The mall was a cage, and they were the main attraction.
Sterling stood on the ground floor, his Vanguard squad forming a perfect, gleaming silver perimeter, their energy rifles a silent, deadly promise.
Above them, on the third-floor balcony, the Stalker Chimera was a glitching, shimmering nightmare, its featureless chrome face tilted down, its empty, soulless gaze fixed on Michael.
And all around them, chaos.
Screams echoed through the cavernous atrium.
Civilians scrambled for exits that were now blocked by impassive, silver-armored soldiers.
"Well," Jax's voice crackled over the comms, his usual cheerfulness strained with a note of genuine, tactical appreciation. "I gotta hand it to Shiny Boy. This is a beautifully executed trap."
"We're boxed in," Jinx's voice was a low, dangerous growl from her hidden perch on the second floor. "I've got three Vanguards blocking the east exit and another four sealing the main entrance. No way out."
