---
Location: FOB Echo Point – Command Room
Time: 14:03 | Day 9 of Infection Collapse
The lights flickered as Logan Hale stood alone in the Command Room, his eyes fixed on the terminal. Lines of code pulsed across the holographic display, the system recalibrating in response to the mission's latest combat log.
> [PROJECT SENTINEL SYSTEM – STATUS: ACTIVE]
[OBSERVATION DATA STORED]
[Tactical Behavior Patterns Logged: 4]
[Node Alpha Activity: Increasing…]
[Recommendation: Initiate Counter-Adaptive Measures]
[WAR CREDITS BALANCE: 1,446.4]
His fingers hovered above the interface. For the first time, the System seemed uncertain—not just offering tools, but reacting.
"What are you really tracking?" Logan muttered.
Outside, the rumble of machinery signaled the convoy's return maintenance. The CV90s were being stripped for damage reports. The Stryker's right track housing smoked from shrapnel hits. The Humvees were being refueled by a rotating logistics crew.
But it was the survivors—Iron Shield's remnants—that drew the most eyes.
---
Location: FOB Echo Point – Central Courtyard
Time: 14:37
They stood clustered near the medbay, heads on swivels, eyes cautious. Thirty-one survivors. Veterans, rookies, and shellshocked civilians. Battered armor, stained fatigues, empty eyes.
Captain Andreea Dumitrescu stood apart, arms folded, lips tight.
Reaper One approached from the rear, flanked by Wraith and Petrescu. Dumitrescu's troops stiffened instinctively at the towering Tier-2 unit, his armored frame gleaming with fresh carbon scoring and belt-fed menace.
"He's with us," Wraith said flatly.
Dumitrescu nodded slowly. "Does it follow orders?"
Reaper's mechanical voice kicked in. "I follow Command Hale."
There was a long pause. Then Dumitrescu stepped forward and extended her hand.
"Then I guess we follow him too."
---
Location: FOB Echo Point – Briefing Room
Time: 15:20
The squad gathered. Logan at the front, maps spread over a table lit by overhead lamps. The temperature inside was rising thanks to the new power relays finally stabilizing the outpost's core grid.
"Here's where we are," Logan began. "Here's what we've got."
> [Personnel Status – Echo Outpost]
– Logan Hale (Commander)
– Reaper One (Tier-2 Heavy Infantry)
– Alexandru Petrescu (Squad Lead)
– Wraith (Recon/Marksman)
– Hammer (Engineer)
– Sofia Andreescu (Trainee/Combat Initiate)
– Dr. Alina Moraru (Medical Officer)
– Lena, Dragan, Marcel (Civilians – Non-Combat Roles)
– Cristian (Support Medic)
– Dumitrescu (Captain, Iron Shield – 9 active troops under her command)
> [Equipment Overview:]
– 2x CV90 Infantry Fighting Vehicles (Operational, moderate wear)
– 1x M1128 Stryker Mobile Gun System (Needs partial repairs)
– 2x M1151 Humvees (1 Armed, 1 Transport)
– 1x Med-Evac Van
– Ammo reserves: Moderate
– Fuel reserves: Low (Resupply Required)
> [Base Status:]
– Tier II Operational FOB
– Power Relay Grid: Active
– Auto-Turret Systems: 3 Active
– Sensor Net: 82% Coverage
– Passive WAR CREDIT Rate: +7.0/hour
---
Location: FOB Echo Point – Firepit Sector (Makeshift Rest Area)
Time: 17:02
The fire crackled beneath a steel-drum chimney rigged from a broken artillery casing. Blankets, bedrolls, and ammo crates made crude benches. Around the pit sat the core team and several of Iron Shield's troops. For once, nobody shouted. Nobody barked orders.
Sofia sat between Lena and Dumitrescu's youngest squadmate—a boy barely nineteen named Iulian. He fidgeted with a broken radio until Wraith wordlessly handed him a working battery pack.
Dr. Moraru sat beside Cristian, taking inventory on a tablet. "Still short on broad-spectrum antibiotics, but painkillers and dressings are okay," she murmured.
Hammer threw a wrench onto a cloth and popped open a sealed can of beans. "Three days till the generator coolant hits redline. I'll need spare coolant lines or we lose half the base's internal heat."
Petrescu sat with a cigarette in hand, gaze distant. "They're getting smarter," he said quietly. "They don't just charge anymore. They feint. They draw fire."
Reaper One stood like a statue behind them all, scanning the outer perimeter. His voice cut through the quiet.
"Pattern variance logged. Probability of infected tactical behavior increase: 26% since Day 4."
Silence fell again.
Logan approached the fire last. His coat was dusted in ash, his sidearm cleaned, reloaded, and holstered.
"We're not resting," he said. "We're buying time with corpses."
Nobody spoke.
Then he continued.
"I've authorized the construction of the Vehicle Depot and Tier II Logistics Hub."
> [WAR CREDITS SPENT: –320 (Vehicle Depot + Logistics Hub Upgrade)]
[Remaining WAR CREDITS: 1,126.4]
[Next Tier Unlock Available: 2,000 WAR CREDITS]
"We'll rotate shifts starting tonight. Half of Iron Shield joins Echo's patrol grid. Other half helps logistics. Medicals get rest. Civilians train or assist Hammer."
He met every gaze.
"No more borders between us. We're one unit now."
Dumitrescu stood and saluted. "Understood."
---
Location: FOB Echo Point – Observation Tower
Time: 19:12
Logan stood alone as dusk descended. The horizon shimmered with quiet smoke columns—some distant battles still raging, others long extinguished.
The System pinged softly in his HUD.
> [NEW COMBAT LOG PROTOCOL ENABLED – Echo Unit Archives]
– "Reaper One – Log Entry Initiated"
– "Wraith – Sniper Observation Decks"
– "Sofia – Rifle Training Status: 42% Complete"
– "Iron Shield Integration: 23%"
He exhaled.
Behind him, soldiers began lighting lanterns. Music drifted faintly from someone's old radio.
They were still alive.
But war was coming again.
And something out there… was learning faster than they were.
---