"So you're telling me... Kilos is the main culprit behind all of the bombs?" Amir scoffed.

Both he and Decha were on their way to Kilos to conduct a very thorough investigation. Thanks to Jax, Theodore allowed the request for a warrant. With it, Decha had the legal authority to go behind the scenes to search for traces of Deliverance.

"Not all of Kilos... Just the company who works under Deliverance."

"Deliverance?" Amir raised a brow. "What? Is that some fool who tried to deliver someone?"

"The Bracks, the organization that works under Deliverance seems to think so." He glanced at Amir. "The body that was identified at the Agency was one of the people who gave me the tip. You remember those two criminals who tried crossing the border in that truck when we were on patrol in Sector B?"

"The ones who almost ran you and that Bracket woman over?"

"One of them was Antoine, and they'd been using that truck to deliver rust to Kilos. He told me that he thought it was strange. But Rusty Metal or iron from Sector B lasts a long time, and that's why Kilos buys it to build their tech." Decha stopped. "And her name is Rory. Not 'the Bracket woman'."

"Whatever." Amir chuckled condescendingly. "I'm still not buying it."

"Deliverance is real. The only reason Antoine didn't give me his name was that he didn't want to get caught and killed."

"And how do you know that this Deliverance fellow isn't Jamison?"

"Because Jamison turned himself in to prevent Deliverance from attacking Rory. He received a digital letter with a threat. And I read the letter. The guy in the hologram was taller, slimmer, and had a different accent from Jamison."

"I'd like to see this letter."

"It's not a good idea. I'm not sure how Deliverance found out that I knew about him. My theory is that he's watching closely. It may be because I replayed the message. That's why all the Bracket Refugees and Antoine were killed."

"But why was Rory left alive?"

"I thought it was to frame Jamison initially. But I don't think Deliverance planned on keeping Rory alive."

"Why do you say that?"

"... Rory is guarded and kept safe back at my house. She's the only refugee that I'm taking care of." Decha frowned and glanced at his right wrist. "Has your chip ever malfunctioned before, Amir?"

"The ID chip?"

Decha nodded and Amir scrunched up his face.

"No. It's been working just fine."

"The day the Refugees were killed, my chip malfunctioned. I lost control over my body and almost killed Rory. And when I snapped out of it, I couldn't remember anything."

"No way," Amir blinked. "Your chip made YOU lose memory? That's never been recorded."

"I found out that our identity chips were constructed by Kilos. And the chips aren't made to malfunction easily. Deliverance tapped into mine and tried to use me to kill Rory. Either way, Deliverance would've gotten what he wanted. Someone to go to jail for him, and for all the refugees to be wiped out."

"So when we walk into this building, you're gonna know what the guy looks like?"

"Not exactly..." Decha huffed and Amir groaned. "I don't think anyone has met him in person, besides Rory."

"Wait, are you serious?" Amir grabbed Decha's arm. "So why don't we ask Rory what the guy looks like?"

"Because she doesn't remember. That's why I made a comparison from the footage. I realized that when the border collapsed, the person who stole POYO from Rory and the person on the hologram was of the same build and stature. The height matches. So does the body type."

Decha pressed a finger to his lips the moment they entered the building. They walked through the vast mall lobby where all the technology was located.

They sauntered right up to the large reception desk. Decha tapped on the surface to get the lady's attention. She lazily glossed her blue eyes up at the two. She seemed bored and completely uninterested in Decha.

"Can I help you?" She voiced monotonously.

"We have the warrant to search the premises." Decha slid a small tablet shaped like a business card across the desk and toward her. "I'm sure you're aware of who I am. My partner and I were sent from the Agency."

"Uh huh... the Agency?" The woman glanced at Amir and curled her lips into a fake smile. "We don't take warrants here."

"Do you know what a warrant is?" Decha snickered bitterly. "It's not something you can refuse. It means that I have the authority to go to every floor and gather evidence for this case. Your lack of cooperation can land you some hefty time in prison."

"Mhmm. Well, Mr. General Sir, that's not how Kilos works." The lady stood up from her seat and flicked the warrant card back over to Decha. It took almost all of Decha's energy to restrain himself from grabbing the woman in a chokehold.

"I don't care how Kilos operates. The Law says you need to step aside or else."

"This building isn't owned by one company. It's owned by several. Kilos itself is an organization of three companies that work together. So you may have a warrant but you will have to get approval from each company."

"That's bull." Amir hissed. "A warrant from the Director of the Agency has authority over that stupid rule."

"I don't know what law you boys have been reading. But if you don't leave in the next 5 minutes I'll have to call security." The lady shrugged before sitting back down.

Decha clenched his teeth and thought for a moment. Sure enough, there was a law that prevented them from using the warrant. He just remembered it.

Decha grabbed onto Amir's shoulder and nudged him out.

"Is there such a law, Decha?" Amir groaned.

"Unfortunately, there is. I don't know why I didn't think of it before I wasted my time coming here." Decha massaged his forehead and groaned.

"What's the plan now? If we can't search the building, Jamison will be given an execution date."

"We're gonna have to get approval from the different companies."

"In 5 days? Are you crazy?"

Decha eyed Amir and pressed his lips together. He was trying his best to formulate a plan. Decha stepped away with a sigh and walked in the direction of a shuttle stop that led to the Agency.

"Are you giving up?" Amir grumbled.

"No."

"Then why are you walking away?"

Decha started a reply, but an overwhelming sense of danger coursed through his veins at that moment. He straightened up and became more alert. Just now he heard it. The sound of a robotic murmur.

"What's wrong?"

"Shh!" Decha shifted his gaze carefully. He looked to his left and then to his right.

Decha glanced over his shoulder. He listened hard for the robotic static noise, but the streets were full of sound. Pods were zipping around, and the displays on the buildings played commercial or recorded messages.

But he knew he wasn't insane. Surely, he heard that familiar dreaded noise.

Decha turned around and took a step forward. A metallic arm swung forward, and Decha shoved Amir out of the way, allowing himself to take the hit rather than his friend.

The arm snatched Decha up by the collar of his shirt and flung him into an alleyway. Amir was completely caught off guard as POYO landed in front of him.

The cement he stood on cracked because of the harsh ground landing. It was the first time Amir had ever seen the droid. It was tall, and each mechanical piece was constructed in a similar design to the human male body.

POYO yanked out its sword. The glow blinded Amir, allowing the bot to strike hard. Before it could slash him, Decha grabbed onto POYO's wielding arm and swung him into the wall.

"Good grief," Amir felt his knees buckle as he exhaled the breath he didn't know he was holding in. "That thing is fast!" There was no way he would've avoided the hit in time.

POYO sprinted at Decha, but he quickly activated the strips in his boots and dodged. Decha's movements were as quick as POYO's, which to Amir, was humanly impossible.

Decha grabbed onto POYO's arm and flipped it over his shoulder. Its glowing blade snipped at Decha's uniform, and his entire shirt was sliced in half before the cloth fell onto the ground.

"Shite, I just got that shirt." Decha hissed and looked over his shoulder.

Amir brought out his blaster and aimed, but POYO reacted fast. He knocked the gun out of his grasp. The blaster rifle landed in POYO's arms before attaching itself. The gun slowly began to form into the droid's free arm.

Both men watched in horror. "That's... new." Decha grabbed Amir's arm and dragged him out of the alley. POYO now had the blaster in full control and began shooting at the two as they fled.

"Why are we running?" Amir's heavy pants boomed in Decha's ear.

"That thing can kill about 50 people in 2 minutes. It's an assassin that hunts after Generals." Decha explained. "We need to find a way to ambush it. But I'm not fully recovered. After my chip malfunctioned,"

Decha grabbed Amir and ducked when POYO's sword came at them.

"My arm went limp. I still can't move it as much as I'd like to. So it's wiser for us to avoid it."

Decha grunted as POYO grabbed him and shoved him against a metal wall. Its forearm was pressing on his neck. Amir was kicked away and landed in a pile of trash.

POYO grabbed onto Decha's right wrist. Decha was puzzled by the hesitance the robot was showing. Instead of killing him, it examined his arm carefully.

POYO was studying him. A glowing line formed around the center of POYO's torso, and the metal shifted. The opening revealed a tiny and bright red dot. An optical light beam glossed over Decha's skin.

Decha moved his head to avoid the scan but POYO grasped onto his hair and slammed the side of his face against the metal wall. The scan covered his entire face and slid down Decha's arm.

Decha groaned and snagged his hand away but POYO held on firmly. Finally, the light swirled around Decha's dark-colored pupils. It observed Decha's gloves, the ones Rory made for him, and rolled his sharp fingers across the special padding.

"Don't... you dare." Decha seethed through his teeth. The last thing he needed was any more technology he owned being used against him.

Decha worked up as much strength as he could and kicked POYO off of him. It was a success, but not for long.

POYO croaked incoherent words before sprinting away. Decha chased after it and latched onto the droid. POYO howled and twisted its torso around. It spun rapidly to throw Decha off, but because of the special gloves, Decha was able to hold on tight.

"You're not getting away!" Decha hissed and ran his hands up and down POYO's body, looking for a way to stop the robot from completely going AWOL. He placed a tracker on it before being flung into a large pile of trash.

Decha quickly stood to run after POYO, but it turned around and raised the blaster attached to its arm. Then it pulled the trigger. A large beam of energy knocked Decha back.

The energy bolts burned the flesh at Decha's abdomen, causing Decha to fall. He couldn't get back up.

POYO croaked and Decha narrowed his eyes at it. The robot's utterance was a warning although not clearly heard. Decha fought off the urge to give in to the pain, but the moment POYO left, he collapsed completely.

"Decha!!!" Amir, who watched the entire thing while caught in a daze rushed over. "Decha!"

"I'm... fine." Decha huffed heavily.

"No, you're not!" Amir rolled him over to see the damage. It was worse than he expected. There was a large black burn mark in the center of Decha's abdomen. "Shite! I've never seen the beam scar anyone this badly before!"

Decha pushed himself to sit straight but failed the moment his shoulders weighed down. Decha belted out a roar and slumped against the concrete on his back.

"It's bad, Decha..." Amir frowned. "That beam could've killed you had the blaster been on the highest setting."

Decha moved his fingers and glazed it across the burn, but Amir stopped him.

"What are you doing!? You'll make it worse if you pick at it!" Amir shouted.

"It's not near my kidneys, is it?" Sweat kissed Decha's face as it fell toward his neck.

"Why does that matter?"

"Tell me, Amir!" Decha raised his neck to glance at the wound, but couldn't muster any more strength.

"I don't know! The mark is all over your front!" Amir brought Decha's shirt back down.

He grabbed onto Decha's arm and slugged it over his shoulder then he pulled up. Decha spat through his clenched teeth. "We have to get you to the Agency to be treated. You're not completely in the clear."

"Shite..." Decha moaned and slouched forward. He couldn't even hold himself up.

"You proved to me that Jamison wasn't the culprit. Are you happy now, stupid?" Amir took one step and waited for Decha to make a move. Decha's head was leaning downward.

Decha knew that their blasters packed a punch, but it felt immeasurable. "How... did you..."

"I figured it out because of the scan," Amir answered. "The robot scanned your chip. It left you alive for a reason."

"There's a tracker..." Decha panted. "I placed a tracker on it. It will lead... us to Deliverance."

"You're insane, Decha. You're screwed up in the head. You're doing all of this to prove a Bracket man's innocence. Does he know how much he'll owe you after this?"

"I'm not doing it for Clarke..." Decha rolled his eyes.

"Then... why?" Amir stopped and looked at Decha with a frown. "It can't be because of... Rory?"

Decha didn't answer. He only looked ahead and pressed his lips thin.

"Decha, do you have feelings for her? You... you can't! Do you know what that'll do to your reputation? Bracket women are known for being tricky! They're witches, Decha."

"Even if that were the case," Decha coughed. "Rory deserves to live."

"What did she do to deserve it? Why are you so obsessed about her condition?"

Decha couldn't respond. He pressed his full weight against Amir and wiped the sweat from his face. "The Agency is too far...ugh."

"We have to get you to an infirmary."

"Take me back home."

"Decha—"

"Jessica... will help me take care of it." He wanted to get help fast. He could feel himself going out of consciousness. "I won't accept no."

Amir was hesitant but he nodded anyway and agreed to take Decha back to his house.

~~~

"Heavens!" Jessica fumed as Amir placed Decha on the examination table. Theodore was there too, very perplexed. He wondered why Amir didn't take Decha to be treated at the Agency. It would've been more efficient. All the necessary medication would be at arm's reach.

The medical resources stationed at the Chen Household were limited compared to Sector A's National Agency for Generals.

Theodore didn't let the confusion prevent him from stepping forward. "What happened to him?"

"The robot... the assassin..." Amir paused and blinked at Theodore apprehensively. "It shot him."

"It shot him?" Theodore nudged Decha back, causing Decha to sneer and jerk away. Jessica quickly raised his shirt. Once his parents saw the mark, their faces fell.

"That's a burn...it could've killed him!" Jessica snatched some towels in her hands and wet them before placing one on top of the flesh.

"AGH!"

"Decha lay still!" Jessica grabbed onto his shoulder. She had never seen him react to a wound before.

She glanced at Theodore. "Help me take off his clothes! N95, grab one of those patches in the drawer."

Theodore tore off what was left of the front of the black shirt gently and tossed it aside. Then he helped guide the rest of the fabric off. He moved to Decha's arms and hands and stopped when he saw the gloves.

"What are these?" Theodore tilted Decha's hand to examine the material.

"What are you doing, Theo? I asked you to help take off his clothes!" Jessica remained focused on treating her son.

"These aren't supplied by the Agency, N96. It's not part of the uniform."

Decha swallowed a hard lump in his throat and snatched his hand away.

"That's... none of your concern."

"Of course it is. Everything we wear is important and represents Astell. Where did you find these?"

"Rory..." Decha sighed. "She made them for me."

Even Amir couldn't believe what he was saying.

"Take them off."

"No."

"That's an order, N96!" Theodore grabbed onto Decha's hands and tried to rip the fabric off, but Decha shoved him away. It didn't matter how much hurt he was in, but no one was going to take away his gift.

"Don't command me like I'm your Agent." Decha spat.

"His boots are different too," Amir pointed at the strips at the sole.

"Can we focus on treating him first?" Jessica chipped in. "You can argue after my son is in a stable state."

"If he doesn't take those things off, he probably won't last in a stable state anyways! Those are weapons! That woman provided you with illegal weapons!"

"They're not weapons," Decha corrected him. "They're tools to help enhance my skills. Don't go getting any ideas..." Decha knew that Theodore would find any chance to take Rory away just like he planned on setting a date of execution for her father. "These tools helped save my own life, several times... you should be grateful to her."

"Grateful!" Theodore cackled. "She should be grateful I've allowed her to stay in my house for this long!"

"Mom," Decha leaned forward, and Jessica steadied him. "Please scan the wound and make sure there's no damage done internally."

"Why are you worried about internal damage specifically?" Amir inquired, concerned that Decha's motive was suspicious.

"We'll have to disinfect it first and—" Jessica started, but Decha grabbed her by the forearm and looked at her with an intense gaze.

"Scan the wound, please,"

"Why?" Theodore snapped.

"If my kidney is damaged, I won't be able to donate it to Rory."

~~~

A double update just for you guys~ <3 sorry for last weeks delay.