The attack initiated with a characteristic lack of tactical foresight.
The two remaining Junk Dogs, Beta-1 and Beta-2, launched their assault simultaneously. Their actions were driven not by any calculated maneuver, but by primal territorial aggression and the distinct olfactory trace of Lucian's distress signals, which their primitive black-market sensors amplified.
Their high velocity was their immediate downfall. They hit the Zero-Friction Zone (ZFZ) at maximum kinetic output.
The effect was instantaneous and systemic.
Their crudely enhanced gait, relying on high-torque, low-fidelity augments for raw power, was unable to compensate for the sudden and total loss of traction on the lubricant layer. Beta-1's movement instantly deviated violently to the right, its central stabilization unit failing to counter the rotational force. Beta-2, attempting an instinctual lateral correction, amplified its instability. Both actions confirmed the prediction: a computationally inefficient reaction to an environmental variable.
System Log: Friction Coefficient Drop: 90%. Kinetic Deviation Observed: 85 degrees (Beta-1), 60 degrees (Beta-2). Prediction Accuracy: 98.7%.
The deviation forced both units into a compressed, linear trajectory toward the Micro-Filament Grid (MFG). Their navigational AI corrected their posture too late.
Beta-1 impacted the MFG first. The monofilament threads, invisible in the localized gloom of the drain pipe, caught the unit across the exposed synth-musculature of its chest and shoulders. The impact was immediately transmitted through the anchor point to Lucian's augmented wrist. The tactile spike was sharp and overwhelming, but Lucian filtered the sensory overload instantly into a quantifiable variable: Impact Force: 15.3 kilonewtons.
The MFG held, transferring the kinetic energy into a violent, spinning halt. Beta-1 was momentarily snarled, its primitive hydraulic augments screeching as they fought against the unnatural resistance, attempting to cycle a way out of the high-tension arrest. The resistance confirmed the MFG's structural integrity.
Beta-2, witnessing the catastrophic failure of its counterpart, attempted a desperate kinetic Hail Mary: it launched itself over the snarled Beta-1. This instinctive move, born of panic, exposed its single greatest weakness: its unprotected lumbar region during the mid-air traverse, a moment of high-speed kinematic vulnerability.
Lucian initiated Plasma Torch Protocol: 0.85 Second Reserve. He did not rely on his failing thermal optics for aiming. Instead, he utilized the augmented tactile feedback from the thrashing Beta-1 to generate the precise coordinates of the impact zone, using the predictable velocity vector of the airborne threat. The calculation was completed in 0.05 seconds.
Strike Calculation: Target: L4-L5 Vertebrae Junction. Time-to-Impact: 0.3 seconds. Required Plasma Burst: 0.2 seconds. Energy Threshold: 1,800 Joules.
He fired.
The remaining plasma reserve roared into life, an intense blue beam focusing surgically on the exposed, unarmored gap in Beta-2's plating. The thermal energy instantly fused the organic spine and surrounding synthetic fiber bundles, initiating an irreversible neural shutdown. Beta-2's system ceased function while still airborne. It hit the ground with a dead, unmoving mass, its systems inert before the impact.
Threat Reduction: 2/5 (Terminated). Power Expenditure: 0.2 seconds. Remaining Plasma Reserve: 0.65 seconds.
Beta-1 was still struggling against the monofilament net, thrashing violently and dangerously close to freeing itself. Lucian initiated a Cost-Benefit Analysis for its termination: the energy expenditure required to physically immobilize it versus the energy cost of a plasma burst. Physical Force (900 Joules) was less costly than Plasma (1,800 Joules). The logical choice was the physical solution.
He extended his unanchored left arm, utilizing a controlled kinetic burst from his shoulder actuator—the last system capable of high-force output—to drive a sharpened section of rebar through the exposed joint of Beta-1's knee actuator. The action was swift, brutal, and silent. The unit ceased all movement, its limbs twitching as its rudimentary AI attempted to process the physical immobilization before its systems eventually collapsed.
Lucian lay inert, monitoring the sudden, oppressive silence. The engagement was concluded. Threat Neutralization: 100%. Total power expenditure was minimal, the cost acceptable.
The scent of flesh had led the Junk Dogs to an optimized deathtrap.