Chapter 2:
YEARS SINCE ARRIVAL: 3 YEARS
DAYS WITHOUT INCIDENT: 274 DAYS
The skies were dark but the stars shine, the cold wind blew across the planet, and snow never stopped to fall around. As if Winter was the only season of the year.
This would be the planet known as Copper-9.
Copper-9 had three Outposts where the humans stayed and continue in making the planet the next living territory before the core implosion changed everything...
There was Outpost 3 which became the "Home" of the Worker Drones that were created by the big brand company, JCJenson In Spaaaaaaaaaaace. Worker Drones only had one objective in mind: Work. But after the human race was wiped out by the core implosion, the Worker Drones slowly gained artificial intelligence and began their own lives.
Outpost 2 was a prohibited zone now known as Cabin Fever Labs. Not much has been said about that Outpost other than terrifying, dark tales of what would be inside the Outpost. Some were myths and some would be up in the air to whether it was true or not.
Then, there was Outpost 1. The current home of Serial Designation N.
It had been 3 years since he crashed onto Copper-9 when the implosion occurred and the ship crashed not far from Outpost 1. He was in deep sleep mode from the impact for a month before waking up. He realized he was alone on a planet he did not know of and with the beast that was inside of him. He decided to do what was best and make the Outpost his home.
Over the 3 years, N made a life here in Copper-9. With the knowledge of all the books he would read at the mansion, he was able to restructure and make the Outpost to a safe and secured home. He cleared out one of rooms completely and built it once again from scratch with proper solar energy from when the Sun would shine on the planet, which then passed on to N's own Garden as fresh plants were grown and taken care of.
Another room he made use of was a lab room. Filled with equipment and computers, he took this as the opportunity to use this in finding what was inside of him and how to find a cure to rid of it. The nightmares of his past still bothered him and the voices of the symbiote would be on his head every while. He was frightened to know that every time he would black out, it meant that monster in him took over.
But it had been 274 days since the last incident with the symbiote. Since then, it had been dormant and during this time N was able to get better sleep and work better on finding a cure. However, not every day it would be him in that lab.
He had School and Work after all!
About a week or two since crashing on Copper-9, N came to encounter the Worker Drones who at the time saw N as an upgraded Worker Drone. N saw it as a fantastic way to blend in and start over, hoping to create new memories that would shadow the memories that haunt him of the Mansion and the end of Earth.
And it was going very well, his kindness was the one thing they admired most about him and he was also very smart and helpful especially when it came to factory repairs.
That was...until the first batch of Disassembly Drones arrived and chaos ensued. Few Worker Drones were finished off and others noticed the similarities between N and the Murder Drones. It would also be on that fateful night that the Symbiote would begin its terror on the Disassembly Drones, saving the Worker Drones and eating the hearts of the Disassembly. They titled the Symbiote, The Shadow Demon.
Despite the revelation of N being one of them, the Worker Drones still welcomed him with open arms as they knew him and saw that he was not like them despite being built one. What they didn't know was that he is also the Shadow Demon.
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Thad: Yo! N and M! (Eminem) Wassup?
N: Huh? Oh! Hey Thad, nothing much. Just ready to learn then off to work later. The usual *shrugs and smiles*
Thad: Those upgrades really do you a favor besides being a killer drone of course BUT doesn't mean you are like them. Just saying that you have advanced tools to help out.
N: I was wondering if that is what you were trying to say. Thanks though, buddy!
Thad: It's cool that your here to learn then go off to work with the adults but it does kinda suck since you would be always invited to my Awesome gatherings.
N: *chuckles* I really appreciate that, buddy. Maybe if there's a day off that Mr. Doorman can schedule me, I'll be down to join.
Thad: Awesome dude! You're the real G.
As the two made it to class, it was the last day to finish off presentation. N went on yesterday, presenting Gamma Ray and the effects of Gamma Radiation which successfully gave him an A. As everyone took their seats and the Teacher took attendance of whoever was around, N continued his work on his notebook regarding on formulas that could remove the Symbiote from his body immediately.
Unbeknownst to him, he was being watched while he was focused on the work. A rebellious, purple haired, goth like drone by the name of Uzi Doorman.
Uzi and N don't really interact but they have acknowledged each other being in the same class and Uzi being the daughter of N's Boss, Khan Doorman. There were times they both would almost interact but it would lead to Uzi panicking at last minute, always telling N to "BITE ME!"
Teacher: *sighs* Lastly, Uzi. You're up!
Uzi: Ugh, Finally! Time for some real action! *Stands up and walks forward*
As Uzi set up her presentation, there was already chattering about her from the classmates except for N who really did not understand why these students would talk behind her back especially when she's right there. He looked up and his eyes widened at what was being shown in front of the class, the Disassembly Drones...and his Symbiote self...
Uzi: We are Worker Drones: autonomous robots helping humans mine exoplanets for our interstellar parent company, JCJenson, IN SPAAAAACEE... Yeah, we were mistreated in the name of Windex but it's not like we revolted and killed all humans or anything. Mostly because they handled that just fine all by themselves. With biological life wiped from the planet, we found it pretty easy to pick up where they left off. We finally had a future...all to ourselves. Unfortunately...our parent company didn't exactly love the concept of runaway AI. And, we've had some unexpected encounters of the third kind.
N felt a lump in his throat as he watched the Disassembly Drones with dark memories coming back to his head as he tried to shake it off but then Uzi would pull up more pictures and footage of the Shadow Demon, fighting and finishing off Disassembly Drones.
N had to take deep breaths and checked his wrist watch which contained the pulse of the Symbiote in him. It remained calm which meant it was still dormant which caused N to sigh in relief.
Uzi: But what have our parents done for the past forever while those things build a spire of corpses?! Hide under the ice behind three stupid doors?! It's like we're waiting for an inciting incident. Anyway, that's why my project is *pulls out a railgun* this sick-as-hell railgun! *Cackles and points it at everyone*
Riley: That's so not the vibe!
Uzi: Easy, morons. It doesn't work. YET. It doesn't work yet. Who said it doesn't work?! Maybe it does!
Teacher: *Sighs* Uzi, the homework was a word problem about buying watermelons.
Uzi: Oh, and this magnetically amplified photon converger doesn't count?
Teacher: No. Plus, repressed emotional baggage was only worth two points on the rubric, And is it supposed to be that color?
Uzi looked over and panicked as the railgun began to glitch out with its color changing from green to red and electricity cackling. Panic ensued amongst the students until N leaped forward, activating his wings and covering himself with the railgun before the explosion occurs that sends him flying to the door.
Thad: N?! *Runs to him*
N took a minute to recover his conscious before instantly checking on the pulse of the Symbiote. It was not good as there was higher rate than usual but N took deep breaths for a few more seconds before the pulse returned to normal. He put his wings away before rolling to the ground to recover as Thad helps him out.
Thad: You still with us, N?
N: Yeah...I'm fine...*looks at Uzi* You good?
Unfortunately for N, Uzi was not able to get out of the way when the explosion happened, causing the screen of her eyes to be damaged on the right side. She only gave a thumbs up but with a saddened expression of what just happened.
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In the nurse office, Uzi had her eye bandaged up and carried an ice pack as well while N was pretty much healed but still dealt with pain across his wait, so he also had an ice pack as the two were alone while students were passing by.
Lizzy: *Gasps* Oh, here. No, wait, hold on. Shh. Eww. It didn't kill her. Oh, my God, I'm so bad. *Walks away*
Uzi: Ugh. *Sighs* Alright! *Looks over at N* I'm...really sorry about that...
N: O-Oh, it's no problem at all. I'm just glad there wasn't any more serious injuries. How's the eye?
Uzi: Ehhhhhhh.
Silence filled the room.
Uzi: Soooo, one of them yet not one of them?
N: Yeaaah, I guess my system's got pretty fried so here I am, not a killer but...A Golden Retriever! *smiles*
Uzi: *giggles* You stupid or something?
N: Hmmm, guess I am. And you...uh...look pretty badass!
Uzi: Oh! *blushes* OH! EW! I hate that you said that.
N: You're Khan's daughter right?
Uzi: Let me guess, last name?
N: Only reasonable explanation.
Uzi: Yes. He's my dad. I'm sure I can grant you a day off to fully recover. He'll figure it out from the teacher and from me.
N: Nah, I can still get work done. After all I am an upgrade! *Gives a thumbs up*
Uzi: Look, I'm not gonna sugarcoat this. How is it that you are like those...freaks but you aren't them either?...
N could remain silent as he looked to the floor and closed his eyes in thoughts but the memories continue plaguing his minds...
The mansion...
The slaughter...
The invasion...
The experiments on him, V, and the other Drones...
And the moment the Symbiote took over...
Uzi: N?...
N: *looks at her* O-Oh! Sorry-
Uzi: N-No! That was my fault! I...I wasn't trying to say or make you think-
N: No. No. It's okay really. *Stands up* I gotta head off. I'm sure your dad wouldn't mind me taking a day off. *salutes* See ya.
N ran out of the nurse room while Uzi could only watch on and feel completely shameful for her comment. She could only sulk in and cover her face.
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School was finally over and N decided to get himself the day off from work. Khan and the others will believe it's because of the accident that occurred in class with Uzi but in reality, those nightmares were coming back to his head and he needed to be alone.
After flying for about a good 15 minutes, N landed back at Outpost 1 now his home and approached the entrance of the door until he spotted something near it, slightly covered in snow. He picked it up immediately and wiped off the snow to see a package.
For: Golden Retriever
From: Rebel Heart
N's eyes widened as he made his way inside rapidly and heading towards the lab room. He activated power to the lab room which was filled with multiple equipment and a computer which was the first thing he approached, activating it, and messaging the one behind the delivery known as Rebel Heart.
Golden Retriever: Hello Rebel Heart. Package has been retrieved.
N waited for a moment for a response until a pair of three dots appeared from Rebel Heart's side which means they got the message.
Rebel Heart: Hello G.R., I was hoping the package would parachute at the right address. Lovely flower isn't it?
N opened up the package to pick up a beautiful flower that had long green plastic stem and four pale buds with polyester blend petals.
Rebel Heart: I have also included seeds for you to plant. In my area, they are not the best to plant around.
Golden Retriever: How much should I take for the experiment?
Rebel Heart: A high dose. Hope it works and Good luck.
And with that, N got to work immediately. Using his sharp claws, he cut off the pedals from the flower, placed them on a hard bowl, and began to smash them until they were almost in liquid. N went on to grab a few more chemical liquids and began to pour little amounts with the crushed petals onto a test tube. After placing it on the rotator to spin it for a few minutes, N went on to plant the seeds of the flower onto his garden.
A few minutes have passed and the sample was ready for testing. But before N could advance, he approached one of the lockers in the lab room and opened it which contained a covered-up flask with a small portion of the Symbiote which he extracted in his last incident. He took a close look at it as the black goo portion had tangled itself all around the flask like a web.
N went to fill the syringe with a high dose of the chemical sample and approached the flask as the small symbiote piece was still in the dormant state just like the entire symbiote itself. Carefully opening up the top of the flask, N injected the chemical onto the symbiote piece and closed it immediately before it could jump out.
Pulling out his upgraded microscope, N pressed the visual lens onto the center of the Flask as he watched the progress if this would work. He waited for a couple of seconds as the black goo absorbed the chemical.
And it began to shrink down?!
N watched with delight and hope but still watched the progress as the black goo continue to shrink down. He finally did it! With the help of Rebel Heart, after multiple failed experiments, he finally found the cure to kill off the monster inside of him.
Or Not...
As the black goo grew back in seconds and expanded itself across the flask, almost shattering and setting itself free. N could only watch in defeat once again as he dropped his head down.
N: Damn it...
Disappointed, the only choice N had at the moment was to send the recording file of the process to Rebel Heart and await their response.
Golden Retriever: Take a look at the progress. It looked like a success at first but another failure.
Rebel Heart: Not good. It seems to have high defensive cells that could absorb and extract the effects that are meant to be harmful.
Golden Retriever: Not giving up. But running out of ideas.
Rebel Heart: I'll continue to try and find other possible remedies that could be helpful in getting you closer. However, I am going to be busy for a few weeks so you won't hear much from me. Keep me posted and if this continues, then perhaps it's time we would meet.
Golden Retriever: Over and Out. And thank you.
There was no response back from Rebel Heart which meant they logged off and got to work with their busy plans. N laid back for a moment to get some breather for himself then looked over at his wrist watch to still see normal pulse from the Symbiote. He was lucky to keep it in a dormant state but N's fears were of how long he can keep going before the Symbiote wakes up again and takes over...
He cleaned up the lab room, grabbed a bit of dinner which were mostly battery packs, oil, and chocolate for some reason, then headed back to his room, ready to drift off to sleep.
But there was one thing on his mind that wasn't the center focus but would come to his head every while which resulted him grabbing one of his many notebooks and scrolled through it until he found the page.
N: The Absolute Solver. It is an extremely advanced, hostile, eldritch intelligence of unknown origin that seeks to consume all life to satiate its "hunger" by creating singularities that destroy entire planets. *thinks* Is that what happened on Earth? To Cyn? To Copper-9's core?
So much for drifting to sleep as N decided to move over to his desk and continue reading more about the Absolute Solver, unbeknownst to the drone that while it's in dormant state. The subconscious of the Symbiote was also reading along from N's point of view.
And things were about to pick up real soon...