RTS System in the Apocalypse: New World

Anton gave the squads several minutes to reload and reorganize.

The wounded were checked first. None of South One’s soldiers required evacuation, though several had bruises from the Tank’s roar, the Vanguard’s cannon fire, and the debris shaken loose from the storefronts.

South One’s three Missile Infantry remained outside.

Their launchers were better kept near the vehicles, where they could respond if another large infected emerged from the commercial center or the underground ramps.

There was no point to put them inside anyway aside from blowing themselves and the other squads.

Dobrev Squad would enter first.

Mercer Squad would follow through the western side of the entrance, while the third squad secured the eastern storefronts and the enclosed walkway connected to the smaller shopping building.

Bastion Two remained behind them.

Its autocannon pointed above the entrance while the coaxial machine gun covered the doors. Big Rhino stopped farther back, where its turret could still turn across the parking lot without placing the infantry beneath its gun.

"South One, prepare to enter," Anton ordered.

Dobrev’s Guardian GIs moved toward the broken doors.

The bodies had to be cleared first. Not only did they stink, but they blocked convenient access inside the buildings.

Several Army Soldiers dragged the nearest infected away by their arms and clothing, opening a path wide enough for the shield pair to pass. Others remained beneath the pile, crushed together so tightly that the soldiers left them where they were.

The Scout crouched near the entrance.

His Attack Dog stood beside him with its head lowered, smelling the air coming from the building.

The animal remained still for several seconds.

Then its ears turned toward the western side of the lobby.

"Movement left," the Scout reported.

The Radar showed the same.

Several markers remained behind the stores near the entrance, while a larger group moved slowly through the central section of the ground floor. More occupied the upper walkways surrounding the open interior.

"Enter," Anton ordered.

The Guardian GIs stepped through together.

Their shields covered most of the opening, one angled toward the western stores and the other toward the central aisle. Dobrev followed behind them with two Army Soldiers, while the rest of the squad waited outside until the first section was clear.

The interior smelled of dust, old food, and rotting bodies.

Sunlight entered through the shattered doors but reached only part of the lobby. Beyond it, the commercial center remained dim. Dead kiosks occupied the central aisle, surrounded by overturned chairs, scattered merchandise, and shopping carts left between the storefronts.

A wide opening farther inside revealed the center of the building.

Escalators connected the upper floors around it.

None of them moved. The electricity cut-off had left them that way for far too long.

The first infected emerged from behind a jewelry kiosk.

It struck the nearest Guardian GI’s shield and clawed across the surface. The soldier held his ground while an Army Soldier fired twice past the shield’s edge.

The infected dropped beside the kiosk. Three more appeared from the western storefront.

"Contact left."

Dobrev’s second Army Soldier fired first. His burst struck one infected across the upper chest and neck, while the Guardian GI turned enough to block another approaching from the side.

The Scout released the Attack Dog.

It crossed the floor, struck the third infected near the waist, and forced it against a display counter. A Conscript followed with two rounds to the head.

"Immediate lobby clear," Dobrev reported.

"Bring the rest in," Anton answered.

The Machine Gunner entered next, carrying his weapon rather than deploying it. The Conscripts and remaining Army Soldiers followed.

Mercer Squad began entering through the western side.

The third squad remained outside.

Hans watched their markers spread through the entrance on the Radar.

The immediate area was secure. Farther inside, the red markers had begun turning toward them.

"The behavior of the infected is very... varied." Hans raised a brow. "Shouldn’t they have heard the ruckus outside?"

He turned to Matilda.

"They heard it," she answered.

Hans looked back at the Radar.

"Then why did only the ones near the entrances move?"

"Hearing a sound does not mean they can identify where it came from."

Matilda pointed toward the commercial center.

South One had fired from the northern avenue, while South Two fought behind the loading yards. Between both forces came rifle fire, autocannons, missiles, and the main guns of two Vanguards.

All of it had struck the building from different sides.

"The concrete, closed storefronts, and underground levels would have carried the sound through the structure," she continued. "Anything deeper inside may have heard several directions at once. Some may also be trapped behind shutters, collapsed sections, or locked rooms."

Hans watched a group of markers on the second floor move toward the central opening.

Others remained inside the stores.

"That still does not explain those standing still."

"No."

Matilda did not attempt to soften the answer.

"We have never seen every infected respond the same way. Some follow noise from several blocks away. Others remain in place until something enters their sight or moves close enough for them to detect."

"Damage to their senses?"

"Possibly. Decay, mutation, injuries sustained before or after infection. We do not have enough information to separate them."

Hans leaned against the side of the SUV.

There had been infected that wandered without purpose, infected that ran toward the smallest disturbance, and others that stood in the same place until one of his soldiers entered the room.

Tyrus’s earlier explanation returned to him.

What everyone called the virus was not entirely different from HELIX. Both forced the body toward evolution, but HELIX had been developed to control the process and keep the subject stable.

At least, from how Tyrus had framed it.

Whatever had spread across Aurelia was stronger, cruder, and indiscriminate.

It did not produce one answer.

Exposure, compatibility, biological stability, and even the person’s ability to hold onto their own mind changed the result. Most failed and became ordinary infected. Others persisted long enough to mutate into something more specialized.

HELIX subjects were merely the controlled side of the same principle. Their bodies leaned toward strength, perception, cognition, or other traits depending on what they could support.

Perhaps the infected were no different. Or perhaps, HELIX also had similar incidents of turning test subjects into these kinds of infected.

One might hear gunfire from several blocks away. Another might have almost no useful hearing left and depend on sight, smell, or movement nearby. Even among those carrying the same infection, their senses did not have to remain the same.

Then there were the hives.

"Could something be holding them here?"

Matilda looked at the clustered markers beneath the building.

"A hive could force nearby infected to move. We already know that much."

"But?"

"They are not moving as one group."

The markers near the northern entrance turned toward Dobrev and Mercer. Those behind the loading bays faced South Two instead. Several underground groups moved toward the ramps, while others remained farther beneath the center.

There was no single direction tying them together.

"If a hive is influencing them, we cannot identify its command from this pattern," Matilda continued. "For now, we should assume every section will react differently once our soldiers reach it."

Hans nodded slowly.

That was less convenient than having every infected charge outside, but it also prevented thousands from falling upon either platoon at once.

Inside the commercial center, another group began moving toward Dobrev Squad.

This time, the response was immediate.

"Dobrev to South One. Movement along the central aisle."

Anton answered at once.

"Hold the lobby. Let them come to you."

Dobrev’s Guardian GIs tightened the entrance formation. The Machine Gunner moved behind an overturned kiosk and lowered his weapon toward the darker section ahead.

Hans watched the markers approach.

Whatever differences existed between them, the infected closest to his soldiers had finally decided where to go.

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