The mechanical bugs flew through the streets, mapping the route ahead. Suddenly, several signals vanished at the exact same moment.
Lucy frowned.
She immediately opened a comm-line.
"This is Lucy. Something is wrong. Something is wrong."
—crrrk—
Her communication cut off.
A loud explosion shook the slums.
Both Leo and Lucy whipped their heads in the direction of the blast.
"Leo, hold tight," Lucy said sharply as she twisted the accelerator.
The bike shot forward, engine screaming as they raced toward the plume of rising smoke.
Lucy tried to reconnect her mechanical bugs, to re-map the area using the bike's scanners — but nothing worked.
"Someone is jamming us…" she muttered, teeth gritted.
"Leo, how do I get there?" She pointed at the pillar of black smoke.
"Take a left," Leo instructed quickly, tapping her shoulder. "Then go right at the narrow alley."
Lucy followed his directions without hesitation. They passed broken fences, roofless homes, and twisted streets Leo knew by heart.
Just a few more turns — they were close.
Then—
BAM!
The bike jerked violently to the side and crashed into a shop wall.
Leo hit the ground hard, rolling before pushing himself up, stunned and confused.
"Lucy! What happened?" Leo scrambled over to her.
Lucy clenched his shirt, pulling him down. Her voice was tight and breathless.
"I've been shot… Don't go outside. There's a sniper…"
Leo froze.
Only then did he notice the blood soaking through Lucy's side, right above her hip.
"Take the medical kit from the bike…" Lucy whispered.
Leo grabbed the white box with the red plus symbol from the bike storage, along with her gun, then lifted Lucy into his arms and carried her behind the shop, away from open sight.
A group of men barged into the shop moments later, but they didn't spot the two hiding behind the collapsed shelves.
Leo carried Lucy into a broken basement entrance, kneeling carefully. He opened the first aid kit. Inside were syringes filled with colored liquids, cotton pads, capsules with strange fluids, a roll of thick bandages, and several tablets.
Lucy's voice trembled slightly.
"Tear… tear off my clothes. And feed me that white thing..."
Leo swallowed and did as she said. He peeled her top open enough to expose the wound, wiped away the blood, then placed the capsule to her lips.
She swallowed it. It was painkillers.
Next, he picked up a syringe containing metallic-colored liquid.
"That one," Lucy whispered. "Inject it near the wound."
Leo injected it carefully.
Lucy groaned as the nanomeds activated — tiny metallic particles forcing the bullet fragments out of her body. Small shrapnel pieces clattered onto the basement floor.
Leo's eyes widened. "This?"
Lucy smirked weakly. "Nanomeds. They're used to eject objects from the body. Works well even in cyborgs…"
The bleeding slowed. Then stopped.
Leo poured the capsule liquids on the wound, applied pressure with cotton, and wrapped the bandage firmly around her waist.
Lucy exhaled softly. Exhaustion washed over her.
Her eyes closed.
---
Meanwhile — Thunder Hauler V019
The armored vehicle lay upside-down, smoke and dust rising from its torn frame.
A squad of armed men in dark suits approached the wreckage. Several drones hovered beside them.
Then—
BOOM!!!
The Hauler's backdoor blasted outward, hitting the men and knocking them several meters away.
Gunshots echoed.
The suited men dropped, one by one.
"Fucking— they used an RPG?" Jake growled as he crawled out with his gun.
A bullet struck him from the side.
It ricocheted off his cybernetic arm with a metallic ping.
Jake turned and shot the attacker without blinking.
Tosh and Yash kicked open their door and fired at the drones, each shot clean and precise.
"Check the kids!" Jake barked, already sprinting toward new targets.
He blocked incoming bullets with his arms, then fired back with deadly accuracy.
Ahead, one enemy was setting up a massive shoulder-mounted launcher from the distance.
"RPG!" Jake shouted.
He tossed his gun aside, grabbed a giant slab of debris with his enhanced strength, and hurled it as the enemy pulled the trigger.
The debris met the RPG mid-air.
Then more debris — flung by Tosh's kicks — slammed into the warhead.
BOOOOOOM!
A mid-air explosion shook the street, throwing dust everywhere.
The kids crawled out of the overturned car.
The girls stumbled out first — bruised, bleeding from small cuts on their heads and arms.
Vince followed, limping but conscious, only some scratches on his side.
Nick cradled his arm — obviously broken.
Levi dragged his leg, limping heavily.
"Let's get out of here!" Jake yelled.
He flipped the entire vehicle upright with brute force.
Soon the Hauler sped away from the scene and headed toward a narrow passage.
Several drones and men in black suits immediately gave chase.
"Tsk… we need to move before the authorities arrive. We don't have much time," Jake muttered. He and the others took a different route on foot, while the vehicle continued driving itself on autopilot.
"Tsk… authorities will come soon. We don't have time," Jake muttered.
Yash checked secondary signals in his visor.
"The jamming lasted only a few seconds. I'm scanning for Lucy's bike now."
A blinking icon appeared.
"The bike's nearby — just a few streets away."
"I'll get Lucy," Yash said, sprinting off. "Tosh, request the ship to send hover vehicles for extraction!"
Jake's eyes narrowed as he thought about something unspoken.
---
Lucy's Location
Yash arrived at the collapsed shop and saw the fallen bike.
He tried calling Lucy — nothing.
Static.
Then—
"Yash…?"
Leo stepped out from the alleyway, supporting Lucy using makeshift ropes. He is also carrying a Gun.
Yash exhaled with visible relief.
"Leo! Thank god you're alive. Where's Lucy?"
Leo shifted Lucy's weight gently. "Shot. But stable."
Yash wasted no time. He mounted the bike, and Leo climbed behind him, holding Lucy in place with the ropes tied around them.
They arrived at a small abandoned building at the slum's edge. Tosh was already waiting.
He immediately lifted Lucy from Leo's arms and carried her inside.
As soon as Leo stepped in, the kids rushed at him.
They hugged him tightly.
"Glad you're alive…" Leo breathed out, finally feeling the fear he'd been suppressing.
Vince grinned shakily. "Hehehe… I knew you wouldn't die—"
Then his expression shifted.
Darkened.
His knees buckled.
He collapsed.
"VINCE!"
The kids screamed.
Leo grabbed him — but froze.
Blood was flowing from Vince's ears.
When the RPG flipped the car, Glass shards and shrapnels plunged into his ears.
Leo's hands trembled as he reached for the first aid kit — and dropped it.
Everything spilled.
Jake knelt beside him and placed a hand on Leo's shoulder. He shook his head.
Nick, Levi, Anya, Tessia, and Rem were already crying and hugging Vince.
Vince eyes were closed with faint smile.
He died in their arms.
Leo's heartbreaking scream filled the abandoned building.
"Noooooo!"