Lovable N || N x Harem

Chapter 10

Uzi's laughter cut through the air like a knife.

From his high vantage point among the towering ruins, N could hear it reverberating across the shattered remnants of a civilization that time had long since abandoned. There was no mistaking the glee in her voice—Uzi was ecstatic. Not only had she single-handedly thwarted his squad's assault on her colony, earning her the begrudging title of "hero" among the worker drones, but she had also managed to take down one of their own.

The image of what remained of J haunted his thoughts, etched into his mind like a grim scar.

N inhaled deeply, his breath shaky as he struggled to push the disturbing thoughts aside. His hand unknowingly clutched at his chest, where his leader had inserted the virus chip. Despite the tragedy, he found it hard to muster much sorrow. Yes, J had softened recently, becoming more pleasant to be around, and the thought of her demise twisted his insides. But his mind clung to a faint memory, where he had overheard in passing that their memories were stored offworld, backups waiting in the cold void of space. It was a small comfort, the idea that J wasn't truly gone, just... waiting.

Yet that also meant she would return. Sooner or later, J would be back, and N wasn't sure if that thought reassured him or terrified him.

Below, Uzi's laughter finally subsided, leaving an eerie silence in its wake. She strutted back toward the pod, which had become her makeshift home since her exile. The pod's legs gleamed with fresh coats of purple paint, accented with neon yellow stripes—N's addition, at her insistence. She claimed it made the pod "cooler and more badass," a perfect fit for their eventual mission to "kill all humans."

N leaped from his perch, his wings unfurling to slow his descent until he landed softly, one foot lightly touching the ground. As he approached the pod, the untamed energy of rock music pulsed through its internal speakers, chaotic and loud. N couldn't help but bob his head slightly in time with the beat, the rhythm infectious even in his sombre mood.

Inside, he found V sitting quietly, her usual mischievous energy subdued as she absentmindedly blew bubbles with the devices attached to her hands. When she noticed N's arrival, her eyes brightened, a spark of life returning to her. He offered her a small, reassuring smile, which she eagerly returned with a grin that stretched wide across her face.

For a moment, amidst the chaos and uncertainty, there was a sliver of normalcy—fragile, but comforting all the same.

The sudden crash of a shattering mirror snapped N's attention away from his thoughts, causing V to huff in annoyance. Both of them turned toward Uzi, who stood frozen in place, her visor flickering ominously with a strange, glowing symbol. It pulsed in the fragmented glass, casting an eerie light that sent a chill racing down N's spine. There was something disturbingly familiar about the symbol—something that gnawed at the edges of his memory—but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't quite grasp it.

"Well, that's weird and concerning," said V, snarkily blowing more bubbles.

"Bite me! This is probably your fault, you weirdo! Who knows what kind of gunk you have in your teeth," Uzi shot back. Her hand instinctively drifted to her shoulder, where V had previously taken a bite of. Luckily, N's nanites had done wonders in fixing her back up, but the ghost sensations were still there.

"What?! How dare you!" V growled. Though she quickly lost interest in Uzi and immediately turned back to N. "Don't listen to what she says, N. My teeth are sparkling!"

N couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't worry, V. Your teeth are just as pretty as ever!" he replied, his voice light and teasing. The words had barely left his mouth before he realised what he had said, and his face flushed with embarrassment. He clamped a hand over his mouth, but it was too late.