The roar of Arcee's engine tore through the streets as Dexter weaved through the open roads near SFIT, the wind howling past him.
Blaster fire chased him relentlessly.
Bright bolts of energy slammed into the ground, tearing through pavement and exploding against nearby structures as the armored monkeys pursued him with disciplined precision.
Dexter leaned low, swerving hard to the side as a shot barely missed his head.
"Persistent," he muttered.
His arm shifted.
Panels slid, mechanisms reconfigured and in a second, his forearm transformed into a compact cannon.
He twisted his body and fired.
FWOOM!
A blast of energy streaked backward, striking one of the pursuing monkeys and sending it crashing across the ground.
Another wave came.
Dexter didn't slow down.
Instead he turned Arcee.
Head-on.
The motorcycle spun sharply, tires screeching as he faced the incoming squad directly.
"Let's test response time."
Arcee responded instantly.
Her front chassis split apart near the wheel assembly, panels unfolding as twin gun systems deployed on either side of the tire.
They fired.
DA! DA! DA! DA! DA!
A barrage of rapid energy blasts tore through the formation, forcing the advancing monkeys to scatter as explosions lit up the road.
For a moment it worked.
Then a shadow passed overhead.
Dexter's eyes flicked up.
One of the alien ships had descended, hovering directly above him.
"…Of course."
The underside of the craft split open.
A cannon emerged.
Large, charged and locked onto him.
"Shit."
He was already about to call it "Metal, deploy—"
"Dexter," Metal interrupted sharply. A new display flashed across his HUD.
A map and a red signal moving impossibly fast was shown. "Unknown aircraft approaching at Mach 5 and accelerating."
Dexter's eyes widened. "What—?!"
He didn't even have time to process it.
Something streaked across the sky.
A blur.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!!
It tore straight through the ship above him like it wasn't even there.
Metal screeched. The craft split apart midair, its cannon detonating before it could fire.
A second later the impact hit the ground.
Right in front of Dexter.
BANG!!
The shockwave exploded outward.
Dexter was thrown off Arcee, sent airborne as debris and dust erupted around him. But before he could hit the ground Arcee transformed.
Mid-motion, the motorcycle unfolded into her humanoid form, catching balance as she shifted into combat mode. One arm morphed into a blaster, locking onto the impact site.
Dexter twisted in the air, flipping once and landed hard on one knee.
His arms shifted again, both forming cannons as he aimed forward, breathing steady but sharp.
"…What the hell was that…?"
Smoke filled the area.
Debris crackled.
For a moment nothing moved.
A silhouette appeared within the dust.
A kneeling humanoid.
Slowly… it stood.
As the smoke began to clear, details emerged.
Smooth white plating.
Blue accents tracing along a sleek, humanoid frame. A cropped top and skirt-like armor design, integrated seamlessly into her body. Twin blue pigtails, bolted at the sides of her head, swayed slightly as she straightened. Blue bangs framed her face, and a small, artificial nose sat centered between expressive, glowing eyes.
Her hands flexed, four fingers each, circular ports visible in her palms.
At her midsection, a single bolt rested like a mechanical echo of a human detail.
She looked… young.
Not just in design but in presence.
Dexter's cannons lowered slightly.
Shock flickered across his face.
"…Jenny?"
_______
High above the city
Jenny crossed her arms mid-flight, drifting lazily through the sky.
"…San Fransokyo," she muttered. "Great. Another 'save the city' day."
Her thrusters hummed softly as she floated, clearly not in a rush. "Meteor here, aliens there, giant robot somewhere else… and somehow I'm always the one on call."
She sighed.
"I swear, if this turns out to be another false alarm—"
Then she saw it.
A hovering alien ship. It's weapons deployed and actively firing.
Jenny's eyes narrowed.
"…Okaaaay. Not a false alarm." Her mood flipped instantly. "Alright, fine. Let's get this over with."
She leaned forward and her legs shifted, plating sliding and locking into place as her lower limbs reconfigured into a spinning drill.
"Shortcut it is."
WHRRRRRR!!
She shot forward like a missile.
In less than a second she pierced straight through the ship.
Metal tore apart like paper as she blasted through its core, the entire craft rupturing behind her before erupting into flames.
Jenny dropped from the sky and slammed into the ground.
BANG!!
The impact cracked the pavement, dust and smoke exploding outward.
Jenny straightened from her landing, brushing her shoulder casually like she hadn't just destroyed a warship.
"…Okay, that felt a little better."
She looked up and froze.
Through the settling smoke, two figures stood facing her.
A large humanoid robot, weapon systems deployed, arm already shifting into a cannon aimed directly at her.
The other was a smaller figure in sleek armor, kneeling… but also aiming at her.
Jenny blinked. "…Huh, rude."
She was just about to react when the armored one tilted his head slightly.
"…Jenny?"
She froze.
"…Wait—what?"
In the next instant she vanished.
FWIP!
And reappeared right in front of him, inches away.
"How do you know my name?"
She leaned closer, eyes wide with curiosity.
"Waaaiiit!!! are you a robot too?"
She circled him in a blur, looking him up and down. "Because that suit? Super cool. Like really cool. I mean, I've seen a lot of robots, obviously but that's like—"
She suddenly stopped.
"…Wait."
Her eyes shifted.
The blue glow flickered into a different hue as her vision changed, scanning, analyzing.
Internal systems kicked in as she leaned closer.
"…Woah."
Her face lit up.
"WOAH!"
She pointed at him excitedly. "You're not a robot, you're a human inside a robot suit!"
She zipped to his other side instantly. "A real, live mecha user?!"
She tapped lightly on his armor. "Look at this! And this! And these—oh my gosh, do those transform too?!"
She laughed, completely forgetting her original question.
"This is so cool—!"
FWOOOM!!
A blast slammed into the ground beside them.
Jenny reacted instantly.
A circular barrier snapped into existence around them, absorbing the impact as energy rippled across its surface.
She blinked.
"…Oh. Right."
She glanced up at the sky as more ships descended, surrounding the area. Below, the armored monkeys regrouped, forming a tightening perimeter around them.
"…We still have aliens."
The moment shifted.
The armored figure stood up fully now, posture steady, weapons ready.
He glanced at her.
"I haven't had time to properly introduce myself," he said, voice calm despite the situation. "But you can call me Metaldex."
He looked toward the encroaching enemies, then back at her. "And right now… if you'd oblige could you help me deal with them?"
Jenny blinked once.
Then grinned.
"Oh! definitely!!"
Her arm shifted again, weapon systems humming to life.
"Now this is way better than sitting in my room."
_______
[A/N: MWUHAHAHAHA! I'm finally back! Summer is here, and this one's a bit special for me as I'm going to be stuck at home for about six months. While I'm also actively job hunting to make the most of my time before college, the good news is I now have space to update my fics! Just a heads-up: updates won't be daily, but I'll aim for weekly releases every Monday. Each update might not be more than 2-5 chapters, as I'll also be tending to my other stories. Thanks for reading!]