Backstory 7

One let out a bitter laugh. "Guess you guys were too preoccupied to notice, but the energy barrier? It shrank by at least half. Seven and I were running from that thing for a good three hours."

"What?!" Five and Eight both stared at him, stunned. Half the size? This was only day four. What would it look like by the last day?

Quickly, Five pulled out a map from his pack, unrolling it on the ground. "This is what I've managed to map so far," he said, trying to refocus.

One knelt down, examining it. "Nice work—looks like you started on the west side," he noted. "We must've started on the opposite end."

Seven peered over One's shoulder, nodding. "Yeah, it makes sense, seeing where we met up."

One squinted, his brow furrowing. "It's good progress, but… why does this seem so sparse? I'm not saying you didn't do a great job, Five, but beyond the river, the waterfall, and a couple of supply spots, there's hardly anything but robots marked here."

Five paused, looking down at his own map. "Huh," he murmured. It hadn't clicked until now, but he realized One was right—most of the areas he'd mapped were just... robots and trees.

"It really feels like the Chairman skimped on the environment this time," Five muttered, examining the rough map. "It's like he just threw in twice as many robots to make up for it."

One nodded thoughtfully. "Probably trying to throw us off balance with pure numbers."

"Yeah, well, we'll worry about his motives later," Five replied, setting the map on the ground. "For now, One, Seven—tell me about your side. Are there any landmarks, big spots, or weird tech setups? I'm goanna start marking it all here."

One blinked, then dove into recounting everything they'd seen. "Right, so first we ran into some Wolves—no surprise there. We Pushed through those and found a huge cave, practically crawling with those bug drones that explode. We're calling them 'flying bug bombs' for now."

"Oh yeah, those," Seven chimed in, arms crossed with a wry grin. "Found a decent rifle and some ammo in there, too. And further on, there was a river—same one you and Eight mentioned, I bet."

Five nodded, quickly jotting it all down. "Okay, so we've got wolves, bug bombs, a river... Anything else that stands out?"

Seven thought for a moment. "Nothing major—unless you count a few shredded Wolf drones. We took some out along the way, so you might see fewer on our path."

"Perfect," Five said, making the last marks. "This is a solid map to go off now. Thanks, both of you." he said, putting the map back in his backpack, but before he did that, he made sure to add the Iron Wardens to the map.

We should all get some rest right now. Who knows what will happen tomorrow? I will take first watch all of you to get some sleep. I will wake up one of you when its your time to take over.

As the sun's first rays breaking over the trees, Seven took a deep breath, savoring the rare stillness. But then, she heard it—a faint, humming sound that sent a chill down her spine. Turning quickly, her eyes went wide. "Everyone, wake up!" she yelled, her voice sharp with urgency.

One was already stirring, rubbing his eyes. "Seven, what's—" He cut off as the sound reached him, his face tightening. "Five! Eight! Get up—now!"

Eight blinked groggily. "What's happening?"

One pointed ahead, his voice tense. "The barrier. It's closing fast—we need to move. Follow me!"

They took off, weaving through the trees, pushing through branches and underbrush as they ran. Suddenly, Seven glanced up and froze mid-stride. "Did you see that? Something's up there, in the trees."

A shadow flashed above them—a metallic tail whipping through the branches before vanishing.

"Shade Runners!" One shouted. "Everyone, stay sharp! They're all around us!"

Eight groaned, his gaze darting up. "They really sent Shade Runners?"

One nodded, voice steady but tense. "Fastest things Project Eclipse has. They aren't strong, but they're relentless. And they know these trees better than we do. Keep moving!"

They surged forward, picking up speed. Without warning, a panther-shaped Shade Runner leaped out from the branches, jaws snapping at Five. Without breaking stride, Five ducked, delivering a powerful punch to its belly that sent it crashing back into the shadows.

"Nice work, Five!" Seven called, but her voice was tight with focus as another Shade Runner lunged from her right. She twisted, barely evading its swipe.

One glanced over his shoulder, seeing more Shade Runners gathering in the trees, poised to strike. And that barrier—it was dangerously close now, trapping them with these hunting machines. He swore under his breath, realizing they'd never outrun both threats.

"We're sitting ducks like this." One's voice cut through the tension. "Split up! They can't follow us all. Move in and out of cover—if you get a chance to take one down, do it. Let's thin their numbers."

The group nodded, breaking off in different directions as they darted in and out of trees. One stayed low, using the thick roots for cover, while Seven fired shots up into the branches, disorienting the Shade Runners.

Another Shade Runner lunged at Five, but he rolled to the side and swung his arm, smashing its leg in a swift, powerful blow. It crumpled, and Five darted back into the trees, already looking for his next target.

One, catching sight of another robot above, aimed his assault rifle and fired off a burst, causing it to fall from its perch with a metallic screech. "Keep pushing!" he called, dodging as another ran past him, fast as a shadow.

They cut through the forest, dodging, striking, and regrouping in bursts of teamwork and skill. The Shade Runners were fierce, but under One's quick thinking and coordination, the team turned their speed against them. One by one, the robots fell, each taken down by quick, decisive blows.

Finally, as the barrier slowed to a halt, they regrouped, bruised but victorious, with the fallen Shade Runners scattered around them.

Seven smirked, catching her breath. "Remind me not to trust quiet mornings again."

One grinned, giving her a nod. "That makes four of us," he said, looking at everyone.