Rocke's heart thundered as he ducked under a metal fist aimed to cave in his skull. He dashed around it, only to find another attacker waiting with its shock prod. He realized too late the first attack had only been a feint. Hadn't Phú promised to tear him limb from limb and feed him to the fire? She wouldn't let him die that quickly. The world slowed as the prod flew toward his chest, Rocke cringing at the pain he was helpless to avoid.
A hard shape drove into him, the charge from the prod coming close enough to make his hair stand on end. He landed with a hard thud against the paved floor.
"T-thanks," Rocke said, his rescuer, Nitao, giving him a nod. For someone so injured, his friend was surprisingly quick. They both rolled away as two guard robots stabbed down at them.
"Hey, no fair. Stay still!" Phú said in a huff. "Stop struggling. You're only dragging out the inevitable."
But Rocke barely noticed her words, crawling on hands and knees to avoid his attackers. He hacked and coughed as smoke filled the room, keeping low to avoid the worst of it. The smoke cast their attackers in a haze, making them indistinct as prisoners fought for their lives.
His only hope was reaching the door, and he crawled for their lives. More prisoners were following suit, throwing themselves desperately against the five robots guarding the only exit. While some slipped past, most weren't so lucky. Rocke winced at the audible crack as a metal limb struck a bald, tattooed man across the skull.
Despite the deadly obstacle, Rocke mentally prepared himself to jump into the fray. He refused to die here. Besides, he wished to see the Sovereign's well-deserved judgment against the city. Rocke gave another quick prayer that they'd somehow get out of this.
"Come on, then!" Rocke snarled. A sudden hacking fit ruined the effect, but he remained undeterred. He startled in surprise as a boom sounded in the distance, the building rocking on impact.
Was that an explosion? He gaped as a wall imploded behind him, men in gas masks charging through the dust cloud. Rocke recognized the uniform.
The UDF?
"This way!" a soldier cried out, waving the prisoners toward him and the gap leading into open, fresh air. His fellows provided covering fire, their weapons exploding the heads of the guard robots.
"That's not the rescue I expected." But Rocke didn't complain, crawling in the other direction. Nitao followed behind, keeping low as soldiers fired over them.
"No fair! You can't do this! I'm on your side, morons!" Phú raged, but the soldiers ignored her, dispatching her forces with ruthless efficiency.
Rocke coughed and wheezed as his face met the wonderful fresh air, shivering in the cool night. They entered the prison's courtyard, where prisoners exercised and got some fresh air. A tank sat parked between a destroyed outer wall, soldiers at the ready to ensure no prisoner escaped. It figured it wouldn't be that easy.
Other prisoners joined them, relieved to leave the still-burning building. In the distance, Rocke heard approaching emergency vehicles. Smoke rose from the police station, light flickering from the windows.
"Come back here, Rocke! I won't let you escape justice!" Phú howled over the speaker system. Rocke heard more fighting within the police station.
"She just won't give up!" Rocke took in grateful breaths, still hacking the occasional cough.
He hoped Kallane and the others were okay. If they got caught trying to rescue him, he'd never forgive himself. He sent the Sovereign a silent prayer for their safety. The courtyard soon filled with prisoners. Rocke's mouth tightened when he noticed Hooven slinking away in the background. It figured that rat would escape to safety somehow.
"This way. We have a transport ready for you. Don't try anything," a soldier said, making his threat clear with his ready weapon. He gestured for the prisoners to hurry past the tank in single file.
An impressive display of force greeted them as they slunk past the prison's perimeter wall. Ten heavily armed men stood ready for trouble next to a troop transport. Rocke noticed the smoking turrets hidden among the wall's barbed wire. For all her talk, Phú hadn't stood a chance against a real force. He allowed a waiting soldier to slap cuffs over his hands.
"Inside," a soldier said. "Orderly now. We have medical attention ready for you at the holding area."
"Here we go," Rocke muttered to himself. One prison to another. At least he was alive. Nitao didn't seem pleased either, but said nothing. They waited in line for their turn.
A hand grabbed Rocke's shoulder and shook it. He turned to see a frantic Nitao pointing upward. Rocke's breath caught as he understood his friend's meaning.
Rocke uttered a string of curses, running for cover. "Look out!"
A soldier opened his mouth to snarl a threat at them, but froze, eyes wide when he saw why his prisoners were scattering. He didn't even cry out in fear as a police helicopter landed on the troop transport and exploded.
"Gah!" Rocke's body flew like a ragdoll, howling in pain as the explosion hurled him into the nearest car hard enough to dent the metal. The transport hissed and cracked as it burst into flames, taking the poor ten or so prisoners who'd already been loaded along with the driver.
"What the—?" What the heck had just happened?
"You aren't escaping, Rocke!" a distorted voice boomed from the nearest police car.
"Dear Sovereign." Rocke backed away from the nearest vehicle, disturbed. Had Phú just hijacked a police copter to kill him?
"Incoming from above!" a soldier yelled. Rocke's heart skipped as four more copters appeared overhead, each on a collision course.
Rocke's legs burned as he fled for his life, ignoring the soldiers yelling for him to stop. Thankfully, they didn't fire at his back. Instead, they focused on the careening police copters, yelling for everyone to take cover. Before he could reach a nearby alley, a police car drove into his path, blocking the way. He froze, Nitao bumping into him. A quick glance up revealed he had seconds until another copter crashed on their heads.
Luck was with them, however. The copter burst into flames as a round from a tank blew its tail off. It spun out of control, striking the building above them. It exploded on impact, Rocke wincing as rock rained down on top of him. The impact left a terrible mess of the nearby buildings, collapsing one. It crushed the police car, blocking the way. Another helicopter exploded, though thankfully it only landed on the remains of the police station.
"You okay?" Nitao asked.
"I think so," a shaky Rocke said. He noticed the other copters were keeping their distance, staying out of the tank's range.
"What else is she going to drop on us?" Rocke wondered.
Behind them, more guard robots streamed from the police station, attacking everything in sight. While the soldiers carried the initial advantage, the robots were more organized this time. They took advantage of the chaos caused by the police helicopter crash. Soldiers were too busy fighting for their lives to care about the fleeing prisoners.
"Rocke, over here!" a familiar voice said. Rocke stared, recognizing the woman with tribal Ottomon tattoos waving at them across the street.
"Maple?" Rocke rushed in her direction, and the woman embraced him with a maternal hug.
"Don't worry, lad. I've got you. We've come to rescue you!" Maple paused, listening to something in her ear. "We need to get to safety first."
She eyed the guard robots successfully routing the soldiers. The robots had stolen the weapons of fallen soldiers. Taking them in their awkward metal clamps, they opened fire on the nearest soldier. Huh? That wasn't in their programming. In the distance, there was another explosion.
"Yeah, let's go," Rocke said. Nitao gave an enthusiastic nod. "But what about Kallane?"
"I haven't heard from her, but she can take care of herself," Maple replied.
"And Jafia's with her," Rocke thought. It'd have to be enough. More robots were heading in their direction, so they made a run for it. Thankfully, their machine-gun fire flew wide as they ducked into another alley. The robots were still learning how to fire straight.
"Inside." Maple gestured to a waiting vehicle already humming with life.
While he hated leaving his friends behind, they had little choice. "Let's hope Kallane and the others reach the rendezvous point."
"No, we're getting out of the city entirely. Judgement Day, remember," Maple said, grabbing the steering wheel as they got in back. Rocke flinched but nodded. He'd have to pray they'd find some way to safety. The Sovereign would watch over them. Besides, after what happened in the station, they might be safer away from him.
"How do we leave the city?" As Rocke spoke, Maple drove into a busy street. "Aren't there patrols?"
"Thanks to our little distraction and the general chaos, they'll be busy. But we'll be driving black regardless," Maple replied—meaning she'd be driving without lights to avoid attention. It was a dark night, clouds obscuring the stars and moon. It wouldn't be easy, but it would be best to avoid any attention.
Nitao uttered a curse and pointed up. Rocke scowled. A police helicopter was following them.
"You'd best lose that, Maple," Rocke said, pointing.
But his warning came too late as a police car appeared from nowhere and drove straight at them on a collision course.
///
Smoke choked Jafia's lungs as she ducked for cover, trying to stay alive amidst the chaos. Fighting had broken out across the police station as the building burned around them. Indistinct figures fought in the haze, her eyes watering. Bullets and bolts of energy shot past her head as she ducked low, trying her best to avoid becoming collateral damage.
"We need to leave, now." Jafia's voice was a wheezing cough, her words almost inaudible.
"Yeah, sounds like a good plan, Hera," Dallas said. "Where are you? I'm hiding in an office."
"Still in the hallway." Jafia winced as a male voice screamed in agony before going silent.
"I'm in the hallway too, but I can't see anything," Kallane said.
"The army made a hole. Let's take advantage of it," Jafia said, creeping forward. "Best work to escape the building outright. You know where to meet."
"You'd better hurry, Hera," Rojan said. "Troops surround the station. They are rescuing the prisoners right now."
That was something. With luck, Rocke would be among them, though that likely ruined any chance of helping him. Whatever—surviving this mess took precedence. As she moved forward, Jafia's eye caught something. It was the body of a soldier.
"That's better," Jafia sighed in relief as the soldier's gas mask slipped over her face.
Hopefully, this would confuse the soldiers enough to allow her to pass. She was a known spy, after all. While it didn't improve her vision of the smoky hallway, at least she wasn't choking any more. She wiped her brow, the heat becoming almost unbearable. Nearby flames licked at cheap drywall, spreading quickly.
"Forward," Jafia said over the comm, though the mask somewhat muffled her voice. "Take a fallen soldier's mask if you can." Her allies nodded in the affirmative.
"There." Jafia saw the hole the soldiers had created and crept toward it. Nearby, soldiers fought with guard robots, retreating a step as they advanced. There were more robots than they'd expected.
But Jafia's luck ran out as a guard robot appeared from the hole, swiping a metal appendage to bludgeon her to death. She rolled out of the way and backed away as it advanced. The machine mimicked her movements, making it difficult to maneuver around. She cursed, feeling the breeze from the hole, escape was so close!
Distracted by the obstructing robot, Jafia didn't notice another guard robot sneaking up behind her. Pain lanced through her body as millions of volts shot from its electrical shock prod. She collapsed, her body spasming. The robots looked down, their faceless mask seeming to gloat over her.
As she lay prone, a guard robot lifted her body, holding it aloft by one hand. It eyed her like a child examining a captured insect. Nearby, the fire spread closer, almost enough to consume them. It turned toward the fire and seemed to get a nasty idea. Terror shot through Jafia as she realized its intent, helpless to do anything about it.
As it moved to toss Jafia into the fire, something huge crashed into the roof above. The building shook, and a good portion of the ceiling collapsed. A beam struck the guard robot, crushing its body like a tin can. Her head struck the hard tile floor, and Jafia's vision blurred before going black.
///
"Ugh." Jafia stirred as consciousness returned. She blinked, confused about where she was. When she tried moving, she found her body pinned under something heavy. Panic settled in as the last few minutes returned to her. The ceiling had collapsed, crushing the guard robot and leaving her trapped under it. Next to her head, she saw the remains of the guard robot, crushed into metal junk. Behind it burned the remains of a police helicopter, its police logo almost burning away. What the? Had it crashed into the station? Why?
The heat was unbearable. The smoke reduced visibility to almost nothing. Through the haze, Jafia thought she saw stars. Her head throbbed something fierce. Jafia grunted in effort as she pushed against the roof pinning her, heaving with all her might. No matter how hard she tried, each effort ended in defeat.
Jafia collapsed, resigned that she was stuck. No one seemed to be around, and they likely wouldn't rescue her before the fire consumed her. It was spreading quickly from the burning helicopter. She tried yelling out, but her mask blocked most of her effort.
"This is it then."
But Jafia found she wasn't afraid. She'd done her job. The chaos caused by Phú2's outburst would work nicely to Vladus's advantage when they invaded, perhaps weakening the UOP's army significantly.
Still, she worried about Rocke, hoping beyond hope he'd survived this mess. She was expendable; he wasn't. Jafia's only regret was not apologizing to him for her deception. They'd had good times together, the best of her life. She couldn't be prouder of him. She's always cared about him. He was more than part of her cover, even before the Joven incident. Now he'd never know her true feelings.
"Oh well. Such is life."
A sudden stirring caught Jafia's attention.
"Still alive, huh?" a familiar, preppy voice said. While slightly distorted, the hateful tone was hard to miss. A dilapidated guard robot came into view, its carapace cracked. "You certainly are hard to kill."
"Oh, for—" Couldn't she die in peace?
"But now it's over. How does it feel knowing you've failed? That you've amounted to nothing your entire life?" Phú2 said, her mechanical, distorted voice smug. "You'll die here forgotten."
But Jafia didn't rise to the taunts. She simply ignored the AI in a silence that seemed to stretch forever. Her refusal to acknowledge it only seemed to enrage it further, intensifying her hateful taunts and jabs.
"I'll bash your skull in!" Phú2 threatened, "Got you scared now?"
But Jafia remained unimpressed by the threats. Like the UOP, Phú2 enjoyed power over others. In many ways, she embodied the worst the country offered. Jafia could only hope both their cruelties would eventually bring their downfall.
"Fine! Be that way!" Phú2 exclaimed in a huff.
Her metal arm raised to finish her victim, but Jafia only stared death in the face. She refused to be cowed. Like a child denied something, this enraged the AI further. It screamed and howled, trying to terrorize its intended victim.
Jafia continued to say nothing.
"That's it—just die. When I get my hands on Rocke, he'll scream in terror as death sends him into oblivion."
So Rocke was still alive? Jafia silently thanked the AI for the careless comment. She closed her eyes. That confirmation was enough for her. Her ex was lucky. He'd find some way to survive. Divinity seemed to protect him.
"Now!" a familiar voice shouted.
Jafia gaped as several soldiers appeared from nowhere. They charged in from the broken roof. Each carried an anti-tank weapon. The AI screamed in protest and rage, but the guard robot was blasted to pieces before it could even attempt to harm Jafia.
"She was loud enough," Halkken said, sliding down the broken roof. He waved soldiers forward, and they sprayed fire retardants at the burning pieces of the police helicopter. Wind rushed in from above, blowing away much of the choking smoke.
The acting police chief shot Jafia a smile.
"Still alive, Ms. Bronfreld? Perfect. Okay, men. There are still guard robots lurking about. Spread out in a grid around the building and eliminate all threats. Spray down any fires you see."
"We've got her on the ropes. Not too many robots left. Only one attacked us on the way in. As for you, Ms. Bronfreld, once we dig you out of there, you're under arrest." The acting police chief took great delight in saying this.
"Yeah," Jafia said sourly. They had her cornered, and there wasn't anything she could do about it. It beat dying, but still.
"Finally, I've avenged you, Chief," Halkken said to himself. "Anyway, get some techs over here. If we reach the main computer system, we can disable Phú for good."
That'd be something, at least. It might give Rocke a chance to escape.
When he caught Jafia's expression, Halkken frowned at her. "Your boyfriend and the others still won't escape. I've got the army already looking for him. He won't—"
The acting chief trailed as the lights cut off, casting them into darkness. Except for the stars shining above, there wasn't any light anywhere. Even the emergency lights had failed.
"What?" Jafia's breath caught. Had the entire city gone dark?
"You betrayed me again, Halkken," a mechanical voice said.
Shapes appeared in the darkness above them. Much to Jafia's bafflement, some of the guard robots carried weapons. Behind their blank faceplates, they seemed to gloat at their captured prey.
Too late, Jafia realized the army's mistake. Phú had lowered her defenses to lure them into a trap. The AI had used Jafia's own blackout plan against them—and she was helpless to do anything.
"And now you will pay," Phú's frosty voice said. "I will eliminate you all, whatever it costs."