The next day felt wrong from the start.
Emma and Diana were in the living room, sitting on opposite sides—Diana upside down on the couch, Emma upright, focused.
"…If they adapt again, we'll need distance control," Emma said.
Diana hummed. "Or I just rip faster."
Before Emma could respond—
CLICK.
The TV turned on by itself.
Static.
Then a red banner flooded the screen.
BREAKING NEWS
Hundreds of civilians found dead in a private, abandoned location. Authorities are still investigating—
Images flashed.
Covered bodies.
Emergency lights.
Blurry footage.
Diana sat up immediately. "What the hell—"
Emma stood.
Her eyes didn't widen.
Her breathing didn't change.
"…This is a trap," she thought.
She felt it instantly.
Too sudden.
Too clean.
Too perfect.
But she didn't say it.
Not yet.
Diana grabbed her jacket. "We're going."
Emma nodded. "Yes."
No argument.
No delay.
If it was real, people needed help.
If it wasn't—
They needed answers.
---
The location was exactly as described.
Remote.
Abandoned.
Quiet.
Too quiet.
No sirens.
No police tape.
No bodies.
Just concrete, shadows, and silence.
Diana stopped walking.
"…Emma."
"I know," Emma said quietly.
She looked around once.
No smell of death.
No signs of struggle.
No chaos.
Only footprints.
Fresh.
Leading inward.
Emma exhaled.
"…I was right," she said. "Fake broadcast. Controlled signal."
Diana clenched her fists. "He used dead people as bait."
"No," Emma corrected. "He used us."
A slow clap echoed from deeper inside the structure.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
A figure stepped out from the darkness.
Tall.
Thin.
Lab coat hanging loosely.
Eyes sharp. Curious. Alive in a way that felt wrong.
"Impressive," the man said calmly. "You came anyway."
Emma's gaze locked onto him.
"…Vex."
He smiled. "So you know my name."
Diana stepped forward slightly, red eyes burning. "You killed people."
Vex tilted his head. "Incorrect. I used the idea of death."
He spread his arms gently.
"I wanted to see how quickly you'd move," he said. "How you'd decide."
Emma spoke, voice cold and steady.
"You broadcast a global lie," she said. "That narrows the list of who you are."
Vex chuckled softly. "And yet, here you stand."
He looked directly at Diana.
"At last," he said, reverent. "A Demars."
Then to Emma.
"And the mind that noticed the pattern."
He stepped aside.
Behind him—
Shadows moved.
Metal breathed.
Not one machine.
Many.
Emma's jaw tightened.
"…You didn't bring us here to test anymore," she said.
Vex's smile widened.
"No," he replied. "I brought you here to confirm."
The doors behind them slammed shut.
Lights ignited overhead.
And for the first time—
Emma said it out loud.
"…This was never about robots."
Diana grinned, dangerous and ready.
"Good," she said. "Because I was hoping for a face."
Vex's eyes gleamed.
"Welcome," he said softly,
"to the next phase."
The lights flared white.
Metal footsteps echoed—one after another after another.
Behind Vex, the shadows separated.
150 robots stepped forward in perfect formation.
Each one taller than a man.
Reinforced frames.
Dead, empty eyes.
Emma understood instantly.
"…I'm Sure one unit equals a thousand men," she said quietly.
Diana rolled her neck once. "So that's… annoying."
Vex laughed—sharp, unhinged.
"You wanted answers," he shouted. "THIS is the answer!"
The machines powered up.
A low hum turned into a roar.
Vex backed away toward the exit platform, eyes burning with obsession.
"DIE," he screamed, voice echoing through the chamber,
"WITH THIS PATHETIC WORLD—"
The platform dropped.
He was gone.
The doors sealed shut.
Silence.
Then—
ALL 150 ROBOTS MOVED AT ONCE.
Emma stepped forward, calm as ever.
"Listen carefully," she said. "They're synchronized. Break formation first."
Diana grinned "Say less."
The first wave charged.
Emma sprinted straight in—
jumped—
spin-kick shattered a robot's head clean off.
She didn't stop.
She used the falling body as a step, flipped, crushed another unit's sensor core mid-air.
Diana hit like a meteor.
She slammed into the center mass of the formation, the impact alone sending five robots flying.
She grabbed one by the leg and swung it—
metal screamed as it tore through three more.
"FORMATION'S BROKEN," Diana shouted.
Emma was already adapting.
"They're recalculating—switching tactics!"
A robot lunged from behind—
Emma ducked, grabbed its arm, twisted—
SNAP.
She ripped it off and stabbed it into another unit's chest.
Sparks everywhere.
The room shook.
Robots piled in.
Emma's movements were precise, economical—
no wasted motion.
Diana was pure force—
overwhelming, relentless.
She leapt, landed on a robot's shoulders, and drove both fists down, splitting its head in half.
Another tried to flank—
She turned, eyes cold.
"Stay down."
One punch.
It didn't get back up.
But they kept coming.
Endless.
150 wasn't a number anymore.
It was a wall.
Emma wiped oil from her cheek.
"…He expects us to break," she said.
Diana stood back-to-back with her.
Breathing steady.
Unshaken.
"Too bad," Diana replied.
"We don't."
More footsteps.
Heavier.
Smarter.
Emma's eyes sharpened.
"…Next wave is different."
Diana smiled—no humor, only resolve.
"Good."
Metal closed in from all sides.
And somewhere far away—
Vex watched the data spike.
And whispered—
"Show me how far you go."
----
Metal kept falling.
Robots collapsed one after another—sparks, broken limbs, crushed cores.
Then—
Diana ripped one apart mid-charge.
Something splashed across the floor.
Not oil.
Not coolant.
Red.
"…Blood?" Diana muttered.
Emma froze for half a second.
Blood?
She kicked another unit back, eyes scanning the wreckage.
Cracked plating. Torn chassis.
And inside—
Flesh.
Veins. Muscle. Bone.
"…No," Emma whispered.
Her mind raced.
Dead corpses.
Vex.
The nervous system is honest.
"These aren't fully machines," Emma realized. "They're—"
A sharp metallic impact slammed into her side.
Emma was sent skidding across the floor, crashing into debris.
"EMMA!" Diana shouted.
Three robots converged instantly, adapting to the opening.
Emma pushed herself up, breath knocked out of her.
I hesitated.
A robot's fist came down—
Diana intercepted it mid-swing, stopping it barehanded.
Her grip crushed metal and bone together.
"Focus," Diana said coldly. "Later thinking. Now surviving."
Emma rolled, grabbed a broken metal rod, and stabbed upward into another unit's exposed neck.
It screamed.
Not a synthetic sound.
A human one.
Emma's jaw clenched hard.
"…He turned people into weapons," she said.
Another robot lunged—
Emma ducked, kicked its knee joint, then drove her heel into its skull.
Blood sprayed again.
Emma didn't look away this time.
"Diana," she said steadily, "don't hesitate."
Diana's red eyes burned brighter.
"I won't," she replied.
She grabbed two robots by the heads and smashed them together, silencing both.
Emma stood beside her again, bruised but steady.
"They feel pain," Emma said. "But they're already dead."
Diana nodded once.
"Then we end it fast."
The remaining robots adjusted.
Formation tighter.
Movements sharper.
And now Emma knew the truth—
This wasn't just a battle against machines.
It was a massacre engineered by a man who decided humanity was raw material.
Emma wiped blood from her face.
"No more hesitation," she said.
Diana smiled grimly.
"Good."
They charged back in—
with clarity.
With fury.
And with the understanding that mercy now would only honor Vex.
---
The air shifted.
Emma felt it before she saw them.
"…Fast," she muttered.
Two units peeled off from the swarm.
Slimmer frames. Lighter armor.
Their legs compressed—
—and they vanished.
Too fast.
They reappeared in front of Emma in a blur.
BAM. BAM. BAM.
Three punches landed before she could fully brace.
Her vision flashed white.
She staggered back—
Another hit slammed into her ribs.
Across the chamber, Diana was locked down—five robots on her at once, grappling, restraining, adapting.
"EMMA—!" Diana tried to break free.
Too late.
The speed units moved like ghosts.
They're coordinating, Emma realized. Alternating angles.
One went high—
Emma snapped.
Something broke inside her.
Not fear.
Not pain.
Rage.
She caught the punch mid-motion.
Crushed the arm.
Pulled the unit in and drove her knee up—
CRACK.
The head snapped back.
She twisted, slammed it into the ground, and stomped down—
Once.
Twice.
It stopped moving.
Blood pooled fast.
The second unit froze for a fraction of a second.
Emma grabbed it by the collar plating.
Dragged it close.
Her eyes were cold. Wild.
And she screamed, voice tearing through the chamber—
"I HAVE KILLED YOUR BROTHER—"
Her grip tightened.
Metal bent. Bone cracked.
"AND I'LL KILL YOU TOO!"
She slammed it headfirst into the floor.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Until the speed stopped.
Until the body went limp.
Silence—just for a moment.
Diana finally broke free, ripping two robots apart and hurling the others away.
She turned and saw Emma standing there—
Breathing hard.
Hands dripping red.
Eyes burning with something raw.
"…Emma," Diana said.
Emma straightened slowly.
Her voice was steady again. Controlled.
"…I'm fine."
But something had changed.
The remaining robots hesitated.
Just slightly.
Because for the first time—
They weren't facing two students.
They were facing predators.
Emma wiped her hands on the broken metal.
"No more experiments," she said quietly.
Diana stepped beside her, cracking her neck.
"Yeah," she agreed. "Let's end his data collection."
The robots surged again—
And this time—
Emma didn't hesitate at all.
The fight changed.
No hesitation.
No pauses.
No thinking out loud.
Emma and Diana stood back to back.
Breathing steady.
Bodies bruised.
Eyes sharp.
Violence became rhythm.
A robot lunged—
Emma moved first.
She stepped into the attack, elbow smashing into its face, then pivoted and drove her heel down through its neck joint. She didn't wait to see it fall.
Diana was already moving.
She grabbed a charging unit mid-sprint, lifted it, and slammed it into the ground so hard the floor cracked beneath it. Another came from the side—
She caught it by the head and twisted.
Gone.
They moved like they'd trained together for years.
Emma disabled.
Diana destroyed.
A robot tried to flank—
Emma slid low, swept its legs, and signaled without looking.
"Left."
Diana turned and punched straight through its chest.
Blood sprayed. Sparks followed.
No reaction.
No mercy.
More came.
Five. Ten. Twenty.
They didn't retreat.
They advanced.
Emma used the environment—debris, broken frames, angles. She broke joints, severed control points, turned enemies into obstacles.
Diana was pure pressure.
She didn't stop moving.
Didn't slow down.
Didn't get tired.
She barreled through the swarm, forcing them inward—right where Emma wanted them.
"Cluster," Emma said calmly.
Diana grinned.
She charged.
Emma followed.
They hit together—
Emma tearing apart coordination.
Diana collapsing mass.
The robots' adaptations lagged now.
Too much input.
Too many losses.
For the first time—
They were being overwhelmed.
Emma wiped blood from her cheek, eyes cold.
"This is what he wanted," she said. "To see us break."
Diana crushed another unit underfoot.
"Then let's disappoint him."
They locked back to back again.
Metal surrounded them.
Blood stained the floor.
The air hummed with dying machines.
But Emma stood taller now.
Clearer.
And Diana—
Diana smiled like this was exactly where she belonged.
The remaining robots hesitated.
Just a fraction.
It was enough.
Emma spoke, voice low and lethal.
"Advance."
And together—
They did.
----
The noise faded.
No more footsteps.
No more metal screams.
Just one sound—
Running.
Emma's head snapped up.
"…There," she said sharply.
At the far end of the chamber, the last robot was sprinting—damaged, unbalanced, fleeing.
Diana laughed once. Low. Dangerous.
"Oh no you don't."
They ran.
Debris flew past them. Broken machines blurred under their feet.
"THERE HE IS," Emma shouted, pointing.
The robot vaulted over wreckage—
Too slow.
Emma leapt first.
She caught its back, drove it down with her full weight.
Diana was already airborne.
They hit it together.
The robot tried to turn—
Didn't get the chance.
Emma slammed its head sideways.
Diana brought her fist down from above.
CRUSH.
Metal folded.
Bone shattered.
Blood sprayed once—
Then stopped.
The head caved in completely.
The body twitched.
Then went still.
Silence.
Real silence this time.
Emma stayed there for a moment, breathing hard.
Diana lifted her foot off the ruined skull.
"…That's all of them," Diana said.
Emma stood slowly.
She looked around.
150 machines.
Gone.
Blood on the floor.
Oil in the air.
Nothing moving.
"…It's over," Emma said.
Diana glanced at her, red eyes steady.
"For now."
Emma nodded.
Somewhere far away—
A scientist stared at a screen that had gone dark.
And for the first time—
There was no more data coming in.
.
.
The silence didn't last long.
Diana took one step back—
Then her knees buckled.
"…Diana?"
She collapsed hard onto the blood-stained floor.
Emma was beside her instantly, catching her shoulders before her head hit.
"Diana," Emma said sharply. "Hey. Look at me."
Diana's vision swam. The ceiling spun. Her breathing was still steady—but her body felt heavy. Wrong.
"…Wow," Diana muttered faintly. "Okay… that's new."
Emma checked her quickly—pulse fast, muscles rigid, skin burning.
"You're dizzy," Emma said. "Extremely."
Diana laughed weakly. "Guess I found my limit."
Emma clenched her jaw.
So it was true.
Gifted.
Overpowered.
But not infinite.
Her nervous system had been firing at maximum for too long—constant adrenaline suppression, nonstop signal output, zero fear, zero pause.
Even a Demars couldn't cheat biology forever.
Diana tried to sit up.
Failed.
"…My body won't listen," she admitted, frustration bleeding through for the first time.
Emma supported her fully now, one arm behind her back.
"You exceeded sustainable output," Emma said calmly, but her voice was tight. "Your nerves stayed active too long without recovery."
Diana looked up at her, eyes unfocused
"So… I'm not. totally overpowered."
Emma shook her head. "No."
Then, softer—
"But you're still alive. That means you stopped in time."
Diana exhaled slowly, grounding herself. "He almost got what he wanted, huh."
"Yes," Emma said. "He wanted to see you break."
She adjusted Diana's position, keeping her steady.
"But he also learned something else," Emma added.
Diana managed a weak grin. "What?"
Emma's eyes hardened.
"That even at your limit… he still lost everything."
The chamber was quiet.
No robots.
No movement.
Just the aftermath.
Emma stayed there, holding Diana upright, refusing to let her fall again.
"…Next time," Diana murmured, "you stop me sooner."
Emma nodded once. "I will."
Far away, in the dark—
Vex stared at the final data.
Not victory.
Not confirmation.
But a new problem.
Because now he knew—
They weren't just powerful.
They were human.
And that made them far more dangerous than any machine.
---
She pulled Diana's arm over her shoulder and started moving toward the exit, step by step, ignoring the blood soaking her clothes.
Just before leaving the chamber, she stopped.
She turned back toward the darkness.
Toward the cameras she knew were still watching.
A small, cold smile appeared on her face.
"Oh," Emma said calmly, voice echoing in the empty facility,
"You don't want the cops to know about you, right?"
Silence.
She continued, tone almost polite.
"Then you'll clean all of this up. Every body. Every robot. Every trace."
Her eyes hardened.
"Before anyone reports it."
She was right.
She knew it.
And he knew it too.
Emma turned away and left.
---
Somewhere far beneath the earth, in another room—
Vex stared at the screens.
At the blood.
The wreckage.
The data loss.
His jaw tightened.
"…Clever girl," he muttered.
He raised a hand.
Automated systems activated.
Incinerators powered on.
Drones deployed.
Containment protocols initiated.
If the world ever saw this place—
He was finished.
So he cleaned.
---
At the hospital, fluorescent lights rushed past as Emma pushed Diana through the doors.
"Emergency," Emma said sharply. "Collapse. Severe neurological overload."
Doctors moved fast.
Diana was taken immediately.
Emma stood still for a moment—
Then pulled out her phone.
She dialed.
Alexander answered first.
"Hello?"
"Uncle Alexander," Emma said, calm but serious. "It's Emma."
A pause.
"…What happened?"
"Diana is in the hospital," Emma said. "She collapsed. She's stable—but you and Aunt Anna need to come now."
Silence.
Then Anna's voice in the background. "Hospital?"
"Yes," Emma replied. "I'm with her."
Alexander didn't ask questions.
"We're coming," he said immediately.
The call ended.
Emma lowered the phone and sat down outside the room where Diana was being treated.
Her hands trembled just a little now that it was over.
She clenched them until they stopped.
"…You're not allowed to die," Emma whispered.
Behind the hospital doors—
Monitors beeped steadily.
And far away—
Ash fell where monsters once stood.
The world would wake up tomorrow thinking nothing had happened.
But Emma knew better.
Normal life was gone.
And this time—
There would be consequences.
Chapter end