The pods did not land together.
Instead, each team was scattered.
Tyler understood that immediately the moment his pod descended through the silent dead city and locked into position above one abandoned structure before opening its lower hatch.
There was no countdown.
No warning.
The floor beneath them simply shifted, and the seven members of his team dropped one by one into the upper floor of an abandoned building.
The landing was rough but manageable.
A cloud of dust rose as boots struck cracked concrete.
By the time Tyler straightened, the pod above had already begun closing again.
No instructions followed.
No chance to ask where the other teams had gone.
The transport lifted immediately and disappeared back into the sky, leaving only silence behind.
For a moment none of them spoke.
Tyler looked around carefully.
