"Okay, we'll be there soon," Chief Rolf said, a pleased smile on his face. After days of waiting, his prey had finally gotten trapped.
Halkken preened, pleased he could help. "We'll keep them busy. But hurry, they're putting up a tougher fight than I expected." He ducked lower behind the storage crate as stray laser bolts zipped past.
"Oh, dear." Halkken watched as the shack Director Famus used as a headquarters burst into flames. "And you better bring the fire department."
"Huh? What?"
"No time, Chief. Duty calls!" Halkken hung up the line and readied his service weapon. He wasn't sure what was happening, but it seemed like Rocke had lit Director Famus's shack on fire in some vain attempt to destroy Phú. What a foolish move. Fire couldn't hurt an AI, but criminals often did stupid things.
"Oh, shoot!" He ducked as a blonde woman appeared, pistol in her hand.
Halkken watched as she coldly dispatched a guard with a bolt to the temple, leaving little behind beyond a bloody, scorched mess. She ambushed the forces assaulting Rocke's resistance and shattered them. Whoever this woman was, she was a trained, cold-hearted killer. Halkken watched in horrified awe as the situation turned against them.
"Now what?" Halkken was under no illusions that he could fight Rocke's group alone, even if he could ambush them. Trying to stall them might only get him killed. Before he could recontact his chief, Halkken gaped in amazement as the blonde woman leaped into a burning building—presumably to save Rocke. Her complete lack of hesitation in throwing herself into danger was quite the turn-on. From the fervor she'd shown to save Rocke, it wasn't hard to put the pieces together.
"Some men have all the luck!" Halkken complained, darting from cover to cover. It didn't matter. She was a criminal. He'd do his duty. He jerked back as a bolt whizzed past his head.
"You're not going anywhere!" a fierce-looking Demon woman yelled, firing another volley at Halkken's head. He ducked aside, using a cage as cover. His attacker cursed, not wanting to risk hurting her Ottomon brethren within it.
"That won't save you!" From the hatred in the Demon woman's voice, she wanted him dead.
"You know, this would be love if you weren't trying to kill me," Halkken replied.
"What?" the Demon woman said, baffled.
"I mean it." Halkken gave his best disarming smile.
"You're Uppie filth! It's never happening!" the Demon woman spat.
"I suppose a man can dream." Though what now? Getting shot to death by the woman of his dreams wasn't the ideal situation.
To make matters worse, the others were freeing the Demon prisoners. He cursed as the invaders used his electronic key to disable the locks on the cages and led his captives into a ready transport. They helped the wounded first, then the women and children. The men took whatever ready weapon was available and headed in his direction. Oh dear, they looked eager for payback on a poor, hardworking police officer. Charm wouldn't help him in this situation, and the Demon woman gloated at his predicament.
If he broke cover, he'd get shot down by the lovely Demon woman. If he stayed, the mob would grab him, and it wouldn't end well.
He looked down at his weapon and sighed. "This won't help much." He raised his voice. "If I surrender, will you refrain from harming me? I'm only a humble civil servant."
Throw aside your weapon, and we'll only tie you up," the Demon woman's voice dripped with scorn. "Try anything funny, and you're dead." She wasn't mincing words, only speaking the facts of the situation.
"I hope he does!" a man said, brandishing a broken bar from a cage. His grin wasn't particularly friendly, making it unclear if he'd follow the agreement. Other Ottomon threw scorn in his direction, eager for violence even if he came peacefully.
"Calm yourselves," the prophet said, putting a hand on the burly man. "He's only doing his job. Besides, there's been enough bloodshed. Officer, if you do as Kallane says, no one will come to harm. I promise you, by the Sovereign."
"Kallane? What a pretty name," Halkken said as he dropped and kicked his weapon aside. He raised his hands for everyone to see.
"Huh?" Kallane said, blushing somewhat. It seemed clear she wasn't used to compliments like that. "Shut up. Hold your hands over your head!"
"I hope Rocke is okay," Matthias said. "I saw Jafia chase after him into that burning building."
"What?!" Kallane recoiled in shock. She'd been so busy with Halkken, she hadn't noticed the other parts of the battlefield. Her features hardened. "I'm going after them."
Brave and loyal, too? Halkken found himself impressed. Kallane screamed in fright as a guard robot appeared from nowhere and swung an electrical prod in her direction. She ducked, just avoiding the shock of her life.
"Where did that come from?" Kallane said, backing away. Her eyes widened as the guard robots she'd assumed dormant came to life. Demon's screamed as their prods sparked, ready to herd them back into their cells in the most painful way possible.
"You!" Kallane sent Halkken a scathing glare.
"It wasn't me," Halkken replied.
"I'd get back into your cells if I were you, Demon scum," Phú's voice said over the loudspeakers. "Or my metal minions will shock you to death! You'll writhe like worms until your heart stops!"
"Oh, she got the guard control system online again," Halkken said, impressed.
"Well, too bad!" Halkken gasped as Kallane suddenly grabbed him by the throat and pressed her weapon against his temple. "Let us leave, or the cop gets it!"
"Nice move," Halkken said, impressed. "That was a quick bit of hostage-taking!"
"Are you even taking this seriously?" Kallane said, exasperated. He was, but she deserved the compliment.
"Nah, shoot him. I don't care," Phú replied. "He's useless to the force, anyway."
"What?" Halkken said, wounded. She'd abandoned him, just like that?
"You're kidding?" Kallane replied, just as stunned by the betrayal.
"Hey, stay still! I'm trying to kill you!" Phú said before returning to them. "Pretty sure. I don't negotiate with terrorists, anyway. Shock them all, my pretties!" She gave a cruel, mocking laugh.
Halkken's heart raced as the guard robots approached them, eager for violence.
From her position above him, Kallane glared at him. "This is all your fault! Why can't you be a better hostage?"
"I wish I knew." Halkken's heart hurt. After their time together, Phú had turned on him? But now what? If they didn't do something fast, they'd both die.
A shock prod zipped at them with incredible speed, his once-captor staring helplessly in wide-eyed shock. She gasped as Halkken tripped her. Kallane collapsed, just avoiding getting shocked. Together, they landed in a heap, the Demon woman groaning in pain.
"What gives?!" Kallane said, glaring at him.
"Move!" Halkken pushed her away as the robot threw a follow-up strike.
The Demon woman uttered a blistering curse and fired her weapon at the robot at point-blank range. The shots only dinged its carapace, leaving some scorch marks, but it provided Halkken the distraction he needed. Grabbing a rock from the ground, he slammed it hard against its eyestalk. While the impact only caused a minor dent, the robot flailed around blind. Halkken staggered back as a wild blow clipped him across the head. He blinked, dazed.
Satisfied it had found a target, the robot focused its attention on him as it guessed his location. It raised a metal fist to crush his skull and finish the job—Halkken, too stunned to evade.
But it never got the chance, as Kallane shot the robot's eyestalk point-blank with her weapon. The appendage exploded, and the robot slumped as its systems failed.
"Thanks," Halkken said, struggling to his feet. He winced as he touched his temple, his fingers coming away bloody.
"Don't get used to it," Kallane replied. "I only helped you because I felt sorry for you. How did you know that'd work?"
"Those old units' eye sensors are always unreliable. They always seem to get unaligned." Halkken surveyed the scene—the utter pandemonium around him.
People were fleeing the camp, trampling over each other in their bid to escape the deadly, rampaging robots. Others were helping Rocke's group subdue their attackers. The Demon forces, though less powerful individually, outnumbered the robots. After the indignities they'd suffered, they wanted payback. It didn't matter if they were sleep-deprived and malnourished—they attacked in droves, not caring how many got hurt. If one of their number got shocked, ten replaced them.
It terrified Halkken how utterly the Demons destroyed their robot oppressors. When they realized the eyestalks were their weakness, the camp's prisoners systematically tore them apart. It wasn't long before the machines got reduced to heaps of useless metal. Still, time was pressing. As the men kept the robots distracted, Matthias guided the women, children, and injured into the transport.
"I'd scram if I were you," Kallane said before running off to help the nearest group with a guard robot. It left Halkken unsure of what he should do.
"I should arrest them, but…" Kallane had saved Halkken's life. Besides, that the treatment of the Demons in Camp F had bothered him.
"What the heck?" It was his job to protect the people. Phú had gone out of control. "Wait for me!"
---
Was this it? Was this where she died? Around her, the flames licked at Jafia, their smothering smoke choking her to death. Her breaths were shallow, as oxygen had a more difficult time entering her lungs. Her thoughts were sluggish as she struggled to consider her next move.
Rocke was already unconscious, passed out from smoke inhalation. In front of her stood the AI-controlled robot, blocking their only chance of escape. Another stood in the gap between a broken wall, making that path impossible too.
Jafia was furious with herself. She'd forgotten the mission and needlessly risked her life to save someone who was a citizen of her enemy. A spy should know better. Still, Jafia wasn't sure whether she regretted her action. Rocke was important to her, she realized. And Jafia's pride wouldn't shame her for this act of the heart. Friendship, love? It didn't matter.
"Quit wasting our time and kill us already, you demented AI." Jafia jutted out her chin. If she were to die, it wouldn't be as a helpless victim. Her legs wobbled as her brain asphyxiated, but she stood firm.
"You're no fun!" the AI whined. "Stop making this not fun! Oh well! You've convinced me! Smoke inhalation is too dull a way to kill you! I'll crush your skulls instead! Starting with the traitor!"
Jafia's eyes widened in alarm as the other robot, by the broken wall, sprang to life at incredible speed. It lifted a fist, swinging it down to crush the helpless Rocke. Her body moved on its own, not caring what happened to it.
"Gah!" Jafia howled in pain as a metal fist broke bone. She collapsed next to Rocke. Every breath hurt as bones shifted where they shouldn't.
"Are you stupid?" the AI said, amused. "You just rushed your own death to save someone already doomed? You humans."
Jafia barely heard these words through her pain. The flames crept alarmingly close, yet Jafia wasn't afraid. Instead, she stretched out a hand and grasped Rocke's. This simple action seemed to stretch her remaining strength, but it was worth it. She stared into his sleeping face, wishing she'd spoken with him more—told him how much he meant to her. But if they died together, she wouldn't complain. Besides, Vanderfall didn't need her to destroy this wretched country. For Rocke's sake, she hoped it suffered the Sovereign's full wrath.
It was an odd final thought, but she clung to it. She gripped Rocke's hand tightly. She promised the Sovereign that if there was any way to save Rocke, she'd pay any price.
"Please, Sovereign. If you can save him, please do so," she whispered, her voice a coughing rasp.
"What? I can't hear you," the AI said, amused. "Final sweet nothings to your dead boyfriend? How touching!"
"I really wish she'd shut up," Jafia thought acidly. She still had the stick with her anti-AI program in her pocket. If only she could insert it into the robot's port, then the AI wouldn't be laughing.
"I think I hear something!" a familiar voice said. "Rocke, are you still in there?"
"Matthias?" But her voice came out in a barely audible choke.
"What's this guard robot doing just standing here?" another familiar voice said. It was her fellow Vanderfall spy. "Whoa!"
"Back off. You're ruining all the fun!" The other guard robot took a wild swing, which Rojan dodged. His eyes widened as he caught sight of Jafia through the smoke.
"Jafia? Hey, there's someone still in here! After it!" Rojan shouted.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" the AI demanded, watching in shock as dozens of Ottomon, armed with rocks and metal bars, assaulted the robot. With distressing efficiency, they disabled it.
While his Ottomon friends took care of the guard robot, the prophet rushed past into the burning hut. He coughed but remained firm on his feet. Was he insane?
"Rocke's here too?" Matthias said. "Don't worry, I'll get to you soon."
"You old fool, the building might collapse at any second!" Ottomon cried out in warning, but the prophet rushed forward, heedless of the danger.
"What an idiot," the AI muttered, seeming to preen at the idea of her next victim. "You're rushing to your doom."
"Maybe." Despite the flames licking around him, Matthias remained totally calm, as if the fire couldn't even hurt him. "The Sovereign has a future purpose for that lad. So I can't allow him to die—not just yet."
"What?" the AI said, dumbfounded. "Are you serious?"
"Oh! You're that AI from before," Matthias said, halting as the AI-controlled robot approached.
"That's right. And I'm finishing what I started!" The AI swung a wild blow, which the older man barely dodged.
"I have to do something," Jafia thought. With Matthias's advanced years, he'd only last a few seconds at best against the AI-controlled robot. Her eyes widened as she spotted a port at the base of the robot's neck.
She needed to get to him. But such a distance seemed like an eternity with her battered body. "It doesn't matter. I'm getting over there." Jafia refused to let those UOP dogs win. Determination fueled her limbs as she managed to haul herself to a standing position.
Oddly, the flames seemed to sway away from her like she was contagious. Even the smoke and heat weren't that bad. It was almost as if the blaze wouldn't even hurt her if she threw herself into it. She dismissed the idea as ridiculous and focused on the task at hand. Sweat dripped down their only salvation as she gripped it tightly.
"Gah!" Matthias howled in pain as the AI hurled him outside. As he landed with a painful thud, Jafia took her chance.
"Don't think I don't see you!" The AI whirled in her direction, but Jafia was already moving. The robot recoiled when it spotted what was in her hand, temporary panic seeping in. With uncoordinated movements, it tried slapping Jafia aside—but a bolt struck it from behind, staggering it.
"Halkken? You traitor!" The eyestalk widened in panic. It could transfer to another body, but Jafia wouldn't give it a chance. Her hands blurred as they reached the socket. She winced as her body struck the hot metal of the robot's surface, but she pushed past the pain.
A shock prod moved to stun Jafia into unconsciousness, but a bolt knocked it off course, providing the opening she needed.
"No! You can't!" the AI screamed as the stick snapped into its port. Jafia howled in pain as she knocked it in, while the metal monster flailed.
"Hurry, grab them both!" Matthias said. A burly Ottomon dashed into the burning building and threw Jafia over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes in one swift movement. She winced where the guard robot's hot metal body had burned her. Despite being bedraggled from weeks in Camp F, the bear-like man bore the strength of six men. With extreme tenderness, he picked up Rocke and carried him in a fireman's carry as he rushed to safety.
"I… I… no. This can't…" The AI's voice faded as Jafia's program wiped the robot's hard drive clean. Her code disabled the robot's transmitter, leaving the AI nowhere to flee. "B-beeee—"
"Sorry, Phú," the cop said, lowering his weapon. So he'd been the one to help Jafia? "But you broke your purpose. You're meant to protect and serve. Your programming's not right."
"Y-Ooouuuuu basssssssssss, haakkekk…" Its voice cracked before the robot went limp. To punctuate the AI's death, the building chose that moment to collapse. How had it lasted that long?
"Good work, Dallas," the prophet said, relieved. Jafia coughed, her throat feeling like ash. But she smiled—the fresh air tasted like ambrosia to her.
"We need to get Rocke medical attention!" Kallane said, alarmed.
"No time. We need to flee now!" Rojan said. In his hand, he held a small piece of metal, but he hid it in his coat pocket. "We'll do what we can for him once we get to safety."
"Uncle Hooven, get the hell over here!" Kallane shouted, her temper peaked. "You can help Rocke while we're in transit!" But no answer came. "You have got to be kidding me! We don't have time for this!"
While they worked out the specifics of getting everyone into the transport vehicles, Jafia just sat and rested on one of the transport's front seats. Rocke's well-being preoccupied her dozing thoughts. Nothing would be worth anything if he died.
Soon the transport was moving, and Jafia jerked awake. She blinked, looking around in confusion.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" Rojan said. He handed her a face mask and gestured for her to put it on. "We found it in one of the transport's first aid kits. It should help you breathe easier."
Jafia accepted the mask, sighing in relief as her breaths no longer felt so labored. With her fractured ribs, every breath was a torment, but she'd live. "Did you get what you were after?"
Her fellow spy nodded and revealed a key in his hand. "Took it from the ex-warden Famus. He's tied up in the back, ready to be interrogated by certain friends of ours."
This earned a smile from Jafia. Finally, that monster would face justice for his crimes. "And the key?"
"To a safe deposit box. Apparently, it has a lot of juicy little blackmail and other fun gossip we can use. Famus had a lot of dirt on his peers."
"That's good. Is Rocke…"
"He's fine," Rojan said with a smile. "Suffered some serious smoke inhalation, but he'll live."
"Thank the Sovereign!" Jafia said, leaning back in her chair. She tensed as she heard sirens, but they sounded distant to her ears. Had they made a clean escape?
"Good work, Jafia. Though…" Rojan hesitated. "I might have to tell our friends you're in no shape for tomorrow."
"No. I'm doing it." Jafia's face hardened. "Famus got his. So will Sunbearer."
"You're the boss," Rojan said after a moment of silence. "Don't do anything stupid. Rocke will be disappointed if you die."
"Come on. He's only an UOP dog." But Jafia's words sounded false even to her own ears.
"Sure," Rojan said, smiling.
"Just drive." Jafia hid a smile and closed her eyes. She needed her strength for the next mission. She aimed to transform UOP, creating a nation worthy of Rocke's admiration. For this purpose, scum like Sunbearer needed to die.