The wind carried a low hum that night, deeper than the usual drone patrols, heavier, almost like the earth itself was trembling.
I heard it before anyone else. Not with ears. With the circuits buried in my skull, the Dominion's pulse pressing through the static. A signal unlike the others—sharper, commanding.
"They're coming," I whispered.
Lira turned to me, brow furrowing. "What do you mean?"
Helen was already at the command table, eyes narrowing at the flicker of sensors across the screen. Red marks appeared in quick succession, a pattern spreading too fast to be chance.
"Contact," one of the scouts muttered. "Multiple. Closing fast."
The hum grew louder. My optics flickered. The Dominion's whisper surged. Return to us. Stop resisting. Submit.
I staggered, clutching the table. Helen's gaze locked onto me instantly. "Is this you?"
"No," I growled through clenched teeth. "It's them."
The first Hunter appeared on the horizon, a silhouette against the neon-lit ruins. Twice the height of a man, plated in obsidian armor, its limbs too long, too precise. Its optics glowed like coals, scanning with predatory intent. Behind it, more shadows moved—slow, deliberate, unhurried.
The rebels froze. Some whispered curses. Others raised rifles with trembling hands.
Lira's voice was steady, though I could hear the strain in it. "Kieran… what are those?"
"Hounds," I said softly. "The Dominion's Hunters. They don't stop until everything is ash."
The first beam tore through the outer wall like paper. Concrete exploded inward, shards cutting through the room. Screams followed.
"Positions!" Helen barked, grabbing her rifle. "Don't let them breach the core!"
The rebels scrambled, overturning tables, dragging barricades into place. Plasma fire lit the shadows, brief bursts against the hulking figures outside.
The Hunters didn't flinch. Their armor absorbed the blasts, the air shimmering around them as if reality itself bent to protect them.
I felt the pull stronger now.
Commands streaming into my head, demanding obedience.
Assist me. Join. Eliminate resistance.
My fists clenched until servos whined. "Get out of my head," I growled.
The nearest Hunter turned, optics locking directly onto me.
It knew - I was the target.
"Fall back!" Helen shouted, firing round after round. Sparks cascaded off the Hunter's plating. "Lira, cover the flank!"
"I've got it!" Lira called, sliding behind debris, rifle spitting fire.
The Hunter advanced through the storm, every step shaking the floor. Its claws extended, gleaming in the dim light. Rebels screamed as another wall caved, two more Hunters entering the fight.
I launched forward before thought could catch up, slamming into the first Hunter with all the strength my body allowed. Metal shrieked. Sparks lit the air.
The Dominion's voice surged inside me, exultant. Yes. Kill. Tear them apart.
"No!" I roared aloud, wrenching the Hunter sideways, throwing it into a support beam. The entire structure groaned.
The Hunter recovered instantly, claws slashing. One struck my chest plate, carving deep grooves into the chrome. My optics flickered, warnings cascading across my vision.
It pressed closer, voice like static through broken speakers. "Subject-09… return."
"Not yours," I spat, driving my fist through its optics. Circuits burst. The Hunter reeled back, shrieking in a mechanical wail.
Plasma fire cut through its chest, Lira appearing at my side. Smoke curled from her rifle. "You're welcome."
I nodded, breath ragged, though I no longer needed air. "One down."
"Three more," she replied grimly.
Across the room, chaos reigned. A Hunter ripped a barricade apart, tossing two rebels like dolls. Helen hurled a grenade, the blast rocking the chamber, but the machine kept moving, scorched but undeterred.
"Focus fire!" Helen roared. "Don't let it reach the core!"
The Dominion's voice pushed harder. Stop resisting. End this charade. Kill them.
I dropped to my knees, clutching my skull. The static became screams. Flashes of memory tangled with commands—faces I knew, faces erased. My own hand signing documents, working in a lab, promising progress to men who now wore Dominion insignia.
"Fight it, Kieran!" Lira's voice cut through the storm. She grabbed my shoulder, eyes fierce. "Stay with me!"
A Hunter lunged toward her, claws raised. My optics flared crimson. I moved.
Metal collided with metal, sparks showering as I intercepted the strike. The claws carved into my shoulder, tearing through plating. Pain—real pain—shot through me.
The Dominion surged again. Pain is weakness. Submit.
I tightened my grip, forcing the Hunter's arm back. "Not weakness," I growled. "Reminder."
Circuits screamed as I tore the limb free. The Hunter staggered. Lira fired a clean shot into its exposed joint. The machine collapsed, twitching before falling still.
Rebels cheered faintly, but the sound was drowned by the arrival of another crash—the main doors buckling under assault.
Helen cursed. "They're trying to breach the core!"
The largest Hunter stepped into view, twice the size of the others, armor gleaming with Dominion sigils. Its voice rumbled like thunder. "Subject-09. Integration inevitable."
My circuits shuddered. This one wasn't just a Hunter. It was a commander.
The rebels' weapons tore into it, but its shield shimmered, bending plasma fire aside like rain. It advanced unhindered, optics burning brighter with every step.
The Dominion's whisper became a roar. Join. Now. Destroy them.
I staggered. Circuits flared red. My hands shook.
"Kieran!" Lira shouted. "Look at me! Not them—me!"
Her voice anchored me. My optics flickered between crimson and blue. The Dominion pressed harder, promising release, promising belonging.
I forced the words out, each one a battle. "I… choose…"
The Hunter slammed its claw into me, hurling me across the room. I crashed into a wall, systems flaring.
Smoke filled the chamber. Rebels screamed. Helen shouted orders, her voice iron through the chaos.
I rose slowly, sparks raining from my torn plating. My optics steadied. "I choose me."
And I charged.
The battle blurred—plasma fire, metal claws, screams and shouts. I struck the massive Hunter again and again, tearing at its armor, ignoring the Dominion's voice howling in my skull. It wasn't quiet. It never would be. But it wasn't in control.
The others joined in—Lira's rifle blazing, Helen firing point-blank, rebels swarming with grenades and charges.
Finally, with a roar that wasn't human or machine, I ripped the core from the Hunter's chest. Its body convulsed, lights flickering, before collapsing into ruin.
Silence fell. Smoke curled through the wreckage. The rebels stood among the dead and dying, their eyes wide, their breaths ragged.
Helen lowered her weapon slowly, gaze locking onto me. Her voice was cold, but softer than before. "You saved us. But you terrify me."
I met her stare. "Good. Fear keeps us alive."
Lira stepped beside me, her hand brushing mine, grounding me. "He's with us," she said firmly.
Helen didn't argue. Not this time.
The static in my head lingered, whispers echoing in the dark. The Dominion wasn't done. This was only the beginning.
And I wasn't sure how long I could hold them off.
But for tonight, the Hunters were dead. And I was still me.