The wind screamed across the Monolith Wastes, carrying dust, static, and the hum of the Hive. Towering black obelisks jutted from the cracked surface like teeth from a buried giant. Every structure pulsed faintly—alive, aware, and watching.
The strike team moved silently through the ruined corridors of what had once been a Pact observatory station—now completely repurposed into a Hive node. Tendrils of corrupted biotech slithered across walls and ceilings.
Julius led the way, his armor dimmed for stealth, his senses stretched taut.
Sola walked beside him, barefoot, her skin faintly glowing where Hive matter pulsed beneath it. She traced her fingers along the walls.
"They remember you," she whispered. "They see the suit. They fear what it means."
Seraphel's voice buzzed through the comms. "They should."
Suddenly, a screech shattered the silence. From above, a Host-born brute dropped—a massive Hive-beast fused with steel and bone. Its talons slashed the air, catching Ryka's shoulder and sending her flying into a wall.
Brinley opened fire, mag-rounds chewing into its hide. Vara flanked it from the right, sliding under its claws and jamming an electrified blade into its chest. Sparks erupted, but the thing roared louder.
Julius leapt—armor rippling—his fist morphing into a bladed edge. He drove it into the creature's skull, severing a neural cluster. The beast collapsed, shuddering.
Ryka groaned from where she landed. "Tough bastard."
"They're getting stronger," Brinley said, helping her up.
Sola pointed ahead. "The entrance is just beyond the next ridge."
They crested the rise and froze.
In the valley below stood the Heartspire—a massive Hive tower spiraling into the clouds, its base wrapped in energy tendrils and ancient Echelon fragments. At its peak, something pulsed—deep red, rhythmic, like a heartbeat.
"That's where it sleeps," Sola murmured. "And soon… it won't."
Julius lowered his visor. "Then we wake it on our terms."