|| Chapter 6: Truth & Lies ||
After a couple of hours passed by, a loud alarm clock rang at three o'clock in the morning. A groan left the ravenette while Uzi leapt out of her bed with a determined look in her eyes. Swiftly, she picked up her railgun and beanie. Just as she was about to sneak out of the room, a groggy voice stopped her, "Hmm... Where are ya going, kid?" Startled, she turned around with a surprised expression. Her eyes were met with half-lidded ones drowsily staring at her. She clicked her tongue, internally scolding herself for forgetting about him. "None of your business," She sneered at him with narrowed eyes and clutched tighter onto the railgun with sweaty hands.
"I'm coming with you," He declared with a loud yawn and got up from the chair, stretching his limbs. "No excuses," He warned her, spotting how she was about to say something. She groaned under her breath, pouting as she looked away from him. He reached for his toolbox and clicked open. With a hum, he took the first level of the box out, revealing various futuristic weapons and gear underneath it.
Casually, he took out two futuristic-like revolvers and loaded all six cartridges on both of them. He shoved the weapons into the holsters on his hips and tugged black latex gloves over his hands. "Alright," He mused as he got to his feet and slid the toolbox under her bed before approaching her with a smile, "Let's go." She sweatdropped at his behaviour and watched how he slipped out of the room as quietly as a mouse.
With a small sigh, she closely followed him and shut the door behind her. Only the sound of their light footsteps against the floor filled the corridors and hallways. It wasn't long before they stopped in front of Door 1. While she approached the touchpad, he leisurely leaned against the wall with a yawn escaping his mouth. He heard the touchpad beep a few times when she held the master key card over it.
However, a warning - 'Access overdrive' - appeared on it. Uzi seemed unbothered by it and spun the keycard around her fingers as she faced the door with a smirk. Suddenly, the door opened and revealed Khan standing behind it with his arms crossed over his chest. "Oh robo-jesus!" She yelped from getting startled by him, taking a step back. Her hand was placed over her chest as she stared wide-eyed at her dad.
"Pfft..." The ravenette snickered at her reaction before pushing himself off the wall. "And where might you be off to?" Khan asked with a suspiciously raised brow, tapping his fingers against his forearms. "Hmmm..." She hummed with a panicked look on her face before rocking back and forth on the heel of her feet. The ravenette stood behind her with a bored glint in his eyes.
"Sneaking out to make out with my boyfriend that I definitely have," She gave him a lame excuse and smiled awkwardly, trying her best to look convincing. Alas, a mocking laugh escaped Khan's mouth for a second before he turned serious, placing his hands on his hips, "Seriously though." A groan left Uzi when she realized that her excuse didn't work and she waved her hands around in a defeated manner, "Ugh... Okay, okay... You caught me."
The ravenette glanced at her with amusement and cleared his throat, catching both of their attention. "She needs to measure the exterior hydraulic mechanisms of Door 1," He lied with curved eyes peeking from his mask and placed his gloved hand on her shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze, "Apparently, she needs those measurements for a school project that she's been working on."
Her eyes widened at his words and noticed the hidden glance he sent her, hinting her to go along with it. "R-Right!" She hurriedly agreed and awkwardly smiled at Khan, "A big old door, just like my old man built!" Khan silently squinted his eyes at them, showing that he wasn't convinced yet. "Uzi really wants to join the WDF and hide behind doors like cowards while playing cards and stuff," The ravenette added with a chuckle, holding both of her shoulders to make it more convincing. Uzi glanced at him with absurdity while Khan sparkled in joy. "Well," Khan cleared his throat and retorted with a side glance, grinning ear to ear, "We don't just play cards."
Coincidently, the door behind him swished open, revealing four other male drones sitting at a table - playing cards. "Khan, can you grab a fresh pack?" One of the drones called out to him with a whining tone, looking in their direction, "We literally only play cards so much that the numbers are fading away..." Irked, Khan glanced at them over his shoulder with a frown.
The drone - that asked the question - spotted Uzi and the ravenette. "Oh!" He exclaimed before sending them a wave, "Hey Uzi and Fixer!" Awkwardly, Uzi returned the waving gesture while the ravenette deadpanned. Quickly, Khan pressed a button on a remote, causing the door to close again. He faced both of them again with a frown.
"Well," Khan cleared his throat with a chuckle before pressing his cheek against the door, praising it for being a 'good door', "When you build doors so good..." A disturbed yet creeped out expression appeared on the ravenette's face before smiling with his eyes again when Khan turned to look at them again. "...There's no need to fight," Khan added with a shrug, glancing at his daughter, "Uzi, this is great news!"
Silently, her lips pursed into a thin line and watched how Khan took out a wench from his belt. "Here," He held the tool out to her, proudly stating, "This is the wench I used to tighten bolts on my first door prototype..." Suddenly, a dark look appeared on his face when he finished his sentence, "...And to put your mother out of her misery when the Murder Drones got to her with their nanite acid."
The ravenette owlishly blinked at his words while Uzi seemed concerned and frightened. "I want you to have it," Khan added with a cheery tone, pushing the wench closer to her. Hesitantly, she took it from his hand and retorted, "Neat... Therapy is fun." The ravenette took a step to the side when he saw Khan approach them. He watched how he pulled Uzi into a side hug as the door behind him opened again. "Guys!" Khan called out to the other drones at the table, "My daughter is into doors!"
All four drones at the table burst into cheers at his words, causing the ravenette to scoff under his breath at this ridiculous situation. However, the cheering was interrupted when the final door behind them opened in a quick motion. Harsh gusts of blizzard winds entered the passageway, causing all the cards to fly away.
"She and Fixer are gonna be outside for a bit to examine the exterior of Door 1," Khan explained while escorting Uzi to the door, oblivious to how the ravenette slipped past them. Gently, he pushed her towards the doorway, stating in a gentle yet excited tone, "Your door-specific destiny awaits." The ravenette shoved his hands into his pockets, watching the scene unfold.
"Wow... Okay..." She mumbled, slowly walking to the open doorway, "I'm just gonna leave then, 'cause this worked so weirdly well..." Once outside, she exclaimed with a fake excited voice while sending a peace sign into the air, "Go doors!" Coincidently, the door slammed shut after she said that. Carefully, the blizzard started to settle as it fluttered past them. Uzi glanced around with furrowed brows, approaching the ravenette - who was fixing his holsters.
"Notice: Activating 'Night & Silent Mode'," Ellipse alerted him from the earpiece as a small 'ting' sound escaped the gasmask. Intrigued, Uzi watched how the mask's LED lights changed into a murky maroon colour. "Let's get moving," He blurted out, gesturing for her to follow him. She rolled her eyes at him but obeyed. Cautiously, they trudged past the rubble and crushed cars.
As they walked, he kept an eye out for any small movements around them while she nervously looked around, fiddling with her railgun's strap. After a few minutes of walking, a loud crack was heard, causing them to freeze in their footsteps. His brow twitched in annoyance when he glanced down and noticed that she accidentally stepped on a worker drone corpse's decapitated head.
Horrified at the discovery, she took a few steps back while looking upwards. Her eyes widened with dread when she spotted the looming tower of worker drone corpses - the murder drones' nest. A gulp escaped her, hinting that she was nervous and on edge. With a small sigh, he patted her shoulder while sending her a glance. He grabbed a handful of her hoodie and dragged her towards the tower.
Upon entering the enormous entrance, he released her hoodie and held his hand in front of her, stopping her from moving forward. "Don't move an inch, kid..." He warned her in the quietest whisper he could muster and reached for the left holster on his hip. His intense gaze never left the damaged spider-looking pod that was a few meters in front of them.
"Notice: No signs of threats detected," Ellipsed notified him, causing him to look at Uzi in the corner of his eye. "Go," He whispered, cocking his chin forward as a gesture to tell her that she had to be fast. He lowered his hand when she sent him a quick nod before scurrying to scavenge what she was looking for. He decided to stay ten meters behind her to keep watch.
Unimpressed, Uzi picked up a severed arm and tossed it behind her, causing it to fly towards the pods' direction. Immediately, he sent her a heated glare and made a hushing gesture. She scoffed at his reaction and rolled her eyes. However, she raised a brow when she noticed a green glowing object next to her feet. When she recognised the object, she quickly picked it up and playfully tossed it to her other hand with a smile.
Alas, her quiet victory was interrupted when the peering light from the hole at the rooftop disappeared. The sound of something crawling against the corpses caused them to freeze for a second. It was fortunate that their 'fight or flight' response kicked in. Uzi sprinted towards a satellite piece and hid behind it, crouching with a pale face. The ravenette leapt towards a huge metal chunk, barely making it before the source of the noise landed on the pod.
He didn't dare to release his exhale and tried to ignore how his heartbeat thundered inside his ears. Quickly, he glanced in Uzi's direction; making direct eye contact with her. 'Don't move,' He sent her hand signals, causing her to nod. In an extremely cautious manner, he peeked around the corner of the metal chunk. The moment his head peeked around it, he felt goosebumps burst across his entire body.
His eyes widened in fear when he watched how a blade-winged figure held a decapitated drone head to the side, slurping all the leaking oil from it. The moment there wasn't any more oil, the murder drone crushed the head with its claws. The drone tossed the crushed head to the floor before scurrying around on the pod - however, it suddenly stopped in its tracks.
He could feel his heart drop to his stomach as he slowly glanced at Uzi, spotting the mirror shard in her hand. In the reflection of that shard was the murder drone staring directly into it, watching her like a predator. No one moved an inch. However, a dense silence surrounded them when the drone's golden irises changed into an 'x' shape and playfully waved at her. Her eyes widened in a terrifying realization; the drone saw her.
"Run, kid!" The ravenette roared, pulling his revolver out of the holster and aiming at the drone. "Fuck!" He cursed when the drone leapt into the sky. Quickly as possible, he aimed the barrel of the gun in the drone's direction, but he was astonished when the drone changed its course - it was heading toward him. Taking that as an opportunity, Uzi changed the batteries of the railgun with a scowl.
With swift motions, the ravenette pulled the trigger and got to his feet, trying to create distance between himself and the drone. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side - none of the bullets hit the inhumanly-fast drone. It only got worse when he didn't have more ammunition with him. He barely survived when the drone crash-landed in front of him, slicing its claws towards his face.
"Urgh...!" He grunted with frustration as he tilted his head back, watching how the claw-like blades ripped his gas mask off. Small cuts appeared on his cheeks and chin from how the mask got ripped off. Securely, he straightened his posture while jogging backwards, feeling the cold toxic air freeze his face. Pure adrenaline coursed through his veins when the drone leapt at him again, giving him no time to bring out his other revolver.
Hastily, he covered the sides of his throat when the drone's claws were about to decapitate him. A pair of dual blades sprouted from his gloves, successfully blocking the claws. Their hands trembled as they refused to back down, holding their position - it was a battle of pure strength. They tried to overpower each other yet neither of them budged. However, the ravenette was at a disadvantage; he was human.
His entire upper body was pulsating in pain and exhaustion from all the pressure he was receiving from the drone. Inch by inch, the drone's claws got closer to his throat, which was still covered from signs of strangulation from Uzi. A scowl appeared on his face when he felt the edges of the blades prick his skin, creating a thin trail of blood to drip down the small cuts.
"You... motherfucker..." He cursed at the drone with a pissed-off smirk and clenched his jaw tighter when the drone grinned at his reaction. His eyes widened when the drone suddenly leaned closer to his face. He tried to lean back, however, he had no choice but to stay still if he wanted his head attached to his shoulders. "Urgh..." He groaned in disgust when a long slimy grey-coloured tongue dragged itself against the small cuts on his cheeks.
When he thought it couldn't get any worse than that, he suddenly felt a hellish burning sensation erupt inside his entire abdomen. Slowly, he looked down and spotted a stinger impaled into his abdomen. His eyes widened in shock before releasing an ear-piercing howl of agony, spitting out clots of fresh blood. Blood poured from his mouth, splattering across the drone's front side and tongue.
He was oblivious to how the drone's eyes widened in surprise at the taste of crimson blood on his tongue. Tears from pain leaked from his trembling eyes, panting as his heartbeat thundered inside his skull. "Argh..." He groaned when he noticed the drone's claws transform into a pair of pale hands. His brows furrowed in confusion and distortion when he felt those pale hands grab his head, pulling him closer to the drone's face. A surprised yet disgusted grunt escaped him when the drone's tongue started to lick up all the spilt blood on his lips. With the remaining strength he had, he grabbed the drone's wrists and tried to shove them off.
Alas, his efforts were futile when the drone's tail wrapped itself around his hands and cuffed him. Helplessly, the ravenette drooped his head, feeling his vision grow dark from all the blood he lost. The drone continued to lick up all the blood that escaped his lips and facial wounds, humming with satisfaction. Suddenly, a familiar voice roared from the side, catching the drone's attention, "Hey you!" The drone turned in that direction, holding the half-unconscious ravenette close to him. He spotted the dark-haired teen and tilted his head at her in a curious manner.
She was aiming her railgun at him, trying to steady it from how she trembled. "Put him down," She sneered with a heated glare, clenching her jaw, "Right now." Amused by her, the drone carelessly tossed the ravenette's limp body to the side, causing him to slide across the snow. Blood painted the snow a terrifying bright red colour. A low groan of pain escaped the ravenette as he felt the cold snow surround him, his vision was blurry and distorted. Shakily, he reached for his abdomen and grimaced at the feeling of how his hand got immediately soaked by his own blood.
'Damn... nanites,' He thought with gritted teeth, listening to the constant ringing inside his ears as the ground shook under him. 'I guess... she's fighting the drone...' He slowly looked over in her direction, squinting his eyes. Alas, his vision remained blurry. He clutched his abdomen in misery when it started to burn again - the nanites were slowly melting his organs, flesh, and bones away.
"W-Warning: Absolute-e Ellipse XX w-will be forced-d to activate-e in f-five seconds," Ellipse warned him in a glitchy voice, but, he didn't hear it due to the loud ringing in his ears, "F-Five... Four-r... Three... Two... O-One..." He already accepted his fate when black and white spots flooded his vision. In a struggling manner, he lay on his backside and stared at the ceiling of the corpse tower.
'This is bad...' He took a deep breath as his eyelids felt heavy and drowsiness overwhelmed him, 'I'm getting tired...' Soon, his eyes closed and a long exhale escaped his parted lips. "W-Warning: Absolute Ellipse XX has been a-activated," Ellipse notified in a glitchy voice as the ravenette fell into a coma,
" ' Emergency Recovery' will now commence."