Chapter 1: BURN THEM TO ASHES
Richmond, Virginia — 3 Years Later
War never left Richmond. It lived in the skyline. Blackened buildings. Hollow streets. Smoke that never fully cleared. Drones moved overhead in slow patrol patterns, their faint hum echoing through a city that refused to die. But inside Forward Operating Base Echo-7— Things were different.
Boots moved in rhythm across the concrete staging yard. Marines. Soldiers. Operators. Different branches. Same purpose. Bradley vehicles idled in position. Supply crews moved between them, loading gear, checking weapons, running final diagnostics. This wasn’t survival anymore. This was war.
At the center of the yard— Two figures stood at attention. Captain Eve Velez didn’t move. Her posture was exact. Uniform clean. Rank freshly pinned. Her expression gave nothing away, but there was weight behind her eyes now. Experience. Control. She wasn’t the same girl who escaped the academy.
Beside her stood Captain Lena Velez. Same rank. Same stillness. Different Presence. Where Eve was quiet pressure... Lena carried confidence like a weapon. Calm. Sharp. The faintest hint of a smirk resting beneath discipline.
Across from them— Brigadier General Fisher stepped forward. The yard went silent. Behind him stood Colonel Jaren Velez and Lieutenant Colonel Dan Cutler. Jaren’s gaze stayed locked on Eve. Not as a father. As a commander. Cutler stood beside him, arms folded, watching everything. Measuring. Fisher stopped in front of them. “Three years ago,” he said, his voice carrying across the yard, “you were cadets.” No one moved. “You were tested. Broken. Rebuilt.” A pause. “And you survived.” His eyes shifted between them. “Today... you don’t survive.” Another step forward. “You lead.”
He reached forward and pinned the Captain insignia onto Eve’s uniform. The metal clicked into place. Final. “Captain Eve Velez,” he said. “You are hereby given command of Task Force Twenty-Two under MARSOC Division.”
Then he turned to Lena and did the same. “Captain Lena Velez. Executive Officer.” A brief pause. “Don’t make me regret it, princess.” Eve didn’t hesitate. “Yes, sir.” Lena followed. “Won’t happen, sir.” Fisher stepped back. That was it. No applause. No ceremony. Because this wasn’t a reward. It was responsibility.
Jaren stepped forward next. For a moment... something shifted. “You made it,” he said. Eve held his gaze. “Yes, sir.” That was all. Cutler nodded slightly toward Lena. “Captain.” “Sir.” “Let’s see if you can keep up.” Lena’s smirk showed just a little. “Wouldn’t have taken the rank if I couldn’t.” Cutler almost smiled. Almost.
They saluted their commanding officer and then were dismissed to head to MARSOC Command — Briefing Hall
The doors slid open. Task Force Twenty-Two was already inside. Lined up. Waiting. At the front stood Agent Cadwell. Clean suit. Sharp eyes. Watching everything. Beside him stood the man they only ever called one thing. Master Chief. Broad shoulders. Weathered face. Navy to the core. The kind of presence that didn’t need to speak to command respect. He looked at Eve. Studied her. Then gave a single nod. Approved. “Task Force Twenty-Two,” Cadwell announced. “Commanding Officer on deck.”
Everyone snapped to attention. Eve stepped forward. Savvy stood among them, now wearing Master Sergeant stripes. Staff Sergeant Ortega stood nearby. LeftEye. Dozer. Doc. And three new faces. A tall Pacific Islander stepped forward first. “First Lieutenant Adam Kahele, ma’am.” Strong build. Grounded voice.
Next— “First Lieutenant Lin Bingqing.” Calm. Precise. Watching everything. Then— “Junior Lieutenant Maksim Volkov.” Quiet. Focused. Controlled. Eve looked at all of them. One by one. This wasn’t a unit she inherited. This was a unit she would lead into war.
“Welcome to Task Force Twenty-Two,” she said. No speech. No theatrics. “We move as one unit. We fight as one unit.” A slight pause. “And we finish this war as one unit.” Silence held the room. “If you can’t keep up—” Her voice sharpened just enough. “There’s the doors. Make sure you close it on the way out.” “Understood, ma’am!”
The doors opened again. Fisher entered. “Briefing starts now.” Lights dimmed. The screen came alive. Baltimore burned across the display. “Current AO,” Fisher said. “O.N.E has fortified Baltimore into an experimental zone.” Images shifted. Labs. Creatures. Destruction. “Six confirmed known facilities are marked for immediate investigation.” The map zoomed in. “Seventh Cavalry Division and First Marine Division are already engaged.” Explosions filled the screen. “They’re taking heavy losses.”
Next image— Large mechanized units. “Sixteen confirmed mech tanks.” Then— The X-8s. The creatures from the first time they had fought in Richmond only this time they were faster, stronger, and deadlier. A silence settled over the room.
Fisher looked directly at Eve. “Task Force Twenty-Two... you’re taking one of the labs.” Her objective lit up on the screen. “Heavily defended. Air defenses in four surrounding sectors.” Bradley vehicles appeared. “You’ll link with Two-Seven Cavalry for ground escort.” Abrams tanks followed. “Four M1A4 Abrams will support your convoy.” He stepped closer. “You take out those air defenses—” Apache helicopters filled the display. “—you get air support.” Then— A-10 Warthogs tore across the screen. “And they will level everything in your path.” A pause. Then— “We’re assigning you this target for a reason.” His eyes locked on Eve. “Your ability.” No one spoke. “Use it.” Silence. Real. Heavy.
Eve stepped forward. Looked at the map. Then at her team. Decision made. “Task Force Twenty-Two,” she said. “Gear up.” A beat. “We roll out in thirty.”
