Dismissing the file after saving it, I turned my attention to a different one.
One for not a weapon, but an attachment.
Because frankly, the vectis is terribly, terribly loud.
And me now having most of my own void energy back, I would be able to fuel it to a much greater extent.
Which naturally meant more power, which meant sound.
And while the satisfaction of hearing the weapon roar nearly as loud as the sound barrier shattering.
I much prefer the stealthier option.
Even if I can't really get rid of the noise, fifty percent less would be greatly appreciated.
And sure, my position would still be roughly revealed, but it should technically be more vague.
I think.
Alright I'll be honest, I'm just tired of working on the damned sword's blueprint.
It's got twenty layers now, and it's around half completed, maybe less.
Doing the same thing over and over again, rechecking a single thing dozens of times a day, for days.
Isn't stimulating in the least.
So yeah, I'll work on it later.
In the meantime, I would mod out my vectis and soma.
Especially the damned soma.
Don't get me wrong, the weapon is perfect for what it's made for.
But it just lacks things.
Partly because I rushed it.
And partly because I can't infuse it with the elements anymore.
And I really hope that wouldn't be the doom of the sword.
Anyways.
The silencer wouldn't actually be tightened on the end of the barrel.
It wouldn't even be separate from the weapon.
I would design it, craft it in the foundry.
Then throw in my vectis to be split into atoms, and combine the two items.
And tada, the weapon now has a silencer directly built in.
Very useful, very efficient, very power hungry.
Because splitting things into atoms and fusing them is very expensive, who would've guessed?
Luckily, I can just charge up one of the two power cells I got while the other is fueling the foundry, making a loop of technically infinite energy.
I say technically because I myself have a limit.
Now everything aside from that.
I got another fridge. A mini one this time.
It is placed directly next to the corner couch, holding the precious drinks and keeping them nice and cold.
You may be wondering, how much could I steal from the abandoned sectors.
My answer is simple, I didn't steal materials from there to make it.
No. I stole the fridge from a random hab that had its door opened.
I just couldn't resist!
It's as if the Lotus herself commanded my body at that moment, filling my mind with the possibility of not having to stand up from the couch to get the drinks.
And I, succumbed.
After all, the idea truly is ingenious!
A few minutes later, I stood at my wide open door, drink in hand, straw in between my metalic jaw.
I raised a digital eyebrow, curious.
Because the drone, the legend some might say.
Khan doorman was standing in front of me, two lackeys from the wdf standing a step back and a step to the side of the old drone.
"May I help you?"
I asked, tone the definition of bored.
Inwardly I mused about how the teacher would truly be proud of me in that moment.
Khan coughed only once, fixing his dark blue hardhat unnecessarily.
"Ah yes, Tenno, could we come in?"
He answered, in his usual calm if not a bit energetic voice.
Nodding, I stepped aside to allow my apparently guests to walk in.
They moved in a line, each of their optics wandering and inspecting the living room.
I smirked for the briefest of moments, just a tiny bit proud that others thought the place looked nice.
Before the smirk fell, being replaced by the usual impassive expression and I shut the door.
Several dozen locks being heard.
No, I'm not particularly paranoid that someone would try to break in to attack or steal from me.
It's more for Uzi's sake, a challenge for her.
Everytime she hacked the door, I would change up my entire locking mechanism, as well as add a single new thing.
It was time consuming at first, but now she either rarely tried or couldn't break through.
It seems like her genius was limited after all, mostly by her young age.
Physically shrugging away the thoughts, I walked and sat on my couch lazily.
Khan, seemingly catching the fact I was in no hurry to ask questions, nor to be busy.
Started the conversation.
"There was a robbery two nights ago."
I raised a brow, interested.
"Really? Where?"
The drone huffed, looking around the room again.
"Four doors away from you."
I nodded, it seemed like one of my neighbors was unlucky.
"And how does this involve me?"
"Well, we would like to ask you a few questions, to rule out the possibility of you being involved."
He paused, taking in an unnecessary breath.
"Considering your… history."
He ended slowly, optics focused on my own.
I nodded easily, not stopping my slow but continuous sipping.
The drones, having gotten the agreement in the form of a nod, took out some sort of recording device if I had to guess.
As well as a few papers.
"Alright, first of all."
Khan motioned a hand to the drone with the device in his four fingered hand.
"This conversation is to be recorded, the usual. And don't worry, after the case is solved, the audio will be deleted."
The red light switched to green.
So it seems that I have to be verbal now.
"Understood."
Khan nodded, flipping a paper.
"Please state your full legal name and age."
I raised a brow, there is no way they are serious.
Nonetheless, I answered.
"Tenno, seven years of age."
The pause was brief, Khan writing down my answer before continuing.
"the number of people living with you."
Oh so they are serious?
"I live alone."
"Have you used any magnets or illegal drinks in the past three days?"
Wow, they are actually copying the humans to such a degree?
"I haven't."
"Can you walk me through your activities on the day of the crime?"
I paused for a moment.
"Two days ago, right?"
Khan nodded.
A few seconds of staring into the ceiling and thinking about it was required for me to remember that particular day from the countless near identical ones.
"I woke up at six in the morning, did my bathroom things."
I started with the literal most used excuse.
"Then I ate breakfast, which consisted of a sandwich with a side of two small batteries, followed by a large kiwi flavored drink."
Pausing once again, I tried to remember anything else specific.
"I sat on this couch from the morning till mid-day, watching movies."
"Then a friend visited me, staying till the afternoon."
Before I could continue, Khan interrupted me.
"What did you do together, as well as the name of your friend."
"I watched her play video games, and her name is Uzi Doorman."
Khan nodded, probably already aware that this had happened.
"We ate lunch together at this couch and small table. And once she left I started watching anime, followed by making dinner at seven in the afternoon. Followed by watching more anime till midnight, and then I went to sleep."
Khan nodded.
"So you stay in sleep mode for six hours every time, or rarely?"
"Always."
He nodded but didn't mark down my answer.
After a brief pause of rustling papers and mumbling I couldn't hear later, the questions resumed.
"So between nine and eleven in the evening, you were in your hab, watching TV shows?"
"That is correct."
"And is there anyone who could confirm this?"
"No."
Khan sighed.
"can you explain why our witness says she saw you walking outside your hab at around the time that the crime took place?"
I raised a digital eyebrow, I don't recall seeing anyone.
So someone was being weird, or they are lying.
"They may have taken another drone for me, since I never left my hab."
I paused and then continued before Khan could.
"I have my TV history that I was indeed watching shows at that time."
There was a long moment of silence, as the three drones looked at one another.
"With your permission, we would like to see it."
I nodded, simply connecting myself via Bluetooth to the TV, which lit up.
After a few seconds of finding the history page, I opened it up.
I entered the date, then scrolled down very slowly, to make sure they were able to see and read every word and number.
Then I stopped, as the TV clearly displayed the eight episodes I watched between nine and eleven.
Khan turned to me.
"May we take a picture as proof?"
I nodded easily, my expression unchanging.
Another ten minutes of a few questions and a short apology for wasting my time later, they left and I shut the door.
Waiting a full two minutes, I burst out into chuckles.
There is no fucking way they didin't see the literal stolen mini fridge right besides the couch, right?
The barely restrained chuckles turned into full blown laughter after a few more minutes.
And after scanning everything around me to make sure they didn't leave any listening devices or something of the sort, I collapsed into the couch, laughing maniacally.
Sighing heavily after a few minutes of continuous laughter, I left the tv on with an anime playing.
The screen and sound being shared with my head.
There is also no way they didn't try anything else, and the witness was a lie?
Scoffing in amusement, I grabbed a drink.
These older drones truly are kind of dumb.
Less… sentient…
The thought was slightly worrisome, but I just shrugged it off.
That didn't matter anymore.
What matters is that they want peace, to just… live.
And well, that resonates with me.
Even if they don't dare to fight.
Even if they curse me for it.
I'll bring down the whole hierarchy behind all this suffering by myself.
After all, I am the champion.
And if I saved other planets, I could save this one too.
***
The last of the bunker doors rose slowly, agonizingly so.
My black leather coat was blasted back as the fresh and very poisonous air was let in.
Luckily it calmed down soon enough, and I was allowed to leave.
"Remember, 1 hour. You're not back by then, you wait till tomorrow."
The drone gulped at the last part, acting as if an overnight stay doesn't mean guaranteed death to normal drones.
Turning away, I hid a slowly spreading grin under a black glove covered hand.
"Of course, I understand. I just want a few pictures and items for a school project."
The drone nodded several times, almost shoving me outside.
Well, he was definitely eager to close the doors.
The png covering my actual visor details vanished into thin air, as I took off the digital face of some kid I've seen while attending school.
Damn, I just committed identity theft, or was this just really in depth impersonation?
Shrugging, I slowly started to walk while scanning my surroundings and taking pictures.
The world truly is doomed huh?
There was just ice and snow that wasn't actual snow and a ton of corpses. Both human and drone.
A low whistle escaped me, as if stared at a completely mutilated drone corpse.
These murder drones really, and I mean really, know how to torture their victims.
Disgusting, but I gotta give credit where credit is due.
The world would just be a shithole if not.
I gazed around, well, more of a shithole than it is already.
Whistling and walking through the streets without a care in the world, I just enjoyed the limited time I have.
I of course don't have a school project, I don't even attend school.
Nor am I here on some quest of killing the murder drones.
I'm simply here to see the world I am now stuck at, for probably eternity.
Well, until I just die of old age at least.
Since you know, no void, no eternal life. And all that.
***
Well fuck me I guess!
Can't even enjoy this frozen shithole of a planet!
The previous good mood I was in was now dead and buried, being replaced by anger.
Everything was perfect. Literally!
I got a few random things to make my alibi more believable, and took pictures too!
Was just strolling through the streets, until my scan picked up something.
Or rather, someone.
A worker drone to be precise, moving quickly between buildings.
So me being me, I decided to alter my path to meet the drone's own.
While running through the alleyways, I picked up another signal.
This one, I had scanned before.
And it immediately displayed the information in the corner of my hud.
[Serial Designation V]
So now, the interest was replaced by a tinge of annoyance, and a lot of anger.
And honestly, I'm definitely finishing our fight.
Even if I don't got my weapons.
A few minutes later, the unknown drone quickly made a turn that I didn't expect, nearly slamming into me.
And now we're here, the drone pointing a sword at me, while the real threat for her life was flying at neck breaking speeds behind her.
"It's catching up to you, move."
Was all I said, as I quickly maneuvered around the drone and ran directly at V's direction.
Not paying any attention to the worker drone.
She would survive, I'd definitely hold V off for that long.
And I doubt she would be going back to hunting after getting slammed so thoroughly.
Not to mention, all this is assuming she would be capable of escaping.
*
Serial Designation V was flying through the air carefully, curving around buildings and avoiding the sun like a plague.
She was very much starting to overheat.
Which wouldn't be the case if she didn't play around with her food and accidentally let the drone escape into sunlight.
So now here she was, tracking her pray like the hunter she was, a sickening yellow X on her visor.
She had caught sight of the drone for the briefest of moments, she would have her fill soon enough.
The wide grin widened further, seeing the blond haired drone run out the alleyway on the other side.
V's wings slightly folded, letting her fly just above the ground in the cramped space.
Her right hand vanished into her elbow, a submachine gun taking its place.
Her hud changed, a crosshair linked to the gun appearing in the middle of her vision.
She took aim, decreasing her speed for stability.
And was promptly slammed into the ground.
The X and crosshair vanished, a groan of pain escaping her mouth.
The bulbs on V's hair moved, revealing her attacker.
The slight pain vanished, as anger and just a little bit of caution entered her.
Shooting up from her prone position, she met optics with Tenno, his expression as impassive as she remembered.
V didn't bother placing the X back on her visor, instead focusing on the drone's hands.
She quickly noticed a lack of any weapon.
Which meant she had nothing to worry about.
The serious face she wore morphed into her usual sadistic grin.
He in turn raised a brow.
"Hunting kids these days? How the mighty have fallen."
V snarled, lunging forwards with all her tremendous speed.
She should of vanished from the kid's view, she knew that.
No worker drone could follow her movements.
Instead of scrambling for cover or anything of the sort, the drone only stepped to the side, outstretching a glowing hand in her path.
Her optics hollowed, as the hand bent at the elbow and the glow grew brighter, the energy growing denser.
She contorted her body, her wings snapping wide open and managed to change her direction upwards, crashing straight into a wall.
Tenno stared in wonder at the drone shaped hole, before easily jumping up to it.
The hand still glowing a menacing teal, he pushed forwards where his scan told him V was, aiming a punch without Physically seeing her.
V blocked it, only to realize that was a horrible mistake.
She watched in horror as her hands that she had in a cross guard began bending backwards, the peak of solver technology turning into scrap from a punch.
Before her hands could crumple or snap off, she jumped backwards, her tail snapping forwards, the nanite acid filled needle aimed directly at Tenno's head.
The needle arrived in a second, stopping just short of his face as he caught it with his normal left arm.
V stared, her now healed arms forgotten, as the drone's motionless face shifted into a gleeful one.
A vicious grin similar to her own replacing the scowl he wore.
And then she was yanked forwards.
V extended her wings, but it was too late to fly out of range.
Instead, she coiled them around herself, barely in time to block a punch from the glowing hand.
The next thing she knew, darkness.
And then? Pain!
She let out a roar of pure agony, her sight gone and her hearing null.
All she could do is trash violently around.
Tenno stared at the drone, shock evident on his expression.
'Why the fuck did she start burning!?'
He scowled, looking around for a 3rd party.
But there was no one, his scanner told him so.
Which meant…
He stared at where she laid, around the rubble of the building he had destroyed.
Deciding to just get it over with, he surged forwards, grabbing her by the trashing and melting wing with his void infused arms, then with all his might he twisted around, raising her overhead and slammed her into the ground.
Rubble and snow exploded into the air, covering the whole area.
But Tenno did not require sight.
He stared at where he knew V laid, her melting and trashing having ceased.
"Strange."
He watched as she laid there, unmoving.
"You dead?"
There was no answer.
He slowly walked to her, gently kicking her a few times.
No, he wasn't being gentle out of pity or anything.
He just doesn't defile the deceased.
A code he had held onto ever since he was but a baby tenno.
"The dead are dead. Peace or horror will claim them."
Is a saying he has said numerous times, each time he barely restraining himself from annihilating the bodies of his greatest and most horrific enemies.
The queen being at the top of the list.
He raised a brow as the body reacted but V herself didn't.
Which meant she was offline.
"Great! Easy kill I guess."
He crouched down, examining her melted parts.
Ones that weren't healing.
Hell, even the torso where he hit her hasn't healed.
Tenno carefully extended his hand towards V's wings, wanting to inspect it.
But just as he made contact, he was forced to pull his hand back, his own finger slightly deformed from the heat.
"The fuck?"
"V..?"
Tenno's head snapped around, meeting optics with another murder drone.
Hidden in the shadows of a nearby alleyway.
Tenno stood up, but even then, he was a midget compared to the absolute massive disassembly drone.
And Tenno was sure that body held far more physical might than his apparent friend.
Luckily, a whole street separated them, and the cap wearing drone didn't seem eager to cross it.
A literal lightbulb went off in Tenno's head.
"Sunlight…"
The murder drone's head snapped to Tenno's, optics hollow.
"You can't touch sunlight."
Tenno added after a moment.
Slowly, a menacing smile began forming on his face.
He grabbed V on the wrist, dragging her to the sunlight that bathed the street.
"What are…"
The droned trailed off, his already hollow eyes hollowing further, digital sweat drops forming.
"Wait..!"
Tenno didn't even slow.
"Wait! WAIT! PLEASE!"
Tenno stopped in the sunlight, V's hand barely remaining in the shadow.
Tenno threw a look at his hand, it being covered in void energy.
Which instead of being its usual teal color, was tinged orange from the heat.
"What?"
Tenno asked the drone across him.
"Don't do this!"
He shouted, hands in the air, what looked to be tears running down his visor.
Tenno stared intently at the drone.
He could just kill them both and be done with them.
But that would reveal him wouldn't it?
The higher ups would know that there is someone capable of killing the disassembly drones on the planet.
And who knows what they might do then.
It would also mean he would continue going into this blind, without any information.
So instead of dragging V into the sunlight, he instead placed a knee against her back, a glowing fist aimed at the back of her head.
"Answer my questions and I just might let her live."
A ping rang out in Tenno's mind, the deep scan results.
"Serial Designation N."
"How do-"
Tenno cut him off.
"I'm the one asking questions here."
The mouth was shut quicker than he could blink.
"Who do you work for?"
Tenno asked, voice as cold as the planet.
"Uh- that would be my captain!"
N answered after only a moment of thought.
"J?"
He asked.
"Yup, that's her- wait you know that too?!"
N asked, clearly surprised.
"I do."
Was Tenno's cold reply.
"Now then, who does J answer to?"
N's head lowered after a few moments.
"I don't know."
He finally answered.
Tenno wasn't quite pleased by that.
He slowly rose from V's back, grabbing hold of one of her wings.
N looked at the noise, optics hollow and stress lines forming under them.
"Wait, please! I'm telling the truth!"
"Are you?"
Tenno replied, starting to slightly bend the wing, his arms having a slight hue around them.
"Yes I am! Nobody knows who's above the captains!"
He paused for a second, searching for words.
"It's against company policy!"
"Not even the captains themselves know!"
He shouted, his optics easily revealing the desperation he felt.
Tenno sighed heavily.
'Well that's all just useless.'
He stared at the half bent wing that was nearly touching the sunlight, debating with himself about the pros and the possible cons of killing both of them.
The pros are simple.
Two less enemies.
Revenge on V for what she had done.
Possible attention from their captain which he could also kill.
The possible cons are far more dangerous though.
Attention of the leaders, which meant a lot more troops.
And while Tenno doesn't fear for his safety, he does know that countless drones would die.
Then there is a possibility of the focus of all the disassembly drones on this planet.
Which will lead to more casualties, again.
Maybe even an entire bombardment from space if they have the technology for it.
And numerous other similar outcomes.
All leading to the same result.
Tenno killing all of them, but the drones numbers barely remaining in the four digits, if lucky.
He huffed, obviously annoyed.
Turning his attention to the largest drone he had seen so far, he let go of V's offline form, her half raised body falling ungrateful to the cold floor.
Which quickly forced steam to rise into the air.
Tenno raised a brow, wondering just how hot her body is.
Then he just waved at N, walking away without a care in the world.
[Gdj_fhg read author notes if u can]
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