THE SIEGE OF NEOTROY

The wind howled across the barren plains, carrying dust and memories of battles long past. Aklion sat in the passenger seat of the old, rusted-out vehicle, staring out at the endless expanse of nothing. The sky above was dull, the kind of muted gray that had become a permanent backdrop to his life. Everything felt faded now, even the landscape—lifeless, like the emptiness gnawing at his gut.

Vectora sat beside him, her hands gripping the wheel, knuckles pale against the dull metal. Neither of them spoke for a long time. Silence had become their companion in the past few days, a fragile truce holding between the storm of their emotions. Aklion had never been one for words, and without INPAXX coursing through his veins, the usual aggression that bubbled under his skin had settled into a strange, unfamiliar calm. For the first time in his life, he felt… human.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She was frowning, staring hard at the road ahead. They had been together now—fighting, fucking, bleeding—but this would be it. The moment of separation. His heart clenched with an unfamiliar sensation. Was this regret? Or maybe something even softer, more terrifying.

System Notification:

Mental Stability: 72%

Emotional Instability Detected: Minor Anxiety

“Still not saying goodbye, huh?” Vectora finally broke the silence, her voice edged with frustration. “You’re really going to walk away from everything?”

Aklion didn’t answer immediately, still watching the horizon. He had known this conversation was coming—she’d been trying to convince him to stay with the rebels for days, but he couldn’t. Not now. Not after everything. He had been fighting his entire life, killing on orders, killing without question. And now, after everything, what did he have to show for it? A body covered in scars, a soul riddled with guilt, and a mind fractured by glitches and drugs.

“No more fighting,” he muttered. “No more bullshit wars. I’m done.”

Vectora exhaled sharply, her fingers tightening on the wheel again. “You really think you can walk away from it all? Just like that? Aklion, they’re going to come after you—both sides. Conglomerate. Rebels. You’re marked.”

“I know,” Aklion said, his voice low. “But I’m not fighting anymore. There’s gotta be more to life than killing.”

She scoffed. “You don’t believe that.”

Aklion turned to her then, his eyes sharper without the glaze of INPAXX fogging his thoughts. “Maybe I don’t, but I need to find out.”

Vectora was silent, her jaw clenched. She reached for the gear stick, pulling the vehicle to a stop in the middle of nowhere. Dust kicked up around them as the engine died, the only sound the wind whipping through the broken windows.

She turned to face him, her eyes hard but filled with something more. “Come with me. We could disappear. Find some place, a quiet farm or something, away from all of this shit… I’m tired too.”

Aklion blinked, caught off guard. “You’re serious?”

“I am,” she said, her voice suddenly softer, pleading. “We don’t have to keep fighting. We could just… live. For once. Away from the Conglomerate. Away from the rebels. Away from it all.”

Aklion felt a lump in his throat, something he hadn’t felt in years. For the first time in his life, someone was offering him peace. Real peace. Not a battlefield, not an objective, not orders barked through an AI system. Just… life.

But he shook his head. “You know that’s not going to work.”

“Why not?” she demanded, her eyes flashing. “Why the fuck not, Aklion? You’re not a machine anymore! You’re free. We’re free. We can choose!”

“I can’t,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. “Not yet. You’re a fighter, Vectora. You’re meant to lead the rebellion, to change things. I can’t take that from you. I can’t be the reason you walk away.”

She stared at him, her breath hitching. “What if I want to?”

He turned away, back to the horizon. “Then you’re not the person I thought you were.”

Silence again. A long, heavy silence. Vectora leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes as if she were trying to fight back something. Maybe tears. Maybe anger. Maybe both. But Aklion knew, deep down, that she wasn’t meant for the quiet life she was offering. They both knew it. She was a fighter, through and through.

He reached out, placing a hand on hers, and she didn’t pull away. “I care about you. More than I ever thought I could care about anyone.”

“Then why are you leaving?” she asked, her voice cracking.

“Because I need to figure out what’s next for me. I need to stop being someone else’s pawn.”

Vectora opened her eyes, looking at him with a mixture of frustration and sorrow. “You’re really going to walk away?”

“I have to.”

She shook her head, wiping at her eyes before starting the engine again. “I don’t understand you, Aklion. But… I guess that’s why I like you.”

Aklion smiled faintly, the kind of smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Maybe one day I’ll figure myself out too.”

They drove in silence again, the tension hanging heavy between them. Aklion’s mind wandered, thinking about everything that had led him to this point. The endless missions, the killing, the drugs. He had been numb for so long, and now, in the quiet absence of INPAXX, he wasn’t sure who he was anymore.

System Notification:

Mental Clarity: Increased by 10%

Emotional Range: Unlocked

As they reached the drop point, the middle of a desolate wasteland where nothing but sand and stone stretched for miles, Vectora stopped the vehicle again.

“This is it,” she said, her voice flat. “The middle of nowhere. Just like you wanted.”

Aklion unbuckled his seatbelt, grabbing his gear from the back of the vehicle. He hesitated for a moment, standing by the door. Vectora was still sitting in the driver’s seat, her eyes locked forward.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. “For everything.”

She didn’t respond, didn’t even look at him. The coldness in her posture was undeniable, but he knew it was her way of saying goodbye. He wanted to say more, to reach out and touch her, to tell her something that would make it all better. But what was the point? Words weren’t going to fix what had been broken inside both of them.

He turned and began walking into the desert.

The wind picked up again, swirling the dust around him as he walked away from the vehicle. The further he went, the quieter the world became, until the only sound was the crunch of his boots against the dirt.

He didn’t look back.

System Notification:

Mental Stability: Stable

Emotional Instability: Suppressed

Combat Readiness: Standby

Mission Objective: Undefined

Back in the vehicle, Vectora watched Aklion’s figure grow smaller and smaller until he disappeared into the haze of the desert. She clenched the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles turning white again. There was a part of her that wanted to go after him, to convince him one last time that they could make it work.

But she knew better.

With a sigh, she started the engine again, turning the vehicle around and heading back toward the rebel base. There was no time for emotions now. There were missions to plan, battles to fight. And Aklion… Aklion had made his choice.

Back in the rebel base she had barely slept in the following days. Her HUD blinked with an alert. Frowning, she glanced down, her brows furrowing at the notification.

Health Status Alert: Abnormalities Detected

Vectora’s heart skipped a beat. What the hell?