Caleb shoved a heavy slab of shattered asphalt off his legs and dragged filtered oxygen through his teeth. His canvas trousers smoked where stray acid droplets had landed. The Mimic's detonation left a high whine deep in his ear canal, and his ribs ground against the ballistic weave of his undersuit.
The anomaly behind his sternum thrashed, asking for food his body lacked to repair the damage across his back. The protein block from the staging tent was already gone, leaving his stomach twisted into a hard knot.
Rolling onto his knees, he coughed up soot.
"Sound off!" Rina shouted. Her voice cracked over the local squad link, harsh and urgent. "Hiro! Give me a status right now!"
Caleb forced his head up. The Rank C veteran was already moving. Scrambling over broken rocks, Rina swept her kinetic rifle across the dark corners first, then started calling names.
