Outside the city of Zefar.
The bus cuts through the road alone. Forest on both sides. Blurring past.
Up front—
Khaled drives. Ethan sits beside him, staring out the window. Silent.
In the back—
Boris, Simon, and Hana.
Suddenly—Simon's face tightens.
"Ah—… damn it!" he shouts.
"What is it?" Hana asks.
"I forgot that mutant back there." Simon grabs his head, teeth clenched.
Hana's eyes widen.
"Ah—right… we left him there.
Don't worry. Maybe he escaped during the fight."
"I left him unconscious. I think they caught him," Simon says.
"No… if they did, we'd hear explosions by now. At least something. They were busy chasing us," Hana replies.
Simon thinks.
"…Yeah. You're right. He's not an easy one."
Boris squints, confused.
"Who are you talking about?!"
Hana answers,
"One of the mutants Victor was holding. He broke loose during the raid… started burning the crowd."
"Yeah," Simon adds.
"He slowed us down. Took everything I had to stop him.
I brought him with me when we left… then forgot him during that robot fight."
Silence.
Boris leans forward.
"So how did the mission fail?
I thought you'd capture Victor easily."
"He had a lot of armed men," Hana says.
"So we split up. Free the mutants and grab him fast.
But I don't know how he slipped out of Khaled's hands."
"No mutants. No Victor," Simon mutters.
"The mutants escaped. I met a group outside," Boris says.
"Good. At least part of the mission worked," Simon replies.
"Maybe Khaled ran into trouble. Gave Victor a chance to escape," Boris adds.
"He'll tell us when we get there," Hana says.
—
Connor stirs. Groans. Rolls onto his back.
"…Ugh… where am I?!"
Simon smirks.
"You were taking a nap."
"…What happened?" Connor sits up, dazed, rubbing his eyes.
Boris laughs.
"Those robots put you to sleep. Same as me."
Connor yawns.
"How did they stop me that easily?!"
"Same here," Boris says.
"Didn't even take a second. I was paralyzed on the ground."
"I told you. They're smart machines. They analyze before they fight."Hana.
Simon scoffs.
"What do you expect? Japan and the U.S. working together.
Of course they're dangerous. Not just machines."
"Japan?!" Boris frowns.
"The United States?" Connor adds.
Hana nods.
"Yeah. Almy got intel months ago—a secret weapon project between Japan and the United States.
A few days later, these robots showed up."
Boris snaps his fingers.
"Yeah… I remember. News about a robot deal from the U.S. before the mission."
"Just what we needed," Simon mutters.
"Their armies weren't enough."
"Yeah," Hana says quietly.
"They're using everything they've got against us."
Silence fills the bus. Only the engine hums.
Connor suddenly laughs. Low. Strange.
"Heh… yeah… must be their way of showing love.
Not surprising."
He smirks.
"What's strange… is someone still thinks all of this can be fixed… with morals."
Everyone looks at him.
Simon frowns.
"I don't get it."
Boris raises a brow.
"What are you saying, Connor?"
Connor exhales.
"Man… they shoot at us like target practice.
Spend millions. Team up to build things just to kill us.
And the 'teacher'… still running his rules."
Simon glances at Hana, confused.
"…I still don't get it."
Hana says calmly,
"He means Khaled."
Then to Connor—
"What's the problem if Khaled forces us to fight without killing?
Becoming like them won't change anything."
Boris nods.
"She's right. Killing them won't fix anything.
It'll just make us look worse."
Connor's expression hardens.
"You're both wrong. Completely wrong."
His voice rises.
"Morals don't work against an enemy trying to erase you.
They already hate us. Already think we're monsters.
That we kill everything—when we don't."
His voice sharpens.
"What's the point of sparing someone who came to kill you?
What's the point of protecting your image when you're being hunted?"
He pauses. Breath heavy.
Then quieter—
"It makes us fail.
Look what happened. Victor escaped because of Khaled's mercy.
Now he'll come back. More careful. More dangerous."
He looks at them.
"That what you want?"
Silence.
Everyone thinks.
—
Elsewhere…
Inside the streets of Novaris.
Diego drives a large black cargo truck—Victor's.
In the back—Suyo is chained. Stirring.
His eyes snap open. He looks around.
"…Where am I?!"
A helicopter suddenly drops low above the truck—closing in.
Diego glances up. Tense.
"What the hell…?" he mutters.
Behind him—two police cars. One heavy. One standard.
The chase begins.
Red and blue lights flash. Sirens scream.
Inside—
Suyo spots the lights through a small rear window.
"Police…?" he whispers.
Diego jerks the wheel—cuts onto a wide road.
Suyo loses balance—slams into the left wall.
A police car closes in.
"Pull over NOW!!"
Suyo struggles to stand.
"A police chase?!"
Diego floors it.
Suyo flips backward.
"Damn it!"
Tires screech. Speed climbing.
They hit the highway.
The helicopter stays above.
A voice crackles on the radio:
"Block Route 55. He's coming."
The police car rams him from behind.
Suyo braces himself.
It hits again—harder.
Suyo crashes down. Diego fights the wheel.
Diego glances in the mirror.
"…You wanna play?"
He swerves left—toward oncoming lanes. Dividers between them.
The police speeds up—moves in for another hit—
But Diego sees it—jerks right—
Suyo slams into the wall again.
The police car hits a divider at full speed—
Its front shatters—spins into oncoming traffic—
Cars collide—metal tearing apart.
One heavy police vehicle remains behind him.
The helicopter drops lower.
Officers try to rappel down.
Inside—
Suyo clutches the side. Head pounding.
The chopper noise grows louder.
"What the hell is going on out there?!"
Diego checks the mirror.
"One left."
A tunnel ahead.
The helicopter almost crashes—pulls up hard.
One officer nearly falls.
Diego shoots under a bridge.
Only the heavy unit stays on him.
Near the tunnel exit—
Another police truck blocks half the road.
The other half—spike strips.
Diego sees it.
"Ah—…damn it!"
Five officers stand ready. Guns raised.
He charges straight through.
The truck's right side slams into the police barrier—
Metal crunches—
Spikes shred the left tires—front and back.
Suyo is thrown forward—
"Not again!!"
The police vehicle spins—crashes—runs over two officers.
Two others dive away. One stays back—fires.
Glass shatters.
Diego ducks—shards explode across the dashboard.
"Damn it!!"
His breathing spikes. Heart pounding.
Behind him—the pursuing vehicle stops just before the spikes. Tires screeching, smoke rising.
Diego bursts out of the tunnel.
His left wheels—bare metal now—grind against the road. Sparks fly.
Another police car ahead. The heavy unit behind.
Trapped.
Diego's voice shakes.
"When does this end?!"
The car ahead slows—forcing him to stop.
Diego yanks the wheel left.
Inside—Suyo crashes sideways, grabs a seat.
"No… not happening."
Deigo slams into the police car's rear corner—
Knocks it off balance—
Then gets hit HARD from behind.
Suyo is thrown forward again—smashes into metal.
Deigo eases the speed—then starts weaving fast.
Left. Right. Left. Right.
The vehicle nearly tips—left tires gone.
The police struggle to keep up—losing balance.
Suyo is tossed violently side to side.
Deigo pushes ahead—overtakes one.
Now he's in front—
A police car slams into his left side—
A brutal impact.
Both vehicles almost lose control.
Suyo groans in pain.
The officer turns to ram him again—
But Deigo slams the brakes—jerks left—
Suyo is launched across the back—
The police car overshoots—
Hits a bump—
Loses control—
Crashes into a pillar—flips over a dirt mound.
At the same time—the heavy vehicle behind swerves left—
Flips completely.
Suyo's cuffs snap—break apart.
Deigo escapes.
He checks the mirror—
Two wrecked vehicles behind him.
"…Finally."
He inhales deep. Exhales. Like he just surfaced from drowning.
He drives toward a nearby city.
A sign passes—
"Welcome to Noralyn."
Night falls.
Inside—
Suyo has no idea where he's being taken. Or who's driving.
He notices the silence.
The police are gone…
Deigo turns into narrow streets—
By chance—reaches a small rental apartment block.
"Lucky me…" he mutters.
He parks behind a thick tree.
The engine dies.
Suyo hears the driver's door open… then shut.
He stares at the back door. Tense. Ready.
Waiting.
—
Deigo rents a room. Gets the keys.
Comes back.
But stops.
He looks from the apartment… to the truck.
Part of it visible. Hidden under the tree. Night thick around it.
Crickets echo in the silence. Apartment lights glow faintly.
Deigo stands still.
Thinking.
Imagining—
Suyo bursting out—out of control—lightning tearing everything apart—
Helicopters. Police. Chaos everywhere.
Or—
A single strike the moment he opens the door.
Deigo breathes in. Out.
"…No. He's calmer than that. Smarter.
I don't think he'll attack me."
He walks to the truck.
Stops at the back door.
The street is empty. Silent. Only streetlights cutting the dark.
His hand trembles.
What's the worst that could happen…?
Inside—
Suyo sits. Bruised. Staring at the door with cold anger.
Deigo grabs the handle. Slides the key in.
Click.
Suyo hears it. His senses snap alive. Eyes wide.
The lock turns.
The door opens.
Light spills in.
Suyo squints.
Deigo stands outside. Fear clear in his eyes.
Suyo sits there—holding his ribs. Breathing hard.
Deigo notices—
Broken cuffs hanging from his wrists.
He grips the door. Unsteady and Stammers
"III… I… I helped you escape…"
Suyo says nothing.
Just stares.