The Assault on Skyreach Spire
March 14, 2042 – 6 Hours Until Awakening
The stolen Horizon laptop sat open on my workbench, its screen glowing with the details of Project Echelon's final phase.
Target: Skyreach Spire.
Location: Downtown New Vale City.
Purpose: Primary transmission hub for mutant neural control.
Activation Time: Midnight.
The building wasn't just the tallest skyscraper in the city—it was the epicenter of the engineered apocalypse.
If I didn't destroy the resonance array before midnight, Project Horizon would:
Hijack control of the newly awakened mutants.
Direct them toward key evacuation zones.
Turn New Vale City into a slaughterhouse.
I wiped the sweat from my brow and studied the mission plan one last time.
This was the most complex, dangerous infiltration I'd attempted yet.
I couldn't afford to rush this.
Planning meant survival.
Mission Plan: Skyreach Spire Infiltration
Primary Objective: Disable the Resonance Array
Secondary Objective: Seize or destroy all Horizon command assets.
Key Challenges:
1. Height: 120 floors. Command center located on Level 105.
2. Security: Drone patrols, automated turrets, and biometrically-locked elevators.
3. Personnel: Estimated 20-30 Horizon operatives on-site.Phase 1: Perimeter Breach
Deploy EMP mines to neutralize external defenses.
Use Sky Reaper rifle to eliminate drones from a distance.
Infiltrate via the underground parking garage.
Phase 2: Interior Assault
Bypass elevator locks using a custom frequency disruptor.
Plant explosive charges in the primary server room on Level 85.
Reach Level 105 to destroy the resonance control module.
Phase 3: Evacuation
Exit via the emergency stairwell to the parking garage.
Use SUV remote detonation system to collapse the Spire's transmission antenna.
---
Tech Upgrades and Loadout
I spent the next two hours upgrading my gear. [Hypermind] accelerated the design process, translating theoretical schematics into practical modifications.
---
1. Portable Signal Disruptor – "Jammer"
Purpose: Scramble Horizon communication systems.
Design:
Tri-band transmitter array tuned to disrupt frequencies used by Horizon's drones and internal comms.
Effective Range: 300 meters.
Power Source: Compact graphene battery for 5-minute continuous operation.
Deployment Plan:
Activate in the Skyreach lobby to blind Horizon's overwatch team.
---
2. Plasma Rifle Mk IV – Siege Variant
Modifications:
Increased plasma density for armor penetration.
Adjustable beam width—wide for groups, narrow for precision shots.
Heat management overhaul with a dual-coolant circulation system.
---
3. Explosive Charges – Resonance Disruptor Package
Explosives:
Six C4 bricks with detonator caps wired to a pressure sensor network.
Signal disruptor coils installed to fry neural transmission devices.
Target: Main server hub on Level 85.
I laid out my final loadout:
✔ Plasma Rifle Mk IV (primary weapon).
✔ Sky Reaper Gauss Rifle (long-range drone hunter).
✔ Shock Gauntlets (70,000 volts, reinforced knuckle plates).
✔ Arc Baton (close-quarters engagements).
✔ EMP Mines (3 units).
✔ Screamer Sonic Disruptor (wrist-mounted version).
✔ Explosive Charges (6 packs of C4 with remote triggers).
The gear felt heavy as I strapped it on—but familiar.
I wasn't just a survivor anymore.
I was an engineer preparing for war.
---
04:30 p.m. – The Drive to Skyreach
The armored SUV rumbled through the streets of New Vale City, weaving through abandoned cars and burning wreckage.
The mutation wave was hitting full force now.
I passed:
Mutated dogs with exposed muscle and elongated jaws tearing through a police barricade.
A giant stag beetle the size of a sedan flipping cars with its massive horn.
Groups of civilians with wild eyes turning on each other in fits of rage and panic.
The air itself felt charged, electric, like static before a lightning strike.
I switched on my radio scanner.
Police channels were flooded with desperate voices.
"Unit 5, requesting backup at Main and 7th—Jesus Christ, they're tearing through the barricades!"
"Mutants have breached Mercy Shelter—we can't contain them!"
"Dispatch, do you read? The city's... it's gone."
The collapse was already here.
---
05:15 p.m. – Perimeter Reconnaissance
I parked the SUV in an underground loading bay two blocks from the Spire.
The tower loomed over the skyline—a sleek, glass-and-steel monolith with a massive antenna array crowning its peak.
Thermal scans revealed:
Four aerial drones circling the tower at varying altitudes.
Two rooftop-mounted turret systems.
Twelve guards stationed around the building's perimeter.
I positioned the Sky Reaper rifle on the SUV's hood mount.
---
The drones followed predictable flight patterns—each completing one full orbit every 12 seconds.
I tracked the lead drone.
It hovered near the northwest corner of the tower, sensors sweeping the streets below.
I exhaled and squeezed the trigger.
PHWOOOOM!
The flechette streaked through the air and punched through the drone's fuselage.
Sparks erupted, and it spun wildly before crashing into the street.
The remaining drones altered patterns, tightening their formations.
I fired again.
PHWOOOOM!
Second drone down.
The third drone spotted the muzzle flash and fired its onboard machine gun, rounds shredding the SUV's windshield.
I dropped behind the engine block, recalculated the drone's trajectory, and fired blind.
PHWOOOOM!
The projectile hit the drone's left rotor, sending it spiraling into a building with a metallic screech.
The fourth drone fled upward to signal reinforcements.
I activated the EMP mine launcher mounted beneath the SUV's grille.
The mine launched upward, arcing toward the drone.
BZZZZZT!
The EMP pulse exploded mid-air, and the drone's engines cut out. It plummeted into the sidewalk below.
Drones neutralized.
The guards near the building entrance had seen the drones fall.
They moved into defensive positions, ducking behind concrete barriers and aiming their rifles toward the street.
I fired the Screamer disruptor.
WHEEEEEEE!
The sonic blast hit the guards like a hammer to the skull.
They staggered, disoriented, clutching their helmets.
I moved fast.
The first guard fired blindly, his rounds going wide.
I shot him in the knee.
He screamed and collapsed.
I sprinted forward and smashed my shock gauntlet into his temple.
BZZZZZT!
He convulsed and died instantly.
The second guard tried to retreat toward the entrance.
I activated wide-beam mode on the plasma rifle and fired.
THOOM!
The plasma discharge hit the concrete barrier, melting it into slag and vaporizing the guard behind it.
---
Entering the Spire
I reached the lobby doors and attached a magnetic breaching charge to the security lock.
BEEP… BEEP… BOOM!
The lock blew open, and I slipped inside.
The lobby was pristine, sterile, with a polished marble floor and a row of inactive kiosks.
Two more guards were stationed near the reception desk.
They saw me.
I fired the plasma rifle at the desk's support struts.
The marble collapsed, pinning one guard beneath it.
The other raised his rifle.
I fired again.
The plasma bolt vaporized his torso, scorching the wall behind him.
---
Objective: Server Room on Level 85
I located the elevator bank and pried open the maintenance panel.
The system used a biometric scanner.
I overrode it with a portable frequency disruptor and forced the elevator to descend to Level 85.
As the doors opened, three Horizon soldiers were waiting with rifles raised.
Shit.
I dove out of the elevator, firing as I hit the ground.
THOOM!
The plasma bolt struck one soldier's leg, melting it at the knee.
The other two fired.
Bullets sparking off the metal walls.
I activated my shock gauntlets and charged forward.
The nearest soldier swung his rifle like a bat.
I ducked and punched him in the stomach.
The shock discharge hit him like lightning—he seized up and collapsed, vomiting blood.
The last soldier turned to run.
I kicked his legs out and jammed my Arc Baton into his neck.
BZZZZZT!
His spinal cord snapped from the force.
---
Server Room – Sabotage
The server racks hummed softly. Rows of blinking lights indicated active signal transmission across the city.
I placed three C4 charges around the core processing units and wired them to a frequency detonation trigger.
The display showed:
Signal Activation: T - 5:27:10
Five hours left.
I activated the detonator's countdown timer and headed for the emergency stairwell.
---
The Ascent – Level 105
The climb was brutal.
By the time I reached Level 105, my muscles burned and my lungs heaved.
The door was locked with a reinforced keypad.
I planted my last EMP charge, stepped back, and detonated.
The lock crackled and sparked, and the door swung open.
I raised my plasma rifle and stepped into the control room.
Three technicians sat at the consoles. Two Horizon operatives stood guard.
The operatives raised their rifles.
I fired first.
THOOM!
The plasma bolt blew through both guards, melting armor and flesh together.
The technicians froze in terror.
One of them whispered, "Please… we're just programmers—"
I shot him through the head.
The second one lunged for an emergency shutdown panel.
I activated my Screamer disruptor and fired a sonic pulse at his head.
His skull vibrated violently, and his eyes burst from the pressure.
The last technician collapsed to his knees, sobbing.
I knelt beside him.
"Who authorized Operation Echelon?"
"R-Riker! Captain Riker!" he stammered.
"Where is he?"
The man hesitated.
I pressed my shock gauntlet against his neck.
"Where?"
"Downtown command center… in the old Metro Authority Building…."
I stood and planted three C4 bricks on the resonance equipment.
I reached the ground floor and sprinted toward my SUV, heart racing.
As I reversed down the street, I triggered the detonator.
BOOOOOM!
The top floors of Skyreach Spire exploded, sending glass and debris raining down.
The resonance antenna collapsed, crashing into the adjacent building.
The mutant hordes in the distance faltered, their coordination broken.
One victory.
But Captain Riker was still out there.
And midnight was getting closer.