Gabriel had a few hours of sleep before he and a few other Myrmidons were tasked with guarding again. The others were sleeping, and sometimes they had spent time down on the mines. The only time the miners were allowed to come out were during mealtimes and whenever they were scheduled to sleep. It was only the next rotation after the big fight and now the squad was more alert, though they had to sleep in shifts more. The Fire Nation now knew where their base was located within weeks.
He had fears that it was only the start of another long battle. It would mostly be weeks of patrolling and only a small part of the mission involved combat. The battle from the previous rotation lasted hours, yet there were moments of peace and the whole fight felt longer than that. It was during these hectic moments when he truly felt alive, as blood flowed through him more quickly.
Nowadays he was walking around, which was a bit more exciting than standing in a tower and looking around every few seconds. There was always a little fear, though it never hindered him. He was just supposed to do his best and fight his hardest without being crippled by an emotion. He had years of experience as a regular soldier, but every new battle felt similar, though something was always different. This time, he was fighting in an unfamiliar moon. Maybe the Fire Nation would be the least of his worries.
"I don't see anyone behind these rocks," Gabriel said. "But then again, they must be hiding really well."
"Nothing here either," said Tanbur. "I don't know when they'll be back. The Fire Nation must have a base nearby if they found us so easily."
"We've been patrolling this place for hours," said Rodrigo. I could go a bit further, but I only see emptiness if I'm not looking at the dusty ground."
This was no time to daydream, even though Gabriel wanted to counteract negative thoughts and worries about his family. He didn't feel entirely useless, though, but he was just a small pawn in the war that had been going on for almost a century. He was doing his part, no matter how small his role was in the war effort. He was a super soldier, though, not an ordinary person.
Gabriel turned quickly and let out a sigh of relief as he thought an enemy was behind him with a gun or a blade. Although he was an armored Myrmidon, it would still only take a few bullets to kill him, maybe just one with a lucky shot to the neck. His life could end in less than a second with a silent takedown.
Although he had faster reflexes and was stronger overall, he still felt like a human, not someone superior. He had become deadlier as the serum took hold of him, as he killed many enemies without wasting much ammo.
Sleepiness was still a problem, though, but he always had a lot more energy and endurance as a super soldier, and he could easily force himself awake with a lot of quick and sudden movements. Every time he took a few steps, he would quickly turn back around and aim his gun.
Gabriel walked back and forth in the spot that he was assigned to guard. He had heard nothing and mostly saw the darkness ahead of him. He could barely see some rocks, which were illuminated by his goggles. The place was eerily silent, and Gabriel felt no wind blowing.
He did his best to remain alert. After he finished walking around his assigned space, he stood still for a bit and sometimes looked through his rifle.
As he walked to a new location, he found something that he never thought he would see. His heart rate spiked as his eyes took in the sight and shock settled into his mind as it tried to process everything.
The body of one of his teammates was lying on their stomach and their limbs were sprawled. Gabriel slowly approached it and poked it with his rifle. Flipping the body over, Gabriel saw the name on the soldier's uniform. It was Rodrigo. He couldn't. The material covering his neck was torn. There was a small hole and a bit of blood pouring out. The body lay still and slumped.
As he slipped out of his initial shock and disbelief, he had to report the body, and it was clear that Rodrigo was dead. After his heartbeat calmed, he kept thinking about what he saw and replaying the event of him finding the body and flipping it over to see who it was.
A few tears slid down his face. After a few deep breaths, he activated his communicator, though it took a lot of effort as his hands were shaky. He could mourn with the rest of the squad later. For now, he had to report the body. He was going to wait for everyone else before trying to determine the cause of death. As far as he knew, he didn't see any bodies of Fire Nation soldiers, nor did he hear any gunshots. He was in danger of getting shot, but the area had been silent.
"I've come across a shocking sight," said Gabriel. He didn't try to have any composure and was on the verge of a breakdown. "I found Rodrigo outside the base, dead."
Soon, he lowered his arm as he awaited the arrival of the rest of the squad who were guarding alongside him. He heard the shuffling of feet and the rest of the soldiers we speechless for a few minutes. They then carried the body back to the base before gathering everyone.
The body was laid in the med bay and the outer suit was removed. There was a single stab wound in the side of Rodrigo's neck and some blood was dripping from the slit.
"We'll need to report this," said Kipmi. "It's never easy, but as this war drags on, more young people die. Who found Rodrigo?"
"I did, sergeant," said Gabriel. "I was doing my routine patrol and I stumbled upon him. I heard no gunshots, and I didn't see any action. I didn't even hear any sound of him screaming. He must've gone quite far. It seems like he was stabbed to death, but I saw no proof that any Fire Nation soldiers were there. If the enemy attacked, they left nothing, not even footprints."
"The sands of Polus are quite shifty," said Kipmi. "It's quite easy to hide your tracks, especially on a windy day."
"It doesn't look like there were any other wounds," Tanbur joined in. "I also didn't see any knives and there are no bullet fragments in the neck."
"That rules out the possibility that Rodrigo was shot from a long distance," said Siu. "There has also been no enemy activity for almost an entire rotation, but they could come back anytime."
"Well, all we know is that the cause of death was a knife wound to the neck," said Kipmi. "Now, we must carry on while we figure out who killed him. For now, it's unclear if he was killed by an enemy. It looks suspicious."
Kipmi left, returning with a flag of the Earth Kingdom. It was green with a coin in the middle. The coin was dark green with yellow outlines. They moved and laid the body on a table in an empty room. The flag was laid underneath the table.
The miners were all gathered in the wide room, which had been cleared. Everyone kept their suits on.
"Our brother and brave soldier, Private Rodrigo, was slain," said Kipmi. "He was always diligent in his duty. His death was a bit suspicious, as there had been no signs of activity from the Fire Nation."
Kipmi then lit the body on fire, filling the room with smoke, but everyone had masks so they can breathe safely.
The next few rotations were uneventful and mostly consisted of guard duty. There had been no further signs of enemy activity. Kipmi had told his superiors about his suspicions regarding Rodrigo's death but was hesitant to accuse one of his soldiers of murder. The thoughts occupied his mind as he tried to ask himself different questions. An enhanced human being had been killed using a simple takedown. The killer must've been skilled enough with the kill so that Rodrigo couldn't yell for help. That would mean that he was most likely killed by a Myrmidon.
Gabriel had caught on to his sergeant's change in attitude. He noticed that Kipmi had been preoccupied with Rodrigo's death for a little too long. Gabriel thought that his commander had a personal mission which could potentially interfere with the mission at hand. Soon, he and the other Myrmidons could be dragged into the murder mystery. He personally thought that the death was suspicious, and that there was someone in the base that was secretly working for the Fire Nation. Although Gabriel himself thought the theory made sense, some of the other members of the squad thought it was ridiculous.
On one guarding shift, Kipmi had called Gabriel to meet with him in the command room privately.
"You called me here, sergeant?" Gabriel asked.
"I did, Hoodman," said Kipmi. "As the witness of the dead body, and the one with the pictures, I must ask you a few other questions."
Gabriel internally groaned as he knew that his superior would want to continue trying to solve the mystery on top of following the mission of protecting miners and escorting them when they're ready to deliver resources back to base.
"Did you hear anything when you were guarding?" Kipmi asked.
Gabriel looked up slightly to meet his eyes and opened his mouth to give a calm answer. "No, sergeant. I heard no bullets moving nearby, nor did I hear any screams."
"That's strange," said Kipmi. "It would be impossible to cover someone's mouth when they're in a spacesuit. It's also easy to hear things on Polus when the atmosphere is calm."
"Whoever the killer was, they were quite skilled in taking down a super soldier. I can see why you think the murder was an inside job."
"Who was near you when you first reported the body?"
"It was Tanbur, then Siu and Choi walked in as I carried the body," said Gabriel, not breaking his gaze.
"I'm still unsure if I should suspect anyone of murder. But for now, I must keep an eye on you. You are the most likely suspect."
"What makes you say that?"
"Considering you are the one who is best at wielding knives, it is safe to assume that you were the most likely person to commit the murder."
Kipmi remained calm, but Gabriel knew by the look on his face that his sergeant was serious, and he had just accused him of murder.
"What evidence do you have?"
"Tanbur talked with Choi and Johnson. He said that he had taken a picture of you standing next to the body. For now, you will be closely watched while you're part of this mission. Most of your waking hours will be spent in the bunks, where you will be watched, and you must clean the room regularly."
Gabriel felt a bit cold, and his mind began to panic internally. He had just been accused of murder and was contemplating different ways to defend himself and prove his innocence.
"Sergeant, the picture must've been taken when I just discovered the body."
"I must be careful."
"The murders will stop if you lock me in the bedroom."
"Yes, because you won't be doing anything."
"Well, whoever's accusing me will stop. I'm sure I'm not the killer."
Kipmi showed Gabriel the picture. It was Gabriel standing over the body. Anyone passing by would easily suspect Gabriel of murder.
"I'll need to lock you in our room," said Kipmi. "It's the only way for everyone else to be safe. You'll be cleaning it every time the squad wakes up."
"Well, I'm guessing Tanbur is the one behind it, since he's so eager to blame me," said Gabriel. "He could've easily blamed any of us."
"Don't make any crazy accusations," said Kipmi. "This conversation's over. Go to our room and start cleaning."
Gabriel turned around and walked calmly, then he began to take harder steps once he was alone. He thought that it was so unfair that he had been accused of murder. He wouldn't wish such a thing on his worst enemies. He was tempted to hit something, but he was likely to break anything he wanted to hit. He kept replaying everything and wondering why most of the squad easily believed Tanbur. He spent the next few hours trying to get over the initial shock and let it all materialize in his mind.
He spent some time avoiding the rest of the squad as he went to the room and started cleaning. Starting the routine was the hardest part. He needed an extra push to rule over his thoughts and start cleaning. Gabriel looked at the camera in the ceiling. He took such a deep breath that he was sure everyone else could hear it.
At this time, he felt helpless. Sometimes, Gabriel saw no point in sadness, and why he had to feel it. He felt angry, like he was probably going to punch the next person that approached him. Maybe he just preferred to be angry rather than sad. It was time for him to conduct a personal quest, to see who the real killer was. With a few deep breaths, Gabriel stood up straight and glared at the wall. His main suspect so far was Tanbur, but he could also suspect anyone else who agreed with him.
After a few minutes of cleaning, he calmed down, but he kept believing that he would get angry again. He had to investigate the actions of others to see if they were doing anything suspicious.
No, he wasn't raised to take revenge. Revenge wasn't the way. He was going to spy on his suspects to help solve the mystery, which is more important than personal gain.
If there was a chance that he could be with the rest of the squad, then it would be easier for him to investigate. He just had to wait until the next time he could sleep. Maybe he would be allowed to sleep in the same room as everyone else. It was a bit ridiculous that he had been blamed for the murder. He also thought that anyone else could've done it. If Tanbur was going to pin it on Gabriel, then Gabriel was going to follow Tanbur around to see if he was up to anything. It was possible that there was someone in the squad that was secretly working for the Fire Nation. Or maybe the mining company itself was working for the Fire Nation, even though it had chosen the side of the Earth Kingdom instead of remaining neutral and selling resources to both sides. Maybe that's why their base was discovered and attacked so quickly.
There was a knock on his door. Gabriel took a few deep breaths to calm down so that he would think rationally rather than open the door and take his frustrations out on the person behind him.
He saw Siu on the other side. She had ditched her combat gear and her hair was in a braid, which rested over her left shoulder.
"Hey, Hoodman," she said. "I heard about what happened. I know this doesn't mean much, but I want you to know that I don't think you were behind the murder. You just discovered the body. I can't deny that I'm more afraid now. It's possible that there's an impostor among us."
"That means a lot, Siu," said Gabriel. "I've been so frustrated for the past few hours, and now I feel the need to investigate the murder just like Kipmi. Unlike him, I'm doing it to clear my name."
"Well, who would you suspect?"
"If Tanbur is accusing me, then I'll accuse him back. Maybe we're both investigating each other at the same time."
"Well, I've got your back. That's all I can say."
"Alright. I'm sure I understand what you're thinking about."
It was soon time for everyone to eat and Gabriel was allowed to rejoin the squad for lunch. On the way there, Gabriel had a slight bit of hope that Siu was going to help spy on Tanbur for him if he needed the help. He still wasn't sure if he was allowed to sleep in the same room as everyone else. Although many people were suspicious of him and kept their guard up, they still let Gabriel do his work, just under constant supervision, and the fact that there were cameras everywhere around the base.
Once it was time to sleep, Gabriel had been allowed in the room with everyone else. Although Kipmi still kept most of the suspicions on him, he thought that it was a little extreme to jump to conclusions and immediately give Gabriel a trial to see if he was guilty.
That night, Gabriel shivered in fear due to the possibility of being executed by firing squad. He moved around in the bed, knowing there was a camera in the room, but he wasn't sure about its exact location. He had spent a lot of time thinking about his personal mission. He was no longer helpless or frustrated but was instead filled with determination.