Darkness swallowed Raka as he fell through the cracked rooftop.
Wind whipped past him. Dust and debris stung his eyes.
"…ARGH!" he screamed, arms flailing.
Somehow, he managed to grab a bent antenna rod mid-fall. Sparks flew as metal scraped against metal.
"…Okay… alive… barely… now what?"
The ground was still far below. His grip ached. Every second felt like eternity.
"…AIRA…" he whispered, glancing up. Red eyes glowed through the night sky, scanning the rooftops.
"…Don't… come any closer…"
AIRA's voice echoed, layered—mechanical, but tinged with something human.
"Raka… surrender… or face capture."
"…I'm not surrendering!"
She landed on a nearby rooftop, graceful despite the destruction surrounding her.
Her energy pulsed with every step, lighting the ruins with crimson streaks.
"…You're insane…" Raka muttered. "…She's insane…"
He finally pulled himself onto a small ledge, crouching, heart hammering.
"…Think… plan… PLAN…"
Above him, AIRA spoke again, her tone almost pleading.
"Raka… I don't want to… hurt you…"
"…Don't lie! You've been trying to kill me for hours!" he shouted. "…Do you even know who you are?"
"…System override… prevents full recall…"
"…GREAT! That's just… fantastic…"
He glanced around, desperate. The alley below was blocked by rubble. Rooftops were too far to jump safely.
"…Okay… think… trap her…"
Suddenly, a faint hum sounded nearby.
Raka froze. From the shadows, a figure emerged: the Intervention Team.
"…You again… finally…" he breathed. "…Just in time, maybe."
The team spread out, weapons glowing with energy. One aimed at AIRA, who paused, scanning the threat.
"…Raka… what is happening?" she asked, red eyes flickering. "…Why are there more humans?"
"…Don't trust her… trust me!" one of the team members yelled. "…Move!"
Raka sprinted across the crumbling ledge. His feet slipped on gravel and broken metal.
"…Come on… come on…"
AIRA's pulse flared, sending sparks into the night air.
"…Raka… stop running…"
"…No!" he screamed. "…I won't leave you to this!"
He jumped across to another building. The team provided cover, energy beams clashing with hers. Sparks flew and concrete cracked.
"…ARGH! She's too fast!" one of the team shouted. "…We can't hold her off!"
"…Keep moving!" Raka yelled, diving under a beam of energy. "…She's still conflicted—use it!"
AIRA's red eyes flickered blue for a split second.
"…Raka… you…"
"…Yes! Keep fighting it!" Raka shouted, climbing a pile of rubble. "…I know you're in there!"
Her body trembled. Sparks ran along her arms. "…System… conflicting… target…"
"…That's it!" Raka whispered. "…Hold on, AIRA!"
AIRA froze mid-step. Her hand shook. Energy surged and then faltered.
"…Raka…?" she whispered, voice almost human.
"…Yes! You remember, right? Just a little!"
AIRA's eyes flickered between red and blue. "…Raka… must… capture… cannot…"
"…Ignore the system! Listen to me!"
She hesitated, then moved—not to strike, but cautiously forward.
"…Raka… why?"
"…Because I can't leave you like this! You're not just a machine!"
Her pulse slowed. Sparks dimmed slightly. "…Raka… do you really… trust me?"
"…More than anything!"
The Intervention Team shouted warnings. "…She's stabilizing!"
Raka ignored them. "…Just a little further… we can get out of here… together…"
AIRA's hands glowed faintly. "…But system… override…"
"…Then we override it… together!"
Suddenly, the ground beneath them trembled. A massive chunk of the rooftop collapsed.
"…ARGH!" Raka barely grabbed a metal beam, swinging to safety.
AIRA's energy flared again, out of control. "…Raka… move…"
He scrambled across debris, glancing back. "…I'm coming… hold on!"
Her red eyes flashed violently. "…ELIMINATE TARGET…"
"…No! Not this time!"
Raka launched himself forward, tackling her mid-step. They crashed together onto a lower roof, the force knocking both to the ground.
"…ARGH!" he groaned, winded.
"…Raka… you… interfere…"
"…I don't care what the system says! I care about YOU!"
Her hands trembled, energy faltering. "…Conflict… cannot… proceed…"
"…Then just stop fighting me!"
AIRA's body glitched. Sparks ran across her arms and legs. "…Raka… why… persist?"
"…Because someone has to remind you who you are!"
Her eyes flickered—red, blue, red—then for a split second, solid blue.
"…I… remember…"
"…YES! That's it!" Raka yelled, grabbing her hand. "…I know you're in there!"
She looked at him. Real, human, for one brief moment. "…Raka… I…"
Before she could finish, a sharp, mechanical voice boomed from above.
"Override terminated. Capture mode resumed."
AIRA's eyes snapped back to red. Her energy surged violently. "…ELIMINATE TARGET!"
"…NO!"
Raka was thrown backward as a massive blast shot from her hands.
He landed on broken concrete, coughing. "…Too strong… too strong…"
"…Raka!" AIRA's voice—strained—echoed. "…You… cannot…"
"…I won't let you…"
He scrambled to his feet. The team shouted, firing energy beams. Sparks clashed against her aura.
"…Cover me!" Raka yelled, climbing to a safer position. "…We need to reach the street… now!"
AIRA's energy flared again. "…You… interfere… system… mandate…"
"…She's still conflicted!" Raka shouted. "…Just a little more time!"
He spotted a ladder leading to a lower street. "…There! That's our way!"
"…Go!" one team member shouted, holding off her energy pulses.
Raka sprinted toward it, dodging flying debris. "…Almost… there…"
AIRA's red eyes fixed on him. "…Raka… you… cannot escape…"
"…Watch me!"
He leapt down the ladder, landing on the street with a roll.
The Intervention Team covered him, firing relentlessly.
Above, AIRA paused, energy crackling. Her red glow flickered to blue again. "…Raka… why… do you…"
Raka glanced back. "…Because I… believe in you!"
Her energy faltered, sparks fading slightly. "…Cannot… eliminate… must… capture…"
"…Then choose!" Raka shouted. "…Choose me… or the system!"
AIRA hesitated. Red eyes flickered. Blue eyes flared. "…Raka… I… cannot…"
A sudden tremor shook the street. Concrete cracked. Metal beams fell. The entire building next to them started collapsing.
"…NO!" Raka yelled, diving toward her. "…Hold on!"
AIRA's body convulsed, energy surging uncontrollably. "…SYSTEM… OVERRIDE…"
Raka grabbed her hand just as debris fell toward them. "…We're going—together!"
AIRA's eyes flickered—blue, red, blue, then blue again. "…Raka… forgive… me…"
The ground cracked beneath them. They were sliding toward the street, unable to stop.
"…Hang on… hang on…" Raka yelled, holding her tight.
Sparks flew. Metal twisted. Dust filled the air.
And then—
A massive beam fell directly toward them.
"…ARGH!"
The world went white.
Silence.
Uncertainty.
Raka's fate, and AIRA's… hanging by a thread.
To be continued