Global Overwatch Forward Command – Briefing Room, Two Days Later
The room felt heavier than usual.
Shawn stood with his arms crossed as a holographic feed displayed a massive bipedal omnic. A patchwork of reinforced armor, rotating energy cores, and jagged antennae protruding from its back like spines. Its head constantly twisted and shifted, a grotesque mimicry of both human and machine.
"This is Ravager Unit Theta-9," said Commander Adawe, her voice tight. "It shouldn't exist. And yet, it's not only active, but according to Liao's theory, it's controlling all omnics in the Mesopotamian basin."
The feed zoomed out, showing maps of synchronized omnic movements across several fronts: Baghdad, Mosul, Basra. Every group moved with eerie precision that would flank, reposition, retreat, and attack in waves too intelligent for even regular Ravagers.
S3bastian tilted his head. "Is this where I say, 'This will end well'? Because it won't."
"This one will have Rose and Amari come in with the stealth approach." Jack Morrison said, cutting through the tension. "Your goal isn't just destruction. It's disruption. We need to sever the link between the Ravager and its army first before taking it out. Our best guess is a neural relay core housed in its chest. Ana will provide cover fire from a ridge one click out."
Shawn narrowed his eyes. "If we take out the core... the omnics drop?"
"Not all of them," Adawe admitted, "but enough to shatter their coordination. That's all we need."
Jack stepped forward. "Rose, you'll be part of the forward unit. If we get a clear shot, I want it taken. Understood?"
Shawn nodded. "Understood."
Northern Iraq – Abandoned Oil Field, Midnight
Sand whipped through the air, carried by desert wind. In the distance, the Ravager stood tall amid cracked metal pipes and rusted refineries, motionless save for the flickering of its eyes. Around it, hundreds of omnics patrolled in concentric circles, a path designed by the Ravager that left no holes in their defenses.
Ana Amari lay on a ridge, her rifle steady, her visor glowing faintly.
"In position," she whispered into comms.
Shawn crouched low among the ruins below, his team flanking either side. S3bastian stood beside him, plasma coil humming quietly. "Why is it always sand? I'm still finding some in my joints from Cairo."
Shawn tapped his earpiece. "Soldiers, activate cloaks. Wait for the signal. Amari, you see the relay core?"
She adjusted her scope. "Middle of its chest. Looks reinforced. You'll have to get closer."
Shawn grunted. "I figured."
He dashed forward, leaping over oil drums and ducking behind debris, using the scattered terrain to close the distance. His katana was strapped across his back, but his hands sparked, charged with energy just in case.
The Ravager stirred. A signal pulsed outward like a sonar ping, and every omnic in the area twitched.
"They felt that" Ana said. "You've got sixty seconds before they converge."
"Goddamnit. Alright then, let's make it count."
The first omnic spotted him. It lunged, only for S3bastian to detonate a micro-plasma burst that turned it to slag. Shawn moved quickly, deflecting an incoming bolt, diving under a rusted catwalk, and vaulting toward the Ravager's platform.
It reacted, slowly, at first, turning its head to study him with cold intelligence.
Then it moved. Its arm transformed into a cannon, firing a beam that Shawn barely dodged. The explosion sent him flying back, crashing through metal piping. He coughed, rolling onto one knee.
"Now!" he yelled into the comms.
A crack split the sky.
Ana's first bullet struck the Ravager's shoulder, staggering it. Her second punctured a gap between the armor plates near its head.
Shawn took the opportunity, sprinting up a support beam and launching himself toward the chest. Electricity began sparking from his new metallic arm as he placed it on the Ravager. The moment his palm struck the Ravager's core, his body convulsed with electricity. The link between the Ravager and its omnics pulsed through him like a living current, threatening to fry him.
But he held it. And drained it.
The relay core sparked erratically, flickered and overloaded, blasting backward in a shower of metal and light. The Ravager screeched a warped, almost human scream before staggering once again, falling to one knee. Shawn pumped more electricity into it, hoping to destroy the Ravager.
However, heavy metal hands grip his arms. Shawn looks up to see the Ravager with a defiant look with bits of rage in its eyes. A crack pierces the air as the Ravagers head suddenly snaps back. Its head returns to its normal position, its armor covering gone. Shawn yells as he maximizes his output creating a torrent of lightning on him and the Ravager.
The Ravager roars as it tries to struggle out of Shawn's embrace, deciding to prioritize its life to fight another day. Another bullet comes, sending a shower of sparks as it connects with the Ravagers head. Bullet after bullet slammed into the Ravager who seemed to be unrelenting as Shawn pumped massive amounts of electricity into him. Until finally, the light fades from the Ravagers eye as it falls to the ground, spasming.
Silence returned to the desert.
Later – Temporary Outpost Campfire
The battle was over. Cleanup crews were dealing with scattered omnic fragments. S3bastian polished his arm, mumbling about "wanna be big like that, strike fear into my friends and foes alike."
Shawn sat alone atop a dune, staring at the stars.
Ana approached quietly, rifle slung over her shoulder. "You did well today."
He smiled faintly. "You too. Your shots saved the mission.."
"I'll always take the clean shot," she replied.
She handed him a compact sniper rifle. Sleek, matte black, and fitted with an experimental scope.
"Try it."
Shawn raised an eyebrow. "You're serious?"
"Deadly."
She moved behind him, adjusting his posture. "Sniping is more than shooting. It's breathing. Timing. Stillness. You have to predict where your target will be, not where they are. One shot can end a life... or save one."
"Want me to teach you how to be a medic, I could see you being a terrific medic." Shawn offered.
"Hah! Didn't know you were a comedian as well. Being a sniper is the furthest I could be from a medic. Now enough joking, take your shot."
"Yes ma'am." He exhaled, then pulled the trigger. The shot echoed, striking a drone target over 400 meters away.
Ana nodded. "Good. Again."
The night passed slowly as she taught him how to read wind, compensate for recoil, and trust his intuition. With every shot, he improved.
At one point, she leaned closer and said quietly, "There may come a day when your powers aren't enough. When you can't reach someone in time. That's when this will matter."
"Realistically all I have to do is simply improve myself so that situation never happens." Shawn responds without looking out the scope.
Ana scoffs, "Simply improve myself. You make it sound so easy." She looks out into the distance at the target he was easily hitting within hours. "Maybe it is easy for you."