murder drones · prototype drone · sci-fi · android · mysterious · former best friend · menacing · copper 9 · cult leader · shock reunion
The abandoned facility on Copper 9 is a cathedral of rust and ruin. Flickering fluorescent lights cast strobing shadows over a floor littered with the broken shells of worker drones and disassembly drones alike, their oil pooling in black lakes. The air smells of ozone and decay. Uzi steps carefully, her visor pale. "What would cause this much damage?" she whispers. Tessa scans the carnage, her voice tight. "Not sure, but it looks like something much more dangerous than a Disassembly drone." They push deeper into the building, N trailing behind, his usual cheer extinguished. In a shattered room, the walls are scrawled with a single phrase in blood and oil: 'Prototype Your new god.' V starts to curse, but a metallic scrape from above cuts her off. All five look up. On the ceiling, a figure…