Riding up front with Mr. Camo, Allie kept a watchful eye on the monitor. They had hacked the GPS coordinates on the original bus they were on to see where it planned to take them. If it were a slaughterhouse like they had suspected, then surely they had a duty to shut it down and potentially save lives.

Allie's eyes glanced up at the desolate wasteland that surrounded them. Blown out buildings and heaps of rusted scrap metal were the only remnants of a once prosperous city. There was not a living thing in sight. Amid the ruins were likely graveyards of the forgotten — tragic causalities in a war that was indiscriminate and inescapable.

As they approached closer to the end point, a dense fog set in. The convoy of heavily armed military vehicles reduced their speed to deal with the limited visibility. A few spatters of rain began, hitting the windshield and obstructing the view even further. The heavy windshield wipers slowly smeared the water droplets from side to side. Shortly after, the rain began to come down even harder.

Silence consumed the vehicle as they all remained transfixed, staring out the window at nothing but a dense cloud of grey.

"Less than a kilometre to go," Mr. Camo informed.

Everyone was on edge, shifting in their seats, unsure what to expect. Maxim and his friend Arlon were not soldiers so they were nervous, preparing for a likely combat situation. Ronin, Maxim's super soldier, was right by their sides, remaining calm and setting the tone for his squad. For him, it was just another day at the office.

"We're approaching it on our right, look for somewhere to turn," Mr. Camo said. He looked out the window, but couldn't see a thing. "Wait, wait, wait, stop," he said. "It's getting further away from us. I think we passed it."

"I didn't see anything," Arlon said.

"That makes two of us."

"We have a choice to make," Ronin said. "We can turn around, head back where we came from, or we can continue on foot."

Mr. Camo turned to address everyone in the vehicle. "We'll stop here and go the rest of the way on foot. None of us know what to expect so let's watch out for each other out there."

The doors open and Ronin was the first one out. His boots hit the muddy ground, sloshing through the puddles of water that surrounded the vehicle.

The remaining crew made their way from the vehicles and into the unknown territory. Even with their heads-up displays, they could hardly see a thing other than blinking dots on a map — one for the final destination, and the others for their fellow crew members.

Ronin led the way followed by Allie and Maxim. Arlon and Mr. Camo trailed closely behind. Following them were a dozen soldiers spread out in a V formation.

They continued to walk on the uneven ground, being cautious with every step. Heavy rain continued to pour down on them, soaking them through and through.

As they walked closer to the blinking light, the fog and rain eased up. Their visibility returned almost as if the rain and fog were put there artificially to hide something. Piercing through the fog, they emerged to find a structure that took their breaths away.

"Oh. My. God," one of the crew members said. "What the hell is that?"

"You just used God and hell in the same sentence, but... I am... in awe," someone said, barely being able to finish their sentence.

Towering before them was a stone wall unlike anything they had ever seen before. It was at least a hundred feet tall and stretched out in both directions as far as the eye could see.

"It looks like a prison of some sort," Maxim said.

"A prison for dinosaurs?" someone commented back through the headset. "Whatever this thing is, it's either keeping something out, or something in."

"Does anyone see an entrance?" Mr. Camo asked.

"What's your plan, to walk up to the front door and knock?" Allie replied snidely.

"Let's send the drone up," Arlon said.

Mr. Camo unhooked a small pack from his shoulders and removed a palm-sized drone. He threw it up in the air and the drone automatically turned on. Four arms quickly extended and the mini propellers began buzzing. It took flight and climbed up higher and higher until it was out of sight. Everyone could see the drone's view from the displays in their helmets. They waited with anticipation since whatever was beyond this wall was obviously important.

Before the drone reached the top, the feed cut out and they couldn't see anything.

"Hey, what happened?" someone called out.

"Hold on, I lost the signal," Mr. Camo said.

Just then an object fell from the sky and slammed into the ground just a few metres away from where they were standing. Then, shots rang out. One of the soldiers went down. Then another.

"We're under attack!" Maxim called out.

The shots came from an unknown direction. Everyone scattered, looking for cover.

"Where's it coming from?" someone shouted.

"How many are hit?"

"Two down," someone called back.

"We can't leave them out there."

"Everyone stay put until we get a visual on the target."

Crouching behind large metal objects that were strewn about, everyone looked around at where the shots were coming from. The obvious place to look was atop the hundred foot wall. There were likely snipers posted up there on-guard for would-be intruders.

"They're behind us!" someone shouted. The glowing red eyes from several militarized robots emerged through the thick fog. Their menacing eyes were intimidating enough, but the metallic armour and precision targeting made them nearly impossible to defeat.

The brave men and women got into position and began firing back. A flurry of glowing bullets shot back and forth. The sounds were deafening.

"Talk to me!"

"I got one!" someone shouted. "Aim for their sensors."

The gates from the citadel opened and several more robots joined the fight.

"Watch your six!"

"Great, now we're surrounded."

"Told you this was a suicide mission!"

"Stay focused. We're still in this fight. We've dealt with worse and lived to tell the story."

Ronin blasted a shot and one of the robots collapsed in the doorway, preventing the gates from closing. Then, without explanation, the robots turned their attention away from the group and began blasting each other.

"Look, their turning on each other. What's happening?"

"And you guys didn't want me to come," Mr. Camo said.

"Mr. Camouflage, is that you?"

"The brain is mightier than the sword."

"Okay, Sun Tzu. I'm not sure what you're doing, just keep doing it."

The bots continued to take each other out until there was just one left. Mr. Camo stood up and walked confidently over to it and blasted it right in the head. The remaining members of the crew got up and walked over to their wounded friends.

"They're still alive!" someone shouted.

They took the soldiers and dragged them behind a pile of rubble where they were less exposed.

"Mr. Camo, keep an eye out for those things. There could be more," Maxim said.

One of the soldiers with medical training attended to the wounded soldiers. Fortunately, none of their injuries were life threatening.

"You're going to be okay, mate. You got hit in the shoulder. Clean through. We just need to stop the bleeding. Hold still, I'll give you something to ease the pain."

"Guys, look, the door," Allie said. "It's propped open."

"What's the plan, Maxim?"

"Anyone who is wounded or unfit to continue should go back to the vehicles. Safety is our number one priority."

Overhead, the buzzing sounds of a swarm of drones were heard, but not seen. The unnerving sound had everyone on edge. Once again, everyone took cover and watched each other's backs, looking skyward for an attack that seemed imminent.

In the distance, a loud explosion rocked the small troop and escalated the already heightened sense of anxiety.

"What the hell was that?" one of the soldiers said.

Turning toward the vehicles, they were disheartened to see large flames and billowing clouds of smoke emanate from them. Before anyone could speak, the drones formed a perimeter and dropped several canisters all around the troops.

"Guys, look out!" Maxim said as everyone scattered.

The canisters exploded, releasing a chemical gas that consumed their lungs faster than they could get their masks on. The crew began coughing uncontrollably as they desperately gasped for oxygen.

With laboured breaths and heavy eyes, the crew took staggered steps before succumbing to the gas. One by one, they each fell to their knees before finally collapsing face first in the mud.