Mattanator9

I turned off my projection, slipping into a quicker, less conspicuous form. The drone floated silently through the shadows, weaving between flickering lights and cracked walls, carefully avoiding the footsteps of patrols echoing through the corridors. As it moved, it mapped its surroundings, recording every hallway, door, and dead end, until it returned to the room where it had first awakened. Where do I go now? The drone spun slowly in place, scanning its surroundings. Then it stopped. A staircase led upward in the corner of the room. It rose, ascending the stairs with a low hum, and came to a heavy, dark gray metal door. I flickered back into view, my form illuminating the dim space. I turned toward a control panel set into the wall. This layout… I don’t recognize it. I grunted in frustration and pressed a button. The lights in the room blinked out. “Great,” I muttered, quickly pressing it again. The lights snapped back on. “I hope nobody noticed that.” I tapped another button, and

“Turn it back on.” A group of men in a dimly lit room gathered around the drone as it booted up. The drone floated up and blinked its shutters twice. The men quickly backed away, warily keeping their distance, “I heard that thing bested a dozen of our men!” A few of them cast fearful expressions to each other. The drone started the projector, and I crossed my arms in front of me, “If I was worth something to you why haven’t you sold me yet?” “Because I’m interested in something other than the price others will pay.” A tall, bulky man, with a short beard, stepped out from the dark edges of the room, his footsteps causing the floorboards to groan, “My name is Stone, and, You see, I just don’t want you falling into the wrong hands.” He leaned closer and brought his face close to mine. I scowled and straightened my back, “Sorry, but it’s too late for that.” “Regardless,” He straightened up again and began pacing in circles around me, “I have uses for you, too many to sell to sell you to

Six hundred years ago, the world seemed to be at peace. The three great races of the earth, Seafolk, Wildfolk, and Humans, lived in harmony. But that was soon to change. In their great fear of the unknown, the creatures of the land began a long-lasting genocide of the Seafolk. We feared what we could not understand, and this became the undoing of the world. In nearly one hundred years, the Seafolk were annihilated by the cold blood and technical superiority of the land dwellers; they stood no chance. If you were to ask us, we would have told you we had achieved utopia. We had rid the world of our enemies. But paradise can never be achieved through bloodshed. Only a few years passed before unrest resurfaced. In the light of the destruction of the Seafolk, the Humans became fearful of the Wildfolk, and in order to secure their great utopia, leveled the capital of the Wildfolk. Because of their technological prowess, the Wildfolk were able to hold their own for two hundred years, using

Sparks burst from lights, and a loud groan echoed through the corridors of the bunker. It was under attack. Air rushed from a port on a control panel, and a probe disconnected from its place. The probe hovered around, taking in the surroundings, before a projection flickered to life in front of it. Colorful light danced around the outline of my catlike form until I was fully projected. I stepped forward, swished my orange tail experimentally, and took another glance around, letting the weight of the situation sink in. “The bunker!” I rotated my probe and reconnected into my port, downloading information. “Come on! Faster!” I nervously watched large numbers fly by on the panel. Almost there! The lights flickered out suddenly, and the room plunged into darkness. “No!” I can’t finish uploading! I glanced around, brightened my projection so I could see clearly, and hurried to the reserve power switch. I pulled the lever downward, and red lights turned on. A robotic voice sounded, “POWER