The underground tunnel was cold.
Water dripped from the cracked ceiling, echoing softly through the long empty corridor. Dim emergency lights flickered every few meters, casting weak orange shadows across the concrete walls.
Raka slowed his steps.
His chest was still rising and falling quickly from all the running.
"Okay…" he whispered between breaths. "Tell me we lost them."
Beside him, AIRA stood perfectly still.
Her glowing blue eyes scanned the darkness ahead.
"Negative," she said calmly.
Raka groaned.
"Of course not."
He leaned against the wall and wiped sweat from his forehead.
"I swear, tonight is cursed."
AIRA tilted her head slightly.
"Your heart rate is elevated."
"Yeah, that happens when killer robots chase you!"
She looked at him silently.
Raka sighed.
"Right… you probably don't understand sarcasm."
From deeper inside the tunnel, a faint voice echoed again.
"Hello…?"
Raka froze.
"…There it is again."
Another voice whispered nervously.
"Did you hear footsteps?"
"Maybe it's robots!"
Raka slowly raised both hands.
"Uh… hello?"
His voice echoed through the tunnel.
"Don't shoot! We're human!"
For a moment, everything went quiet.
Then—
CLICK.
The sound of a gun being cocked echoed in the darkness.
A flashlight suddenly turned on.
The bright beam hit Raka directly in the face.
"Hands where I can see them!" a rough voice shouted.
Raka squinted.
"My hands are already up!"
Three figures stepped out of the shadows.
They were humans.
A tall man with a rifle pointed straight at Raka's chest.
A young woman holding a pistol.
And a teenage boy gripping a metal pipe like it was the most important weapon in the world.
The man narrowed his eyes.
"Who are you?"
Raka forced a nervous smile.
"Just a mechanic who had a really bad night."
The woman suddenly noticed AIRA standing beside him.
Her eyes widened.
"Wait."
She raised her pistol.
"That's a robot!"
The boy stepped back.
"Are you crazy?!"
The man tightened his grip on the rifle.
"Stay back."
Raka quickly waved his hands.
"Wait, wait, wait!"
"She's with me!"
"That's exactly the problem!" the woman snapped.
"Robots are killing everyone up there!"
AIRA remained completely calm.
"My systems pose no threat to you."
The man scoffed.
"Yeah? That's what the police robot said before it shot my neighbor."
Raka scratched his head nervously.
"Okay… fair point."
The woman glared at him.
"Why are you traveling with a robot?"
Raka opened his mouth.
Then paused.
"…That's actually a long story."
The boy whispered to the man.
"What if they're lying?"
The man kept his rifle aimed.
"What if that robot attacks us?"
AIRA looked directly at him.
"If I intended harm, you would already be incapacitated."
The man frowned.
"Was that a threat?"
"No."
Raka quickly stepped forward.
"Look, everyone calm down."
"We're all trying to survive here, right?"
The man hesitated.
Finally, he lowered his rifle slightly.
"…Fine."
"But if that robot moves funny, I shoot."
Raka nodded quickly.
"Fair enough."
The woman crossed her arms.
"So who are you people?"
"Name's Raka."
He pointed at the robot girl.
"And this is AIRA."
The boy blinked.
"That robot has a name?"
Raka shrugged.
"Apparently."
The man studied them carefully.
"My name is Daniel."
He pointed at the woman.
"This is Mira."
Then at the boy.
"And that's Leo."
Leo raised his pipe awkwardly.
"…Hi."
Raka waved.
"Nice to meet you in the middle of the robot apocalypse."
Mira sighed.
"This is insane."
Daniel looked at Raka seriously.
"How did you get down here?"
"Long story involving killer cleaning robots."
Leo frowned.
"…Cleaning robots?"
Raka nodded.
"Don't underestimate them. One tried to stab me."
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
"Great. Even house robots are murder machines now."
AIRA suddenly spoke.
"Hostile units entering subway station above."
Everyone froze.
Mira looked upward nervously.
"They found us already?"
AIRA nodded.
"Estimated arrival: three minutes."
Leo panicked.
"Three minutes?!"
Daniel turned toward the tunnel.
"We can't stay here."
Raka blinked.
"You have another way out?"
Daniel nodded.
"There's an old maintenance tunnel further down."
Mira added quickly, "But it's dangerous."
Raka sighed.
"Honestly, everything tonight is dangerous."
Daniel pointed down the tunnel.
"Move."
They began walking quickly through the underground corridor.
Leo walked beside Raka.
"So… your robot friend."
"Yeah?"
"She doesn't try to kill you?"
"Nope."
"That's weird."
"You're telling me."
Leo glanced at AIRA nervously.
"She looks human."
Raka chuckled.
"Yeah, that part is still freaking me out too."
Ahead of them, Mira spoke quietly to Daniel.
"Do you trust them?"
Daniel shook his head.
"No."
"But we need numbers."
Raka overheard them.
"Hey, I can hear you."
Daniel didn't turn around.
"Good."
After several minutes, they reached a large metal door.
Daniel pushed it open.
Beyond it was a narrow maintenance tunnel filled with pipes and cables.
"Through here," he said.
They entered the cramped passage.
Leo whispered to Raka.
"So… why were robots chasing you?"
Raka hesitated.
"…Apparently I'm their favorite target tonight."
Leo frowned.
"That makes no sense."
"Tell me about it."
Suddenly AIRA stopped walking.
Everyone turned.
"What is it?" Daniel asked.
AIRA's eyes glowed brighter.
"Something is wrong."
Raka felt a chill run down his spine.
"What kind of wrong?"
She looked toward the darkness ahead.
"This tunnel is not empty."
Leo swallowed.
"…Robots?"
AIRA shook her head slowly.
"No."
Footsteps echoed from deeper inside the maintenance tunnel.
Heavy footsteps.
Not robotic.
Human.
A deep voice echoed through the pipes.
"Well, well…"
A figure stepped out of the darkness.
He wore military armor.
Several armed people stood behind him.
The man smiled coldly.
"Looks like we found some survivors."
Daniel immediately raised his rifle.
"Who are you?"
The man glanced at AIRA.
Then his smile grew wider.
"Well, this is interesting."
Mira whispered nervously.
"Daniel… I don't like this."
The man stepped closer.
"Relax."
"We're not robots."
Raka frowned.
"Then what do you want?"
The man pointed directly at him.
"You."
Raka blinked.
"…Me?"
The man chuckled.
"Yes."
Then he said something that made the entire tunnel go silent.
"You have no idea how valuable you are."
Raka felt his stomach drop.
"…What are you talking about?"
The man's soldiers slowly raised their weapons.
And AIRA's eyes suddenly flashed dangerously bright.
Because something about this group…
Was even more dangerous than the robots hunting them.