My End

We continued along the seaside path, though now there were only three of us. Alba had gained full access to everything concerning my new attire and had taken on the role of my guardian. Her expression was tense as she spoke:

“Inertia, let me know if you wish to return, or if you feel anything unusual.”

“All right. Don’t worry, I’d like to stay a little longer.”

I needed to make the most of my time out there. But thinking about it now… if I had decided to go back at that exact moment, would everything have turned out differently?

Even at night, the area was still full of people walking around. My body was completely covered, but I could still feel the sea breeze slipping through the air vents in my helmet.

We stepped onto the sand, and Dom started telling us a bit about the region we were in.

“This isn’t where Rio de Janeiro used to be, but Chefe wanted to bring a piece of his city here, so he decided to replicate one of its famous boardwalks. At first, people didn’t like the idea, but it eventually became a major tourist attraction.”

“It feels like I’m in Rio, even though it’s not the real thing,” I replied, captivated by the view.

Suddenly, as we talked and walked along the sand, we were surrounded by a squad of soldiers. Two cars swerved onto the boardwalk, blocking us from both sides to cut off our escape. Four soldiers jumped out of each car, and another ten descended from the air, quickly sealing off the area around us.

Dom immediately shifted his stance. He stepped in front of me and activated a combat weapon that seemed fused to his body. They looked like two medium-sized swords, bluish and crackling with electricity. Each one emerged from the top of his wrists, extending vertically like claws. Apparently, his weapon was designed for close-quarters combat.

Alba, on the other hand, specialized in long-range combat. She had come outside in her uniform, armed with her usual weapons.

Dom shielded me from the front, while Alba covered the rear with her rifle. We had no escape route and were completely surrounded, as the soldiers managed to tighten the perimeter even further in a matter of seconds.

“Inertia, stay behind him and don’t move! I’ve already contacted Chefe, but I haven’t gotten a response yet,” Alba shouted.

How had they found me so quickly? It didn’t make sense… I had barely breathed the city’s toxic air before I was surrounded.

The eight remaining soldiers stood in formation, forming an octagon around us. They parted to let their commander through.

As soon as he appeared, Alba murmured,

“Dad?! How did he…?!”

“Alba, my dear daughter, how have you been?” the man said.

This hardly seemed like the right time for a casual father-daughter chat, especially with her pointing a gun at him.

Alba’s father was tall and carried himself with an air of respect and prestige. Like Alba, he looked more human than I did. At first glance, I wouldn’t have guessed he was her father; they looked as if they came from different nations. He was blond and wore a goatee.

“Dad, what are you doing here? Why all this around us?” Alba demanded.

“What do you mean? We have a special guest today!” He pointed at me with the same enthusiasm Luna had shown when she first looked at me.

But how had they found me so quickly? Alba had said everything she did for me was carefully calculated, leaving no loose ends. Could he really be monitoring her twenty-four seven?

“We come in peace. We don’t want any conflict with you,” he said.

“Then why all the soldiers? Tell them to leave,” she replied.

“Well… that’s not possible. Before coming here, we tried to have a peaceful conversation with your friend Pedro, better known as Chefe, but he wasn’t very receptive. So I thought it best to ensure a safer discussion between us.”

My heart sank.

They hadn’t come here to talk — they had come to take me. If all they wanted was dialogue, their meeting with Chefe would have been enough.

At this point, there was no turning back, even if Alba was his daughter.

I stayed silent, and so did Rei. One wrong move and everything could collapse.

“Alba, you know matters like this shouldn’t be handled in isolation or kept secret from other nations. This is a matter of global security. We need to take her with us,” her father declared.

Me?! I’m not going anywhere.

“I don’t want to go with you!” I shouted.

“Andrea, Nowy doesn’t hold privileges over other nations and can’t violate the sovereignty of another state. I don’t know what you were told or what was discussed with our representatives at the summit, but you have no right to interfere in our nation’s affairs,” Dom said, his voice burning with fury.

He looked as if he were watching history repeat itself, and he seemed determined to fight for me.

“We have authorization from the five representatives, including the leader of this state.” The man raised his right hand, and one of the soldiers handed him an object that looked like a black pen.

He pressed it, and a document digitally signed by five different individuals appeared before us. I didn’t know the authentication process for such signatures, but Dom and Alba seemed convinced it was legitimate.

I turned to Alba. “Alba, if I go to Nowy with them, I’ll die. I don’t want to go.”

She looked distressed and torn, her eyes darting between me and the document. Why?

“Alba!” I urged, desperate for an answer. She seemed on the verge of giving up the fight for me, but without her and Dom, I didn’t stand a chance.

“What about her individual rights? You can’t take her without her consent,” Alba argued, pushing back against the document.

“She isn’t subject to our laws, Alba. She isn’t one of us! There are no protection laws for humans, because humans don’t exist anymore!” the man exclaimed, almost with excitement.

“She’s not going anywhere. Not as long as I’m here.” Dom adjusted his swords, making it clear he was ready to fight for me.

But I wasn’t naive. I knew it would be a lost battle. With so many soldiers present, the only choice left was to try negotiating.

“If they come with me, I’ll go with you. But Dom and Alba must stay by my side at all times.”

Dom turned to me, stunned.

“This is madness! There’s only one option here, and you’re staying,” he said firmly.

Alba explained that my request was impossible. “Dom isn’t allowed to enter there. Nowy has had a protective measure against him in place for a thousand years.”

“That won’t be possible, human. But Alba can go with you,” the man replied.

I looked at her, but she shook her head. And now? If I chose to stay, Alba and Dom would be dragged into a disastrous end with me. But if I went with them, only my fate would be fatal.

I was paralyzed, still weighing the best course of action, when Dom cut through my thoughts.

“Inertia, don’t underestimate me!” he said, his eyes blazing with fury.

I understood then. Both of them had chosen to fight for me. So I made my decision.

“I’ll stay.”

“Are you sure about that?” As soon as Andrea spoke, the soldiers raised their weapons in unison.

I knew Dom and Alba were safe because homicide was considered a severe crime. But what about me?

I blinked, and in an instant Dom lunged forward, covering the distance in two long strides before pouncing on Alba’s father. At the same moment, Alba activated a shield around us, and the soldiers opened fire on Dom.

The bullets had no effect on him.

With terrifying speed, Dom disabled one of the soldiers by severing both his arms at once. I was shocked, but since there was no blood, the scene wasn’t as traumatizing as it could have been.

The remaining seven soldiers changed tactics, closing in on Dom for hand-to-hand combat. Andrea stayed out of the fray, arms crossed, silently observing.

“Inertia, we need to fall back. One step at a time,” Alba warned.

Behind us was the sea, but even there soldiers stood guard. Escape seemed impossible.

Dom kept fighting, cutting down one soldier after another. I had truly underestimated him. But four still remained, not counting the ones holding the perimeter.

Andrea stayed on the sidelines, watching the chaos unfold.

“I’ll count to three, and then you’ll run to the sea and turn right,” Alba said.

“Got it.”

“One, two, three.”

Alba grabbed my arm and we sprinted toward the water. The two soldiers stationed there moved to block us. She charged one of them, knocking him down. I hesitated, unsure whether to keep running or wait for her to handle the second, but within seconds another soldier seized me from behind.

“Inertia!” Alba shouted, turning to me even as she fought the second soldier.

But the glance cost her. The soldier counterattacked, severing her left arm.

She barely seemed to notice and quickly finished the second soldier with a shot before rushing to my aid, blasting the legs of the one holding me.

Everything was chaos. I could hardly follow what was happening. It was all too fast. My human senses couldn’t even process it.

Alba grabbed my arm, and we kept running, now out of the water. But then five more soldiers closed in around us.

Dom seemed exhausted but didn’t stop until he brought down one more soldier. So Andrea stepped in, reaching us before the remaining soldiers could.

“Human, we’re not going to hurt you. You know that!” he insisted.

“Stay away! I already told you I’ll only go if they come with me!” I shouted back.

Even with one arm, Alba kept her weapon trained on them.

“Don’t be foolish. You know that if you stay here, you’ll have to fight to survive, and you won’t survive in this place!” Andrea said.

It was true. Surviving alone, as a human, in a world of androids was impossible. But...

“She’s not alone. Get out of here,” Dom said, suddenly appearing behind Andrea and threatening him with his personal weapon.

Andrea turned, launching a sudden attack against Dom.

“This isn’t your business!” he shouted as he struck.

Dom was defeated with a single blow. By the time I realized, he was already on the ground with a gaping hole in his chest.

In that moment, I saw my end.

End of Report 15