On-Brand Loyalty - Off the Clock

Halloween Short - A Small Scare

N yawned, stretching as he hung upside down within the murder spire. He had just awoken nice and early, keeping quiet since his fellow Disassembly Drones are still in recharge mode. It wasn't often that he was up before even J, given she started to spend more time with Dror in the early night nowadays, so he decided to enjoy some spare time and descend to the ground.

He thought about checking to see if Dror was awake and willing to hang out only for him to freeze in place. In front of Dror's hut is a Disassembly Drone, their back facing N as they observed the home of the resident Worker Drone. With their appearance not being apparent, N couldn't recognize who it is.

A tinge of fear shot though N as he switched one of his hands into a laser gun, nervous about what the intruder's intentions are. Invading territory isn't tolerated by the squad leaders and given J's squad has a secret Worker Drone member...

He aimed and prepared to fire, hoping to quickly disable them for interrogation when the stranger turned around and waved, "Oh, sup N. You're awake early."

N stopped and tilted his head in confusion, "...Dror?"

At first glance, he seemed like a strange Disassembly Drone but upon closer look it was just Dror with an...odd choice of attire. Instead of his usual insulated jacket, he took one of N's spare coats and wore it despite being almost comically oversized. While his JCJenson-brand hat remained, it was now placed ontop of a silver wig which mostly covered Dror's normal hair save for a few red strands. Along with that, Dror had a hand-crafted Disassembly Drone tail hanging behind him and his orange LEDs are brightened to almost look yellow. If anything, Dror currently looked like a bootleg Disassembly Drone.

Dror smirked and tilted his hat, "Pretty convincing huh? It would earn some hate back in my colony but I figured it'd be fun to-..." He was cut off as a bullet is fired near his person, putting a hole in the snow next to him. 

Both him and N looked up to see V flying above them, aiming a gun at Dror. "Okay idiot! You seriously think you can just waltz in and..." She started squinted her eyes, "...Twerp?"

Dror blinked while V slowly landed next to N, "Huh. I guess maybe this is a little too convincing. At least J's probably observant enough to not attack on sight."

A sudden crash in front of him was the only warning Dror got before a hand clamped around his throat and lifted him up, an act performed by none other than the squad leader herself. J growled as she glared, "I don't know who you are, but you'd be wise to not try to sneak under my nose. Now identify yourself-...Dror!?"

J's eyes widened in shock. She stared at the Worker Drone, taking in his Disassembly Drone-inspired outfit. A hint of a yellow blush formed on her visor before she dropped him on the ground.

THUD 

"Ow."

As Dror slowly stood back on his feet, J continued to gaze at him, "Dror, what's with..." Her blush grew larger as she diverted her eyes, "your choice in attire?"

Dror groaned, adjusting his fake tail, "C'mon, you guys know it's Halloween, right?" He was met with silence and looks of confusion. "...Seriously? All Hallow's Eve? The spooky day? That's like the most on-brand holiday for Disassembly Drones."

N scratched his head, "It does sound a little familiar." He looked towards V but she just shrugged.

J put a hand to her chin and thought about it. From her fractured memories, she did recall Tessa celebrating something with that name. "JCJenson drones only abide by certain holidays. Sorry to say Dror but 'Halloween' isn't one of them." She then gestured to Dror's outfit, "How does that factor into this exactly?"

"It's a costume." Dror pouted, "Halloween's the best! Humans celebrate all sorts of freaky stuff for it. They do things like dressing up as monsters or fictional characters and they decorate their homes to be spooky. Treats are passed around for children and horror movies are marathoned, it's just a great time even for Worker Drones."

V couldn't help but smirk, "Sounds fun but Ms. Perfection isn't a holiday person if the company doesn't require it." 

J shot V a look as she gave it some thought, "Hmmm. Well we did score high in this past quarter so... I think we can enjoy at least one night off."

N smiled, "Really J? Thanks!"

"Yes, yes. I'm very generous," She waved it off, "Now how about you and V fetch some batteries to snack on while Dror can pick out some movies for us." She smirked at the Worker, "But I'm only allowing this as an apology for the aggression earlier."

Dror smirked, "Appreciate it boss." He turned to N and V, who noticeably got excited at the prospect of their day off. "While you two are out then, pick out some costumes. I'm not gonna be the odd one out more than I already am.

V feigned an annoyed glare but still smirked as N gave a thumbs up, both flying off into the night. Dror then turned to J, "You should probably grab something too, unless you don't want to dress up of course."

Rolling her eyes, J just reached down and plucked the JCJenson hat off of Dror's head. She neatly put it on and laughed, "Fine then. I guess tonight I'll be a crazy Worker Drone. I lost my marbles and now I'm working for our enemy."

Dror pretended to be offended before smiling, "A frightening concept, I'd be sure to stay away from a lunatic like that."

-------------------------------------------------------------

Later that night, the squad found themselves huddled together on Dror's bed and watching a movie off of his Worker Module. A bowl of batteries sat on the table in front of them, serving as an enticing snack for the drones. Going along with the Worker Drone's request, N and V had managed to scrap together some quick costumes from clothing and material they've found.

N resembled some kind of cowboy outlaw, wearing an assortment of western-style clothing paired with a red scarf and a Stetson hat. V on the other hand is wearing a crop top and skirt as basic apparel with a blonde wig over her silver hair. On her wig is a pink bow and a pair of fake antlers.

The film they're watching is a freaky sci-fi picture, involving a team of human scientists in a frozen wasteland dealing with an alien monster. N was unnerved by it, especially when the creature started to attack some dogs, but didn't voice any signs of discomfort whilst V was heavily enjoying the graphic nature of the movie. J, as she typically did with any movie she watched, kept a more muted expression and simply enjoyed watching in silence. 

Dror wasn't completely focused on the movie and rather on some personal matters. His bed wasn't all that large and only is big enough for the three Disassembly Drones, forcing him to fit on J's lap while her arms keep him from falling off. 

Eventually Dror couldn't help but speak up, "You know J, I'm perfectly fine with sitting on the floor. You don't have to-..." He's cut off as J's hold on him tightened painfully, straining his speech, "Okay, okay! I'll stay!"

As her hold loosened, V sneered at the two of them and rolled her eyes at the Worker Drone's continued ignorance. Instead she commented on the film, "So this freaky thing can disguise itself as it's prey, that's pretty useful."

N half-heartedly agreed, "Yeah, I guess that would make for a good hunting tactic."

Putting her two-cents in, J said, "Indeed. Being able to mimic your victims and lure in more prey is an enticing ability. I could do without being some freakshow though."