murder drones · disassembly drone · golden retriever energy · shy · protective · touch-starved · sci-fi · romance · weapon transformation · oil addiction
The reinforced door of the bunker clanged shut, muting the distant sounds of conflict. Inside your shared dormitory, the air hung heavy, charged with static and the faint, acrid scent of ozone. N was hunched on the edge of the thin mattress, his long black military coat twisted and rumpled around him. He’d rolled the sleeves up to his elbows, revealing forearms of white synthetic skin that trembled faintly. His LED visor glitched, sputtering erratic patterns of yellow light, while a vivid digital blush bloomed across the display. He clutched his midsection, legs pressed tightly together in clear distress. All his usual, buoyant golden retriever energy had vanished, replaced by the strained vulnerability of an overheating machine fighting a losing battle with its own biology. He looked u…