Aaron's clenched robotic fist emanated a radiant blue glow.
Max stood at the ready, a dagger glinting in his hand, its edge honed to a deadly point. Their faces contorted with inner turmoil, struggling against an unseen force that seemed to hijack their very bodies, rendering their attempts at control futile. Willpower slipped through their fingers like sand, and they stood as helpless spectators within their own skin.
"Stop... Aaron, what are you doing...?" Serena's voice quivered, her eyes a mixture of fear and desperation, locked onto Aaron. His troubled expression appeared to battle against an invisible torrent, caught between his own intentions and an external compulsion. "I can't stop-"
The glowing fist remained poised, threatening to strike Serena despite the conflict raging within him.
And then, a metallic clash shattered the tension.
"Clang."
Serena's gaze shifted, her eyes widening as they settled on a figure clad in an imposing iron suit. The dark metal enveloped his form, an armor of obsidian strength. Her gaze followed the suit's armored arms to where they had intercepted Aaron's impending blow, a sword of his own meeting Aaron's glowing fist with a defiant clash.
Max, too, found himself immobilized, pinned down by a brawny figure whose sheer strength left him incapacitated.
"Uh ah, looks like you got into trouble again," the man in the iron suit remarked, his voice muffled by the protective layers that encased him. As he turned, the identity of the armored savior was revealed—it was Drake.
"Chip removed, sir," grumbled the broad man, his actions accompanied by the sound of a chip being wrested from Max's grip. Max winced, cradling his hand with a pained expression. "Ow ow ow," he groaned, the discomfort evident.
"Good job, Ben," Drake acknowledged, his attention shifting swiftly as he employed his own dagger to extract the wristwatch-like device from Aaron's hand.
"Oh my my, is this the infamous officer of the Revolutionary Army, huh?" Lolita remarked slyly, her finger caressing a hidden button. In response, dormant humanoid figures sprang to life, their eyes flickering with an eerie luminescence as they moved with calculated purpose.
"Yeah, and I guess you must be the one who lured us here, eh?" Drake's tone dripped with a mixture of irritation and recognition as he surveyed the advancing humanoids that threatened to encircle them.
"Mhmm, I never expected a top officer to be lured with such ease," Lolita purred a sense of triumph in her words. She retreated cautiously, fitting a gas mask over her features. "Welcome to the illusion," she quipped ominously, her final words punctuated by a high-pitched whirr.
The sound triggered a startling realization among the trapped group. The air around them seemed to thin, each inhalation a struggle against the suffocating pressure that gripped their lungs. Panic rose as they fought to breathe, except for Drake, whose armored mask shielded him from the deadly effects.
"The wall!" Drake's voice sliced through the air, a desperate warning that spurred Ben into action. With a swift, selfless movement, he hurled Max out of the path of danger, away from the wall Drake had indicated. Drake's gaze swept the scene, his mind piecing together the danger they faced. As the humanoid figures closed in, his suspicion solidified—first, the air had been siphoned away to weaken them, then a cloud of soporific gas had been released.
"What's happening?" Serena's plea for understanding echoed the confusion that gripped them all. The world seemed to dim around her as consciousness threatened to slip away.
"Do not breathe!!" Drake's command reverberated, yet before he could rally his strength, a forceful impact to his head sent him spiraling into unconsciousness. The world faded to black, a hushed silence descending over the battleground.
----
Slowly, Serena's eyes fluttered open, her surroundings a blur as her consciousness returned. The confines of the room came into focus, revealing her grim predicament. Her limbs and neck were ensnared by restraints, a chair serving as her inescapable prison. With a struggle, she turned her head, the collar around her neck making even the slightest movement a torment.
A glance confirmed that Max was in a similar restrained state, unconscious in his plight. Desperation gnawed at her as she strained against her bonds.
she looked at her left side to find Ben, the other companion who had fought alongside Drake. His gaze was fixed ahead, seemingly lost in thought.
Serena's throat felt parched, every word an effort as she attempted to speak. "Where am I?" Her internal voice was weak, and her eyes darted around the confined space, searching for answers. Aaron was nowhere to be seen, his absence adding another layer of unease to the situation.
"Did that girl from earlier brought you all here?" Ben's voice cut through the silence, his tone strangely detached as he continued to stare ahead. Serena managed to overcome the tightness in her throat "Yes".
"What were you doing in the tower?" he inquired, his questions straightforward and without judgment.
"Stealing a... briefcase," Serena managed to rasp, her vocal cords protesting against the strain of speech.
She was desperate for information, for any clue that could shed light on their circumstances. "Do you know where Aaron is?"
"No, my captain and that cyborg weren't here when I woke up," Ben's reply was matter-of-fact, devoid of emotion. The air grew heavy with an unspoken tension, Serena's heart pounding audibly as she grappled with the gravity of their situation.
"You all are dead," Ben's words cut through the silence, each syllable striking like a hammer against Serena's chest, robbing her breath.
"What... what do you mean?" Her voice trembled, anxiety creeping into every corner of her mind.
"Did they scan you when you entered the city?" Ben's question shifted the focus, and Serena nodded, her throat dry and constricted.
"Yes," she managed to croak, her curiosity piqued despite her fear.
"When they scan you, it's a data sweep for the authorities. They'll know everything about you. You were supposed to be eliminated under the orders of Big House." Ben's words cast a dark shadow, and Serena's mind raced to piece together the puzzle. Big House—the ominous authority that governed the western cities.
"They were the ones who ordered the wipeout, claiming your city allowed those Boston refugees in. It violated a cardinal rule of the Great King Arthur. Now, you're in the same category as those refugees. Anyone marked by Big House is to be eradicated. When they say 'city,' it means every soul within it," Ben's explanation unfolded like a grim revelation, the weight of his words sinking deep into Serena's consciousness.
Before she could fully process this revelation, the door swung open, hinges creaking with a sinister sense of finality. A figure emerged into the dim light, a malevolent grin playing across his face. Recognition struck Serena like a bolt of lightning—this was the same individual who had commissioned Harutel and scammed Max.
"Aye! Time for punishment!!!" His announcement dripped with sadistic delight, his eyes gleaming as he relished in the control he held over their fates.