Maine knew he couldn't hold back any longer. He activated his Sandevistan, and the world around him turned into a slow, ethereal blue. Every muscle, every piece of chrome, and the twin jet engines on his back worked in perfect harmony.
The speed he achieved was a dozen times faster than a normal sprint, and the punch he threw carried the force of a runaway freight train. He felt the blood in his body rush to his shoulders, a consequence of the immense centrifugal force. The original arms he had lost years ago were replaced with powerful cybernetics, capable of delivering a blow that could shatter concrete.
But then, Adam Smasher moved. He activated his own Sandevistan, boosting his speed to a level Maine had never seen before. Adam Smasher dodged the punch at the last second, just as it was about to connect with his head. The massive fist still grazed his shoulder, sending the chromed monster flying sideways, crashing into the wall and creating a massive dent.
Even though he had avoided a direct hit to the head, the impact was still a violent shock. His electronic voice crackled with a hint of static. "Not bad. Is this what pain feels like? It's been a long time."
The rest of the crew watched with relief. Rebecca pumped her fist in the air, a small victory gesture. But Maine's expression remained grim.
"You've got a Sandevistan, too?" he asked, his voice low.
Adam Smasher's head sparked, but he stepped out of the wall with an unnerving ease. Maine had a sinking feeling that the man-machine could have avoided the hit entirely. He had only dodged the vital point, deliberately taking the punch on his chest as if to prove a point.
"Your Sandevistan is just a basic model," Adam Smasher's voice replied, a cold, mocking tone to it.
Maine knew the odds were now stacked against him. His Sandevistan was a standard model, while Adam Smasher's was a high-end, military-grade rig. The fight was unwinnable.
Thinking fast, Maine used his cybernetic magnetism to pull all the discarded weapons from the fallen Arasaka soldiers. Dozens of pistols, submachine guns, and rifles floated in the air around him. A normal solo would rely on their built-in chrome for an attack, but Maine was feeling the effects of his Sandevistan use—dizziness and nausea were starting to set in. He needed a moment to recover.
The hail of gunfire that followed was an overwhelming storm of lead, but Adam Smasher was a blur of motion. He had his Sandevistan active again, moving so fast that the bullets appeared to stop in the air. The man-machine was toying with them, dodging every single shot with ease. It was a show, a gruesome, terrifying spectacle. David and Maine both understood: these bullets couldn't do any real damage to him anyway.
David's old dreams of joining Arasaka shattered in that moment. The thought of becoming a corporate dog was meaningless. All that mattered was getting Lucy out of there. He called out on the comms, and everyone agreed. Without a second thought, he scooped up the unconscious Lucy, his legs pumping as he ran toward the exit.
But Adam Smasher was an immovable wall. He teleported in front of David, blocking the way out.
His glowing red eyes fixed on them. "Did I say you could leave?"
The man-machine could have killed them both, but he didn't. He was playing with his food.
Maine's rage boiled over. "Are you fucking treating me like a decoration?!"
He activated his Sandevistan again, throwing another powerful punch.
This time, Adam Smasher's "small hand" caught Maine's massive fist. To anyone watching, it looked like a simple, effortless parry. But in the slow-motion world of Sandevistan, Maine could see the truth: Adam Smasher had activated his own chrome a second time. Their fists struggled for a moment, a whirlwind of motion, until Maine's momentum was completely canceled out.
Adam Smasher's cybernetics were far superior. Maine knew he couldn't win. He couldn't even stand a chance.
"Everyone, run!" he shouted over the comms. "You can't help here, hurry and escape!"
Rebecca and David turned and ran, with Jackie close behind. Only Dorio remained, her expression grim.
"Prioritize rescuing Lucy," Dorio said over the comms. "I've set up a lot of weapons in Corpo Plaza. You guys fight outside, trust me, you'll have an advantage out there."
As Maine and Adam Smasher wrestled, their Sandevistans whirred. Maine's was already cooling down, while Adam Smasher's remained active. The second Maine fell out of the high-speed state, the difference in their strength and speed would be absolute.
Suddenly, Adam Smasher ripped the magnetic generator right off of Maine's left arm. It tore away like cheap foam plastic, and Maine's heart sank. He pulled back and jumped away, but the damage was done. A wave of nausea washed over him, and he vomited a mouthful of blood, his vision blurring. He could barely stand.
Dorio had been waiting for this moment. She leaped over a stack of debris, accelerated, and launched herself at Maine, plunging two inhibitor bottles into his chest. The green liquid flooded his body, fighting the onset of cyberpsychosis.
But it was too late. Maine's mind went blank. He was lost in a desert, running forever, his mental state on the verge of collapse. He fell silent, his eyes flickering erratically.
Dorio slapped him, her voice frantic. "Maine, snap out of it!"
...
David, still holding Lucy, was the first one out of the building. Dorio, who had been busy preparing for a fight in the plaza, saw them and yelled.
"David! Everyone, hurry!"
She used her optical implant to quickly scan for the rest of the crew. Jackie and Rebecca were right behind him. But where were Maine and Dorio?
Dorio frantically asked Jackie, who looked terrified. "It's bad… it's really bad!"
Suddenly, a cybernetically-enhanced body slammed into Jackie, sending him flying and knocking him unconscious. It was Maine, his eyes in an unstable, compound-eye state, gasping for breath as hot air steamed from his mouth.
A half-torso of a human was brutally thrown out of the Arasaka Tower. It was a gruesome sight, and for a moment, no one knew who it was.
Then they heard her voice. "Maine! Don't you dare die on me!"
It was Dorio.