Chapter Text
Screaming.
Crashing furniture.
Shattering glass.
Howls and giggles that sounded anything but human.
These were the infernal sounds Tessa heard as she cowered in her room, arms wrapped around her head. She whimpered every time they echoed around the old manor, shaking in pure terror for what she believed was inevitable for her.
Tonight was supposed to be a long, boring night in her view. Dress up for the gala, look pretty for her parent’s friends, give a standing ovation, and spend the rest of the time trying to avoid potential suitors and other strangers. Honestly, she would’ve rather locked herself in her room along with her drone friends, but her mother insisted (threatened) for her to attend the dance regardless. She figured the entire night was going to be very uneventful due to having little to no social skills, and for the first thirty minutes, it was.
At least until Cyn arrived
The awkward maid was never supposed to show up-in fact, Louisa ordered her to be locked up hours earlier for a mistake that wasn’t her fault. Yet there she was, shuffling her way into the grand hall before disappearing into the crowd. J had been the one to spot her first, having kept Tessa company, and furiously stormed after the drone to drag her back into the basement. The girl followed in an attempt to defuse the situation and to ask Cyn how she even got out before her mother spotted her as well.
And then…the lights went out.
She remembered the murmur of the crowd dying out in surprise and fear as a few demanded to know what was happening-only for the room to be reilluminated in a sickly yellow. Sitting on the giant globe near the windows was Cyn herself, her visor replaced by a strange three-pronged hexagonal signal as she sported an ear-splitting grin. With everyone's gaze on the normally flawed drone, she said a few words Tessa didn’t remember, too shocked to comprehend how she got there…until a flash of lightning revealed the long, nightmarish tentacles emerging from her back.
What followed was pure chaos. People screamed and cried at what they saw, flesh tore and bones crunched, and Tessa found herself shoved to the floor by the following stampede. Order rapidly evaporated as the attendees attempted to escape-only to find the very drones that served their food along with drinks turning on them, ripping them apart with their bare hands and sharp teeth.
The girl found herself yanked to her feet and pushed to the nearest exit, not even getting the chance to see her savior as the door behind her slammed shut. Not wasting any more time, Tessa ran all the way to her room and hid herself inside, sitting on the floor as the slaughter commenced.
Millions of thoughts and questions raced through her frazzled head, yet one seemed to take precedence over others; why?
Why was this happening? Why did the drones attack them? Why was Cyn doing this?
Tessa couldn’t answer a single one, despite years of studying robotics and having worked on her beloved drone, Cyn included. Speaking of which…
“Where are my friends?”
She didn’t dare ask this aloud, not wanting to alert the now murderous maid and her lackeys. She didn’t see J amongst the crowd of former servants who attacked them, and knew N and V were working outside the gala. Were they still out there, hiding like her… or did they also turn like the rest of those monsters?
The sound of rapid footsteps snapped her out of her thoughts, the girl quickly crawling inside the closet as the steps slowed near her door. Peering through the slits in the thin wooden slide, she watched as her bedroom door swung open and silently cursed- she forgot to lock it after closing it!
Dim lighting spilled inside the dark room, as the floorboards creaked under a pair of feet. Tessa couldn’t tell who it was, and was frankly too scared to find out. Was it one of the corrupted workers sent here to kill her, or worse, drag her to that mons-
“Tessa? Are you here?”
That voice! She sobbed in relief as she slid her closet door wide open, revealing the twin tailed maid standing in the center. “J!”
The drone had no time to react as her charge barreled into her, wrapping her body in a tight hug, tears streaming down her face. J immediately returned the gesture, rubbing her back as she soothed the distraught girl for what seemed to be forever. Eventually, the two of them separated, Tessa slowly standing up as she stared down at her best friend.
“T-Thank God! I-I didn’t think that you’d make-” She chocked down another sob as J calmly responded as best she could.
“Yes boss…I’m alive. I’m okay, don’t worry.”
“W-What happened…?”
“I don’t know.” The maid let out a shaky breath following her admission, stress lines appearing under her eyes. “One minute, it was business as usual…and then that brat appeared out of nowhere before everything-I don’t know, collapsed. My own coworkers attacked me, for investors sake! I was lucky to push you outside when I did!”
“Wait-that was you?”
“Of course…you’re my first and foremost priority, even in an ongoing murder.”
“A-And my parents?”
“Don’t know.” Despite everything that happened, Tessa didn’t feel too torn up by the status of her mother and father, probably because she hardly loved them in the first place due to their endless abuse. Still, she hoped they didn’t end up like the rest of the guests. “What about N and V?”
“They’re waiting near the library. I told them to stay put before getting you,” J stepped back, pulling out a sword from her back Tessa only now noticed. “We need to move though, a few of those corrupted drones escaped from the main hall…I had no other choice.”
The girl now saw how her apron was covered in oil, yet the drone herself appeared to be unharmed. She was a little curious on how J managed to defend herself without any prior training, but was grateful in her abilities. The maid turned to her with a serious expression. “Grab what you can so we can get the others. We’re leaving.”
Her tone brooked no argument as the girl responded. “R-Righto.”
Tessa moved at breakneck speed, switching her heels for shoes and stuffing a few of her personal belongings in a backpack, including a drone manual and her laptop. Slinging it over her back, she turned towards J and nodded once, before the two of them quickly exited the room, moving down the wooden hallways away from the carnage.
Occasionally, they would pass a few decapitated drones, their uniforms drenched in blood and oil as their visors flickered with that strange yellow symbol. J held onto her sword with both hands, head on a swivel as Tessa followed close behind, glancing over her back. Eventually, they reached the library door, where J knocked on it five times.
The oak door cautiously creaked open, a pair of white hollow eyelights peering outside. Upon seeing the girl and drone, it instantly swung the rest of the way, revealing a nervous butler and a frightened, bespeckled maid holding his hand.
“N! V!” Tessa raced forward and scooped them in a bear hug, relieved to see the rest of her friends alive and intact. Both drones hugged back tightly, breathing a collective sigh or relief. “Tessa, you’re here! Are you okay?” N asked with worry.
“I’m fine, ya adorable goobs! How’re you hanging so far?”
“We’re good…we heard the commotion before J told us to wait so she could find you. Do you know what’s going on?”
“I’ll tell you all later,” Tessa replied, glancing at the impatient J. “Right now, we need to leave this place, it’s not safe for us! I’m sure there’s an exit nearby, right?”
“Correct, but we better get moving, boss. I don’t know how much longer unt-”
A low, feral growl caught their attention, all eyes snapping to the end of the hallway. Blocking the path was what was once a butler drone, now drenched in blood and viscera as she shambled towards them, visor flipping between a neon yellow X and the symbol. Snapping his head up, he let out a screech and charged forward with outstretched arms, sharp teeth bared to devour.
Slash!
He was only a few feet away before J swung her sword in a clean swipe, severing his head and causing the body to tumble to the floor. Oil spurted from the stump, soaking the blade and maid black as more howls reverberated throughout the manor.
“RUN!”
Wasting zero time, the four of them dashed down the halls, pushing their muscles and servos to the limit as the house shook with more roars and crashes. J took the lead, guiding them through several turns before finally coming across one of several side exits leading to freedom. Kicking the door open, she ushered them outside into the soaking rain and rumbling thunder, taking one last look inside as the rumbling inside drew closer, along with a familiar, robotic voice booming down the halls.
“Anger. Get back here Tessa, this party is not over yet!”
She slammed the door shut with all her might, not sparing her former workplace a second glance.
-
The three drones and their human friend dashed into the woods near the property, the rain pouring down as lightning illuminated the dark forest. The ground beneath them turned to mud, soiling their clothes even further as they attempted to distance themselves from the manor. In a fit of frustration, Tessa tore the bottom of her once-fancy dress off to give herself more leg room in stepping over numerous tree roots.
N and V followed right behind her, still holding hands as they maintained their speed, with J trailing their little group. The sword glinted in the lightning as she kept her optics peeled around them for any pursuers. The dreary atmosphere reminded everyone of the dumps, the drones desperately awaiting for their savior to lead them to a new home.
Now, they were running from the very place that sheltered them…lest they end up worse than dead.
As the group ran deeper into the woods, they soon started to hear other sounds outside the pattering rain and booming thunder. Police sirens echoed across the landscape, giving Tessa a little hope- were the authorities responding to this mess?
This was confirmed by the thumping of rotor blades, a helicopter soon roaring over them in the direction of the manor. Its bright spotlight cut through the trees, and the girl couldn’t help but laugh in relief as the copter flew past.
“Crickey! We’re gonna be alright! We just gotta follow the sirens!”
Tessa had no idea whether the police were equipped to handle what she saw back in the gala, but that wasn’t her problem anymore. Once they got into contact with the officers, everything would turn out just fine!
The group advanced with renewed vigor, moving through the woods in the direction of the wails until they finally saw flashes of blue and red just beyond the treeline. Tessa broke into a sprint, outpacing her fellow drones as she burst into the clearing a few minutes later.
She found herself standing near the winding gravel drive leading to her home, the thick forest surrounding both ends. To her immediate right, three police cruisers were parked on either side of the road, six officers standing in the middle seemingly guarding only way in and out of the property. She immediately threw her arms up, yelling over the pouring rain all the while.
“HEY! OVER HERE! HELP!”
Three of the officers turned to her, their eyes widening in shock before quickly jogging towards her. At the same time, the rest of the drones emerged from the forest, their initial shock mollified as they raced to her side. N immediately broke out a wide grin, waving his hands at the incoming men in joy.
The first officer reached the girl, not noticing the three workers running behind her. “Ma’am, are you alrigh-”
“Hey guys! Thanks for saving us!” N shouted with his typical cheerfulness.
“What the- FREEZE! SHOW ME YOUR HANDS!”
Almost instantly, the officer’s demeanor changed as he whipped out his sidearm, his comrades quickly following suit. One of them aimed his rifle right at J, its mounted flashlight temporarily blinding her. “DROP THE WEAPON! DROP IT!”
The drones' eyelights hollowed in shock and fear, their reactions varying. N immediately dropped his smile, his mouth hanging open as he raised his hands in the air. V screamed and hid behind him, while J dropped the sword, the blade clattering on the gravel as she grimaced and followed the butler’s example.
The officers continued yelling at them to stay put until Tessa shouted over the commotion, jumping in front of her friends.
“STOP IT, PLEASE! THEY’RE HARMLESS, THEY SAVED ME!”
“Move out of the way ma’am! This is a dangerous situ-”
“You have to believe me! They’re not like the ones in the manor, they helped me escape! You have to believe me, PLEASE!”
She was completely distraught, her voice cracking as she attempted to save her friends from this mess. She couldn’t let them die, not after getting this far!
The officers paused in their commands, clearly seeing the emotionally unstable girl in front of their guns. Quickly reconsidering his tactics, the lead policeman finally lowered his weapon, strapping it inside his holster as he held out his hand.
“Miss, you need to step away from those drones for your safety. I understand you might trust them, but we’re taking no chances here.”
“I don’t just trust them sir…they're my friends. They’ll do anything for me, and will never hurt another human being.” She glared at them in defiance, the workers crowding behind her in nervousness.
The man took a step forward, keeping his hands raised. “Look, there’s an ongoing situation nearby that involves worker drones, and we’ve been ordered to prevent them from escaping the premises, alongside rescuing any survivors.”
“I know about the ‘situation’, I was literally running from it! The manor’s a bloody madhouse, and all the drones are slaughtering the guests! These three here-” Pointing at the trio. “-are the only ones who protected me and helped me escape! You want to stop some drones, stop the ones over there!” She jabbed her thumb in the direction of the manor, glaring at the flashing lights before her.
The officer hesitated, looking at his partners and resuming in a curious tone. “You came from the manor? What’s your name, ma’am?”
“Tessa James Elliot, sir! Daughter of James and Louisa Elliot!”
She bit down the bile that came from the mention of her parents, but watched as the officers’ eyes widened in surprise, glancing at one another even as one of them muttered “Holy shit!”
“You're the heir to the Elliot estate and the JcJenson Corporation, miss?” Upon receiving a nod, the lead officer gripped his radio and clicked it on. “Dispatch, this is Lieutenant Anders of Barricade 1, we’ve got a 10-25 by the name of Tessa James Elliot. She came to us on foot not five minutes ago escorted by three worker drones. They are currently unarmed and complying with our orders, how copy, over?”
“ Kshttt… Barricade 1, this is dispatch. What’s the status of the girl, over?”
“There’s no signs of visible injury, but we’ll need EMTs to check her out. She appears to be in good condition-is that true, Miss Elliot?” Upon receiving a nod, he finished the report.
“Roger that, get her out of there and bring her to Caldwell General. We’ll have someone waiting to take her in.”
“What about the drones, dispatch?”
“Chief’s ordered a containment policy for any worker units attempting to escape. If they’re complying with your orders, hold them until we can get additional units on scene. Only engage if showing aggression or disobedience, out.”
“10-4.” Stowing the radio, the lieutenant turned back towards the group. “Miss Elliot, you need to come with us so we can perform a medical checkup at the hospital.”
“What about my drones?” She demanded.
“I’m sorry ma’am, but you’ll have to leave them. As long as they obey our commands, we won’t harm them. It’s for our protection and yours as well.”
Tessa was about to protest, but felt a hand grip her shoulder. Turning back, she saw J trying her best to give her a reassuring smile. “It’s okay Tessa, you're safe now. Go with them.”
“J! What about-”
“Don’t worry about us!” The maid pleaded. “We got you this far, away from whatever that was! My- our- priority is to protect you no matter what, and we’ve fulfilled our end. Right, guys?”
V nodded despite her nervousness, while N gave a reassuring smile. “We’ll be fine Tessa! You heard them, all we gotta do is stay put until they retrieve us! We’re waterproof anyways, so the rain won’t damage us!”
“You guys…” Tears started to form in her cheek as she trembled, but the butler held her hand in his, his eyes soft but pleading.
“Tessa, please… take care of yourself, okay? We’ll stick together in the meantime till we see you again! Don’t worry, I know we will!”
“You heard him, boss…go on ahead. Think of this as…a temporary absence, alright? We’ll be back before you know it.” J gave her a playful smirk. “After all, we wouldn’t dare to abandon you unless you fire us!”
“Stop that!” Tessa giggled at their antics, but quickly regained her solemn expression. “... Promise me we’ll reunite, okay? Please.”
“We promise.” All three of them simultaneously said. “And we’ll stay by your side till the end.” J finished, squeezing her hand. “Don’t forget.”
“I won’t.”
Tessa slowly hugged the trio she rescued from the dumps, the only source of company she had in that gloomy mansion, her lights in the darkness of her life. They hugged back with full force, scared of what would happen next, but happy that they finally repaid their debt to her after being rescued so long ago.
She eventually separated from them, feeling the rain die down to a drizzle as she slowly walked towards the officers, gazing at her little band all the while. J gave her the warmest smile she’d ever seen, while N and V waved in farewell, the girl returning the favor as she was escorted to the nearest police cruiser.
Lieutenant Anders gently placed her in the back of his car, covering her with his jacket as he gave her a reassuring smile, telling her to wait. Softly closing the door, he pulled out his phone to call his supervisor as his two partners watched over the drones. Above them, more helicopters droned around the manor as distant pops rang throughout the woodlands.
N and V held hands once again, their faces a mix of fatigue and worry while J kept her optics locked on the car Tessa was in, waiting for her to inevitably be driven away.
“I will see you again, boss…no matter what happens next.”
-
The radio on all the officers’ chests suddenly crackled, the two men standing near the drones looking down in surprise as the local police chief spoke through the airwaves.
“All units, all units, this is chief Farragut speaking…I am here to inform you all that this operation has just been placed under… federal jurisdiction, effective immediately ”
None of the men missed the disdain their chief put into those two words, mentally groaning to themselves as the chief continued.
“As a result, some of the orders have been adjusted, with the handling of rogue worker drones taking precedence.” The man paused before speaking once again in a sharper tone.
“Any and all worker drone units attempting to escape the perimeter must be terminated with lethal force, regardless if they are hostile or not. Again, shoot any and all drones on sight. This is now a quarantine zone. Consult with dispatch for any additional information. Over and out.”
The two men nearest to the drones glanced at each other, the rifleman picking up his radio a few seconds later. “Dispatch, this is Sergeant Makay. What do we do with the drones in our custody, over?”
The replay came immediately, loud and clear for all to hear. “You heard ‘em, Sarge. Terminate on sight.”
“They haven’t done anything to threaten us, though.”
“Doesn’t matter. The feds have taken over-they’re the ones calling the shots, not the chief. We’re trying to stay out of their way as is. Unless you want them coming down here, make it quick. Out.”
“10-4.”
He turned back towards the drones, now staring at him in mute shock and horror. One of them-a maid with glasses-whimpered as she gripped her butler partner’s hand, the male slowly moving in front of her as he raised his hands further. The other maid stepped forward, her voice serious but trembling as she also kept her hands high.
“W-Wait…you said you’d keep us in custody…”
Her voice died as her eyelights hollowed further, the rain drowning out all other sound.
Makay turned to his partner, who simply shrugged at him. He looked back with an unreadable expression, trying desperately to not meet their fearful eyes.
“Who the hell programmed these drones to feel scared?”
Despite his internal battle, he shook his head. He had a job to do, and his team depended on him to carry it out, to protect and serve…
Raising his rifle, he flipped the safety off as he leveled it at the three startled workers, muttering a single sentence before pulling the trigger.
“I’m sorry.”
The pigtailed maid stepped back in fear. “Wait WAI-”
Crack! Crack! Crack!
-
Tessa was still sitting in the car when she heard the shots.
She turned behind her, just in time to see her friends fall to the ground…
…And her heart shattered.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
The screams snapped Anders right out of his phone call, having turned off his radio in order to speak to his supervisor. He turned to see his sergeant shoot the three drones through their visors, jumping out of his car to confront the man for seemingly disobeying his orders.
It took five minutes for his men to restrain him and explain the order he missed.
Five more minutes passed as he processed everything he heard, the girl in the back screaming and sobbing all the while.
It took him two minutes to reenter his vehicle, and three to start the engine and drive away, vainly attempting to calm the distraught girl the entire time.
Her wails died down as the car pulled away from the roadblock, the remaining officers checking the still bodies for any signs of life, rainwater and oil spreading across their broken visors, their mouths frozen in screams. One of them labeled the bodies with yellow crime scene markers, leaving them to the elements after.
A few hours later, the rain died down, and the officers were withdrawn, the federal agents having taken their roles further down the road. The sun lit up the sky in a bright yellow, blue sky replacing the black that faded away.
In a private briefing with several high-ranking politicians and generals, the Agency spokesman announced that the operation had finally ended with all hostile worker drones “terminated”. Civilian and first responder casualties were withheld for a later date, including the whereabouts of the Elliot family as recovery teams roamed the entire property, picking up every corrupted worker corpse they found.
Despite having been sent to a location on the road where a few drones were reported to have been shot, the assigned team found nothing on the gravel save for three yellow markers and drying oil on the surface.
No attempt was made to search for these supposed bodies, and the team moved on to recover other corpses in the property.
-
"Giggle...what do we have here? I will make sure you three are never discarded again."