The Digital Plague (A Murder Drones AU)

Chapter 12

"Oh, biscuits, what happened?" N sat up, rubbing his aching head. He blinked a few times, trying to get a grip on his surroundings. He was in some sort of large, open room. There was a hole in the roof, like someone had crashed through it, and N could see snow swirling around in the night through it.

Oil was splattered all around him, like a drone had exploded, leaving thick black puddles all around him. A shard of mirror lay a few feet away, covered in neon green goo.

He didn't know why he was there. Last he remembered, a drone had knocked on Uzi's door and the two of them were rushing through the hallway to find V.

Where did Uzi go? He wondered, standing up and looking around again. She wouldn't just... leave me, would she? He tried to push away the feelings of hurt that tinged his soul. I'm sure she had a good reason, right?

Still, something in him didn't believe that.

He started towards one of the corridors leading away from the large room. Finding Uzi will help. She'll be able to tell me what happened. Maybe V could help, too.

He walked around a bit, passing workers who cowered at his presence. He tried not to let it bother him.

She was nowhere to be found. He walked through what seemed like hallways and hallways full of workers and their homes, but he couldn't seem to find Uzi or her house. All of them looked very similar.

After what felt like hours of wandering through the mazelike hallways, he went into a hallway that looked different from the rest. Lockers lined the walls and books lay scattered and discarded along the floors. Posters plastered the walls, warning of grade-deductions if drones kept 'leaving large puddles of oil that seriously ruined the aesthetic of the school' and advertising the 'Workers Against the Ridiculous Amount of Corpses That Litter the Outside (and Inside!) of this Forsaken Planet, (WARACTLOIFP for short)'.

One particular poster caught his eye. 'Need a frankly unoriginal way to not-so-subtly tell a girl you like her? Ask her to the prom of 3071 this Thursday! (Especially great if you've murdered a bunch of people and need to make it up to your girl by being extra-charming and super-sweet!)' A tiny male worker drone bowed and presented a little metal flower to a blushing female above the words.

"Ooh." He set off with renewed vigor, certain that Uzi wasn't anywhere in the bunker. After wandering through the hallways for maybe an hour, he found his way back to the large doors that had since been repaired.

"Hello!" He called to the tired-looking worker who guarded the doors. The worker blinked, only semi-surprised at the sight of N, before jolting into a lurching wave.

"Hey, dude! You're N, right? Yeah, a hottie with a tail like yours was asking about you. She left, though, before she found you with Uzi."

N frowned. "Uzi... left?"

"Yeah, with the other murder drone. Why?" The worker replied nonchalantly. N's frown deepened.

"No reason. Can you let me out? I have to ask Uzi something." Excitement burned in his stomach. Surely any resentment Uzi may have against something he did would be demolished at the prom? He wasn't really sure what it was but the poster said it would help to fix all his current problems with her.

"Sure, buddy, lemme get that for you... here ya go! Have a nice day!" He tipped his hard hat. N, enthralled with this new gesture, dipped his own hat back, earning a chuckle from the doorkeeper. He gave an excited chuckle as he walked out the door, thrilled with his new discovery.

Alright, Uzi. Where are you?

He took to the sky, scanning the ground for the purple worker. Something shiny caught his eye, and he almost fell out of the sky for joy.