Click.
Sasha planted a bomb under the computer desk, a little insurance for whatever might come next.
If things went south and they had to make a break for it—maybe even jump out a window—this bomb could do some damage. One extra enemy taken out was better than none.
"They're right outside," Sasha whispered.
She crouched behind the desk, using it as cover. The desk was sturdy, not some flimsy wooden thing—perfect for a makeshift shield.
Meanwhile, Riku stood pressed against the wall by the door, tucked into the shadows. With his sharpshooting skills, staying close meant a better chance of hitting vital spots.
BOOM!
An explosion rocked the room as the office door was blasted open. Smoke filled the air, and mechanical guards stormed in, guns blazing. Their target was clear: the desk.
The three mechanical guards unleashed a torrent of gunfire. Their oversized machine guns roared with a relentless tat-tat-tat that echoed through the room.
But these guards? They looked like something out of a low-budget mecha anime. Just a bunch of clunky steel frames slapped together, with intelligence levels that screamed "budget cuts." No wonder—they weren't exactly high-spec.
See, research into intelligent AI, especially combat AI, was strictly forbidden. The NetWatch folks kept a tight leash on that. Thanks to Rachi Bātosu, who'd blown the internet to kingdom come, rogue combat AIs were still prowling the digital wilds, attacking anyone who dared log in.
NetWatch had clawed back some control, building a "Black Wall" to keep those rogue AIs out. Since then, anything related to smart AI or combat AI inside the Black Wall was under heavy scrutiny. NetWatch was like the cyber-police of Europe and the Americas, headquartered in London, tasked with keeping the networks safe.
They'd started as a private cybersecurity firm but had grown into a juggernaut with official backing. Even megacorps like the biotech companies didn't dare mess with them. That's why these green-painted mechanical guards looked like they were running on outdated firmware—dumb as a box of hammers.
Ping!
Sasha tossed a grenade from behind the desk. It exploded midair, flashing a blinding light.
Riku wasn't sure what to make of it. A flashbang? On robots? Did that even work?
But then he remembered—most people these days had cybernetic eyes. Flashbangs probably still existed for a reason. Maybe these were special ones, designed to mess with cyber-eyes' visual processing.
Riku squeezed his eyes shut, not eager to test the theory. When he opened them, the three guards were even dumber than before, standing there firing aimlessly like malfunctioning turrets.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Riku let loose a quick burst of gunfire, not even checking the results before tossing his gun aside and charging the guards.
Sasha sprang from behind the desk, crouching low like a predator from a shōnen anime. Steel claws extended from her right hand with a shink.
Crack!
With the ease of slicing through tofu, Sasha's claws cleaved through one guard's neck.
Riku wasn't far behind. He rushed another, his own claws flashing as he cleanly severed its neck.
Sasha's eyes changed color, glowing faintly as she locked onto the last guard. It froze, as if under a spell, and stopped firing.
Crack.
Before Sasha could move, Riku was already there, driving a claw through the guard's neck.
"Nice claws," Riku said, eyeing Sasha's gleaming, razor-sharp weapons.
"Not bad yourself," Sasha replied with a smirk. She hadn't expected Riku to be rocking the same kind of gear.
The only difference? Her steel claws were sleeker, more refined, while Riku's were thicker, more brutal.
"Comes with the territory," Riku said with a bitter chuckle. After becoming a "ghost," these retractable claws were the one part of his body he was actually proud of.
Since his transformation, he'd relied on them in every fight. They weren't quite on par with Sasha's, but they got the job done.
Unlike Wolverine's iconic three-pronged claws that shot out from the back of his hand, Riku and Sasha's came from their fingertips, like razor-sharp nails. Riku's weren't just nails, though—his entire fingers extended, tipped with black, pointed tips.
"Heads up, more incoming!" Sasha warned.
They'd barely exchanged a few words when she sensed four or five more of those green-painted guards closing in.
Riku's nose didn't pick up mechanical constructs, but he knew danger was still out there. The experience point notification hadn't popped up yet, which meant the fight wasn't over.
"We need to move. Can't get pinned down in here," Riku said calmly.
He noticed Sasha's left hand was still jacked into the computer with a data cable. She'd been fighting one-handed, dragging that long cable behind her.
Now it clicked. Sasha was strong—way stronger than this situation should've allowed. She'd died here because that cable had held her back. Without it, those three guards wouldn't have stood a chance.
"Just a sec, almost done," Sasha said, biting her lip. She wanted to rush out with Riku, but the data transfer wasn't complete. She couldn't give up now, not after everything.
"Alright, let's take out one more wave," Riku said, ditching the idea of picking up a gun. His aim was more "sunset glow" than sharpshooter—best not to embarrass himself.
Sasha, tethered by the cable, ducked back behind the desk. Riku sidled up to the door, ready to pounce.
Four green guards burst into the office, same old routine—guns up, spraying bullets at the desk. Oddly considerate, they didn't touch the computer, letting Sasha's transfer continue uninterrupted. Some kind of system setting, maybe?
Riku darted out, sinking a claw into the nearest guard's neck. Then, with a grunt, he hoisted the guard's "corpse" and hurled it at the other three, sending them into disarray.
Sasha's eyes glowed again, and one guard turned on its allies, spraying bullets at its own kind.
With her help, Riku made quick work of the other two, coming out unscathed.
"Done!" Sasha shouted, her voice brimming with relief. She leapt from behind the desk, driving a claw through the controlled guard's neck.
"Could've kept that one as a shield," Riku said, a little wistful. If she could control it, why waste it?
He'd taken out one earlier, not realizing it was under her control.
"Can't keep 'em controlled forever—just a temporary hack," Sasha explained. If she could've held it longer, she wouldn't have killed it.
"Got it. Let's move," Riku said, nodding. He took point, charging out of the room. Finally, they weren't trapped anymore.