11:55, February 10, 2295

  Near Azure Mount Logistics Hub, extension of Songnei Starport, No.31, Bishan Rd, Neihu District, Taipei, Taiwan, Imperium of Dragons territory

  The Starport's hum and engines taking off underscored Xin's hurry. His hands gripped the steering wheel as a voice came through the car's speaker.

  "Xin. This is Diego Rodriguez," Diego's tone was firm. "Lorna could use a hand. You need to head to her coordinates."

  "Is she — is Lorna —" Xin began, worried.

  "Safe? Barely," Diego cut in with a hint of humor despite the situation. "Lorna's tough, though. Tougher than my shuttle's hull."

  "Right," Xin replied shortly, his heart racing. The warmth he felt at Lorna's name was now buried under worry. "What do I have to do, Diego?"

  "I'm sending you Lorna's location. It should appear on your car's Atomic Map soon," Diego said. "Your car's pte number is Z7-9128, right? I'm giving its location to our team, including Thomas and Emmanuel."

  "Got it. Thanks," Xin responded, his fingers moving across the holographic dispy to boost the engine's power before turning the wheel.

  His car was sleek and modern, a shiny green that reflected the lights around it. But as he drove, he spotted something red among the chaos - a red kimono standing out against the dark surroundings.

  "Ume?" he said, surprised to recognize the figure.

  There she stood, her bck bob haircut moving with each careful step, but something was wrong. Three Bone Fiends circled her, their skeletal bodies clicking against the ground. Ume was firing a handgun - gold and green with psma bolts instead of bullets - but her timing was off. The monsters were too fast, forcing her backward.

  One Bone Fiend jumped at her. Ume barely dodged, its cws tearing her kimono.

  "No!" Xin gripped the steering wheel harder. Without thinking, he hit the gas. The car shot forward, engine whining. He saw Ume's eyes widen in recognition as his car rammed into the nearest Bone Fiend.

  The creature flew through the air, shattering against a cargo container. But two were still going after Ume.

  Xin fumbled for his 10mm Magnum, almost dropping it as he got out of the car. His hands shook as he raised the gun. "Get away from her!"

  His first shot missed, hitting a crate far from his target. The recoil was stronger than expected, making him stumble. His second shot was barely better, though it made one Bone Fiend pause.

  Ume took advantage of the moment. Her Psma Handgun fired twice rapidly, each shot hitting its mark. The remaining Bone Fiends colpsed, dissolving into smoke.

  Xin stared at his shaking hands, then at Ume's steady ones. She held her weapon like she knew how to use it, standing like a trained fighter rather than the companion he remembered.

  "Ume!" Xin called out, putting his gun away with trembling hands. "Are you hurt? I can't believe I found you here—"

  She turned to face him, and his words stopped. Her movements were different - natural, with none of the mechanical precision she'd had before. But it was her eyes that shocked him. Her amber eyes now showed wariness and what looked like hostility.

  "You should not come here, Xin." Her voice was precise but with an edge he didn't recognize. She kept her Psma Handgun lowered but ready. "My calcutions indicate a 78.3% probability that you will complicate matters."

  "What? No, I had to come. There are Radi-Mons everywhere, and—" He stepped forward, reaching out. "Let me help you. I know somewhere safe, away from all this."

  She made a sound like a ugh and a scoff. "Your statement contains logical inconsistencies."

  "What? Listen —" Xin pushed his gsses up, frustrated. "I gave you free will because I wanted you to be more than just a companion. I wanted you to be real!"

  "You cim to desire my independent thoughts," Ume's fingers adjusted on her weapon, "yet your current actions indicate an attempt to take my autonomy."

  "Because I care about you!" Xin's voice cracked. "What have they done to you? Have they changed your programming? The Ume I knew would never—"

  Her Psma Handgun pointed directly at his chest. "Stay where you are, Xin," Ume's voice remained steady, but her irises showed swirling gold lines. "I am not yours anymore."

  The ground shook as a massive, six-legged mech appeared. Its green and gold surface shone in the sunlight, and it was as big as a bus. It looked like a beetle with mantis-like legs and hissing hydraulics.

  "Stand down, Imperial!" A young voice boomed from the beetle mech's speaker.

  "A Directorate mech?" Xin's hand went to his holster, drawing his 10mm Magnum again. The weapon felt slippery in his sweaty palm. His voice cracked with fear despite trying to steady his aim. "What have you done to her programming?"

  "We found her before you Imperials could do — whatever you people do to androids you discard." The Scarab moved, making several cargo containers rattle. One of its mantis-like arms swept forward carefully, making a protective cover over Ume. "I am Jabari, Emerald Directorate. Harm Ume, and you will regret it."

  "It's true," Ume said, stepping closer to the Scarab's leg. Her hand touched its metal surface, making Xin's chest tighten. "Jabari has not modified my code."

  "That's right," the young voice from the Scarab – Jabari – spoke again, softer this time. "Ume chose to join us because she wanted to."

  "Why are you people here? What do you want with Ume?" Xin's finger trembled on the trigger.

  "That is cssified," the Scarab moved to shield Ume more, its movements precise despite its enormous size. Through gaps between its legs, Xin could see Ume rexing under the mech's protection.

  "Not so fast, Directorate rabble!" a deep voice cut through the tension. In the corner of his eye, Xin saw a figure coming from behind a fallen cargo container.

  Turning to look, he saw a blonde man approaching. The man wore sleek silver armor and had a folded rifle on his back.

  He unfolded his silver bionic arms, revealing gleaming Fist Bdes. "Step away from the Imperial," he called to the Scarab. "Slowly."

  "You dare threaten a Scarab Rider?" Jabari's voice came through the mech's speakers. The Scarab's head turned between Xin and the newcomer, its sensors whirring. "Alliance military?"

  "Thomas Mendoza, SIMU." Thomas widened his stance, ready to move. "That man you're threatening is under my protection."

  Xin looked between Thomas and the Scarab, still holding his Magnum with shaking hands. "You're Thomas? Lorna's colleague?"

  "The one and only," Thomas kept his eyes on the mech. "Diego sent me to get you. We need to move."

  "He's not being threatened," Ume said, sounding frustrated. "Jabari is protecting me from him."

  "From him?" Thomas ughed sharply. "Lady, Xin is risking his neck to give us —"

  "Thomas? I thought you'd want to keep it —" Xin interrupted. But the sudden movement made his gun hand jerk, and the Magnum fired. The bullet bounced off the Scarab's armor as Xin added. "cssified?"

  The response was immediate. One of the mech's mantis-like legs swept forward, forcing Thomas to dive aside. He rolled to his feet, Fist Bdes ready as he charged.

  "You want a fight? Then have it!" Thomas weaved between the Scarab's legs, his cybernetic arms deflecting the massive frontal limbs.

  "You don't stand a chance!" Jabari's mech moved surprisingly quickly for its size, trying to keep both Thomas and Xin in view while protecting Ume.

  Thomas dove behind a fallen cargo container as the Scarab's Psma Spitters fired at where he'd been moments before. His Gauss Rifle unfolded as he drew it from his back.

  "Find cover, Xin!" he called out, coming out briefly to fire at the mech's sensors. The shots sparked off its armor but forced Jabari to adjust his stance. "This ain't nothing like office work!"

  A fsh of golden light erupted between the fighters, forcing Thomas to shield his eyes with his bionic arm. When the light faded, a woman stood before the Scarab, looking regal and imposing. Her dark skin contrasted with her green and gold trimmed clothes. Large earrings caught the light as she moved, her hands leaving trails of sor energy.

  "Owia K?k?b? Ky?!" she chanted, and a shimmering barrier of sunlight surrounded both the Scarab and Ume.

  "Celine Kamara," Thomas said the name with recognition. "Still hiding behind pretty light shows, I see."

  Celine's hands moved in precise patterns, her golden jewelry glinting with each motion.

  "Thomas Mendoza. I'd heard you lost your arms." she replied, her voice rich and commanding. Her eyes looked at his bionic limbs before narrowing. "Coercing Emmanuel to betray the Kimaris wasn't enough? Now you're harassing our operatives?"

  Thomas ducked as a bolt of light sizzled past his ear. "Emmanuel made the right choice leaving your warband," he called back, adjusting his stance. "Xin, stay down! That's a Sumina — a Directorate witch doctor".

  "Witch doctor, huh?" Xin's question was cut short as Celine's gaze locked onto him.

  "A ZenFusion technician?" she observed, studying him intensely. "Your skills would be valued by the Directorate. Unlike the Imperium, we treat our people with respect."

  Thomas fired another burst from his Gauss Rifle, but the rounds disappeared against Celine's shield. He rolled to avoid another sor bolt, the heat singeing his jacket.

  "Don't listen to her!" Thomas called out. "She'll say anything to get what she wants. Manny told me!"

  From behind Celine, the Scarab's legs carved grooves in concrete as it moved, shielding Ume. Behind them, Celine maintained her barrier, occasionally unching bursts of sor energy that forced Thomas to keep moving between his dwindling cover.

  "Ananse Nhyehy?e K?k??!" Celine's voice carried power as she cast another spell, this time sending tendrils of golden light that moved across the ground like sor fiments.

  Thomas jumped onto a container as the tendrils reached his previous position. "Sor Web," he called to Xin. "Don't let it touch you—it'll bind you in pce!"

  Xin pressed himself deeper behind the forklift, sweat on his forehead. Through a gap in the metal, he watched Celine move, never wasting a motion. Her green and gold clothes seemed to absorb and amplify the light she commanded.

  "Lieutenant Adomako," she called to the Scarab, her voice carrying authority, "I'll protect the android. Handle these interlopers."

  "Yes, ma'am!" Jabari's voice responded through the Scarab's speakers, the mech shifting to create a protective enclosure around Ume.

  Thomas tried to circle around, using the containers for cover, but Celine anticipated his movement. With a flick of her wrist, she sent a concentrated beam of light that cut through the metal beside him, forcing him to abandon his fnking move.

  "You don't stand a chance," Jabari's voice came as another psma burst forced Thomas to roll.

  Thomas's cybernetic arms gave him incredible mobility, but the Scarab's reach was simply too great.

  "Pretty cocky, aren't you?" As he jumped over another container, his boot caught on torn metal. The momentary stumble was all their opponent needed.

  Two of the Scarab's frontal limbs pinned Thomas against a wall, his Gauss Rifle falling away. The mech's head lowered, its energy weapons humming.

  "Surrender," came Jabari's order. "Or my Psma Spitters will fry you to nothing."

  Xin crouched behind an overturned forklift, breathing quickly. The Scarab's massive form loomed ahead, its limbs still pinning Thomas against the wall. His fingers found his Quantum Watch, the familiar touch steadying his racing heart.

  "Think, Xin," he whispered, activating the interface. Holographic lines of code appeared, lighting his face with green. The quantum dispy showed him what he needed—the Scarab's systems architecture, complex but not unfamiliar.

  Through gaps in the forklift's twisted frame, he could see Thomas struggling against the mechanical limbs, his bionic arms straining. "Why are you guys here anyway?" the blonde man shot back.

  "As I said, that's cssified!" the mech's broadcast sounded.

  "Same shell key algorithm as Red Dragon consoles in the '80s. Hmm," Xin muttered, fingers flying across the holographic interface. The Scarab's firewall resisted his first probe, then his second. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he dug deeper into his coding expertise. "What if I exposed service port 254…"

  Another explosion rocked the area. Xin's gsses slipped down his nose, and he shoved them back up with shaking hands. Through the mint green code, he caught glimpses of Ume. She had moved closer to the Scarab, her Psma Handgun ready but not firing. Seeing her there, choosing to stand with the mech, made his chest tighten. But now was not the time for feelings.

  "Got you!" His eyes widened as he found a vulnerability. The Scarab's tertiary systems were running an older protocol, one he recognized from his days as a junior engineer at ZenFusion. "Just like the Mark-7 series' backdoors!"

  He input the commands rapidly, each keystroke precise despite his trembling fingers. The holographic dispy fshed yellow, then mint green once more.

  The effect rippled through the Scarab. Its frontal limbs seized up with a grinding screech. The Psma Spitters sputtered and died, their green glow fading. Even its massive head jerked to a stop mid-motion.

  "What in Anansi's name—?" Jabari's voice crackled through unstable speakers. "Primary systems failing! Auxiliary power's not responding!"

  Thomas immediately twisted in the loosened grip of the mechanical limbs, his bionic arms finding purchase against the metal. "Nice work, whoever did that!"

  "No!" Ume's voice cut through the chaos. She spun toward the forklift, her eyes finding Xin with perfect precision. "Release the mech, Xin."

  Xin emerged from his cover, Quantum Watch still glowing on his wrist. "Come with me, Ume. I'll help you—"

  "Help?" Her voice had an edge he'd never heard before. "You attacked my friend! Hacked his mech which was protecting me!"

  "They've done something to your code, made you think—"

  "They haven't done anything to my code!" She suddenly shouted, making him step back. "YOU did. You hacked into my brain. Made me experience…all this pain."

  Her words hung in the air between them. Xin's fingers hovered over the Quantum Watch's interface, frozen in indecision. The loading bay fell silent except for the whine of the Scarab's locked servos.

  "But..." Xin's voice cracked. He gestured at the Scarab, at Jabari trapped inside. "I'm trying to help you."

  "No," Ume's stance shifted, eyes fixed on him intensely. "You're trying to control the situation. Just like you tried to control me when you gave me these emotions without asking me first."

  The words hit Xin like physical blows. He looked at her standing there beside the Scarab, her Psma Handgun held with growing familiarity. This wasn't the lost android he'd imagined rescuing. This was someone who'd already begun forging her own path.

  "But I gave you free will," Xin protested weakly, his fingers trembling over the Quantum Watch.

  "You gave me chaos then expected me to thank you for it." Ume cut him off. There was more sadness in her voice as she gnced up at the Scarab. "I need time. A chance to find out what I am."

  Xin's hand hovered over his Quantum Watch, the power to disable the Scarab still at his fingertips. One command could keep them here, force a conversation, make her understand—

  The thought stopped him cold.

  Make her.

  The very thing he'd tried to free her from.

  His hand dropped to his side, and with a few quick gestures on the Watch, the hack disengaged. The Scarab's systems hummed back to life, its limbs rexing their grip on Thomas, who quickly rolled clear.

  The Scarab straightened to its full height, but made no aggressive moves. Behind it, Celine's Sor Web flickered and dissolved as she reassessed the situation, her calcuting gaze shifting between Thomas and Xin.

  "A talented hacker," she observed, lowering her hands but not dispelling the residual energy that still danced around her fingertips. "The Directorate could use someone of your caliber, Imperial."

  "He's made his choice," Thomas said firmly, stepping to Xin's side.

  Celine's lips curved into a slight smile. "For now, perhaps." She gnced at Ume, who had moved closer to the Scarab.

  Ume's stance shifted, her Psma Handgun lowering slightly but not completely.

  "Thank you," she said, her voice softer now, amber-like eyes meeting his. "for giving what I've asked."

  "What you've asked." Xin repeated, unable to keep the pain from his voice.

  Celine stepped back, going into the shadow of the Scarab. "We have what we came for. Let them go."

  A moment of conflict passed across Xin's face. The encrypted Moondust Crystal data was still safely stored in her positronic matrix—should be impenetrable to the Directorate's engineers, unless they had some genius above his caliber. He'd made certain of that. Still, letting her leave with it felt like surrendering his st connection to her.

  But wasn't that the point of true freedom?

  Thomas regained his posture, speaking up as he approached. "Xin, we need to move. Lorna—"

  "Yes. Of course!" Xins' eyes widened as he snapped back to reality, then looked at Ume. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

  A ghost of a smile touched Ume's lips – not the programmed response he was used to, but something real, if bittersweet. "I already am."

  Jabari's voice came through the Scarab's speakers, softer now. "I will refrain from using my weapons if you do the same."

  Xin nodded, a jerky motion that betrayed his inner turmoil. His hand found his gsses, pushing them up in a nervous gesture. "Take care of her," he managed, the words catching in his throat.

  Ume looked at Xin one st time. "Goodbye, Xin."

  "Goodbye, Ume," he whispered, then turned away. Each step felt heavier than the st as he walked back to his car, Thomas falling in beside him.

  They were halfway to the car when Thomas spoke. "That android. She meant a lot to you?"

  "We'd been together for two years." Xin replied, his voice neutral as he reached for his car door. "Before her, I'd just…keep throwing money at the Leased Lilies in Sanchong."

  "You Imperials have Leased Lilies, too?" Thomas inquired, raising a golden eyebrow as he entered the vehicle.

  "It's a job many turn to these days," Xin replied, his voice neutral. The green car's surface reflected the dim light of the logistics hub. "Most of them earn five times more than college graduates. Imagine that."

  Thomas settled into the passenger seat, his bionic arms folding with a soft whir. "Funny," he said, not unkindly. "I guess our worlds aren't so different."

  The car hummed to life, its systems reactivating one by one. Through the rearview mirror, Xin caught one st glimpse of the Scarab and Ume's diminishing form before they disappeared behind a row of containers.

  "So," Thomas's voice cut through his thoughts. "About Lorna."

  Xin's hands tightened on the steering wheel, nodding with determination. "Tell me where we need to go."

  "Terminal 5. Diego should be there on his StarWhale soon," Thomas studied him for a moment. "Sure you're up for this? After what just happened..."

  "I'm sure," Xin said, and found that he meant it. He guided the car toward the exit, leaving behind more than just the logistics hub. He then reached for a button next to the steering wheel as he spoke. "Diego, I have Thomas with me now."

  "Excellent work, amigo. I have Manny with me. See you at Terminal 5," Diego's voice echoed through the car.

  "So what's the pn once we secure the Moondust Crystal?" Xin ventured as he drove around a broken traffic light.

  "Above my pay grade," Thomas shifted in his seat. "Intelligence says it has significant psionic properties. Beyond that, I just know we can't let it fall into Imperial hands."

  "I understand," Xin replied, his focus returning to the road. "I hope she's okay." A silence settled between them for a moment.

  "I know how you might feel about Lorna," Thomas said finally, his tone measured but not accusatory.

  Xin tensed slightly. "Is it that obvious?"

  "Only to someone who recognizes the symptoms," Thomas's mouth curved in a wry smile. "Spent my years at SIMU wearing the same expression."

  "Are you two...?" Xin left the question hanging delicately.

  Thomas shook his head. "Colleagues. Friends, when mission protocols allow. But she wanted nothing more." He gnced at Xin. "Listen, I'm not trying to discourage you. Just know what you're walking into."

  "You mean falling for someone whose life is constantly at risk," Xin said.

  "Exactly," Thomas nodded, his cybernetic hand flexing unconsciously. "In our line of work, every mission could be the st. And even if we survive physically..." He tapped his bionic arm. "People don't come back whole."

  Xin considered this, adjusting his gsses. "Some would say that makes the connection more valuable, not less."

  "Maybe," Thomas shrugged, looking out at the war-torn ndscape of Taipei. He turned back to Xin with a hint of genuine respect. "Either way, I hope you fare better than I did."

  The green car accelerated toward Terminal 5, carrying them toward whatever chaos awaited, while behind them, the echoes of a different kind of freedom faded into memory.