The wind howled through the crumbling remains of the once-great city. Rusted steel beams jutted out from collapsed skyscrapers, casting jagged shadows over a landscape that had long since been swallowed by dust and debris. Somewhere, in the distance, the low rumble of mutated beasts echoed—a constant reminder that even in this dead world, danger never rested.
Alex Kade sat at the edge of a weather-beaten cliff, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon where the sun sank below a sky tinged with blood-red hues. For ten years, he'd made this view his companion. In the absence of others, it was the only constant he had left, the only thing that made sense in a world that had lost all meaning.
He clenched his hands, feeling the roughness of callouses and old scars. The memories surged, unbidden—the weight of loss and betrayal heavy on his chest. His fellow pilots, his friends, all gone. The last battle replayed itself in his mind like a wound that wouldn't heal. **Helios**, his Sentinel, buried deep beneath the rubble where he'd left it to rot. Like him, it had been dormant for years.
Alex sighed, standing up and dusting the dirt off his worn-out jacket. His gaze flickered to the crumbling structure behind him, where the entrance to the underground vault lay hidden beneath tons of rock and debris. Helios slept below, but sometimes, in the quiet of the night, Alex swore he could hear its faint hum. The machine wasn't just a tool; it was a living part of him, and though he had tried to sever that bond, it never truly broke.
His radio crackled to life—a burst of static that startled him from his thoughts. Alex grabbed the small device from his belt, frowning. He hadn't heard a transmission in years. Static buzzed for a moment longer, and then a voice, shaky and desperate, broke through.
"—Kade. Alex Kade, do you copy? This is Outpost 17. We're under attack. Repeat, we're under attack—"
Alex's stomach knotted. Outpost 17. It was one of the few remaining bastions outside the megacities. They were tough, but if they were calling him, it meant things had gotten bad. Real bad.
Another garbled cry for help came through, mixed with the guttural growls of something inhuman. Alex's hand trembled slightly, but his resolve hardened. He knew what this meant. Knew what he had to do.
The voice on the radio spoke again, more urgently. "If anyone's out there—Kade, Sentinel pilot, please! The creatures are evolving. We can't hold them much longer."
Alex clenched his jaw, the weight of the past pressing down on him like a vice. For ten years, he'd told himself he was done. No more battles. No more sacrifices. But the voice in the radio was young, scared—and the creatures wouldn't stop until there was nothing left to tear apart.
"Damn it," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. He looked back toward the buried vault. The entrance was still sealed, untouched. It had taken years to forget, but now, everything came rushing back. Helios was down there, waiting, as it had been for the past decade.
He hesitated for a moment longer before the radio crackled again, this time with a final, chilling message: "They've breached the walls… Oh God, we need—"
Silence.
Alex gritted his teeth, staring hard at the vault. His chest tightened, and his heart hammered against his ribs. He'd told himself he was done fighting, but the world didn't care what he wanted. There was only one choice.
He turned, moving with renewed purpose toward the vault's entrance. Reaching the heavy steel door, he punched in a series of codes he hadn't used in years. The ground trembled, and slowly, the door groaned open, revealing the dark depths below.
Dust and stale air filled his lungs as he descended, the steps familiar yet foreign after so much time. His footsteps echoed through the long-forgotten corridors until he reached a massive chamber. The lights flickered on as his presence activated the dormant systems.
And there it was.
HELIOS
The Sentinel lay sprawled out like a sleeping giant, its massive frame covered in layers of dust, its once-shining armor now dulled and weathered. Even in its dormant state, it radiated power, a relic of the past that could still change the future.
Alex approached slowly, resting a hand on its cold metal surface. The machine seemed to stir beneath his touch, a faint hum of recognition vibrating through its frame.
"I didn't want this," he whispered to the silent giant. "But we don't always get a choice, do we?"
Helios remained still for a moment longer, as if considering his words, then responded with a soft, almost welcoming thrum. It was alive again. It knew the fight wasn't over.
Alex climbed into the cockpit, feeling the old, familiar grip of the control harness lock into place. The neural link engaged with a click, and his vision blurred as his mind connected with Helios once more. Memories flooded back—the exhilaration of battle, the weight of responsibility, and the unbreakable bond between man and machine.
"Let's do this," he muttered, and the Sentinel roared to life, its systems powering up, its eyes glowing a brilliant, ominous blue.
The world above had forgotten what true power looked like.
But Alex Kade was about to remind them.