Apocalypse System: Zero-Day

The Reaper's Edge

Silver’s POV

The System Reaper didn't give me time to think.

It fired.

A blinding beam of blue plasma erupted from its arm cannon. I threw myself backward, crashing over a desk. The plasma tore through the metal, melting the workstation into a puddle of liquid steel.

Cassian screamed, curling into a ball on the floor.

I scrambled to my feet, my heart hammering against my ribs. I raised my hand, desperate to fire an Error Strike, but my HUD flashed a harsh red.

[WARNING: STAMINA DEPLETED.]

[ERROR STRIKE UNAVAILABLE.]

I was completely tapped out. The fight with the Cyber-Hounds in the simulation had drained every ounce of energy I had. I was a Level 3 anomaly with a metal stapler against a Level 20 executioner.

"System," I muttered, looking for an exit. "Any advice?"

[ADVICE: RUN.]

The Reaper stepped forward, its heavy metal boots crushing the floor tiles. It raised its fist and brought it down. I rolled to the right, the fist smashing into the ground inches from my head, sending a shockwave of dust into the air.

I lunged forward, driving the metal stapler into its knee joint.

It snapped in half. The Reaper didn't even flinch. It backhanded me across the room.

I hit the wall, the air leaving my lungs in a violent rush. My vision blurred. My health bar dropped to a terrifying 10/100.

I coughed, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor. The Reaper walked toward me, its cannon charging up again. This was it. I had survived Ayana's betrayal, the surface monsters, and the thugs, only to be deleted in a sterile GPO office by a machine.

"Silver!" Cassian yelled.

To my shock, the coward actually grabbed a metal chair and swung it at the Reaper. The chair shattered against the Reaper's armored back. The machine paused, its head swiveling toward Cassian.

"Run, you idiot!" I yelled.

The Reaper grabbed Cassian by the throat, lifting him off the ground. Cassian choked, his legs kicking uselessly. The machine didn't care about Cassian; it was just processing an obstacle. It threw Cassian across the room like a ragdoll. He hit the wall with a sickening crack and went silent.

The Reaper turned back to me. Its cannon glowed a brilliant white.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the end.

But the end didn't come.

The ceiling above the Reaper exploded. A massive, golden blast of energy tore through the concrete, slamming into the Reaper's chest. The machine was thrown backward, its armor shattering under the force of the blow.

A figure dropped through the hole in the ceiling, landing between me and the Reaper.

He was wearing heavy, blackened armor, and his right arm was wrapped in glowing golden gauntlets that hummed with immense power.

Lyon.

The Titan Enforcer. The strongest player in Sector One.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I rasped.

Lyon didn't look at me. He stared down the Reaper, which was already climbing back to its feet, its red optical sensors blazing with fury.

"I've been tracking the GPO's energy signatures for weeks," Lyon said, his voice cold. "I knew Vance was hiding something down here."

The Reaper charged, swinging a massive blade of pure data. Lyon stepped forward, meeting the blade with his gauntlet. The clash created a shockwave that blew the windows out of the office.

Lyon was a Level 25 Titan. The Reaper was a Level 20 executioner. It should have been an even fight. But Lyon moved like a monster. He caught the Reaper's blade, snapped it in half, and drove his golden fist straight through the machine's chest.

The Reaper froze. Its red eyes flickered and died. Lyon ripped his hand out of its chest, letting the heavy metal husk crash to the floor.

I stared at him, barely able to breathe. "You killed it."

"I told you," Lyon said, turning toward me. "I want to reach the Admin Zone. And Vance is the only one who knows how to get there."

He grabbed my arm, hauling me to my feet.

"We need to move," Lyon said. "The GPO is locking down the sector. If we don't get out of here in the next five minutes, we're both dead."

"What about him?" I asked, nodding toward Cassian. He was groaning, clutching his broken arm.

"Leave him," Lyon said coldly. "He's dead weight."

I looked at Cassian. I hated him. He was the reason Ayana left me. But if I left him here, the GPO would execute him.

"Grab him," I said. "I'm not leaving him to die."

Lyon raised an eyebrow. "You're a fool."

"Maybe," I said, pulling Cassian to his feet. "But he's my leverage."

We ran. Lyon blasted a hole through the reinforced steel doors with his gauntlets, and we sprinted down the smoke-filled corridors. The alarms were deafening, and the heavy footsteps of GPO guards echoed behind us.

Lyon punched through the final blast door. We stumbled out into the cold night air.

But we weren't in Sector One anymore.

We were on the surface.

The city was a sea of fire. The Global Reset had begun. Massive, towering creatures of pure code were descending from the sky, tearing through the ruins.

And standing on the edge of the rooftop, waiting for us, was a small army of heavily armed survivors. They weren't GPO. They were mercenaries.

At the front of the group stood a woman in a long black coat, holding a sniper rifle. She lowered her scope as we approached.

"Well, well," she said, her voice smooth and dangerous. "The Titan and the Glitch. I was wondering when you two would show up."

Lyon stepped in front of me, his golden gauntlets glowing. "Who are you?"

She smiled. "My name is Margot. I'm the one who hired Vance. And I'm the one who's going to kill him."

She raised her rifle, aiming directly at Lyon's chest.

"You have two choices," she said. "Join my mercenaries, or die here."

I looked at Lyon. He looked at me.

We were trapped.