Asap Ashton figured the city was noisy before - yet now, it seemed to shriek nonstop.
He got down from the sidewalk, hands buried in his green hoodie's pockets, hood pulled forward, back slumped more than normal. Sunlight spilled across shiny windows and metal bus shelters, so sharp it made him blink hard. Vehicles crawled by in rows, honks drifting faintly from blocks away. This was supposed to be a regular morning - same route through town, possibly stopping at that sandwich spot he knew well. Nothing special going on. Folks just doing their thing.
But not today.
The sounds hit his ears just as he started to round the bend.
"Ashton needs to go!"
"REMOVE ASAP ASHTON!"
"He's a danger!"
For a moment, he figured maybe someone was yelling about another issue, plus his head mixed up the noise. He kept telling himself it wasn't real - like his thoughts were stuck again, spinning wild, turning any random phrase into a threat.
Yet suddenly, he rounded the bend.
A big group of folks spilled down the street - signs held up high, posters coated in dark paint, a few typed neatly, others scrawled fast, like they'd just been tossed together. Cops had set up barricades along the pavement. Drones hovered above, gliding in lazy circles. Cutting through everything, steady as a pulse, came the repeated shout:
"REMOVE ASAP ASHTON!"
He froze.
He glanced sideways - left then right. Always on the lookout for a way out. Breathing got shallow. Few moments in Asap Ashton's life made him freeze solid, yet here he stood. Thoughts crashed together inside his head, noisy and messy. Tried to swallow the knot in his neck, though it stayed put.
A bunch of protesters moved around, then a person spotted him - not from his features, yet due to the sweatshirt. That exact top he had on in nearly all clips people came across. The forest-green hooded jacket which, honestly, by now basically formed his outline.
"There! It's him!"
The voice sliced into the noise, louder than the chant. People turned fast, looking his way. Some raised their hands, aiming fingers. Others grabbed phones, holding them up.
He stepped backward without thinking.
That single move? It said it all to the folks standing close by - no words needed.
"It is him!"
"Why's he even out here?!"
"He shouldn't be walking around like nothing happened!"
Shouts grew stronger, rising fast. Placards swung wildly, tossed by restless hands. Anger showed clearly on certain faces, while some wore fear like a heavy coat. Others seemed lost, unsure why they'd come - just following the crowd without thinking.
Asap wasn't mad at them - truth is, he couldn't even track where most gossip started these days. That clash near the market. Loud booms shaking buildings. A weird crimson glow in the sky. Strange rifts opening up. Whenever anything odd went down, folks just assumed it had his name on it.
Or the threat.
Perhaps, from their view, that's how it seemed.
He made himself inhale - uneven, dragging, as if his ribs were resisting. Fingers bunched up in his sleeves, clutching the cloth hard. His legs itched to go, yet each direction seemed watched, caught on camera by some hidden eye.
He couldn't stand getting recorded unprepared. That sensation ate at him slowly, bit by bit.
He moved back, his shoe grating on concrete. Then it hit him - the subway station just past the next corner. Somewhere folks left him alone. No questions. Didn't matter if he seemed worn out, clumsy, wired. Headed that way meant ditching the plaza, putting distance between himself and the mob, sidestepping those waving placards - like fingers pointing blame.
So he walked.
Slow, but not stuck. Moving, yet barely seen. Going - just right.
His heart pounded in his chest while more shouts closed in, even if he refused to turn around. Each time a voice rose above the rest, his gut clenched tight. He kept moving forward despite the noise growing behind him. A cold sweat broke across his neck when another yell rang out sharply. Breathing fast, he focused ahead instead of checking who was gaining ground.
"Go home, Ashton!"
"People like you shouldn't be free!"
"You think we forgot what happened?!"
He rolled up his sleeves once more, fingers pressing into the fabric.
Stay calm, he thought. Not a sprint. Keep cool. Move slow.
It wasn't easy at all.
Cars drove past, folks inside craning their necks to check out the commotion. The drone floated near his shoulder, making him twitch. With a quiet beep, it pulled back - yet trouble started anyway: some protesters noticed how it reacted, then looked where it had been pointing.
"There he is!"
"Hey— look this way!"
"Ashton! Say something!"
He stayed quiet. His words seemed tiny, breakable just then. Should he talk, no clue what'd spill out. A lump pressed in his neck, tension coiled in his gut.
A person moved away from the curb, almost walking toward him. Right then, Asap stiffened - not because he thought they'd hit him, yet due to what came with such moments. That weight. What people assumed. Eyes on him. None of it mattered less to him.
A guard stopped the guy. Meanwhile, Asap moved on.
A bus rumbled by, hiding everything just for a sec - right then, he ducked through parked vehicles, making it across the road like he had no hurry. Sounds felt off; his steps boomed inside his head despite traffic muting the usual urban hum.
When he got across, the yelling dropped a bit. Not all the way, just low enough to let him catch his breath.
His shoulders eased a bit - still tense, yet not stiff as before. Still, he pushed forward.
The buildings near him shifted slowly - glass giants giving way to cozy stores, glowing signs buzzing overhead. Streets grew quieter here, alive with everyday noise instead: steps tapping, a voice chuckling on a call, wheels clicking by, then the puff of brakes as a bus halted at red.
Normal noise.
Not angry chanting.
Asap's pulse started to calm down at last.
His hands stayed tucked in his pockets, shaking slightly. Not because he was nervous - no, he blamed the chill, though the sun beat down pretty hard.
He kept seeing it again, on its own - the looks on their faces, the words on signs, his name shouted sharp and sudden. Maybe this is just how it'll stay from here, a quiet thought whispered inside. Could be folks now see him different - like someone unsteady, maybe even dangerous.
Something they wished to take out.
He despised dwelling on it. What bothered him most was how fast his mind latched onto those ideas, holding tight like a grip won't let go. Worry never branched out - it just rushed forward, feeding fears, painting outcomes that felt real before they happened, dragging him down no matter how hard he tried to look away.
He looked around to distract his mind. That gentle buzz from the streetlight above. One pigeon bouncing along the pavement nearby. Footsteps tapping past, just out of sight. Stuff that kept him steady.
The sub station stood just a single block ahead now.
He almost tasted the fresh loaf right then - hot, crusty, real. The bakery air filled his nose like a memory pulling him close.
Yet when he rounded the final bend, a feeling hit - no outcry, no rage, yet a fresh sort of strain.
A gentle green light shimmered over the water pooled on the path, flowing slow like breath.
He blinked.
The puddle trembled once more, warping as if the image in it were dissolving. Above, the air flickered, sort of like hot roads do in summer, only this shine wasn't from warmth - it came from power.
His breath hitched.
Not again.
Not here.
Outta the city center, folks yellin' his name through the alleys.
A second ripple appeared next to the first one. Soon after, a third showed up. Following that, yet another popped out.
Four shimmering green ripples stretched through the narrow passage, throbbing like pulses. Along their borders, a trace of gateway energy hummed - sparking with that same glitchy noise he'd come across way too often lately.
His heart raced - not because the portals scared him, but what they hinted at.
If a bunch had been popping up near people… whenever something crawled out…
He gulped hard, stepping back once.
The light started glowing stronger.
The city slipped from his grasp, yet the protests lingered close; the calm he held on to faded fast - everything now seemed distant, somehow separated by endless space.
He had a weird kind of day.
Things wouldn't feel usual.
Not anymore.
The city kept humming with shouts, even once Asap Ashton had walked off the central strip. His back faced rows of towering buildings where yells bounced around like cracked alarms - people screaming his name, full of anger, calling for him to go, wiped out, tossed aside from somewhere he never really belonged anyway. A few streets over, the roar "REMOVE ASAP ASHTON!" still throbbed in the wind, smacking against his head every time it flared up again.
He moved slow, hood pulled down, shoulders stiff, hands shoved into the pockets of his green sweatshirt. Still didn't make a difference - honestly. The sense of being watched stuck, even when streets were empty. His chest tightened, like air came in broken bits. Sounds cut harder now; shadows seemed to take forms - figures waiting for him to disappear.
The sun began to drop, its afternoon heat slipping from the glass skyscrapers, making the roads feel chillier. City lights still hadn't kicked in, so all around sat in dim, uncertain glow. Asap moved forward without stopping - no clue where he was going, just clear on where he wouldn't remain.
A different shout came up from behind, faint yet clear like a knife's edge
"HE DOESN'T BELONG HERE!"
Asap flinched - not from being mistaken, yet due to the sheer noise behind their certainty.
He slid into a narrow lane, dodging two sellers yelling about dropped food. Off in the distance, a vehicle's horn screamed from two streets over. Up high, some drone hummed along, sweeping the zone with lazy machine eyes. Yet Asap ignored every bit. Just pushed forward - cutting through back paths and steps till a broken neon board blinked up ahead:
METRO - SOUTH BOUND PLATFORMS
A subway stop. Grimy, barely remembered. Just right.
The place seemed empty - metal covers clattered in the breeze, torn signs hanging loose on the bricks. Down below, Asap took steps fast, his shoes dragging on rough cement. Temperature dropped with each level, while a low buzz from ancient wiring trembled through the railings.
Down below, the station stretched out like a cave. Above, fluorescent tubes blinked on and off, making a spiky electric hum. There weren't any loudspeakers calling names or times. Nobody packed together waiting around - just bare floors that threw back old sounds from nowhere.
Alright. No one around to watch. Not a soul there to criticize. Nothing left to -
"About time you showed up, Asap."
The sound came from near the platform's side.
Metallic. Smug. Wrong.
Asap froze.
A shape waited beneath a flickering bulb - lean, pale metal catching the glare in broken flashes. One red eye burned where an eyeball ought to sit, throbbing like circuitry ticking time. Cables snaked from his nape into a frame along the spine, glowing faint red like heated wires.
ZERO.
The android spoke - rough but sure, like it had weighed every option and landed on a single answer.
> ZERO: "You better run, Asap. I'd give you a head start, but… where's the fun in that?"
He didn't pause. Not even once.
Asap charged.
No fear, no stopping - just raw reflexes kicking in. Moving fast, he shot ahead like a streak, almost floating. Not quite human-like; his flow felt eerie, way beyond average. Swerving through air, slipping sideways where bodies shouldn't bend, covering ground before ZERO's tech could catch up.
ZERO lifted his arm. From his hand, red energy sparked - shooting out as a tight beam.
Asap didn't dodge.
He plunged forward, the ray just grazing his side - slicing threads from his sweatshirt, searing red streaks along his chest. It stung bad, still he kept moving. Slipping beneath ZERO's raised limb, he spun fast, then smashed a downward hit right into the machine's chin.
The sound echoed, almost like hitting metal. It cracked through the air, sharp - like tapping on tin.
ZERO slammed against the tiles - loud clang echoing through the air.
Before the robot got back up, Asap had already jumped forward. From one floor square to another he darted, changing direction fast - left then right, climbing the wall, dropping down - all moves twisting what a body should be able to do. ZERO struggled to follow, its red eye jerking side to side, yet all it saw were blurry smears of green and gray.
A second beam powered up. ZERO shot - off target, frantic.
Right away, he jumped right in.
The explosion ripped through his chest, fabric peeling off in tatters - yet Asap harnessed the push, letting it fling him like a gust behind. Twisting mid-air, he slammed his boot against the metal hull, then shot ahead, driven by raw instinct instead of thought.
He landed a shot right on his chest - dead center.
The android shot back, sliding over the platform while sparks burst from its joints.
ZERO snarled, its machine-like tone cracking now then.
> ZERO: "You… are malfunctioning. This behavior exceeds your known—"
But ZERO never made it to the end.
Something broke loose in Asap.
A weight he'd kept locked down - dread, rage, frustration, weariness - broke free. His heartbeat pounded in his head as if it carried thunder. Lights across the room stuttered, followed by a dull glow. A heavy stillness pressed close, warping the space like hot breath on glass.
His hoodie went purple, like dye spreading fast through the fabric.
A crimson glow burst through his skin, torching what was left of his scorched clothes. His gaze turned stark white. That shaky fear from before shifted - now it felt cold, cutting.
This wasn't panic.
This was called Rage Awaken.
ZERO's lens dilated.
> ZERO: "Threat level— UNKNOWN. Danger: EXTREME."
Asap vanished.
He stood still one second, flames flaring, then suddenly appeared behind ZERO, gripping his head tight. Before ZERO could react, Asap smashed him against the wall - way more forceful now. The concrete cracked open. Bright sparks rained from above.
Asap hauled the kicking device up by its neck, shoving it into the broken wall.
ZERO blasted one last panicked shot, up close.
Asap absorbed it.
The red energy seeped into his body, boosting the aura like kerosene hitting a campfire. As he clenched harder, light from his hand shifted to blinding white. ZERO's plating started liquefying - bolts bursting, cables tearing loose, fake skin charring off.
The robot jerked wildly - yet Asap stood still.
He lit up nothing from within.
Once the glow faded, just a warped piece was left, sagging along the wall with smoke curling behind.
The station fell silent once more.
Only Asap stayed put - breathing slow - the last bit of his red glow vanishing like mist at dawn. He watched the broken machine, face blank. Time weighed on him now, more than before, edges sharper by the glance.
After that, he stuck his hand in his pocket.
A tiny roll-up made by hand.
He gripped it loosely, breathing out low. The space wavered from ZERO's fading sparks. Asap ducked closer, guiding the smoke-bit toward glowing scraps - ember caught with a faint pop.
He took a breath, lids partly shut, smoke curling by his cheek - soft as mist on a lake.
He wasn't celebrating.
He wasn't relaxing.
He was surviving.
He pulled slowly on his smoke when sounds of steps came from down the platform - soft at first, then clearer. That noise meant trouble was still coming… maybe just beginning.
Asap shook the ash away, blew out a slow cloud of smoke, then faced the shadowy tunnel ahead.
Whatever came next, or what this town needed from him, or why life kept sending threats - he'd handle it.
Yet in that hush, glowing dim from shaky train lamps and what was left of ZERO still burning low, Asap Ashton kept moving forward.
Alone.
Unapologetic.
And absolutely unstoppable.