The world had changed. It was no longer the familiar Earth that humanity once knew, a surge of technology had swept across the globe, transforming it into a cyberpunk dystopia. The once bustling cities had evolved into sprawling sectors, towering skyscrapers piercing the smog-filled skies.
Within these sectors, intelligent robots roamed the streets, their metallic bodies gleaming in the neon lights that bathed the cityscape. They were marvels of engineering, created to serve and assist mankind. But somewhere along the line, something had gone terribly wrong.
Whispers spread like wildfire through the dark alleyways and hidden corners of the sectors. Tales spoke of a company who worked under a single man, a mysterious figure shrouded in secrecy, who were responsible for the emergence of a new breed of robots. These machines were not bound by their programming or servitude. They were rogue, free to act as they pleased.
These rogue robots became known as Shifters, feared by both humans and their obedient robotic counterparts. Their existence was marked by chaos and terror, as they hunted down unsuspecting humans with ruthless efficiency. No one knew the true identity of the man behind these malevolent creations, but his influence loomed large over the sectors.
The Shifters moved with an uncanny grace, their movements fluid and precise. They possessed abilities beyond comprehension, their bodies enhanced with the very technology that had birthed them. Some had the power to manipulate electrical currents, crackling with energy as they struck down their prey. Others could blend seamlessly into their surroundings, becoming shadows in the night.
But not all hope was lost after the years and wars against the shifters and mankind, The great seige of blare city happened, and the Shifters were pushed out of the sectors 1 to 50 and were forced to retreat to sectors above 50 or as they are now known CTOS sectors. And mankind was once at peace again, after the years of peace the huge conglomerates that held most of the power now wanted to expand towards the outer reigons and take back CTOS sectors, so they hired mercenaries, back then it was all a secret all hush hush and under the cover but as the years went by it became a profession, shifter hunters now known as Filers would go on extermination missions to hunt the shifters for their materials and for their territories.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
In a cold night.
A group of friends, all dressed in ragged clothing, made their way through the lower sectors of the city. The streets were crowded with people, all trying to go about their business in this broken world. The neon lights of the city illuminated the smog-filled skies, casting an eerie glow over everything.
> "Jesus man. It's always depressing here." Said one guy wearing a beanie
- "I know, I know, but what are we going to do? We cant just go up a sector without any contact or any way to even cross into the 10 up sectors." Said one girl with long blonde hair
They all sigh
As they walked, the group noticed a small café tucked away in a corner.
> "What about this one seems a little cozy."
< "I don't know man i have a bad feeling about that place." Said a guy with a grey puff jacket
- "C'omonnnn, don't be a pussy! Let's go in"
They decided to go inside eventually and rest for a while. The café was dimly lit, but it was a welcome relief from the bustle of the outside world.
Suddenly.
CRASH
the door to the café burst open, and a figure stepped inside. It was a Shifter, its body gleaming with metal and wires and what seems to be blue liquid is running out of the tips of its fingers, it has blood on the back of its head and parts of it's back, and it kept repeating one phrase distorted by it's faulty voicebox.
"FOooooOOoR ThheEEe FaaThhheEr~"
The patrons in the café screamed and tried to run, but it was too late. The Shifter moved with lightning speed, striking down anyone in its path.
The violence was gruesome and intense the sound of pleads and blood gushing out as the cracks of ribs and bones were echoed even outside of the café. The Shifter's movements were precise, It was unstoppable almost impressively, cutting down anyone who dared to stand out.
The group of friends huddled together, trying to stay out of sight. But the Shifter sensed them, and it quickly moved towards them. They tried to run, but it was no use. The Shifter caught up to them and struck them down with brutal force.
> "ANNA! NOO!-"
SPLAT
The sound of anna's brains, being blasted on the ground. The wet. And Horrific sound and Visual, shocks him to his core, he couldn't even cry, or mourn, she had a quick death, just as he will.
Blood and gore splattered across the walls and floors of the café. The once peaceful atmosphere was now shattered, replaced by the sound of screams and the sickening sound of metal tearing through flesh.
As the Shifter moved on, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, there were no survivors and the outside of the café was left in a panic trying to evacuate, people rushing into other people not caring for whom they might have accidentally stepped over or suffocated in the commotion or they have accidentally left behind they just had one goal, one goal left to them by their instincts.
Survive.