Murder Drones: A new Type of Witchhunt

”It does help slightly, strangely enough.”

Cloris didn’t know what to expect from 99. She had constantly insisted that she was unused to human emotions. If that were true, then she would have nothing of value to say. Cloris didn’t believe that, but 99 seemed to think so. Yet even with her faith in the disassembly drone, she did not expect her words to strike her to her core.

"Those who came before you wouldn't have given up everything if you weren't worthy. They deemed your importance to be worth sacrifice through their actions rather than their words."

Cloris’s eyes widened at those words. Even more so when 99 reached out and started stroking her hair. She could feel the surprisingly warm fingers moving through her hair, the gentle pats she gave her. The human was completely entranced.

”They deemed me to be worth their sacrifice…”

That was why her father had given his life, was it not? He could have escaped with her. But then he wouldn’t have been able to erase what had transpired there. If people had known about her, then she would never have gotten the chance to fix things.


"If your path is paved with the blood of innocents then you must work to ensure there is meaning behind that blood. You can't bring them back."

Cloris gasped, her body trembling. She stared at 99 in complete shock. That was her mantra. That was why she had to continue going forward. Her family had blood on their hands from the destruction of Copper 9. Their actions likely played a role in the destruction of Earth too. Cloris had to keep going. If she gave up or failed, then everything would be truly worthless. Not just what the people in the Cabin Fever labs did, but everything humanity had ever accomplished. All the struggles, triumphs, everything.

And here was this machine… no, this person who completely understood what she was going through. Not only understanding, but completely agreeing with her line of thinking. She never expected anyone to say those words.

”99… you… You’re right. I have to keep moving forward.”

And she continued resonating with her. It was almost as if Dr.Graymind had built 99 specifically for her. 99 didn’t have to say it for her to know: Cloris knew that this disassembly drone would be with her to the end. And being the woman she was, Cloris couldn’t help but translate the Latin.

”I shall either find a way or make one. You really think no matter what I’ll find a way…”

She nodded at 99s request, staring at the visor of the disassembly drone.

”Don’t worry, I won’t tell them anything that you don’t want me to.”

She nodded again as 99 saluted her, pressing her hands together and interlocking her fingers.

”Good luck out there 99. I’ll pray for your safe return.”

And then 99 would go off to do some recon, leaving Cloris with her thoughts. Her nightmares still lingered over her. Most of all the vision of 99 turning on her echoed in her. She thought about all the people in that vision. Ray, Karasu, Chaos, all the other drones. One question echoed in her mind.

”Who would stick with me if I chose a path of blood? Who wouldn’t turn against me if I had to do unsavory things to progress forward?”

There was only one answer to that: 99 understood her in a way that no one else could. Even if the others heard her story and knew everything, even if they understood her line of thinking, ultimately it would lead her to clash with everyone else. But not with 99. It was in that moment she knew what she had to do.

”I have to tell 99 everything. If I can’t trust her with this, then I can’t trust anyone.”

When 99 returned, she would find Cloris sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands on the mattress. She would wait for 99 to make her report, and then take a deep breath.

”99, I haven’t been entirely forthcoming with you. I’ve decided that I have to… no… I want to tell you everything.”

"It will always be the duty of those who continue forward to carry on for the sake of those who were lost. It is the duty of those who came before us to ensure we can continue forward.”

99 spoke of the duty of having to carrying the will of her allies. Of continuing forward for them. A sentiment that Cloris understood all too well. The people each of them knew had their dreams and hopes. And they were the only ones that could carry them, along with their own.

Her eyes watered, causing Cloris to reach up with one hand to wipe them. She took a moment to compose herself, staring at 99 with resolve.

”You right. This is why I’ve come this far. I’ll succeed, for both their sakes and mine.”

Fortunately the time that 99 was away allowed for Cloris to gather her thoughts. Something that she needed to do desperately. Talking with 99 made her feel the most human she had felt in a long time. And she had to prepare herself for the possibility of the drone turning on her. As much as they liked each other, what Cloris planned on doing would put her at odds with 99’s objectives.

When 99 returned, she gave a detailed report on the situation. Cloris nodded, her body relaxing slightly as she procressed it.

”They’re almost out of the woods for tonight. But they need to kill the creature so that this doesn’t become a nightly occurrence.”

Cloris stared at 99 in surprise as she knelt down. She didn’t expect the other drone to put herself in such a subservient position. She knew 99 had a fascination with her, but this was unexpected. Cloris attempted to break the ice a little.

”You probably won’t want to be my knight after you hear what I’ve been keeping from you.”

Cloris took a deep breath, folding her hands together.

”I lied when I said I couldn’t be infected by the solver. In fact, that’s what all my modifications were designed for: to make me compatible with the program.”

Cloris paused, letting that sink in. She interlocked her fingers, leaning forward.

”I intend on finding the patch and acquiring the solver. That was what my father had been working on: taking humanity to the next level. With that kind of power I can put Copper 9 back together. I can make life for humanity as nice as possible. That’s how I intend to make up for everything. If I make it out of here alive.”

Cloris folded her hands in her lap, looking at 99 solemnly. ”There’s a chance that this makes us enemies, or will lead to that. That was my nightmare: I acquired this power and you fought against me. And I had to kill you.”

Cloris trembled slightly, a pained look on her face. She took a deep breath, staring at the disassembly drone.

”Before I met you, I thought I could bring myself to throw away anyone or anything in my way. But the more I’ve talked with you, the more convinced I’ve become. You understand me in a way no one else can. I… I can’t hurt you 99. But the path I take could make us enemies.”

Cloris then did something that would probably shock 99: She got off the bed and knelt down on both knees. She pressed her hands against the ground to support her body, and looked into the eyes of the drone.

”I’m willing to kill you if the infection within you gets too strong, like you asked me to. But I want you in my life 99. And I don’t want to live in a world where we could become enemies. If what I plan will put us at odds, if you can’t accept what I intend to do, then kill me now. I don’t want to hurt you, ever.”

Cloris bowed her head. It would be easy for the drone to decapitate her. The human was putting herself at the mercy of 99.

”I carry the hopes and dreams of an entire planet. But even with that on the line, I want you in my life. It’s selfish, I know. But I can’t betray you.”

Cloris frowned at 99. "Don't be reckless 99. That thing was able to take apart your entire squad with ease. I don't want you chasing after the creature alone."

Cloris heard the disassembly drone draw her blade. It seemed like this was it. An emotional decision on her part was going to lead to the end of everything.

"I'm sorry everyone. I couldn't be the heartless person that you wanted me to be."

Logically the best move would have been to keep lying to 99. Even if there was always a chance she could figure out the truth before she got the solver. She would have found out regardless if all had gone according to plan.

"But then I would have to do what I did in my dreams. I would have to kill 99."

Logically that made no sense. What was the lives of humanity compared to one drone? What was humanity's lives to the lives of 99 and the crew she came to Copper 9 with? Logic dictated that she should throw that all away if she had to.

But that dream filled her with such a dread that she couldn't bear to have that possibility happen. Not since the end of Copper 9 had she felt something like that. Now it looked like she was about to pay the price for letting her emotions get the better of her.

"Can you swear to me that acquiring the solver in the way you planned will result in the threat becoming neutralized?"

Cloris looked up in shock. She was so sure that 99 was going to kill her. And yet her she was asking her if it would neutralize it. She stared for a few seconds, staring into the visor of the disassembly drone.

"I swear it. That's what all my modifications were for: neutralize the solver and use it for humanity."

And then 99 withdrew her blade entirely. Cloris felt an overwhelming relief fill her. She dared not believe it. 99 accepted that?

"99... you... thank you..."

Cloris didn't feel tired in the way most humans did. Not in her limbs anyway. And yet she felt all the energy go out of her after that. She lay down on her stomach, completely drained. She craned her head up to look at 99. She really couldn't believe that it had played out like this.

"I'm sorry that I deceived you. But I won't do that again. Not to you 99."

Cloris couldn’t believe that 99 hadn’t killed her immediately. She outright admitted that she intended to take in the solver. And yet she didn’t do it. The relief she felt was partially visible: it was as if someone had lifted off a 100 pound weight off of her.

She gave 99 a relieved little smile at her statement. ”I’m thanking you for asking the question in the first place. Most drones in your position wouldn’t have hesitated to kill me in that situation. V and J would have likely cut my head off.”

Cloris wasn’t entirely sure about N. They were distractingly innocent most of the time. But she did hold her own against that solver monster. So when push came to shove N would probably do what she had to do.

99 on the other hand was giving her a chance to deal with the solver her own way. She looked at the drone gratefully as the latter crossed her arms. 99 was taking a huge risk on this. Cloris would make sure that it paid off for everyone.

Then 99 surprised her by picking her up and putting her on the bed. An action that brought a faint tinge of red to Cloris’s face. She could feel how warm and strong the drone was through the clothing she had on. She gave the drone a slight smile as the latter huffed.

”If you keep me from being reckless, I’ll do the same for you. It would be a shame if one of us died after all we’ve been through.”

Cloris pulled the covers over herself again, lying back and resting her head on the pillow. Although she didn’t close her eyes yet, her green eyes gazing at the drone.

”I wish I could have my human eyes for 5 minutes. I wonder what you’d look like without the green tint.”

She concentrated for a moment, peering at the drone with her eyes. Then she let out a sigh, closing her eyes.

”It’s gotten hard for me to picture how I used to see. Trying to visualize other colors has gotten harder as time went on.”

Cloris somewhat understood 99s frustration. The drone took pride in her abilities. So anything that got in the way of that was something that 99 would likely consider a weakness. She stared at the drone sympathetically.

”There isn’t a flaw in your programming. Your combat abilities are undeniably great. And showing mercy isn’t a sign of weakness.”

She gave 99 another one of her knowing smiles. It was cute how 99 insisted there was nothing but logic behind her decisions.

”You can’t stop me from showing gratitude towards you. Your logic isn’t cold 99. It’s very warm.”

Cloris sighed as 99 talked about having to take risks. She nodded solemnly. ”I understand. There are times when risks have to be taken. Just do it only when it’s the best course of action.

There it was again. That smile returned to Cloris’s face as 99 again insisted that she was doing stuff for the mission.

”Purely for cooperation of course. It’s the logical thing for both of us, right?”

Unfortunately the conversation turned to something more serious. She nodded as 99 mentioned the possibility of getting her normal eyesight back.

”We’ll have to see what’s at the end of the road.”

Cloris had been drifting back to sleep. But the question 99 posed woke her mind. She answered immediately without hesitation.

”Yes, I would.”

Cloris sat up, then looked down at one of her hands.

”The first time I had ice cream I touched it before I ate it. It was soft, yet cold. I can’t feel anything in my fingers anymore. Those memories I can’t experience anymore feel like they belong to someone else.”

She opened and closed her hands, staring down at them. ”If I can feel again, see through the eyes of that little girl, then maybe I can reclaim those memories. That it’ll click together and I’ll know who I am. I’d be one person again, rather then this being who has two sets of memories. One of color and the other of green.”

Cloris sighed, laying back down on her back. She stared up at the ceiling. ”I don’t mean to imply that seeing the way you and I do is bad. It’s just different when you’ve experienced the world in two different ways.”

99’s confused response seemed to lift Cloris’s spirits a little. She tapped a finger against her cheek a couple times.

”Calculating yes, but not always cold. Sometimes kindness and logic intersect. Like it tends to do with you 99.”

She let out a little chuckle at 99’s indignation. ”You’re acting like I’m forcing you to take nasty medicine. Surely my gratitude isn’t that unpleasant to take.”

Cloris was silent as she contemplated 99s words. She peered at the drone, leaning forward a little. Cloris had been feeling a familiarity with the drone, but 99 putting it into words made it hit home.

”I never thought I’d be able to relate to anyone in this way. I thought I was one of a kind. Yet here I have a kindred spirit.”

Cloris relaxed again, giving the drone one last smile as she settled down.

[color=green]”Good night 99. I’ll see you in the morning.”]

Cloris once again fell into slumber. And this time her thoughts were not plagued by nightmares. For the first time in a long time, she had a good nights sleep that wasn’t brought on by the cyro pods.