Before The Attaack

The minister enters the entrapment; her dead eyes reign superior in the standoff compared to K4's lens, that hair stretching to the lower back shining against the starry night gives her a sense of majestical power.

"Minister of Defence for Shilo, Lucy Harlow, pleased to meet you both, invaders." Her tone was condescending, riddled with mockery and a sarcasm that is bigger than the combination of the metal sheets.

K4 takes a step towards her having the railgun on standby if necessary. "I'm K4 and this is Hino. Why do you dare challenge us at night?" clearly annoyed at her peaceful night being disturbed by mere human fools trying to kill them

"You are invaders; you are now given the chance to surrender." All the agents have their guns drawn, with a couple of helicopters still circling the entrapment; the situation seemed dire for them both.

K4 laughs hysterically. "One, two and three... That's the amount of times I could've killed you already, and every second that passes by is another second you could die."

Lucy smirks. "What are you suggesting, robot?" Her degrading language struck a nerve in K4's system.

"Let's have a chat back at your HQ; I can't be bothered walking to Shilo either." Turning around, K4 starts packing everything up in preparation for transport.

"What if I refuse and just kill you?" Lucy stands defiant of her offer, knowing her advantage even at the cost of her life.

K4 turns back to the annoying, attituded minister, "Do you want to save Shilo or not? You have under forty-eight hours at this stage; your choice." This wasn't a sarcastic or mocking statement from K4; it was a mere statement that Lucy felt to the core ignited her excitement.

"So be it. Order one transport vehicle for the boy!" With an order given, one of the agents immediately calls for the transport to be called for Hino. K4 notices the rather unusual arrangement of the plans.

Looking back at Hino, she notices his bewilderment as well. "Minister, why do you only order one for him?" Her question was predicted but not without reason.

"You are coming with me in my own transport."

K4 gives a slight cold shoulder, not replying, and instead consults with Hino, "Is that fine with you?"

"Yeah, I can handle myself; you know that. Go talk some sense into her instead." Hino, having put the tent inside his backpack after K4 handed it back , immediately walks out of the entrapment towards the distant vehicle rapidly approaching.

The agents lower their guns, and Lucy walks to K4, looking down at the railgun. "May I touch?" Without an answer, Lucy starts to touch the railgun. The material was pristine metal; the well-designed proportions and the advanced mechanisms were all worthy of a master-level technician.

"Let's head towards your HQ." Pulling away her hand, Lucy doesn't push and instead leads K4 into her own SUV. They both take a seat at the back; the inside was fully furnished with a dark grey, giving a mysterious sense just like the pure black exterior, and the blackened windows give a sense of privacy for the pair of them.

Hino, on the other hand, got his own SUV; he sat at the back alone, and the entire agent crew started to get back into their vehicles. The convoy of SUVs and helicopters started driving upon the metal sheet, trying to reach the city centre.

Lucy breaks the silence. "So the first thing is, your companion... " She gets cut off.

"Hino"

"Yes… Hino, he is currently in the transport vehicle made for hostages; there are military-grade level explosives attached all around, and with the press of one button or my death, they will detonate."

K4 activates her railgun instantly, aiming with her hand towards Lucy. "I wouldn't try that, especially with the chance of evaporation."

Lucy laughs, "A robot with empathy for a human, How ridiculous you both are as a pair!" She leans back onto the SUV's seating, putting away the button, the option of peace still being possible.

Has the minutes passed in silence? Oddly, both of them stay quiet, admiring the flashy Shilo Centre. The skyscrapers and the night markets give a sense of dystopia but also a sense of nightlife that many didn't have since the revolt.

"Do you like the scenery? Lucy asked.

"It's flashy but dead on the inside; I can see that much." The envoy stops itself next to a huge skyscraper, the glass reflecting all the flashy signs in the background; both K4 and Lucy step out with Hino behind them.

"We are heading towards the interrogation room." Lucy takes the lead walking up the stairs towards the double door of the HQ. Entering inside, it was all greyed out with white and black carpet; the marble counters and the receptionist seemed to be the highlight of the entrance, as the other areas had cushioned seating.

Walking past the receptionist, they have a narrow hallway, and they take the first left towards another hallway lined with interrogation rooms; there were around five of them currently empty. There was also a window looking into them.

K4 and Lucy walked themselves towards the last room, making sure to be far away from the exit just to be sure; the door was standing upon them in the greyed-out hallway.

They both open the door to the interrogation room. The room was basic, had two chairs and a grey desk in the middle of them, and there were no cameras but a one-way window instead; it seemed pretty typical.

Minister Lucy and K4 sit within the interrogation room, their eyes never leaving each other's gaze; it was a battle of wits at this point on how this will go. K4 was on the defensive this time, knowing the danger that Hino could be in.

Lucy slams down on the desk like some sort of crime movie; she has tonnes of parameters that they took off K4, and they also have records of the train smash incident that first caused the ordeal.

"Listen here, K4, compared to the others, you are a bit more humane, which is why you get a choice." She starts to give out two different contracts.

"What are the options? We don't have time for this."

Lucy facepalms. "Yeah, the Shilo attack or whatever you said to get yourself out of here."

K4's lens sharpen slightly at her. 'The attack will happen. When that happens, you better be begging for my help!'

"No need for the hostilities; we humans are the most untrustworthy creatures to date, after all."

"I don't need a psychology class; I need to just get permission for one thing." K4 leans back in the chair; it seemed to be made of plastic painted with a grey coating. The room gave off quite the typical interrogation room vibe, which would stress most out if they weren't a robot.

"What do you need?" She gets a smirky smile from Lucy.

K4 smiles back, predicting her attitude: "I want to protect Shilo from the impending doom."

"Why would you, out of all things, defend humans? What benefit does it bring?"

K4 points out to Lucy, aiming straight at her head, "It means you owe me a favour; isn't that what you humans like doing a lot?" Her tone was egotistical and sarcastic.

"Quite a proposal... That wasn't expected but not out of the ordinary. Just want some details on the limit of a proposal."

"I want help in the prevention of the impending missile towards us." Her words penetrated the stillness of the air; there seemed to now be a connection established between the both of them. They both wished to survive; it was that simple.

Lucy starts pondering, "What if we don't need your help?"

"Oh, you will. I doubt you could destroy something greater than your walls, stronger than metal and any other robot without my railgun."

Suddenly there is a call hitting Lucy from the control room. She answers it.

"We have a mega robot a couple kilometres away heading here slowly; it seems to be insanely massive, around the same height as our walls. Should we deploy early measures?"

Lucy looks back at K4 with a fearful expression, looking at her movement to plan the course of action; the left-right shake of K4's head was everything Lucy needed.

"Don't do anything; save them for the real fight." She hangs up the phone, putting it down, and instantly, with a sour face, she looks at K4.

"How about now, Ministers?"

"Your offer is accepted."