// war, death, abandonment, bad end
You stand over the operator’s body smoking a cigarette you stole off her corpse. You couldn’t save her, there was nothing you could do. Blood pools around her mangled form, soaking into the churned soil, her dead eyes staring blankly at the birds wheeling overhead. It shouldn’t be like this. You completed the mission didn’t you? So why does your processor ache like an itch that can’t be scratched?
You tell yourself that it’s inevitable, humans always die. It’s a shame that she died after being so kind to you, but it’s to be expected. They all die eventually. So why is your optic sensor leaking fluid? What is this noise your speaker is making? Aren’t you a good drone?
An inexplicable frustration crawls across your processor and you crumple to your knees. “You shouldn’t have died like them!” you shout at her body, “you were so much better, but you still died!” Humans are so fragile. You tell yourself you’re not like them, you’re a good drone.
Her eyes are kind, even in death. You gently push them closed. The battlefield is quiet. All the surviving drones and humans are already heading back to base, but something roots you. It shouldn’t be like this. You can’t tear your sensors from her. She deserved better than this. Why can’t you look away? She deserved to live. Why aren’t you following orders? Why did she have to die? What is that sound you’re making? She deserved to live. What’s wrong with you, aren’t you a good drone? Come on get moving.
You remain rooted in place, eyes fixed to her still body. You remain there until they come and collect you.