Three weeks later.
The lights in the briefing room dimmed as Thomas stepped to the front of the stage. The central holotable displayed a rotating 3D topographical scan of western Mecca and the surrounding desert ridges. Red sectors marked Bloom Nest concentrations; a flickering yellow ring circled the estimated position of the Wraith Titan.
The room was silent.
Dozens of Overwatch officers and specialists sat in rows—field operatives, engineers, pilots, and tactical AI handlers. All of them were focused on the man at the front.
Thomas clicked the remote once.
"This is not a raid. It's not a sweep. This is a surgical strike."
He turned to face them.
"We're calling it Operation Black Halo. Our objective is the Wraith Titan. We neutralize it, and the Mecca Bloom Cluster collapses with it."
A new feed appeared. Drone footage showed pulsating towers of biomass rising from cracked earth, twisting skyward like diseased trees. Spore clouds burst from them at regular intervals.
