BWOOOOMMMM!!

A large hole is blasted through a steel wall,

“Cover me XPunk!” Himari’s voice orders, as the two step through the smoking rubble

“Wwoah”

She halts briefly, taking in the surroundings

She had expected to blast into a lab perhaps with many curious contraptions and computers surroundings by steel walls and stone ceilings

But it’s quite the opposite,

This building is labeled Xander storage lab

It is the height of an airport hanger, and just as spacious

The entire interior in fact is a single room,

At the center a huge cross stands where at it’s center an relatively large spiral machine made of tielium,

A picturesque array of colors burst from the center of the spiral on the cross,

Himari has to quickly compose herself by ignoring all thought of the extremely convoluted machine….

…..

“Kage?” she cautiously calls eyeing around the empty hanger-like room

“It appears to be empty,” XPunk rushes towards the machine

“But why?

Why haven’t I seen anyone from this ring yet?

Why isn’t anyone trying to fight against us?” the woman voices her anxious thoughts

….

Smashh!!

Leaping up in air the robot smashes the orb in the spiraling machine’s center ending the colorful light show

“Perhaps it would be best not to think about those things until we get Kage away from here,” advises Xpunk

“Is that….Kage…..?” the woman peers at the lights

They all swirl towards a single spot from where the orb fell, nothing is there though it gives off heat

…

….

….

…...

The heat steadily dissipates and in the place where nothing was, matter begins to form

Matter in the form of a human

“Kage..” Himari rushes to the body

“Wait” warns Xpunk they’re still hot

“And lacking mana or magic required to fully heal right now”

“…..”

Himari looks at the steaming body in both awe and horror

It looks like a someone whose just survived an explosion,

“I don’t have any magic stones on me….” Mumbles the robot,

“I suppose I’ll use a little of my mana to speed up the process,”

“Mana?

How can you have mana?” Hiamri watches as the robot touches the body, speeding up it’s regeneration

“Be patient ms. Nara, your time is coming soon” it answers with slight giddiness in it’s tone..

“….” Himari doesn’t reply, unsure of what to make of the artificial intelligence that is Xpunk

…….

“ughnnn!” the body groans

“Why is everything spinninggg…?”

“Kage?” calls Himari

“Kage?” XPunk says concernedly

“How do you feel?”

“I-I….

I feel sleepy, where are we again?”

“Let’s get you out of here quickly,

I’m sensing drones circling us,” XPunk helps Kage up

“I have no idea what’s going on right now,” Kage mumbles

…….

….

*****

(I’m so hungry,

When was the last time I was actually hungry

Or thirsty now that I think about it

It had to be after the desert,

I remember being so dehydrated and hungry back then)

….

…

“Shouldn’t we be making a beeline out of the City?” Himari protests to the robot

“I am detecting many drones all waiting for us there,

I have already downloaded the mal data for the city, there is a secret tunnel we can use to get out…”

“…..

I don’t see any drones, but as long we can get out of here safely” Himari replies skeptically

“Are you sure you’re ok moving by yourself,” she turns back to me,

“I’m fine”(ish)

“I’m still trying to gather my thoughts, on what happened,

I can hardly remember anything, after the lab,

Is Apollo ok?

Did you get the child?”

“Mhm, yes and yes,

Apollo might be rushing here as we speak,”

“All the more reason to get out quickly so that we can intercept hin from running into trouble,” XPunk intervenes

“Very well, I won’t hold you two back,” I say jogging ahead of them

The great City Pluton is now lit under a noon sky

(I wonder how much time passed for it to be day now)

The city that is built in the middle of a snowing freezing wasteland, is quiet tropical and breezy

A few coconut trees here and their line somewhat out of place next to the dirt-less and empty silver roads and colorfully lit street lights despite being daytime,

They look almost celebrative the way the street lights dance in the day light…

(Where are the people?)

….

….

“That turn over there,” guides XPunk

We’re now deep into the city, in the beehive of it all,

Here the buildings and homes are almost all homogeneous in architecture, but some still have different colors and even that individualize them

(I’m so tired)

“We’re almost there Kage,” the robot says reassuringly practically reading my mind

“I don’t like how empty this, city is, and I haven’t yet heard a single drone after us,

How are we even supposed to find this tunnel out?” complains Himari

“Your time will come soon ms. Nara, don’t worry” the drawls says quite lazily

Unity Park Up Ahead

A holographic sign flashes in the street as we near a turn off road

“Yes there” I note a weird eagerness in Xpunk’s voice

….

….

….

*Flash**Flash*

*Flash**Flash*

*Flash*

(What the–

People?)

Turning into the Savannah wide park we’re bombarded by an great crowd of people

Cameras flash on us and drones begin buzz around recording

(What the hell is gone)

*Slice*

Plop!♪

….

“Hima–” I turn to see the woman’s reaction to this

But...

Himari’s body stands there alone…

….

Just her body…

Blood spilling out from the base of her neck

….

Her severed head rolls past my feet

“Xpunk?” I turn to my other side

The robot’s face is split in two

…..

The screen with the animated face now vertically cut across…

Two halves of the robot’s head falling the wayside

…..

(Who….?)

No….

Wait…

As the face cracks apart

Another face smiles from behind it

A human face

“The robot XPunk you knew was never real” a voice booms with planetary influence on every word

“It was always me Kage

The one and only supreme leader.”