The assault on Research Station Omega began at 0400 hours with a coordinated artillery barrage that lit up the pre-dawn darkness like a deadly aurora. Kael watched from his command position as the Steel Ravens' heavy weapons pounded the facility's outer defenses, their shells creating massive explosions that shook the ground for miles around.
"Phase One complete," reported Lieutenant Chen over the comm system. "Outer perimeter breached. Steel Ravens are advancing on the northern sector."
"Iron Jackals report similar success on the southern approach," added Sergeant Martinez. "Automated defenses are down, but they're encountering heavy resistance from security forces."
Kael studied the tactical display, watching as friendly forces converged on the facility from three directions. Everything was proceeding according to plan—perhaps too well.
"Something's wrong," Elena said, voicing his own concerns. "The resistance is lighter than expected."
"Maybe our intelligence was accurate for once," Vera suggested, but her tone carried doubt.
The facility's defenses had been formidable on paper—multiple perimeter walls, automated weapon systems, and a full battalion of Council security forces. But the reality was proving different. The outer defenses had fallen quickly, and the security forces seemed to be falling back rather than mounting a determined defense.
"All units, this is Shadow Command," Kael announced over the tactical network. "Advance with caution. Something about this feels off."
"Copy that, Shadow Command," came the reply from Steel Ravens' commander. "We're encountering minimal resistance. Almost like they want us to advance."
That was exactly what Kael was afraid of. In his experience, when an enemy made things too easy, it usually meant they were walking into a trap.
"Ghost, take your team and scout the main facility," he ordered. "I want to know what's waiting for us in there before we commit our main force."
Vera nodded and disappeared into the smoke and chaos of the battlefield, her team moving with the silent efficiency that had made her legendary. While they waited for her report, Kael continued to monitor the overall tactical situation.
"Steel Ravens have reached the northern complex," Chen reported. "They're encountering heavier resistance now, but nothing they can't handle."
"Iron Jackals are making good progress in the south," Martinez added. "They've secured the vehicle depot and are advancing on the main laboratory complex."
The facility was enormous—a sprawling complex of research buildings, testing ranges, and support structures that covered several square kilometers. Coordinating an assault on such a large target required precise timing and constant communication.
"Shadow Command, this is Ghost," Vera's voice crackled over the comm. "You need to see this."
"Report."
"The main laboratory complex is empty. Not just evacuated—empty. Like it's been stripped clean."
Kael felt ice forming in his stomach. "Define empty."
"No equipment, no research materials, no personnel. Just empty rooms and bare walls. Whatever they were working on here, they moved it out before we arrived."
The implications were staggering. If the Council had evacuated their research before the attack, it meant they'd known it was coming. Which meant...
"All units, this is Shadow Command," Kael announced urgently. "Abort the mission. Repeat, abort the mission. This is a trap."
But even as he spoke, he could see it was too late. On the tactical display, new contacts were appearing—Council reinforcements arriving from multiple directions, moving to surround the mercenary forces.
"Contact north!" came the panicked voice of the Steel Ravens commander. "Heavy armor, moving fast! We're being flanked!"
"Iron Jackals under attack from the east!" Martinez reported. "Multiple vehicles, advanced weapons!"
The trap was springing with devastating efficiency. The Council had used the facility as bait, allowing the mercenary forces to advance into a killing field before revealing their true strength.
"All units, fighting withdrawal to extraction points," Kael ordered. "Do not attempt to hold ground. Get out now!"
But the Council forces had anticipated this as well. The extraction routes were being cut off by fast-moving strike teams, while heavy weapons positions were being established to prevent aerial evacuation.
"Shadow Command, Steel Ravens are pinned down," Chen reported, his voice tight with strain. "We can't reach our extraction point. Requesting immediate support."
"Iron Jackals are in the same situation," Martinez added. "We're surrounded and taking heavy casualties."
Kael made the hardest decision of his military career. "All units break into small teams and evade independently. Use any route available to reach friendly territory. Do not attempt coordinated withdrawal."
It was an admission of defeat, but it was also the only way to save lives. A coordinated withdrawal would be slaughtered by the Council's superior firepower. Independent evasion gave at least some of the mercenaries a chance to escape.
"What about us?" Elena asked as explosions rocked the ground around their position.
Kael looked at his team—twelve of Kane's best operatives, trapped in a facility that had become a death trap. "We complete the mission."
"What mission?" Vera demanded. "The facility is empty!"
"The mission to find out how the Council knew we were coming," Kael replied grimly. "Someone betrayed us, and I intend to find out who."
They fought their way deeper into the facility, using the chaos of the battle to mask their movement. The main laboratory complex was indeed empty, but Kael's tactical instincts told him there was more to discover.
"There," Elena pointed to a section of the building that showed signs of recent activity. "That area was evacuated more recently than the rest."
They made their way to the indicated section, finding a series of offices and conference rooms that still contained traces of their former occupants. Computer terminals, communication equipment, and most importantly, security recordings.
"Torres, can you access their security system?" Kael asked.
"Give me five minutes," the former Iron Wolf replied, connecting his equipment to the facility's network.
While Torres worked, the rest of the team established a defensive perimeter. Outside, the battle was intensifying as the Council forces tightened their grip on the trapped mercenaries.
"Got it," Torres announced. "Security recordings from the past week. You're not going to like what you see."
The holographic display showed a series of meetings in the facility's main conference room. Council officials, research scientists, and military commanders discussing the evacuation of critical equipment and personnel.
But it was the final recording that made Kael's blood run cold.
Marcus Kane sat at the conference table, speaking with a man Kael recognized as Dr. Ryn—the Innovator, one of the seven members of the Shadow Council.
"The mercenary assault will begin at 0400 hours," Kane was saying. "Three groups, approximately one hundred operatives total. They'll expect minimal resistance initially."
"And you're certain they'll commit their full force?" Dr. Ryn asked.
"Absolutely. I've made sure they believe this facility is critical to your weapons program. They'll throw everything they have at it."
"Excellent. This will eliminate several troublesome mercenary groups and demonstrate the futility of opposing the Council."
The recording ended, leaving Kael's team in stunned silence. Their leader, their mentor, the man who'd recruited them to fight against the Shadow Council—was working for the enemy.
"Son of a bitch," Vera whispered. "Kane sold us out."
"All of us," Elena added, her voice hollow with shock. "Every operative in his organization, every mission we've run—it's all been a lie."
Kael felt something breaking inside him—not just trust, but the fundamental beliefs that had sustained him through years of struggle. Kane had been more than a commander; he'd been a father figure, a symbol of hope in a world dominated by corruption and violence.
"We need to get this information out," he said, forcing himself to focus on the immediate tactical situation. "Other operatives need to know the truth."
"How?" Torres asked. "Our communication systems go through Kane's network. He'll intercept anything we try to send."
"Then we get out of here alive and deliver the message in person," Kael decided. "Torres, copy everything—security recordings, personnel files, communication logs. I want proof that can't be disputed."
As Torres worked to download the data, explosions rocked the building. The Council forces were closing in, and their window of escape was rapidly closing.
"Movement outside," Elena reported from her position at the window. "Council security teams, moving to surround the building."
"How many?" Kael asked.
"Too many. We're outnumbered at least five to one."
Kael studied the tactical situation, his mind working through options and alternatives. They were trapped in a building surrounded by enemy forces, with no support and no extraction plan. In military terms, it was a hopeless situation.
But Kael had learned something during his time with the Iron Wolves—sometimes, the most hopeless situations offered unexpected opportunities.
"The facility's power plant," he said suddenly. "It's nuclear, isn't it?"
"Fusion reactor," Torres confirmed, checking the facility schematics. "Powers the entire complex."
"And if it were to suffer a catastrophic failure?"
Torres's eyes widened as he understood the implication. "It would take out everything within a five-kilometer radius."
"Including the Council forces surrounding us."
"And us," Vera pointed out.
"Not if we're in the reactor's shielded control room when it happens," Kael replied. "The containment protocols would protect us from the initial blast."
It was a desperate plan, but desperation was becoming a familiar companion. They fought their way through the facility toward the power plant, using their knowledge of the building's layout to avoid the Council security teams.
The reactor control room was a fortress within a fortress—heavily shielded walls designed to protect the operators from radiation and mechanical failure. It would also protect them from the explosion Kael was planning to create.
"This is insane," Vera said as Torres began working on the reactor controls. "Even if we survive the blast, the radiation will kill us."
"The reactor uses clean fusion technology," Kael replied. "Minimal radiation, maximum explosive yield. We'll have maybe ten minutes to reach the surface before the secondary effects kick in."
"And then what? The entire area will be crawling with Council forces."
"Then we improvise. We've gotten good at that."
Torres finished his work on the reactor controls, setting up a cascade failure that would overload the containment systems. "Thirty minutes until critical failure," he announced. "After that, this place becomes a crater."
They sealed themselves in the control room and waited, listening to the sounds of battle outside. The Council forces were systematically searching the facility, getting closer to their position with each passing minute.
"Twenty minutes," Torres announced.
"Contact at the main entrance," Elena reported. "They've found us."
The sound of cutting tools echoed through the control room as the Council forces began working on the sealed door. Advanced equipment that would breach their defenses within minutes.
"Ten minutes," Torres said.
"The door's failing," Elena warned. "They'll be through in thirty seconds."
Kael made a decision that would haunt him for years to come. "Everyone into the reactor chamber. The shielding is strongest there."
They crowded into the reactor's control chamber, a cramped space barely large enough for all of them. Outside, they could hear the Council forces breaking through the door.
"Five minutes," Torres whispered.
"They're in the control room," Elena reported. "Searching for us."
"Two minutes."
The Council forces were at the reactor chamber door now, their voices clearly audible through the thin barrier.
"One minute."
"Thirty seconds."
"Ten seconds."
The explosion, when it came, was beyond anything Kael had ever experienced. Even through the reactor's shielding, the blast wave was devastating—a wall of superheated air and debris that turned the facility into a hellscape of twisted metal and molten rock.
When the shaking stopped, they emerged from the reactor chamber to find a world transformed. The facility was gone, replaced by a smoking crater that stretched for kilometers in every direction. The Council forces, the trapped mercenaries, the entire battlefield—all of it had been erased in a single, catastrophic moment.
"Jesus," Vera whispered, staring at the devastation.
They climbed out of the crater and began the long journey toward friendly territory, carrying with them the proof of Kane's betrayal and the weight of what they'd done. Behind them, the crater continued to smoke, a monument to the price of trust misplaced.
The Gold Tier promotion had been a lie. Kane's organization had been a lie. Everything they'd believed about their cause had been built on deception and manipulation.
But they were alive, and they had the truth. And sometimes, the truth was the most dangerous weapon of all.
The betrayal's sting would never fully heal. But it would forge them into something harder, colder, more dangerous than they'd ever been before.
The real war was just beginning.