Explosions ripped across the rooftop, one after another, coming from different angles. The surrounding buildings had turned into firing points.
The team dropped, scrambling for whatever cover they could find.
Kael tried to move, but he was too slow, still hurt from the first hit.
Another slab slamd straight into him. Cade’s grip tightened on his weapon, but there was nothing he could do.
More debris rained down. And then... Kael stopped moving.
"Kael..." Lyra called out, her voice tight, but she held her position.
Then Cassian spoke. "We need to move down." He moved first, careful and quick, dropping to the lower floor with Cade and Lyra following after.
From a broken window, Cassian peered outside then froze.
In the shadows of nearby buildings, shapes moved, Variants. Not just one or two. Several of them, scattered across the streets and rooftops.
"They’ve been watching us this whole ti," Cassian muttered. "This is a trap. And we walked right into it."
A brief silence followed.
Cade’s voice ca in, calm. "Trap or not, we deal with it."
He looked at them both. "Cassian, take out those variants. Lyra, with , we hold anything trying to co up."
...
Ti dragged on. The pressure only got worse as an endless amount of infected kept coming wave after wave.
They were getting tired, slower with each movent. Then, the distant thrum of rotors cut through the chaos, getting closer and closer.
"They’re here," Cassian said and looked up.
Not just one, five choppers pushed into the airspace, four of them moving into support positions, circling above them.
Heavy gunfire erupted as gatling guns roared, tearing into the streets below, targeting both the variants and the infected swarming the area.
The pressure around the building eased.
"Move!" Cade ordered as they rushed back up to the rooftop. Cassian was quick to act, firing a flare into the sky as the bright light cut through the smoke.
"With air support here, they’ll be distracted," Cassian said. "We move fast. In and out."
But even as he spoke, one of the choppers took a direct hit, a massive chunk of concrete thrown from below. It spun out of control, flas trailing behind it before crashing into the streets below.
Cassian’s jaw tightened. He adjusted his aim and began picking off targets that were locking onto the remaining aircraft.
On the rooftop, Cade and Lyra fought to hold the line, cutting down infected that tried to climb their way up. They just needed a few more seconds.
Then, without warning, sothing crawled up the side of the building, fast and silent.
Before Cassian could react, the mutant lunged from below, slamming into him. Focused on the streets ahead, he didn’t notice it until it was already on his back, its jaws clamping down hard on his shoulder.
"Ughh!" Cassian grunted in pain, his body jerking forward.
He reacted on instinct. His hand snapped to his waist, pulling a knife free. In one swift motion, he drove it back into the creature’s head, once, twice.
Blood soaked through his shoulder till the mutant went limp. He shoved it off and staggered.
"Cassian!" Lyra called, her rifle barking as she kept firing downrange.
Cassian let out a strained breath, forcing a faint laugh. "Sorry, Captain... slipped up."
"Lyra, the serum. Now," Cade ordered, already moving as he tossed a small pack toward her. "I’ll hold them."
Lyra hesitated for half a second. The infected were still pushing in and they were barely holding the line.
"Go!" Cade snapped.
She turned and rushed to Cassian.
Cade stepped forward, planting himself near the access point, shotgun roaring as he held back the incoming infected, each blast forcing them down the narrow entry.
Lyra dropped to her knees beside Cassian. His breathing was heavy now, with dark veins already spreading from the bite, crawling up his neck.
"Stay with ," she muttered, pulling out a blue vial and injector.
She didn’t waste a second, pressing it against his neck and triggering the injection.
For a second... nothing happened. Then the spread of the black veins slowed and stopped right at the edge of his jaw.
Cassian’s body suddenly tensed. "Ghh...!" His muscles locked as violent tremors ran through him, the serum fighting whatever was taking over.
Lyra pressed him down, gripping his shoulders. "Stay with us, Cassian. Don’t lose it now."
Gunfire cracked around them as Cade held the line, keeping the infected from closing in.
Monts later, the thudding of rotors cut through the chaos. The chopper descended, kicking up dust as it landed nearby. Two soldiers jumped out imdiately, reinforcing Cade’s position and easing the pressure.
"Move!" Cade shouted.
Lyra didn’t hesitate. She lifted the unconscious Cassian and rushed him into the chopper. Cade followed close behind, covering their retreat.
The two soldiers stayed back, firing non-stop to cover them.
Lyra got inside first and pulled Cassian in. Cade climbed in right after.
Behind them... The two soldiers were quickly overwheld, swallowed by the horde before they could fall back.
"Go! Go! Go!"
The chopper lifted off as the remaining three agents collapsed into their seats, breathing hard, exhausted, battered, and bleeding. Cassian lay barely conscious, his condition unstable, still on the edge of turning.
"Captain Cade," the pilot glanced back and handed him a radio. "The Director wants to speak with you."
Cade took it without a word. "Our mission failed," he said at once. "I’ll accept whatever punishnt is due, Sir."
"Tell what happened," the voice on the other end said calmly.
Cade let out a slow breath, then began his report. He spoke of everything, the loss of Raya and Kael, Cassian’s condition, and the creature inside the skyscraper. He described how it moved... how it spoke. The way the infected acted under its control, moving as one. The thick web of flesh that had taken over the building.
He didn’t leave anything out. Not even their mistakes.
When he finished... a long, heavy silence followed. Then the voice finally spoke. "Return."
A brief pause, then, colder this ti, as if addressing soone else: "Bomb the city."
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