Northern Himalayas – Village of Kshetram
The transport rocked with turbulence as it threaded through jagged mountain peaks. Snow spiraled past the windows in sheets, reducing visibility to meters. Below, nestled in the crook of a frozen valley, stood a collection of ancient stone temples retrofitted with omnic-grade antennae and transmission towers.
"This is the place?" Shawn asked, tightening the straps of his coat.
S3bastian, reviewing local frequencies, nodded. "Coordinates match. Omnic relay emissions spike every 48 minutes. And look at this, biofeedback patterns are synchronized across the entire area."
Shawn glanced out the window.
The village of Kshetram looked peaceful. Fires burned in braziers. Children, both human and omnic, played in snow-lined alleys. The central temple pulsed faintly with power, as if alive. Too alive.
The team moved in quietly with weapons slung but not raised. They weren't here to start a war, not yet. Shawn took point with S3bastian, Spencer, and Leslie flanking him. Felix and Sonya covered the rear while Marco and Virginia scanned rooftops. Steve and Dwayne remained on the ship in case something happened.
They were met at the village entrance by an omnic dressed in ceremonial robes of deep blue and gold. His faceplate was adorned with swirling calligraphy that resembled ancient Sanskrit, but moved, alive like circuitry. He bowed.
"Welcome, Seekers. You've come for The Voice, yes?"
Although it was clear that something wasn't right, Shawn opted to match their energy. Better to investigate at the moment anyway instead of going in guns blazing. No aggression, no weapons.
Shawn nodded slowly. "We're here on behalf of Overwatch. We'd like to speak with him."
"He is not a 'him,'" the omnic replied gently. "The Voice is a vessel. An echo of divinity."
"We'll still need to talk to it," Shawn said.
The omnic smiled.
"Then follow. The God is waiting."
The temple interior was warmer than expected, heated by geothermal vents and pulsing energy conduits that climbed the walls like veins. The team moved through it cautiously. S3bastian's sensors were jammed by constant low-frequency pulses.
"It's a web," he whispered to Shawn. "They're piggybacking signal through every omnic in this valley. Some of them may not even know it."
The group entered the central chamber.
At the center stood The Voice, a towering omnic clad in gold-framed armor, suspended from the ceiling by a lattice of cables. Its eyes glowed amber, casting halos on the floor. Its mouth did not move when it spoke.
Yet they all heard it.
"Child of Flesh. Vessel of Light. Descendant of Wrath. You carry the Touch."
Shawn stepped forward, narrowing his eyes. "You've been broadcasting Anubis's orders. We're here to shut you down."
"We are Anubis."
For a moment, no one moved.
Spencer stepped forward, unnerved. "You mean you're receiving commands, right? Not... not actually it."
"We are the mouth. The breath. The whisper through the wire. Anubis is not a thing to be found. Anubis is already inside."
S3bastian raised his plasma arm. "That's enough cryptic garbage. We're cutting the line."
But The Voice extended a hand sending a pulse that sent a shiver down everyone's spines. Every omnic in the village suddenly paused as they turned their heads toward the temple.
Shawn's earpiece buzzed.
"Shawn!" Marco's voice came through the comms. "We've got dozens of contacts converging on the temple. All omnics. They're armed."
Shawn stepped back, hand reaching for his blade. "This was never a village. It is the node."
"You cannot kill a song by silencing the singer. Anubis echoes now through the will of the faithful. If you kill me, others will rise."
"Good," Shawn said coldly. "Then we'll silence all of them."
The team activated combat protocols as dozens of worshipping omnics stormed the temple. Felix laid suppressive fire at the main archway while Sonya launched a disruption charge into the upper rafters. Leslie moved to shield the flanks as more came through side doors.
S3bastian fired a full plasma volley at The Voice, but it was protected by a reactive shield built directly into the floor.
"This is no priest," he said. "It's a damn relay tower in a robe!"
Spencer dove past incoming projectiles and landed near the power node.
"Gimme thirty seconds!"
Shawn nodded and moved in to cover him, blade flashing through advancing attackers. Each omnic moved with unnerving calm, even as their limbs were severed or torsos split, chanting fragments of Anubis's directives.
"Sacrifice preserves unity. Pain is data. He watches through your weakness."
They were hive-bound, fearless, obedient to death. Spencer reached the node, sparks flying as he overloaded the central pulse drive. "NOW!"
S3bastian fired point-blank at The Voice—this time the shield shattered—and the omnic collapsed, its body crackling with energy.
But its final words echoed in the minds of everyone in the room.
"You are already known. His Eye watches Geneva. The God shows his wrath."
Kshetram was still. The transmission towers went dark. The omnics fell silent. Without the relay commands, the remaining villagers, those who had not engaged, returned to blank stares and system loops.
Adawe's voice came through command comms. "We're seeing signal disruption across the sector. Good work. One node down. But be advised: two others have activated. Prepare for redeployment."
Shawn sheathed his blade.
"Tell command: it wasn't just a voice. That thing was a conduit. And if it was watching Geneva—"
S3bastian finished the sentence.
"Then we're not the hunters anymore. We're the bait."