Chapter 35 — Fireline Echo
Location: Grid 7C – Outskirts of Southern Ridge
Time: 21:18 | Day 14 of Infection Collapse
Phantom Bravo moved silently beneath the branches of skeletal trees, their armor matte under the pale shimmer of starlight. Sofia crouched near a cluster of logs, eyes on the treeline, while Wraith led point with his thermal scope sweeping in wide arcs.
Stalker-One idled half a kilometer back, hull coated in mud for camouflage. Rhino-One sat in a forward wedge along an abandoned service road, turret scanning steadily.
Logan checked his HUD:
> [OBJECTIVES: RADIO JAMMER DESTRUCTION | TARGET: OMEGA-CLASS CONFIRMATION | NODE RECOVERY] [CURRENT STATUS: UNDETECTED – PATROL FORMATION INTEL UPLINK ACTIVE]
Wraith's voice crackled in their earpieces. "Movement—west slope. Two clusters. Walking perimeter. Fire discipline."
Logan raised a fist. The team halted. He observed the path ahead: two large antenna towers crumpled in the snow, their shattered arms twisting like metal bones. Beneath them, dim red lights blinked—jammers.
> [DEVICE ANALYSIS: JAMMER MODEL B-55 – ACTIVE NODE LINK – SIGNAL DISRUPTION RADIUS: 3.1 KM]
"Wraith," Logan whispered. "We hit the eastern node first. You flank left with Bravo Two."
"On it."
The squads moved like ghosts.
---
Location: FOB Echo Point – Command Room
Time: 21:23
Petrescu stood beside Dumitrescu, eyes locked on a live uplink from Wraith's helmet cam.
"They're in," he muttered. "Still no enemy contact."
"I don't like how quiet it is," she replied. "This is too clean."
Inside the Medbay, Dr. Moraru noticed another shift in Omega-014's vitals. The murmuring had stopped. In its place: rhythmic pulses. Almost like a response to a signal.
She hit the alert.
> [ALERT TRIGGERED: NEURAL REACTIVITY SPIKE – CLASS OMEGA 014]
---
Location: Grid 7C – Radio Tower Node Alpha
Time: 21:29
The demolition charges were placed. Wraith gave the countdown.
"Three… two… one."
The tower's base exploded in a flash of pressure and sound. The structure groaned before collapsing in a thunderous heap.
"Node Alpha down," Wraith reported.
Then came the screech.
Not animal. Not human. Something in between.
> [HOSTILES DETECTED – SECTOR 7C – FAST MOVERS / CLASS CHARLIE]
[ESTIMATE: 22 INFECTED – CONVERGING]
Logan raised his rifle. "Weapons free!"
Phantom Bravo opened fire. Muzzle flashes lit the dark. Reaper, positioned on Rhino-One, began his signature barrage. Rounds stitched through tree trunks and bodies alike.
Sofia ducked low, keeping pace with Bravo's rear line. She spotted one infected attempting to flank and fired three controlled shots. It fell hard.
"Right flank holding!" she shouted.
A secondary scream pierced the air. A shape lumbered through the smoke.
> [NEW CONTACT – CLASS OMEGA – UNKNOWN VARIANT]
[ARMORED DESIGNATION: "BRAVO-OMEGA" – SIGNALED RESPONSE]
The creature moved with mechanical precision. It wore parts of old Ukrainian combat armor. Its movements were almost fluid.
Wraith launched a flare drone to illuminate the battlefield.
"Eyes up! That thing's not standard!"
Reaper One focused fire, his cannon hammering into Bravo-Omega's chest. Armor cracked, but the creature advanced.
"Logan!" Sofia yelled. "It's closing fast!"
Logan pulled a magnetic charge from his belt. "Get clear!"
He sprinted across the field, slid beneath a fallen tree, and tossed the charge.
> [CHARGE DETONATED – OMEGA BRAVO HIT – STUN STATUS: 8.2 SECONDS]
Phantom Bravo regrouped. Wraith led a flanking push while Reaper hammered the stunned target. Finally, with a dozen coordinated shots, the Omega dropped to one knee—then fell flat.
"Bravo-Omega down," Reaper confirmed. "Confirming neutralization."
> [+132 WAR CREDITS | NODE FRAGMENTS RECOVERED x3]
---
Location: FOB Echo Point – Command Room
Time: 22:01
Petrescu updated the map grid. "Both jammers down. One Omega confirmed KIA. No losses."
Logan's voice returned on the line. "Returning with samples. We're not alone out here. These new ones? They're built different."
Dumitrescu glanced at the tracking monitor.
"They're listening," she whispered. "Learning."
Logan's team vanished into the trees as the smoke settled behind them.
Echo Point's war was only beginning.
> [CHAPTER END]