Intergalactic conquest with an AI

"Nyra! Close the window!" Lyra shouted over the deafening roar of the air, trying in vain to keep her hair under control.

"Why? It's more fun this way!" Nyra laughed while taking a sharp turn that made the tires squeal. She gripped the wheel like a professional racer; her movements were smooth and precise despite the reckless speed.

Erik, meanwhile, was clutching the edges of his seat for dear life. "Is this even legal?!" he yelled, his voice barely audible over the wind and engine noise.

Nyra glanced at him in the rearview mirror, her grin widening. "Probably not!" she shouted back.

Lyra groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You're going to get us arrested!"

"Relax, sis," Nyra said, waving her free hand dismissively. "By the time anyone even thinks about chasing us, we'll be halfway out of the city."

As if to prove her point, she pressed down on the gas even harder, and the car surged forward with another burst of speed. Erik could feel the G-forces pulling at his body, and he swore he saw his life flash before his eyes.

"This is insane!" Erik shouted, though there was a hint of exhilaration in his voice.

Nyra glanced back at him again, her crimson eyes sparkling. "Insane? Nah. This is freedom, little Erik! Learn to love it!"

Despite himself, Erik couldn't help but laugh. The sheer absurdity of the situation, combined with Nyra's infectious energy, made it impossible not to feel at least a little thrill.

Lyra, however, was less amused. She grabbed onto the dashboard, her patience wearing thin. "If you kill us before we even get to the rendezvous point, I'm going to haunt you for eternity, Nyra!"

Nyra let out a dramatic sigh, easing off the gas slightly. "Fine, fine. I'll slow down a little," she said, though her smirk suggested she wasn't planning to follow that promise entirely.

As the car sped through the city streets, Erik leaned back in his seat, his initial fear giving way to a strange sense of excitement. For the first time in what felt like forever, he wasn't just a powerless kid being beaten down by the world. He was with people who made him feel... alive.

"Okay," he said, grinning despite himself. "This might actually be kind of cool."

"Hahaha! That's the spirit!" Nyra said, punching the gas again and sending the car rocketing toward the city limits.

"Sis, take the slum exit," Lyra said firmly while pulling up the GPS display and quickly adjusting the route. "Try to keep low. We don't want to make a big mess inside the city, or Master will kick our asses again."

"Pfft," Nyra scoffed, flipping her silver hair over her shoulder as it whipped around wildly in the open air. "What's the fun in that? It's not like anyone is going to try and stop us from going fast. Those laws were outlawed centuries ago! No one even walks on the roads anymore!"

Lyra opened her mouth to argue, but her eyes caught something flashing on the holographic dash. Her voice turned sharp. "Hold on a second! The stealth satellite is picking up hostiles heading straight for us!" she shouted, her tone tinged with panic. "I told you to slow down!"

Nyra rolled her eyes but pressed harder on the gas, making the car roar even louder as its speed climbed. "It's not my fault! Speed has nothing to do with it!" she snapped before glancing at her sister out of the corner of her eye. "Wait... Sis, did you delete the college's cameras footage before we left?"

Lyra froze, her expression blank for a second, as realization hit her like a brick. "What... what cameras?" she asked weakly with her voice trembling. "Master always takes care of that! So we should be safe, right? ...Oh no."

Nyra grinned, her laughter echoing in the car. "Hahaha! And you call yourself the smart one? Wow, sis, this is your fault, not mine!" she teased before shouting, "Bloody!"

From the glove compartment, a small black-and-red robotic bat emerged with a faint hum, its wings flapping lazily as it hovered in midair. The AI drone was a part of Cleo's custom creations, specifically designed for the twins as their personal assistant. Its glowing crimson eyes blinked as it saluted the sisters.

"I am at your service, young masters," the robotic bat said in a smooth, polite voice.

"Activate Protocol Yellow," Lyra ordered quickly, her eyes glued to the holographic radar, which showed the hostiles rapidly closing in.

"Understood. Activating the Blood Legion," Bloody replied calmly, its small wings flapping faster as it sent out encrypted signals.

A moment later, the AI announced, "Blood Legion in standby."

"Sis! They're here already!" Lyra shouted as the unmistakable sound of helicopters filled the air. The city guard's transport vehicles were closing in fast, their bright spotlights illuminating the speeding car.

A robotic voice boomed from one of the helicopters. <<Attention, criminals. You are charged with minor abuse and kidnapping. Stop the vehicle immediately. This is your first and last warning!>>

Nyra burst into laughter, her crimson eyes sparkling with amusement. "Hahaha! Did you hear that, sis? We're kidnappers now! We're famous!" She laughed out loud since she was clearly enjoying the adrenaline rush.

"This is not the time to be laughing!" Lyra snapped, her face a mix of frustration and panic. "Their patrol cars are catching up too!"

True to her words, several all-terrain patrol vehicles had joined the pursuit, their sirens blaring as they closed in on the twins supercar.

The helicopter's voice boomed again, more forcefully this time. <<Attention, criminals. Since you have refused to comply, we will now proceed to use force to stop you.>>

Inside the lead helicopter, the captain shouted orders at his crew. "Shoot out the driver!" he commanded, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the sleek supercar below. "But don't damage the car. That thing's worth more than this whole squad combined."

"Captain, are you sure? There's still a kid in the backseat," one of the guards said hesitantly, glancing at Erik on the monitors.

The captain scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain. "He's just a human. Nobody gives a crap about him anyway. Now stop questioning my orders and fire!"

"Understood, sir."

Lyra's head snapped toward her sister as the sound of the guards' mounted laser guns powering up reached her ears. "Sis! They're about to shoot us!"

"W-what?! They can't do that! I'm literally the victim here!" Erik shouted from the backseat, his voice high with panic.

Nyra glanced at him through the rearview mirror, her grin turning feral. "Tsk. Grow a pair already, will you? Use your brain, kid! You're just a human; they don't give a shit about you!"

"Sis, are the defenses ready?" Nyra yelled, her voice sharp as she pushed the car to an even higher speed.

"Of course they are! Who do you take me for?!" Lyra shot back, her fingers flying across the holographic dashboard. Just as the guards opened fire, the car's energy shield activated with a loud hum, creating a glowing barrier around the vehicle.

The laser rounds harmlessly dissipated against the shield, leaving the car untouched.

"Sir! They have an energy shield!" one of the guards in the helicopter reported.

"I can see that, genius! I'm not blind!" the captain snapped, his frustration growing. "Fine! All units, proceed with the ramming maneuver! I want that car immobilized!"

"But, sir—!"

"I don't care! Just do it!"

Inside the car, Erik clutched the seat tightly, his knuckles white. "Ramming?! Are they serious?!"

Nyra grinned while her excitement was only growing as she weaved the car through the streets with precision. "Hahaha! Let them try!" she shouted. "This car was made for stuff like this!"

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Lyra sighed heavily, strapping herself in tighter. "I swear, if we survive this, I'm going to kill you myself," she muttered.

"Don't be so dramatic, sis!" Nyra teased her while laughing as the patrol cars closed in. "This is just getting fun!"

As the guards prepared to ram the car, Bloody's voice echoed from the dashboard. "Young masters, shall I deploy the countermeasures?"

Nyra's grin widened. "Oh, definitely. Let's give them a little surprise."

"Deploying countermeasures," Bloody confirmed.

From the back of the car, several small drones shot out, each one armed with electromagnetic pulses. As the drones zipped toward the approaching patrol vehicles, the guards barely had time to react before the EMPs went off, disabling their engines and causing the vehicles to screech to a halt.

The captain slammed his fist against the controls as he watched his squad fall apart. "Dammit!"

Nyra let out a triumphant laugh, her silver hair flying wildly in the wind. "I told you, sis! Nobody can catch us!"

Lyra groaned, burying her face in her hands. "I hate you sometimes," she muttered.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Captain, are we just going to let them escape!?" the guard next to the captain asked nervously while glancing between his superior and the screen showing the sleek supercar speeding away.

The captain's face twisted in anger while tightening his jaw. "Of course not! Send a call to the frontier military camp and tell them to intercept those bastards!" he shouted while slamming his fist down on the control panel.

The guard hesitated, his expression full of unease. "But sir, they're just... common criminals. The military won't accept a request like this. And if they find out we lied, it could end badly for us!"

The captain turned to him with a sneer, his face red with frustration. "I don't give a damn! Just tell them the suspects have military-grade drones and advanced armor! That should be enough to get them to mobilize!"

"But sir—"

"No buts! Do as I say, or I'll have you written up for insubordination!" the captain snapped, his eyes locked on the twins car as it weaved through the streets, easily outmaneuvering his remaining forces.

The guard swallowed hard, nodding reluctantly. "Understood, Captain," he said while turning back to his terminal. His fingers flew across the controls as he opened a secure communications line.

"Making contact with the military now."