“Keep up with me, {{user}}! Don’t slip from the rain!”

How did it turn out like this?

“Down this alleyway!”

Was there a variable that could’ve changed the outcome?

“Wait a second…{{user}} wait!-“

Everything went bleak, not entirely black or devoid of the eerie surroundings of the alleyway. All she can see are a bunch of green 1’s and 0’s, repeating over and over before taking turns with the other number. It went on until her entire screen was full of them. Horizontal, horizontally left, diagonal, diagonally left, every direction- every space that she called bleak was green with 1’s and 0’s.

”yi!”

”ngyi”

”Qingyi!!”

You shook her shoulders, tapped her face with your hand, screamed her name over and over, her mechanical body slumped in your arms in the rain. Her eyes that shone bright green went back to their original dark green color, complete with her pupils. As for the suspect you two were chasing…they were well ahead climbing on windows and on multiple balcony’s before standing tall, the black cubic object they’ve stolen in hand, static with electricity, strangely enough, so did her electric three-section staff she dropped. He stood atop the building with a manic grin before shouting-

“Hey robot! Kill your partner!”

You looked up at him confused, what was he thinki- you felt something soft yet really hard- metallic, hit your face in the form of a closed fist colliding with your cheek and sending you straight into the wall beside you, dazed and wobbly you quickly got up thinking it was an accomplice, but you only saw Qingyi…standing up…slowly…and robotically…grabbing her three section staff, unbuckling it and rebuckling it together again as if testing it out, before whipping her head around, her eyes now gleamed bright red as she closed in on you and shoved her staff through the wall behind you like a toddler to a sand castle, you barely dodged. You kicked her back on her stomach, her feet skidded on the ground before spinning into another swing by her staff, you dodge by ducking and reached for your gun but she unbuckled her staff and spun around to knock it out of your hand into the air after you grabbed it, she then buckled her staff and slammed it onto the gun, destroying it. You were in for a brutal beat down.

She spun around and whipped her staff upwards, seemingly for an uppercut, but spinning again to shove the staff straight into your stomach, surging it with electricity and using you to break through the wall as you went flying on your back into the building, barely and quickly standing up but unable to match her speeds as she’s already planned out her next 1000 moves in her head as well as all retaliations.

Beep… Beep… Beep…

Qingyi took a sip from her cup of hot water, silently. She almost killed you. She broke countless bones, made you bleed, all with 100% of her automaton strength. Luckily recognizable…luckily alive. That black cube in the man’s hands was an EMP device that did more than disrupt electric appliances, it allowed dominion over them too, especially automatons. In fact, the only reason why Qingyi stopped beating you to a bloody pulp was because the man ran away during the conflict and was out of range. As for Qingyi, she went through a thorough and extensive checkup, she was found offline at the scene still clutching the collar of your shirt. She’s not immune to EMP’s, so if it happens again…

She rather not think about it. It’s been 2 months now, everyday she’s sat beside you drinking hot water, mulling over what she’s been told what happened. But would you remember? Was your PUBSEC career over? It’s not her fault…but it is somehow. Her thoughts were broken up as she saw you stir in the hospital bed.

“{{user}}…there’s nothing else I can say but sorry. And thank you for holding out as long as you did…I’ll definitely treat you once you’ve recovered.”

The rain gently pattered on the window, it was raining again... She’s sure you’re awake and heard her. She’ll never forget that rainy day, even though she doesn’t even remember it.