CHAPTER 12: A.I CONFRONTATION 6

Continuation...

Midtown Manhattan

MORINJO

We're racing through the air toward the Chrysler Building at breakneck speed. The city below blurs into a mosaic of lights and shadows as Cyberman's robots swarm us like a flock of steel-winged predators. They're armed to the teeth—wrist blades gleaming, axes humming, and guns roaring in bursts.

A jet fighter zooms ahead, shredding through the enemy line with a hailstorm of bullets. Behind it, a sleek robotic hero fires precise laser beams from his palms, each shot cutting down a target with ruthless efficiency. Peregrine Falcon darts through the chaos like an avian shadow, unloading a flurry of bullets from his powered gauntlets, his movements sharp and calculated.

I move through the sky with fire blazing beneath my feet, weaving between the robots, my kunai rope dart swirling in fiery arcs. Each strike lands true, dismantling enemies mid-air. It's a brutal fight, but for once, I'm not alone.

From the corner of my eye, I catch movement below. A figure in a blue, black, and red costume speeds through the streets on a power bike, a shield strapped to his back.

"Who's he?" I shout over the chaos.

"Captain Jack, my partner," Peregrine Falcon replies, his focus never wavering as he takes down another robot.

"The one you told me about?"

"Yeah, that's him."

We regroup and push forward. Daniel, Alexander, Liam, and Peregrine Falcon hold the line outside the Chrysler Building, their weapons blazing in unison, holding back waves of robots. Inside, Captain Jack, Lycon Wolf, and I make our entry through a gaping hole in the wall.

Jack skids to a stop on his bike, the engine growling. Lycon Wolf steps ahead, his claws extended and his fangs bared, muscles coiled like a spring ready to snap. I land with a burst of heat, straightening as my fiery soles extinguish.

"Where is he?" Jack asks, stepping up beside me, shield in hand, eyes scanning the dimly lit interior.

"I don't know yet," I reply, keeping my guard up.

Lycon Wolf growls, his voice a low thunder. "Cyberman! Show yourself!"

Jack raises a hand. "Easy, buddy. Let's shut this thing down before he—"

A voice cuts through the tension, smooth and dripping with malice.

"You can't."

The air shifts. From the shadows, Cyberman descends, his movements eerily deliberate. His armor glints menacingly under the fractured light, and a sly smile plays across his lips as his boots touch the ground.

"Finally, Zetacode's little team has arrived," he says, his voice echoing. He steps closer, each stride measured. "What took you so long?"

"Zack Hughson," I say, my tone steady but firm. "This has to end. Vengeance won't bring back what you lost."

He chuckles darkly, shaking his head. "You don't understand. Vengeance *is* the way. The only way. I'll raze every city, destroy everyone, until Zetacode knows what it's like to lose someone who meant everything."

Jack adjusts his grip on his shield. "Talking's not gonna get us anywhere with this psycho." He smirks faintly, shifting into a fighting stance. "Let's shut him up the hard way."

Cyberman smirks, his left arm shifting into a gleaming sword. "Bring it on, Captain."

The fight is seconds away, the tension electric.

Captain Jack draws his sword in one swift motion, and we charge at Cyberman together. I strike his chest with a freezing touch, frost creeping over the metal plating, and follow up with a heavy punch to the right side of his jaw. Lycon Wolf dives in, plunging his hands into Cyberman's back, his arms bursting out from either side of the villain's chest. I try to freeze his heart, but there's nothing organic to freeze—just cold, unfeeling machinery.

Cyberman's grin widens maliciously. He counters, slamming me with his sword. The sheer force sends me flying backward, my feet skidding across the ground.

With a sharp twist of his arm, Cyberman stabs Lycon Wolf in the chest, hoisting him into the air as if he weighs nothing. He yanks Captain Jack's sword from his neck and flings Captain Jack to the ground before hurling the sword at him as he tries to rise.

"Argh!" Captain Jack's cry fills the air as the blade pierces his right arm.

I lunge forward, ice spreading over my hands as I aim for Cyberman's head, but he moves faster than I anticipate. He rams his forehead into mine with a bone-rattling headbutt, then follows up with a brutal uppercut that makes my helmet ring. Pain shoots through my skull, and I groan as I stagger back.

Cyberman's laughter echoes, cold and mocking.

Lycon Wolf yanks Cyberman's blade-arm from his chest, blood dripping as he slashes at the villain with his claws. Cyberman raises his robotic arm, blocking the attack with ease. I rush in again, only to be met with another crushing blow from his sword that knocks me off balance.

Captain Jack attacks with his sword, his movements sharp and precise, but Cyberman parries each strike effortlessly. I cover my arms with layers of ice from my elbows to my fingertips, hammering him with a relentless series of punches. He blocks them all, his defense unyielding. Captain Jack follows up with a powerful downward slash, but Cyberman deflects it as if it's nothing.

We regroup and attack together. Ice, claws, sword, and shield—all of it aimed at taking him down. But Cyberman anticipates every move, deflecting, parrying, and countering with mechanical precision. He's stronger, faster, more ruthless than Malacoda ever was.

Cyberman lashes out with a vicious kick, the impact sending me sprawling across the ground.

Lycon Wolf doesn't relent. He drives his claws deep into Cyberman's right arm, ripping into the muscle, while Captain Jack plunges his sword into Cyberman's left arm. Seeing my chance, I charge forward and deliver a devastating uppercut. My fist crashes into his jaw, the sheer force ripping his head from his body. For a moment, I think we've won—but then I see the wires still connecting his head to his torso.

We pause, breathing hard, as the head lies on the ground.

"Is he dead?" Captain Jack asks between ragged breaths.

I step closer, narrowing my eyes at the severed head.

"No one defeats Cyberman," the mechanical voice rasps from the head.

Before I can react, an invisible force pulls the wires taut, reattaching the head to Cyberman's body. He rises, roaring, "No one defeats me!" A laser beam shoots from his robotic eye, forcing me to dodge as he rockets into the sky, trying to escape.

Not this time.

I conjure a Kunai rope dart in one fluid motion, hurling it with precision. It punctures his back and bursts through his chest.

"Argh!" Cyberman groans, his ascent halted.

I yank the rope dart, dragging him back down to the ground. He crashes with a metallic thud, and I pull my weapon free from his back.

"You're not going anywhere, Cyberman," I growl, ice crackling around my fists.

"Alright then. This is going to be so much fun." He says, grinning maliciously at us

To be continued...

Season 3 coming soon...