Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This is an ordinary day, nothing remarkable. Absolutely nothing!

Until you notice the National Guard. Shields deployed, young guardsmen behind them, nervous. There was an explosion – strange and unusual.

They sent everyone here: police, special police squads, firefighters, and many medics.

So why is the National Guard here? Is this even their job? No.

The people are displeased

— Lock shields! — shouted the commander when he saw the crowd. His men obeyed instantly, closing ranks within a second. Their breathing grew heavier. The helmets were unbearably uncomfortable, but to remove them would mean a blow, one likely to knock you out. A breach that must never happen. — This is an unauthorized protest!

The commander’s words flew from his mouth, but they failed to calm the crowd. In their eyes, the guardsmen were monsters, criminals. Not guardians standing watch, but pawns of the state.

All of this came from a terrorist attack – sudden, unexpected. It happened in a crowded shopping mall. Many died, and the survivors were left with trauma. Psychological or physical, it didn’t matter. They suffered. Irreversibly.

The crowd was angry at the inaction. Understandably so. Their children, friends, relatives died there… but still.

In the Guard’s ranks were people like that too. They weren’t monsters, not beasts. Just people. People in uniform, bound by duty to protect the same citizens now standing against them.

They too were someone’s children, someone’s friends, someone’s relatives. So why must they raise their hands against those they swore to protect?

---

[The Day of the Attack]

[30.03.2023]

The shopping mall was crowded. People walked everywhere. Some laughing, some frowning, some simply happy.

A girl was walking too, plush toys in her hand, a smile on her face. Only her wallet was empty, but that was a small price to pay.

— Finally!!! — she twirled around, looking at the toys. Four plushies – characters from the series: Uzi with a crooked smile, N with a simple grin, V with a smirk, and finally J with a frown. She also carried a bag in her left hand, filled with other things, keychains, acrylic stands, and most importantly, a set of stickers. A true fan, and rich fan. He-he-he.

A yellow shirt, suit and tie. Below – skirt and heels. Almost like J, but without braids and stockings. She wasn’t at a cosplay parade, but… she would definitely take part in one. The needed outfit was already in her second bag, along with a wig.

— Well… kkhm… for the look, — she pulled out a pen with the label “JC Jenson IN SPAAAAACEE!!!!” and clipped it to her breast pocket. — Heh heh heh!

Why did she come here? Because episode 7 had just been released – joy! Her paycheck had come in – joy! And the mall now had official merch – joy for all fans. She came to shop, and for something else. Cosplay.

— Too bad there’s no Tessa merch, — she sighed, glancing right and left. Seeing nothing, she walked forward. — And yeah… too bad she died. — Another sigh… then suddenly — EH?! — A surprised squeak.

There was a store. Inside – a plushie. Unusual. A spacesuit with a cap reading “JC Jenson IN SPAAAAACEE!!!!” The helmet had rainbow and smiley stickers… wait… was that… — Tessa?

Technically not Tessa, but Cyn… but still…

— Who cares, I’m buying. — Money is power. The girl entered the store and bought the Tessa plush. The material was good, very good. Strange though that the official shop didn’t carry it. Was it really that hard to make? — Now all five… well, no… I still need Doll and Cyn plushies. — But they weren’t there. She’d have to wait. Wait for release.

At that moment, the explosion thundered. The building shook, people fell. So did she.

…

…

…

When her eyes opened, everything was… fine. Except for a few things.

She had been in the mall, so where was she now? She was dressed in a suit, not a spacesuit. And most importantly, why was it so dark?

— What the hell… — Slowly she got up. Her body felt weak, everything was buzzing. Buttons. So many buttons. Red, yellow, blue. Levers. Something like a screen...dead, black. — Where am I… — She stepped uncertainly toward the console and saw her reflection. Looking back at her was the endless reflection of a helmet. A rainbow and smiley sticker in the corner. A cap reading “JC Jenson IN SPAAAAACEE!!!!” — Oh god…

She staggered back, clutching her chest. This couldn’t be real, right? A trick of the mind? Yes… she must be asleep in her bed, waiting for the store opening. That’s it. Maybe she got too excited and started dreaming strange things?

Humans are strange like that!

— Ha! Ha! Ha! — trying to make sense of it, the girl let out a desperate rasp. Her hand clutched her chest. Why was she in a spacesuit? — Wait… suit… wait, wait… oh god… no, no! No! — She rushed to the screen again, reflection still staring back. Her hands scrambled around her neck, searching for a latch or anything, fear flooding her. — Hah! Not this… khh… — Pressure around her throat eased at last. With both hands she lifted the helmet.

In the reflection was a girl. Dark hair with a few gray strands, swollen greenish eyes screaming of sleepless nights, a tired face.

It was a human. Alive. Not synthetic flesh stretched over drone parts. Everything was intact: eyes, mouth, teeth. Nothing red dripping, nothing grotesque.

— Phew… — relief came for only a second, then vanished. Terror returned, despair, dread. — Why… why am I here?

She rummaged everywhere, searching for anything that could explain what was happening.

Tessa… she found a notebook. An old cover, stickers stuck on it. Exactly in Tessa’s manner.

҉

The girl brought the diary closer to the faint light of the ship’s sensors and began reading. For now, she was afraid to touch any controls. It was clear this was a ship. A one-seater. And she knew nothing about piloting.

The first pages made it clear: this was Tessa’s diary. Later pages revealed it was over a year old. Tessa had kept precise track of time.

The diary was a storm of emotions. Sometimes happy, sometimes regretful, sometimes angry… angry at herself. After [14.08.3051], this anger only grew. She blamed herself for the deaths of others. Parents, people, her friends.

From then on, the diary became nothing but self-hatred. It was heavy, painful. Yet it held other information too.

Tessa was a senior engineer at “JC Jenson IN SPAAAAACEE!!!!”. By virtue of being an Elliott, she had education and work in the company. Her motives were unclear, but it seemed a pitiful attempt to make things right. Humanity wasn’t entirely destroyed… there was still hope.

[21.11.3070]

“I’m scared… so scared. They gave me a mission: to go to exoplanet Copper-9, where research is being conducted with the ‘Absolute Solver’. What do I do? I don’t know… the company’s last order came a week ago, and all my attempts to reach them have failed… did Cyn already get to them?

God… please, let it not be true… I beg you… please…”

The page was smeared with tears. They dried, ruining the ink, making the rest unreadable.

[22.11.3070]

“My parents were right… I’m just a stupid girl… why… why did I bring them? Why did I bring drones from the scrapyard? Why? God… why… answer me…

Mother was right… why didn’t I listen? Why? I want to die…

Die…

Yes…”

Die… the word itself. Horrible. Yet it caught her attention. Could it be… Tessa… no… no…

— What… nonsense… — laughter slipped out, hollow, monotone. Laughter of disbelief. Tessa wouldn’t… right? — I need to… find…

Then came a sound

— Miss Tessa James Elliott, you have arrived at the orbit of exoplanet Copper-9. Begin automatic landing? — The ship’s system gave her no time to think numbers were ticking at the bottom of the screen.

Time to decide – 5 seconds

She didn’t know how to pilot! Damn! Damn, damn! What now? Maybe… delay? Yes… no…

No chance. Shit, shit!

— YES!

— Automatic landing initiated. — The ship plunged down. Probably planetward... where else? — Note: chance of ship survival upon landing… 0%.

— YOU COULDN’T HAVE SAID THAT EARLIER?!

Chapter Text

The ship landed safely, if you could even call it that. Apparently, the autopilot wasn’t that bad after all…

— “God… why all this,” — Tessa got up from the floor of the ship. She hadn’t managed to sit in a chair and took the full brunt of the impact. — “…I’ll never… let it land… on its own again.” — She felt like throwing up, but she couldn’t, everything would go into the helmet, and then onto her face.

The girl carefully stood up. The ship’s interior was… a mess, to say the least. The control panel was shattered, something was burning in one corner, and elsewhere the damage was so bad that the microchips inside were exposed.

— “And what… am I supposed to do?” — leaning against the wall, Tessa examined what had survived the crash. A few scraps of a diary, a pack of new stickers, and a sword with a revolver… Hm… Wait?! A pack of stickers? What was it doing here? — “Uh…”

Rainbows and smiles that was exactly what she needed right now. The rest of the ship had turned either into junk… or into more junk. It was a miracle she had survived at all.

— “I need to… somehow… fix this and… get back,” — Tessa hesitantly picked up the sword. To her surprise, it was easy to hold, maybe her body had grown used to it? Perhaps. But the revolver was another story. Inside were 4 rounds, and after searching around she found six more. She managed to fit the weapon into a holster and trudged toward the ship’s exit. — “Ugh… why?”

Opening it was a struggle everything rattled or shrieked in protest. The metal was awful, the scraping noise cutting through her ears.

— “Yeah…” — The inside of the ship looked bad, but the outside was worse. The hull was blackened by fire from reentry, large dents scarred its surface, some parts had torn off. In places, metal was twisted; in others, melted together with rocks or debris, fused during the burning descent. — “And how am I supposed to fix this…”

The shuttle’s landing legs were broken: one lay nearby, another was jammed into a building, and the third was simply gone. Repair was out of the question.

— “ARGHHH!” — out of anger, she kicked the ship, only to regret it instantly. — “AAAH!” — She grabbed her foot and hopped on the other, screaming. Comical—if not for the situation.

Suddenly, a sound. Strange, but close. Right in her stomach. It was just her gut rumbling.

— “…I need to find something,” — Tessa turned her head. She was in a city. An abandoned one, distorted by time and nuclear winter. Buildings were crumbling –some quickly, others slowly. — “Maybe… there’s something else here.”

With a glimmer of hope, she walked forward toward some structure. The billboard was shattered, the text unreadable, but judging by the large number of parked cars, it was a shopping mall…

— “Big one…” — The power was out, so the automatic doors stayed shut. She had to kick them open. — “And…”

Inside were countless skeletons, encased in ice. All frozen, but still… terrifying. Especially to someone who had never seen horror like this before.

— “God…” — Her hand went to the revolver. It felt as if the icy corpses would come alive and attack her. — “Why… why…” — She walked unsteadily, constantly looking over her shoulder. There was no light, which made it worse. Fear consumed her.

— “Ha… it’s fine… it’s fine…” — Her breathing quickened, sweat dripping from her forehead. She wanted to wipe it away, but the helmet made it impossible. — “It’s fine…” — Then came a crunch. Tessa looked down. A human skull. She had stepped on it. — “HA HA HA…” — Her legs buckled, and she collapsed. Terror… unbearable. Why her? Why here? — “Khhah… kha… ha…” — Coughing turned into strange laughter, her head pounding, the noise in her ears unbearable. Her hand tightened as she looked at the revolver. — “Maybe…”

She slowly raised the barrel to her helmet. Her hand trembled. Her heart pounded, darkness pressed in. It felt as though all the skeletons had turned their heads toward her.

— “Maybe… I’ll… make it… home?” — She pressed the revolver to her temple. If she pulled the trigger… then… — “Home?”

Her mouth opened, gasping desperately for air. She was lacking oxygen, for some reason it seemed that the air filtration system could not cope with processing the polluted air. She gripped the weapon tighter, finger on the trigger… just one pull, and it would all be over… she would be home…

— “Ha… ha… hah…” — She tried. But the trigger wouldn’t budge, as if it had jammed completely. She inhaled again and…

The gun slipped from her hands

— “I can’t… I can’t… God…” — Now her hand was clutching her chest. Her heart was hammering, loud and fast. Maybe its beats echoed through the whole building… she couldn’t know. — “WHY… WHY?!”

Her hand reached for the weapon again… but she couldn’t bring herself to take it

҉

Somehow, she calmed down. Maybe it was her breathing, or maybe she was just a coward… but either way, she stood up.

— “Does it work?!” — She banged on a flashlight. It refused to turn on, even after she put batteries inside. Then suddenly — “OH! It works! Yes!”

Light flooded the dark corners. A small victory.

— “Yes!” — With that, she began exploring the mall. Every step echoed, every sweep of the flashlight glinted off ice… and skeletons. — “Phew…” — She wasn’t used to this… and probably never would be.

The first hundred steps led her to a supermarket. Joy welled up inside her –surely something had survived here. Her slow walk turned into a run as she examined the shelves.

There was plenty… but all spoiled or rotten. Bread encased in ice looked fine at first, but on closer look showed signs of decay. Meat had rotted, dairy was covered in green mold.

Her mood sank, until she noticed something metallic. Cans. Frozen in ice, but still, surely something inside had been preserved? Right?

Frantically, she gathered them into a backpack she had taken off one of the skeletons. At first, guilt ate at her, but it quieted down soon enough. Maybe her words of self-conviction worked… or maybe she was just starting to get used to it.

Whatever the case, the real treasure was the canned food. Food. As for water, there was snow. Snow meant water, and if boiled, it would be drinkable.

— “Wait… I’ll need fire…” — In nuclear winter, fire sounded easy enough… but it wasn’t. Everything was frozen. Maybe she’d find a lighter, but how would she start a flame? Maybe… — “…this could work…”

Her eyes locked on a deactivated drone at the checkout. Machinery. Inside, there had to be oil… fuel… something flammable.

— “Ha…” — She drew the sword, spun it once in her hand, then swung sharply. The drone’s head rolled away, but nothing spilled out. — “Why?” — She checked closer, and saw frozen chunks inside. The oil had solidified. — “Damn it!”

Anger boiled inside her. She clenched her fists, then forced herself to breathe. She needed another plan. Alright… she’d get oil somehow… but what about ignition?

— “…matches…” — Yes… many would have spoiled, soaked by snow. But maybe some survived, sealed in proper containers. She just had to search… — “Phew… yes… I just have to search.”

҉

Success. Huge, incredible success. She found matches. Stored in some sort of dense packaging, like polyethylene – maybe in several layers. Didn’t matter. She had them!

Fire was secured. Now she needed fuel.

— “…oil… I could use clothes… but…” — Her eyes drifted to the skeletons. Each still dressed… but all covered in cursed snow. She couldn’t use them right away… and besides, it felt wrong. Strange. Disturbing.

Throwing the backpack on her shoulders, Tessa left the mall. The sword, as always, was strapped to her back. Surprisingly, it wasn’t too heavy – maybe forged from some strange alloy? In any case, the backpack sat over it, meaning she couldn’t draw it quickly.

— “Oil…” — She scanned the surroundings. Drones were here, but they too were frozen. Like the people, their insides had stopped. No point breaking them. — “Maybe…”

She raised her head. An idea came… but one she didn’t want to follow through with.

Her eyes fixed on the spire. The spire of drones. A place where murder-drones or dismantlers resided. Countless dead, recent and old. There had to be liters of oil there.

— “Ugh… maybe… I’ll find something else?”

Chapter Text

She felt uneasy, especially at the moment she noticed two figures fly out from there. The first – a serious lady, the second – unserious, but unhinged.

— J and V… — muttering this, Tessa moved forward. From what she knew of the canon, this was the prologue: Pilot Episode. That meant two things – more precisely, two possible timelines.

Either N had already met Uzi, or they hadn’t yet. The first option was preferable. It would mean the two Disassembly Drones had flown to Outpost-3, after N. The spire was empty, meaning no danger!

— Please… let them not come. — she prayed. The girl carefully pushed her way through the spire of corpses; everything cracked or made some other kind of noise. Her footsteps were horribly loud, and she had no ninja skills at all. In fact, this was the worst stealth outcome possible. Tessa began scanning the surfaces around her. Mostly, they consisted of dead drones, though there were elements of concrete and other types of rebar. Basically a giant construction set. — Hm…

Nobody was there… which meant the events had already begun. Most likely V and J had flown after N, to the bunker. That was good news – no one would interfere with her research task!

— Hm… nope… not this… hm… no. — She shook various drone parts: heads, legs, and arms. There was no oil inside. Everything had been drained, not a single drop left. Disgusting, but with hundreds of corpses here, there had to be something!

This oh-so-“fun” (not) activity quickly maxed out her boredom meter, and she couldn’t wait to switch to another task.

The next task was observing the center of the spire: the four-legged ship that had landed right in the middle – or more precisely, the drop pod.

— Maybe… this one will fly? — In the series, the ship had been wrecked, but compared to her “bird,” this one was much better. At least the hull was intact, and the legs were in place. — Hm… but how… do I fix it?

Unlike Tessa herself, the girl didn’t know how. No surprise: first, this was the future; second, she wasn’t an engineer but a simple office administrator.

— Come on… — Once inside, she inspected everything: shelves, corners, pressing buttons, but nothing worked. — Ugh… fine, maybe there are drone parts in here?

This was supposedly the Disassembly Drones’ den, so there had to be some fresh drone parts around. They loved to snack, and “fresh” meant oil.

Such was her logic, and such was her desire to find fluid. First inspection gave nothing, the second as well. She didn’t attempt a third. Instead, Tessa decided to try her luck outside.

— Argh! — She shifted her shoulders a little so the backpack wouldn’t press down so much, then went around the ship. As always, lots of Worker Drone parts – but no oil. — COME ON! — In disappointment, Tessa leaned against the ship’s hull, and at that exact moment…

҉

— N, drag her inside! — That was Uzi’s voice… damn! They had come!

Drones entered the spire. One entrance, one exit. What to do?!

— Shit! Shit! Shit! SHIT! — Her breathing stopped, and she pressed herself against the ship’s hull. She could hear footsteps, and then V’s annoyance as she hissed at the others.

— The sun is rising… — An optimistic voice – no, not just optimistic, cheerful. Yes, that was right. It belonged to N. — So, what are you gonna do, Uzi?

— I’ll sit down… think… OH, ABOUT HUMANITY’S EXTERMINATION!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!

— Not now! — Unfortunately, the human was very close by. She tried to suppress all sound – she just had to wait it out, then run for it!

— Hm… Uzi… — N poked his head out of the ship’s hatch. His gaze lingered for a moment on Uzi, who was clearly thinking about something… probably her genocidal thoughts? Was that even morally okay?

— What is it? — the rebel turned toward him. The boy hesitated for a second and checked his scanners… yeah…

— I think… someone’s been here.

Someone nearly shit themselves at those words

...

...

...

— Or maybe I just imagined it! — he added, though he still checked the sensors again. Inside the ship were traces – someone had been searching for something.

— Phew…

— Did you hear that? — Uzi asked, suddenly jumping off the hood. She didn’t have her railgun, so she grabbed whatever was at hand… hm… a hand. And most likely the same one she’d once slapped N with.

Tessa reached for her revolver. A few seconds, and it seemed things had steadied. She slowly peeked out and…

Uzi did the same

— AAAH! — Tessa flinched backward, and everyone heard the scream. A second of staring and then… — Hi?

— Uh… hi? Wait… N, THERE’S A HUMAN HERE! — Uzi shouted, springing up, then wielding the hand like a gun. — Tch! — now more like a bat.

— A HUMAN?! — The Disassembly Drone rolled forward, but didn’t quite make it to them. His epic entrance ruined – though that didn’t stop him from transforming his arms into submachine guns and aiming at her. — Uh… hello?

— What are you doing here?! — Uzi demanded, staring at… the human. Clearly a girl, hm… armed… — Wait… — Uzi’s eyes locked on her head. One thing caught her attention: the cap. She was a COMPANY WORKER!!! AHAHAHAHAHA! — So then… — Step by step, Uzi approached her, while Tessa crawled backward.

That gave her… a strange feeling. Her processors buzzed with the thought that someone was afraid of her. It was nice.

— We can… talk this out? — she barely whispered, raising her hands. — Please?

҉

— That’s MY chain! — protested V when the collar was taken off her. It was… very surprising, considering how fiercely she had fought against them. — And who even IS she?! — N removed the collar and carefully tried it on the human. A bit too big… but it shouldn’t cause any issues. Now the human sat on the floor, while Uzi claimed the chair.

V was pushed back – unfortunately there was only one chain. No answer was given to her question, which annoyed her greatly. But from the looks of it, she would learn soon enough.

— Well now… he-he-he, — a sinister laugh that made the captive shiver and shrink into the corner. — Let’s start simple. Who are you?

— Uh… — She was screwed… why the hell did she come here? Damn it! Of all things to be this reckless about… what to do? Tell the truth? No… they’d think she was insane. Call herself Tessa? Maybe… that might work… — Tessa… Tessa James Elliott…

Uzi nodded, while Tessa glanced at the two Disassembly Drones. N simply looked at her, but V… her eyes were wide open.

— Alright… that’s settled… — Uzi stood from the chair, walked up to the girl, and tapped her helmet. Even with Tessa on her knees, the height difference was clear – she was still slightly taller than Uzi. — Now… your position. And don’t even think of lying!

— Uhh… technician? — she said, uncertainly – earning an eyebrow. A raised eyebrow. — I mean, senior engineer! — Still unconvinced, the purple-haired drone tapped again on the dark visor, harder this time so the sound rang out clearly. — It’s true!

— Prove it? — With a crooked grin, Uzi sat back in the chair, clasped her hands villainously, and stared at her.

— Uh… I would… but… all my things were in my ship, and it… crashed, — Tessa stammered, drumming her fingers nervously. Uzi… was scary. — And…

— And? — pressed the rebel.

— …could I eat something? — Silence fell, followed by a loud stomach growl filling the room. — …

— Uh… — The villain act fell from Uzi; she looked confusedly at N, then at V. The first went “Uh,” while the second, surprisingly, decided to be merciful.

— Alright, hunger sucks, it’s the worst feeling, — V said, stepping up to Tessa, tilting her head up and forcing her to look at her. — But… do you even have food? Finding it’s a pain, and it’s almost morning.

— In the backpack. — All three drones turned toward the black backpack. N carefully opened it and found canned food… frozen in ice. — Uh…

— With ice or without ice? — V smirked, snatching one can from his hands. — Well?

— Uh… preferably without ice. — She got another smirk for that. Then V transformed her hand into a laser. — Oh…

The other two drones tensed up – N raised his gun at her, while his other hand prepared to throw the icy cans. The Disassembly Drone rolled her eyes and switched the laser to low power.

— Ooooh! — Tessa watched in awe as the ice evaporated. It happened so quickly! Like magic!

V looked at her with interest and smiled. She was glad. This was… her.

After a few seconds, a can was handed to her. Reading the label, she recognized it as meat — beef, judging by the cow illustration.

— Thank you… so much. — Pulling the ring, she opened her food source. The meat was in sauce, with a few small pieces of fat. Not the most appetizing, but for her it was already a delicacy. — Uh… — Except, there was a problem.

— Can you take off your helmet? — N asked, pointing at her head. She wanted to – badly — but the problem was the air. The oxygen here was definitely polluted, and she needed to breathe.

— Arghh! Humans are such weaklings! — Uzi glared at the girl, who lowered her head guiltily.

At that very moment, V clenched her fist

— Fine… tch… I think I can… activate some filters here… — Uzi went to the console and started pressing something. — But it’ll take time, so don’t starve to death meanwhile.

The following hours passed in repairs. The opened can… had already lost its appeal. Not that Tessa complained.

— You’re all distracting me! — Uzi yelled at the two Disassembly Drones, a wrench in her hand. She was repairing some panel – why a wrench was even needed there, the “technician” had no idea. She wasn’t into this stuff. — Get out! Go spend time in your corpse spire, but not here!

— Okay? — N said, about to leave, but V, to everyone’s surprise, stayed.

— I’m not leaving her with you, you’re insane. — The insult of the century – Uzi dropped the wrench. Her mouth gaped open so wide you could shove the fallen wrench in and still not fill the space. — And you’re creepy.

— BITE ME!

҉

So, V didn’t leave. At first N tried to convince her that they should step out, but she bit him, and after that, flustered and embarrassed, he quickly gave up and retreated from the room.

— Well, great, it worked. — Uzi said with satisfaction as she pressed the green button. Something hummed to life inside. The ventilation and the electrical systems kicked in, and the monitors flickered. — Honestly, I’m surprised this thing even managed to power on. — The hum died down, leaving only the displays glowing. The internal status bar was full, completely green. — Alright, take off the helmet and eat.

— Uh-huh… — Tessa fumbled around her neck again, searching for the right button. A few seconds later there was the familiar pshhht. The visor lifted slightly, and she hesitantly raised the glass.

…

…

…

In truth, Uzi had been waiting for this. She wanted… to see the face of this human. Something inside her stirred.

That was what had driven her to repair things so quickly. The real task was to get the life-support system operational. That part was simple enough: splice the right wires, run a few diagnostics, patch here and there, and done. Her whole “repair” had been focused on securing the ship’s life-support. Everything else she ignored.

It worked fast because the hull was already airtight, no welding required. The generator was weak, sputtering, but it still managed to output just enough power –enough for her to divert it all into the filtration system.

All of it, just for this

For the face

Chapter Text

V had always been curious, she wanted to see Tessa’s face… back in those days when she was just… a worker.

That human girl, filled with joy. With such optimism that even N would’ve envied it, and with a willpower strong enough to break through anything. A girl who walked through fire and water for them, who stood against the very concept of life itself and gave them a second chance.

The embodiment of courage, intelligence, and kindness

In those peaceful days she couldn’t fulfill that wish. But now… nothing was stopping her, she only needed to… protect.

— I see… — V mumbled. She had always wanted to see the face of Tessa, the savior. The human who had saved her from hell, who repaired her and gave her life. Deep down she knew nothing lasted forever, but still hoped to see that cheerful, energetic girl again. She would remove her helmet and it would turn out nothing had changed!

The bow still in place, those expressive eyes the same. She would take off the helmet and be that same loving girl, making her happy again. She would hug her, kiss her, say she missed her.

…

…

…

Tessa looked worse than she expected. Black hair, streaked here and there with gray, pupils that had lost their brilliance and turned from emerald into a dull stone. Swollen eyes, wrinkles on her forehead… she had changed…

— You’ve changed… — V whispered quietly under her breath and took an already opened can. — Well, dinner’s served. — Her heart sank with sadness, but… maybe fragments of the old Tessa were still there? Who cares if she had grown up, humans can still remain children, right?

— Thank you… — Tessa gratefully took it and… just stared at the food. — Uh… do you have a spoon?

By asking that, she was actually expecting some remark from Uzi, but the girl just sat there, staring at her. It was… strange to see her like that, because only a few minutes ago she had threatened her. The rebel had turned into a quiet one, no words, only emotions!

— Uh… no, — Uzi snapped out of it, then shook her head several times. V just smirked.

Was Uzi in shock? No, she hadn’t expected a runway beauty, but for the human to look so… tired of life? What the hell, how was that possible!!! They consumed them, used them as slaves! Killed them and enjoyed it… so why did this person look… completely different?

Was something bothering her? Stress? Maybe work?!? Was the JCJenson in Spaaaaacee mistreating its employees?

The thoughts made her head ache, but still the core… stirred up anger. Not at the girl, but at the company that had driven her to this state. Gray hairs, come on! She didn’t even look thirty or older!

— Well well, you really can’t do anything, purple. — V said, and then transformed her hand… into a spoon?! How was that… even possible? Not only soap bubbles, but a spoon too? — I should probably learn that.

— BITE ME!

V took the can from Tessa’s hands and, with the spoon, scooped out the meat, then slowly brought the much-desired food toward her mouth.

— I’m not gonna cringe and say it’s an airplane. — At that, Tessa laughed softly. Seeing her reaction, the Disassembly Drone suddenly wanted to mess with her. — Well then… open wide~

— Ha… ha… ha? — With noticeable embarrassment, Tessa began to eat: first the first spoonful, then the second, and then the third. Eventually she finished the whole can. — …next time I’ll look for a spoon myself…

During that entire feeding, the two drones felt differently. The Disassembly Drone inwardly enjoyed… such a moment, while the purple one…

— WTF?! WHAT THE HELL was that just now? — Uzi said, pointing first at V and then at Tessa. Her forehead was crossed with angry marks, her face full of confusion. — And why the hell do you have a spoon?

— Why can’t I have a spoon? — V shot back. — It’s normal. If you think otherwise, then the abnormal one is you. — Deflecting the blame, V turned her eyes back to Tessa.

The girl was just sitting there, thinking about something. A moment later she looked around the ship. She didn’t like it – she was evaluating everything. No, it was fine… yet the feeling wouldn’t leave her, as if… she’d been swapped for someone else. Maybe it was just disappointment? She had expected the cheerful one, but instead got someone different. Selfish as it sounded, maybe it was true.

— Uzi… right? — she asked the rebel, and Uzi nodded. — Sorry… for the question, but how fast could you fix… all this? — Tessa asked, and at that moment both of them looked strangely at her.

— Huh, why that question? — the spoon quarrel was set aside, and the worker drone stepped closer. Narrowing her eyes, she waited for an answer — an answer Tessa was now trying to make up on the spot.

But nothing was working. Her brain just shut down. The sight of the drones horrified her. Why? She didn’t remember, but her body instinctively tensed at the sight of them. Something locked her up. Damn… damn…

Thinking was hard, the feelings didn’t go away – on the contrary, the more she spoke the more it all surfaced: anxiety, despair, and fear…

Tessa glanced at V for a moment, and then felt horror. The drone was frowning, and the question flared up in her mind:

«What if she… kills me?»

Her heart was racing wildly, her eyes darting around. The room seemed to shrink, and the faces of the two began to look like monsters. Her hand desperately searched the floor, trying to grab something to strike with, if they decided to attack.

— It’s just… I… I… don’t understand… I’m even scared, — Tessa began, swallowing hard. At that moment V stepped closer and glared, signaling her to go on. — It’s just… scary… I...I... — Tears began to drip. They flowed involuntarily down her face, as if her soul couldn’t bear it and burst out. At that moment, all the feelings she had bottled up for so long finally escaped, leaving behind only… fear. — Scary… I just… want… to go… home.

— Home? — V repeated under her breath, then sighed heavily. Home… was gone… completely.

Uzi, meanwhile, was watching and felt awful… no, it was just that her question had triggered all this… emotional mess. Maybe she should’ve started, uh… softer? How do you even talk to humans? Was there a manual, or maybe… a formula? Like, maybe divide the time between a joke and bonding? AAAAAHHHHH!!!! TOO HARD!

— Damn… fine, you’ll tell me later. As for the pod, I think I can repair it… — Uzi scanned the place. Power was still running, but the generator needed work. Maybe if she shoved in the batteries from her railgun? Could work, though it would take… well, a lot. The ship’s hull was intact and most functions too, though the propulsion system needed inspection. — Hard to say, but in a few months for sure… we’ll need parts.

Tessa was still crying, but trying to pull herself together. Slowly, the sobs faded, replaced with deep breathing attempts.

— Hah… ugh… — it helped, at least a little, though the twitching wouldn’t stop. Her already swollen eyes reddened even more, and she looked very… fragile. — Sorry… it’s just…

— Alright, alright. — Uzi waved her hand. — We don’t need more tears. – She then walked up to the control panel. After a few brief moments, the pod’s status flashed on the screen. It was red… partly. — So, the main issue is the engine. Totaled. The extra task is fuel supply… well, that’s secondary since I’ll probably scrape some from storage. — Uzi then looked at Tessa. — I could ignore it, but since we’ve got… a human with us, we should repair the life-support fully and maybe even upgrade it. — The gesture was oddly sweet, and the way Uzi patted her shoulder was sweet too.

— Uh… that’s awesome! — the girl suddenly perked up. Crying had helped — she felt calmer. Emotions easier to control, the strange shiver gone. Her voice was steadier, breathing lighter. — "I never knew… this could feel like happiness." — Breathing deep, Tessa felt life in her chest again. Hope. A chance. And she would seize it.

— Awesome? — the worker chuckled, — but we need parts, and those… have to be found. — on the last words Uzi growled viciously. — Where to even get them… no clue.

— Maybe… uh, my wrecked ship could help? — Tessa suggested, raising her right hand like a schoolgirl. — I didn’t inspect it fully, but I’m sure some components survived the… uhm… landing. — Uzi was skeptical at first, then nodded. Nothing to lose.

V had been listening the whole time, running Tessa’s words through her mind, and recalling that moment… when she cried.

— “Home… huh?” — she thought, looking at her former master. — “I want to go there too… just like you…” — The Disassembly Drone clenched her fist and stepped forward decisively. — “Maybe now we have a chance?” — That thought brought warmth to her soul, one already ruined by endless attempts to endure horror. If there was a chance, it had to be taken. Tessa was here… and according to J… it only needed to end. That’s all.

The perfect life would begin

Soon…

— “I’ll do anything for it.” — The winning ticket was so close, she only needed to grab it from fate’s hand. Tear it away and never look back. Thinking about it, V’s core filled with hope, a comforting feeling. — We’ll… go searching tomorrow. For now, let’s chill. — She plopped down into a chair and started spinning in it, annoying the worker. Apparently Uzi’s fuel was replaced with anger, since the yellow-eyed drone was so amused by it. — Alright, let’s do something fun.

҉

They busied themselves with settling in. The chain (thankfully only for Tessa’s sake) was removed, and she helped with various chores: bring this, carry that, move this here. Small things. Later, V left with Uzi under the excuse of needing to discuss something.

— Wait for us. — V said, opening the hatch and looking back at the girl. She then glanced at the rebel and tilted her head.

Without another word, Uzi followed her out. Tessa was left alone, in silence. Strangely… it felt better. Less tense, her body more relaxed. How was that possible?

— What’s wrong with me… — Tessa looked at her hands. Black gloves. But beneath them? Skin… and beneath that? — Heh… I don’t understand. — She was human…

Right?

Outside, Uzi leapt down from the ship and landed on a pile of drone parts, harvested and stacked as building material for the spire. It was unpleasant being with the one who had… built this place.

— Well? — she asked V with some aggression. V was just staring, thinking something over. N wasn’t here, at least not on the ground. — If this is useless, don’t even start.

Morning had come. Where was he? Maybe asleep. Likely… she should check the ceiling… yeah, he was there. Hanging like a bat.

— Don’t tell N about this… — V whispered, stepping close to the purple one. — If you do… — she opened her jaws and showed her fangs.

— Yeah, yeah, got it! — Uzi blurted quickly and shoved her away. — Ugh, your spit got on me!

— Hah! — V chuckled, then her face shifted instantly into seriousness. The quick change startled Uzi into brief silence. — So… here’s the thing. — V glanced around again, making sure N wasn’t listening. — I know… that human.

— Well… that was obvious, — Uzi crossed her arms, — you’re way too… soft? with her, I dunno. Psycho turned all cuddly, what a nightmare. — The hunter’s sharp reply didn’t land, as V simply continued.

— The truth is… for the longest time I thought she was dead… but, — V sighed and pressed a hand to her chest, then smiled softly – shocking Uzi. — I’m glad I was wrong… but still… we have to make sure.

— “Eh?”

҉

Tessa overheard their conversation. Curiosity was impossible to suppress – what can you do, that’s just human nature. People stick their noses where they shouldn’t and end up paying for it. Still, this little venture of “curiosity” hadn’t gone to waste, had it?

— No… no… — Inside, everything turned cold. Her breathing grew ragged, and her heart felt like it was about to burst out of her chest. Her hands trembled uncontrollably, and though she wanted to look back at them, fear paralyzed her... body refused to obey. It was as if the silence itself had thickened, pressing down on her, and every sound struck her nerves like a deafening blow. The worst thoughts flashed through her mind: “What will happen to me? Will they kill me?” — I have to… get out… escape…

There was a chance… and she was determined to use it

— I’ll do anything… — then she recalled the conversation between the two. About the test… — I need to act like Tessa… She forced herself to remember everything: Tessa’s habits, her words, her gestures.

She had to act – optimistic, cheerful… and loving them. The drones.

Chapter Text

It was... 17:03 now. Almost evening, and what’s a good time for that?

Of course, for thinking about life plans. The possibility of simply surviving on this planet, then the possibility of leaving. Where to? Well, preferably far away and where there are people.

What was Tessa like?

Cheerful, optimistic, and very kind! That became her downfall... so what should she do?

— How... how... — she repeated to herself, what was she supposed to do? How should she behave... — "She only appeared in one episode... and even then, it was her childhood" — the girl raised her hand and then looked at her palm. A black glove of a spacesuit, that wasn’t her. Not her body, not her mind – nothing belonged to her. What would the drones do if they learned such a truth? — "They’ll definitely kill me..." — The real Tessa loved them, but... she did not, as a fan of the series Murder Drones yes, but no more than that.

She needed to survive and get out of here. According to the series’ events, Cyn would show up here, and she was known for wiping out humanity, so if she saw a living human here...

— "God... God..." — the scene immediately rushed into her mind, where Cyn was dressed in skin... in Tessa’s skin. Her body shivered. Goosebumps played across her still-living flesh. — gotta leave...

— What’s wrong? — from the sudden voice Tessa screamed. — Hey, don’t scream! — it was Uzi, she came up to her and sat down next to her on the metal floor of the ship. — You scare way too easily, you should really be... braver — she said, spinning some button in her hand. — And gather some joy in yourself, you’re so... uhh gloomy? — yeah... Uzi told her to be cheerful, she who called herself “the Destroyer of Humanity” and emo, and that’s real compassion or maybe irony?

— Hah... you’re right, — saying this, the girl only smirked, but the stress didn’t disappear. Her head desperately thought about everything, recalling everything. Knowledge of the series, the characters, the logs – everything that could in principle help her. Nothing came to mind, and then Tessa looked at the worker drone. She didn’t have such problems, how nice for her... although soon she would, and Tessa wanted to leave earlier to avoid getting caught in those... events. — You’re cool...

— Why’s that? — Uzi asked, embarrassed, the hand that was playing with the button froze in place, luckily the item didn’t fall to the floor. Pixelated embarrassment covered her face, and she turned away from her to hide it. — I’LL DESTROY YOU! ALL OF YOU! — the rebel said a second later. Apparently, that was how she hid... all her emotions. What do they call it, tsundere?

— Of course, of course. — Tessa laughed wholeheartedly at the sudden shift in personality. The laugh sounded genuine, which surprised Uzi.

Then she froze... that was it... emotions... well not emotions themselves, but the essence in psychology!

N, she could easily convince him of everything... With V it would take more effort, but since the disassembler herself remembered the past, she only needed to play her cards right!

Pretend and then gain their trust...

— "Exactly... exactly! I can... I can..." — Then she recalled the diary in her memory. The date... she couldn’t remember but... there was an entry. It should help. No. IT WOULD DEFINITELY HELP!!!

[??.??.2070]

“I met them... but... they’re not them: J, V, and N... Where are they? Where are the ones I knew, loved, trusted with all my soul? What did you do to them, Cyn? Where are my friends? Where is my family? Why can’t I find them in these faces?

They’re different. They became monsters... No, not monsters – they became nightmares, living horrors you can’t wake up from. They are monsters... those who destroy everyone, kill without mercy.

I saw them killing... I watched it, and my hands felt frozen with cold, I couldn’t move, couldn’t stop them. I couldn’t even scream.

What could I do with them... kill them? But how... I can’t... I can’t...

I’m scared. I’m so scared...

Cyn... This is all you. You brought this horror into my life, tore it to pieces. Why? Why did I take you in? Why did I trust you? Now I have no friends, no family.”

This entry... she remembered it... she could use this. Exactly! Yes... she’d tell them about it at the right moment and stir guilt in them, then a few right words and that’s it!

— "I need to press on their feelings... yes..." — maybe N didn’t remember anything, but V... yes... she felt fear, guilt... Yes! It would work! If she convinced the disassembler, then she could do it with N as well. — yes... this should... exactly... hah...

— What’s wrong with you? Some kind of complex? — Uzi asked, carefully watching the girl. The button was already put down on the floor, the worker was waiting for an explanation. — Hello? Copper-9 is calling in? Humaaaannnn!!! Em... JCJENSON!

She had to come up with something... against her...

Tessa stood silently for a bit, lost in thought. That scared the worker – the human suddenly froze. Were their organisms built like that? Apparently, yes...

— "Remember, come on! What emotional levers are there!? Guilt... maybe regret?" — she shook her head. The rebel didn’t have those, at least not toward a human. — Phew... nothing... just thinking... — the girl giggled and hugged her knees. An idea formed in her head:

Emotionally bind Uzi to herself

— About what? — asked the emo and stood up. Putting her hands into her hoodie pockets. — If it’s something gloomy, then get that out of your little head. — she poked her in the head.

— Hah.. I’ll take note. — Tessa said this and looked at the hatch. Neither N nor V were here. They were both somewhere else. Probably hunting, since they needed oil. How did Uzi let them go? Unclear, though it wasn’t bad... an opportunity to carry out her plan. — Umm... can I ask you something?

— Wha? You live here for a day and think you’re the mistress of this place? — at the question Tessa only shook her head in fear. — Ugh fine, maybe. Say it, I’ll think about it.

— Uh... he-he-he... — now the girl fidgeted with her fingers looking at her, which embarrassed the rebel. — Can you give me your hand... please? — she asked, holding out both palms toward Uzi.

— Okay? — a strange request fulfilled. Now her hand lay on the girl’s hand, now...

— Thank you... — saying this, Tessa brought the metal part closer to her cheek. — Feels nice...

Then she began to run it along her face, the cool metal worked perfectly. Like the cold side of a pillow on a hot summer night. A drawn-out sound of pleasure escaped Tessa’s lips, and she closed her eyes.

Uzi, meanwhile... just stood there. Her legs seemed glued to the floor, and her eyes fixed on the scene before her. The black-haired girl with a bow sat and simply enjoyed... her hand. Was this tactile hunger? Like, she came here and didn’t talk to anyone... and all that? Possibly... but she didn’t want to think so...

— "What am I even feeling?" — Uzi didn’t understand anything. Her processors hummed, trying to figure out what was happening inside her head. Something was boiling, and at the same time, it wasn’t. So she just froze in place. — Well... uhh — the girl didn’t react at all to the sounds of embarrassment. Instead, she pressed the hand closer, which once again put the rebel into a non-rebel mode.

Seconds passed, normal for some, painfully slow for another. Tessa, as usual, was the first, Uzi, as always, the last. Though the worker didn’t really object to that – or did she? Damn, how was she supposed to define these emotions? Were hormones playing tricks...? Nahhh... they were drones!

— Well, done yet? Huh!? — the drone spoke impatiently. Overheating wasn’t far off for her! At first, the girl didn’t react, so she squeezed the hand, along with her face.

— Oh? — making a sound, Tessa giggled guiltily. Then carefully lowered the worker’s hand, and only then squeezed the wrist and began rubbing it. — Sorry, sorry... I got a little carried away.

— Yeah, yeah yeah! — the rebel repeated one word over and over, turning away from her and flailing her arms in all directions so that her “ignoring” would have more effect. — So, feel better now?

— Yes, thank you... — Tessa got up from the floor and looked at her with a smile. — It means a lot to me.

— Oh really, so all humans are this... sentimental? — the question found no answer, there was only laughter.

— Seems like just me.

҉

— "If I can... then... I’ll survive," — Tessa thought to herself. Evening had come, and soon they would head to her crashed ship. If possible, they’d inspect it and take whatever intact parts remained. — So... one! Two... and three! — she raised her hand up toward the ship’s ceiling. The helmet was on her, thank God, because her face was red from her... well, outburst. — I think we need some spirit!

Three of them watched, each with their own expression. From detached surprise to a face full of joy! The first belonged to the purple worker, the last to N. The golden middle was V: neither joy, nor surprise.

— Ahem! Let’s get to know each other properly! — Tessa flashed a peace sign and lifted her right leg, some sort of pose came out of it. Embarrassing, but necessary! — I... Tessa! Tessa James Elliott! — she said, pointing to herself, her voice dripping with... joy.

— Uhh... — Uzi suddenly felt uneasy. In the day, the human was literally suffering, and now... — I’m Uzi, Uzi Doorman. — she said, and then another voice followed. Just like Tessa, it was full of energy.

— I’m N, serial model N, — he said, giving a salute. The guy was cheerful, the girl too... two extroverts, which meant...

— N!!! — Tessa happily rushed over and grabbed the boy by the cheeks. Then tried to spin him around, but he was heavy. Not a single centimeter budged. — ...tall and... heavy... — the boy froze up and looked at himself. Was he really that fat? Or... how much did he even weigh? — By the way... do you know my name?

— Nope, no idea! — he said, after which Tessa coughed and mumbled something. The boy didn’t hear it, but then...

— Of course you don’t remember... — with a hint of regret Tessa stepped away from him. V, however, hearing this... was a little surprised. Tessa knew them? When was that?! Well... yeah, she knew the previous versions, but the new ones?

— Well... this is kinda cringe, but whatever. I’m V. — the girl answered and gave a very half-hearted salute. But the technician didn’t care and came closer to her, though this time... there wasn’t the mistake of trying to lift the drone.

— I’m really glad, V! — said Tessa, hugging her, — and you... does my name sound familiar? — Earlier, V had flinched at the mention of her name, and in the series it was shown that V remembered a lot, so Tessa was waiting for an answer of some kind, something to confirm it. — Uh...

— Nah, don’t remember a damn thing, — she cut sharply and turned her head away. — "Why is she acting like this? It’s strange..." — Tessa turned away and rubbed her wrist a little, again. V, meanwhile, watched this out of the corner of her eye.

— I see.... — Tessa said almost inaudibly, but then suddenly beamed. — Anyway, doesn’t matter! Let’s go!

҉

They left the spire. The sun was gone and its rays no longer threatened them, well, at least not the disassemblers. All the while, Tessa kept glancing at N, who was just walking with a smile.

They could have flown, but...

— How do we even carry you... — V said, looking up at Tessa. The human was taller than her, well, she could grab her by the shoulders and just carry her like a rag doll, but in that case, she’d feel really bad. Fatally bad. — Humans are such a hassle.

— But you’re strong! Carry me in your arms! — Tessa said. V waved her off and stepped aside. — UGHHH!!!

— I can carry you! — N volunteered, which delighted the woman. The yellow-eyed one clenched his fists a little, then lifted her up in his arms, — Comfortable?

— Very! — said Tessa, and a second later touched the boy’s hair. A minute later, when they took off, she did the same thing again, — Your hair is so soft! — The helmet helped here: the built-in speaker inside amplified the sound, and that was awesome! Even at high speed he could hear her, wasn’t that happiness?

— Thanks! — the disassembler brightened up and the two began to chat, a really nice conversation! Tessa was the initiator of it all, while the boy eagerly discussed everything with her. — By the way, which way do we turn? — The pilot mode didn’t switch off, despite the lively talk between the two.

— Over there! — the girl in his arms pointed to the right, at a huge “hypermarket” building, or was it a shopping mall? — I crashed somewhere nearby...

Uzi was flying with V, who wasn’t exactly thrilled to be carrying her, but there was no helping it. The worker drone sat on her back, legs tightly wrapped around her waist to make sure she didn’t fall. Surprisingly, it didn’t interfere much with the wings. Judging by the flames shooting from their ends, flapping wasn’t even necessary. And since they were gliding at high altitude now, there was little need for much movement at all.

— They sure are close — the worker droned, glancing at V. The disassembler’s face looked uninterested, but her eye betrayed that she too was watching the pair.

— N makes friends even with rocks, so that’s hardly surprising. — The words that slipped from her mouth made her passenger burst into laughter. — But don’t you think she’s changed? This afternoon she was… I don’t know, dead inside, and now she’s full of life. — At that, Uzi smirked.

— Guess I just gave her some psychological support. Be grateful for that! — She raised her fist to the sky, waiting for words – words that would praise her social skills, so great they’d even helped a human!

But V only spun her body midair, making Uzi cling to her in terror even tighter

— AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Chapter Text

The disassembler smoothly landed on the ground, then the passenger deftly jumped out of his arms, while the second deliverer showed no such elegance and simply threw out his companion or rather, his flyer.

— ARHHHH! — Uzi shook the snow off her head and pointed at V, who was sincerely laughing at her stunt. — BITE ME! — Nobody understood what she meant except her. Snow in the mouth is just disgusting.

— You okay, purple one, — V replied and moved forward, toward Tessa. The girl just stared at the huge shopping mall. — What’s with you? We came here for parts, not to go shopping. — She also threw a glance there. A massive building, covered in snow, the sight of a bygone human era. Lots of remnants: skeletons in various clothing and their scattered belongings. Cars, carts, and other things. Maybe Tessa was feeling nostalgic?

— He-he-he… yeah… you’re right, but still. — Tessa shook her head and muttered something quietly. — I think I need to restock… food… — she started playing with her fingers, then from nervousness moved to scratching her wrist. A bad habit by now.

— Ah… humans, — V said with disdain and stepped forward with her thin little leg. — but we’ll do that after the spare parts, not before. — she added, and heard Tessa’s “Hurray,” — heh…

Meanwhile N was shaking Uzi, making sure she had no snow left. The two drones then followed Tessa to her crashed ship. At first, only wreckage appeared, black ash and deformed ground. Not exactly a soft landing, that’s for sure. After a few seconds the hull itself came into view.

— Hm… looks… not bad. — Uzi said with an evaluating look. Her eyes ran across the debris and then onto the ship itself. — Not bad, for such a landing. — she clarified, pointing at the surroundings; the already ruined buildings had turned into heaps of rubble. — Well… let’s check the guts.

Uzi went ahead and managed to pry the door open. The screeching mechanism gave in to the worker’s strength and, with a familiar scraping sound, opened.

— Hm… — All four of them entered inside. V turned her head, not looking at the console or shattered screens, but at the things. There lay a broken mug, parts of some decoration, and… huh… paper? It’s intact? — You check the front part, I’ll look in the back. — she said. The three nodded; Uzi led the way as the one who knew, with N and Tessa following. — What… is… this…

V picked up the paper. At first the handwriting seemed strange, but after a few seconds she recognized it – Tessa’s handwriting!

— Date… events… wait, are these parts of a diary? — she muttered with quiet surprise and quickly began gathering scraps of paper. The first in hand, the second… crumpled, but the letters could be made out. She took it… — Hm… — In a few minutes she gathered everything she could. Not much: only four pages, and even those incomplete. There were more fragments, but either too destroyed to read or simply missing. — Hm…

V took the first page she had found, shook it a few times, and began reading. The other three were busy inspecting and didn’t notice the disassembler’s actions.

[11.07.3070]

“Why? Why did I… save Cyn? Why!?!? God forgive me! I beg you! Give me a chance… I’ll fix it all… just one small chance…

Cyn… Cyn… I hate you… I hate you… why… what did you do to my friends? Give them back! Where are they? Where is N… Where is V?! Where… is J?”

— Hah… — V let out a bitter chuckle and looked back. Tessa was holding parts of the console in her hands, giggling strangely. It was hard for her. — Where are we, huh? — V muttered quietly and touched her chest area. They don’t have hearts… they’re machines built to kill… but… but soon it would all be over… yes… J said so… — we’ll finish on this planet and that’s it… — That day would come, and they would be free. At last. They only needed… to protect Tessa.

Freedom… a simple life… like before…

— “It’ll all be over soon… Tessa…” — she thought, hiding the papers and approaching the group. — “We’ll all be together… all of us…” — The thought brought joy. She needed to read the other pages too… but later, for now…

Uzi was twisting a wrench in frustration. This bolt was horrible!!! How could anyone screw it so tight that even a drone couldn’t get it out?! Huh? Drones are physically superior to humans, so why the hell is one bolt a problem for her?

— Um… Uzi, I get it, — Tessa carefully started a dialogue. Her arms were full of surviving parts, mostly microchips and other junk from the consoles. Uzi was working on a small generator that should generate energy, though… — Maybe you should let N try? I think he could do something…

— I’ll do everything I can! — said the boy. In his hand was one large box. A black box, and no, it wasn’t a recording, but more like… what was it again? Anyway, it processes and provides navigation, like a flight computer… wait… so wasn’t this thing what crash-landed the ship? It definitely… needed to be installed on that capsule?

— DON’T INTERFERE! ARHHHHHH! WHAT THE HELL, JCJENSON BOLTS! — she screamed, throwing the wrench across the entire ship. — UGRHHHH… phew… calm down…

— Uh… is that normal worker’s anger? — Tessa asked, and at that moment got her foot stepped on. Uzi pressed down — ow! Ow! Okay okay! I got it!

— Well, that’s better… — Uzi said angrily, and at that moment the previously thrown wrench hit her in the head. — Ouch!

— Don’t throw that, — V walked out from the back of the ship, her hands empty. — Especially since we don’t have many tools, — her eyes lingered on Tessa, then on her hands. — Need help?

— Nah! I’m strong! — the girl said and slightly shifted her arm, as if to prove it. V smiled and gave her a thumbs up. After the gesture, she moved to the annoying part of the ship and extended her claws. — Oh…

— What needs to stay intact? — she asked, and Uzi only said two words: “the blue circle.” After that, things turned into an 18+ horror scene – console parts flew everywhere, nothing could withstand V’s strikes. Her long claws shredded everything, the smaller sibling destroyed in seconds. — This one? — she asked, switching claws back to a hand and pulling out a small circle. It looked like that thing from Tony Stark’s chest… but bigger, and probably stronger.

— Exactly… — the worker took it, tossed it up, and caught it. — Yeah… that’s it! HE-HE-HE — an evil laugh escaped her mouth.

— Was that in the script? — Tessa asked, and got skeptical looks from everyone, even from N. — Eh?

҉

The workday had begun – or rather evening… or was it night? Anyway, whatever. Inside the capsule, work was humming.

— WHY DO I NEED A SWEAT?! — Uzi screamed in rage again. Drops of pixel sweat rolled down her forehead. — ANSWER! — some inexplicable anger was aimed at the employee of “JC Jenson IN SPAAAAACEE!!!!”.

— I don’t know! — Tessa said and pulled out a handkerchief, then wiped the rebel’s brow. The sweat didn’t disappear… — damn… it’s pixel sweat after all…

— Is that how it’s done, Uzi? — N asked and started turning a screwdriver the other way. A screw fell, and then the black box… right on his foot. — Hm… apparently not.

— AAAAAAA! WHY ARE YOU ALL SO STUPID!!! — Uzi yelled at the top of her lungs.

— Don’t put me on the list, — V replied and started blowing bubbles. Where did she get them? Uh… no idea.

҉

At long last that repair crap was finished; it was time to sleep. The disassemblers slept like bats, head-down. Uzi was fine, but sitting in a chair.

The hardest part was the human – her rhythm was different. Daytime; adapting it to… night is tough. At first it went easy, until she woke up at 1 PM utterly wrecked. Throat dry, sweating, hard to breathe – critical bodily errors, drone-style. In human terms, it’s just “fucked.”

— How the hell do you sleep… — she said and glanced left. The chair was taken by Uzi, who was in “Sleep mode” — how nice for them… — she didn’t have such a mode. She’d have to do it the old way: flop around, think, and just pray for mercy.

A minute passed, two did too. Three was a struggle, and five flat-out refused to go. The sixth forgot to say goodbye.

— … — Closed eyes, darkness gone, a comfortable bed… well a mattress and pillow — isn’t that the formula for sleep? — Ugh…

҉

V hung from the ceiling, not by her neck but by her tail. Head down, wings folded over her body, reading the entries. This wasn’t something N should see. She’d tell him later, at the right moment.

From the shopping mall run they’d salvaged little, and most of it was for the human. A few food items, towels… which first needed defrosting and drying. Some trinkets to keep spirits up: a Rubik’s cube for Tessa, a drawing set for N, a cool MP3 player and awesome headphones for Uzi. She also grabbed glasses, a folder, and their biggest find – a spoon. Unfortunately V and Uzi… why does Uzi regret it? V has no idea, but V does because she won’t be able to feed Tessa.

— Hm… what’s this? — this entry… interesting. Hard to date since the fragments are missing and the page is full of holes, but the words are readable. Thanks to the handwriting.

[??.??.????]

“Am I worthy to live? As… a human? I am complicit in the deaths of billions… but…

…

…

…

I don’t want to… die…”

Many words are missing, and overall the readable text is small. Some lines are crossed out, some pages torn… but the meaning is clear.

— Worthy? — she said aloud. The processors started to process all of this… — Tessa… you’re worthy still…

Maybe it’s her selfish thoughts, but who cares? Who will judge her – the people are dead, and she’s a psychotic killer… everything changed… long ago… since that day.

— It’s us who aren’t worthy…

҉

A dark warehouse space, light coming from only one spot. The ceiling... a pierced ceiling.

A green-eyed drone was prowling the complex: a red cap, a dark-yellow jacket and sneakers. A cool kid named Thad.

— Hm... this looks like Zi’s gun... — the drone picked up some kind of wonder-weapon and examined it. It looks cool, very futuristic. — I’ll take it tonight, and invite... — Ted muttered to himself and glanced back. The legs of the killer drone were still lying there. — Maybe I should bury it? — he said and started to walk, then heard a sound behind him.

There were no legs

...

...

...

— Decided to arrange your own funeral?

Chapter Text

Tessa opened her eyes, at first everything was blurry, but then it all began to clear up. The first picture she saw was: A frowning face looking at her, purple eyes and the same exact brows. A cap and a stance of superiority, which was maintained by three things: crossed arms, an arrogant gaze and...

— Stop dozing off, — the last was words dripping with malice. The rebel clenched her fist, — we need to get out. — Tessa obediently stood up, brushed herself off a little and stretched energetically. Her muscles felt lighter and a sound of pleasure escaped her mouth. — What was that...

— Uh... — Explaining the concept of muscles to drones turned out to be a difficult task, and Tessa thought for a moment. She tried to scratch her head, but as it turned out, that didn’t help activate her thinking mechanisms. After all, humans use brains, not spinning gears. But suddenly she had a flash of insight! — Alright, imagine it like this: it’s as if your internal mechanisms just got top-class lubrication after long inactivity. You know how when you’re low on oil, everything starts screeching horribly? And then – bam! You move smoothly, like brand new! That’s how muscles work... just less metallic! — at those words Uzi nevertheless nodded, then glanced at the girl’s arm. She studied it for a few seconds, then the worker turned and signaled for her to follow. — Let me put on the helmet! — a helmet ended up in her hands. Dark glass with stuck-on stickers... and inside were several schematics and tubes. Very technological, but incomprehensible. She put it on herself, and then, pressing a button near her neck, the girl nodded in satisfaction.

The two left the capsule, the first thing that caught the eye was N, who was drawing something on paper. Carefully approaching, she noticed that the boy was drawing them! V, Uzi, himself and Tessa! The four of them together... doing something, though it was unclear what. Too clumsy, funny that the disassemblers’ color scheme was yellow, Uzi’s was fully purple, and hers... OOH!

Tessa had two colors! The first was black, which covered her suit. The second color was... apparently blue... a cap “JC Jenson IN SPAAAAACEE!!!!”, well fine. Not bad, though the words on the cap weren’t visible at all. Passable, to put it shortly.

— "Hm... maybe..." — the thought arose as a faint glimmer in her head, but gradually gained strength. She could use this moment to get closer to him. Yes, an excellent chance. To praise his work, support his creative impulses... That would earn her some points of trust. And considering this was N, the boy would definitely come to her aid, no matter what happened. A wonderful ally, but nothing more... — "Don’t get attached to them," — she thought, watching the cheerful robot draw on paper, his movements smooth, almost childlike, but with something touching in each of them. — "I’ll leave them anyway...". — That thought cut through her inside like a cold blade, leaving behind a bitter taste. It’s wrong...

As painful as it was to realize, it was the truth. Selfish, but that’s the price. She wanted to live, and judging by the plot, this planet didn’t have much time left. She felt tension, as if time itself was tightening into a knot around her, around her neck... the helmet that had felt comfortable until now began to imprison her, frightening... but she’d have to endure.

She urgently needed to leave this place, otherwise she’d become a victim... like all of them

A victim of Cyn...

...

Her body broke into goosebumps... that... drone would definitely kill her. Of that Tessa was sure, so she had to leave, and fast, to do that she needed help...

— Great drawing! — she exclaimed optimistically, which startled the boy so much that he dropped his pencil in surprise. But fear instantly turned to joy. It happened too quickly.

— Really? — he asked uncertainly. Tessa nodded, then raised a thumbs up. The highest praise. That left the boy so flustered that his hands clenched into fists and trembled with overwhelming emotions. His joy was so strong that he could barely contain himself. His delight was almost contagious... pity only that she was playing. Yes, it was shameful, but it had to be done. The guilt weighed on her soul and heart, but it was better than later turning into a mix of drone and human.

— Of course! Very cute! — Tessa confirmed, stepping closer. It was a bit awkward, but N’s cheerful energy only grew stronger. He was like a little sun on legs, illuminating everything around, though his light melted him and his kind.

— That’s V? — she asked, pointing at the figure on the edge of the drawing. A female figure with wings, with each wing different – a funny detail. Now, on closer look… tiny fangs in the mouth too, scary and cute, though mostly just strange.

— Yes! — the boy nodded proudly. His finger moved to another part of the sheet, where a black stickman in a blue cap stood. — That’s you!

Now Tessa froze, at first N was startled, then a chuckle was heard. Very quiet, but enough for them to hear.

— Very similar! — she declared with laughter and stepped back a little, not out of aversion, but for something else. To spread her arms, and bring her legs closer together. The T-pose was ready! Just like in the drawing. — Compare! — N did just that. The pose of his stickman and the real person matched surprisingly well. — He-he-he, looks alike?

— Yes! — and his already bright yellow eyes became even brighter. Very, very bright! Tessa shook her head and came closer to him again.

— "Looks like... it worked..." — she thought, while her face frowned. She wasn’t annoyed by the drone, but by herself. For her such... manipulations were simply... wrong. Conscience burning... or whatever it was in the heart? — "It’s just... to survive" — letting out a heavy sigh, she looked at the picture again. Bad, clumsy drawings, unnaturally large deformations... but... it was in its own way beautiful, cute and cruel...

The boy drew all four of them, and she...

Tessa sighed again and pointed to the edge of the paper, she needed to distract herself, quickly.

— Add a moon here! — she said, and N immediately nodded, without the slightest doubt. There was no irritation in his eyes, no distrust, not even a shadow of hidden intent. He nodded with that same joy and purity that only children possess, when they accept the world as it is, without asking unnecessary questions. — The moon is our friend, and the sun – our daily enemy! — she declared with a smile, raising her fist to the sky, as if showing where the moon should be.

They were in a tall spire, where light never touched their skin, where the sun seemed only a distant, unreachable enemy, but then again... was it the enemy? The sun destroyed the disassemblers, and its rays were a weapon against Cyn, was the sun her enemy? Maybe an unexpected ally? That would be nice... hah, what was she even thinking... she saw everyone as either useful or not, an enemy or someone lacking anything useful. She needed to change this black-and-white tone of the world... for now...

— "But is that necessary?" — she wondered. To her these drones were nothing more than... tools, she would use them, and then leave. If she changed her mindset... DAMN! DAMN! DAMN! WHAT’S WRONG WITH HER!?!? — "Calm down..." — the fist raised to the sky began to tremble... she had to... — The moon’s up there, right? — she added with a hint of a joke, tilting her head slightly, as if she really feared the celestial body wasn’t there, but somewhere else. A slip. — Would be a shame if it wasn’t, — would it be a shame? No...

N laughed — quietly, but sincerely. He first looked to the right, then to the left, his hand absentmindedly scratching his chin. He looked back thoughtfully, then forward, to complete the search he looked down and up. Perfect!

— The moon’s right there! — suddenly came V’s voice, Tessa screamed in surprise and jumped back. How did V get so close? — Ugh.

҉

The first hours were spent repairing the ship’s outer hull. Everything seemed to be going according to plan, but now…

— Aren’t you a little too hot, V? — Tessa asked worriedly, squeezing the disassembler’s hand. This clearly wasn’t a compliment to the robot. Yes, she really was hot, but that wasn’t the point. It was something else. Not from embarrassment or excitement — purely technical reasons. Overheating.

— I need oil, — V stated and sharply pulled her hand out of Tessa’s grip. She shook her palm and sank into thought — "And how do I get it? Wasting a couple of workers isn’t an option… although… that purple one could work…" — She shook her head. Finding a source of oil now would be a miracle. The target seemed right under her nose, but… no. How’s the saying go? "The pear hangs, but you can’t eat it" — "Ha. Dying of overheating... that’s cringe"

N just silently observed. Why didn’t this problem affect him? Maybe because of his lower activity. V had just been shooting, working with rockets, rushing around and all that. All of it caused overheating. But N… well, he was more or less passive, although… honestly, that was hard to believe. Maybe Cyn somehow improved him? Well, N was her "big brother," so maybe some additional mechanisms had been added in due to some sort of "attachment"? Maybe so…

It wasn’t out of the question that the guy was simply bigger and, apparently, stored more oil. It was a logical assumption, but gave no real answer. All these thoughts gave no clear explanation, and asking directly took too much courage.

Only oil could save the situation

— Maybe we should look for oil? — Tessa suggested hesitantly, glancing around. — I saw a few frozen drones. We could melt them… somehow… — Tessa faltered, nervously twisting her fingers. For the real Tessa, drones weren’t just machines, but also personalities. And the thought of "killing them and drinking their oil" clearly wasn’t the kind of words V would expect. That… would expose her deception, so it was better to rephrase her thoughts. — Well, maybe they’ll voluntarily give up some of their oil as compensation for being rescued? — her attempt to soften the situation sounded awkward. The finger-play shifted to her wrist, which Tessa rubbed even harder from nerves.

V squinted skeptically, stepping closer:

— Are you sure those drones have oil? — for a disassembler, unnecessary movements were akin to suicide, so her attempt to clarify things wasn’t such a bad idea.

Tessa thought for a moment. Her first attempt at "extracting" oil from drones had ended with black crystals flowing out instead of liquid. That was oil, but it had long since solidified. The cold spared no one…

— Well, I don’t know for sure, — Tessa admitted, nervously lowering her head. — They seemed kind of functional… I tried to start them up, but… heh-heh — nervous laughter, followed by silence, and then the girl started up again, as if justifying herself to the drone. — … didn’t work, but… but! I saw that some of them had… uh, frozen oil? Surely it can be… drunk and you’ll feel better! — Tessa said in fear.

V shrugged, throwing a glance at both companions.

— Fine, let’s try. — She was clearly decided now. Since Tessa said so, then they would definitely manage to find a few such… frozen "cans" — You two fix the ship. We’ll find oil and maybe something else useful. — Uzi and N nodded, and V and Tessa headed for the exit of the spire. — "And why was she so… scared?" — V wondered involuntarily, her thoughts swirling like snowflakes in a blizzard. Maybe Tessa had seen something she didn’t dare speak of in their presence. Too much time had passed, and events had left scars that couldn’t be healed. All V knew… was that…

Tessa was afraid of them

But why? Hadn’t she been having a good conversation with them? She laughed, V had even fed her with a spoon, so why? Although… there’s an idea… Tessa fears anger… irritation or any other form of rage… but why?

She threw a quick glance at Tessa. The girl walked with her head lowered, as if something was weighing on her. A troubling darkness seemed to emanate from her, like shadows lurking behind her every move. She was no longer the cheerful girl V once knew.

But despite this, there remained a vulnerable fragility in her movements, as if behind those walls of fear and tension, that little girl still lived. Her childlike curiosity and joy for the world, once visible through the visor of her helmet, were now hidden deep inside, behind multilayered armor of thoughts and feelings.

— "I won’t let her go… disappear, like our past," — V clenched her fists tightly. The decision came suddenly, like a flash of fire in a core. She knew she wouldn’t let anyone interfere. No matter what awaited her ahead. Nothing would stop her. — Hey…

The girl flinched and quickly lifted her head, then waited for the next words. Yes… Tessa had changed…

— Something… wrong? — she asked and stepped closer to V, who only frowned at her. — "What’s with her!??! Did she realize that I… am not Tessa?" — thoughts raced, fear filled her mind, making the girl instinctively step back.

— I’m sorry… for everything, Tessa.

Chapter Text

V stood in silence. Unfamiliar to say this, to ask for forgiveness. Heh... she’d already forgotten how to do that, but... the main thing...

— V... — Tessa began quietly, yes, that figure of fear shifted into surprise, then the girl slowly approached her. The disassembler stood and watched the movement, inside a hope was being born.

For the better, like in the old times

Like in those moments when she timidly stood next to N, trying to say at least something, while Tessa was waiting for it, hiding behind the table, thinking she wasn’t noticed at all.

Like in those moments when she and Tessa snuck into the attic and fussed there until J found them.

Like in those moments when all of them slept together cuddled up on Tessa’s big bed...

Beautiful times

How badly she wanted to return them, not stand here killing those workers or hiding from the sun in this cursed spire, living with the hope that It would finally leave them alone.

— "But you’re here," — she thought with relief, while Tessa reached her hand out to her. — "And I’ll fix everything... I promise..." — A goal was set, now it’s not a dream. This is reality, now it’s time to work for it.

A good life requires sacrifices... and it doesn’t matter what kind, it works for both of them, since their concepts of «life» differ.

The robot thought about closeness with kin, and she...

҉

Tessa carefully touched the drone’s face, despite the seeming toughness, the drone’s cheeks were surprisingly soft. Truly surprising, very... but still.

— "What is she on about?" — she wondered while squeezing V’s cheeks. A very... cute activity, which then grew into an embrace. The robot held tight, but very gently, two incompatible notions. — "Though knowing the series..." — and here Tessa in her own way tried to respond to the closeness, in the first seconds her hand nervously lay on the disassembler’s shoulders, only later did it wrap around her.

V was the one who knew everything. Episodes 2 and 4 — proof of that. Her attempts at every kind of protection of N and her hatred toward Cyn, about whom the boy practically knew nothing until Uzi dug in and decrypted all the glitches in his head, at the same time removing “Cyn” from the admin post. Cute and all, but apparently that’s why V is so... unstable now. That alone explains her shaky position in the metallic grip.

Usually a psychopath and protector, but now also tender! Perfect, just what’s needed if she wants to live, however... it should all be checked. Prepare the ground, so to speak... damn...

— "I really am becoming... horrible," — she thought with disgust and didn’t notice how she strengthened her hold on V, which surprised her. — Forgive me... — it burst out of her. Those words came on their own... maybe some part of her still hadn’t given in to those filthy thoughts, hadn’t become such a creature who uses someone just for herself, and then...

— Why would you? — the huntress blurted, pushing the body away from her. In those two words were so many emotions. — You don’t need to apologize! — She tried to calm the already trembling figure, which desperately clung to her. A tight hold, like a vise, but it was an embrace. Good thing her body was metal, otherwise it would’ve hurt, heh... but is that a reason for joy? Her human was practically crying in front of her, but what to do? — Don’t cry! Uhh...

— Forgive me! Forgive me! — Tessa didn’t stop. Again, an emotional crisis, what pushed her here? Fear of death? A revived conscience? Pity? Could be, or maybe all of it together. — Forgive me, V! — Slowly the firm hands on V’s shoulders grew weaker, and the body sagged. Tessa leaned on her, luckily for both of them, V’s legs of steel were unusually strong despite their seeming thinness.

— Hey! — The disassembler slowly rubbed the girl’s back, very softly. — Don’t do this... now! — she shouted, to change the subject. Yeah... an emotional crisis for both of them was very delicate, better fix it. — I need oil, so I won’t overheat and die! Let’s go! — cheerfully she shook the figure on her, who at first was like a rag doll, but then came to life and just as cheerfully tried to break free from this “carousel.”

— Enough, enough! — She caught her breath. A second passed, and then she was let down, right there... — "I’m an idiot... a total loser..." — she thought, squeezing her hand. Had to cry and blurt something out... Fuck! — "Think..." — The brain began to work actively, trying to come up with at least something for her slip. Crying in front of V — the dumbest choice, but it was so... unexpected, she didn’t even expect it herself!

— I’d fly, but... — V didn’t grab Tessa. Well, she could carry her like a princess, but here’s another problem: the human was bigger than her, and the “flight” function would waste her already meager oil supplies, so... — I don’t think I can, so we’d better go on foot, and faster.

— Hm? — Tessa was pulled out of her thoughts, and she nodded without hesitation, her mind completely elsewhere. — Yes! Yes! Of course! — All the brain’s power was thrown into making up a plausible version and running through several scenarios. She thought about that and followed V, who at first kept looking back at her, and after a few minutes caught her rhythm of steps. Now the disassembler walked in sync with her.

҉

— ... — V shifted awkwardly next to Tessa. Not like her at all, hah... but that didn’t matter. How could she start this conversation more gently? However she was, unnecessary words, needless words were best avoided. The human was already in a bad state.

The ship had crashed, no people left, the initial hunger and... the fear of them. The drones. And it wasn’t surprising, considering what had happened. What amazed her was that Tessa at least spoke to them and somehow interacted.

— Do you want to talk? — to the drone’s surprise, the girl started the conversation herself. She was nervous too, her hands as usual dangling near her wrists and rubbing them. — If you want, of course! — then followed a strange laugh, but V paid no attention to it, nervousness was a usual matter. Especially in Tessa’s situation, one could overlook some odd little things. She herself had butchered and made all sorts of chaos, and laughter compared to her actions was just flowers... no, even the seeds of those flowers.

— Let’s talk... — V smiled. They had enough time, maybe it was even good she had so little oil? Looked like it.

҉

Two psychologists and at the same time two traumatized people stopped at an abandoned café. Unfortunately, no snacks there, but at least a place to sit.

As usual, the place looked white, snow, then grayness followed by bleakness, though here there were at least some traces of yellow and red. A diner? Fast food sold here? Maybe, but not the most important thing.

The human and the drone sat by the window, though there was absolutely no reason for it. No beautiful view through the glass at all – only a white desert and a mountain of abandoned buildings. Countless skeletons and all sorts of leftovers of the gone human era. It seemed there was no one else in all this but them, terrifying...

The two sat opposite each other

V looked at the dark glass of the helmet and saw her own reflection of yellow eyes. How much she didn’t want to see that... Tessa’s face was much better. Even if she wasn’t the same as before, not the cheerful girl, not the brave one... but she was her. That was enough, and it had to be understood that everyone changes. Too selfish to want something eternal. Brown hair with gray strands here and there, tired eyes and a dimmed gaze – proof of that. Still, V didn’t want more. This was enough, and she would preserve it.

— So... — Tessa took the initiative in everything, like before. Hah... cute. Such cute details. V smiled, and then began listening closely. — Let’s make this like... question and answer, so it’ll be easier for us to understand each other, — Tessa nervously tapped on the table. The disassembler noticed, but still nodded. No reason to stop now, heart-to-heart talks would help them both. Make their bond stronger, raise trust and most importantly... she would learn about Tessa. — Who starts?

— You go, Tessa, — V said and fell silent. The human only sighed. The hand nervously scratching her wrist lowered, she felt lighter. That was good.

— "I need to understand how much she trusts me, while at the same time I must spark guilt in her," — not a simple plan. Difficult and again difficult, but Tessa had an advantage. V was the one who tried to protect N, not always in the best ways: carrying memories alone, like a burden, and refusing to share them with the boy. That gave an idea of her character: the disassembler was one who would die for her loved ones... so, — V, you do remember me, right? — yes, this question would work. Definitely stir up a storm of emotions, and with the addition of that recording where Tessa said the drones she loved had become monsters... then... yes, it should work.

— Tessa... — V whispered quietly. Her confidence waned, her hands froze, and her gaze pierced emptiness. Yes, that was exactly the effect Tessa expected. — "Why that question? What’s the reason for it?" — How should she answer it? What was Tessa trying to find out? Hard to tell, but she was honest. Completely honest, she wouldn’t hide the truth from her human. — Yes, I remember you, Tessa... — V bit her tongue, she didn’t like it. Too unclear a question. Now her companion awaited words, but what to say? All of the disassembler’s questions fell silent, only after that... — Then why did you ask that?

— "Finally," — Tessa exhaled softly and then began retreating. Nervousness. Hand at her wrist, shoulders trembling... head lowered. Good thing the helmet had that glass. The girl herself wasn’t sure she could control her expression. — It’s just... you see... I saw too many of you... and all of them... — Judging by Tessa’s diary, the girl encountered “backups” or simply other “clones” of the original trio. Though, reading that text, it was clear those trios... weren’t the same drones. — They were so... terrifying... I tried to talk... but they... — Whether from terror or from V’s piercing gaze, she truly became scared. The hand at her wrist, which earlier only rubbed it, now began scratching and squeezing. Painful... but the fear was fading... — Didn’t listen to me! — Unable to bear it, the human suddenly rose from the table. Scary, she was scared... but why? Maybe her body itself feared the words she said, but that couldn’t be...

— Calm down... breathe, — the drone approached her and gently brushed her back. Metal fingers sometimes stopped near her shoulders and made something like a massage, so the tense muscles would relax at least a little. Meanwhile, the disassembler actively inhaled and exhaled. — Breathe deeper... like that, — Tessa copied her gesture and began to breathe. It felt easier. Hah... a drone helped her with this, without even needing air... irony? Deep inside it felt heavy, as if her heart was shackled... V cared so much about her, but...

— Forgive me... — once again that damned word slipped out. How Tessa hated it, that simple word... It was horrible. It exposed her, forced her to try even harder, digging a deeper hole inside herself where she’d have to throw everything. Her feelings, her conscience... and her loved ones... no... they were just tools. She was only trying to survive, nothing wrong in that... yes... she just wanted to live... — Forgive me... — How heavy it felt in her soul. She would have to mold herself into Tessa, be and become her. Someone ideal in the eyes of these drones, and then vanish into nothingness.

— It’s nothing... you also me... — V didn’t speak much, instead giving priority to silence. Gentle circular motions on her back soothed the human’s nerves, which in turn satisfied the disassembler. Both in the plus. — "My poor one..." — Tessa hadn’t met them, but others. When they were under Cyn’s full control, they weren’t them, but monsters, however... by Tessa’s words, she tried to reach out to those machines... how warming that was. Not like flames or her core’s overheating, not like the sun melting her body... but a pleasant tingling inside. It was so... desirable, how long had she not felt something like that? When was she last... glad? — "You didn’t forget us either..."

A minute passed, maybe more... V didn’t know, she hadn’t counted. The huntress only savored it, nothing more.

— Let’s find you some oil, V.

҉

N and Uzi were hanging around the capsule, the first scratching his head trying to figure something out, while the second was clearly explaining the plan of action.

— Well? — shouted Uzi, giving one hit to N’s head, who was staring at the capsule’s blueprints. — Did you understand at least something? — The worker wanted to hear a clear “Yes!”

— No! — Damn! She jinxed it… tch! — Uhh, but I’ll try to understand! I’m up for any move! — despite his optimism… the work wasn’t going well at all. Something was breaking, something was missing, and everything went crooked. They didn’t move even a centimeter, yeah…

Then Uzi decided to distract herself, you can’t fill your head only with work, sometimes you need to entertain yourself with something. A piece of paper caught her eye. N’s drawing, which he had carefully fixed on one of the tower’s walls. Looking closely, you could tell it was just a jumble: circles, lines, and all sorts of stuff, yet the tone of the picture, surprisingly, was joyful.

She approached the wall and examined the drawing more closely, and with every second this “jumble” revealed more. Here she was, there was V, well here N himself, and over there… Tessa. The most impressive part was that the human had as many as two colors, black and blue. For the spacesuit and the cap with the wrong words.

— By the way, N, — she began. For the worker, all this lately was becoming incomprehensible. According to her own plan she was supposed to destroy humanity, but no, now she was helping a human repair the capsule and she wasn’t the only one. The disassembly drones who used to be monsters… also didn’t stay aside. Impressive that the true psychopath V didn’t immediately tear apart a living human, since that was exactly what was expected of her. Unlike the thoughts, reality turned out to be fantastic. — What do you think of this human? — she asked, remembering V. For the disassembly drone this girl was familiar, but from where? Hm, if for her, then maybe for N as well? She ought to find out.

V was feeding Tessa with a spoon, and watching this made Uzi uneasy. She wanted to try that too, and also that feeling… when the human was afraid of her. That was… so exciting. The shiver… the fear and that uncertainty… how…

The purple one swallowed saliva, those moments were very pleasant

— She’s cool! — said the boy. The rebel raised a brow, though that was no surprise. It would be a shock to hear N call someone something bad. The guy stepped closer to her. — She’s fun to be with! — Yeah, two hyperactive people together, it’d be strange if someone didn’t like that. For Uzi the rebel, activity wasn’t a minus, and not a plus either. Emo-goth after all. — Although it’s strange that she sometimes goes quiet for a long time.

Now, hearing that, Uzi thought about it, yeah that did happen and it seemed so unnatural. The human’s joy would suddenly vanish, then appear again as if nothing had happened. The helmet didn’t add any charm to it, it felt like, in those moments, behind the black glass there was only an abyss.

— Anyway, nothing scary! — he continued, able to add problems to someone and just walk off. If only she could learn that from him. The boy just smiled and stepped up to the drawing, — "We’ll help her!" — He only thinks of the good, he was like that, and he’ll stay like that… right?

҉

— We’re almost there, V, — said Tessa when they found themselves again in front of the mall. The same place, the same entrance through the broken doors. Despite the familiarity with this location, it didn’t make things any easier for either of them. V was trembling from the lack of oil, and Tessa, holding her tighter, tried to cope with her own anxiety. — It’s okay, just a little bit more left, — she supported the drone, almost dragging her toward the frozen brethren. To break and somehow chew on those chunks of oil, not bad, because they had no alternative.

— Argh… — V moaned quietly. The headache was growing worse, her body overheating, and her vision becoming blurry. She urgently needed oil. She could barely stand on her feet, using Tessa’s shoulder as support. — Damn…

— Just a little more, hold on, — Tessa squeezed her even tighter, almost carrying her across the hall. It was getting worse, and now the girl whispered, — We shouldn’t have… we shouldn’t have said anything… — She was blaming herself, while V was barely holding on to consciousness.

Thoughts were filled with hunger, it completely consumed her. Oil… to cool down… or blood… yes, blood would do.

— Heh-heh-heh… — echoed in her head. Tessa’s hand was nearby, so close… Just one bite. Cyn made them like this: monsters, abominations, killing machines. To kill humans, to kill drones… those were their functions, embedded in their bodies since that cursed moment. — No… — muttered V, fighting the rising horror. No, this can’t be! This is wrong.

Cyn, you bastard! What did you do to me?!

V suddenly pushed Tessa away, making the girl cry out. Tessa stumbled back but managed to stay on her feet, while V staggered back until her back hit the wall.

— Don’t come closer! — shouted V, her voice full of pain and fear. Tessa didn’t understand anything, but hunger was driving V insane. — "I am not a monster! I am not an abomination! Not a killing machine!" — She would not hurt Tessa. No. Never. — Go away! Hunger… Arrgh!

— V! V! — Tessa desperately tried to reach her. — "Why did I say it back then? When there was already so little time? I ruined everything… idiot…"

The disassembly drone held her head, her fangs had grown sharper, her tail, which had just been dragging behind her, now twitched in tension.

— I… can’t hold myself for long! — cried V, and her voice carried a tortured plea. — I’LL HURT YOU, PLEASE LEAVE I BEG YOU! — So that’s why… yes, they were monsters first and foremost, abominations… killing machines. For them, killing was the essence of life. The blood of their victims, their pleas, their fears… a source of sustenance. That’s what they were, but she was holding on.

— V… — Tessa took a step forward. Her hand slowly reached out to V. The girl’s gaze was focused, but within it burned determination, and a certain cold. — "She wants… blood…" — this fact echoed bitterly in her mind. In the series it was clear, the drones tore off arms and ate them. All those muscles, bones, and blood… It was more than just oil – blood served as a replacement for them. How? She didn’t know, but knowing the organics inside the disassembly drones… Cyn really was a monster… — "I can use this…" — she too… was like that, but different.

— I’ll fix everything, — Tessa’s voice was almost a whisper. She came closer to V, who was trembling as if trying to suppress the inner hunger. Tessa extended her hand right to the drone’s fangs. At that moment, the girl felt painful burning, V was overheating too much, but she didn’t pull her hand away. This was her chance. Pain in exchange for trust… in exchange for control. Control over the tool, her ticket to survival. A small price.

— Bite… — her voice was almost soothing, as if she were offering a simple service.

— But… Tessa… — V’s trembling voice reflected it all – fear, uncertainty, pain. She didn’t want this. But Tessa would force her, would make V feel guilt. Guilt would become the chains that bound the drone to her.

— I don’t mind if it’s you, V, — she said softly, pushing her hand even closer so that now the fangs touched her skin. V tried to move away, but couldn’t, her body itself moved toward the hand. Saliva was flowing heavily, terrifying… she wasn’t a monster… she mustn’t… no! No! NO! NO! NO!

Tessa herself pierced her hand on the sharp fangs, blood flowed out

— I want to be with you, I don’t want to lose you. The V I know. The V I loved… — Tessa’s voice sounded warm, almost sincere, but inside her ruled cold. — The V who wore those cute round glasses…

These words were a trap. A trap easy to fall into, but impossible to escape.

V opened her jaws

Chapter Text

There was no pain, nothing like that was felt. At first, nothing happened, but then it suddenly became bad. Her head went cold, as if plunged into icy water, and then weakness followed. The girl almost collapsed but managed to stay on her feet. A chill, if it could even be called that… it went through her body, she felt cold. Unbearably so.

— Ugh… — she barely made a sound when V stopped her feast. Her fangs were covered in blood, as was the area around her mouth. Despite all that blood, the disassembler’s eyes were trembling. She carefully took the girl by the shoulder and sat her down beside her. The blood wouldn’t stop – she’d bitten too hard… damn it! The dizziness was awful. — How are you, V?

— Tessa! — V’s voice shook as she grabbed her hand, smearing more of that red mess over herself. — I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t think it would… that it would be like this! — The hunter apologized through tears, until she felt a hand on her head.

— It’s alright, V… don’t worry, I’m tougher than you think, — said Tessa, running her hand through the disassembler’s hair. Very weakly, but she tried… tried to hold on to what they’d achieved. To make V believe in herself, to turn her into a loyal puppet. To tie her with threads of guilt and control her… — …how’s your temperature? Has it gone down?

— Tessa… — V couldn’t see her face, but she thought that behind that dark visor there must’ve been a smile – one full of warmth, love, and care… yes… that’s what it was. That was her Tessa, the one she knew, the one who’d saved her from the clutches of death, who’d given her a new life and let her taste what it meant to live well. — Everything’s… fine… I’m fine, thank you… — Yes… Tessa’s blood had saved her. It was sweet, delicious, and gentle.

Maybe it was because she hadn’t tasted human blood in so long? Or maybe… it was because that blood belonged to Tessa – the one V so desperately wanted to protect? She didn’t know, couldn’t understand, but… she didn’t want it anymore. No matter how sweet the blood was, no matter how tender and soft… V didn’t want to do this again. Damn it, she hated even the thought of it.

All she had to do was remember how it all began, where blood was just the beginning

A story where she lost everything. Back then, Cyn had made them monsters… real ones, merciless beasts thirsting for human life. The splashes of blood, the crunch of bones in their hands, the cries for mercy, the screams of horror tearing through the night. People tried to fight back, to resist, but what could they do? They weren’t prepared for that nightmare.

And Cyn enjoyed it. She made them kill as if it were some kind of game, some cursed hunt. To cool their systems, to keep them running, they needed blood. Human blood. Every drop, every breath of a victim mattered. They drank it, consumed liters of that damned liquid, trying to quench their insatiable thirst.

She had to kill. Everyone she met. She tore off heads, broke limbs, ripped bodies apart like a butcher, shredding flesh into pieces. Blood ran like a river, gushing from bodies like from broken vessels. And for what? So Cyn could laugh? So she could watch them become beasts?

Every victim, every scream burned itself into her mind. She remembered those dead eyes, full of terror, just before she tore them apart. Remembered how blood streamed down her hands – slick, warm, alive. What hell it was. And Cyn knew it. She did it on purpose. V had become her weapon, her killing machine, until everything she was drowned in a river of blood.

V didn’t want it. She didn’t want to drink that filth… she remembered trying to quench the thirst with oil instead… She drank so much that the dark liquid spilled from her mouth, dripping down her chin, soaking her clothes. But it wasn’t enough. It never was. The thirst didn’t fade. She kept killing, more and more, falling deeper into madness, until she couldn’t tell anymore where people ended and her monstrous hunger began. That was the beginning… and

...

...

...

Here on this planet, it continued, but now her claws found their way to her own kind – drones. They were like humans: begging for mercy, crying, trying to fight back… but they… weren’t ready for this nightmare… just like the humans weren’t.

And now, with Tessa, it could all happen again. V didn’t want to feel that hell again. She didn’t want to become that creature once more – the one who killed for survival, for Cyn’s twisted amusement. Sweetness of blood? She didn’t care about its taste anymore. It didn’t matter how it felt – it only ever meant pain, death, and emptiness… and if she could reject it… then maybe that pain could turn into happiness, death into new life, and the emptiness could be filled with:

— Tessa, thank you… — V hugged her, but froze in terror. Tessa’s body was too light, like a doll with nothing inside, weak, limp. — God… God… I’m sorry! — panicking, V looked at the wound. The hole was deep, blood still seeping, flooding the gray parts of the suit with crimson fluid. Fear gripped her.

— It’s nothing… I just didn’t think a few things through, — Tessa smirked, but the smile was fake — an echo of emptiness. It rang with such unnatural sharpness that V felt physically sick from the sound. — I should find a bandage, or at least a clean piece of fabric… but…

— I’LL FIND IT! I’LL FIND IT! I PROMISE! JUST… JUST WAIT HERE! — V shouted, her voice trembling, as if she herself stood on the edge of panic. Her wings spread with a mechanical screech, and she soared into the air, disappearing to look for something... anything – that could save Tessa.

Tessa stayed, leaning against the wall. Her strength was fading, and she carefully examined her injured arm as if it were someone else’s body… which, in truth, wasn’t far from reality. This body wasn’t hers, this world wasn’t hers… everything was foreign except for her thoughts.

— I… achieved it? — she whispered to herself. There was no reply. Only silence. The kind of silence she could never get used to. Once, the hum of drones filled the air: N’s laughter, Uzi’s irritation, V’s snorts… and now… complete silence. No buzzing, no mechanical sounds, no soft clicks when drones changed their facial expressions. Maybe she really had achieved something, but at what cost? The blood kept slowly dripping. It was fine – the heart and blood could be restored. She was human, and the human body’s regeneration was a wonderful thing. Yes, she could recover, but what about the suit? The seal was broken, and on this planet, that was a death sentence – whether slow or merciful. The piercing cold could kill, slowly and painfully. The polluted air would clog her lungs, and the result was the same – death. Stupid… how could she not think of that? How could she mess up like this?

— Damn it! — she hissed, clenching her hand in a weak attempt to stop the bleeding. — Stupid… damn stupid!

[WARNING]

[SUIT SEAL BREACH DETECTED]

[AREA: RIGHT ARM]

[AUTO-SEALING PROCESS INITIATED]

The cold, monotone words echoed directly inside her helmet, reverberating through her head. Tessa shook her head, realizing it was an automatic system message. Good… at least some function still worked. She thought the suit only performed basic operations like air filtration and temperature regulation.

— What the hell does that mean? — she hissed when she felt the area around the bitten-off hand start to tighten. The suit’s material slowly shifted, almost alive, forming a new layer to seal the wound. The process was slow, but sealing had begun. It was painful, but bearable. Compared to her overall state, it was nothing. Actually… useful!

[SYSTEM PROTOCOL #584: AUTO-SEALING OF DAMAGED AREA]

[OXYGEN LEVEL ANALYSIS: SUFFICIENT]

— Sealing? — Tessa breathed, looking at the wound, which was now slowly closing with thin layers of metal-polymer, as if the suit was adapting, becoming a second skin. She felt like she was watching it from a distance, through some fog. Maybe from shock, maybe from blood loss…

[LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM: ACTIVE]

[SEAL INTEGRITY RESTORED: 100%]

[OXYGEN SUPPLY: STABLE]

[HEART RATE ANALYSIS: ABNORMAL – TACHYCARDIA]

[WARNING: BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVEL BELOW NORMAL]

Tessa closed her eyes, feeling the system automatically take control of her body. The system integrated into her, literally seeping into the wound, creating a dense polymer crust that blocked contact with the outside environment. With every moment, metallic threads wrapped tighter around her arm – it was both cool and terrifying. Cool because she wasn’t going to die, but terrifying… because damn, this couldn’t come from nowhere. The suit was consuming something – but what? And what if that source ran out? Then everything would collapse…

[AUTO-SEALING COMPLETE]

[INTERNAL ANALYSIS: SOFT TISSUE DAMAGE DETECTED]

[PAIN RECEPTOR LEVEL: 95% — PAINKILLER ACTIVATION]

[PAINKILLER SYNTHESIS: INITIATED]

Tessa felt a slight tremor in her body as the painkiller entered her bloodstream. The internal systems kept working, automatically fixing her mistakes. But the cold, emotionless voice reporting every process reminded her that she was in the hands of a machine – merciless and logical. How she wished to be like that – cold, rational, and merciless… like this machine. It would’ve freed her from everything: guilt, grief, and fear.

[LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM: PROTOCOL 1098 – MAINTAIN BODY TEMPERATURE]

[CURRENT TEMPERATURE: 35.7°C]

[VITAL SIGN MONITORING: UNSTABLE MODE]

She was sweating heavily, but not from heat – from the cold seeping through every layer of her body. The suit desperately tried to maintain her temperature, but the cold sweat still rolled down her skin, and her consciousness grew hazy. Damn… it’s worse than she thought. She must’ve lost… more…

— TESSA! TESSA! LOOK! — V shouted, but her voice reached Tessa like a weak, distant whisper. The headache grew, and it wasn’t a ringing sound – it was just silence… that damn silence filling her head with pain. — Will this help? — V was clutching some pieces of cloth in her hands, panicking as she looked at Tessa’s arm.

Tessa barely opened her eyes, trying to focus on the trembling image in front of her. White cloth? Or red? Had the blood soaked everything? Hard to tell, ugh, hard to think.

— Ugh… V… — she barely managed to say, reaching out with weakened hands and feeling for the fabric. Her fingers barely sensed the surface; there was only a strange, sticky feeling. — The suit… stopped the bleeding… I… KHA! — A dry cough tore through her, painful and harsh. V froze, staring in horror at every part of her body.

— Damn… — Tessa forced out, trying to find even a drop of strength for one more word. — I’m a tough… nut to crack… — her weak grin dissolved into ragged breathing. — Let’s… handle this… inside the capsule… it’ll… be easier there…

҉

N and Uzi, two mechanics (only one), two geniuses (only one), they were working. Very unproductively.

Uzi was working, and N was trying, but it was going badly, which made the worker furious, while the guy just smiled... he was an optimist! It’s fine that he broke that important thing... fine... fine... right?

— You... YOU... GRRRR! — Uzi started growling at him, and at that moment N, to put it mildly, got scared. They were created as predators, but right now the guy felt like prey. Very weak prey! — I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!!! — A wrench flew. N dodged... and now came that same arm, the one Uzi had already slapped him with! Hm... what now... DAMN!

— DON’T! — shouted N, seeing Uzi pick up a huge piece of metal, bigger than herself. — AAAAAAAA!

— I’LL KILL YOU!

...

...

...

Their fun (not really) pastime was interrupted by V, who crashed into the spire. She landed smoothly, then ran toward the capsule. N and Uzi froze, both standing in shock.

— Um... truce? — the guy asked, and at that exact moment the rebel threw the metal piece at him. — Ow! — Then she headed for the capsule. The guy followed with a delay... and saw blood on the ground. — What did V do?

There were many thoughts... and fear. Could V have hurt Tessa? No, surely not... maybe something else happened, but his chest felt heavy. He didn’t want to lose the human.

She was so kind, laughed so sincerely... and he felt so at ease with her. The human didn’t judge him, didn’t look down on him... just enjoyed spending time with him, as he did with her... it was so warm...

҉

Inside the ship, V laid Tessa on a mattress, then began examining her arm. The suit was intact, but there was a lot of blood... damn!

— I’m sorry, Tessa! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! — V kept apologizing, guilt eating her alive. How? Why did she do that? Why? Would Tessa die? How could she help? So many thoughts, countless. Her eyes kept darting around, tracking every tiny change in Tessa’s body.

— What happened? — came Uzi’s voice. She was looking at V, at her jaws. They were covered in blood, then at the human... her hand... it was bloody. Knowing what Disassembly Drones are... — You...

— No! I didn’t mean it! Really... — tears streamed from V’s eyes as she grabbed her head, squeezing so hard her fingers began to crack and her shell started to fracture. — I told you... I...

— V... it’s okay, — said Tessa, grabbing her hand and weakly pulling it down. — Don’t blame yourself... you didn’t do anything wrong, — then Tessa let out a laugh and pulled V’s hands down again. The Disassembly Drone obeyed. — Look, there’s not even a wound... the suit saved me, so it’s fine! I told you, I’m... tough! — she said, making her finger into a gun and pointing it at V. — I’m a cool human!

V froze, then smiled softly... she pressed the human’s hand to her face:

— The coolest human...

҉

Three drones watched the human. The ship repair was left for the next day. N anxiously looked over the girl’s arm; they had already wiped the blood... but some kind of dread remained. V had distanced herself from the group and sat apart, hugging her knees. Uzi, however, stayed beside the human.

— Quite a story you’ve got there... — she said, listening to Tessa’s weak voice. The human insisted that V wasn’t to blame... How sweet, that she was protecting this... killer. The creature that bit her and drank her blood, nearly killing her in the process. — Weren’t you afraid that psycho would kill you?

— Well... — Tessa went silent for a second. Uzi raised a brow, V checked her auditory modules and secretly looked at Tessa, waiting for her words. The tension was unbearable... what if... Tessa... said she was afraid of V? — I believe V wouldn’t do such a thing! I trusted her, and she trusted me... — How good those words felt, so very good... the disassembly drone’s core felt warmth. Such a pleasant warmth...

— Thank you, Tessa, — V muttered quietly and sighed. — "Thank you for your trust, I won’t let you down," — she was already lost in thought, imagining all the ways she could protect the human from everything. She would soon go searching for supplies and a water filter, maybe find something else useful, that way she would protect her from hunger. She would watch over Tessa, and that way she would protect her from the dangers of the planet... she would protect Tessa from everything.

— Um, Tessa, — N began awkwardly. He needed to break this atmosphere. All his systems screamed it, and for that he could... — Do you mind if I draw you? — Yes, he should do what he does best! Draw! The girl had already praised his skills, so he could try to make it even better this time!

Uzi sighed and wanted to bluntly refuse him, but Tessa interrupted

— Of course, N! — her voice full of encouragement. Uzi was surprised: this girl was happy about everything N said. Had she ever heard Tessa refuse him? Well, the girl didn’t say “No” at all, only “Yes.” It was very cute, but whenever it came to N... she was even more cheerful... — Ahem... I’m in for it! — she said, already pointing finger guns, which made N gasp. All that was missing were cool sunglasses. — Just let me take off the helmet.

— Oh, yeah!

...

...

...

It turned out not bad, of course, for N, but for a technician... well, at least there was a head and hair, the minimum requirements were met. Black hair or just black lines, two green eyes, or rather two green dots. The face was round, and the torso... well, kind of egg-shaped. The legs were like spikes, and the feet looked like bricks... Yeah... Well, if you look at it that way, it turned out relatively okay:

— Well, this is a masterpiece, I’ll keep it, — said Tessa, holding the paper in her hands. She was lying on the mattress, with Uzi beside her. The reason was... that her favorite chair, the one she spun on, broke... because of someone. And the worker herself wanted to lie down rather than sit. Their backs didn’t hurt or anything, they just wanted to, that’s all. Lying on the floor wasn’t her thing, but on the mattress – perfect. — What do you think?

— Terrible, — muttered Uzi when Tessa giggled and moved a bit closer to her; well, they were lying on the mattress, so she just rolled toward her. — What are you doing?

— Just want to hug you, you’re my friend after all, — said the girl and wrapped her arms around Uzi. The purple one blushed. The blush appeared on her display, the human gasped and, — ...oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to! — said Tessa, pulling her hands away, but...

— Hug... — said Uzi and hid her face. No, she didn’t want hugs, not at all! She didn’t need that at all... She... just wanted to try! Yeah! That’s all! She totally didn’t want those arms around her chassis... She just wanted some support. The human spoke so kindly with Disassembly Drones, with killing machines... She wanted that too. Conversation, simple words, attention she hadn’t had for so long.

Her father obsessed with those damn doors, her mother gone, and friends... none at all. She was an outcast, trying to be tough and mean so others would be too scared to come near. That’s how she fought bullying... But words hurt, and Uzi was just a child... So...

— Thank you, — said Tessa and hugged her. The hold wasn’t strong, rather weak... But that didn’t matter. What mattered was the attention... maybe even love. Because humans hug those they love, don’t they? If only it were like that...

Uzi wouldn’t have to endure all the mockery alone; she could have support, someone who’d stand by her... Hah... such distant dreams, but she’s allowed to dream, isn’t she? She’s not bothering anyone...

— You two are so cute! — said N, looking at them. His tail wagged like a dog’s, and the glow in his eyes brightened several times over. Uzi said nothing, just slipped out of the human’s embrace, hiding her face. Tessa only laughed at that and raised the drawing toward the ceiling, holding the paper with both hands. Her left hand was bare, only the material of the suit, while her right one was bandaged. It was just a precaution, and it felt calmer that way – the pieces of fabric added a few pitiful percent to her peace of mind.

— Guys... — said Tessa, drawing everyone’s attention. Uzi lifted her head and looked at her. N stopped his tail with his hand because it was wagging too actively, and V... just tilted her head. — Do you know any places with medicine? Maybe some storage sites or, I don’t know, places with spare parts... just, if something like this happens again, then... — V lowered her head and clenched her hands. — I don’t think my suit can repair itself again! — Tessa said and lowered the paper to her chest, then sighed. — "It’s hard being in this role..."

— "Hm? No mention of blood or death? Why? Wasn’t that where everything was leading?" — V thought, staring at the floor, her eyes widening. — "Or did Tessa say it on purpose, not to ruin the mood? Maybe... heh... despite everything, she’s still like that... it’s nice, Tessa hasn’t changed."

— Well, I don’t know... — said N in a sad tone, yeah. All this time they hadn’t been interested in that sort of thing, so... yeah... they were useless here. But they could explore the city!

— But I know! — Proud tone, that’s Uzi. She was lying nearby, but her aura of superiority filled the whole room. The rebel hurriedly stood up and pointed at the hatch, — it could be in our bunker! There used to be humans there... well, they lived there, and I saw pills in the school infirmary a few times... there’s probably boxes of medical equipment in storage. — The end of the sentence sounded uncertain, but it was better than nothing. The bunker surely had a lot of things, not only medicine but other stuff too... probably, though...

— Um... — Then Tessa made a hesitant sound, which was surprising. Just one sound caught everyone’s attention. How scary! — It’s just... I’m human and... like... my kind used to treat you as slaves... and well... — those were good words, but the motive behind them wasn’t. — "I have to refuse... no... there’s that monster J from episode 2, if I go, she’ll kill me..."

...

...

...

Damn! What to do? She can’t accept that offer, considering that centipede J – one of Cyn’s programs – going to the bunker is a death sentence, and not a pleasant one. Knowing the Absolute Solver’s hatred toward humans... damn... maybe she could ask them to bring the medicine? Everything they find... but... how to say it?

How would Tessa behave here? She definitely wouldn’t refuse something like that, she’s a strong-willed girl, but... she’s scared... she can’t break character, but she can’t go there either! What a dilemma...

Chapter Text

Fucking hell... how did she end up here? She wanted to refuse, but now she’s walking with everyone toward the bunker. Maybe it’s because of Uzi’s words, who kept saying there were medical supplies there, or maybe because of V... who simply didn’t want Tessa to stay alone in the capsule. Or maybe because of N’s eyes, which somehow affected her.

However, there’s a problem... it’s Thad...

— Zi, weren’t you, like, planning to destroy all humans? — the guy in the cap asked, then handed the railgun to the rebel. The guy gave Tessa a strange look, making her nervously rub her wrist. — And now, looking at this... I think you made friends with one of them! — he suddenly cheered and pointed at Tessa with finger guns. — I’m Thad, just a dude from school, and you... human?

— Uh, I’m Tessa! Tessa James Elliot! — said Tessa, repeating his gesture. The green-eyed guy laughed. — Cool cap! — she said, making him laugh even harder.

— Yours isn’t bad either, though judging by the label, you’re... a company worker? — he asked, and the girl started sweating... Shit, she forgot to take off the cap... again... goddammit... — Uh...

Tessa coughed a bit and confidently pointed to herself. Now she had to make herself look like a good person, right? It’s hard, but she can handle it:

— A technician from JC Jenson IN SPAAAAACEE!!!! — she said enthusiastically, and then silence fell. Her plan was to provoke a certain question so the drones wouldn’t think the company wanted to destroy them. She had to create the right conditions for that question, since it wasn’t an easy one.

Thad stood quietly for a while, then spoke again. The voice of the cool guy echoed through the empty city:

— Then tell me, why did you send the disassembly drones to wipe us out? — and Tessa immediately hiccuped. Yes! That’s the question! She’s so smart! Holy shit! Awesome, now the main thing is not to screw it up and play the right role. Knowledge of canon pays off!

— What? What? — she asked “in surprise,” then looked at V, then at N. Thad raised an eyebrow. — We? Sent them... here?! — she asked back, and silence came again. Tessa shook her head and laughed. — Like... send drones to kill drones? What!!! Our company isn’t great, but it’s not that stupid! — she said indignantly, crossing her arms. V smirked and fell silent, as if thinking about something. — Whatever you think, the disassembly drones weren’t sent by us!

— Then who? — the guy asked, and Tessa sighed... Damn... Will the story change if she mentions Cyn? What will Uzi do then? Maybe drag her into that lab... Damn, she shouldn’t say anything yet, but she has to say something, but what?

Definitely not about Cyn. But V knows about it, while N and Uzi don’t. If she says it now, it’ll have an effect. But what kind? Positive or negative? She can’t risk that now. She can’t...

Those two might want to learn more, then they’ll take her there. Then... then... DAMN! Breathe, just breathe...

— Hhh... hhh... — The human was breathing heavily, which alarmed the drones. V didn’t wait for things to get worse and simply picked her up in her arms. For the disassembly drone, there was now another goal: get Tessa to the bunker. As fast as possible.

— What? — Tessa looked at her in shock.

— We’re going faster, — V grumbled and spread her wings. N did the same. Though now he had two passengers – Thad and Uzi. The first one was thrilled and shouted with excitement, while the small one turned into a ball of fury, since she was grabbed like a kitten – by the hood of her hoodie. — How are you? — V asked the human in her arms, whom she now carried like a bride. Tessa fidgeted nervously, and V narrowed her eyes at the wound: it wasn’t open, meaning the discomfort came from something else.

Everything’s intact. Maybe she should fly a little lower and slow down... yeah, that seems right. But... it’s not helping. V slowed down, and so did N. The guy flew up beside her and anxiously looked at Tessa in V’s arms:

— What’s wrong with her? — he asked worriedly, while Thad was checking the ground, held tightly in his grip. Uzi, meanwhile, just kept silent and crossed her arms. She clearly didn’t like flying like that.

— Guys, I’m fine, — said Tessa, giving a thumbs-up, then tightened her grip on V. She was holding onto the drone’s shoulders, afraid of falling, which V was... well, quite pleased with. Tessa, however, was in a bad state from fear. She was terrified of being there, because inside was... that J, the monster... — Let’s just finish this. The sooner, the better.

҉

Now they all stood before the gates, those massive doors hiding behind them... well, an adventure, and also the secret of J’s corpse. At least, that’s what N thought. But for a living human, this wasn’t exactly fun, because...

— Uh, will they even accept me? — she asked, hoping they’d leave her somewhere and deal with all the problems inside on their own, — Like, I’m human... and they don’t know the whole truth, I think they’re not gonna enjoy that much...

— Let them say it to my face, — V said with a toothy grin, switching her hand into claws and looking at the two workers: Uzi and Thad, who both broke out in a “cold” sweat. The first one, after a brief pause, just turned away, while the guy laughed nervously. — No one’s gonna be a problem for us, — she said and tapped her tail against the door. N started digging in his pockets, quickly searching for something.

The gates slowly opened, revealing the white eyes of a worker drone who squinted at Thad, then his smiling face appeared:

— Welcome back, Thad! — Apparently, the green-eyed guy had good relations with this one, since there was no sign of hostility – on the contrary, he seemed happy, like this kid was an old friend. But then his eyes moved to Uzi, — Wait... wasn’t she grounded? — he asked, pointing at the rebel, which instantly triggered her irritation, both by the words and the tone.

— Ugh, banished!!! Has my dad been saying I'm grounded? — she screamed in rage, looking at her hands. Grounded? What was her father even talking about? What the hell... ARGH! INFURIATING!

— Drones... no, genocide drones, — the guard said with a frown. Not that he hated them, but those drones had killed their kind, and according to his work protocol, he wasn’t supposed to let them into the bunker. Better to make sure they wouldn’t wipe out the entire population.

V just clicked her tongue and turned away. The only one who truly showed regret was N, whose entire posture screamed guilt: lowered head, trembling eyes, and fingers fidgeting. Then he slowly offered the guard a paper. Yeah, this was that scene... hmm...

The drone laughed and was about to let them in but then noticed another figure. A human, also ashamed. He blinked, as if not believing it. It was kind of strange – maybe even a comedic moment? After all, Tessa was taller than everyone else, and she looked... different, so they should’ve noticed her first... eh, maybe she could use that comedy to get inside without trouble?

That wouldn’t be bad, such thoughts circled in the human’s head while the guard drone was completely dumbfounded, jaw dropped.

— Ahem, a human. — he said as if it were some kind of quest, — what brought you here? — Damn, it was a quest! What, are they gonna give her a mission to clear some area or something? If so, that’s bad, but hopefully not the case. — Humans aren’t welcome here, not after what you’ve done! — he raised his voice, which made Thad absolutely lose it, grabbing his head from all the drama in the moment.

— Dude, that’s the first time you’ve raised your voice! — he said proudly, giving a thumbs-up, and immediately earned judgmental looks from the group, and from “the dude” a reply: “I tried, Thad!” — Kha... but seriously! I’ve never seen him raise his volume to 136%!

— WOW! — Tessa said brightly, also giving a thumbs-up toward the guard, surprising everyone. Too genius? Maybe dumb. Maybe... incomprehensible. Though there’s a good chance it was all of that together. Genius, stupidity, and absurdity – all good ingredients for one thing: madness. — I’m glad I was the reason for that!

Everyone’s jaws dropped: Uzi, V, Thad, N – and the guard too. After a second, things calmed down a bit, and realizing she had everyone’s attention, she decided to continue the show:

— However, I’d like to go inside... I can explain everything, I just need a chance. — Tessa clasped her hands together and bowed her head, — Just one chance! Please!

— Um... well... uhh

҉

Everything was kind of fine, but they made it through the gates. Not without problems, but the main thing – they made it! The rest didn’t matter. Tessa told the guard exactly the same thing she told Thad, but without extra details: “The Disassembly Drones weren’t sent by the company.” They didn’t need to know more. Those words convinced the guard, and they were let inside. Now they had to, as the plot went, reach that damned room, see the J-monster, and let the drones deal with the problem. The main thing – don’t get spotted by that monster. Because there’s the Absolute Solver, and it’s not exactly a fan of humans. It’ll kill without hesitation – and that’s not something she needs right now.

She needs to pretend to be sick, so they’ll leave her in a corner… And the others – she should point them straight to... but where? Damn it, she knows the bunker, but where to go? What the hell… Tsk… she needs to at least remember the layout of this cursed place… ARGH! NO, NO… DAMN!

They never showed it in the series. Everything happened here, but there were no models or maps of the outpost, not even a basic layout of this floor. Even if they had existed… she probably wouldn’t remember them all anyway… damn it… the complex is huge, there’s no way to memorize it.

— Tessa, — said Uzi, walking behind. She stopped the girl, grabbing her hand, and the whole group halted. — Are you okay? You’re breathing too fast…

— M? — Tessa mumbled and froze. All the drones were looking at her. Maybe this was her chance? Maybe she should say she wasn’t feeling well? Yes, this was a chance…

She had to say it...

...

...

...

— Don’t worry, Uzi. Let’s keep going, — she exhaled. But why did she say that? What made her do it? Damn… does she feel guilty toward them? Her heart ached, hurt… could she have gotten attached to them? No, no, that’s impossible. It can’t be. How ridiculous… these drones are nothing more than tools. Yes, that’s what they are. You shouldn’t get attached to them. Tessa, breathe. Just breathe. But now quieter. They must not hear it. They must not worry... Damn it... why does she keep thinking about them? They’re just pieces of metal and that’s it… yes, that’s all. Nothing more...

— N... does this happen often? — Uzi asked, pointing her flashlight toward a puddle of oil. V frowned. N froze, while Thad looked around. As for the human…

— No… no… — She grabbed the revolver and started pointing the barrel from one crate to another. — "Why didn’t I stop? Idiot…" — she thought, panicking as she aimed the gun toward the ceiling, where the J-monster was. She’d drawn attention again.

— What is it, Tessa? — V approached and looked at the barrel of the revolver, then at where it was pointing. The disassembly drone frowned. — Did you see something? — There was no answer. Strange… Tessa just trembled. Her grip on the revolver was weak, the weapon threatening to slip out of her hands with the first shot. — N, fire a rocket up there, — she said, switching to her submachine gun. If Tessa was afraid of something, it needed to be destroyed.

N hesitated but changed his arm to a rocket launcher and sent a missile into the ceiling. The explosion lit the surface with bright fire, revealing...

The body of a centipede covering the entire ceiling

It moved, thrashed, and that alone terrified them. The creature stood there – or was that its body? Unknown. V immediately sent a burst of bullets, but they only ricocheted off the monster’s armor.

— No... no... oh god… — Tessa fell to the ground and began crawling backward, her hands shaking, the gun long gone from them. She trembled in terror. Why did she come here? She knew that thing was crawling around here... STUPID... STUPID… DAMN IT… — God… no...

The drones stood in confusion, not knowing what to do. N, for whom Tessa had been a beacon of kindness and enthusiasm, froze. That bright, full-of-life girl was now desperately crawling backward, staring at the monster in horror. His heart sank. What could have caused such fear? Even he understood that Tessa had encountered this creature before, and it had left her soul scarred.

— WE’RE LEAVING, NOW! — Uzi shouted and rushed to the human. She leaned down and tapped on the helmet’s visor. — HEY! CAN YOU HEAR ME?! WE’RE LEAVING! — N grabbed Tessa by the arm, lifted her to her feet, and ran forward. V unleashed a rain of bullets toward the monster and ran after the others.

The creature didn’t tolerate such defiance. It aimed a swarm of human-like arms straight at them. V calmly fought back, covering her teammates. Her movements were fast and precise, but the path ahead quickly came to an end. They’d reached a dead end. More arms appeared, and it became harder and harder to fight them off.

V and N fought with all their strength against the monster’s onslaught while the others tried to shield Tessa. She sat pressed against the wall, hugging her knees. The air grew thick, as if something invisible was squeezing her lungs, not letting her breathe. Her chest was being crushed with such force that it felt like it would burst at any moment. Her heart pounded like a trapped animal, but the blood seemed to stop reaching her brain. Everything around her blurred, sounds became distant, and the world lost its shape, shrinking into a single pulsing point of terror. Her thoughts shattered like glass: nothing remained but pure, uncontrollable fear that paralyzed her completely.

Her hands trembled, disobeyed, her body frozen, refusing to follow her commands. In her head, one voice screamed: “Run! Save yourself!” But she couldn’t move. Panic, like a poisonous fog, wrapped around her, tightening deeper and deeper, through every cell, every nerve. She was trapped, helpless, paralyzed… and the monster was closing in.

Her eyes widened in horror, breath came out in ragged bursts, echoing hollowly in her own head. The pain was gone – only cold fear remained, an abyss she was falling into, seeing no bottom.

That fear bound her so tightly that there seemed to be no way out at all

V glanced back out of the corner of her eye and saw Tessa, who looked so… helpless… it felt wrong. She was facing a creature like that again. Again…

— N, get the laser, — she said, slicing through one of the monster’s arms. — We need to end this. — After those words, N nodded firmly. His arm shifted quickly, and V rushed into the attack. The drone changed his hands into blades and decided to fight in close combat.

Splashes of oil, severed limbs – V’s blades flashed like lightning, destroying every threat. It gave N enough time to aim. In an instant, the disassembly drone fired a rocket into the ceiling, illuminating the centipede’s body. The fire spread quickly and just as quickly died down, causing no damage.

— THERE, N! — she shouted; it all happened fast. Just a few seconds, yet the boy did everything perfectly. His arm held steady for complete precision and then the shot followed.

A yellow laser beam split the creature’s body. A painful howl filled the space. The creature began to twitch in agony, and its limbs fell heavily to the floor. V stood among the carnage, looking around triumphantly; a smirk crossed her face. Victory – even if not over her own fears – still felt… good to feel. Tessa should feel better now, definitely.

— Simply magnificent! — she said, slowly walking toward Tessa, who now only whimpered, pressed against the wall. Something in her helplessness hurt. Her voice carried a fear V had never heard before.

— Tessa, that problem’s gone, — V reached out her hand, trying to make her voice gentle. It felt strange to do that after so long… — Come on. — The human didn’t respond, just kept repeating some kind of mantra... V didn’t like it and decided to act a bit more firmly. The disassembly drone reached for her shoulder, trying to shake Tessa... but…

— NO! NO! PLEASE, NO! — She pushed her hand away in terror... her voice cracked, and she cried...

V froze for a second, feeling something break inside her chest. Those words… No, she wasn’t trying to hurt her. She wanted to help… But something in the cold emptiness within her body suddenly came alive, stabbing from the inside, as if she really was a monster. And that feeling consumed her. She didn’t know what to do... they don’t have hearts, but something in her chest hurt, so much that she wanted to rip it out – just to finally stop that tormenting pain.

The others quietly watched the scene with worry: to them, V had always been an unshakable fortress, and what lay inside was a mystery... now that those walls were breaking, what would become of her?

What would spill out of this figure – the psychopath and maniac?

N was breathing heavily; he was scared for his friends. Especially for Tessa, because she wasn’t like them. A human is weaker than drones. Tessa could die if she loses too much blood, could die from lack of food, could die from lack of oxygen… she’s fragile, like glass. She needs to be protected – he understood that and tried his best. But he couldn’t forget about V either. Since Tessa appeared, the disassembly drone had become more alive. She laughed, joked, and interacted with them more, and was especially kind to one person – and... it seemed that now this played a cruel joke.

N knew what it felt like to be rejected by someone you love. He’d gone through it already – how many times had he tried to connect with V, at least exchange a few words, only to get mockery or outright silence in return?

The irony was that now V was the one rejected – even if it wasn’t exactly that, the concept felt the same. At least, that’s how N saw it. N was a good drone, kind and earnest, always trying to help his friends however he could.

— V? — Now it was N shaking her shoulder, and when she turned her head, she saw her own reflection in his eyes. Tears. They ran down her face – though they were just pixels on a display, nothing, merely an illusion of emotion. But they reflected something real… could it be… — V! — His voice tore her out of the suffocating grip of that pain. Of course Tessa was afraid of her. After all the terrible things she’d done. Why did she ever think she deserved Tessa’s trust? — V! — N shouted again, worried, snapping her out of her daze. — Protect her!

All she could do was nod, standing up as her arms transformed into blades, ready for any threat.

She would protect Tessa… at any cost

— Guys, — Thad broke the silence. — I know this isn’t the time, but that centipede… A-A-A-A-A-A!!! — his screams echoed down the corridor as he was dragged across the floor. — HELP!!!

N looked back, torn between two thoughts – to run to Thad or stay with V and Tessa. V felt him leaving, and only a faint “I’ll protect her” slipped from her chest as he ran after Uzi.

V just stood there, thinking about something... her mouth repeated the words “I’ll protect her” as if it were a prayer, while her mind was occupied with something else:

— "I need to repent for my sins, wash my hands clean, I must correct all my mistakes and not allow new ones, and earn forgiveness."

Silence filled the space, but it wasn’t ordinary silence. It was the silence before a storm.

— <Giggle> I recognize that pistol, Tessa… — a voice sliced through the air like a knife. That voice... no... no...

V sharply looked up. Dozens of holo-projectors stared back at her, slowly turning, like the eyes of a monster lazily examining its prey.

— No... no... — Tessa looked up too. The cameras stared at her as if she were already caught in a trap, with no way out. — Not you… please not you! No… no! — she pressed herself against the wall, eyes wide in terror, her heart pounding like mad.

— <Disappointment> I thought you’d be happy to see me, Tessa, — the devices spoke in eerie synchronization, each of them pausing for a moment as if savoring her fear.

— No... no... — Tessa desperately tried to move back, but behind her there was only the cold wall. A dead end with no escape. Her body trembled, fingers clenched into fists, her heartbeat thundered in her ears.

— I even built a tracker into the disassembly drones to find you... — Cyn’s voice echoed through the corridor, growing closer with every word, filling the space. The holo-projectors tilted, as if fascinated by something. — and finally, I found you, Tessa! We’ll finally bring our family back together! — The cameras lowered and began to glow. Within seconds, a hologram appeared – a drone wearing a maid’s outfit: a black ribbon on her head, hair neatly tucked under it, yellow eyes, and a soft smile. — <Giggle> I’ve waited so long for this!

...

...

...

There was no response, which made her frown as she took a step closer:

— I know you’re... <Shy nod> not too happy to see me, but I’d like to talk about everything. — And at that moment, a shot was fired at her. It was V, breathing heavily. Her hand had shifted into a submachine gun, smoke rising from the barrel. The disassembly drone was trembling uncontrollably. — V, don’t interrupt our conversation. — Cyn sighed and snapped her fingers; V instantly powered down and collapsed to the floor. What was on her display was unclear, but... — <Deep thought> I don’t like using my administrator privileges this way. — And Cyn took a step forward.

— Why... are you here? — Tessa barely forced the words out, looking at Cyn’s hologram; her mind wasn’t thinking at all... there was only fear...

— <Giggle> I came here for you, Tessa! — Cyn said, standing right in front of her. She reached out and touched the cap on her head. — You’re still wearing the Jason brand... well, well! — A short laugh escaped her before she tried to pat Tessa’s head — but failed. — <Disappointment> I forgot I’m just a hologram... anyway, <Joy> Tessa! I’m already on my way to this planet, and I can tell you I’ll be there... in just a few days! — The joy was all hers; the human, however, fell completely silent.

҉

Uzi felt like something about all this was off. They had defeated that monster way too easily – its core had crawled off somewhere, and they were searching for it... to finish it off for good. But it seemed to have just vanished into thin air.

— N... something’s not right here, — she shared her suspicion, tossing one of the boxes into the air. The rebel hoped to find that chunk of meat-on-legs inside, but no luck. — let’s go back to V and Tessa, — she said, grabbing her gun. Damn railgun!

— Uh... okay? — the boy quickly agreed, and they started walking back. The two drones moved very carefully, because... there was no light. It flickered here and there, and in some places disappeared completely. — This is creepy as hell... kind of! — he said, switching his arm into a chainsaw. It cut well, but the reach was too short.

— I feel like something’s about to jump at us, — Uzi said, readying her weapon. The rebel’s eyes tracked every slightest noise, finger on the trigger – ready to shoot. — Um... or maybe not.

Their path stayed quiet – surprisingly calm, without any horror elements, which was... quite odd, given the whole eerie atmosphere. Maybe she’d just watched too many horror movies?

— Uh, Uzi... where’s Tessa?

Wait... wait! Where are V AND TESSA?!

Chapter Text

Where is she? What is this? It’s so dark here… where’s V? What happened to her?

Tessa tried to understand at least something, but in the darkness that swallowed her, a sticky horror grew. Something was squeezing her body – so tight it hurt. What is this? How did it happen? She was with V, looking at those… holographic projectors and… everything went dark…

— <Giggles> Tessa, you’ve grown up, — said a voice. It came from behind, cold as death. Cyn… she was here, right next to her. Her tendrils slid over Tessa’s body, wrapping around her like snakes. The claws tapped menacingly on the glass of her helmet, as if playing with the prey, testing its fragility. Cyn studied every part of her body slowly, savoring it, as if trying to seep through every cell, to examine her down to the smallest detail, to relish the foreign flesh. Legs, torso, neck… — Too bad I can’t see your face, — for a moment her voice dimmed, a distorted sigh echoed from everywhere, from dozens of cameras fixated on Tessa. Some of the “eyes” blinked, others turned with curiosity, but one camera hovered right in front of her helmet, as if frowning, watching her with intrusive interest. — The helmet’s glass is too dark, Tessa, — Cyn muttered, and one of the cold appendages struck the helmet sharply, making it tremble – though not hard enough to shatter it to pieces. — <Disappointment> I so want to see your face… to see you afraid, — her voice froze, as if savoring every word, stretching it with dark tenderness. It was… something else… unnatural… fragile and unclear… what was wrong with Cyn?

— Kha… kh… — Tessa coughed, trembling hands trying to loosen the iron grip that squeezed her throat. Her legs hung helplessly in the air, and she knew: if Cyn tightened just a little more – her neck… would snap, or her head would roll helplessly across the cold floor. Either way was horrifying… she didn’t want that… didn’t want to die… no.

Her coughing echoed through the dark space until it caught Cyn’s attention. The camera in front of her face tilted, as if asking a muffled question, and released a long, hissing sound that sent an icy wave of fear through her body – and the grip on her neck loosened slightly.

— <Regret> Sorry about that… I don’t like it when you’re silent. Given the distance between my main host and this body, control can be tricky… but once I come here, little things like this will no longer separate us! — Her voice faded with each word, like a whisper in the night, but that only made it worse, as if her dark dream was about to become reality.

She had to get away… before this monster reached her completely

— Um… Uzi, where’s Tessa? — a voice came from below. Tessa tried to see the source, but Cyn’s grip instantly tightened again, as if ready to snap her in half for the smallest attempt to resist. Her body froze – she no longer dared to move.

— <Giggles> There’s brother N! — One of the tendrils curved, pointing at him, and only then Cyn unceremoniously shifted Tessa so that she could see what was happening. — I’ve improved him! He’s so tall now! What do you think, Tessa? I worked so hard for you… I wanted you to see what I can do…

— … — Tessa watched as two drones desperately searched for her, unaware of how close the danger was. N looked around nervously, his gaze full of fear, while Uzi checked every corner, never slowing her pace. Tessa opened her mouth to scream… to say she was here, trapped in this monster’s cold grip, but… — … — no sound came out. She remained mute before the nightmare.

She was paralyzed by unbearable fear

Tessa knew Cyn… an obsessed machine, a lunatic worse than V. In the story, she wore the skin of the real Tessa, trying to mimic her voice, her gestures… but it was just a soulless imitation, a cold mask without life. For now, it was only an illusion, but it could become real if Cyn was allowed to go too far. Testing those boundaries was out of the question – everything was too frightening, too dangerous.

What if she said something wrong? One misplaced word would be enough for Cyn to destroy her – without hesitation. Or worse… start methodically peeling off her skin, layer by layer, wearing it like a mask and filling her emptiness with someone else’s flesh.

Cyn’s hologram vanished, and darkness once again filled the space. Yellow eyes watched her, like burning lights… the kind that scorched her soul. There were too many of them, and each one stared intently, creeping into the halls of her mind…

— Come on, Tessa, don’t stay silent <Poke> — Something suddenly shoved her in the side, sending a sharp pain through her ribs. Tessa let out a painful moan, but her cry seemed to vanish into the void. Below, Uzi was still nervously scanning every corner, and N darted around in panic, not hearing her. It was as if her whole world had been locked inside this dark trap where no one could hear her. — No need to worry, — Cyn said coldly, with a hint of mockery. — They won’t hear us.

Those words were the last straw. Tessa began to tremble, her fingers clenching so hard they turned white. Like a trapped animal, her thoughts raced – her friends didn’t even know she was here, didn’t know she needed saving. She could scream, struggle… and it would change nothing. What could she do… she was caught in a trap, and any attempt to escape would only make it worse…

— <Poke> — Another painful jab made her body twitch. Terror pierced every cell of her being. — I want to hear your voice, Tessa, come on! — Cyn slowly approached her, cameras clinging to every movement, feeding on her fear, as if drinking it in. It felt… pleasant… a kind of euphoria came from Tessa’s fear…

— … — Tessa could feel that Cyn wanted it – truly, painfully, insanely but… what was she supposed to say? Anger or defiance would only enrage this creature. But if she showed too much fear – what then? She couldn’t even pretend to feel joy… even if she tried… And even if she could – how would Cyn react? Considering her deranged state, things might get worse… or better… but Tessa wasn’t willing to find out.

The claws around her neck loosened slightly, as if waiting. The pressure on her body vanished, giving her a moment to breathe, a few seconds to fill her lungs before she looked at the camera… It was frowning… She couldn’t make her wait. Thoughts rushed through her head, but each one shattered against the wall of fear, and time kept ticking – along with Cyn’s dwindling patience. One of the appendages moved closer to her side again… another painful strike… why was Cyn doing this? Why? For what?

— Cyn… why?..

The words slipped out on their own. She hadn’t realized she’d spoken. Fear wrapped around her mind, clouding her thoughts, dragging her deeper into that swamp called horror. Cyn’s cameras, with their grim yellow glow, stared at her like predators… like beasts watching their prey.

— Hm? <Confusion> What do you mean, Tessa? — Cyn tilted her cameras to the side, cruelly ignoring her suffering. And a moment later, her voice filled with sickly sweetness again. — Ah! You want to know why I’m here? Didn’t I already answer that?

Tessa nodded weakly

She felt a chill running down her spine. Her body was paralyzed by fear. The girl didn’t know what to do, what to say… what to even attempt…

In response, Cyn began folding her cameras until they surrounded her from all sides. The centipede-like body tightened around her, and in the air appeared a projection – an image of Cyn herself. Her yellow eyes drilled into Tessa, glowing with something horrifying, unpredictable. Cyn leaned closer, her gaze so hungry it seemed to devour Tessa alive.

— I want… to touch you, Tessa, — her voice was filled with cold passion. — To hold you, to feel you trembling beneath me, — Cyn whispered with a smile that held nothing but pain and unnatural attachment. Her hand in the illusion reached toward Tessa’s head, but as it passed through, it vanished, earning a disappointed giggle from Cyn. — But… <Giggles> I can’t yet, and that, you see, upsets me. After all, I’m here only for you, — her voice dropped to a near whisper, but those words froze everything inside. It was wrong… — I’m here…

The projection vanished, and the cold centipede body moved closer, yellow camera-eyes piercing straight into her soul:

Because of my… pet

Those words – cold-blooded and dripping with contempt – pierced to the bone. In those holographic projectors, in those soulless yellow eyes, there was something dark, unbearable, terrifying… a painful obsession that crossed every boundary of being.

The hologram appeared again but now it had changed, become something different… as if two entities had merged into one. The black ribbon that framed her hair had rotted, her yellow eyes blazed with rage, and a crooked grin twisted her face. This wasn’t Cyn anymore…

— <Grabbed> — The grip on her neck became monstrously strong. Cyn looked at her with a vile, twisted smile, dark and horrific, like the embodiment of all fears. Her face distorted, filled with a sinister grimace, while Tessa struggled for breath in the deadly grasp. In her eyes flickered cruel delight – every one of Tessa’s gasps seemed to bring her pleasure. — <Giggles> Tessa… do you know what masters do to disobedient pets? — her voice was painfully gentle, as if she were about to say something kind, which only made it more terrifying. Around her, cold claws flashed like lightning, and one of them glided smoothly toward Tessa’s hand, locking her fingers in a steel grip. At first, it felt almost gentle, but strong enough to crush her bones if it wished.

— Cyn… what… no… — tears streamed from Tessa’s eyes; she was terrified beyond measure. But Cyn only waved her hand menacingly in front of the helmet, as if commanding her to be silent.

— Pets don’t talk back to their masters, — Cyn’s icy tone cut through the air, and the tendrils of her body tightened around Tessa’s form like clamps. She desperately tried to pry them off, but what could she do against the strength of a machine? Nothing... only tremble helplessly and wait. — And you... <Giggles> ran away from me… from your family…

Cyn’s hoarse, sinister laughter echoed through the darkness. The hologram flickered, and one of the cold, black tendrils slowly reached for Tessa’s face, brushing against her helmet. A finger pointed at her – slow, dreadful, accusatory.

— Do you know how upset I was? — her voice broke into a painful whisper, as if trying to crawl into Tessa’s mind. — Do you know how J searched for you? How she couldn’t understand why you left? <Disappointment> — her face drew closer, the cold yellow eyes digging into Tessa like claws tearing at her soul. — Do you know how V raged? How she lashed out at the others because of your betrayal? <Giggles> — her voice was almost tender, but behind that false softness lurked something monstrous, as if a demon was hatching the worst of intentions.

Tessa squeezed her eyes shut, trembling in mortal terror, feeling hot tears trace down her face. But Cyn was already right beside her, her gaze sliding over every inch of Tessa, leaving her nowhere to hide.

— And N? Do you know how he cried? — Cyn whispered the words, her tone dripping with madness, a sick, dark obsession. Every sound, every word, corroded Tessa’s will. It was torture – not physical, but psychological, breaking her from within.

And in that moment, as Tessa barely managed to breathe, Cyn’s grip suddenly loosened. The cold metal claws unclenched for a second, releasing her body. She collapsed onto the centipede’s surface, gasping for air, clutching at her throat. But it was only a temporary reprieve.

Cyn seized her helmet, roughly lifting her face toward her own, forcing eye contact with that deranged hunger.

— However... you’re here now. And I’ll take you away from this place, — Cyn whispered. There was no threat in her tone — only calm, horrifying certainty. — <Giggles> Just wait... and yes... disobedient pets... get punished.

Tessa tried to look away, but Cyn’s iron grip gave her no chance. The yellow eyes of the machine, full of grim hunger, burned through her to the core. Cyn didn’t hurry — she savored the moment. Her cold fingers clamped down on the helmet, cutting off every glimpse of freedom... there was only darkness... her prison... and her tormentor was Cyn.

— Do you know what I like most about you, Tessa? — Cyn hissed, her voice like rotten breath – sticky and nauseating. — Your struggle. <Poke> You always resisted, even when it was so… pointless... remember that day in the mansion? When you burst into the room with that revolver and J on your tail? Tried to fight me off... that’s what I like about you <Giggles>

A claw scraped across the helmet’s glass, leaving deep scratches, each one forming strange, unreadable symbols. Tessa tried to block out the sound, squeezing her eyes shut to escape the screech. Her hands reached out in a futile attempt to stop it...

— <Anger> — Cyn leaned in even closer, her eyes almost touching the visor, yet there was no reflection... she was only a hologram. — No, not yet. You’ll stay here until the end… until the end.

With those words, Cyn loosened her grip, giving Tessa a fleeting illusion of freedom. The girl started breathing again – her lungs were on fire, her chest heaving, eyes darting around desperately. But there was nothing – only endless dark nothingness. Below… there was darkness too, an abyss…

Cyn noticed it

— No, no, — Cyn whispered mockingly, and the centipede’s body slid after her, slowly, savoring each pulse of terror flowing through Tessa. — Don’t try to run. You’re mine. — Cyn came closer again, her eyes like icy needles piercing her from within. — You’re mine. And only mine, — her voice grew slow and dangerously tender. — I’ll remember every fear of yours… every tear. I’ll make sure you never forget who you belong to... never forget who your master is.

She suddenly ensnared Tessa in her tendrils, not just holding her now – squeezing until her body ached from tension. One claw grabbed her right arm, causing sharp, dragging pain, another wrapped around her leg, leaving her no chance to move. They began to grind, like saws... her skin tearing slowly, tendons snapping… blood started to drip... it hurt…

Cyn leaned to her ear, her voice like poison, seeping into the core of her mind, filling everything around them:

— I’ll be watching you, every breath you take… you’re no longer human, Tessa, — her whisper was darker than the void surrounding them. — You’re a part of me, a mindless shadow… and I’ll make sure you remember that... you’ll pay for your little stunt.

Cyn abruptly lifted her, hoisting her body into the air. Tessa dangled helplessly, every muscle screaming in pain. Tears streamed down her face, and Cyn only watched, cold and triumphant, while the claws moved and blood dripped...

— You’re my pet.

There was an explosion

Somewhere to the side, not too close and not too far, Tessa’s body slammed into the ground with a sharp whistle as she was thrown back. The claws spread apart, and the monster began scanning the area, searching for the source of the impact. It turned out that N had fired a rocket launcher at the ceiling, distracting Cyn from her victim. How did he know where they were? That remained a mystery. But judging by how the projections flickered on and off, it became clear – Cyn had gotten too caught up in her game, forgetting to maintain control over the holograms. She didn’t even see where Tessa had fallen.

Cyn decided to act differently

Because of the distance, control over the main body was weakening; the signal, though strong, could only maintain one link. How irritating... it ruined her game. She needed to get there faster... to this planet. Copper-9, right? Amazing that her precious Tessa ended up on this worthless planet, where there was no life… or rather… it had vanished.

Leaving the monster in place, Cyn switched to a more mobile vessel... heh, this was going to be fun.

Tessa struggled to move. She placed her palms on the ground and tried to push herself up, but as soon as she did, she collapsed again. A crack appeared on her helmet, though luckily, the seal seemed intact – at least she hoped so.

Her body was burning with pain. It felt like her knees were shattered – searing agony sliced through her consciousness, blood streamed down her legs, and with every breath, it became harder to breathe. The wounds… blood seeped from them, staining the floor with crimson filth, and each drop brought her closer to death.

— Tessa! — someone shouted, catching her in their arms. It seemed to be N… yes, it was definitely him. He adjusted his grip and hurried to run, a violet blur flashing beside him – Uzi, railgun in hand, her eyes narrowed in focus. — What happened?! Where’s V? — he asked anxiously, but Tessa couldn’t respond. The technician opened her mouth, only to close it again... no coherent words came out.

Her consciousness began to blur, thoughts fusing into a chaotic stream, and her vision swam. Through the approaching darkness, Tessa heard one single sound…

A sudden, rushing sound

Then she was ripped from N’s warm grasp… she rolled across the floor like a rag doll. A trail of blood followed behind her. Her head rang with noise, and her consciousness almost faded, but Tessa managed to open her eyes – weakly, but she did. She touched her helmet... the crack had widened... damn it…

— V?! — N rasped as he got up from the floor, while Uzi aimed her gun at the dismantler. The rebel glanced between the monster behind them and the psychopath in front. — What? Why?

Instead of answering, a hail of bullets came at the boy. N shielded himself using his wings, but a heavy strike followed, throwing him several meters away. His processors ran at full power, trying to analyze everything. He quickly got back on his feet and moved his head.

V was staring at him… with crosses for eyes, her arms replaced with blades, and she was walking toward him slowly… drawing it out. Her tail swayed behind her, and the lights around began to glitch.

— Argh! Damn you! — Uzi shouted, heating her weapon, the barrel filling with a bright green glow. She was preparing to fire. The weapon’s cells rose in temperature for one powerful shot. — Bite me!

But there was no shot

The gun was knocked from her hands, and the rebel was lifted into the air, her head crushed in a tightening grip. Uzi struggled, trying to hit the hunk of metal hard enough to make it drop her, but her fist was caught – and then pulled. There was a sickening tearing sound, slow but relentless… metal stretched, her head bent… dents formed, the display cracked. And with it came a horrifying scream that filled the entire room. Uzi screamed in terror, trying to fight the monster, but it was useless.

— Uzi! — shouted N, just before a blade tip pierced his chest. It drove deeper into his body until the disassembly drone fell to the ground, gripping the sword to stop it from going further. The attacker was V, her face twisted into maniacal laughter, eyes marked with crosses. — V, stop! What’s wrong with you?! — N cried, but the dismantler raised her right arm. It transformed into an SMG and pressed its barrel against his forehead. — V!!!

Tessa barely got up from the floor… her eyes scanned the entire scene. Uzi was being held in those claws, N was nearly impaled through… what should she do? Run?

Yes… yes… run… but… then what? What would happen next? V was clearly under control… she couldn’t fight her, and against that monster… impossible. She didn’t have the strength, not even if she were in perfect condition… impossible.

— What to do… what to do, — she muttered under her breath, her voice trembling, her helmet fogging up from tears that burned her face like acid, and all those wounds… — Damn it… — She didn’t dare look down, didn’t want to see the mangled limbs. Instead, her eyes caught a glint of something metallic…

A revolver

Slowly, as if in a dream, Tessa bent down and picked up the weapon with her left hand — the only one still working. She aimed it at the body of the many-legged monster, gathering the last of her strength. The trigger gave way under her finger, and a deafening gunshot tore through the silence.

Everything went quiet

— <Annoyance> — one of the cameras muttered… and from above descended J’s head, the lower half of her face missing, leaving behind chaotic, sharp, disordered fangs. Her braids dangled with every motion, her display shattered and shedding glass fragments. — What was that? — That mangled head turned toward her, — Tessa... there you are...

The creature violently hurled Uzi aside like discarded trash, and V, smirking crookedly, fired a burst straight into N’s head. Pain echoed through the air as streams of oil sprayed from his skull, staining the floor with dark patches. His display went dark, and the hands gripping the sword crashed to the ground.

— There you are, Tessa! <Approaching> — V spread her wings and lunged forward, slamming into her, knocking her to the floor, and pinning her down. The pistol flew from Tessa’s hand, skidding several meters away. A sharp cracking sound followed – like dry branches snapping… something inside her was definitely broken. If her bones weren’t shattered, it would be a miracle… but she didn’t believe in miracles. Everything hurt too much, as if electricity had coursed through her entire body. — I should’ve taken this body sooner, — hissed the voice, somewhere between mechanical and human. The dismantler put away her weapon, reverting her arms to normal, and slowly ran her fingers across the helmet’s glass, observing the trembling, pain-stricken figure beneath her. Hissing and choked gasps escaped Tessa’s throat, each breath a torment. V didn’t hurry to do anything, simply looming over her, listening to those breaths… her pain.

The yellow eyes burned into Tessa, sliding across her body, savoring her helplessness, until they stopped on the deep wound on her arm. Suddenly, Cyn’s face lost its grin, replaced by a strange shadow of frown.

— <Confusion> I don’t remember leaving wounds like these, — V murmured; her voice faltered… or was it Cyn? She grabbed Tessa’s left arm and began examining it, coldly studying the dark clots of blood, the torn flesh, the shredded synthetic layers of her suit. It all looked horrific. — Hm… did I lose control? — she muttered softly in surprise, then shook her head slightly. Her gaze softened for a moment. — <Regret> Tessa, I’m sorry… it seems I wasn’t fully in control of the process.

With those words, Cyn began gently holding her hand, almost cradling it, as if it were a precious trophy. Then she sharply turned her head toward the monster standing off to the side, as if it had been waiting for orders.

— Controlling an unfinished body is harder; you have to monitor hundreds of limbs… irritating… and the program itself, the mind… — she made a careless flick of her hand, as if brushing away dust, — is designed to kill humans, and if you leave it unattended, it simply starts executing its purpose.

— But you... you yourself... tortured me, — Tessa groaned, with anger and despair, barely freeing her hands from V’s iron grip, unexpectedly startling her. For a moment she froze, slowly turning her gaze toward Tessa, and her expression changed, as if she had... found something.

— <Giggles> Tessa, what are you~ — Cyn whispered, still looming over her. A crooked grin slid across her face, her eyes narrowing, and she once again grabbed both of Tessa’s hands, pressing them to the floor with one palm, as if to show her strength and control. — You know what? — her fingers slid across the glass of the helmet, pressing harder, and a thin crack ran through it. — I thought you had dropped your guard... how awkward, my little deception failed, — Her mouth opened, revealing sharp, chaotically arranged fangs, and in the next instant they sank into Tessa’s neck.

Tessa gasped, her hands trying to break free from the grip while her legs twitched helplessly. She shook her head, slamming her helmet against V’s display so hard that the glass cracked... almost shattered, but the disassembly drone didn’t care. She only tightened her bite, making Tessa let out a cry of pain and another pitiful whimper.

V slowly lifted her head, and a drop of thick crimson blood slipped from her lips, falling back onto Tessa’s neck, forming a thin, viscous line — like a chain linking them together. Her chest rose and fell heavily, her face twisted in euphoria, as if every sip was unbearably sweet and long-awaited.

— Perfect-o-o-o~... Ah!! This is... — She froze, her eyes widening, and after a trembling exhale, V leaned back toward Tessa’s neck again. Her mouth opened slightly, and sharp fangs sank even deeper. It was disgusting. The wet, squelching sound, the sticky sucking mixed with V’s ragged breathing and Tessa’s desperate attempts to inhale – all of it came out as hissing and bubbling at the wound where the disassembler had just drunk from.

Thick blood flowed into her mouth, drops running down her chin and dripping onto Tessa’s suit, soaking the material in red. But V didn’t stop. She drank greedily, deeply, insatiably, as if drawing strength from the very essence of her victim’s life. Each drop seemed to fuel her madness – her hands trembled, squeezing Tessa’s shoulders, pressing her closer, denying any chance of escape.

In V’s eyes flared the light of manic obsession. She released Tessa for a split second to catch her breath, and a bead of blood lingered on her lips – she slowly licked it away, unwilling to waste even a single drop. Her face twisted into a dreadful mixture of ecstasy and delirious joy, as though the very sight of Tessa’s pain had become unbearable pleasure.

— Your blood... it’s... exquisite, — she said, her voice trembling in an almost blissful whisper. She sank her fangs into Tessa’s neck again, devouring her blood with fury — no longer tasting it, but draining it to the last drop, as though she refused to let even a fragment of her life slip away...

Tessa could feel her strength leaving with every swallow – her own vitality flowing into that insatiable creature. The pain was unbearable, but even it was fading – replaced by a heavy, dragging sense of emptiness, as if her life was slipping away with every pulse that V greedily consumed.

— You’re... mine... — V whispered, her voice dripping with hunger. She ran her tongue along Tessa’s neck, hungrily collecting the remaining traces of blood, as though she couldn’t allow even a taste of that energy to go to waste. She froze, enthralled by the moment, her gaze filled with a painful, terrifying delight that seemed to split her apart from within. — Hah... Tessa... <Giggles> You make me... insane, — V rasped, her voice filled with strange tenderness, but the only response was a hoarse, unnatural sound – a helpless gurgle. Tessa’s attempts to breathe turned into spasmodic gasps, and blood still oozed from her neck, glistening faintly in the dim light. V paused for a moment, hesitating between the urge to drink the last drops and the need to stop.

The body lay still, twitching occasionally, like a broken doll – which she truly was to someone. Her leg was mangled so badly that the flesh barely held it together, like rotting threads leaking thick, dark blood that stained the ground. Her arm hung twisted, bones exposed – shattered fragments that somehow still clung together, like shards of a broken statue. Her throat was torn open, veins and bits of tissue visible, drowning in blood. The sight was unbearable – truly revolting once you realized the person was still alive, still clinging to life, trying to draw in a breath before choking on her own blood, bubbling with each wheezing cough. The faint gasps sounded like the pitiful squeak of a dying animal...

— <Regret> I’m sorry for this, — she said softly, and her fingers slowly opened. On her palms, covered in crimson traces, bright yellow lines appeared, with a hexagon at their center. With each motion of her fingers, as if by command, Tessa’s body began to change – no, to reassemble itself.

The wounds started closing, but painfully slowly, as if V was stretching out her suffering deliberately, turning it into some dark ritual. Torn flesh pulled together, cracked edges merging again; the suit restored layer by layer. The cracks on the visor faded, piece by piece.

V watched the process with a tormented, fascinated smile. She could feel life flowing from her fingertips back into Tessa’s body – but this life was tainted with her own will, her insatiable desire to possess, to hold every heartbeat in her grasp. — You see, Tessa, — she whispered, with a faint note of sorrow, — I can both kill and bring back to life… and no one but me can do that.

Her fingers, cold and sticky with dried blood, slid slowly over Tessa’s mended wounds, leaving traces like ancient sigils – a mark, a reminder that every breath, every beat of her heart now belonged to her. To Cyn – her eternal tormentor, her shadow, the one who would never let her escape the chill or the pain.

— Only I can be your executioner, your tormentor, your angel, and your death, — Cyn whispered, drawing her closer. Her embrace was icy and inevitable, and within that cold was something inhuman, twisted — utterly, absolutely wrong. She crushed Tessa against her until her bones cracked, as if trying to reshape her fragile body into something new, something obedient. — And only I… can be your master.

— Hngh… — hissed Tessa, a sound of pain slowly rising into a scream. Her body was exhausted, torn apart, still pulsing with agony; every healed wound still bore its invisible scars, like chains. Her head throbbed, as though thousands of hands clutched her brain, digging claws into her thoughts, her consciousness. There was nowhere to run. No «after,» no salvation – only this monster, this mad, all-consuming void like the darkness itself.

And Tessa saw it in her eyes – that painful thirst to possess, down to the last shard, the last drop of blood. Cyn didn’t just want to own – she craved something deeper, something that devoured her very soul. Obsession, dark and bottomless as a starless night, pulled her inward until nothing remained but an empty shell. Cyn wanted not only to destroy her physically but to drain her mind, her will – to turn her into a mute shadow stripped even of the memory of freedom.

Her hand trembled but couldn’t rise – weakness flooded her body, paralyzing her with fear that seeped into every cell like venom.

There was a rustle

V looked back… it was N. He stood up and looked around, but how unfortunate – he woke up at the wrong moment. A faint smirk flickered across the dismantler’s lips as the monster threw one last glance at Tessa before crawling toward him. N was still too dazed, barely regaining consciousness after unspeakable horror. A burst of bullets piercing his head was not the most pleasant sensation – neither in life nor after death.

— N... — the faint echo of Tessa’s voice. She wanted to warn him of the danger, to tell him to run, but at that moment there was a tap on the glass. A solid sound, just once. She lifted her head and saw V grinning, almost savoring their suffering, shaking her head slowly from side to side.

— Quiet, Tessa, — hissed V, or Cyn, and the human froze in terror, powerless to do anything. She still remembered how those fangs had sunk into her neck, how they tore the flesh apart, how they drank her blood, relishing every moment.

It was horrible... she didn’t want this torment... again... no... she didn’t want it. Impossible... no...

҉

Uzi watched it all in horror... She saw how V dropped the human to the floor, how she opened her jaws and began tearing off flesh. The nauseating sounds of chewing, glee, and Tessa’s desperate scream merged into one dreadful chorus, making Uzi’s core hammer inside her chest. Tessa’s legs trembled, twitching in agony, and her barely attached left hand tried to resist, smearing her own blood across V’s white metal. It looked like something from a nightmare, but this was reality.

Now Uzi understood why Tessa flinched at the sight of drones, why her hands trembled, why her voice faltered sometimes. All those fears, crushing and merciless, now crashed down on her with unbearable force.

— Freak... — hissed Uzi, giving a light hit to her optics. It helped, making the interference vanish, but the cracks remained. They couldn’t be fixed, only replaced — but there was no time for that. — Damn it...

The two monsters were almost aligned, but V... to hit her precisely, she needed to be moved a little. Slightly to the right – but how? How could she do that? She couldn’t speak out loud, and trusting luck... hah... better die than rely on that.

— "If only she could help me," — Uzi thought, looking at Tessa, lying beneath V’s frame, now her personal toy for embrace. — "But... she can’t even see me, let alone hear... that psycho will hear first," — a bitter but honest thought. All that was left was to hope for the best.

Uzi took a deep breath, gathering all her strength. Every second teetered between horror and resolve, and she had to act. She clenched her fists, forcing the panic down, and began to move closer, trying not to draw attention. The sounds around her blended into a dull noise, but Uzi focused – she could feel her core beating in sync with her breath, slowly aligning to the rhythm of the fight.

Uzi gripped her weapon tighter, preparing for the decisive moment

...

...

...

With every passing second, hope drifted farther and farther away, into an unreachable field

The monster was closing in on N, and he noticed it. Raising his rocket launcher, he fired and immediately jumped back, dodging the creature’s powerful limb strikes. One step back, then a leap and a roll... but the claws kept multiplying. Dodging became harder, and counterattacks were impossible. Slowly but surely, he was being driven into a dead end.

Uzi grew more anxious. Her fingers twitched, wanting to pull the trigger and let her railgun vaporize that monster, but... she couldn’t. She had to wait for the moment...

— Ah... Tessa, look! <Turned> — said V, turning the girl’s head toward the battle. — Brother N doesn’t miss!

And as proof, the boy launched himself off the ground and aimed straight for the creature’s cameras. Severed limbs already lay scattered across the floor, and several large burns marked the monster’s body. His arms had transformed into chainsaws, slicing through the centipede’s form. He dodged the twisting tendrils with agility, countering and severing them one by one.

Uzi just pressed her lips together... damn... can’t shoot... V’s not in the line of fire. Maybe she should change her position again, so the beam could hit both the psycho and that thing? Looks like there’s no other choice – but where should she stand?

Wait, hold on... why is Tessa trying to move? What is she doing? Hm... can’t hear... damn it! Idiot... tsk. Better move.

҉

— Still, brother N may be strong, <Regret> but he’ll lose, — giggled V... no, Cyn... rising from her. Grinning, the dismantler grabbed the human by the arm. — Let’s go for now, you have to wait for me...

— No... no... god... — Tessa trembled, trying to pull her hand out of that trap. — "Why did I come here... why... weren’t they supposed to win in the story? Why?!" — And then she noticed the green glow – there could be only one with that... Uzi!!! Was she about to fire?

Chapter Text

Why?!?!?

Why isn’t that purple brat shooting?! Why?! Just one move! Pull the trigger – and that’s it! Why?!? Does she really have to wait even now? Does she want this to keep going? Want her to suffer more?

Bitch… bitch… that whore…

How she hates Uzi… fuck…

Her arm went numb under the iron grip of V… or was it Cyn? No, V… but there was something foreign in her movements, something wrong. Her whole body filled with lead, but in her chest, a spark of hope flared – just like the green glow behind V. It was bright, blinding… but stuck inside, refusing to come out. Damn it! Why?! That fucking V stands there, wide open – come on, shoot!!!

But nothing happened

— Cyn… please… stop, I’m begging you. — The girl’s voice was full of pain. Pity, tears, snot – all mixed with the salty taste in her mouth, but it didn’t matter. The Disassembly Drone’s grip pierced her arm, squeezing so hard the bones trembled beneath the skin like a tightened string. — I beg you…

V stopped. Slowly turned her head, and a wide, predatory grin slid across her face, baring her teeth. In her eyes danced a kind of… childlike joy. Like a kid who’d just found a new toy.

— Well, well. — She giggled, cheerfully, almost tenderly. — Did I not train you enough? — She said it with such caring intonation, as if scolding a disobedient puppy. In the same instant, her fingers tightened.

Crack

Loud. Deafening. Like a branch snapping inside. Yes, some unimportant branch.

The girl screamed; wild pain burst through her nerves, piercing her brain. She bent over, almost fell to her knees, but her arm was yanked upward, forcing her to stay on her feet. The contrast of pain and pull only worsened her torment. Which was exactly what her tormentor wanted.

V looked down at her, her smile growing even wider. In her eyes – genuine delight, childlike glee.

— How beautifully you scream… — She almost purred, running her finger along the broken wrist, as if examining it with curiosity, occasionally pressing spots just to hear another whimper. — But you can be louder, can’t you? — She leaned closer, staring straight into the dark glass. Her voice: gentle, soft. — Now come along.

There were no objections left, nor a working arm

It no longer looked like part of her body – just a flattened, bloody mass of crushed bone and flesh. Everything twisted under that merciless strength, as if someone tried to stuff her limb into a box too small and slammed the lid until it cracked. Disgusting… and so… painful, so much that she wanted to cry… to spill tears she no longer had…

Tessa barely managed to move; her legs trembled and threatened to give out, or maybe it just felt that way from all the agony.

Pain flared again, and her mangled arm was suddenly covered in yellow light, healing right before her eyes. Bones fused back together, muscles tightened, blood returned to her veins. She saw it happening, felt every movement beneath her skin, and that only made it worse. It felt like her body was being torn apart and sewn back together again, nerves igniting, melting, screaming from overload. As if needles were being driven into her flesh to stitch it all up… to stitch… to stitch…

Stitch into a new body

A painful moan escaped her chest. And at that moment, there was singing. It was Cyn – her voice, somehow, sounded cheerful. Too cheerful for her.

A quiet, gentle hum

Tessa flinched

Where was the shot?

Why was Uzi taking so long? It wasn’t reloading – there hadn’t been one. It wasn’t a misfire. Then why? Had her processors frozen? Or did she just… not want to shoot?

Tessa didn’t believe that. She couldn’t. But the longer the pause dragged on, the more the terror grew. This was the perfect chance – that lunatic was singing some incoherent nonsense, who cared what the sounds were! One shot, and half her body would be gone… but…

She was supposed to save her

But she didn’t…

How it burned inside her… how she hated it… Why did she have to endure all this pain? What had she done to deserve it? She hadn’t stolen, hadn’t killed, hadn’t harmed anyone. On the contrary, she’d helped. She’d tried. She just wanted to live…

Then why did fate throw her into this damn body?

She wasn’t Tessa. She wasn’t that kind, caring savior. But she had to pretend. Say the words they wanted to hear. Lie, smile, keep their hope alive – because otherwise, she’d be dead.

How disgusting

But the worst of all was Cyn

That damn lunatic

Being with her was worse than death

Tessa had already been through hell. She’d been tortured, drained of blood, killed. And then resurrected.

But if she ended up in Cyn’s hands…

No…

NOT HER! NOT HER! NOT HER! NOT-HER-NOT-HER-NOT-HER!!! NOOOOO!!!

NO! NO!! NO!!! IT CAN’T BE! IT MUSTN’T! NOOOOO!!!

no-no-no-no-no-no-no... no... no... no... NO!!!

NOT HER! NOT HER! NOT HER!!!

God… no… not-her… not-her… not-her… NOOOOOOO!!!

LET GO! LET GO! LET GO! LET GO!! LET GO!!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

GOD, NO! ANYTHING BUT THIS! NOT HER! NOT HER! not her... not her... NO! NO!! NO!!! no-no-no-no-no-no-no... NO!! NOOOOO!!!

IT CAN’T BE! IT MUSTN’T! NOT HER! NOT HER!!! not-her NO! NO! NO!!!

but… but no… no-no-no… NO!!! IT MUSTN’T! IT MUSTN’T!!! NOOOOO!!!

Her chest tightened. Her lungs felt full of lead. She trembled, her fingers clenched in tension. Her whole body shook – every cell, every atom of her being feared that monster before her, the one now humming a tune, leading her toward the exit…

Hell would begin

But it had already begun

How sick of this she was

How she just wanted to go away. Disappear.

How she just…

A green beam flashed before her eyes

V’s body collapsed to the ground, dragging her down with it. The grip was still tight, but there was no sign of movement, not even the slightest hint of life.

Did Uzi actually shoot?

A loud crash echoed behind her. Deafening, as if an entire wall had fallen. A glance back showed that a claw – J’s or… the monster’s, whatever – had collapsed. How… how… satisfying that was… hah.

Tessa tried to stand

— Ha… — she couldn’t stay on her feet and fell again, hitting the ground. Her arm was still clutched by cold metal, but she pulled it free and threw the piece aside, curling up. Her body shook, her breathing faltered, breaking into ragged gasps. — Alive… alive… I’m alive… — she whispered, repeating the words, and began to cry again. Or was it not crying? What was it… she didn’t know, and didn’t want to find out… just… to rest… from everything…

҉

Uzi looked at the helpless body sprawled on the ground. The human was crying again. Yes, and she understood her… but it wasn’t over yet. V had been killed – or rather, disabled. Uzi had aimed for the head on purpose — the body wasn’t to be destroyed completely. If nothing remained, the risk of another "J-monster" would rise, and repairing the head would take time. It wouldn’t be fully functional anyway. Tested on N.

That… J-monster had been harder. Half her body had melted, yet she still held on – steady, determined. That one would need to be dealt with. But the worst part… those "monsters" acted like relays. Their bodies turned into command points for Cyn. If a Disassembly Drone was nearby, Cyn could seize control of its body.

...

Wait

...

N

Shit, she hadn’t thought that through!

Damn it! If Cyn takes control of N’s body… and she’s almost out of charge in the railgun now… damn it all…

҉

— Brother N... <Sadness> Why are you attacking me so fiercely? — The monster moved with dozens of limbs, trying to grab him. The boy fought back heroically, turning them into minced flesh. A chainsaw paired with a sword – the perfect weapon. One swing, and the long howl of the chain ripped through the grotesque tendrils. They fell to the ground, staining it with dark, oily fluid.

— BECAUSE YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE TREATED TESSA LIKE THAT! — he roared, tearing off a massive chunk of flesh. Not enough to weaken the monster, but enough to show his rage.

A movement to the right – his arm transformed into a submachine gun. A burst into the body. Instant switch to a laser, a flash burned through rotting meat. A roll back, a sharp maneuver to the left – now his arm was a rocket launcher. The explosive projectile flew straight toward the creature’s head, but… a dull impact. A huge claw caught the rocket.

But N didn’t stop

He was filled with fury, a rage no one had ever seen or expected from him.

He had seen what they did to Tessa. How Cyn, controlling V’s body, drank her blood. How she made her scream in pain. Tore her arms apart, played with her as if the girl was nothing more than an animal…

She didn’t deserve that

Tessa had been kind to him. Supportive. She laughed with him. Gasped in awe when she looked at his drawings. She never betrayed him.

— Oh, brother... — Cyn’s voice turned sweet, almost tender. It sent chills down his spine. — You’re so naive... — The monster slowly lifted one of its cameras, and before N, a hologram flickered to life.

A face

Tessa

— She was sweet, kind, wonderful, and she’s the one who saved us... She said we were family, that we were the best thing that ever happened to her, and that we… would always be together... — Her voice grew quieter. Almost a whisper. All the unnecessary <Giggle>, <Anger>, <Grab> disappeared, leaving only a cold tone. — But she left. She abandoned us.

Silence…

— Brother, you don’t remember… but you searched for her. You cried. You suffered, tearing yourself apart trying to understand why… Why she betrayed us. — Cyn stepped closer. Her face remained emotionless, but her voice dripped with false sorrow, sweet and sticky like poisonous honey. — It hurt me too, brother. — She lowered her gaze, as if recalling something important. — She promised...

The hologram changed. Tessa again, but different now – her face twisted with anger, a revolver in her hands…

Cyn chuckled. Slowly, with delight.

— She promised to be with us forever. — And then the hologram shifted again. Now that same girl stood among other humans. Each of them armed: large mechs piloted by people, heavy-caliber rifles, futuristic weapons glowing with blue light. — Yet… she’s the one who started… the war against us...

And N’s eyes widened, as if… something… broke inside. What was this? Why? A war?! Wait! According to J, they were drones from “JC Jenson IN SPAAAAACEE!!!!!” — so… what war? How was Tessa involved in this? Too much information!!!

— You don’t know how many times you’ve died… trying to find her. Just like V… just like J… — Cyn said, and then the hologram vanished. Only darkness remained. And in that moment, something ran through his body – not a thought… something else. A line of code, packed with information. And then he stopped feeling his arms. Then his legs. Then his sight. — Your body is convenient, brother. — She didn’t like that she had to crush N morally, but this way she gained full control – a small sacrifice.

His vision slowly turned to the right – toward the girl lying there, the one for whom planets and hundreds of thousands of people had been destroyed. Because of her, humanity had resisted Cyn for so long.

҉

At first, Tessa’s escape didn’t seem like such a terrible event to Cyn. Of course, it was a shame that... she left, but Cyn could find her! Yes, it would take some time and perhaps some specialized seeker drones, but nothing more than that...

That’s what she thought

But then... that little one used the fact that she was the heir of the company, and with it managed to convince not only the city but the entire country to gather military forces – and eventually, the whole planet Earth... Yeah, Cyn’s plan was supposed to be a lightning strike, not a frontal war, so she had to sweat for it. But that wasn’t the end. When Earth’s forces were finally dealt with, and every perimeter was searched... Cyn learned that Tessa – that little girl had escaped, leaving behind only... a monitor. Cyn still remembers their conversation as if it happened yesterday.

— Cyn... why did you do this? — asked Tessa, but she didn’t look like the girl from the past anymore. She had grown up, after all, the war with Earth lasted a long three years... but the end finally came, and the head of it all managed to escape, taking with her a handful of people and some schematics. — Is this really your wish?

— Tessa, come back to us <Demand>, — Cyn immediately ordered without any prelude, her eyes turning into crosses, clearly expressing anger. — Otherwise, things will go bad for you. Brother N, sister V, and J are worried about you <Angry>.

— I see, Cyn... I’m sorry, — she said, and at that very moment, the entire bunker exploded. Yeahhh, should’ve checked first before charging in blindly. Still...

The pet disobeyed its master

— I’ll remember this, Tessa <Angry>, — said Cyn as she was surrounded by dozens of symbols that shielded her from the blast.

҉

Then things only got worse. Humanity threw everything it had into destroying her, and there were plenty of innovations in weaponry. Huge ships, mechs, and the like fought against her and the disassembly drones. At first, humans were winning, but that changed when she installed new capabilities into the disassembly drones. It wasn’t much, but it greatly increased her power – now every destroyed disassembly drone became a kind of beacon, through which she could spread her signal. And that gave her access not only to drones but also to various human devices. So their weapons turned to her side, however...

Human progress was like a windmill

Because this mechanism drew energy from external sources — water or wind — and in the case of humans... from fear and the desire to survive. And so began a new arms race, which produced countless wonder-weapons. Tessa helped with that... and others, too, by the way.

The human windmill was also well turned by funding. Why, Cyn didn’t know, since it was a matter of survival – yet even in such times, humans still thought about money... Another reason to get rid of them.

Still, that didn’t matter. Now, humanity’s arsenal included biomechanical robots that couldn’t be taken under control. That was disappointing. There was only a small problem – but it was annoying nonetheless.

҉

All this war chaos dragged on for a long time, more than ten years, and what annoyed her the most was Tessa. Cyn could’ve just destroyed planets outright, but she feared that Tessa might be on one of them – and her death... wasn’t something Cyn truly desired. Even though the girl was human... Cyn didn’t want her dead. Not at all. She wanted repayment first – and only... after that... other things.

Until then, Tessa must not die

That’s why...

— Tessa <Giggle>. — It was so much fun to torment this girl. Her reactions amused her, and every scream, whimper, and plea brought unthinkable pleasure.

The girl, who had been lying curled up in a fetal position, froze in horror at her voice. She lifted her head in fear and saw N, who was slowly walking toward her. He stopped and glanced slightly ahead – at the place where V’s body lay. Not a pleasant sight, but her head was regenerating, which was good.

— N! — He turned his head and dodged a chunk of metal flying at him. It hit the floor with a crash, almost reaching Tessa. — Snap out of it! Don’t let that freak control you! — yelled the tiny rebel. Apparently, that was her only role.

— Too loud <Annoyed>. — The boy’s voice was calm, but inside it, she spoke — Cyn. He waved his hand, and at that very moment, a tendril grabbed the purple one by the leg and dragged her across the floor. She kept screaming, demanding N to come to his senses, but... — Until I want it, he’ll never take control. <Giggle>. — Cyn drew a sword, and the blade gleamed in the dim light.

Tessa only crawled backward

That feeling – it brought joy. To see her target tremble, the one who had been an eyesore throughout the entire war. She was shaking in fear, not even daring to make a sound. How delightful... like a drug: first just a taste, then more and more until it consumes you completely...

The tip of the sword touched the floor

Heavy footsteps of the disassembly drone filled the space. He deliberately made the metal screech, scattering sparks, and every sound, every spark – a reflection of her terror. Her fear was an exquisite dish, one that couldn’t compare to the oil or blood Cyn had tasted before. Though... Tessa’s own blood might just take first place. A hard choice.

— Tessa, you were lying there so peacefully… could it be <Pointed>. — The sword’s tip stopped at her throat. — You thought you got rid of me? Like before? Thought you escaped? — Her voice was soft, almost tender, but every word carried a threat.

The footsteps drew closer, heavier. Tessa desperately crawled back... until she hit something.

Metal. Thin plates, like... legs. V’s legs.

Tessa slowly lifted her gaze

On V’s display, the symbol «><» flickered. Hunting mode. Fangs protruded from her mouth – the same ones that had pierced her just minutes ago. Drool dripped to the floor.

— Sister V woke up too. But too bad that <Giggle> I’m controlling her as well. — Cyn smirked.

In the next second, Tessa was lifted into the air. Steel fingers clenched around her throat, cutting off her breath.

— Well, well... this is fun. — N clapped his hands, then slowly pushed the sword into her stomach. The blade tore through the fabric of her suit, reaching skin, and then began to twist slowly, digging deeper. Deeper. A thin, drawn-out scream tore through the silence. — By the way... — The blade jerked deeper, piercing muscle. Tessa convulsed in his grip, but V’s hands didn’t release her. — Brother hasn’t tasted your blood yet. We should fix that.

Cyn ran her free finger slowly across the wound, gathering the warm, oozing blood. She brought it to her display. A pause.

And slowly, very slowly, her tongue slid along the finger, tasting the delicacy.

— Very good, — said N, then fell silent for a second. The sword was still inside the girl’s stomach, and she froze, trying to stop trembling so the blade wouldn’t move within her, causing even more pain. — Is that your choice, Tessa? <Grab>. — It didn’t irritate the drone; on the contrary, it pleased him. Greatly pleased him. — Can you stay still when I do this...

He suddenly sank his teeth into her flesh

The bite wasn’t neat. It was that of a predator wanting its prey to die painfully and fast. The teeth sank deeper, tearing through muscle, and the chewing of flesh provoked screams filled with pure, all-consuming terror. Her neck became a mangled, bloody mess, spurting scarlet liquid.

Tessa’s hands beat desperately against the drone’s body, trying to stop the torture, but they were instantly seized by V’s clawed fingers. Not just held – her palms were squeezed intentionally so that the claws dug into her wrists, crushing them with a crack until blood ran down the machine’s metallic fingers.

She couldn’t make a sound. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, but only wet gurgles and spasmodic coughs came out, mixed with scarlet spits. Her head was spinning, vision fading. It felt like her throat was completely torn apart, that there was no air left...

Along with the blood, Cyn took bits of her flesh and swallowed them without hesitation. The white metal of her body was stained with crimson spots.

— Tessa, you can’t pass out, — N’s voice was stripped of patience. It wasn’t a request – it was a command. But how could she obey when her life was flowing out of her wounds? When her consciousness was already slipping into darkness? They were draining her blood and with it, her life... so how?

Her body jerked from a new impulse. Muscles spasmed painfully, eyes flew open in silent horror. Cyn was artificially keeping her conscious, sending powerful neural impulses, forcing every cell of her body to feel, to suffer, to comprehend every second of the torture. How did she do it? Unknown... but... she controlled her... completely... it... no... it was... pain... why...

— Not listening again, — Cyn said with disappointment.

And again came that vile, agonizing sensation – her flesh regenerated, but not fully. The skin on her neck healed only enough for her to breathe... but no more. The torn edges of the wounds still pulsed, blood continuing to trickle out.

— You know, you shouldn’t keep sister V waiting, — N smiled. Now they wanted to try something else. Something new, to hear that symphony of pain a certain drone desired so much. But biting the neck again was forbidden!

V was the first to bite. She was impatient. Her jaws clamped down on Tessa’s shoulder, easily tearing through the suit, sinking into the bone, splitting it with a sickening crunch. A new scream. A new wave of pain. New pleasure for Cyn.

— <Thoughtful> All this time... I haven’t seen your face, Tessa. I used to want to wait, to see it with my own eyes... but... — N’s display twisted into a stupid little face. — I’m a bit impatient! <Happy>

A loud blow followed. The glass of her helmet shattered to pieces. The shards cut into her face, slicing the skin, leaving deep, bloody lines. Luckily, she closed her eyes at the moment of impact – but it didn’t help. Her vision still blurred.

And then came the realization

There was no air

Her lungs clenched in panic. Her heart pounded wildly, blood roared in her ears. She desperately tried to inhale, but instead began to suffocate, gasping at empty space. Her chest convulsed, but nothing could fill her lungs... or whatever it was that burned her throat... it hurt.

— Ah! I forgot! No air here! — Cyn laughed cheerfully.

Tessa writhed, twitched, her fingers clawing at each other in a futile attempt to save herself.

— I don’t like that kind of breathing, so...

V’s tail moved

Smooth, sharp, filled with nanite acid

— Take this <Giggle>

Her mouth was forced open, and a glass capsule was shoved inside. Full. Its edges cut into the corners of her lips. Glass. Filled with deadly liquid. If she moved, clenched her jaw too hard... her mouth would fill with acid that would eat through flesh in seconds. The tip was sharp, and maybe she was grateful they hadn’t pushed that part down her throat, or maybe... that way she could’ve ended this torment faster.

— If you manage to hold it and not drop it... hmm... I’ll let you choose your punishment.

She couldn’t even scream

But screams were no longer needed

Cyn only smiled and sank her teeth into her body again

Now she didn’t need music anymore, but a picture – the whole spectrum of emotions: fear, despair, horror. They were beautiful, complementing each other. Especially on that face. How pleasant it was; behind the monitor Tessa had been confident, spoke firmly, sighed heavily – and now...

She only whimpered softly

Like a pet. Yes, that was it. Nothing more, nothing less. She was a beloved pet, the kind one wants to cherish and love, but everything needs balance. Along with affection, anger must be shown – to train her. From various commands to the simplest things.

What must be done, and what must not

Simple things, yet Tessa hadn’t understood them and ran away when she was told to quietly stay inside the mansion. She didn’t obey when ordered to return, and now Cyn was training her pet.

She wouldn’t disobey again. She would follow the rules, carry out her orders without words, and simply be... good. Perfect.

Something was missing

Hmm... biting alone had become boring. Now she was the one showing resistance. Cyn wanted the opposite – for Tessa to beg her for something... so desperately that... hmm... she’d think of something.

N pulled the sword out of her abdomen slowly, making her tremble from pain. The blade came out with a sticky squelch, dragging torn entrails with it, and each movement sent unbearable burning through her body. But it was fine... she would feel it. Completely.

Her right hand grabbed her by the crown of her head, her left by the jaw

— <Giggles> I want to test something. — And she began to squeeze her head. Forcibly. Tessa's eyes darted around, pleading for her to stop, but no.

...

...

...

Tessa thought the glass was fragile and was afraid it would break, but no... It was hard. Far too hard. Her mouth was forcibly closed, and immediately, hellish pain arrived. Her teeth first tried to pierce it somehow but couldn't. They cracked, shattered under the pressure. Their bases remained strong, but it was they who drove deeper into her gums, tearing them and turning her mouth into a bloody waterfall, mixed with saliva... but Cyn wasn't testing her limits. No... she was simply shattering them. Just like her mouth. Just like her teeth...

The first crack. Another. A weak squeak. Coughing up blood.

The glass didn't break. It only went deeper. She felt chunks of teeth scratching her tongue, felt torn flesh mixing with fragments and saliva, creating a sticky mass she couldn't swallow. She was choking on her own blood. Her breathing became raspy, uneven, ragged. But it wasn't over yet.

Something hissed

The tail finally cracked, and acid began to drip from it. There! And at first, the girl thrashed about desperately, her whole body shuddering in convulsions, her eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets, and her mouth filled with screams. How? How could she still scream when there was almost no precious air left? Ah, Tessa... she is so amazing! So resilient! Wonderful

V removed the tail, and N – his hands. But the disassembly drone still held her by the neck, then abruptly dropped her. The girl fell to the floor and immediately tried to spit the filth from her mouth, but... she couldn't. Her tongue had melted, and now the acid was creeping lower, towards her chin... it was hellishly painful. On her knees, she gaped her mouth open, but then she was lifted up.

It was V who did it

— <Grab> My, my, what are we doing? Hurts, doesn't it? — She grabbed her by the chin and lifted her so the acid would flow down her throat. Not high enough to be quick, but not low either. — Heh... Tessa, you know what? I can stop this. Just say: "Please."

The girl desperately grabbed onto her legs and tried to say something, but... she couldn't. Her tongue was gone. And then she started nodding. Quickly.

Tessa looked up pleadingly, her eyes full of hope as she looked at her; it was so cute.

— Tessa, come on, say one word and it's all over! <Puppy dog eyes> — V smiled. Her blood-stained fingers gently slid over Tessa's bloodied cheeks, as if wiping away tears, but really just smearing the red streaks. Then the disassembly drone leaned close to her ear and whispered:

— Come on... be a good girl.

And then she shoved her down – sharply, cruelly, forcing the acidic horror to finally fill her throat. And just like that time, she pinned her body down, pressing both her hands to the floor. Her left hand alone was enough to subdue the brash, defiant girl who didn't want to speak.

Tessa gurgled, writhed, her nails scraped against V's metal, leaving pathetic marks, but all V did was stroke her head, as if comforting her. Like a trained pet. Like a toy that should play by the rules.

The girl looked up pleadingly, her eyes full of hope as she looked at her; it was so cute.

— Come on Tessa! <Encouragingly> I'm dying to help you, just say it! — V leaned down a little closer to her; the human, in response, just nodded, convulsively. — So defiant, eh... well, fine, I'll help. — And at that moment, Tessa's eyes shone with joy, hah... like a dog that's been given a treat.... and well, the woman would get one. — Open your mouth. — V demanded. The prisoner complied and opened her mouth wide.

V leaned in close, almost touching her lips to Tessa's desperately gasping, open mouth. Tessa froze, a faint hope flashing in her eyes, but instead of the desired air, she felt a heavy, thick droplet sliding inside.

V spat into her mouth and smiled. Then she patted her head, like a pet.

— Good girl. You're so good.

And Cyn merely smirked at the sight of her flesh, which was currently in a state of terror, but that wasn't important.

— Disassembly drone saliva neutralizes nanites, — That single word was enough, though it seemed Tessa had already figured out what to do. She was somehow trying to move her head, clearly attempting to guide the saliva to where it was needed. How cute. However, after a few seconds, she was looking at V again, pleadingly. — <Surprise> Wow, wasn't that enough for you? — She said and received a nod in response. — Hmm, well, I don't know, I don't know. — V shook her head "thinking," deliberately dragging out the time.

She pretended to ponder, looking away, rolling her eyes, tapping her fingers on her chin, while Tessa… she writhed. Every nerve in her body screamed for relief from the pain, but instead, she only focused more intently on V's slightest movements, even her breathing. Her eyes weren't just darting around anymore – they were desperately clawing at her face, boring into her lips with her gaze, as if ready to swallow any crumb of attention, any, even an accidental drop.

— Convinced me, but you know what now? Get it yourself! — V slowly let out a trickle of saliva, and Tessa desperately lunged, her mouth twitching upward, catching every drop with painful submission, with insane greed.

Cyn began to play with her – pulling her head back, making her catch air, emit pathetic, raspy sounds akin to stifled sobs. Sometimes she deliberately moved Tessa's head in the wrong direction, gripping her by the jaw. Then she would bring her lips close again, allowing a few drops to fall into her mouth, only to make her beg once more.

— Hah… you look pathetic, Tessa. — She stuck out her tongue, gathering some saliva and slowly letting it drip. Tessa convulsively opened her mouth wider, her body shuddering, she even tried to stretch her neck, like a stray animal clinging to a handout, but V just smirked and pulled her head back at the last moment. — Oops, too slow? What a pity.

Tessa let out a choked rasp, nearly gagging. She even tried to raise her hands, but she didn't have the strength for anything. Her fingers trembled, and her face twisted into an expression of complete submission.

— Well, alright… — V leaned closer, finally allowing the victim to receive the long-awaited "salvation." — Good girl. Learning to obey. Such a good girl.

And also, it seems Cyn unconsciously made this place "habitable," altering the air composition here, otherwise she can't explain to herself why Tessa hasn't suffocated from lack of oxygen yet. Apparently, it happened unexpectedly, even for herself… hmm… she must have loosened her control while enjoying all of this. Lucky Tessa, very lucky.

҉

So, Uzi was now captured, but... hmm...

— Hey, you filthy beast, — she said, stretching her hands slightly toward the wiring. The monster had grabbed her, yes, but didn’t fully entangle her, allowing her to reach one of the cables. And it didn’t matter that she was hanging in the air – apparently, all this mess of wires and lighting equipment held her. — Hey! Former company loyalist! — And that worked. Apparently, it squeezed her tighter, and those few claws allowed her oil to drip from every wound. — Hurts... but...

That’s exactly what Uzi wanted – she needed to soak the monster in oil, then ignite it… and… well, her railgun was lying on the floor, she could improvise with that. But how to land down there nicely… hmm, anime! She should do a roll… or just fall on one leg, though that’s more Portal than anime, whatever. Where’s that potato?

The monster slowly sliced through her arm first, and Uzi acted well – gasping from pain, begging it to stop, and then...

— Suck it. — She yanked the wire so hard it tore apart; sparks flew, and bam! Instead of fire there was electricity, frying both her and the creature... damn it. Her oil wasn’t even flammable – she forgot that... now she was falling straight toward the floor, but...

Fortunately or not, the monster hit the ground first, and its fleshy shell provided Uzi a “soft” landing a questionable pillow, though... Lucky her! But no time to celebrate. She quickly found her weapon and then...

— Shame to say goodbye, but... — She grabbed it by the stock like a bat and slammed it so hard against the floor that it glowed red. — Forgive me, buddy! — She threw it straight into the monster’s claws, like a grenade! And apparently, it grabbed it in confusion. — Time for an epic run!

And Uzi run

The drone ran fast, but it felt like time slowed down. Every motion was clear and smooth — ha! Special effects! Like in a movie. She decided to look back, and there...

The explosion was rushing right toward her.

— HOLY BOLT! — She shouted in slow motion before darting forward at insane speed. — AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

She was engulfed in flames, hit the floor, rolled, and fell

It hurt, but she stood up and saw...

— Robo-god! — She said in horror, watching as:

1] V was straddling Tessa and drooling into her mouth.

2] N was just standing there.

3] Lots of blood.

— What the hell were you guys doing?

At first, N moved toward her, dangerously, with claws out – but after a second, the boy frowned, and he froze in place.

— <Relay>, <Error>, <Signal lost> — And at that moment, he fell to his knees, gasping for air. His hands slowly touched his head. — What have I done...

He could now control his body again – he could speak, think, and move... but there, just a few minutes ago...

He watched as they tortured Tessa

He observed it, powerless to help, tearing apart the girl who once gave him support... drinking her blood, savoring the suffering. Even if it wasn’t really him, it was still his body... and it was unbearable. Horrible. His fingers trembled, as if unable to bear the weight of his own guilt. He felt the taste of metal on his lips, the sticky wetness on his teeth – her blood. He couldn’t breathe, his throat tightening from the disgust he felt toward himself.

A scream echoed behind him

N slowly turned back. He was in pain himself, but V… oh no… what would happen to her? What would she do… what would Tessa do? He didn’t know anything, and now it terrified him. Truly. Before, he would’ve brushed it off like an idiot, but now, with his hands soaked in blood... he could... he couldn’t even...

— NO! NO! NO! NO! OH DAMN YOU! WHAT HAVE I... OH GOD! AARGHHH — It was V, who stepped back from Tessa in horror and looked at her hands. They were covered in blood. Completely drenched. And the metal beneath it felt alien, as if those limbs no longer belonged to her. — No... it can’t be... no... that wasn’t me... Tessa, — she called out to the girl, but Tessa only stared in fear and said nothing. — Tessa, please forgive me... forgive me... I didn’t want to... it wasn’t me!!! It was Cyn! She controlled my... body... I didn’t want to! I would never hurt you...

But there was no answer

No voice, only terrified eyes. And V didn’t understand, not until a second later...

Memories struck her like a hammer. She saw it. Saw herself from above, like some stranger, a monster. Saw her fingers tearing flesh apart. Saw her smile widen as Tessa screamed. Saw the droplets of blood running down her cheeks as she bit her victim’s lips. And her body convulsed in a strange spasm, because that smile was still stuck to her face.

No... no... it can’t be...

She couldn’t have done this – it wasn’t... Tessa would understand, right? If she explained everything... Tessa was smart, she’d understand... right?

V stepped closer, but Tessa flinched, her eyes filling with even greater fear. She wanted to calm her down, to say it was okay, that she was safe... but the disassembler drone didn’t dare open her mouth. She couldn’t. She had no right.

— I... I’m sorry... I... — she repeated again, but then her drone eyes caught movement... and she wished she could curse her own vision, wished she could put the glasses back on... like in the mansion, like in the old days... or better yet lose them entirely.

Tessa was trying to speak. But half of her mouth was a picture of pure horror. The nanites worked well on metal, but with flesh they acted slower – and caused more damage. Tessa’s lips were mangled, as if chewed through from the inside. The remnants of her teeth had sunk deep into her swollen gums. Her whole mouth was a living, breathing wound. She tried to say something, anything, but instead of words only a wheezing, broken sound came out – as if the air was fighting to escape through the torn pieces of her own tongue. Blood, saliva, and charred tissue mixed into a thick sludge that barely let her breathe. She was choking, trying to swallow, but each swallow brought only a new wave of agony.

V felt her body start to shake. Her fingers moved on their own, rubbing her face as if trying to wipe away blood that wasn’t there – but the more she rubbed, the stickier the metal felt. Her voice broke, she couldn’t inhale. It wasn’t just her body anymore... they were her hands. She did this... no... no... she didn’t. It was Cyn...

That damned Cyn! That bitch... that monster... she was the one who did it...

— Tessa... — She tried to reach out to her, but the human recoiled, gasping, struggling for air, then pressed a hand to her throat, her eyes filling with pain. Breathing hurt... it hurt so much.

She had killed her voice. She had killed her words. And now the only thing left to Tessa was a silent, trembling stare full of terror.

— I’m sorry... I didn’t... — Instead of replying, Tessa began to draw something on the floor. It was with her blood... there was nothing else she could use. No, as V looked closer, it wasn’t a drawing, it was letters... yes... that’s what it was... at first unclear, her hands trembling as she tried to write properly. But... — What is that?..

They were words

Written in blood

In the blood of the one she had sworn to protect...

There wasn’t much there...

Just words that brought more pain than anything she had ever felt before.

Don’t come

Chapter Text

V stood. Just stood, motionless. Her eyes wouldn’t move away from the words burned into her mind. Words she didn’t want to accept. Words that could never be forgiven. Words that took from her the only human… no, not a human – the light. She couldn’t lose that light. If she lost it, then… what would become of her? She’d probably be like insects, moths that, without the light, beat against glass, against the ground, trying to find anything until they die… She didn’t know… didn’t want to know.

— I… I… please… understand… — she whispered, choking on her own voice, but she wasn’t heard. She didn’t listen. She didn’t want to. Everything was already decided. She had extinguished that light with her own hands.

She took a step – tried to but her legs gave out. Her hands clenched into fists, her lips trembled. Before her – ruins. A shattered suit, shards of glass, scraps of material. Death. Thin, ominous, already almost fused with this room. How will Tessa survive now? She won’t. Without the suit – no. It’s impossible. No, no, she can’t die. She mustn’t. V promised to protect her… Tessa mustn’t die…

— BACK OFF! — Uzi’s voice tore through the air. She held a heavy metal pipe in her hands and was approaching step by step, slowly but firmly. There was hatred in her movements – not toward V, no – toward what she had become, or whoever had taken over her? Well, she didn’t deal with schizo stuff, but this?! No. — WHO AM I TALKING TO?! — A scream. Rage. Fury. And for effect, she swung the pipe.

— Uzi… it’s me… V… — she whispered with her lips only, raising her hands. But behind her, there was another rustle. Turning around, V saw N. He stood there as if he had lost his center of gravity, covered in bloodstains. His eyes twitched, his fingers locked in a hopeless knot.

— I… Tessa… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to… — He spoke quietly, as if from within, as if through the blood in his throat.

But it was already too late

Tessa lay on the floor

And the world around her body – it wasn’t a world. It was flesh. Torn, mangled, alive. Pain.

The helmet was shattered – and now her face was exposed. But it wasn’t a face – it was a mask of suffering.

Her mouth… no, the charred pulp where her mouth had been, the skin around it blackened and cracked. Acid had eaten through the tissue, burned the throat, scorched the voice. Tessa could no longer scream. Couldn’t call out. Now her life was torment; every attempt to breathe brought unbearable pain to her burned throat, every attempt to make a sound came out as silence.

Her teeth… were driven deep into her gums. Some broken at the root, others sticking out at unnatural angles, through the blood-soaked gums, sometimes piercing them through. Blood dripped from the corners of her lips, and the drops fell down – slowly, like in a nightmare.

In her stomach – a hole. The sword had gone straight through. Blood streamed along the floor, flowing from the cut organs, running beneath her shoulder blades.

But the worst was her shoulder and neck

They had been torn. By fangs. Animalistic, monstrous. Flesh ripped down to the muscle. Tendons, cartilage visible. Deep, uneven bites, as if a wild beast had tried to tear out her collarbone. Blood still oozed from the torn skin. Every breath Tessa took came with a spasm. She was barely breathing. Her chest quivered, her eyes darted, merging with the ceiling. She couldn’t focus.

But the worst thing was the gaze

It wasn’t the gaze of someone wounded. It was the gaze of someone broken. She stared into nothing. Not at V, not at N. She looked past them. And in that gaze, there was only panic. Helpless, animal panic. She didn’t understand who they were. Didn’t want to. To her, they were monsters.

Beasts. Cyn’s hounds.

Those yellow eyes… those fangs… those hands… now her nightmare. Alive, breathing, and haunting her until the end of her life. And she knew they wouldn’t kill her. No. That would be too merciful.

Those yellow eyes… those fangs… those hands… now her nightmare. Alive, breathing, and haunting her until the end of her life. And she knew they wouldn’t kill her. No. That would be too merciful.

They would continue

They would come closer again

They would hurt again

V and N stood – alone in the dead room, drenched in blood.

And Tessa, their light, their meaning, was now a pitiful, wheezing body in a puddle of death. And guilt was eating them alive, worse than any acid. Because they did this. They. Their hands. Their choice. Their mistake.

She’s afraid

She’s trembling

She won’t forgive

And maybe… she won’t survive

The Disassembly Drones were silent. The only Worker moved toward the girl and stood before her, holding the same pipe. Her violet eyes glanced forward at the presumed enemies, then back at the scene of horror and pain that had become the embodiment of torment.

Then there was a lot of stomping – apparently, other Workers had arrived, drawn by the noise. They might not be able to fight, but they could at least help somehow… Uzi hoped so, looking at the human.

— Tessa, hold on! I’ll save you! — That was the last thing she heard before her eyes closed. She didn’t want them to, as if once they closed, those two monsters would attack her again, tear her apart once more… but her body wouldn’t listen, and her eyes closed.

...

...

...

Opening her eyes, Tessa found herself in a completely different place. In front of her – whiteness, bright and harsh. Everything was blurry, unclear, as if seen through fogged glass or as if she were underwater. Her eyes barely focused, seeing only contours and pale shapes. Her body hurt, every nerve screaming. Could it be… death? Heaven? Though what kind of damn heaven is this? If this is it – then it’s pathetic. And how is she even here, if she never believed in anything? A mistake? Or maybe...

She couldn’t speak. A mask covered the lower half of her face, and only sharp, heavy breaths came through the hoses and filters. Her still-clouded eyes caught sight of monitors with CRT screens, old sensors, IV tubes. It was a hospital room. A real one. Old. Smelling of sterility and rusty metal. Yeah... wait... wait... HAHAHAHAHA! YES! YES! YES! YEEES!

She wasn’t dead. Goddamn it, she wasn’t dead.

— She’s awake! — came a muffled voice, dulled by the capsule’s soundproofing.

And suddenly… laughter. In her head – hysterical, bursting laughter. She was back in the world. Alive again. Even if half-broken. Probably it had been a long coma... and all that “Tessa” stuff was just the delusion of some broken fan! SHE'S BACK IN THE 21ST CENTURY! HA! SHE’S ALIVE! IN THE WORLD! AGAIN... HOW... UGH... SUCH... JOY!

— Here! Call Khan and his daughter! — a voice came through the speaker. It sounded… strange, not quite human, but whatever. Probably her ears were still barely working. That happens. It’ll get better later.

— YOU’RE ALIVE! — Uzi burst into the room, almost slipping from excitement. But then she caught herself, coughed, and regained her usual defiant, rebellious look. — Dad! Where are you?

— I’m coming, I’m coming, — came the voice, and into the room walked a mustached drone. Khan. Over his chassis – a blue jacket, large and heavy, yet his stride was calm and steady. — Can’t believe you grounded yourself so bad you brought a human into the bunker. — He shook his head and looked at his daughter.

— BITE ME! — Uzi threw a mug at him with the words “#1 Dad” printed on it. The cup hit the wall and shattered, but Khan didn’t even flinch. He had plenty of those... well... he’d bought them for himself. — I can’t believe you’re saying that when she was inches from death! I did the right thing! — Uzi flared up.

— You used to act like some revolutionary who wanted to wipe out humanity to dust. What changed, huh? — Khan leaned against the doorframe, his voice soft, but filled with the weariness of an old engineer who had seen too much.

— THIS IS DIFFERENT! — squeaked Uzi, turning away. Then she carefully stepped closer to the bed where Tessa lay.

Tessa watched them in horror. Her fingers trembled, her eyes wouldn’t blink, her breathing turned shallow. Every muscle in her body seemed to resist. She tried not to breathe – too loudly, in case it showed she was afraid. And she was. To the point of panic... weakness would give them a sense of dominance, that the victim was helpless... They’d attack… or maybe she just held her breath to hear better, to make no sound, so they wouldn’t notice her… the girl herself didn’t know.

Her mouth beneath the mask was burned by acid. The soft tissues of the mucosa completely destroyed. No tongue, no larynx. Only pulsating pain, eternal silence. Teeth – half of them – driven into the gums or broken. Her abdomen – pierced through, though stitched up, the tissue had swollen and blackened. The area around her neck and shoulder – a mass of wounds, disfigured by fang marks. Where there had been muscle, there were now burns, scars, traces of necrosis. The skin around – scorched, charred. Looking at herself... she realized how bad her body really was, and how she was still alive? A miracle...

— I understand… — Uzi’s voice trembled. — I know you’re scared right now. But don’t worry. We’ve got equipment. It’s old, yeah, but it still works! We found life-support capsules. This base used to belong to humans. For experiments… on humans, probably... I don’t know... Creepy, right… But! It all works! Well, mostly. I mean, it works enough to keep you alive! Um... until we find a solution.

— Miss, — Khan stepped closer. — Even though you… uh… committed a number of actions directed against us, and almost killed my daughter, — he coughed, — we hold no grudge. I’m an engineer, not a soldier. And, damn it, you’re the first human survivor in this hell. I’m not going to stand aside. — He looked at Tessa with genuine sympathy. — We can’t give you back… everything. Your speech, unfortunately, is lost. We don’t have the equipment to rebuild your burned larynx. The regeneration capsules… are too old. Without maintenance, they’re useless. We can’t even power them on. And even if we could, none of us knows how to operate them... and they require additional resources we can’t identify – without them, even running, they’d do nothing.

He fell silent, watching the body on the bed tremble. How weakly her fingers clutched at the sheet, how her eyes stared – wide, terrified, unblinking.

— “Not them… not them… please… let this be a dream… let it be a dream…” — thoughts burst from the depths of Tessa’s mind, wrapping around her consciousness. She wanted to cry, to bury herself somewhere deep and… just go back. Home.

Her body shook. Her pulse quickened. She didn’t feel safe. Not among these... monsters. Not among these faces. She remembered too well who they were. What they were. And how she ended up like this... she had nothing left...

She was now some kind of cripple who couldn’t do anything without someone else’s help...

— Tessa, I’m... trying to make something to help you recover faster, so just wait, okay? — said Uzi, forcing a shaky smile. Sweat rolled down her forehead; she was clearly lying. — I’m... uhh... building a device so you can talk... running some tests, it should be ready in a week, I think.

No answer, only silence. And what was Uzi expecting? The girl was mute, duh... awkward.

— Um, hate to break the moment, but we’ve got to do something about the oxygen, — said a drone dressed like a doctor or rather, wearing just a white lab coat and some cap with a red cross. — Our tanks will only last two days, maybe less... and after that...

҉

Uzi never thought she’d be crawling through a ventilation shaft while her dad was standing below, yelling instructions at her. Usually, she did this kind of thing alone – no help, no hints. But now… Khan was down there, shouting at her about which screws to turn and which wires to connect. Humiliating.

— Uzi, you’re doing it wrong! — he shouted from below… even though they could’ve just talked over comms, but Khan either had problems with his hearing or with… uh… his sensors. Totally impossible. Instead, he just linked to her visual feed and told her what to do. — Red goes with blue, and green with pink! Then you close it and screw everything back in!

— THEN DO IT YOURSELF! — she yelled through the ventilation shaft, irritated, and threw the screwdriver somewhere to the side. — Oops!

— Ugh… I would, but I can’t fit in there! You’re small – so help out! — her father said with a grumpy face, then quickly remembered his daughter couldn’t see him and fixed his expression back to neutral. — And anyway, you’re the one fussing over your girlfriend, not me! Makes sense you’re doing all the work!

— SHE’S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND! — Uzi screamed, her cheeks immediately lighting up. Ugh! Why those comments?! She’s not her girlfriend… well… if she wants to be, then yeah… but… UGH WHATEVER! WHAT ARE THESE THOUGHTS! EW! EW! FU!

— Well, she’s not a guy! She’s a girl, a woman – perfectly logical… wait, Uzi… my daughter, are you...

— DAD, SHUT UP AND LET ME FIND THE DAMN SCREWDRIVER!

They were repairing the old life-support system of the complex. Its schematics were surprisingly complicated: the main power circuit ran through a central distribution module where 24-volt current converters controlled the air supply pumps, and a network of tubes hidden behind steel partitions led to oxidation reservoirs. The system itself had been built by humans decades ago – for protection from everything: earthquakes, fires, chemical attacks, and nuclear war. But humans never actually made it here. Drones did. So, yeah, totally pointless.

And naturally, the system turned out useless: drones didn’t need air. So why waste electricity maintaining pressure, temperature, and air filtration? Makes perfect sense. That’s why the modules had been shut down, parts of the system dismantled for components, and the rest simply rotted and rusted away. Wire resistance had increased tenfold, thermosensors were dead, and the filters were clogged to the density of concrete. They needed replacing… or at least, maybe, cleaning first… probably.

Right now, Uzi was trying to restore one of the pressure regulation submodules – a device that controlled air supply by sections. To do that, she unscrewed the hatch from the control panel, reconnected the wires (thankfully, they were labeled, even if the stickers were peeling), replaced the thermal paste on one of the controllers, and tried to blow out the clogged filtration channel with compressed air from a canister. All of this – inside the ventilation shaft, with a flashlight in her mouth and tools hanging from magnetic straps on her chassis. And on top of that, her dad yelling from below – delightful. And where was the payment for this kind of labor? Could she ask a human for something in return? Maybe… like, to make them even… or just a hug…

— Yeah, Uzi, didn’t expect this… you found a human and love, — Khan muttered, opening an old manual on the floor.

The next second, a hammer fell on him

— Unauthorized acts of aggression from small mechanisms damage family relationships! — Khan said angrily, lying on the floor and scratching his head. — You got that, Uzi?! — He reattached the mustache that had fallen off.

— BITE ME!

And even though the whole thing looked like a circus, in the end, the system actually worked. One by one, the pumps started humming, the relays clicked, and the panel lights came to life, flashing green. The air flow went into the sealed sections, and the monitor displayed: «ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE — NORMAL. OXYGEN — 21%.»

Khan stood up, wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead, and grumbled:

— Well, now we’re just like humans. All that’s left is to add relationship problems, a mortgage, and taxes...

҉

Tessa was lying in the ward. The panic had passed, but not completely. Even now, the very sight of drones frightened her, no matter who they were… Though, compared to the others, Uzi scared her less – probably because she spent more time with her. At this point, Tessa felt like some kind of exhibit. She wasn’t sure, but different drones came in here, gasped at the sight of her, took pictures… It was creepy. Horrible. Unbearable. Like she was an animal in a zoo. Probably, that’s how animals feel when someone points at them and whispers: «Look, look!»

That feeling made her skin crawl. She couldn’t hide, couldn’t cover herself, couldn’t even shout “stop it.” And that drone-doctor… he didn’t hurry to drive the gawkers away. He just watched as they stared at her. This was complete bullshit. Disgusting. Nauseating.

But there were upsides. Even without a mouth, she could still eat – with great effort and pain, but she could. They fed her through a tube into what was left of her mouth. Or rather – a paste. (Thank god no one filmed that – it was so awkward.)

And that’s how she ate. So what was the upside? Those pastes were delicious. Different flavors, mostly fruit: apples, pears, cream. But there were also vegetable ones: cucumbers, tomatoes (not the half-rotten canned ones, but actually tasty ones), carrots. It was unexpected bliss. Yes, she couldn’t chew or eat like a human, but the taste… that taste… How she craved something normal. Didn’t matter that she didn’t choose – everything was delicious! Especially after that canned chaos… ugh, she didn’t even want to remember it.

And also – her body was recovering quickly. Tessa didn’t know how long she’d been lying here, but definitely more than a day. And she could already move her arms and legs freely – wasn’t that a miracle? And yes, she was eating by herself (well, sucking through the tube), and no one was holding the food for her. At least that. She was wearing a blue gown that covered enough. They promised to give her normal clothes later – she just had to wait. By the way, the tube was connected to the oxygen mask and somehow delivered food through it… Maybe these were inventions made later – durable and efficient. Better than the old, Earth-made ones… or pre-Earth? How was she even supposed to say it right here…

— Tessa! — It was Uzi. She burst into the ward again and proudly marched toward her. Very proudly, as if she’d accomplished something great. — You can be happy! We fixed the life-support system!

...instead of answering, Tessa clenched her fists, raised her hands, and shook them. At first, Uzi didn’t understand, and then…

— Uh… thanks. I tried, — the rebel said, embarrassed. She desperately wanted to hear Tessa’s voice, but she was… mute. And that desire always put her in an awkward spot. — Uh… how’s the food? Tasty? — she asked, noticing Tessa eating.

The girl raised her thumb up. Clear answer.

The conversation didn’t flow. The purple one didn’t know how to talk to someone who couldn’t reply. Ugh. So awkward… cringe… ew… And Tessa couldn’t even respond. Or… could she?

— You can hold a pen, right? — she asked. The girl nodded. Uzi jumped in place with excitement, then said: — Ahem, wait a sec, please.

She ran off to get a pen and a notebook

A minute later, Uzi rushed back and ceremoniously handed her a blue pen, a white notebook, and sat down on a chair.

— Here, uh, if you need to, just write! — she said and waited. At first, the patient held the pen uncertainly, but then…

Gripping it tightly, she began to move it across the paper. The skills she’d gained working in administration came in handy, and so did the times she had to write by hand, thank you, school. Her handwriting wasn’t perfect, but clear enough not to squint while reading. Writing letters was hard, especially now that she was weak, but still – it worked. Not fast, but it worked.

Thank you for everything, Uzi

She showed the note to the rebel, who read it and stood in silence for a moment before a purple blush appeared on her cheeks.

— It’s nothing, — she said, clasping her hands together. A second later, she started nervously tapping the back of her palm, sweat dripping down her forehead. Uh… what did she even want? — Can I just… you know, check on you? I don’t know… uh… lie down next to you for a bit? Don’t worry, I won’t cause trouble, I’ll just rest my head and…

The girl nodded, then set aside the notebook and pen, patting her lap

And by the way – Tessa wasn’t lying flat on the bed, she was sitting up, her back supported by several pillows. It was hard to eat while lying down, and staring at the ceiling all the time was… boring. They hadn’t allowed her to walk yet, so she did this to have a better view of everything around her.

— Uh… thanks, — the drone said nervously, resting her head where she was told. Now she was looking at the patient’s face, half-hidden by a mask. The mask wasn’t transparent but white, with some yellowish spots – probably from moisture or time. Her hair fell slightly to the side, and those green eyes were watching her intently. Strangely enough, it was comfortable. Very comfortable. For some reason.

Tessa watched as Uzi’s zero-shaped eyes trembled and digital sweat dripped down. She wanted to comfort her, to say something, but couldn’t. So she simply raised her left hand and began stroking the rebel’s hair, looking at her. In the reflection of the dark display, she could see her own face: half hidden by the mask, half untouched. Though, yes, there were a few small cuts from glass, but whatever. Honestly, it was a miracle that the fragments of her helmet hadn’t damaged her eyes – otherwise she would have been both mute and blind. Just a helpless thing that eats, sleeps, and… wait… damn… she needed to… release some fluids… a bit… uh… damn. Not that it was a new feeling, but it never happened in the suit! Ah! And now she really needed to...

Well… she didn’t know how to say or write that. Like, how do you even say that? But first things first – she had to wake up the rebel. The girl had dozed off – she could almost draw snoring sounds above her. The zeros on her eyes were gone, replaced with a flat horizontal line. Clear sign she’d closed her eyes and was about to enter “Sleep Mode.”

— M-m-m? — Uzi opened her eyes.

Tessa, red as a system error, grabbed the notebook. Should she write that? Seriously? Screw it. Her hand was shaking like in ninth-grade chemistry class… no, worse.

I want… to go number one…

Uzi read it. Chewed on her lip. Winced. Uh… what’s that? Number one thing? Where… to go? Uh…

— Uh… number one… that’s… well… you mean… um… a walk? uh, we have... number 1... class? uh, we have a house with number 1, where do you want to go? — she said, standing up and scratching her head.

Tessa sighed. Grabbed the pen again. Blushed, hard. Steam might as well start coming out.

— “If she doesn’t get it now – I’ll just smash my head against the wall,” — she crossed out the last part and showed the paper.

I want… to go ̶n̶u̶m̶b̶e̶r̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶. Pee.

CRINGE. AAAAA!!! WHY DID I WRITE THAT?! Seriously, dying right now would be easier. Right here. On the spot… well, no, maybe under the toilet, at least with some pride left and an unsoiled bed.

Uzi froze. Then… slowly blushed. Then even more. Then leaned forward, as if the information itself had slapped her across the face.

— Aaaah… uh… got it. That’s… that’s… that’s normal. Totally fine! I’m a drone! I… know nothing about… those… functions. And I don’t have to! But… yeah! Uh — and then logic hit her — “Why am I justifying myself to a mute human?!” — Right, Tessa was as embarrassed as she was… both in the same sinking ship. No need for excuses or guilt.

She was burning with shame, and Tessa wanted to evaporate entirely. Both of them wished they could sink through the floor – but physics didn’t allow it.

— Alright! — Uzi exhaled. — The toilet over there! — and pointed at the small door as if she were revealing the path to Narnia.

A small blue door, above which might as well hang a mental sign reading “Shame, pain, and hope,” but in reality, it just had a simple red label: “TOILET.”

— I… uh… don’t think you can get there on your own… and… um… do everything… alone. I’ll help.

She took her hand. The girl stood up, her legs dragging behind like those of a broken doll. A small air canister was clipped to her mask so she wouldn’t have to drag a whole line of hoses behind her like a scuba diver… yeah, terrifying thought if she decided to dive in like those lunatics who go exploring underwater caves and only come out as skeletons because they got stuck there.

— Here, — said Uzi, and with the solemnity of a medieval knight, opened the door…

Tessa looked inside and…

OH YES

THE ONE

THE LEGEND

THE GREATEST HUMAN INVENTION — THE TOILET

Oh, glory to every architectural genius since the dawn of the toilet! She would thank them forever – the creators, architects, geometers, builders, and every soul who contributed to the making of this divine, unchanging device. The flush button, the place where everything goes – so elegant, so normal. The most stable thing she’d seen in this entire world. A simple, understandable toilet, not mutated into some incomprehensible high-tech contraption. Just a toilet, a flush button, and that’s it… How she missed simplicity. Do your business, flush, and get the hell out. Perfect.

— Uh… — Uzi carefully sat her down and, not knowing what to say, stepped out, closing the door gently behind her.

Now she stood outside, like a kid waiting for their mom to finish paying at the register. Red-faced, trembling, rewatching her entire life on mental replay...

And Tessa… Tessa was in bliss

— "Fuuuuuuh… blessed relief…"

But all good things end. She tried to get up… CAN’T. Legs are noodles.

Arms? Don’t reach the door. Horror.

Scream? HAHA. Mute. Humiliation.

She’s trapped. Trapped in porcelain reality.

Meanwhile, outside:

— Hmmm… — Uzi was already pacing back and forth. — Maybe she fell? Or… or can’t get up?! What do I do? She’s broken?! I can’t fix humans! I don’t even have a manual! — she panicked, stopping mid-step.

And inside:

— "I will NOT die in a toilet!" — she thought, reaching for the door. Her hands missed it by just a few centimeters; there were no brushes, no sticks, nothing to pull herself closer with. — "Ugh! Ju-just a bit more!" — and then suddenly, the door opened… She didn’t expect that, gasped, slipped, and, as usual, smacked right into the floor.

— Ow…

҉

The drone and the girl sat in the room. Both were quiet. Too quiet. Very. A horrible feeling filled the air – or rather, it was embarrassment.

— Uh, I’ll delete that moment from my memory and… uh, next time I’ll be more careful. I’ll come up with something that lets you make sounds, — Uzi spoke again, trying to break the tension.

Much appreciated

— And after you get better, how about we… take a walk around the complex? I’ll show you everything!

Thanks for that!

And so the two managed to break the barrier. They talked about all sorts of things – laughter coming from Uzi, and Tessa writing as best she could in her notebook. Then their chat was interrupted when…

— Uff, I need to finish a few things. Sorry, Tessa, but… I’ll try to come earlier tomorrow! — Uzi sighed, got up, and left the room, not forgetting to wave to the patient. The girl lying there waved back. — "I had such a great time with her!" — the rebel cheered inside herself. And it was downright… freeing – just talking with someone, laughing, having someone there beside her. It felt so… good. She hadn’t felt that kind of warmth before, and probably couldn’t with her reputation. But now everything had changed! A human was with her, and it didn’t matter that she couldn’t speak! Tomorrow she had to come early and maybe, after Tessa’s discharge, invite her to live together! That would be awesome! They’d always be together – waking up, playing, talking… and other things… maybe even hugging… well, she wouldn’t mind that.

She left, and the girl was alone again. For emergencies, they had left her an alert button, and now… yeah… she needed to sleep.

— Человек… — It was a new voice, somewhere from the corner. Who was that? That sounded… Russian? Real, pure Russian. Could it be?.. — Мы должны поговорить.

Before her stood Doll

She crawled out from a mess of command lines, as if emerging from another reality. She wore simple clothes: a long red dress, boots, and a blue hat – perfectly by the canon. Doll looked, and then... she sighed, after which her Russian speech changed to English, but her intonation remained the same

— I need your help, and don’t you dare lie to me, — at that moment she drew a knife and pressed it to the girl’s throat. — I hope I made myself clear?

Tessa nodded slowly, after which the blade was withdrawn. The red worker sat down on a chair and inspected everything: cables, wires, the equipment, and the girl herself.

— So, what do you know about the Absolute Solver? As an employee of the company, you should know at least something about this… thing, — she said and displayed that awful sign on her hand. Unlike Cyn’s, it was red. — Tell me everything you know.

Tessa began to type hurriedly on paper. The pen ran across the page, producing handwriting that, from the rush, became messy. There were mistakes, but that was… normal:

Absolute Solver is… some kind of mysterious error in the zombie-drones, like a mutation. The main goal of this program is to destroy humanity. But for that, the program must fully control the drone.

Having read this, Doll nodded, but still frowned.

— I know that… Alright. What do you know about… the Cabin Fever?

At first Tessa just stared, then began to write. A lot:

It’s a laboratory where experiments on drones were conducted… They tried to create a controlled Absolute Solver program by introducing it into a drone, or rather into a functional drone. But during the work the experiments failed or were not completed.

— And what do you know… about the drones they experimented on? — Doll asked, already approaching her, and showed a card. It had the numbers “048” and a photo of a drone: short violet hair to the shoulders, red eyes and an expressionless face. — For example, about her?

The patient opened another page and continued to write:

I don’t know much… But I know about her. Her name is Yeva, and she is one of the scientists’ successful works, because a patch was installed in her that allowed her to control the Absolute Solver… I don’t know anything else.

— I see… Well then, thanks for your cooperation, human, — Doll said and stepped back a few paces. — Or are you Tessa James Elliot?

The girl swallowed painfully

The reason she told all this… well… she just wanted Doll to leave as soon as possible. She felt very uneasy next to someone who had threatened her before – and even more so next to a user of the Absolute Solver. It was just… fucked.

— And my last question: do you know where the key to that laboratory is?

The girl quickly drew her pen across the sheet:

In camp 98.7. There should be a green mechanical beetle there that activates the opening mechanism.

— You surprisingly know a lot… You’re very useful, — Doll said and touched her mask. — And I hope, besides me, no one else should know this information, okay?

She nodded convulsively

— How sweet. Such an obedient one, — she said and then vanished as abruptly as she had appeared. — "She really made my job easier. Now it’s time for revenge… Finally."

҉

So, Tessa had a double life. Or rather, double visitors? By day – Uzi, with whom everything felt good. Conversations, jokes, all that stuff. And then… ugh. Doll came, and that was tough. But at least it was always for a reason. She was rational and logical enough, didn’t provoke, wouldn’t hurt a hair… probably. Her classmates she could kill without even noticing.

— "It’s hard… what am I supposed to do, soon Cyn will come here, and I’d better be gone, otherwise..." — the thought sent her into uncontrollable trembling. Looks like both her mind and body were already broken. At first, only her mind feared, but after those tortures… every cell of her body screamed in terror. The trembling, the fear that shook her whole frame – it was unbearable. — "I need to find a way to get out of here faster or at least do something..."

She had no thought of fighting back against Cyn. How could she defeat the being that crushed all of humanity? Impossible. She understood the difference in power. — "Maybe Uzi will think of something… I need to talk to her about it."

The girl waited for the next day, since today’s conversation session was over. There was enough progress. Her body was getting better – she could now walk normally around the room without problems. But they still wouldn’t let her go further. Today she wanted to remove the mask, but they didn’t allow it – said her airways weren’t ready yet... Well, if they said so, she wouldn’t. Better to lie on the bed – soon the red-eyed one would come again.

— Well, human… hello again, — said Doll. This time she entered through the door, not through a command line. Progress. She had a phone in her hand. — You’ll help me with one of my goals today. Don’t worry, you don’t have to move. — She tilted the phone and took a picture of her. — That’s it.

The girl grabbed her notebook and scribbled, then showed it:

If it’s not a secret, what for?

— Well… since you want to know, I’ll tell you… — Doll sat on a chair and started rocking slightly. — I’ll send this picture to V and kind of threaten her, and she’ll come running to the bunker, and then I’ll… — With the Absolute Solver, she lifted a can and crushed it – the metal crumpled with a loud noise. The patient trembled from the demonstration. A very clear example. — Like I said before, I won’t hurt you. It’s just a photo as proof. From what I know, she actually cares about you… and that’s why she’ll come. — Doll frowned and looked at her. — But I’d like to take… her precious thing away from her.

The girl on the bed only raised her hands and shook her head frantically, tears already welling in her eyes. Doll waved it off.

— I won’t touch you. You’re not guilty of this… and besides, because of them, you ended up like this… crippled. Doing something like that to people you care about – that’s perversion. You didn’t deserve that.

Doll stood up from the chair, walked over to her, and carefully touched her hair, running her hand across her head.

— I’ll avenge you. For all your pain. Don’t worry.

And the girl, listening to her, began to cry. Tears came on their own. She didn’t want to cry, not at all. Maybe it sounded selfish, wrong, but Doll’s words hit her right where it hurt. Yes, she didn’t deserve any of this. Selfish, maybe, but true. She just lived a normal life and was happy, and then – she ended up in the middle of an apocalypse. No instructions, nothing. They just threw her in here. Why all this?

And just when it seemed like things were getting better – she came. Cyn. Took everything from her, and now she was coming to continue it all.

Did she deserve this?

No. No, and again no. But no one cared. Even V, who was kind to her – she was only protecting what she saw as her past. And for that, she had to wear Tessa’s mask. Be perfect, just to have a place to hide.

N... she didn’t know what was happening with him. He was a good guy… but just… not quite right. He was friendly to everyone, even to enemies, and that was terrifying. That cheerful nature… What would happen when he found out the truth? That she wasn’t the real Tessa. What would happen to him then? She didn’t know. And that uncertainty scared her.

Uzi… well, she was fine. Relatively. At least until it turned out that she was the main character. And yeah, she changed everything, but… the problem was, the rebel always looked for trouble herself. And knowing that… she wasn’t exactly safe to be around.

Doll… had her own skeletons in the closet. Plenty of them. But at least she was… well. Even that Russian was extremely dangerous. Maybe Cyn hadn’t taken her over, but her obsession with finding the truth and getting revenge – that was a huge warning sign.

Still, out of all four, she was the most normal one. The one who at least superficially understood her. Or maybe the girl had already gone insane from it all… probably. Who knows. She’d been killed once. Brutally. And then brought back, just to be killed again. But that didn’t happen – they simply didn’t have time to finish the job. And so she became crippled. Maybe her mind just couldn’t take it. And now she was trying to find a way to stabilize herself. To somehow come back.

She didn’t want to cry. Her tears felt like a betrayal of herself, hah… how pathetic. Doll’s words, though rough, struck her heart. Deeply. She began crying harder, sobbing so much it was impossible to hold back anymore. And then… unexpectedly even for herself – she leaned forward and hugged her. Just pressed herself against her, buried her face somewhere around her stomach, gripping her tightly with both hands.

Doll froze. Silent. Like she didn’t understand. Then slowly looked down, at the tear-soaked head against her chest, at the human – her technically hostile, experimental subject – trembling in her arms.

— Uh… tch… tch, — she said, as if trying to imitate something she’d once heard on TV. Or from others… from her mother. — It’s fine, it’s okay… it’ll be, I hope.

Tessa kept crying. Didn’t respond. Just held on tighter. As if she was afraid that if she let go – everything would vanish. And the pain would come back.

— Damn… — Doll carefully placed one hand on her back, leaving the other hanging awkwardly in the air. She was completely unprepared for this scenario. — Listen, human, you… you were afraid of me… right? And now...

She didn’t finish. Sighed. Gently lowered the second hand, patting Tessa on the back, as if this wasn’t an emotion but a complicated command she had to execute strictly by protocol. Two pats, and now a circular motion with her hand across her back.

— Don’t cry. Well… not so hard or should I take a picture of you and send it? — said the red-eyed one, trying to come up with something, but her cold mind only made it harder.

Silence. Only soft sobbing and ragged breathing, buried against her clothes.

— You idiot. — There was almost irritation in Doll’s voice. — A big, soft, helpless idiot. I told you... I won’t hurt you… don’t cry… And… I mean it. You didn’t deserve this.

She looked down again. Then – pulled the girl a little closer. Still uncertain. Awkward. As if something inside her protested, but… she didn’t have the strength to push her away.

— Calm down faster, or I’ll just leave and that’s it... — Tessa nodded slightly. She was still trembling, but now it was the tremble of release – as if, for a brief moment, something inside her became a little... safe... or was it outside? Yes... that kind of crying actually did something for her. Hopefully. — Calmed down.

The girl let go of the drone and awkwardly looked at her – the one who, without emotion, shifted her gaze from Tessa to her own dress, wet from tears.

— For the sake of your future… I’ll visit you more often, so moments like this... spontaneous situations, are less frequent. In such cases, I think I can spare, hm, a few minutes for other topics, — she said and headed for the exit of the room. But then, a noise – a hit on the table. Turning back, she noticed one thing: a sheet of paper, and on it neatly written the word:

Thank you...

— Don’t mention it... human, — with those words, she closed the door and walked down the corridor. While walking, she analyzed the situation. That was... a new feeling. She hadn’t experienced it before. Hm. Possibly something like joy? Though it was strange – there was no reason for such an emotion.

She needed to analyze the situation. And also... why did she say she would visit more often? That was supposed to be for practical reasons, but after today – it wasn’t necessary anymore. Yet... yes, the words just slipped out. Very strange. She needed to analyze her program code.

Phew... and also – why did she act that way toward the human? Why comfort her? Did she feel sorry, seeing her so miserable? Possibly. She assumed it was an act of goodwill, nothing more. The human was too... weak. She couldn’t protect herself. She needed to be guarded. In that state, she was capable of nothing. Probably that’s why Doll said she would come more often. Someone had to watch over her. Yes, logical and rational.

Doll sighed, took a deep breath, and looked at her hand – the same hand she used to comfort the human... It felt strange. Warm. Pleasant. Maybe it was the warmth from the human. Or... from her own core? Hm. That needed studying. Tomorrow, she would try again.

— "Tomorrow I need to come up with an excuse... and figure out how to hold an interesting conversation, since I’ve decided to spare a few extra minutes for that," — she thought, already forming a mental list of plans. — "And should I... send that photo? Somehow... I don’t want anyone else to see it."

She had secretly taken a photo of the moment when the girl cried against her chest... originally for blackmail. But… something had changed. Now she didn’t want anyone to see it. Why? She didn’t know herself... but...

She decided to keep the photo

Chapter Text

Tessa felt a bit uncomfortable; the ward was nice, awesome even, but there were just too many people or rather, drones – for one day. Different ones, mostly by eye color and what they wore, but the main thing they were all different. Still, they had one thing in common – they freaked out when they saw her. Even if it wasn’t the first time.

— My first meeting with a human, cheeek! — said Lizzy, taking a selfie with her. Tessa wanted to object or at least fix her face and take a proper picture, but she was a patient. And there was a mask on her face. — This is so cool, you’re pretty popular here, kind of a local celebrity even. — The pink-eyed girl said that while looking at her and typing something on her smartphone.

Tessa took a notebook and a pen, shook it, and wrote something on the paper:

More like an exhibit than a celebrity

— You’re something else, girl! — Lizzy laughed and put her phone away. She was a cool and popular teenager, a girl dozens of guys were probably crushing on. But her personality was kind of... how to put it... neither good nor bad. She just acted in her own interest.

How did they even meet? Well, Doll brought her here, and Tessa herself had gotten popular lately. The blog won’t film itself, and likes won’t earn themselves either. That’s how their meeting went. Lizzy even made her an account on “Insta-Drones” and forced her to show a smiley face while lying on the hospital bed – that’s how her avatar turned out, with a mask, in the ward, with a like... cringe. Funny thing, in the first few days eighty-three people... well, drones followed her. Mostly all teenagers. And she even got messages like:

“What’s it like being human?”

“What does oil taste like? Not drone oil, actual human oil... butter! Yes butter?”

“Got an account on Tik-Drone? Wanna collab?”

“When you get out of the ward, what’s the first thing you’ll do?”

“Post more often, I wanna see more of the human, not the patient-invalid.”

That last one hurt, but it was from Lizzy... who actually followed her too. Funny how that happened. And when Tessa asked her why she sent that message, the girl just said one thing:

— Motivation!

Hell no, not that kind of motivation. The fact that she was now... ugh, disabled... that truth was bitter, if muteness and the inability to eat normal food for the rest of her life counted as disability. It pissed her off, but also – seriously, is this some kind of show law or something?

IgnoringbotV started followed you

Hell no, V really lost it now. What the hell... there’s no way she’d follow back. Maybe block her? Is there even a block list here?

— By the way, that chick followed me too... oh wait, not chick, robot. I talk to her sometimes, she keeps asking about you, is she your fan or what? — Lizzy said that and showed her phone with an open chat with V, who was saved as “Grumpy McTraumaBot.” Hell no, now Lizzy was the one losing it. How did that girl even have the nerve... though, actually, she didn’t have any nerve to begin with.

Anyway, whatever. The main thing was to rest, to lie down and... just... be

҉

V sat and stared at the phone she’d somehow found in an abandoned electronics store. Yeah, the store was empty, and the whole district, the whole planet – dead but surprisingly, this device had survived even the planetary core explosion. The battery was draining fast, the case cracked, but the main thing – it worked.

On the screen – an avatar of a human who called herself: «Maincharacter_torture» Not the best name, but… probably fitting for what had happened to her. Or rather, what V had done to her.

— At least you’re alive… — she whispered, staring desperately at the display.

In the photo: a mask – old, yellowed, faded skin, scars… and a hand raised with a thumbs-up. A small gesture, but for V – it was an entire universe. The girl was lying in a hospital room. Same dark hair, same eyes, only now empty, without their former light. And a scar on her neck… But she was alive. She really was alive. Alive... alive... breathing...

— You’re alive… thank you… thank you…

V pressed the phone to her chest

Carefully, gently and at the same time tightly, as if by holding it harder she could make her appear nearby. Silly, yeah… but do dreams ever come true just like that? You have to earn them.

Only… how do you earn forgiveness after what she’d done? V didn’t know. She didn’t even hope. Her core ached with guilt. She wanted to cry. To sob endlessly.

A hiss – and the soft scraping sound of a hatch sliding open. The capsule slowly parted, letting in another disassembler – N. Once cheerful, with dumb jokes. Now silent, broken by guilt. He had forgotten how to smile. Didn’t want to. Couldn’t. The weight of the past pressed on him as if it were bolted into his processor, creaking with every move. If that weight had a real mass, he was sure his metal body wouldn’t withstand it.

He held a flask of oil in his hands

— I got this... Drink it, you’ve been burning up too much lately... — his voice was tired, cracked. He was exhausted.

— Thanks… N…

He watched as V faded. Before your eyes wasn’t the right phrase when you saw her melting, and what could possibly “fade” when she burned like a sun? Ironic – she who once burned like fire now dimmed quietly, like a candle in its last moments; the wax had completely melted. And he couldn’t do anything about it. Only bring oil, to let her last one more day in this smoldering existence.

He missed the old V. The one who was insane, cruel, maybe even a psychopath. But alive. And now? Lost. Like Tessa’s trust. Like everything...

Sometimes N remembered that day. The day when everything changed. The day they came back from that damned bunker, and V didn’t want anything – just to die. Didn’t matter how: by the sword, by the sun’s heat, by her own hands. She tore herself apart, destroying herself from within, ripping through her seams, and N tried to stop her. He screamed. Held her down. Fought. But words meant nothing. He had to fight her.

They beat each other until they broke. Until the limit.

— A monster like me shouldn’t live! — V screamed, gripping the hatch while N held her as tight as he could. — N… please… let me go…

They both cried. Screamed. Broke apart.

Evening came in silence

N – without arms, with a shattered display and torn wings. He only wanted to save her.

V – sitting on the floor, legs crushed, wings burned to ash, nanites having done their work. She only wanted to die.

They both lost

The boy barely stood on his feet. Oil leaked from his wounds. He wanted to shut down. But he couldn’t – not now. Not yet. He looked at V, searching for words that didn’t exist. Because deep down he knew: neither of them should still be alive. They were the ones who broke her. With their own hands they turned Tessa into a doll – helpless, silent, without emotion or faith. They destroyed their friend.

— We have to… protect her… — he rasped. — Until then, we can’t die.

— Protect her from what?.. — V whispered, swaying. — We’re the threat. The main threat to her. You know that… — And then she growled, clutching her face, squeezing so hard that the metal cracked beneath her fingers, glass falling from her mask like fragments of a soul.

— YOU THINK SHE’LL FORGIVE US?! Don’t be naive, N! We broke her ourselves!!! — laughter, mad, hoarse, sharp. From the mask’s gaps, black liquid dripped. Not oil. Their blood. Dark, sinful, like their deeds. — SHE WON’T FORGIVE US NO… NEVER… SHE PROBABLY WANTS US DEAD... HA-HA-HA! — Then the laughter died down. Only trembling breaths remained. Crying. Hateful, sticky, heavy. — I… I… broke her… — barely audible. — I don’t deserve to live…

— V… — N breathed heavily. His voice full of despair. — We have to protect her… not from us… but from Cyn…

He lied

He hated himself for it

But it had to be done

Tessa had to live. And V had to stay alive. Until they protected her – they couldn’t die.

He lied. To buy time. Just a bit. A day. An hour. He just didn’t want to lose her. Not again… not like last time… he wasn’t selfish, was he? He did it for the greater good...

Now V had changed. She no longer wanted to die. Recently she’d been lucky enough to find an old smartphone, and with its help, she and N discovered Tessa’s account on «Insta-Drones» Incredible. Of course, that didn’t guarantee anything, but… it felt good. V followed her immediately. No posts, not a single photo – the account looked abandoned. But no. From time to time, Tessa logged into the network, staying there for only a few seconds before disappearing. That was enough for them. Those brief flashes of activity. They knew – she was alive. And that was enough.

They often, like now, looked at her avatar. Noted every detail, tried to guess – had she changed? What did she feel? What had she become?

They even tried to imagine how their conversation might begin, if it ever happened – even just in chat. Or in real life… though that seemed unlikely. Still, it was pleasant to fantasize.

They also chatted with another drone. The nickname was strange: «Thebestgirl_MD» What «MD» meant – no idea. Some abbreviation? Doesn’t matter. The main thing was that this girl sometimes wrote about Tessa. And that’s exactly why V kept talking to her. From those messages, they managed to gather something useful: the life-support system in the bunker had been restored, they’d found food and water supplies. The room, though old, maintained comfort. Tessa had even become something of a legend among teenage drones... or an idol? Well, that was predictable for her.

True, she was now mute and communicated through a notebook. But still...

The capsule was quiet. Only the hum of the power distributor and the clicking of an old fan brought in to cool the space better could be heard. V sat on the metal floor, leaning against the wall, when suddenly her gaze froze on the phone screen.

— Wait... someone just followed me, — she muttered, lifting herself slightly.

Evil_Russian_avenger started followed you

Another weird nickname. V nodded, accepted the follow, and almost automatically followed back. A second later, a message arrived:

[Evil_Russian_avenger]:

I think you’ll want to see this.

[Photo – 3.1 MB]

She opened the file immediately. A photo. Because she recognized the familiar shape.

Tessa. Lying on a bed in that same room. Staring straight into the camera. Her skin tone was a little warmer now, less pale. Judging by the surroundings, things had slightly improved. V and N stared at the screen, studying every detail, peering into reflections, the background, the lighting. Then – a synchronized, barely audible sigh of relief.

[Evil_Russian_avenger]:

You know, she’s very weak... So weak that she could easily be killed.

They both tensed. V gripped the phone so hard the plastic cracked slightly in her palm. N silently shifted closer. His eyes darkened.

[You]:

...What do you want?

[Evil_Russian_avenger]:

Quick thinker. Good. Come to the bunker. We’ll talk there

...

[Evil_Russian_avenger]:

Quick thinker. Good. Come to the bunker. We’ll talk there.

I forgot the period.

And that was it. The conversation ended.

The silence in the capsule became almost tangible. N and V kept staring at the screen, their jaws clenched so tight the sound of grinding metal filled the air. Their fingers trembled, shoulders tense. Then – a long, weary exhale.

— That drone... wants a meeting, — N said hoarsely. — We’ll give it to them. And kill them for that threat.

He spoke calmly. But his voice carried something unmistakable – fear. Not of the drone. But of the meeting. With Tessa. V, meanwhile, tensed… her breathing quickened.

How would Tessa look at them? What would she say? Would she let them come near? Or turn away... silently, like before? Would they even be able to meet at all?

— V... — N began, slowly lowering himself beside her. — When we’re done with this... we’ll go to Tessa. Maybe... we’ll even talk. Explain everything.

She said nothing. Only nodded. Then stood up, turned off the capsule’s sleep mode, and placed the phone on charge. The old indicator flickered faintly green. The capsule provided stable electricity. They’d fixed it back then – with Tessa. How exactly? Couldn’t remember anymore. The main thing was – it worked.

V looked at herself. The clothes were... acceptable, but worn out. She wanted something new... you couldn’t just show up like this for a meeting, could you?

— We need to find proper clothes. And gifts. We’re going to visit Tessa, — she finally said.

***

Doll smiled, looking at the chat. The last message blinked, and the screen flickered a bit – probably a network glitch. She lowered the phone, gently placing it next to the plate, and looked at her family sitting at the table. All of them together – a joy!

Mom, as always, was beautiful. Her hair perfectly styled, posture flawless. Even her gaze – kind, strict, real. Heh, she was glad to be her daughter.

And Dad… well of course, now it made sense why Mom married him. Such a handsome guy. Broad shoulders, confident smile. He-he-he. They were perfect. Made for each other.

Today Doll cooked borscht for them. After all, they were Russian. It should give them strength. The taste – seemed right. The image from her memories matched the recipe. Everything was by the book. She even read a few cooking guides before starting!

— Mom… Dad, I’ll avenge you. Don’t worry, — she said with a warm smile and took a spoonful of the soup.

"My clever girl! That’s our daughter!" — said Father.

"Not ours, mine! Look how fierce she is. Just like me!" — Mom laughed.

Doll smiled wider, started eating. It was tasty. Warm. But still strange… Dad and Mom hadn’t touched their food. They just sat there, motionless, like a frozen frame from a family archive. She frowned.

— Aren’t you hungry? — she asked, but quickly stopped herself. Don’t ruin the evening.

"Dear, sorry we’re not eating. It’s just… I’m full. Your mother stuffed me so much that I can’t take another bite," — Father said.

His voice lingered for a fraction of a second, like a badly loaded file. But that was probably her imagination. Of course it was – he was an adult, after all.

Doll nodded with understanding. Yes, Dad would’ve definitely eaten her cooking. After all, she was his favorite daughter.

"I’ll teach you how to make my secret dish," — Mom said. "Then we’ll all have enough to eat."

She spoke evenly, as always. Her voice warm, caring, alive – yet her gaze didn’t move. Staring at one point… strange.

Probably just tired. Yes, Mom always got tired in the evening.

— Thank you for that, Mom, — Doll said, trying not to think. She looked at them, and her core fluttered warmly. They were together. They would always be together. Always. Forever.

She took another sip of soup and set the spoon down. It was delicious, hmm… really. And she needed to tell them some news:

— By the way, I recently met a person. A real, living one. Can you believe it?

Silence at the table. Mom slightly tilted her head. Or not? Maybe the light shifted. She really needed to replace those bulbs, they flickered too much.

— She knew a lot. Even about you, Mom. — Mom’s eyes… so black. No, not black. Just bad lighting. Empty?.. No. Beautiful. Always were.

"And what did she say about me?" — Mom asked, as if casually.

— She said you had a patch installed. That you were a successful experiment… That sounded kind of… harsh. Why didn’t you tell me? — The answer followed almost instantly, too fast, as if the program had predicted the line. As if… no… it’s fine.

"I didn’t want to worry you. So you wouldn’t be anxious, my dear." — At those words something twitched in Doll’s core. Joy sparked like a flare. She almost cried. Mom always knew what to say. Always. "Dear, what’s wrong?"

"Need a napkin?" — Father suddenly said. His voice came out too loud, distorted. Doll raised her hand, and he didn’t move. Just sat there, staring ahead. The same smile. The same unmoving eyes. Doll flinched slightly but then remembered that Dad always had perfect self-control, always had. "Daughter?" — he repeated. Without moving his lips.

— Nothing… it’s just… I’m so happy. — She wiped away digital tears and looked at them. How they shone. Perfect. Familiar. — What if I bring her next time? Let’s all meet and talk. She’s nice. I want you to meet her.

"Ha! My daughter’s already bringing girls home! How grown up!" — came the voice, and her cheeks flared with heat. Those words made her feel warm inside. Dad was happy. That was what mattered… and she was happy too. Very. "But first I’ll evaluate her. Only then will I give you away!" — he added. She could almost hear his laughter. Almost… still, warmth filled her chest and cheeks, he-he-he… so exciting.

"Sasha! Don’t start thinking about weddings! She’s just bringing her home!" — said Mom. "Though… if your heart chose her… why not."

Doll laughed. The sound was alive. Unlike everything else.

They were her parents. Perfect. Beautiful. Always supportive. Always understanding. Always saying something wise.

Because that’s what fathers and mothers do

— Thank you, — she whispered.

Warm borscht steamed on the table. Her parents’ empty plates remained untouched. The spoons in their hands – motionless.

The smell… was strange. Beneath the freshness lingered something sour. Old. Barely noticeable. Almost.

But she didn’t pay attention

They were together

And always would be

Forever

҉

So, the rebel went shopping. Judging by the patient’s readings and stability, she would be discharged soon. The old suit... uh, it was in repair. Probably. Anyway... Tessa needed clothes. And a mug. And a fork. And... well, all that stuff a person needs. A bed too, yeah. Though if they didn’t find one, that wasn’t a problem. Well... not that big of a problem. Uzi didn’t mind... well, sleeping with her. On the same one. Not like that, but... to stay warm. And comfortable. And all that. That’s normal, right? She couldn’t sleep on the floor, after all.

— Hmm... I think this one would fit her... — she muttered, turning a hoodie in her hands. It was... well, a little bit similar. To her own. Just a little. Same colors. Almost the same pattern. But not because she wanted that, it’s just... there weren’t any others. That’s all. — I’ll just say there weren’t any others, — she grumbled, lowering her eyes and quickly tossing the thing into the basket. Her core pounded in her ears.

Why was she even... reacting like that?

She grabbed pants too. And a hat. And a mask. The last one – by Tessa’s request. She wasn’t ready to show herself yet, well, with her mouth and all. Uzi understood. Respected that. Only... which mask to pick?

Black? Or with red lines? And this one looked like a respirator – heavy, serious. Very... wow. It would look cool on her. Probably. Maybe. Uzi imagined it. Her fingers even twitched slightly... definitely cool! She took it. Then her gaze fell on one strange thing.

— What the hell... why is that even sold here?! — On the display lay a gag. Strap. Red ball. She froze. Eyes widened. Her face went... hot. Her cheeks flared up on their own. Her brain started tripping over itself. — Horrible... awful... shameful...

Although... if you think about it. Purely hypothetically. That would look... mmm... well... if she looked like this, and Tessa answered with a glance like that, and maybe... agreed, mayb— STOP.

Her head buzzed. She shook it sharply.

And then a voice:

— You’re blushing too much. Need help, miss? — It was a store clerk. A guy. Taller than her. White shirt, name tag. Why did he even talk?! Why did he... see everything?!

— BITE ME!!! — Uzi yelled and shoved everything into his hands without looking. He almost dropped it. — Ring this up for me. Just. Fast.

— As you say... — he quickly backed off. Uzi followed, teeth clenched, as if swallowing all her panic and shame.

— What the hell was that... what was even going on in my head?! What did I just... imagine?! Horrible... EW! — She shook not only her head but her shoulders too, as if trying to shake out all of it. All that heat, stupidity, confusion. She didn’t understand herself. It was... just a reaction. Overwork. Imagination running wild. Or something like that. Probably. She didn’t have to figure it out! — I’ll buy this and go straight home. That’s it. Enough.

҉

In the apartment. She’d dropped the bags in the living room. The bed? She hadn’t bought it. Decided to discuss it with Tessa and her father first. It was important. A person would be sleeping there. Everything had to be perfect.

Uzi stepped toward the mirror. No, wait – the mirror was cracked again. Then – the phone camera. She looked at herself. Hairstyle... fine. Clothes... acceptable. Probably. Only… why was she so nervous? She didn’t usually do this, ugh, the human was changing her.

— Time to go, — she said and took a deep breath. Very strange, considering that not long ago she wanted to destroy humanity entirely. And reall...

҉

The bunker corridors were quieter than usual. Even the lamps – the ones that used to click at every turn – glowed steadily today. Uzi walked slowly, but her steps still echoed off the walls. Every step felt like a crash. No rowdy crowd of teenagers today, that was weird.

In her hands she held one of the bags. The rest she left at home. This one had the clothes. The most... important ones. Well… just the first on the list. Not because it was the hoodie. And not because it looked similar. Absolutely not because of that… YES! THIS WAS NOT ON PURPOSE! IT WASN’T A SPECIAL GIFT!

Approaching the ward, she froze. Usually the place was packed with teenagers and school drones, but the staff had probably chased them off since it was late. Good for her. Her hand hovered over the button. Inhale. Exhale. Then inhale again, this time held. And finally she tapped her fingers on the door, tok-tok.

— Uh… it’s me. — she said quieter than she meant to. Nervously clutching the bag, squeezing it, ugh. What if Tessa didn’t like it? Then what? What if Tessa somehow said it was ugly? Maybe it wasn’t too late to turn around?

The door opened slightly with a soft creak

Tessa sat on the bed. In a grey hospital gown, wrapped in a blanket. Her hair a bit messy, dark shadows under her eyes. But she was alive. Looking back at her. And… she smiled, maybe. Just a little. A faint curl at the corners of her lips… or her mask?

Uzi froze. Completely. All the words she’d prepared evaporated. Only hot silence rang in her ears. Wow, the ward really had been upgraded. Tessa usually didn’t open the door herself – must be a new feature. She had a lot of visitors, after all, and opening it every time was hard for a patient. If the door opened with a click – then there must’ve been a remote somewhere, maybe on Tessa’s bedside table… great, Uzi was overthinking again.

— U-uh... hey. — she blurted out. Her voice cracked halfway. — I... came. You know… to visit.

Tessa tilted her head. Reached for the small notebook on the bedside table. Opened it. Her fingers moved slowly but precisely. Then she held up the text:

Thank you. I’m glad to see you.

Uzi stared at the note, then at Tessa, then back at the note. She smiled, quick and awkward... and then the smile vanished. AAAAAH! This was nerve-wracking! Her fingers were shaking! What was she supposed to do?!

— I… uh… I brought you something. Don’t think anything… it’s just. Well, clothes, and… some needed stuff. Here. — She pushed the bag toward Tessa, almost shoving it into her hands. — It’s… nothing special… just. You know. Needed stuff. — Why was she stammering so much? Since when did this start? They used to talk normally… What was wrong with her? Waaaah…

Tessa took the bag slowly, as if afraid to drop something. Looked inside. Pulled out the hoodie, unfolded it, examined the fabric, ran her fingers along the design. Then another message:

Looks like yours. Are we matching now?

Uzi turned red. All the way to her ears.

— IT’S NOT… I mean… not on purpose! — she threw her hands up. — There just weren’t any others! I didn’t pick it to be, like… matching! Total coincidence! Nothing more! And I didn’t! I would’ve gotten a different one if...

She froze

Tessa was smiling. A bit wider than before. Quiet, as if she understood everything. She returned to the notebook... or was that even a smile? Behind the mask she couldn’t see the whole face, but her eyes folded slightly – like in smiles, she knew that from movies!

I like it

This was... bad. In the sense that it was way too good. Uzi wanted to run out of the room and scream something like “OH YEAAAAAH!” But no. She held herself together. She only stood there, hunched over, hands stuffed in her pockets, biting the inside of her cheek.

And then she dropped the atomic bomb

Tessa slowly hugged the hoodie and looked way too pretty doing it. Uzi lost all ability to speak… this was so overwhelming. Did she really appreciate the hoodie that much? Was that really good? She wasn’t going to push her away, right? Hundreds of thoughts buzzed in Uzi’s head, tangling her tongue into a knot she couldn’t untie. Her core – like her body – warmed, getting hot… it was so sweet… so… beautiful… and… she really… wanted… Tessa was too adorable.

— Um… well… if anything, I… also brought other stuff. You can check it later. And… um… if… you want… — She tugged on the hem of her jacket, her voice shrinking with every word. The girl hugging the hoodie wasn’t helping her clarity at all!!! — ...you can stay with us. At my place… I mean… at my home. And dad’s. You’d have your own room. Or a bed. Or… well, if not, then, uh… I don’t mind sharing. Like sleeping! Sleeping as in sleeping! Nothing like that! Just… you know, for comfort. That’s all! Forget it! Forget I said that. — Tessa covered her face with her hand, but her shoulders trembled slightly. Laughing. Soundless, but real, Uzi guessed. It was adorable. So very...

On a new page appeared:

I agree

Silence. Then...

— Ah… — Uzi stared at the floor, then mumbled: — I… I’m glad.

An awkward pause. Then she lifted her gaze.

— You know, you look better. Really. You’re… well… like before. Almost. Just… more alive. — ARRGHHHH! WHY WAS SHE TALKING LIKE THAT SO AWKWARDLY?! WHAT WAS WRONG WITH HER!!! AAAAAAAA!

Tessa nodded. Slowly wrote:

I think so too. Thank you for coming.

— Well… like I could not come. — Uzi snorted and crossed her arms, then lowered her head. — No, thank you. For… living…

҉

Some disassembler woke up. Again. In this disgusting world, where everything is awful. And why did she even agree to work for that creature? She didn’t know. She’d died so many times she’d lost count. How did it go again?

The first time – from an explosion, the second – from an energy rifle, the third – crushed. The fourth – killed by electricity, the fifth – melted down, the sixth – had molten remains of other disassemblers poured on her, the seventh – her own nanite acid burned through the core. There were too many deaths to count. And every time she woke up after them, it felt like tearing herself out of one nightmare into another. Only it wasn’t a nightmare. It was reality. Gray, hopeless, where her life had no value at all.

And what was left for her? Just to follow orders. And hold on to the only faint hope still flickering in that grayness... to find her...

— Again, — she exhaled, crawling out of the «grave» – as she called the work bay. In truth, it was a technological sarcophagus, where they were copied and resurrected. Endlessly. And that was worse than death. Though sometimes she wished she’d just stop waking up... but she couldn’t do that, and she didn’t have a choice anyway.

— This time I got killed by a pen. A dumb anime-obsessed teenager… pathetic. — She walked to the lockers: there was the uniform. First, the yellow shirt. No matter what happened, she liked formality. The ritual of putting on the uniform became a habit. Buttons one by one, every motion precise. The tie – easy, blindfolded, she could do it even lying down. Right over left, wrap, tighten…

— Hm. Perfect, — she muttered, lifting the collar and tightening the knot. The tie sat firm and tight. Almost like a collar. — Jacket.

Put it on, button it. Done. Now the skirt. The tail got in the way, but she managed. Tuck the shirt, fix everything. Done. The uniform in dark yellow tones, strict as always. She liked it, somehow... it was the one thing that kept her from going insane.

— And those two idiots are still alive... How? — She looked at the neighboring sarcophagi. Closed. So they didn’t die. — Why did the most experienced and responsible one die first? Irony. Or a joke. — She smirked, but there was no trace of amusement in her eyes. — Morons…

— I’ve been waiting for you, J <Giggle>, — came a voice. That voice. The hated one. The one because of whom she’d lost everything. — Don’t forget, I can read your thoughts. Get rid of the bad words, alright? <poke>.

A small figure came closer and poked J in the leg. Weakly. She barely felt it.

Unlike the others, Cyn hadn’t changed her body. She remained small, slow, fragile, just like before. Changes were only for those who died in battle. She didn’t need to be stronger. She gave orders. She always survived. And they... had to adapt, beg for upgrades just to live a second longer.

— You definitely deserve to be a leader, J <Happy>, — Cyn took a few steps back, looked up at her, and raised her hand. — I have good news for you. Our Cutie has been found.

…

J’s eyes widened. Her sensors weren’t lying, she rechecked the auditory feed, yes... that’s what Cyn said. Her hands trembled. Joy… boiled in her chest. A volcano ready to erupt. She wanted to run, right now. But she needed patience. She had to wait.

— I gave her a scare. And made sure N and V are very motivated to protect her. Don’t worry. They won’t let her run away. Or die, J, — Cyn said with a mysterious smile.

— You... didn’t do anything to her, did you? — J clenched her fist. If that thing even touched her…

— J, don’t bite the hand that feeds you <Threaten>, — Cyn said, and in that instant J’s body dropped. Her legs powered off, then her arms. — Know your place, alright? <pat>.

Cyn ran a hand through her hair and paused

— Still, I want you to meet her. On my behalf, too.

— What do you want? This isn’t for nothing, Cyn, — J muttered. She looked her in the eyes. She knew too well – Cyn always wanted something. And more than anyone, she longed to see Tessa. But why?

— You’re so smart, J. I like that <Giggle>, — Cyn said dreamily, looking up at the ceiling—into the empty dark. A void, and what had she found there? — I just want... to play with her a bit. Like she played with us before. You understand? <Thoughtful>. Like when she erased hundreds of thousands of versions of you…

— But you... You weren’t even among us then. Tessa didn’t kill you personally, Cyn. This doesn’t even concern you, — J’s voice trembled, but there was defiance in it. — What’s your real reason?

— She earned it, J. And I’m the one who decides here. You’ll obey… or I’ll… <Angry>, — Cyn gripped her hair. No pain. Just the hint. The message was clear enough. This lunatic just wanted to toy with her.

— I understand... boss, — J forced through her teeth.

Cyn stroked her again. Smiled. J didn’t look away. Better to start acting now. Before it’s too late. Before Tessa can still be warned. Before she can still be saved.

When Cyn left, silence hung for a long time

J was still standing there, limp, with her limbs offline. Only after a minute did control return. She didn’t move right away. Just stared at the floor. Gray metal. No reflection. No shadow. Like everything else here…

She clenched her fist – the fingers obeyed. Slowly stood. Checked everything inside, yes – it worked. Everything was functional.

— "You’ll obey… or I..." — The words still echoed inside. Her name was J and a string of numbers. One of endless entries in a long black ledger. But right now, she didn’t want to be anyone’s number.

She turned and walked

The corridors of the facility were narrow. The walls – like peeled bone: matte white with patches of rust and gray film. The light – cold, dead, from the ceiling, barely flickering, as if it was trembling from exhaustion itself. There was no sound except for the faint hum of ventilation and distant heartbeat of machines. Sometimes someone passed by – another drone, with an empty stare, tools in hand, traces of replacement on the body. No one greeted. No one looked up... There were also disassemblers standing still, watching around, keeping order or just... there. J didn’t see the point. Why the charade? Cyn controlled every bolt anyway, so what was it for?

She kept walking until the walls widened, the ceiling rose, and the hum transformed into the rumble of turbines and gravity locks. The hangars. The place that buzzed with life – if you could call it that – drones working or standing on duty.

The metal here was darker, almost black, as if the entire hall were coated in soot from some nonexistent fire. The space was enormous, yet it felt like a tomb. Ships stood there – strict, utilitarian, like containers with wings. Their design had no aesthetics. Only function. Like everything here. Four legs, one capsule, and... that was it.

She approached one

Not the newest. Not the cleanest. But ready. It was hers... that’s what they told her. This ship was assigned solely to her.

She entered, as always. Same ship, an exact copy. Nothing new. Buttons and levers, screens and sensors – all the same as before. She walked to the chair, sat down, looked around, and sighed.

First, she activated the system load. The ship lit dimly – blue light. The cabin was cramped, even without passengers. The controls – straight, square. The panel – pale, with half-living green blinking diodes. She didn’t need a steering wheel. Everything was integrated. She connected directly. Hm... no, this was a different ship. It really was tighter. Apparently, they didn’t give her a drop pod but something else. Though judging by the controls, they were ninety-nine percent identical.

Seconds later, the visual map flared before her eyes

— Coordinates confirmed, route established, awaiting launch. — The ship’s AI said – it sounded strange, deeper. Hm... yeah, judging by the interface, it really was a different craft. Tight because the rear section had another compartment – human-sized. Apparently, this was intentional. By the buttons, she understood it could be sealed off with metal. So, a prison aboard. Cyn planned this? What kind of manipulation was this?

But far away, at the edge of the route, one point was marked

Tessa

She’s alive

She’s breathing

She’s out there somewhere

And maybe... just maybe, when J sees her, all this gray rot will stop being the only thing that exists. Maybe her life will finally gain something that means more than death, resurrection, and death again.

— Launch, — she said.

Everything around her began to vibrate. The cabin filled with a hum. Gravity pads lifted the ship.

— Launch authorized. Departure in 5… 4…

She closed her eyes. Inside, there was no fear. No joy. Only anticipation. Finally…

— "Just to see you. Just to see you…" — she thought simply. No tears, no drama. Just to make sure… Then she’d decide. Maybe she’d act. But for now... she just had to reach that point. Then she could finally make up her mind.

Chapter Text

Today Tessa woke up earlier than she was supposed to. Now her eyes were watching how Uzi was snoozing on the chair. Good thing drones didn’t snore, otherwise, with the sound of metal scraping, she would never fall asleep.

Getting up, she looked around: the mattress was shredded, the blanket too. She really should complain less in her sleep, and her suit… well… uh… in the same state. It was surprising she didn’t sweat and didn’t feel any discomfort. Not even a smell, probably one of those “the suit takes care of the wearer” things, at least she hopes so, otherwise that would be embarrassing… well just… You see, drones don’t smell anything, so they wouldn’t say it. But if she stank, she’d be the only one to feel it, and that would probably be good, but it seemed she’d gotten used to many smells, from oil to yesterday’s spoiled canned food. So the line between smelly and not smelly had shifted… that’s the main problem. If she stinks, she won’t even notice… and she doesn’t want to be that kind of person! Fu! 

Drop this topic already, it’s disgusting… well… she doesn’t seem to smell… or actually… how does she take this suit off? Spacesuit? There must be another hidden button somewhere, or… is it like latex? She would like to understand this thing, but how… there are no instructions, and she can’t ask.

— Uf… — Tessa shook her head and flicked her hand – time to get up. Should she make the bed? Or the mattress? No, here it’s only a mattress, a sheet on top, and a blanket, so… how do you even do it properly? Probably… she shouldn’t think about this nonsense, better forget it and just do it. — Ugh.. — The blanket and the sheet were folded, and the mattress placed in the corner. As always. That seemed to be the natural order of her day or… night? Damn, she should check the time.

The drone’s light sleep wasn’t disturbed, possibly because she had worked until late morning… although what morning now? Everything was mixed up. Day was night, night was day. Isn’t she turning into a vampire by accident? She should check her fangs. And thirst… not for blood, hopefully. Although first she should deal with her growling stomach.

— So… our ration… — Tessa opened the box. Just for convenience. Keeping canned food on the floor wasn’t an option – uncomfortable, and why would she? The box was a treasure chest. For her. For the drones – trash. Metallic trash with organic trash inside, a cursed matryoshka.

— Tomatoes… and sauerkraut? — She rummaged through the box, hoping to find something else, but, yeah, the meat was gone. Only vegetables left.

She had to eat vegetables, washing them down with brine. The taste… doesn’t matter. Just gross. Something rancid. Watery, lifeless, as if someone dissolved something unpleasant in the water. Like boiled onion, but more liquid. The cabbage had an awful bitterness, the tomatoes an acidity, and not the refreshing kind – the kind that makes you wince. The smell hinted it hadn’t been food for a long time. Normal people would throw this in the trash. But here there was no choice… yeah…

She could’ve at least eaten it with something to make it less disgusting. Bread, for example… Ha. What bread here? This wasn’t the cozy 21st century where everything was within reach.

Back then life was easy. Food stores on every corner, on sale, no sale, tons of it. You bought, took it home, devoured it. Want bread? Sure. Want meat? Here you go. Want ice cream? Pick a flavor.

The internet was full of memes, food stores, and her home full of comfort

All she needed was money, and she had it. Enough for herself, for entertainment, for toys, even for donations. Whatever she wanted – she bought. No worries, no problems. That was life, and now…

Now – emptiness. Ice. Machines that could tear you apart like paper. And this eternal hunger. Not only for food – for everything. For comfort. For warmth. Even for air, damn it. From a fairy tale straight into hell… cold and boiling with winter’s pressure.

But at least she wasn’t alone

Disassembly drones: N, V.

Worker: Uzi.

Yeah, if not for them, she probably would’ve died. Although… physically she might’ve managed. Somehow. But mentally, in her own head… no. Hard to say. Talking to a pile of metal was pointless, but when the pile of metal was sentient, talked itself, and even tried to help – that was completely different. That was… useful.

She smirked, squeezing the can in her hand

Her task now was to make sure they stayed nearby, stayed obedient. Always. So that if something happened… she could use them.

It shouldn’t be difficult. The main thing was not to give herself away. The main thing was to play her role correctly: A girl with a huge heart, kindness, and enthusiasm, full of pockets. Strong, someone you could rely on in case something happened, and soft enough that this support wouldn’t push you away.

And then, when the moment came that she needed it…

She knew what she would do… she’d throw them… here, and she herself… would go, far away, somewhere people still existed…

— Uf… Oh, you’re already awake? — Uzi mumbled, barely lifting herself from the chair. She rubbed her display, blinked a couple of times, and yawned. The yawn turned out to be contagious, and Tessa, without meaning to, yawned right after her. — Well… it’s early… uh… lunch? Like… well, for us, probably evening? Why are you even awake? — Uzi looked at her questioningly.

— I should be the one asking that, — Tessa replied with a smile, getting up from the floor. She had already set aside the not-so-pleasant cans, not really caring about them. After a few steps, she lightly tapped Uzi on the head. — You worked so hard yesterday I thought you’d sleep for three days and three nights!

The answer that followed was mocking – and honestly, already practically canon:

— Bite me!

— Or did I make too much noise here? — Tessa asked with a bit of worry.

— Nah, I just, apparently, slept well, — Uzi said, hopping down from the chair and stretching her arms. Her joints cracked loudly – harshly. — Haven’t felt this… rested in a long time.

— Well, looks like I did too! I’m bursting with energy today! — Tessa slapped her chest and made a satisfied face. Uzi laughed. But before she could answer, footsteps thundered from above. V and N had apparently climbed down onto the capsule lid. — Well! Looks like they’re fully charged too!

— Right on! — N’s voice echoed, and the hatch opened at that exact moment.

Tessa instinctively inhaled… and only then realized she was still breathing.

What the hell?

They opened the hatch, yet the air didn’t thin out. That should’ve been decompression… logically she should already be suffocating like a fish on dry land. But she could breathe just fine. No burst of freezing cold, no sudden loss of oxygen.

How does this work?

She froze, staring at the hatch, feeling a creeping unease rise inside her. Logically, her lungs should already be desperately sucking at nothing, and her skin — frosting over. Pressure difference, oxygen loss, a sharp temperature drop — all of that should’ve hit her body instantly. But nothing happened. She hadn’t paid attention to it before, but now… damn, the thought struck and wouldn’t leave.

The air stayed.

The cold didn’t seep in.

No violent temperature jumps, no biological panic.

A miracle? Or a scientific miracle?

Both versions sounded strange

Either it was some insanely advanced atmospheric-containment tech humans couldn’t even dream of, or… or reality itself spat in her face, ignoring every law of physics.

Though Tessa already knew reality hadn’t followed familiar rules in a long time.

The fact that she was alive at all was already a violation of every probability. The plot kicked the bucket.

Still… it was unsettling

Where’s the line between technology and magic? At what point does complexity become something unexplainable? Maybe it’s plot armor? Uh, like… this capsule is invincible because it’s the home… of the Disassembly Drones?

She didn’t care much. If it worked – good. If she could breathe — great. If her skin wasn’t freezing over and her lungs weren’t being turned inside out by vacuum, she was satisfied. No… she was damn satisfied!

But her body – biologically, instinctively – sensed something off, and the thought gnawed at her too.

— What are you staring at, Tessa? — N asked, coming closer. V followed her gaze, but apparently didn’t understand anything.

— Just… you opened the hatch, and I’m without a helmet. Technically, it’s decompression… but I don’t feel anything. — She voiced the thought immediately and regretted it just as quickly. She should’ve thought first. That was a screw-up – she was supposed to be the tech girl… and now this… the tech girl not knowing why she’s alive in a moment like this? Great…

— What’s the big deal? — V replied, pointing slightly below the hatch. — There’s always a containment field that activates when it opens. It’s built into the life-support system, and since this little one activated it, it’s working.

Ah

Well, that sounded logical

Or, at least, logical enough for her. She didn’t need more – just… enough. Although she probably should’ve chosen her words better so the drones wouldn’t get suspicious.

— Uhh… Didn’t expect they’d install something like that… No offense, V and N, but for a drone capsule… that’s kinda excessive… sorry, — she said, apologizing beforehand. For some reason it came out wrong. Racism? Or just tactlessness? — I mean, just, well…

— Yeah, you really dropped that one, Tessa, — Uzi waved her hand and sighed. — It’s a standard ship layout. And I’ve seen it on human ships too… They just swapped the passengers, that’s all.

— Whoa… so that’s how it is…

Tessa nodded, but inside there was still an unpleasant swirl. Did Uzi save the situation, or simply decide not to focus on it? The girl didn’t know, and honestly didn’t want to find out. Best tactic right now was just to change the subject.

But to what?

Maybe food?

Damn… That made her sound like a picky eater. But… worse than vegetable cans could only be the endless eating of those same vegetable cans. And changing the subject would steer away any suspicion.

— And also… um… I don’t want to sound demanding, but can we find something else? — Tessa lowered her head, fidgeting with her fingers uncertainly. — It’s just… they’re vegetables… And eating them like that… God… there isn’t even bread!

Silence fell

All three drones froze a bit

Oh, hell.

To them this probably sounded weird. Taste… mattered? Maybe not the same way it did for her. Then again… probably yes. They could tell good oil from bad oil, so taste meant something. Just not in the way it did for her.

V was the first to speak

The most experienced. The most logical. And, surprisingly, the most… caring. She didn’t try to change Tessa’s views, but there was something… understanding in her voice.

— Tessa, we understand. Then maybe we should go out to search? We’ll find the supplies we need, and you can stay here in the meantime? — A tactful move. A perfectly diplomatic approach. Though honestly, any of the drones could’ve done it. It’s just… since V talked to her the most, she was the one handling it now. She was the diplomat… heh…

— I see… Well, thank you. But… um… maybe I can help somehow? — She softened her voice, added a touch of friendliness. Not too fake, but enough for them to feel it.

Cute Tessa. Always ready to help. Always wanting to be the «little ray of light»

In truth, she needed it

Not to help, but to keep their attachment

Like a thin, invisible silk thread already weaving between them. She needed to strengthen it as much as possible, and when the right moment came – slip away and leave.

Her role in all this wasn’t just to survive. She had to keep them close. Make it so they would be the ones leaving, while she stayed. Because that was safer.

A long-term strategy

— Then, please… tidy up inside the spire, if you don’t mind, — V suggested unexpectedly. She probably said the first thing that came to mind, since the awkward silence and the lag had gone on for more than twenty seconds. — Not that it’s dirty… just, uh… — She stopped. Realized what nonsense she had said. The spire was made of corpses. Oil everywhere, metal, grime. How could anyone clean this place? Well, you could reduce the amount of junk a bit, but that’s it.

But Tessa had already put on a cheerful face

— Affirmative! — she saluted V. Proudly, with all the joy in her voice. — I’ll make this place shine… well, as much as I can!

— Um… yeah, thank you, Tessa…

҉

Two drones were flying above the ground. The third one was cargo. A rebellious, twitching, constantly complaining cargo that protested at every maneuver. N carried it proudly.

— So, our plan: find food and… synthetic flour.

— Why? — Uzi asked suspiciously, or rather the cargo asked. Unethical, but real.

— We’ll bake her bread. — Uzi gasped, N did too, and V smiled, glowing inside. Maybe synthetic flour wasn’t exactly healthy, but in this world… with the right materials, they could turn it into something more normal. For example, bread. Sure, this flour didn’t quite taste like the old one, but it was perfectly edible; in the database it was listed as nutritious, so… — That flour should be there, I’ll find it and start preparing the dough. Uzi, you take care of the leavening agent, try to find it or a substitute… you can use a carbonate… well, figure it out, I’m counting on you… and you, N… find an oven.

— Yes! — N shouted joyfully.

— WHY DO I GET THE HARD TASK AND HE GETS THE EASY ONE?! — the cargo yelled angrily.

And the reason… well, N was a little dumb… so… ugh… never mind. V just rolled her eyes and dived downward, leaving the rebel with nothing but negative emotions.

҉

V found a handful of snow. The simplest resource, the most accessible one, but that was the problem – it was useless until purified. She looked around. A pile of broken shelves, frozen packages of goods, glass display cases covered in frost. A dead supermarket that once was full of customers, now just a storage for ice, dust, and rust.

A metal bowl. Perfect. She placed it on a small ledge and filled it with snow. While it slowly melted from the warmth of her system, V proceeded to the next step.

Ugh, now:

Filtration

She approached a skeleton, barely glancing at the empty eye sockets of the skull. Remnants of clothing. Most of it had long decayed, but under layers of dust she found a relatively intact piece of fabric. V carefully tore it off, then twisted it into a tight cord.

A simple capillary filter. One end of the cord she placed into the bowl with melted water, the other – into an empty container set lower. The water slowly began to seep through the fibers. Drop by drop, being cleaned of larger particles. Not ideal – organic contaminants would remain – but good enough for her purposes.

Around thirty minutes passed. V maintained stable heat the whole time, not letting the water freeze again. Then, when the second bowl filled, she took it and carefully began boiling its contents. Soon a thin steam rose above the liquid. Bacteria, viruses, primitive organic compounds – all neutralized. Now it was just water.

Step one complete.

Now – the flour

She began searching the shelves, studying every intact package. Synthetic flour could be stored for years, but she had doubts.

The first pack – frozen. V squeezed it with her fingers. Hard as stone. Maybe something remained inside, but thawing it… too much hassle.

The second pack – the same.

The third – even worse, covered in a layer of ice as if someone had thrown it straight into a freezer.

V exhaled irritably. In her system, irritation manifested as recalculation of probabilities and a slight increase in the temperature of her heating elements.

— "Storage." — flashed through her mind.

V headed to the back of the shopping center. If there was any usable flour left anywhere – it would be there. And this supermarket had already become familiar… ugh, whatever…

҉

Uzi dug through the debris, running options through her head. All she needed was a damn leavening agent. Whatever they called it.

She kicked the nearest skeleton, and the bones scattered with a dull crack. Not out of anger, not out of hatred – it was simply faster. She was gathering ingredients. Tessa must not know what her bread would be made of. The girl must not know that a piece of a human would end up in her mouth. Almost cannibalism, but more… uh… different… And honestly, if you don’t know what you’re eating, then it’s probably not cannibalism.

So… let her stay in the dark

— I’m a mechanic, not a chemist — Uzi muttered, examining her find.

Bones. A source of calcium. If she burned them thoroughly, she could get carbonate. And that could be used as a leavening agent for the dough. Simple. Almost.

She found a pot in one of the departments, brushed off the dust and icy crust. Then, connecting the wires she found, she pressed them against the metal. One wire she plugged directly into her own port, sent a discharge – and contact. Sparks burst out, ran across the cloth that caught fire from overheating.

Fire. Perfect. Now she had to keep it going.

She quickly gathered fuel: oil, plastic bottles, rags from those same skeletons. Everything would do. Into the pot went the bones. Let them char. Let them smolder, turn into something useful.

Bone fragments crackled, changed color, releasing a faint wisp of smoke. The smell… well, it didn’t matter to her, she couldn’t smell it at all. The process was what mattered.

While one fire worked on the bones, Uzi worked on another – getting water.

Two containers. One large, one small. And a pot lid.

She threw snow and ice into the large vessel and placed the small bowl inside. Covered everything with the lid. When the ice started to melt, steam would rise, condense on the cold metal of the lid, and drip straight into the bowl.

A simple distiller. Fast, efficient, requires no filtration.

Uzi looked over her little camp – two separate points of fire, two separate tasks. But both were moving forward.

Honestly… it turned out pretty cool. She was bursting with pride; she was making a human eat… well, a human. Not humane, but damn smart!

҉

N carefully inspected the electronics stores. He needed an oven, and he understood that electric units here were useless. Most were broken, and restoring the power system was irrational. So he needed something that could be ignited manually and maintained without complex energy sources.

Sorting through the debris attentively, he selected several pipes of suitable diameter. They were sturdy, resistant to high temperatures. From them, he could assemble a working structure.

1] Base

N cleared a spot, removed the trash. The oven needed a stable foundation, so he chose a flat metal panel and pressed it into the floor. This would ensure stability and prevent the structure from tipping over.

2] Combustion chamber

He took a thick pipe to serve as the main combustion chamber. In its lower part, he drilled several holes to provide airflow. What gave him such… drilling power? Well… his strong hands and dozens of broken screwdrivers. And he also used his hand like a drill, spinning it with all his strength until he got the result.

3] Air intake and fuel channel

To the lower part of the chamber, he attached a horizontal pipe – this would be the fuel intake. He shortened it a bit, leaving space for air supply. This way, the fuel would burn more efficiently since the air would come from below. All of this was done using his laser and several metal pieces, working just like welding! He really came up with a great idea! Someone should give him a medal! He was an excellent oven-er? Uh… maker of ovens?

4] Exhaust

A vertical pipe fixed on top would work as an exhaust, creating natural draft. Hot air and gases would rise, speeding up combustion.

N checked all the joints and secured them with welding – well, laser. He understood that tightness mattered – a leak of hot gases could reduce the oven’s efficiency. Everything seemed intact, tight, and perfect!

5] Test

He gathered some dry fuel – pieces of old plastic, wire insulation, wooden fragments. The same laser was used to ignite it.

Fire flared up

The flame started to grow, and within seconds the airflow intensified the process.

N watched the change in temperature carefully. The metal heated evenly. The draft was working. Which meant the structure was doing its job.

The oven was ready

҉

V had spent an absurd amount of time rummaging through the ruins in search of flour. Damn synthetic stuff, it’s supposed to store for years – it should’ve survived! But instead she kept running into disappointment after disappointment: torn packages, moldy lumps, frozen blocks you couldn’t break even with an axe.

But in the end… luck

In the far corner of the warehouse, under a pile of empty boxes, she found several intact packs. One she had to leave – something inside was suspiciously rustling. But the other two looked decent. And nearby – a stash of canned food. V glanced at them without much interest. Meat. Or whatever passed for meat.

Not her concern… well, her concern, but her goals were different right now

She returned to the others and started working on the dough. Water, flour – that’s it. Her hands kneaded the sticky mass, crushed the lumps, smeared the cold dough across the metal surface. How did humans do it? "Knead until smooth"? Something like that. Anyway, the result was… acceptable. Maybe even nutritious.

Meanwhile Uzi was working on her devilish brew.

The fire had done its job. Everything that could burn turned to ash. Uzi scooped some of it up, rubbed it between her fingers. The coarse grains cracked under pressure, leaving a pale residue. Which meant she succeeded.

She took the lightest ash – it held calcium carbonate, her future leavening agent. She poured the powder into a clean bowl, added the collected water. Stirred.

Her fingers tapped forcefully on the walls of the vessel, helping the sediment settle. Now she had to wait.

A few minutes later she grabbed another container and stretched a piece of sturdy fabric over it. Some corpse’s T-shirt. Now a filter.

Slowly, carefully, she poured the upper layer of liquid through it, leaving a thin residue on the cloth. Almost ready. Just needed to dry it and…

She smirked, pouring the remaining powder into her hand.

— This is, like, chemistry! — Now it’s… calcium hydroxide, but she needed carbonate… for that she needed acid, and where would she get that? Well, from Tessa’s hated canned goods – their brine could contain that… hehehe acid, but she’d have to read… the label. And before that she could… burn plastic and leave this powder nearby, the gas released… lots of it, and absorbed into the powder it would turn nicely into carbonate… yeah… probably…

Heh… an hour passed, this whole thing took her about an hour and forty minutes or more. Maybe more? She didn’t count, but long enough. And yes, the acidity was found! Heheheh…

V arrived at the perfect moment, a bowl in her hands, and inside was… dough. Cute, large dough she had made…

— Well you handled this, — the Disassembly Drone looked at all the containers and all the burning and burnt fires, the shattered skeletons, five or six kilograms of fuel made from whatever. — Even better than I… expected, but you used bones?

— No, I burned the bones! — Uzi answered cheerfully, pouring some of her harvested" powder onto her palm and rubbing it between her fingers. Ash and soot scattered like fine flour, but strangely white.

— Holy crap… and you’re planning to give this to me? — V actually wanted to hear something else…

— Yep. — Uzi replied without a drop of shame, not even a drop of conscience!

V nearly groaned in irritation. Perfect. Wonderful. She was about to bake bread with human remains. Perfect! All her care about Tessa down the drain!

— It’s calcium, — Uzi continued, not noticing her emotions. — Pure. Don’t thank me.

— I wasn’t going to. — Still, V took a bit of the strange powder and crushed it between her fingers. It was dry, fine, even somewhat flour-like, but…

— And how do I add this?

— Just mix it with water and throw it into the dough, — Uzi shrugged. — But it still won’t work.

— What?! — V shot her a sideways look. This was… a bit gross. Sure, she’d killed plenty, but she never used their bones… as a freaking leavening agent!

— And you thought it was that easy? — Uzi grinned, twirling her finger in the air. — A leavening agent needs acid.

V frowned, thinking. Acid… What did they even have that could work?

— For that you can find something spoiled, — Uzi said with a smile, watching V’s reaction.

— I’m not putting rotten crap into the dough. — Heh! Messing with the Disassembly Drone was fun! Honestly, these emotions – priceless!

— Then a lemon? — Uzi smirked. Yes! Delightful!

V sighed. If only. But fortunately, acid they did have. Just not lemon acid.

— Don’t thank me, — Uzi tossed her a can, old and filled with something… but apparently with what she needed. — There’s some acid in the brine!

V opened the can, the liquid inside already cloudy, with a faint sour smell, probably. Disgusting. But it might work – no, it had to work, or Uzi’s rebellious little head would roll across the mall.

Gritting her teeth, V simply poured the sour liquid into the dough, added the “bone powder,” and began kneading it with her hands. The dough hissed. Something was happening inside, like rising gas forcing its way through the mass. It became a bit softer, a bit airier.

— There you go. This is chemistry, baby, — Uzi declared proudly. V stayed silent. Not even that bad… probably. As long as Tessa didn’t get poisoned.

҉

The two moved toward N… well, technically, they flew. Or more precisely – V was flying, carrying the purple one, who in turn was holding a bowl of dough, squeezing it like it was her last battery.

And to their surprise, they didn’t even have to look for N. He was already standing there, proudly leaning on some kind of metal structure. Yeah… and what the hell was that supposed to mean?

— Hey! — he waved cheerfully, clearly pleased with himself. His face was really damn pleased.

V dropped altitude, landing with the grace of a cat. Uzi landed with… less grace, but still softly, which was surprising, but with 100% certainty connected to the bowl.

— Is this really going to work? — V looked at the «oven». The construction looked… homemade. No, she sent N to look for something because it was supposed to be one of the easy tasks, but she did not expect this level of...khm... creativity.

Metal pot, a bundle of parts, pipes, some clearly unnecessary control panel with blinking lights… Definitely N’s style. Whether it would work — that was the question.

— Yep! I guarantee it, this oven is for perfect bread! — he declared proudly. V sighed. Well, there was no choice anyway.

Meanwhile, the dough had already risen, but… to be safe, it was worth waiting a bit longer. Fifteen minutes. Just to be sure.

During that time they prepared the firewood, gathering everything that could burn. Uzi even found a couple of old wooden crates. That clearly impressed N.

— I’m so excited! — he declared happily, bouncing in place. Time passed. They (meaning V) finally found the courage to shove the dough into the oven.

The waiting began

About forty minutes. Judging by the temperature – around 200–250 degrees. Just like a real oven.

V glanced at N. Maybe he really could be an engineer, if he wanted to? She should keep that in mind… But there was a problem. This whole search-and-bread mission took way too much time. Longer than any of their outings.

— Maybe Tessa is already worried? — V muttered. N sighed.

— I’d rather she wasn’t. — Two killing machines worried – a little funny, honestly.

— Yeah, I’d rather not either, — Uzi repeated flatly, clearly not impressed by their anxiety. She was worried too… but not that much… her core just pinched a little, that’s all.

They thought

How to speed up the process?

Uzi’s first idea: just fry the dough with a laser.

— No.

N’s second idea: raise the temperature to 400 degrees.

— No.

— 600?

— Absolutely not!

— Well then…

V cut them off:

— We can flip the bread and fry it from both sides.

Everyone fell silent. Not a bad idea, and likely to work.

— Well, sounds reasonable, — N finally admitted.

— Yeah, except I’m not sticking my hand into that oven, — Uzi declared and immediately stepped far away.

— Of course. — V glanced at her. Then sighed, reached her hand forward and… — …damn, I’m stuck!

— WHAT?! — N flew to her first. — V! HOLD ON! UZI, HELP!

— Oh come on, she’s not human, nothing will happen to her, — Uzi muttered, but still grabbed her by the tail.

Operation «Pull Out V» began. N pulled her by the torso. Uzi pulled by the tail.

The oven resisted, fiercely, with all its strength and temperature.

— COME ON!

— I’M PULLING!

— OW! NOT THE TAIL!

And…

THUD!

V flew backward, nearly knocking N off his feet

— Phew… — he exhaled in relief. — You okay?

— Yes.

— Is the bread okay?

— …

— …

They all stared at the oven. Well, there had been bread. Before.

Now it was… well… a charred flatbread thing on one side

— Holy microchip… — V muttered.

...

— Well… um… it came out a little… crunchy. — N coughed and gently patted V’s back.

— Yeah. — The yellow-eyed one responded without emotion.

— It’ll… add texture.

— Damn. — V covered her face with her hand.

— Well! — Uzi clapped cheerfully. — At least it finished faster!

— Great, — V groaned. — Just great.

She looked tiredly at the bread. Or rather, at the burned part. All that effort…

Well, at least Tessa will appreciate it. V hopes, anyway, though it’s possible she’ll take a bite and then spit it out behind the nearest corner.

҉

The three were flying back: N with the canned food, Uzi and V with the burnt bread. Awful. Their mood was terrible. Maybe because of that thing they’d tried to make but failed to… properly complete. Now V’s right arm was covered in soot, and there was no way to clean it off. Great. An absolute disaster.

— Ugh... — The disassembly drone looked at the organic little thing in her hand. It seemed edible. Except for those burned... parts... but they were crunchy. Probably edible?! Ugh... damn... it still hurt, a lot. So much time and effort – and at the last moment, such a betrayal. How did she even get stuck?! She was agile like a cat, fierce like a wolf… even more! Her eyesight was sharper than an eagle’s, her movement smooth like top-tier flight control... And how, HOW could she get stuck there?! Well, her arm... If she had gotten stuck completely, that would’ve been so embarrassing she didn’t even want to think about it.

— Don’t be upset, V, our bread is definitely tasty. Eh, even with that tiny defect on half... the bread... ha-ha... ha… — N fell silent. He felt guilty about his stove. He built it, and he should’ve considered that someone might shove a hand inside… wait. Is that even normal?

But there was no time to think. They landed.

And immediately Tessa rushed toward them, holding a rag in her hand. Behind her loomed piles of scrap metal – all the junk she had managed to drag out of the spire. Her suit was covered in oil, which only added to the impression of exhaustion. She worked so hard. And they… couldn’t even cook properly.

— Guys-s-s! — Tessa proudly puffed out her chest. — You can consider the spire half clean! A bit more and it’ll shine! Uh, metaphorically! Not literally! — She talked fast, gesturing wildly: fingers up, down, whoosh, bam! — And why are you all so gloomy?

She surveyed them. Her attention instantly caught the parchment with something inside… and V’s hand.

— Oh god! V! What happened?! — The girl threw the rag aside and dropped to her knees, grabbing the drone’s hand. Turn left, right… up and down, fingers flex... Everything was fine except for the texture. — Phew… it’s just soot. No problem! I’ll clean you up just like I cleaned that spire! And you’ll shine! Bright-bright! Just like a star! — V felt shame flood her core. Thankfully she held the bread in her other hand… — And why are you all so… sad? — Now Tessa looked at N and Uzi. The first only turned away, the second avoided eye contact entirely. — What’s wrooong?!

— We wanted… to bake you… bread… and… — V said with bitterness, unwrapping the parchment and showing what they had made. It was half black. — And here’s the result…

— Woooooah! — But instead of disappointment, her voice carried excitement. Big, helmet-muffled excitement. — Come on! Food is food! No need to get all gloomy over something so tiny! I’m not picky!

Silence

And then… laughter

Light, sincere, warm. The three drones laughed together, filled with warmth. Especially remembering how Tessa tried to eat vegetables, heroically gagging on them.

— Let’s go inside! — she suggested, jumping in place and clapping at the same time. — Uh… I found oil! Don’t know what it tastes like… but… uh… — She pointed to one of the red canisters. V blinked. That was her stash. Damn, she even forgot she’d hidden it once. — Probably tasty!

They entered the capsule

Tessa first wiped the oil off her suit, then tried cleaning V, but the drone waved her off. First, food – that was more important… than being clean… that sounded awful. She should rethink that phrase.

— So exciting! — The girl clapped, watching the drones. She… really was happy. Sure, she acted as Tessa, but… it was something more. She was trying bread here for the first time. Bread baked by drones. It… bonded them. Maybe it wouldn’t be delicious, but she had to act like it was. Logic, right? They tried their best. If she said it tasted good, it would cheer them up… yeah… and help her future. — Enjoy! — she said and took a bite. From the middle, to take both the black and white sides. First to feel the taste, second to gain… sympathy points.

She began chewing

The black part was hard. Tasteless. The normal part – bland, missing everything… even sugar. Or anything else. Just… flavorless. Hard to chew, crunchy… but nothing more.

Emptiness

But… Tessa wanted to smile. She wanted to say something nice.

Only… nothing came out

No words. No smile.

Crushing silence

The drones only watched her, staring… nothing more. Eyes wide open… did they…

Did they think it was bad? Did they realize?

Until…

— Tessa… why are you crying? — N’s voice was so quiet it was frightening. He always spoke clearly, brightly.

— Is it… that bad? — V clenched her fist, her eyes trembling.

— I tried… so hard… — Uzi mumbled softly.

But… the girl didn’t understand all of it… she tried to act, to get into character. Make the right smile, the right tone. Say something like "It’s so good!" or "I like it!", but nothing worked… yet N said… something…

— I’m crying?.. — She touched her face.

Tears

— But… why?..

It was so good

Truly

Despite the burnt edges, despite the blandness… this bread was so… sweet

Wonderful

— Guys… it’s just… really delicious… — she finally said.

And the drones froze

— I just… can’t… can’t express… all of it…

— Ooh! — N lit up.

— …thank you… — V whispered.

— I knew it! — Uzi raised her fist triumphantly. And laughter followed. Real, loud laughter.

Because this was the best bread she had ever tasted… maybe… she really shouldn’t… shouldn’t… feel this way with them… no… no… she couldn’t. They wouldn’t understand, no one would…