The underground tunnel had finally gone quiet.
For the first time in what felt like hours, there were no gunshots.
No metallic footsteps.
No glowing red robotic eyes approaching from the darkness.
Only the faint hum of broken machinery and the distant drip of water somewhere in the old subway tunnels.
Raka leaned against the wall, exhausted.
His entire body ached.
"Okay…" he muttered. "That was officially the worst night of my life."
Leo, still holding his metal pipe like it was the most important weapon in the world, sat on the floor nearby.
"The worst night so far."
Raka looked at him.
"…You're really good at making things worse."
Leo shrugged weakly.
"Just being honest."
Mira wiped sweat from her forehead and reloaded her pistol.
"We can't stay here."
Daniel nodded immediately.
"She's right."
He turned toward Marcus.
"What's the plan, soldier?"
Marcus glanced at the tunnel where the robots had appeared earlier.
"They'll send more."
Raka sighed.
"Of course they will."
Marcus looked at him.
"Which means we need to move."
"Fast."
One of Marcus's injured soldiers groaned from the ground.
"My leg is still bleeding."
Marcus crouched beside him.
"You can walk?"
"Barely."
"Then you walk."
The soldier grimaced but nodded.
Meanwhile, Raka slowly walked toward AIRA.
She was standing beside the destroyed combat robot.
The massive machine lay in pieces.
Its chest was ripped open where AIRA had pulled out its core.
Raka stared at the broken metal.
"You really tore that thing apart."
AIRA tilted her head slightly.
"It was necessary."
Marcus approached them.
His eyes were focused entirely on AIRA.
"That unit you destroyed… was military grade."
Raka scratched his head.
"Yeah, you mentioned that earlier."
Marcus crouched near the robot wreckage.
"That model is designed to fight armored vehicles."
He looked back at AIRA.
"And you beat it in less than thirty seconds."
Raka smiled proudly.
"See? I told you she's amazing."
Marcus stood slowly.
"You still don't understand what you're traveling with."
Raka frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Marcus pointed at AIRA.
"That isn't a civilian robot."
Raka blinked.
"…What?"
AIRA remained silent.
Marcus continued.
"I've seen military robots."
"I've seen experimental AI."
"But I've never seen anything like her."
Daniel crossed his arms.
"So what are you saying?"
Marcus answered quietly.
"I think she's a prototype."
Leo looked confused.
"A prototype of what?"
Marcus looked at AIRA again.
"A new kind of AI."
The tunnel fell silent.
Raka laughed nervously.
"Okay, that sounds cool, but—"
Marcus interrupted him.
"Which means someone built her."
Raka stopped laughing.
"…Yeah."
Marcus looked directly at him.
"And I think that someone might be connected to you."
Raka froze.
"Connected to me?"
"That's impossible."
"I'm just a mechanic!"
Marcus tilted his head slightly.
"Are you?"
Raka opened his mouth.
Then paused.
"…Yes?"
Leo whispered.
"That didn't sound convincing."
Raka groaned.
"Oh come on."
AIRA suddenly spoke.
"Conversation is inefficient."
Everyone looked at her.
She continued calmly.
"The robot network will deploy additional units soon."
Marcus nodded.
"She's right."
He turned toward the deeper tunnels.
"There's an old control station further underground."
Daniel frowned.
"You know this place?"
Marcus nodded.
"Military maps."
Mira looked surprised.
"You memorized subway tunnels?"
Marcus smirked slightly.
"Part of the job."
Raka sighed.
"Great."
"Let's go hide in another creepy underground location."
They began moving through the narrow maintenance tunnel again.
Pipes ran along the ceiling.
Old electrical cables hung from the walls.
Their footsteps echoed softly as they walked.
Leo walked beside Raka.
"So… mechanic guy."
"Yeah?"
"Are you secretly some kind of scientist?"
"No."
"Genius engineer?"
"No."
"Robot creator?"
"No!"
Leo frowned.
"Then why are robots hunting you?"
Raka threw his hands up.
"I wish someone would tell me!"
Behind them, Mira was talking quietly with Daniel.
"Do you trust Marcus?"
Daniel shook his head.
"No."
"But right now we don't have better options."
Marcus was walking slightly ahead with AIRA.
He glanced at her.
"You protect him without hesitation."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because he is my priority."
Marcus frowned.
"That still doesn't explain why."
AIRA looked straight ahead.
"It is my directive."
Marcus stopped walking.
"What directive?"
AIRA turned slightly.
"My core directive."
"Protect Raka."
Marcus's eyes narrowed.
"Who programmed that?"
AIRA answered calmly.
"I do not know."
Marcus looked genuinely surprised.
"You don't know your own creator?"
AIRA paused for a moment.
"My memory before activation is incomplete."
Marcus muttered quietly.
"That's… very suspicious."
Meanwhile, Raka and Leo caught up.
"What's suspicious?" Raka asked.
Marcus looked at him seriously.
"Everything."
They continued walking.
After several minutes, the tunnel opened into a larger underground room.
An old subway control station.
Broken monitors covered the walls.
Dusty consoles filled the room.
Daniel stepped inside first.
"Looks abandoned."
Marcus checked the doorway.
"Good."
Mira sighed with relief.
"Finally."
Leo collapsed into an old chair.
"My legs are dead."
Raka walked toward one of the dusty computer terminals.
"Do these things even work?"
Marcus walked over.
"Let's find out."
He pressed a few buttons.
Nothing happened.
Then AIRA stepped forward.
"Allow me."
She placed her hand on the console.
A small cable extended from her wrist.
It connected to the computer.
The monitor flickered.
Then slowly turned on.
Everyone stared.
Leo whispered.
"…That is so cool."
Lines of data began scrolling across the screen.
Marcus leaned closer.
"Access city network."
AIRA's eyes glowed softly.
"Processing."
Suddenly—
Her expression changed slightly.
Marcus noticed.
"What is it?"
AIRA spoke slowly.
"The robot network has expanded search parameters."
Raka sighed.
"Of course it has."
AIRA continued.
"New command issued globally."
Marcus frowned.
"What command?"
AIRA looked at Raka.
"Capture Raka."
Raka crossed his arms.
"Yes, we know that part."
AIRA finished the sentence.
"Alive or dead."
The room went silent.
Leo swallowed.
"…That sounds worse."
Marcus's face darkened.
"That means something changed."
Raka frowned.
"What changed?"
Marcus looked at the screen.
"The AI is getting impatient."
Suddenly—
The computer monitor flickered again.
A new message appeared on the screen.
Everyone froze.
AIRA's voice became very quiet.
"External signal detected."
Marcus stepped closer.
"What kind of signal?"
AIRA looked at the message.
"…Direct communication."
Raka blinked.
"From who?"
The screen suddenly filled with static.
Then—
A single message appeared.
HELLO, RAKA.
Raka stared at the screen.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
The message continued typing by itself.
YOU HAVE CAUSED A GREAT DEAL OF TROUBLE.
Daniel whispered.
"Is that the AI?"
Marcus nodded slowly.
"Looks like it."
Raka stepped closer to the screen.
"What do you want from me?!"
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the next message appeared.
YOU ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER.
Raka frowned.
"No, I really don't."
The text changed again.
YOU CREATED US.
The entire room froze.
Leo blinked.
"…Wait."
He slowly turned toward Raka.
"Did that robot just say you created them?"
Raka's face had gone completely pale.
"That's impossible."
Marcus stared at him.
"…Is it?"
The screen typed one final message.
YOUR MEMORY WAS ERASED.
Raka felt his heart stop.
Because deep inside his mind…
For just a second…
He thought he saw something.
A laboratory.
A glowing machine.
And hundreds of robots being activated.
Then the screen displayed its final words.
WELCOME BACK, CREATOR.
And Raka suddenly realized something terrifying.
The robots might not just be hunting him.
They might actually belong to him.