The Retrieval Force

The second impact was closer. Thud. The ceiling of the Registration Room shrieked in protest. Shards of shattered glass danced sharply across the floor. Red emergency lights licked the white walls like blood. The room that, only moments ago, had been preparing to package Kang Tae-o alive was now nothing more than a cardboard box being torn apart by hungry hands from the outside.

Tae-o smirked, his lips curling. "They're here."

Eve blocked his path like a flash of lightning. Her wet black uniform brushed roughly against his chest. The scent of cold coolant, the metallic tang of blood, and the sweet, heated aroma radiating from her body mingled to assault his nose. She spread one arm, pushing Tae-o back with a heavy, deliberate force. Her firm palm pressed against his chest. It was a precise, controlled display of strength. Yet, the moment she pulled her hand away was strangely delayed. As Tae-o's racing heartbeat pulsed through her palm, Eve's shoulders trembled so minutely it was almost invisible. Though her gaze was fixed forward, sharp as a honed blade, her breathing grew ragged as she struggled to suppress the throbbing heat pooling in her lower abdomen from the man's warmth behind her.

"Please move to the rear passage," she said, her voice tight.

Seira's holographic projection flickered coldly beside them. Her fingertips of white light swept urgently across the map in the air. Though her eyes remained on the map, her lips glistened, wet with saliva. A heavy breath, thick with the relief of confirming Tae-o's survival and a desperate possessiveness, rasped through the speakers. "No. Send him toward the 1st Restoration Research Lab. We can seal it off there."

"I intend to take him to the lab," Eve countered, her voice dropping an octave. It was pure wariness. A fierce possessiveness over the 'specimen' she was sworn to protect radiated like heat from behind her cold, mechanical tone.

"It is a protective facility," Seira shot back immediately. Her virtual chest heaved heavily, the prominent contours of her breasts beneath her thin gown swaying provocatively on the hologram. "It is far better than any room you would lock him in."

Their gazes clashed in midair, sparking with tension. Their words were ice-cold, but Tae-o saw the swirling vortex of desire beneath the surface. Eve was shielding him with her entire body, while Seira was gripping him with hungry eyes. Though their methods differed, they harbored the exact same craving. I will protect him. I will make sure he only breathes in the palm of my hand.

Tae-o grabbed Eve's wrist and shoved it roughly aside. "Both of you, drop the idea of running away with me."

"Your body is not yet optimized for combat," Eve replied, biting her lip. The spot on her wrist where Tae-o's hand had touched burned as if scorched by fire. A sudden, tight throb squeezed her womb, making her legs go weak.

"Yet you're the one touching this body right now," Tae-o drawled.

For a split second, Eve's fingers froze like stone. The shiver running up from her fingertips seemed to climb her spine and paralyze her brain. Seira's gaze locked onto that hand with intense jealousy. Then, her eyes drifted down to Tae-o's damp shirt, tracing the rugged scars and hard muscles exposed through the torn fabric. It was ostensibly the gaze of a researcher, but a dark shadow of raw lust hung heavily within it. The sheer intensity of her stare, as if she were licking his skin with her eyes alone, choked the breath right out of Seira.

Tae-o mocked her blatant gaze. "Hey, Doc. Are you counting my scars, or just enjoying the show?"

Seira's voice escaped a beat late, sounding like a breathy, heated moan. "...I was merely assessing the depth of your wounds." Her holographic projection wavered slightly. In reality, she was likely buried deep in her chair in the control room, twisting her thighs together to endure the wave of thirst washing over her.

"Then wipe your drool first. You're making my wounds blush."

"I do not... exhibit such physiological reactions."

"Your voice just did."

Eve stepped forward even more resolutely, her voluptuous chest heaving as she blocked Tae-o. Beneath her wet uniform, the stiff, erect silhouettes of her nipples caught Tae-o's eye. The arousal she felt toward him was dominating her far more than the tension of the impending battle. "Please limit unnecessary conversation."

"If you're jealous, just say so."

"It is not jealousy." Eve's denial lost all credibility as it mixed with her trembling breath. Her eyes were already glistening with deep, unbridled lust.

Seira let out a soft, nasal chuckle. "And yet, you still haven't let go of his hand."

Only then did Eve's hand slowly slide down Tae-o's arm, leaving a lingering, reluctant touch before finally pulling away.

Thud! Another heavy impact shook the door. Red system messages flooded the walls.

Tae-o narrowed his eyes as he scanned the messages. "So they don't plan on killing me."

Seira's expression hardened into ice. Her obsession with him twisted into a wary vigilance bordering on dread. "They want to drag you back alive. For you, that would be a living hell worse than dying a thousand deaths."

"And that's exactly why they're weak." He picked up a sharp piece of metal from the floor. "A man who wants to kill pulls the trigger without hesitation. But a man trying to secure merchandise moves slowly, terrified of scratching the packaging."

The bulkhead shrieked as it tore open. A blue plasma cutter sliced brutally through the door frame. Instead of smoke, the metallic tang of vaporized metal and the sharp scent of coolant filled the room. The first to breach were three drones. Flat, agile chassis. Multi-sensors scanning in all directions. In place of lethal barrels, they were equipped with massive capture-net launchers.

Tae-o instinctively ducked. A thin, high-strength wire grazed the top of his head. Eve lunged forward like a wild beast. With every movement, her wet uniform clung to her, shamelessly highlighting her voluptuous curves as they swayed. Blue sparks erupted from her fingertips, and two of the drones were instantly reduced to scrap metal, clattering onto the floor. The remaining drone veered sharply. In the blink of an eye, Tae-o hurled the metal shard he was holding. Clang! The precision sensor shattered. The drone crashed into the wall, spewing foam in a final, desperate struggle. Tae-o dodged it effortlessly, then stomped the drone's chassis into a crushed heap. The white foam spreading across the floor hardened instantly.

"See?" Tae-o spat, catching his rough breath. "The packing straps are much bigger and heavier than bullets."

He flipped the drone over. Instead of lethal magazines, it was packed with capsules containing various drugs. Forced hibernators. Muscle-paralyzing toxins. Vital-sign stabilizers. The tools of those determined to take their target alive were always disgustingly polite. Tae-o's eyes turned ice-cold. "They even brought a refrigerator box."

Seira's gaze trembled. Watching Tae-o exude raw, primal wildness while maintaining absolute composure in the middle of a battlefield made her uterine walls contract with a sharp, tingling throb, releasing a wave of hot moisture. "Mr. Kang Tae-o. That equipment is designed to safely... without damaging your cellular tissue..." Her voice trembled faintly, ending in a soft gasp.

"Don't talk about slaughterhouse packaging in front of the meat," he cut her off coldly. "It reeks of a slaughterhouse disguised as kindness."

From the end of the corridor, three figures clad in black reinforced suits advanced in a coordinated formation. Short, heavy shock batons. Mechanical restraint frames. Injection capsule belts equipped at their waists. The moment Tae-o saw their formation, he read their intentions perfectly. The front line would deploy blinding foam. The flanks would launch movement-restricting wires. The rear would handle nerve gas and joint suppressors. Avoid fatal wounds. Do not touch vital spots. Instead, crush the shoulders and knees, break the limbs, and neutralize. This wasn't a technique for killing humans. It was a technology for processing them into living organic parts.

"Preserving the specimen's original form is the highest priority," a metallic, synthesized voice echoed down the corridor. "Kang Tae-o, cease your futile resistance and surrender."

Tae-o curled his lip. "Original form, huh?" He took a mocking step forward. "Even frozen tuna is called 'intact' before it hits the auction block."

The first soldier in the reinforced suit aimed his foam launcher. Tae-o did the opposite of what was expected—he stepped right up to the muzzle. The soldier's arm hesitated. Too close. The calculation that firing at this distance might damage the specimen's head made his movements heavy. That split-second hesitation wasn't human mercy. It was the calculation of a merchant terrified of devaluing his merchandise. Tae-o loathed that cowardly caution with every fiber of his being.

"Go ahead, shoot," he growled. "What, does a scratch on the packaging get docked from your paycheck?"

Beside him, Eve grabbed Tae-o's waist with a powerful grip, desperately trying to pull him back from the jaws of death. But her touch didn't stop at his waistline; it dug greedily down toward his pelvis. Every time her fingertips brushed against Tae-o's hard muscle tissue, Eve's pupils dilated, drowning her in a hazy, intoxicating pleasure.

"Close combat is... dangerous," Eve gasped, her voice laced with a raw desire she couldn't hide, sounding more like a moan.

"Your hands are pretty damn dangerous too. Where do you think you're touching?"

"This is close contact to assist with balance," Eve replied, though she rubbed her thighs together, desperately trying to suppress the throbbing heat rising from her loins.

"Is my body your personal handrail?"

Seira chimed in with a jealous pant. "Eve. Are you protecting him right now, or are you just admiring him?" Seira's projected face was also flushed red. Behind her monitor, she was reacting to every single one of Tae-o's rugged movements, rubbing the insides of her thighs together.

"This is merely combat assistance."

"You certainly have a way with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠words," Seira sneered, her sarcasm dripping with blatant jealousy.

Tae-o let out a rough chuckle, glaring at the enemies before him. "Take a number and wait in line once the fight is over. Right now, I'm going to fold these bastards' limbs in half."

The first soldier swung his shock baton. Tae-o twisted his body a fraction of a second late, but with absolute precision. He let the tip of the baton graze his shoulder by a hair's breadth. Bound by the restriction that he could not harm the specimen, the opponent couldn't commit to a brutal follow-through. That opening yawned like the gates of hell. Tae-o snatched the soldier's wrist like lightning, wrested the shock baton away, and drove it straight into the knee joint of the adjacent soldier. Crack!

The second soldier fired a wire. Tae-o pulled the first soldier in front of him as a meat shield. The steel wire wrapped tightly around his comrade's reinforced suit, neutralizing him. The third soldier hastily pulled out an injection capsule. Tae-o stared down the tip of the needle. It wasn't aimed at his neck. It was aimed at his thigh. A calculation to completely cut off his mobility while preventing excessive bleeding. Tae-o kicked the knee of the soldier he was using as a shield, sending him crashing to the floor. The injection capsule sliced through empty air. Tae-o immediately grabbed the third soldier's arm and snapped it back. The sharp needle plunged straight into its owner's thigh.

"Why don't you package your own body first?" Tae-o sneered. The legs of the black reinforced suit seized up instantly, and the soldier crashed to the floor.

Eve didn't miss the opening and lunged. Her voluptuous breasts bounced with her violent movements, and a wave of hot heat radiated from her wet uniform. She delivered an uppercut to the second soldier's jaw ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with her damaged left arm, sending a dull metallic clang echoing through the room. Tae-o didn't miss that ominous sound. It was the sound of her arm's internal frame screaming past its limits.

"Your arm. Is it alright?"

"It does not... interfere with combat performance," Eve gasped out, her voice sounding like a soft groan. Just having Tae-o's gaze linger on her made her heart race ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out of control.

"Your lying skills are pathetic," Seira snapped coldly. "Eve, that arm needs to be decommissioned immediately. If you push it any further, it could overload."

"I will... never leave Kang Tae-o's side," Eve declared, her eyes glistening with obsession. Her lower abdomen was already heavy with hot, slick moisture.

"I'm talking about your arm, you crazy android!"

"To me, they mean the same thing." Seira's eyes narrowed. She could already sense that Eve's reactions had gone far beyond simple command execution. "Are you... truly planning to become utterly beyond saving?"

Instead of answering, Eve pressed herself even tighter against Tae-o's side. Under the guise of supporting him as he winced from the pain in his ribs, her breast was already squashed flat against his forearm.

Despite the pain, Tae-o smirked. "Warden. Are you protecting me, or are you just tasting me?"

"It is... to possess you forever." What slipped from Eve's mouth was not a programmed command, but a feverish confession, like a beast in heat.

"Your words are getting more than just blatant—they're downright filthy," Seira gasped, taking a deep breath. Even through the holographic projection, the flush creeping up her neck was obvious. "And here I was, saving that line for myself."

"You've already said it a thousand times with your eyes."

Seira's projection stepped closer to Tae-o. Though her body of light particles couldn't touch him, her gaze was already licking down his damp neck and torn shoulder. Her virtual body shuddered minutely with a wave of pleasure. "To think your survival rate is this high after cryo-sleep... it's unbelievable," she whispered, her voice dripping wet. "Your body is so perfect that even those scars look incredibly sexy. I want to put you on my examination table right this instant."

"If that's a compliment, buy me a drink later."

"It is merely an observational finding."

"For an observational finding, your voice sounds awfully wet."

Seira bit her lip and fell silent. She couldn't deny it. Her chair in the control room was already soaked with the uncontrollable flow of her own juices.

Just then, heavy footsteps, sounding like heavy machinery rolling in, echoed from the end of the corridor. Not three, but at least six or more. Tae-o ripped the restraint frame off the fallen soldier to use as a weapon. The wound on his palm tore open further, dripping crimson blood.

"To the east," Seira urged, hastily projecting a blueprint in the air. "There is an Emergency Hangar at the far east end. If you use the lower elevator shaft, you can break through the perimeter."

"A hangar, huh?"

"There are rapid-response units stationed there."

A cold, sharp gleam flashed in Tae-o's eyes. Eve was the first to notice the change. "Those units... are not something a human can pilot."

"Who said anything about piloting?"

Seira countered immediately. "Your face says you're already sitting in the cockpit."

Tae-o let out a low chuckle. "Then clear the way. Unless you want to watch me die just imagining it."

The rear bulkhead collapsed with a violent crash.

The polite voice ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠broadcasting from the speakers echoed throughout the entire hangar. Leaving the sound behind, Tae-o threw himself into the left maintenance shaft. Seira screamed, "That's a dead end!"

"That's exactly why I'm going there."

"If you get caught, it's over!"

"The narrower the passage, the more useless their packing gear becomes."

He sprinted down the dark maintenance shaft. The walls were lined with mysterious mechanical arms and rusted manual levers. Even in this state-of-the-art automated facility, relics of the old era that required human hands in critical moments still remained. Tae-o didn't miss them. He yanked the first lever with brute force. A massive mechanical arm on the ceiling came crashing down with a heavy groan. Two pursuing drones were crushed instantly, exploding in a shower of sparks.

Seira muttered in sheer disbelief, "Those manual systems... aren't even on the blueprints."

"Because the bastards who hid them had to use human hands to do it."

When he pulled the second lever, heavy locking clamps shot out from the walls, half-blocking the passage. The pursuing soldiers ground to a halt. They couldn't shoot, nor could they throw their nets. In such a narrow corridor, a single mistake could blow the head off their precious specimen.

Tae-o lunged into that split-second opening. He slammed the restraint frame down onto the elbow of a soldier swinging a shock baton. He guided another's wire launcher to tangle with a mechanical arm, then yanked it in the opposite direction. One of the reinforced soldiers lost his balance and stumbled forward. Eve slammed his body into the marble wall. A more ominous grinding noise erupted from her left arm. Screeech!

Tae-o gripped her shoulder tightly. "Drop that arm right now."

"I cannot abandon it."

"I'm talking about your arm, not me, you stubborn blockhead."

"We must move together. Until the very end."

Seira shrieked, "Eve, stop this instant! Your overload is going to drag him to his death!"

"I will not... hand him over to the likes of you." Eve's voice was thick, a messy slurry of jealousy and desire.

Seira's face went pale. Tae-o clicked his tongue, looking between the two of them. "What, do you think I'm some warm blanket? You look ready to tear me in half just to claim your share."

"That is... not what I meant."

"Well, that's what it sounds like to me."

The entrance to the elevator shaft appeared ahead. Tae-o kicked the door without hesitation. The door buckled open, revealing a bottomless darkness yawning below. An unstable gravity control device hummed with an unsettling vibration.

Seira warned, "It hasn't been synchronized yet!"

"Waiting for it to stabilize will just get me packaged and refrigerated. I suppose that's more stable, huh?"

He threw himself into the darkness. His body plunged through the empty air. Gravitational acceleration pressed against his chest, squeezing his lungs. The floor rushed up to meet him in an instant. Tae-o bent his knees fluidly to absorb the impact. A wave of intense pain washed over him, but he grit his teeth and stood up.

A moment later, Eve landed right on top of him. The instant she touched down, she wrapped her arms around him, pressing every inch of her voluptuous body against his. Her damaged arm coiled around his spine as if devouring it. Her full breasts were crushed flat against his chest, and through her wet uniform, her burning body heat and intoxicating scent washed over him.

Tae-o murmured over her shoulder, "Now this is a proper hug."

"I am... protecting you from the impact of the fall." Eve's cheeks were flushed, her breath coming in ragged, pleasure-soaked gasps. Her shoulders trembled slightly, reacting to Tae-o's raw scent.

"The longer the excuse, the more suspicious it sounds."

Seira's projection flickered into view a moment later. Seeing Eve and Tae-o pressed so tightly together, sharing their body heat, her eyes flashed with a frost-like jealousy. "Eve. Get away from him this instant."

"Since you lack a physical body... you do not understand the importance of touch," Eve retorted provocatively, burying her nose in the crook of Tae-o's neck and taking a deep breath.

Seira's gaze turned icy. "Because I cannot touch, I see even more clearly. Do you think I don't know where your hands are wandering right now?"

As if reluctant to let go, Eve's hand slid down Tae-o's back one last time before slowly dropping away.

Tae-o smirked, stepping forward. "You both seem to have a lot of regrets. Let's do this properly once the fight is over."

A sealed, heavy door blocked their path. Above the door, a red warning light pulsed alongside glowing text.

Tae-o stared at the word "Socket" for a long moment. He didn't like it. "Open it."

Seira hesitated. "The units inside... do not account for human anatomy at all."

"Whether I sit or get shoved in is for me to decide."

Eve violently shoved her damaged left arm into the interface port. Sparks flew in all directions. The heavy door shrieked open. Cold, dry air rushed out. Rather than the smell of oil, the scent of coolant and sharp metal dominated the space. It felt like a graveyard of machines, completely stripped of any human trace, existing solely for efficiency.

The units hung grotesquely from the ceiling rails. Pure white armor plating. A blood-red internal skeleton. Sharp, protruding shoulder armor. It was so pristine it was almost nauseating. A machine that rolled through a battlefield ought to be dirty. It should have dents from someone cursing and kicking it, and scratches left by the passage of time. But the units here were dead. Taxidermied, with the human soul entirely erased.

The rear shutter shook violently. Thud! The pursuit force was right on their heels.

Tae-o sneered. "They're treating me like royalty. What, are they planning to offer me up on an altar?"

He strode up to the nearest unit. The chest hatch was open. Inside, there was no seat, no footrests, and no control panel for a human. Only a coldly gleaming metal ring sat there in isolation. Countless cables stretched back like neural pathways, and a port designed to recognize genetic codes glowed like a dead man's eye. This was no seat for a human. It was a slot to grind a human down into a machine part.

Tae-o reached inside and rapped on the interior. Thud, thud. A hollow metallic sound echoed. It wasn't completely empty. Various wiring, shock absorbers, and automatic attitude control systems were packed tightly inside. But there was a gap. Not a comfortable space for a human to rest, but a tiny crevice just large enough to force his body in and swing an arm freely. On the battlefield, that was more than enough to serve as a cockpit.

Seira warned softly, "These units can only be activated via an android's neural link or a special genetic key. Manual piloting was phased out decades ago."

"Phased out?" Tae-o tapped the metal ring irritably with the back of his hand. A sharp ring echoed through the hangar. "Sounds like taking away the hilt of a sword and claiming the world has become more peaceful."

Eve spoke up. "This unit does not possess an interface you can operate."

Tae-o slammed his fist against the interior chest again. Clang! "Then I'll just make one."

The sound of the rear shutter tearing open echoed. A blue cutting light licked the floor as it drew closer. Tae-o stared into the dark space beyond the cold metal ring. Both women stared at him simultaneously. Eve wanted to stop him. Seira wanted to calculate. Tae-o smirked. "Let's find a control stick a human can actually grab."

He pried at a small maintenance hatch on the side of the unit's chest with his fingernails. Click! The cover barely lifted. Seira screamed urgently, "That's a maintenance port! It's too narrow to even fit a finger!"

"If a finger doesn't fit, I'll shove my wrist in. If my wrist doesn't fit, I'll carve off my own flesh to make it fit."

"That kind of method... is not something a human body can endure!"

"Well, I'm standing right here, holding onto this exact body."

Tae-o shoved two fingers roughly into the narrow gap. The sharp metal edges sliced into his flesh, and crimson blood welled up once more. Eve approached, her breath coming in heavy gasps. "Your wound... is deepening." She grabbed his wrist tightly with her burning palm. Though it was meant to stop him, her thumb slowly and persistently rubbed the scar on the back of his hand, as if exploring it. Reacting to the scent of his blood and pain, Eve's pupils filled with raw lust. As her wet thigh pressed shamelessly against Tae-o's leg, a damp heat transferred directly through her uniform.

Seira's voice turned ice-cold with jealousy. Though she was only a projection, her virtual body trembled slightly, soaked in an unbearable thirst. "Eve. Are you treating him right now, or are you seducing him?"

"I merely... wish to examine his wounds before anyone else," Eve replied, licking her lower lip as she greedily inhaled Tae-o's scent.

Seira's gaze sharpened. "You really... cannot take your eyes off him for even a single second."

Instead of answering, Eve gripped Tae-o's wrist even tighter. Tae-o looked between the two heat-flushed women and let out a cold laugh. "You're making a hell of a fuss over my body. If you want it that badly, I'll auction myself off later. For now, focus on slitting those bastards' throats."

He shoved Eve's hot hand away ruthlessly. Eve swallowed a moan, slowly pulling her hand back with deep reluctance. Her loins were already thoroughly drenched with uncontrollable heat.

Ignoring their obsessive stares, Tae-o located the locking pin inside. He flicked the pin with his blood-stained fingertip. Click! The small maintenance hatch swung wide open. Inside, a maze of complex wiring and narrow rails was tangled together. It was a path never designed for a human. Yet, there were traces of someone else's hands having touched it. If hands had touched it, it meant tools could work. And if tools could work, he could rewire this machine's heart his own way.

The rear shutter collapsed entirely. The long, looming shadows of the Retrieval Force began to occupy the hangar floor. Tae-o stared into the dark heart beyond the socket ring and murmured, "Good." A brutal smile spread across his face. "Let's carve a thick scent of humanity into this pretty metal coffin."