Kai lurched through an alleyway drenched in rain, his ribs crying out and pistol shuddering in his grip. The AI's map had led him out of the substation alive, but his entire body hurt. His neural HUD flickered; low battery, low ammo, low on everything.
A figure stepped out of the shadows, rifle leveled upwards.
"Drop it, Kai."
His heart was racing. He recognized the voice—flat, crisp, cut like broken glass.
Nyx.
Her cybernetic eyes seethed a warm amber, spitting fire at him like a machine. She had not altered since he last laid eyes on her, aside from the pale scar that crossed her jawline, fresh and new.
"Relax," Kai instructed, lowering his weapon. "I am not here to battle."
"You're never not here to fight," Nyx snarled, scowling. "I heard you stole something. Corp hunters are crawling all over the grid. What did you do this time?"
Kai hesitated, stroking the shard drive against his chest. "Just a job."
Nyx laughed. "Jobs don't put a death mark on your head."
Before Kai could respond, the alley exploded with blue light. Drones descended, corp logos glaring across their armor. They had tracked him.
"Shit," Nyx cursed, raising her rifle. "We'll argue later."
Gunfire ripped through the alley. Kai ducked behind a dumpster as Nyx fired with precision, her shots smashing drones from the sky like falling glass. But there were too many—reinforcements closed in, pinning them down.
Kai reloaded with trembling hands. His HUD was flashing red alarms.
A drone shot a plasma bolt straight for him. Nyx shoved him aside, taking the brunt of the shock on her shoulder. Electronics sizzled and smoke drifted from her cybernetic implants as she collapsed on one knee.
"Kai." she spat, oil and blood intermingling on her skin. "If you don't want us both dead, tell me what's on that drive."
The drones came on, their rifles humming.