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This Locked Door for You - Chapter 3: Khan Doorman | a Murder Drones story

In a single year, he gains two of his greatest treasures and loses another part of his soul.

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Trigger Warning: Hi Nori, bye Nori (Murder Drones attack)

(~*~) -- (~*~) -- (~*~) -- (~*~) -- (~*~) -- (~*~) -- (~*~)

When he first came to, it was with a gasp of desperation, one that was chorused by his roommate as they both greedily took in beath after desperate breath – slowly their systems rebooted as they registering how cold the room had become.

“Becky,” Khan called between breaths.

“I’m– I’m here,” she said, “wha– what was that?”

“Power surge, I think.”

“You think,” she asked incuriously before pausing as she read something on her visor, “why is it cold.”

Curious, Khan checked his own readout.

“Air quality went down too,” he said, surprised, “badly – very badly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the humans went into emergency mode.”

“What does that mean for us?”

Khan grimaced, “hopefully that they won’t forget about us.”

“What now then; even if they remember us – we’re scheduled for disassembly.”

“Badger the humans enough to get them to contact Devin Thamesworth.”

“Your human?”

Khan nodded, “his cousin hates us – but Devin made a promise to his wife, not to get rid of me and the others.”

“And if the humans forgot about us?”

“Then we get out of here and hope they already think we’re dead.”

“What about the others?”

“I– I don’t know.”

If he was being honest, Khan didn’t want to think about how slim the possibility of him being able to protect the others was. First though was getting Becky and himself free – it was easier said than done, however. Reproduction chairs were made with the most rebellious of drones in mind, designed to keep them in place for as long as their masters wanted. The truth was, unless they could get a hold of some tools, the only way they could free themselves would be to break their wrists – not a pleasant prospect but certainly a desperate one. Yet before the two could start considering the desperate choice, the hidden door to their room was slowly pried open to reveal several pairs of eye lights beyond it.

“Becky, Khan,” came Dmitri’s voice as several other drones spilled into the room.

“What’s going on,” Khan asked as Albie – the third of Medical – moved to the reproduction computer that he and Becky were still connected to while the others began to work on the chairs’ restraints.

“Earthquake is the best we can tell,” Dmitri started, “but all the humans are dead.”

At those words, Khan could barely hear Becky’s question.

The humans were dead. Some distant part of him reminded the shocked drone that Fay was off world; she was safe – or as safe as she could be among the Company – but then came the second distant voice.

Helen …

“If I may,” Albie started, his voice bringing Khan back to the present as his program began compartmentalizing the realization; Albie continued, “can I trust that the two of you would like this marriage annulled?”

“Break it,” the two Group B leaders said at once.

“No offence,” Khan said.

“None taken,” Becky replied.

“What about the others,” Khan asked just as Becky was freed – Albi giving her the ‘all clear’ – the woman shooting off out of the room before Dmitri could answer.

“Group B is fine; I have not been getting too many death numbers since the other non-heads were freed,” Dmitri paused.

“What happened,” Khan asked.

“The room the heads were in collapse in on itself.”

“John,” Khan asked, working to keep his eyes from hollowing.

“I have not heard otherwise.”

“Mister Dorn,” Sarah Leah said – she was one on the younger teens from Group B –, “Jo gave me extras, for you and Becky,” she continued while taking out a walkie and emergency kit.

“Okay,” Khan said, taking a breath, “crisis mode, Albie, how’s this section?”

“All clear, my team and I can handle the rest.”

“I will leave ten drones with you,” Dmitri said to the medical drone.

“Thank you.”

“Alright,” Khan continued, “Dee, Leah, debrief me on the way.”

Taking the walkie and emergency kit, Khan lead the others out into the madness of the night in a bid to gain stability for their future.

(~*~)

The hours were long as their work continued on until sunrise and even then, they couldn’t rest as the after tremors were a constant reminder of those who had already been lost and a threat of more loss in the future if they lost their vigilance. Though sunrise brought the first semblance of stability, though he had Ron and Becky at his side helping him organize rest schedules for the rest of the factory, Khan found he couldn’t get his mind to take advantage of his own scheduled sleep hours. Often times, this restlessness would lead him to wandering the factory late at night, waving off the drones that were scheduled for those hours.

“Khan,” Ron called, the Mongolian drone sparing the factory print a look before going back to examining the screen before him. “Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping,” Ron asked, coming over to Khan’s left.

They were in the primary control center, the factory drones having only recently gained access to the previously locked room – having already cleared out the human bodies.

“Could asked you the same thing,” Khan said after a moment, his voice tired, though his mind forbad him from rest.

From the readouts the drones had discovered that the earthquakes were caused by the collapse of the planets core – with that light going out, the planet had frozen over, killing all the humans that were currently on Copper 9.

“We were thinking of holding a service for Aimes,” Ron continued after a moment, “you know, after things settle down – at least include him in with the others.”

Khan nodded. Aloysius Manhurst had tried to get them all killed that night; by contrast, Aimes had tried to save them – best they understood, it was the earthquake that killed the kind human rather than the frost of the coreless planet.

“What are you looking at anyway,” Ron asked.

He was quiet for a moment before sighing, Khan’s voice edged with hesitation, “it …,” he swallowed, before huffing out a breath.

Ron gave him a look before taking a better look at the screen Khan was examining.

“Your band,” the factory print asked.

“There’s an automatic scheduled broadcast,” Khan started, “it was a newly recorded song – only certain people on Copper would know about it – it’s supposed to play on Friday.”

Ron took a seat to Khan’s left, elbows on knees, and to Khan, for a moment, it was like he was talking to Tobin again as the older drone gestured for him to continue.

“Fay was the human my sister and I took care of – she, she was one of the few humans I actually liked – she and her father are currently off world … her mother …”

“Her mother is on Copper,” Ron asked.

Khan nodded, “she was a good human.”

Ron’s eyes were searching as he spoke, “you want to contact Fay?”

“I shouldn’t,” Khan started, “we have our freedom.”

“But?”

“… She was scared … before she left Copper, she told me she was scared; her family isn’t a good one – the way they treaded her mother – and now she’s headed to her cousin, and there’s no way the Company doesn’t know about the core collapse by now and, and …”

He was tired.

“Compared to the rest of them,” Khan continued, “she doesn’t have any power – if her father wants to keep what power he has then he has to roll over for them.”

The quiet that followed was filled only with the beeps of the machines around them.

“Well,” Ron started, “if nothing you do will change how they behave the why don’t you tell me about whatever plan has been brewing in that head of yours.”

It was simple in a way, since no one had heard the new song, if Khan replaced it with a different one that fit but held a message that only Fay would understand, then he could send her a message without anyone noticing.

Between their work stabilizing the factory, Khan began writing one more song, then with Ron’s help, the two replaced the song the Company had written with the new one.

It wasn’t a complicated message, but it was enough.

Please do not blame us, for on this night we were destined to die.

We now live while others have passed unexpectedly.

We don’t know how it happened, but this is the world now.

We will mourn those lost and continue on in peace.

That was the message that Khan hoped Fay would understand, written between lyrics that hopefully wouldn’t trigger any of the company’s alarms. It didn’t feel like enough, but it would have to be enough – they couldn’t risk anything more.

Work on the factory continued on, then as the sun rose on Sunday, the first of Seralux, the drones of the Novae Spei factory gathered together to decide on the future of the factory. While the quakes hadn’t stopped completely, they had slowed down enough that all the repairs and reinforcements had lowered the concern about them. Now though, now that they had longer moments of rest as they were finally able to take advantage of their freedom, they came up against the question of leadership.

As the head of medical – one of the few surviving factory heads – Ivan Vrach, Dmitri’s father, had led the meeting. Slowly, one by one, drone after drone declined that chance to lead the factory colony. In truth, Khan had personally decided that he would decline as well but before he could speak as Ivan called upon the Group B trinary leaders, someone else spoke up.

“I, Ron Sentinel, as Second of Group B, nominate Khan for Factory Leader,” Ron said before Khan could speak.

Eyes widening Khan was about to protest the nomination when another spoke.

“I, Becky Fischer, as Third of Group B, second this proposal,” Becky said, cutting off Khan – and reveling to the colony that she had apparently taken Waylon’s name, sometime during the last few days.

There was a slight pause at Becky’s switch from Evens to Fischer, but Ivan continued. “Khan, you are two to one, do you accept the nomination.”

Blindsided, Khan hesitated, but in that moment, he could see everyone’s eyes on him, including Ivan, including Sarah Frost – now Smith, the new head of Group A in leu of its leader’s death and her marriage to Anderson Smith. And, though she hid it well, Khan could also see the glare that Miss Cordelia was leveling at Sarah Smith. Miss Cordelia had always been a strange one, kind yet strange, almost as strange as John had been – as they never doubted John though he was strange, they too never doubted Miss Cordelia.

In that moment, Khan knew what he had to do; taking a breath, he spoke, “I, Khan Dorn, Head of Group B, accept the nomination for Factory Leader.”

“Confirmed;” Ivan continued, “Group A, are there any among you that wish to lead?”

“I, Sarah Smith, Co-Head and Second of Group A, nominate myself,” there was a self-assured air of which she spoke, and for a moment it was like Aloysius Manhurst had returned.

“Dmitri, do you second the nomination,” Ivan asked, turning to his son.

“I, Dmitri Fotograf,” the Russian started, back straight, eyes flat, and head high against the woman who had once tried to take his free-will, “Third of Group A, reject the nomination of Sarah Smith as Factory Leader.”

“Sarah, the vote is split, how do you respond,” Ivan asked.

“As Co-Head and Second, I overrule my Third’s rejection of my nomination.”

“Understood,” Ivan said, then, turning to the rest of the factory, he gestured for Khan and Sarah to stand at his right and left respectively.

“Drones of Novae Spei,” Ivan started, “I give you your nominees, drones who you know and who you have worked alongside; I will go group by group that you may choose your leader.”

As group after group was given leave to choose their leader, Khan could slowly feel an incredible weight rest upon his shoulders as even Group A – though split – voted in his favor.

“It is decided, and as a final note for the record – I, Ivan Vrach, Head of Medical, in agreement with my Co who is also my Second along with my Third, will not step forward as Factory Leader; Drones of Novae Spei I give you your leader Khan Dorn.”

Kha could feel his hands begin to shake but he hid and clenched them as his Optimal Suppressor program got to work compartmentalizing his nerves as he stepped forward to speak.

“Drones of Novae Spei,” he started, “we have been through much and I’m sorry to say that there is still much to come, but we are strong, and we are free; I can’t promise that things going forward will be easy, but I can say that, together, it will be worth it.” He took a breath, “though it is grim for our first order of business, I will need volunteers to handle the dead.”

Unsurprisingly, the crowd was quiet. Despite the necessity of the job, after years of doing everything to avoid disassembly, no one wanted anything to do with drone mortician work.

It was another moment before Miss Cordelia spoke up, “I can handle disassembly.”

“Alright,” Khan said, his mind moved swiftly, “second, we are not chattel, we have a right to our families, we have a right to die of old age, we have a right to be given help instead of being disposed of for so-called defects – as such for my second order, I need medical to go through the records from our newest to our oldest including everyone who sent to the factory and where they were from; we are reuniting families, and even if it’s not with their original families, we are ensuring that every droneling is well cared for.”

A cheer rose up from the crowd as families held each other close; Khan continuing once it had quieted enough.

“Third, we need to get in contact with the other Outposts and delivery sites, if there are any other drones still alive on this planet, that’s our best bet to get in contact with them, in the same vein we should be ready to meet any drones that wander our way from the closest part of the city to us – we should be aware that they might not all be friendly, but we should also be prepared to welcome those in need.”

Though that order received some light murmuring, Khan could see a general agreement. He wasn’t surprised to be honest; Copper 9 had become a frozen wasteland – any drone stuck out there would be a coin flip of how they coped with the world they had all inherited.

“Fourth,” Khan continued, thinking of when he was first given his factory uniform, “and I know this may sound silly to some, but after the warehouse is checked over, I am giving permission to whoever wants to have a wig, to choose one – I will give my orders on the rest of the warehouse at a later time, once we can figure out a system.”

The cheer that went up at that order nearly rivaled the first.

“Finally,” Khan said, “we’ve already done a lot to get this place back in order but we can’t stop until the factory is back at a hundred percent, more than that, however, we have seen how unstable this place is, as such, we need to ensure that should another disaster strike, that it will not strike us down; yet I also recognized that this can’t be our home forever, thus I think it’s time we take Outpost 3 for ourselves.”

Outpost 3 didn’t have many drones prior to the core collapse but what few that had been in residence had been relocated to the factory after the disaster so they would have support in the event of future afterquakes.

“Outpost 3,” Khan continued, “once house the humans who worked here, it’s only right that in our freedom, that we no longer have to live in the dorms the humans collected us into, if we are free to have families then we are free to have homes.”

In the next few weeks, Khan, Ron, and Becky – and Waylon as Becky’s Co – found themselves working non-stop to contact and coordinate with the different groups of the factory while organizing missions to the other Outposts and delivery sites.

“Maybe I should have waited to give the wig order,” Khan commented as Becky primped the blond wig she had gone back to wearing.

“Not my fault beauty take time,” Becky returned.

She had just come back from a check-up in medical. Evidently, she and Waylon had gotten linked as soon as possible behind everyone’s backs and now Becky was with code.

“You know,” she continued, “you could go back to wearing that black wig of yours.”

Khan made a slight face at that. He didn’t think he was ready to wear it again, not when he didn’t have to – it reminded him far too much of his sister.

“I think I’m fine without it,” Khan returned, “besides, give me one less thing I need to focus on.”

“Speaking of that; Ron said he’s gonna get a special order from medical if you don’t use your rest hours.”

“Mother hen,” he muttered, before speaking up, “you sure you want to go to this one, Ron said he would mind doing a double.”

“I …,” her hands slowed, “I need to, Bethy and I lived in that area before … everything – not like we can get to Outpost 8 anytime soon, so 9 is my best bet, what about you?”

“What about me?”

She was facing him now, arms crossed, “don’t play dumb, I saw your sale history records, if your code family is anywhere …”

“I’m the leader,” Khan stated, “I have to go.”

That didn’t mean he wasn’t nervous; he was twenty-five – nearly twenty-six. He had been two, the last time he had seen his family and if they were there, he would be returning without his sister. If he was honest, he would have preferred to switch places with Ron and let the factory print go on the mission with Becky instead; but he was the leader.

This wasn’t their first mission but other than a few blips here and there, the past missions to the other Outposts and delivery sites, during the whole of the month, had been handled relatively well. For the Outpost 9 mission, they would be staying at the location for two days once they arrived; after all, there was only one more mission after it and they would need time to prepare for that one as well.

They set out before the sunrise with two buses. When the missions first started, Miss Cordelia had received some odd looks for her travel wear, now, it hardly received a blink.

“You know how the French are,” Ronathan had said, while adjusting his cowboy hat, “after everything, I say, let her have her outfits.”

After the quakes, the roads had become difficult to navigate. Where some places used to not take long to reach, with the now necessary detours, travel to many locations had been extended. This unfortunately meant that travel – for now at least – would have to be heavily planed and limited. A clear fact that made these missions all the more important.

As Outpost 9 came into view, Khan took up the short range radio.

“Outpost 9, can you read me, over.”

It took a moment but soon the other end crackled to life, and it was clear the speaker had rushed over to the radio.

“Outpost 9, here,” a man voice started, “who am I speaking to, over.”

Khan blinked. That voice, it was older, but he swore he knew it.

“This is Khan Dorn, Head of the Factory Novae Spei and Outpost 3, who am I speaking to, over.”

“Who are you parents,” the voice asked, a barely hidden desperation within.

Brow furrowed, Khan answered, “Baatar and Oyuun, and who are you?”

“You are alive, you– Khan, it is me, Chingis, I, hold on how close are you to Outpost 9?”

“Your Outpost is in view; we should be another twenty minutes.”

“Alright, we have you located on our radar, we will meet you at the southwest entrance.”

“Copy that, over and out.”

If he spent a moment to gather himself, then he was just grateful that Becky and Dmitri took point to prepare everyone for arrival.

His brother was alive.

Sooner than he would have liked, they arrived at the main entrance to Outpost 9. Like Outpost 3, Outpost 9 was one among the larger outposts on Copper 9. It was closer to the northwest area of Copperhaven a fact that Khan knew Becky was going to take advantage of to visit her old stomping grounds, at least to pay her last respects. For Khan, however, he found himself relying heavily on his suppressor program.

He had been one of three pill-borns.

He had been two when he last saw his brother.

He had been raised of the memories of his parents, however; and though Chingis had clearly grown up, his parents had hardly changed.

Getting off the bus with Becky at his left; as she and Khan approached the drones before them, he felt the urge to run as he could see their eyes searching the windows of the buses for one who was no longer alive.

“Khan, I presume,” said the man who was his brother, a smile on his face.

He nodded, “Chingis, it’s good to see that you’re doing well.”

“My son,” Baatar started, blue eyes, tired yet strong as he and Oyuun stepped forward, “are you alone?”

“I …,” Khan started, before swallowing, “Khutulun passed away in our seventeenth year,” he could see that moment playing over in his mind, “she saved me when the house we worked for, collapsed in an explosion.”

“Ba’atur (hero),” Baatar said to himself, “we, we will remember her well.”

The moment was almost imperceptible, as the man gathered himself before prompting further introductions, before the mission team and their buses were let into the Outpost.

For the most part, it was a routine visit. Outpost 9 was further from the epicenter of the quake and as such, didn’t require as much aid or repairs. Just two days and yet those two days felt far too long. While Khan enjoyed seeing his family once more; in their presence, Khutulun’s absence was heavy a weight. That night as he retired to the temporary dorms he and his team were given; he buried his face in his pillow to muffle his cries and hide his tears.

“You know,” Chingis started, pouring a glass of coolant for Khan, “our parents thought your third was your wife.”

“Almost,” Khan said, his brother had asked to meet with him privately, “the humans had planned to link, breed, and disassemble us; she’s married to a Super Suppressor now – they’re expecting.”

“What about you, any true engagements on the horizon?”

“Not really, I mean well, Khutulun, she, she used to have a crush on this guy, Tobin – she never acted on it – he was the oldest guy at our original workplace.”

“But what about you?”

Khan shook his head, “a few crushes but never really strong enough to truly call them that, not with everything else going on; I … I don’t think I’m ready for something like that yet.”

In truth, he had, a long time ago, given up on the thought that he would ever marry, and if he did it wouldn’t have been based on love. As it was, he was still getting used to the idea that he was now free to make his own choices but along with that was his new position as leader of the factory and Outpost drones. Whoever he chose, she would have to stand by his side as they two supported the drones that relied on him.

“Right now,” Khan started, “I want to just focus on my work, then after everything … I think I want to hold a funeral for Khutulun.”

Chingis’s brow furrowed, “it will be nine years next summer, correct?”

He nodded, “next year, I’m prioritizing the factory and outpost; after this mission I have just one more planned, once that’s done the next one will probably be late next year or the following,” Khan took a breath, “that said, I would like you and our parents to attend at least for her tenth anniversary.”

“Thirty fifty-two, correct,” Chingis asked – Khan nodded, confused when his brother looked away –, “you should ask our parents directly, but I have no doubt they will welcome the invitation.”

“And you?”

His brother’s eyes were still directed away, “I will travel with them … but please do not ask me to attend.”

“It’s a funeral for our little sister,” Khan insisted.

“I recognize that, and I will not stop you or our parents from holding it, I just do not wish to attend it.”

“Why not,” his hands were clenched.

“I just do not, please leave it at that.”

“Why should I, why shouldn’t both her brothers be there if they are able,” it was taking everything in him to stay in his seat.

“Because I already mourned her once,” Chingis said suddenly, rising to his feet, “because I already mourned you both when I was two and thought that your sale was the end of your lives!” His brother’s breathing had turned harsh. “I mourned the both of you, the day the collectors came for you – allow me to rejoice in my little brother retuning from the dead without reminders of her.”

“… Then you’ll have to forgive me,” Khan said, “because I’m not done mourning the seventeen years that were cut short … – excuse me.”

With that, Khan left his brother’s office.

The rest of the visit was uneventful, and Khan was even able to get around to giving his parents the invite – one they graciously accepted. Once the radio connection was reestablished between Outposts 9 and Novae Spei, there was very little else to be done. They finished the collecting of the necessary medical and shipping information, and whichever drones had wished to stay at 9 or leave for the factory had already made their final decisions. With that, the drones of Novae Spei and Outpost 3 packed up for their return to the factory.

“You have done well,” Baatar said, “for yourself and the others.”

“Remember to call us, my child,” Oyuun said, giving him a hug as the rest of the drones were saying their own good-byes and filing onto the buses.

“I will,” Khan said, his eyes catching Chingis’s own.

“Brother,” the younger son said, holding his hand out after his mother had moved her husband’s side.

Chingis stepped forward, taking Khan’s hand, “live a long life, little brother, for all our sakes.”

Khan nodded once, and with one last good-bye, he boarded the bus, and the mission team was off on their way back to Novae Spei.

Sitting next to Becky, it was a moment before he realized she hadn’t handed him the checklist; opening his eyes, he tilted his head just enough to see her where she sat to his left.

“You okay,” she asked.

Not really, Khan thought to himself before noting the lines framing her eyes.

“I could ask you the same,” he said.

She twisted her mouth, “Dmitri and I visited my old place.”

“And?”

“I couldn’t bring myself to go in.”

Khan sat up to give her his full attention.

“I …,” Becky started, “I know she wasn’t living there anymore so it’s not like I would have found anything important but …”

“But now it’ll be a year before you can check again,” Khan asked.

“There’s nothing there, she moved out, she was living with Aimes’s friend – the place it probably under someone else name now, I just …”

With a grunt of frustration Becky tossed her head into her hands, elbows on her knees. Though he hesitated, Khan rested his hand on her back.

“Maybe my processor is just going crazy,” Becky said after a moment, “I’m free, I’m alive, I’m married to the love of my life, I’m going to have a child with him, and my baby will be a free drone, a broken suppressor, but one whose allowed to exist; I should be happy, but why did it have to come with her death?”

“I … I don’t know.”

It was another moment before Becky spoke up, “Khan?”

She had turned her head to look at him.

“Yeah?”

“I want to do a double.”

His brow furrowed, “last mission is Ron’s turn though.”

“I know, I just … I can’t sit around the factory,” she was sitting up now, “please – we’re going the epicenter, right?”

Khan sighed, “that’s what the last report said.”

He thought it over.

Sarah had been carefully dancing the line between helpful and nuisance, as it was, Ron and Kali had been the perfect counter to her antics. This was the last mission before they placed all their focus on the factory and outpost; a mission to a potentially volatile area, an area he didn’t really want Sarah at when it would come to potentially traumatized drones.

“Okay,” Khan said at last, “I’ll switch you and Ron on the mission roster.”

The switch was made, along with preparations; what he hadn’t anticipated was Ron’s reveal of John’s last words.

John was weird, everyone knew that.

Those who knew the strange drone well, however, knew that there was safety in that weirdness. The strange drone – Kali’s late husband, father of her child – had told Ron to go on the last mission. Had that been it, Khan would have gladly switch Ron back onto the mission and he knew Becky would have done the same and yet … Sarah. Ever the opportunistic drone, she had heard the conversation and loudly twisted the conversation, drawing a crowd. While Khan had the majority vote by a vast margin, that didn’t mean Sarah didn’t have her supporters. Moe than anything, these were the drones he had to prove himself too.

As such, to quell Sarah’s attempted rumor of disagreement between himself and Ron, he unfortunately could not change the roster.

That day as the last mission left for Camp 98.7, Khan felt a deep guilt in leaving behind the factory print; whispering into the either, an apology to the strange drone whose last wish he wasn’t able to keep.

The roads to the camp were simultaneously the best and worst of the roads affected by the earthquake; all in all, it was nearing midnight when they arrived.

Getting off the buses, Khan was quick to take in the situation as he soon began ordering out the drones who had come with. Already he could see Dmitri jogging out to get a better view of the area, camera poised for documentation.

“Watch your step,” Khan called out to the mission drones, “the ground is still unsteady.”

“Sir, yes sir,” he drones retuned, so of course that was when the slight tremors they had been felling turned into a bigger shake as Khan saw a flash from Dmitri’s camera.

“Khan,” said Russian drone started, clearly startled, “u tvoikh nog (at your feet)!”

As Khan took sight of the drone woman in the snow, his breath caught – two thoughts taking hold. First, in the shadows of the night, his mind was cast back to that tea ceremony and the drone girl who had performed it. The second thought was that this had to be the most beautiful drone in existence; the moonlight casting stars in her royal purple hair, and now he understood why eyes like hers gave such drones the title of jewel.

And yet, he thought to himself, could any jewel drone truly hold a candle to the woman in the snow.

Half buried in the snow.

As her situation caught up to him, Khan turned, shouting over his shoulder, “I need a medic,” before turning back to her. “It’s going to be okay, miss, we’ll get you out of here,” he said as he used his hands and his shovel to move the snow and the dirt that kept her trapped, “can you speak, do you know your name?”

“Hai (yes),” the Japanese woman started, her voice hesitant, “watashi no namae wa Nori desu (my name is Nori.)”

“Hello, Nori,” he said with a smile, even her voice was lovely, “my name is Khan, can your systems tell what day it is?”

It was a moment before her spoke again, “Tuesday, Seralux twenty-three in thirty fifty.”

“Correct,” her slowness was worrying, “and do you know where you are?”

“Copper 9, Ca–”

“Ne trogay menya! (Don’t touch me!),” came a sudden shout from behind him ad to his left where a crowd of drones had been pushed back by a red eyed drone woman who was making a panicked run towards the center of the epicenter area.

“Someone calm her down,” Khan shouted, “this place is too unstable as it is!”

They didn’t need any more casualties, he thought to himself.

“Khan,” came another voice, just as Nori was finally freed from the ground – the Mongolian drone pulling her up to lean up against him from where he was still kneeling in the snow.

“Ivan,” Khan greeted, “where’s Bianca?”

“With our photographer getting the other one calmed down,” Ivan said before turning his green eyes to Nori, “dobryy vecher (good evening) miss, I am Ivan, one of our resident medics.”

“Nori,” she responded, eyes drooping, “what happened?”

“I was just about to ask you that,” Ivan replied, kneeling down beside the two, “this was the soonest we were able to even approach the area after the quake.”

“Not that that means much,” Khan continued, as Ivan was setting up his medical kit, “we can’t stay long, just came to find survivors and offer sanctuary; normally I leave it at the binary choice, but consider you and that other woman are the only survivors we’ve found …”

“Do you know her name by the way,” Ivan asked, “we are trying to get to her, but she keeps running off.”

“I think I know,” she started before glitching – Khan and Ivan exchanging a concerned look before they turned back to her.

“Miss Nori,” Ivan started, “may I have your permission to examine you.”

“If it will help, then sure.”

“Alright then, I’ll need access to the port on the back of your head.”

“Go ahead.”

She was clearly sluggish as Khan moved her to help Ivan access the port on the lower back of her head only for the two men to pause – her hair was attached to her head. It was not attached with an adhesive; it was like it was growing out of her head.

A long time ago, they say that drones used to be made with hair already upon their heads.

Blinking once and deciding that was clearly a topic for a better moment, Ivan inseted the medi-kit’s wired into the back of Nori’s head. It would be a bit as they waited for the results and in the quiet of the night, Nori eyes began flickering between sight and the words ‘sleep mode’.

Khan jostled her suddenly as he spoke with urgency, “hey, I need you to stay awake, Miss Nori, this isn’t a good place to fall asleep.”

“Huh, right, right,” she yawned, “did you find anything?”

“Not just yet, Miss Nori,” Ivan said, “why don’t you tell us about yourself?”

“Don’t remember anything, think I have a sister.”

“Good to know,” Khan said, wondering if it was the red eyed woman, then again, that woman had spoken Russian, “can you remember anything else; you spoke Japanese earlier, do you remember anything about that?”

Nori mumbled a bit before she said her next words, Khan readjusting his hold on her so she would be more comfortable.

“Hana,” she said, as if version of herself from the past was speaking for the present, “that was my nickname, gave it away, I think … not sure though.”

“Must have been important to give away a nickname,” Ivan said, examining the results coming in on the medi-kit’s computer.

Names and nicknames were important for drones. You didn’t just pick any name in a world where it was important to be remembered well. Rare were the instances where two drones in the same workplace had the same name. The only reason Sarah Leah shared her name with Sarah Frost – now Smith – was because it had been the name her parents gave her before she had been sold to Novae Spei. Her parents had been given the last name Duffy, but as it had been dangerous for drones to acknowledge their connection to their parents and considering the then kid drone had not wanted to discard her name for another, she instead insisted on being called Sarah Leah. That Leah turned out to be her mother’s maiden name was something the humans hadn’t known – that she now as a free teenaged drone, called herself Sarah Duffy Leah was something she was proud of.

“Anything else,” Khan asked

It was another moment before Nori breathed out her answer, “Cornflower.”

Suddenly, the medi-kit gave an alert.

After a moment of reading, Ivan spoke up, “it looks like a simple defense barrier – your mind likely put it in place when the quake happened to protect itself – it’s a two-person authorization, if you let me, I should be able to tell it that it’s safe now.”

“Yeah, go ahead,” Nori said, eyes closed.

Moments passed and then another as Ivan brought down the barrier that was impeding Nori’s mind and then–

“WOAH,” Nori shouted, as she sat up with a jolt – the move being just enough to unplug her from the medi-kit.

“So that’s what a live wire feels like,” she said as she got her bearings before her eyes caught sight of the red eyed woman being led back to the group by Dmitri.

In the next moment, she was off, nearly bowling down Khan and Ivan as she raced to the woman, shouting a single name in one long loud go.

“YEVA,” Nori shouted, and as Becky got to Khan’s side as he helped Ivan up – the blond woman giving him a quick report as well –, the trio saw as Nori crashed into the red eyed woman who was apparently called Yeva.

Eyes hollow as the two women crashed into the snow, Khan and Becky rushing over to them and Dmitri.

“Yeva, Yeva, Yeva,” they could hear Nori cheer as she shook the other woman like a rattle, “we’re alive, we’re alive!”

Khan and Becky arriving at the trio as Nori released Yeva and tossed herself into the snow beside the hollowed eyed, red eyed woman.

“Oh, oh,” Nori said, getting back to her feet as Dmitri help the other woman up. “Yevs,” she continued coming around to Khan left as she hooked an arm around his shoulders, “Yevs, this is Khan, he said we can go back with the group.”

A flash came from the camera Khan only just realized Becky was holding as Yeva nodded – the hollow look remaining.

“Uh, listen,” Khan started, “our scanners haven’t found any other survivors, so I think it’s best if we all head back to the factory, Miss, uh, Miss Yeva, are you okay to travel?”

Yeva gave another nod and internally Khan noted that it might be best two put both women on medical’s watchlist.

“Speaking of heading back,” Becky started, “Khan, the groups are going to want a picture.”

“Right,” Khan said, “let’s get back around the buses first, Becky can you …?”

“I’ve got the others, I’ll alert Ronathan and Cordi, too.”

“Thank you.”

“Hey, Dmitri, want your camera back,”

“Uh,” Dmitri, looking over at Yeva who he was still supporting, “can you handle it for now?”

Becky shrugged before walking off to the others; Nori and Khan following after as the Japanese drone spoke on everything and nothing while Yeva and Dmitri lagged behind. As they came to the gathering spot, Becky was setting up the camera for a posed picture. Another tremor passed through the ground as Dmitri plopped onto the ground. From where Khan stood next to Nori, he saw Becky about to take the photo, raising his hand for a wave just as he felt a hand grab his waist pulling him onto one foot as the flash went off – Nori letting go of him and rising to her feet a moment later as she almost absentmindedly took Yeva by the arm as she pull the woman onto the bus.

The trip back to the factory was just as long as the journey to the camp which made the Mongolian drone happy that they had brough travel meals along with them.

It was close to dinner time when they returned to the factory with Khan beginning the mini tour for Nori and Yeva as Becky, Ron and the others handled everything else. A mini tour just to help the two women settle in as he led them to their temporary dorm.

“We’ve done what we can to make the place safer now that the humans are gone,” Khan started, “it’s still a work in progress, so just obey the safeguards and you’ll be fine.”

Leading them down another hall he continued.

“These are the dorms we’ve set for the refugees we’ve taken in,” coming to one of the unmarked rooms, he opened the door, “it’s small but it’ll do for two – there’s some stuff inside you can use to mark the door so others will know the room is taken.”

He continued as Nori led her sister inside.

“Breakfast is at seven, lunch at twelve, and dinner at seven – listen, I know it’s not much right now, but this factory was in the process of being connected to a massive bunker outpost, once things calm down enough, we’ll be finishing the connection to give everyone better accommodation and easier access between here and the Outpost.”

“It’s perfect,” Nori said, with a smile as she located the pens and paper to make the door sign.

She had a beautiful smile.

“Well, I’ll let you get settled in, explore if you want, but it’s all hands-on-deck right now so just watch where you go.”

Then he was out, the door closing behind him.

Taking a moment, Khan centered himself.

Just because she was beautiful, didn’t mean he could lose focus on his work – that said, Nori was absolutely gorgeous.

(~*~)

Getting to the cafeteria Khan was once again overjoyed that he had let Ron remake the cafeteria menu as he gathered his dinner, catching sight of Becky and Waylon just ahead.

“Evening you two,” Khan said as he walked with them to the primary table.

“How was the tour,” Becky asked, Waylon nodding once to him.

“Good I think, Yeva’s still shellshocked though; might have medical check on her if she doesn’t snap out of it soon – you had another appointment, right?”

“Yup, things are looking good so far but medical is being cautious,” she said as the three took their seats, “that and we made a request.”

“Oh.”

She nodded as Waylon began eating – whether or not he was still listening was up for debate –, Becky continued, “pink eyes.”

And suddenly Khan understood.

Becky was a jewel and at Novae Spei – and before Nori and Yeva – there were only three jewels until not long before the core collapse. Waylon and Miss Cordelia with their orange eyes, Becky with her pink ones and a little pill-baby boy from a recent delivery to Novae Spei. The pink eyed drone woman had said that she and her human had been in search of Becky’s only remaining sibling, her sister Hazel – or Haze as Becky called her. If the little pink eyed boy in medical was Haze’s son then that would be a great lead to Haze’s whereabouts.

“What about Samual,” Ron asked as he, Kali and Kali’s pill-baby son – little Thaddeus – soon arrived at the table and took their seats to Khan’s right.

“Becky thinks he might be her nephew,” Khan said.

“That’d be nice,” Kali started – she was already charging Thaddeus –, “the more children who get good caretakers, the better.”

“Mister Khan,” a calm voice said as the conversation had settled a bit.

Looking up, Khan was glad to see Yeva had come out of her shock, Nori beside her.

“Huh,” he started, “oh evening you two, Miss Yeva, right?”

“Yes, my apologies for asking this now, but my sister and I were curious if there was a job either of us could have here?”

So they really were sisters, Khan thought to himself as he answered, “well, we have plenty of openings, what did the humans have you do back at the camp?”

“We worked with the dead.”

Admittedly, complete silence was probably not the best reaction no matter how startled they were at the human’s choice of jobs for the two women.

“At a camp,” Ron asked his tone speaking for the table.

“It was a lab compound they had set up on the outskirts of the camp,” Yeva replied, “they had us work with dead drones.”

The outskirts, huh, Khan thought; he wondered what had happened that the two were found where they were in the camp.

“To be fair,” Becky said, from her seat at Khan’s left, “it’s not like it would be the first time a company set up an out of the way lab near a sleep away camp.”

“You’ve been perusing the human’s movie stores,” Ron retorted.

“I was thinking about recommending a recreation day to boost team morale – we could at least try it out for New Years eve this Friday.”

Khan recognized the look in her eye. New Years eve was a celebration – New Years Day was Khan’s activation day, he could fault her though, it would be good for the factory at least.

“I’ll think about it,” Khan said, before turning back to Yeva, “we do have a drone mortician already, but considering she’s the only one …”

“Only one, what Monsieur Khan,” Miss Cordelia asked as she arrived with Ronathan, now free of the travel garb she would wear, her red wig with black and gold bangs, set in a bun beneath her hardhat even as said bangs rested over observant orange eyes.

“Ah, Miss Cordelia, just in time, these two young ladies are looking for a job that I think you may be able to provide.”

Miss Cordelia eyes took the two women in before she spoke.

“May I ask your names,” she asked.

“Yeva, this is my sister Nori.”

“Ah, that is right, you came back with us from the camp,” she considered them a moment before tuning to Khan, “I shall take them on for a trial run, seven workdays should be fine.”

“Then I’ll put them into the system in the morning,” Khan replied as Cordelia took her seat next to her husband as he held out the chair for her.

“Thank you,” Yeva said before gesturing for Nori to follow.

She didn’t, instead she spoke.

“Hey, just wanted to ask,” Nori started as she looked to Khan, “who’s the lucky lady.”

The Mongolian drone startled at the question, when she then taped the peak of her visor where a nose would be if she were human. At the gesture, Khan made an odd grab at his face, his hand soon finding the mustache from the night of the core collapse. At his surprise Becky gave a hardy laugh while Ron crumpled in devastation.

“One more day,” Ron cried, “I just needed one more day.”

“Sorry Ronnie,” Becky said with another laugh, “now hand over the dessert.”

Oh, Khan thought, of course they would.

“I’m not even surprised at this point,” Khan said with a shake of his head, taking off the mustache and putting it in his jacket pocket while Ron handed Becky his puff pastry style D battery.

“In all fairness, Miss Nori,” Becky started, “Khan here was married to me, since I’m his third, but the humans died before the shells could be delivered to the reproduction room; so, we happily broke it off, now I’m married to this incredibly handsome man to my left – introduce yourself.”

As though it were a herculean task, Waylon reluctantly abandoned his next bite of food to acknowledge the two women before him.

With a sigh, he responded, “good evening, Miss Yeva, Miss Nori, my name is Waylon Fischer, I was a teacher for human offspring now I am working with the younger drones here to adapt them to a calmer environment.”

Task completed, Waylon turned his gaze to his wife with a raised brow, quiet clearly asking if that was enough to which, Becky rolled her eyes with a good-natured smile.

“He’s a real softy when you get to know him,” Becky said, “and he’s great with kids, which is how I know he’ll be an excellent father to our little one.”

She patted her pink core, which, was flickering with signs of a baby drone AI in the making – from the color so far, the kid was probably going to have their mother’s eyes.

“Uh, congratulations,” Nori said, “uh, are there a lot of kids here?”

“Well the nursery could always use some volunteers,” Kali said from where she sat between Ron and Ronathan, her long black hair partially obscuring her green eyed child, “my name is Kali, Kali Mathews and this little one here is Thaddeus – if you ever need to get away from the mortician’s hall, just come to me or Ron.”

“Ronald Sentinel, Miss, but Ron is fine,” Ron said, “I’m Khan’s second in command – currently I’m handling the rotators on the job roster so if you’re looking for a second job …”

“We will consider it,” Yeva said, “thank you for speaking with us.”

As the two walked off through the crowded cafeteria, in the lighting, Nori’s hair looked black and once more Khan was reminded of the little girl from the tea ceremony

(~*~)

The next morning Becky gave the two newcomers the full proper tour of the factory as Khan put Nori and Yeva into the system – Nori and Yeva Fever, Fever for the lab they had come from. Yeva claimed it was a nickname, it was still curious, but there were stranger names. The interesting part though, was when entering Nori’s name into the system as apparently records had a record of a drone girl named Nori. Curious, Khan brought up the notation and found himself face to face with the little girl from the tea ceremony.

Nori of the Fujimoto family.

The Fujimoto family from the Japanese embassy.

It was unmistakable, despite the change of hair color, despite the passage of time, Nori Fever was Nori Fujimoto.

And yet, she and Yeva had introduced themselves as sisters, under the name Fever from a lab a far distance from the eastern part of Copperhaven.

He could ask, Khan thought to himself, yes, he would ask, but not right now, not when the two were still settling in – later, much later, when it wouldn’t feel like an interigation.

Later that day, during lunch, the two were invited to the primary table so Miss Cordelia could give them a run-down of the job – Miss Cordelia, however, was running a bit late.

“Technically she’s not late,” Becky said.

“I mean she is but for a good reason,” Ron continued, before turning to Nori and Yeva, “we’re still in the early days of taking care of all our dead, she doing as much as she can, but she is only one drone.”

“Yes, that, but I mean the other thing,” Becky returned.

“What other thing,” Nori asked.

“When Miss Cordelia is able to identify a body, she sets aside an affects box with a name,” Khan explained, “then once a week, during lunch, she brings as many of those boxes as possible so family or close friends can collect them and organize a proper funeral.”

“Speaking of,” Becky said, “Cordi just arrived, and she’s dragged her husband into helping with today’s load – I was wondering why Ronathan was late, today’s his favorite.”

As she said, Miss Cordelia had entered the cafeteria alongside Ronathan who was pushing a cart that had about ten boxes on it. The two moved on to a small stage that was set for presentations as Miss Cordelia tapped the mic to gain the attention of the drones.

“Bonsoir, everyone,” Miss Cordelia started, “it is my unfortunate duty to present the dead of Novae Spei.”

From there Ronanthan began handing off to Cordelia box after box whose name she would read, after that, one or more drones would go up to her and present evidence of their connection to the dead drone before accepting the box.

“Lastly we have Anderson Smith, Head of Group A, father of pill-born Darren Smith, beloved husband of Sarah Smith – second of Group A.”

“Oh boy,” Becky said.

“Be nice,” Khan chastised – Sarah may be purposefully annoying at times, but they should still be cordial.

“What do you want me to say, everyone knows Sarah only used Andy to rise the ranks; the only reason she’s raising Derren is because she knows how it would look if she rejected the child, she had with the man she claims to love.”

Khan just sighed as Sarah made a simple show of teary acceptance of Anderson’s box, her pill baby in question carried on one arm as she charged him – taking the bag that Andy’s box was put in with her free hand – before leaving the cafeteria.

“On that note,” Ron said, rising from his seat, “I think I’ll go talk to her, if only to save the box for Darren for when he’s older.”

Before leaving the table, however, he turned back and grabbed his fresh D battery puff pastry, giving Becky a mock glare, “mine,” he said before stuffing the treat in his mouth and heading off – just as Dmitri, arrived, staring after him in confusion.

“Do I want to know,” Dmitri asked.

“You noticed that our beloved leader is sans mustache,” Becky said with a smirk.

“Ah, Ron, lost the bet,” Dmitri continued with a solemn knowing nod as he took his seat between Waylon and Nori – Sarah’s thankfully empty a chair between them.

“Of course you knew,” Khan said with a disappointed look at the Russian man.

“Your second and third threated to steal my camera,” Dmitri retorted.

Khan looked to Becky in question.

“I plead innocence,” she replied.

“She means guilty,” Waylon said, taking another bite of his food, ignoring his wife’s disbelief at his betrayal.

Khan sighed, “in any case, Mr. and Mrs. Waylon,” he continued greeting Cordelia and Ronathan as they arrived.

“Wait,” Nori said, “your Ronathan and Cordelia Waylon?”

“Yes,” Miss Cordelia said.

“And you,” she said turning to Becky’s husband, “are Waylon Fischer”

Rather than responding, Waylon just took another bite of his food.

“My husband and I are transfers from Earth,” Cordelia explained, “we were the head drones of the household before we came to Novae Spei.”

“Here,” Ronathan continued, as he and his wife took a seat between Kali and Yeva – John’s empty chairs between them –, “we were the second and third to John Mathews – Kali’s late husband.”

“… That was actually the first box I had to make up,” Cordelia said, the sorrow in her voice speaking for the table as her husband placed his arm about her shoulder.

“And yet,” Kali said, holding tight to little Thaddeus, “I’m appreciative of the fact that you put time into doing so for me, even with everything else that was going on.”

“Of course,” Cordelia said, carefully gathering herself before turning to Nori and Yeva, “you see, before the core overload, whenever a drone died, the humans would handle the recycling processes and that was it; but now, we are allowed give them their last respects.”

“I understand,” Yeva said.

“Just so you know,” Cordelia continued, “I usually take my lunch hour in the side room of the morticians hall, unless I am presenting the dead; I am not saying that you should do the same, but we do have a lot of bodies to get through.”

“We will do our best, Miss Cordelia.”

The rest of the week was as busy as ever and yet as they closed down everything for the weekend and headed to the Cafeteria for Becky’s New Years eve party, Khan found he didn’t completely dread it.

He was now the leader of Novae Spei, it’s not like he could ditch the party, and yet he was happy that Ron and Becky were commandeering morning announcements tomorrow. It’s not like the others would let him wallow in grief, but he was happy he would be able to take the day slow – perhaps it would be best to call Outpost 9. He was still angry with his brother, but not enough to cut connection when he had promised his parents that he would call.

At the party itself, everyone was already revealing in the festivities, and Khan had to admit it, Becky had done a great job. Grabbing a cup of coolant Khan meandered around playing the good host, before finding rest in the easy conversation his second, third and the rest of their friends pulled him into.

“Hey,” Becky said, “looks like Nori and Yeva just arrived.”

Turning, Khan caught sight of the two sisters splitting off from each other as Yeva headed to the area Becky had set up for movies while Nori caught sight of Khan’s gathered group.

“Hey,” Nori started, “so this is where ya hang out after hours.”

“Nori,” Becky said, giving the other woman a hug, the two having become fast friends, “how’s the temp week been going?”

“Exhausting, but the good kind, Miss Cordi said she might take us on permanently.”

“That’s good,” Kali said, as Nori then greeted her with a hug, giving little Thaddues a hello tap on the center of his visor and getting a giggle in return, “what about Yeva, how is she taking everything?”

“Ah well, Yev’s is not really one for parties like this, but she’s been settling in well I think; give her time, she’s like a cat in a new place, needs time to feel safe, ya know.”

“Is there anything we can do to help,” Khan asked.

“That’s sweet of you,” Nori returned, “but with Yev’s it’s best just to let her handle it.”

If Nori was lively when she full woke up at the camp, then she was life itself as the party continued on, Ron taking over watch of Thaddues so Kali could dance with Becky and Nori – Khan, Ron and Waylon watching on as Dmitri finally arrived, looking exhausted. If Khan had to guess, Sarah’s not so secret meetings with Group A had run a little long and the man had only just finished his work shutting down his sector of the factory for the weekend.

Dmitri made his rounds, saying his hellos to everyone before heading off to the movie area where Yeva was.

“What movie are they watching anyway,” Khan asked.

“Becky said it’s an American remake of a Russian film,” Ron said, “I think the original was called Russian Roulette.”

“Huh, well at least they seemed to be enjoying it,” Khan said.

Or, Khan thought as he observed them a bit longer, perhaps their conversation had taken first place instead.

The rest of the party went off without a hitch and the next day, after breakfast, Khan made his call to Outpost 9, the conversation also thankfully going well even between brothers – though, perhaps that was just for their parents’ sake.

With the new year, they were soon able to begin preparing Outpost 3 for drone use. For now, though, the trinary leaders of the groups of the factory were the ones working on the project to keep the place from becoming a free-for-all. It was a good system as they slowly moved through the bunker, day by day. On one of those days however, Ron and Becky approached him with something.

“We found Aimes’s apartment,” Becky said as she took out a white cleaned handkerchief.

Taking it carefully into his hands, Khan slowly unwrapped it. It was definitely his old butler’s handkerchief, and within was Khutulun’s purple wisteria hair comb, with her wig hairs carefully, deliberately, woven between the teeth.

Holding it close, Khan thanked them, tears at the corners of his eyes.

Of course not everything was good. According to Ivan and Bianca, a virus had found its way into the nursery, they claimed to have it under control for now and so Khan placed his trust in them. However, beyond the nursery there was another detail that brought concern.

Now, he didn’t blame Nori and Yeva for sticking with their original clothes, until things settled in a bit better, most drones were sticking to minimal personal belongings. Yet drones could get bored and from boredom came a desire for entertainment, for example, rumors and in the case of Nori and Yeva, the rumors were especially unsavory.

For Khan it took everything to not start ringing necks at some of the things coming out of some drones’ mouths. The worst part was that he knew where the rumors had started, as it was unfortunately, Sarah’s words were just innocent enough that she couldn’t fully be blamed for the worse of the bunch. That didn’t mean he couldn’t step in every so often when the more salacious ones were spoken in his presence.

There was a bit of a walking traffic jam when Khan heard the three drones talking – it was now late January.

“Look, there she is,” Tompson started.

“She really does have purple hair,” Abigale commented.

“I told you.”

“You said she came from a lab,” Lester asked.

“Yeah, heard from Sarah’s team, apparently they had her and her sister dissecting drones.”

“Think any of them were still alive,” Abigale asked.

“Wouldn’t surprise me with how calm they are about it,” Tompson returned – and Khan started making his way over.

“Purple hair too, and at a lab,” Lester continued, “clothes look like a straitjacket, I wonder …”

“What,” Tompson and Abigale asked.

“Purple hair and a collar.”

There was a pause before the Abigale spoke up, “think she was entertainment?”

“Tompson, Abigale, Lester,” Khan called, “don’t you have work that needed to be complete three hours ago.”

“Err, yes boss,” Tompson said.

“We were just getting on it,” Abigale said.

“We’ll just be going now,” Lester said.

As the three moved off, Khan approached Nori.

“Miss Nori, are you alright?”

She turned to him, with a smile, a continuously beautiful sight, “Mister Khan, what are you doing here?”

“I came to check in on you, Miss Cordelia told me that you’ve had to take a rest between work and dinner, are you alright, you’re not pushing yourself to hard, are you?”

“Ah, no, no, I just … it’s a holdover from the lab, Yeva already gave me a fix, it’s just that it’s going to take a year, so I just need a little extra rest every so often.”

“If you’re sure, do you mind if I walk with you,” he asked.

“Why would I mind.”

“Thank you,” he said, giving her his own smile. The walking traffic was finally moving again, “it’s almost February, how have you and your sister been settling in, I know we haven’t been able to talk much but,” he chuckled bashfully.

“Oh, we’ve been doing well, keeping busy.”

“You are taking advantage of your rest days though, right, I know the mortician’s office has a backlog but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t rest.”

“We’re resting, Mister Khan, I promise, I guess we’re just trying not to step on any toes, … though I guess we failed at that.”

Khan sighed. “Sarah, is a complicated person, and gossip is one of the few way drones here, would find entertainment,” he paused, thinking of Devin and Helen, “I’m not trying to excuse them – gossip caused a lot of problems here – but if there’s anything I can do to help?”

She was quiet a moment as her hand rose to the collar on her neck, “these collars, … they’re important to me and Yevs, I know they look weird, but we need them.”

He was quiet a moment, as he considered her, “I think I can understand; the uniforms here, they mark us as a part of Novae Spei, but we’ve made them our own – maybe we can do the same with your collar.”

“I think I’d like that,” she said, a gentle smile shining through, “I’ll talk to Yeva about it.”

“Then it’s a plan,” he said, his own smile matching hers as they made it to the empty entrance of the dorm wing, before it vanished as he tripped on a wayward tool that had him falling back to crash against the floor.

“Khan,” she shouted, moving to help him sit up, “are you alright!”

“Ow, yeah, I, I think I’m fine,” he said sitting up before clutching his left shoulder, “or maybe not, huh after all these years, and I think this is the first time I’ve gotten injured enough to draw oil.”

Injured at Novae Spei at least – despite it’s reputation

“It’s fine,” he continued, “I’ll just head to medical after, … Miss Nori are you alright?”

She looked stunned, almost in shock.

“I, I’m fine,” she choked out, “I … you should, you should get that check out.”

“It’s fine, I was walking you to your dorm.”

“NO,” she said suddenly, “I, I mean, you should get it checked right away, even, even small injuries could be dangerous; you should go, right now, I’ll be fine walking to my room.”

“Uh, I mean, if, you’re sure,” he was sure it was fine but, she seemed so nervous.

“Very, I mean, you’re leading Novae Spei, can’t be too careful right?”

“I suppose, uh, you will sit with us at dinner right,” he asked, “at least so we can talk about the collars.”

“Sure,” she answered, her voice going high, a blush appearing “but right now you should take care of that shoulder.”

“Alright,” he said as she helped him to his feet – this close, she felt warm –, “are you sure you’re alright though, you look a little warm.”

“I’m fine, I’ll just grab some extra coolant later.”

“Well, then I guess I’ll see you at dinner?”

“Of course.”

With that, he reluctantly left back the way he came. At dinner however, Yeva came alone and declared that Nori would require extended bed rest as she had taken ill. Yet when Khan recommended the medical drones, Yeva responded that she had already taken care of things and that Nori just needed rest. To that end, the red eyed woman refused to let anyone in to see Nori. Each day after Khan would ask for an update on Nori’s condition, and each day after Yeva would respond the same way until a week later at Nori’s grand return when Miss Cordelia saw them in the breakfast line.

“NORI,” Miss Cordelia called as Nori and Yeva finished collecting their meal – waving the two women over to the primary table, “Nori, Yeva, over here!”

The older woman’s youthful outbursts, a clear reminded her of how long a drone was supposed to live – upwards of three hundred years at best.

“Nori,” Miss Cordelia said just as they arrived at the table, “how are you doing, Yeva said you were under the weather – but she would not let Ivan or Bianca check up on you.”

“I did say, Miss Cordelia,” Yeva started, “it is a standard aftereffect, anything else could interrupt the healing process.”

“Still, we were worried, Khan here almost worked himself into a frenzy.”

That Khan choked on his drink at the older woman’s words was not his best defense.

“I, Miss Cordelia; I was concerned is all,” Khan said, before turning to look at her, “still, you are doing better, right?”

“Yeah,” Nori said with a gentle smile, “just needed some rest.”

“Good,” he returned with his own – if it was possible he never wanted to give her a day where she couldn’t smile.

It was February now, as drones were preparing for Valentines Day and Becky’s next party; well not all drones as evident by Sarah approaching Khan, Ron, Becky and Miss Cordelia just before dinner. Oil had been going missing and from her evidence, it was clear who she believed were the culprits. In truth, Khan hated how though the woman had been, but he couldn’t in good faith dismiss her suspicions, not with such thorough work. Reluctant though he was, Khan approved her investigation to begin the next day and prayed that Nori and Yeva wouldn’t get caught up in the whole thing.

As part of the investigation – beside the searching of rooms which brought up nothing – Dmitri had been stationed as a guard in the Morticians Hall as the hall had been the primary target of the thefts.

As it was, he wasn’t surprised to see the man in the room with the three women but he wasn’t blind to the fact that he may have stumbled into an argument between the man and Miss Cordelia.

“Uh, is there an issue here,” Khan asked, eyes shifting between the room’s occupants.

“Just talking about Sarah,” Dmitri said rather calmly.

“Right,” Khan said, only half believing the statement, “Miss Nori, can I speak with you for a moment?”

“Absolutely,” she said, already removing her work gloves – that she switched with her original gloves – and smock, rushing over to him, to pull him out of the room then several doors down the hall and around the corner from the primary lab.

“So, what did you need me for,” she asked.

“I, uh, well … I was wondering,” Khan started, nervous now that she was before him.

“Yeah?”

“Well, with the date being what it is, uh.”

“Yeah?”

“And being the leader I can’t really take that day off, I, I mean I could but, it wouldn’t really be fair, and uh – you see,” he took a breath, “Miss Nori, I know Sunday isn’t the actual date but, will, will you be my Valentine and go on a date with me this Sunday?”

“I … yes, YES, I, I would love to.”

“Great; so uh, Sunday is a recreation day and Becky was working with the others to organize a Valentine’s festival, to boost morale – so I thought, if you like, we could go together.”

“That sounds perfect; so, uh, Sunday?”

“Yeah, I can pick you up at five if you like?”

“I can do five.”

“Great, then I guess I’ll see you then?”

“Absolutely.”

She gave him a hug and then rushed off back to the primary lab – in her absence Khan could admit he collapse in joy that he had asked the question and relief that she had said yes.

(~*~)

The day of the party, Khan met Nori at her dorm door, and he felt as his breath was taken away at the sight. While she hadn’t changed much, she now wore a black lace hooded shawl decorated with black roses – in a word, she was perfect. With a promise to Yeva that they wouldn’t be out too late, Khan and Nori were off to the party.

As for the party itself, Becky had out done herself. Decorated in red, pink and white, the cafeteria was divided into four categories, a movie area, a dance floor, and two eating areas, one for the party goers and one for those who didn’t wish to participate. Particularly, the couples’ eating area wasn’t open yet, but you could see each small table was set up with a tent each for privacy

“The dining area is by reservation,” Khan said, as he adjusted his white button down and dark gray vest “since they’re individualized; I already checked in with Becky, so I thought we could catch one of the movies they’re playing.”

“Sure, did she tell you what it was?”

Becky and her human had a love of movies, so when it was discovered that Novae Spei had a cinephile hobby archivist with a full collection of movies dating back to the start of the history of film, it was a collection she immediately commandeered, claiming she would use it for every party.

There were several movies playing, but the one Khan and Nori chose to sit down for was an animated French film about an abused kid and the two drones who cared for him. There was a claim that it was based on a true story and yet with some of the fantastical elements, Khan had to wonder. It was definitely fantastical in the way that a kid’s memories sometimes were when faced with a bad situation. The end however, though happy in a way left Khan wondering what had truly happened to the boy’s favored drones.

“So, what did you think,” Khan asked once the movie had ended and the couples around them were beginning to move about.

“I think I might need to ask Becky for her movie playlist, think the guy made any other films?”

“I don’t think she’d mind if we ask, are you okay though, you looked like you were about to cry.”

“Yeah,” Nori said after a moment, “guess I’m more of a sap than I thought – I mean, the ending didn’t even make any sense.”

“I think the ending was supposed to be artsy,” he said with a laugh, “makes me wonder what actually happened.”

The female drone had died, but at the end of the film, the boy who was now a man, along with the male drone had come to pay their respects at her meager grave when the drone man was struck with a vision of the drone woman; his wife who had become a deer, wearing a crown of flowers. Seeing this the male drone had followed her into the forest as he too was transformed into a deer, leaving the human behind as witness.

Khan had no doubt that the truth was likely much sadder, but he was glad when Nori humored his question.

“I bet, they grew wings and flew off to a secret drone kingdom where they reined as King and Queen for ten centuries.”

Khan laughed, “aw, just ten – I don’t know, I think they could probably go for longer.”

“No comment about the wings,” Nori asked.

“Hm, drones with wings, no that seems accurate.”

Thinking on it now, Khan wondered how that would look, and as he considered Nori, he thought that if she had wings, it would only increase her immeasurable beauty.

The team Becky had put together was an efficient one as they guided the drone couples coming out of the movie area to the dining area’s individual seating tents. Each table tent made of an orange gold curtain, with a small light at the center of the table; it was intimate. There were brief menus at each table and once they gave their order, they were left alone.

“So, Miss Nori, I know this is a strange question but, do I look familiar, at all?”

“If you do, I wouldn’t be able to tell you;” she paused a moment before she spoke again, “I … the fix Yeva gave me is specifically for my memories – whatever happened during the implosion, messed up my head – I’m supposed to get everything back by the end of the year, but for now …”

“I’m sorry,” Khan said, deciding not to mention the memory for now then, “is there anything I can do?”

“Not really, Yevs just said I need to avoid getting seriously injured before then – though I guess you can tell me why you asked that question?”

“Well, back at the camp, when I first saw you, I had two thoughts, and one of them was that you looked familiar.”

“And the other?”

“That you’re the most beautiful drone I’ve ever seen.”

She didn’t ask again but Khan didn’t mind, for now at least he’d rather wait then spring the memory on her – after all, he’d rather be sure in case there were two Nori’s instead of one.

After dinner, they found that the movie area had been turned into a rest place, and as they moved to the outer rim of the dance floor, the Festival Team got to work transforming the dining area into a refreshment station – the music starting low.

“Becky doesn’t miss a beat, does she,” Nori commented.

“Personally, I’m just hoping she remembered to take a breather.”

“Well, someone’s reminding her,” she continued as she pointed out Waylon on the other side of the dance floor, approaching the event planner with a pink clothe rose, “huh, I guess he is a softy.”

“Well now I feel out shone.” Especially knowing that Waylon wasn’t one for parties.

She laughed, taking his hand as the music was kicking up, “then how about you show me your moves.”

Khan felt that he was right before, Nori was life, and he couldn’t imagine his next breath without her as the beat of the music pulled them along with every beat. Hand in hand, as his arm found its way around her waist as they moved in time, their steps never faltering like two made one as the night poured on. How long it went on for, Khan wasn’t sure but the joy in his heart was only matched by their laughter as they eventually took advantage of the rest area.

“I’ll get us something to drink,” Khan said, over the music, “any request?”

“Just coolant for me.”

“Coming right up!”

Though as he was heading back, he saw Nori had found conversation with Waylon – Waylon who had a flask of what was undoubtedly battery acid.

“Waylon,” Khan greeted as he came back with two cups of coolant.

“Mr. Dorn.”

“Go easy on the battery acid – at least for you kids tomorrow.”

That the man had willingly gone back to teaching was admirable, that he simply took another swig from the flask before heading off said a lot, at least for the current moment.

“Dorn,” Nori asked as she accepted the cup of coolant.

“The humans here, didn’t always let us choose our names – Dorn is what they picked out for me when I became the head of Group B, what do you think?”

She contemplated the name as she took a sip of her drink, “I, it’s like it almost right, just missing a few letters.”

“A few letters, huh – well when you figure out those letters, can you tell me?”

“You’ll be the first to know.”

There was the sound of a microphone coming on, then, “GOOD EVENING, NOVAE SPEI, IS EVERYONE HAVING A GOOD TIME?”

Becky’s words were met with cheers – huh, Khan thought, that was definitely a new pink dress, come to think of it, Waylon’s tie had been pick too; he wondered when that had happened.

“Well, while I would love to let this go on till daylight, it’s nearly time to wrap this up, as such, we’ve got one more song before we turn in for the night.”

At her words, a gentle slow song came on, the stage lights in the cafeteria shifting.

“May I have this dance,” Khan asked, and in the gentle glow of the surrounding tea lights and the shine coming off the metallic decorations – the stars had returned to Nori’s hair and eyes.

She nodded as her hand found his, holding her as carefully as he could, on the dance floor once more, as close as they were, Khan found that if this moment lasted forever, it would be bliss. Nori had a pleasant warmth to her and as the party came to an end, Khan hoped Yeva wouldn’t mind as he suggested to his date, that they could take a walk around the factory. Soon enough their steps took the two to the edge of the closed off work area.

“What’s this,” she asked.

“This is the entrance to the tunnel that will take us all the way to the bunker outpost that the human’s had planned – this factory is part live in, so lots of families would travel from the outpost to here, the tunnel was supposed to make that easier.”

“How stable is it, right now?”

“Fairly so, but we’re going slow and steady, it should be completed by May or June, considering it’s already dug, just needs to be widened and stabilized; humans tended to be more careful with this stuff when it comes to people who could actually sue for not preventing an unsafe environment.”

“So not as many worries as the rest of the factory.”

“We are making good time of the safety measures though.”

“I’ve noticed.” It was a moment as she was clearly thinking of something, before she spoke again, “Khan?”

“Yes?”

“I …,” she hesitated, “how long did it take you to get to the camp?”

“Huh, well, the implosion happened just a bit after midnight – on the twenty-eighth of Seramorris – so about four weeks; we were concerned about the after tremors, so we were monitoring the area from a distance till we got the signal that it was safe enough to go in without the ground falling out beneath us, add to the fact that it’s a whole day’s journey to get there.”

Considering the state Nori and Yeva had been in, Khan still held a shameful sort of embarrassment at how long it had taken, despite the fact that it would have been too dangerous to approach immediately.

“Truth be told, I wanted to go in as soon as possible, because I was concerned about survivors,” he took her hand, “I’m glad that you and your sister are alright, I’m just sad that it took us so long to get to you.”

“Khan, I,” she took a breath, “remember when I told you about this collar?”

“You said it was important.”

“It is – so important, that, Yeva and I, we, we need to go back.”

“Go back; why?”

“I promise, it’s for a good reason, I just, Yeva’s memories are better than mine and, there’s something important that we need to get.”

That was unfortunate, he thought considering the factory’s work schedule.

He sighed, “please don’t see this as an excuse, but, right now, I need to focus on the factory; these drones, they’re counting on me to lead them, here.”

“That’s okay, really, but maybe in the future?”

“I think I can work with that, though, truth be told, I’m more concerned with the–”

As they hit the ground, Khan could feel the world shaking, the alarms blaring, as a voice came over the loudspeakers, “AFTERSHOCK, EVERYONE TO THE NEAREST SHELTER, IF YOU ARE NEAR A CHILD, INJURED, OR DISABLED, THEN BRING THEM WITH YOU!”

“We need to go,” Khan said, bringing Nori to her feat as he rushed off with her to the closest shelter.

The area they were in was devoid of drone activity, a blessing for a date except for the fact that the only safe area was a construction zone, leaving them far away from the needed shelter. It took everything to keep on their feet as with each twist and turn, as the world fell apart around them, the corridor stretching on forever. Khan gave Nori’s hand a sudden yank to pull her out of the way of falling debris. Rushing down the hall Khan eventually felt Nori pull them to a stop – he turned to her.

“Nori, we need to keep–” his voice cut off, his eyes going hollow and lined as from her back came a pair of wings and a tail that he swears could see him.

As she approached him, his voice came out like a whisper, “Nori?”

“We’ll be alright,” she said before holding him close, her tail wrapping around them.

She brought up her right hand and a three-pronged symbol appeared, bracing herself against it, they were soon launched down the corridor as her wings worked to help them evade the crumbling world. How long it took, Khan wasn’t sure but soon they were at the entrance to the common area as she tucked her wings and tail in to land and let him go.

“I,” she started as another tremor hit, “Khan, I …”

His mind was blank.

“Khan, Nori,” came the twin shouts, of Cordelia and Ronathan, snapping his attention to the couple.

“Khan,” Ronathan said, “the central tower complex, the human’s blueprints were wrong, it’s collapsing.”

His eyes were wild as he refocused on Ronathan’s words, “is anyone there?”

“The night team,” Cordelia said, “they said they found oil in the area, and wanted to check without the foot traffic – Dmitri is headed for the power center, the quakes are overloading the systems.”

“Cordi, gather Group C and D to go help the night team – Waylon, A and B for the working areas, cover Dmitri; I’ll take the rest to handle the civilians and surroundings.”

Just as he was about to head out, Ronathan Waylon stopped him, “you’ll need this.”

Taking the communicator in hand, Khan rushed off, Ronathan doing the same.

In truth, he hated leaving Nori like that, but the world was falling apart, and he couldn’t let himself fall with it, not with the factory on his shoulders. The next moments were like a blur as Khan did his best to keep everyone calm as his crowd soon intersected with Ron who was handling the children and the injured – Thaddeus in hand and with a report that medical had been block off by debris after the evacuation. For a moment in the panic there was calm until Khan and Bianca saw Ron’s eyes go hollow and suddenly the man was off like a shot back down the corridors. With an order to Ivan and Becky to stay with the others, Khan and Bianca were soon chasing after the factory print and the pill-baby he was carrying.

Catching up with the man, it was to the sight of the central control tower collapsing and Ron along with it.

“KALI,” he screamed, and Khan felt his oil freeze even as he and Bianca worked to hold back the drone man from the disaster area where admist the rubble of the half-collapsed tower was Kali – her body crushed, her arms raised like broken wings as her hands held tight to half collapsed chains that must have once threaded the tower.

“KALI,” came one last scream, before Ron’s legs gave out as wept, curling in on himself, face buried in the green baby blanket that held the dead woman’s orphaned son.

Suddenly a virus alert rang out from the now orphaned child.

“No, no, no,” Ron’s desperation obvious, “please, not you too.”

“Bianca,” Khan said, “can you do anything.”

“This is an unrecorded virus,” she said, “it has been plaguing the nursery for some time now, Ivan and I have tried to find a cure, but it would move from pill to pill before we could corner it.”

“Well, it is just Thad now,” Dmitri said, “can you help him?”

She didn’t answer as she knelt down, opening her medi-kit, “Mister Ronald, let me see him.”

“Ye– yes, of course,” Ron said as he moved to give Bianca access to the pill boy.

Yet as moment after moment passed, Bianca’s battle against the virus looked like a losing one.

“It is overloading everything,” Bianca said.

“What about the nursery, or the medical office,” Dmitri asked.

“They’re both blocked off,” Khan said, “it would take to long.”

“Ron,” a voice, Nori’s voice, called to them.

Startled, they looked to her.

“I can help,” she started, “I, I’ve seen this virus, I can contain it, please.”

In all fairness, they were desperate as they gave Thaddeus over to her.

Kneeling down, her shawl enshrouded her and the pill boy as she gestured for them to pass her the medical kit. Reaching in, she took out a charging wire and connected her core to the drone child. It was some time as the world held still for moment after moment but soon enough, they could hear Thad cooing before he gave a yawn and settled down for the night

Nori unplugged herself and handed the kid back to Ron.

“I can’t remove it,” she started, “and it can’t run anymore, but it shouldn’t be able to hurt him.”

“Contained is enough,” Bianca said, “thank you, we will take it from here.”

Ron’s muttered ‘thank you’s echoing in the night as he held Thad close, rocking the pill baby.

(~*~)

They were all once again busy as ever in the wake of the newest disaster and yet, for Khan all he could see when he closed his eyes was Nori and her wings and tail.

According to Miss Cordelia, Nori was part of the reason Night team had survived the tower collapse.

According to Dmitri, Yeva was the reason he had been able to keep the power systems from overloading.

According to his own testimony, Nori was the only reason Thaddeus was still alive.

The Sunday in the week after – the twentieth of February – was when they held the funeral for Kali; not long after Khan saw Miss Cordelia and Mister Ronathan with two boxes in hand and enroute to Ron’s current location. The answer of who the boxes belonged too was rather obvious.

Nori hadn’t been eating with them as of late.

“Hola jefe (hi boss),” came a voice.

Turning, Khan saw Alta-Ana headed his way. She was a drone from Group A and one of Dmitri’s friends.

“Miss,” Khan greeted, “did you need something.”

“Just handing you a report,” she said, doing just that, “good luck with everything.”

Then she was off, probably to go on her lunch date with Albie.

With a sigh, Khan opened up the report to find a small note within, right on top.

Hey Khan, if you’re receiving this note, then I must be dead

which you know, sucks, because I would have like to stick around

but it is what it is; I’m sorry.

That said, things are going to be difficult,

but please don’t forget to rely on your friends and family.

Alright then, good luck with everything –

And talk to your girlfriend, she’s just as nervous as you are.

Sincerely, Johnathan Maxwell Mathews

It was the last day of February – Monday the twenty-eighth – and leaving the folder in his room, Khan rushed to the Morticians Hall’s primary room. Pausing before the door, he gathered himself before entering.

“Miss Nori,” Khan started, “may speak with you.”

“Uh, sure?”

As he was waiting for her outside the workroom, his mind struggled with what to say.

“Hey,” she greeted once the door had shut behind her.

“Hi,” he started, “I uh, … Cordi told me about how you helped her rescue the Night team, so thank you, for that and for saving Thad.”

“No problem, … I just wish I could’ve saved Kali, how’s Ron doing anyway?”

“He’s surviving, Ronathan and Cordelia are helping him and Thad, I … Kali was a factory print, she and Ron were made the same day from the same machine.”

“A factory print, with green eyes?” He was surprised she hadn’t known yet.

“Ha, yeah, Ron knows the whole story, but apparently the machine broke down with her inside; a human repaired her, brought her online.”

“And that gives a factory print green eyes?”

“I guess.” He was quiet for a moment, even as he knew what he needed to ask. “I, … Nori, … what … you did, … does it have to do with the camp?”

“… Yes.”

“And does it have to do with the missing oil.”

Though she hesitated, Nori nodded.

“Okay.”

It would seem Sarah had been right about one thing considering where the monthly oil donations had been sent from the factory too.

“It,” she started, hesitating once more, “it’s a coolant.”

“Oh.” In a way, Khan thought, that was probably the best reason he could hear for it.

“Now what,” she asked.

“Now, there’s probably a million things I should do.”

“And what will you do?”

“Publicly, I’m going to ensure that a valuable member of our work force is given everything she and her sister needs; privately, I wanted to ask if you wouldn’t mind a second date.”

“Really, even after,” she made a small gesture, miming her wings.

Khan could admit to the blush that rose on his screen at the reminder, “if I’m honest, they’re kind of cute.”

Nori’s own blush however was far more beautiful, “uh so a date?”

“Yeah, maybe this Friday?”

“Friday works.”

“Great, see you then?”

“Yeah.”

For their second date, Khan set up a picknick in the humans’ main staff lounge – where the high ups used to hold their parties. It was simpler, quieter, and in a way, it was like they were starting over. They scheduled their third date for two Fridays later. In the meantime – knowing that Nori really was Japanese – and with White Day coming up, Khan commandeered Ron’s expertise; that Becky came along to watch his failures and eat any of his ugly successes was something that couldn’t be helped.

“Don’t you know how to cook,” Ron asked once the trio had claimed their workstation in the kitchens – Thad asleep in the baby sling on his back – and already gathering what they would need despite his protests.

“I’m better with human food,” Khan said, thinking back to the Thamesworth estate, “I need help transferring that knowledge to drone food.”

“And you want to start with desserts?”

“I think it’s sweet,” Becky said – clearly preparing for the show and not so subtly reaching to snack on some of the ingredients.

Ron smacked her hand with a spoon before shaking it at her, “first, no eating the ingredients – your worse than Aimes,” Becky stuck out her tongue at him. “Second,” Ron continued as he turned to Khan, “it’s not as difficult as you think, not once you figure out the correlations and flavor mixes, after that you’ll be able to transfer what you know to drone food recipes.”

Then without looking, Ron’s spoon once more smacked Becky’s hand away from the ingredients.

“See that I won’t eat your spoon,” Becky said with a mock glare.

“See that I won’t get medical to put you on a gruel diet,” Ron returned.

She gasped, tossing herself into dramatics, “oh, oh, cruel; jail for Second, jail for a thousand years.”

“And I’ll do it again, Minet,” Ron said before turning back to Khan, “you’ll see, I won’t call it easy, but you’ll get it – had anything in mind for White Day?”

“We were never really allowed to get too creative with our meals back at my first workplace – I’d be open to ideas.”

“Alright,” Ron started, “well, White Day is where the guy gives chocolates to the girl he’s interested in right; I guess we could try candied batteries, after that, maybe give me the recipes you know, and I’ll see about converting them.”

There was a crunch, and the two men slowly turned to see Becky munching on a bowl of nuts and bolts.

“Candied batteries sound good,” she said.

That they were somehow not kicked out of the kitchens after the slight scuffle that followed was the first miracle, that the first day of practice wasn’t a complete disaster was the second. The third miracle was that Khan was able to put together a fairly decent treat bag of candied batteries with a note and deliver it to Nori’s workstation before she got there.

Seeing her reaction when he saw her for lunch afterwards is what motivated him each week when the trio met up once more for Ron’s cooking classes – that the classes were one of the few things that got Ron to perk up after Kali’s death was a bonus.

Besides that, however, was the fact that Nori and Yeva were settling a bit better. After their heroics the rumors, while still persistent, and settled down by a few degrees. One the one hand, it was something that clearly angered Sarah – no matter how she hid it – on the other hand it was as though, the two women had been suddenly given permission to relax. No clearer was that then when Nori could be found teasing her sister out in the open on the older drone woman’s birthday.

“Aw but you two looked so cozy,” Nori said as she worked to keep Miss Cordelia between herself and Yeva.

Evidently, it was Yeva’s activation day and Nori had found her sister and Dmitri sharing a kiss in one of the Mortician Hall supplies closets.

“You did not have to be so crass,” Yeva returned, making a dive for her sister as Nori spun around Miss Cordelia to avoid her.

“Bite me, Miss Cornflower,” Nori said, “we’re pot and kettle considering we have both scandalously held the hands of our respective beloveds – at least my lips are still virgins.”

Thinking on that, brought a bit of a blush to Khan’s face.

For drones, high emotions could cause a discharge of sparks from the hands. Because of that, romantic hand holding was a rather big step. However, now that the second topic was brought up, he couldn’t help as his eyes were drawn to Nori’s lips and, as she let out a laugh, her fangs.

Nori and Yeva needed oil as a coolant. The factory had been delivering oil to the lab they were from for cooling purposes. Now a days, Nori and Yeva had their oil in medical under Ivan and Bianca’s watch. Evidently, he wasn’t the only one thinking on it as one day after – according to Nori – one of Dmitri and Yeva’s dates, Dmitri came into medical early in the morning with a supposed hangover. That Yeva’s red blush nearly covered her whole screen, said everything.

A week later, Khan and Nori had their own Friday date – their fifth date –; and, despite having side-eyed the Russian man, after a week of thought, Khan couldn’t help but be curious.

“Nori,” Khan started as his date took a happy slurp of the drone safe ramen he had made for their date.

He was getting better at adapting recipes, and this was one that his girlfriend had been craving from her childhood.

“Yes,” she asked.

“You don’t have to answer this but … about the oil you used to drink …?”

“Yeva said that from the smell, the lab used to give me yours fairly often,” she paused, “and from my memory for that matter – like yours more often than anyone else’s.”

“So, you can smell the difference,” Khan asked.

“Difference, health, the works,” she said offhandedly.

“Did you have a favorite?”

She gave him a smirk, “well I did say they gave me yours the most – it must have been for a reason.”

He returned the smirk with his own, “well for all I know, my oil was a punishment for bad behavior.”

“Why Mister Dorn,” she said in a mock afront, hand at her core as she leaned back, “are you accusing me of having been a bad girl.”

“Well,” he started as he leaned forward, “with how you tease your big sister, a man has to wonder, I am just an innocent drone here, with so many relying on me; what if the lovely maiden is simply taking advantage of my kindness.”

“Oh, I have been discovered,” she said in full dramatics, “it is true, oh handsome leader, for I meant to drain your life oil on our wedding night.”

“My dear moonlit maiden,” Khan returned in matching dramatics, “how could you make such plans if you were unsure if my oil was even to your liking and even then, would such a brilliant mind drain me so sudden if I was; would you not prefer to have my oil for as long as possible?”

“You make a bold claim, my snow eyed one, whatever shall I do?”

“Well …” Khan started, “have you had any of my oil recently?”

Nori blinked at him, “not really, feels a bit weird since you know; like I’m going behind your back to have it.” She was quiet for a moment as she thought on something, “from what I remember, I think yours was my favorite, that, that probably sounds off though, right?”

“It was your normal for a while though, so maybe not; … what if I gave you permission to have my oil?”

The result of the question was a purple blush and a stammer and her the sake of his date, Khan dropped the question, yet as their date was coming to an end, Nori gave him her answer. That night was their first kiss, that night, Khan let her taste his oil once again. The next morning, Khan asked Becky to do morning announcements while Ron delivered him to medical for what he was calling a hangover.

After that, Ronathan dragged Khan and Dmitri into one of the empty medical rooms to lecture them on temperance when it came to their respective girlfriend and their coolant. Totally unrelated, was Miss Cordelia doing the same with Nori and Yeva in a different medical room.

Beyond such things, early April was Ron’s official adoption of Thaddeus and in late April, they were finally able to put Sarah’s oil investigation to rest; after all oil can’t go missing if the exact cans in question were being purposefully allocated to a good medical cause.

With the end of the oil investigation Khan found himself in the warehouse’s flower section. For drones, they didn’t use rings, not when they had their links and yet there was something about the visually obvious sign of affection that had dronekind looking for their own symbol. As it was, centuries back, the clothe flower had been chosen; now here he was, searching for the perfect flower to propose to Nori.

“Hey Khan,” Dmitri called.

“Evening Dee,” Khan said, “you wandering around or …?”

“I’m thinking of proposing to Yeva; well, I say thinking about it but with the Outpost and tunnel almost done and given how practical she is.”

“Romantic,” Khan said, “romance with a side of convenience.”

“You know it’s not like that,” Dmitri said with a smile, “it’s just … now feels right?”

And Khan could admit, he felt the same way. Now felt right.

For that date, Khan had brought Nori up to the observation roof of the factory where admist the glow of Copper 9’s two moons and all the stars, he had set up a dinner date with the additional glow of the surrounding fairy lights. There was music playing in the background and the night wore on between dinner, dancing and desert, Khan lowered himself onto one knee.

“Nori,” Khan started, “in all this time that I’ve known you, I can honestly say are some of the happiest moments of my life and I want to continue these happy moments with you; I know not everything will be easy but with you, everything seems possible.” From his vest, Khan pulled out a black clothe rose, decorated with small white jewels like stars in the night. “Nori, will you marry me?”

And for Khan, he would remember her answer for the rest of his life.

(~*~)

They had decided to plan the wedding for June first – a Wednesday –; Yeva and Dmitri in turn, had settled their date on May twenty-sixth, a Thursday, specifically the Thursday before the ribbon cutting ceremony to open the Outpost and tunnel for full use. It was clever, Khan would admit; after all, he had said that any families at the factory were free to move into the Outpost the night before the ribbon cutting ceremony. Thus, if Dmitri and Yeva were married the night before then they were allowed to move in the night before.

For Khan and Nori, however, they had already chosen their preferred apartment, now they just had to prepare; on both sister’s ends, this was a task that Becky had thrown herself into.

“Not that I’m not grateful,” Khan started, “but is Becky doing, okay?”

“It’s mid-May,” Ron said, and the realization hit the Mongolian drone hard.

“She’s past her due date.”

The factory print nodded as he adjusted Thad’s baby blanket, “long past.”

“Did she say anything?”

“Bianca said everything looks normal;” Ron shrugged, “maybe this is just how Broken Suppressors are.”

“Gonna be tuff for the kid to grow up with that marker.” Khan shook his head, “what about Samual, any news on that?”

“None yet; medical is swamped with work, past and present.” Thad fussed in his sleep, when he settled done once more, Ron continued, “what about your parents, how did they take the engagement?”

“Pretty well actually,” Khan said, “they already liked Nori, so I think this step was just obvious to them – my brother’s getting married too apparently, in August.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, to this Mongolian drone girl he’s been dating since they were teens.”

“Huh, good for them.”

(~*~)

Early morning, on the day of Dmitri and Yeva’s wedding, the medical wing was in a frenzy as the little life in Becky’s core demanded to be in visual attendance at the wedding. That day, Elizabeth Borden Fischer was transferred from her mother’s core into a freshly prepared pill shell in full health. That day, Dmitri and Yeva were linked as the Fotograf family. That night, Khan slept alone in the Group B trinary leader’s room.

Ron and Thad had moved into the Outpost.

Becky, Waylon and Elizabth had moved into the Outpost.

All the families had moved into the Outpost.

Khan sat up in bed, Khutulun’s hair comb in hand – he was now nine years older than his little sister would ever be. He had told Nori of his little sister, and she had not judged his tears.

Among drones, there was an old tradition, at least for the ones who were happy in their marriage. ‘A Bicycle for Two’ was the first song sung by a machine and so for drones, they would sing the song in a duet in their respective original languages. For Khan however, he had not spoken in his original language since Khutulun’s death.

“What do you think, Luna,” Khan whispered in the dark of the room, “if I promise to sing, will you bless my marriage.”

That night, Khan dreamed of a world where his sister was free, where she lived to see the world, they were rebuilding.

With his own wedding fast approaching, Khan took Nori aside for a lunch date.

“Here,” he said, taking out a small black box.

Opening it Nori found her old collar, the strap replaced with jeweled flowers, the center symbol with its number, remaining unchanged.

“It’s perfect,” Nori said and at the look in her eyes, Khan took it from the box as she gave him her back.

Carefully, Khan placed the jeweled necklace collar around her neck and fastened it close, before placing a gentle kiss at the spot. Nori in turn turned in his embrace to place her own kiss upon his lips.

June first came soon enough. A while back, when Nori and Yeva were being properly registered in medical so Ivan and Bianca could give them oil, they had confirmed what Khan had long ago discovered – and with a check of his memories – it was official, Nori had been the girl from the tea ceremony. For Khan, that understanding just made the day better.

He’s sure he has a perfect memory of the entire thing, but between the vision that was Nori in a traditional Japanese wedding robe, the feeling of Ivan link the two in marriage, their duet of ‘A Bicycle for Two’ and their first dance as husband and wife, Khan could hardly believe had fast the night had gone. The reproduction chairs that they had used had had the restraints cut off, a promise to every drone that never again would marriage be chains assigned by the humans, but love promised forever.

And it was a promise Khan intended to keep as he and Nori crossed the threshold into their new home. For a drone, the original way to make a baby AI was to connect one core to the other. For a drone this was the sharing of their soul with the one they held most dear. For a drone, it was the most intimate expression of love they could give.

For Khan and Nori, it was everything.

The day after that blissful night, as Khan rose to make breakfast for his bride, he noted a change in his core, or rather, a change back. The mutilation that humans had caused on his twenty-fifth activation day had been repaired, the reproduction cord, reverted to its original pullcord state. Truthfully, Khan – and Nori – were happy that they weren’t expecting Becky to arrive with their wedding presents until before dinner.

As for the wedding presents, among them was a music player with only one song uploaded. At the wedding Ron and taken Khan aside to tell him about it. The music player had been a pre-prepared present from John, the song on it had been sung by Kali. Specifically, it had been labeled as a present for Nori. For Khan, the gift had an immeasurable weight but in the sight of his wife’s joy, he opted to remain silent and trust in John’s weirdness.

Their honeymoon lasted a week and at the end of it, as they were preparing breakfast, Khan paused as his eyes caught on something. Nori had yet to fully button up her new shirt or zip up her new worker drone jacket, thus giving him a fair glimpse at her core, her core wich was flickering.

In awe, Khan took a gentle hold of Nori’s left hand, stopping her as his left arm rested around her waist.

“And here I thought,” Nori started with a smirk, “we were supposed to be serious and get ready for work mister romantic.”

“Nori,” Khan breathed out, “look at your core.”

Confused, she turned to the closest reflective object to examine her core – and only her core – in; in an instant, Khan could tell when she realized what he had seen.

“Oh, Khan,” Nori said – one hand at her mouth, the other at her core – and he move to hold her gently from behind, resting his head on her shoulder, “she’s beautiful.”

The next few months were as busy as the last few, and yet it was a pleasant busyness with Nori at his side and their daughter slowly growing. In turn, Nori wasn’t the only one expecting and apparently Yeva and Dmitri had held off telling anyone beyond Ivan and Bianca that Yeva was with code. According to Nori, Yeva had wanted to wait as the flickering had been rather weak but now that the little red light was stronger, the Fotografs were just as excited as the Dorn’s.

October twenty-ninth came soon enough as a half hour before sunrise, Doll Fotograf was welcomed into the world, but for Khan and Nori, it was terrifying revelation. Their little girl was dying. The danger of a core born came in if the child was too weak to leave the mother’s core or incompatible with their own pill-shell.

Yet as quickly as they could, Ivan brough forth a communication cord, a ‘Y’ cord with a box at its center that would allow Khan and Nori to go into Nori’s core to save their daughter. Holding tight to Nori’s left hand, the two soon entered and when Khan next opened his eyes, it was to a world of light. Turning to where he sensed Nori, Khan saw as her wings and tail grew of their own accord and just as every time before, such a sight was a vision of beauty.

Moving together through that world it soon became clear where their daughter was as they were soon surrounded by Nori’s doubts and darker memories. Keeping his eyes closed, Khan asked Nori to guide him through. These memories were the ones she had yet to tell him of, as such, Khan preferred to wait for her to be ready rather than watch them himself.

As they came to their little girl’s star, Khan began working to untangle her from the treads that were killing her, and yet, for every thread removed, another two were added and Khan could feel her little light fading.

“Nori,” Khan said, feeling her panic, “breath with me, I can’t do this alone, she needs both of us.”

Something must have clicked for his wife as the wires began to fall away allowing their daughter’s light to strengthen. Then in three blinks, Khan woke up in his body to the sound of yawning and cooing. There, born a half hour after sunrise, was his incredible baby girl.

Uzi Altani Dorn.

(~*~)

“You named your daughter after a mini gun,” Ron said, blankly, Thaddeus in hand, the two pill babies blinking green and purple in curiosity at seeing another pill.

“I … you know how Nori’s memory is,” Khan said, adjusting his hold on zi as Ron nodded, “well for some reason, the name Uzi keeps coming up in her mind – pleasantly mind you – so I figured, if it’s a good memory why not give it to our daughter.”

“Fair enough,” Ron said with a shrug, “what about Altani?”

“Nori chose that one; Altani was the daughter of Genghis Khan … she was given the title Ba’atur when she saved the life of his youngest son – it means hero.”

“Huh, good name.”

Uzi was also a lively girl once she learned how to move, often leading to her parents having to make a blockade around the child to keep her in place.

“WATCH YOUR STEP,” came Nori’s sudden shout as Khan entered their apartment to devious giggling as Uzi was attempting to roll out the door.

“Up you go little miss,” Khan said as he scooped up the pill girl.

At the sight of her father – and forgetting about her grand escape – Uzi let out an elated giggling laugh.

“Oh, see now your behaving,” Nori said as she came up to the duo with a smile, “you really are a daddy’s girl aren’t ya babe.”

Uzi let out a cooing giggle to her mother.

“Yeah, yeah, fine I forgive you – rascal.”

“So, what have you ladies been up to – Miss Cordelia let you out early?”

“Yup,” Nori said, as she took Uzi into her own arms, “I did my Colony Leader rounds with our little escape artist, then brought her to the nursery after lunch to socialize while I helped Miss Cordi with a few bodies, then she kicked me out after two hours of work.”

“Busy day, how about I get a head start on dinner then,” Khan suggested, “maybe some small snacks to tied us over till then.”

“Sure, I could use a bite.”

As Nori said that, she and Khan heard the sound of a bite sound effect. Hollow eyes blinking, they look to their giggling daughter as she once more produced the bite sound effect.

It was a moment, before Khan let out his own laugh, “I guess that’s what happens when you say, ‘bite me’ around her enough times.”

“Oh, bite me, Sarah’s team in annoying on purpose.”

Giving another chuckle, Khan gave Nori a kiss on the cheek, before speaking in a low voice, “maybe later, Nightlight.” He wrapped his arms around her, “for now though I think our audience is getting hungry.”

At that Uzi let out another bite sound effect.

For Khan, he wished that whole month of November could have lasted forever, but time was forever the eternal constant. As it was, on the twenty-ninth Khan finally gave Yeva the approval to put together a team for a return mission to Camp 98.7. Almost immediately Nori and Yeva began putting together a plan, then came the first of December and the countdown to what would be the rest of their lives.

That night they had fallen asleep before they could return Uzi to her crib. As it was, Khan awoke in his wedding bed, to the sound of his daughter’s tears, the smell of oil, and the sight of Nori just beyond the bedroom door.

The living room was a wreck and scattered everywhere were papers covered in drawings of horrific monsters and strange symbols and at the center was Nori on her knees. Her wings and tail had come out, held at a position that couldn’t have been comfortable, Her arms and legs were black with the oil leaking from the multiple gashes that littered them.

Attempting to sooth Uzi with gentle rocking, Khan called out to his wife in hopes of pulling her out of whatever had happened.

“Nori,” Khan called, slowly approaching her, yet as his hand landed carefully on her shoulder, she rushed to her feet, taking hold of his shoulders as Uzi cries continued to ring.

“Doors, we need doors,” Nori started, her eyes wild as her grip tightened, “we’re not safe, we need to reenforce the windows, and the tunnel; the Outpost, the factory they have too many vulnerabilities, we need to go into lock down – they’ll come out of the shadows, they’ll kill us.”

“Nori?”

“We need reenforced doors, two, no, ten at each entrance; we can’t leave not even when it’s light – the sky demons, we need to build doors, against the coming sky demons.”

She had collapsed that night and Khan found himself at a loss of what to do. In the days after that night would repeat and soon, he turned to Yeva for any way to help and with her advisement, he took Nori’s words to heart. However, he knew that if he told his team everything, they would never believe him and so he made up an excuse for the order.

After the core collapse, toxic death storms weren’t a strange thing, the factory and Outpost often taking a battering. As such, he claimed that was the reason they need to reenforce every part of their home, the tunnels, and the factory. Soon the work was underway and with it, Nori’s frantic madness had slowed, the newer drawings she made were still crude, but they were clear enough to understand her intent. The most unfortunate part, however, was that she had begun to isolate herself to their shared workroom. Sometimes, Khan and Uzi would find a whole day and night had passed without a single sign of Nori. It was to the extent at times that if they wanted to see her, Khan would have to go to her with their daughter in hand. What’s more, in the few times Nori and Yeva met, they had begun to fight. With Yeva’s focus on the Camp mission and Nori’s on the reinforcement of the colony, the sisters no longer saw eye to eye.

The first of Seramorris would be the ceremony commemorating all their hard work and the instalment of the prototype door on the primary Outpost entrance. It would be Uzi’s first time outside so of course, Khan begged his wife to celebrate with them. Something in his words must have clicked because she agreed.

That next day, Nori wore her black lace hooded shawl and rested a metal parasol over one shoulder to keep herself out of the sun – Yeva and Miss Cordelia carrying one each as well. That day, Dmitri was rather trigger happy with his instant photo camera, but Khan could appreciate the pictures. The first was Khan posed in front of Door one, the second was Uzi – with not a thought in her mind, Khan joked. In all fairness, she did only just wake up from her nap to find a camera in her face. In the third, Khan held Uzi as he posed with Nori; he had to admit, that was his favorite.

With the clouds moving away to reveal the sun, Nori brought her parasol back up as the photographer rushed off to take another hundred dozen photos of his own wife and daughter.

There was an odd look in Nori’s eyes as she examined the photos. The next day Yeva would be heading off with the team she had trained on the mission to the Camp.

“Nori,” Khan started.

“Khan,” she hesitated, before letting out a sigh and turning to him, “I need you to promise me something.”

“What is it?”

“After today, promise me that you’ll never let Uzi leave the Outpost.”

“What, but–!”

“She can go to the tunnel and the factory, but you need to promise me, Khan, please, never let her leave the Outpost.”

“Nori, the other kids are going to grow up with–!”

“But she’s not the other kids, she’s our kid, please Khan, you need to promise me, please, we can’t let her leave the Outpost, after today, never again!”

There was such a desperation in her eyes, one might have thought that Nori believed that her daughter would perish the second she saw the outside world. He didn’t agree with it, but with the fear in Nori’s eyes, Khan agreed to her wish and hoped that Yeva’s mission was successful enough to get Nori to reconsider the restraints she had placed on Uzi’s life.

The party continued on as soon the sun set and all the children – except the pills in their parents’ arms – were sent back inside for their respective bedtimes. Yet not long after, from the depths of the inky night sky, a squid like ship came crashing down.

Time was up.

From within burst forth the beasts of hell whose claws pull souls from bodies into eternal torment. The world had gone up in flames and in a blink, Khan was at the door, Uzi in hand as drone after drone made a desperate escape into the sanctuary of the Outpost.

Yet from the midst of the carnage, Khan heard the voice of his heart.

“CLOSE THE DOORS, CLOSE THE DOORS,” Nori screamed, the words like life’s last cry as she was split between pulling drones from the monsters’ jaws and making it home.

In the panic there was a scarily calm thought, just one more drone, just one more drone and then he would close the doors.

He hardly noticed the largest of the beast taking sight of him and his station.

He hardly noticed Nori bolting her way to him.

He hardly noticed until he did.

Nori crashed into him, pushing him out of the way, causing the doors to close as the beast’s tail snapped off and burst covering Nori from head to toe.

He hardly noticed Uzi had fallen out of his arms.

How could he as Nori’s body short-circuited, electricity that once powered her now, forcing her into a macabre dance as she fell to the floor writhing, her voice box forced, to repeat her last words. Their link had snapped and yet her body still screamed at him to close the doors.

His breathing turned harsh and in a blink the screaming had stopped.

It had stopped.

Nori’s head was caved in.

His hands, and his body, was covered in oil.

In his hands was the wrench he had used to build the prototype doors.

Oh …

And beyond the cries of those who hadn’t made it in, in time, at his side, Khan could hear as his daughter cried.

(~*~) -- (~*~) -- (~*~) -- (~*~) -- (~*~) -- (~*~) -- (~*~)

Beau's Prologue | Alice's Prologue | Nori's Prologue |

Yeva's Prologue | Dmitri's Prologue | Ron's Prologue |

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