The crowded market district of Nova Helix buzzed with life. Vendors shouted over one another, peddling wares ranging from exotic meats to shimmering, translucent tech implants. Holographic advertisements floated above the stalls, promising everything from instant wealth to eternal youth. The air smelled of oil, smoke, and spices, an intoxicating blend that masked the tension simmering just beneath the surface.
Elior and Vera weaved through the throng, their hoods pulled low. The data drive from the corporate facility was safely tucked away in Vera’s satchel, and they couldn’t afford to draw attention now. Yet Elior couldn’t shake the sense of being watched. His hand lingered near the hilt of his dagger, the faint scars on his cheek tingling—a warning he had learned to trust.
“Keep moving,” Vera muttered, her voice tight. “We’re almost—”
The crowd erupted into chaos.
A man in sleek, augmented armor dropped from the sky, landing with a resounding crash that sent debris and terrified bystanders scattering. His body gleamed under the neon lights, a masterpiece of biomechanical engineering. Thin, glowing circuits traced intricate patterns over his obsidian-black armor, pulsing faintly with every movement. His arms were braced with thick plates, hydraulic pistons hissing as he flexed his fingers. Twin plasma blades extended from his wrists, their edges crackling with blue fire.
“Elior Revan,” the man said, his voice amplified and distorted by the modulator embedded in his helmet. “You are an anomaly. Your presence threatens the stability of the System. Surrender now.”
“Dax,” Vera hissed under her breath. “He’s one of their best hunters. Enhanced reflexes, augmented strength, and a combat interface that predicts your moves before you make them. We’re screwed.”
Elior didn’t wait for an invitation. He grabbed Vera’s arm, pulling her into a sprint. Behind them, Dax activated his thrusters, the powerful jets embedded in his legs propelling him forward in a blur.
----------------------------------------
The chase tore through the market, upending stalls and scattering terrified shoppers. Elior ducked under a low-hanging awning, the fabric shredding as Dax’s plasma blade sliced through it a heartbeat later. The hunter moved with uncanny precision, his enhanced eyes locking onto his prey through the chaos.
“Split up!” Vera yelled, shoving Elior toward a narrow alley.
“What?”
“Just do it!” she snapped, disappearing into the crowd.
Elior hesitated but obeyed, darting into the alley. The walls closed in around him, their surfaces slick with grime. He could hear Dax’s footsteps—heavy and deliberate—echoing behind him.
“You can’t run forever,” Dax called, his voice devoid of emotion. “The System will not tolerate deviation.”
Elior skidded to a stop at a dead end. He turned, his heart pounding, as Dax emerged from the shadows, his plasma blades illuminating the alley with a cold, blue glow.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Elior said, though he doubted his words would have any effect.
“You don’t have the capability,” Dax replied.
Elior extended his hand, summoning the Echoes. The air grew cold, and the familiar, fragmented forms appeared, their screams reverberating off the alley walls. They swarmed toward Dax, their incorporeal hands clawing at his armor.
The hunter didn’t flinch. His combat interface flared to life, analyzing the Echoes’ movements and identifying their weaknesses. He moved like a dancer, his plasma blades slicing through the air in arcs of searing light. The Echoes dissipated with each strike, their cries fading into nothingness.
Elior fell to his knees, the toll of the summoning leaving him breathless. Dax approached, his shadow looming over the necromancer.
“You’re out of tricks,” Dax said, raising his blade.
A sudden explosion rocked the alley, throwing both men off balance. Vera appeared in the smoke, holding a makeshift grenade launcher fashioned from salvaged tech.
“Move!” she shouted, grabbing Elior and dragging him to his feet.
----------------------------------------
They raced through the slums, weaving through narrow passages and leaping over debris. Dax was relentless, his thrusters propelling him with inhuman speed. Every strike from his plasma blades carved through walls and obstacles as if they were paper.
“We can’t keep this up!” Vera yelled, her breath ragged.
“I have an idea,” Elior said, though his voice wavered with uncertainty.
They ducked into an abandoned factory, its vast interior littered with rusting machinery and broken conveyor belts. Elior turned to Vera.
“I need you to trust me,” he said.
“That’s asking a lot,” she replied, but the faintest hint of a smile crossed her lips. “What’s the plan?”
“I’m going to show him the truth.”
Dax burst through the factory doors, his armored form framed by the flickering light of his plasma blades. Elior stepped forward, his hands raised.
“Enough!” he shouted. “You want to see what you’re fighting for? I’ll show you.”
The air grew heavy as Elior summoned the Echoes once more. This time, he focused on the fragments of consciousness connected to Dax—the lives his missions had destroyed. The Echoes emerged, their forms clearer and more defined than ever before. They cried out to Dax, their voices filled with anguish and accusation.
“You took everything from us,” one said, her face twisted with grief.
“We were fuel for the System,” another added, his voice laced with bitterness. “All so the city could thrive.”
Dax staggered, his combat interface flooding with error messages as the Echoes overwhelmed his sensory inputs. Their words pierced through his augmented mind, unraveling the carefully constructed loyalty to the System that had driven him for so long.
“No,” he muttered, his voice trembling. “That’s not… I didn’t know.”
The Echoes closed in, their fragmented hands reaching for him. Dax fell to his knees, his plasma blades deactivating as the weight of their suffering crushed him.
“This is what you’ve been protecting,” Elior said, his voice heavy with emotion. “This is the price of the System’s perfection.”
----------------------------------------
For a long moment, silence filled the factory. Then, Dax stood, his movements slow and deliberate. He looked at Elior, his helmet’s visor retracting to reveal haunted eyes.
“I need time to think,” he said quietly.
Vera tensed, her hand on her weapon. “You’re letting us go?”
Dax nodded. “I need to understand what I’ve done.”
Without another word, he turned and walked away, his augmented frame disappearing into the shadows.
Elior sagged with relief, his body trembling from the effort of the summoning. Vera caught him before he could collapse entirely.
“You’re insane,” she said, though her tone was almost affectionate. “But it worked.”
Elior managed a weak smile. “Let’s hope it’s enough.”
As they left the factory, the weight of their discovery hung heavy between them. The System’s corruption ran deeper than they had imagined, and the fight ahead would only grow more dangerous. But for now, they had survived—and they had sown the first seeds of doubt in one of the System’s greatest enforcers.