Chapter 6: Heightened Alert.
Almost a week out from Green Arbor, the makeshift command center hummed with a mix of nervous energy and weary resolve. The distant chatter of radios, the clinking of weapons being prepped, and the hushed voices of strategists reviewing maps all contributed to an atmosphere thick with anticipation. ADF forces mingled with Sentinel units, their faces marked by days of travel and the weight of what lay ahead.
Ava and Miko sat on the tailgate of a dusty jeep, its engine still warm from their latest patrol. The horizon was a line of shadowy hills, stretching endlessly into the distance. Ava stared into the fading light, her expression distant, while Miko absentmindedly cleaned his rifle, each swipe of the cloth purposeful, yet tinged with anxiety.
"Talon's taking longer than expected," Miko muttered, breaking the silence between them. His tone was calm, but Ava could sense the tension beneath his words.
Ava nodded slightly, her eyes still scanning the horizon, looking for any sign of movement. "You know Talon. He’ll push as far as he can to gather intel. He won’t come back until he’s certain we’ve got everything we need." But even as she spoke, a shadow of doubt crept into her voice. The days had stretched longer than she’d anticipated, and something about the quiet was unsettling.
Before they could dwell on the silence further, a strange buzzing noise began to fill the air. It was faint at first, like the distant hum of cicadas on a summer evening, but it grew rapidly louder, more insistent. Ava's head snapped up, her senses on high alert.
"What is that?" she murmured, standing and scanning the night sky.
A series of red and green lights zipped erratically above them, darting back and forth with eerie precision. The buzzing intensified, echoing through the camp and sending shivers down her spine. Soldiers paused mid-task, their eyes fixed on the sky.
Suddenly, Commander Sterling's voice cut through the rising murmur like a blade. "TAKE IT DOWN!"
Without hesitation, Miko was on his feet, rifle in hand, his eyes tracking the moving lights. He lined up the shot, his breath steady, and squeezed the trigger. The crack of the rifle echoed across the field. The buzzing stopped instantly, and the object careened to the ground, landing with a soft thud just outside the perimeter.
A cheer broke out from a group of soldiers who had gathered to watch, but the sense of victory was fleeting. Ava and Miko exchanged a glance, both knowing that whatever had just been shot down could spell trouble.
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"Let’s go," Ava said, already moving towards the command tent. Miko followed, his rifle slung over his shoulder, his expression grim.
Inside the tent, the mood was frantic. Officers and strategists crowded around a large table covered in maps and intelligence reports, their conversations overlapping as they scrambled to adjust their plans. The strange device, or what was left of it, had been dragged inside and dumped onto the table with a thud, scattering papers and coffee mugs in every direction.
"What the hell is that thing?" one of the younger Sentinels muttered, eyeing the device warily.
A historian stepped forward, his ink-stained fingers flipping through a battered old manual. His eyes scanned the pages with practiced speed until he found the illustration he was looking for. "This... this is a surveillance drone," he said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "If this Argos manual is correct, it’s used to transmit visual data back to its operators in real time."
A heavy silence fell over the tent. Ava’s heart sank as the implications of his words set in.
Commander Sterling’s face darkened, his jaw clenching tightly. "If they’ve been watching us with that thing, then they know exactly where we are. We could be walking straight into a trap."
A murmur of agreement rippled through the room, followed by a sharp tension that gripped every soldier in earshot. Sterling didn’t hesitate. "Prepare for an attack! We don’t have time to waste."
The command post erupted into controlled chaos. Radios crackled to life, orders were barked across the base, and soldiers scrambled to gear up. The clatter of weapons being readied filled the air, mingling with the distant rumble of engines as vehicles were prepped for movement.
Ava stood back for a moment, her eyes darting between the frantic preparations and the horizon beyond the camp. Every instinct screamed that they were about to be hit, and hard. She tightened her grip on her rifle, a sense of dread curling in her gut.
Miko, beside her, loaded his rifle with swift, practiced movements. "We need to be ready for anything," he muttered, his voice low but steady. "They’ve had eyes on us, and that means they’re coming. Soon."
Ava nodded, her mind already racing through possible scenarios. "We need to assume they’ve already seen our defenses. We’ll have to be unpredictable, adapt on the fly."
As they joined the rest of their unit, the once mundane tasks of the camp had been replaced by the grim reality of an impending battle. The air, thick with the smell of oil and metal, was now heavy with the knowledge that the Reclaimers were likely on their way, and that they would show no mercy.
The night, once calm, had turned into a tense waiting game. Ava’s eyes flickered across the rows of soldiers donning their gear, each of them steeling themselves for the fight ahead. She took a deep breath, her mind focused and clear. Whatever was coming, she would meet it head-on, alongside her friends, her family. There was no room for fear, only resolve.
As the final preparations were made and the camp fell into a strained silence, Ava exchanged a glance with Miko. "Here we go," she said quietly, her voice barely audible over the distant hum of machinery and the crackle of the radios.
"Yeah," Miko replied, his expression unreadable. "This is just the beginning."