# CHAPTER 8:- YOU GAVE ME THE GUN
The five drones locked onto Kavya Chandan.
All at once, they fired.
Rox shouted, "Dodge, you fool! You'll get fried!"
Kavya snapped out of her stunned daze just in time. Rox grabbed her arm and yanked her toward him as the lasers blazed past, searing the air.
Psycho, still controlling the platform, weaved through the blasts with sharp, jerky movements.
"What are you doing?!" Rox barked, holding her by the shoulders. "Do you want to die?! This isn't the time to space out!"
Without waiting for an answer, he thrust a laser gun into her hands.
"Here—take this! Shoot the damn drones!"
Kavya stared at the weapon like it had just materialized from another dimension.
She examined every part of it—its sleek metal body, glowing trigger, and energy gauge—like she'd never held anything like it before.
Which… she hadn't.
Rox saw her hesitation and exploded.
His mouth opened wide in frustration. "WHAT are you doing?! Just shoot them!"
Kavya leaned back a little, recoiling from the verbal blast.
"Alright! Just stop spitting on me while yelling!" she snapped.
Rox took a deep breath, trying to cool his head.
"Oh—sorry." He blinked, straightening his posture, eyebrows lifted in a sheepish reset.
Then, without skipping a beat, his tone snapped back to sharp.
"Now shoot them."
Kavya Chandan turned toward Rox, raising a hand like she was asking a question.
"Ahh… by the way, I've never shot anything in my life."
Rox slowly turned his head, brows lifting, eyes wide with disbelief.
Before he could even speak—
ZRAKKK!
A laser blast struck the platform's core engine.
It shattered.
The whole platform jolted violently—tilting, groaning—on the brink of collapse.
They were falling—fast.
Below them, the city sprawled like a steel labyrinth. Buildings were stacked tightly, alleyways slicing through like veins. There was no open sky anymore—just chaos.
Kavya gripped the cracked edge of the platform tightly. Her voice dropped low, almost too calm.
"Yup… this is it. I'm dead for real this time, Rox. Say a prayer for me, will you?"
Rox's face turned red with panic. Nostrils flared, he was trying to grab both Psycho and the tilting platform, rage and fear clashing in his eyes.
Just before they crashed, Kavya acted on instinct.
She grabbed Rox by the collar and yanked him toward her.
"NOW!"
They leapt—straight onto a massive garbage container wedged between two narrow buildings.
Behind them, the platform slammed into the wall of a high-rise, exploding into shards of blue light and burning debris.
They landed hard—metal groaning beneath them—but alive.
It was a narrow, dark street. The ground was filthy, quiet. Shadows swallowed the alley.
They slipped off the container and dropped behind it, breathing heavily.
Psycho's body pulsed once, scanning.
"Clear," his robotic voice whispered. "No drone presence detected within 50 meters."
Silence returned.
For now… they were safe.
Kavya Chandan exhaled slowly, trying to calm herself after the chaos.
Suddenly—
"If you've never shot anything in your life, why didn't you tell me earlier?!"
Rox shouted, pointing an accusing finger right at her.
Kavya frowned, then confidently pressed her index finger to his forehead.
"You're the one who handed me the gun. Why weren't you shooting, huh?"
Rox leaned in closer, nostrils flaring.
"Because I was the one controlling the damn platform!"
Their faces were inches apart now, both boiling with frustration.
Just then, Psycho stepped between them like a tired parent breaking up siblings. The robot raised both arms, gesturing back and forth at the two—clearly signaling:
Enough! Stop fighting.
"I think those were government drones," Rox muttered, face serious as he stepped forward.
"We'll head to Hexa's place. We can hide there."
Psycho and Kavya Chandan followed behind him, keeping a brisk pace.
Kavya glanced sideways at him with a sly smile, placing her hand near her mouth.
"Ooh… is she your girlfriend or something?" she teased.
Even Psycho let out a light robotic chuckle, clearly playing along.
Rox's ears turned red. He shot them both a look.
"No! It's not like that. She's just… a friend."
Kavya grinned wider.
"Heh, I don't think so…"
Psycho nodded dramatically in agreement, adding fuel to the fire.
As they exited the narrow alley, Rox's expression shifted again—eyes scanning the busy streets.
"We have to be careful. If anyone sees you, it could cause panic in the city."
Kavya stayed close to the shadows, eyes wide with curiosity as she took in her surroundings.
Massive buildings lined the sky, their glass exteriors gleaming. Hover-cars glided silently overhead, and glowing signs hovered in the air. People passed by wearing sleek visors, immersed in holographic projections only they could see.
It was overwhelming—and beautiful.
Rox pointed across the street.
"Stand over there by the clothing shop. We'll get you something less… attention-grabbing."
He dashed inside and returned shortly with an armful of clothes.
"Go over there in the dark and change. Quick."
Kavya raised an eyebrow, smirking.
"Don't even think about peeking, or I'll kick your ass."
Rox raised both hands innocently and turned away.
"Hey, I'm a gentleman… kinda…"
He peeked.
"Tch—busted."
After a minute—
"Okay, done!"
Kavya stepped out of the shadows.
She now wore a black turtleneck shirt layered under a sharp red-and-blue jacket, paired with fitted black pants and high-tech boots that shimmered with faint circuitry. Over her eyes, she now wore the same visor-goggles everyone else had.
She looked like one of them.
Rox blinked, then smiled.
"Now you actually look like you belong here…" he said, a soft blush creeping across his face.
Kavya noticed immediately.
"Wait—are you blushing?"
She leaned closer.
"Is it the jacket or my face?"
Rox turned away quickly.
"T-Tch... Let's just go."
They began walking down the sidewalk, blending into the crowd of visor-wearing citizens.
Kavya looked around and asked curiously,
"Hey, is there a place nearby where I can get pizza?"
Rox frowned.
"Pee-za? What's that?"
Kavya stopped in her tracks.
"You've never had pizza?"
Rox blinked.
"Is it like... a weapon?"
Kavya facepalmed.
"No, it's round, made of dough, with sauce, cheese—"
"Sounds weird."
They continued walking deeper into the city—one step closer to answers... and something watching from above.