The war between man and machine had raged for decades, but no one could remember who struck the first blow. The battlefield stretched across continents, but the true fight—the one that decided everything—was fought in the shadows. Spies, saboteurs, and agents on both sides worked tirelessly to tip the scales.
Gigi had always been an outlier. A genetically enhanced hybrid, she didn’t quite belong with the humans who created her or the machines they fought to destroy. She carved her own path, taking the highest-paying contracts and staying loyal to no one. But this mission was different. The Resistance had dangled something in front of her that she couldn’t refuse—answers.
Her target? A heavily guarded lab deep beneath the surface, the last known location of the legendary artefact that could turn the tide of war. The artefact was said to hold unimaginable power, capable of shutting down entire networks or rebooting them with new purpose. It wasn’t just a weapon; it was the key to control.
Standing in her way was Cecilia, an elite enforcer for the machines. Smart, ruthless, and unyieldingly loyal, she’d been a thorn in Gigi’s side for years. Their paths had crossed before, each time ending in a draw, each time fuelling a deeper hatred. To Gigi, Cecilia was more than an adversary—she was a reminder of everything Gigi despised about her ruined world.
This time was no different.
The halls of the lab hummed with the faint, ominous buzz of active defences. Gigi crouched behind a toppled console, her sharp ears picking up the sound of approaching footsteps. She adjusted the strap on her rifle, her claws drumming impatiently on the grip.
“You’re getting sloppy,” came a familiar, cutting voice from the shadows. “I heard you coming three hallways ago.”
“Guess I’ve been underestimating how loud your ego is,” Gigi shot back, leaning out just enough to spot Cecilia, her sleek metal frame catching the dim overhead light. She aimed a plasma bolt at Gigi’s cover, forcing her to duck.
“You’re predictable, Gremlin,” Cecilia said, stepping into view with her weapon trained on the console. “Always charging in with a snarl, thinking brute force will get you what you want.”
“And you’re still as insufferable as ever,” Gigi growled, darting to the side and firing a volley of shots. Cecilia deflected them effortlessly, the shimmer of her energy shield casting an eerie glow in the dim corridor.
“I can’t decide what’s worse,” Cecilia said as she advanced, her voice laced with mockery, “your aim or your sense of style. Is that armour from a scrapyard?”
“Funny, coming from someone who looks like a prototype that got rejected,” Gigi snarled, sidestepping Cecilia’s attack and lunging forward. Her claws met Cecilia’s blade, sparks flying as metal clashed against metal.
For a moment, their faces were inches apart, teeth bared, eyes blazing with mutual loathing.
“You’re wasting your time,” Cecilia hissed. “Even if you reach the artefact, you’ll never get out alive.”
“Don’t worry,” Gigi shot back, shoving her away and retreating a few steps. “I’m not planning to die here. But I can’t say the same for you.”
Cecilia’s laugh was sharp and bitter, echoing through the corridor. “Bold words for someone who’s been trying to kill me for years and hasn’t succeeded yet.”
“That’s because you run,” Gigi snarled, lunging again. This time, Cecilia anticipated her move, sidestepping and knocking Gigi off balance. She stumbled but caught herself, glaring up at her adversary.
“I don’t run,” Cecilia said coolly. “I calculate. Something you’d do well to learn, if you weren’t so busy acting like an angry stray.”
“Keep talking,” Gigi said, straightening and wiping blood from her lip. “It’s the only thing you’re good at.”
Cecilia smirked, her golden eyes glinting. “You say that now, but we both know you’d miss me if I was gone.”
Gigi froze for half a second—a hesitation that didn’t go unnoticed. Cecilia tilted her head, the smirk widening.
“Thought so.”
“I’d miss the satisfaction of shutting you up,” Gigi retorted, her voice harsher than she intended. “Nothing else.”
Their duel continued, each attack growing more desperate as the lab trembled around them. The stakes were high, but so was the weight of unspoken words. In every blow, there was a question, a challenge, and a memory of the countless times they’d fought before.
As the artefact chamber loomed ahead, Gigi and Cecilia’s battle left them battered and bloody. They stumbled into the room together, the artefact’s faint glow casting both their faces in sharp relief.
Cecilia leaned against the wall, breathing heavily, her weapon sparking from the damage. “You’re not walking out of here with that thing.”
“Try and stop me,” Gigi said, though her voice wavered. She was exhausted, her claws trembling. She hated the way Cecilia’s words lingered, like barbs under her skin.
“I don’t need to stop you,” Cecilia said, her voice quieter now. “The lab’s self-destruct is already set. You think I’d let them recover this place?”
“You’re bluffing.” But Gigi could hear the truth in her voice, and it made her chest tighten.
“You’ve always been bad at seeing the bigger picture,” Cecilia said, sliding to the floor as her strength gave out. “This place is a tomb, Gigi. You’re just too stubborn to realise it.”
Gigi stared at her, at the artefact glowing behind them, at the walls that shook and groaned. For a brief moment, she felt the weight of every decision she’d ever made pressing down on her shoulders.
“Then why are you still here?” Gigi demanded. “Why not run like you always do?”
Cecilia looked up at her, her green eyes dimming. “Because maybe I wanted to see if you’d finally make the right choice.
Gigi’s pulse raced as the rumbling intensified. The lab was on the verge of collapse. She stared at Cecilia, bruised and broken, her mechanical eyes flickering faintly as she lay against the wall. There was a cruel satisfaction she should have felt, standing over her enemy in the final moments of her life. But all she felt now was… something else. Something unwanted.
“Go on, then,” Cecilia rasped, her voice metallic, distorted by pain, but still laced with venom. “Finish me off. That’s what you came here for, isn’t it?”
Gigi’s claws twitched, her tail flicking in agitation. The briefing was clear: recover the artefact. Kill anyone who gets in the way. She’d trained for this, dreamt of this moment—of finally ending Cecilia’s pursuit of her, of the machines.
And yet, standing there, her chest tight, her feet frozen to the ground, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“Don’t tempt me,” she muttered, her voice hard but shaking with something unidentifiable. Her claws hovered at her sides, ready to tear into Cecilia’s broken body. She’d done it before. Why was it so hard now?
Cecilia’s dim green eyes flickered, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. “What’s the matter, Gremlin? Hesitating?”
Gigi wanted to snap back, to berate her for being the smug, arrogant machine that had been her constant rival. But the words caught in her throat. She didn’t want to admit it, but Cecilia was right. Gigi was hesitating. And it wasn’t just because of the mission or the artefact. Something was different this time.
She stared at the pedestal just ahead, where the artefact sat, glowing faintly. The mission should be so simple now. Just grab the artefact. Walk away. Leave Cecilia to die.
But as she looked back at her adversary, battered and defiant, the pieces of their history played in her mind—every fight, every escape, every time Cecilia had let her go.
Her claws dug into her palms. Damn it.
A wave of frustration and something far more complicated surged through her. She couldn’t leave her like this. Not after everything. Gritting her teeth, she spun on her heel and marched back to Cecilia’s side, dropping into a crouch.
“Gigi, no—” Cecilia’s protest was weak, gasping, but the challenge in her voice remained.
“Don’t make me regret this,” Gigi growled, her voice cracking. “I swear, I’ll kill you myself if you make me regret this.”
She hauled Cecilia up, grunting as she slung the damaged enforcer over her shoulder. The lab trembled again, debris raining down around them, but Gigi’s focus was singular now. She ignored the artefact, ignored the mission. She couldn’t ignore the voice in her head telling her that leaving Cecilia to die wasn’t something she could live with.
Cecilia’s laugh was ragged but sharp, more a cough than humour. “Didn’t think you had a heart in there.”
“I don’t!” Gigi snapped, her steps quickening. The exit was just ahead, but the walls were closing in. “So don’t read into it, Tin Can. You’re just lucky I’m bad at letting people die.”
They barely made it past the hallways as flames began to lick the walls. Gigi pushed forward, ignoring the smoke burning her lungs. The exit loomed, but there was one last thing hanging in the air.
“You’re going to die for this,” Cecilia muttered, her voice barely audible, strained.
Gigi grit her teeth, her steps faltering only slightly as she shot back, “They never forgave me for anything anyway. So what’s one more mistake?”
The moment the explosion ripped through the lab, the world seemed to slow. Gigi staggered, almost losing her footing, but she held on, pulling Cecilia through the rubble and into the last breath of freedom. As the fireball swallowed the lab behind them, they collapsed into the rocky ground, debris falling around them.
For a moment, there was only silence, save for the distant crackling of flames. Gigi lay back, chest heaving, staring up at the smoke-filled sky.
“You saved me,” Cecilia said quietly, her voice strained with disbelief. “You... why?”
Gigi groaned, covering her face with her clawed hand, the weight of her decision pressing down on her. “Don’t flatter yourself. It wasn’t for you.”
Cecilia turned her head, meeting Gigi’s gaze with something softer, something unexpected. “Still. You didn’t have to.”
Gigi dragged her claws down her face, frustrated and exhausted. “Don’t make this a thing, alright? You’re alive. I’m alive. End of story.”
But as Cecilia’s faint smile grew, Gigi felt something unfamiliar twist in her chest. That warmth, spreading just beneath her ribs, was a feeling she couldn’t quite shake.