A soft, sweet voice floated to Max's ears, sending a shiver down his spine. Slowly, he blinked his eyes open.
"Is this my life flashing before me...?" Max pondered, his voice barely audible, as he rose to his feet and scanned his surroundings.
A small girl with a ponytail of brown hair stood before him. Her hands were discreetly clasped behind her back, and she leaned in, her presence almost ethereal.
"Max, do you remember our promise?" Her words brushed against him like a whisper on the breeze.
"Promise?" Max's voice quivered with faint recognition. "Ah, yea... I made a promise..."
"Max, you can't be serious!" The girl's voice cracked, her eyes brimming with tears.
Max reached out as the face of the girl became clearer, attempting to touch her, but his fingers met only empty air.
"Julie," he said, his eyes closing in remembrance. "I remember... the promise I made six years ago."
"I remember—I promised." Max's voice wavered as his eyes fluttered open, returning to the present moment.
The humanoids were in motion, their weapons charging. Bullets poured down on Max as they fired, but just as quickly, he seemed to blur and fade from their sight.
Swiftly, he materialized behind one of them, his small dagger finding its mark in the vulnerable juncture of the humanoid's neck.
"I PROMISED HER THAT I WOULD SAVE HER!" His proclamation echoed.
He snatched a firearm from a fallen humanoid, taking cover behind a nearby wall. With calculated precision, he dispatched two more humanoids with well-aimed shots.
"Three down!" he shouted. "Seven more to go."
The remaining seven humanoids moved closer to Max, shooting at him all the while.
"Wow, they're shooting nonstop!" Max exclaimed, trying to peek and shoot back.
The bullets were coming so fast, it was really dangerous. "I can't even use my quick move to dodge!"
As the enemies got closer, Max held his breath, thinking hard for a plan.
He checked his pockets, hoping to find something useful, but there was nothing.
Just as things seemed dire, the bullet spray suddenly stopped. The enemy robots shifted their aim and started shooting in a different direction.
Max cautiously peeked out to see what was happening.
His eyes widened with surprise and relief as he spotted Lolita on the other side. But before he could react, she threw some objects on the ground.
"Not again.." Max's heart sank as he realized what was about to happen. A few seconds later, the objects exploded, causing the nearby robot to blow up too.
The blast was so powerful that it even caused the ground to crumble around them.
"Oh Fuck me," Max muttered, his heart pounding with both fear and awe.
With a sudden thud, the ground shook.
This time, Max and Lolita had managed to distance themselves from the impact.
The small bombs exploded in a confined area, causing rubble to scatter and some of the humanoid figures to be crushed beneath it.
"Hah... what kind of bombs are these?" Max coughed, glancing at Lolita, who stood on the opposite side.
"We need to get out of this room" Lolita said, quickly tying her hair back into a ponytail.
"And she's ignoring me again," Max muttered under his breath. He carefully moved away from the site of the explosion and entered the lobby. It was spacious, but chaos reigned as people rushed in all directions. Lolita caught up to him, her eyes scanning the crowd.
"Follow me," she instructed, running toward the far end of the floor, away from the stairs.
"Wait, what do you mean? The stairs are over there!" Max called after her, following despite his confusion.
However, Lolita remained silent, her pace unwavering. When they reached the end of the floor, a wall blocked their path.
"Now what?" Max panted, his breathing labored.
"Max?" A voice called from behind. It was Aaron and Serena.
"Oh, you guys are safe?" Max said, his gaze turning to Serena, who seemed visibly tired.
"Yes," Aaron confirmed.
"Lolita, can you explain what's going on? Why are we even in this situation?" Serena's brow furrowed as she questioned.
Lolita brushed off Serena's inquiry and picked up some small chips.
As she brought them closer to the wall, they clung to it as if magnetized.
"I don't know, I just have a feeling..." Max began, his voice trailing off as he slowly stepped back, mimicking Lolita's retreat.
"It might explode."
BOOOM!
The wall burst apart, the chips exploding and creating a hole. Beyond it, a room was revealed.
"Whoa, what's this?" Max marveled, peeking through the opening.
Inside the room stood numerous humanoid figures in neat rows. His eyes widened, his grip faltered, and he lost his balance.
"Wait... what's all this?" Max turned to Lolita, who had confidently stepped into the room.
Serena and Aaron exchanged puzzled glances, their curiosity piqued.
"What's happening, Lolita?" Serena's voice trembled with concern as she stepped into the room. Lolita turned, a smile playing on her lips.
"Protect me," she replied, tapping her wristwatch. "Aaron and Max."
In response, the wristwatches worn by Aaron and Max began to glow red.
Tiny needles extended from them, piercing their skin and becoming firmly embedded. and their bodies moved on their own.
"Whoa, hold on! I can't control..." Max's protest was drowned out by his struggle.
It was as though an invisible force was puppeteering him.
Serena took a cautious step back, her eyes locked on Aaron, who stood alongside Max at the forefront of the room.
They shielded Lolita, who moved purposefully toward a computer table.
"Silent her," Lolita commanded. As the words left her lips, Aaron and Max moved in unison, their gazes fixed on Serena.
Aaron's clenched fist emanated a radiant blue glow, while Max brandished a dagger, poised to strike at Serena.
Despite their faces contorting with inner turmoil, as if they struggled to stop them their attempts to control their own bodies seemed useless, their willpower slipping away.
"Stop... Aaron, what are you doing...?" Serena's voice quivered, her eyes pleading with Aaron.
His troubled expression seemed to wrestle with some unseen force as he raised his glowing fist, ready to strike Serena.