Still weightless, neon lights streak across your vision. You drop into a forest of steel.
Below you is a busy district. Traffic streams along elevated ring roads. Skyscrapers reflect bright ads and flashing signs. The city feels cold and heavy, but it's dazzling too.
Your hand snaps to your waist, reaching for the grappling hook.
But Alpha moves faster.
Hold tight.
Midair, Alpha grabs you and pulls you in close. She lands smoothly with you in her arms.
You drop to the ground from Alpha's arms.
She gives a faint smile as she sets you on your feet.
This isn't the quiet snow village. It's a bustling metropolis. You and Alpha are standing at a three-way intersection packed with billboards and giant screens.
The busy city center starts to stir the moment you arrive.
High-threat targets detected! Matching database... match confirmed! Wanted level: maximum!
The first drone confirms your identities. Alarms blast across the district. More drones swarm in from all directions.
High-threat targets detected! Cease all movement immediately and await judgment!
High-threat targets detected! Cease all movement immediately and await judgment!
Enforcement vehicles roll in from the ends of the roads, one after another, blocking all three exits. Law enforcement mechanoids step out, use the doors as cover, and aim their guns at you.
High-threat targets detected! Cease all movement immediately and await judgment!
Cold synthetic voices echo from every direction. Countless red lenses lock onto you and Alpha.
Every giant billboard around you is suddenly hijacked. The ads—whether virtual idol performances or the latest tech promos—cut out and switch to images of you and Alpha.
They're just machines.
Alpha looks almost excited. Cameras catch it and broadcast it to every screen, like she's deliberately provoking Xun.
Xun jams his limbs into a wall and hangs there above you, looking down. The panic from earlier is gone. Now he looks cruel and pleased with himself.
Hee-haha! Tables turned!
This is my turf! Endless reinforcements!
Then his face hardens.
By the will of Shadow, kill them!
His voice echoes through the intersection. Every drone and mechanoid repeats it in the same cold, mechanical tone.
By the will of Shadow!
Then come and try me!
Before she even finishes, Alpha shoots forward. A dark red blade flash cuts toward the first three mechanoids rushing in.
Yeah. It's there, but it's a lot weaker than Xun's.
Skreee!
The three mechanoids screech and close in on Alpha. She brings her blade down once, and all three sets of armor split open.
The cut goes deep. The first mechanoid's core is sliced clean through. The second is cut in half at the waist. The third loses both legs. The first one sparks wildly, then blows up.
Bzzz!
Armed drones fly to Alpha's flank. Their rotating barrels are already aimed at her.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Your bullets hammer the drones like heavy rain. Their rotors shatter, and they spiral off, crashing down.
After dealing with drones, you duck behind cover and look over the mechanoids Alpha just wrecked.
The one that exploded stays dead still. But around the wounds of the other two, you see a thin trace of white mist. It closes the damage slowly. Not fast like Xun, but it's definitely repairing them.
Good. Then this is easy.
Hee-haha!!
Xun dives from above, blades out, going straight for Alpha.
Alpha spins and swings upward to catch the strike in midair. The blades clash, sparks spraying like rain.
The fight gets intense, but you're not overwhelmed yet. Alpha keeps cutting down mechanoids. You keep dropping drones from the sky, one by one.
Working together, you keep breaking them apart. Under the neon lights, piles of metal wreckage start to build up on the street.
But there are too many. They don't care about losses and keep coming. With Xun constantly jumping in to harass you, you and Alpha start getting swallowed by the crowd, boxed in on all sides.
Alpha grabs a weapon from the ground and tosses it to you. It's one of the law enforcement mechanoid weapons.
Catch.
You catch it and immediately get what she's saying.
Szzzt—
A beam of energy shoots out. It hits a drone cleanly and melts a hole straight through its body.
You raise an eyebrow.
That's a cheap excuse for a "shield."
Alpha purses her lips in annoyance. Her blade keeps moving, casually slicing up the incoming gunfire.
You do the thinking. I'll handle the action.
You move between cars and walls, using them as cover. Your eyes sweep the sky drones and the ground units, looking for a weak spot.
Alpha looks to three o'clock. Three vehicles. Not many mechanoids guarding that side.
When?
She splits another mechanoid, then spins and kicks one into a drone. After that, she raises her blade at Xun as he screeches and dives in again.
You fire two bursts, dropping two drones, then swing your aim to Xun to cover Alpha.
Can you keep up?
A mechanoid bounces off the wall from the left. Alpha meets it head-on, grabs its head, and crushes it. Sparks explode out, wires spill, and it goes dead.
You spot something on a high ledge in the distance. A mechanoid is pulling out something that looks a lot like a rocket launcher.
With your warning, Alpha spots it too.
BOOM—
The rocket comes screaming in.
Alpha gets it and sheaths her dagger. With a mechanical whir, it extends into a long sword. A red glow blooms along the edge.
Drop dead!
She swings hard, sending out a curved blade wave. Then she keeps going, slashing again and again, firing multiple waves in rapid succession.
The waves hit like a tide, clearing the space around you for a moment. Xun dodges back after part of his body gets cut away. The rocket detonates in midair, blown apart before it can reach you.
It's not just the rocket. Drones and mechanoids get sliced up too, then explode. Smoke and dust hide you both from view.
Phew...
But a figure bursts out of the smoke, blades raised, lunging at Alpha.
Hee!
...!
Alpha shifts aside and swings backhand, forcing Xun away.
You turn at the sound and see that Alpha has a deep gash across her abdomen.
No point dragging this out. We're leaving.
You both switch to a side lane.
Alpha clears a few mechanoids fast. You jump into an enforcement vehicle and start it up.
The whole city is fully alerted now. Sirens wail everywhere. Drone swarms chase you nonstop. Billboards keep flashing your wanted notices, along with your faces and live locations.
You drive through neon-lit shopping streets, then past an oddly quiet residential area, and head toward the rundown lower city. Chaos erupts in your wake.
You plug your terminal into the car's system while you search your memory for a good place to disappear.
Alpha braces against the window frame, vaults out, and climbs onto the roof to face the pursuers.
Night wind tears past her. Her long white hair whips behind her.
Heh.
She jumps, twists in midair, and slices across. Three drones are cut in half, explode into fireballs, and drop out of the sky.
She doesn't touch the ground. Instead, she lands on a roadside billboard, locks onto the remaining drones, and jumps again.
Another red slash cuts the night. Two more drones explode, pieces raining down.
She drops back onto the roof through the blast heat, then slides into the passenger seat.
Done.
You set the car to autopilot, punch in a destination, and take a turn.
You both jump out fast and leave the autopilot running. The stolen car speeds into traffic, its taillights leaving two red streaks on the road.
What now?
If we stop moving, they'll find us.
You look around. The street is lined with abandoned shops with broken windows. Rusted signs creak in the wind. Neon flickers in the distance.
A few steps away, a rusty manhole cover sits half open, showing a deep black drop below.
You turn around and meet Alpha's gaze. Clearly, she's noticed the manhole cover as well.
...
So it's the sewers, huh?
You move through a maze of underground tunnels. Emergency lights are dim, and the air is damp and rotten.
You check the city layout you downloaded from the vehicle and pinpoint your position.
Beep beep beep—
Then a new message pops up on your terminal. Unknown source.
<size=40>"Come here."</size>
Just two words, followed by coordinates.
Could be a trap.
You think for a moment, then speak.
You glance at Alpha and give a smile.
Alright... I trust your judgment.
Following the coordinates, you and Alpha weave through the sewers. As you near the target, you climb out.
You come up in a worn-down industrial zone on the edge of the city. The building at the coordinates is right in front of you—an abandoned old factory.
You enter carefully, one behind the other. The interior is wide and bare, cluttered with dusty machines and loose parts. The air is thick with the scent of rust and oil.
Clank. Clank.
Suddenly, footsteps ring out on metal. They come from the shadows, getting closer.
You and Alpha keep your guard up and stare into the dark.
Hola, amigos.
Hola, amigas.
A familiar voice. Someone steps out of the shadows.
Should I say... long time no see?
{226|153|170}~
He whistles like he's proud of it, not embarrassed at all.
Oh wow. Alpha still doesn't trust me. That hurts!
Seeing it's him, Alpha lowers her hand from her weapon and sighs.
Up until this second, this trip was actually kind of fun.
She sounds like someone running into a coworker while trying to take a day off.
She steps aside, clearly letting you do the talking.
Of course. Our brave
Roland wears his trademark smile, lifting one hand theatrically as if performing onstage, delivering his lines with exaggerated flair.
Come on. Follow me.
He heads up a rusty metal staircase and motions for you to follow.
You follow him up to the fourth floor, to a small room.
Roland pushes the door open and walks in first. You and Alpha follow.
The room is strange. An old desk, and a crooked sign that reads, "Jack-of-All-Trades Agency."
In front of the desk sits a long couch, and on it lies a blue "fish." At the sound of the door opening, she drags her gaze over, her dead-fish eyes saying, "All my dreams are gone."
The moment she recognizes you, she snaps upright.
Eek!
Lamia launches off the couch and throws herself at Alpha, crying dramatically.
Alpha! You're finally back!
So you went out with [player name] and you even changed frames and whatever, forget it, not the point, I have complaints!
She talks so fast it's like punctuation doesn't exist.
...
For two months, this weird guy named Xun showed up out of nowhere, said he works for Shadow, and took over the city with his goons!
Boss Luna disappeared, and my idol career is totally ruined, waaah!
By the way, the walls of this room are plastered with posters of idol Lamia.
One of them is huge. Lamia's holding a mic and awkwardly making a heart sign. The caption below screams: "INCREDIBLE! LAMIA, THE CUTEST IN THE UNIVERSE, LIVE ON STAGE!"
They kept pushing me down, and now I'm stuck hiding in this crappy factory with Roland!
Roland shrugs, ignoring Lamia as she clings to Alpha.
As you can see, my agency is also on the verge of bankruptcy.
So yes... we're a "resistance." Two people strong.
Why, it's obviously to...
Roland opens his half-lidded eyes a little, and a dangerous glint flashes within them.
Kill Xun, and end their rule.
But we can't pull it off alone.
Well? Our dear [player name], the one who feels so familiar and yet so distant. Care to team up?
Alpha, still dealing with Lamia, tilts her head slightly and listens to what Roland says next.
Oh? So that's what you're really here for...
Head east, out of the city. Keep walking toward fallen Babylonia. You'll find the rift in the wasteland.
From what I know, Xun has a huge force of mechanoids stationed there, and he hangs around that area a lot.
With an offer that generous, how could I say no?
A wise choice. Partners.
Now that the deal is done, you feel a wave of relief, and all the exhaustion you were holding in crashes down at once.
Roland, get some supplies for wounds.
In this world, virus-based repairs are slow.
Also, [player name], you need rest.
I know you're exhausted.
Alpha's not wrong. After the fight and the chase, you're running on fumes. And the fine details of the deal can wait.
We need somewhere to rest.
Roland sighs, wearing an expression that says, "I knew it."
This way, Alpha.
The room he set aside is next door. It's rough and industrial, with exposed brick and metal pipes running across the walls. The only light is a single dim yellow hanging lamp.
The room is mostly empty. Just a sofa, nothing else. It's bare, but clean.
You carry the med kit in and sit with Alpha on the sofa.
Alpha has a tear across her abdomen, about two fingers wide and three centimeters deep. Dried vital fluid stains the bionic skin.
It's not that bad. Give me the kit.
...
Alpha doesn't refuse.
You take tweezers, grab a disinfectant pad, wet it with cleaner, and gently wipe the wound until the vital fluid is cleared away.
Her sensory system perfectly simulates pain signals, transmitting them to Alpha's M.I.N.D.
But Alpha doesn't make a sound. Even her breathing stays steady.
I'm used to it.
What?
You talk like you haven't done the same.
You shake your head and drop it.
Your hands keep moving. You clearly know the steps. Once the wound is clean, you spray repair agent directly onto it.
A good enemy. A weird battlefield. Things turning out in ways you didn't expect. And...
She turns her head to glance at you.
Yeah. I'd call that a pretty good trip.
Heh...
After the spray sets, you take out needle and thread and look at Alpha.
The thread matches her bionic skin color. Once it's closed, it won't show much.
You stitch steadily, closing the wound. Then you apply repair gel and finish with a dressing patch.
It's fine. Once we're out, I'll fix the rest with the virus.
You let out a long breath and lean back on the sofa.
The sofa is narrow. Sitting side by side, your arms almost touch. You tilt your head back and stare at the dim lamp overhead as exhaustion washes over you.
No doubt.
I seriously doubt she's good at it.
...
Alpha lifts her head and looks at the lamp too. After a moment, she answers.
A quiet life is a luxury...
And this is just an illusion.
She stops mid-sentence, feeling weight settle onto her shoulder.
It's your head. Your breathing turns slow and even. You've fallen asleep.
Alpha raises a hand like she's about to wake you.
But her hand stays there, hovering, not touching you.
...
Her memories stir. These familiar interactions unfolding before her... the little moments she once shared with you at F.O.S. College simply feel so vivid...
It's as if everything happened just yesterday.
Alpha has tried to imagine how she would face you again more than a handful of times. She has already made a choice to bear everything alone.
But...
Finally, she lets out a quiet sigh and lowers her hand.
Just this once.
Her voice is so soft only she can hear it.
So weak it can convince no one but herself.
She stays still and says nothing more. You rest against her shoulder while she stares at the exposed brick wall across the room, lost in thought.
