The Ghost Capital

After the attack choppers finished off the Skelengel orcas, Valiesha and the other rebels secured a staging ground to plan their next move.

Firaga checked on her transceiver. "I got nothing from Sunder yet."

"Sunder is our best spy. I'm sure she'll return shortly," The Commander assured as the girls stroked their Shima Enaga birds for their hard work.

Where are the people? Shyrin signed.

The Enaga rebels scouted the ruined city. They couldn't find a single citizen outside.

Firaga sighed. "It's like a ghost town here."

Shyrin squinted her eyes at something from afar. She pointed at the armored pickup that drove across the street and followed it.

"Firaga, you help the girls secure our staging ground. I'll go with Shyrin to see what's up," Valiesha ordered.

The orange-haired firebrand nodded with a peace sign. After all, Firaga was the one who brought the rebellion together before teaching Valiesha to lead. When Valiesha's Endroman turned against her for protesting against the Matriarch, Firaga saved her and took her into the rebellion. Of course, not without reprimanding her for dumping Chirus away for an Endroman.

Shyrin and Valiesha followed the pickup truck, where a Skelengel machine gunner was stationed on the trunk. The technical rumbled past the dilapidated buildings into an area of small, tattered houses. The Skelengel stormtroopers held their assault rifles as they knocked on one of the doors.

I see mothers and children hiding. Each household has an Endroman present. Shyrin signed her findings as she hid in a nearby meadow with Valiesha. The families look frightened.

What are the Skelengels doing here? Valiesha drew her pistols just in case.

"Open up!" The Skelengel Captain ordered as the other families hid.

"The frick do you want?" An angry mother pointed a shotgun at the Skelengels.

"Stand down, ma'am!" The stormtroopers aimed

at her.

"Can't you just leave us in peace?" The lady with the shotgun spat. "Scram, before my double barrel smokes you to bits!"

"Your son has reached age 20 and must attend Dessix Academy under Matriarch Senri's order," The Captain glared.

"Screw that law! Have you high-nose feminists taken enough of my sons? Does Senri not want us to have children anymore?"

"Ma'am, the Matriarch wishes to empower the education of your-"

"Listen here! This can go two ways. You leave us alone, or-"

"Mom! Help me!" A voice shouted from the house.

The mother gasped. Shyrin and Valiesha saw the mother's Endroman yank the young boy by the hair across the floor.

"What are you doing to my baby?" The mother aimed at the Endroman. "Let him go!"

The android didn't listen.

"Is your programming fried or something? I command you to destroy these nasty girls!"

The Endroman still didn't obey the mother's orders. It pushed the son to the Captain, who handcuffed him.

"Sorry, ma'am. Senri indeed programmed the Endromen to follow their wives' orders," The Captain smirked. "But I guess you didn't know that the Endromen are loyal to Senri's command."

The mother shot the Endroman, but it felt nothing. The Endroman leaped onto her to twist her arm, leaving her howling in pain and dropping her shotgun.

"Mom!" The blue-haired boy struggled against the Captain's grip. "Please let me-"

"Stop that whining!" The Captain slapped the poor boy's face.

Suddenly, a bullet pierced the Captain's head from afar, killing her instantly.

"Ambush!" The Skelengels spotted Shyrin, who shot the Endroman in the head. "Take the boy!"

The Skelengels scrambled into the pickup truck with the boy. The Endroman shook its head, taking no damage from Shyrin's bullet. Valiesha ran behind the android, attaching a detonator to its back and taking the mother to safety. As the device exploded, Shyrin ran after the speeding pickup truck.

"Get my baby back!" The mother wept to Valiesha. "Please!"

"Don't worry, Shyrin can handle them," Valiesha hugged the mother.

With enraged tears, Shyrin dashed after the Skelengels. It was just like that day when her brothers were taken, the bitter memory where she wanted to scream when she couldn't and was ignored.

I couldn't do anything that day, but this time, none of the Skelengels will escape alive! Shyrin ducked under the machine gun fire.

She headshot the machine gunner down. When the soldiers tried to exchange gunners, Shyrin shot the pickup's wheel off. The truck slid and crashed, killing the drivers in a fire. The scared boy trembled as the last three Skelengels looked for Shyrin in the smoke.

Shyrin drew a knife under her Kyudo skirt, slashing a Skelengel in the throat. The last panicked stormtroopers saw a shadowy figure haunt them in the smoke. Another Skelengel squealed when Shyrin threw a knife into her forehead, killing her.

"Show yourself!" The last soldier fired at the elusive shadow.

Shyrin snuck behind her, snapping her neck. The handcuffed boy shuddered before the girl chewing on a berry twig. Shyrin slashed the handcuffs off the crying boy, who didn't understand what happened.

"You're saving me?" The boy asked.

Shyrin knelt to the boy and looked into his eyes. When the boy faced Shyrin's orange eyes, she silently stroked his face. The boy felt Shyrin's warmth as she envisioned her brothers' faces on his face. Shyrin tickled the boy's face, making him giggle and feel comfortable with her.

"Thank you," The boy hugged Shyrin.

***

While Shyrin reunited the boy with his mother, the Endroman walked out of the fire unscathed, glaring at Valiesha with its orange eyes. Valiesha shuffled her hand in her bag for EMPs.

"Shoot! I forgot to bring them!" Valiesha gasped. The Endromen aren't 100% droid. Their necks are weak.

If only I could take back everything I said to Chirus. Valiesha fired her pistols at the droid but wasn't able to hit its neck. How can I undo all the dumb things I've done?

The Endroman resisted the bullets and morphed its right arm into a sonic cannon. Valiesha ducked under the green fireball that exploded into an electric shockwave. She then tackled the machine, making both roll and wrestle until the Endroman kicked her off. When she held her fists up for combat, the droid flipped up and lifted its fists as well.

You idiot! You dumped your golden doctor boyfriend away for an android man who does whatever you say? Firaga's voice yelled from Valiesha's flashback. You should've stayed to support him. At least that's what I would've done!

Valiesha wrestled with the Endroman like it was her evil self. She punched the robot, but it simply tickled to the Endroman. When it punched her, Valiesha would get bruised. The Commander tried to punch again, but the Endroman grabbed her fist up and pummeled her side torso.

I think the Skelengels need to grow up. Do you know why? Cause they think a programmed boyfriend would bring them happiness. Pfft, losers. Firaga's voice echoed in Valiesha's head again. They will never find happiness in AI men with no original thoughts or feelings. That takes away the joy of relationships!

Valiesha coughed blood as the Endroman sent her flying with a rocket-powered fist. You were right about so many things, Firaga.

The Endroman's arms turned into machine guns that fired at her. Valiesha took cover behind a house, knowing she couldn't fight an Endroman head-on. She exchanged fire with the Endoman until it fired its sonic cannon. Valiesha ran, but the explosion's electric shockwave stunned her.

I wrecked Chirus' heart. Valiesha trembled as the Endroman slammed her throat onto the ground. Maybe it's fitting an Endroman kills me. Would that mean I atoned for my mistake?

The Endroman tried to choke her until Firaga threw an EMP that shocked the Endroman. Firaga drew a knife to slit the Endroman's weak throat to kill it.

"Whew! That was close. Sorry, I'm late!" Firaga hugged Valiesha.

The rebels and Shima Enaga birds arrived, battling the Endromen to free the oppressed families.

"T-thank you, Firaga, for being a great friend," Valiesha lost consciousness. Chirus, can you forgive me for being so selfish? Do I even deserve a second chance? I hope it's not too late for me to say I'm sorry.