Los Angeles was a tomb. Skyscrapers clawed at the smoke-choked sky, their windows shattered. Cars lay overturned, radios inside still hissing with static. Jack Mercer gripped the Obsidian Frequency crystal, its edges biting into his palm, as Vega's convoy rolled into the ruins.
"Welcome to hell," Vega said, adjusting her mirrored goggles. "Shadow storms hit here first. Survivors say the Revenant's nesting in the power grid."
Finch peered at his laptop from the back of the truck. "Energy spikes downtown. It's feeding off something big."
Jax loaded the EMP launcher. "Let's fry it."
Vega's crew fanned out—twenty soldiers armed with jagged, jury-rigged weapons. One tossed Jack a modified shotgun. "For close encounters."
Jack nodded. "Stay sharp. It knows we're here."
As if on cue, the streetlights flickered. A low hum vibrated through the asphalt.
…Jack…
Emily's voice, warped and distant, trickled in from a nearby traffic light.
…it's a trap…
Vega raised her rifle. "You hear that?"
"Don't shoot!" Jack snapped. "It's not her. Not really."
A light burst, and glass rained down.
"Move!" Vega barked.
The Storm
Downtown was a warzone. The shadows writhed like living smoke, swallowing entire blocks. A Black Signal soldier screamed as a tendril wrapped around his ankle, dragging him into the darkness.
"Fall back!" Vega fired into the storm. The bullets passed harmlessly through the shadows.
Jack slammed the Obsidian Frequency onto the pavement. "Jax, now!"
She fired an EMP. The blast lit the crystal, sending a shockwave rippling outward from the center. The shadows recoiled and shrieked.
For a moment, the street was cleared.
"Did we…?" Jax panted.
The ground split. A massive antenna erupted, rusted metal fused with human bones. At its peak, the Revenant perched, its form a shifting mass of static debris.
…you brought me a gift…
It lunged.
The Fight
Chaos erupted. Vega's crew unloaded electrified rounds, but the Revenant absorbed the hits, growing larger. Finch hacked a nearby billboard and blared white noise from its speakers.
"Distract it!" he yelled.
Jack charged, crystal raised. The Revenant swiped, its static claws tearing at his jacket. He drove the crystal into the chest.
It screamed, tendrils thrashing.
"Jax!"
She fired another EMP. The blast fused with the crystal, igniting the Revenant in blue flames.
…NO…
It exploded and scattered ash and sparks.
Silence.
Vega whooped. "That's how we do it!"
Jack knelt, retrieving the crystal—now cracked. "Not over. It'll reform."
A rumble answered. The antenna collapsed and crushed three soldiers.
"Fall back!" Vega dragged Jack toward a subway entrance. "We need a new plan!"
The Tunnels
The subway was pitch black, and the air was thick with the stench of decay. Vega's flashlight revealed graffiti: THEY'RE IN THE WALLS.
Finch tapped on his laptop. "There is a power hub ahead. If we overload it—"
"We blow the grid," Jack said. "And the Revenant with it."
Jax scowled. "Or we blackout the whole West Coast."
"Got a better idea?" Vega snapped.
A screech echoed through the tunnel. Shadows oozed from the vents, forming humanoid shapes with glowing eyes.
"Go!" Jack shoved Jax forward.
They ran, the shadows gaining. Vega's crew fell one by one, screams cut short.
The Hub
The power hub was a cavern filled with humming generators and cracked screens. Finch plugged his laptop in. "Thirty seconds to overload!"
Vega covered the door. "Make it ten!"
Jack placed the crystal on the main console. "This'll amplify the blast."
The Revenant's laugh shook the room. …fools…
It materialized, larger now—a storm of debris and static noise. Vega fired, but her bullets phased through.
"Now, Finch!"
The laptop beeped. "Overload in 3… 2…"
The Revenant lunged.
…MINE…
Vega tackled it. "Do it!"
Jack hit the switch.
Light flooded the room.
The Aftermath
Jack woke to silence. The hub was scorched, and the generators melted. Vega lay nearby, her arm charred.
"Did we…?"
Finch groaned and crawled through the rubble. "Grid's down. Revenant's signal is gone."
Jax helped Vega sit up. "You're crazy."
Vega grinned weakly. "Worked, didn't it?"
A radio crackled. A survivor's voice: "…help us… downtown… they're still here…"
Jack's blood froze.
Outside, the shadows swirled thicker than ever.
…thank you…
The Revenant's voice echoed in every direction.
…you made me stronger…