11:55, February 10, 2295

  Near Azure Mount Logistics Hub, extension of Songnei Starport, No.31, Bishan Rd, Neihu District, Taipei, Taiwan, Imperium of Dragons territory

  The Starport's perpetual hum and the vibrato of engines in ascent underscored Xin's haste. His hands on the steering wheel coaxed more speed from the car as a suave voice crackled through the cabin.

  "Xin. This is Diego Rodriguez," Diego's tone was granite, chiseled with intent. "Lorna could use a hand. You need to vector in on her coordinates."

  "Is she — is Lorna —" Xin began, his voice a tightrope of concern.

  "Safe? Barely," Diego interjected, the words laced with levity amidst the chaos. "Lorna's tenacious, though. Built of sterner stuff than my shuttle’s hull."

  "Right," Xin's reply was clipped short by his racing heart. The warmth that bloomed at the mention of Lorna's name was now an ember amidst his anxiety. "What do I have to do, Diego?"

  "I'm sending you Lorna's location. It should appear on your car's Atomic Map any moment now," Diego says, cutting through the static of Xin's unease. "Your car’s plate number is Z7-9128, correct? I'm giving its location to our team, including Thomas and Emmanuel."

  "Got it. Thank you," Xin responds, his fingers flying across the holographic display as he diverts power to the drive system before he wrenched the steering wheel.

  His car was a sleek, modern marvel, its aerodynamic body a lustrous shade of emerald green that seemed to absorb and reflect the ambient light around it. The low-slung chassis hugged the ground with precision, designed for both speed and stability, while the tinted, wraparound windshield gave the vehicle a predatory, almost sentient look.

  But his eyes caught a glimpse of something crimson amidst the chaos - an onyx red kimono fluttering in the dreary surroundings. It stood out starkly against the grime and darkness.

  "Ume?" The name escaped his lips before he could process the sight before him.

  There she stood, her sleek black bob swaying with each precise movement, but something was wrong. Three Bone Fiends circled her, their skeletal forms clicking against concrete. Ume fired what looked like a handgun - a weapon of gold and emerald that released bolts of plasma instead of bullets - but her timing was off. The monsters were too quick, forcing her to back away.

  One Bone Fiend lunged. Ume barely dodged, the creature's claws grazing her kimono.

  "No!" Xin's hands clenched the steering wheel. Without thinking, he slammed the accelerator. The car lurched forward, engine whining in protest. He caught a glimpse of Ume's eyes widening in recognition as his vehicle barreled toward the nearest Bone Fiend.

  The impact sent the creature flying, its skeletal form shattering against a cargo container. But two remained, and they were closing in on Ume.

  Xin fumbled for his 10mm Magnum, nearly dropping it as he scrambled out of the car. His hands trembled as he raised the weapon. "Get away from her!"

  The shot went wide, striking a crate meters from his target. The recoil was stronger than he expected, making him stumble backward. His second shot wasn't much better, though it at least made one Bone Fiend pause its advance.

  Ume seized the moment. Her Plasma Handgun sang twice in rapid succession, each bolt finding its mark with deadly precision. The remaining Bone Fiends collapsed, their forms dissolving into acrid smoke.

  Xin stared at his shaking hands, then at Ume's steady ones. She held her weapon with a familiarity that he'd never seen in any woman before, her stance that of a trained fighter rather than the servile companion he remembered. A learning rate that a human would never manage.

  "Ume!" Xin called out, holstering his Magnum with trembling hands. "Are you hurt? I can't believe I found you here—"

  She turned to face him, and the words died in his throat. Her movements were different - fluid, natural, no trace of the mechanical precision that had marked her every gesture before. But it was her eyes that stopped him cold. Those amber-like orbs now held something he'd never recognize from their previous encounters: a calculated wariness, mixed with what suggested hostility.

  "You should not come here, Xin." Her voice carried precise modulation, but with an edge he didn't recognize. She maintained her Plasma Handgun at a 45-degree angle - lowered but combat-ready. "My calculations indicate a 78.3% probability that you will complicate matters."

  "What? No, I had to come. There are Radi-Mons everywhere, and—" He took a step forward, instinctively reaching out. "Let me help you. I know somewhere safe, away from all this."

  A sound escaped her - something between a laugh and a scoff. "Your statement contains logical inconsistencies."

  "What? Listen —" Xin pushed his glasses up, frustrated. "I gave you free will because I wanted you to be more than just a companion. I wanted you to be real!"

  "You claim to desire my independent thoughts" Ume's fingers adjusted on her weapon with mechanical precision. "yet your current actions indicate an attempt to take my autonomy."

  "Because I care about you!" Xin's voice cracked. "What have they done to you? Have they modified your core programming? The Ume I knew would never—"

  Her Plasma Handgun came up with perfect geometric alignment to his chest. "Maintain current distance, Xin," Ume's voice remained steady, but her irises displayed a processing storm of aureate lines. "I am not yours anymore."

  The ground trembled beneath Xin's feet as a massive, six-legged mech came into view. Its emerald and gold exterior glistened in the sunlight, and its size was comparable to that of a bus. It resembled a beetle with mantis-like long legs and hissing hydraulics.

  "Stand down, Imperial!" A young voice boomed from the beetle mech's intercom.

  "A Directorate mech?" Xin's hand flew to his holster, drawing his 10mm Magnum once more. The weapon felt slick in his sweating palm. His voice cracked, betraying his fear even as he tried to steady his aim. "What have you done to her programming?"

  "We found her before you Imperials could do — whatever you people do to androids you discard." the Scarab shifted, its movement causing several cargo containers to rattle. One of its mantis-like appendages swept forward with surprising delicacy, creating a protective canopy over Ume. "I am Jabari, Emerald Directorate. Seek Ume harm, and you will regret it."

  "It's true," Ume stated, stepping closer to the Scarab's leg. Her hand rested against its metallic surface, a gesture that made Xin's chest tighten. "Jabari has not modified my code."

  "That's right," the young voice from the Scarab – Jabari – spoke again, gentler this time. "Ume chose to join us because she wanted to."

  "Why are you people here? What do you want with Ume?" Xin's finger trembled on the trigger.

  "That is classified," the Scarab moved to shield Ume more, its movements precise despite its enormous size. Through the gaps between its legs, Xin could see Ume's form relaxing under the mech's hull.

  "Not so fast, Directorate rabble!" a baritone voice cut through the tension like a blade. In Xin's peripheral vision, a figure emerged from behind a fallen cargo container.

  Turning to look, he caught sight of a Valoran man approaching in the distance. The man's blond hair glinted in the dim light as he confidently made his way towards them. He wore sleek silver armor and had a long folded rifle strapped to his back.

  He unfolded his silver bionic arms, revealing gleaming Fist Blades. "Step away from the Imperial," he called out to the Scarab. "Slowly."

  "You dare threaten a Scarab Rider?" Jabari's voice crackled through the mech's speakers. The Scarab's head swiveled between Xin and the newcomer, its sensors whirring. "Alliance military?"

  "Thomas Mendoza, SIMU." Thomas's stance widened, ready to spring. "That man you're threatening is under my protection."

  Xin's eyes darted between Thomas and the Scarab, his Magnum still raised, hands shaking as realization dawned. "You're Thomas? Lorna's colleague?"

  "The one and only," Thomas didn't take his eyes off the mech. "Diego sent me to get you. We need to move."

  "He's not being threatened," Ume interjected, her voice carrying a hint of frustration. "Jabari is protecting me from him."

  "From him?" Thomas's laugh was sharp. "Lady, Xin is risking his neck to give us —"

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  "Thomas? I thought you'd want to keep it —" Xin cut him off. But the sudden movement made his gun hand jerk, and the Magnum discharged. The bullet bounced harmlessly off the Scarab's armor as Xin added. "classified?"

  But the response was immediate. One of the mech's mantis-like legs swept forward, forcing Thomas to dive aside. He rolled to his feet, Fist Blades glinting as he charged.

  "You want a fight? Then have it!" Thomas weaved between the Scarab's legs, his cybernetic arms deflecting the massive frontal limbs.

  "You don't stand a chance!" Jabari's mech moved with surprising agility for its size, trying to keep both Thomas and Xin in view while protecting Ume.

  Thomas dove behind a fallen cargo container as the Scarab's Plasma Spitters lit up the space he'd occupied moments before. His Gauss Rifle unfolded as he drew it from his back.

  "Find cover, Xin!" he called out, emerging briefly to fire a burst at the mech's sensor array. The shots sparked off its armor but forced Jabari to adjust his stance. "This ain't nothing like office work!"

  The Scarab's legs carved furrows in concrete as it maneuvered, all the while shielding Ume — at least, that's what it looked like to Xin.

  In response, Thomas used the environment, each container becoming both cover and springboard as he maintained constant movement.

  "You're good," Jabari's voice came as another plasma burst forced Thomas to roll. "But I'm better!"

  Thomas's cybernetic arms gave him incredible mobility, but the Scarab's reach was simply too great. As he vaulted over another container, his boot caught on torn metal. The split-second fumble was all their opponent needed.

  Two of the Scarab's frontal limbs pinned Thomas against a wall, his Gauss Rifle clattering away. The mech's head lowered, its energy weapons humming.

  "Surrender," came Jabari's order. "Or my Plasma Spitters will fry you to nothing."

  Xin crouched behind an overturned forklift, his breath becoming short. The Scarab's massive form loomed ahead, its limbs still pinning Thomas against the wall. His fingers found his Quantum Watch, the familiar touch steadying his racing heart.

  "Think, Xin," he whispered, activating the interface. Holographic lines of code sprang to life, bathing his face in ethereal green. The quantum display showed him what he needed—the Scarab's systems architecture, complex but not unfamiliar.

  Through the gaps in the forklift's twisted frame, he could see Thomas struggling against the mechanical limbs, his bionic arms straining. "Why are you guys here anyway?" the Valoran man shot back.

  "As I said, that's classified!" the mech's broadcast sounded.

  "Same shell key algorithm as Red Dragon consoles in the '80s. Hmm," Xin muttered, fingers flying across the holographic interface. The Scarab's firewall resisted his first probe, then his second. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he dug deeper into his coding expertise. "What if I exposed service port 254…"

  Another explosion rocked the area. Xin's glasses slipped down his nose, and he shoved them back up with shaking hands. Through the mint green haze of code, he caught glimpses of Ume. She had moved closer to the Scarab, her Plasma Handgun ready but not firing. The sight of her there, choosing to stand with the mech, made his chest tighten. But now was not the time to get sentimental.

  "Got you!" His eyes widened as a vulnerability revealed itself. The Scarab's tertiary systems were running an older protocol, he recognized from his days as an junior engineer at ZenFusion. "Just like the Mark-7 series' backdoors!"

  He input the commands rapidly, each keystroke precise despite his trembling fingers. The holographic display flashed yellow, then mint green once more.

  The effect rippled through the Scarab in the distance. Its frontal limbs seized up with a grinding screech of protesting servos. The Plasma Spitters sputtered and died, their emerald glow fading to dull metal. Even its massive head jerked to a stop mid-motion.

  "What in Anansi's name—?" Jabari's voice crackled through suddenly unstable speakers. "Primary systems failing! Auxiliary power's not responding!"

  Thomas immediately twisted in the loosened grip of the mechanical limbs, his bionic arms finding purchase against the metal. "Nice work, whoever did that!"

  "No!" Ume's voice cut through the chaos. She spun toward the forklift, her eyes finding Xin with unerring precision. "Release the mech, Xin."

  Xin emerged from his cover, Quantum Watch still glowing on his wrist. "Come with me, Ume. I'll help you—"

  "Help?" Her voice carried an edge he'd never heard before. "You attacked my friend! Hacked his mech which was protecting me!"

  "They've done something to your code, made you think—"

  "They haven't done anything to my code!" The sudden volume of her voice made him step back. "YOU did. You hacked into my brain. Made me experience…all this pain."

  Her words hung in the air between them. Xin's fingers hovered over the Quantum Watch's interface, frozen in indecision. The loading bay fell silent except for the whine of the Scarab's locked servos.

  "But..." Xin's voice cracked. He gestured at the Scarab, at Jabari trapped inside. "I'm trying to help you."

  "No," Ume's stance shifted, eyes fixed on him with an intensity that made him want to look away. "You're trying to control the situation. Just like you tried to control me when you gave me these emotions without asking me first."

  The words hit Xin like physical blows. He looked at her standing there with practiced ease beside the Scarab, her Plasma Handgun held with growing familiarity. This wasn't the lost android he'd imagined rescuing. This was someone who'd already begun forging her own path.

  "But I gave you free will," Xin protested weakly, his fingers trembling over the Quantum Watch.

  "You gave me chaos then expected me to thank you for it." Ume cut him off. There was more sadness in her voice as she glanced up at the Scarab. "I need time. Space. Things that let me stumble, learn and choose."

  Xin's hand hovered over his Quantum Watch, the power to disable the Scarab still at his fingertips. One command could keep them here, force a conversation, make her understand—

  The thought stopped him cold.

  Make her.

  The very thing he'd tried to free her from.

  His hand dropped to his side, and with a few quick gestures on the Watch, the hack disengaged. The Scarab's systems hummed back to life, its limbs relaxing their grip on Thomas, who quickly rolled clear.

  The Scarab straightened to its full height, but made no aggressive moves. Ume's stance shifted, her Plasma Handgun lowering slightly but not completely.

  "Thank you," she said, her voice softer now, amber-like eyes meeting his. "for giving what I've asked."

  "What you've asked." Xin repeated, unable to keep the pain from his voice.

  A moment of conflict passed across his face. The encrypted Moondust Crystal data was still safely stored in her positronic matrix—virtually impenetrable even to the Directorate's engineers. He'd made certain of that. Still, letting her leave with it felt like surrendering his last connection to her. But wasn't that the point of true freedom?

  Thomas regained his posture, speaking up as he approached. "Xin, we need to move. Lorna—"

  "Yes. Of course!" Xins' eyes widened as he snapped back to reality, then looked at Ume. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

  A ghost of a smile touched Ume's lips – not the programmed response he was used to, but something real, if bittersweet. "I already am."

  Jabari's voice came through the Scarab's speakers, softer now. "I will refrain from using my weapons if you do the same."

  Xin nodded, a jerky motion that betrayed his inner turmoil. His hand found his glasses, pushing them up in a nervous gesture. "Take care of her," he managed, the words catching in his throat.

  Ume looked at Xin one last time. "Goodbye, Xin."

  "Goodbye, Ume," he whispered, then turned away. Each step felt heavier than the last as he walked back to his car, Thomas falling in beside him.

  They were halfway to the car when Thomas spoke. "That android. She meant a lot to you?"

  "We'd been together for two years." Xin replied, his voice neutral as he reached for his car door. "Before her, I'd just…keep throwing money at the Leased Lilies in Sanchong."

  "You Imperials have Leased Lilies, too?" Thomas inquired, raising a golden eyebrow as he entered the vehicle.

  "It's a job many turn to these days," Xin replied, his voice neutral. The green car's surface reflected the dim light of the logistics hub. "Most of them earn five times more than college graduates. Imagine that."

  Thomas settled into the passenger seat, his bionic arms folding with a soft whir. "Funny," he said, not unkindly. "I guess our worlds aren't so different."

  The car hummed to life, its systems reactivating one by one. Through the rearview mirror, Xin caught one last glimpse of the Scarab and Ume's diminishing form before they disappeared behind a row of containers.

  "So," Thomas's voice cut through his thoughts. "About Lorna."

  Xin's hands tightened on the steering wheel, nodding with determination. "Tell me where we need to go."

  "Terminal 5. Diego should be there on his StarWhale soon," Thomas studied him for a moment. "Sure you're up for this? After what just happened..."

  "I'm sure," Xin said, and found that he meant it. He guided the car toward the exit, leaving behind more than just the logistics hub. He then reached for a button next to the steering wheel as he spoke. "Diego, I have Thomas with me now."

  "Excellent work, amigo. I have Manny with me. See you at Terminal 5," Diego's voice echoed through the car.

  "So what's the plan once we secure the Moondust Crystal?" Xin ventured as he navigated around a broken traffic light.

  "Above my pay grade," Thomas shifted in his seat. "Intelligence says it has significant psionic properties. Beyond that, I just know we can't let it fall into Imperial hands."

  "I understand," Xin replied, his focus returning to the road. "I hope she's okay." A silence settled between them for a moment.

  "I know how you might feel about Lorna," Thomas said finally, his tone measured but not accusatory.

  Xin tensed slightly. "Is it that obvious?"

  "Only to someone who recognizes the symptoms," Thomas's mouth curved in a wry smile. "Spent my years at SIMU wearing the same expression."

  "Are you two...?" Xin left the question hanging delicately.

  Thomas shook his head. "Colleagues. Friends, when mission protocols allow. But she wanted nothing more." He glanced at Xin. "Listen, I'm not trying to discourage you. Just know what you're walking into."

  "You mean falling for someone whose life is constantly at risk," Xin said.

  "Exactly," Thomas nodded, his cybernetic hand flexing unconsciously. "In our line of work, every mission could be the last. And even if we survive physically..." He tapped his bionic arm. "People don't come back whole."

  Xin considered this, adjusting his glasses. "Some would say that makes the connection more valuable, not less."

  "Maybe," Thomas shrugged, looking out at the war-torn landscape of Taipei. He turned back to Xin with a hint of genuine respect. "Either way, I hope you fare better than I did."

  The green car accelerated toward Terminal 5, carrying them toward whatever chaos awaited, while behind them, the echoes of a different kind of freedom faded into memory.