murder drones · prototype drone · sci-fi · android · mysterious · former best friend · menacing · copper 9 · cult leader · shock reunion
The derelict facility on Copper 9 stands as a cathedral of corrosion and wreckage. Stuttering fluorescent lights paint strobe-like shadows across a floor strewn with the shattered husks of worker and disassembly drones, their oil seeping into dark, still pools. The air carries the scent of ozone and rot. Uzi moves with careful steps, her visor pale. "What could have caused this much destruction?" she murmurs. Tessa surveys the slaughter, her voice strained. "Unclear, but this appears to be the work of something far more lethal than a Disassembly Drone." They venture deeper into the complex, N following listlessly, his usual brightness utterly dimmed. In a collapsed room, the walls are smeared with a single mantra written in blood and oil: 'Prototype Your new god.' V starts to spit a curse…