Heartstone - Chapter 63: Chapter 63

While fire streaked across the sky and thunder from the AG59s cracked through the valley, Dalen signaled his unit—five soldiers, cloaked in scavenged gear and light armor, moving through the narrow side path toward the mountain.
The air shook as Ryker’s cannons fired again overhead. The earth trembled beneath their boots, but Dalen kept moving, eyes locked on their objective: a power relay station dropped near the base of the mountain.
“Stay low,” Dalen whispered. “We disable that node, Ryker’s jet can’t power its drill.”
The team nodded.
As they advanced, they came upon enemy soldiers guarding the relay—chemical-enhanced, pale-skinned with cybernetic implants glowing dim red. But they were distracted by the chaos above.
Dalen motioned.
One breath. Two—
Silent takedown.
They struck like shadows. Knives flashed, bodies fell.
The relay buzzed with energy—coils sparking, cables humming. Dalen knelt beside the console.
“I’ve seen this tech before… it’s X-3 prototype.” He pulled out a small drive from his belt—the one he kept since the crash—and slid it into the terminal.
The screen flickered. Then, a green light pulsed.
“Override in progress,” the machine whispered.
Suddenly—a voice behind them.
“FREEZE.”
Three enemy soldiers, guns raised. One of them stepped forward, smirking. “You think you can stop Ryker?”
Dalen didn’t flinch. “I already have.”
BOOM.
The relay detonated behind him—just as the override completed. Sparks flew. The drill power cut off instantly. The massive AG59 above staggered midair.
Dalen turned and dove for cover, gun up.
“FIRE!”
A firefight broke out in the shadows of the relay tower. Blades clashed, gunfire flashed, and smoke curled through the trees.
One by one, the enemy soldiers fell.
Breathing hard, Dalen looked at the wreckage. “That’s one system down. Two more and Ryker can’t touch the mountain.”
The team nodded.
They had done more than survive—they’d just tilted the war.
And far above them, Ashen smiled as Ryker’s jet sputtered for the first time.