Sublevel 4, Retention Room — Boston Underground Vault
Smoke coiled in the shattered room like a serpent catching its breath. Sparking wires hung from the ceiling. The scent of ozone and burning metal bit at Sevryx's lungs.
Iris-7 stood motionless. But only for a second.
With a twitch of its head—tilted to the side, just like Sevryx did when calculating an opponent's flaw—it surged forward again. Blinding speed. No hesitation.
Sevryx rolled beneath its strike, barely dodging a kinetic fist that cratered the concrete. His HUD screamed warnings he ignored. The impact shockwave threw him back against the wall.
Lira's voice cut through the chaos, sharp. "Sevryx, left!"
She dove from cover, her shock blades flashing as she slashed at the machine's legs. Iris-7 barely sidestepped the attack, but the distraction was enough. Sevryx sprang to his feet, launching himself into the fray.
The fight was fluid, brutal. Strike, counterstrike. Each move from Iris-7 a perfect mirror of Sevryx's own.
Lira was everywhere—hitting at joints, diving under sweeping attacks, and jamming disruptor charges into the machine's side. Every time she moved, she pushed past her limits. Every time she didn't give up.
But there was no time to admire her progress.
Iris-7 turned with unsettling precision, swinging its fist toward her with all the force of an avalanche.
"Down!" Sevryx roared.
Lira twisted, dropping to the ground just as Iris-7's fist crashed into the vault's support column. The concrete shattered, dust falling in chunks. Lira slid underneath, narrowly avoiding the strike, and came up with another charge.
Sevryx seized the opportunity. He feigned a stumble to bait Iris-7 into striking. When the machine lunged, Sevryx dropped low, releasing a surge of current through the floor. The lights flickered, then died.
The vault plunged into darkness.
Sevryx didn't hesitate. Two quick steps, blade drawn, lightning arcing along his arm. He slammed it under Iris-7's rib plating.
An inhuman, distorted scream filled the room.
Iris-7 retaliated, but Sevryx was already moving. They collided—blade against fist, metal against bone. A blur of strikes and counters, each move more desperate than the last.
Lira wasn't just a passenger. She was part of the rhythm, part of the storm. She wasn't waiting for him to save her. She was pushing him forward.
Iris-7 turned toward her—its arm raised to strike.
Sevryx moved faster than he thought possible.
He slammed into Iris-7 mid-strike, deflecting the blow just in time. The impact knocked him back, pain blooming across his ribs. His breath came in ragged bursts, but he didn't fall.
Lira was already moving. She hurled a disruptor grenade at the machine's chest, timed perfectly with Sevryx's distraction. The explosion sent a shockwave through the room, staggering Iris-7.
Lira took advantage of the momentary lull. She darted forward, delivering a series of rapid slashes aimed at Iris-7's head and joints. It was a calculated attack—swift, deadly. The machine staggered.
Sevryx grinned through the blood in his mouth, eyes glowing a deep crimson. "You're not me."
He anticipated the machine's mimicry—its perfect roundhouse kick—and slipped inside its guard. He pressed his palms against its chest and unleashed every last ounce of current he could muster.
A thunderclap.
Iris-7 flew backward, slamming into the wall. Sparks exploded across the machine's body. It crumpled to the floor, circuits crackling.
Silence.
Sevryx swayed on his feet, blood and electricity dripping from his hands.
Iris-7 tried to rise—
Lira was already there, the barrel of her revolver pressed firmly against the machine's skull. She pulled the trigger twice. Rusted rounds. Ancient tech. But point-blank?
Effective.
The machine stilled.
---
They stood there, breathing hard. Staring at the unmoving body of Sevryx's reflection.
Lira broke the silence first, voice quiet but urgent. "We need to talk."
He nodded.
But in his mind, a new voice whispered—the voice from the glitch, from the chair, from memory:
>Find Verity.
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TO BE CONTINUED...