Chapter Text
It was a swell day within this colony. Worker drones were walking around and talking to each other while their children were learning. It was peaceful. Until it wasn't.
“THE HARPIES ARE ATTACKING-” that worker drone was quickly decapitated, but the warning already sounded.
Three drones landed in front of a terrified crowd of worker drones. Their metallic wings extended and their stinger tails flicking menacingly. The three slowly walked closer to the worker drones frozen in terror, seemingly thriving in the fear they caused.
The worker drones were swiftly killed, arrows and claws leaving no survivors. The drones moved on, causing a massacre large enough to feed them for weeks.
“Great work team, this colony stood no match, as expected. Now take a break, eat some workers, replenish your arrows R. And S, please, be careful with that experimental weapon you have. It was super helpful but also misfired a lot, don't wanna cause another accident”
The squad leader of these drones, is Serial Designation-H4 Q, one of the first Harpy Drones. Harpy drones, and their squads, are unlike others quite literally. Most worker drones think they are just weird looking disassembly drones. In reality though, they are specially designed disassembly drones. Built to be more efficient in certain ways.
Harpy drones don't have the iris door hands that allow disassembly drones to switch between weapons. However, they did have permanent claw hands, and talons instead of regular feet. They also have the abilities of different types of birds. Serial Designation-H4 R is based on an owl, so she has better hearing, and can fly completely silently.
“Q, boss of ours, may I pleease make some modifications to our tails? I just got some ideas that have a 47.9% chance of blowing up and I'm feeling lucky!”
The third member of this squad is Serial Designation-H4 S, the mad scientist. S makes new weapons for the trio. S also usually broke a few of the weapons. That never stopped her though.
“S, no, you've already been told that modifying tails should not be done unless you can prove it will work” Q sighed and put a hand to their head, as if they're dealing with a migraine.
“Have to agree with Q there, sorry S, but I'd rather not have my tail get melted by one of your corrosive acids. Again” R spoke. Her tail poked at a worker drone corpse as she tore off it's less mangled arm and chewed on it, creating small holes where oil could leak out of.
“Oh. Fine! I'll just make another magnet bomb or something to take out crowds of workers” S flew off before she could be stopped, taking at least three worker corpses with her. Q sighs more exasperated than the first time.
“She's gonna blow up something. R, mind gathering up as many worker drone bodies as you can carry and take them to the nest?”
“Sure thing, boss” R spat out the worker drone arm and grabbed a pile of bodies. Each with an arrow sticking out from somewhere, her own kills. She flew off in the same direction S did.
Q looked around at the carnage, grabbing a few worker drone corpses themself and flying off.
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Q landed at the nest, that's what their base was called. A fresh pile of worker drones was stacked as neatly as it could in a corner, and R was asleep on her perch. S was nowhere to be seen, but that was normal. Q deposited the worker drones they brought back, yawning.
[Power Low (Get some sleep idiot)]
Q frowned at the message that popped up on their visor, but it was unfortunately true. They flew up to their perch. Their wings folded onto their back, and their tail neatly curled around themselves. Q switched into sleep mode.
As Q slept, memories replayed as dreams..
“And this plant is known as Brassavola. It's a species of orchid, mother bought them cause they're also called the lady of the night. Aren't they cool, Qu-”
CRASH
Q awoke with a start. They nearly fell off their perch. The memory dream was momentarily forgotten, replaced by tired anger.
“SANIDINE I SWEAR IF THAT WAS YOU-”
R, who had woken up long before Q, flinched when she heard Q full name S. She knew trouble was bound to occur, and like the good sister she is, she wanted to watch. Quickly, R flew over to whatever chaos was being caused.
S had been doing some odd experiment. But like most of the more dangerous ones, it blew up in her face. Except this time it also blew up part of a building, causing a mini rockslide-avalanche combo to come crashing down. Luckily S managed to avoid getting crushed and buried, but she knew she wasn't safe. She could hear Q yelling, it seems they got woken up.
“Oops.. there's no hiding this, perhaps I could fake my death and avoid punishment? No, Q is good at telling that, maybe I should flee the scene? No wait, Q is a fast flier, they'd catch me immediately.. there's no escaping this” S paced in a circle as she considered her options
“That's why I'm here to watch!”
S jumped as R suddenly came out of seemingly nowhere. She looked up at R, who was on the now partially collapsed building and smiling mischievously.
“R! Help a sister out and save me? I'll make you explosive arrows if you do” S tried to get R on her side, but R just tilted her head like she couldn't hear S. And then Q landed.
“Sanidine, what. Did. You. Do. This time”
S froze when her full name was said. It seemed she's in more trouble than she thought. R was just happily listening.
“Um, well- I was just- there was no-” S stumbled over words, trying to come up with a feasible excuse before sighing.
“I may have caused a rock slide, and avalanche, to happen at the same time..”
“Of course you did. S, how about you focus only on fixing non explosive things for a while? I think we all need a break of hearing and seeing things go boom” Q yawned, still feeling the effects of low power
“Okay, I think we should all probably go back to the nest now? About two thirds of the squad is some level of low power” S says. R not listening as much anymore as she had already flown off back to the nest.
Q just nodded, and took off. S was the last one to arrive at the nest this time. Q was on their perch, asleep. R seemed to be writing something. S just got up to her perch and quickly entered sleep mode.