ARRAS INCIDENT REPORT LOG
FILE ID: NS-IR-354D-6
Classification: Restricted — Wayfinder Clearance Required
Origin System: ARRAS Autonomous Recon & Risk Assessment System
Operational Status: CONTINUITY PROTOCOL ACTIVE
Operational Update
Following the confirmed structural collapse of Oceanspire Command Center, ARRAS has initiated Mission Parameter Revision Protocol under emergency contingency directive Omega-7.
All previously designated Extraction Points (EP) have been nullified.
Mission objective has been reclassified from extraction to drop-off deployment.
The designated personnel unit will no longer be retrieved by command transport.
Instead, the unit will be inserted into a forward operational corridor to proceed independently toward the restricted facility known as IRON HEAVEN.
Area of Operation
Region: Former Houston Metropolitan Zone — Gulf Coastal Sector
Operational Grid Reference: TX-GH-7741-C
Environmental Status:
Urban collapse — Structural instability detected across 62% of the mapped area.
Biological contamination levels remain SEVERE.
Local Time of Deployment
Timestamp: 19:42 CST
ARRAS System Time: 19:42:16 — Synchronization stable
Atmospheric visibility is estimated at 41% due to particulate saturation and structural fires detected within the downtown corridor.
Nightfall conditions are expected within 2 hours.
Unit Composition
Soldier Cell Count: 4 Personnel
Confirmed Members
Marcus Hale — Acting Field Leader
James Calder — Tactical Systems Specialist
Lexi Voss — Reconnaissance Operative
Bart [SURNAME REDACTED] — Biological Containment Specialist
ARRAS continues to monitor biometric signals via remote telemetry. Vital readings currently remain stable.
Mission Reclassification
Previous Objective:
Locate survivor Daniel Hale and recover classified footage.
Mission status: ONGOING
Secondary Objective:
Investigate the system signal originating from the Iron Heaven sector.
Mission status: PRIORITY ESCALATED
Drop-Off Designation
Due to the loss of the Oceanspire command infrastructure, ARRAS has selected a forward operational insertion site.
Drop-Off Zone Identification:
DZ-77 "Gravespan Corridor"
Estimated distance to Iron Heaven perimeter: 1.7 miles
ARRAS will continue remote surveillance and provide navigational data through satellite relay when signal conditions allow.
Arrival Identification Protocol
Upon entering the Iron Heaven Operational Zone, the unit will be automatically registered under a new ARRAS designation.
System Unit Label:
WAYFINDER CELL — WFC-04
Operational Meaning:
Independent tactical cell authorized to proceed without command oversight.
This classification allows ARRAS to track the group as a mobile reconnaissance unit within restricted sectors.
ARRAS System Advisory
Signal analysis confirms that the unidentified network node transmitting through the Iron Heaven sector remains active.
Probability of direct system interference: Unknown
Probability of hostile biological activity in surrounding regions: EXTREME
ARRAS recommends maintaining stealth movement patterns and minimizing exposure within open urban corridors.
Final System Note
ARRAS continues to receive fragmented military data archives originating from the Iron Heaven sector.
System analysis indicates that the Oceanspire command server has ceased operations. The backup server has been assigned for further military development.
Background Process Detected
External archive access request initiated from the Iron Heaven sector.
Authorization key: MAGNUS-PRIME
END OF REPORT
NS-IR-354D-6
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James studied the Incident Report with a frown that slowly deepened as he read through the directives for a second time. There was something about the instructions that unsettled him, though the reason refused to surface clearly in his mind.
Across the room, Lexi accessed the drone's camera feed from her terminal and began scanning the exterior corridors with careful precision.
James eventually handed the tablet back to Marcus.
"I don't understand these directives, sir," he said. "Iron Heaven is heavily guarded by the numbered. If we find your brother, taking him there sounds like the worst possible option."
Marcus leaned against the desk as he studied the report.
"I agree with you. But for now, we need to play along. ARRAS wants the footage my brother recorded, and that makes it valuable to them. If this mission collapses, we can use that leverage."
Lexi's voice broke the silence a moment later.
"The perimeter looks clear, sir. We should move before something notices the drone."
Marcus turned toward Bart, who remained seated on the desk, visibly impatient.
"Are you ready to leave?"
Bart stretched his shoulders before standing.
"It was about time," he replied. "My ears were starting to bleed listening to your conspiracy theories."
Outside, the group moved quickly through the battered streets of the abandoned city while the distant shrieks of morphotypes echoed somewhere far beyond the crumbling skyline.
Night had begun to swallow the horizon, and the ruined avenues around them were cluttered with rusted vehicles, shattered storefronts, and thick vegetation reclaiming the asphalt.
Then James suddenly froze.
"Contact. Eight meters ahead."
A Screamer variant stepped into the middle of the street, its twisted form swaying gently as a low, eerie shriek escaped its throat.
Marcus raised a hand.
"Let's not waste ammunition. We'll take a detour."
The team slipped quietly into the remains of a medical clinic, moving through the dusty hallways until they reached the back entrance.
They stepped outside again.
For a moment, everything was quiet.
Then something dropped from the darkness above them.
The Stalker variant struck the ground with terrifying speed and crashed directly into Bart, pinning him beneath its weight before anyone could react.
Bart's sidearm flew from his grip and skidded across the concrete floor beside a wooden crate.
"Marcus! Help me!"
The Stalker shrieked violently as it clamped down on him like a hunting animal that had finally caught its prey.
Marcus fired first.
James and Lexi joined him instantly, unleashing a storm of bullets into the creature's torso.
"The eye sockets!" Bart shouted desperately. "Aim for the eyes!"
The Stalker slashed across Bart's abdomen, tearing through the fabric of his armor as dark blood spilled onto the pavement.
"I'm out of ammo!" Lexi shouted.
Marcus glanced toward Bart's fallen weapon and sprinted across the ground before grabbing it.
He raised the pistol and fired directly into the creature's eyes.
The Stalker trembled violently before collapsing over Bart's body.
James rushed forward but stopped when he reached the corpse.
He knew that if he tried to move the creature himself, the infected blood could reach his skin.
Marcus lowered his rifle.
"It's too late," he said. "He's already infected."
But Marcus's conclusion proved premature.
The body of the Stalker suddenly shifted.
Bart shoved the corpse off his chest and forced himself to his feet.
"Thanks for nothing," he growled. "That thing almost killed me—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Marcus, James, and Lexi were all aiming their weapons directly at his head.
"Take one more step," Marcus said, "and you will be executed where you stand."
Bart raised both hands.
"I knew it was too good to be true," he muttered. "You planned on breaking your word from the beginning."
Marcus shook his head slightly.
"That is the least of your problems," he replied. "I'm the one asking questions now. You can start by telling us when you infiltrated Oceanspire."
Bart lowered his hands and smiled faintly.
"Oh, Marcus. What makes you believe I'm your enemy?"
Marcus nodded toward his face.
"The scar above your right brow," he said.
Bart instinctively touched his forehead.
Only then did he realize his helmet was gone.
For a moment, he remained silent.
Then he sighed.
"Well... I suppose the jig is up."
Marcus disengaged the safety on his rifle.
"Answer the question. When did you infiltrate Oceanspire?"
Bart looked at him with a calm expression that only made the tension worse.
"I didn't infiltrate anything," he replied. "I was assigned to Oceanspire."
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