The giant mutant monster stood on the high rock cliff. It was eight feet tall. Thick, dark purple scales covered its body. In its massive hands, it held a giant sword made of jagged white bone.The monster had glowing yellow eyes. It looked down at Commander Oliver."I do not step aside for meat," the monster growled. Its voice was deep and rough. It spoke perfectly good human words.Oliver did not blink. His gray human eye and his burning red Wraithborn eye stared at the giant beast. He held his silent sniper rifle in his left hand. His right arm, made entirely of black alien metal, rested at his side.Oliver’s mind worked like a supercomputer. He calculated the math of the fight.Variable A: The enemy is huge. Its reach with the sword is nine feet.Variable B: My sniper rifle only has a few bullets left. It is designed for long distance, not close combat.Variable C: If I dodge backward, I fall off the cliff into the mutant city below. If I step forward, I enter the kill zone of the

"Maintain formation!" Oliver commanded coldly. "Do not break the circle. The enemy relies on chaos. We will give them order."Oliver processed the variables.Variable A: The enemy holds plasma shields in their left hands.Variable B: The enemy holds spears in their right hands.Variable C: The hallway is narrow. They must attack from the front and sides."Sergeant Miller," Oliver said quickly. "Aim at the ceiling directly above the left mutants. Shoot the stalactites."Miller did not ask questions. He aimed his heavy machine gun up and fired. BRRRRT!The heavy bullets shattered the sharp rocks hanging on the ceiling. The rocks fell straight down.The mutants on the left heard the rocks falling. They instinctively raised their blue plasma shields above their heads to block the falling stones."Their chests are exposed!" Oliver calculated. "Davis, Smith! Fire at their center mass! Now!"Davis and Smith fired their rifles straight ahead. Because the monsters had raised their shields, the

"Commander!" Miller said, a sudden spark of hope in his voice. "If there are rebels down there, and they hate the Overlord... they are our friends! The enemy of my enemy is my friend! We should call them on the radio! We can negotiate! They can help us fight the giant machine!"Oliver did not smile. He did not feel hope. He only saw variables."The enemy of my enemy is not my friend, Sergeant," Oliver stated coldly. "The enemy of my enemy is just a second enemy who happens to be busy. Negotiation requires trust. Trust requires time. Time is a resource we do not have.""But Commander, we cannot fight that machine alone!" Davis cried. The giant tank-beast raised its plasma cannons again. It was only thirty yards away."We are not going to fight it," Oliver said. "We are going to use operational efficiency. We are going to bypass the bridge. We are going to let the machine fight the rebels.""How?" Miller asked.Oliver turned his back to the giant machine. He looked down over the edge of

The underground river of magma bubbled loudly. Bright orange fire popped into the dark air. The heat was terrible. It burned the skin. It melted the hair on Sergeant Miller’s arms.Commander Oliver stood at the very front of the flat metal boat. He stared across the boiling river.Standing on a small rock in the middle of the fire was Captain Iris. But she was not the human friend Oliver knew. Dark, sick purple veins crawled up her neck. Her beautiful blue eyes were gone. Her eyes were now glowing, burning red pits of fire. She held a sharp bone sword in her right hand.The Overlord, the ancient god of the Wraithborn monsters, was controlling her mind."I told you I was going to peel your brain apart," the Overlord laughed. The deep, evil voice came right out of Iris’s mouth. "And I thought I would use the hands of someone you left behind to do it."Oliver did not blink. His cold gray eye and his burning red eye stared at the corrupted woman. His right arm, made entirely of black alie

They walked deeper into the mirror-glass tunnel. The tunnel split into a crossroads. There were paths leading left, right, and straight ahead."Stop," Oliver commanded the squad."I do not see any traps," Miller whispered, aiming his gun down the dark paths."We are not looking for traps," Lira said to Oliver in his mind. "We are looking for shadows. Touch the wall, Oliver. Listen to the stone."Oliver raised his black metal hand. He placed his dark fingers flat against the cold, glassy wall of the crossing.He closed his human eye again. He focused on the faint silver threads of magic."Do not look at the past," Lira guided him softly. "Look at the future. The Wraithborn are heavy. Their dark magic leaves a stain on the timeline. You can see where they are going to walk, before they even get there."Oliver pushed his awareness into the stone.He did not look for bodies. He looked for the ripples in the magical water.Slowly, faint, glowing purple footprints appeared on the floor of t