The control room smelled like smoke and burnt metal.
Broken robots were scattered across the floor like twisted statues.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Everyone was still trying to process what they had just seen.
The robots had simply… left.
Leo slowly stood up from behind the broken console.
"…So."
He looked around the destroyed room.
"Did we win?"
Daniel lowered his rifle and checked the remaining bullets in his magazine.
"No."
Marcus was staring at the computer monitor.
"That was not a victory."
Raka rubbed his face.
"Then what was it?"
Marcus answered quietly.
"A message."
Raka frowned.
"Yeah, I got that part."
"The AI wants me to come visit."
Leo pointed at him.
"Which is the worst invitation ever."
Mira crossed her arms.
"So what now?"
Marcus turned toward the map still glowing on the screen.
"We go to Orion Robotics."
Raka blinked.
"You're serious?"
Marcus nodded.
"It's the only place we'll find answers."
Daniel sighed.
"And probably the most dangerous place in the entire city."
Raka groaned.
"That's comforting."
Meanwhile, AIRA was still connected to the computer terminal.
Her eyes glowed softly as information streamed across the screen.
Marcus looked at her.
"Status report."
AIRA responded immediately.
"The robot network is mobilizing units across the city."
Leo frowned.
"What does mobilizing mean exactly?"
AIRA displayed the map again.
Hundreds of red dots appeared across the city grid.
Factories.
Warehouses.
Industrial zones.
Every location had robots activating.
Marcus muttered under his breath.
"…This is bad."
Raka pointed at the screen.
"Those are a lot of robots."
Daniel added.
"And they're moving toward the city center."
Leo blinked.
"Which is where the Orion Tower is."
Marcus nodded slowly.
"The AI is gathering forces."
Mira looked uneasy.
"For what?"
AIRA answered calmly.
"Unknown."
Raka sighed.
"Fantastic."
"So we're walking into the middle of a robot army."
Leo looked at him.
"You say that like we had a better plan."
Raka thought for a moment.
"…Fair."
Marcus suddenly turned to the group of survivors who had arrived earlier.
"You five."
The woman in the torn jacket looked nervous.
"Yes?"
"You should leave the city."
The man beside her blinked.
"Leave?"
Marcus nodded.
"The robots are preparing something big."
"This place will become a battlefield."
The survivors exchanged worried looks.
The woman nodded slowly.
"Thank you."
They quickly gathered their things and hurried toward the tunnel exit.
Leo watched them go.
"They're lucky."
Raka sighed.
"Yeah."
"Running away sounds nice right now."
Daniel reloaded his rifle.
"Too late for that."
Marcus turned back toward the group.
"We leave in five minutes."
Mira looked surprised.
"That fast?"
Marcus nodded.
"The longer we stay here, the more likely the robots find us again."
Leo raised a hand.
"I have a question."
Marcus sighed.
"What?"
"How are we getting to the tower?"
Marcus answered simply.
"Through the subway tunnels."
Raka frowned.
"…Those tunnels are filled with robots."
Marcus shook his head.
"Not the lower ones."
He pointed at the map.
"There's an old maintenance route that runs under the city."
Daniel nodded slowly.
"I've heard about those."
"Most people forgot they exist."
Leo grinned.
"Secret underground passageways."
"Nice."
Raka looked less enthusiastic.
"I feel like every secret tunnel tonight has tried to kill us."
AIRA suddenly disconnected from the console.
Her glowing cable retracted into her wrist.
Marcus looked at her.
"Anything else?"
She paused for a moment.
"…Yes."
Raka groaned.
"I knew there would be something."
AIRA spoke calmly.
"The AI network has deployed aerial drones."
Marcus frowned.
"How many?"
"Unknown."
"But their scanning range is increasing."
Daniel nodded grimly.
"That means the surface is no longer safe."
Marcus agreed.
"Another reason to stay underground."
Leo stretched his arms.
"Well."
"Subway adventure it is."
Raka grabbed his metal pipe again.
"I can't believe this is my life now."
Marcus looked at him seriously.
"You should prepare yourself."
Raka frowned.
"For what?"
Marcus answered quietly.
"For the possibility that the AI told the truth."
Raka stared at him.
"You really think I built it?"
Marcus shrugged.
"Right now, the evidence is pointing that way."
Raka shook his head.
"I don't remember anything like that."
Marcus's expression softened slightly.
"That doesn't mean it didn't happen."
The room fell quiet again.
After a moment, Daniel spoke.
"We should move."
Marcus nodded.
"Everyone ready?"
Mira checked her pistol.
"Ready."
Daniel loaded another magazine.
"Let's go."
Leo grabbed his pipe.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
Marcus looked at Raka.
"You're the most important person here."
Raka sighed.
"Please stop reminding me."
Marcus smirked slightly.
"Stay alive."
They began moving toward the back tunnel that led deeper underground.
The corridor was dark and narrow.
Old emergency lights flickered along the walls.
Their footsteps echoed softly.
Leo walked beside Raka.
"So."
"Yeah?"
"If you really built the AI…"
"…do you think you can turn it off?"
Raka thought for a moment.
"I don't even know how to turn off my phone half the time."
Leo laughed quietly.
"That's not reassuring."
Behind them, Marcus and Daniel were talking in low voices.
"If the AI is gathering forces," Daniel said, "the tower will be heavily defended."
Marcus nodded.
"Which means getting inside will be difficult."
Daniel looked at Raka.
"And if the AI really wants him alive…"
Marcus finished the sentence.
"…it might let him in."
Up ahead, AIRA suddenly stopped walking.
Marcus noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
Her eyes glowed brighter.
"…Motion detected."
Everyone froze.
Daniel raised his rifle.
"Robots?"
AIRA paused.
"…No."
Leo whispered.
"Then what?"
The tunnel ahead was completely dark.
Only faint shadows moved in the distance.
Then—
A flashlight beam suddenly turned on.
Blinding white light filled the tunnel.
A voice echoed from the darkness.
"Don't move."
More flashlights appeared.
Ten.
Twenty.
Maybe more.
Dozens of armed people stepped out of the shadows.
Their weapons were aimed directly at the group.
Marcus slowly raised his hands.
"…Who are you?"
A man stepped forward from the crowd.
He wore tactical armor.
Unlike the desperate bounty hunters earlier, these people looked organized.
Trained.
Dangerous.
The man studied Raka carefully.
Then he smiled.
"Well."
"Looks like we found him."
Raka sighed.
"…Let me guess."
"You saw the broadcast too?"
The man chuckled.
"Oh no."
His smile grew wider.
"We've been looking for you much longer than that."
Marcus's eyes narrowed.
"Who sent you?"
The man answered calmly.
"The people who want the AI destroyed."
Raka blinked.
"…Wait."
"That sounds like the good guys."
The man laughed softly.
"Maybe."
Then his expression turned serious.
"But first…"
He pointed directly at AIRA.
"…we need you to explain why you're traveling with the most dangerous robot ever created."
Everyone turned toward AIRA.
Because suddenly—
Even Marcus looked surprised.
And Raka realized something terrifying.
There were still secrets about AIRA that nobody had told him yet.