The alien forest had given way to a sprawling Soomite city, its towering structures and ancient technology long abandoned but still pulsing with residual energy. Kara and her team knew this city held answers—secrets to forgotten knowledge and a potential source of untapped energy that could change everything. They would need to explore it thoroughly, but danger lurked in every corner.

Kara stood behind a six-foot Soomite stone block adorned with ancient carvings, her eyes sharp as she scanned the distant buildings where she had glimpsed movement. Reeve. His presence wasn’t unexpected, but it stirred a deep anger within her. He had always trailed her team, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to pounce. But this time, something felt wrong—his actions were too precise, too methodical. He was laying a trap.

Torik, his rifle slung low but ready, knelt beside her, eyes narrowing at the shadowy shapes moving in the distance. “He’s up to something,” he muttered.

Kara nodded. “He’s leading us into a trap.”

Zera, always curious, leaned in. “Do you think he’ll spring it soon?”

Kara exhaled slowly, her mind working through their next move. “He’ll wait until we’re right where he wants us. We need to be ready for anything.”

Before they could act, a loud mechanical clank echoed through the air, and the ground trembled beneath them. Kara’s heart leaped into her throat as a massive, jagged clawed hand tore through the rubble ahead, pulling the rest of the hulking creature into view. The beast that emerged was immense—towering over the city ruins, its scales glistening in the pale light, its glowing eyes locking onto the team with a primal fury.

Reeve’s trap had been sprung.

“Move!” Kara shouted, her voice cutting through the roar of the creature as it barreled toward them, its monstrous form crashing through the alien architecture like paper. The team scattered, each moving instinctively into position.

Torik fired the first shots, his rifle sparking against the beast’s armored scales, but the bullets barely slowed it down. “We need a new plan!” he called, backpedaling to keep his distance.

 

Ryan, ever the strategist, glanced around wildly. “The structures—look at them! Use them to bring it down!”

Kara’s eyes darted to the towering remnants of the Soomite city. “We could collapse it on top of the thing... but we need to lure it into position.”

Zera, usually the one to jump in without thinking, was already sprinting toward a nearby structure. “Leave that to me!”

As Zera darted between the ruins, firing shots to draw the creature’s attention, Kara and the others took their positions. They only had one shot at this—if the creature didn’t follow Zera, or if the timing was off, it would tear them apart.

With a thunderous crash, the creature lunged at Zera, its massive form barreling toward the trap. Just as it reached the building, Zera dove out of the way, and Ryan detonated a small explosive he had rigged to the supports.

The building collapsed in a cloud of dust and debris, and for a moment, everything went silent.

When the dust cleared, the creature lay motionless beneath the rubble. Kara let out a long breath of relief, her heart still pounding in her chest. They had won, but barely.

“We did it,” Torik said, wiping the sweat from his brow.

But Kara’s relief was short-lived. In the distance, she caught a glimpse of Reeve slipping away, his figure disappearing into the shadows of the city.

“He’s regrouping,” Kara said, her jaw clenched in frustration. “He wanted that thing to do his dirty work. Now he’s going to try something else.”

But this time, Kara knew Reeve’s moves all too well. This was their chance. "While he's regrouping, we strike. We won’t get another opportunity like this to catch him off guard."

Torik nodded, already reloading his weapon. “Let’s not waste it.”

 

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