Zenithar - Restricted Military Zone
Inside the armored convoy, the hum of tactical equipment filled the air as Kael adjusted his earpiece, studying the live battlefield feed from their scout drones. His sharp, calculating eyes absorbed every movement of the Cyber Legion like pieces on a chessboard.
Across from him, Allen sat back, arms crossed, his massive frame barely fitting in the seat. His leg bounced impatiently.
"I still don't get it," Allen grumbled. "Why the hell are we pulling their asses out of the fire? Didn't we warn them not to play hero?"
Kael didn't even look up. "Because we're not assholes."
Allen scoffed. "I mean… we could be, just for today."
Garret, standing at the head of the room, let out a slow breath, rubbing his temples. "Enough."
Then the comm crackled.
"Visual on the target. Raiga's down. Repeat: Raiga is down."
Tasha's voice cut through the static like a blade.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"Status?"
"He's bleeding bad. Took multiple hits. No movement."
Next came Kian's voice, distant, breathless.
"The Legion's closing in. Ten units. At least five enhanced. ETA: two minutes."
Garret's eyes opened.
"Time to move."
The convoy swerved. The tires screamed across wet asphalt. Allen slammed a fresh clip into his rifle.
"No more waiting."
———————————————————————
Liara's hands trembled over her console. Static flickered across every screen. Her drones had been pushed to the limit—some destroyed, others disabled. The Legion wasn't just fast—they were precise. Coordinated. Calculating.
She glanced at the screen again.
Raiga.
Bleeding. Still. Slumped in the wreckage like a fallen god, his blood mixing with rainwater.
The Legion was getting closer.
"No… come on, dammit…!"
She launched the last wave of counter-drones, overriding safeties.
"DON'T touch him," she whispered to herself. "Don't you DARE touch him—"
Too late.
The Legionaries moved. Blurred figures of metal and muscle, their bodies accelerating with unnatural speed. Their kinetic boosters lit like cold blue fire, turning them into streaks across the battlefield.
Liara screamed into the comm:
"RAIGA!!"
The soldiers were almost on him.
Their movements were surgical. Not a wasted motion. They fanned out around his body, weapons raised—ready to take him alive.
Then—
Garret screamed. "TASH!"
"Target locked. We're coming in hot."
BOOM.
The first Cyber Legion soldier exploded into a mess of blood and metal as the armored truck plowed through him like a wrecking ball.
The Resistance had arrived.
The second barely had time to react before the second truck slammed into him, crushing his enhanced body like a ragdoll.
The remaining Legion soldiers turned—too slow.
Before they could process what was happening—
Garret, Kael, and Allen were already moving.
The doors slammed open, and the Resistance hit like a hurricane.
From atop the trucks, Tasha and Kian opened fire, shredding Cyber Legion drones from the sky before they could recalibrate.
Allen was the first to hit the ground. A brute-force machine, he tore through the disoriented soldiers like a one-man wrecking crew. His advanced shotgun roared with each blast, tearing through reinforced armor as if it were paper. One. Two. Three down.
Kael followed, his gun shots precise, surgical. One shot to the visor, one to the spine, and another to disable their tech before they could recover.
Garret? He moved like a ghost. No wasted motion. Every shot a kill.
Within seconds—
It was over.
⸻———
Inside the hideout, Liara collapsed onto the floor, her body going limp.
The tension, the terror—it all hit at once.
Her breath hitched.
Tears welled up.
Her hands shook violently as she buried her face into them.
A choked sob slipped out before she could stop it.
Garret's voice came through the comm softer this time. "Breathe, kid."
She gasped, squeezing her eyes shut. "I—I had it. I swear, I had it, I just—"
Garret put a hand on his radio, voice steady. "And now it's over. You made it. We made it. That's what matters."
Liara sniffled, wiping her face with the back of her hand. "…We really screwed up, huh?"
Garret let out a deep chuckle. "Oh yeah. Big time."
She let out a weak, breathy laugh.
Garret leaned back, stretching. "But that's what we're here for."
Liara hesitated. Then, softer, "…Thanks."
Garret smirked. "Don't thank me yet. You still owe me an explanation for this disaster."
Liara groaned. "Ugh. Fine. But later."
Garret turned back to the field. "Alright, Kael, Allen. Wrap it up. Secure the bodies, grab what tech you can."
Kael saluted lazily. "On it, boss."
"Garret, I need one more favor," Liara said, her voice steadier now.
"Raiga's not walking away from this one. He's badly hit, lost a lot of blood. If we don't patch him up fast, he's—" She stopped herself, pressing her lips together. "He needs immediate care."
A brief pause.
Then—Garret chuckled.
"Oh, he's gonna hate this."
Allen grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Can I hit him? Just once?"
Liara didn't hesitate. "Hit him as many times as you want. Just don't kill him—he's already half-dead."
Kael snorted. "So… fifty-fifty, then?"
Garret shook his head, smirking. "Alright, fine. Bring him in. We'll do what we can."
Liara's fingers flew across the controls, her mind locking back into mission mode.
The Titan-Class Transport Drone adjusted its course, engines roaring as it carried Raiga toward the Resistance's location.
Tasha and Kian had regrouped with the others, standing near the wreckage as the remaining Cyber Legion tech was being collected.
Then—they heard it.
The low hum of thrusters, growing louder, cutting through the storm.
They turned.
And froze.
The Titan Drone descended, its landing thrusters hissing against the wet pavement.
And there—strapped onto the transport frame, barely breathing—was Raiga.
Garret exhaled slowly. "Holy shit."
Kael's usual smirk faded. "That… is not normal."
Allen let out a low whistle. "Yeah. I've seen guys take hits before, but this?"
Tasha folded her arms, eyes sharp. "That's a hole. That's a damn hole in his body."
Kian muttered, "How the hell is he still alive?"
The wound was brutal—a deep, ugly hole in his shoulder, soaked in blood. His suit was torn, his breathing ragged. The second sniper shot had only grazed him, but the first one?
It had punched clean through.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then—Garret ran a hand down his face, shaking his head.
"Yeah. I'm hitting him."
Garret crouched next to Raiga's body, rolling up his sleeves. His expression shifted from casual amusement to pure focus.
"Alright, let's patch this idiot up before he actually dies."
Kael knelt beside him, pulling out a medic kit from his tactical pouch. His movements were methodical, precise—like a man who had done this too many times before.
"Vitals are dropping. He's lost a shitload of blood," Kael muttered, checking the wound. "Entry wound's clean, exit wound is nasty. We need to stop the bleeding before we even think about moving him."
Garret reached into the kit, pulling out a coagulation injector.
Kael grabbed Raiga's bloodied armor and tore it open, exposing his shoulder. The wound was deep, raw muscle and torn flesh barely holding together.
Allen grimaced. "Damn. That's ugly."
Tasha muttered, "You think he even feels pain like a normal person?"
Kael ignored them, pressing the coag injector against the wound and pulling the trigger. The device hissed, injecting a fast-acting coagulant to seal the bleeding.
Raiga's body twitched involuntarily.
"Good. Now, let's wake his ass up." Garret reached into his belt, pulling out a combat-grade adrenaline shot.
Allen raised an eyebrow. "You sure that's a good idea?"
Garret sighed, shaking his head. "Nope."
And then—
He jabbed the needle straight into Raiga's chest.
For a moment, nothing.
Then—
Raiga's eyes snapped open, pupils blown wide. His body convulsed, muscles tensing like a coiled spring.
And just like that—
He moved.
Fast.
Garret grabbed his shoulder. "Raiga. Calm the hell down—"
"Where are they!?" Raiga barked, voice guttural. "The prisoners—WHERE—"
"Easy, kid. You're safe—"
"I SAW THEM—!" He shoved Garret back, stumbling off the table, legs buckling under his own weight. He didn't care. "I can still fight—send me back in—"
"RAIGA!!"
The voice cracked through the radio like a whip.
Liara.
Her scream froze everyone in the room.
"SIT. YOUR. ASS. DOWN."
He stopped mid-step.
Panting. Bleeding. Trembling.
Kael blinked. Allen looked away.
Garret exhaled through his nose. "Guess she's the only one he listens to."
"You idiot," Liara continued, her voice breaking. "Do you even care if you die? Do you even THINK about what happens to the rest of us!? Or is it just blood, blood, blood every time!?"
Raiga lowered his head.
Silence.
"…I had to."
"No. You chose to."
He clenched his fists. But didn't move.
Kael shook his head. "You know, for a guy who just almost died, you've got a real attitude problem."
Allen scoffed. "Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you?"
Raiga glanced at them—a slow, calculated look.
For a second—just a second—Kael and Allen froze.
That glance. That cold, empty stare.
Like a wolf sizing up its prey.
A shiver crawled down their spines.
"…You know what? Never mind." Kael took a full step back. "Garret, you handle this."
Allen exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. "Yeah. Screw it. Not worth it."
Garret, annoyed but amused, pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Oh, so now I have to deal with the feral stray?"
Raiga's eye twitched.
Garret stepped forward again, quieter this time.
"Let us patch you up. Then you can scream."
Raiga looked at him. Then finally—sat.
Once Garret was done, Raiga stood up, still visibly unsteady, and walked toward the Titan Drone waiting for him.
As he climbed onto the transport, Liara's voice came through again—this time softer.
"…You good?"
Raiga hesitated.
Then, quietly—
"Yeah."
The drone's thrusters engaged.
As it lifted off into the rain, Liara exhaled, slumping back in her chair.
"…That was the worst night of my life."
As the drone disappeared into the fog-choked skies, the rain kept falling.
Down below, the battlefield was silent again—bodies strewn, metal twisted, blood washed clean by the storm. The Resistance had won a fight.
But not the war.
Not even close.
In her chair, Liara stared at the blinking lights on her screen, eyes distant.
They had saved Raiga. They had stopped the Legion—for now.
But deep down, she knew the truth.
You can be fast. You can be strong. You can be a god of war.
But one broken sword doesn't stop an empire.
And one angry boy isn't enough to fix a dying world.
Not yet.
⸻
[To be continued.]