Oliver’s upgraded Echo Sense was already feeding him data. Even though his eyes were open to the physical room, his brain was watching the red map."There are six enemies approaching," Oliver calculated. "They are Void-Hounds. A new mutation. They do not walk in physical space. They swim through the empty void between atoms. They will pass right through these white walls."The soldiers gripped their weapons. They were trapped in a tiny box with teleporting monsters."Do not panic," Oliver said smoothly. "My detection capabilities have increased by four hundred percent. I see their exact paths. I see the future of this battle. We will execute them with maximum efficiency. There will be zero wasted energy."Oliver walked to the center of the small room. "Sergeant Miller. Point your machine gun at the top left corner of the ceiling," Oliver ordered.Miller aimed his gun at the empty white corner. "I don't see anything, sir.""You will not see them until it is too late," Oliver stated. "Y

The white wall of the ancient room melted away like ice in boiling water. Commander Oliver stood at the opening. He looked out into the deep, dark underground world. The heat hit his face instantly. It smelled like sulfur, burning rock, and old blood.He stepped out of the safe room. His heavy combat boots hit the rough black stone. Crunch.Half of Oliver’s face was covered in smooth, black Wraithborn metal. His right arm was a thick, dark weapon made of alien magic. The purple veins under the metal pulsed brightly. His left eye was human, cold and gray. His right eye was a burning, glowing red circle of fire.He was no longer just a man. He was a machine built of flesh, math, and dark magic.Behind him, his small squad followed. Sergeant Miller, Private Davis, Private Smith. General Vega and Billy the hacker. And Captain Iris, who was finally awake, holding her broken arm in a white cast.They looked terrified. They were walking straight toward the center of the planet to open a doo

"Defensive arc!" Oliver commanded. He threw his second silver Anchor disc onto the ground.WUB!A wall of solid, heavy gravity shot up into the air. The flaming whip hit the invisible gravity wall. The fire splashed harmlessly against the kinetic force, showering the bridge in bright orange sparks."The shield will hold for exactly six seconds," Oliver calculated aloud. "We must neutralize the target before the shield falls.""How?!" Miller yelled. "It's made of lava!""Lava is just liquid rock," Oliver said cleanly. "If you cool the rock, it becomes brittle. If it becomes brittle, it breaks."Oliver turned to his squad. His voice was a rapid, perfect stream of data."Sergeant Miller. Davis. Smith," Oliver ordered. "Aim your plasma rifles at the base of the bridge, exactly under the monster’s feet. The bridge is weak there. Do not shoot the monster. Shoot the stone. Melt it completely.""Melting the bridge, sir!" Miller yelled.The three soldiers aimed their heavy rifles down at the b

Commander Oliver fell into the dark. Behind him, his squad screamed. General Vega, Sergeant Miller, Private Davis, Captain Iris, and Billy the hacker all dropped into the pitch-black abyss.They fell for a long time. The cold wind rushed past their faces. The bright, clean laboratory of the perfect clone disappeared above them, shrinking to a tiny white square of light. Then, the square snapped shut. The Overlord’s trap was perfectly executed.Variable A: We are falling at thirty-two feet per second squared.Variable B: I do not have any Anchor-stabilizer discs left.Conclusion: We must prepare for a hard physical impact."Brace yourselves!" Oliver’s cold, metallic voice echoed in the dark.Oliver flipped his body in the air. He aimed his feet straight down. He bent his knees.CRASH.Oliver hit the ground. He landed on a massive pile of soft, shifting garbage. It was a mountain of rusted metal, broken glass, and rotting monster flesh. He rolled forward perfectly, absorbing the shock.

"You will not use your hammer," Oliver said.Oliver pulled the alien black coin from his pocket. He held it in his left hand. "I will break the door," Oliver stated. "Your only job is to kill Silex. Are the parameters clear?""Clear," Gorrok growled."Then we execute," Oliver said.The strange army marched through the Scrap City. The humans and the monsters walked side by side in the dark. It was a terrifying, quiet march.Lira the ghost floated next to Oliver."You are playing a very dangerous game, Commander," Lira whispered sadly. "You are acting like a Wraithborn general. You are using monsters as pawns. The deeper you go into their world, the more you become one of them.""A pawn is a pawn, regardless of its species," Oliver replied in his mind. "A pawn sacrifices itself to protect the King. I am protecting my squad.""You are protecting your pride," Lira corrected him softly. "You want to prove to the clone that your math is better than his."Oliver did not answer. He checked hi