The order came before sunrise.
No explanation was given.
No briefing was provided.
The only thing they got was a coded directive that was burned into every visor inside the dropship. It was cold and precise.
"Mission priority, scavange resources in a abandoned villgae on district 16"
The cold voice from the comms was always the same.
As they climbed the treacherous mountain.
The lights flickered, as the ship cut through the air. The metal panels hummed under pressure. The atmosphere around Arkhon was beginning to tense, It had not been calm for a time...This route was worse than usual.
The ship was moving fast.
It felt rushed.
Tanako muttered, "Abandoned civilian district?" He leaned back in his seat. Scanned the data feed. "I thought they cleared this place months ago"
Aira replied, "They didnt." Her voice was sharp. She was already digging through the information they had. "There are no evacuation logs, No follow-up reports, It just... stops."
Tanako asked, "What does that mean?"
Aira said, "It means no one came back to finish the job."
The others shifted in their seats. No one liked sectors.
Akane stood near the hatch. He was silent. He gripped a support rail as the ship jolted again, He didnt need to check the data, He already understood what it meant, Forgotten places do not exist, Only abandoned ones do.
Hakamo called out to the pilot "You are pushing this thing hard"
The pilot snapped back "You want me to fly slower into a mountain wall? Because that is what it feels like here"
The ship dipped suddenly, Warning signals flared across the interior, Altitude instability, Navigation interference, Severe wind shear detected. Even the system was struggling to map the terrain.
Akane turned his gaze toward the side window, The mountains rose like broken blades. They cut through the land in formations that stretched for miles. Narrow passes twisted between them. They were barely wide enough for an aircraft, Even then only with precision flying.
No wonder supply ships avoided this place. No wonder it was left alone.
Tanako muttered, "It doesnt make sense, If there were still people here why did they not evacuate them?"
Aira did not answer immediately, Then she said, "Maybe they tried."
That landed heavier than expected.
The dropship descended lower, The district came into view, At glance it looked exactly how the reports described it, Abandoned. Collapsed structures leaned into each other. Roofs were torn open, Pathways were blocked by debris, Entire sections were swallowed by time and neglect.
Then Akane saw something, Movement, Subtle, Deliberate, Smoke rose in lines. Controlled, Hidden, A flicker of light blinked off inside a window, Then disappeared, a figure moved between buildings, Fast to be mistaken, Alive.
Akane said, "In there!"
The others followed his gaze.. Then they saw it too.
Hakamo said under his breath "That is not possible."
Aira replied, "It is, We are looking at it."
The ship lurched violently as it dropped into a landing zone. Barely wide enough to support it.
The pilot said, "Brace yourselves!"
Metal screamed as the landing struts hit ground, The entire ship tilted before stabilizers forced it back into place.
The pilot warned, "Touchdown. You have to hurry, I am not keeping this bird here longer than I have to."
The rear hatch hissed open, Cold air rushed in,Thin, Sharp, Carrying dust and something else, Something burnt.
Akane stepped out firs,His boots hit the ground with a crunc, It was not solid, Loose. Unreliable.
Behind him the others followed, Spreading out instinctively,Weapons aimed.
The district stretched out in front of them. And there was no denying it, People were here, some kids playing, others watched, Not welcoming them.
A small figure darted behind a broken wall, A door slammed shut somewhere in the distance, Something metallic scraped across the ground, Quickly hidden.
Tanako muttered, "They are scared of us."
Hakamo replied, "They should be."
The comms activated.
"Squad Seven, Confirm visual"
Akane did not respond immediately, He was still looking at the district, At the signs of life that should not have been there.
"Visual confirmed" he said.
A pause.
Then—
"Proceed with resource extraction."
That was it. No hesitation, No correction.
Hakamo said quietly "They didnt even ask."
Aira replied, "They already knew."
Akanes grip tightened slightly, " Of course they knew, They always knew"
Hakamo said, "We take what they need."
Silence.
Then—
"Yeah" Tanako nodded.
They moved in, Carefully.
The deeper they went the more signs appeared, Makeshift reinforcements, Hidden storage, Reused materials, This was not survival, It was adaptation People here had learned how to disappear.
Hakamo opened a supply crate. Inside—
Rations, Medical kits, Energy cells.
He hesitated, Then quietly took half, Left the rest, No one said anything.
Tanako did the same, A silent agreement, Unspoken.
Time stretched, The tension did not leave, It built.
Akane stopped.
"Wait"
The others froze.
"What is it?" Tanako said.
He did not answer away.
Then—
A sound, Low, Deep, A hum.
Akane said, "You hear that?"
Aira said slowly "Yeah, That isnt natural"
It grew louder, Not from the ground, From above.
Everyone looked up.
At first—
Nothing.
Then shapes began to cut through the clouds, Dark, Slow, Heavy, One, Then more.
"Bombers!"
Hatches below them opened, Bombs dropped.
The first explosion erased the civilians below, Light consumed everything, The ground shattered beneath them as shockwaves ripped through the district. Buildings collapsed instantly, Fire erupted in bursts that tore through anything still standing.
Akane was thrown back. His vision went white—
Then black—
back.
Ringing filled his ears.
He forced himself up.
The district was-
Burning.
Truly disappearing.
Screams cut through the smoke.
"Move!" Hakamo shouted.
"Get up—get up!"
They regrouped.
Barely.
A voice in their radio
"Squad Seven respond"
"We are still alive" Akane said.
"Dropship en route, Hold position Continue mission"
He looked at the destruction.
"Understood"
Movement in the smoke.
"Contact!"
Mercenaries emerged.
Wearing mismatched armors.
Weapons mismatched.
They aimed at them.
"Fire!"
Gunfire exploded.
Wave after wave.
Relentless.
They fought.
Harder.
Faster.
Akane moved like something entirely.
Too precise.
Too controlled.
Overclocking.
He didnt stop.
Time blurred.
Bodies fell.
Ammo ran low.
Breathing got heavier.
Still—
They held.
Until—
Silence.
Again.
"Is it... over?" Tanako asked.
Akane did not answer.
He heard it.
That sound.
Again.
Low.
Humming.
He looked up.
The others followed.
There—
Far above—
Rows.
Dozens.
Bombers.
Hovering.
Waiting.
Not attacking.
Watching.
Aira whispered, "They are not here to fight
Akanes voice was steady.
"They are here to erase us."
The hum grew louder.
The sky darkened.
Then—
Everything began to fall.