The first sound is the sand moving.It shifts in long waves, whispering like something buried trying to breathe.
Then engines.Low. Distant. Wrong.
"Cadence," I say.
"Confirmed. Vehicular signatures. Fourteen at minimum. Mixed propulsion. Increasing speed."
Mara cuts through the static. "Scavengers. Everyone to position. Move."
The compound erupts into motion. Shouts. Metal boots. Generators whining as they spin past safe limits.
Rhea is already sealing the relay console, fingers shaking over the keys. Mara climbs the barricade with her rifle, staring into the light as if she expects it to bite.
I step beside her. The horizon boils. Dust hides the shapes, but the rhythm gives them away. Not vehicles. Not exactly.Something half-machine, half-something-else. Wheels screaming from engines that should be dead. Riders fused to what they ride, bodies moving like they were welded into place.
Cadence murmurs, "Manual integration. No AI signature. Mutilation. Primitive."
"Efficient," I answer.
"Ugly."
"Agreed."
The first roar hits like thunder. Engines scream. Sand becomes smoke.
Then they appear.Dozens.
Steel and skin moving as one. Faces gone under goggles and masks. Eyes burning with wild hunger.
Mara whispers, "They found us fast."
"They found the relay," I say. "Same thing now."
The impact hits a heartbeat later. The outer barricade folds. Sand jumps. Sparks spray. The sound of metal hitting metal shakes the air.
I move without thinking.
The first scavenger comes over the wall in a tangle of wires and plates where ribs should be. His jaw clicks like a broken latch. I grab him mid-swing and drive my palm into his chest. He flies backward into the others, legs twitching.
Another lands in front of me with a blade made of scrap. I duck under it, step inside, and drive my elbow into his throat. The crunch echoes. He drops.
"Two down," Cadence says.
"Not counting."
"I am. You are underperforming."
More pour through. Some run. Some crawl. One drags itself with both arms. The air reeks of oil and rot.
One leaps at me too close. I twist, catch his wrist, and throw him over my shoulder. He hits the ground face-first. Teeth scatter. I kick him once. He stops moving.
Another grabs my arm. I feel bone under his fingers. I break it at the joint and shove him away.
A soldier fires wildly beside me. The bullet ricochets off the wall and grazes my shoulder.
I glare. "Next time aim for them."
He nods quickly.
Rhea's voice cracks over comms. "Main gate failing. I need two minutes to isolate the relay signal before more trace it."
"You have one," Mara replies.
"I will take what I get."
I push forward through smoke. The sand shifts under my boots. A scavenger with one arm and too many knives lunges. I sidestep, grab his collar, and drive my knee into his stomach. His body folds. I take the dropped knife and keep walking.
"Battery fifty-five percent," Cadence warns.
"Then I should hurry."
Another attacker charges. Bigger. Faster. Half his face metal, half human. His voice grinds like broken radio.
"Feed… flesh… metal…"
"Pass," I say.
He swings a rusted pipe. I catch it, twist, and throw him off balance. He drops to one knee. I drive the pipe into his skull until he stops moving.
Cadence hums. "Overkill."
"I am improvising."
"You are smiling."
"That is just my battle face."
The world shrinks to motion and noise. My body moves before my mind catches up.
A scavenger leaps from the roof of a jeep, both arms replaced with spikes. I step sideways, grab his shoulder, pivot, and drop him flat. He gasps once. I end it with a stamp.
Mara shouts, "Fall back."
"I cannot. I am making friends."
Rhea sprints across the yard with three scavengers chasing her. I run. My shoulder hits the first one mid-step. He spins. I grab the second by the hair and slam his head into the wall. The third hesitates. I throw him. He stops hesitating permanently.
Rhea glances at me, breathless. "I could have handled that."
"I like saving people before they die proving that," I say.
She almost smiles and bolts for the relay door.
Cadence hums. "Heart rate elevated. Coordination improving. Battery fifty-one percent."
"Stop counting."
"It is literally my job."
Another wave comes from the west. Shapes against the light. One rides a machine cobbled together from animal bones and car parts.
Mara yells, "Iris. Now."
I sprint.
The first rider swings a chain. I catch it, yank him clean off the bike, and let the momentum finish the job. He slams into the sand. I rip the chain free.
Two more reach me. One jumps, colliding mid-air. We hit the ground rolling. His claws scrape my arm. I grab his wrist, twist until the bone snaps, and shove him off.
"Battery forty-eight percent," Cadence says.
"Shut up."
Another jumps on my back. I roll, crush him against the ground, and twist until I am on top. I slam his head into the sand twice. He stops moving.
"Efficient," Cadence says.
"I aim for dramatic."
Rhea's voice cuts in. "Relay field stable. Signal holding."
Mara replies, "Good. Pull back inside."
"Already on it," I say.
Smoke thickens. Bodies everywhere. Human. Not human.
One scavenger stands at the far end. Taller. Wrong. Blade-arms welded to long joints. He tilts his head as if testing me.
"Flesh… joins… us…"
"Not today."
He charges faster than he should. I block the first swing. It vibrates through my bones. I duck the second, grab his wrist, and slam my knee into the joint. It breaks. He howls. I pull a handful of wiring from his chest. Sparks blind us both. He drops.
"Kinetic efficiency optimal," Cadence says.
"Finally, a compliment."
Mara's voice snaps back. "Iris. Inside. Now."
I run. The world behind me burns. Engines howling. Scavengers crawling from smoke.
Rhea waits at the door. "Move."
I dive through. She slams it shut. The lock seals with a heavy click.
For a moment, nothing.Just our breathing.
Then pounding.
Cadence whispers, "They are regrouping."
"They always do."
"Battery forty-two percent."
"Then we finish before empty."
The wall trembles. Dust falls. The first impact dents the door. The second nearly breaks it.
Mara's voice crackles. "Hold positions. If we fall, the grid falls with us."
Rhea looks at me, terrified. "What now?"
"I am done with defence," I say.
The next hit blows the hinges. Light floods the room. Shadows stretch across the floor.
Cadence is calm. "Incoming."
"I see them."
"Advice?"
"Hit first."
The door tears open.
Something massive fills the frame.Taller than the door. Shoulders scraping steel.A body made of muscle, rebar, and armor fused like bone.Every breath a growl. Every step a quake.
Rhea backs away. "What in hell is that?"
Mara answers through comms, voice low. "Their champion."
The creature steps into the light. Eyes burn white. Metal stitched into flesh. A jaw that was never meant to open.
Cadence whispers, "Power readings exceed all previous patterns. This one was made, not born."
I raise my fists.
"Good," I say. "Then I can break it."
The thing lowers its head and charges.