Don't Teach Kids Murder

Security Breach

The first thing Addie hears once she's woken up is the mildly unexpected and very alarming sound of wailing sirens. Addie groans, slumping back into bed and pulling up the time on her HUD. 3:46am? It's too early for this...

Then her senses fully register what's happening. The Murder Drone warning siren's been activated on hyperdrive, which means that not only is one around, one's gotten past the doors and is in. Outpost. 3.

No. No no no. This is just like-

-and then she's nine again, sitting slumped on the floor, her mother's hand a comforting presence on her back, and everyone, everyone is staring at them with expressions of hate, rage, disgust, and all she can see is her father again and again and again, lying on the floor in a pool of oil after that Murder Drone left.

Addie launches into action, springing out of bed and through the door in a matter of seconds. She feels a prickling sensation on the back of her neck and turns, spying her mother's glowing orange eyes through the crack of her door. Alice narrows them, then shuts the door on her. Oops, Addie thinks a little guiltily. I'm sure it'll be fine. Mom's basically got an entire fortress set up in there - any Murder Drone doesn't stand a chance.

Yeah, letting Nora come over wasn't the best idea... especially since her mom had been warning Addie to stay away from both her and her sister Uzi since the day Addie first saw them five years ago. Nori's daughters, and apparently bad for it. Honestly? Addie'd been a good kid, y'know, and listened - but after she got paired with Nora for the class project... it just didn't seem fair. Nora wasn't bad, just- maybe a little over-energetic, but a great friend nonetheless.

Well. I don't have to care about some argument Mom had with Nori before I was born. If she doesn't like me being friends with Nora, that's her problem. She can't do anything about it, anyway.

Can she?

That question plays on repeat in Addie's head as she sprints straight for the evacuation area, possible answers surfacing with threads of old memories that really should be in a hidden and heavily-encrypted folder. She's nearly there when this overwhelming sense of dread hits her, like she's missed something very, very important. Shaking her head, Addie backs up a few steps and looks down a hallway, spotting the faintest glimmer of purple light.

Wait. Purple?

Her feet are heading that direction even before she hears a scream.

* * *

Nora winces as she slowly backs away, her hands shaking from fear, struggling to keep the stun gun hidden behind her back as the Murder Drone looks her up and down. I should've told Uzi not to go out again... I knew this would happen...

"I could go meet J, but I could also use a quick snack... or something to practice balloon animal shapes with," muses the Murder Drone, tapping her chin with one long, very sharp-looking metallic claw. Her silver bob-cut curls swing as she takes a step forward, grinning widely as Nora flinches. "Aren't you going to say something? Beg for help? Come on, it's no fun killing you if you don't do anything!"

Another step forward. "Huh. You look like that Worker I saw leaving the corpse spire just a few minutes ago. Related?" Nora grits her teeth. So I'm right, then. Uzi DID go out again, and led the Murder Drones right through the doors. A spike of sudden, unexpected sadness hits her. Dad was on rotation for door watch today. Is he- no, maybe he's at the evacuation area, he would've been behind Door 2. Everyone else, though...

Uzi... there's no chance she's still alive.

The Murder Drone narrows her eyes, increasing her pace. Her eyes glitch out into that familiar deathly X, sending a chill down Nora's spine. "Seriously? If you aren't going to say something, why don't you do me a favor and stop-"