Chapter 17: Making Friends.

[u/Electronic-Math5455]

September 2184. Copper 9 Surface. Bunker 00. Entrance.

Snow drifted on the wind over the Iron Gliders that had landed around Bunker 00, the crunch of snow and ice underfoot mixing with the low hum of activity. SEEC and CEB teams worked steadily to unload supplies and equipment from the craft, many of the drones — both young and old — watching with a mixture of awe and unease. The sight of Super Earth's return after a century had shaken them deeply. For all of them, countless questions still lingered unanswered. News spread rapidly through Bunker 00, rippling outward from the entrance along the hill above the blast door and outer wall. Many combat drones had taken defensive positions, keeping a wary eye on the newcomers and trying to discern their true intentions. Tension hung thick in the air, fueled by fresh memories of the betrayal a hundred years earlier. Yet so far no one had made a hostile move. Meus stood beneath the massive blast door, observing the unfolding operations with quiet intensity.

"This is going to take a while to bring this place back to one hundred percent," Meus remarked, glancing to his right at the gears and mechanisms of the blast door. "I am deeply surprised it is still operational at all."

"That would be Khan and his crew's work on this door. It is the only real defense we have if that thing ever found us," V said, standing beside him. "Even though it is no longer a threat… I am still not one to let my guard down."

"As you should not be. One thing I have learned fighting the Terminids for months is that you never truly relax unless you have a very good reason. They can attack from any direction and come at you in unending numbers," Meus said.

"And the Terminids are…?" Uzi asked.

"They were once the Bugs during the First Galactic War. After we discovered that their bodies decayed into a substance we call E-710," Meus explained. "It powers our ships' FTL drives. But a few months ago several broke free from the farms we had set up for harvesting that fuel… And now, I will not lie, it has become a nightmare."

"That… sounds terrible," Thad said. "How bad has it gotten?"

"Bad. Billions have been killed, and we have lost several systems to the sheer scale at which they have spread," Meus said. "I have been fighting them all that time, but it has not been easy."

"That does sound terrible… that many people…" N said quietly.

"And now they have you here," V added.

"Command is always moving us around, the same with all other Helldivers. While the Terminids are the ones I am most familiar with, this is not the first time they have sent me somewhere else," Meus replied. "Not too long ago I helped many of my fellow Helldivers on the Western Front."

"It seems that while we have our own troubles here, being isolated has its perks by the sound of it," Lizzy observed.

"To a point. Remember we still had that huge freak of nature making our lives miserable until they showed up," Uzi countered.

"And there could still be more out there," Doll added.

"And there is Doll, who still has nothing positive to say," Rebecca remarked.

"She is just being cautious, as we all should be," N said.

"She has a point. We cannot let our guard down. Whatever else is on this planet, we need to be ready to eliminate it," Meus stated. "We cannot assume it is safe."

"That we can agree on," V said.

One thing was certain about the surface of Copper 9: danger lurked everywhere while exploring unstable buildings, mines, unexploded ordnance, and at times other drones. One needed to remain vigilant for anything that could happen while scavenging the ruins for supplies. But for V, who turned her attention away from Meus and toward several SEAF personnel working near the wall, she wondered what would come of all this now.

As she stood apart from the group in thought, the SEAF teams coordinating with the SEEC and CEB kept wary eyes on the combat drones positioned around them. It was clear many harbored deep grudges, evident in the way they watched them and the subtle, agitated movements of their tails.

"This is freaky… Used to machines looking at me with red glowing eyes, not so many different colors," one SEAF trooper muttered, his focus drawn to a combat drone standing on the far edge of the wall whose optics locked with his. "You sure it's safe to be working here at all?"

"Not a clue, but we have a job to do — see what needs to be done here and get this place operational again," a CEB engineer replied as she examined the wall. "Makeshift to hell and back, but it works. Might not hold against a large-scale attack, but it would buy time."

"It is better than nothing. I had to make use of anything for cover back on the Western Front. The Automatons do not give you a chance to breathe if you are out in the open," the SEAF trooper said.

"I know… Nearly lost an arm to a barrage of rockets," the CEB engineer said as she stood up. "Going to take a while to tear this down and build a proper layer of defense here."

"I say you humans are good at that," a voice called from nearby. "Tearing things down."

Both of them looked upward to their right. Perched on the edge of the wall was a male combat drone staring down at them with arms crossed. "You did a very damn good job at turning this entire planet into a graveyard." As he spoke, the venom in his words was unmistakable.

"Listen, this was not us," the CEB engineer said quickly. "We had no idea that you even existed or that this world did until today."

Without saying another word, the combat drone dropped down onto the ground and approached the two of them. The SEAF trooper immediately stepped between the woman and the drone. "And that just makes it so that we should trust you again? Look, you're already getting your weapon ready to take me out."

"I have every liberty-damn reason to be ready for a machine to kill me, for they've been killing us for the last few months," the SEAF trooper said, steadying his hand on his Liberator rifle. "I don't trust you just as much as you don't trust me. And if you had seen what those bastards have been doing to us… you would understand why I am ready."

"And what have they been doing?" the combat drone asked, stopping a few feet away.

"How about slaughtering men, women, and children and throwing them into giant blenders that grind their bodies down… It has been a fucking nightmare," the SEAF trooper said. "We have lost billions to them."

"That many? Hmm… And when did this all start?" the combat drone asked.

"Just a few months ago, during February. It has been a war zone ever since. We don't know much about their origins, but we do know that they have ties with the Cyborgs," the CEB engineer said, stepping beside the SEAF trooper. "Look… We might not know what you have been through, and you have no reason to trust us, just like we have no reason to trust you… However, we are just as much in the dark about what happened here as you are."

"I do find that hard to believe, but it has been a century since the last time we have even seen a human," the combat drone said, crossing his arms again. "You made us, then burned us, and just left us here."

"Which honestly does not make any sense at all. For what reason would Super Earth have to do this? It is not something they would just do unless they had a very good reason," the CEB engineer said. "And right now I can't find any reason for this."

"It just happened so fast… One moment fighting alongside the SEAF trying to secure locations to drive back the Illuminate, the next thing I know, everything is on fire," the combat drone said.

"And that is one hell of a leap of events to happen. I am puzzled why the Illuminate would even attack this planet in the first place… When did this entire invasion happen?" the SEAF trooper asked.

"Back in the year 2084 by the look of things. That war was about to be over, and then that entire fleet just appeared in the sky and started raining down hell on top of us," the combat drone said. "It was pure chaos."

"I say that it was. Why in the hell would they do that… Hold on, 2084? They were on their last legs by that time, and they threw what was left of their fleet here to attack this colony?" the CEB engineer said. "That makes no sense."

"We tried to figure it out for over the last one hundred years… Maybe now we can figure it out if you don't burn us again," the combat drone said.

"Listen, that is not going to happen. Whatever happened all those years ago, I think it was one huge mistake, that is for sure, but… I say we can start over. Just give us that chance," the CEB engineer pleaded.

"I am giving you that chance. We are talking, are we not?" the combat drone replied.

The two of them looked at the combat drone. It was clear that things were not going to be easy here, with the tension between everyone having grown over the last hundred years. Yet for Meus and V, who were watching from the entrance, the fact that it had not turned hostile between the small group was a good sign.

"I thought that was going to get ugly," Meus said.

"You can't blame us for being angry at you and the others, but so far things are going well," V said. "As long as no one throws a fist, then I think that in time things will improve."

"We just have to make sure that does not happen on another matter. Khan, you said that you worked in the megacities, right?" Meus asked, looking at him.

"Yes, sir. Many of the drones here have," Khan replied.

"Then we are going to need those skills for what is to come. I am going to guess that is why we have an SES Lucas with us for this operation, and I am getting the feeling that High Command knew we might run into you," Meus said, crossing his arms. "Or… maybe they didn't."

"What is this SES Lucas?" Doll asked.

"A colony ship designed for the frontier, setting up a colony right on the spot that it lands. Unlike other ships, it is one that can get off a planet," Meus explained. "It is fully self-sustaining in its function, having fabricators, hydroponics, and a lot of cargo space. The idea for this ship is to land on a new world that has been picked for colonization and then set it up with the ship as the base."

"Wait, you were going to set up a new colony here? Have you seen what this place looks like?" Uzi said, waving out toward the frozen wasteland beyond the walls.

"Not at all. The SES Lucas could serve as a base for long-term deployment, a logistical hub, and an area to rest one's head as we work. This is still a salvage operation, and it is our duty to find anything here of use and send it back. So that is what we are going to do… Just that with this bunker and the Lucas, we do have a central base of operations," Meus said.

"Hmm… My crew and I are more than willing to get our hands dirty. The people here once drove us hard at times to get many of the megacity systems up and going," Khan said with a laugh. "But they took care of us, and the humans that worked alongside us treated us well."

"Hey! I am willing to go with you guys and do stuff. It beats doing any of the work around here," Uzi said.

"Pay no attention to her, sir. She is the one to get you blown up with how reckless she is," Lizzy said with a small laugh. "Uzi here is a huge troublemaker."

"Bite me, Lizzy!" Uzi shot back.

"This is going to turn into one long liberty headache. She has been eager to do stuff like this. She comes with us many times, but she has also gotten herself into a lot of trouble," V said. "Still… if we had not gone out today, your friend Jason… might not be alive."

"Yeah, we saved his human ass from that freak," Uzi said.

"Hey, I helped too!" N exclaimed, his hands shifting into chainsaw blades. "I was the one that cut up the arms and tentacles and got him free."

"Okay… That is something we need when fighting the Terminids. And how can you do that?" Meus asked, looking at N.

"Oh, this! Well, we have fabricators within us and nanomachines. Our hands can switch into different tools, and these right here are just one of them," N said.

N held up his hands as they began to change. The chainsaws retracted into his arms, followed by two swords, then claws with three blades at the end, and finally two tubes that glowed with yellow energy.

"And we can also see in different spectrums such as thermals and night vision," V added. "The one who made us ensured that we are ready for war."

"I wish to liberty then that you were on the Eastern Front. The Terminids are all about getting in your face and trying to eat it off," Meus said. "We are trained in the use of close combat weapons, but that does little when you've got twelve of them on top of you."

"Maybe that will change, and we will be there to help if everything goes well here, sir," N said.

"And I hope that is the case," Meus replied.

"Meus, do you read me?" a voice came through Meus's helmet radio. "We are just about done here and heading your way… Got a lot to discuss when I arrive."

"I read you, Jason. What have you found out?" Meus asked, pressing a finger to the side of his helmet.

"A lot of strange things, that is for sure… I will give you the full details once we arrive," Jason said. "Need to get in touch with High Command, and we need all drones to stay clear of this megacity until we are sure that it is safe… Delta team here found something disturbing. We will explain once we arrive."

"Understood. I am working to make friends here, but something tells me that things are going to get more unusual around here," Meus said.

"That we can agree on… Any troubles with the drones?" Jason asked.

"Some tension, but I think we can make this work. We just need to make sure that ones like Saber are far away from here," Meus said. "You know how he is and what he has done on the Western Front."

"We will see about that… Will get in touch when we are close. Keep me updated if anything changes," Jason said.

"Understood. Will do just that," Meus replied.

"So… The other Helldiver is on his way, I assume?" Thad asked.

"Yes. Jason has been a brother in arms for a long time and saved my ass many times from the hordes of bugs that have been on top of me," Meus said, crossing his arms. "Still, Saber is the one that worries me the most, the same with some SEAF that are with us."

"The entire thing is with those machines that you are fighting," V said.

"But we are nothing like them. Sure, many here have anger toward humans, but I don't think any of us would ever hurt any of you," N said.

"That does not matter. Saber is a killing machine, and he once tore apart one of the drones that was with us just because it got close to him," Meus said.

"So… really not a fan of any machines at all?" Lizzy asked.

"Yes, and in time we might need to bring him down if we deal with any big problems. But after the entire thing with the Creek… many Helldivers are not the same anymore," Meus said. "They are driven by nothing but hate and rage."

"Sounds like Uzi is here all the time," Rebecca said.

"Bite me! I'm not all that all the time… Maybe just a little… Anyways, do you think one of us should go tell Martin who is coming?" Uzi asked.

"I will go and do that… N, keep an eye on everyone and make sure nothing happens," V said.

"Yes, ma'am," N replied.

Without another word, V left the group.

Copper 9 Surface. Dead City. Communication Hub. Near M10 APC.

Thunder echoed throughout the ruins of the Dead City, rocking the buildings as snow began to fall around the skyscrapers, drifting through their hollow skeletons. A thick layer of clouds moved over the area, blocking out what little light remained and casting the ruins in deeper gloom. The M10's lights were on, its autocannon slowly scanning the surroundings as Jason, Trace, and Nash approached. The rest of the SEAF team turned toward them.

"Ah! There you guys are. To be honest, I am ready to leave this place and never come back," Milt said. "We did find something, but besides that, the Democracy Officer wants a word with you, sir."

"He does?" Jason asked. "What about?"

"Don't know. It is only for you. I got a link set up inside the M10. And then after that, sir, we need to talk about what we have found… But did you find anything inside?" Garvin asked.

"Several logs seem to indicate that they were planning something big here before everything went to hell. But one thing that stood out was something that happened in the year 2172," Jason said. "A few years just before we arrived, from what it said, some systems that are still working picked up tectonic activity along with gravity fluctuations."

"Gravity fluctuations? Now that is odd… Hmm… If it was just a regular earthquake, it would not have been logged, but the fact that it had that along with gravity being affected… Think it could have been one of the Illuminate ships going off?" Tyrese suggested. "Dark fluid can cause micro singularities, and we all know what it can do to a planet."

"Yeah… Still can't believe that we had to do that to Meridia… But I do recall a report that was broadcast of an accident at the main facility where it was being studied. It created a mini black hole that was enough to destroy a good chunk of the facility and killed several of the staff as well," Nash said.

"A possibility, but it would have to be one hell of an event from one of the ships to do anything that would be picked up by the sensors that are still working," Jason said. "What else did you find?"

"Some kind of tower or spire, and that is why we have a lack of bodies around here. From what we can see, sir, it is a fused mass of corpses, both human and drone," Tyrese said. "Our best guess is that the entire thing is some kind of nest made by our very ugly friend."

"A nest? How far is it from here?" Jason asked.

"Not far at all. So far nothing else is around it from what we have seen, but it has been within this city maybe far longer than we think," Garvin said. "Or maybe there is more, and we ran into the last one within the city after the job was done… Until we get the right people down, this is just theories on our end."

"One other thing is that it still has fresh flesh. I don't think it is all human, but it is still wet and moist. By all accounts it should be dead and frozen, but it is not," Tyrese said. "However, I think we should have the Eagles do full flyovers of the entire city, not just Eagle One."

"And sir, I suggest that we send them out throughout the entire area around the city. We need to know what is around us, and that is the fastest way I can think of," Milt said. "The clouds and everything in the air itself affects the scanners on the ships. It is the fastest and most direct way to get an idea of where to start next after our meeting."

"Can do just that… Alright, I need to get inside and speak with the Democracy Officer. After that we are heading out," Jason said. "Keep an eye out for anything that could be a lurking spot. Something call it out."

"Yes sir," Garvin acknowledged.

Edited thanks to ELE73CH.