A Finger of the Gods.

The hovercraft shone brightly in the sunlight, its metal surface reflecting the sun's rays. Axel and Byte stood there, fascinated, watching as the craft effortlessly glided through the air. It seemed to move without any effort, almost like it was floating.

Despite its speed, the hovercraft didn't make much noise, just a gentle whoosh as it passed by.

Axel was excited to spot a flying car. He hadn't seen them around as much as he'd have liked. However, he did catch sight of a few zooming past above Rusty Ridge a couple of times before everything fell apart. But since then, nothing.

"Not just any hovercraft, idiot. Authority hovercraft. They must be here to gather reports on the incidents. Quick! Hide in that cell."

Officer Alacantar snapped. She pointed towards an empty cell, but Axel didn't understand why he had to comply. When he asked her, she promised to explain later, insisting for now that he just stay inside the cell.

Axel obliged, entering the cell with Byte following closely behind. She settled at the far end, blending into the darkness within.

Moments later, a knock sounded at the office door. Officer Alacantar simply uttered, "Open," causing the door to slide open smoothly.

Three individuals walked into the room.

The first was an obese man, his thick layer of fat covering his neck and hands, the only visible parts not concealed by armor. He was bald, his shiny scalp catching the light from outside the office. His black uniform was adorned with gold linings and a single golden star.

'Authority...'

Axel thought with a hint of curiosity. The man, though not tall, had a presence that commanded attention.

Standing by his side were two robots unlike any Axel had seen before. They weren't your typical humanoid machines; instead, they resembled odd-looking black steel sticks awkwardly joined together to form bipedal metal creatures. It looked downright bizarre.

It was just a bunch of sticks clumsily stuck together. But what they lacked in appearance, they made up for with their deadly arsenal. Each held a sub-automatic machine gun, aimed forward, prepared to eliminate any potential threats.

Their heads were polished blocks of steel, smoothly curved at the sides. Two red lights beamed from what Axel assumed were their eyes, with a simple line marking where their mouths should be. No nose in sight.

Despite their absurd appearance, Axel couldn't deny that these robots were the future. After all, why would Authority officials bring them along if they weren't?

...

Quinn Alacantar rose from her seat as she noticed the layers of fat with in an armour entering the room.

"Sir," she addressed him respectfully.

Ignoring her, the man headed straight to the cell, his golden eyes fixated on the scrawny boy inside. A grotesque smile stretched across his almost white lips as he approached, his robots trailing behind him.

"If it weren't for the calamity, I would've arrested you and dragged you to HQ myself. It'd be easy to put a bullet through your sorry skull, Stray, but that's just a waste of good ammunition."

Ptui.

He spat in the boy's face, his blackened teeth and putrid breath emanating a foul stench. Axel felt a wave of nausea wash over him just from being in the same room with the man.

"Take this as a final warning, Stray. If our paths cross again and you're still not registered in the Data Sphere, your fate will be sealed. You'll meet your end at my hands. You're nothing but a worthless stray dog."

He spat one last time, then marched back to the standing officer.

"Give it here!"

He demanded, snapping his hand at her.

Officer Alacantar obediently placed a Data Card into his outstretched hand. The fat man's face lit up with a gleeful smile as he pocketed the card.

"If you stumble upon anything out of the ordinary during the cleanup, report it immediately. And if necessary, take care of that stray. There's no need to waste Authority resources on him."

With that, he stormed out of the room, leaving Axel behind with a scowl etched deep into his features.

"Who the hell was that jerk!? How dare they come in here and spat on someone like that?! That son of a bitch!!"

Axel's voice quivered with anger, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails bit into his skin, leaving angry marks. He had already wiped the spit from his face, but the humiliation lingered like a foul taste in his mouth.

As he looked down in frustration, Byte padded to him and rubbed her face against his legs.

For some reason, that bastard didn't even seem to notice her presence.

"Easy, Axel. That's Lord Fyodi Mova, a Legatee. He's a big shot, like way above a General."

"Why the heck would someone like him show up in Lykos? I'd expect a General or something, but a Legatee?"

"He's making the rounds, and with this Rhino turning into a Cyber Psycho, they gotta figure out where it came from. If it had anything to do with Necro-bot, they wouldn't even be sniffing around here."

"He's got an eye implant connected to the Data Sphere, yeah? Is that why you threw me in the lockup?"

"Yeah. If he spotted a Stray in the room without a cuff, he'd have offed both you and me. So, best not to dwell on it."

Quinn Alacantar let out a heavy sigh and slumped into her chair, gazing up at the ceiling as she contemplated the uncertain future.

She was convinced that this city would crumble within a month or two.

Just as Axel listened closely, he heard a crackling sound in his ears, akin to the static of a radio struggling to find a signal. It echoed faintly, as if distant and distorted by interference, teasing him with its fragmented message.

The distorted voice belonged to Vektor. Axel had tried reaching out to him before, but the signal was always spotty.

"Vektor, can you hear me?"

Axel called out, hoping against hope that his message would break through the interference.

Part of the problem was Axel's poverty, leaving him unable to upgrade his Brain Circuit. He simply didn't have the credits for it. The one currently residing in his brain was a second-hand model given to him out of pity by Viktor, Vektor's twin brother and a Ripperdoc.

The crackle of static filled the air, followed by a heavy silence.

"...Can you hear me now?"

"Yes! I can hear you perfectly."

He exclaimed with relief. Officer Alacantar looked at him with an amused smile. He reminded her of her little brother, before... before he was taken by the dead.

There was a sudden silence, no more static, just an eerie pause. Then, like a thunderclap,

"UPGRADE YOUR FUCKING CIRCUIT, AXIE!!!"

Vektor's voice roared through the line, causing Axel to flinch and hurriedly cover his ear, as if trying to shield himself from the onslaught of sound.