Amidst the chaos, my mind kept multi-tasking, considering possibilities and splitting off into other areas of focus. Despite the demands of combat, it was not overly mental. Part of my squishy gray matter kept returning to Project Revenant, to the pieces of the puzzle we were still missing. What was Solomon's endgame? How did we fit into this nightmare? And what or where the hell was the missing artifact? I desperately wanted to see if Xero could weigh in on any of this, but the comms blackout was still all around us. I wasn't sure how Ada was beating the dampening field, but her efforts didn’t extend very far.

  All those questions would have to wait. Right now, we had a more immediate problem—a horde of raiders thinking they could take us down. They were about to learn just how wrong they were.

  The night erupted into a full-blown firefight as Solomon’s second wave crashed against our makeshift stronghold.

  "These guys are relentless," Koog said as I moved into an adjacent position. Seeing the amount of firepower being thrown at us, I again had to question the motivation. This enemy was throwing away countless lives just because we escaped with their prisoner. It made no sense to me. I knew I was missing something.

  Watching the kid in his pet Decimator was like seeing a whirlwind of destruction, its cannons laying down a withering fire that cut through the raiders like a scythe. The kid was now a weapon, every move precise and deadly. Twice during a momentary pause, he swiftly moved to the loading ports built into the command center to top up his magazine cache.

  The new guy, Riker, was impressive. He wasn't as polished as my other team members, but neither was Koog. I could hear Riker’s muttered curses and Koog’s steady breathing over the comm, a constant reminder that we were all in this together. It would have been nice to have another trigger puller beside us, but my number two was sitting this one out.

  Priest still lay unconscious, a silent witness to the battle raging around him. I spared him a glance occasionally, a silent promise to get him out of this alive.

  “Kovach, they’re getting behin…I mean flanking us again!” Lux’s warning came just as I spotted the movement to our right—a small group of raiders trying to sneak past our defenses.

  “On it!” I barked back, my suit responding to my commands as I moved to intercept them. My rifle spat fire, each shot finding its mark. The raiders weren’t expecting such swift retaliation—they hesitated, and that was all I needed. I cut them down, the last one falling before the first had hit the dirt.

  Ada’s voice was a constant in my ear, updating me on the raider's movements, on the vulnerabilities in our defenses. “Kovach, be aware, more hostiles approaching from the northeast. Looks like they’re trying to encircle us.”

  “Fuck,” I muttered, assessing our situation. We were holding our own, but we were running out of time. They would overwhelm us with sheer numbers. We needed an edge. I was exhausted from nearly eighteen hours of running and almost constant combat. I could only imagine how the others were holding up.

  And then it clicked—we were sitting in the solution. It was sub-optimal , but it might just work. “Ada, this facility was a key part of NORAD defense systems. Can you still access any of the command center’s defense systems from here? Anything that might give us an upper hand?” The system had let us through, but we had IFF transceivers in our suits. It may have recognized us as friendly.

  There was a pause, a moment of silence before she responded. “Accessing...I may have it. Automated defense turrets, old tech, but in theory, it should still function offensively as well.”

  “Do it,” I said, feeling a surge of hope. “Bring them online.”

  The approaching militia filled in and began bearing down on our little stronghold. As Ada worked her magic, the ground around the command center stirred to life. Turrets, long dormant, rose like vengeful spirits, their guns swiveling towards the raiders. The look of surprise on their faces was almost comical—almost.

  The turrets opened fire, and the tide of battle instantly shifted. Solomon’s raiders, caught off guard, scrambled for cover, their formation breaking. We pressed our advantage, pushing them back, reclaiming the night.

  “Keep the pressure on!” I yelled. “Drive them back!”

  And we did. Banshee Team laid down a punishing amount of firepower backed up by the automated systems. We pushed what was left of Solomon’s raiders back into the darkness. They retreated, but I assumed they’d be back. They were relentless, but so were we.

  As the adrenaline faded, and we assessed our situation, I knew this was just a temporary victory. There were still so many questions, so many shadows to chase. But for now, we had won the night. I, for one, needed rest. I knew the others had to be in worse shape, but unlike the piles of corpses outside—we were still breathing.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  The aftermath of the battle left the command center littered with empty magazines, bullet holes, and scorched marks, a stark reminder of the night’s violence. We were alive, but the brief adrenaline of victory was now replaced by a heavy quiet. Priest was still unconscious, his breathing shallow but steady.

  "Koog! Rack time for you three," I ordered. "Ada, place Decimator in Active Sentry mode, but make sure Lux sleeps."

  I leaned against a console, my new and improved multitasking mind a whirlwind of thoughts and theories. "Ada, start cross-referencing everything we have on Project Revenant. Look for any mentions of 'Harbinger,' numbers 12 or 7920, or anything else related to Solomon or whatever his name is."

  "Understood, Kovach," Ada's voice responded, steady and reassuring. "Initiating deep data analysis. This may take some time.”

  Lux, reclined back in his pilot seat in the Decimator, let out a long sigh. The kid had been through a lot, more than any kid his age should have to endure. "You know what I miss? Bacon. I could kill for a good slice of bacon right now."

  His words, simple and so human, cut through the tension in the room. I couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, I think we could all use some of that. Not much of it left in this screwed-up world, though."

  Lux's eyes lit up with a mischievous glint. "We could go fishing! There's a stream not far from here. Might not be bacon, but it's food."

  I considered it for a moment. "You know what, Lux? That's a damn great idea. Maybe in the morning, assuming we don't have more visitors. A bit of fresh air wouldn't hurt any of us."

  Koog perked up at the mention of fishing. "I'm in. Beats staring at these walls and waiting for attacks."

  I saw Riker nod in agreement, his usual stoic demeanor softening. "Could use a break from all this playing soldier shit. Count me in."

  "Let's all get a few hours rest until then. We've earned it."

  I was up well before dawn the next morning. Glancing over at Priest, feeling a pang of guilt for leaving him, but I knew he still was in no condition to join us. "Ada, use the Decimator to monitor things here. Let us know if anything changes with Priest, or if you find something important in the dataset."

  "Of course, Kovach. I will monitor all systems and keep you updated," Ada assured me.

  We set off, Lux leading the way with youthful enthusiasm. The stream was indeed not far, nestled in a quiet part of the hills, untouched by the chaos that had consumed the world. It was a slice of normalcy, a reminder of simpler times. All the battlesuits had an emergency kit that included a roll of fishing line and hooks.

  It made little sense; bodies littered the hills, and the smell of death was all around us. We were all numb to the fighting by now, but it was a moment to remember what it was to be human. To be flesh and blood, and besides, the kid was right—we were hungry.

  As we fished, the conversation flowed easier, a welcome distraction from the grim reality of our situation. We talked about life before the Fall, about the little things we missed. Lux spoke of his family, his eyes distant, and for a moment, he was just a kid again, not a soldier in a war against monsters.

  The water was cool and clear, the fish unsuspecting. It wasn't bacon, but it was a feast in its own right. For a short while, we were able to forget the weight of the world and our journey through the wastelands. At times, I noticed the WitchWalker easing in and out of the nearby trees. I almost thought I saw her smiling. I waved for her to join us, but she just moved deeper into the shadows and became one with her environment again.

  But as the sun climbed higher, painting the sky in shades of fire and blood, the reality of our situation crept back in. We were soldiers in a war that had no clear sides, no obvious enemies, just shadows and whispers. So many fucking clues, I knew they couldn't all be right. Hell, maybe none of it was…and why was my name on that list along with Hinge, my old C.O.?

  We returned to the command center with our catch, the smell of cooking fish soon filling the air. It was a small victory, a brief moment of peace in a world gone mad. But it was our moment, a reminder of why we kept fighting.

  We gathered around our makeshift dining area, a rare moment of camaraderie in the midst of relentless uncertainty.

  Koog, with a talent for culinary improvisation I hadn’t known he possessed, served up the fish with a flourish. “Not exactly a gourmet breakfast, but it’ll do,” he said, a hint of pride in his voice.

  Lux devoured his portion with the enthusiasm only a kid could muster. “This is amazing,” he declared between mouthfuls. “Almost makes up for the lack of bacon.”

  Riker, usually the stoic one, allowed himself a small smile, his posture relaxing as he ate. “We should do this more often. Helps to remember what we’re fighting for.”

  I nodded in agreement, feeling the tension ebb away with each bite. It was these moments, brief and fleeting, that kept us grounded, that reminded us we were still human, despite the armor we wore and the battles we fought.

  Priest was beginning to stir; he still looked bad. The Medbots had indicated internal injuries, but the nanobots were stitching him up inside, and the Anadium was doing its job on the more visible wounds. Whatever he tangled with out there did a number on him. I still had his black box, I needed to see what went down, but I wasn't ready just yet.

  As we ate, I couldn’t help but glance occasionally at Priest, lying motionless in the corner. The stillness of his form was a stark contrast to the life around him. My mind kept wandering back to the mission, to Project Revenant, to the unsolved mysteries that we were piecing together bit by bit.

  "Joe, the information in this databank is a convoluted mess. I think someone was trying to delete storage devices but only managed to wipe parts of them,” Ada said.

  "Anything useful?"

  She hesitated before responding. "Only that Revenant, or at least significant portions of it, was an official project."

  Sadly, that didn't surprise me. I already knew these monsters we were facing had come from DARPA sponsored blacksite labs.

  “Joe, this is proof that the terrorist strike was an inside job. Our own people were in on this.” She said that over private comms, so that only I heard.

  “Anybody attached to The Order had to be in key 'official' positions to pull it off.”

  So many questions, I thought. "Ada, begin running a strong veracity filter, with a bias toward all the intel we’re getting being false."

  "That is a challenging assumption, Joe. We are pulling this data from hardened and encrypted government databases. Data that is revealing very damaging bits of information about the government itself. What would anyone have to gain even if they had the ability to plant such information?"

  She made good points, but my spidey-sense said there was way more to all this than what we saw. I also still couldn't get past the feeling that we…that I had been manipulated for a very long time.

  The meal came to an end, a brief respite in our relentless journey. We began to clean up, the normalcy of the task a balm to our weary spirits. And then, a small miracle happened.

  Priest stirred, his eyes fluttering open, confusion and clarity waging war in his gaze. “Kovach?” His voice was a hoarse whisper, but it was the sweetest sound I’d heard in a long time.

  I was at his side in an instant, my heart pounding with a mix of relief and urgency. “Priest, you’re back with us. Take it easy, buddy.”

  His eyes focused on me, and a thousand questions flickered in their depths. He tried to sit up, but I gently pushed him back down. “Easy, man. You’ve been out for a while. We’ve got a lot to catch up on.”

  As Priest’s gaze wandered over the familiar and new faces of our team, I knew that his awakening would be just one step in a long road toward recovery.

  “We’re glad you’re back, Priest,” I said, a smile breaking through. “We’ve got a fight ahead of us, and we need you.”

  His nod was weak but determined, a silent affirmation that he was still in the fight.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-NINE

  In the dim light of the command center, with the screens casting a cold glow on our faces, we huddled around the main console. Priest, now semi-conscious and propped up with makeshift supports, coughed out his fragmented intel, his words painting a picture of something sinister deep in the Red Zone.

  "It's...a facility," Priest rasped, his voice a hollow echo of his usual strength. "Xero found it in something she was working on. Said... something big, hidden."

  Ada chimed in, her digital voice cutting through the heavy air. "It may have been the source of the dampening field. It aligns with Priest's coordinates. It's deep, Kovach. Right in the heart of this Red Zone."

  I rubbed the stubble on my chin, feeling the weight of every decision. "Looks like we've got our destination. It's going to be a hell of a journey."

  Koog glanced at the maps displayed on the screen, his expression grim. "We're going to be walking right into the lion's den. You sure about this?"

  I met his gaze, my resolve firm. "It's the best lead we've got. If there's a chance to uncover what The Order is up to, we have to take it. Priest, you ok to go?" He was looking much better but a long way from combat effective.

  "I will be, Kovach, just need some time. Sync my suit to one of yours for now, I'll just ride shotgun."

  Lux, piped up, "Let's do it then. But first, I need more ammo for the war beast." He pointed out the door to the Decimator.

  I nodded. “We all need to pack all we can.” We lucked out as our CML autonomous haulers had finally shown up. We took what they had, then refilled them with loads of supplies, ammo, P-cells and more.

  “Ada, can we lock this base down so no one else gets in?”

  “Yes, Joe. I can leave the station’s Active Sentry mode on.”

  I took one last look at the screens, the data streams still flowing with even more possible secrets of Project Revenant. This was just the beginning. The real fight was waiting for us out there, in the shadowy heart of the Red Zone. Tomorrow, we were going to find the sons of bitches that did all this shit.

  I spent several hours cleaning Priest’s battlesuit, prepping it with fresh P-cells and survival kits. It only looked bad, but structurally, it was in good shape. He looked damned relieved to get it back. Thankfully, he still had his Rattler. Giving up his armor must have been tough, no way a drop trooper would willingly leave his gun behind as well.

  "What in the hell happened out there, Priest?"

  The drop trooper looked at me and shook his head. "Everything, man. Never had a drop go so fucking bad before."

  His story reminded me of my last drop. The capsule misfired, ejected in the wrong place, and his glide wings only partially deployed. He hit hard, off target, and then his suit went offline. I had no idea how he even got out of the damn thing. They can be as confining as an iron prison when the systems go down.

  "The damn things came at me even before I was out of the suit," Priest added. “I battled them all the way here."

  What he described sounded like the Ghouls we'd been fighting off. "How did you know about this place?"

  "Saw its location on my HUD as I was coming in. I knew I had missed both my primary and alternate LZ, so I angled toward it hoping for a bit of shelter."

  I finished fastening his torso plates and double checked all the servos. "What about on the ship, what was going on there?"

  He shook his head. "It was a mess, Joe. I don't know much. I was in the Medbay when Xero found me and sent me on this fun trip to hell. She said Captain Valyn had authorized it. Gi was prepping for a drop, too. I assumed he would be joining me, but I never saw his signal."

  I had to ask an important question. "Do you think your pod or suit was tampered with?"

  He looked confused, then shook his head. "I was never really out of my suit, Joe. We'd been fighting all day, remember." He rubbed his leg before fastening the armor back in place. "Soon as I launched, I felt a massive blast. Sensors indicated a nearby explosion. I think it knocked the capsule’s guidance off."

  "Was it the ship? The Stone Mountain?" I asked worriedly.

  He shrugged. "I never heard from them again, Joe. Sorry, but I just don't know."

  We stepped outside into the fresh air, the sunlight a stark contrast to the artificial glow inside we'd become accustomed to. The stream was close, a brief respite awaiting before we embarked on our perilous journey.

  Riker came up beside me, his voice low. "Master Sergeant, I heard you and your computer last night. I wonder if she has any idea what Solomon's people were looking for?"

  Shit, that was a good question. It damn sure wasn't WitchWalkers. Ada stayed silent. I was still clueless as well.

  Priest froze when he saw the girl. "She's with you? —How?"

  I explained it best I could, the odd series of events that got her onboard the doomed TriCraft and an abbreviated version of her role so far.

  "So, she's not part of this…of their plans."

  It was my turn to shrug. "I think she is a symptom or maybe a result of all this, not the cause." We walked on a bit more. "Our new friend, Solomon, called them Oracles and claimed they were something ancient, reborn in this damaged world."