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A man was stabbed. In front of everyone, in the center of the plaza, a man was killed. The culprit was the same machine that Decha encountered days before.

He went rigid and grabbed onto Rory. She saw the entire thing and was stunned by the scene.

The machine croaked loudly before scanning the entire area. "Shite." Decha flinched away from the glowing green graph that went across his skin.

"30 Generals. Initiate Annihilation."

The machine was looking to kill all Generals present.

As if on cue, one of the Generals stationed by the entrance grabbed onto his blaster and aimed at it. In one swift movement, the bot rolled away from the energy beam and raised its glowing metallic blade.

Decha moved in front of Rory, shielding her from what was to occur. Although he blocked her vision, she heard it. The sound of death. The sound of murder.

Everyone in the Plaza panicked and ran in all directions. Decha looked to his left and right. He needed to get Rory to a safer area and radio for help. There was no way he could fight that thing on his own.

Without hesitation, he scooped Rory into his arms. "Decha!" She whined. There was so much havoc. The amount of fear welling inside of her began to overflow.

Decha climbed up a ladder leading to the top of the apartment building. He realized it was too open. He needed to find a place to hide Rory. "Close your eyes." He commanded her and sprinted toward the edge of the building.

"We have to help them!" Rory whimpered.

"You need to let me find a safe place to take shelter. I'll go back and help once you are safe."

"Decha I—" The air left her body when Decha jumped off the building, with her in his arms. Instead of screaming, she clutched her arms around his body and pressed her face into his chest.

Decha landed on his feet and clenched his fists to disregard the pain he felt. The two were on top of the next building, a safer distance away from the action.

There was a stack of wooden crates nearby. He figured that Rory could hide behind them. "Let's go." Decha placed her down and took a step forward.

But the moment his foot grazed the concrete, the machine dropped in front of the two and kicked Decha into the stack. Rory let out a blood-curdling scream and fell onto her behind.

Decha grumbled and pushed himself up. "I should've known..." He almost forgot how fast this murderous bot was. Before he could react, the robot stomped over to Rory.

Decha ran to stop it, but it tossed him aside. He landed on his stomach with a hard thud.

"Decha! Ah—" The robot yanked Rory by her leg and scanned her. Her heart was pounding so hard she could barely breathe. Tears formed in her eyes as the machine leaned its sharp-edged face closer to hers.

"Rory Clarke..." The Robot buzzed. "Bracketer. All clear." The robot released her and turned to Decha.

"Rory! Get out of here!" Decha hollered, and felt himself getting slammed into the concrete wall nearby.

Rory crawled onto her feet and stumbled away, but she stopped when she noticed the familiarity in the design of the machine. It swung its blade at Decha's throat but he dodged it as quickly as possible.

He tried to pass the machine, but it grabbed onto his shirt and flung him up before slamming him back down. Decha snarled when his sprained wrist scraped against the solid.

Hearing the sounds of his pain made Rory feel sick. The robot didn't kill her for a reason. With this theory in mind, she grabbed a piece of the broken wood and threw the material at the robot. "Let him go!" Rory huffed angrily.

Decha struggled to get out of the machine's hold, but with it distracted by Rory's taunts, he was able to set himself free.

"Initiating..." The bot raised its blade at Decha again, but he rolled out of the way once more.

"Decha!" Rory panicked, worrying that the robot was going to kill him.

"Go!" He barked. But Rory refused to budge. She was more focused on the machine. She wondered what she could do to turn it off. Decha kicked the robot as hard as he could, using its body to propel himself toward Rory.

He calculated it in his mind. To grab her and go. But there was no safe way down to get to the alley below. "Screw it." He tackled Rory and threw him and her off the roof. Rory felt his arms tighten around her back as they plummeted down.

She screamed the whole way down. The machine followed and swung its blade again, this time making an impact. The sharp knife cut Decha's skin on his back, and blood began to drip into Rory's jacket.

Suddenly, Decha flipped around and positioned himself to hit the ground instead of Rory, and grabbed onto a hidden pistol in his pockets. He shot the robot before it could touch Rory's cloth, sending it in the opposite direction.

The two landed in a pile of trash bags and Decha shielded Rory's head and body from touching any solid ground as they tumbled on top of each other.

When gravity let the two rest, Rory landed on top of Decha, and he allowed his back to collide with the sidewalk. Rory took heavy breaths, and Decha groaned softly.

"Decha!" Rory panicked. "You're bleeding!"

"I'll be fine," Decha swore and forced himself to sit up. The position was awkward, as Rory was sitting on top of him.

"It cut you!"

The sound of the machine croaking, caused Decha to go back into combat mode. He grabbed Rory and rolled on top of her. Then he covered her mouth with his hand.

Decha was too tired to continue the fight. The last thing he needed was that thing following them. Protecting Rory was a priority.

The sound of the croaking went away after a moment and Decha released Rory. "You okay?"

"Your back! You're hurt!" Rory whimpered. "There's so much blood!"

Decha allowed Rory to ramble as he dialed for the Agency. He only pressed the chip on his wrist. It was a ping only used for emergencies.

Rory took off her jacket and failed at attempting to place it on his cut. Half of his shirt was missing. All she saw was a large gash that ran down his shoulders to above his posterior.

"Rory, calm down." Decha was in pain, but hearing Rory trying to catch her breath as if she ran a marathon made him uneasy. "Rory, listen," He grabbed onto her arm and changed his tone with her.

"I can't calm down!" She screeched in response. "I'm terrified, okay? You're bleeding! I don't know if you're gonna pass out from blood loss! What if that robot decides to come back and—"

Decha was in a lot of pain, but the last thing he needed was to have Rory worry herself to death. He covered her mouth and pulled himself up to stand. His back ached excruciatingly, but he forced a straight face to hide the emotion from Rory.

He hated vulnerability. He was not going to display his reaction to the pain around her. He forced himself to take a step forward and bit his tongue to stifle a grunt.

He needed to stand against a wall.

In the distance, there was constant screaming. The sound of metal and blasters going off delivered a heavy amount of fear in Rory. She felt that this was her fault somehow.

She wanted to help him. There was nothing she could do. Her mind went blank after being attacked. She didn't know if he was going to collapse on her, so she grabbed onto his arm and stuck to his side like glue.

After a long 15 minutes, help finally arrived. A little more than 5 helicopters and 10 Emergency Shuttles arrived. Plenty of heavily armed men hopped out of the shuttles and raced toward the scene, while some stayed behind to attend to people who escaped.

It didn't take long for Jax to catch sight of Decha standing not too far from them. He saw Rory and eyed her strangely. "Who are you?"

Jax noticed a mark on her neck and realized she was a Bracketer. Jax shifted his gaze to Decha and observed his slow breathing. He was hurt.

Jax wondered if the Bracket woman had anything to do with it. "N96–"

"Take Rory," Decha panted and nudged her away from him.

"I don't want to go." Rory clutched his arm tighter.

"Take her back." Decha ignored her.

"N96. Are you okay?" Jax worried.

"Fine." Decha snapped. "Have her transported back to uptown where my family stays. We'll scout the area while she's on her way." Decha stepped forward slowly and used much of his strength to shove Rory forward.

"I'll have one of the shuttles take you back. Let's go." Jax gestured for her to follow him.

"He's hurt." Rory shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere—"

"It is a command." Jax hushed her. "Failure to comply with direct orders from a General will result in your arrest. And failure to comply with an order from N96 will not look good on your record. I suggest you move away from him and leave on the shuttle." Jax was giving her a warning. Whatever was going on between the two was their business, but her refusal to leave was a sign of disrespect to N96's position.

Jax was well aware that Decha was in pain. Oddly, he felt reassured that Rory wasn't the threat. He felt more threatened by the death glare Decha was giving him.

"Take her away." Jax signaled to two Generals behind him. The two nodded and led Rory to one of the shuttles. Rory glanced over her shoulder one last time before following orders and getting into the shuttle.

When it departed, Decha finally dropped to his knee and struggled to stand.

"N96!" Jax ran over to him but stopped when Decha extended his palm.

"The machine... is hunting Generals."

"We know, the Agency received a massive ping. Every general within the perimeter has requested backup. What happened to you?"

"The usual near-death experience," Decha grunted and Jax grabbed onto his arm to support him.

"You're heavily wounded!"

"I'm aware."

"What did it do to you?" Jax hissed.

"We can worry about that after I get stitches. I want you to command the others to search but not to engage with it. Someone sent that machine to hunt. I'll look into the culprit."

"Decha, you're seriously hurt," Jax called him by name, emphasizing how seriously injured he was. "You can't continue in this condition."

"I'm fine."

"You can barely walk!"

Decha groaned.

"I'll take you to the Agency to be treated first." Jax wasn't going to allow Decha to fight with injuries. Astell needed him to be in great shape. An injured Decha meant doom for most of Astell.

Decha allowed Jax to help him hobble over to one of the treatment shuttles, despite his disagreement.

~~~

"There's something you need to see." Theodore tossed a stack of papers onto his desk, right in front of Decha. Days went by, and the Agency has been busier than ever.

After getting stitches in his back, Decha chose to go back to work on his terms. Resting was simply not an option. The council had been behind on paperwork and the Agency was hounded with calls from Generals all across Astell about the assassin machine.

"The bot that killed my Agents, we looked into it. There's a serial code we were able to find in one of our tapes. The thing was programmed and coded by the woman staying in our house."

Decha felt his muscles tense. "I know."

"You knew? And yet you brought her into our home!? Are you trying to have your family killed?" Theodore spat. "I want her out of my house by tonight. She'll be executed for her crimes."

"If you touch her, or even think about harming her, you're gonna regret it." Decha spat. "The original AI she created wasn't intended to cause harm. Someone stole it, reprogrammed it, and changed its original mechanics. Rory may have been the original creator but the culprit behind the assassinations is still out there."

"How do you know all of this information?"

"Keep up. I've been on the culprit's tail ever since you forced me to take days off."

"Why haven't you told me?"

"You never asked." Decha shrugged.

"We need to bring that Bracketer in for questioning. She knows how it's programmed. She may know how to shut it off—"

"Already ahead of you. Rory doesn't remember any of it. Her notes are probably somewhere back in Sector B. With the border situation, we can't go back that easily. When Rory was in the hospital, the culprit attacked her and stole the AI. I tried looking into their license plate but it came up invalid."

"Invalid?"

"Since the AI was stolen after the walls collapsed, I believe that the culprit may be an Astellian who's very great at hiding or a Bracketer who got trapped on our side. Either way, they don't want to be found."

"Any suggestions on what more we can do?"

"First we need to find the person responsible for the bombings. I have an odd feeling that this machine and the bombs are connected." Decha paced. "By the way, I'm gonna need a raise."

"A raise!?"

"I agreed to help you track down the people responsible for the bombs. But this is an Outside type of mission. This machine can outpace me. If you want me to give it my all, for the right price, I'll put my life on the line."

"How much do you want?" Theodore grumbled.

"700,000 Tekels."

"7– Decha! That's nearly robbery!"

"I'm not bound by a contract with the Agency anymore, so I set my own price. Take it or leave it." He shrugged.

"I'll give you another 500,000..."

"650,000." Decha shook his head.

"550,000." Theodore pleaded with his eyes.

"600,000, final offer." Decha narrowed his eyes.

"Fine," Theodore grumbled.

"Deposit the money into my account by tomorrow." Decha brushed his hair out of his face.

"Let me ask you one more thing before you leave, Decha."

"What?"

"What is your deal with Rory? You come to her defense quicker than I've ever experienced."

"I'm doing my job," Decha answered. "My job is to protect her."

"Is it only a sense of duty?" Theodore sighed. He knew Decha was overly ambitious. Whenever he said he was going to do something, he gave it his all. He wanted Decha to be honest with himself. "Or is it because of something else?"

Decha couldn't explain why he felt a strong need to keep Rory safe. But deep down, he knew it had something to do with Chai. He trained excessively hard and wanted to protect her. But a fierce battle on the Outside prevented him from doing so.

He lost the woman he loved. To this day, he has no clear memory of where her body is. He doesn't know if she's still alive. He failed her.

If he couldn't do something as simple as protecting the person he loved the most, then what good of a General was he?

He felt that with Rory, he was given a second chance. The difference was that Rory had more resources to stay safe. He had already made up his mind that even her sickness wasn't going to stop him from doing his job.

"The law requires us to serve and protect." Decha balled his fists. "You know how much I hate failing."

"But she's dying."

"She won't." Decha cracked his knuckles slowly. "Not while I'm around. There's a cure for IDS."

"Does she know that?"

"Nope. She doesn't know that we know her condition is getting worse. She's hiding it from us. Mom says we can't operate on her until she trusts us enough to be honest."

Theodore shook his head, disappointed. His son was oblivious. There was no easy way to help Decha understand himself. "Decha, how do you feel about joining the Generals Bachelor's Program?"

"Not interested." Decha spat in disgust. "I'm not looking to settle down any time soon. Work is more important. This case has to be solved and finished before I'd ever consider it."

"Well, applying and waiting for placement on the program while working on the case doesn't sound so bad."

"Are you trying to marry me off?"

"Not exactly. But one of the Council members has a daughter who's recently shown interest in you."

Decha thought he was going to puke in his mouth after hearing that. "Interest in me, or my position?"

"Why don't you meet with her and find out?"

"No thanks." Decha refused immediately. He wasn't interested in forming that type of relationship with a prissy council member's daughter. Decha knew himself well.

He wasn't the type of guy to open up or display sappy affection.

And he knew that courting involved doing a lot of that. There was only one woman who ever showed genuine interest in who he was, and that was Chai. And without her, there was no one else. Except for maybe Rory, but Rory wasn't an option.

He didn't think Rory would be interested. Her lack of trust in him was more than evident to see.

"Why don't you try it?"

"Because I'm too busy." Decha yawned. "I'm going to head back home. There are some documents I need to review. I'll come back tomorrow and start looking into Kilos."

"Take it easy. You're still wounded."

"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine." Decha waved and left. He walked out of the Agency and walked toward the shuttle that would take him back.

~~~

The first thing to welcome his ears when Decha walked into the mansion was Rory's coughing. It seemed as if her coughing had gotten a lot worse. His mother wasn't at the entrance, so he assumed she must have gone out to buy groceries. Probably to buy more herbs for Rory.

Decha followed the sound of Rory's coughing, down one of the halls and toward her bedroom. The door was open, so he didn't bother to knock.

He saw Rory, hunched over the desk and fiddling with something in her hands. Her attention was solely on the cloth she was holding despite her constant coughing.

"Rory,"

She jerked up and whipped her head around at the sound of his voice. Just to see him standing there made her uneasy. "N96! What are you doing here!?"

"I live here." Decha shook his head, unamused by her reaction. He thought she'd at least smile. He remembered watching her act helpless and scared about his injury.

"Mrs. Chen told me you were getting treatment for your injury. I wasn't expecting you to be back so soon! Are you okay?" Rory was more concerned about his well-being. How in the world was he able to walk as if nothing happened? The cut to his spine should've made him limp.

"Don't worry about me. What are you doing?" Decha watched her fidget uncomfortably.

"Um... well..." Rory grabbed the cloth she was working on and held it up for Decha to see. They were two black fingerless mitts with padding on the palms. On the back of one of them was a small screen to adjust settings. "I made these for you. These pads will help you firm your grip on brick, wood, and magnetic metals. It's great for battle, but better for defense. If it can help you, I hope you'll use it."

"Where did you get the parts—"

"Mrs. Chen bought them for me." Rory coughed. She covered her mouth with her arm.

"Why are you coughing so much?"

"It's a cold I caught." Rory lied, and Decha saw right through it. The lack of trust she had in him was starting to make him irritated. How long was she planning on hiding it? Until she died?

"When I brought you here, the expectation was for you to rest. Not work."

"Sitting around doing nothing isn't going to get me anywhere." Rory frowned. "At some point, I have to start repaying you. I may not have any money, but I can use my head to make equipment that will help you."

"That's not your job to do."

"I don't want to leave any debt behind." Rory blurted. "Do you want the gloves or not? You don't have to take them if you don't want—"

"I'll take them. But don't create anything else. I won't accept them if you do."

"Then what am I supposed to do? Sit here and stare at a wall?"

"If it keeps you well and alive, yes."

"Why are you so persistent on this?" Rory growled at him.

"I'm doing my job."

"Your Job is not to act like my father."

"Right. But it is to protect you. To make sure that you're taken care of. We already went over this. Plenty of times. I don't like repetition. I hate it. This conversation is starting to grow old."

"Then stop talking."

"I will when you stop going against everything I have to say."

"I'll do that when you stop commanding me like a child."

"When you start acting like an adult, I'll stop treating you like a kid."

"You're the kid!" Rory huffed, losing the battle of insults. She had nothing else to say. "You're so annoying!"

"I've heard worse." Decha smiled at her.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?" Decha raised a brow at her.

Rory balled her fists and looked down. Instead of continuing their argument, she embraced him and let out a relieved sigh. She was just happy to see that he was okay. In the last few days, she worried about him.

For him to show up in front of her acting high and mighty was overwhelming, but her stress lowered tremendously.

Decha was very surprised by the action. Just a moment ago, Rory was pouting and throwing a fit. Now she was hugging him. He didn't understand it. The hug was a bit uncomfortable, but he let her hold on to him longer.

"Hey, don't cough on me." Decha straightened his shoulders.

"I don't have germs, I promise." Rory rolled her eyes.

"I thought you had a cold?"

"I'm past the contagious stage," Rory mumbled playfully.

Someone cleared their throat, catching both of their attention. It was one of the butlers. Rory awkwardly moved away from Decha, who had his eyes completely focused on the butler.

"Sir, there is a call for you."

Decha thought it was strange. He had a cell phone. Why was someone calling their household number to speak with him? "I'll be there in a moment. Put them on hold."

"Yes, sir." The Butler bowed his head and walked away. Decha looked back at Rory and took the other glove out of her hands.

"We'll test them later." Those words made her smile. Decha left the room to answer the call.

The Butler handed Decha a small remote, and Decha took it before transferring the call to his direct earpiece. "Who's calling?"

"N96..." A deep groggy voice croaked. "This is Doctor Haze. From Patrol Center 5 in Sector B."

Decha's stature changed. He quickly moved out of the public space and into one of the private offices his parents owned. "Haze, I thought the systems on that side were down. I guess it must've just come back on. The council was going to set a time for us to chat—"

"I don't have time to wait for the council. I need you to listen." Haze hissed. "It's icy today."

Decha tensed up. Haze was using a code word only Astellian Generals knew. Haze was in danger. Someone was probably after him. "How cold are you?" Decha responded in another code, asking him how much time he had to spare.

"It's freezing." Haze groaned. That wasn't a good sign. Haze only had a little time left to speak. "The other night you and N95 helped us arrest two truck drivers that were headed for the border. In the truck, we confiscated some rust. They were smuggling it."

"Did you identify them?" Rust was all Decha needed to hear. That was an ingredient connected with the bomb cases.

"They had fake Astellian identities. One of them escaped before we could get any more info. The other... is here. But not for long."

"How long ago was it when the first guy escaped?"

"Before the Collapse of the Walls."

"He might be in Sector A by now," Decha grumbled.

"I've sent his file to you by zip tag." Zip tag was an emergency mailing system used by high-ranked officials. If you had any last bit of information to give out, that was where it would go. "N96... I'm concerned. Before he left, the two mentioned something about one of the council's events. The Bachelor and Bachelorette program. Everything is disclosed in my letter."

"I've got it." Decha nodded. "Haze..."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for your service." Decha sighed. It was a final goodbye. A farewell to Generals who completed their journey with honor. It was a sign of respect and final comfort for those who were losing their battle.

"Meet again on the other side." Haze replied before the line went dead. Decha scrambled to his phone and restarted it, changing its normal function to access the zip tag software.

Immediately, a pop-up showed up. It was a notification of the file General Haze sent. Decha tapped on it and began reading through the file.

The suspect's name was Antoine Gaines. He was 28 years old, five feet tall, and tan-skinned with long brown hair. Although the guy looked harmless, Decha knew better than to trust appearances. The file gave a clear warning that he was extremely hostile.

If this man was talking about the events the council was supposed to be hosting, Decha suspected they were most likely going to put a bomb there.

He was going to have to arrange a time to go to the matchmaking event. It was held twice a month on the weekends. Although he dreaded the idea of going, he knew it was vital for the case.

He was only going to be there to investigate.

Decha looked at the calendar on his phone. He only had 3 days to prepare enough generals to secure the venue and come up with a plan for the council to heed.

~~~

"I'm going to the matchmaking program."

A ceramic plate shattered onto the tile as it fell next to Director Chen's foot.

"Theodore!" Jessica ran into the kitchen and shouted angrily at her husband before crouching down to clean up the mess.

"Jessica... didn't you hear what your son just said?"

"All I heard was you breaking my new set of plates!"

"Our son has been possessed by the great heroes in the sky." Theodore huffed. He couldn't believe what Decha said. Just the day before, Decha said he wasn't interested in settling down. "Repeat it to her."

"I need to go to the matchmaking event later this week."

The glass in Jessica's hands exploded. Her heart almost did too. Those dreaded words were something she thought she'd be ready for, but she wasn't. She didn't know if she should feel excited that Decha was coming out of his state of obviousness, or upset that he wanted to pair up with a girl other than the one staying in their home.

"You need to go?" Jessica scoffed. "Why?"

"I don't have to disclose anything to you, do I?" Decha crossed his arms. His mother never usually asked him for details about work. It was all classified anyway.

"Right. But did you tell Rory?" Jessica frowned. Theodore eyed her suspiciously.

"Why would I tell Rory?"

"So she knows what to expect?" Jessica snapped.

Decha understood her. He'd be very busy during this investigation. Maybe it was responsible for him to tell her that he wouldn't be able to check on her or take her requests over the week. "I'll tell her."

"Wait! Don't be blunt! You don't want to crush her." Jessica stepped forward, and Theodore scratched his head, completely confused. He was wondering if Jessica knew something he didn't.

"Blunt? I'll be honest with her. I'll only be gone for one night. If Rory can't handle that, then she's just gonna have to be upset."

"Don't tell her any of that when you tell her." Jessica bit her lip nervously.

Decha rolled his eyes. His mother was acting stranger than usual. He was going to have to request a mental assessment for her when he had the time. He left his parents in the kitchen and walked to Rory's room.

"Why are you so concerned about him and Rory?" Theodore asked her.

"Because they're made for each other!" Jessica spat at her husband.

"... What?"

"I've seen how Rory acts. She's very mild and sweet. She's determined but respectful. She's perfect for our son."

"What are you talking about? Are you suggesting that Rory and Decha should marry?"

Jessica nodded.

"Are you crazy!? Decha can't marry a Bracketer. Do you know what that'll do to his reputation?"

"What good reputation does our son have? Everyone fears him!"

"Exactly. We can't have our son be known as a softie. We already took in Avon, we're not letting that woman take control of his life."

"My husband is stupid," Jessica snorted and crossed her arms, and muttered to one of the nearby maids. "Foolish husband, it's time for you to join team RoCha."

"Team what?"

"RoCha. Rory and Decha. Their names."

"You've been watching too many soaps again."

"You're as blind as Avon, and he sees better than you. Do you see the way Decha acts with Rory?"

"He is very cordial with her. He's uninterested." Theodore shrugged.

"He is overprotective of her,"

"Out of duty."

"Because he's comfortable with her!" Jessica spat. "Decha is not comfortable with everyone. Besides us, he has no friends."

"There's Amir,"

"The man who is resting in the capsule? Who Decha cannot talk with? I know my son best. He may look uninterested all the time, but he has a heart."

"Why would you even consider having a Bracket woman as your daughter-in-law?"

"If you spend time with Rory, you'll find out."

"If Decha forms a relationship with Rory, it won't end well for her."

"It won't end well for you if he ends up marrying an entitled Astellian woman. You'll be going with him. Make sure that no woman comes his way."

"But if he's interested in another woman—"

"He won't be that easy to capture. Women like a challenge. I'll make him see Rory's good qualities if I have to. But don't think about coming home if Decha finds an Astellian woman to spend his time with."

"You can't do that!" Theodore whined. Theodore was scared of his wife. She gave off the same aura as Decha when she was angry. That's where his edgy nature came from. He knew that if his wife gave a threat, she meant it.

"Excuse me, I'm going to check on them." Jessica tossed the kitchen towel at him and sashayed away.

"Wait, what about dinner?" Theodore scowled.

"Cook it yourself!"