The Bloodhawk cut through the night sky like a wounded bird reborn.
Below, the wastelands of Grimshire stretched endlessly — black smoke rising from the ruins, the turbine fields glowing faintly under the storm's dying light. The engines hummed low and steady, their rhythm the only sound beside the occasional creak of metal.
Inside the cabin, silence reigned. The squad sat scattered across the troop bay — armor cracked, faces ghost-pale in the dim red glow. They were alive, but the weight of the tunnels, the flood, the chase, and the slaughter clung to them like smoke.
Netoshka stood by the window, one hand resting on the reinforced glass. The stars above were faint, almost drowned by the distant orange haze of war.
Rue was the first to speak.
"It Feels strange," she said quietly. "After everything… it's too calm."
Zev was leaning back in his seat, idling his blades while muttering to himself in whispers.
"Calm's what we bled for. Let's not jinx it, yeah?"
Genrihk was silent, polishing his Revolvers with
mechanical focus. Across from him, Ron adjusted the Bloodhawk's power regulators, his hands trembling slightly from exhaustion.
Taran limped in from the medbay, a bandage wrapped around his side.
"Engines are stable," he reported, his voice gravelly but composed.
"Altitude holding at thirty-seven hundred. We're clear."
"Good." Netoshka turned to face them. Her voice, though calm, carried authority that silenced the room. "Alright, Listen up, everyone."
They straightened — a reflex drilled into them through years of command.
Netoshka paced slowly, her boots echoing against the steel floor.
"This Operation is over. Grimshire's sealed off. The Decapitators are neutralized — for now."
Rue raised her brow. "For now?"
"They rebuild," Netoshka replied simply.
"They always do(i think?). But the E-116 is secured. That's what matters."
Zev nodded.
"You sure it's stable? That thing nearly fried half the sensors when we pulled it out."
"It's stable enough," she said. "Lucretia wanted it intact, and we delivered."
Zopi swiveled her chair toward them, a faint smile under the flickering cockpit light.
"Director's already been pinged. I sent the encrypted signal once we cleared Grimshire's airspace."
Netoshka approached the main console, activating the comm link. A burst of static filled the room before the familiar, calm voice of Director Lucretia came through — smooth, cold, and distant.
"Inferius Squad, report."
Netoshka straightened.
"Director Lucretia. Mission accomplished. We retrieved the E-116 from Krankle's containment vault. He's been trapped inside the Cylinder Room — indefinitely. Grimshire's collapsed, but the Decapitators won't be a threat for a while."
"Understood." A pause. The faint hum of machinery echoed behind her voice.
"You've done well, Netoshka. DomiTech will receive the E-116 once you reach Delta City. The compound will be prepared for your arrival."
"Yes, ma'am," Netoshka replied, her tone professional but weary. "ETA—approximately six hours until visual contact with Delta City's outer perimeter."
"Acknowledged. Transmit no signals during approach. I'll handle the clearance myself."
The line went silent.
The squad exchanged glances. The weight of her voice always left a strange chill in the air — admiration, fear, and something else unspoken.
Genrihk broke the silence first.
"She didn't even ask how many we lost."
Netoshka didn't respond immediately. She just looked out the viewport again — the reflection of the stars glimmering faintly across her armor. "She already knows."
Rue stood, stretching with a groan.
"boss, what happened to Sally and the others?"
Netoshka finally turned, her expression softer but firm.
"They are safe and sound, DomiTech forces back at Grimshire took them in to HQ, don't worry, they will be fine."
Zev leaned back against a wall sighing.
"Thank goodness they are alright, i thought they were goners if they never came with us."
"Agreed" Taran muttered, staring out at the endless sky,
"We couldn't just leave those kids hanging, they made the right choice to come with us."
The Bloodhawk soared higher, its wings cutting through the clouds. Below them, the world was a smoldering scar of twisted lights and broken cities. Ahead — faint in the distance — shone the endless dark clouds that surrounds them, and the Dark City that awaits them soon.
Netoshka rested her hand against the glass again.
"We made it out," she whispered to herself. "But something tells me… we left more behind than we think."
No one replied. The squad sat in silence as the Bloodhawk carried them into the pale horizon — away from the flames of Grimshire and toward the uncertain light of Delta City.