The battlefield was quiet.
R-1 lay motionless on the cold, cracked ground. At a glance, it looked like a man asleep—peaceful, almost human. But beneath the synthetic skin, something stirred.
---
[System Activated]
[Analyzing environmental conditions...]
[Status: Civilians in danger]
[Combat Protocol Initiated – War Mode: ON]
From within R-1's body, panels along its arms and legs clicked open with silent precision. Sleek armor emerged—smooth plates sliding into place, snapping together like puzzle pieces in a mechanical dance.
Its hands unfolded with a soft hum, fingers reshaping into sharper, metallic digits. A soft blue glow began to pulse from its palms. A mask rose from its collar and sealed over its face—no sound, no flash, just purpose.
The transformation was silent and seamless.
Where once lay a fallen body, now stood a weapon.
---
A heavy thud echoed.
R-1's hand suddenly clamped onto the leg of a nearby enemy robot. The robot turned, confused—but too late. R-1 lifted it effortlessly and spun it in a curved arc before smashing it into the ground with a bone-rattling force.
A shockwave burst outward.
Smoke rose, obscuring the battlefield. Civilians and onlookers gasped, unable to see through the sudden cloud.
Then—silence.
As the dust slowly cleared, a silhouette emerged.
R-1 knelt on one knee, gripping the broken robot's leg in its hand. The rest of the robot's parts lay scattered across the field, torn and lifeless.
Then came the sound of metal footsteps—many of them.
---
A wave of creepy, malformed robots sprinted toward R-1. Their glowing red eyes locked on the lone figure in the center. R-1 dropped the leg and rose.
No rush.
No fear.
Each step was heavy, deliberate.
It didn't raise its arms. It didn't turn its head. It simply walked—calmly—toward the enemy.
As the first robot lunged, R-1 punched. One blow. The robot's head shattered like glass, its body crumpling instantly.
The others closed in, circling it.
R-1 paused. Then, in one motion, it twisted its torso mid-punch—sweeping outward with force. The surrounding robots fell simultaneously, like puppets cut from their strings.
But it wasn't over.
More robots emerged from the shadows. Some held weapons. One stood out—a towering machine with a skull-like faceplate, darker and more dangerous than the rest.
---
[Threat Level: Master-class unit detected]
[Long-range weapons detected]
[Missile Protocol: ACTIVATED]
From R-1's wrist, a hidden panel slid open.
A missile launched—silent at first, then gone in a blink.
BOOM.
Flames erupted where the robot squad once stood. The skull-headed unit now burned, its face gone, body collapsing in ash. The others began to glitch and tremble.
They cried in static voices:
"Connection lost. Master required."
---
[Connecting to mini-robot army…]
…
[Link established.]
[Emergency cleared.]
[System Reboot Initiated – 10%… 50%… 100%]
[R-1 reboot successful.]
---
R-1 blinked.
His body hummed quietly as energy stabilized. He looked up, dazed, and turned to find WV-1—Bhargav, alive and unharmed. Relief surged through him, though he didn't fully understand why.
Then he noticed the suit.
Armored limbs. A mask. Blue light pulsing from his hands.
"What… happened to me?"
Floating before him, a screen flickered into view—clear and translucent, hovering in midair.
Chaitanya broke the silence, rushing forward with eyes wide.
"Hey, R-1… how did you suddenly transform like that? And how did you destroy all those robots!?"
R-1 looked around at the wreckage, confused.
"Destroyed… robots? When did I even do that?"
A ripple of surprise passed through the group. No one understood what he meant.
But inside R-1's mind, another voice answered.
---
[I am the System—your second brain.]
'Second brain? Are you a part of me?'
[Yes. I was created alongside you. I activate when danger arises to protect civilians.]
'So… you're the one who fought just now?'
[Correct. Your body was built with several hidden abilities. I control them when a threat is detected.]
R-1 felt stunned. Since his creation, he had struggled to even keep up with normal tasks. He was mocked, sometimes by humans, often by fellow machines. The only one who never gave up on him was his creator—Deepak.
Deepak always said he was special. R-1 wanted to believe it.
Now… maybe he could.
---
'Can I use my powers whenever I want?'
[No. To avoid misuse, I control them. But you may request a specific ability.]
'What powers do I currently have?'
[Active Abilities:
– Power Punch
– Missile Launcher
– Robot Command]
'Only three?' R-1 frowned. 'You said I had many!'
[Correct. More will unlock when greater danger arises.]
R-1 accepted it with a grin. Powers or not, something inside had changed.
'Wait… what is Robot Command?'
[It allows you to take control of master-dependent robots when their leader is destroyed. You may assign actions to each one. They will respond to your command.]
'How many do I have now?'
[Ten active units.]
'Ten?!'
R-1's eyes lit up. He felt like a robot monarch.
All of this took place in mere seconds—flashes of thought and system dialogue occurring faster than a heartbeat.
Outside, Chaitanya was still watching with awe.
"Seriously? You don't remember anything from the fight?"
R-1 gave a small grin. "I remember now. But it wasn't me. It was my system."
He explained everything—no secrets, no lies. There was no reason to hide it. Sooner or later, the truth would come out.
Chaitanya nodded slowly, still trying to process it all.
But before anyone could say more… Ria stepped forward.