Athena sprinted off the mark, well aware that taking out key targets now would allow them more time to take ground. There were a few piles of rubble that were higher than everything else, but they weren’t immediately accessible. Instead, she ran to an upturned flier and rested her railgun on its undercarriage.

Looking down the sights, she saw flickers of people moving in between the obstacles at the far end. She focused as laser fire began crackling around them. Even though the sim had changed all their armour colours, she still caught a glimpse of Carthage’s distinctive profile running across the road. She was covered by other running bodies, and there was only a split second window in between cover, but Athena didn’t waste that chance.

She took the shot, and a loud *crack* filled the arena. Athena was accustomed to seeing bodies explode into lumps of flesh at this point, but instead two of the opposite team floated into the air, their shield bright red to indicate they were dead. They drifted back toward the Red Team’s spawn area. Carthage wasn’t one of them.

“I missed her, Carthage is in the building. Changing position.” Athena reported, just as a grenade exploded near their position. She dived to the floor as a curtain of dust rained down on them. “Move!!” Knossos called, jogging through the dust cloud between Vreta and Athena with the bulk of the troops behind him. “Follow me, stay low!”