Orced hadn't turned in for bed.
Though the kitchen light was off, string lights Orced had hung across the ceiling softly, multicoloredly illuminated the counters. He crossed his arms and gazed at the same faraway red flash he had seen before standing by the window once more.
It had not changed. It simply hung there, constant, like it was waiting for him to notice it.
He leaned his head a little. Once more the crimson dot mirrored in his eyes sharpened this time.
"What the actual fuck is that tiny thing?" he mumbled under his breath
He quietly went to the corner cabinet, the one they kept extra tools and trash in.
He took out a little black case, Ema's emergency drone catcher set.
Inside was a short-range EMP pulse weapon, a collapsible net launcher, and a weighted-edged high-tensile carbon-fiber net.
Ema had created it three months ago following a Hedonas scout drone buzzing them on a training run.
With seasoned simplicity, Orced opened the launcher. Though more than enough, it was small and capable of 8000 meters. He stepped back to the window after loading the net cartridge and verifying the EMP charge.
The red light stayed unchanging.
He opened the window just wide enough, pointed precisely, and fired.
With a gentle thwip, the net was released. It spread mid-flight into a broad web, arcing across the night sky in an exact parabola. The weights hit the drone's rotors exactly. The tiny device twitched once and then began to spin madly as the net knotted its propellers.
Alarms rang out in the Hedonas command center. Jellal leapt up from his chair. "It has been caught. Height sinking, someone literally pulled it down!"
Meha leaned over the console, his fingers flying over the controls. "Ascend in an emergency! To rotors, total power!"
Darkas stood behind them with arms folded. "Too late. He already have it."
The drone battled heroically on the island. It tried to climb, but its motors whined as the net was too strong and the weights too heavy.
It fell yet another hundred meters before Orced calmly reached out with one hand and snatched the trailing line.
The drone stopped abruptly inches from his palm.
Like he was reeling in a fish, he tugged it into the window, laid it lightly on the counter, and switched on the kitchen light.
The camera lens of the drone whirred and zeroed in on him
Red light flashed fast: panic mode. Orced bent down until his face took up the lens.
"Hey there! All day you have been observing us. Who sent this crap? What exactly do you want?"
Certainly no response. Only the flashing red light and the weak hum of straining motors. Orced tilted head. "So.. no response? Fine. I should assume, you're Hedonas, aren't you? You guys adore your surveillance. Y'all robably grew inquisitive after seeing us remove that C-class yesterday"
With one finger, he gave the drone's casing a gentle tap. "It's not that I'm mad. I'm just really curious. For a scout unit, you are rather sophisticated. Or maybe someone spent cash on you."
Jellal looked pale in the command room. "He is conversing with it. He knows it's us."
Meha clenched his jaw. "Cut the feed now, NOW!"
Darkas gestured with a hand. "Not yet, just let it run. We have to observe his actions."
Orced got upright. "You know what? I intend to retain this. We can discuss more tomorrow once the others are awake. Perhaps Ema could dismantle this to find out what motivates you. He likes this kind of stuff."
He grabbed for the EMP device, thumb poised over the button.
One last time the rotors of the drone turned wildly. Orced pushed the button.
A gentle pop. Only ozone's faint scent. The red light flashed once, twice, then faded. The drone slumped, cameras dark and propeller still.
Opening a drawer, he grabbed an antique padded tool case, settled the drone inside as if it were delicate china, then secured it. Behind a stack of cleaning supplies, he slipped the case beneath the sink cabinet.
He remarked to the empty kitchen tomorrow. We will determine your actual activities here.
He turned off the string lights and left the kitchen dark.
The island was once more calm, only the wind singing through the guardrails.
Orced went to his room, stopped at the threshold, and peered back once toward the window.
Now there were no clouds in the sky.
September 15, 2034. Sky Boys Island, morning.
When the kitchen smelled burnt toast and instant coffee, the sun was just up and painting the clouds below in gentle pinks and oranges.
Macker and Nix had agreed to prepare breakfast following a very rapid rock-paper-scissors game volunteer.
The remaining members of the group were arriving steadily, still half-asleep, hair disarranged, clothes wrinkled from sleeping bags.
Orced was already seated at the table with the padded tool case open in front of him. Like a sleeping insect, the caught drone sat inside with limp propellers and dead red light. For the past hour he had been simply gazing at it, turning it over in his hands searching for markings, serial numbers, anything.
Rubbing his eyes, Kruna walked in first. "Let me guess, you did not get any sleep at all, did you?"
Orced neglected to search. "Just a little bit. Last night, I saw this rogue object hanging beyond the window. Netted it Ema's set."
Kruna's brows shot up. "You really caught it? Thought that was only Ema's neurotic pastime activity."
Aftor came next, his knife already instinctively in hand and her hair still wet from a fast shower. "I just don't get it. Which toy are we talking about here?"
Ema trailed close behind him, still clad in his big sleep shirt, eyes open wide the instant he spotted the drone. "Holy fucking shit. That's a Hedonas Mark-VII stealth scout. It's actually expensive. They won't use those unless they're extremely inquisitive."
Orced gazed up at him. "You understand what model is this?"
Ema sat down and bent across the case. "Last year, while we were evading patrols, I researched their public specs. This device has rotors for noise cancellation, 4K thermal, and encoded quantum feed. Most radar is invisible. You acquired this?"
Orced gave a shrug. "Your set was just perfect. EMP completed it. No more red dot blinking, thank god it was just so annoying."
Kruna crossed his arms. "Hedonas... I mean they may have become irritable yesterday after seeing us remove that C-class. Seven S-class potentials on a forgotten island? For them, that must be a warning sign."
Aftor perched on the table edge, his legs swinging.
"The question is, for how long have they been watching? I mean, what is this pattern? For routine monitoring, they do not send Mark-VIIs. This is for targets with a high threat level.
Ema tapped the drone's casing softly. "If you want, I can try some data chip cracking. Could contain flight route, who was getting the feed, logs. Still, it will need time. Nix, the hardware nut, would be better at it."
Orced agreed. "We could wait for him.
Breakfast first tho. There is no reason to plan on an empty stomach."
From the stove, Macker's voice rang out. "Breakfast is almost... SHIT!"