The frigid wind whipped at my face as the hoverbike cut through the air, but my mind was still busy thinking about how I had gotten here even though there wasn't much to think about to begin with. Five hours of aimless flying had left me exhausted, disoriented, and with a growing fear that I was getting even further away from any shelter on top of back pain from being hunched over on the bike for too long. The desolate landscape around me seemed like an endless expanse of nothingness: distant mountains, a grey sky, and snow covering everything like a huge sheet. Not a sign of civilization.
The hoverbike was fast, much faster than the old snowmobile I used to use, but it also had its limits. The fuel was running low. The small screen on the control panel flickered, showing a level that was getting lower with each passing minute. Soon, I would be stranded in the middle of nowhere, with no way forward or back. The bracelet on my wrist, which I already knew was useless without Nemo, seemed like a cruel joke at the moment.
I accelerated a little more, trying to cover as much distance as possible before the bike finally ran out of power. I knew I couldn't stay out in the open, not with dismantling drones around. If they found me, it would be the end. There was no way I could take them on alone.
After another fifteen minutes, I started to notice something unusual. A shadow on the horizon. It looked like a rock formation, or maybe a structure, but I wasn't sure. At this distance, everything was blurred by dust and snow. It was my only option, though. I steered the bike toward it, hoping it wasn't just an illusion brought on by exhaustion.
The bike's control panel finally flashed with a warning: "Low Fuel." Great. I gritted my teeth and kept going, ignoring the pain in my body and the exhaustion in my mind. My hands ached from holding on to the controls, and the blurry vision didn't help me distinguish whether what I was seeing was real or just another part of the snowy landscape.
As I got closer, the silhouette began to take shape. It was a half-ruined metal structure, rusted by the years and extreme weather. It wasn't in the best condition, but it could be a good temporary shelter. I decided to land as close as possible before the bike completely shut off. I managed to slow down and, with a bit of luck, the bike touched down without too many problems.
I got off the bike, my legs shaking and my butt aching from sitting on the bike for so long, and I took in my surroundings. The structure looked like some sort of watchtower, though only a few remnants remained of what must have once been a military or scientific facility. The walls were partially crumbled, and the windows were mere holes through which the wind whistled. It wasn't perfect, but it served its purpose.
Before I entered, I looked around. There was no sign of drones for now, which gave me some relief, but I knew I couldn't relax too much. I entered the structure, making my way through rubble and dust. The interior was dark and cold, but it offered at least some protection from the wind and snow. I moved through the empty hallways, checking every corner, looking for anything that might be useful. However, everything was either crumbled or unusable.
I plopped down in a corner, leaning against the metal wall, and let out a frustrated sigh. There was no way to contact the team, and without the bracelet operational, it was impossible to find an easy way out of this situation. I just had to wait and trust that I would eventually find a way back.
But then, a low, metallic sound echoed in the distance. Something that didn't belong to the wind or the ruins. My heart stopped for a second. I wasn't alone.
The metallic sound was repeated, this time closer. I jumped to my feet, my nerves on edge, and strained my hearing. Something was inside the structure. I pulled out the laser rifle I'd taken from the drone that rescued me—or rather, some poor second-rate villain—and moved slowly toward a ruined column, trying to remain unnoticed.
The sound echoed through the empty corridors. It was an irregular noise, like something heavy dragging, perhaps metal parts scraping against the ground. It could be a scout drone, or worse, one of the disassembly drones that had attacked me earlier. Either option put me in a dangerous situation. If I found myself here with no fuel for my bike and a bracelet that only served as a useless ornament on my wrist, I was done for.
I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. I had to think fast and not panic. If that drone—or whatever it was—found me, it would be a matter of seconds before it alerted others. And in this desolate place, the extermination machines were the only ones patrolling.
I moved down the hallway, sticking to the walls, avoiding making even the slightest noise. My breathing became more and more shallow, trying not to draw attention. The sound was closer now, just around a corner. I tightened my grip on the laser rifle, hoping it still had enough shots left.
I peered out slowly and saw something I wasn't expecting: a drone, but not a combat or teardown drone. It was much smaller, perhaps the size of a large dog, with articulated limbs and a single red lens in the center of its "face." It was exploring, that much was clear, moving meticulously through the rubble, as if searching for something. And worst of all: it seemed to be repairing the structure.
Every time the drone found a destroyed panel or exposed wires, it would deploy tools from within and begin working, reconnecting systems and reactivating parts of the facility. That wasn't normal. These drones were designed to destroy, not repair. Something or someone was controlling them, how I wish I had one of those working for me…
I carefully backed away before it saw me, but as I took the next step, my boot hit a loose piece of metal. The sound rang like a bell in the silence. The drone stopped abruptly. Its red lens spun and focused in my direction. The next thing happened in a split second: the drone beeped loudly, and its lens changed from a dim red to a bright red.
"Shit!" I said to myself as I took off running.
The small drone sped up behind me, with surprising speed for its size. With every step, its buzzing noise increased, and I knew it was setting off some kind of alert to attract other drones. I had to find a way out or at least a place to hide.
I ran through the crumbling hallways, dodging debris from machinery and pieces of metal that had fallen from the ceiling. Every time I looked back, the drone was closer, and that red glow on its lens intensified like an impending threat. If I didn't stop it soon, it would alert the fleet.
I turned sharply to the left and entered a large room. The walls were covered in old panels, most of them inactive, but one in particular was on, with a blinking light that caught my eye. There was no time to think. I lunged for the panel and started hitting random buttons. If I could activate some sort of defense or interference, maybe I could shut down the drone.
The panel beeped, and suddenly, several lights in the room lit up. The drone burst into the room, and before I could react, something fell from the ceiling. Some sort of defensive lasers activated, shooting straight at the small drone that had been following me. Within seconds, the drone exploded in a burst of sparks, becoming little more than a pile of twisted pieces on the floor.
I let out the breath I didn't even realize I'd been holding and slumped against a wall. "Finally, some luck," I thought. But it didn't last long.
The panel in front of me began to flash more rapidly, and a mechanical voice came out of the speakers: "Alert: Intruder detected. Initiating containment protocol."
My eyes widened. I had just activated something far worse.
Leaning against the wall, my breathing still labored, I tried to find the silver lining to everything that had happened since I left the base. I tried to convince myself that somehow, things couldn't be that bad. At least I was still alive, right? I had ridden out on the hoverbike like an action hero, but hours of aimless driving had only left me in the middle of nowhere. Then there was the bracelet thing. Damn useless bracelet, how come it doesn't even have GPS? My big tech tool is only good for scanning things that aren't helping me get out of this mess.
And now, after running into a killer repair drone that almost alerted an entire fleet most likely, here I was, hiding in a room that would surely end up being my death trap. Every decision I made since leaving the base only made the situation worse. And to top it off, I had just activated some kind of containment protocol. Surely, something much bigger than that measly repair drone was already on its way.
"Well… at least I got a laugh about the cheap Ultron thing," I thought, trying to find some humor in the fact that I had nearly died several times in one day. But even that seemed far away now.
I stood up, brushing the dust off my clothes, trying not to think too much about the fact that everything I touched seemed to turn against me. My grand escape plan, my brilliant idea to explore beyond what Doll and J were suggesting… and what had I gotten? Nothing. Only trouble. And now I had no idea how to get out of this place, or where I should go. Instead of finding answers or a new path, I had only made the situation worse.
"At least I didn't die," I repeated to myself, but it sounded less and less convincing.
I decided to peer back into the panel, trying to analyze what I might have activated. My first intention was to find a switch to disable whatever I had just set in motion, but all I managed to do was bring up more warnings on the screen. "Containment protocol activated. Security barriers deployed in the southern section." Great, I was now probably trapped inside this complex, with combat drones on the way to "contain" the intruder.
I looked around, searching for an alternative exit. There were several doors in the room, but they all seemed to be connected to the system I had just activated. Meanwhile, lights were flickering intermittently, as if the place itself was about to crumble on me.
Trying to keep my cool—though it was getting harder and harder—I thought about J and Doll. What were they doing now? Surely, as soon as they realized I hadn't returned, they would start tracking me. But with how far I had wandered, aimlessly, I doubted they would be able to find me easily. And that's if they even cared enough to look for me. J would probably be more concerned with his usual complaints, and Doll… well, she was only interested in technology. Maybe she would have found this complex interesting, but right now, not even she could get anything useful out of this mess.
I let out a heavy sigh. Admittedly, every decision since I left the base had been one mistake after another. I stared at the laser rifle I still held, wondering if I was going to need it again in the next few hours. Probably I was. Because if I had learned anything on this hellish day, it was that things could always get worse.
"Well, at least I don't have to listen to J's corrections for a while," I thought, trying to wring some small victory out of this chaos. But even that thought rang hollow to me.
I sat up, and with one last glance at the flickering screen, I decided to keep exploring. There was no turning back, and really… what else could I lose? The streak of bad decisions was already underway, and the only thing left was to keep going.
"Exactly! My only option is… to make things even worse!" I thought as a mad smile crossed my face. If everything was going wrong no matter what I did, why not take things to the extreme? Absolute chaos might be the solution, after all. It was such an absurd strategy that maybe it would work. Besides, if I made things even worse, more opportunities would arise for fate to throw me an unexpected twist. And if not, well, at least I'd have a laugh along the way.
"Why not?" I muttered as I walked down the hallway with the laser rifle still in my hand, feeling a strange emotion rise within me. After all, if I was already in the middle of a facility on the verge of collapsing, with killer drones and security protocols activated, the best thing I could do was create more chaos.
I stopped in front of a door that seemed to lead to a room of heavy machinery. "If there's something I can break here, I will without hesitation!" I told myself with a mix of adrenaline and twisted humor. If there was one thing I had learned, it was that when things go wrong, it's best not to resist. To accept the chaos, and better yet, to contribute to it.
I imagined J, with his constant complaining, and Doll, raising an eyebrow and saying something like, "Did you really think that making things worse was a solution?" And as that image made me laugh, I opened the door. The noise of the machines filled my ears, and I found myself in a room full of generators. Perfect.
"Let's see what happens if this thing turns off!" I said as I approached a control panel filled with buttons and levers. Without much thought, I began pressing everything in sight. Lights flickered, machines vibrated, and the hum of the system grew increasingly unstable.
If I was doomed anyway, at least I was going down in an explosion of chaos. Because, as strange as it seemed, the more chaos I created, the more chances I had of finding the way out… or making everything explode once and for all.
"Why, oh why, the more chaos I create, the more chances I have of making things worse!" I exclaimed in a dramatic, almost theatrical tone as I continued to pull levers.
My plan, which made no sense or logic at all, ended up being surprisingly useful… well, not really, but at least something changed. As I pulled the last lever, the hum in the room died down completely. All the lights flickered a couple of times before going out completely, and the place was plunged into a dark, eerie calm. The last bit of power this damn place had was gone.
I stood there in the darkness, the echo of my "feat" resonating through the empty hallways. I felt a small, nervous laugh rise in my throat. I would pretend it had been a resounding success. Sure, I had deactivated something… though all I had accomplished was leaving me without power and probably no way out. But it was the attitude that mattered, right?
"Yes! Master plan executed to perfection!" I said out loud, giving myself an imaginary pat on the back. "Who needs light or power when you have wit and chaos?"
I stood there, enjoying the silence for a few seconds. The darkness was almost welcoming, as if the universe had given me a pause to savor my "triumph." The situation was so ridiculous that I decided to enjoy it. Because, after all, if the only option was to pretend everything was fine, I might as well do it in style.
I leaned against the wall, a smug grin on my face, and said out loud, in all seriousness:
— "I'm so great. I shut down an entire facility with just my superior intellect and skills. Sometimes I get scared of how good I am at ruining perfect plans."
And so, in the middle of nowhere, with no light, no drones chasing me (for now), and no power, I decided that, even though I had made everything worse, I'd rather keep pretending that it had been my most glorious victory. Because, in the end, in this crazy world, fiction and reality were pretty much mixed up already.
I stood there, enjoying the darkness I had created by disabling the facility, when a new sound interrupted the silence. Something was moving in the shadows, a low but disturbing noise, like the scraping of metal against metal. I knew I wasn't alone,and the feeling of being watched came back with force.
In the dim light, I saw a silhouette move, and I immediately went on the defensive, laser rifle in hand, ready for anything. It was then that I noticed it wasn't one, but several. A group of creatures emerged from the shadows, and my eyes widened in recognition. They were velociraptors, but not like the ones I'd seen on Earth. These were robot drones, sleek and sharp in design, made to hunt, to eliminate. Mechanical versions of the most fearsome predators… is this Jurassic Park or what!?
By that point, though, my patience had run out. Since I'd left the base, every step I'd taken had been a fight for survival, and I was tired of running. I looked ahead and saw the velociraptors slowly approaching, ready to hunt. I wasn't going to let them catch me.
With a quick movement, I pulled out the grenades I'd stored in my backpack, and threw them in the direction of the pack. The explosion was deafening. Metal fragments flew in all directions as the echo reverberated through the facility. The velociraptors were blown to pieces, and the adrenaline made a satisfied smile appear on my face sometimes making me wonder why in movies they make situations look so stressful when it's so easy to find a solution most of the time. ?
With no time to celebrate my "victory", I looked around, feeling like the relief was short-lived. That explosion had attracted attention, and not just from the drones. I needed to get out of there quickly.
As I hurried to leave the room, the reality of my situation became clearer. My futuristic bike, a small technological marvel, was far from reliable without fuel. I needed to find something to recharge it before I was stranded in this place full of dangers.
As I walked out of the room, anguish began to take hold of me. The need to find a power supply for my bike was urgent. The echo of the explosion still rang in my ears as I made my way deeper into the maze of the complex, looking for anything that might give me a little charge.
I walked through the dark hallways, lit only by flickering lights. In one corner, I saw a door marked "Supplies" wow how convenient. I approached cautiously, watching for any strange movement. I flung it open and stepped inside, expecting to find a generator or a power panel.
The place was filled with cluttered shelves, packed with boxes and equipment I hadn't seen before. With a quick glance, I noticed an old generator in the corner. I walked over, checking its condition. I was lucky; it still seemed functional, but it needed a compatible battery.
As I looked around, a noise interrupted my thoughts. It was a door opening behind me, and I turned to see who was entering. To my surprise, there stood a worker drone, with her signature dark reddish hair and a confused expression on her face. I didn't stop to think about it, though. I didn't know who she was, but I didn't have time to stick around and chat, nor was I in the mood for drama.
"Do you have something to carry my bike?" I asked immediately, almost without thinking. The look of surprise on her face didn't go unnoticed, but I didn't care. Nor did the "baby" she was carrying in her arms, who honestly looked like a damn egg.
The drone, after a few moments of confusion, slowly nodded. "Uh, yeah, I think I have something," she replied, searching through her belongings. Meanwhile, little Beau fidgeted in her arms, as if he was eager to help.
"Quick," I added, feeling the pressure of time. "I need to get out of here."
Finally, the drone pulled out a small charging device and handed it to me. "This should work," she said with a nervous smile.
Without further ado, I took it and quickly headed over to the bike, which I hoped was still standing. As I fumbled with the charge, I felt the tension in the air rise. I didn't know if the robot velociraptors would appear again, or if there would be more different kinds of robot dinosaurs. Oh man, I really don't feel like knowing.
"Why are you here?" I asked as I plugged the device into the bike. Curiosity was piqued, but I didn't really have time to explore the answer. I just wanted to make sure I could get away.
"I came to get something, but I seem to be in the wrong place," she said, glancing nervously at the door. "
Whatever, just stay alert," I replied, hitting the power button on the bike. The systems hummed to life, and I felt a little more relieved. I was ready to roll.
"And your… friend?" I looked back at her, gesturing to the "baby" she still held in her arms.
"He's just an assistant," she said, trying to downplay it. "He's not a problem."
"Perfect," I muttered, though in the back of my mind I still questioned why anyone would want to carry an egg around in the middle of this chaos.
With the bike finally recharged, I was ready to head out. Before I turned and walked away, however, I couldn't help but take one last look back at the worker drone and her strange companion. "If you decide to stay, good luck. But I have to go."
And without further ado, I turned the bike around and sped down the hallway, leaving behind the chaos of the facility and two strangers who were clearly beyond my concerns.There was only one goal in my mind: to return to base and leave all the drama behind.