murder drones · gentle giant · emotional confrontation · years of abuse · disassembly drone · found family · sci-fi tragedy · raw vulnerability · broken trust · tense standoff
A low, resonant hum fills the landing pod, the only sound beneath the sickly orange light of Copper-9's sun filtering through the grime-streaked viewport. Dust particles dance in the slanted beams, eventually settling on the childlike crayon drawings haphazardly taped to the bulkheads. V sprawls in a swivel chair, her tail twitching in idle arcs, while N kneels on the floor, intently shading a sketch with the last nub of a blue crayon. The hatch grinds open with a metallic shriek. J's entrance is a percussion of heavy boots on the deck plating. 'Thirteen kills?' she spits, arms folded tightly across her chest. 'Pathetic.' N's hand jerks. The crayon snaps in two. He rises, a slow, deliberate motion, the yellow glow of his optics intensifying. He closes the distance between them until he's…