Hive mind Beyond the veil

The ring of fire and destruction that swept around the mountain marked the end of all surface operations in the zone. What drones had survived were already retreating—irradiated ash and dust blanketed the area in a choking shroud.

"It looks like he destroyed everything… even himself," Seer muttered aloud, eyes distant.

"No," I replied, I had multiple drones looking at the mountain. Those closest were studying what remained of the mountain, as radiation killed them.

"He's just created another irradiated zone. Aegirarch is still there. I still have eyes watching the mountain and the ruins of the city below. The outside might be scorched, but the core still holds. The radiation is killing what's left of my forward forces."

Seer leaned back in his chair, brow furrowed. "So, what next? Orbital insertion? Or push forward underground?"

"With the current surviving units? No. The majority are dead or disabled. Most of the tunnels have collapsed under seismic impact."

Seer said nothing more. He turned back to his screen while I began formulating my next sequence of attacks.

My thoughts dug deep into the surviving ground drones under the mountain. I had already begun scanning and analysing structural weaknesses, identifying fractures in the surrounding terrain.

The tunnels had held, but only barely, they were more likely to collapse than survive any attempt to reinforce them.

I manoeuvred one Neskar into a high-altitude position. Its internal racks bristled with acidic missiles and launch-ready Mosquito drones, enough to incinerate any defensive net left intact. A second and third Neskar began shifting into flanking orbit, primed to deploy pods and heavier drones. The fourth held beetle swarms in reserve, prepared to act as shock troops or disposable distractions.

Then the first wave was launched.

Acidic missiles rained from orbit, as they detonated a corrosive fog mixed with radioactive debris swept across the valley and scorched the mountainside, obliterating the last surface resistances.

Moments later, the Mosquitoes descended, creating a defensive perimeter around the landing zone. Hundreds of drone pods fell in succession, embedding into the ruined soil and deploying fresh units to secure the kill zone.

Surprisingly, there was no response.

No artillery, automated guns or even scattered clone squads attacked, everything around me was dead.

The first Infiltrators landed and began sweeping the area for breaches, vents, and any remaining access tunnels. However, the radiation and surface temperature posed a problem. The battlefield was still hostile.

As positions were scouted and marked, the rest of the force prepared for breach. Beetles descended, targeting key points identified by earlier seismic infiltrators. At the same time, surviving burrower units below the surface reached their breach points.

The timing was synchronized.

The beetles detonated in unison from above and below, tearing open several points across the mountain's outer layer.

But what waited beyond wasn't weakness.

The breach opened into the old mining shafts, now reshaped into reinforced corridors and kill zones. Every metre was laced with reinforced plating, motion-triggered kill points, and strategically positioned barriers.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

The first beetles into the breach were wiped out instantly. Automated turrets fitted with high-velocity kinetic weapons and precision laser cannons tore them apart.

Then came the clones.

These weren't like the earlier waves.

These wore a new type of armour, it was denser, heavier, and bulkier than standard issue. Exo-assisted frames turned them into juggernauts. Their suits gleamed a stark white under internal lighting, reinforced plating wrapping over every joint and limb.

They carried a more robust heavy weapons set, mostly consisting of rail guns and plasma. Each burst of fire was concentrated, calculated, and deadly.

They held the breach with terrifying discipline. Every drone that crossed the threshold was met with a wall of fire or pinpoint kinetic impact.

I watched through dozens of eyes as my advance stalled completely. Multiple insertion points were choked with dead bodies. Beetles failed to make it more than five metres in. Assault and Infiltrator drones were reduced to shredded limbs and melted carapaces.

It was a slaughter.

The last drone standing in breach zone three managed to pull back. Its bodies spasmed before dying. I started to recalibrate my approach for the next attack.

I launched two more missiles with insect payloads. They detonated above the mountain, releasing a thick fog that shimmered as it fell. Within it, trillions of insects descended.

They crawled, hissed, and burrowed, each one looking and searching for any gaps, faults, or vents, that would act as a point of ingress.

But again, the defenders had adapted.

They had abandoned their positions, taken any defensive turrets and fallen back behind massive, airtight blast doors. The passages were locked and sealed from the inside, they were immune to external pressure. The swarm of insects beat against the metal but found no entry.

It was time for brute force.

I sent a signal to the remaining beetles—those that had survived the initial breach. They surged forward, climbing over each other, encircling the doors and preparing for a final coordinated detonation.

———

"We are the Overseer's warriors."

"We are the last line of his defence."

"We will burn our own to hold the line."

"It is the last line to ever hold."

The chant echoed again. It was not a cry of desperation, but a repeating rhythm reminding them of their purpose.

CT-774B checked the seal on his flame unit, its triple nozzle read hot and primed. "Fuel cell green," he muttered.

"Red on trigger delay," CT-776B replied. "Want this one to roast deep."

CT-773B grinned under his visor. "They'll come screaming soon. Same as the last wave."

"Let them scream," said CT-771B, voice flat. "We'll answer with fire."

Above them, a deep tremor vibrated through the mountain. Dust drifted from the ceiling.

"Pressures building up again," CT-775B noted. "They're about to push."

The reinforced doors to the corridor had held for one hour under constant assault. But the enemy was patient and endless.

The tunnel behind the clones curved backwards into a wider complex of medical bunkers, war stores, and fallback points. If this corridor broke, the upper sanctums would be exposed.

"Get ready," said CT-771B.

The door didn't explode. It shuddered.

A dull, resonating thump echoed down the hall like a hammer striking a bell.

Then a second thump.

A third.

And then—

Boom.

The left section of the blast door buckled, then blew inward, sending chunks of reinforced plating tumbling like thrown boulders.

What followed was a hiss, then a roar.

Insects.

Tens of thousands of them were crawling, flying, through the breach.

CT-773B and CT-774B stepped forward without hesitation, raising their flamethrowers.

"Burn!"

The corridor turned orange and white as sheets of fire spewed forward. The front ranks of the swarm ignited instantly, their bodies bursting into flickering ash. The flame painted the tunnel walls in rolling light and shadow, each gout of fire clearing metres at a time.

The insects tried to pour in over their burning kin, but they were all burned to death in seconds. Fire pooled in the breach, forming a molten curtain.

CT-776B switched positions, firing tight, surgical bursts at gaps forming in the swarm.

"They're trying to climb the walls!" he shouted.

"Left corner—cluster building up!" CT-775B warned, swinging his rifle toward a darkened vent.

CT-772B snapped off two precise rail rounds. The vent blew open, acid, and legs exploding outward.

"They're using air shafts," CT-778B said. "We need to fall back."

CT-771B was already issuing the order. "Flamers, back two steps on my mark. The rest of us establish a tight wedge. Let them breach into a kill zone."

The clones moved as one.

The fire died down briefly—then surged again as another wave of attack came through the breach. This time, larger shapes moved among them.

"Suicide variants!" CT-773B barked.

The corridor rocked violently as a new explosion tore the outer door completely apart.

The main breach had come.

Stone cracked. The shockwave blew out every light for thirty metres. The sound was thunder. The tunnel floor split and more insects poured through like a wave of living oil.

"Fall back now!" CT-771B ordered.

The three clones with flamethrowers activated their boosters, retreating in quick, bounding steps—each burst of flame covering their exit with a curtain of fire.

CT-775B and CT-777B laid down suppressive fire, rail guns spitting steel death into the surging tide. Dozens of enemies died with each burst—but it wasn't enough.

"They're not stopping!" CT-779B shouted.

"They never do," CT-772B replied grimly.

As the flame carriers cleared the fallback position, the breach was full—insects piling into the corridor, across walls, floors, and ceiling.

"Execute fallback barricade procedure," CT-771B commanded.

Behind them, the corridor began to seal—metal walls descending in staggered segments, locking into place, forming an artificial choke.

Flamethrowers turned to the final barrier and fired one last time—immolating everything in the gap before the final door slammed shut.

There was silence until the scratching began. The clicking. The scraping of mandibles and claws on the other side of the barricade.

The clones checked their ammo. Refilled fuel cells. Let their suits cool for thirty seconds.

CT-773B sat against the wall, catching his breath. "We can't keep fighting like this."

"This is our only option," CT-778B said. "We fight to the bitter end."

The comms flickered with static, then a brief message:

[OVERSEER AEGIRARCH // PRIORITY ALERT]

Enemy pressure increasing on all fronts. Full collapse predicted in one hour.

All remaining units ordered to hold internal sanctums at all costs.

You are the last line.