"Hey.. Wake up."

"I said get up.. we have a city to burn."

I shuddered suddenly, snapping out of my sleep to Melissa standing infront me with a coy smile on her face.

I groaned quietly and rolled over, sighing quietly and resigning myself to my fate.

"Hey, don't hide. You got lucky!"

I glanced back at her when she spoke, my blanket still pulled up to my chin.

"You're going down to the derelict! They needed a technician down there and.. "

She sighed deeply, acting annoyed that it wasn't her. Her real emotions were probably well relieved.

".. you were chosen.. ugh."

I rolled my eyes and sat up in the bunk bed, rubbing my eyes.

"How long do I have..? Until we go down..?" I muttered quietly, my throat dry from the nap.

"Err.. Uh.. an hour..?" She glanced away from me as she spoke, her tone sheepish.

Little shit.

"Fine.. I'll be up." I groaned and snatched the water bottle next to my bunk, throwing it at her.

"Skit.."

----

I sighed softly as I hauled my toolbox down the hallway. I pressed my card against the airlock hallway.

Beep

I tossed my toolbox on the bench and started trying to shimmy into the exosuit.

Damn technician suits were too bulky to barely move in.

It took me ten minutes from the hour to just get into the suit.

I quickly grabbed my toolbox and started out of the door, into the debriefing room, trying to act like I was always there.

".. It seems like a hanger in the derelict station is open, we'll be landing there. We've spotted a few defense systems, although they seem to be decommissioned or uh.. plain ol' useless.. "

The security captain, Alec, tapped his hands against the table, waving his other hand Infront of the hologram of the landing zone.

I nodded like I understood what was going on, and all that jazz.

".. and uh..the technicians.. just stay back until we need you.. it'll be a pain if you get in the way.." He snorted.

I really hated the security captain. Egotistical prick.

And the worse part was that he'd probably be fine during this excursion.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, although it wasn't visible through the black visor of the exosuit.

He made sure to bumb my shoulder as he walked out, trying to extenuate his inch of height on me.

I rolled my eyes.. again.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

I shuffled into the transport fighter, the security captain trying to brag about obviously fake stories to the female copilot.

With a sudden shift, the launchers propelled us out of the single launch bay in our ship.

I watched out the porthole as the ship distanced, and the station got closer..

From this point, it didn't feel like a station much at all.

The closer we got, the more my skin crawled. I felt the feeling of somebody watching me..

"Err.." I stammered, but it was drowned out by the hum of the engines and the low rumblings from the navigation thrusters.

I huffed and shook it off, I was probably just nervous from my first derelict.

I closed my eyes for what felt like a mere moment, muttering a prayer to anybody listening.. then we landed.

It felt heavy, a sense of looming dread. Which again, I shook off. The security captain raised his rifle and opened the fighter door, hopping down and pointing his flashlight around like he didn't have NVs on.

He aimed it around like he was Marco The Marine. His flashlight eventually landed on a weird looking construction exosuit against the wall, it's faceplate off and a flag draped over it's arm.

I hopped down out of the fighter, glancing around the room with night vision. Weird insignias lined the wall. I heard the translator talking, trying to read the seemingly ancient language with Alec.

I glanced over as they stood over the machine, her stammering making me question her for a moment.

"M.. That says.. Miscellaneous.. Yes Miscellaneous Action Drone.. or, it says, M.A.D for short.."

I rolled my eyes and glanced down at what looked like bullet casings on the floor. The translator stepped back and walked off, but Alec didn't.

I was about to speak up about the casings until I heard metal screeching and what sounded like plasma burning.

SHHHH - SLICK

I heard a rifle firing before I glanced over..

Alec was missing an arm.. the display on the miscellaneous drone now lit up in an seemingly sadistic smile

Alec had fired his weapon..although missing every shot..

It took one more second for another loud..

ZRRRAP

Alecs head rolled to my feet.. I couldn't move, I felt sick. I could feel my lunch coming up, and I had to turn away from the scene

THUD

I glanced up, looking for it.. it was gone..

"oh.. oh GOD DA-.." Was the first thing I heard over comms before it became a mess..

Panicked screams and an overwhelming amount of orders ensued..

I could swear I could hear it's blood thirsty laughter..

——————

Centari watched.

It was interesting.

What were they saying? It couldn't tell. It could make out some of the words the lady next to his drone said..

"M.A.D"

Centari liked the ring to that.

it internally sighed, but basically just vented some heat doing so.

With a mental command, that eccentric man with some primitive rifle was put in his place..

Centari hadn't ordered some sicko face into the display of the drone, seemingly another independent action by it..

Odd.

It quickly finished the man in seemingly cloth armor, ignoring it's screams, and darted into a hallway next to the hanger.

It didn't take the intruders long to notice another wild card Centari had set into play..

Comms jammed.

Although AI didn't feel emotion as humans did, you could say he was proud.

He likes a little game of cat and mouse..

.. to get the rust off his CQC files..

.. no other reason.

with another mental command, the PD systems lit up the thrusters of the Frigate.

Ah, how he missed the firework show..

He flicked his attention back to the hanger..

The camera focused on the group..

——————

I stammered and looked around, trying to get any sign of the hunter in the derelict.

I glanced up, looking at the high ceiling..

a camera.

It moved..

was it..?

It was looking at them..

——————

Centari just observed for now. No need to interfere, he was preparing the reactors..

He planned on jump starting a reactor from the Frigate.

The cords were in place, and the Frigate drifted blankly through space.

It just needed to get it close enough for connection.

He glanced down at the hanger. The group decided to brave the hallways..

Oh ho.. Brave heart, are we? Centari seemed to muse to itself.

He glanced at M.A.D, the weird freak of a miscellaneous drone laying in wait in the men's locker room, a hallway of two away from the group.

If Centari didn't know any better, it would say it was toying with them.

Another nervous gunshot rang out, Centari hadn't intended for human passengers, so the quarters were tight, making it even more nerve racking.

M.A.D booked it down the hallway, display set on the rear guard of the group.

A subtle sizzling and a quiet tapping being the only warning of her imminent demise, not even her HUD giving her a warning..

.. and that sadistic, flickering face mask quickly getting closer..