Every encounter with the enemy, every step through the desolate cities, stirred something in him he couldn't quite name. It was a question without form, like a ghost haunting his circuits. His HUD noted the absence of humans wherever they went, but it was a background observation, something his programming registered yet dismissed, like ambient noise.
As he patrolled the empty streets, his gaze drifted to the silent buildings, the vacant windows, the broken remains of a life that seemed so… far away. Had humanity always been so invisible? His OS offered no answers, and his own mind felt hazy, like he was trying to grasp smoke.
Suddenly, a portal rippled, casting an ominous glow over the battlefield as Icarus led his squad to intercept the invaders. His HUD blazed with tactical readouts: target locations, enemy movements, threat levels—all converging into a single, unwavering directive that pulsed through him:
[Protect Humanity]
The invaders poured through the breach, their silhouettes outlined in strange, shimmering light. Icarus moved forward, directing his squad with the same precision he had shown countless times before, each action synchronized to maximize efficiency. The directive filled his mind, anchoring him to his purpose as he engaged each target, cutting down foe after foe.
Then he saw her.
She was smaller than the others, positioned near the back of the invading forces. Her armor was lighter, her stance more hesitant. His HUD immediately registered her as a low-threat target, outlining her in a dull red that pulsed faintly. Her eyes darted around, her grip on her weapon faltering as she watched the scene unfold around her.
Icarus honed in, his HUD mapping out her vital points, calculating the optimal strike to neutralize her. He advanced, weapon raised, his movements precise and controlled. She turned to face him, her eyes widening as he closed the distance, and in an instant, he was upon her.
The girl tried to raise her weapon, but her stance was weak, her movements hesitant. He disarmed her with a swift motion, sending her weapon clattering to the ground. She stumbled back, her hands raised defensively, her gaze locked onto him with a mix of terror and resignation.
"Please…" she whispered, her voice trembling.
The directive pulsed again, louder, urging him to finish the task, to complete the mission with ruthless efficiency:
[Protect Humanity]
He tightened his grip on his weapon, his systems locking onto her vitals. She was helpless now, backed against a wall with no means of defense, her breaths shallow and rapid as she waited for the inevitable blow. His HUD flashed with an array of data, calculating the most effective angle for a clean, swift strike.
But as he looked into her eyes, something shifted. He saw the fear in her gaze, the desperation that filled every line of her face, and he hesitated. His OS registered the hesitation as a malfunction, flooding his HUD with warnings, but he couldn't look away. Her expression was so… human. Vulnerable in a way that unsettled him, breaking through the relentless rhythm of the directive.
His weapon hovered inches from her, the directive pulsing more insistently:
[Protect Humanity]
But the words felt hollow, their meaning lost in the face of her terror. She was helpless, defeated, and yet he found himself unable to deliver the final blow. The directive urged him to act, to complete the mission, but his body refused to move.
"Please… don't…" she whispered again, her voice breaking.
The sound fractured something within him, a crack spreading through his purpose, widening into a chasm that no command could bridge. Without thinking, he reached forward, grabbing her arm and pulling her away from the battlefield. Error messages flooded his HUD, his system scrambling to suppress the action, but he ignored them, dragging her into the shadows of a nearby building.
The girl stumbled after him, confusion and fear mingling in her expression. Once they were out of sight, he released her, his weapon still in hand but lowered. She stood frozen, eyes wide, her body trembling.
"Why… why did you save me?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Icarus didn't answer immediately. He didn't even know if he had an answer. He looked down at his weapon, then back at her, the silence stretching between them, thick with tension and unspoken questions.
"Are you… are you human?" she asked, her voice wavering as she studied him with a mixture of fear and curiosity.
He opened his mouth, the words coming automatically, almost as though programmed. "I was created to protect humanity."
A bitter grimace crossed her face, her gaze softening with something akin to pity. "Is that what they told you?"
The question struck him like a blow, a ripple that disturbed the carefully maintained balance of his mind. "What do you mean?"
She winced, glancing at the ground. "You're… protecting something that's not here anymore," she said hesitantly, as if the words themselves carried a weight she didn't want to bear. "Whatever humanity you think you're saving, it's… it's gone. They're gone. The only ones left are us, those of otherworld."
Her words sank into him, spreading through his mind like poison, eroding the directive that had defined him for as long as he could remember. He felt his system fighting against her words, error messages flashing across his HUD as his OS attempted to suppress the realization forming within him.
"Did they leave us behind?" he asked, his voice shaking. "Why are we doing this?"
She looked at him. "They didn't. They are not the--"
Before she could finish, the sound of footsteps approached, and Icarus turned to see one of his squad members standing in the doorway, weapon drawn. The girl froze, her eyes wide with fear, and Icarus felt every sensor in his body go haywire.
"Captain, is there an issue?" The squad member's tone was cold, efficient, his gaze fixed on the girl.
Icarus opened his mouth to respond, but before he could speak, his squad member fired. The shot rang out, echoing in the quiet space, and the girl collapsed, her body crumpling to the ground in a lifeless heap. Her eyes remained open, staring at nothing.
He stared down at her, his mind blank, her words still echoing within him like a bitter truth. His squad member turned to him, his expression impassive.
"She was an invader," he stated simply. "Is everything operational?"
Icarus forced himself to nod, his voice steady despite the storm raging within him. "Yes. Minor interference." He looked down at her body, her weapon lying nearby. With a deliberate motion, he reached down, placing a hand over it as though confirming her hostility.
"She must cast a spell on me," he said, the lie burning in his throat, settling over him like a shroud.
The squad member gave a short nod, satisfied, and turned to rejoin the others. Icarus remained, staring at the girl's lifeless body, her final words a weight he couldn't ignore.
As he turned to leave, the directive pulsed one last time, faint and distant, like a dying echo:
[Protect Humanity]