Chapter 14: When Enemies Become Allies

The Unexpected Attack

Seraph's plasma blade retracted with a sharp hiss, but her expression remained tense. Kai stepped back, rolling his shoulder as he kept an eye on her.

"Not gonna lie," he said, catching his breath. "For a second, I thought you were gonna rip my arm off."

"I still might," Seraph replied, her voice deadpan. "But first—"

BOOM.

The room shook violently. Overhead lights flickered as an explosion rocked the facility. The smell of burning metal filled the air.

Zero snapped his head up from the terminal. "Uh… guys? We've got a problem."

Kai swore. "No kidding."

The intercom blared again.

"ALERT. FACILITY BREACH. HOSTILE UNKNOWN FORCES DETECTED IN SECTOR 3. REPEAT—"

A burst of static cut the message off.

Seraph turned toward the door, her face unreadable. "If they've made it this far, they're not just some random gang."

"Yeah, and considering how much Titan loves their security…" Kai tilted his head. "I'm guessing this isn't part of your training exercise?"

Seraph shot him a glare. "No."

"Well," Zero said, shutting down the console. "Good news—I got the data."

Kai grinned. "Great. Bad news?"

Zero sighed. "They know we're here."

"…What?"

The door blew apart.

---

Enter the Machine Choir

Out of the smoke stepped something worse than soldiers.

A team of six humanoid figures, their eyes glowing an eerie synchronized blue. Their bodies were sleek, cybernetically reinforced, and moved in perfect unison.

Kai's smirk vanished. "Ah. That's bad."

Seraph's hands clenched into fists. "Machine Choir."

The Machine Choir. The AI-synced super-soldiers, directly linked to the rogue AI. No independent thought. No hesitation. Just pure, mechanical efficiency.

The lead Choir unit tilted its head. "TARGETS IDENTIFIED."

Then—

They moved.

Faster than a normal human could react.

Kai barely dodged as a razor-sharp monofilament wire sliced through the air where his neck had been.

Seraph met another unit head-on, catching its wrist before it could plunge a dagger into her throat. Her cybernetic gauntlets flared, crushing its arm with a sickening crunch.

"These things aren't human anymore," she muttered.

Kai sidestepped another attacker, spun, and kicked it in the side of the head.

The unit didn't even flinch.

Instead, it grabbed Kai's leg and hurled him across the room.

CRASH.

Kai rolled, barely catching himself. "Okay, rude."

Zero, crouched behind cover, yelled, "Uh, guys? Maybe less fighting and more running?"

Seraph gritted her teeth. "They don't stop. They don't tire. We can't fight them head-on."

Kai smirked. "Then let's not."

---

Escape Plan: Improvise

Kai grabbed a loose power conduit, ripping it from the wall. Electricity arced wildly.

"Let's see how well they like getting fried," he muttered.

He jammed the exposed wiring into the nearest Machine Choir unit.

Sparks exploded.

The unit convulsed violently, its glowing eyes flickering— then it collapsed.

Kai grinned. "That actually worked?!"

Seraph didn't hesitate. She copied him, grabbing a second conduit and slamming it into another Machine Choir soldier.

Another one dropped.

Zero laughed. "Well, I'll be damned. They're just expensive toasters!"

The remaining Choir units backed up slightly. Their glowing eyes flickered as they adapted.

Then, their leader spoke.

"THREAT LEVEL ADJUSTED. ENGAGING COUNTERMEASURES."

They extended their arms.

Kai paled. "Oh, that can't be good."

A second later—

Bullets rained down.

---

A Temporary Alliance

Kai vaulted over cover as gunfire shredded the room. "Well, this just keeps getting better!"

Seraph fired back, but her bullets barely dented the Machine Choir's armor.

"We need to get out of here," she muttered.

Kai ducked behind a console, grinning. "Finally, something we agree on!"

Zero tossed a small EMP grenade toward them. "Catch!"

Kai barely grabbed it in time. He yanked the pin and lobbed it toward the Choir units.

BOOM.

The room flashed blue. The Machine Choir froze for a split second.

It was all the time they needed.

"RUN!" Kai yelled.

Seraph didn't argue. She turned and sprinted alongside him.

Zero scrambled after them. "If I die, I'm haunting you both!"

As they burst through the next hallway, Seraph glanced sideways at Kai. "This doesn't mean I trust you."

Kai grinned. "Didn't say you did."

Seraph sighed. "You're still an idiot."

Zero panted. "Can we save the flirting for later?!"

Kai and Seraph snapped, "SHUT UP!"