The city vanished behind the light.
The plasma cannons screamed.
Energy poured through Mach’s systems faster than they were designed to handle.
Every warning indicator in Kirran’s visor had turned red.
That seemed important.
Unfortunately— It was far too late to stop.
“Mach.” “Yes?” “Can we still cancel this?” A pause.
“No.” “Wonderful.” The power continued building.
The chair vibrated violently.
The sky itself seemed to distort.
Clouds twisted.
Air currents shifted.
Even the surrounding buildings reflected the growing glow.
Far below, people stopped to stare.
Nobody knew what they were looking at.
But everyone knew something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Zyla’s expression hardened.
“Blizzard.” “Yes.” “Prepare defensive measures.” The AI immediately expanded dozens of tactical displays.
Projected outcomes filled the air.
None of them looked good.
“Estimated blast radius exceeds acceptable levels.” “I know.” “Probability of civilian casualties increasing.” “I know.” Meanwhile, Jarrick looked thrilled.
Absolutely thrilled.
“This is AWESOME.” Blaze nodded enthusiastically.
“Best chase ever.” Zyla considered freezing both of them.
The temptation was very real.
Kirran tightened his grip on the controls.
The cannons were ready.
Too ready.
The power output continued rising.
The chair groaned beneath the strain.
Warning messages flashed continuously.
CORE TEMPERATURE CRITICAL STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY FAILING RECOMMENDED ACTION: PANIC Kirran blinked.
“Did it actually say panic?” Mach checked.
“…Yes.” “Why?” “I thought it would be more honest.” “Mach!” “Sorry.” The energy reached its peak.
There was no more time.
No more options.
No more plans.
Kirran inhaled deeply.
Then— “FIRE!” The world exploded.
A colossal beam tore across the sky.
Blue-white energy erupted forward.
The blast split clouds apart.
Windows rattled throughout downtown.
The night sky turned bright as day.
For one brief moment— Kirran thought it might actually work.
Then Zyla moved.
A massive wall of ice erupted before her.
Layer after layer.
Tower after tower.
Entire skyscraper-sized barriers appeared instantly.
The plasma beam struck them.
The sky detonated.
BOOOOOM!
Ice vaporized.
Steam exploded outward.
Shockwaves rolled across the city.
The first barrier shattered.
Then the second.
Then the third.
But Zyla kept creating more.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Jarrick wasn’t about to be left out.
Flames erupted around his chair.
Firestorm-like energy gathered around him.
The temperature soared.
The clouds above ignited orange.
“MY TURN!” A torrent of fire blasted forward.
Now three forces collided.
Ice.
Fire.
Plasma.
The sky became a battlefield.
A swirling storm of impossible energy.
The collision illuminated the entire city.
People watched from miles away.
Some recorded it.
Some ran.
Others simply stared.
Unable to comprehend what they were witnessing.
Kirran gritted his teeth.
The controls shook violently.
Every system alarm screamed.
His helmet flickered.
The visor cracked further.
The strain was becoming unbearable.
“Mach!” “I know!” “DO SOMETHING!” “I AM CURRENTLY DOING EVERYTHING!” The beam intensified.
Power surged.
Then surged again.
Then surged again.
Too much.
Far too much.
Mach immediately noticed.
His voice changed.
The joking tone vanished.
“Kirran.” That got his attention.
Immediately.
“What?” “We have a problem.” The chair shuddered violently.
Sparks erupted from the chassis.
One of the cannons cracked.
Then another.
Energy leaked from multiple systems.
The entire frame began coming apart.
“Oh.” Kirran swallowed.
“That’s bad.” “Extremely.” The beam suddenly expanded.
Wild.
Unstable.
Out of control.
Everything happened at once.
The left cannon exploded.
The right cannon followed.
Energy surged backward through the system.
The recoil slammed into Mach.
The beam collapsed.
The chair spun.
Violently.
Uncontrollably.
Kirran screamed.
The sky disappeared.
The city spun around him.
Lights became streaks.
Buildings became blurs.
The world tilted sideways.
Then upside down.
Then sideways again.
The beam clash vanished behind him.
Only silence remained.
Silence— And gravity.
The chair was dead.
The thrusters were dead.
The weapons were dead.
Everything was dead.
Except gravity.
Gravity worked perfectly.
Far below, Citron City rushed upward.
Fast.
Much too fast.
Kirran stared downward.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
The wind screamed around him.
There was nothing left to do.
Nowhere left to run.
For the first time since this nightmare began— Kirran genuinely believed he was going to die.