Chapter Text
Dark, cold, dry, quiet. Those adjectives describe death, don’t they? Even though, there was an unique kind of life surviving in such an environment. The worker drones of JcJenson, and also the murder drones. Both from the same parent company. Both are at each other’s throats. Desperate times like these on a planet without order or control, one must do what it takes to survive. To overcome and come out on top, right? No. Just survive the world you didn’t give the consent to be born in. There hasn’t been active production of resources and materials since the humans had their license from life revoked, why would there be any now? So, in a world of few supplies and no production of said supplies, scavenging for what’s left is necessary.
Usually, trips outside of the colony’s base would happen during the day, but a repair needed to be made and needed to be made now . While someone’s out searching for scraps of frosted metal, may as well as make it educational. One chaperone and two students out on their own before the sun’s out, what could go wrong? Just a simple supply run. There was an area that had yet to be cleaned of tools, bolts, and what not, so there should be enough for the important repair and whatever else after that. Jamie, the adult chaperone, and Darren, the student brought along to learn the do’s and don’ts of scavenging like a metal raccoon, were doing fine. Had a good stash of materials in their bags about 10 minutes in, but the other student was suspiciously good at finding the scattered parts.
Beau, was their name - not that anyone knew it. Nearly every day in class, the teacher would read his name like it’s the first time he’s heard it. Once he was alone in a project he was supposed to have a partner in. He never had to actually present it, but he was expecting that, so they didn’t even start the assignment. Beau didn’t mind that he faded in the background of the world he existed in, even if it felt like they hardly even existed at all. The only reason he was picked to go on this “lesson” was because he was closest to the door. Even if he didn’t really feel it, logically, they thought themselves glad to be outside of the base. Beau was really bored before this.
Grouping back together when their in-head timers set off, Beau was praised for gathering up so many resources. “Wow! Good job, Bee-yu, you lucky or something, kid?” Beau had their bag heavy with useful junk and had to carry the rest in his arms. Beau looked up at Jamie with an expression of someone who hasn’t tasted ice cream before and replied, “It’s Beau,” with a monotone yet genuine tone. Jamie chuckled and started to lead back to the base. Darren began to walk alongside Beau while glancing at them a few times before speaking. Darren’s bag of material was the lightest.
“Yo, blue eyes, can you give me some of your stuff so it looks like I found more scraps?” Beau wondered if Darren was trying to whisper because Darren sounded louder in a vast field of quiet than in a cozy (but not comfortable) classroom where everyone inside was trying to tune out everything. Without answering or even looking at the teen, Beau just started dropping in items from his arms into Darren’s bag. Darren would’ve said thanks but he was put off with Beau’s quiet behavior, guessing that Beau didn’t want to come along in the first place.
The two then caught up to Jamie, who hadn’t even look back in the entire time they were walking back. Beau wondered and thought, “this has been going too smoothly, would we really return back to the base without being spotted or watched by the drones right now?” Out of suspicion of the world, Beau began to pick up the pace and took lead back to the base. He could see the lights from here, maybe they would actually make it back without trouble while out at night. But it is rare in nature for the prey who enter predator territory to return unscathed, huh? What if they were being watched this entire time and the metallic demons with wings were waiting for the perfect time to strike?-
…What was that sound? Turning around, Beau scanned the two fellow drones behind him. Jamie stopped walking, so did Beau and Darren. A quick second of cold silence before Jamie asks, “did anyone else hear that?” Beau’s head dropped slightly and tilted at an angle, a habit that couldn’t be fixed, nor was broken. Both drones in front of Darren looked back at him. “Hear what?” Silence fell upon them. Deafening silence. The lights of safety behind them, and the growing feeling of panic feeding off the worries of two drones from the potential (definite) danger.