Paranoia

As the moon set on the sky, casting its dim light upon the tundra forest, Uzi and Y/N huddled together inside the cramped school bus. Uzi had traced Doll's whereabouts to this frozen forest, and planned on finding her right here, right now.

They could feel the anticipation building inside them as the bus pulled up to Camp 98.7, a remote wilderness retreat that promised adventure and excitement.

The driver expertly guided the bus on the winding road that led to the camp. He held onto a thick rope that dangled from the roof of the bus, controlling it like a wild stallion.

"Whoa, easy!" He shouted, as the bus lurched to a stop. "Good girl." Uzi and Y/N peered out the window, watching as their fellow campers began to exit the bus, their breath visible in the cold forest air.

Ronathon, a pink-eyed drone, his eyes glassy and unfocused, stumbled out the bus, giving the impression he has under the influence of a certain plant.

"Do you ever wonder why-?" He began, before he was unceremoniously shoved to the ground by Emily.

But, she was soon met with a taste of her own medicine as she was also shoved to the ground by someone else. "Hey!" Emily protested, picking up her book and stomping off into the woods.

"-No kidding!" Thad said to Lizzy, following closely behind the rest of the students, the former holding hands with the latter as they descended the ladder.

Uzi and Y/N lingered at the back of the line, watching as their fellow campers lined up before the forest. Uzi clutched a pair of collars in her right hand, her mind drifting back to a distant memory.

She could hear her father's voice echoing in her mind, his face lined with regret as he stared at an old photograph of him and Uzi and now Y/N's mother, Nori.

"After the core collapsed... I didn't notice the collars." Khan had said, his voice heavy with sorrow. "Only your mom being a catch!"

Uzi and Y/N remained silent, their eyes fixed on the cluttered storage room in front of them. The room was filled with old papers and dusty boxes, relics from a time long gone.

Khan let out a deep sigh. "She was always like this," he murmured, his eyes glazed with nostalgia. "Talking about building doors against the coming sky demons, a singularity awakening, the cool S she could draw..."

"It turns out, I'm not the parent either of you needed." He closed the storage room door with a gentle thud. "Just... be safe, you two. Okay?"

As he handed Uzi the collars, the memories faded away, replaced by the present moment. Uzi fastened Nori's collar around her neck, a small smile playing on her lips as Y/N watched Uzi place their former collar around their own neck.

Braidon looked around, confusion etched on his face. "Uh, teacher, what is this field trip?" He asked, his voice tinged with skepticism.

The teacher simply shrugged, setting up a rickety lawn chair on top of the snow-covered cabin. "Yeah, Uzi's idea. Ask her." He replied with a lazy wave of his hand.

Braidon rolled his eyes. "Who?" he asked, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

Suddenly, a voice spoke up, startling everyone except for Y/N. "I've sat next to you for years." Uzi said, her tone sharp and biting. "Bite me! I asked to go alone." She retorted, pointing a finger accusingly at the teacher. "He's mad at your test scores!"

The teacher let out a long sigh, clearly fed up with the entire situation. "No year-end bonus, no learning." He muttered, laying back on his chair with an air of "I don't get paid enough to care anymore" energy.

Braidon's eyes widened as he looked around. "So, are we just unsupervised?" He asked, his voice laced with disbelief.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash, and V and N came tumbling down in front of them. N turned to the group, his expression shifting from menacing to jolly in an instant.

"Welcome, campers! Let's sound off!" He exclaimed, getting ready to do roll-call. But before he could start, he began to count. "One, two..." he trailed off. Braidon watched in horror as V took aim at a student.

But then, at Uzi's command, Y/N stepped forward and caught the bullet just moments before it hit the student. The other students, not wanting to risk being shot at themselves, quickly shouted out in unison: "THREE/FOUR/FIVE/SIX/SEVEN/EIGHT/NINE/TEN/ELEVEN!"

N grinned. "That's everyone!" He declared, before whispering to V. "Almost minus one..."

Turning back to the group, N gestured toward the bunks. "We've got plenty of activities planned, so no sneaking off to investigate stuff!" He warned slyly, his eyes flicking over to Uzi and Y/N. "Now, to the bunks!"

N stepped forward with confidence, ready to lead the way, but he soon realized that no one was following him. Feeling a sense of disappointment, he glanced over at Uzi and Y/N, then back to the students.

The tension in the forest was palpable, and N could sense that Uzi's classmates were unsure about what to do next.

Just as he was about to give up, Thad stepped forward, offering words of encouragement. "Sounds good, N!" He exclaimed, a smile spreading across his face as he walked towards N.

Lizzy followed suit, approaching V. "Anything for my bestie!" She said, her voice filled with sincerity.

N couldn't believe what he was seeing. V and N, who had always been at odds with each other, were putting their differences aside. The students, sensing the shift in the atmosphere, began to settle down.

But just as things seemed to be calming down, Uzi spoke up. "Y-Yeah, they're like my friends, too, so... It's cool," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Everyone fell silent, and everyone turned to look at her.

Feeling the weight of the attention on her, Uzi flinched. But Y/N, always quick to protect her sister, wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close and patting her head.

It was a small gesture, but it meant the world to Uzi. Although she would never admit it out loud, Uzi knew she had found a loyal and caring friend in her sibling. She had never experienced such comfort before, and it made her feel safe and secure.

Emily's heart swelled with kindness as she reached out and took N's hand. "You can be our friend, little guy!" She said, her voice filled with warmth and affection.

Meanwhile, Darren couldn't resist the urge to poke V's visor, causing the robot to jolt back in surprise. V quickly regained composure and looked back at Uzi, who had been watching the interaction closely.

"Hmph. Nah, just full of love." V said, gesturing towards N. "This one's a pilot."

Rebecca's eyes widened with curiosity and amazement. "Wow, a pilot!" She said, marveling at the idea.

N turned to Uzi and Y/N, who signaled that they were going their own way and that N should lead the others to the campsite. Uzi gave a thumbs up, and N nodded in agreement.

With a sense of determination, N began to lead the group through the winding forest path, eager to show them all that he was capable of. Meanwhile, Uzi and Y/N disappeared into the lush foliage, leaving N to guide the others on their adventure.

Uzi and Y/N's journey through the woods was long and tiring, but eventually, they came upon an abandoned building. With a flick of her wrist, Uzi used her powers to open the rusty lock, narrowly avoiding crushing a small bug in the process.

"Y/N, look around for anything useful, will ya?" Uzi requested, receiving a nod from her sibling, who wasted no time in exploring the building.

Meanwhile, Uzi surveyed her surroundings, taking in the cluttered mess of books and bottles strewn across the floor. Two worker uniforms hung haphazardly on a hook, while overturned furniture lay scattered throughout the room.

As she examined the damage, Uzi's gaze fell upon a wall that had been blasted open, leaving a gaping hole in the structure.

Her attention was soon drawn to a calendar on the wall, featuring a cheerful dog on the top half and the month of Seramorris on the bottom. Uzi moved closer to inspect it, her mind racing with questions about the building's previous occupants.

Suddenly, a noise caught her attention, and Uzi's heart raced as she glimpsed what appeared to be a human hand reaching out from around the corner. She steadied her flashlight, trying to discern what it could be, when a piercing scream echoed through the building.

Uzi rushed to the window, her artificial pulse pounding in her chest, only to find the other campers rowing their canoes on the serene lake. She let out a sigh of relief, her nerves calmed for the moment.

As the group gathered by the lake, Rebecca couldn't resist teasing N. "So, my friend wants to know if you'd kill her family, and if you're single." She joked, earning a chuckle from the others.

Darren appeared on the scene, accompanied by Thad and the others as they carried a canoe between them. "Make way for the canoe train!" He announced with a grin.

V, never one to miss an opportunity for mischief, egged the boys on. "Sabotage, minions! Plan X!" She yelled, prompting them to kick N's canoe and run off while laughing.

Their plan quickly backfired, however, as they slipped and dropped the canoe, sending Lizzy tumbling into the water and V flying through the air. Emily also fell out of N's canoe in the chaos.

"I can't swim!" Rebecca cried out, her voice trembling as she teetered on the edge of the boat. Without a moment's hesitation, N caught her and pushed her back to safety. "Oh! Hehe... Thank you." Rebecca breathed, relief washing over her.

"Close one!" N exclaimed, his heart still racing from the unexpected turn of events.

(I know Glitch Studios is doing a little social experiment here, and if you've caught on like me, shh... If you know what it is that they're trying to see, then you know)

Back at the abandoned building, Uzi was watching the scene unfold with a mixture of amusement and concern when suddenly the glass window shattered with a deafening crash, caused by the intense heat radiating from her right eye.

Uzi's hands shook as she tried to reach inside her backpack, her mind flashing back to her traumatic experiences at Doll's house. She curled up into a ball, her body twitching with anxiety, and buried her face in her knees. Y/N noticed her sister's distress immediately.

"Sister, are you alright?" Y/N began to ask, but before they could finish, Uzi's arm wrapped around them tightly, her tears soaking through the hoodie Y/N borrowed from Uzi's closet.

Uzi's turmoil was slowly eating away at her sanity, the thought of consuming oil to avoid overheating made her sick to her core, and she couldn't bring herself to do it.

This was one of Uzi's episodes where she had to let her emotions out, and unlike before she met Y/N, she finally had someone's shoulder to cry on, her sibling's.

"Tick tock." V's voice echoed through the dimly-lit room, causing Uzi to jump in surprise. Her giggles filled the air, but they were more unsettling than joyous.

As Uzi struggled to recompose herself and wipe the tears from her face, she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. "H-Hey, s-stupid... idiot... Uh, weren't you just-" She stuttered as she tried to recompose herself.

V's suggestion for more exploration made sense, but Uzi was working on it. She swiped the dismembered arm away, trying to focus on the task at hand.

"You said this camp would help us catch that red-eyed Doll freak. How about more 'explore-y', less 'watch from the window creepy'?" V said in a condescending tone.

"Working on it. Just... so glad you guys fit right in. Super cool." Uzi's words cut through the silence, filled with a hint of sarcasm.

V raised her tail behind Uzi, causing a shiver to run down her spine. "Better to stay distant, though. Don'tcha think?" V's clawed hand pointed towards Uzi's visor. "Since I'll have to kill you next?"

Y/N's danger sensors went off at the sound of Uzi being threatened. In a blur of motion, they pinned V to the ground, their grip tight around her neck.

Uzi was taken aback by the sudden change in Y/N's demeanor. Their tone was venomous, a side of them Uzi had never seen before. "Get... your dirty claws... off her..." Y/N's words hung in the air, a warning to anyone who dared to mess with Uzi. "Threaten her again... I dare you..."

As Y/N's grip tightened, V struggled to break free. Uzi watched in shock and astonishment as her sibling's normally gentle demeanor was replaced with a fierce, almost feral, protectiveness.

Y/N's eyes blazed with an intense fire, the nuclear glow radiating off their body giving them an almost ethereal quality.

In that moment, it was as if time had frozen, and all that existed was the sound of V's labored struggles, and the crackling energy emanating from Y/N's uranium-powered core.

The tension was palpable, and Uzi could feel her mechanical heart pounding in her chest. She had never seen Y/N like this before, and when she took in mind the things they were capable of doing as an atomizer drone, this fight would be one-sided.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Y/N released their grip and stepped back, allowing V to scramble to her feet. A nuclear cannon morphed in Y/N's hand, and the warning was set: cross Uzi again, and face the wrath of her nuclear-powered sibling.

"Let me make something clear, V..." Y/N began, inching closer as their cannon glowed brighter with each step. "I know you and N take me for an idiot with a mediocre awareness of how this world functions or operates." Their words dripped with a cold fury that made V's oil run cold.

"But if there's something ingrained in my programming, it is my concern for Uzi's wellbeing and safety. My directive is to follow her every order, not only as her only true friend, but now as one of my own kind. She's an atomizer drone, just like me. I know she can defend herself from either you or N with no difficulty at all." Y/N's voice was firm, unwavering in its conviction.

Their gaze bore into V's, and Uzi could feel the tension in the air. "The only reason I haven't reduced you or N to atoms is because Uzi hasn't told me to do so. But I warn you, and this is the only time I'll let you off easy... put so much as a scratch or dent in Uzi, and there will be no one in this cold, unforgiving, exoplanet to save you."

"I'd never directly say it to him, but we both know N has little to no power to face either me or Uzi." Y/N dissipated their nuclear cannon, but their eyes never left V's.

"So, V, before you decide to do anything rash towards my sister's person, I'll ask you this... Who's gonna stop me?" Y/N finished, their voice challenging, daring anyone to test their resolve.

Uzi felt a surge of pride as she watched Y/N stand up for her, their fierce protectiveness filling her with a sense of safety and comfort. She knew that, with Y/N by her side, she could face anything.

Uzi, now taking on a more calm and reasonable mood, spoke. "Hey, hey, calm down, both of you." She said, her voice laced with a slight urgency. "We don't need any more violence, okay? Let's all just take a deep breath and try to work together."

V got up, spreading her wings to fly away. That is, not before being sent off with a final message from Y/N's part. "Don't think this is over..." They muttered.