As Hoffman's Raven took off, another wave of Locust emerged from the building.

"Enemy reinforcements!" Marcus barked, raising his Lancer.

"Take cover!" Kim ordered, motioning toward the barricades.

Delta Squad dove behind a line of sandbags as a King Raven thundered overhead, its cannons lighting up the horde with blistering fire.

"That one was on the house. Good luck, Delta," the pilot crackled over comms.

"Get up those stairs! Alpha is waiting!" Kim shouted.

Without hesitation, Delta Squad surged up the stairwell.

"Okay, guys, here we go," Dom called out as their boots pounded the steps. "Still got it?"

"Guess we'll find out," Marcus muttered, reloading.

Maverick scoffed. "Did you not see me back at the prison?"

They burst from the hallway into a small courtyard, where another squad of Locust grubs materialised, emerging from behind cover with guttural battle cries.

"For RAAM!" one of the drones bellowed.

Maverick moved first, snapping his Retro Lancer into position. His shot slammed through the drone's skull, the creature's head detonating in a spray of bone and gore.

Without breaking stride, he charged forward, bayonet raised. The blade plunged deep into the chest of the next Locust. It shuddered, then dropped lifelessly as Maverick tore the weapon free.

Behind him, Delta Squad cut down the remaining enemies with brutal precision, their movements cold, practiced, and efficient.

"Holy shit, that was awesome," Anthony said, eyes wide as smoke cleared from the battlefield.

"Move up!" Kim barked.

Maverick's foot caught on something, halting him mid-step. Glancing down, he spotted a lone COG tag half-buried in the rubble, its surface worn and scarred from battle. He crouched, picking it up with a solemn expression, turning it over in his hand.

It belonged to a fallen Gear. The name etched into the metal hit him with quiet weight—Jace Hunt.

"I'll make sure these get back to your parents, Jace," Maverick muttered.

As they climbed the stairs toward the mausoleum, another wave of Locust emerged—this time accompanied by a pair of rumbling sinkholes tearing through the earth.

"Grubs!" Dom shouted, raising his Lancer.

"Anthony, with me—we'll flank them," Maverick called out, already on the move.

He and Anthony darted off, circling around the Locust while Delta Squad advanced in tight formation. Moving from cover to cover, their precision fire dropped enemy after enemy. The flank gave them the upper hand, forcing the horde into retreat.

Crossing the bridge toward the mausoleum, their pace slowed. The path ahead was littered with bodies—silent reminders of a brutal clash. Some lay crumpled near the edge of a yawning sinkhole. The twisted wreckage of a van added to the carnage, its frame scorched and mangled.

"Control, this is Delta," Kim said into his comms. "We have a visual on Alpha. Possible KIA. No sign of the Resonator."

"Roger that, Delta. Keep looking," Control replied.

They advanced to the mausoleum's entrance, stopping at a heavy steel door.

"I'll open it. I've got the code," Kim said, stepping forward.

He keyed in the sequence. With a mechanical groan, the door creaked open—and a Locust Drone lunged from the shadows.

Before it could raise its weapon, Anthony fired. His snub pistol barked once, the round slamming into the Drone's chest. The creature dropped instantly.

With the mausoleum cleared, Delta Squad regrouped and moved toward the exit. As they neared the arched doorway, something glinted near the rubble. Maverick paused, crouching once more.

Another set of COG tags.

He picked them up carefully, brushing away dust before pocketing them with a quiet nod.

"I'll make sure these get back to your parents, Damien Russel," he murmured.

"I hope that's not Rojas down there," Dom said grimly as they approached the edge of the massive pit. "His little boy just turned two last week."

Maverick stared into the abyss, the earth torn open. It looked like the work of a Corpser—massive, burrowing, destructive.

"Well, it could be Alpha," Kim muttered, surveying the damage.

"COG tags are gone," Marcus added, voice low.

Anthony stepped forward, crouching beside a fallen soldier. He gently pried a device from the man's cold fingers, examining it as Kim watched from behind.

"Is that the Resonator?" Kim asked, squinting toward the distant shape.

"Nah," Anthony said, shaking his head.

"Now what?" Marcus muttered.

"We get that Resonator," Kim replied firmly.

Dom glanced between his squadmates. "Marcus, Maverick — what do you guys think?"

Marcus gave a dry laugh. "What do I think? Could be Alpha... or a Locust trap. Only one way to find out."

Maverick smirked. "I hope it's an ambush. I love being part of ambushes—even when I'm not the one doing the ambushing."

Dom stared. "You're insane, dude."

"What?" Maverick said, grin widening. "Anya's the calm one who thinks before she acts. I'm the lunatic who likes violence. Perfect sibling duo."

Dom and Marcus exchanged smirks, shaking their heads. He wasn't wrong.

"Inside the House of Sovereigns..." Anya's voice came over comms, clear and composed.

"Our next target is House of Sovereigns. Straight ahead. Move."

Anthony took one last look at the device in his hand, his expression unreadable. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he tossed it into the pit and turned to follow the others.

Their advance was cut short as a fresh Locust wave burst from cover, opening fire. Maverick reacted first, dropping a charging grub with a clean headshot before the creature could reach the Troika. Seizing the moment, he lobbed a grenade into their midst. The explosion sent gore and shrapnel flying, clearing the position.

Delta Squad pressed on and reached the fountain, but their break was short-lived. The ground trembled beneath their boots—more Locust were coming.

The courtyard erupted into a firefight. Locust swarmed from every direction, their guttural roars mixing with the sharp retorts of gunfire. But Delta held fast.

When the last drone fell, silence reclaimed the field. Smoke drifted lazily across the torn-up courtyard, littered with corpses.

"I think we're good," Marcus said. "Let's grab some ammo."

"That was fucking fun!" Maverick shouted with a wild laugh. "Give us another ambush!"

Delta Squad stared at him like he'd lost his mind.

"What the hell, man?" Anthony snapped. "Those holes could pop up anywhere!"

"You'd think we'd have figured out some kind of goddamn defense by now," Marcus muttered.

Dom shook his head. "Yeah. Command's tried everything. Doesn't matter. If the Locust wanna come up, they come up."

"I used to have nightmares about those things," Anthony admitted. "Back when I was a kid."

"Shit..." Dom said. "I still do."

They reached a tunnel with a fork ahead.

"Looks like we need to split up," Kim said. "Fenix, Carmine, Stroud—you three go left. Dom and I will take the right."

"Yes, sir," Marcus replied.

Marcus led Anthony and Maverick into the darkened passage. Their boots echoed along the damp concrete as they moved deeper into the tunnel.

Without warning, a Troika gun opened fire.

Bullets screamed through the corridor, slamming into walls and cover alike. Marcus and Anthony dove behind a slab of rubble. Maverick dropped low, narrowly avoiding the spray of lead.

The barrage seemed endless.

Then—an explosion. The Troika went silent.

"Clear!" Dom's voice crackled over comms.

Rising from cover, the trio advanced toward the downed gun emplacement. Anthony spotted a panel beside a heavy blast door. He hit the button.

A hiss of hydraulics followed, and the door slid open.

Kim and Dom stood on the other side, weapons raised. They lowered them at the sight of their teammates, nodding in silent acknowledgment.

Before they could speak, more Locust rushed from the darkness.

Delta engaged instantly. The battle was brutal and fast—controlled chaos. But within moments, the grubs were down.

"Control, this is Delta Squad," Kim said. "Any word from Alpha?"

"Negative, Delta," came Anya's calm reply. "Still radio silence, over."

"Roger that. Dom, Fenix, Stroud—you three find a way in. Carmine and I will suppress from here."

"What about Alpha?" Marcus asked.

Kim didn't hesitate. "We'll save 'em if we can."

"Let's get it!" Maverick roared, laughing as he stepped forward.

He kicked the door hard—the metal shrieked, then buckled, flying off its hinges with a deafening crash.

Delta Squad charged out, weapons drawn.

Marcus scanned the area. Movement flickered to the left—two Reavers, low and fast, slicing through the air like shadows.

"Always wanted to ride one of those," Maverick muttered, eyes gleaming.

They advanced, but a second Troika opened fire from ahead.

"Anthony, let's flank them!" Maverick shouted.

"Right behind you!"

They broke off and moved along the building's edge, staying low and tight. After silently taking out a Grenadier, the ground shuddered violently.

An Emergence Hole burst open.

"For RAAM!" a Locust snarled.

Anthony didn't flinch. He yanked a grenade from his belt, pulled the pin, and hurled it into the seething pit.

The blast was thunderous. Blood and rubble sprayed into the air. The E-hole collapsed in a rush of earth and shredded flesh.

"Damn, kid," Maverick said, impressed. "That was solid."

They kept pushing forward.

Ahead, a Locust manned another Troika.

Maverick's gaze locked onto the target. He charged.

No hesitation. No second thought.

He slammed his blade into the Drone's back, lifting it clear off the weapon mount. With a roar, he slammed the creature down, crushing it under his weight.

Adrenaline surged through his veins. Victory tasted like blood and steel.

"Form up!" Kim shouted. He turned to Anthony. "You good?"

"Yeah, but I got a problem," Anthony said, frowning as he smacked the side of his Lancer. "Something's wrong with this thing."

He grunted again, adjusting the rifle's chamber.

"It keeps jamming." He stood and held it up. "See?"

A persistent voice echoed in Maverick's head—instinct or intuition, he didn't know—but it screamed at him to act. He scanned his surroundings, and his eyes locked onto a Locust sniper perched in the distance, a Longshot aimed directly at them.

Realising the danger, Maverick didn't hesitate.

"Down!" he shouted, tackling Anthony just as the Longshot fired.

The sniper let out a guttural roar as its shot missed. Delta Squad didn't waste the opportunity—they opened fire, cutting the creature down before it could re-aim.

Maverick and Anthony got to their feet, miraculously unscathed. As they regrouped, Maverick grabbed Anthony's Lancer and gave it a quick once-over. The weapon was banged up—scratches, dents, a cracked casing.

"A damaged fucking Lancer?" Maverick snapped. "Is this some kind of prank to get you killed?"

He shook his head in disbelief.

"Kid, back in boot camp—what were you voted most likely to be?"

"I was voted most likely to get shot in the head," Anthony replied, sheepish. "They stuck a COG bullseye on the back of my armour as a joke."

Maverick turned to Kim, disbelief written across his face. Kim returned the look and shook his head—a silent acknowledgement that even he hadn't heard that story before.

Shaking off the moment, Delta Squad pressed onward. They encountered and swiftly cut down several more Locust before breaching the east side of the building, ready for whatever came next.

"Control, this is Delta. Come in?" Kim called through the comms.

Only static answered.

"Nice," Marcus muttered.

Dom rolled his eyes. "Military equipment—always works."

Maverick tossed Anthony's wrecked Lancer aside and yanked a Hammerburst from a nearby corpse. He handed it over.

"Here. It's better than that piece of shit. I'll find you a new one later."

"Thanks, Maverick," Anthony said.

"Kid, please. We're practically family now. You can call me Mav—almost everyone does."

Anthony nodded. "Thanks for saving me, Mav."

"No problem, kid," Maverick said. "Just promise me next time you need to show us something—keep your damn head down."

"Promise," Anthony said with a nod.

"I'll open the door. I've got the code," Kim said, stepping forward.

"Yeah! Whoo! Bring it on, baby!" a voice bellowed from up ahead.

"I think we just found Alpha," Marcus said.

"Move," Kim ordered.

"Somebody's havin' a good time up there," Dom added.

"You wish, baby!" the voice replied, punctuated by a flurry of gunfire. "You missed! You need glasses, sucker! Damn! Oh, you can't see straight? Well, let me help you with this!"

Delta reached the ledge and peered down. A sleeveless Gear was holding his own against a swarm of Locust, tearing through them with raw fury.

"Holy shit—it's one guy," Dom said, stunned.

Anthony blinked. "He looks kinda familiar..."

Before anyone could react, Maverick let out a wild, maniacal laugh and leapt into the chaos below.

He landed hard, drawing his blade mid-fall, and joined the fight without hesitation. He and the sleeveless Gear moved as if synced, tearing through the enemy ranks with terrifying speed and precision.

Delta Squad held back briefly, stunned by the sheer force of the two-man assault. The carnage unfolded like a brutal dance—one Maverick clearly enjoyed.

When the dust settled, the Locust lay in broken heaps.

The two warriors—covered in blood, sweat, and adrenaline—exchanged a brief nod.

Delta descended the stairs.

"Let's go again, baby! Woo!" Maverick shouted, grinning.

The sleeveless Gear laughed. "I like you already, baby!"

He turned to the rest of Delta Squad.

"Yeah, that was beautiful, baby!"

Kim stepped forward. "State your name, soldier."

"Private Augustus Cole. Alpha Squad, sir," he said with a nod.

Dom blinked. "Cole? As in the Cole Train?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Well, I'll be damned," Maverick said. "Honoured to meet a Thrashball superstar."

"Thought I recognised you," Anthony added.

"Where's the rest of your squad?" Marcus asked.

"They're sittin' tight over in the tomb," Cole replied.

"We're Delta Squad," Kim said. "We're here for the sonic device."

"And to get you guys out," Marcus added.

"Hell yeah," Cole said. "We've been waitin' on the chopper, but radios don't work for shit, sir."

"We've noticed," Maverick muttered.

Anthony handed a fresh Lancer magazine to Dom, then to Cole, Maverick, and Marcus. Each gave him a grateful nod in return.

"It's the Seeders," Cole said. "They're jammin' transmissions."

"Then they're top priority," Marcus said. "We take 'em out."

"Agreed," Kim added. "We need radio contact with Control—ASAP."