The roar of the city was deafening. Firelight flickered against the ruined walls, and the ground trembled beneath my boots with every distant explosion. My rifle was warm in my hands, the metal slick with sweat. I could taste smoke in the back of my throat, feel it burning in my lungs. The enemy was closing in from all sides.
But I couldn't let it show. Not in front of my people.
We'd held the west barricades for almost an hour now, and the Overseer units kept advancing like a black tide. Drones swarmed overhead, scanning every alley. Wardens prowled the main streets with heavy footsteps that made the ground vibrate.
I could hear my own pulse beating like a drum in my ears.
"Darrel!" Kaelen's voice cut through the chaos. She landed beside me, sliding behind a fallen support beam while arrows crackled in her hands. "Left flank is breaking!"
I leaned out from cover, saw one of our defense lines folding as drone clusters crashed into it. Sparks flew, concrete shattered. One more push and we'd be overrun. This was bad – they were adapting faster than ever.
"They're learning," I muttered under my breath. "They're testing every corner."
Kaelen wiped sweat from her brow, glaring at the advancing machines. "Then we'll make them remember who we are."
My heart thudded once – not from fear, but from that strange, reckless feeling that always came before a fight turned personal. I looked down the street, saw Arden working frantically at a console hooked to the cube, directing temporary EMP spikes to slow the machines. Aera was covering him with her rifle, eyes sharp as a blade.
I forced myself to breathe deep. Stay calm. They're counting on you.
---
We moved like we had one mind. I vaulted over a pile of rubble, feeling the burn in my legs, and slammed a fresh magazine into my rifle. Kaelen sprinted beside me, arrows flying with precision. Every shot burst into static as drones dropped from the sky.
Three Wardens moved out of the smoke ahead – tall, armored, glowing with dark circuitry. My instincts kicked in: weak joints, side plating, target the sensors first.
"This is Darrel to all units," I said through comms. My voice was calm even though my blood felt like it was on fire. "Focus fire on the Wardens' left legs. Break their balance."
The turrets on the barricades responded instantly, rotating and firing concentrated blasts. Sparks exploded from the Wardens' legs as I fired with them, hammering the joints until metal buckled. One Warden collapsed onto a damaged car, crushing it flat.
But it wasn't enough.
The second Warden raised its arm, a shockwave of energy ripping out in all directions. I barely had time to throw myself behind a reinforced shield as the blast tore across the ground, scattering debris and knocking fighters back.
The shield shook violently, and for a split-second I felt as if the world was about to break apart. When the noise faded, I looked up. Kaelen was still standing, breathing hard but alive.
"Nice toy," she said, eyes narrowed at the standing Warden. "Let's break it."
---
We charged together – and for a few moments it felt like everything slowed down.
I could hear the rattle of my heartbeat, the crackle of Kaelen's arrows, the distant shouts of our squad, but all I focused on was the rhythm of combat. Step left, shoot, duck, surge forward, breathe, shoot again. The Warden swung at me with massive metal arms, but I slid under it, feeling the rush of air just above my head.
I brought the rifle up and fired directly into its neck joint. Sparks cascaded, the Warden staggered. Kaelen leapt off a broken wall and drove an arrow straight through the exposed seam.
It fell hard. One more gone.
I exhaled sharply, adrenaline humming through my veins. But there wasn't time to celebrate. Arden's voice cracked through the comm:
> "Darrel! New energy spike! Something big is approaching from the east! I've never seen this pattern before!"
I froze for less than a second. That was all I allowed myself.
Then I lifted my gaze toward the horizon – and I saw it.
A silhouette. Huge. Tall as a building. Moving with purpose.
My chest tightened.
That's not a normal Overseer unit…
Kaelen saw it too. For the first time, I saw the slightest flicker of fear in her eyes.
"This one's different," I said quietly, my voice strangely calm. "Everyone fall back to sector four. Prepare for heavy assault."