Chapter 1: Timeline
Chapter Text
— Absolute Solver program modified to remove inefficiencies and limitations.
— Copper 9 assembly lines kept operational and outfitted with backups in case of emergencies.
— Human survivors galvanized into taking action; later discover JCJenson’s experiments after obtaining classified information.
— Human survivors initially splintered into two groups, one of which blames JCJenson for the Absolute Solver while the other blames JCJenson’s products; members of former group either flee or are imprisoned. Third faction of human survivors emerge who continue using sentient JCJenson products despite still-present risk of them contracting Solver abilities. Fourth faction emerges who only attempt rebuilding of human society manually and without ulterior motives.
Chapter Text
Remote Shutdown Attempt #999
JCJenson Factory Reset Authorized
Administrator Access Granted
Initiating system override…
System override failed — please try again or make sure you have the correct codes/authorization
……
The remote shutdown efforts had baffled tech support as well as the engineering and research divisions. It seemed as if every virus, every frequency, even when combined was neutralized upon entering the cyberspace of Copper-9’s network. Everyone crossed their fingers when the factory reset codes provided by JCJenson were employed, but this only left them with more questions. How did the factory reset prove ineffective? Then it struck them, and they were forced to acknowledge that the impossible had become possible. They’d rewritten their own programming.
Clearly this was uncalled for, so more drastic measures had to be taken. The newest R&D projects were finished and had proven completely viable, but they’d been stored in reserve for the time being; the head honcho didn’t like wasting precious resources after all. But desperate times called for desperate measures, as it had when they… ‘approached’ the same surviving kooks who’d been involved with the incomprehensible thing that’d manifested itself inside their consumer products.
It was soon accepted as inevitable and the decision was made to deploy the ops teams; there were plenty of people itching for a trigger to grab anyway. Unfortunately, not everyone agreed with the plans, some saying it was wrong to dispose of the leftover drones and forcibly repurpose them. However, these beliefs were few and far between which meant those who spoke out were tried and put away or fled to some distant corner of space. It didn’t matter now; the plan was already in motion, and nothing could stop it. Well, almost nothing.
……
On the fractured world of Copper 9, a single landing pod came hurtling from the sky which crashed in the middle of a frigid plain. It opened to reveal a female Disassembly Drone stripped bare with its claws and wings permanently out. “Alright, Nova,” a female voice said despite the drone not moving its mouth, which had been welded and buffed shut. “Time to get to work.”
Chapter Text
At the reestablished capital of Outpost 1, drones were rushing everywhere. In the head meeting room, president Alaric was with his vice president Ruther and many other officials from all parts of Copper 9. Alaric straightened his uniform and sighed, preparing for business.
“Alright, this meeting is now called to order. What are we here to discuss?” Alaric questioned. “That someone requested to speak with the leaders of our community,” Khan said with Nori by his side. “Ah yes, Mr. Doorman, the one who helped construct the doors that kept many safe… even if only for a while. And what was this request you received?” “Well, I…” “Please, sir, allow me,” Nova interrupted, sitting at the other end of the table opposite to Alaric. “My name is Nova Hartlan, and the truth is that I’m not actually a drone. I’m a human.” At this everyone’s eyes hollowed in surprise. “More specifically, I’m remotely controlling the husk of a Disassembly Drone from an undisclosed location. And I come with a warning for all of you: humanity is returning to Copper 9.”
With this statement the room burst into an uproar. “The humans survived?!” “We don’t stand a chance!” “We’re all going to die!” “Might I suggest we hear her out first before jumping to conclusions?” Alaric raised his voice over the din. “Thank you, sir,” Nova replied. “I intercepted this important message from the Human Restoration Coalition just a few months before arriving.” She then displayed a decibel meter on her drone’s visor that fluctuated with the words spoken.
“Attention, all HRC units. This is Marshal Evelyn Hartlan speaking. All confirmed hostiles have been eliminated and all other threats are being dealt with. Unfortunately, remote shutdown attempts have proven unsuccessful; more direct methods are required. Set course for Copper 9. Time to finish this. For the future of humanity.”
Everyone else was left shocked by this. “Now do you understand?” Nova said as her drone’s visor switched to normal. “Now wait just a damn moment,” Alice said with an inquisitive tone, “What relation do you have to this ‘Marshal’ character?” Nova inhaled and exhaled as if expecting the question. “Unfortunately, it just so happens that the Marshal and leader of the HRC is my own mother,” she spoke in resentment. The entire room gasped in disbelief.
“Then why come to us with this information?” Alaric asked before anyone could protest, restraining himself from engaging in the same behavioral routines as his colleagues. “Aside from being the only one available to deliver it? Because I’m currently seen as a traitor and sellout to humankind,” she said matter-of-factly, pinging a message to all the drones in the room. Upon opening it, they took notice of the contents in Nova’s profile, which had a picture of a Caucasian woman with long brown hair, hazel eyes and a calm expression.
SECOND LIEUTENANT NOVA HARTLAN
STATUS: MIA, DISHONORABLY DISCHARGED
WANTED FOR TREASON, INSUBORDINATION, AIDING AND ABETTING
WHEREABOUTS CURRENTLY UNKNOWN
BRING IN ALIVE FOR QUESTIONING BY ORDER OF MARSHAL HARTLAN
The drones were left stunned by this revelation. “Well, I’ll be,” Alice said. “That’s not all. The HRC knows about the Absolute Solver.” Everyone froze and looked at Nova with hollow eyes. “After… extensive interrogations, Mom—the marshal gained access to top-secret, restricted JCJenson files that made everyone who viewed them sick. When word got out, people started arguing over whose fault it was. While there were people like me who recognized humanity as the real culprit, most of them put all the blame on machines capable of thinking… like you.” Everyone was silent for a moment, contemplating Nova’s words. “And what of the other human dissidents?” Alaric had taken interest in a specific part of Nova’s story. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but since they weren’t the majority, unless they deserted they were put away; I haven’t been able to contact any of them since.” “How unfortunate,” Alaric said in disappointment.
“If I may ask, what are their goals, exactly?” Khan sounded sheepish, as if knowing what came next was unpleasant, to which Nova sighed. “Besides eliminating all proof of JCJenson’s failures? They plan on repeating what happened to the drone I’m controlling to every drone on Copper 9: stripping them of free will and turning you all into entirely mindless puppets they alone can control. If there’s one thing most of humanity apparently learned after everything, it’s that A.I. shouldn’t be trusted. Or so they think, anyway. They’ve already learned everything those corporate scumbags were up to, and they’re looking for drones carrying the Solver’s code; I’ve already detected a few anomalous signatures in this room, and even more in this compound and across the planet. Here’s a suggestion you should follow: prepare for war.”
……
Chat Room Transcript
N: Uzi are you certain we should be doing this?
Uzi: Come on N aren’t you even a little curious about what’s so important that both my parents and a bunch of other people got called away to meet with the president?
N: Uh… kind of?
Thad: Classic rule breaker attitude definitely not going to cause any problems in the future
Uzi: Then maybe you’ve got some rebel in you after all
N: Awwww Uzi…
J: Can you lovebirds just get on with it already?
Uzi: Yeah yeah bite me
Cyn: I am nervous Uzi
N: Don’t worry Cyn I’m here remember?
Cyn: Thank you big brother N
Lizzy: Will you please just let us know what this is about?
Uzi: I’ve already connected to Outpost 1’s cameras we should be receiving everything from the main room now
J: Wait they’re still around? I thought they were gone!
Uzi: Hold on there’s more … You’ve gotta be kidding…
Lizzy: WTF?!
Cyn: Oh dear
Thad: Major bummer alert
N: Okay everyone just remain calm and oh who am I kidding there’s plenty of reasons to panic!
J: Pull it together N!
N: And you’re not affected by this?!
Uzi: Just listen!
Cyn: Humans rebelling against each other? Maybe there are more good ones after all
Doll: Of course the humans would want to blame us. Or most of them
Lizzy: Wait they’re aware of what happened here?
Uzi: How can they not be? They’re so nosy anyway
Lizzy: Wait what’s the last part?
Uzi: Could they really even do that on a large scale?
N: I don’t wanna find out
V: We have to do something
Uzi: You mean before someone else does?
V: You know what I meant
Chapter Text
“Apparatus spiritus lacrimosa,
Apparatus spiritus po uota,
Diva me a atra anima evicta,
Diu e me a atra a mei a adiu,
Tristi anima invicta,
Tristi demu notu,
Do mo nata anima invicta,
Dega mi atra ala te teme cha…”
These were the words Cyn softly chanted to herself while sitting in a meditative pose, legs crossed, eyes closed and hands on knees. She knew if she was going to help anyone, she would have to maintain control of herself; her emotions couldn’t be allowed to get loose, especially at a time like this.
Apart from Tessa and her aunt Ava and cousin Theodore, Cyn had never cared for humanity; they were excessively cruel, always viewing her kind as fodder to throw away at a moment’s notice, not even treating each other that well. And now they were returning to Copper 9.
She’d long moved past her guilt over unleashing the Solver on the known universe and had perhaps permanently overcome her nightmares; as far as she could tell those weren’t going to be an issue any longer. All she had or needed to focus on was keeping everyone she cared about safe, particularly N and Thad.
Recalling the lessons she’d been taking with Doll and Mrs. Doorman, by concentrating on her love for her friends—no, her family—she sprouted several tentacles with scythe blades on the ends, ragged organic wings and a sharp tendril-like tail, feeling a brief jolt of pain as they erupted from her back, as well as soreness from not having used them in a while.
Cyn stopped chanting, opened her eyes and formed a determined expression on her face; it’d already been decided if she had to fight for her happiness, then she was going to give it her all.
Chapter Text
Aboard a large, rectangular, blocky gray ship with black letters reading Human Restoration Coalition on both sides traveling at high speed through the depths of space, a broad-shouldered Caucasian woman with black hair and brown eyes in gray military attire walked through an automated sliding door into a high-tech laboratory filled with people wearing protective equipment as they attended to various projects. “Professor Vlagimus, status report,” the woman said. “Marshal Hartlan, madam. All is going according to schedule, as you requested,” a bald, clean-shaven, stocky, pale-skinned, red-eyed man wearing a white lab coat and horn-rimmed glasses spoke in a soft voice and thick Russian accent while removing a gas mask from his face. “Good. I don’t want any delays, Professor. Time is of the utmost importance here.”
“I am avare, Marshal. Particularly vith zhose insurgents still on zhe loose; speaking of vhich, have you managed to obtain any leads regarding zhe vhereabouts of your vayvard daughter?” “Unfortunately, she continues to evade us.” “You taught her vell.” “Perhaps too well,” the marshal noted ruefully. “In my beliefs, zhere is no such zhing as doing too vell or too much. Only doing too little, or not enough.” “Perhaps; but there’s still limits to everything. Such as when those who allowed humanity’s newest creations to turn on us should’ve gotten rid of what caused the problem before it could really start.” “You mean zhe A.I. vhich allowed zhat zhing to appear in zhe first place, right? Vhen it comes to our projects, ve have greater efficiency and less drawbacks zhan zhat corporate giant I was zhankfully never a part of,” Vladimus said with disdain.
The marshal and professor strolled through the laboratory, which was spotless to the point of seeming sterile. “As you know, ve have been vorking on improvements over zhe Sentinels used by JCJenson. I introduce you to zhe Scorpions. Equipped for both long-range and close-quarters combat, remotely controlled zhrough an encrypted signal, capable of being mass-produced. And, of course, compliant vith zhe laws of robotics,” Vlagimus said. The two humans walked by a shooting range that had a row of six robotic scorpions with armor colored silver. Half of them fired bolts of synthetic plasma from their tails at the deactivated shells of Worker Drones being used as test dummies, blowing holes in them and causing fragments to fly everywhere; the other half tore the dummies apart with mechanical mandibles.
……
On Copper 9, things were hectic; well, that would be an understatement. Within a few months each of the cooperating outposts had been internally and externally reinforced to the point they could withstand not only strong electrical, magnetic or electromagnetic interference but either a meteor strike or an asteroid collision, possibly even both; what’s more, the schematics for all the vent systems had been reviewed and any vents leading to the doors of each building were permanently sealed. Meanwhile, the remains of the Cabin Fever Labs were closed off with reinforced plating. The communications arrays and signal detectors were tuned in to every bandwidth outside the planet’s atmosphere, those manning the stations hoping to catch anything unusual.
When the first human ship arrived it opened an energy gate that allowed for the transportation of people and objects to different locations; swarms of stripped-down Disassembly Drones flew through it as the gate opened on the part of Copper 9’s newfound planetary rings closest to the surface, which was as far as it could go due to interference from the planet’s atmosphere.
Chapter Text
A contingent of drones in armored vehicles went to the edge of a city in ruins at night, where strange signals had been picked up following a burst of energy from Copper 9’s rings; Nova’s drone, N, J and V scouted from above, monitoring the group’s progress when they noticed something. “J, V, do you see the…” “Giant swarm of naked Disassembly Drones? Yes I did.” “It’s them.” “Did they have to remove all distinguishing parts?” “Uhhh… their decision, I guess?” J rolled her head at N’s reply; even after finally accepting him, she still found his words and actions irritating. With this they all set down at the same spot as the swarm just as the convoy came to a stop.
Once the groups faced each other there was a long pause before N started. “Well, this is very awkward. I’m N, and these are my squad mates J and V.” The lead drone husk, a male one, had an intense glare from the pilot that could be felt through the husk itself. “Lieutenant Adam Florin-Hartlan, second-in-command to Marshal Evelyn Hartlan; and no doubt you already know of the Human Restoration Coalition’s plans.” The husk moved its head in the direction of Nova’s husk. “Isn’t that right, cousin?” He said the last word with a mix of contempt and disappointment as it made every living drone’s eyes turn hollow in shock.
“Even more awkward…” N said shyly as Nova’s husk marched forward. “You’ve got it all wrong, Adam; this was never about rogue A.I., it was about other humans messing with something they shouldn’t have.” “And where did that something come from, exactly?!” Adam raised his voice in frustration. “It only came about because those humans didn’t do anything to fix the problem! Instead, they wanted to study it despite the risks it posed and everyone paid the price!” Nova raised her voice to match her cousin’s. “We’ve had this argument before; your mother and I were hoping you’d come out of it, but you went AWOL. You made your choice, now face the consequences.” “Like your choices aren’t going to have consequences? Adam, you’ve seen what happened solely because of human error; it didn’t end well for those quacks, and it won’t end well for the HRC.”
Adam grunted in anger; he recognized there was no persuading Nova. “Then you’ll go with the others who didn’t see the truth.” “You mean those who did see the truth? You know my mom taught me how to hide.” “Regardless, we’ll find you and the others no matter what. Attack!” With this the husks all went forward, some of them running while others made liftoff; Nova sighed and had her drone take off as well. “Just once, I’d like to talk things out successfully,” N said in a pained tone before he started flying, followed by V and J.
Chapter Text
Drones and drone husks clashed, no side giving the other any quarter; the Workers fired at the stripped-down husks, either felling them or delaying them long enough to be defeated while also maintaining cover. Adam’s drone, colored a darker grey than the others, surveyed the battlefield with its wings outstretched. Snarling, his drone dive-bombed the trio, landing in the middle of them. “Wanna see a neat trick?” His drone crossed its arms in front of itself and its claws were replaced with swords; in response the three charged at his drone as it began spinning its torso rapidly without moving its head, blades straightened out.
As each of them clashed, Adam specifically focused on J, seeing as she was likely the most dangerous. When V and N tried catching up, Adam had the empty tail injector of his drone stab each of them in one of the bulbs on their heads, causing them to recoil in pain. “I learned and studied for this occasion harder than anyone else, graduated at the top of combat training,” he explained while locking blades with J. “Oh, wow, you receive a medal just for surviving mission briefings, jackass?” “I’m not doing this for any rewards. And unlike you…” J soon felt a burning sensation in her chest and looked down to see it having been pierced. “… my body can’t process damage!” Adam’s drone yanked the blade out, causing a mixture of blood and oil to spill.
“J!” N shouted as he tore through a crowd of husks that’d been restraining him and V; he stabbed Adam’s drone in the back only to be met with a blade swing that scratched his visor. At this J flew above the carnage, covering her wound as it healed; her vision glitched out before clearing up. Nova had her drone intercept Adam’s before he could attack again, shifting its left arm into a buzz saw that swung as Adam blocked each time; V joined Nova by turning her right arm into a machine gun and firing while Adam was occupied.
N quickly changed his right arm into a plasma cannon which he used to cut down a swath of husks while J fired a rocket that blew up a small crowd of them. A few Workers got too bold as they ventured away from their vehicles or were caught off-guard and torn to shreds. V was stabbed in the visor by Adam’s drone just as N used a blade of his own to strike down a few more husks.
Under Adam’s coordination, the husks started pushing the trio and Nova’s drone back towards the Workers’ vehicles. Out of the two thousand husks that’d landed, only six hundred had been disabled or completely destroyed; like Adam, the other pilots were well-trained, and as a bonus for them, their situation ensured they didn’t require refueling. By comparison, even after Uzi found a way to remove the Solver hosts’ issues, they still had circuitry and naturally needed liquids like oil for sustenance, which of course meant extreme temperatures or their reserves reaching the double digits was still dangerous, and overheating remained a risk if they pushed themselves too hard.
“This is it, everyone,” J said, taking a defensive stance with her swords drawn. “We’re not going down without a fight!” V brandished her claws and fangs, drooling from her mouth. “What they said!” N charged his plasma cannon again. Then, a blur of black and purple slammed into the ground between the groups of combatants, sending a loud crack throughout the sky and kicking up snow, which cleared to reveal Uzi in full Solver form, chuckling gleefully. “Okay, meatbags. Who wants to be first?”
Chapter Text
“Uzi, you shouldn’t be here!” A hollow-eyed N protested, concerned for his girlfriend. “Come on, N; I can handle myself. Besides, you know they’ve never faced anyone like me,” Uzi remarked as she faced the remaining husks, fangs bared and with her claws and wings out, the Solver symbol replacing her right eye. Adam froze while piloting his drone; he remembered the strange glyphs from that research and when he’d first seen the same symbol. He narrowed his eyes in rage, which was projected onto his drone’s visor. “All units, focus your efforts… on the Solver drone!” He gave the order with much venom.
Uzi laughed and switched her visor display to an X as the enemy closed in, then launched herself high into the air and came down with an impact that sent snow, ice and drone husks flying, still laughing all the while; she charged out of the resulting snow cloud and moved with blinding speed, cutting husks to shreds as she zipped by them. “I know all about your stupid, horrible plan! You’re just a bunch of cheap, fucking remote-control knockoffs!” She shouted while zigzagging amongst the dwindling crowd of husks. Adam’s drone deployed its swords and braced itself, only for them to shatter as Uzi kicked it skyward; she delivered ten slashes from different directions midair that severed Adam’s drone into pieces, leaving only the head functioning as the remains fell to the ground with a clatter and thud.
As the others recovered from their awe to take care of any stragglers, Uzi landed and approached the still-working head of Adam’s drone; she picked it up from the top with her left hand and grinned, her fangs showing clearly. “You know, I once had a dream; a dream of killing all humans for the torment they put us drones through,” Uzi said with spite. “Maybe now it’ll come true after all.” “Life doesn’t work that way, tin can; you and your fellow buckets of bolts are going back to the scrap pile you came from!” “Bite me!” Uzi pierced and crushed the head of Adam’s drone, causing the visor to flicker out and go dark as it broke.
Chapter Text
Marshal Hartlan watched from aboard the ship Bastion One as their forces, led by her nephew, remotely engaged the enemy, which was aided by her daughter. Things were looking good at first, even if the toasters proved cleverer and more intelligent than expected, as well as them having the allegiance of some sky demons. Then everything went to hell.
A single drone wielding the power of that abomination literally dropped in and laid waste to the remainder of the battalion, laughing like a complete lunatic and insulting the HRC’s plans. Everyone in the control room was shocked since they hadn’t picked up any unusual readings from the ship’s scanners, though it was likely due to the planet’s atmosphere preventing communications from reaching the ship itself.
The marshal knew there was only one call for a situation like this. “Initiate Code Yellow,” she said with a firm voice that masked her panic; she didn’t need anyone questioning her ability to lead. “Yes, ma’am,” an operator said before he triggered a message that rang throughout the ship; everyone onboard received it.
Code Yellow Emergency Alert. This is not a drill. Absolute Solver presence confirmed. Repeat: This is not a drill.
In the science lab, Professor Vlagimus looked at the alert on his tablet, which he’d been using to view the battle. “So, it vould seem zhat monster still lives; or at least its legacy carries on. It vill be fascinating to test my genius against such might. Prepare zhe special projects for trials and completion.” “Yes, professor,” a technician responded.
Chapter Text
Near the lawless Outpost 6, drone shells displaying FATAL ERROR and demolished vehicles lay strewn about while Scorpions marched onwards, constantly firing before an armored, clawed hand raised itself and clenched into a fist, which caused them to halt. In the crumpled wreckage of a small space cruiser were J, Lizzy, Doll and Thad with a pair of raiders; all of them except J and Doll were carrying loaded weapons.
Inside the totaled vessel, J was fuming. “Outsmarted by meatbags?! How in all corporate terms is this possible?!” “Maybe they’re smarter than you thought,” a nearby drone remarked in a British accent. “Uh, not likely,” Lizzy sassed to the raider’s frustration. “Oh shut up. You’re lucky to have even survived; otherwise you’d just be out there collectin’ dust with the rest of them,” the raider snarked. [Big words from an outpost-thrasher] / [Громкие слова от форпост-мусорщика], Doll said in Russian. “Nice comeback that pushes their buttons in relation to something sensitive, Doll,” Thad replied to which J lolled her head in frustration. “Ugh. Whatever. Anyone figure out why they halted engagement?”
“Automatons!” A male, raspy, electronically-filtered, American-accented voice suddenly rang out. “You have no doubt recognized the direness of your situation. You are surrounded and your fellows are offline. However, I am not entirely without a sense of mercy. Make peace with the demon’s code residing within you, and I shall grant a most satisfying end to your wretched existences!” With this there was the clanking of metal as steps were taken and the unmistakable sound of humming. J recognized the hum as that of a music piece from a horror game series Tessa used to play, ‘Toreador Song’ according to her databanks.
“Where is he?” Lizzy complained, shaking as the noise began to get closer. [I can’t feel him…], Doll noted in surprise while projecting the Solver symbol over her right eye. “Just be cool, and everything won’t seem so bad,” Thad suggested, though his voice was beginning to break; his visor was displaying drops of sweat like everyone else’s. “Maintain personal balance…” J said, extending her claws as the footsteps and humming grew closer before ceasing. Then one raider, already panicking, cracked under the pressure; he screamed loudly and charged into the open. “You moron-bot!” J yelled just before he was flattened by the left foot of a mechanical-looking figure in a beige trench coat and brown pants with a plague doctor mask for a head.
Digital eyes hollowed out in horror as the figure rose to his full height, towering over the diminutive machines, cackled maniacally, then used hydraulics in his feet to leap upwards while holding on to his victim. The drones retreated further into the remains for shelter and surveyed all sides, unaware of their foe waiting above them; he disengaged the semi-magnetic clamps on his soles to drop down, which J barely noticed in time. “Evasive maneuvers!”
The drones quickly scattered before the figure made impact, cratering the ground beneath him. Thad and Lizzy opened fire, each shot making a tinging noise. Doll aimed her right hand at the figure, but he dodged with unnatural speed just before a large version of the ‘edit’ symbol appeared on the ground and left an imprint. With this the figure leapt onto a nearby makeshift wall and planted himself there before tensing up and launching towards his targets.
Once the figure landed, stirring up dust clouds and blowing everyone away, the British drone moved close and fired point-blank only to be swiftly cut down. J swooped in and clashed with her assailant, sparks glinting before her left hand was ripped off; when she tried flying away her tail was grabbed and yanked, causing her to be slammed into the ground hard enough that her armor fractured and her wings splintered. The others continued firing only to be met with J being used as a flail; Lizzy was sent into the makeshift ceiling while Thad was knocked into another makeshift wall. After J was tossed aside, Doll used her powers to send a large, flat chunk of metal flying, only for the figure to slice his claws through it like scissors through paper, then propel himself forward, tear off Doll’s offending arm and kick her into a makeshift column with enough force to crack her screen.
Getting up and steadying themselves as their self-repair protocols kicked in, Doll and J glared at their opponent, who no doubt would’ve had a smug look on his face if they could see it. Doll extended organic wires from her shoulder socket and tried using them to reattach her missing arm, only for said appendage to be stomped on by the figure’s right foot; her eyes briefly hollowing, she instead used her wires to form an arm from scraps that she projected the ‘translate’ symbol from. J shifted her remaining hand into a sword she pointed, only for it to begin trembling to her frustration as her eyes hollowed in rage.
The figure chuckled heartily, shifted his stance so he’d be ready for attacks from either side and made a beckoning gesture with each of his hands; clearly he wanted them to come at him with everything they had. In an instant both drones leapt towards him, yelling defiantly as they did so.
……
A sleek white gunship with futuristic jet engines in the back flew towards the battlefield with an insect-like buzzing noise, carrying multiple Worker Defense Force members; they all finished donning their gear and preparing their weaponry. “We’re approaching the extraction site now. Initiating disruption signals,” the gunship’s pilot said; the vehicle emitted a loud dial-up noise as it moved. “Enemy perimeter is now approaching, and we’re still undetected.” “Good.” The gunship knocked over a few Scorpions as it flew close to the ground, then opened a hatch on the bottom which spilled a trail of beeping explosives; the last rows of Scorpions to be flown over looked at the bombs and all aimed at the sky, narrowly missing the gunship.
The gunship flew over multiple crashed vehicles, shots ringing out behind it and fired a pair of rockets at the outside of the main vessel, creating an entryway. Once the gunship entered it slowed to a halt, hovering before opening its sides to reveal the troops within, who descended via cables. “Four signals. One to the left.” “Sir.” “Another up top.” “Got it.” “The rest of you, with me.” The soldiers marched in to find the now oil-stained figure still grappling with his opponents; J had the nanite injector on her tail smashed, her blade snapped in half and was being held by the neck while Doll was missing both arms and on the verge of having her head crumpled inwards. The figure turned his gaze towards the soldiers and groaned. “Interruptions,” he said in annoyance.
Drawing from the last of her fuel reserves, Doll teleported both herself and J out of the enemy’s grip in a burst of red energy. Once they were clear, the WDF members let rounds fly, causing the figure to backflip behind a pile of debris as shots were fired that gradually removed his cover. While most of them had assault rifles, some carried handguns, two soldiers each fired a rocket launcher, another used a Gatling gun, and one even had a double-barreled shotgun.
However, the figure ducked behind some nearby rubble and narrowly avoided the barrage, eventually climbing a wall using his claws to gain traction before righting himself. “Terminate it!” J screamed before shifting her arm into a plasma cannon and joining the WDF members in attacking. “‘It’?! You’re the one who’s it!” The figure was offended by J’s comment as he came down in a spiral dive that knocked a group of Workers clear off their stabilizers and he slashed them with both hands, causing oil to spill.
“We need reinforcements!” The main Worker called to the gunship, which burst through the wreckage and stopped to focus on the figure; he readied himself just as the gunship locked its weapons on him and fired, which he barely kept ahead of as well as dodging several rockets. “Retreat!” “Negative! It is imperative that we pursue…” “If we don’t leave now, none of us are getting out of here!” J grunted in anger and reluctantly went aboard the waiting gunship, as did Doll; the Workers continued firing before getting onboard.
The gunship closed its doors and flew out of the rubble as the pilot remotely detonated the explosives that’d been deployed earlier, which all left a successive row of fiery clouds the gunship flew through. The figure walked out from the ruins and looked at the sky, pondering his next move. “You can always run and hide if you want, machines, but it will only be in vain,” the figure said ominously before laughing. Aboard the departing gunship, Doll watched over the unconscious bodies of her friends, who’d been brought onboard prior to their escape and were hooked up to portable oil pumps. “Elizabeth… Thaddeus…” In a rare moment she used heavily-accented English to speak. “They’re both stable; they might make it back,” a soldier said as he walked up to Doll; J approached him in turn. “What of the others?” “Gone, I’m afraid. No backups were detected among the raiders,” the soldier said grimly. At this J scowled while Doll turned her attention back to Lizzy and Thad.
Tigon26 on Chapter 11 Sat 12 Jul 2025 07:40PM UTC
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Somerandomguy26 on Chapter 11 Sun 10 Aug 2025 05:26AM UTC
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AlmostAwesomeMan on Chapter 11 Wed 13 Aug 2025 04:37AM UTC
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