THE ARCHITECT OF STARS: SEASON 1
ARYO PURNOMO SAGA
CHAPTER 7: THE UNINVITED GUESTS
Hardi Corp Office, 11:00 PM.
Hardi stared at his laptop screen, which displayed an encrypted video call. The face on the other side was blurred, a mere silhouette accompanied by a digitally distorted voice.
"The location is confirmed," Hardi whispered, cold sweat soaking his collar. "Protected forest at the foot of Mount Salak. I've sent the coordinates."
"Excellent," the robotic voice responded. "Are you certain the target is there with the 'Key'?"
"One hundred percent! His guardian robot is there too. Listen, I don't care what you do to my nephew. Destroy the place, kill him, whatever. I just want my payment and that chip taken from his hand."
Beside him, Bayu smiled cunningly. "Make sure Aryo suffers before you end him."
"Our standard operating procedure is efficiency, not sadism. But the client's request is noted. Team 'Viper' is on-site. Initial payment received. A pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Hardi."
The connection cut. Hardi leaned back limply in his chair, a mix of relief and terror filling him. He had just sold his own nephew's life to the devil.
***
Sanctuary, 11:15 PM.
The atmosphere inside the safe house was silent and tense. Aryo stood in the center of the underground training room. He was no longer wearing an expensive suit. His body was now encased in a matte black Tactical Neural Suit—a prototype combat armor left by his father, made of nanofibers designed to enhance the user's reflexes and strength.
Alia stood before him. Her beautiful face was expressionless, her eyes glowing a bright amber—the sign of active combat mode. Her porcelain arms split open, revealing complex mechanisms beneath.
"Combat suit synchronization at 98%," Alia reported. Her voice was no longer soft; it was cold and efficient. "Master, seismic sensors detect faint vibrations on the outer perimeter. Three tactical vehicles approaching without lights."
Aryo's heart pounded, but the combat suit injected a mild stimulant that kept him focused.
"They came faster than the 48-hour estimate," Aryo growled.
"Your uncle accelerated the process. I detected a coordinate data transmission from the Hardi Corp office to the Red Syndicate server ten minutes ago."
Aryo's jaw tightened. "Venomous snakes. I should have let them rot in the streets."
Suddenly, the lights throughout the house flashed red. A silent alarm rang in Aryo's ear via his earpiece.
[WARNING: PERIMETER BREACH. ZONE 1 COMPROMISED.]
"They are using EMP jammers to disable external sensors," Alia analyzed quickly. "These are not hired thugs, Master. This is an elite squad."
BLAM!
The heavy steel front door of the Sanctuary exploded inward. Thick smoke filled the luxurious living room.
"Alia, engage!" Aryo commanded.
From behind the smoke, five figures dressed in all black with full military gear and night-vision goggles stormed in. Suppressed assault rifles raised.
"Target identified! Secure the Key! Destroy the rest!" shouted their squad leader.
The action began.
Alia moved. She didn't run; she dashed. Her speed was inhuman. She lunged at the first two attackers before they could even pull their triggers.
Zzzzt!
From both of Alia's wrists, blades of blue plasma energy materialized. With an acrobatic move that was beautiful yet deadly, she spun in the air. The plasma blades sliced through the barrels of the soldiers' rifles, cutting them cleanly, before the hilts of her swords slammed into their helmets with bone-cracking force.
Two enemies down in a second.
The remaining three panicked and began firing blindly at Alia.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
High-caliber bullets struck Alia's body, but they only sparked against her synthetic skin, which was revealed to be high-grade ballistic armor.
"My turn," Aryo muttered.
Fueled by adrenaline and the suit, Aryo vaulted over the sofa. He wasn't a trained fighter, but the suit guided his movements. As a soldier aimed at him, Aryo's reflexes heightened. He parried the gun barrel upward, then drove his knee into the soldier's stomach with hydraulically enhanced force.
The soldier flew back three meters, crashing into the marble wall, cracking it.
"Damn it! Intel said the target was just a spoiled brat!" the enemy leader screamed. He aimed a mini grenade launcher at Aryo.
"Master, look out!"
Alia dashed in front of Aryo, becoming a living shield.
BOOM!
The grenade blast struck Alia's chest squarely. The beautiful robot was thrown backward, crashing into Aryo, sending them both tumbling across the floor.
Smoke and dust filled the room. Aryo's ears rang violently. He looked at Alia lying beside him. The maid outfit on her chest was scorched, revealing a dented metal chassis and wires sparking with electricity.
"Alia!" Aryo shouted in panic.
Alia's amber eyes flickered weakly. "System... critical damage to main power unit. Combat efficiency dropped to 40%."
From the smoke, the enemy leader walked closer. He was the only one left standing. He cocked his weapon, aiming it straight at Aryo's head as he lay on the floor.
"Game over, kid. Hand over the chip, or I'll dig it out of your corpse."
Aryo stared at the gun barrel. Fear coursed through him, but beneath the fear, a much greater anger burned. Anger at his uncle, at Bayu, and at the people trying to take the only thing his father left him.
Aryo glanced at the damaged Alia. Their gazes met.
"Alia," Aryo whispered. "Activate Protocol Overdrive."
Alia's eyes widened. "Master... that will burn out my circuits."
"Do it!"
Alia's eyes shifted color from amber to a blinding blood-red.
WHIRRRRR!
The sound of turbines spinning up echoed from Alia's body. She rose to her feet in a blur, ignoring the damage to her chest. Her speed increased twofold.
Before the squad leader could react, Alia's hand had already gripped his throat. An iron grip.
"You... damaged... my Master," Alia's voice sounded broken, distorted like an electronic monster.
With one brutal motion, Alia hurled the elite squad leader across the room, through the large glass window, and out into the darkness of the forest.
Silence.
Only the sound of Aryo's ragged breathing and the crackle of electricity from Alia's body remained. The once beautiful living room was now a wreck, filled with bullet holes and debris.
Aryo stood up with difficulty. He watched Alia standing motionless amidst the destruction, her eyes slowly returning to a dim blue, then fading to black. The robot collapsed to her knees.
"Alia!" Aryo ran over, catching her body before it hit the floor.
"System... rebooting..." Alia whispered weakly before "fainting."
Aryo hugged the cold body of his protector. He looked out the shattered window, into the dark forest. He knew this was just the beginning. The Red Syndicate had only sent an advance team.
And he knew who had invited them.
Aryo touched the pocket of his combat suit, ensuring the chip was safe. His gaze turned colder than ever before.
"Uncle Hardi," Aryo hissed with vengeance. "You just signed your own death warrant."