"Jack, this place isn't safe," Dr. Kim said worriedly. "At sunrise, we'll need to move out fast. We'll head to our old lab it should be much safer there. We might finally be able to finish the time machine."
Jack glanced out the barn window. "I've got a feeling we haven't seen the last of those men."
"Okay, but the truck we'll have to hide it," Maya added. "If they're using drones, they'll easily spot us from a distance."
Dr. Kim stepped forward, holding a device. "I brought the invincibility prototype. Took a while to repair, but it should do the job."
"This should work," she said to Jack as she attached the prototype to the side of the truck. Instantly, the vehicle vanished from sight.
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure it'll hold until morning?"
"We'll have to take that risk," she replied.
At sunrise, Maya moved silently through the forest, surveying the area. Everything seemed calm until she went deeper. Her eyes widened. Around a hundred armed men were gathered, ready to sweep the forest. She turned back, sprinting to the barn, and burst inside.
"If we don't want to be dead in the next minute," she said urgently, shaking Dr. Kim and Jack awake, "we'd better grab the time machine and get out of here—now."
They rushed to the truck. Dr. Kim double-tapped the invisibility prototype, and the truck shimmered back into view. She jumped into the driver's seat while Jack and Maya climbed in through the back.
Dr. Kim hit the ignition. The engine coughed but didn't start. She tried again. Still nothing.
"What's wrong?" Maya asked.
"I don't know. It just won't start."
Jack's eyes narrowed. "Wait… this is an electric truck, right?"
"Yes, and…?" Dr. Kim replied, her voice laced with sarcasm.
"I think the invincibility prototype drained its energy. Yesterday, the battery was fully charged."
Before anyone could respond, Maya cut in. "Guys, not the time. There are a hundred armed men heading this way!"
Dr. Kim took a deep breath. "Okay, here's the plan. Jack, attach the prototype to the time machine and use your telekinesis to get it out of here."
But before she could finish, gunfire erupted outside. Bullets shattered the barn windows as the enemy forces opened fire.
They ducked low and scrambled for cover, making their way to the truck.
"Jack!" Dr. Kim shouted. "Take the time machine and get out of here! We'll hold them off!"
"No," Jack said firmly. "We take them down first then we leave together."
The barn walls shuddered as another round of bullets slammed into them. Dr. Kim cursed under her breath, her fingers flying over her wrist console. "I can't get the truck started. The battery's drained too much with the invisibility prototype."
"We're not leaving on the truck," Jack growled. "We're fighting through."
Maya unsheathed her katana in a fluid, practiced motion, its gleaming edge catching the light of the rising sun. "Then let's make them regret ever setting foot in this barn."
Gunfire erupted outside. The sound of boots pounding the dirt grew louder as the enemy drew closer. Jack turned to Dr. Kim, who was scrambling to pull up her last drone.
"Do what you can to give us some cover," Jack said, his voice cold.
Maya moved toward the barn doors, crouching low. "Get ready, Jack."
The moment Maya pulled open the door, she was a blur. Her katana whipped through the air in a deadly arc. The first soldier's rifle split in half as he staggered back, stunned. Without hesitation, Maya stepped forward, her katana slashing across his chest in a smooth, swift strike. The soldier crumpled to the ground, his weapon falling uselessly beside him.
More men poured forward. Jack raised his hand, and with a forceful blast of telekinesis, a group of soldiers was flung backward into the trees. The ground cracked beneath them, but the rest kept coming, relentless.
"We need to hold this line!" Maya shouted as she sliced through another soldier's weapon, disarming him before cutting across his torso.
Jack lashed out with his mind again, lifting enemy rifles out of the soldiers' hands and sending them flying into the air. The soldiers reacted with panic, struggling to regain control as they were disarmed.
Another wave of men charged forward, but before they could even fire a shot, Jack grabbed a nearby cart and flung it forward. The wooden structure crashed into the first few attackers, knocking them off their feet.
Maya dropped low, spun, and slashed through the throat of another soldier coming up behind her. "These guys never learn, do they?"
Dr. Kim pulled her wrist console up again, fingers dancing over the screen. "I've got a couple more tricks left," she said, grimly. A small drone shot out from the side of the barn and opened fire with stun rounds, dropping two soldiers instantly.
The momentary distraction gave Maya the opening she needed. She flipped off the side of the barn and landed directly in the midst of another group of soldiers. She cut down three men, her katana moving with precise efficiency.
Jack stood near the barn entrance, focusing on keeping the men from advancing further. With a wave of his hand, he sent out shockwaves, knocking entire groups of soldiers off their feet, sending them crashing into crates and vehicles.
"Not done yet!" Jack shouted, his focus sharp. Another telekinetic push launched several heavy crates across the battlefield, crashing into their enemies with devastating force.
Maya, covered in dirt and blood, wiped the sweat off her forehead. "We can't hold them off forever."
Dr. Kim gritted her teeth, eyes flicking between the console and the growing number of soldiers. "I've got one last plan. We have to keep them busy for just another minute."
Jack nodded. "We can do that."
More soldiers streamed forward, their numbers growing by the second. "This is it," Maya muttered, her katana now covered in blood. She locked eyes with Jack.
Jack's jaw tightened, and with a forceful shout, he raised the entire barn structure off the ground with his telekinesis, sending the remaining soldiers running for cover. The barn groaned under the strain but held together long enough to give them breathing room.
"Now!" Dr. Kim yelled, pulling a small device from her bag. She activated it, and a massive EMP pulse shot out, shutting down all nearby electronics and scrambling the enemy's communications. Drones fell from the sky, and the remaining vehicles came to a screeching halt.
"We've got ten seconds," Dr. Kim said, looking up at Jack.
Jack turned to Maya. "Let's finish this."
Maya stepped forward, her katana gleaming. The few remaining soldiers hesitated, unsure of how to approach. Maya moved with lightning speed, cutting through the last few men in her path, each strike a blur. She kicked the last soldier to the ground and raised her blade. "That's the last of them."
The barn was silent, the air thick with smoke and the stench of burnt metal and gunpowder. Jack took a deep breath, his hands still crackling with residual energy.
Dr. Kim checked her wrist console again. "Okay, I'll try getting the truck's power back . We can move out now."
Jack glanced at the wreckage around them. "No more waiting. Let's get to the lab before they send someone else."
Maya sheathed her katana. "We better make it fast. I don't think we're done just yet."
With a deep exhale, Jack followed Dr. Kim back toward the truck, Maya close behind