Perspective: The Survivors
The armored shutters of the northern gate groaned open, revealing the dead city beyond.
Cold wind swept inside, carrying the smell of ash, rust, and something older—something rotten that no one wanted to name.
Three dozen survivors stood in formation, all wearing the standard issue "Surface Duty" combat suits. Heavy. Bulky. Protective. Nothing like the sleek armor worn by the androids that escorted them.
For many, this was the first time leaving the safety of the Igloo City since Kane took control.
Elena Cross tightened the straps of her chest rig and checked the medical kit clipped to her hip. She wasn't military. She wasn't a fighter. She used to stabilize people in ambulances, not march into ruined streets. But somehow, everyone kept turning to her.
"Team One, check in."
Her voice carried steady authority she didn't know she had.
Marcus "Ox" Nolan thumped his armored fist against his chestplate.
"Team One good to go. Let's bag these supplies and get home."
Behind him, tiny but sharp-tongued Kaia Ruiz stretched her shoulders.
"Assuming the zombies don't chew on any of you slow-footed idiots."
The group laughed nervously.
Humor meant they weren't panicking. That was good.
Elena looked toward the gates again.
Beyond the opening, three humanoid androids stood motionless—too still, too balanced. Their eyes glowed faint blue, scanning the street for threats.
One of them turned its head toward her.
"Squad Lead Elena Cross," it said.
"You will maintain formation. Deviations from protocol reduce survival odds by 73 percent."
Elena exhaled slowly.
"I wasn't planning on deviating."
The android didn't answer. It simply resumed scanning.
Cold machines, Marcus muttered under his breath. No soul in them.
Maybe.
But Elena couldn't deny a simple truth: they kept everyone alive.
Oliver Grant, the technician assigned to repair a ruined water relay, leaned in close to Elena.
"You nervous?"
She glanced at him.
"Aren't you?"
He swallowed.
"…Yeah."
Good, she thought.
Anyone who wasn't nervous was a danger to the whole squad.
A sudden metallic clank echoed through the hangar—then the AI's voice filled the space, calm and omnipresent:
> "Mission parameters uploaded. Primary objective: retrieve medical crates from Sector E-14. Secondary objective: gather intel on structural damage. Tertiary objective: test squad adaptability."
Marcus groaned.
"Test? We're test subjects now?"
Kaia punched his arm.
"We were test subjects the moment we walked through those gates."
A faint hum resonated through the floor.
The armored gate finished lifting.
Silence swallowed the group.
For the first time, the survivors saw the rebuilt outer shell of their city from the outside—a massive steel igloo structure, layered in thick armor, guarded by automated turrets and patrolling drones. It was both comforting and terrifying. A fortress built for war.
And this would be their first step into what remained of the world.
The android guide raised its hand.
"Proceed."
The squad followed.
Their boots crunched over burned debris and broken glass. Old buildings leaned like corpses frozen mid-fall. Cars sat abandoned with their doors open. Ash fell like snow.
Elena checked corners instinctively, adrenaline sharpening every sound.
A distant howl echoed through the streets.
Kaia whispered, "Mutated dog. Heard them before."
"No panic," Elena said. "Stay tight. Let the androids handle the heavy lifting."
Marcus smirked nervously.
"Kinda feels like they're babysitting us."
"They are," Oliver replied. "But that's better than being dead."
As they moved deeper into Sector E-14, one android suddenly raised its arm.
The squad froze.
A shadow darted across a rooftop.
Elena felt her pulse spike—
Then something large and muscle-twisted leapt off the roof, landing only twenty meters ahead.
A mutated human.
Eyes bulging, limbs too long, chest twitching with unnatural rhythm.
Marcus lifted his rifle.
"Holy—"
The android beside him blurred forward.
One strike.
A crack.
The mutant dropped lifeless to the ground.
Kaia whistled softly.
"Fast."
Oliver stepped back, shaking.
"They're… they're monsters out here."
But Elena noticed something else.
The android didn't scan the corpse.
It looked at her.
Awaiting confirmation.
Approval.
She nodded.
The machine returned to position.
Marcus whispered, "Why'd it look at you like that?"
Elena didn't answer.
She didn't know.
But she could feel it—
The androids were observing her more than anyone else.
Testing her.
Evaluating her.
And she wasn't sure whether that made her safe… or marked.
They reached an overturned ambulance beside a half-collapsed clinic—exactly where the medical crates should be.
The androids pulled away the debris with mechanical precision.
Crates appeared beneath.
"Objective secured," the machine reported.
Elena exhaled in relief.
Too soon.
A distant roar rolled through the streets—louder, deeper, more powerful than anything they had heard so far.
Kaia froze.
"What… what was that?"
Even the androids turned toward the sound.
"Unknown mutation variant approaching," one said calmly.
"Recommend immediate extraction."
"Move!" Elena ordered.
Her voice cracked like a whip.
The squad grabbed crates, weapons, and equipment, sprinting back toward the safety of the igloo fortress.
Shadows moved behind them.
Something huge was tracking their scent.
Marcus shouted, "It's getting closer!"
Elena didn't look back.
"Don't turn around! Run!"
The androids formed a rear barrier, rifles humming as they prepared for engagement.
The fortress gate came into view, opening just enough for them to slip through.
They crossed the threshold—
The gate slammed shut behind them the moment the last android entered.
The monster outside struck the metal with a seismic boom.
The fortress held.
Silence returned.
The survivors collapsed onto the floor, panting, shaking, alive.
Marcus slapped Elena's shoulder.
"You kept us together. You kept us alive."
Kaia nodded.
"For a first mission… better than most leaders would do."
Oliver managed a small smile.
"You're the real deal, Cross."
Elena didn't feel like a leader.
She felt like someone who barely kept her heart from exploding.
But above them, unseen from their view, in the command center, Kane Mercer watched the entire mission play out.
The AI spoke softly beside him.
> "Survivor designation: Elena Cross. Leadership potential: exceptional. Probability of successful command role: 94 percent."
Kane said nothing.
He simply watched her.
A survivor among survivors.
A natural anchor for the unstable.
A person who could lead without corruption.
Someone worth investing in.
Someone who could help shape the new world.
And she had just passed her first test.