Fierce Encounter

The daybreak heralds a new morning, bringing with it a bright red light that now partially illuminates the devastated landscape. The large, twisted metal beams that permeate the scenery reflect the sunlight with a pale crimson glow. While the ground, composed mostly of gray dust and pulverized glass, also reflects the shimmer coming from above, but with greater intensity.

The combination of the reflected light with the large shards of glass that occasionally sprout from the terrain makes the process of navigating through it a challenge, even with proper equipment.

Within this scenery, a lone figure stands out. It’s the figure of a violet mechanical suit, half-destroyed, with parts of its plate filled with gaps and exposed wires.

No. 02189, the man inside the N.R.I.C.A. walks aimlessly. As he knows very well that despite being alive, he’s now effectively dead. No, not even that, for that the dead were at least collected from the battlefield. No.02189 was for all intents and purposes, obliterated.

02189 looks at the panel on his wrist, it shows the nano-bot battery of his N.R.I.C.A. is at 12% right now.

The man sighs, knowing that nano-robots in his armor are the only reason he’s not dead yet. As they provide not only the energy for the armor to work, but are also responsible for supplying nutrients to his body when he hasn’t consumed anything in a long time.

However, 02189 hadn’t time to be thinking about his predicament, as he heard footsteps frantically approaching him from behind. The man immediately turned his body around and pointed his gun.

There wasn’t enough time to react, 02189 couldn’t even pull the trigger as a big hammer just knocked the machine gun out of his hand.

CLANG!!!

02189 rapidly hops back a few feet trying to assert the situation he was in. As he did, he finally saw the frame of his assailant.

It was a very beautiful girl, with a mesmerizing and delicate figure. Her long blond hair was tied up in loosely braided pigtails with bangs also braided, however diagonally. It was quite an uncommon scene to witness, a young woman in a crop top wielding a sledgehammer that seemed way too cumbersome for someone with her size to wield.

“Please surrender and I won’t have to knock you down! – Said the girl with the weapon already in attack position.”

02189 said nothing, he just jumped forth trying to reach for his weapon again, however, the young woman was ready for any counter-attack. She again swayed the sledgehammer in a downwards slam. 02189 used the forearms of his armor to try to protect himself from the attack, but, that sledgehammer was not an ordinary one.

FSHOOOOOO!!!!!!

Thrusters on the sides of the sledgehammer’s head started to ignite forcing 02189 down and cracking, even more, his already damaged N.R.I.C.A.

The man knew he didn’t have much time in that situation. If he doesn’t somehow escape that position, he’s having at the very least his arms crushed, so 02189 had to think fast, and so he did.

“Activate Protocol E!!”

The armor rattled many times and expelled some steam from its fractures and gaps.

But the girl wasn’t fazed by this unexpected event, as she continued to force through with her sledgehammer.

Give up already!! – shouted her.

The hammer completely smashes down armor and machine gun alike, as the crushing sound of metal resonates while dust and sand rise through the air.

The young woman pales for a moment as she did not expect that her attack would outright kill her adversary.

VWOOOOOON!!

Without any warning, the dust disperses as some kind of vibrating blade pierces through the air and tries to slice the neck of the girl, but the thrusters on the hammer rotated their direction projecting the girl’s body back just a few inches before the mysterious blade could reach her neck.

When the dust completely dissipates it becomes clear; that what was crushed was only an empty armor as what was standing before her was the person inside the mechanical suit. Only the helmet and some kind of backpack reminisced from the original N.R.I.C.A.

The man now was still wearing armor, but it was a skin-tight one, it was possible to see some of his muscles as the armor only had bulkier metal parts on the hands, feet, joints, and pelvic areas. Moreover, now it was clear that the one inside the armor didn’t have the bulk expected of a trained soldier, nor one of a fully grown-up man. But rather, it was more akin to a slightly toned teenage boy.

“Stop it! We don’t need to fight anymore!” – says the girl still in an offensive position.

“You’re the one who attacked me first! You disgusting Blue!!” – answers the young man.

“I can explain! Please hear me out!”

The girl’s pledge was in vain, as 02189 rushed with his short sword in a series of thrusts and slashes.

VWOOOON, VUSH!!, VWOOOOOONNN-

The young woman had already noticed, as much as she didn’t know what exactly was that sword, she knew it would be very bad to be hit by it.

She used the kinetic force of hers’s sledgehammer’s swings to spin around; and in unison with her incredible flexibility and athletic capacities, the girl just barely escapes the barrage of attacks without a single scratch.

“I must admit, for a Blue, you can move well.”

“But, just hoppin’ around won’t save you!!”

This is bad, between that escape and this vibrating sword I don’t have more than 5% nano-bots left… I need to finish this soon!

“I really don’t know what you meant by ‘Blue’, but if you don’t want to talk, then you leave me no choice…” – responds the blond girl.

02189 side-steps readjusting his position until he reaches near a metallic beam. The young woman accompanies his movements closely, but without walking a single step.

The two stare at each other intensely, waiting for the smallest movement, waiting for a single hesitant move.

No, I mustn’t waver! I have to remember what the professor said to me. Even if I don’t wanna kill anyone. I have to protect myself!

This boy made a big mistake by increasing the distance, my weapon has the biggest reach. Even if that strange sword looks dangerous; if I hit him first, I still win!

The first move is indeed made by the one holding the sledgehammer. The girl runs towards 02189 and spins her whole body around, while the hammer’s thrusters ignite with maximum potency. It’s an all-out attack!

02189 sees the attack coming at him at an incredible speed, but looks extremely composed and collected.

He makes a swift attack. Not against the one coming in his direction, but against the metal beam beside him.

The large beam screeches as the vibrating blade easily slide through it. Sparks and smoke follow through the slice, while the edges around the cut gleam in bright red.

SKREEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Soon the whole pillar comes down, directly above the girl’s head.

CRASH!!!!!!!!!!

…

..

.

A large cloud of dust arises with the fall of the large shaft of metal. 02189 once again checks the panel on his wrist (a smaller version, than the one the original armor had). It’s now flickering in red signalizing that there’s less than 1% battery left.

He slowly approaches the place of the impact, and to his surprise, the girl is still alive. Upon more attentive examination, he realizes she hadn’t been hit by the pillar. She must’ve switched the thruster’s rotation at the last second, allowing her to not be hit by the falling structure. However, she wasn’t unscathed. A big chunk of glass was now piercing her left leg, right above the ankle, and her sledgehammer was now many feet away from her.

“This is the end” – 02189 asserts.

“Ugh, a-alright, it’s your… win” – answer the girl panting in pain.

The girl closes her eyes as if accepting her destiny.

02189 rises his vibrating short sword while staring at the young woman’s hopeless expression. As the sword swings down, it is destined to slice the blond girl’s throat, 02189 once again hears his own voice inside his head.

“Why!?”