Chapter 16 – The Edge of Survival

Xyphora ,Volaris System, Sector 7-42D

Scavenger Clan Headquarters – Underground Base

The silence was unbearable.

Rei sat on the edge of his cot, gripping the handle of his baton, his mind racing. It had been hours since the rescue team left.

And the longer he waited, the worse his gut feeling became.

The distress signal from the stranded scavengers had been bad enough. But what made it worse?

The last transmission they received was cut off mid-sentence.

Something had gone wrong.

Keven had ordered Rei to stay behind. Said he wasn't ready for real combat. Said he would just get in the way.

But what if they needed backup?

What if Seyra was in danger?

I can't just sit here and do nothing.

He looked at the entrance of the underground base, where two guards stood at the main exit, their weapons slung across their backs.

He had to get out.

And he already had an idea of how.

Rei walked toward the guards, doing his best to look casual.

"Hey," he called out, rubbing the back of his neck. "Keven told me to bring some extra power cells from the storage—said they might need them when they get back."

The taller guard, a scarred man named Drex, narrowed his eyes. "Did he now?"

Rei nodded, praying he looked convincing. "Yeah. They're in the external cache, just outside the entrance. Shouldn't take me long."

The second guard, a younger woman, frowned. "I didn't hear anything about that."

Rei sighed dramatically. "Look, I already got chewed out for being useless on the last mission. You really think I'd make up an excuse just to go on a power cell run?"

Drex grumbled. "Fine, but don't take too long."

Rei grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it."

The moment they stepped aside, he slipped through the entrance, disappearing into the ruins above.

Sorry, Keven. I'll bring them back alive.

- Outside the Ruined City – 

Rei's boots crunched against the cracked pavement as he made his way through the ruined city, moving quickly through collapsed buildings and rusted-out vehicles.

The Scavenger team's last known coordinates were beyond the city, deep into the wastelands.

He had barely made it halfway to the city's outskirts when the ground trembled beneath him.

A deep mechanical hum filled the air.

Rei skidded to a stop. His breath caught in his throat.

A squad of Killer Bots emerged from the dust.

Seven of them.

Red optics flickered to life. Metal limbs whirred and shifted as they readied their weapons.

Then came the cold, artificial voice.

"Unknown entity detected. Engaging termination protocol."

-The Scavenger Team's Battle – 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the wasteland…

Seyra and Garek dashed between wreckage, avoiding the hail of energy blasts that tore through the battlefield.

The Class-2 Enforcer loomed over them—a massive, heavily armored machine with a high-intelligence combat processor. Unlike normal AI drones, Enforcers were designed to command and strategize, adapting to their enemy's movements.

"Cover me!" Seyra shouted, sliding into cover behind a rusted-out transport husk.

Garek fired his rifle, the plasma rounds pinging uselessly off the Enforcer's reinforced exoskeleton. "We need to find a weak spot!"

The stranded Scavenger survivors were holed up inside a half-collapsed bunker, trying to hold off advancing drone squads.

"Five minutes!" one of them called through comms. "We just need five minutes to charge the skiff and get the hell out of here!"

Seyra clenched her jaw. Five minutes was too long.

The Enforcer's targeting sensors locked onto her position.

Damn it.

The machine fired a pulse blast.

Seyra jumped, rolling out of cover just as the entire wreckage she was behind exploded into molten slag.

She landed hard, gritting her teeth.

Garek growled. "We're running out of time!"

Seyra narrowed her eyes.

We just have to last a little longer.

-Back Outside the ruined city…-

Rei gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his baton.

The Killer Bots moved as one, advancing on him in perfect synchronization.

He didn't have time to think.

The first bot lunged, its blade-arm slicing downward.

Rei dove to the side, rolling across the ground. The bot's strike hit empty pavement, sending up a burst of sparks.

Before he could recover, another bot swung at him from behind.

Rei barely twisted out of the way, but the metal claw grazed his side, slicing through his jacket. He hissed in pain.

Too fast… too many of them!

Another bot lunged.

Rei brought up his baton just in time, blocking the incoming strike. The impact sent a shock up his arm, numbing his grip.

I can't fight them all like this!

He lashed out wildly, striking one bot's head. The metal crunched under the blow, and the bot staggered back, glitching.

One down.

But six more remained.

They surrounded him.

Rei's breathing was ragged. His body ached from dodging.

He wasn't fast enough.

One bot grabbed his arm.

Another smashed into his back, sending him sprawling onto the ground.

Rei coughed, his vision blurring from the impact.

He looked up.

The remaining Killer Bots stood over him, their weapons primed to strike.

I'm going to die.

Then—

Something shifted inside him.

A pulse.

A burning sensation deep in his chest.

His vision blurred. His breath quickened.

Something was breaking free.

The moment the first bot thrust its blade downward—

BOOM.