Chapter 60 The Calm Before the Storm

Just as Major Stark turned to demand the detonation device, a flurry of signals lit up Dyar’s console. For the first time in hours, the coms sparked to life.

“Stark! Strike team returning to the surface! This is no time to argue!”

Dyar leaned into the microphone.

 “All units, cover the strike team’s retreat! The payload is armed! Detonation is imminent! Fall back from the city ruins immediately!”

Jacob and Sierra retreated through the streets alongside what remained of the strike team. Mutants surged in the distance, emerging from crumbling ruins, but the covering fire from the tank mechs held them at bay.

Dyar’s voice rang out over the comms again, “Get out of the kill zone as fast as possible!”

Inside the nest, Raptor 01’s hulking form lay crumpled, his massive heart a ruined mess of blackened tissue. But his body began to convulse, and behind the shredded remains of his first heart, another began to pulse. It throbbed weakly at first but quickly gained strength, pumping the viscous fluid that gave life to the monstrous creature.

With a guttural snarl, Raptor 01 forced himself up, barely able to stand. His eyes flicked toward the blinking payload at the heart of his nest. Even in his state, some primal instinct screamed a warning. This device was doom incarnate.

Raptor 01 hesitated, his monstrous gaze fixed on the flashing light. But hesitation gave way to fear. With a deafening roar, he lunged forward, his claws outstretched to destroy the payload.

Back at HQ, the operator shouted.

“Sir! All tank mechs have exited the kill zone! But we need a few more minutes to—”

 Dyar shouted, “It’s good enough! All tank mech on the field! Brace for detonation!”

Inside the cavern, the initial flash of the explosion illuminated the hollowed-out nest with a blinding light. The light burned hotter than the sun, transforming the air itself into plasma. Raptor 01’s outstretched claw never made it to the device. The instant the heat wave struck, his body was reduced to ash, disintegrating mid-motion.

The force of the explosion expanded outward, vaporizing everything in its path. The nest’s walls liquefied in an instant, turning molten and cascading down as rivers of fire. The detonation ripped through the earth like a chained reaction, creating a shockwave so powerful that it collapsed entire sections of the underground cavern.

Aboveground, the city ruins were engulfed by a blinding dome of light. Buildings crumbled into dust, and the shockwave traveled outward, flattening everything in its path for a mile. The roar of the explosion was deafening, followed by a vacuum of silence as the air was sucked back toward the epicenter.

Then came the mushroom cloud. It rose majestically, a column of smoke and ash twisting skyward, its base surrounded by rolling firestorms. The heat from the explosion set the mutant nest ablaze, creating an apocalyptic inferno. The sheer force of the blast reshaped the earth, leaving a crater where the mutant nest had once been.

On the surface, Jacob and Sierra’s Combelt IV skidded to a halt just outside the kill zone. Their cockpit rattled violently as the shockwave reached them, and debris rained down like meteors.

“Is everyone clear?” Sierra shouted into the coms.

Dyar’s voice answered.

 “Everyone made it out. Pilots of the strike team are injured but alive. Retreat to Beehive immediately.”

In HQ, the control room was silent. The operators looked toward Dyar, awaiting his reaction.

“It’s done,” he said quietly, “The nest is gone.”

Major Stark, standing nearby, finally broke his silence.

 “You disobeyed direct orders, Dyar. There will be consequences for this.”

Dyar looked up at him, weary but unwavering.

 “I’ll take whatever punishment comes. But I wasn’t going to let them die.”

Stark studied him for a moment, then gave a curt nod.

 “Good. Well, since the mission was a great success I will let it slide this time.”

Outside, as the dust began to settle, the surviving tank mechs regrouped. As they approached Beehive, the massive reinforced gates creaked open, welcoming the battle-worn pilots home. Mechanics and medics rushed forward.

As the Combelt IVs docked in their bays, a small team of Dyar's trusted men approached discreetly. 

“Take her to the private wing,” Dyar ordered.

 “No records, no questions.”

The men nodded, wheeling the transport away from the main medical unit. As the vehicle disappeared, Dyar lingered for a moment.

“Make sure she gets the best care,” he added quietly.

 “No matter what.”

A few days later, Aria stirred, her eyelids fluttering as consciousness crept back. Slowly, she opened her eyes, the bright lights overhead causing her to squint. A familiar figure sat nearby, slouched slightly in a chair - Dyar.

“Where… am I?” 

“You’re safe,” he said gently.

 “Private wing of the hospital. Took some strings to make it happen, but you’re alive.”

“Hey. Did we win? Did my team survive? How many... how many did we lose?”

 “You did well. Your team is safe. Banged up, sure but no casualties. As for losses, well... we took a hit on resources, and HQ isn’t thrilled about losing most of the Combelt IV units, but…” He paused, “They’re calling it a great victory. The destruction of the mutant nest outweighed their greed this time.”

Aria blinked, taking in his words. Her gaze fell to her arm, her missing limb was whole again, the regenerated tissue smooth and new. 

“Your arm. It regenerated. A perk of being a mutant.” 

Aria let out a tired laugh.

 “Guess I’ll take it. Anything else I should know?”

Dyar continued. 

“HQ’s so pleased with the result, they even fast-tracked pilot licenses for all the trainees who survived the mission. Every last one of them is now a full-fledged tank mech pilot. That includes you.”

A faint smile played on Aria’s lips as she whispered, “I’m glad no one had to die."

 “So... I’m a pilot again, huh?” She stared at the ceiling for a moment before adding, “Good. Because our fight is far from over. This was just one nest. There are so many more. My fight isn’t over until all of them are wiped off the face of the earth.”

“Hey, hey! Hold on there, soldier. You’ve just come back from the brink. Maybe take a moment to breathe before declaring war on the next nest.”

 “A day or two. Then I’m back on the frontlines.”

 “Figures. Well, for now, things are calm. Mutant activity is at zero. HQ’s confirmed it. We’re rebuilding. HQ even greenlit the production of more Combelt IVs. It’ll take time, but we’re getting there. The war’s not over, but we’ve bought ourselves a moment to regroup.”

“Alright then,” she whispered.

 “One or two days. Then back to the fight.”

 “Rest up, Aria. You’ll need it.”

As he exited the room, Aria allowed herself a rare moment of peace. She was alive. Her team was alive. 

Meanwhile, in Farm Level, a crowd gathered around the massive holoscreens, watching the replay of the mutant nest’s annihilation. Cheers and applause erupted as the explosion lit up the screen, a symbol of victory. But not everyone shared their joy.

In the corner of the room, Harry stood motionless, his eyes glued to the display. His trembling hands clenched into fists as tears streamed down his face.

“So many lives. All those creatures… slaughtered. They didn’t even try to understand them.”

The images shifted to show the strike team’s return, and the crowd’s cheers grew louder. But to Harry, it was senseless destruction. He wiped his face, his expression darkening.

“No more,” he whispered, his voice shaking with anger.

 “This isn’t victory… it’s murder. Massacring beings we don’t even try to communicate with. I’ve had enough.”

He stormed away from the crowd, muttering to himself, “They think they’ve ended the war, but they’re blind. I’ll stop them. I’ll make them see reason.”

 With his knowledge of the defense systems and access to restricted areas, he could cripple the tank mechs and disable the city’s defenses. He would bring the war machine to a halt, forcing everyone to find another way.

“It’s the only way to save them all,” he said to himself.

Harry’s steps quickened as he disappeared into the labyrinth of the lower levels.

The celebration continued above, oblivious to the storm Harry was about to unleash. And in her private hospital room, Aria slept, unaware that her next battle was already brewing, one far closer to home.

The End