Time: 12:30 AM
"Woooo-oop... woooo-oop... woooOoop!"
The sound was otherworldly, a chilling howl of distorted power. Nazim—or the thing that used to be Nazim—stared at his own claws in ecstatic disbelief. "Mashallah... such incredible power! The world is finally within my grasp. It all belongs to me now!"
The monster loomed over the battlefield, eyes darting from the trembling commandos to the corpses littering the red-stained earth. He threw his head back and laughed, a sound like grinding stones.
"It... it can speak?" Kashi stammered, his voice trembling.
"No, no, no," Husain hissed, his face pale. "Move! All three of you, get to the truck now! We have to warn the rest of the country. Move, fast!"
Kashi, Vijay, and Jaspreet didn't need to be told twice. Their lungs burned as they scrambled toward the transport. But before they could reach it, the hyena-like monstrosity leaped through the midnight sky, coming down with the force of a falling meteor. The truck was crushed into a heap of twisted metal under its weight.
The four men were thrown back by the shockwave, hitting the dirt hard. They gasped for air, hearts hammering against their ribs as they looked up at the nightmare standing atop the wreckage.
"Where is the rush?" the monster asked, its voice a guttural mockery of human speech.
Kashi swallowed hard, sweat stinging his eyes. I blew him up, he thought desperately. I saw him die. How is he back? What has he become?
"Look, don't do anything you'll regret," Husain said, his voice forced and shaking as he tried to de-escalate. "Whatever you want, we can give it to you. Just... no more killing."
The monster let out a jagged laugh. "Do nothing? The game is just getting interesting, and you want to run? What a coward. And you..." The beast turned its glowing eyes toward Kashi. "What did your friend call you? Kashi, wasn't it?"
Kashi stood his ground, a sudden spark of defiance cutting through his fear. "Yeah, my name is Kashi. And don't think we're scared. I killed you once tonight; I can do it again!"
"Is that so?" Nazim tilted his head. "And how, exactly?"
"Like this!" Kashi shouted.
On signal, the four of them dove in opposite directions. At that moment, the remaining commandos unleashed their secret weapon. From the shadows emerged the "Rhino" units—highly advanced, 6.6-foot-tall weaponized suits of black armor, powered by glowing reactors on their backs. They opened fire, a relentless barrage of high-tech munitions slamming into Nazim and his two lizard-like servants.
The remaining trucks began a mechanical symphony of shifting plates and hydraulic hisses, transforming into mobile combat platforms. A female commando, clad in fire-resistant tactical gear, rushed to the four survivors.
"Are you all right?" her voice crackled through her helmet's external speakers. "Stay back. Get to those three remaining trucks and take cover. There are weapons inside if you need them!"
"Go!" Husain yelled.
They scrambled into the crimson-colored truck. Inside, the interior was a high-tech marvel.
"How do I even drive this thing?" Vijay yelled, frantically looking at the controls.
"Jassi, look!" Kashi shouted from the rear lobby. "It's an armory!"
Inside the racks sat three suits of bluish-tinted armor. It wasn't made of standard steel; it shimmered with the luster of a rare, unknown element. They suited up, the plates snapping into place around their limbs.
"Now this is what I'm talking about!" Kashi exclaimed, feeling the surge of mechanical power.
"Check this out," Vijay yelled from the cockpit. He slammed a lever, and their truck transformed, shifting into a heavy-hitting combat frame. "Soldiers, are you ready?"
"Yes, sir!"
Vijay didn't wait. He drove the massive metal fist of the armor into the face of one of the lizard monsters. The impact was thunderous, sending the beast flying through two nearby houses. "Grand Punch! Did you see that? Haha!"
But the triumph was short-lived. The lizard monster snarled, its wounds knitting together with unnatural speed. It whipped its tail, sweeping Vijay's legs out from under him. As he fell, the beast pounced, tearing at the armor's plating.
"Waa... fuck! Let go!" Vijay screamed as the metal began to groan. Two Rhino commandos rushed in to pull the beast off him, but the battlefield was descending into chaos.
Nearby, Husain, Kashi, and Jaspreet were engaged in a brutal struggle with Nazim.
"I told you to stay inside!" the female commando shouted over the comms as she traded blows with the monster.
"What kind of soldier rests while his country is under attack?" Kashi retorted, firing a blast into the fray.
The battle reached a fever pitch. Missiles, repulsion shocks, and heavy gunfire lit up the night, creating a thick shroud of smoke and debris. For a moment, silence fell.
"Did we get him?" Kashi gasped, looking at the charred remains of one of the lizards.
"Well done, soldier," a commando called out.
But as the smoke cleared, the hope died. Nazim wasn't dead. He was on one knee, his body scorched and bleeding, but his eyes were burning with a demonic intensity.
"Woooo...Ooop!"
Nazim moved like a blur. He struck the female commando with a side punch so powerful it sent her armored suit tumbling across the pavement, smoke pouring from its vents.
"Are you afraid, Husain?" Nazim sneered, his body still flickering with small fires from the explosions.
"Nazim, have some fear of God," Husain pleaded, his heart breaking for the man his friend used to be.
"Shut up! You are a disgrace!" Nazim hissed, closing the distance in a heartbeat. "A Muslim serving these treacherous Indians? You are a slave!"
Husain looked him in the eye, his voice steady. "Slave? No. I am a son of this soil. I am proud to have been born from this earth. If I have to serve a hundred times, I will. If I have to give my life, I give it gladly."
"Then die like a slave!" Nazim shrieked.
With a lightning-fast strike, Nazim's sharp claws pierced through Husain's chest.
"NO! SIR!"
Kashi, Vijay, and Jaspreet screamed in unison, rushing toward their fallen mentor. Nazim laughed, his body beginning to mutate further—spines erupting from his back, his frame growing even more massive.
Rage took over. Vijay, in his Rhino suit, smashed a fist into Nazim's face, pinned him down, and began point-blank blasting. "You dog! I'll kill you! I won't let you go!"
Kashi joined the assault, his armor's systems screaming as he pushed them to the limit, raining blows and fire upon the monster.
Away from the fury, Jaspreet knelt by Husain.
"Don't... boys..." Husain coughed, blood staining his lips. He looked up at the smoke-filled sky one last time. "Bharat Mata ki Jai."
His eyes went dull. The village of Kangari, once a peaceful hamlet, had become a literal hell.
Jaspreet wiped his tears, his grief turning into a cold, hard stone. He saw the female commando trapped in her damaged suit and pulled her to safety. Then, he looked at the empty, battered armor. One arm was missing, and sparks flew from the joints.
He didn't say a word. He climbed in.
"Nazim," Jaspreet whispered, his voice trembling with a deadly promise. "You picked the wrong fight."
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UPCOMING: The Price of Valor...