Jake, is drinking a beer in the old bar he always goes to. He just arrived by train, his favorite way of traveling. The train reminds him of his father when they used to play as a kid. Now he’s back, after years of traveling, in the north side of what was known as the “City of Stars”.

 

 “- The only stars I see lately are those LED inlaid in those flying machines. They’re watching us!” says Marcel, a regular of the small coffee shop.

Jake doesn’t feel like debating those drunken observations and discussing with him. He knows that for a decade now, the drones released by the Eastern Coalition have been terrorizing the population of The Union.

“- The Union should have done something by now!” continues Marcel. 

 “- Where is this technology they’re bragging about?!” He says while putting his glass down.

 “- I miss the Old Land as it was, with the shores, the walks on the beach.” He sighs. 

 “- But most of it is flooded now.”

The Union has been working on human augmentations for a while now. Jake has been one of the first augmented soldiers of the Union Army. After his tragic accident, they replaced most of the vital parts of his body but they also tried to make Jake the first augmented human to serve the cause against the Coalition invasion and their heavy armed robots. He did his part in the war and the attack was stopped. Then he disappeared, far away, mourning for the casualties but also for his father after he died in a very mysterious way.

He’s back in Rutigremcen for the shooting competition. It is organized by his father’s former co-worker, Dr Saïf and The Union. After Jake’s father death, Saïf mysteriously disappeared, with all the research that was done.With this competition The Union wants to exhibit their last weapon. Saïf pretends to be a diplomat of The Eastern Coalition and is part of the organization committee. But he’s here to steal the weapon. So now, Jake has an occasion to meet face to face with the usurper that he believes killed his father. Win the competition, the prize, learn the truth and protect the humans present.

Competition day has arrived. It consists of fighting waves of drones and land robots until the waves finish or the participant taps out or… worse. The shooting contest will take place this year at the giant stadium built for the occasion. Projectors light up the sky, flying drones in sync show the public the latest futuristic products they should buy but as everyone knows they’re also here for surveillance. Jake enrolls for the first round. A lot of known faces here, especially from the military. Whispers are rising on the sight of Jake. “There he is, the Blue”. This nickname was given to him because of the color of the first enhancements he got: metallic pale blue. Jake sees a known face among the crowd. It’s Jane, Saïf’s best shooter. Jane has been receiving many augmentations: eyes, lungs, arms, legs, heart and even brain. She has lost most of her humanity and is devoted to Saïf. Our hero must beat Jane at any cost. He has to prove that humans are still better than these machines. But he has compassion for Jane, and hope. Hope that he’ll see the human beyond the metal. He used to know Jane before all that warfare happened.

Another known face is Rufus.He is the person who was taking care of Jake’s modifications. “His gunsmith” as he used to call him.

 “- You might use some fixing there Jake”.

 Jake hugs him, in:

 “- Do your magic Ruf’, as you used to do!

 - A chance I’ve brought my tools! “

The first round starts with Jake taking place in the arena. All eyes are on him, but Jake doesn’t seem to care about the wave of drones surging on him. He lights up his cigarette, takes a deep puff, and with one bullet, takes down three of the drones with ricochet. Upholstering his gun, he blasts with a headshot the two mechs running towards him. Then with one piercing bullet takes down the last two drones flying at him. The crowd is going crazy about his performance. The first round ends. Some of the contesters are carried out on stretchers, others in bags, young, inexperienced upstarts for the most. The semi-final can start.

The difficulty is rising, more drones are attacking, faster and shooting more bullets. But Jake has the resources and the skill to take them all down. Dr Saïf then nods to one of the judges of the competition. The robots are released in increased pace as ordered by Saïf, the crowd is holding its breath when suddenly Jake is hit, he puts on knee down, but he won’t let go of the competition, he has to win, he has to cease his chance to confront Saïf and destroy his plans. Using his bionic arm to lift himself from the ground in one impressive jump, he takes his railgun, the ultimate gun and uses his auto aim. He has to find the strength to keep shooting with ultrasonic pace. He holds, he’s shooting faster and faster until all the robotic enemies are shredded in metallic shavings.

 It is obvious now that Saïf wants to influence the outcome of the competition and wants to see Jake out of it, as soon as possible.

 Saïf slams his fist on the arm of his chair, but then he smiles. He smiles when he sees blood being spilled on the ground, like the last remnants of Jake’s humanity running out of his body. Holding his wound with one hand and his unique railgun in the other one, he lifts it in a provoking sign towards Saïf.

It’s time for the grand finals. The two competition favorites will now compete against each other and against the drones. Every blow is allowed, they can shoot at each other while trying to terminate the robots.

 Jane gets rid easily of the first wave of attacks with her long-range metallic whip that seems to be infinitely long, and then strikes a ferocious attack against Jake. In lightning movement, Jake dodges the attack and is able to remain on his feet. With his revolver he shoots the last drones attacking him.

 The second wave starts and is ten times more violent than the previous one. Once again, Jane is the fastest to get rid of all her assailants, but this time she attacks all of Jake’s drones.

 “- I want you for myself! You’re mine, you slug! I’ll cut you in pieces as I did to your father!” she shouts at Jake.

 Hopefully, Jake has prepared well, thanks to Rufus. He’s ready for the melee attacks from Jane. He uses his spiky armor to counter her. Jane is pushed back, harmed but gets instantly back on her feet, to unleash an even quicker attack with her whip. Jake’s arm is entangled now and both fighters are using all their strength to outdo each other.

 Saïf, not seeing any oncoming result, decides to kill them both. He releases the 3rd, most devastating waves of drones: supersonic, with tentacles, ghostly, crawling, running. Everything in Saïf’s arsenal. But before that, he sends an attack to handicap the two fighters. He uses an EMP discharge that will disable their bionic parts. Jake is the least affected by this. Jane, on the other hand, is laying inert on the ground. Using his last strength, he unholsters his most powerful weapon, the railgun. The ultrasonic bullets start flying shredding all the attacking robots, in a last battle cry he draws deep within himself the required stamina to hold such a powerful attack.

The EMP effects faint away. Jane opens her eyes seeing Jake exhausted and barely alive.

 “- I’m sorry Jake.” She says. “Saïf made me do this.”

 Taking Jake’s arm in her hand, she uses the last power she has to fully charge Jake and to give him the power he needs. A teardrop running on her cheek is blown away by a breeze, like uplifting her soul which was trapped in her metallic body, up in the air.

 Jake pushes a grumble and jumps towards Saïf to kill him. He gets rid of his bodyguards easily, and now he holds him by the neck. He has the choice to kill him or to deliver him to the authorities to be judged. The technology now belongs to the people to help them defeat the drones.