Chapter 10: — "First Strike: Part 4"

Glass rained down in glittering shards as the windows blew apart. The shriek of tearing metal filled the room, followed by the unmistakable whir of drone engines. They poured in like a swarm of hornets, red eyes glowing in the dark.

Kaito reacted instantly. His EMP blaster was up, spitting crackling blue rounds that fried the first wave midair. Sparks and scraps clattered across the tiles.
“Rin, left flank! Yuzuki, stay low and don’t get tagged!”

Rin didn’t even acknowledge him, she was already cackling, spinning her rifles like a gunslinger before unloading a storm of plasma into the swarm.
“Come on then, you ugly buckets! Mama’s home!” she howled, laughter echoing against the concrete walls.

I flinched at the deafening blasts. My hands shook around my blaster, heart pounding against my ribs. I tried to focus, but the drones were everywhere, flashing metal, glowing red eyes, the sound of rotors slicing the air. My breath caught, I can’t do this. I can’t—

Then it hit me. A flash, like lightning in my skull. For a second, the world froze, and I saw it: a drone breaking from the swarm, diving at Kaito’s blind spot.

“Right side, above you!” I screamed without thinking.

Kaito twisted just as the drone lunged. His blaster snapped up, a clean shot tearing it apart midair. The wreck slammed into the floor, sparking.

His eyes flicked to me for half a heartbeat, sharp, questioning, but then he turned back to the fight.
“Keep your head in it, Yuzuki! Don’t freeze on me now!”

I swallowed hard, raising my trembling blaster. I wasn’t sure how this was happening... I was seeing the future disasters, completely without the sphere... but it saved him.

Meanwhile, Rin was a storm, spinning between cover and yelling obscenities between bursts of fire.
“YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT! EAT SHIT AND DIE, YOU FLYING TOASTERS!”

Kaito ducked another burst of enemy fire, his jaw tight.
“Focus your shots, Rin. Don’t just spray!”

Rin ignored him completely, laughing louder. I pressed against the counter, feeling the chaos closing in from all sides.

One of the bigger robots is faster than I thought. One second Kaito’s beside me, firing, and the next this hulking thing slams a metal forearm around his wrist and hauls him toward its chassis. The clamp bites into him with a grinding squeal. He grunts, his teeth bared, and for a heartbeat I see his face, surprise, then a hard edge.

“No—” I start, and then my stomach drops.

Everything goes sharp and thin in my head. Another flash, bright and stupid-fast: the robot’s grip weakens if its right knee joint gets blasted. I feel the image like an ache behind my eyes, the angle, the spark, his arm slipping free.

“Shoot its leg! Shoot the leg now!” I yell, voice raw.

Kaito’s head snaps to me like he’s been slapped. For half a beat his eyes flick between the robot’s arm locked on him and my face. Then he moves. He aims low and fires a brutal, precise shot at the joint I’d screamed about. Sparks and smoke erupt; the clamp releases with a high, grinding shriek. Kaito stumbles free, swearing, breath ragged. He’s on his feet in an instant, blasting the robot’s exposed servos until it convulses and goes down.

He turns to me, anger burning up his features, and he practically spits the words. “How do you keep doing this?!”

My mouth opens. I don’t know how to answer because I don’t even understand. All I can feel is the flash, the weird hot snap inside my head that isn’t the sphere. “I-I don’t—” I choke, meaning to say it’s the sphere, meaning to say it’s the flashes I’ve only ever used with the orb, but the words catch in my throat. I don’t want to explain. Not now.

From the side, over the roar of rotors and the staccato of gunfire, Rin laughs like she’s at the best show in the city. “Look at that! Prophet girl saves the day!” She’s still spraying lead, but her voice rings out, half-mock, half-respect. “Told ya she wasn’t useless.”

Kaito’s glare snaps toward Rin for a second, and then back at me. “This isn’t funny, Yuzuki! Tell me how are you doing this?” His tone is sharp, desperate; part accusation, part demand.

I can feel my face burning. The memory of Rin exposing me last time, how she blurted about the sphere, stings, and I clench my jaw. “I… I get flashes,” I blurt out finally, too loud. “They just… come. I don’t know why. I usually only see through the sphere. But now it just... happens... without it.”

For a beat Kaito looks like he wants to argue, to press for every detail, and the shuffle of his fingers around his blaster makes my stomach twist. But the room is collapsing into another wave of machines; drones fold and dive in a rolling attack, and Kaito forces himself to drop the question back into his teeth. “Later,” he snaps. “Now fight!”

Rin whoops and hollers, then fires another burst that tears into a trio of drones. She never takes her grin off me or Kaito. 

For a second she calls out, loud and teasing, “Not bad, prophet. Don’t get cocky, this playground’ll chew you up!” Her tone is rough, but there’s something like approval in it; the kind only someone who’s seen the dance would give.

I want to tell him everything. I want to say, It’s not the sphere this time. It’s inside my head and it scares me and I don’t know what will happen next. But the words would slow Kaito down, make him hesitate. And we don’t have time for hesitation.

So I clamp my mouth shut and raise my blaster again, palms slick. My visions have been right so far. They keep being right. I don’t understand it, but for now, it’s a weapon. For now, it’s the only thing that might keep him alive.

—

The room shakes with gunfire and the buzz of whirring rotors, and for the first time, I feel it—we’re not winning. There are too many. Drones keep pouring in through shattered windows, and heavier units slam against the walls like battering rams. My arms ache from firing, my chest tight from shallow breaths.

Then Rin’s gun clicks empty. She pulls the trigger again, harder, like it’ll change something, but nothing comes out. Her face twists and she screams, voice raw and furious—

“FUCK. GUYS, I’M OUT OF AMMO!”

My stomach knots. If Rin’s out, then—

A sharp hiss bursts from Kaito’s weapon. He jerks his hand back, cursing, and I see the barrel glowing faint red.

“My blaster’s out too. DAMMIT!”

For one horrible second, everything feels like it’s collapsing inward. And then it hits me. The flash.

It’s not one flash this time, it’s a dozen. No, a hundred. My mind floods, drowning me in a thousand futures, every path splintering into death. The three of us cornered. Me screaming. Rin ripped apart. And worst—Kaito. His chest, blood blooming across his shirt, his body going still in my arms.

The image sears me like fire. My knees weaken. My weapon shakes in my hands. No, no, no—

“YUZUKI!” a voice roars through the storm. Not Rin. Me. Kaito’s face is inches from mine, sweat dripping, eyes blazing. His hands grip my shoulders so hard it hurts. “SNAP OUT OF YOUR FUCKING THOUGHTS AND FOCUS, DO SOMETHING OR WE’RE GONNA DIE!”

My throat locks, vision blurring with tears. The flash of his lifeless face won’t leave me. “I… I don’t wanna lose you, Kaito,” I choke out, voice breaking.

His reply is a whipcrack. “THEN DO SOMETHING!”

The command slams through me harder than the visions. For a heartbeat I can’t breathe, can’t think. And then... I do.

I choose.

“This… is… FOR KAITO!!!” I yell, my voice raw and trembling. The blaster feels heavier in my hands than it should, but I squeeze it tighter, letting instinct take over.

The world narrows down to flashes of movement, to the chaos of drones swarming toward us. My futuregaze syncs, not fully understood, not fully controlled, but it doesn’t matter. I aim, I fire, and everything clicks.

“THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR TRYING TO KILL MY FRIENDS YOU COMPLETE, UTTERLY BASTARDS!” I scream, electricity arcing from my blaster, shots ricocheting, disabling one drone after another.

“DIE, DIE, DIE! FUCKING DIEEEEE!!!” My voice cracks as I let the fury pour out, letting every ounce of fear, every ounce of worry for Kaito, for Rin, for everyone, fuel my shots.

From afar, I hear Kaito gasp. Rin’s wide-eyed, mouth hanging open. They’ve never... never... seen me like this. Normally, I’m careful, precise, quiet. This isn’t me. But it is. It’s the part of me that screams when someone I care about is in danger.

The chain reaction is insane. A swarm collapses in sparks and metal debris, drones disabled, scattered like broken toys. My arms shake from the effort. I can’t even tell if it’s skill or luck. All I know is I’ve chosen to act.

Finally, I stop. My hands quiver, holding the blaster loosely. The smoke clears, the sound of destruction fading. Silence. Except for the whir of damaged drones sparking on the floor.

Kaito rushes over, concern etched deep into his features. “Yuzuki, are you okay?”

I look at him, chest heaving, eyes wide and wild. “I… I’m fine.” I shrug, giving him nothing else.

He frowns, gripping my shoulder. “How are you really?”

I just shake my head. Some things don’t need to be explained.

Rin drops her weapons on the ground, dust and sparks settling around her. She walks slowly toward me, eyes wide, mouth agape. Then she yells, loud enough for my ears to ring—

“That… was… FREAKING AWESOME! I NEVER KNEW YOU HAD SO MUCH IN YOU, YUZUKI! I NEVER KNEW YOU HAD SUCH A BADASS EGO INSIDE OF YOU!”

I glance at her, a weak smile tugging at my lips. “Thanks…” I mutter awkwardly, brushing a strand of hair from my face.

Kaito stands beside Rin, shaking his head in disbelief. I can see it in his eyes, surprise, caution, admiration, all tangled together. I don’t know if he realizes the full scope of what just happened. I barely do myself.

But I know one thing for sure. That was me. That was me fighting for the people I care about, and I won’t forget it.

—

We were catching our breath, adrenaline still screaming in our veins after I’d taken out the last of the smaller drones. Rin dropped her weapons with a heavy thud, smirking wildly. I was trying to calm myself, shaking from the rush, when the ground shook violently.

A massive shadow loomed over us. The drone boss, from before, smashes through the wall like it owned the place. Fully repaired. Upgraded. Way tougher than before.

I barely had time to scream. Kaito and I raised our weapons and opened fire, rounds ricocheting off its reinforced armor. But Rin didn’t fire a single shot.

“Kaito! Rin’s not shooting... why?” I yelled over the chaos.

She rolled her eyes, arms crossed, smirking like it was obvious. “Uhh… because I’m out of ammo like I FREAKING SAID?”

Before Kaito could even curse, an explosive rocket streaked toward us. We all dove to the side, smashing into the nearest wall to avoid getting blown to bits. Dust and debris rained down.

“That heck of a drone wasn’t that strong before! What the hell happened?!” I yelled, panicked.

“I dunno!” Kaito shouted back, firing rapidly. “BUT WE NEED A DAMN PLAN TO TAKE THIS THING DOWN!”

My stomach sank as another flash hit me, futuregaze, wild and uncontrolled. Rin peeks from behind the wall, trying to check out the drone. And then, I see it: the shots hitting her arm, blood trickling out.

“Rin! NO! Don’t peek!” I yelled, lunging forward, but it’s too late. She exposes herself, the drone fires, and she screams in pain, jerking back behind the wall.

“AHHHHH! FUCK, FUCKING, FUUUUCCKKK! THAT STUPID DUMBASS DRONE, AHHHH!” Rin yells, clutching her arm.

Kaito kneels beside her immediately, assessing the damage. “Lucky for you,” he mutters, pulling bandages from his belt along with a small vial. “I’ve got some Virex. Painkiller drops. Should help a bit.” He pours it onto the wound, and Rin instantly goes from screaming in agony to stunned silence.

“The pain’s gone completely,” Kaito explains, wrapping her arm carefully to stop the blood. “But blood will still flow. Keep the bandage tight.”

Rin nods, muttering a shaky “Thank you…” while her eyes track the massive drone outside.

Kaito glances at me mid-wrap, urgency burning in his gaze. “Yuzuki! Distract the drone! Shoot it, throw something, just anything to keep it busy while I help Rin!”

I freeze. “W-What? HOW? I JUST CAN’T—”

“JUST DO IT!” Kaito interrupts sharply, eyes blazing.

I force myself to raise the blaster again. I fire blindly, shooting wildly without peeking. Each round misses, each shot sending sparks into the floor or walls, but it’s enough to get the drone to twitch and turn its focus occasionally.

While I keep it distracted, Kaito works methodically, pouring more Virex into Rin’s wound. Her eyes widen in shock and relief as the pain completely disappears. He wraps her arm tight, checks the bandage again, and nods.

“Keep it tight,” he instructs. “We’re not done yet.”

I glance at him, trembling. “Uhm… need some help here.”

Kaito and Rin nod. Rin suddenly freezes. “Crap! Forgot I’m out of ammo…”

Kaito tosses her a spare blaster. “Unlimited ammo, but watch for overheating.”

Rin grips it tight, determination blazing in her eyes. She’s ready. I’m ready. Kaito’s ready.

We all exchange a look. This drone is going down. Whoever is running this company, whoever is behind this chaos, will find out that we aren’t messing around. Not today. Not ever.

And with that, we prepare to strike.