POV: Marcus Rodriguez
The emergency klaxon dragged me out of sleep at 0347 hours, which meant either the base was under attack or someone had screwed up spectacularly. Given Fort Respawn's track record, it could honestly go either way.
"All Respawn squads, report to Command immediately," Colonel Stevens' voice crackled through the intercom. "This is not a drill."
I was pulling on my boots when my door burst open and Jake stumbled in, still half-asleep and trying to put his shirt on backwards.
"Tank, what's happening?" he asked.
"No idea. Where are Pixel and Medkit?"
"Right here," Sarah said, appearing in the doorway with Pixel right behind her. Both of them looked alert and ready, which made me feel slightly better about being woken up in the middle of the night.
"Any ideas?" I asked Pixel.
She was already checking her tablet, fingers moving rapidly across the screen. "Base security networks are running hot. Multiple encrypted communications channels active. And..." She paused, frowning. "That's interesting."
"What?"
"The surveillance system I've been tracking? It just went completely dark. Either it was shut down, or someone's trying very hard to hide something."
We made it to the Command Center in under five minutes, joining three other Respawn squads in the main briefing room. The atmosphere was tense – everyone looked alert but confused, like actors who'd shown up to a play without knowing their lines.
Colonel Stevens was standing at the front of the room, flanked by two people I didn't recognize. One was a man in an expensive suit who had the look of someone who'd never been shot at but made decisions about people who were. The other was a woman in military fatigues with no rank insignia, which meant she was either very important or very dangerous.
Possibly both.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Stevens began, "I'm going to be direct. We have a situation that requires immediate deployment of all available Respawn squads."
A holographic display materialized above the briefing table, showing what looked like a military installation surrounded by desert. It took me a moment to realize I was looking at Fort Respawn from the outside.
"Thirty minutes ago, we lost contact with Fort Lazarus, our sister facility in Arizona. Last transmission indicated they were under attack by unknown hostiles with advanced tactical capabilities."
The display shifted to show interior layouts of the facility. "Fort Lazarus houses four Respawn squads and approximately two hundred support personnel. As of this moment, we don't know their status."
"What kind of attack?" asked the squad leader from Bravo team.
The woman in unmarked fatigues stepped forward. "The kind that suggests someone knows exactly how our systems work. Communication blackout, respawn systems offline, and tactical maneuvers that indicate detailed knowledge of facility layout and defensive capabilities."
"Who are you?" I asked.
"Director Sarah Collins, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency," she replied. "I oversee the Respawn program."
Which explained the suit – he was probably DARPA too, or some other acronym that meant "people who fund dangerous experiments."
"Director Collins," Stevens continued, "is here because this attack appears to be specifically targeting Respawn technology. Whoever's responsible, they know what we are and what we can do."
The implications hit me immediately. "They're after the technology itself."
"That's our assessment," Collins agreed. "Which means every Respawn facility is now a potential target."
"So what's the mission?" asked Charlie squad's leader.
Stevens pulled up a tactical overview. "Reconnaissance and rescue. We need to determine the status of Fort Lazarus personnel, assess the threat level, and if possible, restore facility operations."
"And if it's not possible?" I asked.
Stevens and Collins exchanged a look. "Then we make sure the technology doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Permanently."
The briefing continued for another twenty minutes, covering everything from insertion methods to contingency protocols. The mission was straightforward in concept: four Respawn squads would deploy to Fort Lazarus, with Alpha squad (us) taking point on reconnaissance while the others provided support and security.
What made it complicated was the part where we'd be operating without respawn backup. If the facility's systems were compromised, death would be permanent.
"Questions?" Stevens asked as the briefing concluded.
"Timeline?" I asked.
"Wheels up in ninety minutes. Transport will be two Black Hawks with full tactical support."
"Rules of engagement?"
"Lethal force authorized. Anyone who's not friendlies is considered hostile."
"Communication protocols?"
"Standard military channels. The gaming interfaces are offline for this operation – too much risk of compromise."
That got everyone's attention. We'd been training with enhanced communication systems for months. Going back to traditional radio felt like fighting with one hand tied behind our backs.
"Sir," Pixel said, "our tactical coordination abilities rely on the interface systems. Without them—"
"Without them, you'll have to do this the old-fashioned way," Collins interrupted. "Which is exactly why you need to prove the program works even when the technology fails."
After dismissal, the four of us gathered in the corridor outside the briefing room.
"Well," Jake said, "this is either going to be really exciting or really fatal."
"Hopefully both," Sarah said dryly.
"How's everyone feeling about this?" I asked.
"Nervous," Sarah admitted. "We've been training with enhanced systems for months. Going in without them..."
"Is exactly what every soldier before us had to do," I said. "We're trained. We know our jobs. We trust each other. The technology was always just enhancement."
"Easy for you to say," Jake said. "You've done this before."
"Not like this," I replied. "This is new for all of us. But that's why we're a team."
Pixel looked up from her tablet. "I've been thinking about the attack profile. Coordinated assault, detailed knowledge of facility operations, specific targeting of respawn systems..."
"And?"
"This wasn't random. Whoever did this has been planning it for a long time. They know exactly what they're dealing with."
"Which means?"
"They'll be expecting us."
The flight to Fort Lazarus took two hours, giving us time to review mission parameters and check our equipment. Without the neural interfaces, we were back to traditional military loadouts – rifles, body armor, communications gear, and medical supplies. It felt strangely primitive after months of glowing, high-tech equipment.
"You know," Jake said, checking his rifle for the third time, "I'd forgotten how heavy regular ammunition is."
"You'll remember fast enough," I said. "How's everyone's gear?"
"Medical kit is standard issue," Sarah reported. "No enhanced healing capabilities, but I can still patch up anything short of catastrophic trauma."
"Communications are good," Pixel said. "Range is limited compared to what we're used to, but encryption is solid."
"Explosives are boring," Jake added, "but they'll still blow things up."
I looked out the helicopter's window at the desert passing below us. Somewhere out there was a facility full of people who might be dead, captured, or worse. And we were flying in to help them with nothing but traditional equipment and whatever skills we'd managed to develop in three months of accelerated training.
"Team leaders, this is Overwatch," came the pilot's voice through our headsets. "Fort Lazarus is visible. Initial visual assessment shows no obvious external damage, but no signs of activity either."
I moved to the window and saw the facility below us. It looked exactly like Fort Respawn – same architectural style, same defensive layout, same LED lighting systems. Except the lights were all dark.
"All teams, prep for insertion," I announced. "Alpha squad takes point, Bravo and Charlie provide perimeter security, Delta on overwatch. Standard clearance protocols."
"Copy, Alpha leader," came the responses.
As we rappelled down to the facility's landing pad, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were walking into a trap. The place was too quiet, too still. Even with systems offline, there should have been some signs of life.
"Alpha team, sound off," I said as we regrouped on the ground.
"Pixel, ready."
"Respawn, ready."
"Medkit, ready."
"Move out. Tactical formation. Stay alert."
We approached the main entrance, noting that the security doors were standing open. That was the first red flag – Fort Respawn's doors sealed automatically during any emergency.
"Pixel, can you get any readings on the security system?"
She pulled out a handheld scanner, the non-neural version of her usual equipment. "Negative. System appears to be completely powered down. No residual energy signatures, no standby power, nothing."
"Intentional shutdown?"
"Hard to say without better equipment. But Tank... this level of system failure doesn't happen by accident."
We entered the facility and immediately knew something was very wrong. The corridors were empty, but there were signs of hasty evacuation – dropped equipment, doors left open, personal items scattered on the floor.
"Where is everyone?" Sarah asked quietly.
"That's what we're here to find out," I replied. "Pixel, can you access any internal systems?"
"Working on it." She was hunched over a maintenance panel, trying to coax some kind of response from the facility's computers. "I'm getting intermittent power to some systems, but the network infrastructure is completely down."
"Keep trying. Jake, Sarah, with me. We'll check the barracks."
The living quarters told the same story – rapid evacuation, but no signs of violence. Beds were unmade, lockers were open, but there was no blood, no damage, no indication of a fight.
"Tank," Pixel's voice crackled through our radios, "I'm getting something. Emergency power is coming online in the Command Center."
"Copy. All teams, converge on Command."
We made our way through corridors that should have been familiar but felt alien in their emptiness. Emergency lighting flickered on as we moved, triggered by motion sensors that were apparently still functional.
The Command Center was the first place that looked like something had actually happened. Workstations were damaged, displays were shattered, and there were scorch marks on the walls that suggested some kind of energy weapons.
"Definitely a fight here," Sarah observed, examining the damage.
"Pixel, can you get anything from the computers?"
"Maybe." She was already plugging her equipment into undamaged systems. "Lots of data corruption, but... wait. I'm getting something."
A damaged display flickered to life, showing what looked like security footage from the night before. The timestamp read 0230 hours.
"There," Pixel said, pointing to figures moving through the corridors. "That's the attack."
The figures on the screen moved with military precision, but they weren't wearing any uniform I recognized. More importantly, they were using equipment that looked suspiciously familiar.
"Are those...?" Jake started.
"Enhanced weapons systems," I confirmed grimly. "Just like ours."
"Tank," Pixel said, her voice tight with concern, "there's more."
The security footage continued, showing the attackers moving through the facility with impossible coordination. They knew exactly where to go, exactly what systems to target, exactly how to disable the respawn technology.
And leading them was someone in what looked like Respawn squad armor.
"Son of a bitch," I said. "It's one of us."
"A Respawn squad went rogue?" Sarah asked.
"Looks like it." I studied the figure on the screen, trying to make out identifying features. "Pixel, can you enhance the image?"
"Working on it... there." The image sharpened, revealing the face of the squad leader.
The face on the screen belonged to someone I'd never seen before, but the armor configuration was unmistakable – Alpha designation, just like ours. But the squad number was different: Alpha-7.
"There are other Alpha squads?" Jake asked.
"Apparently," I said grimly. "Pixel, can you pull up more footage? I want to see how this went down."
She worked her way through the corrupted files, reconstructing the timeline of the attack. What we saw painted a picture of military precision and intimate knowledge of Respawn protocols.
"They knew exactly where the backup servers were located," Pixel observed. "They hit the respawn systems first, then communications, then power. Textbook neutralization of enhanced military assets."
"How long did it take?"
"Eighteen minutes from breach to complete facility shutdown."
"And the personnel?"
"That's where it gets interesting." Pixel pulled up another feed, this one from the main assembly area. "They didn't kill anyone. They evacuated them."
The footage showed Fort Lazarus personnel being escorted out of the facility in an orderly fashion. No violence, no resistance, just efficient relocation.
"This wasn't an attack," Sarah said slowly. "It was a extraction."
"But why?" Jake asked. "Why evacuate everyone instead of just taking the technology?"
Before anyone could answer, my radio crackled to life.
"Alpha Leader, this is Bravo Leader. We have movement on the perimeter. Multiple contacts approaching from the east."
"How many?"
"Hard to say. At least twelve, moving in tactical formation. They're not broadcasting IFF signals."
I looked at my team. We'd found our answers, but now we were about to get some new questions.
"All teams, defensive positions. Looks like we're about to meet whoever's responsible for this."
"Tank," Pixel said, still working at the computer terminal, "I'm picking up something else. The respawn systems aren't completely offline. Someone's been accessing them remotely."
"What kind of access?"
"Downloading backup data. Personality matrices, skill sets, tactical knowledge..." She looked up at me with concern. "Tank, someone's been copying our people."
The implications hit me like a physical blow. "They're not just stealing the technology. They're stealing the soldiers."
"All teams, contact imminent," Bravo Leader's voice cut through our discussion. "Hostiles are at the perimeter fence."
"Copy. Alpha team, secure the Command Center. We need to protect whatever data Pixel's found."
"Tank," Sarah said, checking her medical kit, "if we're going to fight enhanced soldiers..."
"We do it the old-fashioned way," I finished. "Superior tactics, better teamwork, and the element of surprise."
"Do we have the element of surprise?"
"Let's find out."
The first indication that we were dealing with enhanced opposition came when the lights went out. Not just the emergency lighting – everything. Complete power failure across the entire facility.
"Pixel, talk to me."
"Someone just hacked the power grid. Remotely. While we were standing right here." Her voice was tight with professional frustration. "That's... that's not supposed to be possible."
"New house rules," I said. "Jake, do you have any flares?"
"Do I have flares? Tank, I'm offended. Of course I have flares."
"Light us up. Sarah, stay close to Pixel. She's our priority asset."
Jake's flares cast dancing shadows throughout the Command Center, creating an eerie red glow that made everything look like a horror movie set. Which, given our circumstances, was probably appropriate.
"Bravo Leader, status report."
"We've lost visual on the hostiles. They went dark when the power went down."
"Charlie Leader?"
"Same here. It's like they vanished."
"Delta Leader?"
Silence.
"Delta Leader, respond."
Still nothing.
"Bravo, Charlie, fall back to the Command Center. Delta squad is compromised."
"Copy, Alpha Leader. Moving to your position."
As the other squads moved through the darkened facility, I tried to think tactically. We were facing an enemy that knew our capabilities, our equipment, and our standard operating procedures. They had superior technology and the advantage of preparation.
What we had was improvisation and the fact that we were too new to have developed predictable patterns.
"Pixel, how much more data do you need?"
"Two more minutes. Maybe three."
"You've got it. Jake, I want you to prepare a surprise for our visitors."
"What kind of surprise?"
"The kind that announces we're not playing by their rules."
Jake's grin was visible even in the red light of the flares. "Oh, I have just the thing."
The attack came from three directions simultaneously. Concussion grenades through the main entrance, flashbangs through the ventilation system, and what sounded like shaped charges against the reinforced wall.
Standard assault tactics, executed with perfect timing and coordination.
Unfortunately for our attackers, we weren't using standard defensive tactics.
Jake's "surprise" was a jury-rigged explosive device that he'd constructed from maintenance supplies and his own equipment. When the shaped charges detonated, his device triggered a cascade failure in the facility's fire suppression system, flooding the Command Center with flame-retardant foam.
Suddenly, everyone was blind.
"Move!" I shouted, grabbing Sarah and pushing her toward the emergency exit. "Pixel, tell me you got what we need!"
"Downloaded!" she called back, clutching her equipment. "But Tank, you need to see this!"
"Later! Move!"
We fought our way through the foam-filled corridors, guided by Jake's chemical light sticks and Sarah's medical scanner, which apparently could track human heat signatures. Behind us, I could hear voices shouting in what sounded like multiple languages.
"They're not American," Sarah observed as we reached the facility's rear exit.
"No, they're not," I agreed. "Which raises some interesting questions about who's funding this operation."
We emerged into the desert night to find Bravo and Charlie squads waiting for us, along with what appeared to be the entire population of Fort Lazarus.
"Tank!" Colonel Stevens materialized out of the darkness, looking haggard but alive. "Thank God you're here."
"Ma'am, what's your status?"
"We're all accounted for. They evacuated us twelve hours ago, then held us at a temporary facility about ten kilometers east. When you arrived, they just... let us go."
"Let you go?"
"Walked away. Said their business was with the active squads, not support personnel."
I looked around at the assembled personnel. Doctors, technicians, support staff, but no enhanced soldiers. "Where are the Fort Lazarus Respawn squads?"
Stevens' expression darkened. "That's what we need to discuss. Privately."
She led me away from the group, Sarah and Pixel following at my gesture.
"The Fort Lazarus squads volunteered to go with them," Stevens said quietly.
"They what?"
"The leader of the attacking force – he made them an offer. Join his organization, or watch their backup data get deleted permanently."
"So they chose to defect?"
"They chose to survive. Tank, these people had access to the respawn systems. They could have made our people's deaths permanent."
"What organization? Who's recruiting enhanced soldiers?"
Stevens was quiet for a moment. "We're not entirely sure. But based on what we've learned, it's well-funded, internationally connected, and very interested in acquiring military personnel with enhanced capabilities."
"Corporate?"
"Possibly. Or governmental. Or both."
Pixel cleared her throat. "Ma'am, I think I can help with that question."
She pulled up data on her tablet, displaying what looked like financial records.
"I managed to download the facility's communication logs before we evacuated. Someone's been paying very well for information about the Respawn program. The transactions are laundered through multiple shell companies, but the ultimate source appears to be a consortium of defense contractors and foreign intelligence services."
"They're selling enhanced soldiers to the highest bidder," Sarah said.
"That's our assessment," Stevens confirmed. "And every Respawn facility is a potential target."
"So what's the plan?"
"The plan is that you four just became the most important people in the program. You're the only active squad that's encountered these people and lived to tell about it."
"Ma'am, with respect, we barely survived. If they hadn't been focused on evacuation instead of elimination..."
"But they were focused on evacuation. Which means they want to recruit you, not kill you."
The implications of that statement settled over us like a cold blanket.
"We're bait," I said.
"You're the solution," Stevens corrected. "The only way to stop this is to get inside their organization and shut it down from within."
"A deep cover operation."
"The deepest. You'd be on your own, with no backup, no support, and no guarantee of extraction."
I looked at my team. Sarah was checking her medical supplies with the methodical precision of someone preparing for surgery. Jake was examining his remaining explosives with the focused attention of an artist selecting the right paintbrush. Pixel was analyzing data streams with the intensity of someone solving a puzzle that could save the world.
"What do you say, Respawn Squad?" I asked. "Ready to go undercover?"
"Always," Sarah said without hesitation.
"You got it, boss," Jake added.
"Affirmative," Pixel said. "But I want full access to their communication networks. If we're doing this, we're doing it right."
"Agreed," Stevens said. "But first, we need to get you back to Fort Respawn. There are some people you need to meet."
"What people?"
"The people who designed the Respawn program. It's time you learned what you're really fighting for."