Cyberpunk City AI

The Rust Devils didn’t move at first. The leader’s crimson scarf fluttered in the damp breeze, his cybernetic jaw grinding faintly as if chewing on an unspoken word. Kael’s pulse was steady, but his eyes were already tracing the escape routes—two stalls down, a stack of crates, then a narrow stairwell leading up to the walkways.

The scarfed man finally spoke. “You walk out of here with that tech, and we’ll take it off your bones.”

Kael smiled thinly. “You’d have to catch me first.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the market erupted—Kael shoved the food tray into the leader’s chest and dove sideways. Stalls toppled, lanterns swung wildly, and shouts echoed in the confined alley. He sprinted for the crates, boots slapping wet stone, his neural interface mapping every shadow ahead.

The Devils gave chase, their red optics cutting through the steam. Kael vaulted up the stairwell, lungs burning, until he broke onto the elevated walkways. From up here, the city unfolded—layer after layer of rusted rails, neon spill, and drifting mist.

He almost didn’t see her at first—leaning against a flickering sign for Peggy’s Repairs, a slim figure with a shock of violet hair and a coat that shimmered with embedded circuitry. She stepped forward, eyes sharp, a coilgun resting casually against her hip.

“Nice night for making enemies,” she said.

Kael slowed but didn’t stop. “You’re Kira, right? Heard you run things up here.”

Kira’s gaze flicked past him to the approaching Devils. “And I heard you’re bringing trouble to my walkways.” She raised the coilgun, sighting down the alley. “Lucky for you, I don’t like them either.”

The weapon cracked with a blue-white flare, and one of the Devils staggered, sparks bursting from his shoulder plate. Kael grinned despite the chaos—he’d just met an ally who might be more dangerous than his enemies.