Thebes crouched behind a barricade and peeked over. “They’re moving! Saddam, drone the Rothian. I’ll handle out the Norse.” Right now, Thebes was sitting in the middle of a storm. Energy was fizzing around his location from behind, above and now, in front too. Thanks to his impeccable choice of cover, they wouldn’t be able to focus him as long as he stayed low. But that wouldn’t last long, with soldiers advancing on his position behind. 

Thebes unclipped a drone bomb, like the one Knossos and Saddam both carried too. It was flat and square, larger than a regular grenade. He identified Kjartan’s silhouette and locked that in. He then chucked the drone up into the air, and it sprouted appendages before flying at the towering figure making his way towards him.

Saddam did the same from behind cover up in the apartment block. He locked in Vreta’s distinctive shape before chucking his drone out of the window. He wanted to address the Blue Team soldiers above him, but also couldn’t leave Thebes out there by himself. Saddam emerged from cover. Free from Vreta’s accurate DMR fire, he began devastating the shields of the three marines suppressing his position with laser-focused bursts.

Kjartan saw the danger coming this time. He levelled his square shield at the last moment; it expanded to arch over the top of his head and down to the floor. Kjartan dug his heels in and roared in defiance and the explosive pad connected with the front of his shield and emitted a massive explosion. A billowing cloudfront of fire burst out in all directions, connecting with another fireball from Saddam’s drone.

Kjartan emerged from the explosion with blackened shields, otherwise unharmed. He broke into a run toward Thebes, shield reverting back to its regular form. Thebes started shooting, which in turn put him in the firing line, particularly from behind and up top. However the Blue Team’s forward line had just been broken, forcing the soldiers pursuing Thebes to turn and fight a tactical retreat or risk being overrun. 

“Agent, report.” Thebes grunted, trying to burst Kjartan’s shields in the last few seconds before he’d need to face him. “They’re falling back.” She huffed, bursting through the smoke covering the Red Team’s third. She’d taken one of the Blue team’s assault weapons, as hers had been lost upon her first death. “Most of us are down to our last life.” 595 ducked behind cover when energy splattered across her shield.