NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 14: Progress.
September 2184. Bunker 00. Topside.
The entrance of Bunker 00 was a hive of activity. SEAF soldiers and engineers rushed out of the Pelicans as soon as the ramps hit the ground. Supplies and equipment were unloaded in rapid succession before the craft took off again. The Liberty Fabricator, one of the first units to be deployed, stood tall among the chaos. It was reverse-engineered from Automaton Fabricators scavenged from battlefields, but unlike its deadly counterparts, the Liberty produced vital supplies and materials, accelerating the construction of colonies on newly settled worlds. As the lights flickered on, the engineers sprang into action.
Jason stood atop an APC, observing the commotion, though his mind drifted to the graves he'd passed and the gruesome tales he'd heard. His reasons for being here were many. First, he needed to gain the trust of the drones, easing the tension between them and the human soldiers. This bunker, he knew, could serve as a strategic base—far better than relying solely on the Super Destroyer. And, in the long term, winning over the drones could prove invaluable for Super Earth and its people.
"This won't be easy," he muttered under his breath.
But his thoughts kept circling back to Super Earth itself. How would its people react to the drones? And worse, how would the government handle this revelation? After months of brutal warfare against sentient machines, machines that butchered both military and civilians without a shred of remorse, the situation felt... delicate. The memory of the bioprocessor—cold, mechanical, reducing human bodies to raw material—lingered in his mind, a chilling reminder of the enemy's cruelty.
"Sir, got a moment?"
A voice interrupted his grim reflection. One of the SEAF soldiers had approached, stepping around the APC.
"What is it?"
"Seeing as you've been in contact with the drones the most, the men are uneasy. We can't work with live power, and we did a sweep of the front sections. It's a damn miracle the door is still functioning. Could you talk to the drones about shutting down the power in certain sections of the bunker?"
Jason nodded. "I'll speak to one of them, and see what can be done."
He strode towards a group of worker drones. Each one was distinct in design and clothing—some even had hair, a bizarre feature for machines. They regarded him cautiously, maintaining their distance, as per the orders of the combat drones.
"Excuse me," Jason called out, "can one of you get the drone in charge of bunker maintenance?"
The group exchanged glances, clearly hesitant. Finally, one drone stepped forward.
"That would be Khan. He's been keeping the doors functional and handles most maintenance."
"Where can I find him?"
The drone shook its head. "Not sure, but his daughter, Uzi, might know. She's usually tinkering with weapons or in her room."
Jason blinked. "Daughter? You mean a family?"
"Yeah, that's the right word, isn't it?"
Jason had more questions now, but he buried them for later. "Could someone take me to her?"
One of the drones gestured for him to follow. As they passed through the bunker's towering doors, the two disappeared into its shadowy depths.
Bunker 00. Armory.
The armory was a far cry from the fully stocked arsenals it was used to. Most weapons were salvaged from the ruins and kept functional by sheer necessity. With limited parts and no major production lines, the drones had learned to make do. Combat drones had built-in melee weapons, but for the worker drones who sometimes ventured into the dangerous ruins, makeshift arms were a must. A small team was dedicated to keeping the equipment operational.
For Uzi, this was where she felt most at home. While she considered N and V her friends, she still felt like an outsider, often clashing with the Bunker's leadership. One persistent disagreement was about the Steel Terror—a monstrous machine that terrorized salvage teams. She had insisted they hunt it down and destroy it, but no one had listened. That changed with humanity's arrival. The humans had done what the drones couldn't.
Leaning over her workbench, Uzi fiddled with the weapon she'd been perfecting for over a year. It was a prototype energy rifle, salvaged during a recent run. The biggest issue? A debilitating cooldown that left it useless for thirty minutes after firing a single shot—an eternity in a fight for survival.
"Uzi, you should take a break," a voice said from across the armory.
She didn't bother turning. "I'm fine. You all worry too much. Just because the humans are here doesn't mean we can slack off."
"That's not the point," the drone pressed, stepping closer. "You're always here. After every salvage run, you just work and work."
She sighed in irritation. "And what's wrong with that? Something always needs fixing."
Before the argument could escalate, the rusted armory door groaned open. A worker drone entered, followed by Jason, who stepped into the dimly lit room.
"Uzi, the human here needs to see you."
Jason gave a short nod. "Name's Jason."
Uzi's violet eyes locked onto him. "What do you want?"
"I need to speak with your father. We need to shut down power to parts of the bunker so my men can work. He's the one to help with that."
She crossed her arms. "He mostly works on the doors, but he can help. I'll take you to him."
Jason could sense Uzi's reluctance, but he followed her without further comment.
As they moved deeper into the bunker, Uzi broke the silence. "Why are you humans back here anyway?"
"What was supposed to be a simple salvage operation turned into something far bigger. None of us expected to speak with sentient machines that weren't trying to kill us. We've been at war with the Automatons for a year now. They show no mercy."
"That… sounds horrible," Uzi muttered, casting a sideways glance at him.
Jason's thoughts drifted briefly to memories he preferred to keep buried: the Automatons' cold steel, their relentless march, their chilling chants that echoed through the trenches.
"Heart. Steel. We. Kill. Iron. Will. Onto War."
Shaking off the dark thoughts, he looked back at Uzi. "Why do they call Khan your father? Did he build you?"
Uzi's expression hardened. "Something like that. I don't like to talk about it."
Jason didn't press. They soon reached a door that stood in surprisingly good condition compared to the rest of the bunker.
"This is his office," Uzi said tersely. "I'm heading back."
"Thank you for bringing me here," Jason called after her, but Uzi had already turned away, her steps echoing down the hall. Whether or not she heard him was unclear. Shaking his head, he turned back to the door, gripping the handle before stepping inside.
It was immediately apparent that this was an office, even before the drones had fully entered. Khan, seated behind a cluttered desk strewn with papers, looked up, his optics flickering with surprise at the sight of Jason.
"Oh, so it's true—humans have returned. I never thought I'd see the day."
Jason's gaze swept across the room before settling on Khan. "I didn't expect to find any life left here, let alone sentient machines that aren't trying to kill me."
Khan chuckled, sliding the papers aside. "Might I ask why you've come?"
"We need access to certain sections of the bunker to cut off power. We're working on it as a priority, but we need to know which systems can safely remain active without disrupting others."
Khan leaned back, then stood up from his chair. "I mainly maintain the doors around this place, keep them functioning, but I do have authority over some of the bunker's systems. If you're serious about this, follow me—I'll show you and your team which areas we can afford to shut down."
Jason nodded. "Lead the way."
The two left the office, stepping back into the corridor. Outside, something larger was already unfolding.
Bunker 00, Near the Main Door
As news of the first human landing spread, a murmur passed through the worker drones and combat units. Several of them had gathered near the main door, staying at a distance, observing. N crouched behind a crate, keeping watch with others, his optics flickering faintly. They had orders not to engage—only observe—but nobody said they couldn't watch.
"So... those are humans," one of the drones muttered, shifting slightly. "Less terrifying than I imagined."
Another drone, its yellow optics sharp with frustration, glanced over with a scowl. "If you knew what they're capable of doing to their own, you'd think twice before calling them 'less terrifying.' And why are they here now, after all this time? We sent out SOS signals for years before the systems started failing. Now they just show up?"
A nearby worker drone hesitated, then chimed in, "I overheard them talking... They're at war. It's ugly—sounds like it's the reason they're even here."
N remained silent for a moment, processing. "I'm grateful to them. They might be more helpful to us than you think."
The others turned to him, skepticism in their optics. "You serious?"
N nodded. "Yeah. Look, I know what happened was awful. I was buried under rubble during one of their bombardments—if V hadn't pulled me out, I wouldn't be here. But just recently, they saved me, V, and Uzi. They took down the Steel Terror."
That revelation hit hard. The drones exchanged uneasy glances. The Steel Terror had been a nightmare, haunting their salvage operations for five long years.
"They... killed it?" one of them asked, disbelief creeping into their voice.
"They took it down," N confirmed. "Effortlessly. We tried everything, but they just wiped it out."
"And now they're helping?" The drone with yellow optics seemed unconvinced, optics narrowing. "Even if that's true, it doesn't erase what they've done. We lost so much—so many humans who stayed behind died helping us after the bombardment. It'll take more than one act of goodwill to change that."
N nodded solemnly. "I'm not saying you should trust them overnight. It'll take time—maybe a long time. But I'm curious about where this could lead."
The group fell silent, considering his words. One of the worker drones, eager to shift the conversation, asked, "What do you think their home is like?"
The change in topic was welcome. "I bet it's better than this wasteland," someone answered. "They've got entire worlds under their control, or at least they did."
"You think they'll include us in that?"
"Maybe," another drone mused. "They've got technology that could probably fix the damage here. I've just never seen it used."
The conversation trailed off, uncertainty filling the air. For N, however, it wasn't enough to just watch and wait. He wanted to do more. But for now, all they could do was observe as the humans worked, their presence a silent force in the desolate bunker.
It was going to be a long night.
Edited thanks to ELE73CH.