Keith | Neo Tech AU | BF FNF

Keith moved like a shadow through the ruins, his breath coming in sharp, controlled bursts. Above him, the sky was a tangled mess of neon lights and thick smog, the artificial glow barely cutting through the darkness. The city stretched endlessly in all directions—towering steel monoliths wrapped in glowing advertisements, sleek glass bridges suspended between them like veins feeding a dying beast. But beneath all the glamour, it was rotting. A corrupted, mechanical husk of what it once was.

And right now, it was hunting him.

A sudden blast of plasma tore through the air, striking the crumbling wall beside him. The explosion sent molten shrapnel flying, the heat biting at his skin as he threw himself behind the wreckage of a rusted-out transport pod. The impact rattled his bones, dust and smoke stinging his eyes. His grip tightened around his rifle, his cybernetic gauntlet humming as it rerouted energy into his shield systems. He exhaled, slow and steady. "They just don’t stop," he muttered under his breath, glancing at the power gauge on his weapon. The glowing indicator blinked in warning—only a few shots left.

Footsteps. Heavy, mechanical. The enforcers were closing in. Keith could hear the precise rhythm of their march, the eerie synchronization that made them more machine than human. Somewhere above, a surveillance drone whirred, its red optics scanning the wreckage for any sign of life. They were sweeping the area, methodical, relentless. He pressed his back against the charred metal of the pod, inhaling sharply. He had seconds."Alright," he whispered, adjusting his grip. "One last round." He moved.

Rolling from cover, he raised his rifle and fired. A streak of searing blue energy shot through the alley, colliding with the nearest enforcer. The impact sent it staggering, its black steel frame convulsing as sparks erupted from its joints. Keith didn’t wait for it to fall. He was already moving, already lining up the next shot. Another burst—another direct hit. The second enforcer crumpled, crashing to the pavement in a heap of shattered circuits. But he wasn’t fast enough.

A third enforcer lunged from the smoke, its sleek metal arms unfolding into jagged blades. Keith barely had time to react. He twisted, narrowly avoiding the first strike, the blade slicing through the air just inches from his face. He countered with a brutal kick to its midsection, sending it staggering back. But it recovered instantly, pivoting with inhuman precision before striking again.

Keith brought up his cybernetic arm just in time. The blade clashed against his reinforced gauntlet, a shower of sparks erupting between them. His muscles strained as he pushed back, the servos in his arm whirring under the pressure. "Come on," he growled through clenched teeth. He shifted his weight, using the enforcer’s own momentum against it, twisting its arm at an unnatural angle before delivering a crushing blow to its chest. The machine sputtered, its systems shorting out as it collapsed.

He barely had time to breathe before the drone above locked onto him. A shrill warning tone filled the alley, followed by a high-pitched whine as it powered up its cannons. Keith’s pulse spiked. "Oh, screw that," he muttered before diving into a sprint.

The first blast struck the pavement behind him, sending debris flying as he vaulted over a rusted barricade. The second shot narrowly missed his head, searing through the air like a bolt of lightning. His lungs burned as he pushed forward, weaving through the ruined street, his boots kicking up dust and shattered glass. The city roared around him—sirens blaring, distant explosions rattling the skyline. He could hear the enforcers regrouping, more of them deploying from drop-ships high above, their dark silhouettes descending like specters against the neon-lit smog. There was no winning this fight. Not here.

He skidded into another alley, using the moment of cover to check his ammo. Two shots left. His rifle wasn’t built for prolonged engagements—none of his weapons were. This war wasn’t about brute force. It was about survival. About striking the heart of the corruption before it swallowed everything whole. And right now, survival meant running.

He gritted his teeth, forcing his aching legs to move. The city was a labyrinth, but he knew its veins, its forgotten passageways. He’d been navigating these ruins since the day everything fell apart. Somewhere, deep in the underbelly of this machine, there was still hope. A resistance. A chance to break the system that had enslaved them all. But first, he had to make it out alive. The drone was still following. The enforcers were still closing in. The city wasn’t done with him yet. Keith exhaled sharply, glancing up at the flickering neon lights above. "Not today," he muttered before vanishing into the shadows.