The hall blazed with red lights as if they were signs of the end of the world. Franco took a step forward, his sweat dripping despite the artificial chill. The giant robotic creature standing before them wasn't just a machine... it was more like a legend.
Marco (smiling sarcastically, tinged with fear):
"It seems the monster has more muscle than my brain... and I have plenty!"
Lucchini (sighing heavily, adjusting his weapon):
"Laughter doesn't cut steel, Marco."
Colombo (looking nervously at the device in his hand):
"We have less than three minutes before the Center activates the extermination protocol. Either we deactivate the monster, or we'll be wiped out with it."
Franco (looking at everyone with a commander's eye):
"Everyone knows their role. This isn't a battle; this is a message to the world. Either Venus rises with us, or it's broken forever."
The robotic creature, with its massive metallic body, swooped down on them, and the ground began to shake as if it were creaking under the weight of iron. Marco leaped to the right and fired a smoke bomb. Smoke covered the area, and in the shadows, Lucchini moved with the calm of a trained cheetah, firing his small missiles at the machine's joints.
Savio (suddenly emerging from a vent, waving his computer):
"Miss me? I came with a tiny digital virus... called 'Total Destruction.'"
Rocco (directly behind him, a massive rocket launcher over his shoulder):
"And if the virus doesn't work... the explosion does."
Franco (with genuine joy):
"You were the last hope... and you came just in time."
The fight erupted again, but this time there was a balance. Savio hacked the remote control systems, and the monster's movement began to slow down. Columbo was running through the chaos to connect his devices to the reactor, while Rico and Marco jumped between wires and metal like a circus performer, throwing bombs and laughing every time they escaped death.
Beast (in a deep, distorted voice):
"Threats detected. Unexpected human power. Rating: Danger."
Rocco (laughing as he pressed a button on the launcher):
"Oh, Danger? I thought you were rating me as just annoying."
A violent explosion erupted from the beast, causing half of its body to disintegrate. At the same moment, Franco leaped from a metal platform and plunged a magnetic dagger into the machine's neck.
Franco (angrily):
"This is for my father... and for everyone he lost because of you."
The beast began to sway, emitting choked electrical sounds, its red eyes gradually fading... but, in a moment of desperation, it sent a massive energy charge toward Franco.
Irina (in a panicked voice):
"Franco! Back off!"
But before the charge could reach him, Luchini lunged, deflecting the blow with a counter-stun device, sending him reeling a meter and falling unconscious to the ground.
Marco (with rare anger in his voice):
"Luchini... you noble fool!"
Franco rushed over, placing his hand on his chest to check his pulse.
Franco (in a low voice):
"He's still breathing... we won't let him fall."
Moments later, the machine's power core exploded, and with it, the monster fell completely, its body disintegrating into metallic dust. Silence fell, but it wasn't a quiet silence... it was the silence after a storm.
Savio (looking at the screens):
"The system has shut down. The Zacrota systems in this sector... are dead."
Colombo (sighing as he sat on the ground):
"For the first time, I felt technology scream in pain."
Franco (standing up, looking at his comrades one by one):
"What we did today... was the spark. But the real fire starts tomorrow."
Rocco (putting his sunglasses back on, despite the darkness):
"Tomorrow? Then I'll need a nap today."
Everyone laughed, despite the fatigue, despite the wounds. They knew the battle wasn't over... but this was the first real victory against Zacrota.
In the corner, on a broken screen, a shadowy face appeared. Half of it was covered by a black mask, its eyes watching them.
The unknown voice (in a cold whisper):
"The real monster has awakened... and you haven't seen it yet."
To be continued...