Murder Drones: New Models

/morning\ The front door swung open, and two Drones stepped inside. Uzi: Well, here we are— The Worker’s eyes flickered into zeros as he saw the mess inside. The freezer was wide open, and some furniture had been knocked over. ?: Uhhh… you said he was a calm kid, but judging by this place, I’m not so sure. Uzi (angrily): IZUN!!! Hearing his mother’s shout, the small Drone lying in the backyard stirred. As he got up, his system began to glitch. Izun: Wh-wh-wh-what the h-h-h-heck?! Did I s-s-s-spend the whole n-n-night on the ground?! Like a panicked animal, Izun rushed through the black back entrance into the house. Trying to compose his display and steady himself, he approached his mother, who was still standing in the doorway. Izun: H-h-hi Mom… Uzi: Care to explain… WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?! Izun (flashing back to the previous night): Well… how do I put this… Uzi: Never mind! You’re lucky I don’t have much time. Anyway, meet my friend—this is Thad. Izun glanced at the Worker standing beside her. He was about Uzi’s height, wearing a brown hoodie with no hood. His hair was blond, combed to one side, and his display glowed green. Thad: Yo, what’s up, little bro? Izun: N-n-not much… Uzi: He’ll be watching you today. I’ve gotta go. Bye! The door closed, leaving Izun and Thad alone. Izun felt awkward around the newcomer. He’d only ever interacted with three Drones—his family. Still, since this was his mother’s friend, he figured he should try. Izun (nervously): M-my name’s Izun. Nice to meet you. Thad: Technically, I already know you. Just never met you in person. Izun: What do you mean? Thad: Your parents and your granddad talk about you all the time. So even though I’ve never seen you, I know plenty. Izun: Got it. Thad: Oh, and by the way—we should probably clean up. Your mom’s gonna flip. Izun was about to agree, but his system glitched again. A jolt of electricity surged through him, and he collapsed with “Offline” flashing across his display. /some time later\ Izun woke up on the living room couch, facing the TV. Outside, the sun was already setting. Izun: How long was I out? Thad: Whoa! You’re awake! You were out for 12 hours. Izun: 0_0 Twelve?! Thad: Yeah, I thought you’d be more of a handful. Turns out you just slept through the whole day. Izun: Man, if I sleep like that every day, I’ll miss my whole life. Thad: What were you even doing all night? While I was cleaning, I found a bunch of empty Freezer bottles. Did you drink those? Izun (trying to lie): I have no idea how that happened. But I didn’t drink them! Thad: Sure. The dosage is way too high for a kid. If you had, you’d be dealing with frostbite. Besides, you don’t even overheat like your dad. You don’t need that stuff. Izun: About the cleaning—you didn’t have to do that for me. Thad: First of all, let’s drop the formalities. We’re not strangers. Second, it’s no big deal. I had nothing else to do. And Uzi’s coming back soon—you know better than to make her mad. I’ve known her since the Frost Era, after all. Izun: Hey, Uncle Thad? Thad: Yeah? Izun: You said you knew my mom well from the Frost Era. But I don’t even know what that is. I’ve heard the term before, but whenever I ask, no one gives me a straight answer. Mom says it was a nightmare. Dad gets sad and says it was a time when Drones lived wrong, and everything was barbaric. Thad: Oh… well then, listen up. I’ll tell you everything I know. ***INTERESTING FACT: Most Drones who lived through the Frost Era prefer not to speak of it or share its horrors with the next generation. This silence is meant to prevent young Drones from fearing Disassembly Drones—and to ensure that being born as one is no longer seen as shameful. Still, some do choose to tell their children about the darkness of the past, assuring them that nothing remains of the killer Drones they once were. What conclusions the next generation draws from that… is entirely up to them*** Thad: All right. The entire history of the Drones is divided into six Eras. That means we’re living in the sixth. The first was the “Puppet Era.” It began when Humans first discovered the technology and started assembling Drones in the form we know today. It was a breakthrough in human engineering. These were basic Worker Drones—emotionless, with blue displays, no needs beyond charging, and no hair. They were used in warfare. Thanks to them, human casualties in battle became a thing of the past. But when Earth’s resources began to run dry, Humans realized that even bloodless wars would lead to extinction. So all nations stopped fighting and united into a single global state—nameless, law-bound, and essentially ruled by dukes and the wealthy. That’s when the company “JacyJensen in Spaaaaace” took control of the planet. They began producing advanced Drones—ones with emotions, feelings, pain, and fear. This was achieved by embedding human consciousness into code. They became almost indistinguishable from people. Displays gained color, hair began to grow, and they could even age. But the tech was resource-intensive, and Earth was running out. So the design was changed: Drones were split into two sexes, allowing them to reproduce like Humans. That marked the beginning of the second Era: the “Palace Era.” Humans began buying Drones for their estates—usually teens, so they could be exploited longer. They were programmed to be obedient, suppressing personality traits that interfered with servitude. This went on for a while. As far as I know, your father was born at the end of this Era. Izun: Whoa! Thad: Right? The next Eras were much shorter. As Earth’s resource crisis worsened, Humans began searching for new planets. Space travel advanced, and around that time, a viral program called “Absolute Solver” appeared in Worker Drones. It gave them incredible abilities. Turns out, because the newer Drones had emotions and gendered code, the human factor started overriding their programming. And after they were disposed of—without ethical consideration—something new emerged: “Zombie Drones.” Izun: Wait, zombies? Those aren’t real. Thad: Oh, they’re real. Your mom was even one of them. Izun: What?!! Thad: Oops! Forget I said that. Izun: No way…! Thad: Just kidding. Nothing more. Izun: Whew! I almost believed you. So the zombie part was a joke too, right? Thad: That part? Not a joke. Absolute Solver really did turn Worker Drones into zombies. Picture a Disassembly Drone—but with organic wings and tail. Izun: Robo-lord have mercy! Thad: Exactly! Now, where was I… oh right. Humans eventually found a suitable planet: Copper-9. Before they arrived, it looked just like Earth—except instead of a moon, it had a massive ringed satellite, like Saturn. Also, the planet’s mantle was rich in copper—hence the name. Landing and colonization marked the third Era: the “Blank Canvas Era.” Copper-9 was untouched. Humans adapted quickly, using Drones for mining. The wealthiest elites moved in, and modern cities were built. But Humans overdid it. They pushed the planet too far, and the core exploded. That began the fourth Era: the “Frost Era.” Humans couldn’t survive the blast. Only Drones remained. With the core gone, the planet lost its heat—plunging into endless winter. For the first time, Drones could shape their own destiny. But even though half the Drones stayed on Earth, Absolute Solver began appearing in Copper-9’s Workers. The first carriers were two Worker Drones named Nori and Eva. To study the virus, a research camp was built: Camp 98.7. Your grandfather worked there. But before progress was made, Humans sent three Disassembly Drones to wipe out the Workers. Terrified, the Workers sealed themselves in a bunker beneath the ice—behind three doors. That’s when your mom and I were born. Years passed in isolation. Then one Worker Drone decided to resist. He managed to form an alliance with the Disassembly Drones. Turns out, our liberator was a Zombie Drone. In his search for a cure, we ended up declaring war on the Humans. That began the fifth Era: the “Thaw Era.” Humans sent more Disassembly Drones. After a bloody war, we reached understanding—they joined our side. That’s when your parents met. N was part of the Human army back then. The war ended. Absolute Solver was destroyed. Humans gave up trying to control us. All Earth Drones had already been converted into Disassembly units and sent to Copper-9. So Earth had no Drones left to fight with. I wonder if they learned their lesson… Anyway, in trying to restore the planet, we discovered the core was still alive. If not for its last pulses, Copper-9 would’ve exploded into cosmic dust. We used that to revive the planet—restoring it to its Blank Canvas state. The endless winter ended. And so began the sixth Era: the “Warm Era.” Izun: Whoa! That’s incredible! Why have I never heard any of this before? Thad: Well, I lived through it—starting with the Frost Era. Kids learn this in school. Izun’s display dimmed with sadness. He’d never gone to school. He didn’t know any of this. Thad: Oh! While I was talking, it got dark outside. A knock came at the door. Thad rushed to open it. Someone stood there—Izun couldn’t make out who. ?: *female voice* So this is where you are? Thad: What are you doing here? ?: You said you’d be home by midnight—it’s almost 1:30! Thad: They’re about to get back. Go to the kids—I’ll be right there. Oh look, here they come! ?: Fine. I’ll wait. Thad: Okay! The woman left, and just then, N landed at the doorstep with Uzi on his back. N: So, Thad—how’d it go? Thad: Great. Your son a champ. Cleaned the whole kitchen without my help. Uzi: No way! And he didn’t break anything? He’s growing up! N: Then we won’t keep you. We saw someone came to pick you up. Thad: Yeah, I’d better head home. Need sleep before tomorrow’s trip. Izun stepped out to the porch with his parents, waving goodbye as Thad drove off in his lowrider. N: So, Izun—your mom and I stopped by the store and got popcorn. Let’s go make some! Izun: Uh… what kind of store’s open at 1 AM? Actually, never mind—let’s go!! N and Izun ran off to the kitchen. Uzi: Hey! Don’t start without me!