The first Worker rounded the corner.
Saw N.
Saw me.
Saw Uzi.
Saw the claw marks carved through three walls, the smoking crater where J had become briefly acquainted with architecture, and enough Murder Drone oil on the floor to make the corridor look like someone had murdered a printer cartridge.
His visor went blank.
Then:
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
N waved.
"Hi!"
The Worker screamed louder.
More footsteps approached.
A lot more.
Uzi slowly turned toward N.
"Stop helping."
N lowered his hand.
"Right."
The emergency sirens continued screaming overhead.
Red light pulsed across the ruined maintenance junction.
Within seconds, five Workers became fifteen.
Fifteen became thirty.
Thirty became—
Oh.
Oh, wow.
My Emotional Intuition filled with so many overlapping signals that I almost physically staggered.
Fear.
Confusion.
Shock.
Anger.
Curiosity.
More fear.
Even more confusion.
And—
Was that one guy excited?
Why was someone excited?
The crowd stopped approximately twenty feet away from us.
Nobody wanted to get closer.
Understandable.
N was still covered in oil.
One wing had been sliced open.
His coat was torn.
His visor flickered.
He looked like he'd spent the evening fist-fighting industrial machinery.
Which, technically, he had.
And he was holding a golden retriever.
Me.
The contradiction seemed to be damaging several Workers psychologically.
"Why is it holding the dog?"
"WHY IS THE MURDER DRONE INSIDE?!"
"I thought they couldn't get through the doors!"
"The doors are over THERE!"
"Then HOW DID HE GET HERE?!"
"Uzi."
Everyone looked at Uzi.
Uzi's visor flattened.
"Oh, sure. Immediately blame me."
"You brought him in!"
"He was being chased!"
"BY OTHER MURDER DRONES!"
"Yeah, that's generally how being chased works!"
"WHY ARE YOU DEFENDING IT?!"
N raised one finger.
"Him."
Every Worker flinched.
N lowered it again.
"Sorry."
One Worker lifted a metal pipe.
Another had what looked like a welding torch.
A third held—
Was that a chair leg?
I respected the commitment.
Not the tactical reasoning.
But definitely the commitment.
N noticed the improvised weapons.
His entire body went tense.
Not aggressive.
Worried.
His wings twitched.
Every Worker immediately backed away.
Somebody screamed again.
BAD.
I pushed the feeling through our bond.
N looked down at me.
Small. Calm. No weapons.
Understanding reached him.
"Oh!"
His wings folded.
Claws retracted.
Tail lowered.
He actually hunched slightly, trying to make himself seem smaller.
This did not work particularly well because he was still a tall murder robot with glowing yellow eyes and a syringe tail.
But points for effort.
"Hi," he said again.
Uzi groaned.
"N."
"Quiet hi."
"No hi."
"Okay."
The system chimed.
『 MASS EMOTIONAL RESPONSE DETECTED 』
New emotional sources: 89
Host-directed reactions:
Shock
Confusion
Curiosity
Disbelief
Harvest: +152 EP
Current EP: 1,109
One hundred fifty-two.
I blinked.
Crowds were still ridiculous.
Most of their terror was directed at N, so the system apparently didn't reward me much for it.
Good.
That would've felt a little evil.
But ninety-ish people trying to process:
Murder Drone + Dog = ???
Apparently generated excellent returns.
A Worker near the front pointed at me.
"Is the dog controlling him?"
N looked horrified.
"What?!"
Another Worker shouted:
"I heard the dog can get inside your head!"
Oh.
Fantastic.
Rumors.
Already.
"I heard it made Uzi work with the Murder Drone!"
"NO, IT DIDN'T!" Uzi snapped.
"It made HIM turn against the other ones!"
N looked at me.
Then at the crowd.
"No!"
That sounded worse.
He tried again.
"Biscuit didn't MAKE me do anything!"
Somebody muttered:
"That's exactly what a controlled person would say."
N froze.
"...Oh."
Uzi rubbed both hands down her visor.
"We are five seconds away from forming a conspiracy theory cult."
I needed to fix this.
Fast.
My Comforting Presence was already working on the nearest Workers.
I could feel it.
Not control.
Not commands.
Just pressure leaving the room.
Fear going from:
WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE
to:
WE MIGHT ALL GOING TO DIE BUT PERHAPS WE SHOULD LISTEN FIRST.
Progress.
I tried Empathic Communication.
Not toward everyone.
That would be useless.
Most of these people weren't bonded to me.
Instead, I focused on the nearest Worker.
The one holding the pipe.
Simple concepts.
Safe.
He flinched.
His pipe lowered half an inch.
I tried again.
No control.
Confusion.
Fair.
That was a complicated concept.
Friend.
He stared at me.
Then at N.
Then back at me.
"Did..."
His voice lowered.
"Did anyone else just feel something?"
Great.
That made everything worse.
"He DID get in your head!"
The Worker with the chair leg raised it.
"I KNEW IT!"
"Nobody panic!" N shouted.
Everybody panicked.
"WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?!"
"I'm BAD at crowds!"
I barked.
Loud.
Everyone stopped.
Not because I was intimidating.
Because apparently nobody expected the golden retriever to become the loudest person in the argument.
I wriggled out of N's arms.
He set me down.
I walked forward.
A dozen weapons rose.
N moved instantly.
One foot forward.
Body between me and the weapons.
His claws stayed retracted.
But the message was obvious.
You hurt him, we have a problem.
The Workers saw it too.
Fear spiked.
I nudged N's leg.
Back.
"Biscuit—"
Trust.
His visor flickered.
Reluctantly, N stepped aside.
I continued forward.
Slowly.
No running.
No sudden movements.
Just four paws.
Floppy ears.
Tail moving cautiously.
The pipe Worker stared.
I stopped several feet from him.
Sat.
Tilted my head.
The pipe lowered slightly.
"That's..."
He swallowed.
"...really a dog."
Someone behind him whispered:
"It's fluffy."
There it was.
The crack in the wall.
One Worker leaned sideways for a better look.
Another lowered a wrench.
Fear didn't disappear.
It shouldn't.
N had probably killed Workers before some of these people were even born.
But for a few seconds, they weren't looking at him.
They were looking at me.
The impossible thing.
Alive.
Breathing.
Warm.
Harmless-looking.
Mostly harmless.
My system chimed.
『 CROWD EMOTIONAL SHIFT 』
Fear remains dominant.
Curiosity increasing.
Hostile intent decreasing in immediate proximity.
Good.
Then a new voice cut through everything.
"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY DOOR SYSTEM?!"
Khan.
Uzi closed her eyes.
"Oh, perfect."
Workers parted.
Khan shoved through the crowd, moving considerably faster than someone whose primary combat philosophy was apparently Doors Solve Everything had any right to move.
Administrator Lara followed him.
Unlike Khan, Lara didn't shout.
She entered the corridor and stopped.
One scan.
That was all.
Broken vent.
Cut walls.
Oil.
Railgun damage.
Workers.
N.
Me.
Uzi.
Her expression changed exactly once.
Tiny.
But through Emotional Intuition, I felt it.
Oh, this is bad.
Then she locked it away.
Khan did not.
"UZI!"
"Dad—"
He grabbed her shoulders.
"Are you hurt?"
Uzi blinked.
"What?"
"Are. You. Hurt?"
"No."
Khan turned her around.
Checked her arms.
Her head.
Her torso.
"Dad!"
"You're sure?"
"I'm fine!"
Then Khan hugged her.
Uzi went rigid.
The entire crowd went quiet.
"...Dad."
"You went missing."
His voice was smaller now.
"You went outside."
Uzi stopped fighting the hug.
"And then the alarms went off, and half the maintenance system stopped responding, and somebody reported TWO Disassembly Drones inside the bunker—"
He pulled back.
His visor sharpened.
"—AND NOW THERE'S A THIRD ONE STANDING RIGHT THERE."
N waved.
"Hi."
Uzi spun.
"I TOLD YOU."
"Sorry!"
Khan pointed at him.
"You."
N looked behind himself.
"...Me?"
"YES, YOU!"
"Oh."
Khan marched forward.
N actually stepped backward.
"You attacked my daughter!"
N's visor flickered.
"Yes."
"You stabbed her!"
"Yes."
"You chased her!"
"Yes."
"You—"
"He saved me."
Khan stopped.
Uzi stepped between them.
"He saved both of us."
Khan stared at her.
"Uzi."
"J and V got inside through the old maintenance ventilation network."
Lara's attention sharpened immediately.
"They breached the ventilation?"
"Yeah."
"They weren't supposed to know those access routes."
N raised one hand.
"We're really good at finding entrances."
Everyone looked at him.
N lowered the hand.
"...Sorry."
Uzi pointed at the wrecked hallway.
"They came for Biscuit."
Khan looked at me.
"Why?"
"Because J figured out he's not normal."
I barked once.
Rude.
Accurate.
But rude.
"She realized he can communicate," Uzi continued. "And that he's getting faster."
Lara's eyes moved to me.
Wonderful.
There was the science look again.
"N fought them."
Khan looked back.
Uzi continued.
"Not fake fought. Not 'maybe he's secretly working for them' fought."
Her voice hardened.
"He turned on J."
Silence.
Several Workers looked toward N.
N lowered his head slightly.
"He protected the bunker," Uzi said.
Then she added:
"And me."
Khan didn't answer.
That one hurt his argument.
Lara stepped toward the ruined vent.
"J and V escaped?"
N nodded.
"Yeah."
"Condition?"
"J took a railgun hit."
Uzi's posture immediately became smug.
N smiled.
"It was REALLY good."
"Thank you."
Khan groaned.
"Please stop bonding over shooting each other."
N pointed at his chest.
"Technically she shot J this time."
"NOT BETTER!"
Lara examined the claw marks.
"Will they return?"
N didn't answer immediately.
That silenced everyone faster than shouting could.
His emotions shifted.
Anxiety.
Guilt.
Certainty.
"Yes."
The word landed heavily.
One Worker stepped backward.
Then another.
Lara turned.
"When?"
N shook his head.
"I don't know."
"With anyone else?"
Another hesitation.
"I don't know."
That answer was worse.
J was organized.
Proud.
Vindictive.
She had just been humiliated by a Worker Drone teenager, her own subordinate, and a dog.
She was absolutely not going to spend tomorrow practicing forgiveness.
"She might come back alone," N said.
His voice stayed quiet.
"She might bring V."
Pause.
"She might find someone else."
Workers began whispering.
Fear climbed.
I felt the whole corridor tipping toward panic again.
Someone shouted:
"We need to throw him OUT!"
N flinched.
"If he's gone, they'll stop coming!"
"Give them the dog too!"
N's head snapped up.
Claws came halfway out.
The room froze.
There.
That was dangerous.
Not because N intended to kill anyone.
Because everyone immediately saw that he could.
I sent:
N.
His claws stopped.
Me safe.
He looked at me.
No threat.
Slowly—
slowly—
the claws retracted.
But the damage was done.
The crowd had seen his instinct.
Protect me first.
Everything else second.
Lara stepped between both sides.
"Enough."
Nobody listened.
"You let that thing stay here and we're dead!"
"We're already dead!"
"J knows the bunker!"
"Uzi brought this on us!"
"Why are we trusting her?!"
"She destroyed part of the hallway!"
"That was the OTHER Murder Drones!"
"Because she went OUTSIDE!"
"ENOUGH!"
Lara slammed one hand against the wall.
BANG.
Silence.
She looked across the Workers.
Not angry.
Commanding.
"The breach exists."
Nobody spoke.
"The hostile Disassembly Drones know at least one access route."
She pointed toward N.
"And the Disassembly Drone standing here is the reason both of them left instead of continuing deeper into this facility."
A Worker called:
"How do we know he won't turn on us?"
"We don't."
N looked down.
The Worker seemed surprised.
Lara continued.
"We also don't know whether J and V would leave us alone if we expelled him."
Khan's expression tightened.
"We don't know whether surrendering the biological organism would satisfy them."
She looked at me.
"Or make the problem substantially worse."
The crowd remained quiet.
"So we will not make life-or-death decisions while frightened people shout theories at each other in a damaged corridor."
She turned toward several WDF members.
"Seal this junction."
They straightened.
"Inspect every maintenance vent connected to the surface. I want physical barriers installed, not software locks."
"Yes, Administrator."
"Double observation at every outer entrance."
Another nod.
"And nobody approaches N without authorization."
Several Workers looked relieved.
N looked less so.
Lara added:
"That rule protects both sides."
Better.
Then she looked at Khan.
"Your daughter."
Khan crossed his arms.
"I know."
"Uzi."
Uzi looked offended.
"What did I do now?"
"N."
He straightened.
"Yep!"
Lara's eyes found me.
"And Biscuit."
I sneezed.
"Office."
Lara's office had been uncomfortable before.
Now it felt like somebody had attempted to stuff an entire war council into a broom cupboard.
Khan stood near the door.
Uzi sat on the desk despite Lara clearly not approving of this.
N remained as far from Khan as physically possible.
I sat between N's boots.
Lara stayed behind her desk.
For several seconds—
silence.
Then:
"Start over."
Uzi groaned.
"Again?"
"From the moment you exited the bunker."
"But—"
"Every detail."
Uzi looked at N.
N looked at me.
I sat down.
This was going to take a while.
It did.
Uzi explained finding me.
N explained attacking Uzi.
Khan became furious again.
Uzi explained shooting N's head off.
Khan became confused.
N complimented her shot.
Khan became furious for entirely new reasons.
They explained the nanite acid.
N healing her.
Meeting J and V.
J's reaction.
N's decision.
The chase.
The bunker.
Then our second encounter in the maintenance level.
When they finished, Lara leaned back.
Her gaze settled on N.
"You deliberately attacked your squad leader."
N nodded.
"You refused an explicit order."
Another nod.
"You assisted Worker Drones."
"Yes."
"You endangered your own survival."
N's smile weakened.
"...Yes."
"Why?"
N looked down at me.
Everyone did.
Oh boy.
Here we go.
"Because..."
N hesitated.
"For a long time, I thought I was doing what I was supposed to."
No cheerfulness now.
"I was told Workers were dangerous."
Uzi's expression tightened.
N noticed.
"I know."
His voice softened.
"I know how that sounds."
He looked at his hands.
"I was told we were helping the company. That our job mattered."
His fingers curled.
"J was good at it."
Khan muttered:
"Murder."
N flinched.
"Yeah."
He didn't defend it.
That mattered.
"V was good at it."
Another pause.
"And I..."
His shoulders lowered.
"...wasn't."
Lara watched quietly.
"I thought that meant there was something wrong with me."
Something tightened in my chest.
"J said I was useless a lot."
Uzi's visor narrowed.
N continued before she could interrupt.
"So I tried harder."
His voice shook.
"Because if I got better at what I was supposed to do, maybe she'd stop being disappointed."
No one spoke.
Not even Khan.
"Then I saw Biscuit."
N looked at me.
His emotional signature exploded with warmth.
"And for the first time, I wanted something that wasn't an order."
My ears lifted.
"I wanted him safe."
He smiled faintly.
"Then Uzi was there."
Uzi stiffened.
"And she was annoying."
"Bite me."
"Very."
"Better."
"But she was scared."
N's smile vanished.
"And I realized..."
His eyes dimmed.
"I'd been making people feel like that for years."
There it was.
Not mind control.
Not magic dog brainwashing.
Recognition.
"I didn't suddenly become someone else."
His hand rested against my back.
"I think Biscuit just made it harder to pretend I already liked who I was."
The system chimed softly.
『 SIGNIFICANT EMOTIONAL HARVEST 』
N
Gratitude
Love
Vulnerability
Self-awareness
+98 EP
Current EP: 1,207
I barely looked at the number.
Lara did not know it existed.
Good.
She was staring at N.
Studying him.
Not as a weapon.
As a person.
"So Biscuit did not force you to defect."
"No."
"Has he ever forced you to do anything?"
N immediately said:
"No."
Then paused.
"He did make me stop calling Uzi small."
Uzi leaned forward.
"He did WHAT?"
I stared at N.
You traitor.
"I mean emotionally!"
"THE DOG TOOK MY SIDE?"
I projected:
Small.
Uzi's mouth dropped open.
Khan snorted.
Everyone looked at him.
He immediately coughed.
"Serious meeting."
Lara's gaze moved to me.
"You understood that conversation."
I nodded.
Lara went still.
Khan stared.
Uzi smiled.
N practically vibrated.
"He does that!"
Lara leaned forward.
"Biscuit."
Uh-oh.
"If you understand me, can you deliberately communicate?"
I looked at N.
Then Uzi.
Then Lara.
Her bond was weak.
Possible.
Not easy.
I concentrated.
Understand.
Lara's eyes flickered.
I pushed harder.
Friend.
She inhaled sharply.
No control.
That one blurred.
The idea arrived more like:
No force. Choice stays choice.
Lara froze.
Good.
She got it.
"You aren't overriding emotional responses."
I wagged.
"You're communicating through them."
Another wag.
"And the calming effect?"
I considered.
That was more complicated.
Comforting Presence really did change emotional intensity.
But it didn't create loyalty.
Didn't replace choices.
I sent:
Calm. Not obey.
Lara processed.
"Reduce anxiety."
Tail wag.
"But not decision-making."
Another wag.
Khan crossed his arms.
"So the dog is psychic."
Uzi shrugged.
"Apparently."
N smiled.
"Psychic GOOD BOY."
I sent:
Stop.
N gasped.
"He told me to stop."
Uzi laughed.
"He's learning."
Lara ignored them.
Her attention remained on me.
"You know you're unusual."
I stared.
Lady.
I was a golden retriever with a supernatural video-game interface.
Yes.
She did not need an answer.
"Good."
Lara leaned back.
"Then we're going to establish rules."
N's posture tightened.
"No experiments."
"I didn't say experiments."
"No needles."
"No needles."
"No cages."
"No cages."
"No—"
"N."
He stopped.
Lara looked at me.
"Non-invasive examination only, if Biscuit cooperates."
Reasonable.
"Temperature."
Fine.
"Physical condition."
Fine.
"Basic environmental tolerances."
Still fine.
"Fur sample."
I looked at my coat.
I was currently shedding enough to donate half a dog without noticing.
Fine.
N looked down.
"Are you okay with that?"
I wagged once.
N relaxed.
Khan looked between us.
"I cannot believe I'm watching a Murder Drone ask a dog for medical consent."
Uzi shrugged.
"Character development."
Then Lara opened the bunker schematics.
Mood ruined.
"We have a security problem."
No kidding.
The hologram displayed the bunker.
Highlighted ventilation routes spread through the structure like veins.
Way too many reached outer maintenance structures.
Khan stared.
"Those were sealed."
"They were sealed electronically," Lara said.
N looked uncomfortable.
"Yeah..."
Everyone looked at him.
"Locks don't really stop us."
Khan made a sound of deep personal betrayal.
"I BUILT A CAREER ON LOCKS."
Uzi patted his arm.
"Maybe diversify."
He glared.
Lara expanded the diagram.
"We install physical barriers."
N pointed.
"Don't put them here."
Lara looked.
"Why?"
"That shaft's wide."
"So?"
"We can cut around it."
He pointed somewhere else.
"And this wall's thin."
Another.
"That service door opens outward."
Another.
"And this section has pipes behind the wall."
Uzi stared at him.
"How do you know all that?"
N blinked.
"We've been trying to get inside for years."
Silence.
"Oh."
Khan slowly sat down.
His entire worldview had just taken a beating.
Lara looked fascinated.
"You attempted to breach the bunker previously."
"Lots!"
N smiled.
"J had diagrams."
Khan's head snapped up.
"DIAGRAMS?"
"Very organized."
"N."
"Sorry."
Lara began marking every weakness N identified.
Within minutes, half the bunker schematic was red.
That was... concerning.
Uzi stared.
"We've basically been living inside a tin can with stickers over the holes."
Khan looked wounded.
"They were very good doors."
"Doors were not the problem, Dad."
"This feels targeted."
I walked closer to the hologram.
One thing bothered me.
J.
She knew N.
She knew Uzi's gun.
She knew me now.
Next time she'd plan around all three.
I projected toward N.
J learns.
N's smile disappeared.
"Yeah."
Everyone looked.
He pointed toward the display.
"Biscuit's reminding me J learns fast."
Lara nodded.
"Meaning?"
"The same trick won't work twice."
Uzi frowned.
"My railgun absolutely works twice."
"Not if J knows where you're aiming."
"...Okay, rude."
"She knows my fighting style."
N continued.
"She knows Biscuit can sense emotions."
That one was bad.
"And after tonight, she'll know we expect another vent attack."
Lara crossed her arms.
"So she chooses somewhere else."
N nodded.
"Probably."
Khan asked the obvious question.
"What does she want?"
N's eyes moved toward me.
"Biscuit."
My tail stopped.
"And me."
He lowered his head.
"Probably Uzi too."
Uzi smiled.
"Aww."
Khan stared at her.
"What is wrong with you?"
"A lot."
Fair.
Lara looked toward the map.
"Then we need information."
Uzi nodded.
"About J."
"About V."
N added:
"The pod."
That got everyone's attention.
Khan blinked.
"The what?"
"Our landing pod."
N brightened slightly.
"It's where we stay!"
Uzi folded her arms.
"The corpse tower."
N's brightness died.
"...Yeah."
Lara's eyes narrowed.
"What resources are there?"
N began counting.
"Repair equipment."
One finger.
"Power."
Second.
"Communication systems."
Third.
"Spare parts."
Fourth.
"Some weapons."
Fifth.
"And J's files."
Lara froze.
"What files?"
"Mission stuff."
N shrugged.
"Reports."
Uzi stepped forward.
"Reports on the bunker?"
"Probably."
"On Worker patrol patterns?"
"Probably."
"On Murder Drone operations?"
"Definitely."
Lara's expression sharpened.
"Can you access them?"
N hesitated.
"Maybe."
That was enough.
"Then eventually," Lara said, "we investigate the pod."
Khan immediately objected.
"We are not attacking Murder Drones outside."
"I said investigate."
"You were thinking attack."
"I was considering possibilities."
"That's administrator language for thinking attack."
Uzi leaned toward N.
"They do this a lot?"
"Apparently."
I studied the map.
The pod could be useful.
Also horrifying.
J and V lived there.
Walking into their home would be the equivalent of sticking one's head into a lion enclosure while wearing steak-scented shampoo.
Scout first.
I projected.
N translated.
"Biscuit says scout first."
Lara nodded.
"Agreed."
Khan stared at me.
"The dog has more restraint than everyone else in this room."
Uzi pointed at him.
"Don't get comfortable."
The meeting lasted another hour.
Maybe two.
Time became meaningless.
There were maps.
Routes.
Arguments.
Uzi wanted more railgun batteries.
Khan wanted more doors.
Lara wanted information.
N wanted everyone to survive.
I wanted food.
That last problem was becoming noticeable.
My stomach growled.
The entire room stopped.
N looked horrified.
"Biscuit."
Oh no.
"When did you last eat?"
Everyone looked at me.
I thought back.
Human life.
Groceries.
Banana peel.
Death.
Copper-9.
...
Oh.
N's visor went enormous.
"YOU HAVEN'T EATEN."
Uzi straightened.
"Wait."
She looked at me.
"Can dogs eat oil?"
I stared.
"No," Lara said.
"Good. Checking."
N lifted me.
"We need DOG FOOD."
Khan blinked.
"Where exactly do you think we're going to find dog food on a planet where dogs have been extinct for decades?"
N froze.
His emotional state collapsed.
"But..."
His voice went tiny.
"...Biscuit needs food."
And there it was.
New crisis.
Not J.
Not V.
Not bunker defenses.
Kibble.
Lara activated another screen.
"Old colony databases should contain nutritional information."
N brightened.
"So we can MAKE food?"
"Possibly synthesize something biologically compatible."
"YOU'RE AMAZING."
Lara looked briefly uncomfortable with praise.
Uzi grinned.
"Careful, Administrator. He's adopting you."
"He is not."
N gasped.
"Can I?"
"No."
"Okay!"
By the time we finally left Lara's office, the bunker had calmed.
Not accepted us.
Calmed.
Important difference.
Workers still stared at N.
Some moved to the opposite side of corridors.
Some disappeared through doors as soon as he approached.
One Worker saw him and simply turned around.
No words.
No expression.
Just:
Nope.
Understandable.
But nobody screamed.
Progress.
We eventually reached the residential sector.
N stopped walking.
His head tilted.
"This isn't the storage room from before."
Uzi opened a door.
"Because Lara moved you."
N stared inside.
The room was still simple.
Bare walls.
Charging outlet.
Storage shelves.
One maintenance table.
Nothing fancy.
But it was larger.
Cleaner.
Near Uzi's quarters.
N stepped inside.
Slowly.
"This is..."
His voice changed.
"...mine?"
Uzi leaned against the doorway.
"Temporarily."
"Mine temporarily."
"Don't make it weird."
N walked to the wall.
Touched it.
Then another.
He examined the charging connection.
The shelves.
The empty floor.
There wasn't anything there.
That was what made his reaction hurt.
Because to N—
empty space was apparently a luxury.
"I've never had a room."
Uzi's sarcasm disappeared.
"The pod doesn't count?"
N shook his head.
"We all stay together."
"J doesn't let you have your own space?"
"She says personal space reduces operational efficiency."
Uzi stared.
"Your boss sucks."
N laughed.
A little.
"Yeah."
Then stopped.
Like he had surprised himself.
"I guess she does."
I walked into the room.
Sniffed one corner.
Then another.
No danger.
No Murder Drone scent besides N.
No obvious access except the door and one small vent far too narrow for J or V.
Good.
I walked to the center.
Turned once.
Sat.
N watched me.
I sent:
Home.
His face went still.
Not room.
Not storage.
Not temporary allocation.
Home.
I pushed again.
Safe.
Then:
Yours.
N's visor flickered.
"Home."
His voice cracked slightly.
Uzi looked away.
Probably pretending not to notice.
"I never..."
N sat beside me.
"I never picked where I lived before."
His hand rested against my head.
"The manor wasn't mine."
I didn't know what manor meant.
Interesting.
File that away.
"The pod wasn't mine."
He looked at the empty walls.
"But I chose this."
Uzi corrected:
"Lara assigned it."
N looked at her.
"I chose to stay."
Uzi stopped.
Yeah.
That was different.
N smiled.
Small.
Real.
"And you two are here."
I leaned against him.
Uzi remained in the doorway.
N looked at her.
"So..."
He patted the floor.
Uzi stared.
"No."
"Okay!"
I looked at her.
Pack.
Her visor narrowed.
"Don't."
I wagged.
"You are weaponizing that word."
Wag.
Uzi sighed.
Then entered.
She sat against the opposite wall.
"Five minutes."
N brightened.
"PACK ROOM!"
"No."
"PACK ROOM."
"N."
"We need a sign!"
"No."
"Biscuit-shaped sign!"
"No."
"WITH LIGHTS."
"Absolutely not."
I sent:
Lights.
Uzi pointed at me.
"Traitor."
N laughed.
The system appeared.
『 BONDING EVENT DETECTED 』
N
Gratitude — 34 EP
Belonging — 28 EP
Love — 42 EP
Uzi
Acceptance — 24 EP
Warmth — 18 EP
Friendship — 22 EP
TOTAL: +168 EP
Current EP: 1,375
Lifetime EP Accumulated: 1,865
One thousand three hundred seventy-five spendable points.
That was a lot.
Enough for Protective Instinct.
Pack Synthesis.
Durability.
Emotional Resonance.
Several combinations.
Power.
Actual power.
Twenty-eight hours ago, I'd been a human being losing a fight with fruit.
Now I had enough supernatural currency to potentially make myself dangerous.
I should've opened the menu.
I didn't.
N was scratching behind my ears.
Uzi had found a loose piece of metal and was already sketching possible improvements to my new food synthesizer.
Outside this room, Workers were afraid.
Khan didn't trust N.
Lara didn't trust me completely.
J and V were alive.
Angry.
Planning.
And somewhere on this planet was a Murder Drone pod containing information that could change everything.
Tomorrow would be complicated.
Tomorrow would involve explanations.
Plans.
Rumors.
Probably yelling.
Definitely yelling.
But tonight—
I had a room.
Or N had a room.
Pack room.
Whatever.
I curled against his side.
N lowered himself carefully to the floor.
Uzi stood.
"Okay. I'm leaving before he starts crying."
"I'm not crying!"
"You don't have tear ducts."
"Exactly!"
"That makes it worse somehow."
She reached the doorway.
Stopped.
Looked back.
At N.
Then me.
Her voice softened.
"Goodnight, Biscuit."
I wagged.
She looked at N.
Longer hesitation.
"...Night, N."
N's entire face lit up.
"GOODNIGHT UZI!"
"Indoor voice!"
"Sorry!"
She closed the door.
N remained smiling at it.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
I was a dog, not blind.
N looked down at me.
"What?"
I sent:
Nothing.
Suspicion.
"Biscuit."
Nothing.
"You did the smug feeling."
I rolled onto my side.
N gasped.
"Don't avoid the question with belly rub positioning!"
I exposed more belly.
N lasted approximately half a second.
"WHO'S A GOOD BOY?!"
Victory.
His hands descended.
And as the bunker's artificial lights dimmed, the system opened one final time.
『 END OF DAY STATUS 』
Current EP: 1,375
Lifetime EP: 1,865
Active Enhancements
Empathic Communication I
Emotional Intuition I
Comforting Presence I
Agility I
Speed I
Bonds
N — PROFOUND
Deep trust, loyalty, attachment, effective empathic communication.
Uzi — STRONG
Growing friendship, mutual protection, effective empathic communication.
Administrator Lara — DEVELOPING
Cautious trust, strategic respect, intense curiosity.
Current Threats
J remains hostile.
V remains hostile.
Both know Biscuit possesses anomalous capabilities.
At least one bunker infiltration route has been compromised.
Possibility of additional hostile contacts: UNKNOWN.
Current Objectives
Secure bunker access points.
Learn more about the Murder Drone pod.
Help N earn Worker trust.
Determine sustainable biological food source.
Do not die.
I stared at number five.
Still there.
Apparently the system had commitment.
Then another message appeared.
『 UPCOMING SOCIAL EVENT DETECTED 』
Bunker population requires explanation.
Probability of argument:
99.7%
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
Tomorrow I was going to attend a town meeting.
As a psychic golden retriever.
With a Murder Drone.
Because apparently death had not freed me from meetings.
Cruel.
Absolutely cruel.
END CHAPTER 5