Story 500: Ashes of Victory

The world around them burned. The helicopter had vanished into a horizon of smoke and fire, leaving the team stranded in an inferno. The briefcase, now secured to Rook’s back, felt heavier than it should. They had the intel—but getting out alive was another story.

Rook scanned the area as the ground beneath them crackled with embers. “This is it, team,” he said, his voice cutting through the chaos. “We either finish this mission or die trying. No second chances.”

Bulwark wiped soot from his face, gripping his heavy machine gun. “What’s the extraction plan, Commander? Because this place is about to collapse.”

Rook pointed toward a distant ridge, barely visible through the fiery haze. “The rendezvous point is on the other side of that ridge. We move now.”

Ghost crouched, his movements silent despite the raging fire. “Enemy forces are closing in. They’ll block us before we get there.”