Project Echelon: The Debris Wars

Chapter 3- Siege at Graypoint

The night split open with gunfire.

Lyra slammed the terminal shut, her hands trembling. “They found us faster than I thought. Division 9 must’ve tracked your energy signature.”

Adrian fastened the last clasp of his armor, the fractured plates groaning under strain. “Then let’s make them regret it.”

From beyond the underground corridor came the sound of boots, sharp commands, and the low whine of plasma rifles charging. Dust fell from the ceiling as an explosion rattled the walls.

Lyra cursed under her breath. “They’re breaching through the eastern tunnel.”

Adrian checked his rifle. “How many exits?”

“Two. One’s blocked by debris, the other leads to the old freight elevator.”

“Then we hold here.”

She stared at him like he was insane. “You want to fight an entire strike team in a tunnel?”

He met her gaze. “You got a better plan, Doc?”

Her silence said enough.

“[Threat proximity: 72 meters. Weapon systems offline. Activating combat adaptation protocols.]”

The voice hummed through his mind again, cold and methodical. He could feel it syncing with his heartbeat, aligning his every movement. Blue light began to pulse faintly through his veins, tracing glowing paths beneath his skin.

Lyra took a step back, eyes wide. “It’s activating again.”

“Good,” Adrian said. “We’re going to need it.”

The first wave hit like a hammer.

Division 9 soldiers stormed through the breach — black armor, red visors, moving in perfect formation. They tossed a flash charge. The blast filled the room with light and dust, but before the echoes died, Adrian was already moving.

He didn’t think — he reacted.

His perception sharpened into fragments of perfect clarity: trajectories, distances, weak points. Time slowed into mechanical rhythm.

“[Engage.]”

He stepped forward and fired.

The rifle kicked against his shoulder, each bullet finding its mark like the weapon knew what he wanted. One soldier went down, then another. The third tried to flank him — Adrian twisted, catching the man’s arm mid-swing, snapping it, and slamming him into the wall hard enough to dent the steel.

Lyra ducked behind a console, firing short bursts with precision. “Two more at your six!”

Adrian turned, catching sight of a plasma charge flying toward him. Instinct screamed — but the Nanocore moved first.

Blue energy rippled across his body. The charge exploded midair, the blast curving around him like liquid light.

The shockwave left a crater in the floor. Adrian didn’t even flinch.

Lyra stared in disbelief. “That—should’ve vaporized you.”

He looked down at his hands, still crackling with blue arcs. “Guess I’m not that easy to vaporize anymore.”

“[Energy shielding stabilized. Combat synchronization: 54%. Efficiency improving.]”

“Fifty-four?” he muttered. “What happens at a hundred?”

“[Unclear.]”

“Figures.”

The next explosion tore through the side wall — a breaching charge. Smoke filled the lab, and a mechanical growl echoed from within.

Lyra’s face went pale. “They brought a Titan.”

Adrian turned toward the noise. Out of the haze stepped a Division 9 exo-unit — seven feet tall, reinforced armor plating, and twin rotary cannons mounted on its arms. Red optics glowed like a predator’s eyes.

It leveled its guns.

Adrian grabbed Lyra and dove behind a column as the exo-unit opened fire. The roar was deafening — plasma bolts tore through the lab, shredding consoles, melting metal. Sparks rained like fire.

“Adrian, we can’t fight that thing!”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Both!” she snapped.

He risked a glance. The exo’s armor shimmered with active shields — military-grade tech. His rifle wouldn’t scratch it.

Then the voice whispered again.

“[Suggestion: Direct interface possible.]”

“Interface?”

“[Physical contact will enable forced link.]”

Lyra saw the change in his expression. “Whatever you’re thinking—don’t.”

He gave her a grim smile. “Too late.”

He broke cover, sprinting straight toward the exo-unit.

Bullets screamed past him, plasma bolts melting the air. Each step felt amplified — enhanced. Time slowed to a crawl. The Nanocore pulsed in perfect rhythm with his movements.

When he reached the Titan, he slid beneath its sweeping arm, grabbed hold of its leg, and let the Nanocore loose.

Blue lightning exploded outward, crawling across the machine’s frame. Circuits sparked. The exo froze, convulsing as its systems flickered.

Adrian’s vision filled with code — alien, pulsing, feeding into his brain. For a heartbeat, he was inside the machine, feeling its systems, its structure, its weakness.

“[Interface complete. Control overridden.]”

He didn’t know how he did it — but suddenly, the exo moved under his command.

He turned its cannons toward the advancing soldiers.

The corridor erupted in light and fire.

Division 9 troops screamed as their own machine tore through them, plasma bursts ripping metal and flesh alike. Adrian’s chest burned with power — too much power. His veins glowed like molten circuits.

Lyra shielded her face as the shockwave ripped through the base.

Then — silence.

When the smoke cleared, the exo stood motionless, its armor glowing faintly blue. Adrian staggered out from behind it, gasping for breath, his hands trembling.

“[Warning: Neural strain critical.]”

He dropped to one knee. Blood dripped from his nose, blackened and shimmering. Lyra rushed to him, grabbing his shoulders.

“You’re burning yourself out! You can’t keep channeling like that!”

“I didn’t—have a choice,” he panted. “They were going to kill us.”

“You don’t understand,” she said, voice sharp with panic. “Every time you sync with that thing, it rewrites you. You’re not just using it — it’s using you.”

“[Correction: Mutual symbiosis achieved.]”

The voice pulsed again, stronger, almost… human.

Lyra froze. “It’s adapting faster.”

Before Adrian could respond, the exo-unit’s optical sensor flared red. The machine twitched — and then detonated.

Adrian grabbed Lyra, diving behind cover as the explosion tore the lab apart. The blast sent fire and debris cascading through the underground chamber.

When the dust settled, most of the base was gone — nothing but twisted metal and smoke.

Adrian pushed himself up slowly. “That’s… round one.”

Lyra coughed, blood on her lip. “If that was round one, we’re dead by round two.”

“[Incoming transmission: encrypted.]”

Adrian frowned. “Transmission? From where?”

“[Unknown. Signal origin—Echelon array.]”

Lyra’s eyes widened. “That’s impossible. The Echelon array was destroyed when the first debris fell.”

“[Correction: Array status—partially functional.]”

Adrian felt the shard in his chest vibrate, the pulse aligning with a new rhythm — faint, distant, but calling to him.

He looked toward the ruined ceiling, where the night sky flickered with strange light.

“Someone—or something—wants me to find it.”

Lyra swallowed hard. “And what happens if you do?”

Adrian’s eyes glowed faintly, blue light reflected in the dust. “Then we find out who started the war.”