Intergalactic conquest with an AI

The captain leaned forward, gripping the edge of the console tightly as he stared at the monitor displaying the car. His greed and frustration simmered just below the surface. "I don't care what it takes," he muttered under his breath. "I want that car, and those damn criminals stopped now."

Meanwhile, inside the supercar, Nyra was still laughing hysterically, the chaos outside only fueling her adrenaline rush. "Haha! Did you see that, sis? They couldn't even touch us!" she laughed, gripping the wheel tightly as she took another sharp turn.

"Stop gloating!" Lyra snapped, her crimson eyes darting between the holographic radar and the rearview mirror. "They're not done yet! And if you keep playing around, someone else will find out, and it will become harder to get away!"

Nyra let out a playful scoff, her silver hair whipping around her face. "Relax, sis! I've got this under control. Nobody's catching us today."

From the backseat, Erik sat rigidly, clutching his seatbelt as he tried to keep up with the twins banter. "Uh, not to interrupt or anything," he said nervously, "but I think they're calling for backup. Are you sure we're going to be okay?"

Nyra glanced at him in the rearview mirror, her crimson eyes sparkling with mischief. "Aw, don't worry, little Erik," she said with a grin. "This isn't our first rodeo. Besides, we've got the best car in the galaxy! Let them bring backup; it'll just make things more fun."

"Fun!?" Erik exclaimed, his voice cracking slightly. "You call this fun!?"

Lyra shot her sister an annoyed glare. "Stop teasing him, Nyra," she said before turning to Erik. "We'll be fine. Trust me, we've handled worse."

But even as she said it, her fingers tightened on the dashboard, her eyes narrowing as a new blip appeared on the radar. It was larger and moving faster than the city guard vehicles.

"Uh, sis?" Lyra said, her tone suddenly tense.

Nyra glanced at the radar, her grin fading slightly. "What's that?" she asked, her playful demeanor shifting to something more serious.

Lyra frowned, typing rapidly on the console. "Looks like... military-grade vehicles," she muttered. "And they're coming from the direction of the frontier camp."

Nyra's eyebrows shot up. "The military? Seriously? For us?!"

Erik paled in the backseat. "The military? Why would they call the military for a couple of—"

"Don't ask stupid questions!" Lyra snapped, cutting him off. She turned to Nyra, her voice urgent. "They must've lied about us. There's no way the military would mobilize for a couple of 'kidnappers.'"

Nyra's lips curled into a wicked grin. "Hah! I guess we're more important than we thought!"

"This isn't funny!" Lyra shot back. "We don't have the firepower to deal with a full-on military response! Bloody!"

The small bat AI, still hovering near the dashboard, flapped its wings in acknowledgment. "Yes, young masters?"

"Activate Protocol Red," Lyra commanded, her voice firm.

The AI's crimson eyes glowed brighter as it processed the command. "Understood. Activating Protocol Red. Deploying reinforcements."

Erik's eyes widened. "Reinforcements?" he asked, glancing around the car. "What reinforcements?"

Nyra's grin returned, wider than ever. "Oh, you'll see," she said with her voice practically dripping with excitement.

As they continued speeding toward the outskirts of the city, several black-and-red drones appeared on the horizon, flying in perfect formation. They moved like a swarm of predators, their sleek designs identical to the ones Erik had seen earlier.

"Blood Legion," Lyra said with a smirk, her confidence returning. "Master always makes sure we're prepared for situations like this."

The drones began to fan out, positioning themselves between the car and the incoming military vehicles. The twins' car holographically displayed the activation of the drone's defensive systems, and Bloody's voice echoed through the cabin.

"Blood Legion is fully operational. Awaiting further orders."

"Let's give them something to remember us by," Nyra said with a laugh, slamming the accelerator even harder. The car roared as it surged forward, leaving the city guards in the dust while the drones moved to intercept the military forces.

Lyra sighed, shaking her head as she strapped herself in tighter. "I swear, if Master hears about this, we're dead."

Nyra just laughed, her eyes blazing with excitement. "Relax, sis! We're just getting started!"

"Sir, we have the target in sight," one of the soldiers on a transport ship reported, his voice steady over the communicator.

"Good," the commander replied, his tone sharp and focused. "Prepare the troops to jump out once we surround them. I want this operation done quickly and cleanly. No excuses."

But before the commander could give additional orders, a panicked voice cut through the communications. "Sir! Not good; transport number 5 is under fire! I repeat, transport number 5 is under fire!"

The commander's jaw tightened. "Put it on the screen!" he shouted, and a live feed of the unfolding chaos appeared on the main console.

The image showed one of the transport ships trailing black smoke as several sleek, black-and-red drones swarmed it like vultures. The drones from the Blood Legion were systematically targeting the ship's engines, their weapons precise and unrelenting.

"Dammit," the commander hissed. The transports were basic troop carriers, not designed for heavy combat. Worse, they lacked shielding, making them easy prey for the advanced drones.

"Engines are hit! Engines are hit!" a soldier on transport number 5 shouted as the ship's thrusters exploded, sending it into a spiraling descent.

The commander watched grimly as the transport began to fall toward the slums below. Some of the soldiers aboard managed to jump out before the ship crashed, deploying emergency parachutes that saved their lives. Others weren't so lucky.

"Sir, what are your orders?!" a nearby officer asked with his voice tense.

The commander clenched his fists, his gaze fixed on the drones still circling like predators. "This is a high command order," he said, his voice cold and authoritative.

"The enemy has called for reinforcements. They're heavily armed and possess advanced technology. All transport ships are to retreat immediately. I repeat, retreat and regroup!"

"But, sir—"

"Enough!" the commander snapped. "Send the 'birds' to engage and shoot down those drones! I want air support tracking the target vehicle at all times. Fighters, move in and neutralize those reinforcements!"

"Understood, sir!"

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Meanwhile, inside the twins supercar, Lyra kept her gaze fixed on the holographic radar. A growing cluster of red flags indicated that enemy reinforcements were closing in.

"Sis, they're retreating," Lyra said cautiously, her crimson eyes narrowing as she analyzed the radar. "That's not a good sign. They're regrouping for something bigger. But thankfully, we're almost at the city gates."

Nyra let out an amused chuckle, her confidence undeterred as she took a sharp turn, tires screeching against the pavement. "Of course it's not a good sign," she said with a smirk. "But when is it ever? Just leave it to me; I'll handle it."

Turning her attention to the small robotic bat hovering near the dashboard, Nyra gave her next command. "Bloody, hack the gates. I don't trust the guards there to let us walk out of here without a fight."

The AI's crimson eyes glowed brighter as it responded. "Understood. Initiating hacking protocol. Estimated time to override: five minutes."

On the bat's tiny screen, an infinite cascade of numbers and code began scrolling rapidly as it worked to infiltrate the city's gate control systems.

At the slum city gates, chaos was already unfolding in the guard control room.

"Mmm? What is happening?! Who is opening the gates?!" the head guard shouted, storming into the control room with a look of pure frustration on his face.

"I don't know, sir!" Another guard stammered, his fingers flying over the control panel in a desperate attempt to regain control. "I keep trying to close them, but it's not working! The system isn't responding!"

The head guard's face twisted in fury as he slammed his hand on the console. "Idiots! Do I have to do everything myself?!" He shoved the panicking guard aside and began typing furiously, his fingers slamming into the keys.

But no matter what commands he entered, the gates continued to open. Alarms blared throughout the control room as the override signal from Bloody's hacking continued to dismantle their systems piece by piece.

"It's like the entire system's been hijacked!" the subordinate guard said, his voice rising in panic.

"I KNOW THAT, YOU MORON!" The head guard snapped, sweat dripping down his brow as he frantically tried to regain control. But the numbers on the screen made no sense to him; lines of alien code flickered and disappeared faster than he could read them.

Back in the car, Nyra was grinning ear to ear as she floored the gas pedal, sending the car roaring down the final stretch toward the slum gates.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Bloody, how's the hack going?" she asked casually, her silver hair whipping around as she swerved past an abandoned vehicle in the road.

"Hacking progress at 78%," Bloody reported, its voice calm and efficient. "Estimated completion in two minutes."

Lyra glanced nervously at the radar. The red blips marking the military reinforcements were getting closer. "Two minutes might be all we have," she muttered. "Nyra, pick up the pace!"

Nyra let out a laugh, her grin widening. "Oh, don't worry, I'm already going as fast as this baby can go without breaking the sound barrier."

Erik, who had been silent for a while, finally spoke up from the backseat, his voice tinged with both fear and amazement. "Are you guys always like this?"

Nyra glanced at him in the rearview mirror, her crimson eyes sparkling. "Like what? Amazing? Yes."

Lyra groaned, rolling her eyes. "Don't encourage her, Erik," she said that, though her tone was more exasperated than angry.

As the car sped toward the gates, the city guards outside scrambled to deploy their forces, setting up barricades and checkpoints in a last-ditch effort to stop the twins. But even they couldn't ignore the ominous sound of the gates creaking open, the massive steel doors slowly sliding apart as Bloody completed its hack.

"The gates are open," Bloody announced, its wings fluttering with satisfaction. "You are clear to proceed, young masters."

"Perfect timing!" Nyra said with a grin, slamming her foot on the gas.

The car shot forward like a rocket, barreling through the gates at breakneck speed. The guards at the barricades could only watch in stunned silence as the sleek vehicle disappeared into the distance, its taillights glowing like twin red comets.