Chapter 20
Aloy crouched low behind a jagged rock, surveying the Eclipse dig site below. Snow blanketed the landscape, broken only by the churned-up earth and towering floodlights illuminating the excavation. Her Focus flickered to life, casting a blue glow over her face as it tagged hostiles—Eclipse soldiers, corrupted Watchers, and one unsettling sight: a hulking Deathbringer, half-buried in the ice and rock. Its metal plating was scorched, with exposed internals, but the fact that it still existed meant it could still be reactivated.
She tapped the side of her Focus, highlighting weak points in the enemy patrols. Her breath misted in the cold air as she moved through the shadows, carefully placing her steps to avoid crunching snow. A Watcher prowled nearby, scanning the perimeter. Aloyreached into her pouch, pulled out a small rock, and tossed it to the side. The Watcher's head jerked toward the sound, and she struck, embedding herspear into its optical sensor. It collapsed with a metallic groan.
One by one, she eliminated the sentries, dragging their bodies into the cover of the ruins. A hacked Watcher scouted ahead for her, sending a silent ping to her Focus when danger was near. Aloy moved like a ghost through the excavation site—until she wasn't.
A panicked shout rang out. A soldier had discovered one of the fallen. "We've got intruders! Sound the alarm!"
Aloy swore under her breath. She took down the guard, but the alarm had been raised. Eclipse soldiers rushed in, bows and corrupted weapons at the ready. The ground trembled as the corrupted machines activated, red optics scanning for threats. A Corruptor leapt onto a nearby platform, its spindly form coiling as it readied its assault.
Aloy ducked behind a rock, drawing her bow. The stealth phase was over—now it was time for war.
She loosed an arrow at the Corruptor's exposed core, causing it to shriek and stagger. More soldiers stormed forward. She fired shock arrows into the ground, stunning them before switching to fire arrows, setting the battlefield alight. A corrupted Ravager fired its energy cannon, forcing Aloy to roll to safety. She landed on one knee, nocking another arrow in an instant.
Then the ground rumbled. A deep, metallic groan echoed through the canyon. The Deathbringer was stirring.
Aloy barely had time to react before the ancient war machine powered up. Panels shifted, gears screeched, and its targeting sensors flickered to life. It was damaged—some of its weapons weren't operational—but it was still a Deathbringer.
Missile pods unfolded. A laser sight locked onto her position.
Aloy sprang into action as missiles erupted from its frame, detonating against the platform she stood on. The explosion sent her hurtling through the air. Instinct took over—she jammed her spear into a metal beam as she fell, slowing her descent. With her other hand, she fired her grappling hook, catching a ledge just in time. Her breath came ragged, but she was alive.
The Deathbringer adjusted its aim. No time to rest.
Aloy fired precision arrows at its exposed heat sinks, dodging more gunfire. She planted tripwires across the battlefield, leading the hulking machine into a deadly path. It tripped one—an explosion rocked its frame. Smoke and flame burst from its chassis, but it wasn't enough.
She needed to overheat it.
Switching to fire arrows, she aimed for the vulnerable vents. The flames spread, and the Deathbringer groaned, its systems failing. With one final shot to its exposed core, the machine collapsed, its massive frame crashing into the ruins.
Aloy took a deep breath. The battle was over, but her mission was far from complete.
She made her way deeper into the base, stepping over the wreckage. A faded emblem caught her eye—a battered metal door bearing the words:
OPERATION: ENDURING VICTORY
Her Focus buzzed, detecting an active hologram nearby. She stepped forward, activating the feed.
A projection flickered into view—an old-world general in full uniform, standing tall as he addressed an unseen audience. His voice was grave, yet reassuring:
"We have a cure for the Faro Plague. But we need time. Time for Dr. Elisabet Sobeck and her team to finish Zero Dawn. Time that only you can give. Your sacrifice today ensures the survival of future generations , our children and their children and many more to come . This is not the end. It is a new beginning."
The hologram faded.
She moved on, deeper into the facility and as she kept moving she kept hearing sound of explosions at a distance and the closer she got she kept seeing signs of Eclipse presence inside . Darting between remnants of the old world she began to get closer and closer to the sounds and she also kept killing the occasional Eclipse officer here and there until she reached a large metal doorway which she opened and found herself on a platform of sorts overlooking a large open area ,like a colosseum of sorts .
And what she saw caused her to grip her bow a bit tighter ." A Deathbringer and this one is fully operational " she said. The explosions and loud sounds she kept hearing was the Eclipse testing the Deathbringers firepower
And as she saw this she chose to just go around it and as she was turning around she shifted her weight to move causing a bit of rubble to fall on the ground .A deep, metallic groan echoed through the area , the Deathbringer had spotted her .
Aloy barely had time to react before a missile whooshed past, obliterating the ledge she stood on. The ground gave way beneath her, and she plunged into the lower levels of the ruined building.
Pain flared in her ribs as she hit the ground hard. She barely managed to swing her spear, jamming it into a rusted beam to slow her descent. Hanging there for a breathless moment, she swung onto another platform, rolling as she landed.
A moment later, the Deathbringer fired again.
Aloy sprinted, zigzagging through rubble as explosions lit up the ruins. She reached for her Tripcaster, setting up a row of electric traps. The moment the Deathbringer stepped forward, arcs of blue energy crackled around its exposed circuits, stunning it for a brief second.
She fired at its heat vents. Direct hit. Fire blossomed across its surface, forcing it into a cooling cycle. Aloy seized the opening, firing more arrows into its weak spots. Another explosion rocked the battlefield as a fuel canister detonated, sending shrapnel flying.
But the Deathbringer wasn't finished. It turned its chainguns toward her, and bullets shredded the walls as she barely dove behind cover.
"Gotta finish this quick," she muttered.
She loaded armor-piercing arrows and aimed at the exposed heat sinks. She fired. One. Two. Three. The Deathbringer roared as its systems overloaded.
Aloy leaped onto a fallen beam, sprinted across its length, and jumped,
Plunging her spear deep into the Deathbringer's core.
With a final, deafening explosion, the metal beast collapsed. Smoke poured from its ruined frame. The battle was over.
Aloy staggered back, catching her breath. The Eclipse were gone. She turned her gaze toward the ruins. The answers she sought were inside.
Stepping through the broken entrance, she saw it....
Another hologram awaited—this one a recording of a council of generals, their faces grim. The general from the previous message stood at the head of the table.
"Zero Dawn… isn't a cure," he admitted. "It's not about saving us. It's about saving Earth. Humanity won't survive. Not as we know it."
Stunned silence. Then outrage.
"We promised them—"
"We promised them hope," the general interrupted. "And we'll give them that."We will strap a rifle to every able-bodied man, woman, and child and point them toward the enemy. And when they fall, we will send more. And more. And more. Until there is no one left to stand. We'll fight to the last man, and we'll make them believe we can win."
Silence. Then the final words by one of the Generals.
"May God forgive us all."
Aloy clenched her fists. They had lied. Sold their people a dream while sending them to die.
Aloy staggered back. "They sent them to die."
A familiar voice crackled to life.
"Oh, don't be naive."
Sylens. His hologram materialized, arms crossed.
"They saw past their own failures," he continued. "Instead of clinging to their doomed existence, they ensured the survival of the human race."
Aloy's jaw tightened. "By lying? By condemning them?"
"By doing what had to be done."
Their gazes met—ideologies clashing in silence. Aloy wanted to argue, but she couldn't deny the result. Humanity had survived.
Sylens' image flickered. "This is only the beginning, Aloy. You have more truths to uncover. Your next destination lies beneath the Eclipse stronghold , To the heart of the Eclipse. There's a facility buried beneath their headquarters. That's where it is designated as Zero Dawn's official facility ."
The signal cut off.
Aloy exhaled, gripping her spear. The path ahead was clear.
She turned, stepping into the darkness—toward the next mystery ,Zero Dawn.