Tron and his companions—Professor Kile, Philip, Michele, and Choy—descended a set of stairs that the robot had previously detected. They had been climbing down for over an hour, or at least that's what Choy thought as he trudged along unenthusiastically. He observed the same repetitive structures: polarized windows and a monotonous design. The spiral staircase seemed endless, each turn giving them the unsettling feeling that they hadn't progressed at all.
"Are we there yet?" Choy asked the robot, his face marked by evident boredom. The others were also tired but tried hard not to show it. Tron, ever attentive, responded calmly:
"We're almost at the objective."
At that moment, from the shadows, Maos watched through a surveillance screen. He smirked smugly.
"Well, well… intruders," he murmured to himself, though his tone was more curious than alarmed. "Though I doubt they'll be much trouble. Only that robot accompanying them might pose a problem."
Indeed, Tron has reverted to its original form, less humanoid, due to the damage caused by the galactic wolf's howl. Its figure was now more square and rigid, resembling older robots, but it remained functional.
"Alright, let me give them a proper welcome," Maos said with a sly smile. "Inside here, my robots function perfectly. Thankfully, I took some precautions in case that wolf made an appearance."
Meanwhile, Choy, as distracted as ever, reached the bottom of the stairs without noticing the others had stopped. He kept walking and collided head-on with Tron, whose metallic body rang like a bell upon impact.
"Ouch!" Choy exclaimed, clutching his forehead as he stumbled backward. "Why did you stop so suddenly?"
"Well, we saw that Tron stopped," Michele replied, crossing her arms. "I assumed you would have noticed."
"I was lost in my boredom and didn't realize it," Choy admitted, scratching the back of his neck guiltily.
"You should keep your eyes forward, young man," Professor Kile interjected sternly.
"True. Hey, robot, why did you stop?" Michele asked, turning her attention to Tron.
"We've arrived," Tron responded in its metallic, neutral voice.
Philip frowned, looking ahead.
"Where? All I see is a giant mound of ice in front of us, like a wall."
"I think you got it wrong, robot," Choy remarked sarcastically. "There's no path left. Something must've broken inside you after that wolf's howl."
At that moment, the supposed "wall" began to move. With a mechanical hum, it slowly rose, revealing a large metal door that opened automatically.
"I think it knows we're here," Michele commented, eyeing the entrance cautiously.
"It's a trap," Kile muttered under his breath, though loud enough for everyone to hear.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the darkness. Wearing a white lab coat stained with oil and wires dangling from its sleeves, it was Maos, who smiled arrogantly.
"Fools," he spat disdainfully. "Do you really think my off switch is here with me? I'm not naive. You're just as foolish as I expected. And I won't tell you anything unless you defeat my creations."
Maos rolled up the sleeve of his lab coat, revealing a high-tech watch with blinking lights. He pressed it, and suddenly, a group of robots emerged from the ground. Instead of hands, they had laser cannons that glowed with a menacing intensity.
"Watch out!" Choy shouted, shoving Michele to the floor. Professor Kile did the same with Philip, shielding him with his body.
"Hey, we're still alive," Philip said cautiously, raising his head. He saw Tron standing in front of them, blocking all the laser attacks with its metallic frame.
"I've got you covered," Tron stated firmly. "Stay down there!"
From its abdomen, Tron launched several missiles that whistled sharply through the air. They struck the enemy robots, destroying them in bursts of sparks and smoke. His companions watched from the ground, impressed by the robot's resilience and precision.
Tron fired more missiles at the remaining robots, wiping out the group quickly. The explosions lit up the area with flashes of orange and red, leaving acrid smoke hanging in the air.
"Not bad," Maos remarked, crossing his arms as he surveyed the remains of his creations. "I knew you'd cause trouble." A sly smile spread across his face. "That's why I have a special gift for you… and you won't be able to protect those fools for long."
He pressed his watch again, and two metal crates fell from the ceiling with a deafening crash. Out of them emerged two giant robots, each the size of the door. They had an ape-like appearance, with enormous, muscular hands that looked capable of crushing anything in their path.
Both robots attacked Tron simultaneously, delivering devastating blows with their fists. Tron blocked the attacks with precision, but it was clear he was being pushed back by the sheer brute force of the machines.
"Perhaps you need more speed," the scientist commented, observing the scene with satisfaction as he noted his creations overpowering Tron.
The robots' punches grew faster, and Tron could barely hold them off. With a strained voice, he told his companions:
"Go. I don't know how much longer I can hold them off."
Professor Kile nodded urgently, understanding the gravity of the situation.
"Listen to the robot. It's our only chance."
"Oh no… Poor little robot, I was really starting to like you," Choy joked, though his tone carried a hint of concern.
It was too late. The two giant robots delivered a coordinated blow that sent Tron flying several meters, crashing into the nearby stairs.
"What do we do now?" Philip asked nervously, positioning himself behind the professor.
Maos smiled cruelly.
"Well, it's time for them to finish you off and then clean up the place," he ordered his creations.
The gorilla-like robots took strategic positions: one in front and one behind the group, raising their massive fists like hammers ready to strike. The weight of the threat was palpable.
"Oh no! I don't want to die!" Choy cried, clinging to Michele in desperation. "I'm still so young! I haven't loved anyone, I haven't had families or anything like that… All because I followed you! Look what happened…" He began to cry, overcome by fear.
"That's enough, calm down. Let's face this with dignity," Michele said with forced calm, though her eyes reflected resignation. "No one's coming to save us. We tried to be heroes, but I see it all ends here."
"Well, it was a pleasure knowing you, Michele," Professor Kile murmured, closing his eyes with sorrow.
Philip, on the other hand, stared at the giant fist of the robot looming over them, muttering to himself:
"That means I won't graduate or get my dream job…"
"Do it already!" Maos ordered impatiently.
The two robots dropped their massive fists upon them. However, after a few seconds, no impact noise or crash with the ground could be heard.
"But… what happened? Why didn't we hear anything?" Maos asked, bewildered. He turned toward his makeshift laboratory, thinking there might have been an error in his calculations. But when he looked back to see what had occurred, his jaw dropped. A mixture of astonishment and disbelief filled his eyes.
"But… what is that?" he muttered, pointing at something in front of him.
Meanwhile, Megumi and Akira continued descending along the path indicated by the device Rafael had given them. Finally, they reached their destination.
"Look, this is it. We're here," Megumi announced, stopping the earthen platform she had created to transport them. She extended her hand toward the large rock in front of them and opened a passage with a fluid motion.
As they passed through the hole, they found themselves in a vast chamber filled with machines adorned with blinking buttons and flashing lights. It was a control room brimming with advanced technology.
"I wonder which one it is," Megumi said, inspecting the area with curiosity. "The object they gave me only points here, but nothing more. This place looks like a machine room."
"Let me see that device Rafael gave you. Maybe I can tweak it to help us find exactly what we're looking for," Akira suggested.
Without hesitation, Megumi handed him the device. Akira examined it carefully, pulling a small clip from one of his pockets and opening the device from the back.
"Maybe if I move these components and change the polarity…" he murmured while adjusting tiny internal parts. "Perhaps this way I can tune it to detect what we need."
"Wow, you really are quite the brainiac," Megumi commented with a faint smile, watching Akira skillfully manipulate the device.
"Well, as they say, I'm a nerd. Ever since I was little, I've loved gadgets, and I think I connect with them pretty well. I even understand them as well as I understand people," he replied modestly, though his eyes gleamed with pride as he adjusted the final components of the device.
"Wow, that's impressive," Megumi said, nodding appreciatively. However, her tone shifted slightly as she added, "But remember, we're running out of time. If we don't find the mechanism controlling those rogue machines, many people will die."
"Yeah, you're right," Akira admitted, refocusing on the device. He flipped one last switch and closed the back of the gadget. He powered it on, and the screen sprang to life, displaying a real-time scanner. "With this, we'll be able to see what's consuming the most energy, and that, logically, must be what we need to deactivate."
How strange that this time he's said more words than usual… Normally, he just mutters or stays silent, but when it comes to technology, it seems like something completely awakens him. It's as if he has transformed into a different person, Megumi thought to herself, watching Akira handle the device with almost reverential precision. A flirtatious smile tugged at her lips as she glanced at him sideways.
"Wow, you really are quite the brainiac," she said aloud, letting out a light giggle. Her tone was friendly but laced with that mischievous touch that always characterized her.
However, Akira didn't even turn his head toward her. He was entirely absorbed in his task, focused on every detail of the device as if it were the only thing in the world. His fingers moved tiny components delicately, and his expression reflected a mix of seriousness and fascination.
Megumi raised an eyebrow, pretending to feel ignored, though in truth, she enjoyed seeing him so engrossed.
He doesn't even look at me… But I guess that's part of his charm, she thought, crossing her arms as she continued observing him. Though he could've at least spared me a glance, couldn't he?
She decided not to push it. After all, she knew they were in a critical situation, and there was no time for distractions. Still, she couldn't help but let out a small, teasing sigh before refocusing on the problem at hand.
Akira lifted the device and rotated it in all directions, scanning the surroundings. On the screen, something began to glow brightly.
"That must be the central object," he pointed out, gesturing toward a glowing item in the middle of the room. "Alright, then we just need to destroy it, right?"
"Yeah, I think that should do it," Megumi replied, though her tone carried a hint of uncertainty.
Megumi smiled confidently.
"Well, a little pebble should be enough," she said, tossing a rock toward the glowing button as if playing baseball.
But before the rock could hit its mark, a massive metal claw emerged from nowhere and blocked the blow with a metallic clang. The glowing object began to rise, but it wasn't the button that ascended—it was the floor itself. With a mechanical roar, a gigantic robotic crab emerged, its metallic legs clanging as they touched the ground. Its enormous claws gleamed with flashing lights, and its red eyes blinked with hostility.
"Great… Just when I thought this would be easy," Akira muttered, taking a step back as he assessed the colossal enemy.
"Well, if there's no other choice," Megumi responded, lifting a boulder with her magic. The rock floated beside her, ready to be launched, as she adopted a battle stance. "Let's take it on."
The crab emitted a deep hum, as if processing its next move. Suddenly, one of its claws shot toward them like a projectile, forcing them to split apart quickly.
"Watch out!" Akira shouted, dodging the attack while trying to think of a strategy.
Megumi, however, was already acting. She hurled the floating boulder with surgical precision, aiming directly at the apparatus on top of the crab. But the machine was fast: another of its claws intercepted the projectile, splitting it in two with a metallic snap.
"This is going to be harder than I thought," Megumi murmured, frowning.
"Yeah, but not impossible," Akira added, adjusting the scanner in his hand. "We just need to find its weak spot and exploit it."
Both prepared to face the gigantic crustacean robot.