Episode 4:Shadows and echoes
[Scene 1 – Opening: Rooftop Standoff]
The night sky glows faintly orange from city fires. Demiko stands at the edge of a rooftop, sword balanced lazily across his shoulders. Harumo kneels with one pistol aimed down at the streets below, scanning for movement. She’s quiet. Too quiet.
Demiko: [smirking] “You’re wound tighter than a tripwire. Relax. If someone shows up, I’ll just cut ‘em in half.”
Harumo: [flatly] “And alert every patrol within a mile. That’s your solution?”
Demiko: [shrugs] “Worked last time.”
Harumo lowers her pistol and turns on him, her voice sharper.
Harumo: “You act like you’re invincible. But one mistake—one bullet—and I’ll be leaving your corpse on this rooftop.”
Demiko meets her glare. His cocky grin fades for just a beat.
Demiko: “Maybe. But I’m not planning on dying yet.”
Their eyes lock, tension coiling like a drawn bowstring. Then Harumo looks away first, scanning the streets again.
⸻
[Scene 2 – Intel Job]
They infiltrate an abandoned government office complex — one of Kojiko’s old data vaults. The interior is decayed, files scattered, broken monitors still buzzing faintly. Harumo kneels by a console, typing fast.
Harumo: [focused] “If this terminal still has records, we’ll know which facilities are worth hitting.”
Demiko doesn’t answer at first. He drags his sword along the wall, the screech of metal on concrete making her flinch.
Harumo: [snapping] “Stop that.”
Demiko: [grins] “What? Place is already falling apart.”
He finally leans against the wall, watching her fingers fly over the keyboard. There’s a strange silence between them. For the first time, Demiko doesn’t look bored — he looks like he’s trying to understand her.
Demiko: [quieter] “Why keep doing this? Guns, data, fighting. You could’ve walked away.”
Harumo: [without looking up] “Because walking away doesn’t stop people like Kojiko.”
That name lingers in the air, heavy. Demiko’s jaw tightens.
⸻
[Scene 3 – The First Crack]
Suddenly, the lights flicker. A low mechanical whir echoes through the building. Harumo immediately pulls her pistols. Demiko readies his sword, smirk gone.
Dozens of automated drones crawl out of the vents — sleek, spider-like machines with razor appendages. Their glowing eyes lock on the intruders.
Demiko: [excited grin returning] “Finally. Something fun.”
Harumo: “You’re impossible.”
⸻
[Scene 4 – Drone Battle]
The drones swarm. Demiko charges in headfirst, his superhuman strength cleaving through steel limbs. Sparks fly as he shatters two drones with one swing. Harumo takes cover, her pistols spitting precise bursts. Each shot finds a weak joint, each drone dropping cleanly.
But the sheer numbers press them. A drone pins Harumo down, blade poised to pierce her chest. Demiko flashes in, sword slamming down, cleaving it in two. The blade slices close enough to graze her arm.
Harumo: [snarling] “You almost cut me.”
Demiko: [cocky smirk] “Almost doesn’t count.”
She glares at him but doesn’t deny the truth — he saved her life.
⸻
[Scene 5 – Mutual Frustration]
They regroup in the console room, blood and oil dripping from Demiko’s blade. Harumo checks her arm wound, shallow but bleeding. Demiko notices, his grin faltering.
Demiko: [awkwardly] “You should… patch that up.”
Harumo: [cold] “Don’t pretend to care. You just want me functional so you don’t die.”
Demiko: [after a beat, softer] “Maybe. Or maybe I just don’t like seeing my partner bleed.”
The word “partner” hangs in the air. Harumo stiffens, clearly uncomfortable with it — but she doesn’t correct him.
⸻
[Scene 6 – Closing]
They finally pull the intel from the console: a map of upcoming supply convoys guarded by Kojiko’s enforcers. Harumo tucks the data chip into her belt, voice firm.
Harumo: “This could give us a real advantage.”
Demiko: [grinning] “Or a real fight.”
They exit the building, the faint city glow reflecting on their faces. For the first time, they’re walking side by side, not one ahead of the other. The partnership is still tense, still ready to shatter — but it’s growing, whether they admit it or not.
The screen cuts to black on Demiko’s cocky smirk, fading into the hum of distant sirens.
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