Location: FOB Echo Point – Command Center
Time: 07:03 | Day 8 of Infection Collapse
The dawn crept in with a pale gray light. Logan stood over the central command table, steam rising from a battered mug of instant coffee as his eyes scanned the overnight reports.
No fresh attacks. No contact from Iron Shield since 2300 hours.
But the air felt charged—like the ground itself was waiting.
> [SYSTEM UPDATE – UNIT EXPANSION UNLOCKED] [LIGHT IFV PACKAGE: TIER II] [VEHICLE SUMMONS NOW INCLUDE: CREW + SUPPORT INFANTRY] [AVAILABLE WAR CREDITS: 1,164.4]
He tapped the interface.
> [SELECT UNIT: CV90-30 | COST: 310] [UNIT NAME: LYNX-1 | STATUS: DEPLOYING]
Another selection.
> [SELECT UNIT: CV90-30 | COST: 310] [UNIT NAME: LYNX-2 | STATUS: DEPLOYING]
> [-620 WAR CREDITS] [REMAINING BALANCE: 544.4 WAR CREDITS] [ETA TO ARRIVAL: 90 SECONDS]
Marcel looked up from his monitor. "We're building a real convoy team now."
"Not building," Logan said. "Assembling."
---
Location: FOB Echo Point – Vehicle Platform
Time: 07:06
The summoning pad whined. The air shimmered.
Two armored forms phased into view—sleek, angled Swedish CV90s painted NATO matte green. Each rolled forward with fluid precision, tracks grinding softly against the gravel.
From the first, a three-man crew dismounted—vehicle commander, gunner, driver. Behind them, two infantry troopers in winter camo emerged, rifles slung, gear ready.
Lynx-2 mirrored the same.
The commander of Lynx-1 saluted. "Reporting in. CV90-30 operational. Autocannon linked. ATGMs loaded. Infantry dismount ready."
Logan returned the nod. "Welcome to Echo Point. Get your gear stowed—we're not done yet."
---
Location: Training Pit – Civilian Shelter Sector
Time: 08:10
A dozen civilians stood in a circle. Some still wore hospital gowns beneath scavenged jackets. Others clutched MREs while listening.
Sofia paced before them, rifle slung.
"You are not soldiers," she said. "You don't need to be. But you need to survive."
Cristian raised a hand. "What does that mean, exactly?"
"It means—when the wall breaks, and your hands are shaking, you move. You run. You follow orders. And you don't freeze."
She pointed to a white-marked zone. "We start with movement drills. Then first aid. Evacuation. Weapons? Later. Maybe."
They nodded.
She looked over to Marcel, who was watching nearby.
"She's a natural," he whispered.
"No," Marcel said. "She just doesn't want to bury more people."
---
Location: FOB Echo Point – Comms Room
Time: 09:25
> [INCOMING SIGNAL – IRON SHIELD BATTALION] [CAPTAIN ANA DUMITRESCU]
Marcel flicked the receiver.
> "This is Iron Shield. We've been forced off course—minor bridge collapse outside Pașcani. Civilians shaken, but intact. ETA to Echo Point now 48 hours. We are rationing fuel. Intermittent skirmishes. Will update by 1700 hours."
Logan listened in silence. The map showed their slow crawl across a shattered country.
He glanced at Marcel. "Queue a deployment contingency. We may have to meet them halfway."
"Escort?"
"Convoy doctrine," Logan said. "We train for the worst. We plan for it."
---
Location: Vehicle Row – Lynx Unit Briefing
Time: 10:32
Both CV90s sat parked, engines on low idle. Crew members checked weapons, cleaned optics, recalibrated fire control systems.
The Lynx-2 commander, a veteran with a deep scar across his cheek, reviewed the regional terrain data with Wraith.
"We're not moving light," the commander said. "Between mud, ice, and infected, we'll be burning fuel fast."
"Then we kill clean," Wraith replied. "No wasted shells. No heroics."
Behind them, Reaper passed crates to Hammer, organizing munitions for potential deployment.
"They get stuck out there," Reaper muttered, "we go get them?"
Logan approached. "Only if they scream loud enough."
He paused, eyeing the two CV90s. "Until then—we sharpen blades."
---
POV: Sofia – Upper Wall Platform
Time: 12:08
She sat overlooking the valley, watching distant tree lines for movement.
Below, the civilian group ran evac drills. Stumbling, awkward—but better than nothing.
Cristian jogged laps around the perimeter with a fake radio strapped to his back.
Sofia smiled faintly.
One of the survivors—a woman in her 40s, gray coat—climbed the ladder toward her.
"You're the one who killed the soldier-infected last night," the woman said.
Sofia nodded.
The woman looked out toward the hills.
"Do you think they're getting smarter?"
"Yes," Sofia said. "And hungrier."
---
Location: Medbay – Makeshift Lab
Time: 13:42
Dr. Moraru adjusted her glasses, peering into the scope.
Cell samples twitched. Not just moving—but organizing.
Threading.
She recorded the sequence again.
> [Sample Log #60] "Increased neuro-thread behavior. Muscle memory retention confirmed in three Delta corpses. Infection is teaching itself. Or worse—someone else is."
She glanced at a printed photo: an infected using a rusted machete mid-charge, like it had trained.
She didn't know what scared her more—the monsters outside or the systems inside Logan's head.
---
Location: Command Center – Secondary Console
Time: 14:00
Logan stared at the glowing terminal.
> [PROJECT SENTINEL – SYSTEM STATUS: NOMINAL] [NODE ALPHA BEHAVIOR PROFILE: EXPANDING] [OBSERVATION INTERFACE LINKED – ACCESS: CLASSIFIED]
"Who's watching?" he muttered.
The system pulsed once. A pause. Then—
> [DO NOT QUESTION THE INTERFACE]
Logan backed off the console.
Whatever Project Sentinel was—it had teeth. And it didn't want to be understood.
---
Location: Echo Point – Operations Deck
Time: 15:15
Personnel Status Report:
Category Count Notes
Logan + Core Command 1 Military Command System bearer
Operators (Wraith, Reaper, Hammer, Marcel) 4 Specialists
Sofia 1 Civilian fighter, training others
Dr. Moraru 1 Medic + scientific oversight
Tier I Riflemen 4 Base squad, led by Petrescu
Hunter-1 (T2 Troopers) 4 Elite urban combat team
Lynx-1 IFV + crew 5 Swedish team (3 crew + 2 infantry)
Lynx-2 IFV + crew 5 Same configuration
Civilians ~12 Adults + 2 teens, lightly trained
Total 34+ Approximate, with 20% active combat-capable
---
Location: CV90 Interior – Fire Drill Run
Time: 16:00
The Lynx teams ran synchronized gunnery practice—pulsed bursts from the 30mm cannons into marked wrecks and thermal dummies outside the base.
Each hit was a statement.
Each rotation, a rehearsal for convoy protection.
Inside the cabin, Lynx-2's gunner adjusted his headset.
"Feels too calm," he said.
The commander nodded. "It always does. Before something ugly."
---
Location: FOB Echo Point – Command Center
Time: 17:58
Logan's HUD flashed.
> [INCOMING UPDATE – IRON SHIELD BATTALION]
> "We are approaching danger zones near Roman. Movement in the forest. Unconfirmed infected signatures. Possible ambush. We are preparing fallback. Stand by for distress signal."
Logan stepped back from the console, looking out toward the horizon.
The calm was over.
Time to move.
---