The red lights between the trees moved faster.
Not walking.
Advancing.
Systematic.
Silent.
Aarav's pulse hammered in his ears as the mechanical hum grew louder.
Six Hunter units.
At least.
Their red visors glowed like demon eyes in the darkness of the forest.
Aelina's fingers tightened around his wrist.
"They've triangulated our signal."
Aarav's jaw clenched.
"Can you block it?"
"For a short time."
Her free hand rose.
Blue light spread across her palm.
A circular holographic field expanded outward, wrapping around both of them like a faint shimmering dome.
The air around them rippled.
Aelina's expression tightened.
"Signal dampening field active."
Aarav stared for half a second.
Even after everything, the future still managed to shock him.
A loud crack echoed through the forest.
A branch snapped somewhere to their left.
Then another.
The Hunters were surrounding them.
Aelina turned sharply.
"This way."
She pulled him deeper into the forest.
The trees blurred past as they ran beneath the moonlight.
Branches scraped against Aarav's jacket.
Dry leaves crunched underfoot.
His lungs burnt, but he didn't slow down.
Behind them—
BOOM!
A blue energy blast struck a tree trunk, splintering wood into the air.
Aarav ducked instinctively.
"They're shooting already?!"
"They are not here to negotiate."
Aelina's voice was cold.
Another blast streaked past.
This one struck the ground ahead of them, sending dirt and sparks flying.
Aarav skidded to a halt.
Three hunters stepped out from the darkness in front of them.
Black armour.
Red visors.
Weapons raised.
The others were closing in from behind.
They were trapped.
The central Hunter spoke in its metallic voice.
"Origin anomaly and bio-synthetic unit detected."
"Capture priority elevated"
Aarav's chest tightened.
Origin anomaly.
Again.
Why did they keep calling him that?
Aelina stepped in front of him.
Her silver hair shimmered in the moonlight.
"Stay behind me."
The Hunter raised its weapon.
Aelina moved first.
Faster than before.
Her body flashed forward in a streak of blue light.
She struck the first Hunter with an open palm.
A shockwave exploded outward.
The armoured figure flew backwards into a tree.
The trunk cracked.
Aarav stared.
Even injured, she was terrifying.
The second hunter fired.
Aelina twisted sideways, narrowly dodging the energy bolt.
But the third Hunter had already shifted its aim.
Toward Aarav.
A blue glow charged at the rifle's barrel.
Aarav's breath stopped.
Then—
Aelina threw a glowing blue disc from her hand.
The disc spun through the air and struck the weapon.
CRACK!
The rifle exploded into sparks.
Aarav blinked.
"What was that?"
Aelina didn't look back.
"Adaptive nano-shard."
Of course, it had some insane future-tech name.
Before Aarav could process it, the sound of engines roared from beyond the trees.
Headlights cut through the darkness.
A black SUV burst onto the dirt road beside the forest.
Its tyres screeched to a halt.
The rear door flew open.
A familiar voice shouted—
"AARAV!"
Aarav froze.
"Rohan?!"
His best friend leaned out from the driver's seat.
Messy black hair.
Wide, terrified eyes.
Same idiot expression he always wore in college.
"What the hell did you get yourself into?!"
A Hunter immediately turned toward the vehicle.
Aelina's eyes widened.
"They're civilians—"
The Hunter fired.
A blue blast shot toward the SUV.
Aarav reacted without thinking.
"DOWN!"
Rohan ducked.
The blast shattered the windscreen.
Glass was sprayed everywhere.
"GET IN THE CAR!" Aarav shouted.
Aelina launched herself at the nearest Hunter, buying them seconds.
Aarav sprinted toward the SUV.
Rohan threw the rear door open wider.
"Move, bro!"
Aarav turned back.
Aelina was surrounded by two Hunters now.
Blue light and red beams clashed between the trees.
Her movements were fast, but her injured shoulder was slowing her down.
"AELINA!"
She glanced at him.
For one terrifying moment, a Hunter raised its rifle behind her.
Aarav's heart nearly stopped.
Then he ran back.
Straight into the fight.
"Aarav, no—!"
Too late.
He grabbed a fallen metal branch from the ground and slammed it into the Hunter's arm.
The weapon discharged into the sky.
Aelina spun and drove her elbow into its chest.
The armour cracked.
Together, they rushed back to the SUV.
Rohan's eyes nearly popped out when he saw Aelina.
"WHO IS SHE?!"
"No time!"
They jumped inside.
Rohan slammed the accelerator.
The SUV tore through the dirt road, speeding out of the forest and onto the empty Delhi outskirts highway.
Behind them, red lights still moved between the trees.
Then two black bikes burst onto the road.
Hunters.
Mounted units.
Aarav stared out the rear window.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Aelina looked back.
"They won't stop."
Rohan glanced in the mirror.
"Someone wants to explain why Terminators are chasing us?"
Aarav rubbed his forehead.
"Long story."
Rohan shouted, "Make it short!"
Aelina answered flatly.
"I am from the year 2526."
Silence.
Then Rohan blinked.
"…Bro, what?"
Even in the middle of the chase, Aarav almost laughed.
Classic Rohan.
One of the bikes accelerated.
Its rider lifted an energy rifle.
Aelina leaned forward.
"Take the next right."
Rohan obeyed instantly.
The SUV swerved sharply into a narrow Delhi side street.
Streetlights flashed past.
The city was alive even at night.
Tea stalls.
Late-night vendors.
People on scooters.
Completely unaware of the future war entering their streets.
A Hunter bike launched after them.
Aelina suddenly rolled down the window.
Blue light gathered in her hand.
Aarav looked at her.
"What are you doing?"
Her expression turned sharp.
"Ending the pursuit."
She thrust her hand outward.
A pulse of blue energy shot through the air.
It struck the front wheel of the Hunter bike.
BOOM!
The bike spun out, crashing into an empty divider.
The second one slowed.
Then, surprisingly, it stopped.
A red light blinked above the street.
A drone hovered high in the sky.
Aelina's face went pale.
"No…"
A holographic message projected from the drone.
NEXT TARGET CONFIRMED
TOKYO DEPARTURE WINDOW: 06:00
SECOND UNIT RETRIEVAL IN PROGRESS
Aelina turned toward Aarav.
Her voice was urgent.
"Mira doesn't have much time."
Aarav looked ahead through the shattered windscreen.
The first hint of dawn was appearing on the horizon.
Tokyo.
That was where this was going next.
He clenched his fists.
"Then we leave at sunrise."