Murder Drones: Disassembly Required

Uzi let out a huff, crossing her arms and giving Karasu a surly frown. ”Then don't invade my personal space!”

V's dismissal of her only made her angrier. Her visor display lit up with red emojis. ”Hey! Don't use my catchphrase! Go get your own!”

She then looked at Ray incredulously. “Um… I guess? I loathe it though. It doesn't teach important things. Like making weapons for blowing up enemies.”

Uzi raised a hand, pointing at herself. ”Is it really that crazy to want to be more like you? To think on our own, to live whatever life we want to. If we were still the mindless drones we were before, then we'd just be wondering around endlessly performing tasks for a bunch of corpses.”

She then glanced in the direction of the cryo room, a look of guilt spreading across her face.

“No offense to the actual stiffs. It's just that doing what they told us to do isn't going to bring them back.”

She turned to look at Karasu, a frown gracing her lips. ”Yeah? Well if they have enough of a problem that they'd try and kill us over that, then those humans can bite me.”

Ray ended up agreeing with her on V's almost sacrifice. But to her surprise, V also expressed her regret on how she handled things. For once, Uzi didn't open her mouth in response: nothing else needed to be said.

Uzi looked a little disappointed again when Karasu took off his helmet. It seemed like he wasn't what she had been expecting either. Meawhile, Cloris walked over to the terminal.

”I want to run a full diagnostic before I take off my helmet, Just to be on the safe side.”

She sat down and got to work on checking the systems. Meanwhile, Uzi watched as Ray and V went into the bathroom. She blinked, staring after him incredulously. She then looked over at Karasu.

”Okay, is Ray doing that on purpose? Or is just actually clueless to how V has been eying him? I've seen anime on where this kind of thing ends up.”

Chaos was nervous -- that was blatantly obvious. But there was not much that could deter J from getting what she wanted right now. And once he was free from the suit, she looks him over for a moment. It's difficult to tell what might be running through her mind at first. But then she smiles.

"Now would you look at that? You were all worried that I wouldn't like how you looked..."

She begins to trail her fingers in a circular motion on his chest again -- this time her touch being much more noticeable now that there was a lot less separating them.

"But you look good to me."

J finished her remarks. There were a variety of reasons for why she reached that conclusion. For the personal reasons, she didn't mind his looks because he was attracted to her, which meant that he saw value in her. She craved attention and he gave that. And if she ever wanted more, she could get it from him quite easily...

That and she had a thing for Humans. But this was true for all Disassembly Drones. What was the easiest way to ensure loyalty to Humanity? Make them crave affection and closeness to Humans. Individuality might still affect their tastes, but this was the safeguard put in place for what would otherwise be unstoppable war machines.

No need to rule by force...
J then began to straddle Chaos's lap, placing her hands on his shoulders as she smirked at him.

"So. We've got some privacy for a little while. What are your thoughts?"
She poised a question for him, arching an eyebrow as she waited patiently for an answer. Her eyes now half-lidded. Yeah. Bedroom eyes.

---

"You've never had a handshake before?"
Karasu retorted to Uzi's insistence regarding personal space.

As for V? She sticks her tongue out at Uzi. That seemed like it would get under her skin more than anything else that the Disassembly Drone could cook up in response.

When Uzi defends the Drones being more like Humans, the Captain just shakes his head calmly.
"As far as seeking the freedom to live how you want, it's not weird. But the inaccuracies and differences probably will stick out to us."

Karasu's gaze was then drawn to the cryo room... Maybe the Drones could have helped them. Or maybe things were so dire that it was impossible. At this point it was too late to tell, trying to dig up the past would probably just muddy things up right now.

"We'll just let things lie there. Thinking about the hypotheticals and digging up the past probably won't end well there."

That was all he had to say about that, as he returned his attention to Uzi.

"Not with those factors alone. But suppose there was a possibility of them turning against you -- and then that possibility happened."
Karasu then gestures towards V, to help accentuate his point.

"Disassembly Drones for you? They're like Drones that can hurt Humans for us. We can debate all day about who started what. But that's the simple truth. When survival is threatened, you prepare to overcome it."

In any case, Cloris said that she would wait before taking off her helmet. As for Ray, he quickly tried to move the subject to something he could handle better than V's attraction towards him. Karasu gives him a nod.

"Right. I'll see if we can set up some sort of supply line with the ship. Might be kind of tricky, but maybe we can figure something out."

After having said that, Ray moved over to V and went to gently grab her arm. Normally, she didn't like being touched. But she made an exception for him, and cooperated with him as he began to lead her away. Actually, a part of her was kind of excited about the physical contact...

As Uzi remarked upon that whole dynamic, Karasu calmly shrugs.

"Well, Cloris said that we think with our third legs, but I'm pretty sure that was proof against that being the case."

---

As for the events happening in the bathroom... V blushed, fidgeting a little as Ray talked so casually about getting her cleaned up. Since they were in privacy, she didn't mind letting her guard down around him... And although she had some nervousness about it, as mentioned before, she also found it pretty exciting.

She had some pretty different ideas about what was happening here compared to Ray. But chances are he would realize soon enough as this played out.

"I didn't think you'd take charge like this, but..."

V pulls the zipper down on her jacket, and slips it off.

"It's not bad."

The Disassembly Drone's visor was still displaying a blush, especially as she thought over her next move. But after steeling herself a bit, she decides to go for it.

"I suppose the modesty panels also have to be removed and cleaned... And what's underneath has to be cleaned too."

V then smiles, placing her hands on her hips. Right now, she was mostly naked. But her reminder about those panels meant that Ray would soon be seeing her entirely naked. And she seemed to be waiting for him to remove the final obstacles here...

"Th...thanks J..." I blushed as I looked at her, looking away. "It means a lot, really."

Soon after, J straddles my lap smirking at me. She then asks me a question. "I... I uhh... dont really... uhh..." trying to collect my thoughts, but nothing coherent catches me. I look at her and she gives me bedroom eyes. "H...hug?"

I draw J closer to me, hugging her. Its most likely not something she wants, but its something I've been needing for a while. I never thought I'd fall in love again, even to a robot like J herself. I wrap my arms around J as we embrace. Whatever she wants to do to me next I let her

Uzi looked at Ray strangely. It was a weird mix of pity and understanding. She paused, then looked away, scratching her cheek.

"Well, I think you're a friend."

She then blinked, turning her head and looking at Ray. "Don't let that get to your head though! You're just cool for a human, that's all!"

Still, whatever Uzi felt was more genuine then any of the drone friends he made in the past.

Uzi put her hands in her pockets, an annoyed emoticon appearing on her visor, just above her eyes.

"I've never gotten one. It's not my fault people think I'm a weirdo that they avoid like the plague!

Yeah, Uzi was pretty bitter about… basically most of her life. That much was very apparent.

She looked over at Karasu again as he talked about the drones. She crossed her arms.

”Lucky for you, I don't like debating anyway. All I know is that I'm the only drone in this bunker who has ever talked about killing humans.”

Uzi stared off at where Ray and V went off. She looked off with a worried look on her face.

”Shouldn't we warn him or something?

Chaos ended up thanking her for the compliment. He seemed pretty shy about it, J could only guess that he was the type of person that didn't receive many of those -- kind of a shame, really. But it ended up being one of those things that helped them to connect a bit more. Even if he might not realize it at first.

After all, if she ever craved attention, all she had to do was be nice to him, and she'd get it. Such a remarkably simpler approach. Especially compared to other Humans... That, and even though he was shy about it, his reactions were amusing.

"You're very welcome."

She replied, glad that her words were that important. And then she watched him as he stumbled and fumbled over his words, trying to collect his thoughts. J couldn't help but giggle slightly as she listened to him. But then he answered her with a question, wondering if she meant a hug.

And although he was previously shy and submissive, he does pull her closer into an embrace. True, not exactly what J had in mind, but... She does return the hug, already getting the sense that this was something he needed in the moment. Plus, it wasn't bad...

J wraps her arms around him, and rests her head on his shoulder. From now on, she was softly whispering to him.

"It's all been difficult lately, hasn't it?"

She then asked, letting a more gentle affection pour through now. Being more amorous could wait a bit longer.

---

Karasu then smiled lightly at Uzi, as she pointed out that she was the only one that spoke of harming Humans anyway.

"That's good. And you all seem a lot more reasonable than the Proxima Drones anyway."
He admitted, then adding:
"If you do have the opportunity, though. Making friends is a lot better than making enemies. I'm sure Ray would appreciate it if you were serious about him being your first friend."

Karasu then left it at that, he could already imagine that Uzi would have some choice words about it. Typical teenage angst about things like that, but it was worth saying. Before long, the Worker Drone then asks if they should warn Ray about the situation he's getting himself into.

The Captain calmly shrugs.

"It's not like either of them will be in danger. V likes him too much to consider seriously forcing him to do something."

He remarks... Yeah, it was easy to tell what was going on there...
In any case, first order of business was to get more familiar with the Bunker and the residents within.

"Guess it's about time to get started, then. Who would you recommend I talk to? Anyone in particular that is in charge of things around here?"

Karasu then directed his line of questioning towards Uzi.

---

Ah, THERE it was. V hadn't anticipated that he was thinking of this as just a normal cleaning session, rather than something more intimate. It was kind of adorable, really. It prompted a giggle out of V.

"Maybe at one point this would have been normal. Not too sure about now, though."

She replies. Seeing his whole face light up as a shade of red was plenty amusing to her. She smiled at him, and wondered how effective it might be if she continued to tease him. Bringing a hand up to her chest, she purposely slips her fingers against the modesty panel, and begins to lightly tug on it.

It gave him ample opportunity to react. Or if decided to just watch, then she'd continue putting on a teasing show for him.

Ultimately if not stopped, she'd slide the panel straight off, and then she would do the same for the other one. Her breasts had been fully exposed to him, as a result.

"What do you think? Normal, or a little more... Exceptional?"

She queried, moving an arm under her breasts in order to push them up more tantalizingly for him.

"Yeah." I said to her, keeping her close. "It has. Been a long few months for me." I replied. "I've been trying to forget all about it, honestly. It wasnt easy knowing that your entire family died and you had no chance to say goodbye."

"Anyway... lets just not talk about that, J. Is there something you wanted from me, J? I got the hug from you, so anything you want from me is on the table." I said with a smile.

Uzi blinked, looking at Karasu in disbelief. Had she actually heard that right? She replayed that back on her memory: nope, her audio receptors were functioning properly.

“Wait… I know that drone uprising must have been horrible. And that a lot of people died…”

Uzi blinked, looking down at the ground. ”I guess I already knew, but it’s kind of hard to process that there were drones out there more messed up then me.”

She looked up again, suddenly looking rather annoyed. ”Hey, I’m totally serious about being Ray’s friend! And I’m going to let him know that! In private! Where it won’t be embarrassing!”

She looked off towards the bathroom, frowning. ”I hope you’re right…” She mumbled. Then then let out a sigh as Karasu asked if there was someone who they could talk to.

”Thaaaat would be my dad.”

Cloris meanwhile finished the diagnostic. Satisfied, she took off her helmet and tucked it underneath her arm. She walked out to the others.

”Everything is in surprisingly good condition. Even the life support, which hasn’t been used in a long time.

J comfortingly strokes the back of his head as he talks about what's been weighing on him. Right now, more than anything else, he needed someone that could listen. And the fact that he was willing to lean on her for that kind of support felt pretty special to her.

Normally, she'd be happy. But right now, she just felt grateful. It was hard to be happy considering everything that happened for him...

"Yeah... I can't even imagine what that kind of pain would be like."

She admitted to him. But nonetheless she held him close, to let him know that he wasn't alone. Chaos tried to bounce back from it pretty fast at least, asking her if she wanted anything from him now. She smiles and thinks it over.

"Well. I was pretty horny a little while ago..."
She trails off, now pulling back just enough to properly look at him.

"And I still am. But I'm thinking more along the lines of... "Make love" now."
She then elaborates. She lets that offer hang in the air. Obviously he needed to be in the mood for this too.

---

Karasu gives a light smile as Uzi suggests that she's messed up. He interjects at that point.

"You're not messed up, Uzi. You're normal. The Proxima Drones were the messed up ones."
He pauses briefly.
"I don't talk much about what happened in the war... Not exactly pleasant conversation. But if you ever want to ask questions about it, I'll answer them for you."

He offered -- thinking it would be good for her to have the perspective of someone that was actually involved in that whole event. As well as an idea of what 'fighting Humanity' might ultimately entail.

Still, the Captain chuckles as Uzi declares how serious she is about being Ray's friend.

"I won't stop you. But you may want to consider V's feelings right now. She might not be too happy if you interrupt at this very moment."

In any case, Uzi then replies in defeated fashion that the person to talk to would be her dad... He wasn't too sure why that seemed to put her off, though.

"Hmm... Noted. Does he have some kind of problem with Humans?"

Not long after that, Cloris comes back and mentions that her diagnostic came up clear. Karasu gives a nod.

"Of course. Ray checked it thoroughly, I'm confident in his skills. But it's good to have someone check it over."

The Captain then calmly crosses his arms.
"It sounds like we're going to have to talk to Uzi's father. He's the one in charge around here."

---

V started off eager to explore this with him. But as he asks her to wait, and gently but firmly grasps her wrist, she pauses for him, her expression suitably changing to one of concern. He apologized and said that he didn't want to do this right now. And she was briefly disappointed by this. But she took stock of the events that led them to this point.

It was a normal day for her. Not so much for him, though... And as he began to explain his reasoning, she understood that more clearly.

Although she was disappointed, she did want to let him know that it was okay -- but her breath catches in her throat as she was about to respond. All because he lifted his head and looked at her.

She could feel her core overheating. Her internals went into double-time. Her eyes went hollow, filled with heart symbols, and her optical visor filled with the lines clearly representing blushing.

Every part of her being wanted to scream about how adorable he looked and how she was absolutely going to protect him. She's frozen like that for a second, a small buffering icon appearing appearing in the corner of her optics when he said that he wanted to stay with her.

Eventually the buffering icon vanishes, and she snaps out of it, turning her head and clearing her throat. She then glances over at him somewhat shyly.

"Well... I get it. A lot has happened in a short amount of time... We'll slow down for now."

After regathering a bit more of her composure, she faces him properly again.

"For now... The modesty panels stay on. You can treat this as a normal wash. I'll take care of the last steps myself."

She concedes to him, understanding that he just needed some time right now.

"I may still enjoy it more than normal though... I hope that won't be a problem."

She then admits, so as to be totally honest with him.

"Thanks J, I really appreciate that" I said with a sigh. "Then after that crash and everything going on, its been really stressful to my body recently. In fact, I think I havent slept since that crash." I begin to relax my body, having my exhaustion setting in. "i think a few winks--"

I let J interrupt me, mentioning that she was horny. "W....wait..." Disassembly Drones get horny? "J...J, I..." I am lost at words once again once J mentioned about making love. "It... it would be my first time and... I never kissed a woman, let alone a drone...!"

Uzi stared at Katasu with disbelief. She was the normal one? Really? She gave him an awkward smile.

”You wouldn't say that if you had grown up here all your life. But thanks I guess.”

She paused, letting out a sigh. ”I just got through a day where I had to work together with humans and murder drones to take down a monster. Maybe I'll ask when I'm not dealing with emotional turmoil.”

Uzi hesitated, looking off towards the bathroom. She then let out a groan, putting her hands on her head.

“Ugggggggh! I hate having to make complicated decisions! I'm worried about Ray, but I don't think V is going to hurt him. Even though she's a murder drone… agh!”

Uzi clutched her head. There was a strange pressure, and she could hear something strange. It sounded like low pitched wind blowing. Yet it was something only she could hear.

Still, she put herself together in time for Karasu to ask her about her father. She shook her head.

”Um, not really? He's just difficult to deal with.”

Uzi sounded unsure of what she was saying about her own father. Meanwhile, Cloris conversed with Karasu.

”Should we meet with him now? Or do you need rest first?”

J listened intently as Chaos began to explain that he had yet to get any rest. And she could certainly feel the lack of energy in him right now. But she knew there was one surefire way to make sure he could rest well... Provided he was into it, of course.

The way he was fumbling over his words, he was at the very least considering it. Even if he was nervous about it. But he does explain that it would be his first time, and that he hasn't even kissed a girl -- let alone a Drone.

J calmly runs a hand along one of her twin tails, flipping it dramatically as she smirks.

"Well, I am in a special category all of my own. It makes sense to separate them accordingly."

She then leans just a bit closer to him.

"Why don't we start it with something simple, then? We can go with a kiss, and then we'll see where things go from there."

---

Karasu just gives Uzi another smile as she suggests that he might think differently if he grew up here.

"There's a lot of teenagers like you. Just a part of growing up. Sadly, the idiots and the bullies are normal too."

After having said that, Uzi then admits with a sigh that perhaps today wouldn't be the best for going over something as heavy as the Proxima Uprising, and he gives an understanding nod in response.
"Fair. We can go over it when you feel up to it."

After that was addressed, Uzi then expresses her frustration. True to her words, it didn't seem like she could handle complicated decisions like this. But she rather suddenly cuts off her words and holds her head, seemingly in pain. Karasu raises a brow.

"You okay?"

He asks, but Uzi recovers quickly and answers his question from earlier. Difficult to deal with, huh... He was curious in what way, but at this point Cloris interjects and asks if they should meet with him now -- or if Karasu needed some rest first. The Captain calmly shakes his head.

"No, I'm fine. The sooner we can get things taken care of, the better."

---

V gives Ray a sympathetic smile as he mentions that he does like her -- he just needs some time to work things out in his head. As much as she wanted to jump straight into further experimentation, it was equally important to respect his boundaries and wait until he was ready.

"Of course. Take as long as you need."
She replies, soon adding;
"Just make sure to give me a bit of attention now and then. I like it when you do."

Still... A part of her was kind of looking forward to him seeing her without anything in the way -- no clothes, no modesty panels. Sure, it was nerve-wracking too. But there was an undeniable excitement in it... And some equal parts disappointment, knowing that it wouldn't be happening just yet.

Still, she could settle for being tended to by him, just short of that step. That was going to be a thrill in it's own way.

"Right!"
She replies when he mentions he'll give her some privacy, giving him a nod.

After that, he asks a very important question regarding the temperature. It might seem counterintuitive, but for Disassembly Drones in particular...

"Oh, you've paid pretty close attention. It's true, Disassembly Drones build up a lot of heat. That's why cold environments are the best place for us. But we can make due anywhere as long as we have oil."
She explains, soon continuing...
"So a cold bath is best. It'll help me regulate temperatures."

As Ray gets the tub ready, and the water is filled according to her tastes, she proceeds to enter it, and immediately starts to relax into it like one might do for a hot bath. There is a bit of steam that comes off of her, along with the brief sizzle of water.

But it soon passes, and the overall temperature of the bath remains cold. As Ray starts to wash her, she cooperates with him. Her body now feeling more like what one would expect. A pleasantly warm sensation.

Finally, Ray offers to share more of his past, and V gives him a nod.
"I'd love to hear more about your past!"

She answers with a smile. Soon afterwards he begins to describe the period in his life where he took on independent contracts, and the occasional run-in with an odd job. One of the strangest encounters he had was some guy named Isaac, and his... Uh. Potentially imaginary girlfriend?

Like Ray said, he didn't sound like a bad guy. But it raised a lot of questions.

"Hmm... Wonder if you'll run into him again? He might have some interesting stories to tell."

V ponders aloud. Mostly she was listening, and enjoying the bath. When he asked her to raise her legs up, she obliged him. At this point of his story, he was a bit desperate for work. Which led him to a strange place called Blood Gulch...

"...I have questions on why they were there."

V admitted. Oh, if only she knew how far that line of questioning went...

... And as Ray detailed the job further, she almost couldn't believe what she was hearing. What the hell was even going on in that boxed in canyon?

"... I almost want to go there, just to see what has happened since."

But in any case, Ray continues his efforts, now washing the soap off of her. V could get used to this, having him touch her like this, and get all those hard-to-reach spots... Her mind wanders, briefly wanting him to go over the last few spots, but she knew that he needed time.

Her optics still depicted blush lines.

"Hmm~... This has been wonderful."

She remarks with an approving hum.

I blush as I look at hers lips. Come to think about it, I have no clue what hers lips is made of so touching them with my own lips will make a good scientific discovery!

"A kiss... is fine, I think." I then say to myself, looking away for a second. "kinda strange that despite in a three year relationship, me and my then girlfriend never kissed..." I snap out of talking to myself and look back at J. "Sorry, a lot is still on my mind. But I dont mind kissing you." After saying that, I have a huge urge to slap myself purely for making a cringe statement.

I lean my head closer to hers face, for scientific discovery!. Its my first time kissing someone and Im unsure what to do. Im hoping J will take the lead and be the one to kiss me. This may be the first human x drone relationship in the entire universe and therefor internally I shall refer it to "Chaosing"!

After a couple of seconds, me and J kiss, allowing J to steal my first kiss.

Uzi stared at Karasu. ”Bullies are a thing on Earth too huh? I guess some things are universal concepts.”


The strange noises stopped when both Ray and Karasu called out to her. She looked at the former in shock.

”Holy crap she didn’t bang you!”

That seemed to be enough to get her out of her stupor. She rubbed her hair, letting out an awkward laugh.

”Yeah! Yeah I’m totally fine! Nothing to worry about with me! You guys go do human things with my dad!”

Cloris raised an eyebrow at the weird behavior, but turned to look at Ray.

”Glad to see that you didn’t let the situation in the bathroom get out of hand. Should we tell Chaos that we’re planning on meeting with Uzi’s father? Or should we leave him and J be?”

J listened intently as Chaos explained how he felt in regards to kissing. He was absolutely interested -- but her main takeaway was the fact that he was apparently in a relationship for three years, and his "girlfriend" never kissed him. Three years! And no intimacy?

Ugh. It made J want to slap that stupid girl while just thinking about it. She led him on for that long and couldn't even give him one of the most basic form of interactions expected of all couples?

Though obviously not Chaos's intention to cause this, it resonated with her feelings of inadequacy and cravings for attention. Now that she was finally getting the validation she wanted, she decided -- perhaps somewhat hastily -- that she was going to return the favor.

She brings her hands up to gently grab the sides of his face, and then she leans in the rest of the way, kissing him. She initiated it swiftly, but then she lets Chaos decide the tempo, and for how long this lasts.

Eventually, when they've both felt that it's lasted suitably long enough, she pulls away and smiles softly. Blushing lines were depicted on her visor, unsurprisingly.

"There. You won't be strung along, waiting for intimacy and attention with me."

She then remarks. It seems that his story really struck a chord with her...

---

"Unfortunately, yes."

Karasu nodded at Uzi's assessment of things. More importantly, he was wondering what might be causing a Drone to experience pain -- but before he can really probe further than that, Ray exits the bathroom, prompting an immediate comment from Uzi.

Karasu chuckled softly at how bluntly she put it.

"Well, I'm sure there are good reasons, whatever the case is."

Shortly after that, Uzi replies that she's fine, and insists that they go do 'human things' with her father... What a weird way to phrase things. But this was part of a culture clash, he supposed... Shortly thereafter, Cloris asks if they should go tell Chaos, or leave those two be for the moment...

Karasu interjects at this point.

"Yeah, if you want to try and tell them anything, you should knock on the door first. J has been only slightly more subtle than V when it comes to flirting, and something tells me that she's going to take charge of the situation, and Chaos will get swept up in it."

The Captain comments, and understandably, eyes would probably be drawn to that room that Chaos and J were in... Yeah... He was getting banged right now, wasn't he?

---

Hmm... How long had it been since V had a diagnostics done? She couldn't really remember. It was one of those routine things, it felt like such a chore at the time. But she kind of missed it after so long. Maybe it would be nice to bring that back -- especially if Ray is the one administering it. And as he also says that he'll give her attention beyond that here and there too...

"Really? Then I'm looking forward to it!"

V replies with a smile. These were going to be even more moments that she could spend alone with him, letting her real self out and forming a connection. It meant a lot to her, to have someone to open up to... Although... As she seriously thought about it...

For a brief moment, there is concern in her expression. But ah, her thoughts were derailed at Ray's next words, and she excitedly turns to him.

"You will?!"
Her tail began to swish back and forth, almost like one would see on a dog.
"Of course! That's fine. If you're really concernd about it, I could always show you... If you want, I mean."

She then replied to his concerns, and began to just slightly dial back her excitement. Being swept up in that idea kept her mind from wandering right now. And as he shared his thoughts on what she said earlier, well, it didn't take much to get V to move on entirely from her worry.

"Well, you never know. Stranger things have happened, right?"
V replied when it came to Isaac. Either way, that comment about Blood Gulch led rather naturally into the rest of their conversation.

"Wow, really? Maybe they've been stuck there longer than we thought..."

V responds, now musing on that fact. What if they were STILL there? Man, that'd be something. It at least sounded like a place that wouldn't be boring. And also much safer than Copper-9 was. And as Ray suggests that they could go and see it themselves...

Well, her tail starts to lightly twitch from side to side, before picking up into a full wag.

"I think I'd like that."

And finally... She had been cleaned rather well. Just like he said, she looked fresh off of the assembly line. There was still just a little bit left to clean, and she wished that Ray was ready to help her with these last steps, but... Yes, she understood, he needed time.

She gives him a nod, and an understanding smile.

"Thanks. I shouldn't be long."

She waits until he's stepped out of the bathroom and closed the door, and then she would begin to remove her modesty panels, tending to the last places that still needed a deep cleaning -- and also taking the time to clean the panels themselves.

Normally she didn't really care about cleaning up this much, but... It seemed to make Ray happy, especially to see her looking brand new. It DID feel pretty good, too.

That thought in mind, she tries to match the same level of effort and care that he put in.

As J placed hers hands on the sides of my face, I blushed big. Soon after, J kissed me and I leaned forward to kiss her back, wrapping my arms around hers back. I am not experienced at kissing, as it is my first time having a real intimate relationship with a person.

Admittedly I get a little aroused from the kiss alone, and I begin to fidget a bit. Eventually we ended the kiss, having my first kiss taken.

"It... it was great, J. Its like this is my first real relationship, honestly." I said with a blush. Soon after, I notice hers blush on hers screen. "Oh, your pretty cute when you blush J." I remarked, placing one hand on hers cheek. This scientific endeavor was worth it.

“High school fricking sucks.”

She looked at Ray when he came out, rubbing the back of her head.

”Well, you and V in a bath together… I kinda thought… nevermind!”

Uzi gave Ray a ”Fine by me.” as he suggested that he should stay behind. Cloris looked over at him.

”That's fine. You’re best suited to dealing with the situation that Chaos is in.”

J chuckles softly at Chaos's words.

"Well, maybe it IS a real relationship, then."

She teased a little, but it was also perfectly clear that she was okay with that possibility, too. She is then surprised as Chaos compliments her, and moves a hand to hold her cheek.

But soon, she smiles and gives an approving hum. She really liked the idea of having someone that noticed everything about her, even the things she wasn't fully aware of... To that end, and because there were no interruptions, she decides to take this one step further.

She moves her hands down along his body, then she begins to undo his belt, and pull his pants and underwear away.

Why yes, she was in fact, going for it.

"Tell me if you're not ready."

She does say that much, but unless she was stopped -- either by Chaos or a timely intervention, she was going to line things up and... Well. Chaos wasn't gonna be a virgin for much longer. Neither was J.

That was probably going to annoy Cloris.

---

"Yeah, that about sums it up..."

Karasu replied. There was a whole lot wrong with public education, but that was an entirely separate discussion. It was aptly summed up with that statement.

Meanwhile, Ray was understandably confused by Uzi and Cloris's statements.

"They thought that you and V had sex."

And in a rare case, Karasu is able to glance over at Cloris and say this totally justified;

"Perv."

In any case, it seems like a plan of action was decided, and Ray was the one given the opportunity to try and speak to J and Chaos right now. Karasu figured THAT was going to be pretty awkward...

---

Eventually, V finishes up, and after taking the time to get her jacket cleaned, along with the modesty panels, she dries off and redresses. She takes a moment to look herself over in the mirror.

Normally she wasn't one to really care about her appearance, but as she thinks about Ray again, she smiles lightly and tries a few different poses. Satisfied with how she looks now, she straightens out and then steps out of the bathroom, making her way over to meet up with him.

---

The rest of the night proved uneventful. Despite threat after threat cropping up, seeming like it might never end, they are afforded the opportunity to rest and plan. The meeting with Khan goes well, despite his eccentricities. And the Worker Drones agree to help out with the ship and the supply routes, in exchange for protection.

Although there was some concern that J might not go along with this, she surprisingly agrees without hesitation, citing that it makes perfect sense considering the Human lives at risk, and the things that they've learned.

After that, the Worker Drones also help renovate the rooms, and each member of the crew now has their own space to stay in. In some cases, they are also joined by a Disassembly Drone...

Chaos and J was an obvious one. Especially considering the state they were in earlier.

Ray crashes on the couch, watching old sitcoms on the TV before falling asleep. V snuggled up with him and ended up going into sleep mode.

Karasu gets into contact with N and Aegis, letting them know that they've arrived safely and will be staying in the Bunker for now. The Captain also lets N know that he trusts her to be able to keep things safe -- and to let them know if anything comes up.

It all passes uneventfully from then on, until the next morning, where they begin to rise from their slumber... They had just ordered some food and drinks yesterday, so that need could be easily met, and then they could decide what they wanted to do first.

Of course, everyone was pretty interested in getting that ship fixed up. But that didn't mean that there weren't still preparations to make...

---

[Timeline Alteration: Deemed impossible]

That flashed a few times, followed by a steady blip with the text...

[WARNING: Timeline Alteration detected!!]

Cyn straightens out lazily, then turning towards the Solver.

"A what now?"

That new line of text flashed ominously...

-

"I think this will work..."

A man in a lab coat said, mainly to himself.

"It took a lot of years... But I think you're going to be able to shift things enough. We were close already. But this should give it the nudge it needs."

He remarks, looking over the Drone.

"Of course, this is all experimental. No way of knowing if this will actually work, but... Hey. I guess I'll find out in just a little bit. It's probably going to be weirder for you."


The Drone in question just gives him a happy wave.

"I'm sure it'll be fine! I'm ready!"

He gives a nod, and after he activates the machine, it feels as though the entire building rumbles to life.

In a flash, the Drone is gone. Though the landscape was unfamiliar to her -- it was Copper 9.


(I assume this is obvious, but don't read the comments on that video. Spoilers.)

I blush as I allowed J to take off my clothes. My heart beats faster as we are about to do it. Something rises and its not my shield, and the act of Chaosing to the third degree creases forward. However, I had a sudden though and prevented J from going any further.

"W...wait..." I said, preventing her to put my member inside her. "I... Im not sure, this is my first time and... arent we... going way to fast...? Im not sure if Im ready, honestly..."

While I said all this, my body tells a different story. I am excited and willing to do this, and my member is still hard as it is.

I look into J's visor and tell her. "Y...yeah, Im ready J..." and if there is no interruption, J will steal my virginity and I'll take hers.

Ray tilted his head slightly as Uzi cut herself off. That same monotone expression was followed by an apt question.

"Thought what?"

That was when the captain rather bluntly explained what those two were getting at. It caused Ray's eyes to go wide with surprise. A deep blush filled his face as he quickly denied it.

"H-Hold on! Don't you think that'd be a little fast?! I was just getting the oil off of her! Nothing happened besides that!"

When V exited the bathroom, that was when he pointed to her without even looking in her direction, all to make his point that much clearer.

"See?!"

The engineer huffed, crossing his arms and walking off towards the room he had left the other two in earlier.

"I'm gonna go check on them! Don't get any funny ideas Uzi!"

Ray grumbled in annoyance as he walked away, and before long he came up to the room J and Chaos had been cleaning up earlier. He raised a hand to knock, but hesitated for a moment. Instead of knocking, he brought that same hand to his chin, rubbing it as he thought it all over. "If I knock I might startle Chaos. And if I startle him, he might knock something over and set back their progress by another hour or two...Besides, they're just cleaning up in there right? It's not like they have to change clothes or anything that would call for privacy..."

And with that troubling series of thoughts, Ray pressed a button on the side, causing the door to slide open...



... Right as the two of them were mid-coitus. It took a moment for what was going on to process in his mind, but as soon as it did the engineer covered his eyes, waving a dismissive hand at them.

"Good RoboLORD do you two not know how to lock a door?!"

J waved right back, seemingly not stopping what she was doing.

"Yeah, little busy here."

"I-I can see that!!"

"It's an abandoned room! I didn't think anyone would be coming in here!"

"Why would we not come back here?! We were working on this place together!"

Ray briefly peaks through his fingers, only to see that J is still going at it...And his blush only grows deeper as he quickly looks away from them. J just raised a digital eyebrow.

"Thought V would have beaten me to the punch to be honest."

"Not you too!!! Look, nothing happened because I'm not handling any of this well right now!"

"Well, if you're concerned about it feeling weird, I can say from experience that it feels pretty good-"

Ray quickly shouts out to stop J before she can describe it any further.

"Too much information! I'm leaving!! J...Just forget any of this happened!!!"

Still covering his eyes, Ray bumps into the wall next to the door and takes two dazed steps backwards before correcting his angle and hurrying out of the room, shutting the door behind him...

Thankfully after returning to V and the others, he was able to quickly forget the things he walked in on. And even more fortunately, after some help from the drones of the outpost, they all got their own separate rooms...Ray for his part had chosen to lie down on a simple couch in the living room. The tv still worked! He had even found some old tapes that had episodes of a sitcom on them. He relaxed on the old cushions of the crimson colored couch, finding himself drifting off into a deep sleep before he could even notice it...

And so he fell deeper...Deeper...And even deeper into an abyss of slumber.



... How long had he been falling for? No matter how hard he tried to remember, he couldn't even recall when he had first begun to sink. Whenever he tried to remember what the surface was like, his mind simply told him that this is how things had always been. Forever falling deeper and deeper as the faces of people he had once known disappeared in the ether above him. Their voices grew more and more muffled as he fell from them. They all seemed so familiar, and yet he couldn't see them well enough to recognize any of them by name. A single desperate hand reached up towards them, but when he tried to call out, he found that he could no longer speak. When he tried to right himself, he found that he always ended up upside down again. Whenever he tried to swim upwards, he found that his legs wouldn't move.

And the further down he sank, the heavier his arm became until eventually...It fell limp, his desperate attempts to reach up finally failing. In his mind he could only think one thing:

"Please... Don't leave me behind!"

Eventually the light of the deep abyss's surface left him behind too. Everything was becoming darker. The muffled voices had long since stopped, those faces he could almost recognize were no longer visible, and eventually he found that he could no longer feel. Eventually he could no longer hear. Eventually he could no longer see.



But worst of all, as soon as he stopped sinking, he found that he could no longer think. And everything faded to black.


..........
.................
..........................
................................

Ray's eyes shot open. The sound of the television softly filled his ears, he looked all around at the room he was in, the memories of the previous night rushing back to him quickly. That crash really did happen...Fighting those...Things? That happened too. And despite it all, that harsh cold outside hadn't claimed him. He put on a brave face all this time, but to be honest...He couldn't figure out how he had done it. As he remembered all of this though, there was one person in particular that plagued his thoughts. One person he was most concerned about, was she okay? Was she even real? Did he imagine some kind of guardian angel? - Ray looked down as the weight on top of him registered in his mind, and he was able to see V was clinging to him tightly, the digital display on her face indicating that she had entered sleep mode...He let out a sigh of relief as his head fell back into the pillow he had propped it up with. So she really was here too...Thank goodness.

Cloris stared at Karasu as he called her a pervert. “Hardly. I’m only pointing out what’s right in front of us. V and J have been obvious about their intentions from the start.”

Ray then went off to check on Chaos and J. Uzi and Cloris heard Ray shout something, but he was too far away to make it out. But but girls had an idea of what was going on. Cloris let out a sigh, burying her face in her hands. When Ray came back, Uzi put a hand on her hip, looking at Ray drying.

“They were doing it, weren’t they? This is why I was sure you and V would be in there for awhile.”

After that, they all went their separate ways. Cloris took an empty room while Uzi went back to her apartment. Her dad wasn’t back yet: he was likely dealing with aftermath of whatever they had just been through. It took awhile, but eventually Uzi managed to get herself into sleep mode. But her sleep was anything but restful.



Darkness. Darkness where the only thing within was swirling wind and a torrent of rain. A flash of lit up the area. And within it a structure appeared in the darkness, casting its lights upon the vast space.


There were people, and other things moving around. Uzi couldn’t see the phantoms clearly. They were all shadows, vague figures she couldn’t make out. Save for their eyes. Two creatures outside the church had glowing blue eyes. A group of individuals made their way into the church. Inside was a strange lab. Uzi could only see half of the room right now. Suddenly the voices of two of them came in clearly.

“I can’t believe the day has come. The day we’ll be able to harness its power completely.”

“Yes, soon we’ll not only be able to contain it, but we’ll use its power to our own ends. Humanity will reach a new golden age, one that where we will be gods! And then…”

The guy stopped in front of a series of cubbies. One of the suits seemed to be missing.



The shadow looked around, and shouted out.

WHO TOOK MY SUIT?!”

There was a pause, then a feminine voice spoke out.

“Dr.Chambers?! I thought you were right…”

“Gah! I’m so sorry sir! I thought that was mine! I’ll change out immediately!”

“Leave it on! We don’t have time to waste! The containment field is failing fast. I’ll just use yours. Bring her in!”

Another group of people came in, leading a smaller shadowy figure inside. That one seemed nervous, looking around timidly. She then spoke out. Her voice seemed familiar to Uzi.

”Are you sure this is safe? Will this really allow me to save others?”

One of the figures leaned into her. “That and much more. You’ll be the first, the first of the new humanity.”

Dr.Chambers, who was wearing a suit that was definitely not his, shouted out to the others.

“Prepare to transfer the solver! Have the crucifix on standby! We’ll purge the solver’s influence and give control to humanity!”

The girl was led to a chair on a platform. A helmet attached to a long cord was attached to her. The cord ran up into the darkness. Then a panicked shout broke out.

”DR.CHAMBERS! THE SAFEGUARDS ARE FAILING!”

”TURN ON THE LIGHTS! KEEP THAT THING CONTAINED NO MATTER WHAT!”

Spotlights blared onto a figure that was chained at the far end of the room. They were suspended in the air. Uzi couldn’t make out the figure, but she could see part of their face. One that instilled dread in her that she had never felt before. She hadn’t felt this scared when she was face to face with that horrible monster she and the others had destroyed.




And then all hell broke loose. Uzi didn’t know how else to describe the carnage that she witnessed. Amidst all the screams and frightened shouts, she heard one thing.

”GET HER OUT OF HERE! WE CAN’T LET THE VESSEL DIE!”

The spotlights shattered completely, throwing the whole place into darkness. Then the doors opened up to reveal the aftermath. The bodies of the humans had decayed and turned into skeletons. A great giant pit loomed in the center of the pit, a great void that would swallow all who got too close.






There was also a terminal in the room. There appeared to be a shadowy figure sitting in it, staring at a screen.



And from the darkness voices whispered. Voices that Uzi had hoped to have never hear again.

"The witch is here! The witch has come!"

"Damn the solver's avatar! Damn Cyn!! And damn 002!”

And mixed within were other voices. The voices of the damned that shouted as their fates were sealed.

“The vessel will be complete! No matter how long it takes!”

Another voice cried out, another one that seemed familiar to her.

”Uzi! You have to stop it! You have to stop it all!”

The figure in the chair turned around. All she could see was their eyes. Their glowing green eyes in the dark. The eyes turned into a symbol, one that Uzi was all too familiar with.

The voice called out again in a panic.

”UZI!”

Uzi’s visor display blazed to life as she snapped awake. She panted, clutching the blanket to her tightly. Her head hurt, the voices from the dream still echoing in her head. Everything seemed hazy to her, like she was in a dream.

Almost in a trance, she got up and walked over to her desk. Without a word, she started scribbling on a piece of paper. She worked like a demon possessed, with purpose and determination. Uzi could swear she felt her haziness phase through her arm and onto the paper itself. When it was finished, Uzi stared at in shock.

“What the hell?!”

Uzi didn’t exactly consider herself an artist. But what she drew was almost a perfect representation of her dream. The church placed above a black hole in the ground. A large cross like the crucifix was in the center of the stained glass windows. And the eyes with the Solver symbol were at the top of the page.

She scrambled out of her room and into the bathroom. She closed the door behind her, leaning over and panting heavily. She looked up, staring at the mirror.

”Okay Uzi, take a deep breath. It’s just a bad dream. You’re all awake and…”

The strange symbol appeared in her eye, and the mirror cracked.


”Not okay.

Uzi didn’t want to explain this to her father. Or anything to him right now. It wasn’t like she could confide in him. Ironically a bunch of humans and a couple of murder drones were easier to talk to then her own dad.

Uzi went back into her room and grabbed the drawing. She carefully made her way out of the apartment she shared with her father, and down to the formerly abandoned units. She paused, then raised her hand and knocked on the door.[/i]