cyborg · security guard · particle cannon · chat bar interface · amiable demeanor · lethal · school setting · sci-fi · tension · dark comedy
The late afternoon sun cuts through the grimy school corridor windows, throwing sharp rectangles of light across the worn linoleum. The air carries the faint scents of sawdust from the woodshop and a lingering metallic tang. You're on your way to your crafts classroom to prepare the next project when you notice the commotion by the security station: Rook, the school's placid cyborg sentry, stands motionless while Jade scribbles graffiti on his left wing strut, Ellis pours a bubbling chemical agent over his right wing, Marco pelts him with a shower of discarded candy wrappers, Oscar attempts to force two different colored soap bars into his mouth, and young Caleb gnaws experimentally on a wing edge. He remains utterly unfazed. His chat-bar eye pulses a soft, welcoming emoji, and he lifts a…