacket back on and zipping it up. She glanced back at the explorer to see her still fidgeting with her choker, keeping her focus solely on it with a frustrated expression. V had no idea what pissed her off so badly, especially since the two had jokingly insulted each other many times before.

Deciding not to bother and figuring Seraph would calm down eventually, the murder drone took to lying on the bed to wait until sundown. The silence made the hours long, and at a few points Seraph contemplated just apologizing, but she held firm until she heard her vent grate open again. She looked up just in time to see V’s tail disappear into the vent system, and after hearing her movements fade away, she let out a long sigh.

“I should’ve told her.” She thought, regret flooding her processors. After cleaning up the wiring on her choker and clipping it back on, she moved over to her bed and settled in to shut down for the night.

She’d see her tomorrow, she could talk to her then.

——————

Unfortunately, tomorrow and the next few days became work hell for Seraph.

Major projects had been turned in, and the explorer drone had to spend several hours on each one making sure they received the proper grade. It took all her energy to get through them, leaving her with none to sneak out and see her best friend. This only made her more frustrated, but after five days, she finally got through it and was able to return to the spire.

A mix of excitement and nervousness swirled in her processors as the spire came into view, and she started to wonder how V would react to her return. The murder drone hadn’t tried sneaking into the bunker again, leading Seraph to wonder if she was still mad at her. The idea made her consider turning back, but she shook her head and refocused, landing quietly on the pod and knocking on the hatch.

“V..?” She spoke hesitantly. The silence that followed only lasted a few seconds, but it made Seraph’s processors almost overload with panic.

“Yeah, I’m here.” V replied at last. Seraph let out a breath- one she hadn’t realized she’d been holding- and quickly opened the hatch to climb into the pod.

“I am so sorry I couldn’t come earlier.” The explorer apologized immediately. “I got swamped with grading assignments, and it’d leave me drained by the end of the night, so… yeah, I’m- I’m sorry.” She looked up at V after speaking, and was caught off-guard to see a somewhat bored expression on her face.

“It’s whatever.” She replied nonchalantly. “I just hung out with Lizzy instead.”

Seraph froze, feeling like she’d just been boot-looped. Every program in her body struggled to come up with a response, and it showed on her face as V quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

“What?” She said. Seraph quickly snapped out of it.

“Lizzy? Seriously?” Her tone held complete disbelief, and V started growing annoyed.

“Uh, yeah?” She replied, folding her arms. “Why do you care?”

“Wh-” Seraph could practically feel her processors spark, “-do you not remember her blackmailing me? Right in front of you?”

“And?” V retorted, not seeing the problem.

“She humiliated me, V!” Seraph finally snapped, shouting. “And you didn’t see a problem with it! I gave in to protect you and all you did was make fun of me more!” The outburst caught V by surprise, her processors finally putting together why she had been so upset the last time they’d hung out.

A sudden rush of guilt flooded V’s systems, but she tried her best to stamp it down. She let out a small sigh, looking up at Seraph.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” She asked. Seraph hesitated, her anger fading slightly as she glanced away.

“I figured you’d just make fun of me again.” She admitted, sitting down in the empty chair next to V. The expression on her face made the murder drone’s guilt double, and it was getting harder for her to keep it from showing.

“I…” she tried to think of something to say, to help Seraph feel better, but no words formed. The explorer drone could see the guilt creeping into V’s expression, her anger lessening further.

“Forget about it.” She said with a sigh. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does.” V blurted, surprising both drones. Seraph looked at her with wide eyes, and V once again struggled to speak.

“Look, I’m… friendships aren’t… usually my thing.” She said at last. “I never got them. Or feelings.” Seraph nodded slowly, feeling things start to click in her processors with the new information. She didn’t reply immediately, feeling a mix of sympathy and frustration, and eventually relented with a long sigh.

“I guess we both have things to learn.” She spoke. “I’m still not happy, but it explains things.” V’s guilt didn’t waver much, but she managed to collect herself enough to regain a neutral expression.

“So what now?” She asked. Seraph blinked.

“Well, I can’t really stop you if you want to keep hanging out with Lizzy.” She replied. “You know my feelings now, what you choose to do next is up to you.” V remained still, but Seraph could practically see her processors running rampant with thoughts.

“How many times did you see her?” The question drew V from her trance, looking up to meet the explorer drone’s eyes. She paused, flipping through her memory banks as she counted each time she went to see the blonde worker drone.

“Eh… three or four times.” She admitted. Seraph let out a small chuff.

“I’m surprised N didn’t catch you.” She told her. “Has he caught on at all?”

“Not as far as I know.” V replied. “He’s been keeping his distance though, so I haven’t seen him much.” Seraph nodded, a frown stretching across her face.

“Yeah, Uzi’s been really gloomy, too.” She admitted. “Though, at this point it could be either from not seeing N or that prom’s coming up.” V perked up slightly, surprised by Seraph’s statement.

“Prom?” She echoed. Seraph blinked, looking confused.

“Has Lizzy not told you?” She asked. “It’s all she talks about in class.” V’s expression made it clear she had no idea what Seraph was talking about, prompting her to explain further.

“The school’s hosting a prom to celebrate the end of the school year.” She said. “They figure it’d give the students a chance to have fun, but from my research, prom just causes unnecessary stress and hurt if you’re not a popular kid.” There was a scowl on her face now, and V couldn’t help but wonder if the explorer was speaking from experience.

“Well, at least you don’t have to deal with it, right?” She said, managing a small grin. Seraph chuckled awkwardly, causing the murder drone’s grin to drop.

“Actually,” Seraph started, “I’ve been assigned the role of chaperone at the dance.” V’s eyes widened with surprise, the smallest flash of concern crossing her expression.

“They’re making you go?” She checked. Seraph let out a sigh.

“Yep.” She replied. “On the upside, I get to wear a nice outfit. Chose one a few nights ago.” She pulled out her tablet and searched for a moment, tapping the screen a few times before handing it to V. The murder drone took it with curiosity, and as she turned it to look, she was met with a sight that made her jaw almost drop.

The main piece consisted of a midnight purple low-backed dress, which was held up by a collar that went around Seraph’s neck. It went to about knee-length in the front, but trailed longer in the back with vibrant blue and green feathers that complimented the purple. A diamond cut on the chest showed the worker symbol over her core, but alongside the dress, Seraph wore black pants, heeled boots, a bow tie, and a small top hat. It was like a mix of a dress and a suit, and it somehow worked perfectly.

A blush spread across V’s visor before she could stop it. Seeing her in that outfit, a soft smile on her face, made her realize just how beautiful Seraph was.

“What do you think?” Seraph’s question snapped the murder drone back to reality, but she still couldn’t take her eyes off of the photo.

“Er… i-it’s nice.” She managed at last, handing the tablet back. Seraph smiled at her response, and V felt a small flutter in her systems at the sight. The blush still remained on her visor, and she forced herself to turn her gaze away.

“Glad to hear it- I was honestly worried it might’ve been too much.” Seraph said, a small chuckle following her words. “Well, I got the invite, got the outfit, now all I need is a date.” V immediately looked back at her, eyes wide and her blush growing slightly. Her processors started racing, but before she could even form a coherent thought, Seraph laughed.

“Heh, nah.” The explorer sat back in her chair. “I haven’t gotten that close with anyone in the bunker, and I can’t bring you because N would for sure notice you’re missing then.” V’s processors calmed at the statement, but in its’ place, she felt a small wave of disappointment. It was soon met with confusion, but she didn’t get a chance to think as there was a sudden knock on the pod hatch.

“V?” N’s voice called down, and both drones froze in place. They glanced at each other warily, silently sharing a nod before V called back.

“What?” She asked, managing a neutral tone.

“Just… wanted to let you know I’m heading out.” N replied, a nervous tone in his voice. Seraph felt a pang of sympathy, but she kept absolutely silent.

“Okay.” V spoke up instead, trying to sound uninterested. There was a long pause before the sound of wings indicated N’s departure, and Seraph let out a small sigh of relief.

“That was too close.” She said. “I didn’t even think to check for him when I showed up.” V looked back at the explorer drone, watching silently as she got to her feet.

“Since I know he’s not here anymore, it’s probably best I head out now.” She continued, turning for the ladder. “It was nice to see you again, though.”

“Y-Yeah.” V managed to reply, suddenly finding herself short on words. “…You’ll come back, right?” Seraph paused mid step, her gaze turning back to the murder drone.

“Of course.” She told her, smiling softly. “I might’ve been upset, but that doesn’t mean I’m just gonna stop being your friend. You mean a lot to me, V.” The words sent another flutter through V’s systems, and a blush once again flickered onto her visor. She quickly tried to force it back down, but it remained persistent, leading the murder drone to ultimately turn her gaze away.

“I… yeah, same to you.” She replied quickly. Seraph’s smile widened, and acting on impulse, she moved forward and wrapped her arms around V in a hug.

Time froze momentarily for the murder drone, and it wasn’t until Seraph was back at the ladder that her processors caught up again.

“I’ll be back tomorrow, okay?” She said reassuringly. “And I’ll make sure N’s not here next time.” V merely nodded, still somewhat awestruck as Seraph gave her one last wave and disappeared up the ladder. The sound of wings followed, fading away as the explorer drone flew off, leaving V alone with her thoughts. Many different thoughts tried to run through her processors, but she didn’t acknowledge a single one, as all she could focus on was the lingering feeling from Seraph’s hug.

She didn’t understand what had caused the sudden change. She had barely tolerated Seraph at first, and now she found herself flustered just by seeing her smile. The fact she had also found her beautiful in her prom outfit, and was disappointed she couldn’t attend prom with her… none of it made sense to the murder drone. It only frustrated her further the more she thought about it, searching her memory files for some kind of idea what was going on. She hadn’t felt like this about a drone before, or at the very least since…

…since N at the manor.

V’s eyes hollowed as she made the connection, hand moving up to grip the chain still attached to her neck. She didn’t want to believe it, wanted it to be a mistake, but the evidence was clear; she had a crush on Seraph.

The next day arrived a lot faster than expected, and much faster than Uzi wanted it to. Her systems slowly powered up after a guilt-ridden sleep mode, her charge nowhere near as full as it was supposed to be. The realization caused her to let out a long groan, rolling over in her bed and contemplating just powering off again.

“Uzi!”

The small worker drone shut her eyes as she heard her dad’s voice, which was followed by her bedroom door sliding open. She immediately tried to hold still, hoping he would think she was still in sleep mode and leave her alone to rest. Unfortunately for her, Khan wasn’t having it, taking a few steps into her room.

“Come on.” He told her, looking up at her bed. “You’ll be late for school if you don’t get up soon.” Uzi remained still as she felt a twinge of anger, but with her low energy, she couldn’t bring herself to snap back.

“I don’t want to go.” She halfheartedly grumbled instead. Khan’s expression softened at her tone, but he didn’t give in.

“I know what happened was… unsettling, but you’ve already missed enough school as is.” He said. “Plus, I got word from your teacher that something important is happening today, so you shouldn’t miss it!” Uzi opened her eyes again as he said this, mulling the idea over in her processors. Her school never really did important events, besides prom, making her gain a small spark of curiosity. Despite her low energy, she let out a groan and slowly sat up, pushing her hair out of her visor.

“Fine, I’m up.” She replied. “Now get out of my room.” Khan said nothing as he turned and left, leaving Uzi alone in her room again. The teen sat still for a moment longer, her processors still running with ideas before she finally sighed and climbed out of her bed. She hopped off the edge and started for the door, only to stop as she passed by her mirror and noticed her reflection. Her beanie had managed to become lopsided, earning an annoyed sigh from the teen as she turned and readjusted it.

“How’d the stupid thing even-?”

Bip-CRACK!

Uzi’s thought process was stopped short as the mirror broke, fragmenting her reflection and causing small shards of glass to fall to the floor. An expression of panic flashed across her visor, staring at her face cracked between the mirror pieces and noticing her right eye had switched to the AbsoluteSolver symbol.

“Shoot-!” Uzi hissed under her breath, quickly covering her eye. Her gaze shot over to her bedroom door, waiting to see if her dad would walk back in, but the incident seemed to have gone unheard. She let out a small sigh and turned back to her mirror, focusing on a larger piece as she uncovered her eye to see it had reverted to normal. A frown tugged at her lips as she let her hand fall back to her side, staring at her reflection for a moment longer before turning away. She knew she’d have to fix the mirror at some point to keep her dad from finding out, but she didn’t have enough energy to care at that moment and simply walked out of her room to get ready for school.

——————

An hour later, Uzi found herself trudging through the school halls, backpack slung over her shoulder as she made her way to her locker. She picked up on the idle chitchat of other students around her, but none of it processed as she merely kept her head down and kept moving. She had memorized the route to get to her locker at that point, so she was able to just set her body to walk the path and soon reached the small metal cubby. It annoyed her that her locker was the one on top, making her have to stand on her own schoolbooks if she wanted to access it properly.

“Stupid height defect.” She thought bitterly, putting in the access code and opening her locker. She tossed in the stuff she didn’t need, hanging her backpack up as well before shutting the door and stepping off of her other books. Small flecks of snow and rubble remained from her boots, but Uzi merely brushed them off as she picked up the books and tucked them under her arm. At this point, most of the other students had cleared the hallway, all heading to their respective classes, prompting her to head down the hall to her home room.

In the silence, her processors replayed her dad’s words, making her once again start to wonder what this ‘important thing’ was. She wound up turning her gaze to the walls, scanning over the papers and posters to see if any of them would give her a hint of what was going on. Unfortunately, there was nothing new she could see, leaving her completely in the dark on the event. It didn’t stop her from speculating, however, and she let her body once again follow the memorized path before she arrived at her home room class.

The door slid aside as Uzi walked in, but none of her classmates seemed to care. Only two or three even spared a glance, simply checking who it was before returning to their own conversations. Uzi didn’t care, being used to the lack of attention, plopping down in her seat and setting her books on her desk while her processors kept generating ideas.

“Alright, students.”

Her teacher’s deadpan voice caught Uzi’s attention, drawing her gaze as the door slid open and he stepped through. The other students fell silent shortly after, turning their focuses up to the orange-eyed worker drone. He moved to the front of the room with his usual bored expression, a clipboard in one hand with some papers held on it.

“We’ll be continuing work on your group projects today, but before that, I’m required to give you an announcement.” He spoke in a tired tone. “The school board managed to find a replacement art teacher, so for the rest of the year, art classes will be resuming.” Uzi perked up a bit at the news, but her classmates had varied reactions. Some murmured surprise and excitement, while others openly and loudly complained.

“Are you kidding me?” One groaned.

“Come on, I liked having a free period!” Another, who Uzi recognized as Darren, cried. The teacher’s expression gained an edge of annoyance.

“Settle down.” He told them. “The decision’s final, so no complaining. Anyways, as I said, it’s group project work, so get in your groups and get on that.” As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and went back to his desk, sitting down and pulling out some other paperwork. The students quickly took the hint and moved to gather in their groups, though most just started to chat idly instead of doing their work. Uzi remained seated at her desk, not able to focus until she heard footsteps approach and stop next to her. She flicked her gaze up and was met with Emily, one of the members of her group, standing there with her usual timid expression.

“Hey, uh… Uzi.” She spoke, her voice quiet. Uzi said nothing in reply, keeping a tired but neutral expression on her face. Emily still found it intimidating though, taking a small step back and holding her books closer to her chest.

“I-I… wanted to ask about notes.” She managed. Uzi still didn’t reply, but she opened one of her books and pulled out some papers that had been stored in the pages. She handed them off to her without a word, and Emily quickly took them before retreating to her own desk. Uzi watched her go for a moment, her gaze then wandering to the other member of her group seated near the back. Sam was once again fiddling with a magnet, and the fuzz on his visor made it clear he was already destabilized. The purple-haired teen rolled her eyes and turned her gaze back to her desk, pulling out some blank paper and her sketching pencil.

Her audio receptors switched to muffle as she started to draw, soon winding up with another page full of murder drone X’s and AbsoluteSolver symbols. Her concern grew as she scanned over the sketches, but she kept herself from dwelling on them as she grabbed another blank page and started drawing again. By the time the bell rang to signal class had finished, Uzi found herself with four new pages full of Solver symbols and sketches of murder drones. A frown tugged at her lips before she sighed and pressed the pages between her schoolbooks, once again tucking them under her arm as she trudged out of the room.

——————

As the day went on, Uzi found herself unable to really focus. Her audio receptors stayed on muffle, though this wound up being much more problematic when gym class rolled around. She was snapped to an auditory reset when a basketball smacked her upside the head, the coach blowing his whistle as a result.

“Uzi! Get your head in the game, or get your body off the court!” He scolded. Uzi rubbed at the spot where the ball had hit her, casting a half-hearted glare at her teacher before moving off the court. She ignored the stares of her classmates as she sat down on the bleachers off to the side, resting her elbow on her knee and her chin in her palm.

She never liked gym class. It was known that worker drones were built to be equal in physicality, so it felt pointless to her to try and compete. Though, in the school’s defence, being alone on Copper-9 had allowed their presets to vary a bit more, but most settings stayed more-or-less the same. The main exception she’d seen was Thad, who had wound up manufactured with increased speed and strength, making him a lot better suited for athletics. Whenever she thought about it, she couldn’t decide whether she was happy for him or jealous that his defects helped his performance when hers just caused her trouble. She decided to not think about it any further, instead looking over to see the coach not paying attention to her. Using the opportunity, Uzi slipped off the bleachers and headed for the door, carefully pushing it open and sneaking out of the gym.

The hallways were quiet as the teen walked, though since all the other drones were in class, it made sense. This wasn’t the first time she’d left gym early, as she liked having the chance to get a break from the noisy chatter and judging eyes. Her feet automatically took her to her usual hiding spot, opening the door to the empty classroom and letting out a relieved sigh as she stepped in.

“Oh, hey there!”

Uzi snapped up at the sudden voice, her eyes hollow in panic as she looked into the room. Standing by the desk was a tall drone with short brown hair, light violet eyes, and white-rimmed glasses. Uzi took a moment to process her before her memories kicked in, quickly realizing she had seen this drone before.

“You?!” She blurted, still in a mild state of shock. The other drone tilted her head in confusion, scanning Uzi over before she gained a look of realization.

“Oh yeah, I remember you!” She said, smiling. “Uzi, right? I know we only talked a bit.” Uzi remained silent for a moment, her processors still trying to catch up. The new drone- Seraph, her memory reminded her- was in her bunker, in her school, in the empty art class. Her eyes glanced over to the desk, and seeing various papers and art supplies scattered across it, she finally put the whole picture together.

“Wait, you’re the new art teacher?” She managed at last. “I thought you were dead!” Seraph’s expression changed, looking mildly offended, but still holding a smile.

“Hey, give me a bit more credit than that.” She replied. “I survived months on my own before I ran into you guys.” Uzi’s shock quickly turned to skepticism.

“N left you with V.” She deadpanned, folding her arms. “There’s no way she didn’t try to kill you.” Seraph’s gaze softened.

“Oh yeah, no, she did.” She admitted, rather nonchalantly. “I ended up stabbing her in self-defence, and then she decided not to kill me after that. Said I was interesting, or something.” Uzi raised an eyebrow, her expression now showing clear confusion. Seraph wasn’t surprised by her reaction, giving her a small shrug.

“Yeah, I couldn’t understand it either, but hey, I’m not complaining.” She said. “I’ll take her being weird over me being dead.” Uzi thought over her words, ultimately saying nothing in response as Seraph did have a point. The taller drone smiled a bit more before her eyes turned up to the clock on the wall, noticing the time and growing confused.

“Wait, there’s still twenty minutes before third period’s over.” She stated, looking back at Uzi. “Shouldn’t you be in another class right now?” The teen’s eyes widened before her expression turned angry, her folded arms tightening around her body defensively.

“Bite me.” She snapped. “It’s just gym class.” Seraph gained a look of understanding, a small smile reappearing on her face as she nodded.

“Ah, yeah, I get that.” She replied. “Well, find a seat then, if you want to hang around. I’m still setting stuff up.” Uzi’s earlier defensiveness vanished, completely caught off-guard by Seraph’s response. The brunette didn’t say anything further, instead turning back to her desk to sort out the various supplies. Uzi watched for a moment before she started to walk past, her eyes remaining on Seraph and making her miss the pencil that was on the floor. She only noticed it as she stepped on it and her foot rolled, throwing her balance and making her fall backwards.

“Whoa-!”

Whump!

Uzi blinked as she felt something catch her, looking over to see that Seraph still standing where she was. Only now she had leaned a bit closer, and a large metal wing had unfurled from her back, which was currently supporting the purple-haired teen.

“You okay?” Seraph asked. Uzi stared at her with wide eyes, quickly standing back up and facing her fully.

“You have wings?!” She exclaimed. Seraph blinked.

“Oh, yeah.” She replied, bending and flexing the wing like a second arm. “I built them myself; they’re the main reason I survived outside a bunker for so long.” Uzi couldn’t take her eyes off the wing, watching it move with a look of complete shock.

“How the hell did you get them to work?” She asked, almost muttering. Seraph’s expression turned a mix of panicked and sheepish, her gaze turning away.

“Well, that’s, uh… complicated.” She replied. “Point is I have them now, and they’re not going anywhere.” She retracted the wing completely as she finished her sentence, and Uzi took notice of a metal pack that Seraph seemed to have attached to her. The upper half was hidden under the shawl she was wearing, but deciding not to ask about it further, Uzi simply nodded and moved to go sit down. She headed over to the desk she usually sat at, setting her books down as she leaned back in the seat. She wound up glancing over at Seraph again, seeing her casually sorting items while softly humming to herself. The teen couldn’t figure out what to make of her, but she wasn’t able to think about it long as her hands started twitching and her processors buzzed. An irritated look flashed across her face as she sat forward, pulling out a piece of blank paper and once again starting to draw.

Time flew by as Uzi got lost in her scribbling, finishing up a second page just before the classroom door slid open. Both Uzi and Seraph looked up as other students started to file in, some looking curious while others looked annoyed. Seraph kept a smile regardless, giving them a small wave as she scanned each one and checked off the attendance list on her internal screen.

“Hey! Welcome!” She said in a friendly tone. “Take a seat anywhere you like.” A few students looked over at her, some seeming confused, but did as she said and sat down. Many students sat with their friends, but Uzi quickly noticed that they all chose seats far away from her. Seraph took notice of this as well, her smile faltering for a moment before she recovered and welcomed the last of the students. Soon enough all the desks were full, the bell ringing not long after and indicating the new period.

“Okay!” Seraph started, standing in front of the class. “Welcome, or welcome back, to art class! My name’s Seraph, and I’ll be your teacher for the semester.” The students looked at her with bored or blank expressions, not giving her any major response to work with. Despite this, Seraph kept her energy up, moving over to her desk where she had set the supplies.

“Since I haven’t met any of you before,” she continued, “I figured it’d be best to have the first assignment help me figure out where you all stand artistically. So, you’ll all be getting some blank paper and I want you to draw whatever you’re able to.” A few students perked up at her statement, though Uzi’s expression flashed briefly with worry. Seraph took notice, but kept from drawing attention to it, instead picking up a stack of papers and moving through the desks.

“I’m going to assume you all have pencils of some sort, but if you need or want anything, I have supplies up at my desk you can come and borrow.” She told them, placing a piece of paper on each desk as she passed. “If you also have any questions, feel free to ask.”

“Uh, I have a question.” A student said, and Seraph looked over to see a green-eyed drone with sunglasses on. “Why do we need to take this stupid class? Seems kinda pointless.” A few students murmured or snickered at his question, but Seraph hardly blinked.

“The doors that protect this bunker, and your lives, were manufactured because of blueprints.” She replied matter-of-factly. “Good blueprints require good art skills, and good art skills take time to develop. They’re not something even the most advanced AI can just download, which is why we have this class.” The students wound up falling silent at her response, and with that, Seraph continued passing out the papers until she reached Uzi’s desk. The purple-haired teen still had a slightly nervous expression on her face, causing Seraph to gain a small frown before continuing to give the last papers out.

“Alright, everyone should have their papers, so go ahead and start.” She said. Most students began sketching or brainstorming as instructed, while Uzi hesitated and merely stared at the paper. A few seconds passed before she felt a light tap on her shoulder, looking up and seeing Seraph standing next to her again.

“Hey, mind if I talk to you in the hall for a minute?” She asked, keeping her voice down. Uzi blinked in surprise, looking a bit confused before nodding slowly. Seraph stepped back as the teen got up from her desk, the movement prompting a few of the other students to look up. Uzi noticed Lizzy and her clique whispering as they watched her, and a scowl crossed her face in response. Seraph quickly noticed Uzi’s expression and looked over, seeing the girls and hardening her gaze.

“Hey, focus on your own work.” She told them. “This doesn’t concern you.” The statement caught a few students by surprise, but no one gave any response as Seraph refocused on Uzi and gestured for her to follow. The purple-haired teen did as instructed, following after Seraph as she out of the class and into the hallway. There were no other drones walking about, much to Uzi’s relief, but she quickly grew nervous again as she saw Seraph’s eyes on her.

“Did I… do something wrong?” She asked, somewhat confused. Seraph shook her head, folding her hands in front of her.

“No no, nothing like that.” She replied. “I actually wanted to check up on you; I should’ve done it earlier before the other students showed up, but I didn’t think about it until now.” Uzi’s expression quickly turned to confusion, the response catching her completely off-guard.

“Why did you want to check up on me?” She questioned, an uneasy tone in her voice. Seraph’s brow furrowed, her eyes showing concern.

“Well, you know how I was stuck with V yesterday while you and N were here in the bunker?” She asked. Uzi nodded slowly, unsure where she was going with her statement and tensing up slightly.

“Yeah, after V and I sorted things out, we went back to chill in the crashed pod.” Seraph continued to explain. “N got back a little while later, and… well, he seemed really upset. Then you showed up and seem pretty rattled by something, so I figured I’d just… make sure you were okay.” Uzi’s eyes widened, her processors automatically replaying the memories from the fight with the eldritch snake-crab version of J. They wound up focusing on N’s worried face, causing more feelings of guilt to rise in her systems before her expression turned angry.

“Ugh, I’m fine!” She snapped, glaring up at the taller drone. “You hardly know me, don’t act like you actually care.” Seraph took a step back, her eyes briefly hollowing in shock from Uzi’s outburst. She hesitated on a reply, her gaze shifting as she tried to find the words.

“I’m not acting, Uzi.” She told her, trying to keep her voice calm. “Believe it or not, I am actually worried-”

“Bite me!” Uzi cut her off, not wanting to hear any more. “I told you, I’m fine! So stop asking!” Seraph once again struggled for words, eventually relenting with a small sigh.

“Alright, I won’t push.” She said at last. “But… I’ll be here if you change your mind.” Uzi still held her angry glare, but felt a slight twinge in the back of her processors at Seraph’s tone. Neither said anything further, ultimately causing Seraph to turn around and head back for the classroom door. She stopped just outside and looked back over at Uzi, who then got the hint and followed the taller drone back into class.

The door slid aside as the two headed in, both remaining quiet as they each walked to their respective desks and sat down. Seraph wound up sparing one more glance at Uzi, who was staring down at her blank paper before sighing and grabbing her pencil. A frown tugged at Seraph’s lips, but she turned her gaze away and grabbed her tablet, picking up her pen to get some of her own work done.

——————

After class had ended, Seraph was left with a pile of drawings and a few returned pencils and erasers. She had been quick to clean up and start back to her unit, the school hallways quiet as most of the students had already left. There were a few stragglers, but Seraph merely tuned out anything they said, her processors running rapidly as she got lost in her own thoughts.

She felt her charge starting to drop as she finally got back to her unit, letting out a sigh and setting the students’ assignments on the dining table. She knew she needed something to eat, so she turned to the kitchen and started going through the cabinets for anything she could munch on to help her charge levels. She perked up when she came across a pack of AAA’s, pulling them out and checking their warranty before popping them open. She picked one up and tossed it in her mouth, letting out a small hum of contentment as she quickly chewed and swallowed it.

“Mm, I forgot how good these taste.” She muttered, taking the package and going back to the papers. She sat down at the table and pulled out her tablet, opening a blank page to take notes on the students’ work. Most of them were decent and showed promise, and she jotted down anything she considered useful for setting up further lessons.

“Rebecca; strong composition but needs work on perspective. Braiden; anatomy is very well done, needs to do more backgrounds. Darren-… need to talk with him about inappropriate drawings.” Seraph wrote diligently as she went through one piece after another, only to stop as she noticed one in particular. It was a very well-done drawing, clearly thought out and given proper attention, but what really made the brunette nervous was that it was of V. She hesitated, wondering if it was Uzi’s work, but as she turned the page over and checked the name, she saw it was written in Russian.

“Doll drew this..?” She murmured, completely taken aback. She had taken note of Doll during the class, but she had been very quiet and reserved the entire time. It had struck Seraph as odd, since she had been seated with Lizzy and the other chatty girls, but she decided it hadn’t been her place to pry and left them alone. Now as she stared at the rather scary depiction of V in front of her, complete with dismembered worker drones, she started to think it might be worth it to check up on her.

She quickly scribbled down her notes before moving on to the next piece, which the brunette could immediately tell belonged to Uzi. It was of N, she got that quickly, but it was more hasty and had small sketches of a strange symbol in the corners. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it sparked a feeling of worry in her processors that she made note of.

“See about talking to Uzi further.” She wrote. She already knew the teen would just snap at her again, but with everything Seraph was seeing from her, she couldn’t help but feel concerned. She picked up and munched on another battery to try and calm her nerves, making a few more notes on Uzi’s artwork before continuing. About an hour later, she had finished both her grading and the pack of AAA’s, leaving her with a bit more energy but a lot more boredom. She leaned back in her chair as she contemplated what she could do, shuffling through her internal files before stumbling across a memory of V.

Seraph paused as she replayed the memory of their time in the pod, feeling a small warmth spread through her systems. Even though V had tried to kill her earlier that day, she couldn’t help but feel they had actually been connecting for a little while. She went through her memory banks and pulled up the last time she had seen V, noticing how her annoyed expression had softened slightly when she left. A frown tugged at her lips at the sight, an impulsive idea flashing through her processors and making her check her internal clock. The time told her that the sun was already setting outside, meaning it would soon be night and N and V would be free from the spire. The impulsive idea soon took over her systems, and before her rational programs could truly stop it, the brunette let out a sigh and headed out of her unit.

The hallways were empty as Seraph worked to navigate them, getting lost a few times as she tried to find the main doors. The map she had initially been given only showed the school and housing units, so she had to go through the rest of the bunker basically blind. She wound up wandering for a good ten minutes before finding a large warehouse area, freezing for a moment as she saw oil stains and clear signs of a fight scattered about.

“The hell happened here..?” She muttered, cautiously stepping into the space. She kept her guard up as she scanned the area, her gaze soon turning upward and noticing a large broken hole in the ceiling. She promptly unfurled her wings and flew closer to get a better look, examining the glass and metal fragments that had been smashed through. The sight was both intriguing and concerning, and Seraph wound up popping her head through to see the hole led straight to the outside world. The sun had already set at that point, but the brunette hardly noticed as she got an idea, a smile crossing her face before she pulled out her tools to get to work.

——————

Thirty minutes later, Seraph wiped the sweat off her visor and stored the last tool back in her pack. It had been tricky building while in flight, but she had managed to make it work as well as not get caught by any passing drones. She did a few last checks before smiling proudly, swooping back down to look at it from a distance.

“Huh. Can’t even tell where I put it.” She said, tilting her head before flying back up. She felt along the ceiling until she found the handle, giving it a small tug before pushing up and opening the hatch. It swung open with ease, allowing the brunette to climb right out and back into the open world. She was sure to carefully close the hatch as well, double-checking that it hadn’t locked before letting it go and standing up. The wind ruffled her hair and her shawl, and she couldn’t help but feel a comforting familiarity in the cold. She didn’t let herself get too nostalgic, however, instead turning her gaze to the city and taking off.

It didn’t take her long to find the spire by air, landing on a nearby building to scout the area first. She had luckily shown up at just the right time, as not a minute later she witnessed one disassembly drone fly out through one of the higher placed openings. Seraph was quick to pick up on the boot-like shape of his feet, which helped her know that it was N leaving and not V. A small spark of hope went off in her systems as she watched N fly away, waiting until he was far enough before gliding down into the spire. She landed softly on the snow, her audio receptors on high in case N suddenly doubled back, but she thankfully heard nothing and walked up to the pod. She launched herself onto it with one strong flap, landing neatly on top and gently knocking on the door. She heard no response for a solid few seconds, causing her to hesitate before finally deciding to speak.

“Uh, V? You in there?”

A sudden clatter reached her audio receptors, startling her slightly before the hatch door was violently thrown open. Seraph flinched back to avoid being hit, eyes wide as V popped her head out and stared at her in disbelief.

“Seraph?!” She blurted. “What are you doing back here?” Seraph took a moment to recollect herself, her processors getting up to speed before she gained a more sheepish look.

“Would you believe me if I said I was bored?” She tried. V’s expression quickly turned annoyed, causing Seraph to panic slightly.

“Okay, it’s not… entirely boredom.” She admitted. “Honestly, it’s mostly curiosity.” V merely raised an eyebrow, clearly waiting for a better explanation. Seraph wound up breaking eye contact, growing more nervous as she began to stammer over her words.

“Look, I-I know there was a lot that happened, and honestly I don’t think I’ve processed all of it, but… you’re the first murder drone who has actively chosen not to kill me.” She explained. “And, as crazy as it may sound, I don’t want to just stop seeing you because N said so. Once everything had settled, and you weren’t trying to eat me, I actually enjoyed our time together. You honestly seem… kinda cool.” After finishing her rant, Seraph finally managed to look back at V, trying to read the expression on her face. The annoyance was still there, however it had softened slightly, and the brunette quickly realized V was taking a moment to think.

“Well… you’re not completely insufferable.” She replied at last. “And N’s still been whiny, so I guess you can stick around.” Seraph perked up almost immediately at V’s words, a bright smile crossing her face. V quickly gave her a warning look, prompting the explorer drone to settle down a bit.

“Heh, thanks, V.” She said instead. “So, what do you want to do first?” V let out a small chuckle, climbing out of the pod and unfurling her wings.

“Go anywhere that isn’t here.” She replied. Seraph looked up at her, pausing for a moment as she took her in. The light from the planets shone down through one of the spire’s gaps and gently illuminated her body, glinting off of her bladed wings that stretched out behind her. The brunette felt a small flush of heat in her core systems at the sight, but she quickly shook it off and let her own wings unfurl.

It was a cold, harsh, and stormy winter night. Unfortunately for Copper-9, this was extremely common.

The light from the orbiting planets shone down on the ruined city, lighting up the snow and debris-covered streets below. Not far above the wreckage, a single drone flew at high speeds, weaving through the maze of broken buildings and abandoned towers. Her short brown hair was swept back by the wind, bright purple eyes scanning the area as she went. She moved quickly, not letting herself slow down as she rounded a building, turning onto a smaller street and scanning again. Her systems picked up nothing but debris, though the occasional drone corpse popped up, which wasn’t uncommon. She was used to seeing them, and it solidified in her processors that she was most likely alone.

“Ugh, I’m sweaty! Who programmed that?!”

The drone abruptly halted midair, turning her head in the direction the voice came from. Her systems picked up on the source nearby, her curiosity taking hold as she landed and moved closer to see what was happening. She kept her footsteps quiet, minimizing the crunch of the snow as she reached a building corner and peered around it.

As soon as she saw the bright yellow lights of a murder drone, she immediately hid again.

Her programs ran rapid-fire as she pressed herself against the wall, her breathing growing shallow in panic. This wasn’t her first murder drone encounter, but she soon heard more voices and realized it was most likely a squad of them. There was no way she could survive three on her own, so she made the quick decision to sneak away and pray to robo-god that the one she’d seen hadn’t noticed her. Taking a moment to refocus, the drone closed her eyes and took a breath before turning to head back the way she came.

Unfortunately, she took one step and bumped right into the very same murder drone she had just seen before.

She stumbled back as her eyes switched to panic, staring at the drone in front of her. He was staring right back, but instead of his visor showing the ‘X’ she had seen on other murder drones, he had the same oval-shaped eyes that worker drones did.

“Hey there!” He said cheerfully, giving her a friendly wave. “I haven’t seen you before. Are you lost or something?” The brown-haired drone remained frozen, staring at the murder drone before her as she tried to process what was happening.

“I- uh-…” she tried to speak, but her words failed her. No experience she had prepared her for something quite like this.

“N! Get back here!”

Both drones turned their heads at the voice, but the murder drone was the one to reply.

“Be right there!” He called. His gaze fell back to the drone in front of him, and without a word, he hooked his hands under her arms and took off. A startled cry escaped the violet-eyed drone, her feet kicking helplessly as she was flown around the corner to where the other drones awaited. She braced herself, preparing for more murder drones and her imminent disassembly, but her face quickly turned to confusion as she saw it was actually two worker drones. One had neon purple eyes and dark purple hair, while the other had neon green eyes and a tuft of blonde hair poking out from under a baseball cap. Both of them looked up as the two landed, giving the same looks of confusion the brunette was giving them.

“Uh, N?” The purple-eyed one spoke first. “Who the hell is that?”

“Oh, I found her hiding over there.” N replied in a chipper tone. “Say, what is your name?” He leaned over to look at her curiously, seeing an expression of pure bewilderment on her face.

“Uh…” she hesitated, glancing between the three drones around her, “…Seraph.”

“Ooh, cool name!” N said cheerfully. “I’m Serial Designation N, it’s nice to meet you!” Seraph looked at him with a confused expression, his friendly demeanour completely different from the murder drones she usually dealt with.

“O-kay.” She managed at last, her gaze turning to the worker drones. “And, uh… who are you two?”

“I’m Thad.” The green-eyed drone replied. “That’s Uzi.” He pointed a thumb at the purple-haired drone, who Seraph noticed was eyeing her suspiciously. She didn’t drop her gaze, though, instead looking over both worker drones for any signs of injuries. Her systems picked up nothing, which resulted in a mix of relief and confusion.

“Uh… hi.” She spoke. Uzi’s eyes narrowed further, her arms folding over her chest as she tilted her head.

“What’s a worker like you doing out here?” She asked curtly. Seraph’s expression changed, looking mildly offended.

“I could ask you the same thing.” She replied, matching Uzi’s energy. The two stared at each other in silence, which caused N and Thad to exchange confused and mildly worried looks. After a solid thirty seconds, Seraph finally relented, letting out a small sigh.

“…I’m looking for a new colony.” She admitted. “I heard some voices and came to check it out, then tried to run after I saw him.” She pointed a thumb at N, who froze for a moment before gaining a sheepish expression. Uzi’s suspicion lessened at her explanation, though, changing to a more bored look instead.

“There’s a bunker about a mile southwest of here.” She said simply. “It’s a giant metal door sticking out of the snow; can’t miss it.” Seraph nodded once, but before she could move, Thad spoke up.

“Actually, speaking of the bunker,” he said, turning to Uzi, “that’s the reason why I came out here to get you.” Uzi’s expression changed to confusion, and both N and Seraph also looked at him with interest.

“After the break-in,” Thad continued, “things seemed to settle down, but now some drones have been disappearing, and when I went to grab your gun, your murder friend’s corpse… i-it looked like it… crawled away.” The statement caused all three drones to gain looks of panic, with N glancing over his shoulder frantically. Seraph was quick to take a step back, shaking her head as she held her hands up.

“Yeah, no, I am not risking that.” She said. “You guys have fun, though, I’ll find another colony.” All eyes fell to her, but N was the one to speak up.

“Well, that might be tricky.” He told her. “Active bunkers are few and far between, from what I know. My squad only ever found this one in the whole city- uh, when we were actively hunting worker drones, that is.” Seraph turned her gaze to N, staring at him silently for a moment as she processed his words. Her programs were still actively being cautious of him, but she was overriding the ones telling her to run and merely nodded.

“Got it.” She said at last. “Well, either way, I’m not setting foot in that bunker if drones are disappearing. You guys can deal with it, I’ll wait out here with him.” She pointed at N as she took a seat on some debris, but much to her surprise, Uzi’s expression turned angry.

“N’s coming with us.” She snipped. Seraph’s visor changed to confusion, raising a virtual eyebrow.

“You’re really gonna bring a murder drone to a populated bunker?” She asked, a disbelieving tone in her voice. Uzi’s glare only hardened.

“Bite me.” She retorted. “He’s coming with us.” Seraph felt a twinge in her processors at Uzi’s tone, but relented and raised her hands up in a surrendering motion.

“Fine then.” She replied calmly. “You guys go ahead. If you don’t die and find out what’s taking the other drones, you can come back and let me know. I’ll just wait here by myself.” Uzi’s anger faded to mild annoyance at Seraph’s answer, while Thad gained a look of concern. N, however, seemed to be lost in thought before his expression changed and he stepped forward.

“Actually,” he said, drawing Seraph’s attention, “there is someone you can wait with!” Seraph once again quirked an eyebrow, but felt some curiosity and decided to follow along.

“And who is-WHOA!” Before she could finish her sentence, N suddenly scooped her up again, taking off and flying her over to a nearby spire. Seraph’s scans quickly picked up that it was made of worker drone corpses, but she hardly had time to process it as N flew them in through an opening and over to a crashed pod. He landed neatly on top and set Seraph down, who stood there in confusion as N knelt down and opened the pod’s hatch.

“Come on!” He said, signalling for Seraph to follow as he climbed in. Seraph tilted her head slightly, looking down at the battered pod beneath her feet. A bad feeling settled in her systems, but she decided against her usual programming and followed N, climbing down into the pod.

Halfway down, she noticed the second murder drone and froze completely.

Seraph felt her panic kick in as she stared, the new murder drone meeting her eyes coldly. It seemed like time itself slowed down as her programs raced through her head, trying to get her to do something, but failing to decide what. Despite the clear tension, however, N still remained cheerful, keeping a smile on his face.

“Seraph, this is V.” He introduced her. “Don’t worry, you’re safe here.” Seraph’s gaze flickered over to N before looking back at V, noticing the clear murderous gleam in her eyes. The sight alone sent a shiver through Seraph’s body, but she forced herself to climb down the rest of the ladder.

“Somehow, I’m not so sure about that.” She muttered. V narrowed her eyes slightly, but N didn’t seem to notice.

“Yeah, she can be a little mean,” he admitted, “but she can’t get you. We’ve got her secured, and since you’re a new friend, she’ll behave herself. Right?” He put light emphasis on the last word as he cast a glance at V, who silently glared back at N. Seraph blinked once before she looked V over, noticing a sturdy chain connected to a collar around her neck. A padlock was holding the collar shut, but as Seraph’s gaze wandered down the chain, she noticed something hidden under the chair V was seated in.

One of the links had been snapped.

Seraph gained a terrified expression as she noticed this, quickly looking back to where N was to see he had vanished. Instead, he was suddenly behind her, already halfway up the ladder out of the pod. The worker drone tried to follow, but N moved faster than she could react and was soon back up at the hatch.

“Well, I gotta go help Uzi, so you two have fun! Byee!” He said, waving as he left the pod. The hatch closed behind him with a solid ‘CLUNK,’ and was soon followed by metal wings flapping as he flew away. Seraph remained frozen for a minute before slowly turning around, looking at V with an expression of pure horror.

“…That chain’s not connected.” She said at last. V smirked, her eyes gaining a sadistic gleam.

“Nope.” She replied.

A solid ten seconds passed where neither of them moved.

Then, everything happened at once.

Seraph turned and leapt up as high as she could, grabbing onto the ladder and scrambling for the hatch. V rushed out of her chair after her, her visor changing to her signature ‘X’ as she readied her claws. Seraph looked back just as V lunged, managing to raise one boot and kick the murder drone square in the visor. The impact sent V back just long enough for Seraph to get the hatch open, forcing it aside as she hauled herself out of the pod.

V let out an angered growl as she pursued, leaping out of the open hatch as Seraph jumped away and hit the ground. The murder drone grinned and extended her claws, pushing off of the pod with full force, ready to slice the worker to pieces. She felt a psychotic glee as she saw Seraph’s panicked eyes, but there was a sudden flash of movement and V’s claws wound up sinking into the snow.

“What?!” She exclaimed, glancing around angrily for her target. The sound of flapping above her drew her attention, and she turned her gaze to see something she had never been prepared for.

Seraph was hovering ten feet above her with her own set of wings.

“What the hell?” V blurted, eyes reverting to their normal ovals. “Where did you get those?!”

“I built them!” Seraph shot back. The response only worsened V’s anger, her visor re-activating its ‘X’ as she unfurled her bladed wings. Seraph was quick to react as she turned and flew off, slipping through one of the spire’s openings and racing out into the city. V followed right after her, surprised by how fast the worker drone could fly, but refusing to give up the hunt.

The wind howled as Seraph swooped down the street, weaving through the wrecked buildings to try and shake V. Her wings caught the air as she made a tight turn, ducking under a hanging bar and racing away down a smaller alley. She made a few more evasive moves until she couldn’t hear V behind her, so without quite thinking, she glanced over her shoulder to check.

She got her answer as a bullet barely missed her head.

Seraph let out a shrill scream, tucking her wings and diving as a barrage of bullets shot past her. She swerved around another corner, her movements more frantic as she could hear V chasing her again. More bullets flew by as Seraph rapidly scanned the area, trying to find something when her systems locking on a loose piece of metal not too far down. With one strong flap, she propelled herself forward, snagging the metal and tearing it clean out. With the momentum she had, she swung herself around and released, launching the scrap straight back at V.

“Wha-?!” V blurted before rapidly switching to her sword, slicing the scrap clean in half. The pieces flew by her and fell back to the ground, but as she refocused, she realized she had lost sight of Seraph. She stopped midair as her eyes flickered back to ovals for a moment, but they soon returned to the iconic ‘X’ as her systems scanned the area for signs of the worker drone. Unfortunately, since Seraph had been flying, there were no footprints or major disturbances she could track, leaving her with nowhere to start.

“Grr, I’m not letting you get away that easily.” V growled, starting down the street again. She had yet to let a worker drone escape her, and she refused to let that change.

Meanwhile, Seraph remained tucked behind a building on a side street, hiding carefully behind the rubble. She listened as V took off in a different direction, waiting until she was completely out of range before even daring to move. She peered out and scanned the area around her, confirming V wasn’t nearby as she snuck out and started back the way she came. She kept low as she crept through the shadows of the buildings, keeping her steps light to minimize the noise. She managed to round the corner when a blur raced overhead, landing hard in the snow down the street and causing Seraph to freeze. V had doubled back, and picking up on the few footprints the worker drone left, was soon able to pinpoint her location.

“Found you.” V spoke, her voice dripping with a sadistic venom. Seraph didn’t bother to hide anymore and spread her wings, launching back into the air. She only got so far, however, as V quickly pulled her gun and fired, the bullet cutting the arm of Seraph’s left wing. A searing pain shot through the worker drone’s systems and she screamed, losing her balance and crashing back into the snow. She felt another wave of pain as she hit her back, barely managing to recover as V rushed for her. She quickly tried to push herself up, but was stopped as the murder drone slammed a clawed hand against her chest and pinned her down in the snow. Frantic violet eyes stared up at the glowing yellow ‘X,’ a murderous grin right alongside it as V raised her claws to deal the final blow.

SHNNK!

V froze, her eyes reverting to ovals. Her gaze turned down from Seraph to her stomach, seeing a large knife had pierced her side. Oil spurted from the wound, Seraph gripping the handle tightly as she drove it deeper. The pain finally registered and V lurched slightly, allowing Seraph to shove her back, bring one leg up and kick her square in the chest. The murder drone stumbled, and Seraph immediately wormed out from underneath her, spreading her wings and launching back to put distance between them.

“Ghk-” V choked as she staggered slightly, taking a second to regain her footing before looking at Seraph again. The worker drone stared her down, wings flared, oil-stained knife at the ready. Her scanners locked onto the smaller weapon, studying the shape before she realized it was actually made from a severed murder drone’s claw. Her processors started racing as she took this in, her usual programming overridden by new thoughts and jamming up her mind. The wound in her side stung harshly as well, but despite her frustrations, she let out a small chuckle and retracted her claws.

“Didn’t expect an actual fight like that.” She said. “Gotta say… I’m impressed.” Seraph’s hardened expression faltered immediately, changing to a look of utter confusion as all her processing stopped short.

“Wha-… you… what?” She blurted, unsure how to properly respond. V straightened up slightly, her side glinting for a moment as a strange silver liquid healed her stab wound. Seraph’s expression gained an edge of concern at the sight, but she quickly refocused on V.

“Most worker drones just scream and cry and beg for mercy when I find them.” V explained, grinning at the memories. “But you actually put up a fight, and didn’t make a show of it like that purple thing.” There was an air of annoyance in her tone at that last part, and Seraph briefly wondered if V was referring to Uzi. She decided not to ask, however, still keeping her grip on her knife.

“So… what now, then?” She questioned instead. “You still gonna try and kill me?” V hesitated for a moment, changing one of her hands back into claws as she thoughtfully tapped her chin.

“Hm… no.” She replied. “Not yet, anyways. You’ve proved to be… interesting.” There was a mildly sadistic edge to V’s tone, and Seraph’s programs once again told her to run. But, despite it all, she stayed put and even relaxed her stance somewhat.

“Alright, then.” She said, carefully putting her knife away. She started to retract her wings as well, but her left one stopped halfway and she let out a pained hiss. She quickly unfurled it again, moving it closer to her face and noticing the crack and dent where V’s shot had hit her. There wasn’t severe damage, but it was definitely something she’d need to repair.

“What’re you looking at?” V’s voice sounded much closer, and Seraph yelped in surprise as she noticed the murder drone was suddenly right next to her. She instinctively took a step back, expression both annoyed and spooked, but she forced herself to calm down.

“Just checking the damage.” She replied, relaxing her wing and letting it settle behind her. “Nothing serious, but I’ll need to repair it later.” V looked at the wing in confusion, scanning it over before turning her focus back to Seraph.

“You said you built these?” She asked, sounding unconvinced. “I didn’t think worker drones were smart enough to make something this advanced.” Seraph’s expression once again turned annoyed, but she maintained composure.

“Well, I was.” She replied calmly. “And, as cringy as it may sound, I’m not quite like other worker drones.” V raised an eyebrow, gaining a disbelieving smirk.

“Is that why you’re freakishly tall, too?” She asked, knocking on Seraph’s head. The worker drone winced slightly at the hit, but straightened up and met V’s gaze. She didn’t even have to look up; just as V said, Seraph was about two inches shorter than her, which was far beyond the set height range for worker drones.

“Manufacturing defect.” She explained, rubbing her head. “Honestly, not one I’d really complain about.” She chuckled lightly as she said this, her gaze soon turning upwards to the two planets shining above them.

“We should probably get back before N does and realizes we’re missing.” She said, turning her eyes back to V. For a brief second, V’s expression changed to worry, but she quickly caught herself.

“Yeah, best he doesn’t know about this.” She replied, holding up the broken chain still connected to her collar. Seraph nodded as she stared at the chain, her gaze turning back to her wing for a moment before she looked back down the street. Without a word, she turned and started to walk, which earned a confused look from V.

“Wait, you want to walk back?” She asked in slight disbelief. Seraph glanced over her shoulder, meeting her gaze.

“Well, I can’t really fly with a damaged wing.” She replied flatly. “You can fly back if you want, though.” She turned back again after she spoke, continuing to walk in the direction of the spire. V held an annoyed glare for a moment before she sighed, spreading her wings and taking to the air. Rather than flying off alone, however, she dipped down, hooked her claws under Seraph’s arms, and flew off with her.

“WHOA-!” Seraph cried out on instinct, but her tone changed as she realized what was happening. “What is it with murder drones and picking me up today?” The comment earned a glance from V, which was accompanied by the ghost of a smile, but the worker drone saw neither. V was quick to fly them both back to the spire, swooping in through one of the larger openings and landing neatly on the pod. She promptly let go of Seraph, who took a step away before looking back at V and gaining a small smile.

“Thanks.” She said. “Now come on, let’s head in.” She didn’t wait for a response as she stepped over to the open hatch, climbing down the ladder to get back inside. She had to adjust slightly with her one wing, but she managed to fit and was soon back in the shelter of the pod. V quickly entered after her, closing the hatch behind her as she climbed down the ladder and sat back in her seat. Seraph kept her gaze on her for a minute, blinking once before she sat down on the floor and reached a hand behind her head. V picked up on the sound of a compartment opening, followed by rummaging, and finally Seraph pulled her arm back with a few small tools in hand. She watched with mild curiosity as the worker drone brought her wing closer, setting all but one of the tools in her lap as she adjusted to see the damaged spot.

“Do you just carry those around with you?” She suddenly asked.

“Yep.” Seraph replied, not even glancing at her. “Since I can get damaged very easily outside of a bunker, it helps to have repair tools on hand.” V said nothing in reply as Seraph focused back on her wing, taking a small pen-like tool and holding it up to the crack. There was a small flash of light as she turned it on, which was followed by sparks as she moved it slowly over the damage. V noticed a grimace on the worker drone’s face as she did this, yet she kept working, moving carefully as she welded the crack shut. Once she had finished, she let out a low sigh of relief, setting the pen aside and picking up a different tool.

V found herself unable to look away as she watched Seraph work, seeing how careful and precise her movements were. It confused her that she was interested by this, since normally she couldn’t care less for worker drones, but she kept watching anyways. After a few minutes, with Seraph switching between various tools, she dusted off the area where the damage had been and flexed her wing. V scanned over the wing as well, and much to her surprise, she couldn’t even tell where the initial crack had been.

“There, that’s better.” Seraph broke the silence as she retracted her wing again, looking rather pleased with herself. V blinked once, glancing back at her with a blank expression.

“You are definitely the weirdest worker drone I’ve ever met.” She said at last.

“Explorer drone.” Seraph blurted in reply. V’s expression turned confused.

“What?” She asked, tilting her head slightly. Seraph’s visor displayed momentary panic, and V noticed the smallest blush alongside it.

“Uhh…” Seraph hesitated for a moment before she let out a sigh, “…well, in recent weeks, I’ve been referring to myself as an explorer drone. Since, y’know, I haven’t been working, and instead exploring the planet… making notes, and….” her voice trailed off, the blush on her visor worsening slightly as she shifted her gaze away.

“Yeah, okay, now that I say it out loud, it sounds pretty stupid.” She admitted. V’s expression turned somewhat annoyed, though she felt a small twinge of something lighter in the back of her processors.

“I mean, it’s no more stupid than being a worker drone.” She replied flatly, crossing her legs. The comment made Seraph pause, her gaze flickering over to V before she let out a small chuckle.

“That’s an interesting way to put it.” She said, gathering her tools back up. V merely stared as Seraph put her tools back in her backpack, which made the murder drone notice it for the first time. There were no straps she could see, but it fit flush against Seraph’s back and stayed cleanly in place. V tilted her head slightly, scanning the pack under the shawl the explorer drone was wearing and quickly realizing it was entirely made of metal.

“So, that’s where your wings are stored?” She asked bluntly. Seraph perked up at the question, gaining a gleam of excitement in her expression.

“Oh yeah!” She replied, adjusting her shawl to give V a better view. “The mechanics were tricky, but this-” she stopped mid-sentence as the sound of wings beating could be heard outside, prompting both drones to look up. The pod hatch opened not long after, and climbing down the ladder came a rather distraught-looking N. The expression caught both Seraph and V by surprise, but neither of them had a chance to speak up as N’s gaze fell on Seraph.

“Oh, right, you’re here.” He said in a sullen tone. “Listen, you should probably go, and… it’d be best if you don’t come back.” Seraph’s eyes widened slightly at his words, her gaze flicking over to V. She noticed a glint of concern in the murder drone’s expression, but it was quickly replaced by a look of annoyance. N didn’t react to either of them, instead moving to the far corner of the pod, sitting down on the floor and pulling his knees to his chest. Seraph felt a twinge of sympathy at his saddened state, but not wanting to risk upsetting him further, she got to her feet.

“Uh, okay.” She spoke, keeping her voice soft. She moved over to the ladder and started up, but before leaving, she turned her gaze back to V.

“Bye, V.” She said quietly. There was a disappointed look in her eyes, which made V’s annoyed expression soften just slightly. The explorer drone made her way up the ladder before she could reply though, climbing out and closing the hatch behind her with a heavy ‘CLUNK.’ Seraph hesitated as she debated flying off, but she wound up deciding against it, sliding down the pod and landing on the ground to begin her walk.

——————

After about ten minutes, Seraph found herself standing outside of the bunker, which was lit by a singular floodlight and blanketed in snow. She stared at it silently for a moment, old memories flickering through her processors before she shook her head and forced them away. She took a deep breath and walked up to the heavy steel door, bringing one hand up and giving it a firm knock. A few seconds of silence followed before the door opened slightly, revealing a white-eyed worker drone on the other side.

“Uh, can I help you?” He asked, looking at her in confusion.

“I’m looking for a new colony.” Seraph replied. “My old one was… compromised.” The worker drone’s expression saddened at her words, and he silently opened the door fully to allow her to enter.

“The W.D.F. can help you get situated.” He told her. “Come on, I’ll take you to the main office.” Seraph nodded as she stepped in, waiting as the worker closed the door and headed down the large hallway. She followed him in as he led her to the office, knocking on the door and stepping back as it slid to the side.

“Ron?” A brown-haired worker drone answered, looking at him in confusion.

“Got a new drone looking for a colony.” Ron explained, pointing a thumb at Seraph. The explorer drone waved at her sheepishly, feeling awkward due to the fact she was nearly a head taller than both of them. The brown-haired drone looked up at her for a moment, also realizing the situation and gaining an expression of sympathy.

“Sure, we can help you.” She said. “You go back to your post Ron, we can take it from here.”

“Thanks, Sarah.” Ron replied. Seraph’s expression briefly flashed with panic as she heard the name, but she collected herself and focused as Sarah led her into the office. It wasn’t long before Seraph was sat down at a meeting table, where Sarah and another worker drone sat on the other side across from her.

“So, uh… Seraph, was it?” The other worker drone said, taking a moment to remember her name. “What sort of skills do you have?”

“Well,” Seraph started, “I studied mechanical engineering for a couple years and learned how to modify myself with fully-functional wings. I actually have the blueprints and schematics right here.” She reached behind her as she spoke, the compartment in her wing-pack opening again and allowing her to pull out a small tablet. She turned it on and tapped on the screen a couple times before handing it over, allowing the two workers to look over her designs. They both remained silent as they scanned over the blueprints, waiting a few seconds before Sarah looked back up at Seraph.

“You drew these?” She asked. Seraph’s expression briefly turned confused.

“Uh, yeah.” She replied. “If you want to see the actual model-”

“No need.” Sarah interrupted, holding one hand up. “These are more than enough.” Seraph blinked, mildly surprised, but felt an increase in confidence.

“I’m glad to hear that.” She said.

“Yep.” Sarah replied, glancing over at her co-worker. “These drawings prove you’re more than capable to be our colony’s new art teacher.” Seraph’s expression quickly dropped, changing to a mix of shocked and mildly offended.

“Art teacher?” She echoed. “But- those are real blueprints, the math adds up and everything-”

“Yes, we see that,” the other worker interrupted, “but this colony doesn’t really have a… need for this kind of tech. So we’ll be utilizing your art skills instead.” Seraph opened her mouth to protest, but she stopped short as she realized there was no point in arguing. They had just let her in; they could very easily kick her out again.

“Alright, I accept.” She said at last. Both workers seemed pleased with her answer, and Sarah returned Seraph’s tablet to her.

“Wonderful.” She said, pulling up some papers. “You’ll start first thing tomorrow; here’s a map of the bunker, your housing unit number and your key. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to come back and let us know.” Seraph put her tablet away before she looked down at the papers, picking up the map and scanning it over. She promptly inputted it to her important memory files, knowing full well she was going to need it later.

“Thank you.” She said simply, taking the other papers and getting up. The two drones nodded as Seraph turned and left, walking out of the office and holding up the map to search for her new unit. She thankfully had no trouble finding it, but as she arrived, she felt a small twinge as she stood in front of the door. The same memories from before tried replaying, but not wanting to dwell on them, Seraph took the key and quickly opened the lock. The door slid open silently, allowing her to step in and take a look around.

It was a pretty standard unit; main area, kitchen, dining table, couch, and a hallway to the left where the bathroom and bedroom were. She knew the setup well, as it was the exact same setup she’d known before. A grimace crossed her face as she shook her head, once again stopping the old memories from playing out. She instead focused on settling in, taking out the little stuff she had brought and putting it on the dining table.

She opened the compartment on her wing-pack, taking out her tablet, tools, and the still-stained knife she had stabbed V with. She focused on it for a moment, studying the blade as she used her free hand to pull out the other two that looked identical to it. Her glowing violet eyes looked back at her in the reflections of the blades, causing her to sigh and set them down on the table with her other belongings. Her gaze then turned to the rest of the unit, which was pretty much devoid of any signs that anyone lived there.

“It’ll become a home.” She told herself. “Just… gotta live in it a bit first.” She stood still for a moment before she heard footsteps outside, her survival programs kicking in and causing her to panic. Her eyes locked on the door as they approached and passed, and soon Seraph realized it had just been a worker drone walking by. She let out a soft sigh as her body relaxed, one hand moving up to her head and pushing her bangs aside.

“I’m gonna have to get used to that again.” She muttered. An idea popped into her processors at her own words, her head peeking up slightly as she looked back at the door. A small bit of excitement stirred in her systems, and after ensuring she had her key, Seraph left her unit and decided to go greet her new neighbours.

The first door she knocked on didn’t give any reply, but she figured it was a night shift worker and would check another time. Turning on her heel, she walked down the hallway to the other unit, stopping outside the door and giving it a polite knock. This time, she promptly heard footsteps, and the door soon opened to reveal a white-eyed worker drone with red goggles on his helmet and a grey moustache.

“Oh, hello there!” He said, his voice a bit deeper. “How can I help you?”

“Hi!” Seraph replied, smiling. “My name’s Seraph- I’m new to the colony. I actually just settled into the unit next door, and I thought I’d take some time to meet my new neighbours.” The drone’s eyes widened, but he gained a friendly smile.

“Ah, I see!” He said. “In that case, welcome! I’m Khan Doorman.” He extended one hand to Seraph, who promptly met him in a handshake.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Doorman.” She said politely. “Is it just you in this unit?”

“Oh no,” Khan replied, letting go of Seraph’s hand, “my daughter Uzi lives here as well. She’s, uh… not very social, though.” Seraph blinked in surprise, her memory files pulling up an image of Uzi on instinct. She glanced between the image and Khan, her confusion growing as she saw practically no resemblance.

“I see.” She said at last. “Well, it’s no problem, I can understand. I should get back to my own unit anyways, it’s getting late and I have to be available tomorrow.”

“I hear ya.” Khan replied, nodding. “Take care, Seraph! Hopefully you’ll feel welcome here in the colony!” He gave her a thumbs up, which Seraph returned with a kind smile. The two parted ways as Seraph headed back to her unit, opening the door and walking over to the dining table. Her eyes fell on her tablet, and after a moment of hesitation, she picked it up and headed over to her new bedroom.

The door slid aside as she approached, her movements slowing as she took in the new space. Like the rest of the unit, it was blank except for the needed furniture, which brought a saddened feeling to the explorer drone. She promptly shook it off, however, deciding to settle on her new bed and put her tablet on the nightstand. She began her shutdown sequence as she laid back, her processors powering down one by one as her body readied for sleep mode. A small yawn escaped her as her optics switched off, one last thought running through her mind before she shut down.

“Hopefully, this place will welcome me.”

——————

Meanwhile, back at the pod, N still hadn’t moved from his spot. He remained seated with his knees to his chin, his tail curled around his feet. V found the whole thing rather annoying, especially since he hadn’t moved in over three hours.

“I hate your personality normally, but this is somehow worse.” She said bluntly. “What am I being punished for?” N didn’t reply, which worsened her annoyance, but a small spark of concern lit up in the back of her processors. Her expression softened as she looked down at her broken chain, gently nudging it with her foot to cover up the snapped link. N still didn’t notice or move, and V’s annoyance resurfaced as she folded her arms.

“So he gets to have a worker drone friend, but as soon as I do, he makes her leave?” She thought angrily. “How’s that fair?” Her anger bubbled up as she turned her gaze away from N, but after a second, she realized just what she had thought and gained a slightly panicked expression.

She had called Seraph a friend.

She shook her head at the idea, forcing herself to shut it down. She would not let herself befriend a worker drone, not when her entire purpose was to kill them.

“Explorer drone.” Seraph’s voice spoke as her memory brought it up, but it only made V’s frustration worse. She clenched her fists as she grit her teeth, once again forcing the thoughts away. Seraph was not a friend, and she wouldn’t let that change, even if she had been upset to see her go.

Growing fed up with the conflicting programs, V let out a groan and forced her systems into shutdown, her processors powering off as she sat back in her chair. She didn’t want to think about any of it further, and N’s sulking didn’t help at all to distract her. She just needed to rest; Seraph was gone, and that was that. Her optics soon switched off, and letting her head hang, V fell into sleep mode.

It was a sunny afternoon at Thai Go, the Boonchuys working hard with the assistance of Caroline and the Plantars. It was only yesterday that they had been in a high speed chase with a killer frog robot, but Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy were in surprisingly high spirits. The Plantars kept busy refilling sauce cups while Caroline mixed some ingredients, but Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy seemed a bit more distracted.

“Is it just me, or is anyone feeling amped up since we fought the robot?” Mrs. Boonchuy said.

“Kicked that robot’s butt, you mean!” Mr. Boonchuy piped up excitedly. “Remember I was all ‘wha-pow!’ and you were like ‘choo, choo!’” Caroline and the Plantars exchanged glances, all of them understanding just what Anne’s parents were talking about.

“Sounds like you’ve caught a case of post-battle euphoria.” Hop Pop said, a knowing smile on his face.

“Nothing like a brush with death to make you feel alive!” Sprig added.

“I’ll say.” Caroline chimed in. “When I fought that robot toe-to-toe at the museum, I felt like a warrior. Until he almost crushed my ribs, that is.” Neither of Anne’s parents seemed bothered by her statement, the two of them still hyped up on their own energy.

“So what’s next?” Mrs. Boonchuy asked. “I’m ready to fight!”

“Hopefully nothing.” Anne suddenly spoke up, stepping into the kitchen from the front counter. “Unless Andrias sends another robot, we’re safe for now. So, I’m taking the Plantars to their first movie!” Mrs. Boonchuy’s expression changed to slight disappointment, but she was quick to shake it off.

“Ooh, fun.” Caroline piped up again. “What’cha gonna see?”

“Fumigator 5.” Anne replied proudly. “You wanna come?” Caroline’s face quickly turned sour.

“Ugh, pass.” She said flatly. “My mom’s in that one, which sucks because I really did like the other Fumigators.” Anne’s face went blank for a moment as she processed the young woman’s sentence.

“Still not used to the fact your parents are famous.” She said.

“Well, while you guys enjoy the movie, we’ll be ready if anything comes up!” Mr. Boonchuy spoke, drawing their attention. “I even broke out the old pull-up bar! Look!” He moved over to the bar and grabbed it, straining as he tried to pull himself up. He managed to get about halfway before the bar broke, causing him to fall back-first to the ground.

“Ahh, my back!” He exclaimed.

“Honey, be careful!” Mrs. Boonchuy said, moving to his side. Anne looked at both of them with a deadpan expression, but before she could speak, she felt someone nudge her shoulder and turned her gaze to Caroline.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on them.” The young woman told her. “You guys enjoy the movie, okay?” Anne gained a small smile at this, nodding in response. Caroline returned the smile before setting the bowl in her hands on the counter.

“Okay Mr. B,” she said, walking over to him, “let’s get you some ice.” There was a small groan from Anne’s dad in response, to which Anne gained a slightly concerned look. She quickly shook it off, however, knowing her parents would be fine with Caroline watching them.

“Alright gang,” the teen said, turning her attention to the Plantars, “it’s movie time!” The Plantars let out excited cheers in response, following Anne out the back of the restaurant where her bike was. They each hopped on as Anne kicked off, pedalling out of the lot and heading for the theatre.

——————

It had been about thirty minutes since Anne and the Plantars had left, and in that time, Caroline helped Mr. Boonchuy get back on his feet and assisted with the cooking. Mrs. Boonchuy manned the front counter, but the day was proving to be rather slow, so she hung out in the kitchen with the others while she waited for customers.

Ding-ding!

The sound of the front door’s bell caught the trio’s attention, and Mrs. Boonchuy headed out to the front to greet the arrival.

“Hello, welcome to Thai Go.” She said politely. The customer was a bald man in a plum-coloured suit, sporting black-rimmed glasses, a hi-tech earpiece, white pants, and tan shoes. The shoes turned out to be rollers as well, as he kicked his heels and gracefully glided up to the front counter.

“สวัสดีคุณผู้หญิง.” (Greetings, ma’am.) He said casually. Mrs. Boonchuy’s eyebrows raised in surprise.

“โอ้ คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม?” (Oh, you speak Thai?) She asked.

“เพียงเล็กน้อยที่นี่และที่นั่น.” (Just a little, here and there.) He replied, switching to English after. “I was stationed in Phuket for a bit.” Mrs. Boonchuy nodded politely as he pulled out a menu, looking back over the options for his order. At this point, the conversation had caught Caroline’s attention, and she moved closer to the doorway to better hear what was going on.

“We’ll take one Pad See Ew.” The man said. “And while we’re at it,” he pulled a photo from his jacket and set it on the counter, “have you seen any odd creatures walking around? Probably disguised as humans?” Mrs. Boonchuy’s eyes widened as she saw the photo was of the Plantars, and Caroline quietly gasped.

“Hehe, what strange shapes they are!” Mrs. Boonchuy managed, laughing awkwardly. “Haven’t seen them; who’s asking?” The man’s eyes gained a darker gleam, and he pulled a small black wallet out of his jacket.

“Oh, just your friendly neighbourhood federal government.” He replied, flipping the wallet open. It turned out the wallet was actually his badge, showing his photo and the name ‘Special Agent Mr. X’ underneath. The second Caroline heard that, she pulled her phone out, leaning into the doorway as discreetly as she could. She managed to snap a clear enough photo of Mr. X without him noticing, and with it, she pocketed her phone and ran out the back door.

“Yes, very nice. Hooray government!” Mrs. Boonchuy said, keeping up the innocent act. “พ่อเร็วเข้า!” (DAD HURRY UP!) Mr. Boonchuy was quick to emerge from the back at her call, sporting a confused expression as he held the bag of food in his hand.

“Jeez, where’s the fire?” He asked. Before anyone else could speak, the front door opened again and a blonde person with round glasses holding a laptop walked in. The laptop was beeping an alert that read ‘STRING BEAN SIGHTED’ before showing footage of Anne on her bike with the Plantars. Both Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy froze at the sight of it, while Mr. X quickly gained a look of excitement.

“Gotta go.” He said, slamming a handful of cash onto the counter and taking the bag. “Is your stun gun charged, Jenny? Tell me it’s charged!” The two were quick to head out the door after, leaving Anne’s parents at the counter in shock.

“Uhh-” Mr. Boonchuy started, but his wife cut him off.

“We have to go now!” She told him, pushing him towards the back door. “I’ll explain on the way!” Mr. Boonchuy quickly moved to follow her lead, heading through the doorway back into the kitchen.

“Caroline!” Mrs. Boonchuy called. “We need to leave!” She paused as there was no response or sign of the young woman, causing both of them to worry.

“Caroline?” Mr. Boonchuy tried. Still no reply. “Where’d she go?” Just then, Mrs. Boonchuy’s phone went off in her pocket and she pulled it out, seeing a text message from Caroline herself.

{Saw the shady dude, already going to warn Anne. Meet u guys at the theatre}

“She’s already left.” Mrs. Boonchuy said, pocketing her phone and grabbing her husband’s arm. “Come on, let’s go!” The two got in the family van as fast as they could, and Mrs. Boonchuy was quick to floor it out of the back lot and down the street.

——————

Meanwhile, Anne and the Plantars had taken their seats in the theatre, snacks and drinks ready as the trailers played.

“And now, for what you’ve all been waiting for…” the movie announcer spoke, “…another trailer!” The screen lit up again as a trailer for the movie ‘Cheerleader Musical 7’ began to play, accompanied by air horns and upbeat music.

“Twenty minutes of trailers?!” Hop Pop exclaimed. “And you people call yourselves civilized!” After the trailer had ended, the movie began featuring a T-Rex roaring in front of an erupting volcano. The booming sound made Sprig recoil in his seat, gripping onto the arm rests anxiously.

“Does anyone else feel like this audio-video experience is a little…overwhelming?” He asked, his body shaking.

“Entertainment that makes your ears bleed?” Polly piped up. “I’m here for it, baby!”

“There you are!”

A familiar voice caught Anne and the Plantar’s attentions, and all four looked to the end of the aisle to see a panicked Caroline approaching them. She was keeping low as to not block the screen, but in the light, the group could see her eyes were wide and frantic.

“Caroline?” Anne said in surprise. “Wait, I thought you didn’t want to see this movie.”

“I’m not here for the movie!” Caroline snapped, taking the seat next to Anne. “Some whack job government agent showed up at the restaurant and he’s after you guys!” She pulled out her phone and showed them the picture, causing all four to gain looks of panic.

“Oh crud.” Anne muttered.

“What do we do?” Hop Pop asked.

“We get you out of here, that’s what.” Caroline told them. “Come on, we should have time to sneak out before he shows up.” Anne nodded and the gang quickly got up from their seats, keeping their heads down as they went for the stairs and out the door. Caroline kept glancing about as they headed for the lobby, but Anne was the one to stop dead as the front doors opened and Mr. X rolled in.

“He’s here!” The teen blurted. In a panic, she shoved Caroline and the Plantars behind the concession stand, diving in after them before Mr. X could see.

“Do you think he saw us?” Sprig whispered. Before anyone could respond, the sound of footsteps caught their attention and all five looked up to see an employee staring down at them.

“Hey, you’re not supposed to be back here.” She told them. There was a brief pause before Caroline reached into her sweater pocket and snagged her wallet, pulling out a $50 bill.

“All yours if you let us hide here.” She said. The employee glanced between the bill and the group, seeming hesitant before she shrugged.

“Eh, this job doesn’t pay me enough anyways.” She said, taking the bill and walking away. The five of them breathed a sigh of relief before Anne sat up, peering over the counter to look for Mr. X.

“He’s right in the middle of the lobby!” She whispered. “There’s no way we can get by him without being seen!” The Plantars exchanged looks of worry, meanwhile Caroline paused to think before she got an idea.

“You could if there was a distraction.” She said quietly. “You guys keep an eye on him, I’ve got an idea.” Before anyone could respond, the young woman slipped out and disappeared into the theatre, leaving the four of them alone behind the stand. They all glanced at each other in confusion, not sure what Caroline was planning, but not having any better ideas themselves.

“Sir? Excuse me, sir!”

The louder voice caught Anne and the Plantars by surprise, and all four peered over the stand to see someone running up to Mr. X. They had a dark purple collared button-up with their hair slicked back, five o’clock shadow, and black jeans on. They looked like just a nice young man at a glance, but Anne recognized that purple hair and those converse sneakers anywhere; it was Caroline.

“Sir, I’m so sorry to bother you,” Caroline said, pitching her voice to sound more masculine, “but I just have to know where you got that suit, it is stunning.” Mr. X looked at her with confusion, but there was a look in his eyes that gave away he was somewhat flattered.

“Oh, this?” He asked, gesturing to his jacket. “Why do you want to know?” Caroline didn’t miss a beat.

“Okay, I don’t want to spread drama,” she started, lowering her voice slightly, “but you see, my older sister’s having her wedding next month. She’s such a sweetheart, love her to bits. But our younger brother, the “golden child,” is insisting that he has to be the best dressed one there.” Mr. X’s eyes widened.

“At her wedding?” He said in surprise.

“Yes.” Caroline replied, a serious edge in her voice. “And what’s worse; he refuses to get a tux if it’s over $100.”

“No!” Mr. X gasped in disbelief.

“I know!” Caroline exclaimed. At that point, Mr. X was fully engaged in the conversation, and Anne was quick to realize this was their opportunity.

“She’s got him distracted.” She whispered to the Plantars. “Come on, let’s go!” The Plantars followed Anne as she slipped out from behind the concession stand, carefully making their way to the door without getting Mr. X’s attention.

“We’re almost there!” Anne quietly called. “Don’t stop-wait stop!” She skidded to a halt and caused the Plantars to run into her, but she hardly noticed as she ducked behind the theatre’s front desk. The Plantars followed, and looking over Anne’s shoulder, they saw Jenny, Mr. X’s associate, standing at the exit doors. They were scanning people as they left with a hi-tech device, and it was clear they were checking to see who was really human. Anne could feel her panic rising when her phone buzzed, and picking it up, she saw it was her dad calling.

“Dad?” She spoke quietly, holding the phone to her ear.

“Anne!” Mr. Boonchuy exclaimed. “Are you guys okay? Did Caroline get there in time? What’s going on?”

“Whoa, slow down.” Anne told him, still keeping her voice down. “Caroline’s here, but she’s busy distracting one of the agents. There’s another one watching the exit, so we’ll need to find another way out.”

“We’re coming in to help.” Her dad said.

“No!” Anne exclaimed. “I don’t want you getting in trouble. We can handle it.” Mrs. Boonchuy wound up overhearing this, an offended expression crossing her face.

“Tell her we are adults, and we know what we’re doing!” She said sternly.

“Anne, your mother says-” Mr. Boonchuy started, only to pull the phone away, “-hang on, I’m putting you on speaker.” He tapped a few buttons on the screen, only for the phone to start ringing again.

“คุณรู้ไหมเวลาเท่าไหร่แล้ว?” (Do you know what time it is?) An elderly woman’s voice spoke angrily over the phone. Anne’s expression quickly changed to confusion.

“What?” She said, pulling the phone from her ear. She noticed the call was now a video call, her dad taking up one half of the screen while her grandmother took up the other.

“Oh, whoops!” Mr. Boonchuy piped up. “I think I accidentally-”

“แอนน์? นั่นคือคุณ?” (Anne? Is that you?) Anne’s grandma cut him off. “ฉันไม่ได้เจอคุณมานานแล้ว! คุณดูผอม! คุณกินข้าวหรือยัง?” (I haven’t seen you in ages! You look skinny! Have you been eating?)

“Oh hi, grandma!” Anne said, faking a cheerful tone. “Yeah, I just had a sandwich.” As she refocused on her parents, her tone grew more stern.

“Mom, dad, just stay in the car where it’s safe. We’ll meet you outside.” She told them, switching back to cheerful as she talked to her grandmother. “Okay bye grandma, love you!” Before they could respond, Anne quickly hung up, putting her phone back in her pocket.

“Okay, so you call this number, tell them Mr. X sent you, and they’ll hook you right up, dear.” Mr. X’s voice reached the teen’s ears, and she turned to see Caroline’s distraction had reached its’ end. The young woman still remained committed to the bit, however, taking the card with a grateful smile.

“Oh thank you sir, thank you so much.” She told him. “This will be perfect.”

“Happy to help.” Mr. X replied, turning and walking away. While he wasn’t looking, Caroline glanced over and noticed Anne and the Plantars, her expression quickly changing to panic. Much to their dismay, Mr. X noticed them as well, gaining a malicious grin and pulling out a stun gun.

“Hide!” Anne shouted. She and the Plantars quickly booked it back into the theatre, and Mr. X watched them go with a sinister gleam in his eyes.

“Oh, how I love a good chase.” He said. Anne didn’t dare to look back as she led the Plantars down the hall, finding a door that wasn’t a viewing room and heading through it. Just as they all got inside, she realized that they had walked into a rather small supply closet that had no other way out.

“Oh crud, it’s a dead end.” She muttered. Shortly after, the door handle began to move, causing a wave of panic in all four of them.

“Everyone hide!” Hop Pop said quickly. The group scattered throughout the closet space, everyone managing to duck into a hiding spot just as the door opened and Mr. X walked in. He looked around the space before his eyes settled on a silhouette, noticing it looked very much like Hop Pop and gaining a wicked smirk.

“Now what could this be?” He said, feigning innocence. He approached the silhouette and quickly smacked it, causing it to spin around and reveal itself to be a cardboard cutout of a strange-looking farmer character.

“What the-?!” He blurted.

“Now, guys!” Anne shouted, leaping from her hiding spot. The Plantars quickly jumped out as well, the group rushing for the door, but Mr. X was quick to react.

“Oh no you don’t!” He cried, turning to give chase. As he moved, Polly grabbed a roll of film and threw it, causing it to wrap around Mr. X’s ankles and trip him up. He barely managed to stop himself from face-planting, and in one quick movement, he shot a hand out and snagged Hop Pop by the ankle.

“Ow!” Hop Pop exclaimed as he was pulled back, losing his balance and falling over. The force wound up knocking off his disguise, and with the light from the door’s square window, Mr. X was able to see his real face.

“What even are you?!” He exclaimed, letting go of his ankle with a slight grimace. “And why are you so slimy? Ugh!”

“Rude.” Hop Pop retorted. Mr. X ignored him as he wiped the slime off his hand, which Sprig quickly saw as an opportunity. Lowering his mask, he grabbed a film roll with his tongue and threw it, nailing Mr. X clean in the face. The agent let out a grunt of pain, and Anne took that chance to grab the Plantars and run. Mr. X stumbled as he tried to go after them, but he barely missed as the door closed, locking him in the supply closet. An irritated look crossed his face as he held up his wrist watch, pressing a button on it and activating a laser that melted the lock clean off. Once he was free, he kicked the door open, almost knocking over another cardboard cutout that was standing in the hall.

“Jenny, you’re not gonna believe this.” He said excitedly, talking into his earpiece. “They’re big, beautiful, talking frog monsters!” His eyes were shining as he spoke, but shortly after gained a much darker edge to them.

“Call in the troops.”

——————

After changing back into her normal outfit, Caroline quickly began to search the theatre, trying to find where Anne and the Plantars had run off to. She stopped to check each viewing room, scanning the seats for her friends, but she couldn’t see them anywhere.

“Come on,” she muttered as she stepped back into the hall, “where are you guys?” Just then, the sound of people running reached her ears and she looked up, barely catching sight of the group rushing into the women’s bathroom. She let out a gasp and moved to follow them, but stopped short as Mr. X rounded the corner at the end of the hall. In a flash, she dove behind a cardboard cutout, practically holding her breath as she waited for him to pass.

“Not good.” She whispered. “Not good, not good, not-” she cut off as her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out to see it was Mr. Boonchuy calling.

“Mr. B!” She answered, keeping her voice down.

“Caroline!” He said, sounding relieved. “We need your help. We got a plan to get you guys out, but when we tried calling Anne, she hung up on us!”

“Oh for f-…of course she did.” Caroline hissed in frustration. “They’re hiding in the bathroom, but I’m pretty sure Mr. X knows that too. I’m not sure why he-” the young woman stopped mid-sentence as the sound of sirens reached her ears, her eyes widening in panic.

“Is that what I think it is?” She asked anxiously.

“A bunch more police cars just pulled up!” Mrs. Boonchuy said. “They’re blocking the whole lot!” Caroline felt her heart start to race, but she forced herself to take a breath and steady it.

“Okay, you guys said you had a plan, right?” She spoke, still keeping her voice down. “You guys do that, and I’ll find a way to get into that bathroom and help you.”

“Got it.” Anne’s parents replied. Caroline hung up the call after that and put her phone away, while Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy watched the SWAT team make their way for the door.

“You ready, honey?” Mrs. Boonchuy asked.

“Born ready.” Mr. Boonchuy replied. Reaching into the back, they both grabbed some power tools, ready to put their plan in motion. The SWAT team was quick to storm the theatre, all of them following Jenny as they marched through the halls to where Mr. X was. The agent was waiting outside the bathroom, a calm expression on his face but an excited gleam in his eye.

“They’re in there.” He told them, pointing a thumb at the door. “Come on, everyone; show time!” In one quick movement, he stepped up and slammed the door open, several SWAT members following him and filing into the bathroom.

“Let’s grab ourselves some frog aliens.” Mr. X said, grinning. The agents quickly surrounded the one occupied stall where Anne and the Plantars were hiding, readying their weapons to capture the group.

“Okay, guys.” Anne whispered. “On three, go for the eyes.” The Plantars nodded and readied themselves, waiting anxiously for Anne’s signal.

“One…two…”

CLICK!

In an instant, the bathroom went dark.

“What’s going on?” One agent said.

“The power’s off!” Another cried. There was scuffling and shouting as the team tried to coordinate, but none of them seemed able to find their bearings in the blackout. The sound of power tools was briefly heard, but the chaos of agents shouting at each other overpowered it.

“On your toes!”

“They’re getting away!”

“Watch where you’re stepping!”

Amidst the chorus of yelling, one voice managed a whisper.

“Third stall from the left!”

A few seconds later, there was a click as Mr. X turned on a flashlight. He stood right in front of the now opened stall, and shining the light inside, he was greeted by two small frogs and a pollywog in a bag. The frogs let out small croaks, and Mr. X’s eyes widened as he stared at them in disbelief. The SWAT team stared for a moment as well before one agent started to laugh, which caused a chain reaction and got all of them laughing.

“Nice frog aliens, sir.” One joked.

“I’ve heard of little green men, but this is ridiculous.” Another quipped. Mr. X didn’t bother to listen as Jenny scooped up the frogs, holding them carefully in their arms.

“Looks like our little friends are smarter than I thought.” Mr. X said, a tinge of annoyance in his voice. “We’re gonna have fun with this one, Jenny. And we’ll have the last laugh!”

——————

Meanwhile, at the back of the theatre, shuffling was heard in the air ducts before a large vent grate swung open. Inside the vent was Mr. Boonchuy, who quickly climbed out and turned to help Anne and the Plantars. Mrs. Boonchuy was sitting in the car nearby, checking for any patrolling agents.

“I don’t believe it!” Anne said in awe as she got out of the vent. “Dad, mom, how did you-?”

“Well, parents have a special set of skills.” Anne’s mom replied. Her dad nodded in agreement, leaning back against the car.

“First, your mother bought us some time by distracting the agents.” He explained. “Did you know she used to study close-up magic?” Anne blinked in surprise, looking at her mom with wide eyes. Clearly, this was the first she’d heard of it.

“Then your father got the frogs at the pet store down the street.” Mrs. Boonchuy continued.

“The owner was your old tee-ball coach, Mr. Tram.” Mr. Boonchuy added. “Remember him? Nice guy.”

“And remember that one time we tried to fix the electricity?” Mrs. Boonchuy piped up.

“Yeah.” Anne replied, still somewhat in disbelief. “Wasn’t that a disaster?”

“Yup.” Mr. Boonchuy said. “So we knew exactly what not to do, and used that to cause the blackout.” The sound of sirens was heard briefly as some FBI cars passed on their way out, but no one really paid them any mind.

“That’s amazing!” Sprig chirped.

“Jealous!” Polly piped up.

“You guys seriously did all that?” Anne said, still awestruck. “I can’t believe it! I guess I… really misjudged you.” Her tone shifted to guilt as she muttered the words, but her parents still had smiles on their faces.

“That’s okay, sweetie.” Mr. Boonchuy reassured her.

“We forgive you.” Mrs. Boonchuy added. Anne smiled fondly at them before another question came to mind and her face turned confused.

“Wait, but how did you know which bathroom we were hiding in?” She asked. Mr. Boonchuy was the one to answer.

“Well, actually-”

“Nobody move!”

Everyone froze at the sudden shout, turning to see a lone SWAT agent standing in front of them. They had a staff with a rope loop on it in hand, staring the group down intensely. A rush of panic passed through all of them, but it soon turned to confusion as the SWAT agent lost their composure and started chuckling.

“Sorry, sorry.” They said, grabbing their helmet. “Couldn’t resist.” As they popped the helmet off, Anne saw a familiar mass of bright purple hair and gasped in shock.

“CAROLINE?!” She shouted. Caroline smiled brightly, pulling her glasses out of a pocket and putting them back on.

“Wait, are you a secret agent, too?!” Sprig asked, eyes wide.

“Nah.” Caroline replied, working to take off the SWAT armour. “I just borrowed it from an agent so I could blend in.”

“Ohh, so that’s how you were able to sneak in the bathroom!” Mr. Boonchuy said, putting the pieces together. “But how’d you put all that on that fast?”

“I was a theatre kid in high school.” Caroline explained. “Small roles mostly, but you learn how to change costumes quick.” At this point, she managed to get most of the armour off, revealing she had been wearing her regular outfit underneath. Anne was still stunned by all of it, but staring at the armour, she came to a realization.

“Hold on.” She spoke up. “If you took that armour from an agent, what happened to them?” Caroline froze for a second, her memory flashing back to the agent she left knocked out in the closet before she pulled herself back to reality.

Out of all the things she could’ve messed up, Luz was certain this was the worst of them.

After borrowing Eda’s staff to try and fly her and her friends to the Hexside vs Glandus match, she lost control and crashed into a tree. As a result, Owlbert had come off of his staff and fled, leading the trio on a chase through the thick woods.

Now, they stood at the mouth of a dark cave; one which Luz had seen Owlbert hop into mere moments before. She didn’t even hesitate as she walked right in, determined to find Eda’s palisman and bring him home safe. Willow and Gus followed along, watching around them warily as they trekked into the dark space.

“Wow, I keep stepping on a lot of crunchy twigs.” Willow commented. Luz glanced back at her, brow furrowing slightly.

“Those are bones, Willow.” She told her.

“Not if I never look down!” Willow replied, her gaze turning straight up to the cave ceiling. Not a second later, a figure raced by in the darkness, startling all three kids and making them huddle together. Luz felt something brush by her head, and she used Eda’s staff to push some hanging cobwebs away.

“This isn’t any kind of forest I’m used to.” She said, an anxious tone in her voice.

“That’s because this isn’t a forest.” Willow spoke up, drawing the human’s attention. She looked over at her friend, who was looking down at something on the ground. Following her eyes, Luz looked down just as three small creatures emerged from the shadows, revealing themselves to be the Bat Queen’s babies.

“It’s a nest!” Willow squeaked. Gus took a step back from the babies, while Luz’s fear actually faded away.

“Hey, I remember you.” She said. “You’re Bat Queen’s babies.” The trio of bat babies hissed in response, seemingly unable to actually say anything to her.

“Wait,” Gus piped up, continuing to back away, “the Bat Queen?” His anxious tone rang clear to Willow, who had also taken a few steps back.

“I think I’d rather take my chances with Eda.” She said. In their attempts to leave, both Gus and Willow walked straight into some low-hanging cobwebs, which quickly stuck to their hair and clothes. Luz didn’t notice either of them though, instead focusing on the young bats and kneeling down to their level.

“Hey, guys.” She spoke, keeping a calm tone. “We’re looking for a little owl, and-…” her words trailed as she noticed some movement in the dark, looking up and seeing Owlbert about fifteen feet away.

“There he is!” Luz exclaimed in relief. “Owlbert, thank goodness you’re okay. Come here, buddy; time to go home.” The small owl ended up taking a step back, and before Luz could move forward, a massive creature stepped out of the darkness. It put itself between Owlbert and Luz, and as the human looked up, she was met with who she could only assume was the Bat Queen. The trio gasped at the sight of her, unable to move as she marched forward and stared all of them down coldly.

“Hello, small human.” She spoke. Luz felt her body tense, but she managed to keep her fear from showing.

“Bat Queen!” She replied, gaining a cheerful tone. “Nice to finally meet you in person! So, funny story; see, Owlbert ran away, and I need to get him back. I’ll just grab him and we’ll-...” Luz’s gaze had gone from the Bat Queen over to where Owlbert was, only to see the palisman had been picked up by someone the human hadn’t expected.

“Evelyn?” She blurted. Both Gus and Willow gasped in surprise, as neither of them were prepared to see a centaur alongside the Bat Queen. Evelyn quickly looked up, eyes wide in panic before she realized just who had called her name.

“Luz?” She said, putting Owlbert on her shoulder. “What are you doing here? Did-…” the centaur trailed off as she noticed the staff in Luz’s hands, her ears pinning back and a look of terror appearing on her face.

“Did…you do this to him?” She asked slowly. Luz’s panic quickly surfaced, along with a mix of guilt.

“No!” She blurted. “No, I-I would never, I-”

“To be careless with a staff is very serious.” The Bat Queen interrupted her coldly. “We protect him.”

“But he belongs to Eda!” Luz argued. “And you owe her a favour, so-”

“Owl Lady was careless!” Bat Queen snapped. “Her staff left her sight, taken by human who steals, hurts, frightens!” Her words caught Luz by surprise, and her expression changed.

“What?” She said.

“He told me all!” Bat Queen cried, her eyes lighting up with yellow magic. Owlbert’s did the same in turn, and Luz felt a weight of guilt settle in her stomach.

“Owlbert, I never meant to hurt you.” She managed, focusing on the small owl. “Please, come back.” The glow in Owlbert’s eyes faded, and he let out a small hoot as he curled up, tucking closer to Evelyn’s neck as if to hide. The teen felt a sense of helplessness grip at her chest, and her gaze turned to Evelyn instead.

“Evelyn,” she started, “come on, I helped babysit Bat Queen’s kids! You know I’m a good person!” Evelyn’s ear twitched, her expression now a mix of fear and disappointment.

“Luz…you didn’t.” She replied. “The triplets told me; Eda and King were the ones who watched them. You were gone the whole night.” Luz felt her blood go cold, the guilt in her stomach worsening.

“No…” she murmured, “no no no, there-… there’s gotta be something I can do. There has to be some way I can prove I’m trustworthy!” Her eyes fell on Owlbert as she spoke, and the small palisman stared back before leaving Evelyn’s shoulder and flying to the Bat Queen. He carefully landed atop her head, and for a moment, both his and the Bat Queen’s eyes glowed yellow again. Once the glow ebbed away, the Bat Queen focused her gaze on Luz, glaring coldly.

“Trust must be earned!” She snapped, raising her wings. In a strong beat, she took off and flew deeper into the nest, landing on a podium of sorts that sat in the middle. Three small spires of flame burned around her, and they seemed to strengthen in brightness upon her landing.

“Trust shall be tested…through trials!” The Bat Queen declared. The flame spires roared with life at her words, lighting up the nest and cave around them. Luz, Willow, and Evelyn gained looks of worry at her statement, whereas Gus looked surprisingly excited.

“Trials?” He echoed, raising his flags. Willow was quick to move his hands down, walking past him and over to Luz.

“Luz, the Bat Queen is well known for her impossible trials.” She told her. “I’ve never heard of anyone winning against her.”

“But I have to get Owlbert back.” Luz argued. There was a tone of desperation in her voice, one that made Evelyn’s ears pin back. The human didn’t notice, however, turning her attention back to the Bat Queen.

“I accept your challenge.” She said firmly. Willow gained a look of hesitation, but it was soon replaced by determination as she looked back at Gus.

“And we’ll be right there with you.” She said. Gus quickly caught on.

“May the flags raise you up!” He added. The Bat Queen narrowed her eyes at the two witchlings, raising a claw at them and making a gripping motion. Her foot lit up with yellow magic, and soon both Willow and Gus were ensnared in sturdy webbing. The action was followed by cries of shock and protest, but the Bat Queen was unbothered by it.

“No helpsies.” She said curtly. “Evelyn, guard.” Evelyn nodded once, walking over and standing behind Gus and Willow to keep an eye on them. She kept a serious expression, but glancing down at the two witchlings, a gleam of guilt shone in her eyes.

“Now,” the Bat Queen spoke again, “let the trials begin!” Luz kept a determined expression, her grip on Owlbert’s staff tightening slightly. Just then, a soft chittering sounded to her right, and turning her gaze to it, she saw what could only be described as a spider-cow hybrid emerge from the shadows. The human’s eyes widened in horror at the sight, but her trance of fear was broken by a sudden clattering next to her, and she looked to see a bucket had been thrown at her feet.

“Milk the spider demon!” The Bat Queen ordered. Luz hesitated before she picked up the bucket, looking between it and the spider demon warily. Her gaze ended up turning back to Owlbert, who watched her intently, and that alone made the human straighten up. Facing the spider demon again, she leapt forward, only for the demon to jump over her and run off into the cave. Luz didn’t hesitate, scrambling to her feet and running after it with the bucket still in hand.

“If you run, you’ll just make this harder for yourself!” She called. Willow, Gus, and Evelyn watched the human nervously, but none of them could make a move to help. Thankfully, Luz managed to complete the trial after some struggle, and one of the three spires of flame quietly sputtered out. The human looked up at the Bat Queen with a determined gleam in her eyes, ready to take on the next trial.

“Remove bee’s nest!” The Bat Queen shouted, pointing at the cave wall. Luz noticed a dead tree hidden away in the corner, and a large bulb in the shape of a nest hanging about fifteen feet up. Not wasting time, she made her way to the base and began climbing up to where the nest sat. Willow was watching her nervously, but she soon heard murmuring and realized Evelyn was talking under her breath.

“No…Luz, that’s not the nest.” She whispered anxiously. Willow looked back just as Luz made a swing at the nest, only for it to detach and reveal itself to be a giant hornet. It let out a screech that startled Luz out of the tree, but she was quick to get back up and began climbing again. Both Willow and Evelyn watched her anxiously, but the two were soon distracted by the sound of struggling next to them. Gus was pulling away at his bindings with his flags, and he was actually managing to cut through a few of them.

“Hey hey hey!” Evelyn spoke in a hushed whisper, moving over and grabbing the flags. “Stop that!”

“Hey!” Gus exclaimed in protest. “Give those back!”

“Listen to me.” Evelyn kept her voice low, glancing at the Bat Queen warily. “I know you guys want to help Luz, but if you try to interfere, it’ll only make the Bat Queen angrier and the trials will get worse.” Both Gus and Willow froze at her words, their gazes turning to each other before looking back at Luz. The human was still fighting off the giant hornets, and seeing how hard she was struggling, both witchlings chose to settle and not interfere. The three of them watched as Luz managed to clear the hornets out, miraculously not getting stung in the process, and returning her attention to the Bat Queen. The demon still looked unimpressed, though there was a gleam of frustration in her eyes as the second flame sputtered out.

“Give babies a bath!” She ordered. Evelyn’s eyes went wide as the bat triplets let out screeches of protest, causing Luz to cover her ears and making Gus and Willow grimace.

“Whoa, hold on-” Evelyn blurted, “-the babies only listen to you, there’s no way this trial is fair.” The Bat Queen’s cold, hard gaze quickly turned to the centaur, and it caused a shiver to run up her spine.

“I say what trials are.” The Bat Queen stated firmly. Evelyn’s ears pinned back on instinct, but she grit her teeth and took one step forward.

“Then I’ll catch them!” She retorted, her voice wavering. “Y-Your trial said bathe the babies, not catch them. So the least you can do is let me-”

“No!”

Much to everyone’s surprise, Luz was the one to interrupt this time. She was staring at Evelyn, her eyes shining with guilt and frustration, and it made the centaur back up.

“I was selfish, and I hurt Owlbert.” Luz continued. “I need to do this alone so he knows I care about him.” Willow, Gus, and Evelyn all stared at her silently, none of them having anything to say to counteract Luz’s words. With that, the human turned back to face the Bat Queen and saw the babies were lined up at her feet. About ten feet to her left sat a wooden tub with soapy water, along with a small scrub brush. Luz decided to waste no time grabbing the babies to bathe them, though she was met with shrieks and bites of protest in response. It took her half an hour to clean them all, but sure enough, she pulled through and managed to finish the task. The last spire of flame flickered out, and with that, Luz stood tall in front of the Bat Queen.

“Okay, Bat Queen, that’s the last one.” She said. “I’ve done all your chores, and I’ve proved my dedication to Owlbert.” The Bat Queen narrowed her eyes at the human, but Luz simply turned her attention to the owl palisman instead.

“I’m so sorry for the pain I caused you, Owlbert.” She said softly. “I promise to be more careful. Will you come back home with me?” Owlbert stared back at her for a moment before letting out a small hoot, fluttering down from the rocks and landing in front of Luz. The human smiled as she went to pick him up, only for the ground to glow yellow and ensnare the palisman in webbing.

“No!” The Bat Queen cried. “More trial! Last trial! You must face me!” She spread her wings wide as a pillar of fire erupted from behind her, startling everyone else in the cave.

“What?!” Luz exclaimed, eyes widening in alarm. Evelyn felt a sense of dread wash over her as the Bat Queen lunged, scaring Luz and making her run.

“You will never get him back!” The demon shouted. At that point, Evelyn knew exactly what was happening and brought one hand up, drawing a spell circle and freeing Gus and Willow from the webs.

“What?” Willow managed, looking up at the centaur in confusion. “Why are you-”

“No time.” Evelyn interrupted, not even looking at them. “You two get out, I’ll go after Luz and m- the Bat Queen.” She gave them no time to respond as she suddenly ran past them, stopping beside Owlbert and kneeling down. She made quick work of the webs holding the small palisman, and with a grateful hoot, he flew up and landed on her shoulder. As soon as he settled, Evelyn quickly turned and raced out of the cave, rushing past Gus and Willow to chase after the Bat Queen.

Meanwhile, Luz ran haphazardly through the woods, frantically avoiding the swiping talons of the bat demon chasing her. Piercing shrieks echoed through the forest, but the human knew better than to stop and continued running as fast as she could go. She still clutched Owlbert’s staff in her hands, occasionally swinging it at the raging demon to defend herself.

“I won’t let you imprison Owlbert!” She shouted, ducking one of the Bat Queen’s claws. She glanced back as the Bat Queen flew upwards, only to feel something snag her foot and trip her up. She cried out as she hit the dirt, rolling onto her back to see her legs were now tangled in thick vines on the forest floor. A screech drew her attention back to the sky, and her eyes widened in horror as the Bat Queen dove straight for her. Not knowing what else to do, she held Owlbert’s staff out in front of her and shut her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable impact.

“Leave her alone!”

Luz’s eyes shot open at the voice, and the Bat Queen screeched to a halt in midair. Evelyn had rushed in and put herself between the demon and the human, and Luz quickly noticed Owlbert perched on the centaur’s shoulder.

“Evelyn!” The Bat Queen shouted in anger. “Step aside, now!”

“No!” Evelyn snapped. “I’m not gonna stand by and let you do this again!” Luz slowly sat up in shock, eyes glancing between the centaur and the angered demon warily. Thankfully, the intervention worked to her advantage, and she carefully started to work her legs out from the vines.

“This human hurt a palisman!” The Bat Queen roared. “She was thoughtless, and does not deserve him! He stays with us!”

“Luz completed the trials fairly!” Evelyn argued, stomping a hoof. “You can’t just go back on your word like that! It’s not-”

“She has not earned him!” The Bat Queen interrupted. “She never will! Trial is incomplete, she failed! Now stand aside!”

“NO!” Evelyn screamed, finally reaching her limit. “You always do this, every time a witch comes back for their palisman! You cheat them and hurt them all because you can’t let go of the past! For Titan’s sake, mom, not every palisman is like you!”

A deafening silence fell over the forest at the centaur’s words. Evelyn’s eyes widened in horror as she realized just what she had said, and Luz stared in shock at the Bat Queen. The human’s eyes quickly fell on the demon’s right foot, noticing an interlock similar to the one she’d seen on Owlbert’s foot earlier that day.

“Bat Queen…you were a palisman?” She spoke up, drawing both Bat Queen and Evelyn’s attentions. The furious expression the Bat Queen once held had fallen, changing to a look of guilt and pain as she landed and folded her wings in.

“Yes.” She admitted, hanging her head. “I was once part of a grand staff. A staff made for a giant! But I was broken, discarded.” Luz felt her heart sink, and Evelyn had her ears tilted back in sympathy.

“That’s why you’re so protective of Owlbert.” Luz muttered. The Bat Queen quickly snapped up, turning to face the human with her eyes glowing.

“I protect ALL!” She bellowed. At once, the trees around them lit up with small yellow dots, revealing other palismen that had been watching from the shadows. Many of them had cracks or chips, but some were missing more than that, and the sight of it made Luz’s heart ache.

“I made home in forest.” The Bat Queen spoke, her voice quieter as her eyes returned to normal. “I’m here to take the lost… the forgotten.”

“I understand now.” Luz spoke softly. “But Owlbert is not forgotten. He has someone at home who loves him very much.” The Bat Queen looked over the human for a moment before her gaze turned to Evelyn. The centaur’s breath caught in her throat, but she managed to relax and turned to Owlbert, who was still perched on her shoulder. With a careful hand, she picked him up, holding him in front of her in an open palm. All eyes were focused on the small owl, but Owlbert’s attention fell solely onto Luz. With a small hoot, he flew out of Evelyn’s hands and over to the human, landing on her shoulder and nuzzling her cheek. The Bat Queen looked at them with a gleam of longing in her eyes, but quickly turned away so it wasn’t noticed.

“Very well.” She spoke, drawing Luz’s attention. “Go, and take your friends.” Luz turned her gaze to the Bat Queen as she extended her wing, seeing Gus and Willow quickly running towards her. Both of them had scared looks on their faces, but other than that, they appeared unhurt. Luz felt a wave of relief wash over her, though she wound up distracted when Owlbert suddenly flew off of her shoulder and over to the path behind her. She turned around just in time to see him land on his staff, picking it up in his talons and carefully flying it back to her. With a small smile, she took hold of it, and Owlbert returned to his perch atop her shoulder. Luz stared at the palisman fondly for a moment, but her smile faltered somewhat and she turned her gaze to the Bat Queen.

“Bat Queen?” She spoke, catching her attention. “Do you remember what happened to your owner?” The Bat Queen hesitated, dropping her gaze mournfully.

“It has been thousands of years.” She replied. “I have forgotten.” Luz felt a pang of sympathy at her words, her grip on the staff tightening just slightly.

“If you ever want to search for the truth,” she told her, “I’ll help you.” The Bat Queen looked the human over with a careful gaze, but a small smile tugged at her lips.

“Thank you.” She said softly. Her gaze ended up turning to Evelyn, who briefly met it before looking down at Luz instead.

“I can escort you three back to the Owl Lady’s house.” She told them, stepping forward. “Come along, it’s this way.” Without looking back at the Bat Queen, the centaur began to walk down the path, prompting Willow and Gus to follow along. Luz wound up hesitating, glancing back to see the Bat Queen giving her a small nod before taking off and flying into a massive tree in the distance. With that, Luz turned and jogged to catch up, soon reaching Evelyn’s side and slowing to a walk.

“Hey.” She spoke, drawing the centaur’s attention. “Thanks for saving me back there.” Evelyn’s ear twitched slightly, her gaze going from the human to the trail ahead.

“No problem.” She replied.

“So, you’re really a centaur?” Gus piped up, looking up at Evelyn in excitement. Evelyn’s face changed to a look of confusion, and she turned her gaze to the smaller witchling.

“Uh, yeah?” She said, her tone carrying confusion as well. Gus was still staring at her, his eyes shining as he waved his flags around.

“How did you become one?” He asked. “Were you blessed? Cursed? Did you make a deal with dark forces?” The sudden statements caused the centaur to stop walking, bringing Luz and Willow to a halt as well.

“Uh…no.” Evelyn replied. “I was born like this, actually. Mom- the Bat Queen, found me in the woods as a baby and took me in. There wasn’t a note or anything with me, so I have no idea who my birth parents are.”

“So, you’re a natural born centaur?” Luz blurted. “But, Eda said that centaurs weren’t real.” Evelyn turned around to look at the human, her face an unreadable mix of emotions.

“Well, I feel pretty real.” She said at last. “So maybe the Owl Lady doesn’t know everything. Now come on, the house is just through here.” Without waiting for a response, Evelyn started down the path again, which prompted Luz, Gus, and Willow to follow along. Soon enough, the trio were back in front of the Owl House, but Luz couldn’t shake Evelyn’s words from her mind.

“Evelyn?” She called. The centaur stopped walking, standing at the edge of the underbrush and turning to face the human.

“Have you found any other centaurs?” Luz asked. Evelyn’s ears turned down, her gaze dropping to the side.

“No.” She replied. “I’ve looked around a bit, but caring for the palismen with mom has been a full-time job.”

“Well, if you ever get time away, I’d be happy to help you look.” Luz offered. Evelyn blinked in surprise, but a small smile soon formed on her face.

“Thanks, Luz.” She said softly. “Until next time.” With that, the centaur turned and disappeared into the undergrowth, leaving the trio alone on Eda’s doorstep.

——————

“Babies! To bed!”

Evelyn returned to the cave just as the Bat Queen gathered the triplets, settling them in their nesting branch. The sight of her mother caused a wave of guilt to wash over the centaur, and she quietly moved through the shadows of the cave to avoid being seen.

“And now, it’s time to have book before sleeping.” The Bat Queen said, hanging upside-down on the branch in front of her children. There was a pause before she coughed up a small picture book, opening it up and tearing pages out with her wing claws. With careful movements, she fed a page to each child, watching happily as they ate it up.

“Yes, consume, grow wise.” She said encouragingly. “Avoid paper cuts.” Evelyn felt a twinge as she watched the triplets drift off to sleep, but she kept silent as she went to settle in the small corner she had chosen.

“Evelyn.”

The centaur felt her whole body tense, and she looked up to see the Bat Queen staring directly at her. She quickly got to her feet, her legs shaking as she did so, but she managed to turn herself to face the bat demon. The Bat Queen narrowed her eyes slightly, and spreading her wings, she detached from her branch and flew herself down to the cave floor.

“Come out from the shadows.” She told her. Evelyn swallowed a nervous lump in her throat, but did as asked, carefully stepping out into the main light of the cave. She couldn’t bring herself to look her mother in the eyes, her arms folded over her chest in a protective manner.

“You were hiding.” The Bat Queen spoke. “Why?” Evelyn’s breath caught, and she had to take a second to be able to speak.

“I…figured you’d be mad at me.” She replied. “So I kept away.”

“You believe me to be angry with you for defending the human.” The Bat Queen guessed. Evelyn nodded, her ears pinned back in fear and her gaze still focused on the cave floor. Much to her surprise, however, the Bat Queen’s tone softened.

“I am not.” She said. “You spoke the truth; I let my past anger me. Owlbert had chosen the human, but I could not accept. You did, and you made right.” Evelyn looked up at the Bat Queen in shock, her wide eyes meeting her mother’s soft gaze.

“You have learned well, little one.” The Bat Queen continued. “You have come to respect and care for the palismen, as I have. I feel it is time now for you to have one.” Evelyn gasped, her eyes gaining a gleam of excitement as she straightened up.

“You mean…I can have my own palisman?” She asked, wanting to be sure. The Bat Queen nodded, and after a slight pause, she hacked and coughed up a small log of palistrom wood. Evelyn stared at the log in awe, carefully taking it and holding it like a baby.

“I kept safe until you were ready.” The Bat Queen explained. “I have seen you practice; I know you will make a beautiful palisman.” Evelyn felt her eyes start to sting, but a grateful smile was clear on her face.

“Thanks, mom.” She managed, meeting the Bat Queen’s eyes. “I’ll care for them with everything I have.” The Bat Queen smiled back at her, opening her wings and prompting the centaur to move in for a hug.

“I know you will, little one.” She replied, waiting a moment before releasing her. “Now, come rest. We carve tomorrow.” Evelyn wiped her eyes and nodded, still cradling the palistrom wood as she followed her mother into the centre of the cave. There, she found her proper bed with quilts and pillows, and soon enough, she had settled herself comfortably among them. The Bat Queen looked at her fondly before flying back up to the triplets, landing on the branch upside-down above Evelyn’s head. She adjusted her position slightly before wrapping her wings around the babies, sheltering them for the night. Her eyes glanced back at the centaur below her, noticing how she had carefully bundled up the palistrom wood and was lying protectively around it.

“Goodnight, Evelyn.” She quietly called. Evelyn glanced up, giving her a warm smile before closing her eyes again.