Chapter 56 Countdown to Destruction

A beast unlike anything they had ever encountered stepped into the light of the cavern. The Tier 6 mutant. He dwarfed even Raptor 01. Its massive, gorilla-like frame was covered in layers of thick, armored skin, rough and ridged like stone. Its long, bulky arms dragged against the ground, ending in fists half the size of a tank mech. Its glowing, sunken eyes burned with raw aggression, and its gaping maw revealed jagged teeth that seemed designed to tear through metal.

The beast paused, surveying the chamber like a predator scoping its domain. Then, with a single swipe of its massive arm, it shoved Raptor 01 aside, sending the mutant tumbling across the cavern floor like a rag doll. Raptor 01 screeched in fury, scrambling back to its feet, only to watch the Tier 6 grab one of the Velkys by its torso.

The beast bit the Velky in half, its massive jaws crunching through the mutant as if it were a brittle bone. It tossed the remnants aside, leaving a steaming pile of gore on the cavern floor. The sight was so grotesque it left the strike team momentarily speechless.

Raptor 01 snarled at the Tier 6. With a roar that echoed through the cavern, the hulking beast swung its massive arm, hitting Raptor 01. The blow sent a shockwave rippling through the ground, and Raptor 01 crashed down in a heap.

Raptor 01 screeched, struggling to rise, but the Tier 6 was relentless. It lunged forward, pinning Raptor 01 under one massive fist. The ground trembled as the beast raised its other arm and brought it down with devastating force. The strike team could only watch as Raptor 01, a mutant that had previously taken down an entire elite squad, was crushed into a pool of black blood.

“Holy… What is that thing?!” Lisana’s voice cracked over the comms, panic bleeding through her usually calm tone.

"Are we supposed to fight that thing? Are you joking?" Sierra whispered.

“It just… it just killed Raptor 01 like it was nothing!” Ewan stammered.

Jacob’s voice came through next, “How do we fight something like that, Liana? Those arms… one hit and we’re done!”

“That’s not just some mutant…” Enzo muttered, “That’s a nightmare.”

 “Do you think we can do it?" David asked, "I mean… can anyone actually win against something like that?”

West clenched his fists.

 “Damn it! That thing just flattened Raptor 01 like it was nothing!”

“Focus!” Aria barked, her voice slicing through their fear.

 “It doesn’t matter what it is. We have a mission. If we panic now, we’re dead.”

 The Tier 6 mutant was unlike anything she’d seen before - bigger, stronger. This wasn’t a creature they could simply overpower.

“Listen up! That thing’s bulky, but it’s also slow. If it spots us stay mobile and keep your distance. Do not let it pin you. If it comes to fighting, we will distract it while others finish arming the payload.”

Meanwhile, Dyar paced back and forth in the control room, his eyes flicking between the large holographic displays showing real-time data. Each monitor was a window into battle: the surface teams battling wave after wave of mutants, the Combelt IV signals steadily moving deeper into the tunnels, and a readout of seismic activity in the cavern below.

“Aria, come in. Do you copy?” 

The comms had gone silent the moment Aria and her team entered the nest. Though their tank mechs’ tracking beacons still showed on the screen.

A young technician spoke up from the far side of the room.

 “Sir, the interference in the tunnels is too strong. We’ve lost all audio contact.”

“I can see that,” Dyar snapped, rubbing his temples. He took a deep breath, steadying himself.

 “Just keep monitoring their movements. Alert me if anything changes.”

The technician nodded, but Dyar didn’t wait for a response. He strode to the heavy steel doors of the control room, glanced down the hallway, and then quietly locked the doors with his personal access code.

Back in the mutant nest.

It didn’t take long for the Tier 6 mutant to notice Aria and her team. Its sunken, glowing eyes locked onto the tank mechs, and it let out a roar that reverberated through the entire cavern, the walls trembling as debris rained down. The sound was so deep it felt like it came from the earth’s core.

“Shit! He spotted us!” Aria shouted over the comms, “Combelt IV team, with me! Combelt III team, stay here and arm that payload! We’ll keep this thing occupied! Move!”

The Combelt IV mechs surged forward in formation, particle rifles already buzzing to life. Aria led the charge, firing a series of shots at the beast’s massive torso. The glowing blue streaks of particle energy smashed against its thick skin, leaving charred impact marks but barely doing any real damage.

Jacob’s voice crackled through the comms. 

“We’re barely scratching it! Overcharge the rifles?”

“Not yet!” Aria ordered, “Conserve Vallen particles until you’re sure you can land a direct hit! We need every shot to count!”

Lisana fired first, a charged particle shot that slammed into the mutant’s left shoulder, staggering it slightly. Ewan followed up with suppressive fire at its legs, forcing the beast to shift its stance to avoid collapsing. Aria seized the opportunity, launching her mech into a flanking maneuver and firing an overcharged particle shot straight at its torso.

The shot connected, blasting off chunks of its armored skin making it roar in pain. Black blood spilled from the wound, sizzling as it hit the ground.

“Yes! We can hurt it!” Lisana shouted.

“Keep it up!” Aria said, “Don’t give it time to recover!”

Back at the base.

Dyar returned to his console and activated a separate, encrypted comm link. The holographic interface glowed brighter, and after a few moments, the grainy image of a man in a black military uniform appeared. His insignia was unfamiliar, and his face was shadowed by the low lighting.

“Status report, Major,” the man said in a clipped, commanding tone.

 “Aria and her team have reached the nest. The Combelt IV units are performing as expected. They’re making progress, but... the situation is more dangerous than HQ anticipated.”

 “And what of the Tier 6 mutant?”

“I'm afraid, it’s confirmed. It’s engaging them now,” Dyar replied grimly.

 “They’ve sustained damage, and we’ve lost comms, but the mission is still underway.”

 “Ensure the payload is detonated, regardless of their survival. This nest must be destroyed.”

 “Sir! They have a chance to make it out!”

“This is not a negotiation, Major.” The man’s voice was ice-cold. 

“The survival of your team is secondary to the mission. If the payload is not armed and detonated within the next 10 minutes, I’ll ensure someone else finishes the job.”

Dyar clenched his fists but didn’t respond. The man’s image disappeared, leaving the screen dark.

Back in the mutant nest, it seemed like they had the upper hand. The mutant staggered under their relentless assault, chunks of its armor-like skin blown away by their charged shots. The ground was littered with pools of steaming black blood, and its roars became more frantic.

But then, something changed.