Merciless Brutes

As the first-morning ray pierced through the night sky, the militant group arrived at KD-554's headquarters with all of their available forces. DJ scouted the place with his cybernetic eyes before turning around to give orders. 

[DJ] - "Davis, you and group V will launch a secret strike at their command centre while the rest of us deal with their main force. "

As KD-554's men were falling asleep on their guard duty, they were met with a rude awakening composed of bullets, tank shells and explosions. Meanwhile, Davis and three other militants made their way to the command centre. At the door stood two half-asleep guards who were unaware of Davis' presence when he snuck up behind them. In an instant, Davis pierced their chest with a pair of massive blades that extended from his mechanical arms. 

[Davis] - "Move it! "

One of the militants moved inside the facility and with her enhanced eye, immediately locked every enemy before lighting the place up with a spray of seeker bullets which all found their target automatically. 

[KV] - "Clear! "

[Davis] - "Alright, go! "

The group quickly rushed into the facility while clearing anyone still alive. Outside, KD-554's men didn't stand a chance as the militants and their superior enhancements mowed them down. 

Deep inside the command centre, there was a repair bay with a central bed and a dozen mechanical arms hanging from the ceiling like a scene straight out of eldritch horror. The arms moved around a blonde woman in the middle with her face hidden from view. As the arms drove themselves into the woman's chest cavity, a female servant arrived inside the room. 

[KD-554] - "Can't you see I'm busy? "

[Servant] - "The militants are infiltrating the facility, ma'am! We can't hold any longer. "

[KD-554] - "So what? "

Said KD-554 in an unconcerned voice. 

One of the crooked arms pushed inside KD-554's chest before a loud pop echoed across the room. Another arm waiting at KD-554's back caught her spine before retreating into the ceiling. 

[Servant] - "Ma'am, please! They are killing us and are soon gonna be here! "

[KD-554] - "Then let them come. They arrived just in time to quench my bad mood. "

The room fell silent as KD-554's new spine was lowered into her back. 

[KD-554] - "Impatient as ever, huh? "

Davis and his team stopped in their track.

[KD-554] - "Eva was a great servant. What a shame she has to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. "

Davis pulled his massive blades out of the servant's back and allowed her to fall to the ground. 

[Davis] - "Approach with caution. "

[KD-554] - "In case, you didn't realize, I'm the leader of the occupation force. "

[Davis] - "So you were responsible for causing this mayhem in Trump City. "

[KD-554] - "This is a proxy war, something tied to the name of America. What's more patriotic than enacting the very thing that defined America's geopolitical relations? The four faction leaders decided to simply pass the torch to me when their hunger for power drove them to attack each other. Am I the invader here? "

[Davis] - "This is our city, we will never hand it over to some unknown pretentious prick like you! "

[KD-554] - "Hahaha! Pretentious prick. I like your vocabulary. For 10 years, I have been the one to smuggle imperial technology to America's research facilities. All the big corporations had access to top-notch military documents thanks to me. The Sandevistan, the composite armour used by America's maximum tactical response squads, and the netrunners' new generation of circuit chip, all thanks to my efforts. "

The arms quickly finished welding the new spinal cord to KD-554's back. 

[KD-554] - "I'm not a big fan of America today but do you know what's my favourite time period in American history? "

Two of Davis' men slowly approached KD-554 with their guns aimed at her. 

[Davis] - "Consider what you will say next, your last words. "

[KD-554] - "The good ol' days after 9/11! I simply think America's getting a bit too quiet these days. No proxy wars, no creating foreign political instability, no dividing the public with political and social ideologies. Just criminals running around like back in the 90s. How boring! But don't you worry, I'm planning on expanding my influence even more. By the time your children grow up, I'll be the hero they'll be seeing plastered on the street. "

[Davis] - "How are you going to expand if we have your entire base encircled and you cornered and about to be executed? "

[KD-554] - "Your overconfidence is the reason you are nothing but a lowly criminal. The only reason you never heard of me is because my enemies never lived to tell my tale. "

Said KD-554 with a sadistic smile.

Meanwhile, one of the mechanical arms violently pushed KD-554's chest plate back onto her chest. 

Outside, war prisoners were forced into a small enclosure surrounded by militants. As the last of the soldiers were being marched into captivity, one of the militants ran up DJ. 

[Militant] - "DJ, I think that's all of the outside coalition forces in the city. "

[DJ] - "It ain't over just yet. The coalition forces still have men outside of the city wall. "

The sun has now risen beyond the horizon and some of its light started to pour into the city. However, some corners of the city still harboured the last of the darkness left from the night. As the militants started to celebrate their victory, a blue glow suddenly shined from an obscure corner of the camp. 

[Militant 1] - "Those shitheads sure had a rude awakening when we arrived with our tanks. "

[Militant 2] - "Yeah right! You should've seen one of the guys. He was peeing his pants. "

Both of the militants laughed maniacally while holding their beer bottles. 

[Astroboy] - "I also received a rude awakening from pigeons who thought their branch nest can hold up against a hurricane. "

Said Astroboy in a cold, mechanical tone while putting his palm on both the militants' shoulders.

[Militant 1] - "Hey, I never seen you around! You new? "

[Astroboy] - "At least pigeons can sense when a hurricane is coming. "

[Militant 2] - "Never seen him but I like his sense of humour. "

The two militants laughed drunkenly thinking Astroboy was talking about KD-554's soldiers. 

[Astroboy] - "Hmm, I think you two had a little too much to drink. "

[Militant 1] - "Nonesense, man! Get us another beer and grab yourself one as well. "

[Astroboy] - "Sure, let me get rid of these empty bottles for you then. "

With a gentle tap on each of the bottles the men were holding, the glass immediately shattered into a shower of projectiles which pierced through concrete like butter. 

[Militant 1] - "God damn, man! What kind of modification is that? Who's your ripperdoc? " 

[Astroboy] - "They are limited edition. Here's the address. "

Said Astroboy as he handed a card to the two militants before walking away. 

[Militant 1] - "The Empire? "

Said the militant as he read the paper. 

[Militant 2] - "Probably some new place that opened in Night City. "

Astroboy walked to a group of militants before coming face to face with one of them. 

[Militant] - "What the hell is your problem? "

Astroboy suddenly blew a small breath of air at the militant's face. In an instant, the militant's head was pulverized into a spark of red. Before any of the other militants could react, Astroboy kicked the sand on the ground. In an instant, the grains of sand blasted the group into a pile of crimson paste. 

By now, Astroboy was surrounded by militants who immediately started to unload everything they had on him. From bullets to rockets to blades, nothing seemed to even leave a scratch on Astroboy. As a few of the militants jumped on him with melee weapons, Astroboy simply sighed in disappointment before swiftly touching each of them with the tip of his fingers. In a flash, their bodies shattered into a deadly spray of hypersonic projectiles that instantly silenced the din of gunfire and explosion that surrounded Astroboy. 

[Astroboy] - "Finally some silence. I can't even hear myself breathe. "

Time suddenly slowed as Buster appeared behind Astroboy with his fist raised in the air but to his shock, Astroboy simply turned his head around and stared him right in the eyes. Without paying mind to Astroboy's capabilities, Buster punched forward only for his fist to be stopped by Astroboy's pinky. With an amused smirk, Astroboy pressed his pinky forward and caused Buster to slide backward. By adding a bit of force, Astroboy soon forced Buster to kneel on the ground. 

[Buster] - "H... How? "

Said Buster as his joints started to crack due to excessive force. 

[Astroboy] - "Protein powder and gym, son. "

With each small increase in force, Buster was pushed further toward the ground. 

[Buster] - "Stop! Stop, you win! "

But Astroboy simply started at Buster with a pair of emotionless cold eyes as he applied even more pressure to his pinky. 

[Buster] - "AAAAH! AAAAAARGH! "

Screamed Buster in a terrified voice. 

*Crack* *Pop* *Crack*

Astroboy withdrew his pinky and shook off the blood that coated his nail. 

[Astroboy] - "Not entirely a robot yet I see but shame no technology can bring back objects which underwent pressurized combustion. "

Suddenly, a projectile impacted Astroboy's head before shattering into a rain of melting metal sparks. Looking back, the projectile can be retraced to one of the tanks the militants owned. 

[Tank gunner] - "Did he just ate a railgun shot and took no damage? "

[DJ] - "That's impossible! You probably missed, shoot him again! "

Another massive projectile collided head-on with Astroboy's face but instead of killing him, it only served to frustrate him even more. As Astroboy started to approach the tank, the gunner immediately jumped out of the vehicle out of fear. 

[DJ] - "Get back here! Traitor! "

Instead of chasing after the deserter, DJ quickly sat on the gunner's seat inside the tank and fired another round at Astroboy. With insane reaction speed, Astroboy simply swung at the air and the sheer air pressure forced the round to diverge from its course. 

[DJ] - "Impossible! This is impossible! "

Screamed DJ in disbelief. 

Droplets of sweat slowly appeared on DJ's forehead as he held the trigger with increasing anxiety. As DJ was increasing his focus on the gun sight, the watch on his arm suddenly began to beep. After pulling the trigger, the massive tank shell hit Astroboy at almost blank range but before the smoke could clear off, DJ laid back on his seat and reset his alarm. Suddenly, a blue glow appeared in the gunner's sight. DJ quickly understood what it meant for him as his alarm started beeping again. 

[DJ] - "Shit... "

With a single punch, Astroboy created so much air pressure that the tank split into a mess of broken and bent metal pieces. The other militant tank started to flee but Astroboy picked up a loose bolt from the ground and placed it in his palm. With a simple blow of air, the bolt flew toward the tank with so much power that it caused an ammo cook-off. 

[Astroboy] - "To anyone who might still be alive, this is a warning. Oppose our rule of the city and you will be annihilated without- "

The rest of the militant forces gathered behind different covers and started to fire at Astroboy.

[Astroboy] - "I don't appreciate people interrupting me. "

Said Astroboy in a spiteful voice. 

With a single jump, Astroboy flew into the clouds. The further he distanced himself from the ground, the more the number increased inside the visor. 

[0.5]

[0.8]

[2.0]

[6.0]

[10.0]

[Astroboy] - "This should do fine. "

In an instant, Astroboy dropped from the sky into the ground below. The amount of kinetic force applied by Astroboy's body was the equivalent of 10 kt of TNT. This amount of force created an explosion similar to that of a nuclear bomb upon the militant forces which wiped all of them out alongside all of KD-554's men who were captured. 

Inside the facility, after careful observation, one of the militants finally gathered enough courage to attack KD-554. He charged at KD-554 with a pair of mantis blades which extended from his arms but as soon as he got close enough, KD-554 extended her wrist blades. In swift exchange, KD-554 sliced off one of the man's weapons before impaling him to the wall with it. 

As another militant began to shoot at KD-554, time suddenly slowed to a halt. KD-554 observed the bullet which was moving in slow motion toward her before stepping back against the wall. In a swift slash, she opened up the curtain behind the operating table which revealed a massive quad mount 23mm anti-aircraft guns. 

[KD-554] - "You fools! It's another machine gun. "

Yelled KD-554 in an enthusiastic voice. 

From Davis' perspective, the massive gun mount appeared out of nowhere as all of KD-554's actions happened in a matter of milliseconds. 

[Davis] - "What the fuck is that?! "

Said Davis with a look of shock on his face. 

Before he could do anything, a massive rain of bullets filled the room. The militant pinned to the wall was instantly reduced to a puddle of charcoal. The other militant fired a few shots at KD-554 but they did no damage to her armoured skin. 

[KD-554] - "Shout out to Kim Jong Un, mother fucker! "

In an instant, the hellfire of bullets was turned against the militant who immediately was dissected a total of 25 times. 

[Davis] - "What are you two doing? Don't just stand there! "

Yelled Davis at the rest of his subordinates. 

One of the militants nodded her head before starting to hack KD-554's systems. Meanwhile, the other militant locked her sight on the weak points of the gun. In quick succession, the tracer bullets immediately found their target and neutralized the anti-aircraft cannon's mechanism. 

[KD-554] - "You people really know how to ruin my fun, don't you? "

Said KD-554 in a frustrated voice as her eyes turned purple. 

[Davis] - "Have you breached her system yet? "

[Militant] - "Not yet, I can't seem to- AAAAHHH! " 

The militant screamed in pain before all the electronic components inside her head detonated in unison. The other militant immediately locked her sights on KD-554's vulnerable spots but after firing her gun, the bullets somehow all came back and drilled into her skull instead. 

[KD-554] - "I'm fucking invincible! "

Now Davis is the only person alive in front of KD-554. Davis pushed the massive blades out of his arm as he worryingly stared at KD-554 in the eyes. With a hint of satisfaction on her face, KD-554 slowly advanced toward Davis while her blade scraped against the wall. 

[Davis] - "This is Davis, I need backup! "

Yelled Davis into his radio. 

[Davis] - "Come in, anyone! "

Said Davis with increasing fear as his sight rested upon the mangled bodies of his squad. 

[KD-554] - "There is no use calling your friends. They are all dead already. "

[Davis] - "That's impossible! We capture all of your army. "

Said Davis as he gradually started to back off. 

[KD-554] - "Then why aren't they responding? Why aren't they coming to save you? "

Said KD-554 with a sadistic smile on her face. 

At that point, KD-554's eyes turned into a crimson shade of red in which Davis could see his own reflection. Davis may not know it yet but his fear already paralyzed his limbs. Soon, KD-554 was close enough for Davis to see his own frightened expression in her eyes. At that moment, Davis realized that he was staring at death in the eyes which finally compelled him to start running for his life. 

Instead of chasing after him, KD-554 simply mocked him as he ran away like terrified prey. 

[KD-554] - "Call for help! Run like the pathetic dog you are! This city is mine and you will be nothing but a rat festering in its sewers once I rebuild it. "

Davis exited the facility only to find a wasteland in front of his eyes. The real terror wasn't the endless expanse of flattened ground or the massive dust storm that lingered in the air. The real terror was the absence of life in a place where hundreds used to roam. 

[Davis] - "Is anyone still alive? Anyone? Hello? "

Screamed Davis as he ran headfirst into the dust storm. 

After expanding all of his energy screaming and running, he finally fell to his knees. 

[Davis] - "AAAAAAARGH! "

Yelled Davis in shock and terror. 

As Davis stayed immobile in a state of shock, Astroboy walked through the dust cloud right past him. 

[Davis] - "You... you are not one of the survivors, aren't you? 

[Astroboy] - "No, I am death, destroyer of worlds. No one could survive my wrath. "

[Davis] - "Kill me! End my suffering, let me join the others! "

Said Davis as he ran after Astroboy. 

[Astroboy] - "I don't feel like it. "

[Davis] - "Why? What's one more? You killed all of my friends and family, so why not one more? "

Astroboy turned around with an amused smirk on his face. 

[Astroboy] - "Look, I can't make this conversation sound poetic for more than a few sentences, so let me be frank with you. Death happens to all who dare oppose KD-554 and me. I simply find it boring to kill people who want to die. If you ain't screaming, I ain't killin'. "

Said Astroboy in a fake tone of compassion. 

After finishing his sentence, Astroboy simply disappeared into the dust storm while Davis was left motionless on the ground. A while later, Astroboy entered the facility just in time to meet KD-554. 

[Astroboy] - "My lady, how pleased I am to see you safe and sound. "

[KD-554] - "Spare me the formality, Astroboy. I need you on perimeter duty. "

[Astroboy] - "What's wrong? Dan fell off and died? "

[KD-554] - "I require his ability for my upcoming hunt. "

[Astroboy] - "I could as well assist you in your hunt, my lady. "

[KD-554] - "Your ability is too brutal and inconvenient. I do not wish to have my prize destroyed and I want to be able to hunt her myself. "

[Astroboy] - "Very well, my lady. "

KD-554 walked up to Astroboy and gently held him by the chin. 

[KD-554] - "Now, now, don't be sad. You have served well. As a reward, I shall allow you to be the first one to defile my new body once I acquire it. "

[Astroboy] - "T- thank you, my lady! "

KD-554 withdrew her hand 

[KD-554] - "Let's move, shall we? We still have a lot to do. "

To be continued...