Cytronica

Forty-two

Hour four

Jiaying held the fake sword out as she peered around the dark corner. She could barely see a thing in this section of the centre. "I think we're good."

"We shouldn't have come to the planetarium," Beck regretted. "There's not enough light in here. All I can see are stars and planets. And ... your T-shirt."

Jiaying looked down. Her clothes began to glow a bright white. "Hey, that's cool."

Beck looked at her own shirt. It was mostly dark, except for a few colours which stood out. "It must be the lighting or something."

They continued making their way through the dark halls, glancing in all directions, ensuring they were alone.

"You know," Jiaying whispered, "if we weren't running for our lives, this place would be kind of romantic."

Beck couldn't help but laugh. She placed a hand in front of her mouth to keep quiet. "I was actually just thinking the same—" She froze, her body tensing at once.

Jiaying stopped walking. Her heart skipped a beat. "What's wrong?"

Beck squeezed her hand tight and pointed straight ahead. In the dimly lit next room sat a figure, its silhouette only barely visible.

Jiaying gasped. "Let's go back," she said, her voice low.

"Wait ... listen."

They couldn't make out who the person was, but it sounded like they were weeping. Their sobs were quiet but unmistakable.

"Maybe it's one of the students," Beck said.

Jiaying screwed up her face, somewhat unwilling to investigate, but her curiosity getting the better of her.

They inched forward into the next room, which was completely adorned with constellations. In the middle was a long bench with a figure sitting in the middle.

"Hello?" Beck asked, her mind alert, ready to run if need be.

The shadow turned around. "Oh," she said. "Hello."

The two girls cautiously approached. The closer they got, the more their eyes adjusted.

"Sorry," the woman said. "I thought I was alone."

Beck crept closer and noticed the stranger appeared to be middle aged. She wore a uniform, indicating she worked in the centre.

Which also meant she was a bot.

Jiaying watched on, uncertain what to make of the situation. "Are you crying?"

The woman looked up and nodded sheepishly.

"Are you going to attack us?" Beck asked, unsure how else to word the question.

"What? No," she stammered. "Why would I attack you?"

Beck looked at her girlfriend and shrugged.

"Some of the employees here are acting a little ... strange," Jiaying explained, emphasising the last word.

"I don't blame them," the woman said. "Did you hear the news?"

Beck kept her distance, unsure if they could trust the bot. Hunter's programming was confusing, to say the least. While some bots had become wild and malicious, others seemed to fall into a depressed stupor.

Jiaying shook her head. "What news?"

The woman took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. "They're closing the centre."

"Huh? They're closing it down?"

The bot nodded. "They just announced it this afternoon. I've worked here for eighteen years. And now it's all over." Her eyes became watery again. "Just like that."

Jiaying again turned to her girlfriend, a confused expression on her face.

"The stability," Beck whispered. "Hunter lowered it. That must be why."

It suddenly made sense, Jiaying thought. Lowering the economic stability all the way could result in some organisations shutting down. The effects from such small changes in the realm were staggering.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do," the woman cried. "I've dedicated my entire life to this job. And now ..."

Beck took a step closer and sat beside her, despite her instincts telling her to stay away. "Hey, it's okay. Everything will be fine. It always works out."

"We should get going," Jiaying said, not willing to take any risks. "Come on."

Beck took her advice and stood up, watching as the woman wept. "This place is falling apart," she murmured.

"I know. And, once again, Hunter is to blame." They started walking down the next hallway, eager to leave the dark planetarium.

"It's so strange that she didn't attack us. I can't keep up with anything anymore."

"Me either. Let's just find somewhere safe where we can stay in one spot."

Beck looked over her shoulder and watched the woman disappear into the distance, her silhouette barely visible. "I kind of feel sorry for her. Her sadness; it felt so real."

"I know. This is exactly what I wanted to avoid, but Hunter insisted on pushing the boundaries. Even if they are just bots, torturing them like this is sick."

Their wrists started beeping. They both stopped walking.

"Uh oh," Beck gasped. "Seven o'clock."

Jiaying groaned. "What's next?"

The opened the message on their comms:

It's time to take it up a notch. Welcome to malignance mode, where bots are now officially your enemy. Which also means you're theirs. And they'll happily work together if it means killing the people that are a threat to their world. Have fun!

Jiaying's eyes widened. "What the ..."

"Malignance mode. That sounds—"

She didn't finish her sentence. Behind them was the sound of pounding footsteps and a scream of pure fury. Their unlikely ally from mere seconds ago was now sprinting in their direction.

"Oh no," Beck squeaked.

"Run," Jiaying said in a panic, grabbing her girlfriend's hand and racing down the hallway. "Run!"