The spies made their first successful entry through the Candy trench line. All the nearby guards they managed to bypass were distracted from the recent diversion that nobody noticed. By the time their gaze returned towards the battlefield, the 5 elementals had already taken cover behind a nearby stockpile of supply crates. Dozens of footsteps could be heard shuffling nearby the squad's location along with men shouting orders. Engines revved from tanks and light armored vehicles as they slowly changed defensive positions. Spotlights roamed everywhere around the Candy base, searching for any suspicious activity.

"No matter what happens, defend those generators," Colonel Candy Corn ordered from a guard's communicator. "Those things mean the difference between life and death. Stay alert!"

"Copy, sir. Over and out." A patrol group of 12 began running towards their objective and disappeared from the distance moments later.

The spy leader, Allen peeked over cover to check if the area was clear. No guards were nearby and the elemental took the opportunity to survey his surroundings. Most of the defensive troops remained at the front lines, while some were being redirected to follow Candy Corn's orders. Allen crouched to back into cover to speak with his team mates.

"It won't be long until they realize we're here," he whispered. "Stay in the shadows and follow my lead."

One by one, the spies traveled a short distance to hide behind cover. Two of them sprinted swiftly to avert the passing spotlights, while the other three walked slowly in a crouching stance. Tons of enemies scattered all over the team's position to emphasize there was literally no margin for error. If any of the elementals were exposed for a split second, the whole mission would fail automatically. Finding these so called generators seemed easy enough but the problem was getting to them.

"Form up," Allen signaled. The squad gathered altogether behind a small concrete wall railing. A large road divided their pathway, and dozens of infantry soldiers remained stationary in the area. With no other safe routes to travel, the squad seemingly encountered a dead end.

Before any of the squad members could lament, Allen narrowed his eyes in anticipation and waited for something to change. His prayers were answered when a large convoy of trucks approached and parked directly in the middle. More troops entered the vicinity as they left the vehicles and began unloading cargo.

Taking the chance, Allen motioned his team to follow in close proximity. They would start by crawling underneath the last truck and move their way towards the front. Once they passed through, they would quickly break into a hard right where they could hide inside one of the empty cargo containers. Timing was critical and the elementals took a few moments to control their breathing.

Allen signaled and made a quick dash towards the truck at the back. Once he got close enough, he immediately dove onto his stomach to slide underneath in one smooth motion. The other members followed suit and everyone began crawling forward in unison.

Every elemental was tense in the moment. As they crawled, they would notice countless footsteps moving in several directions. None of the guards had any suspicions to look down luckily, and the team successfully made its approach for the last truck in front.

Allen paused. So far his men have been fortunate enough to venture further into enemy territory undetected. The next part would test his luck even further as it involved crawling outside and sprinting to cover. Everything had to be perfectly executed and the leader took the time he needed prepare himself.

After closing his eyes momentarily, he quickly bolted to his feet and fixed his gaze towards his destination. All that mattered was keeping his footsteps silent and moving without hesitation. The rest of the team kept close with similar thoughts in mind and held their breath.

The road was finally crossed and the elementals took the time to rest. Their faces were covered in sweat both from fear and exhaustion. While the majority recovered themselves, one of the squad members peeked from the hiding spot and checked if they were being followed. The guards remained oblivious apparently, and the elementals could proceed with the mission.

Meanwhile at the Grasslands, the Supreme General stared at his phone. The time was now 4:20 in the morning and there was still no word from the spies ever since. His subordinate, Maddox stared hard at the defenses and tensed his shoulders.

"We're getting close," the major advised.

SG tightened his fists anxiously, "I'm aware of that. All forces will continue to remain on standby. One way or another, we're taking this base."


"Okay," Allen announced. "The generators are a straight shot from here." He turned towards his squad, "What are we up against?"

"We're dealing with at least thirty modern infantry troops, four sentry turrets, and two enforcers," Riggs replied. "We'll need to thin out their numbers first."

"There's an ammo dump not far from here," Hector suggested. "I'd say another distraction is in order."

Allen nodded, "Let's get to it, then. Move out."

The men rushed towards the point of interest as they avoided more spotlights and foot soldiers. Fortunately, there was less guard activity in the area unlike the ones stationed at the front-lines. Two minutes have passed and the squad approached the dump discreetly. While one member knelled to plant an explosive, the other four raised their crossbows in several directions to be on the lookout.

"Alright, done," Gerald said.

"Good work," Allen complimented. "Now let's head back to the primary objective!"

Once everyone regrouped at the previous spot, the squad leader surveyed his surroundings one last time. All of the same guards were still present and Allen signaled his squad member to initiate the diversion.

"Here goes nothing," Garret said nervously. He clicked the detonator in hand.

Riggs quickly asked, "The blast radius won't reach this far, right?"

Hector hissed, "You're asking this now?!"

Before Riggs could answer, a series of deafening explosions went off in the distance. The entire base was lit momentarily as a large fire ball flared upwards to the night sky. Everyone including the spies lost their footing as the ground shook violently.

Seconds after the ground was stable, Allen jumped back to his feet and motioned everyone to move. "Let's go," he exclaimed. Alarms blared throughout the base as smoke and dust settled from the explosion.

The elementals switched out of their flame shields with ease as they sprinted on the go. Within moments, they closed the distance towards the guards and began firing in quick succession. Many of the defenders were still stunned from the explosion and were easily dispatched in seconds. Only the enforcers remained, but right when they recovered, Allen and Gerald each threw fireballs to distract them. The heavy units scrambled frantically in desperation to put out the flames engulfing their armor, but were soon finished off with critical strikes from the two elementals.

Meanwhile, the other squad members shot flame projectiles to disable to the turrets. Each of them landed true to its target as the tripods supporting them were severed. Once the area was adequately clear, Allen motioned everyone to regroup.

"Attention all units," Colonel Candy Corn radioed from the intercom. "We have an intrusion at objective point Abel. All available units are to respond immediately and eliminate all visible threats!"

Allen shot a quick glance towards Riggs, "Start planting those charges! We'll have at least thirty seconds before we have company."

"Yes sir!" Riggs approached the machine and started to setup a fixed timer.

"The rest of you," the leader called out. "Scavenge those weapons and setup a perimeter."

Ten seconds later, Riggs jumped to his feet and shouted, "Stand clear!"

Another deafening explosion echoed across the field as the men hid safely behind cover. Once the flames began to settle, bullets began to ricochet from the incoming guards.

"Over there, I see them," yelled a Candy trooper. Thirty foot soldiers approached the line of sight as they engaged the intruders.

Allen quickly reached for his communicator and contacted SG, "Command, order the bombardment on my position! My men are sitting ducks out here!"

"Copy, coordinates received. Be advised, fire mission danger close."

"You couldn't order the strike elsewhere," Gerald yelled as he was blind-firing with a captured rifle.

Allen retorted, "What choice do we have? The enemy has us zeroed in already!"

Gerald turned away and muttered to himself, "I knew I shouldn't have signed up for this!"

The squad returned fire at the defenders as SG relayed the coordinates. Despite holding the first wave with ease, additional reinforcements began to join the action from two different angles. In time, some of the armored vehicles nearby began to appear alongside the infantry that effectively brought the elementals to a deadly standstill.

"I'm out," exclaimed Gerald.

"Here, last one! Make it count," Hector said as he tossed one of the rifles. Moments later, a stray bullet flew right into his head and collapsed motionless.

"Man down," Garret shouted.

Riggs fired one bullet at a time to conserve ammo, only to miss from being tremendously suppressed. In time, his cover was diminished from the point when he suddenly sustained a wound from his left shoulder. Allen glanced quickly at his squad mate who was now lying on his back and dragged him to safety.

"Hang in there," the leader comforted.

"Just patch me up.. (grunt) I can make it."

Just when three tanks rolled into range, the sound of mobile artillery thundered ominously in the distance. Everyone immediately ceased fire and before they knew it, a chorus of sharp whistles pierced the air before the ordinance impacted the ground. Large masses of dirt and fire sprung around the area, and guards were being rag-dolled by the dozens. Tanks were instantly blown to bits with some of them losing their turrets in the process. As the ground shook violently with no apparent end, the remaining elementals could only lean and clutch into whatever cover they had. From that point on, Allen could only yell in contrast to the explosions.