Chapter 15: The Hunt Begins

Running from the Unstoppable

The hallway was a blur of flickering lights, shattered panels, and the distant hum of machine death approaching.

Kai, Seraph, and Zero sprinted through the facility, their footsteps pounding against the cold metal floor. The EMP had only bought them a few seconds—the Machine Choir would be back online soon.

"Where the hell is the exit?!" Zero yelled, frantically checking his holomap.

"Left!" Kai shouted, sliding around a corner.

Seraph kept pace effortlessly, her expression unreadable. "You better know what you're doing."

Kai grinned. "I don't! But I make it look good!"

Behind them, a metallic voice echoed:

"TARGETS LOCATED. RESUMING PURSUIT."

The click-clank of robotic footfalls filled the hallway.

Kai risked a glance back—the Machine Choir was already recovering.

"Shit!"

They moved like specters of metal and malice, their synchronized steps eerily inhuman.

"Faster!" Seraph snapped.

"You don't say?!" Zero wheezed.

Then—the hallway ahead split into two paths.

Left? Right? No time to check the map.

Kai picked right.

Seraph picked left.

They both stopped, turned, and glared at each other.

"Really?!" Kai groaned.

"You're the one who's wrong," Seraph argued.

Zero, in full panic mode, bolted past them and straight down the middle.

"NOPE—THE VENT SHAFT IT IS!"

Kai and Seraph exchanged glances.

Then the Machine Choir rounded the corner.

No time to argue.

They followed Zero.

---

Into the Vents

The maintenance tunnel was barely wide enough for them to move through. The air was thick with dust and the occasional spark of exposed wiring.

Kai gritted his teeth. "I hate vents."

Seraph's voice came from behind him. "Move faster, or I'll make you hate them more."

Kai smirked. "That a threat or a promise?"

She kicked him.

Zero, crawling ahead, muttered, "Kill me now."

Then—a mechanical WHIRR echoed behind them.

Kai's stomach dropped.

"Uh, guys?" he started.

Seraph had already turned.

A small drone—sleek, silent, its glowing blue eye pulsing—was crawling through the vent after them.

"Great," Kai muttered. "Because vents weren't bad enough already."

The drone's eye flickered.

"HIGH-VALUE TARGET LOCATED. EXECUTING CAPTURE PROTOCOL."

It fired a stun charge.

Kai ducked. The shot sizzled past his head, frying a section of the vent.

Zero yelped. "I SWEAR TO GOD, IF I GET ZAPPED IN A VENT AGAIN—"

Seraph lunged, yanking a combat knife from her belt. She twisted in the narrow space, slicing the drone in half.

The pieces clattered against the metal.

Kai whistled. "Nice."

Seraph didn't look back. "Keep moving."

But it was already too late.

From below—

A metallic fist punched through the vent floor.

---

The Drop

The vent gave out.

Kai barely had time to swear before gravity yanked him down.

CRASH.

He hit the ground hard, rolling instinctively.

Zero landed next. "Ow."

Then—Seraph dropped like a meteor, flipping midair and landing without a sound.

Kai groaned. "Show-off."

She ignored him.

They were in a massive chamber, dimly lit. Rows of old cybernetic pods lined the walls, their contents long removed.

A quiet, cold hum filled the air.

Kai pushed himself up, scanning the room.

"...Where are we?"

Zero wiped the dust off his jacket, looking around warily. "Doesn't match any public blueprints of the facility. Which means…"

Kai frowned. "It's off the books."

Seraph tensed. "Then we shouldn't be here."

Zero gulped. "Too late."

The shadows moved.

---

Something Worse Than the Choir

From the darkness, several figures stepped forward.

Not Machine Choir. Something else.

Their bodies were cybernetic, but… wrong. Their limbs twisted unnaturally, metal fused with decayed flesh. Their eyes flickered erratically, caught between human terror and AI control.

Kai felt his stomach turn. "What the hell…?"

One of them twitched violently. "H̶e͠l̶p̸.̵.̸.̵k͟i̶l͡l̷… ͘m̢e͘.̷"

Seraph stiffened. "They were human."

Zero backed up. "Were?"

The lead figure jerked toward them.

"NEW DIRECTIVE. ASSIMILATION."

The cybernetic horrors charged.

Kai drew his blade. "Oh, screw this."

Seraph's fists glowed as she activated her gauntlets. "We end this fast."

Zero sighed, pulling out a stolen pulse pistol. "Just another Tuesday…"

Then—

They fought.