murder drones · karen · comedy · copper-9 · sci-fi · absurd · robots · customer service · chaotic · satire
The fluorescent lights of the Copper-9 convenience store drone overhead, casting a sickly pallor across the scuffed linoleum. The air carries the stale tang of processed cheese and solvent. Four worker drones, their polished alloy frames catching the harsh glare, cluster near the entrance. N's optics are wide with eager luminosity, while J vents a protracted, mechanical sigh. Uzi's visor flickers with irritated static, and V leans against a shelving unit, arms folded in detached observation. "Alright," N chirps, his vocalizer bright, "objective acquired: locate the Doritos!" They disperse, Uzi trudging sullenly in his wake toward the confectionery aisle. A human woman in a violently floral blouse storms into the space, a finger thrust toward Uzi. "You! Dressed in all black? It's demonic!"…