The new mech lunged.
It moved on all fours, unnaturally quick.
Energy bolts fired in rapid bursts.
DJ didn't run.
He rushed forward through the blast storm.
Shots clipped his shoulder.
One burned across his side.
He kept moving.
He fired back.
Small energy bursts hit Roy's shield and scattered like sparks off glass.
No effect.
They collided in the middle.
DJ leapt and landed on the mech's back.
Roy tried to angle the blasters behind—
They couldn't rotate that far.
DJ punched downward at the shield.
Again.
Again.
Nothing but vibration.
Roy growled and sprinted forward suddenly.
Straight toward the equipment tents.
DJ clung to the frame like a rider on a raging bull.
The mech made a sharp turn.
DJ lost balance—
And got thrown off.
He crashed into metal containers stacked near the lake.
Blue Pullwater sloshed inside transparent cylinders.
One cracked slightly.
Roy didn't hesitate.
He pivoted and lunged toward him.
DJ rolled just before the mech stomped down.
His HUD flickered.
Battery: 4%.
Warning tone beeped.
"Battery low," the system said flatly.
DJ exhaled hard.
"Any more bad news?" he muttered.
Rony answered immediately.
"You're out of explosives."
DJ closed his eyes for half a second.
"Great."
Roy fired again.
Energy bolts tore through the instruments DJ had been hiding behind.
Metal sparks everywhere.
DJ sprinted toward cover.
"What do we do?" he snapped.
"Wait for an opening," Rony said quickly. "Attack the joints. Something heavy. Stay away from the Pullwater containers. If those rupture, your condo in the paradise venue will be ownerless."
DJ ducked behind a broken rig.
His chest rising fast.
The smaller mech paced in circles, scanning.
Red optics glowing.
DJ's mind raced.
Low battery.
No explosives.
Shielded target.
Unstable environment.
Roy's voice came again, calmer now.
"You're tired."
The mech stepped closer.
"You've lost."
DJ glanced at the cracked Pullwater container beside him.
Blue liquid glowing faintly.
He looked at the massive dead shell of Tank Three behind Roy.
Then at the lake.
Then back at Roy's joint mechanisms — exposed slightly at the knee hinges during movement.
He inhaled slowly. He got a very terrible idea.
Roy slowed.
The cave had gone quiet.
No footsteps.
No movement.
Only the low hum of Pullwater circulating through broken systems.
He rotated slowly, scanning with thermal, motion, and electromagnetic sensors.
Nothing.
DJ had vanished.
"DJ?" Roy called out casually.
No response.
He took a step forward.
Still nothing.
Roy's tone shifted.
Mocking now.
"Don't hide. That's not very heroic, is it?"
He continued walking, red optics scanning the cavern's debris field.
"I looked into you," Roy went on. "Petty theft from the wealthy. Then donating a fraction to charity. What was that? Trying to balance your conscience?"
He turned sharply and fired a burst at a shadow near the rock wall.
Empty.
"Dead girlfriend, killed by a group of rich guys that you couldn't stop. Your hunt for justice."
Another slow step.
"Do you think you're a hero, DJ?"
He kept talking, voice echoing through the cave like poison.
" And why wouldn't you. Orphan. Parents died young. Grew up with nothing. Tragic backstory. It's almost cinematic, perfect for a hero."
He fired at a flicker of sound near some broken rigs.
Still nothing.
"You live in a luxury apartment now. Paradise venue. Lavish life. Expensive toys."
A chuckle.
" You are jealous of rich people don't you? Is that why you steal from them?"
He pivoted again.
"Or do you tell yourself you're Robin Hood? Taking from evil elites while keeping a cut for yourself?"
Another shot.
Metal shattered.
Silence answered.
" If you were heroic you could've reported the money," Roy continued calmly. "Gone to the IRS. Exposed everything legally. Been hailed as a hero in true sense."
He stopped walking.
"But you didn't."
A smile spread across his face inside the cockpit.
"You were greedy."
The mech's claws scraped softly against stone as he moved toward the center.
"You know what interested me?" Roy added.
"The Pullwater discrepancy. There was a gap in the real stock amount recorded and one in the stock."
He tilted his head slightly.
" And you know when these discrepancies happened?" And he continued
"The same day she died."
Silence.
" it was you weren't you. You were there…"
Behind the fallen shell of Tank Three, DJ paused for half a second.
Then continued working.
Roy's motion sensor flickered.
A faint disturbance.
Near the center.
He turned toward it.
Walked slowly.
Carefully.
Nothing visible.
He was about to turn away—
When he heard it.
A deep mechanical whine.
Power cycling.
He snapped his head toward the center of the cavern.
There—
Standing beside the ruined Tank Three—
DJ.
Burned armor.
Cracked welded visor.
Holding a detached heavy shoulder energy blaster twice the size of his torso.
The cannon glowed as it overcharged.
Roy's eyes widened.
Before he could move—
DJ fired.
A blinding beam of concentrated Pullwater energy tore across the cave.
It struck Roy's smaller mech dead center.
There was no time to dodge.
The blast hurled the four-legged machine backward across the cavern floor.
It smashed into a support beam and cratered the rock behind it.
Sparks exploded from every joint.
The shield flickered violently.
Warning alarms screamed inside Roy's cockpit.
Power integrity: unstable.
Joint stress: critical.
Smoke poured from the mech's chassis.
The beam faded.
The cavern fell silent.
DJ let the heavy cannon slip from his hands.
It hit the ground with a metallic crash and rolled once before going still.
Smoke drifted through blue light.
He walked slowly toward the fallen mech.
Each step heavier than the last.
The smaller four-legged frame lay twisted against the rock, sparks jumping from broken joints. The shield flickered weakly and died.
DJ reached the cockpit seam.
With both hands, he forced the front panel open.
Metal groaned.
Hydraulics snapped.
Inside—
Roy.
Bleeding slightly from his brow.
Coughing.
Still conscious.
He looked up at DJ's cracked mask. At the glowing red LED eyes staring down at him.
A faint smirk formed.
"Come to finish me off," Roy rasped, "like the rest?"
DJ didn't answer.
He simply extended his hand forward.
Roy looked at it.
No fear.
No begging.
Just acceptance.
He thought this was the end.
Instead—
DJ grabbed the camera from Roy's lap.
Turned.
And began walking away.
Roy blinked.
Then laughed weakly.
"Mercy? Is that it? Mercy from you?"
DJ kept walking.
"I don't need it!" Roy shouted hoarsely. "Come back and finish it, you little thief!"
No response.
"You're nothing more than a thief!" Roy coughed, struggling to sit upright. "You think this is justice? You're taking revenge. That's all this is!"
The mech's internal systems began emitting a sharp warning tone.
OVERHEAT CRITICAL
CORE INSTABILITY
Red light blinked lightly the broken cockpit.
Roy ignored it.
"You're not a hero!" he continued, voice cracking. "You hide behind a mask because you're afraid to show your face! Your true face! An orphan destined to die alone! No one will cry for you! You loser!"
DJ stopped.
Silence.
He turned slowly.
Roy didn't flinch.
For a defeated king, death was cleaner than humiliation.
He straightened slightly, ready for it.
DJ reached behind his back and removed a small cylindrical device.
He tossed it toward the mech.
Roy's eyes shifted past DJ.
The red alarm light was flashing faster now.
The heat gauge was maxed.
The mech was seconds from catastrophic explosion.
Understanding hit him all at once.
His face changed.
"No—"
He tried to detach himself from the failing frame.
The harness wouldn't release.
He struggled harder.
Panic replacing pride.
The cylindrical device DJ had thrown rolled beneath the mech.
Activated.
Instead of detonating—
A pulse of white vapor erupted outward.
Instant frost spread across the mech's chassis.
The red overheating glow dimmed.
Metal crystallized.
Hydraulic fluid froze mid-drip.
The entire machine began frosting over, temperature plummeting violently.
Within seconds—
Tank inner core froze solid.
The explosion sequence halted.
Roy stared in disbelief.
The mech that was about to explode was now encased in ice.
A sudden force yanked him free from the frozen harness.
DJ had pulled him out just before full freeze-lock.
Roy hit the sand-covered cave floor hard.
He rolled onto his back, coughing.
The frozen mech behind him creaked as ice sealed its seams.
Roy looked up at DJ.
About to speak—
A sharp sting hit his neck.
Knockout dart.
His vision blurred instantly.
He tried to focus.
Tried to say something—
But darkness swallowed him.
Roy collapsed unconscious.
The cave returned to silence.
Breathing heavy.
DJ stood over Roy's unconscious body for a long moment.
Then he looked down at the camera in his hand.
Sand clung to the lens.
Carefully — almost gently — he removed the red scarf from around his neck and wiped the glass clean.
For a second, his reflection stared back at him through the cracked visor.
"I got the video," Rony said quietly. "Uploading now."
DJ nodded.
He turned, taking a step forward.
He had won.
We won.
Roy was down.
Justice—
A deep cracking sound echoed through the cavern.
Rock splintering.
Metal groaning.
DJ stopped.
"What's happening?" he asked.
"I don't know," Rony replied. "All drones are destroyed. Structural instability maybe? Could be a self-destruct like movies?"
The ceiling trembled.
Dust fell in thin streams.
DJ glanced up.
Then back at Roy.
He bent slightly, ready to lift him—
The shaking stopped.
Silence.
Then—
A violent gust of wind tore through the cave.
Sand and dust blasted outward.
Something heavy landed.
DJ raised his arm instinctively to shield his face.
When the dust settled—
A figure stood in the sand.
Krish.
Calm.
Immovable.
Power radiating off him like heat waves.
Rony groaned through the comms.
"Does this guy have no patience? We just stopped fighting."
DJ kept his stance steady.
"Anything left to stop him?" DJ asked quietly.
"Anti-series weapon?" Rony offered weakly.
"Anything else?"
"Lay down and die."
DJ exhaled slowly and adjusted his footing.
He was drained.
Battery nearly dead. Reaching the negative mark.
Armor cracked. Barely holding.
And now this. A man capable to annihilate cities.
Before Krish could move—
Another impact shook the cavern.
A second figure landed behind Krish.
Blue suit.
Waves rippling.
DJ recognized him instantly.
The man who had helped him before.
Maharakshak Raghav. Which he didn't recognize.
Rony sounded confused.
"Isn't he on our side?"
The blue-suited man stepped forward, eyes sharp.
"Do you have proof now?" he asked, voice hard.
Rony immediately corrected himself.
"…Maybe not."
DJ didn't argue.
He simply raised the camera.
Krish and Raghav stepped closer.
All three stood awkwardly close as DJ played the footage.
The screen flickered to life.
But the first clip wasn't what they expected.
An office.
An interview setting.
Raghav — without his heroic aura — sitting across from Sakshi.
His voice on recording:
"My place… or yours?"
The implication hung in the air.
Workplace harassment.
Krish's face darkened instantly.
It was his sister.
Raghav froze.
His aura become — negative.
DJ quickly skipped forward.
"That's not the important part," he muttered.
Krish didn't look convinced.
Raghav immediately defended himself.
"It was a test. A character test."
Both DJ and Krish turned slowly toward him.
Their expressions said everything.
Even Rony didn't bother filtering his voice.
"Why are you defending that scumbag?"
Raghav faltered.
"I know him. He's… he's a good man. He tests awareness and… boundaries and…"
Even he sounded unsure, even though he himself was Raghav.
They both turned back to the screen.
DJ let the next clip play.
This was the first time any of them had seen it fully.
The beach.
Night.
Sakshi being dragged across the sand.
Three men standing in front.
Rony, watching remotely, went completely silent.
Samir — one of the Horsemen founders — approached her.
He grabbed her hair.
Slapped her.
Demanded to know who she was.
She didn't answer.
Another slap.
This time with a gun.
Her scream cut through the cave.
Krish's hands clenched.
Raghav's expression hardened.
Samir threw the camera sideways, giving a wider view.
More men approached.
Roy entered the frame.
Beside him — John.
Roy began to speak—
Then paused.
Recognition flashed across his face.
"You…"
Samir struck her again.
Harder.
Roy's voice came cold and clear from the recording:
"Shoot her."
John didn't hesitate.
He raised the gun.
Pulled the trigger.
The shot echoed through the cavern as if it had just happened again.
Krish closed his eyes.
Raghav stared at the ground.
DJ's grip loosened.
The camera slipped from his hand and fell into the sand.
Rony's breathing through the comms had gone steady.
Too steady.
All four of them slowly turned.
And looked at Roy.
Still unconscious.
Lying there.
Helpless.
The blue Pullwater lake behind them glowed quietly.
No one spoke.
But the air had changed.
Krish moved first.
No warning.
No words.
He stepped toward Roy's unconscious body with clear intent.
To end it.
A hand stopped him.
Krish looked down.
DJ.
Even drained, even barely standing — he had stepped in front of Roy.
Their eyes met.
Krish didn't ask.
He didn't need to.
Krish gaze said it clearly:
Leave.
But DJ didn't move aside.
"He's down," DJ said, voice raw. "He'll get what he deserves. Sakshi will get justice."
A quiet scoff came from behind them.
Raghav.
"Justice?" he repeated. "Aren't you the one who killed Samir?"
DJ's jaw tightened.
"I didn't want to. It was a mistake."
"And the other one?" Raghav pressed. "He's dead too."
"They killed him," DJ replied quietly. "Not me."
Silence followed.
Krish shifted his gaze away first.
The tension didn't break — it just thinned.
Raghav looked around the cavern instead.
His expression changed.
The scale of it.
The glowing lake.
The containers.
The fractured machinery.
He exhaled slowly.
"This place…" he murmured. "It's filled with Soma."
DJ was about to ask what that meant—
Krish asked first.
"What's Soma?"
Raghav pointed toward the glowing blue lake.
"That," he said pointing at the pond of Pullwater "It's called Soma."
He looked serious now.
"Extremely dangerous. My duty is to protect it."
He scanned the cavern again, eyes narrowing.
"I didn't know they had such a massive source directly beneath the city."
Both DJ and Krish fell silent.
"How dangerous?" Krish asked.
Raghav didn't hesitate.
"That much? Enough to blow entire state, or a small country."
The weight of that settled heavily.
Raghav straightened.
"It must not be used. Ever."
His eyes flicked toward DJ briefly.
"We'll talk later. First, this place must be sealed."
He pressed his wrist bracers together.
A blue pulse expanded outward from him.
It rippled across the cave like a wave of light.
Rock shimmered.
Metal hummed.
Energy settled.
DJ stared.
"What did you just do?"
"Barricaded it," Raghav replied. "No one unauthorized can find this place." And he started to walk away.
"How?"
Raghav glanced at him.
"Magic."
Before either of them could respond—
The ground ahead Raghav shimmered.
Sand folded upward.
A classic lift rose from what had been solid rock seconds ago.
He stepped onto it casually.
As it began closing, DJ called out,
"Who are you?"
Raghav looked up at him one last time.
"I'm Maharakshak."
The lift closed and slowy sank back into the earth, the way it came up.
Sand sealed over it.
Gone.
Silence returned.
Like there was nothing absurd thing happened.
Rony's voice crackled faintly.
"…Did you see that?"
DJ nodded slowly.
"Yes."
His HUD flickered violently.
Battery: Critical.
Systems failing.
He tried to take a step—
His legs gave out.
The suit locked up.
He fell forward—
But strong hands caught him.
Krish.
Carefully, he lowered DJ to the sand.
He reached up and removed the damaged helmet.
The visor cracked fully as it came off.
For the first time—
Krish saw the face behind the mask.
Devesh Joshi.
Sakshi's friend.
The quiet guy he had met before.
Young.
Bruised.
Exhausted beyond measure.
DJ — Devesh — looked smaller without the armor.
Human.
Krish held his gaze for a moment.
So many emotions passed silently between them.
Then Krish stood.
He walked to Roy.
Lifted him effortlessly.
And began walking away.
Before he could disappear into the shadows, a weak voice called out.
"Don't kill him…"
Krish paused.
"…He'll get what he deserves."
A moment.
Then Krish continued walking.
No reply.
Devesh lay back on the cool sand.
The cave ceiling stretched high above him, faint blue light reflecting across stone.
His chest rose and fell slowly.
Pain.
Relief.
Emptiness.
He stared upward.
"We won, Sakshi."
His voice barely carried.
There was no answer.
Only the quiet hum of frozen machines and distant glowing Soma.
Devesh closed his eyes.
And for the first time since it began—
He let himself stop moving.
He relaxed