Feral on the Ice
A voice, cold and devoid of any Architect melody, boomed across the plain:
"UNIDENTIFIED BIOMASS DETECTED. INITIATING STERILIZATION PROTOCOL."
The "Sterilization" wasn't a gas or a bomb. The ground in front of the airlock opened, and dozens of small, sleek machines—resembling metallic wasps—swarmed out. They didn't have stingers; they carried High-Frequency Lasers.
"Shields!" Kael roared, throwing himself in front of Elara.
But he didn't have a shield. He had only his own body and the flickering, human heat in his chest.
The Power of the Blind