Blue's body finally gave out.
His legs, trembling from exhaustion, crumpled beneath him, sending him from his kneeling position to flat on his back between the four Rangers. The remains of his suit, shredded and sparking, flickered weakly. His chest rose and fell in shallow, labored breaths. Black moved first, stepping forward with determined intent, his eyes locked on the morpher at Blue's belt line.
"Finally," Black muttered, kneeling down as his gloved hand hovered above Blue's belt, ready to strip the morpher away. The faint light from the clearing glinted off the device, now within reach.
But just as Black's fingers brushed the morpher, Nova's voice sliced through the haze in Blue's mind.
"Blue, I've successfully filtered out Yellow's poisons, paralytics, and psychotropics." Her tone was precise, the urgency underlying her clinical demeanor clear. "Full cleanse in ten seconds."
Blue's breath steadied, even as his body remained limp on the ground. He felt a slight surge, the toxins purged from his bloodstream, yet his energy reserves were still drained. The exhaustion clung to him, but Nova was already calculating their next move.
"Without diverting so much energy to cleanse your blood and stabilize brain chemistry," Nova continued, a measured tone in her voice, "I can bring your grid combat profiling online again. I can regenerate your suit's abilities. I can get you back in the fight, Blue."
The words hung in the back of Blue's mind, just as his vision blurred. He didn't have time to respond before something else happened—a high-pitched whine, followed by a blinding flash of light.
An emergency beacon shot from Blue's belt into the air, streaking upward like a flare. It hung there, blinking and casting an eerie glow across the clearing. The moment of shock washed over the Rangers, each of them tensing as the beacon lingered above.
Red's grip tightened around her drawn pistol, her stance shifting as tension spread through her frame. Her body went still, assessing the situation. "What the hell is this?" she muttered under her breath.
Aegis, her AI, processed the scene with rapid analysis. "This appears to be an emergency beacon of some kind," Aegis hypothesized, its tone calm yet uncertain. "It's not a Ranger utility known to me or in use by any of the team."
Red cursed silently, her HUD flickering with readouts of the situation, and glanced between the beacon and Blue. This wasn't part of the plan, and it was a signal they hadn't expected.
"Backup," Yellow muttered, suspicion filling her voice as her helmet's HUD picked up the beacon's transmission. "He's signaling for backup."
Black immediately took a step back, fists clenched. "I thought he was alone," he said, frustration boiling over.
Pink's voice crackled over the comms, an unsettling hint of amusement in her tone. "Looks like we were wrong, darling. Guess we've got more company coming."
"Unable to access the beacon's communication protocols. No way to determine the recipient," Aegis reported, its voice steady but edged with frustration.
Red's gaze flicked to the beacon, its blinking light hovering above them like a watchful eye. The signal pulsed with unsettling regularity, mocking their inability to crack its purpose.
"Aegis, keep working on it," Red said sharply, her eyes narrowing as she calculated their next move. Whatever this signal was, it wasn't from their playbook—and that made it dangerous.
"Backup," Yellow muttered, her tone dark and suspicious. "He's calling for backup."
Black stepped away from Blue's body, his fists tightening. "I thought he was alone." His voice, heavy with anger, cut through the tense air.
Red didn't answer immediately, her attention momentarily fixed on the treeline and the flickering HUD alerts in her helmet. Something wasn't adding up.
"We all did," she finally replied, her voice firm. "But this beacon changes things."
"Maybe we weren't wrong," Pink's voice crackled over the comms, a note of sarcasm mixed with concern. "Guess there's a party we weren't invited to."
The jungle remained silent, the oppressive stillness hanging around them, and the blinking beacon continued to taunt them, its purpose unknown. The Rangers remained on edge, their instincts screaming that something was about to go down.
Red processed the situation, her tactical training kicking in. "We don't know who's coming—if anyone is. We can't stay exposed like this."
Her voice sharpened as she gave the next command. "Deploy energy barricades. We need cover."
Immediately, the Rangers moved, their HUDs syncing with the command as the rapid deployment system activated. Energy barriers sprang to life around their position, shimmering with a faint, translucent blue light. They formed a protective ring, creating a makeshift defensive perimeter around the Rangers and the still-prone Blue.
Black activated his barricade first, a solid wall of energy crackling to life at his side. "Much better," he muttered, taking a step back as the barrier settled into place.
Yellow's barrier followed, her fingers flicking over the controls on her forearm. "We're not taking chances," she said, more to herself than anyone else.
The energy shields buzzed with quiet power, casting faint, glowing reflections across their armor. The Rangers had gone from being out in the open to standing behind reinforced cover, ready for whatever was coming next. The oppressive silence of the jungle seemed to press closer, but at least now, they had a defensive position.
Red's helmet scanned the perimeter. "Hold the line. We're not moving until we know exactly what we're dealing with."
The Rangers took up defensive positions behind their barricades, weapons ready, eyes scanning the horizon. The threat of the unknown weighed heavy on them, but they weren't about to be caught off guard.
Suddenly, the camouflaged infantry and automated armor platforms surrounding the clearing surged into action. Hidden within the treeline until now, they moved with precision, emerging from cover to close in on the Rangers. Overhead, drones and combat helicopters descended swiftly, flooding the clearing with intense light that bathed the Rangers in a harsh glow.
The Rangers' helmets automatically filtered out the blinding light, and their HUDs immediately tagged every moving unit as hostile. Red markers filled their displays, flagging all potential threats. Red's AI, Aegis, rapidly processed the data, but none of the targets responded with friendly identification. Their systems continued to scan and analyze the incoming forces, but the armor platforms, drones, and infantry were all tagged as unknown—far more advanced than anything the Rangers had encountered before.
"Attention, unidentified Ranger Operators!" boomed a voice over the loudspeakers from the advancing forces. "Under Article 7 of the Post-Countdown Protocols, you are ordered to stand down and surrender your equipment!"
Red tensed, her pistol tapping lightly against her leg as she processed the message. The words were eerily similar to the warning she had given Blue earlier, but now it was being directed at them.
"Failure to comply will result in your classification as enemy combatants or insurgents. Lethal force will be used to subdue you."
The message reverberated through the clearing, but Red's attention had already shifted to the threat unfolding around them. The neural link between her and her team flared to life, and in that moment, the outside world seemed to slow. Within the link, time stretched as their AIs synced, and the Rangers began their internal tactical analysis.
The message reverberated through the clearing, but Red's attention had already shifted to the threat unfolding around them. The neural link between her and her team flared to life, and in that moment, the external chaos seemed to fade as they entered the flow of synchronized thought. Time stretched as their AIs synced, running through countless calculations, and the Rangers began their internal tactical assessment.
Friend or foe tags? Red's voice echoed through the link, cold, steady, and calculated.
Non-responsive, Aegis confirmed immediately. Standard protocol: treat them as hostile. No identification signals from any unit. These units are not registering in any Ranger database.
Red's HUD continued to display a growing sea of red markers, each tagging the advancing armor platforms, aerial drones, and infantry units. She could feel the weight of the situation pressing down on her—the unknown forces, the unpredictable behavior of the beacon, and the still-prone Blue.
What about command? Yellow's voice entered the link, sharp with concern. Any orders to stand down?
Nothing, Prism, Pink's AI, chimed in. Radio silence from command. No instructions on any military channels. We're isolated out here.
Red's eyes flicked toward Blue, still lying motionless in the dirt. His body remained slack, unmoving. She noted his presence but quickly assessed that, for the moment, he wasn't the primary concern. They were surrounded by an overwhelming force, and the Rangers couldn't afford to split their focus. Neutralizing these hostiles was their top priority.
What the hell are we up against? Black's frustration came through the link like a low growl. His fists clenched instinctively. These armor platforms—this tech is too advanced for anything Earth has. I've never seen anything like this.
I agree, Yellow added, her voice calm but analytical. Look at those aerial units, the precision of their countermeasures. None of this matches known Earth technology. This looks off-world.
Their helmets continued to process the incoming data, tagging each movement around them. Every figure emerging from the jungle was marked and tracked, but friend-or-foe protocols returned nothing. The void of information only added to the tension. Red could feel the silent ripple of unease passing through her team as the reality of their situation sank in.
I'm attempting to hack their comms, Aegis said, its voice strained with effort. But the encryption is highly advanced. No success so far.
The gravity of the situation hit Red harder now. They were outnumbered, outgunned, and surrounded by forces far more advanced than anything they could have expected. The presence of advanced automated armor units and aerial countermeasures signaled an extreme risk of fatality if they engaged without further intel. But there was no turning back.
These platforms are calibrated for lethal force, Bastion, Black's AI, added, his deep voice calm but filled with concern. If they engage, our defensive barricades won't hold for long. We'll be forced to go on the offensive.
Red's HUD flashed with more warnings as her team's AI continued to crunch the numbers. She took in the situation, eyes flicking once again to Blue. He hadn't moved since collapsing, and despite the tense situation, he remained an unknown variable. But right now, he wasn't their priority.
We neutralize all threats, Red stated, her tone sharp and unwavering. Focus on eliminating these hostiles first. We'll deal with Blue once we've secured the perimeter.
Agreed, Echo, Yellow's AI, weighed in, its voice a crisp, tactical overlay in her thoughts. Blue is not an immediate threat. The units surrounding us present an extreme hazard. These drones are equipped with high-yield munitions. If they fire, we may not have time to respond.
And if they force our hand, Pink chimed in, we better be ready for a fight.
Consensus? Red prompted through the neural link, her voice cutting through the tense silence as the final decision loomed.
For a brief moment, the world outside the link seemed to grind to a halt. The Rangers' helmets continued to tag every piece of movement, marking the increasingly complex battlefield. Bastion, Echo, and Prism each processed a flood of tactical data. Weapons systems on the encircling forces were locked and primed, but the Rangers weren't making the first move. Not yet.
Our primary directive forbids surrendering morphers, Red reiterated firmly. We hold our ground. We do not surrender.
Understood, Black responded through clenched teeth. We'll take them out. One way or another.
Agreed, Yellow added, her helmet's filters narrowing the field of visible threats as Echo ran predictive engagement simulations. We can't allow them to overwhelm us. Strike fast, strike decisively.
Prism, silent until now, suddenly cut in, its voice sharper. I've detected increased drone activity. The aerial units are repositioning—likely prepping for a coordinated strike.
They're boxing us in, Bastion warned. If we don't act soon, we'll be pinned down from above and on the ground.
Red's grip on her pistol tightened, her mind racing. They were out of time.
Everyone hold, Red ordered. Wait for my command.
Their neural link pulsed with shared tension, but they all understood. Their helmets continued tracking every motion, every potential threat, with their AIs running countermeasure protocols and analyzing every shift in the battlefield. As the forces advanced, the energy barricades buzzed with power, their faint hum the only defense standing between the Rangers and the overwhelming forces closing in.
Red's mind moved swiftly. The options were few, the risks high. She took one last glance at Blue—still unmoving, but for how long? She couldn't afford to wait and find out.
We neutralize these hostiles now, Red reaffirmed, and then we deal with Blue.
One by one, the team affirmed the plan, their internal thoughts syncing into a unified strategy. The neural link buzzed with the cold precision of a military machine, each of them ready to engage at a moment's notice.
The battle was about to begin.