After leaving the room I woke up in, I found myself traversing a short hallway. It was oddly empty, not that I was going to complain about that. I guess the administrator I killed was the only one in the building, which doesn't quite sound like efficient security. Whatever, not my problem.

At the end of the hallway was a see-through door, the side entrance. I could hear muffled sounds coming from outside, but the door's glass was too clouded to see through clearly. I could only tell that past it was a world flooded with bleak, metallic gray. That color was disgusting, the way it suddenly engulfed my home and friend. It still didn't feel quite real. Was I in the middle of an ambitious horror film? What the hell happened here? Why was this happening? What was this thing, this virus that was put inside of me? Questions upon questions piled up in my brain, seemingly with no answers.

That was until the voice within my head spoke to me yet again.

"The earth, the very dimension you inhabit belongs to the King now," it said. "Your master, a world conqueror. Everything organic is to be killed, for the entire planet is now coated in his metal."

I wiped the last of my tears from my face, grabbing the handle of the door. "Shut up already. I'm going to take my world back from the fucker, I'm not his."

I was full of unbearable, endless frustration, but not even that was going to stop me. I realized the specifics of what had happened didn't matter to me, I couldn't waste any more time with words like 'why.' I knew what I needed to know, my best friend is dead and this thing called "Malware" is the cause. That thing is my enemy.

Pushing the door open, the first thing I noticed is construction. The sound of screeching power drills and raucous jackhammers was enough to overwhelm anyone's senses, not to mention the artificial voices of robot workers shouting to one another.

There were hundreds of little robots in all sorts of shapes, each one covered in the same red marks that were etched in my skin. They scurried across different construction sites, their feet banging loudly against the flat metal ground. They carried beams and pipes, boxes of nails and equipment. Somehow, they all seemed to know exactly where to go.

The construction sites were everywhere, endless. It was like they were building a city from scratch. As a matter of fact, that might have been exactly what they were doing. All around me were frameworks for buildings and other structures. I turned and looked back at the building I just walked out of. It was the only complete piece of architecture, standing tall like a New York skyscraper. It was perfectly rectangular in shape, flawlessly built up of pure metal without possessing a single window.

I wondered what happened to the buildings that were here before the metal liquid overtook the world. The metal simply coated them, it didn't destroy them. If the buildings weren't destroyed by the metal then they must have been knocked down manually, but I didn't see any debris. Then, the only logical conclusion would be that they knocked down everything, cleaned up the remains, and successfully set up nearly complete frameworks. For all that to have happened while I was unconscious... exactly how long was I unconscious?

Something approached from behind, and a synthesized voice spoke to me.

"HND-4, is it? I have been expecting you, took you long enough to wake up. Guess its typical for cyborgs. Well, now that you're in working condition, let's get straight into business."

I turned to see a large robot, humanoid in shape and silver in color. Its physique must've been built to be intimidating, but it came across as ridiculously goofy. Its body resembled a massive body-builder on steroids, but its head was disproportionately small. Its large, bug-like eyes glanced over a clipboard.

"HND-4, you have been assigned to my squad, Planet 8-A9's Squad 3. I will be your commander from now on—"

HND-4? Was that supposed to be my name?

I look to my wrist to see an old engraving in its metal, reading "HND-4." My... "creator" told me that the mark was simply there for construction purposes. Its job was to clarify that it was the fourth model of my left wrist, nothing more. It was not a name. In no way, whatsoever, was that my name.

I opened my mouth, but I was met with a smack across the face. I fell straight on the ground.

"You're not listening to me, are you, HND-4?"

"That is not my fucking name." I sat up.

"It's your name now. It's what the administrator listed you as, and as far as low-ranked dogs like you are concerned, her word is law."

The robot threw the clipboard to the ground. The bolded words at the very top were the first to catch my eye: "Physical Scan and Analysis."

The whole page was information about me. My age (fifteen), my genetics, my mechanical enhancements and their capabilities, my limits, my needs, almost everything about my body that could be listed. They gathered all this information while I was unconscious? That was an uncomfortable thought. At the bottom of the page, there was a section for extra notes, in which there was only one.

It read, "Does not seem to be branded. Has 'HND-4' engraved on its wrist, thus, this unit shall be called 'HND-4.'"

You've got to be kidding me. Since when was I an "it"?

The Robot bent over and retrieved its clipboard. "Understand now? Well, since that's settled, let's stop wasting time. HND-4, shoot down the surviving birds. Those damn pests keep dropping their waste on our work."

"...No." I got back on my feet. "Where is Malware?"

And just like that, the robot smacked me again. My cheek stung, but I managed to keep my footing.

"You got a big mouth for a dog. Heh, like you would ever be graced with the presence of King Malware. Shut it, and get to work already."

"... You're so annoying." I pointed my finger at the robot with a grunt. "Pew."

Straight from the tip of my finger, a heat laser fired and hit its forehead.

"What the—?!"

The robot stumbled back, touching its head to find a small hole. Its eyes widened as if to express fear, but really, I didn't care.

"Pew."

I shot another laser into its chest.

"Pew." 

Then another into its stomach

"Pew."

And then another into its neck.

I figured that if I kept firing, eventually I would hit something important. After shooting its neck, I paused, and the robot made an attempt to speak.

"You... you're... you'll pay—"

Its voice suddenly lowered in pitch, then raised in pitch, then lowered in pitch. The words it said were no longer words, rather nonsensical gibberish. Its body began to shake as if it were seizing; I realized the robots was slowly breaking down. Aiming haphazardly for results must've worked, as, after a few seconds, the robot froze. It collapsed onto the ground face-first, motionless. I suppose that increased my body-count to two. It's barely been an hour.

The working robots that surrounded us, who were previously going about their business unbothered, stopped. They gawked at me like I was some freakshow. Amid the stiff machines, there was a girl.

Her shocked expression caught my attention, its humanity utterly alien when compared to the countless soulless faces of robots. She seemed human... but half of her face was covered by metal. She was like me, she had to be. One of her eyes, the one that was in the metallic side of her face, glowed an unnatural blue. But her other eye, it was an earthy green. It glimmered with light and fear... as if it were a window to her soul, ready to reveal her every emotion. That reminded me of Raiden. When you looked into his eyes... you could always tell exactly what he was feeling, no matter the scenario.

I wanted to cry again, but I couldn't. I couldn't stand around like an idiot and wait for danger to approach me; I had to go and find Malware. I had to avenge my friend's life, as well as my own. I had to avenge the life I once lived, as aimless as it was. It was still mine.

The voice within my head spoke to me. "You are being such a disgrace to King Malware. At this rate, you shall be executed."

Executed? I don't care if that happens or not.

I spread my wings and took off into the sky. I flew as fast as I could, flapping my wings like a maniac. I didn't dare look back, and I wouldn't until I was far, far away from that place.

* * * 

For what seemed like hours, I wandered throughout the sky. I looked to the ground like a vulture searching for a carcass, trying my best to make sense of everything.

Birds flew past me constantly. Everywhere I turned, they were there, either soaring freely through the air or pecking at the metal ground below. I suppose it makes sense they survived, considering all they had to do was leap into the sky as the liquid metal swallowed the earth and spread its wicked virus. Perhaps I should've thought to do the same...

The birds weren't the only survivors. Most of what I saw across the landscape was more of the same: Metal, machines, robots, half-finished construction sights, etc. Yet, to my horror, I also saw people. Unlike my friend, they seemed to have survived that virus surging through their bodies and were left at the mercy of Malware's new world. Some were tied up in cords, kicking and screaming as robots carried them. Others were... lined up and shot like animals. A vibrant red stuck out from the monochromatic scene of gray. 

It's all sickening.

I was so damn sick to my stomach, yet I still haven't found Malware.

"Such is the fate of humanity. There is no use in the lives of imperfect beings."

The voice within my head dismissed it all, like I was only watching the slaughter of ants. I ignored it, keeping my mind straight.

Eventually, I found myself above what seemed like a wasteland. Aside from the metallic ground, there was absolutely nothing. Like an abandoned field, it was left untouched by those thousands of working robots scurrying about.

Damn it all, was I only getting farther from Malware?

I considered turning back, a thought that was interrupted by the whistling of a small missile piercing through the sky. I flapped my wings, barely dodging the missile. My eyes darted to the ground to see a large red mech looking back at me.

I didn't get much of a chance to look, but I knew from a glimpse that the machine was constructed especially for combat. It was humanoid, but heavily built, intimidating like a tank. It held a missile launcher, pulling the trigger and sending another missile flying straight towards my face.

I stopped thinking and listened to instinct. The missiles weren't too quick, so I was able to swiftly avoid it with another flap of my wings. Then, I dived down and cut through the air like an arrow. I flew right over the mech's head, grabbing the weapon right from its hand. I continued to soar forward and upward, trying to create distance from my opponent, but the mech grabbed my ankle mid-fight.

I let out a gasp before I was thrown to the ground. My hand still gripped the missile launcher, but the mech's foot stomped on my wrist. I winced, the nerves that were intertwined with my metallic arm aching. The mech raised its foot and stomped on my wrist even harder, and I could hear the metal, my metal, struggling to hold its shape. My grip loosened, and the mech promptly bent down to pick up the launcher.

The mech lifted its foot. I leaped back onto my feet. I punched its chest with full force, but to my surprise, it didn't even flinch. It tossed the missile launcher to the side. I was slack-jawed, something that the mech relished in.

It spoke. "That's a priceless face you have. See, I prefer to do things up close and personal. The missiles were only to catch your attention so we could really fight, but what was that? Was that punch supposed to hurt? You're kidding me, right?"

I growled under my breath, before raising my leg and kicking his side. He still didn't flinch.

"Ah, it seems you're not kidding. Too bad. Well, I'm still going to have some fun with you."

The mech wrapped its hands around my throat and lifted me from the ground. As my feet were left to dangle, I stared into the mech's face. It had no distinguishing features, no mouth or nose, just two flashing yellow eyes.

"Special orders from Malware! You are to die. He has entrusted your demise to me, aren't I lucky? I just love sucking the life out of cyborg trash like you. I'll be sure to take my time. No rush, right?" 

The yellow glow of the mech's eyes brightened with sadistic glee. I raised my hand and grabbed the mech's face, and in a desperate attempt to survive, fired a heat blast.

Opposed to releasing my neck due to the attack, it's grip only tightened. I was struggling to breathe, clawing at its hands in a struggle to break free. As I coughed and hacked, the mech shook its head. My attack left only dark marks of soot on its face, no actual damage.

"Nice try."

The mech dropped me to the ground before punching me right in my chest. I screamed, I could've sworn I heard something crack. The mech responded to my screams by lifting its fist and slamming it back into my bare chest.

"Quite the weak spot you have. The human body is so fragile, it's hilarious! How do you manage to live in these things? Imagine if your whole body was metal. Then maybe you would stand a chance against me, just maybe."

The mech punched my chest a third time. At this rate, it wouldn't be long until I ended up with a pierced lung. Still, I spat in the mech's face.

"At least I'm alive, unlike you, idiot!"

"... You're not in the position to be making remarks like that," the mech said. "I'll show you why."

The mech grabbed me and flipped me over onto my stomach. Its hand was placed firmly on my lower back, keeping me secured on the ground.

"See, if I didn't like your little comment," the mech began. "Then I could do something like this to you to punish you."

An excruciating pain struck me instantly. My wings were carefully weaved into my nervous system. They were sensitive to being pulled at the place where they connected to my back. The mech gripped my left wing right at its base and yanked it off my body with ease.

I couldn't scream, I couldn't so much as move. The shock, the panic, the pain, it all paralyzed me. Only one thought ran through my mind over and over again: "It hurts."

The mech mocked me. "Oops, maybe I went too far with my example. Looks like little cyborg trash can't fly anymore. Well, we can't leave you with just one wing, can we?"

My right wing was torn from my back, and the pain grew worse. My entire body was frozen, aside from the tears that slowly built up in the corners of my eyes. I wanted more than anything in the world to scream, release this stress, but I couldn't even do so much as yelp.

The mech dropped my severed wings right in front of my face, just so I could look up at them in grief. Never have I felt anything but apathy towards the unnatural attachment, until they were ripped away from me painfully. Those were my wings, and I was the one who should decide their fate! It was my body!

But the mech couldn't care less, and I couldn't raise my voice to argue. It grabbed my arm and continued to mock me.

"Now we've got a flightless bird, how worthless. Perhaps I should tear off its arms, too. I was to hear it beg for mercy."

At that moment, it came across my mind that I was about to die. This wasn't how I wanted things to end, but I couldn't complain. Actually, I barely cared. At the very least, I stayed true to who I was. I, at the very least, tried to avenge one of the only people I cared about.

I accepted my fate, but before the mech tore off my arm, the voice of a child spoke. 

"That's enough. Release him."

From a distance, a girl approached. She walked upright and proud, like someone of authority. As she came closer, I realized it was the same girl I saw after murdering that squad commander. Her eye still shined a deep green, and I could still see the fear hidden within it.

She really was like me, half-human and half-robot. Her right arm, both of her legs, and half of her face was made of metal. On her left shoulder, the letters H.R.A were tattooed into her flesh.

What struck me as odd was the fact that absolutely nowhere on her body was there a red, circuit-like pattern, unlike all the other robots I've seen, as well as myself.

She stared straight at the mech, although her blonde hair blew over her face. "What's taking you so long? Get off of him. I will be the one to take care of him."

The mech, at first, didn't say a word. It slowly got off of me and stood up. Before I could feel even a sense of relief, it grabbed my hair. It pulled me up onto my knees by my ponytail, and wouldn't let go. My body was still incapacitated by the deep, dull pain the persisted mercilessly. I was helpless.

The girl's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing?"

"Ain't it obvious? I'm showing off my prey, emphasis on the word 'my.'"

"I believe I said that I would be the one to take care of him."

"I'm not listening to Malware's lapdog. Why would I?"

The mech let out a deep, mechanical laugh as the girl took a step back. She clenched her teeth as her expression darkened, and became unreadable.

"Because I'll kill you," the girl said.

"Oh, look. Malware's lapdog could bark! Go on! Let me hear you yap!"

"I will kill you."

"Yeah, yeah, keep on yapping! Threaten me all you like, but you know I'm better than a fleabag like you," the mech said. " And yet, you're the one who gets all of Malware's attention, all his special treatment. You know, I don't understand that at all."

The girl paused, before muttering something under her breath.

The mech couldn't hear. "What was that? Speak up, lapdog!"

"I said Malware enjoys our game! That's why!" She shouted.

"What—?"

As the mech went to speak, the girl rushed forward and leaped into the air. With a single swift kick of her leg, she knocked the mech's head off its body. The head landed several feet away, while the body fell forward. Unforutenly, I fell along with the body, and it crashed on top of me. The wind was knocked out of me.

The girl had yet to notice my plight. I watched her pick up the mech's head and crush it between her bare hands. My enemy was no more, but I was left at the mercy of this stranger's motives.

Despite all my pain, I was able to squeak out words to catch her attention. "A little help..."

The girl turned to see me being crushed by the mech's body. She instantly ran to my side, lifting the body off of me and thrusting it off to the side. 

"My apologies, I didn't notice that the body had landed on you." She extended her hand. "Can you stand?"

"I... don't think so. Everything hurts," I said.

"Oh. Well. I suppose that leaves us one option then."

The girl bent down and lifted me up into her arms. She held me the same way a boy would hold their lover, which felt off considering that I was nearly twice her size. Still, her arms didn't shake from my weight, nor did her face show any sign of strain. I guess I didn't have to worry about falling, to her, carrying me was like carrying a baby.

But that was far from my main issue.

"I am HRA," the girl said. "A Cyborg, like you. It's remarkable how well you resisted Malware's virus, but that may be your downfall. I wish to show you what happens to rebels."

"Are you going to kill me?" I asked.

HRA shook her head. "No, I want you to live."