Alan and Martin chose a narrow alley to hide in, surrounded by various places to take cover. Despite the precarious situation, Alan stood tall in the center of the alley, not bothering to hide.
Taking a deep breath, Alan released his aether as far as he could, stretching it out for more than 100 meters. He could feel the robot getting caught in his aether, and it turned around and dashed at his location with great speed. Alan kept his aura up, sensing all of the robot's actions without even seeing it.
As the robot entered Alan's view, he noticed a badge on its chest. It was too far away to read, but Alan guessed that it was holding the red jewel in its right hand. He readied his stance, sweating but with a faint smile on his face.
When the robot was about 10 meters away from Alan, both of them halted by the aether that came from behind the robot. Alan knew who it was. Without wasting any more time, he hid his aura and leapt at the robot, snatching away the red jewel that was in its hand.
Noticing the red jewel was gone from its right hand, the robot turned around clockwise. Alan knew he couldn't keep the red jewel safe for long, so he quickly threw it at Martin's location before the robot had completely turned.
Martin grabbed the red jewel and hid his aura once again, disappearing into the rubble. Alan let out a sigh of relief, knowing they had pulled off the heist of a lifetime.
Alan was standing there in the narrow alley, watching the robot's cold and lifeless eyes fixed on him. He could sense a strange energy emanating from it, as if it was trying to analyze him. Alan felt a chill run down his spine as he realized he was alone with this machine, with no idea of its intentions.
As he was trying to make sense of the situation, his eyes caught a glimpse of something written on the robot's chest. It looked like a series of numbers and letters arranged in a pattern. Curiosity getting the best of him, he focused his gaze on the text, trying to decipher its meaning.
The text read:
9845 1257
8502 7452
HM ~ Pelca
Alan was perplexed. He had no idea what this cryptic message could mean. Was it some kind of code? He looked back at the robot, hoping for an explanation, but it just stood there silently, its metallic body reflecting the dim light of the alleyway.
Frustrated and unnerved, Alan muttered to himself, "What the hell does that mean?" He was desperate for answers, but the robot remained unresponsive. It either didn't understand human language or had no interest in communicating with him.
As Alan continued to ponder the meaning of the message, the robot suddenly turned around and started walking away, leaving Alan behind in the darkness of the alley. Alan couldn't shake off the feeling of unease as he watched the robot disappear into the shadows, wondering what its true purpose was and whether he would ever encounter it again.
…
Martin and Alan were standing in the ruins, catching their breath after their first successful jewel heist. Martin was practically dancing around in excitement.
"Hey did you see me?" Martin asked in a high tone.
Alan nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Yup, that was awesome."
Martin's grin grew even wider. "I know, right? I feel like a freaking ninja!"
What's a ninja? Alan wondered.
Alan chuckled softly. "Anyway, I didn't know you had such a strong aether, Martin. I knew it was coming, but that didn't make me stop from shaking a bit."
"Yeah, well, I've been practicing," Martin replied, still bouncing on his toes.
Alan shook his head, amazed at his friend's boundless energy. "Well, it definitely paid off. You did great out there."
"Thanks, man," Martin said, beaming at Alan. "I couldn't have done it without your help."
After a few moments of catching their breath, they both turned to each other, grinning.
"So, are we doing this again?" Martin asked eagerly.
"Of course," Alan replied, his voice serious. "We've gotta get that second jewel so we can both pass the test."
"Right," Martin said, nodding. "But this time, I want to have some action too. You be the decoy, okay?"
"Well, technically, we were both decoys, but sure," Alan said with a small smile. "If you're doing this though, make sure to go around that thing when it's turning, so that you'll be behind its back until you've thrown the jewel at me. If it sees you throwing the jewel at me, it might come after me, okay?"
"Got it, man," Martin said, his enthusiasm undiminished.
And with that, they both set off, ready for their next adventure.
…
Alan stood frozen behind the rubble, staring intently at the red jewel in his hand. He couldn't believe that he had managed to snatch it without getting caught. He looked around anxiously, hoping that Martin would show up soon so that they could make their escape.
But as time ticked by, Alan began to grow increasingly uneasy. He couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being watched. Suddenly, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see the robot charging towards him, its eyes fixed on him like a predator stalking its prey.
Panic set in as Alan realized he had been spotted. Without thinking, he darted between two buildings, the sound of the robot's metal feet pounding behind him. He could hear its whirring motors, and the cold metal fingers of fear clutched at his heart.
Alan was running as fast as he could, but the robot was gaining on him. He had to find a way to hide, but where?
"He's pinpointing my location with aether," Alan thought to himself, as he raced through the narrow alleyways. "But what if I can hide my aura? What if I can make myself invisible to the robot's sensors?"
"Hiding my aura wouldn't be enough to conceal my shape. I still look like a human," he thought to himself, pondering his next move.
Alan's heart was pounding in his chest as he burst through a glass window and stumbled into a dark, abandoned room. He took a deep breath and tried to focus. He concentrated on his aura, willing it to take on the properties of the glass and blend in with the environment.
He closed his eyes and waited, holding his breath. But the robot was still coming, its sensors locking onto his location. Alan cursed himself for not being able to control his aether better. He knew that he needed to concentrate harder if he was going to escape.
Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in his back. He felt himself falling, the world spinning around him. The last thing he saw before everything went black was the robot's cold, metallic eyes staring down at him.