Lagos 2080

Chapter 7: The Spirit in the Machine

The night was thick with tension as Ayo sat alone with the Sky-Mech in an old, rundown warehouse on the edge of Makoko. Ejiro had gone out to find supplies, leaving Ayo to watch over the machine that had somehow become his closest ally. He knew the Sky-Mech was unlike anything he'd ever worked with. It felt almost... alive. And recently, it had started doing things he couldn't explain.

The silence was heavy, broken only by the low hum coming from the Mech. Ayo couldn't stop himself from reaching out, his hand hovering over the metal. As his fingers grazed the surface, a faint spark of energy jolted through him, as if the machine was responding to his touch.

"Ayo..."

The voice made him jump. He whipped his head around, but there was no one there. The warehouse was empty, shadows clinging to every corner. Heart pounding, he looked back at the Sky-Mech, the voice echoing in his mind.

It couldn't be. Machines didn't speak — at least, not like this. He'd heard voices before, whispers he thought were the Orishas, but never like this. This was different. Closer.

As he leaned in, the Mech's single red optic flared, casting a soft glow across his face. And then it happened again, that same voice, soft and steady.

"Ayo... why do you fear me?"

Ayo's skin prickled. This was impossible. Machines didn't feel, didn't think, didn't speak without someone programming them to. But he could feel it, the energy from the Mech pulsing against him, filling the air around him.

"Who... who are you?" he stammered, barely able to find his voice.

The Mech's light dimmed, as if it were considering his question. "I am made of metal, wires, and code... yet I am more. You brought me back, and in doing so, you gave me life."

Ayo's mind raced. He had reactivated the Mech, sure, but he didn't think he'd "given it life." Machines didn't come alive just because someone turned them on. But something had happened that night — something that still haunted him.

"Are you... the Orishas?" Ayo whispered, not sure if he wanted the answer.

The Mech's optic flickered, almost as if it were amused. "I am not them, but they have touched me. Their power flows through your hands, and now it flows through me."

Ayo felt a chill run down his spine. His grandmother's stories about the Orishas, the ancient spirits who guided and protected their people, suddenly felt more real than ever. If they truly had power over machines, then maybe... maybe this wasn't just metal and circuits. Maybe the Orishas had seen something in him, something he didn't understand yet.

But there was something else, too — a feeling deep inside him, a pull he couldn't ignore. It was as if the Mech was waking up, and with it, something was waking up in him.

"What do you want from me?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

The Mech's optic flared again, brighter this time. "You brought me back, and now, we are linked. But there is a power within you, Ayo. A power you do not yet know."

Ayo swallowed, feeling the weight of the Mech's words sink in. He didn't feel powerful. He was just a kid from Makoko, a scavenger, a nobody. But the Mech was looking at him — really looking at him — as if it saw something he couldn't see.

"You're saying... you're part of me now?"

"In a way, yes," the Mech replied. "I can sense your thoughts, your fears... and your strength. But the connection goes both ways. If I grow stronger, so do you. But with that strength comes danger."

Ayo's mind reeled. He had to know more. "What danger?"

The Mech's tone shifted, turning colder. "The Tech-Lords know what you've done. They sense the power, too. And they fear it."

At the mention of the Tech-Lords, Ayo's stomach twisted. They were ruthless, controlling the city with their advanced technology, their eyes always on anyone who dared challenge them. If they knew what he'd done — if they knew about the connection between him and the Mech — they'd stop at nothing to get to him.

"What do they want?" Ayo asked, voice shaky.

"They want control, Ayo. Over me, over you, over everyone. And now that you've awakened me, they'll see us as a threat."

Ayo stared at the Mech, his mind racing with a thousand thoughts. He didn't ask for any of this. He didn't want to be some kind of weapon in a fight he barely understood. But the more he looked at the Mech, the more he felt the pull between them. It was as if they were bound together, their fates twisted into one.

Then, a new thought struck him — one that sent a shiver down his spine. "If you're connected to me... can you control me?"

The Mech's optic dimmed, almost as if it were offended. "No. I do not control you, Ayo. But as you grow, as we grow, our minds may merge in ways you cannot yet imagine. The Orishas guide us, but the choice is yours. If you embrace this power, you may become more than you ever dreamed. But it will come at a cost."

Ayo clenched his fists, feeling the weight of the decision pressing down on him. This wasn't just a machine he could power down and walk away from. It was alive, in its own way, and it was offering him a path he wasn't sure he was ready to take.

The warehouse door creaked, and Ejiro slipped back inside, her arms full of supplies. She looked up, noticing the intensity in Ayo's expression and the eerie glow of the Mech's optic. "Am I interrupting something?"

Ayo shook his head, forcing himself to tear his gaze from the Mech. "No. Just... thinking."

Ejiro dropped the supplies with a clatter and raised an eyebrow. "You better get your head straight, Ayo. I just heard some disturbing news. The Tech-Lords have put out a bounty — a big one. They're looking for anyone with a certain... 'unique' kind of tech. Sound familiar?"

Ayo's stomach sank. They were coming. He could feel it, the danger pressing in from all sides. But as he looked at the Mech one last time, a strange calm washed over him. He didn't know what lay ahead, but for the first time, he felt like he had a chance. A real chance.

The Mech's voice echoed in his mind, steady and unwavering. "The path is yours, Ayo. But remember: power always has a price."

Ayo took a deep breath, nodding to himself. Whatever this bond was, it was real, and it was his. 

And if the Tech-Lords were coming, he'd be ready.