Murder Drones: Disassembly Required

Lizzy couldn't help but smirk at Doll's words.
"Good thing I prefer more intimate ways of teasing you, then."

She responded -- and yes, she did briefly consider telling Uzi that Doll was interested in anime. It was on-brand for what she usually did. But Doll was more than a friend at this point. Still, she couldn't help but arch a brow as Uzi insisted that Klein must have been doing this on purpose.

"I dunno, I think he's a great addition to our group dynamic."

Then a mood shift happened pretty abruptly as Ray brought up Drone Disposal. Uzi seemed to take it in stride, but it seemed to deeply bother Doll. So much to the point that Lizzy ends up having to move her hand to grab Doll's, in order to help disguise the symbol that she had just popped out all of a sudden...

"Easy..."
She whispers.

As for Lizzy herself, she wasn't really bothered by it. Sure, it sounds morbid. But it didn't involve herself or her family. Why spend her time getting all freaked out about it? In any case, Ray was quick to elaborate that he doesn't personally condone it. So even if she did take issue with it, that would be enough to resolve things on her end.

---

J couldn't help but crack a grin at Chaos's insistence that he would be very much okay with her wearing panties.

"Kind of have a thing for that, huh? Noted."

After that, he soon went on to explain the reasons for his relationship with Aegis, and his overall stance on relationships beyond just Humans pairing up with other Humans. J ends up giving an understanding nod. It sounds like he'd been through a lot, but ultimately that was his stance to begin with. Honestly, she ended up hitting the jackpot here.

Chaos struck her as the type of guy that would never stop treating her the way she wanted to be treated.

But of course, before that line of conversation could continue for much longer, everyone else shows up... With Ray immediately asking J not to corrupt his robot.

"They're just panties! I'm not even undressed right now!"

She pulls the panties away, to highlight the fact that her skirt was still on. Then she glances over at Doll.

"Yeah, well, not sure why else you're staring at me then. Pretty sure you two have a thing, so you're not fishing for someone to fool around with."
J bluntly replies, then pointing at Doll and Lizzy with her index and middle fingers. Shortly after finishing her words she then lowers her hand again.

But now it was J's turn to get a little annoyed. She stamps her foot down once, and then speaks in an authoritative tone of voice as she crosses her arms.

"He finished working on your railgun, and he ended up neglecting his own health in the process! I'm making him take it easy now."

But at least after that, the conversation shifts a bit as Ray begins to share his assessment of things -- along with his concerns. J's expression noticeably softens and grows thoughtful as he continues speaking. Before much longer, Klein ends up bumping into her leg. She peers down at him, and then she gives him a gentle pat on the head.

"Well, it sounds like your Captain is wanting to coordinate communications and tactics all at once. So I wouldn't worry too much -- but if it puts your mind at ease, I'll keep an eye on V and N."

J would keep it to herself that she never really bothered to do that until now. In fact, she was, up until very recently, rather rude with the two of them...

But hey. He was the closest thing to a JCJenson Authority right now, so she would follow what he had to say.

While everyones attention was on the pair of panties J had, my attention suddenly was focused on the little robot Ray brought it. I began to poke it. "What the hell is this thing? A toy? Who's toy is this and why did someone brought it here?"

After it replies back, I commented on it. "Fancy, its kinda smart."

Uzi questions about the railgun and I look back up at her. "We werent doing anything lewd Uzi, jeez c'mon why does everyone think Im a sexfreak suddenly?"

J intercepts and I replied back. "Yeah, I finished it today. Usually that kind of thing takes three days to a week but I wanted to impress you--- I mean, finish it really quickly. Its about ninety eight percent done, but it needs some testing first."

I got up. "I can walk you to the lab if you want, it should still be there."

Doll blushed lightly at Lizzy’s teasing, but gave her a smile. Yes she was quite familiar with Lizzy’s teasing. But it led to somewhere where it wouldn’t for anyone else. Even outside of that she enjoyed the teasing that Lizzy directed at her.

Uzi looked over at Lizzy, rolling her eyes at the other girl.

”I didn’t say he wouldn’t be. I’m not going to vote to kick Klein out or something. I just think there’s more to him than he’s letting on.”

The moment Ray brought up her parents, Uzi’s mood soured. She looked down, slipping her hands into her pockets.

”Maybe. My dad doesn’t seem to like how I grew up and I don’t know what my mom would have thought.”

That had been taken away from her after all. All she knew about her mom was what she looked like? What kind of person was she? She hoped she wasn’t super lame or anything like that.

Doll leaned against Lizzy, her body relaxing as her girlfriend comforted her. Yet she was focused on Ray. The way he reacted to her was worrisome. Had he seen the solver symbol? Was he onto her? She was going to have to watch her back around him.

Meanwhile Uzi was trying not to let on how relieved she felt when Ray confirmed he didn’t condone drone disposal. Still she couldn’t help but give a little quip.

”Says the guy who has a crush on a disassembly drone.”

That slight little smirk on her face said it all.

Uzi stared as Ray talked about Frankenstein’s monster. She looked strangely interested in that.

”Morbidly awesome. If they made a movie out of that I would totally watch it.”

A whirling disc icon appeared on Uzi’s visor above her eyes. She tilted her head, looking down.

”It doesn’t seem possible to do that with humans. From what I know, you fleshy people tend to decompose fast. It’s a lot easier to put together a Frankenstein like drone. Especially with all the corpses the disassembly drones piled up.”

Was it their fault that the monster existed to begin with? Uzi had nothing to go on but conjecture. The idea that there was someone out there building those monstrosities out of corpses was a rather terrifying prospect.

Uzi snickered at Chaos and Ray’s interaction regarding Klein.

”Hey Ray, are you sure Klein isn’t your kid? You’re sure acting like an old DadOW!”

Uzi rubbed the back of her head, looking at Ray in annoyance. ”You mean like Lil Babushka? Klein doesn’t need me to get weird ideas.”

Doll stared at J for a few seconds as she berated her and Lizzy. Doll held her tongue though. She knew she wouldn’t be able to hold her temper if she got in a debate with one of the disassembly drones.

Uzi raised a digital eyebrow at J, looking more confused then annoyed at her.

”And showing him panties is relaxing… how exactly?”

She looked over at Chaos as he asked why everyone thought he was a sex freak.

”Cause you had sex with a drone the first day you landed here. It didn’t even take 24 hours for you and J to go at it.”

Still, she gave him a little smirk. ”But hey, as long as you made my railgun awesome, you can screw the entire class for all I care. Lead the way Chaos.”

Uzi and Doll would then follow Chaos to the lab. The latter would walk right beside Lizzy the way there.

Lizzy was glad that she could help Doll relax in this difficult moment. Still, even she could tell that Ray seemed to be onto something here... She was able to cover up the symbol over Doll's hand, but the one that was on her eye? That was another matter entirely. Naturally, her girlfriend was concerned.

Lizzy took a more... Pragmatic approach to things. Since Ray took the time to explain that even if a Drone crossed them, he wouldn't condone that sort of thing.

"You know, that makes me think of a hypothetical situation. What if we find a Drone that's partially corrupted? Would you guys try to help them?"

She phrased it carefully, so as to avoid drawing any further suspicion to Doll. No one should know that she was well aware of her girlfriend's situation, after all. So this should just seem like an on-topic question being asked.

But most of the conversations that happened next involved neither Lizzy nor J -- although Lizzy WAS deeply amused by a good bit of it because of Klein causing shenanigans just by simply being a thing.

But eventually, there WAS something that directly involved J. Specifically, Uzi's question of how the panties factored into making Chaos relax. The Disassembly Drone rolls her eyes.

"I can satisfy my own curiosity about things and still make sure he gets the rest he needs. I cooked him something to eat, got him something to drink, and I made sure that he's actually sitting down for a change."

Regardless... She couldn't help but notice that Doll was still staring at her. Lizzy decided to chime in at this point.

"I mean, you're not wrong."

J just arches a brow at this point.

"Hmm... Well, whatever. Guess it's not like it's hurting anything."

She then shrugs. Her attention is then diverted as Klein mentions that she's nice, and Ray agrees with that assessment. J's smugness is growing again as she smiles confidently...

"Well, I do try. Don't worry, I'll make sure it's taken care of."

At least it was easy to get her on your side...

Regardless, the group would begin moving to the lab at this rate. Lizzy staying next to Doll, and J staying next to Chaos. Rather predictably.

"Well for one, J is pretty nice. You just gotta be on hers nice side for once."

"Damnit...!" I blush when Uzi mentioned I had sex with a drone within a day. "F...for you it may have seemed like a day, but for me it felt like I knew her for life times so... th...there" After Uzi jokingly teased about letting me screw hers entire class, my blush became redder. "L....Lets go to the lab already!"

I walked the group to the science lab where I upgraded the railgun. After pressing an touchscreen, the double door slid open. While the lab was a mess with an unwashed plate on a table, an upgraded railgun stood triumphally in the middle of the room on an engineering table.

"Sorry for the room being a mess, I didnt got time to clean up. You'd wouldve seen me sleeping on the floor if it wasnt for J." I said as I walked in. "Most of it is done, just needs some testing and maybe something personal. I do believe the alternate trigger works though, so you wouldnt need to worry about only firing it once Uzi. Double power supply and power regulators means you can overcharge it twice without it blowing up in your face. Laser guided included, and an ammo counter. Barrel spins so it takes less time recharging. I couldnt figure out how to change the laser beam so sadly no purple death laser, but the rest of it should work."

After explaining everything, I walked up to the railgun and picked it up. After inspecting it, I handed it over to Uzi. "She's all yours now. I dont think we have a proper fire range so we may need to test it outside, but you are free to test it out. While I am sure it wont blow up in your face, I can be your guinea pig and fire it for you just in case."

In the corner, there is random railgun parts from Uzi's railgun and other damaged railguns I found near the spire. "Hopefully I can work on the second one tomorrow. Right now I gotta focus on myself right now."

Uzi looked over at Ray, a question mark appearing on her visor.

”I never said I wanted to kick Klein? I said… tch, forget it.”

The two of them seemed to shift moods quickly though. She waved her hand dismissively as Ray told her he’d never let it down if she got with someone.

”Yeah yeah. You’ll be an old man by the time you’ll get to do that.”

Doll looked at her girlfriend in surprise. She didn’t expect Lizzy to just ask about saving her like that. Even though she didn’t say her name directly, that was the intent behind it. She couldn’t do much to thank her right now: there were too many people around to risk conveying that.

Speaking of that, Ray conveyed that he would help someone partially corrupted. Although it was what she feared: if they caught her, they would try to study it to learn more.

”Lyudi duraki. Popytki izuchit' eto — vot chto ikh pogubilo s samogo nachala.”

[“Humans are fools. Trying ti study it is what destroyed them to begin with.]

Doll wasn’t going to go through what her mother did. She wasn’t going to be held and studied like her. She was working with them right now, but if one of them found out about her, then she would have to take action.

Uzi grinned as Ray mentioned there was a movie. ”I’m totally pirating the crap out of that.l later.

Speaking of that, they continued talking about the strange monster. A horrible thought occurred to Uzi.

”We don’t talk that much other the other bunker colonies. It must have taken a lot of corpses to make that monstrosity. Just how many of the other bunkers did it get into?”

Uzi stared at J incredulously. ”And the panties fit into all of that how exactly? If anything asking about them is going to make Chaos embarrassed.”

She blinked, then looked to the side. ”Not that I care about that!”

Uzi gave Chaos a wide smirk. ”A day is a day Chaos.”

When they got to the lab, Chaos was very quick to show off the raingun. Uzi got visibly more and more excited as he explained more and more about it. He then handed it to her. She took it, examining it with awe.

”You did all that in less than a day? It took me a year to develop this thing.”

She paused, looking at Chaos gratefully. ”I’ll have to test this first, but thank you Chaos. I’ve never gotten a gift like this before.”

She was feeling a lot more sentimental than she was comfortable with. She wasn’t going to show that in front of others either. Uzi shook her head as Chaos offered to test it out for her.

”Nuh uh. I’m firing this baby. Besides, I’m more sturdy than you are Chaos. If it blows up in my face I’ll live.”

Uzi hesitated,then  reached out a hand for a moment towards Chaos. She then stopped, glancing over at J. She withdrew her hand again, looking at him with concern.

”Hey, I’ll handle the second railgun. You’ve done more than enough Chaos.”

Uzi looked over at Ray, resting the gun over ber shoulder and giving him a confident grin.

"Hey, I'm not going to let my guard down. The only thing I need to be careful about is not hitting you guys with this bad boy."

Uzi blinked, considering something. "Though if my gun doesn't work on it like before, I don't know how we're going to beat it. Short of lasting till sunrise or V pulling another crazy stunt."[/color]

Uzi paused, looking at Ray sternly. "Get some actual rest, okay Ray? Something tells me this is going to be worse then what we faced in the base."

At Lizzy's question, Ray put together a well-thought out response. True, there was the concern that a partially corrupted Drone could be more dangerous... And there was a part of her that wanted to argue that point, if only for Doll's sake. But she controlled herself, he didn't have all the details, and that was purposeful. No, it was better to continue this line of questioning, raising hypotheticals.

"What if that partially corrupted Drone wasn't a threat, and was willing to cooperate with you? Might be unlikely, but.... You never know. Food for thought."

Of course, Doll had her own thoughts on the matter. She might not have vocalized them, but Lizzy could still tell that something was bothering her. All she could do right now as give her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Still... Uzi and Ray both ended up confirming something very much concerning -- mainly, the fact that there was going to be more than just that one monster they fought in the Bunker... Or even on the ship. And there was no telling what each one was going to be like.

For Karasu's part in this, he suspected that he already ran into one of them with Cloris earlier. Although it seemed more concerned with toying with them, rather than directly confronting them... Was it because he was willing to fight it off, or was it simply unconcerned with the method of attack?

Either way... This entire plan was sure to change the tides. He doubted that anything would be so confident after this.

Aegis's hologram flickered into view next to the Captain.

"Preparations are well underway. But it seems something is still on your mind, Captain."
The AI spoke, and Karasu ended up giving a nod at those words.

"Yeah... We're going to be giving ourselves breathing room here. But there's still a lot about the enemy we don't know yet. Even still, we need this victory for the sake of morale."

Aegis gives an understanding nod, bringing a hand to her chin. After a moment, she then says;

"I'll be providing all the support that I can."

Karasu gives a small smile at Aegis's response.

"I know. I'm just wondering if I've overlooked anything. I know there's no such thing as a perfect strategy for war... But we can take as many advantages as we can get."

The AI ponders that for a little while.

"I'll continue to check over our strategy, and I'll let you know if I can determine any other courses of action that would increase our likelihood of success."

Aegis then declares, and the Captain seems to relax just a little in response.

"Thank you. I should be trying to rest right now, so I'll leave it in your hands."

---

Yes... There had indeed been someone that managed to get their way into Ray's quarters. And she had gotten quite comfortable on the bed while she waited for him to show up. She was planning a little surprise for him -- intending to have even more private time with him on the one hand, and on the other... She really wanted to help him relax.

From what she could tell, he was the type to worry about things a lot -- honestly, V could kind of relate to that. But she was also a machine, capable of dealing with stress a lot better than Humans could! Yes, she could get all of that stress to go away.

Of course. She hadn't anticipated that his particular form of surprise might be in the shape of suspecting that it was a hostile entity. But V rolled with the punches remarkably well to help diffuse the situation:


"Oooh~! It's a big weapon, too... You gonna give it to me~?"

... That being said, as much as she really wanted to get into that. Her attention couldn't help but be drawn to Klein as well. Such a weird little... Not quite a Drone, actually. But clearly a bot of some type. Her flirtatious expression gives way to a more confused one as she arches a brow.

"Who's the squirt?"

She calmly points at the penguin bot. At least she correctly recognized him as a child... Of course, Ray was more frantic in asking about how long she had been sitting there -- and then Klein proceeded to do what he did best. Sew chaos!

Ray was quick to act, however. Covering Klein's mouth and quickly shushing him to 'not say that again'. He then proceeded to very poorly change the subject in a not at all suspicious way. Totally.

It was in fact so not suspicious that V did this:


But after letting that hang for a little bit, the flag retracts and her hand returns.

"I've been sitting here for awhile now -- and yes, I knew this was your room. I finished helping out and I figured I should check in on you!"
She then gives a small smile as she continues to speak.
"I had a feeling you were probably intent on overthinking and overworking. So I wanted to be here to make sure that didn't happen, and to help you relax."

---

J rolls her eyes at Uzi's insistence about these panties.

"Maybe I care about his opinions on what I should wear."

It's not like she had to justify anything that little Drone anyway... The twin-tailed Disassembly Drone simply left it at that, now returning her attention to Chaos as he began to explain the work he's accomplished on the Railgun -- and the praise that he had for J too.

She gives a rather chipper (and smug) smile at that. Although Chaos did suggest that he would be willing to fire the railgun for her as a guinea pig. J was about to speak up in protest of that, but Uzi already headed it off for very logical reasons.

Still... He wanted to work on the second railgun too. At least he was trying to pace himself, but as Uzi hesitates for a moment and glances over to J; the Disassembly Drone seems to understand, and gives a nod to Uzi.

Shortly thereafter, the Worker Drone explains that she'll handle the second Railgun, and that he's already done enough.

"I agree. You have an excellent work ethic, but it does need to be reined in to make sure you stay healthy."

With that, she walks over and moves an arm around him.

"Besides, it means getting to spend more time with me!"
J then gives a glance over at Uzi, and decides to amend her statement just a little.
"... And the others, too."

True, she preferred having some alone time with him. And she would be lying if she said she wasn't just a little possessive and jealous about some things. But he was also doing a lot for her, and she wanted to be a much, MUCH better girlfriend than his ex.

So, if he liked Uzi so much... What if she just sort of... Helped things along there?

It was an interesting thought. Normally one she would never have entertained before. But the possibility of it making him happy was enough for her to consider it.

"Right Uzi, go ahead." I said, replying to Uzi. "Damn, I really wanted to fire it..." I said to myself in a quieter tone.

"Right Uzi, thanks for taking care of the second railgun, Uzi. Sometimes I forget Im just a weak fleshy being. Like what J said, I should rest for the time being. Maybe I should watch something I stole-- I mean, borrowed from the lounge. I atleast should do that after I watch you test that improved railgun, if you plan on doing it."

I blush as J puts an arm around me. "Y...yeah, I dont... mind spending time with you J and anyone else..." Oblvious to what J is hinting at, I continued. "I dont mind hanging out with a couple of people in my room..." Clearly not picking up what J is throwing down, I added on. "And have a lot of fun too, I'd enjoy it a ton." while not exactly sure what J really meant, everyone in the room is probably questioning this scientist.

Doll watched Ray as Lizzy continued inquiring about a “potential” corrupted drone. He seemed at least willing not to shoot first and ask questions later. That was about the best that she could hope for, considering that he seemed to be wary of her.

She gave her girlfriend a smile, squeezing her hand back. if she was here on her own, she didn’t know how long she could hold back her anger. Thank goodness Lizzy was here to help her keep a cool head about things.

Meanwhile, Uzi was currently arguing with a disassembly drone over the use of panties. A sentence Doll never thought she'd even be thinking about. The purple haired drone's eyes rolled on her visor.

“As if a guy knows anything about women's underwear.”

Uzi blinked, realizing something.

”This is Chaos's room, right? So why is there a pair of panties here?”

Normally she would have drilled a guy for that. But she decided to let that one go for now. It wasn't the right time, and for some reason she didn't want to embarrass Chaos. Not that she cared about his feelings. Nope, she totally didn't care in the slightest.

Uzi felt a knot in her stomach as J wrapped an arm around Chaos. She didn't know what the feeling was, but it was unpleasant. Then the disassembly drone looked over at her. Uzi let out a grunt.

”Yeah yeah. You and I both know he's going to spend most of his free time with you.”

When Uzi mentioned that she wanted to fire the gun first, she noted the disappointment on Chaos's face. She frowned at him.

”Hey. Don't be such a downer about it. I'll let you try it after me. I just want to make sure that it won't blow up in your face.”

If Chaos questioned how she could hear his quiet mumbling, Uzi would tap the side of her head.

”Drone hearing Chaos. I can hear your whispers loud and clear.”

She paused, looking at her railgun. ”Alright, let's test this baby out. Chaos, can you take me somewhere I can fire it safely? I don't want to risk blowing the ship up.”

She then paused, looking over and him and J. ”After that you and your girlfriend can relax together.”

Uzi sounded surprisingly sour about that, even for her. She didn't know why, but the thought of that put her in a bad mood. Well whatever! She was fire her railgun, make something go boom, and she would feel better after that.

Well, at least Ray was able to confirm that much. Lizzy could understand that these weren't ideal -- but she did believe that this might be the best chance of things... Doll might have her own opinions on the matter.

But either way, once they were alone, Lizzy turns her attention to Doll with a small smile. They didn't yet have the privacy to talk about more sensitive matters, but there was at least one thing to take away from all of this; "I'm here for you."

---

On decidedly less heartwarming subjects. Uzi questioned why a guy would know anything about women's underwear. J couldn't help but smirk.

"I will admit that fashion is an area usually dominated by women. But this is more about my partner's tastes than just fashion."

... And J's smirk didn't fade as Uzi got just a little bitter about the idea of Chaos spending all his time with the Disassembly Drone. Or at least most of it.
"I dunno. Sounds like he likes you a lot. And I did make a whole scene earlier about how I would allow the possibility of other Drones..."

Yeah. Being on the other side of things like this meant that J could take a lot of amusement in the situation -- but there was one very key difference. She knew very well what it was like to NOT get the attention you were after.

So, any feelings of jealousy were easily suppressed by a level of empathy. Even if she would swear up and down that no such thing existed between her and a Worker Drone. Especially one as crude as Uzi...

J then leans in and whispers to Chaos in order to elaborate what she meant.

"I'm trying to get you hooked up with Uzi."

Yeah. Drone hearing. She didn't care if Uzi heard that. If anything it seemed like it would be deeply amusing if she did.

---

V's flirtatious expression gives way to...


... Disappointment. That seems like the best way to describe it.

The whole innocent and naive thing was kind of amusing at first, but V REALLY needed to address this, otherwise the only way she was going to make it clear what she wanted was by basically stripping him of his clothes and straddling him.

And even then he might somehow misconstrue that.

"... Yyyeeeah. We need to have a talk at some point, you and I."

But at least the conversation moved right along to Klein! V's expression softens into something resembling curiosity as she listens to Ray's explanation of the little penguin bot. After a slightly delayed silence, Klein introduces himself with flapping wings.

"Pudding, huh?"

She asked. Ray seemed to be just as confused about that -- and began to question the bird bot about it. Not long after he also lets out a nervous laugh at V's suspicions, but simply explains that Klein is trying his best...

But at least the conversation shifts again, this time with him thanking V for her actions here.

"Oh, no problem! Not often that I get attached to someone, so I might end up a little protective."

V replies, lying back on the bed and stretching her arms overhead, grasping and toying with the pillow between her hands.

She can't help but smirk as she returns her gaze back to Ray and his quick denial over her assessment of the situation, though.

"Yeah. Seems like I was pretty on the mark there."

She soon fluffs the pillow and returns it back to the original position it was in, and sits up as he asks what she had in mind. Klein is the first to offer a suggestion; a board game of checkers. Ray wasn't so sure that would be a good idea, though.

Hmm. To be honest... V wasn't entirely sure now either. Her original plan was to be here alone with Ray. Klein was kind of an unaccounted factor in all of this. She brings a hand to her chin as she thinks it over.

"Hmm... Well, I did have certain... Amorous activities in mind. But I imagine they'll be a little awkward with Klein present."

She is able to admit that much, at least, rolling her hand to accentuate her words.

'So I guess we'll just have to come up with something together!"

With that, V hops onto her feet and calmly approaches Ray.

"Unless, of course, my original plan still sounds good to you?"

V teases with another flirtatious smile.

While the two was talking about the pair of panties, I was blushing the entire time. "C...cant we just drop the subject? L...like... not all that important y'know? I... Im not a pervert or anything, and whatever I did that made it got there wasnt me alright?"

"If it makes you feel bad I can hang out with you, Uzi. We did planned on watching anime after all."

"Nah, Im not too depressed about firing the railgun, Uzi." I said once Uzi mentions me being sad over not firing it. "I just want to feel how powerful it is."

"...Oh right, you guys have super hearing..."

J whispered in my ear, mentioning that she is trying to hook me up with Uzi. While I did felt something was off about Uzi when we where talking with her, but I never knew she'd have feelings for me let alone a human. Thinking back to our conversations, she was pretty sour especially when me and J was together. I want to remain faithful to J, but at the same time I'd want Uzi to be happy. Would denying Uzi my companionship would make her happy in the long term? Maybe. But from what I heard she is pretty unpopular and I doubt she'd find herself a good boyfriend. I just gotta bite the bullet and open my scope to having a relationship with J and another drone.

"I..." I whisper back to J. "I gotta thank you later. But I promise I'll give you a ton of attention whenever I can."

"I have an idea, Uzi" I said, turning to her. "We should spend some alone time, just you and me. If you want. Completely up to you honestly. I want to make you happy as much as I can, so I think this'll be the best decision I can do for us."

While I was speaking with a ton of confidence, Im not entirely sure if this'll work. I'll disguise some small dates as "hanging out" and if that never really works, atleast we'd be great friends at the end of it.

Doll wished she and Lizzy could have more of a private moment together. Although that wasn’t going to be available to either of them anytime soon. Even if there weren’t many drones helping out around here, there were probably security cameras everywhere. And Doll wasn’t eager to put her love life on T.V. Still, she gave her girlfriend a smile, reaching out and gently grabbing her hand. They had each other. For now, that was enough.

---

”So it’s about which panties your boyfriend gets turned on by the most?”

Uzi put it as bluntly as possible. Subtlety wasn’t exactly the purple-haired drone’s strong suit. She looked over at Chaos, slipping her hands into her pockets.

”That’s fine by me. I don’t want to spend all day talking about J’s panties.”

Uzi gave Chaos a little smirk. ”Now THAT’s something I want to talk about. You’re going to both feel and see the power of my railgun firsthand.”



Likewise, she wasn’t good at hiding her emotions. She blushed when J brought up the possibility of Chaos seeing multiple drones.


”And what makes you think I would be interested? Why are you encouraging your boyfriend to pursue other girls?!”

And then it only spiraled from there. Uzi of course was able to hear J and Chaos’s conversation. She stared open mouthed as they talked about his interest in her. And then he asked her to hang out.

”What…. WHAT THE HELL?!”

Was this really happening? Nonononono, this couldn’t be happening. A human interested in her? And one who was also with a murder drone? Uzi couldn’t process any of this.

”Are you seriously trying to date me Chaos?! ME?! The human killing freak?! You want me to go on a date and be all gross and…. AGGGHHH!”


Uzi clutch her head with both hands, letting out a loud yell. Uzi’s superhearing had completely backfired on her. Now the feelings she had been trying to suppress were coming up to the surface. And she didn’t know how to handle that.

Uzi put it as bluntly as she could, and then Chaos asked if they could move on from the subject. J, for her part in this, just calmly shrugs.

"Pretty much. I'm in a romantic relationship, why wouldn't I do or wear things that he likes?"

She does roll her eyes though as the Worker Drone remarks that she didn't want to talk all day talking about "J's Panties."

"Yeah, yeah."

As for the railgun, it was difficult for J to share the same enthusiasm. This wasn't an official JCJensen Product, and it was made by a Worker Drone. Still, at least Chaos was excited to see it in action, and if it made him happy -- then, wasn't it a good thing that she should be around to see as well? It was food for thought, so she left out any wise remarks at this point.

What she DID get wise about was the fact that Uzi did, in fact, hear her whispering. J was having just a little too much fun seeing the Worker Drone squirm like this.

"Why shouldn't I? I proclaimed it earlier for all to hear that it would be fine. It would be a bit silly for me to go back on my word now."

Yes, she had empathy for Uzi. Yes, she could relate to the fact that both of them wanted attention. But was she ever going to admit that so plainly? Of course not! J couldn't help but chuckle as Uzi's emotions came roaring to the surface and she loudly expressed herself.

"Oh, I'm enjoying this. Have fun you two!"

Despite her teasing, she did also give an appreciative smile to Chaos as he insisted he'd tend to her needs and wants later. The fact that he was even willing to say that meant a lot to her -- but she knew that she could count on him to mean it, too.

That was why she was so willing to do this, along with poking a bit of fun at Uzi here.

---

"Yeah, but I think you might not be understanding some of the things I'm saying."

V admits to Ray's initial response. Though surprisingly he does go on sigh and nod, and then admitted that she probably wanted some privacy here. So after he addresses Klein and sends him on his way, the next thing to do was to attend to Aegis. The terminal in the room gives a little blipping notification before she responds.

"Understood! If either of you require any assistance, you can manually reactivate my monitoring status in this room."

With another blip, they are finally left to their own devices.

What V wasn't expecting was for him to say that he DID like the ideas that she was proposing. But he does also request that they need to talk first, and she gives him an understanding nod. That was perfectly fine. He seemed to be really nervous right now, so she waited patiently for him.

It was hard for her expression to not turn to one of concern, though. This was obviously weighing on him pretty heavily, whatever it was. Eventually he does manage to confess his feelings, about how he liked V more than most people, and he wasn't as oblivious as he was letting on.

Now, V was happy to hear this, of course... She was blushing, and she smiled a little. But she was left with a burning question.

"So... If you're not that innocent, why pretend?"
She asks, it didn't seem like she was offended, she was merely curious.

It does take him a little bit to work up the courage for this, but Ray finally manages to unload everything that has been weighing on him -- and it was a lot! V just gives a few nods to show that she's still listening, and she mainly lets him get through it all before she speaks.

This was all very important to him, so it deserved to be treated with respect. Most importantly, she also needed to address it the right way. Once he finally finished saying what he needed to say, she calmly places a hand on his shoulder.

"Ray, you and I both have a past. We've both done some things. Things that we regret, even if they might have been necessary."

She begins her response, pausing briefly as she considers what to say next.

"But I also know that I like you. I can relate to you. I feel like I can be who I really am around you."

She further explains -- this was obviously taking a bit of courage on her own part. True, she acted differently in public, and in private. But this was calling attention to that fact outright.

"So... If we can confide in each other, and make each other happy... I don't see a reason to change my mind now."

V then smiles softly.

"And I don't mind waiting until you're comfortable with getting more intimate... But I do think I can help you with all of that stress you're feeling right now. I want to lighten that burden for you, even if only a little."

Towards the end of what she was saying, there was more of a flirtatious tone to her voice. But true to her word, she was giving Ray the chance he needed to process all of this -- and to say if he was ready or not.

She could see a lot of herself in him... Maybe what they both needed was a chance to be vulnerable, and to share something more meaningful than the work they had gotten lost in for so long.

"I cant wait to see very thing works and how much damage it can do, Uzi! When I saw you fire that thing way back in the bunker was really amazing!"

"C'mon Uzi, how many humans did you kill?" I said, trying to reassure her. "Even if you did, I'd try to have you reconsider your evil way. "Fix her" if you will. And, you are not a freak Uzi, atleast I dont think you are." I added. "Besides, I think your cute."

I noticed her freaking out, and I wasnt sure what to do. Part of me wants to put my hand on hers shoulder to reassure her, the other part of me wants to headpat her because I have the opportunity. Previously, she swiped my hand away when I tried to calm her down like this, and I get the feeling if I was another human being she'd bite my finger off.

Unsure of myself, I reached my hand out towards her. Calming down someone isnt something Im used to. My hand reaches hers head, giving her a few good gentle pats. "A...anyways, I dont mind dating a drone like you. I like you, after all." After ending that statement, I retract my hand before Uzi could make a swift move on my arm.

Dating two drones would be difficult, giving both even attention. Thankfully, I think I have enough love to go around and since it'd be just those two, it would be relatively easy to juggle between them. My fear would be they'd fight among each other but I think we can handle this together.

Uzi opened her mouth to argue, but then closed it as she processed what J said. She crossed her arms, looking away with irritation.

”I hate it when you make sense.”

She looked back over when Chaos complimented her railgun. Compliments weren’t exactly things she was used to. Hanging around with the humans had resulted in more directed in her within the last day and a half then she had in her entire life.

Still, she couldn’t let that distract from how awesome she totally was. She gave Chaos a grin.

”I blew that thing up good! I can’t wait to see how much damage this new model can do, hehehe.”

Of course, any control she thought she had was lost the moment Chaos and J made their intentions clear. Chaos especially caught her off guard. He seemed to know exactly what to say. Which was kind of the problem. Uzi grabbed her head with both hands and yet out a yell.

”GAAAAAH! I DIDN’T THINK YOU WERE SERIOUS J! AND GET OUT OF MY HEAD YOU MIND READER!”

That last remark was directed at Chaos. This time she didn’t knock away his hand when he pet her head. She was too stunned by how this was playing out to be her normal self. She looked over at the human, lowering her hands and pressing her fingers together.

“Chaos… I…”

Almost as if her prayers were answered, there was a series of knocks at the door. Uzi practically sprinted towards it, eager to get away from this conversation as quickly as possible. She opened the door, staring down at Klein.

”Oh thank robo Jesus! I’ll give you all the pudding you want Klein”

Hey, if this kept things from getting weird and feelingsy again, then she’d stuff the little robot with pudding.

J was honestly having just a little too much fun at Uzi's expense. Honestly, a lot of this had turned into free entertainment for her. Plus, it was a way for her to show off why she fell for Chaos so fast; he had a way of getting to what the other person wanted and delivering on it.

Just when it seemed like Uzi's entire "tsun" shell was about to be destroyed -- there was a lucky series of knocks on the door, which the Worker Drone practically fled to, in order to open the door. She seemed ENTIRELY too happy to see Klein and have the conversation be about anything else.

J peers over, raising an index finger.

"Is he even equipped for eating pudding?"

She asks, arching a brow.

---

So in the end, it seems like Ray was doing something that V herself had been doing -- albeit towards J and N. Both of them had their reasons to push others away, under the notion of protecting them. This was one of many reasons why she could relate to him so much. It seemed like the more she learned about him, the more alike they were in all the right ways.

"Well. I don't know if I would say that it made things worse... I was just going to have to give you the talk about the 'birds and the bees', if it came down to it. Heh."

She admits with a little smile. Trying to lighten the tension for him, even if only a little. But there was a lot for him to get through still, and she listens intently to his every word. Eventually she places a hand on his shoulder gently, to comfort him.

"Look, I'm pretty tough. If something comes knocking around trying to cause trouble for you, I'll handle it. I'll prove that you don't have to be afraid or push anyone away."

V declared confidently -- they were words that she wanted to hear, but they were no less important to say for him here and now. Who knows? Maybe he'll end up being the person that will say those words to her in time. She had a pretty good feeling that would be the case.

All the more reason that she should do her best to keep him safe, in spite of anything that might come their way... Yes... She had spent long enough running. Now it was time to stand and face it.

That is why she gives him a nod when he asks about her regrets.

"Yeah. I'll tell you all about it later. For now..."

She trails off as he expresses his surprise. It seems that his entire train of thought had gotten disrupted. She gives him a firm nod.

"That's right. If that is all it took to get me to go away, then I don't think I would have been interested in the first place."

Still... Ray needed to wrack his brain for a bit, before finally being able to say the one thing he was sure of -- and then he manages to coax a smile out of himself, in a literal and physical sense. V ended up giggling softly at the sight.

Ultimately, he also admits that he's willing to try this, although he's inexperienced and needs her to take the lead... V gives him an understanding nod, and then she would join him on the bed, getting closer to him.

"Let's just take it slow, then."

She says softly. She brings a hand to up to his face, cupping his cheek.

"And let me know if you need to stop at any point."

After reiterating that point, she shimmies just a little closer, and trails her hand down his neck and chest. For now, clothing separated him from her touch. She watches him to carefully gauge his reaction.

And if he seems to be enjoying it, well... Then she would go just a little further, straddling his lap.

There were a few more steps to go through before she committed to removing clothes entirely. This was all to make sure that he was truly ready for this.

I stopped headpatting Uzi, confused why she let me do it. I look at my hand. "I did that..." I said to myself. "I did that... with my hand!" I explained, proudly being the first human to headpat Uzi. "Maybe next time I can hug her!" I said to myself once more. Eventually, I snapped out of it, but I will headpat Uzi again!

I listen to Uzi as she spoke my name, but we where interrupted by a familiar voice, which Uzi let that thing in. "Klein?" I said to him, as I figured out who it is. "Why would a robot like that need pudding? And why does feeding it chocolate pudding sounds familiar?" I look to the minifridge which I snuck into this lab a while ago. "Is it you who have been eating my secret stash of pudding!? You're lucky you havent been eating the butterscotch flavored ones those is my favorite!"

"...Anyways, lets feed this thing some pudding." I said, as I walk towards Klein. Hopefully J wont find a way to tease Uzi about us feeding him.

Uzi stared at Chaos with bemusement. She blinked, her confusion very evident.


”Er… good for you I guess?”

Of course Uzi heard him talking to himself. Blushing, she snapped at the human.

”Stop talking to yourself out loud! I can hear you and it’s freaking me out!”

Uzi’s irritable mood continued on. She turned her head around, snapping at the other two people in the room.

”I don’t care why he needs it or if he can eat it or not! I’m giving Klein as much pudding as he wants!”

She turned, frowning if he mispronounced her name again. Curious about something, she pointed herself.

”Uzi. If you keep getting my name wrong you won’t get pudding.”

Was it a little mean? Maybe. But she really wanted to know if Klein really couldn’t pronounce her name right, or was refusing to do so.

Uzi waved a hand dismissively at the little drone. ”Yeah yeah. Klein is an advanced drone that can single handily save us all. Now do you want putting or not?”

And with that they would go to get the strange robot pudding. Uzi walked beside Klein, making sure the conversation didn’t get back to anything weird.

”So um… do you like… have a favorite flavor of pudding? Or do you like them all equally Klein?”

J couldn't help but snicker a little as Chaos so bluntly celebrated being able to headpat Uzi. The Worker Drone had some very entertaining reactions.

More importantly though, Klein decided to weigh in on his ability to have pudding... By mimicking a statement from Ray. J crosses her arms.

"What do calculations have to do with eating pudding?"

She asked... Then again, Klein also greeted Chaos with the name "pudding man", and then Chaos also mentioned that feeding him pudding sounded familiar. Coupled with his totally-not-suspicious denial when asked about the stash of pudding...

The Disassembly Drone couldn't believe it. Did they really make a robot that could eat pudding?

What purpose would that even serve?

"... I'm at least ninety percent certain that Ray didn't create his robot with this function."

J remarks. But also doesn't make a move to stop either of them. At least not directly... Instead she smirks, spying an opportunity.

"But I guess this is good practice for your baby boy or girl."

---

V couldn't help but giggle softly as Ray admitted that her efforts probably would have been awkward for both of them, in light of the truth of things.

"Maybe. But a little bit of awkwardness for something nice seems like a fair trade."

Still... It seems like her words had a profound effect on Ray. Starting with him asking if she really meant it, and she answers with a nod. Before long he thanks her, and expresses his sentiment that if they look out for each other, maybe that would be enough.

V couldn't help but smile at that. It sounded nice, and she wanted to believe that to be the case. So even if it was silly or unreal, she was going to commit to that ideal with him. He deserved to hear the whole truth about her regrets -- but later. She didn't want to bring the mood down right now. She wanted to cast aside her burdens and focus on something else.

She wanted to focus on Ray. He was so unlike everything on Copper-9. Not at all like the Worker Drones, or those monsters. He was soft, a little squishy. There was some warmth to him, and it wasn't unpleasant.

If she focused, she could feel his pulse, the soft movements from his breathing. When he moves his hand around her back, she gives him an approving smile. Soon he moves his other arm around her, and pulls her a bit closer.

She cooperates, leaning in. With one hand gently rested on his chest, she moves her other hand to tug on the zipper of her jacket, opening it. She straightens out ever so slightly, and pulls the jacket off before tossing it onto the floor.

Finally, she moves her hands towards her chest -- and her modesty panels, and begins to remove them as well. She trails her hands down, resting them on her thighs for a moment as she lets him take in the sight.

Then she removes just one last panel from her person; baring it all for him.

And then she finally lies against him, pressing her body against his. She gives him a more flirtatious smile, blush lines filling her eye-screen.

And after a little while for both of them to enjoy this... She sits up again, this time beginning the process of removing his clothing...

Her actions all up to this point were slow and deliberate, giving him plenty of time to communicate.