Murder Drones : Born From Ashes REDUX

If You Were To Die Tomorrow...

Back to present day N trains Kill Roy. Much later, they assess his vitals to find hes decaying. Stacy struggles to build the courage/find the opportunity to kill C. When Stacy gets the chance she realizes C's true intentions is to eliminate Dante Company. Stacy complies with C.

"Listen, we need those new weapons. We can't defend ourselves with these sticks and grenades." C explained to Lynn

"And I told you that it is not economically viable to do so."

"Why don't you use those mortar cannons." N asks

"No one's educated enough to use them. Some big wig thought it'd be genius to send sophisticated tech to a glorified ULU suicide platoon."

N turned towards C, a scowl on his face.

"You mean you didn't teach them?"

"What? Don't look at me."

N lurches out of his stretcher and grabs a pair of crutches.

Noone could do anything right in this world. Everyone was incompetent and willingly ignorant. It infuriated him.

Training sequence

"We're not bombers, sir!"

"What do you mean? Your already dead, your all dead! You have no futures, you work for me and me only. Tell me why you think you're not a bomber drone!"

"We prefer the term zombies!"

"We prefer the term zombies, sir!"

"Why's that?"

"Because i think it has something to do with living even after our infection, sir!"

–

A full month had passed since their initial training started. The Zombies knew the routine. Wake up at 8pm, uniform, boots, equipment, and rifle.

N wheels himself through the barracks after 5 minutes.

Then it's field time. Take everything off, book it to the field.

"I don't know what I've been told!"

The exercises are meant to reinforce dedication and will. They feel nothing, and thus the extent of their skill lies solely in their willingness to keep moving.

–

"Weapons hot!"

The SKS rifles fire down the small ranges. The hull of a commercial entertainment cruiser shakes at the storm of bullets hitting the painting on targets.

Their marks were marginally better than when they first started.

N was proud of the soldiers, he violently coughs

Stacy angles the Mauser towards C's chest. Suddenly he turns around. Stacy immediately ducks back into cover as he goes over to the table and takes a tool.

Stacy looks back up from her spot to see the medic standing next to C. The two sat over N as they inspected his wounds. The medic had no signs of infection, it was almost like the swishing syringe tail behind him wasn't there, or he didn't care. Stacy concluded the ladder. The USC9 had made allies with the Murder Drones. Now wasn't the time, despite the mission being top priority the chances of being decommissioned before she could even take a shot was too high. Now came the waiting part of the assassination game.

C looks at N

"What is it?" The engineer asks.

"He's been spiked, see the collar over his input? We can't do anything. N, what do you remember?"

"My name, Dante company, the operation, Uziel, and who spiked me. I can't remember how to use my nanites."

"The spike deletes your routines?"

"It's the only way we can kill each other according to our parameters. Only members logged in the involvement of the spiking can remove it."

"And I assume it kills him if we forcibly remove it?"

"Uzi, v, and j."

"Can we trust any of them?"

"I don't know."

Lynn flips back to reality.

"Hey, we have a new contract for you. We're sending you to the bunker. You're going in to destroy the cores."

–

Stacy gets C alone.

Stacy aims her pistol at C

"You don't want to do that." he says.

Stacy looks down to see his tertiary arms aiming another pair of revolvers at her chest.

"Any sacrifice is worth killing your kind-"

"Are you willing to let two dozen Disassembly Drones unleash their fury on the population in exchange for my life?"

"..."

"The USC9 wants the remaining Disassembly Drone cores destroyed. The Cores hidden in The Bunker. Back then the USC9 was denied any say in this, but they want us to destroy them all anyways."

C turne to face Stacy and continues.

"I'll let you kill me, Corporal, but only when the time is right. Only when real change happens. Do you understand?"

V2's old directives kicked back in:

FIGHT

MINIMIZE FRIENDLY CASUALTIES

SUICIDE IS FAILURE

WIN AT ALL COSTS

"I'll do it." Stacy responds.

//END CHAPTER 3//