Hunted

Cyberpunk 2097

The stolen hovercar raced through the streets of Cyber City, weaving between neon-lit skyscrapers and flying drones that scanned for unauthorized movement. Inside, Juno sat in the pilot seat, calm as ever, while Glitch stood next to him, her arms crossed.

On the holographic display in front of them, the rest of the team's locations blinked. Zero. Alt-Del-F4. Somewhere in the city.

"You're awfully quiet," Juno remarked, glancing at her.

Glitch didn't respond. She was playing the long game, waiting for an opportunity.

Juno smirked. "Still holding out hope you can resist me? That you can fool me?" He leaned forward, adjusting the controls. "It's cute, really."

The map pulsed, pinpointing the exact location of their targets.

"Time to move," Juno said.

The hovercar banked left, heading toward an old industrial sector filled with abandoned warehouses. This was where they had gone to hide.

But they weren't hidden anymore.

Warehouse District – The Team's Hideout

Zero sat against the cold metal wall of their makeshift hideout, a converted warehouse that smelled of rust and old oil. He was deep into a laptop, fingers flying over the keyboard as he attempted to set up countermeasures against Overmind's surveillance.

Alt-Del-F4 paced nearby, checking the charge on her cybernetic blades. "We should move," she said. "I don't like staying in one place for too long."

"We don't have a choice," Zero muttered. "Overmind is still out there. We need a plan."

The conversation was cut short by the distant sound of engines. The air vibrated with the hum of an approaching vehicle.

Alt-Del-F4 spun around. "That's not just any engine."

Zero's fingers froze over the keyboard. "Juno."

Before they could react, the walls exploded inward.

A shockwave of force sent them flying as debris rained down. The hovercar skidded to a halt just outside, its doors hissing open.

Juno stepped out first, his dark coat billowing behind him. And beside him—

Glitch.

But something was wrong.

Her eyes were unfocused, her movements stiff.

Juno held up a small metallic device between his fingers. "She's hesitating," he muttered. "Let's fix that."

And then, he threw the mind-control chip at her.

It hit Glitch's neck and latched on instantly. Her body seized. A cold shudder ran through her as her fingers twitched. Then, slowly, her eyes sharpened—but not with her own thoughts.

Zero and Alt-Del-F4 barely had time to react before Glitch attacked.

She was fast—inhumanly fast.

Zero dodged as her fist smashed into the ground where he had been sitting. The force cracked the concrete.

"Glitch!" Alt-Del-F4 shouted, flipping backward. "It's me!"

Glitch didn't respond.

She lunged again, her movements precise, calculated. Zero barely managed to roll away before her foot came crashing down. He could already see the effect of the mind-control chip—Juno had turned her into a weapon.

Alt-Del-F4 activated her EMF disruptor, sending out a pulse that short-circuited nearby electronics—but Glitch adapted.

She spun in mid-air, using the force of the explosion to propel herself toward Alt-Del-F4. A blade appeared in her hand.

It was aimed directly at Alt's throat.

"NO!" Zero roared.

He didn't think—he just moved.

Zero lunged between them, grabbing Glitch's wrist just before the blade could make contact.

The impact sent him sprawling, Glitch's strength far greater than he anticipated. His back hit the wall with a sickening thud, but Alt was safe.

For now.

Glitch hesitated. Just for a second.

Zero took the chance. He reached up, his fingers fumbling toward the chip at the base of her neck. He had to rip it out—

Before he could, Juno's fist collided with his ribs.

The air was knocked out of him. He doubled over, coughing.

Juno sighed. "Predictable."

Alt-Del-F4, still recovering, whipped a blade at Juno.

Juno twisted, avoiding it at the last second. "Sloppy," he taunted.

Glitch recovered instantly and charged again.

Zero had one second to make a decision.

He grabbed a flash drive from his pocket and jammed it into the side of the laptop nearby. A failsafe.

A burst of electromagnetic interference exploded outward.

The moment it hit Glitch, she faltered.

Her movements slowed—the chip was struggling.

"NOW!" Zero shouted.

Alt-Del-F4 moved in, slashing at the chip. The blade struck home, slicing through the metal. The chip cracked apart.

Glitch gasped. Her eyes flickered back to normal—just in time for Juno to lunge at her.

But Zero threw himself in the way.

Juno's blade plunged deep into Zero's side.

Time seemed to slow.

Zero gritted his teeth as pain flooded his body. But he didn't let go of Juno's wrist. He held it tight, forcing the blade to stay where it was—so Juno couldn't strike again.

"Get out of here!" Zero yelled.

Glitch and Alt hesitated.

"GO!"

Alt-Del-F4 grabbed Glitch, and the two of them vanished into the shadows.

Juno smirked down at Zero. "Brave," he admitted. "Stupid, but brave."

Zero's vision blurred, the pain making it harder to focus. But he still smiled.

"Yeah," he coughed. "You're not the first to say that."

And then, with the last ounce of strength he had, he triggered the building's failsafe.

An explosion ripped through the warehouse.

Zero barely saw Juno leap backward before everything collapsed.