Gabriel heard the unmistakable voice of his commander's frantic attempts at waking him up. After forcing his eyes open, he wasted no time in putting his armor on before grabbing his rifle. His weapons were already loaded. The pockets at the bottom of his vest still had a few magazines and grenades.

Once he was fully equipped, he followed the other Myrmidons outside. The APC was positioned close to the entrance, but the enemy was attacking through the opposite side.

"Hoodman, Siu, I need you to cover our right side in case the enemy tries to flank," said Kipmi.

"Right away, sergeant," said Gabriel and Siu.

They rushed to the outside of the camp. Although Gabriel sprinted for a long distance, his heartbeat didn't increase much, and he was still breathing at a normal pace by the time he positioned himself beside some of the rocks.

There were a few APCs that were rolling towards the wall. The gunners were focused on shooting at the towers. Each APC had two gunners, one on the front, and another on the back. Gabriel and Siu had to find a good angle from the rocks that they were standing on. They had a bit of high ground and cover from climbing on the slopes behind the tall columns of stone.

Behind multiple rows of APCs were dozens of infantrymen. They stood in lines behind the vehicles.

Gabriel and Siu fired upon the soldiers on the turrets. With the combined effort of their team, they made quick work of them. The firing had slowed down, though soldiers poured out of each vehicle.

Gabriel focused on shooting from the side. He had already killed at least a dozen soldiers and his magazine still wasn't empty. Siu was watching from the side, waiting to see if any soldiers want to pass through it to flank them.

A few minutes later, Siu launched grenades, hoping they would land on top of the APCs to damage the turrets. She had been successful with three of them. After that, she focused on launching grenades on the soldiers that had clustered together.

Both Gabriel and Siu checked the path that led to their position. When Siu spotted a few enemies walking slowly into her view, she opened fire and they all dropped dead.

The bodies were piling up near the wall of the base, but the enemy kept sending more groups of soldiers to push forward.

Gabriel was running low on ammo. He had exhausted his rifle's ammo and was using his pistol. After shooting three enemies with his last bullets, he alerted Kipmi, who told him to run back to base to resupply his ammo and grenades. He had to be careful, as there were some enemies that had found another way to flank. They had managed to evade fire from the frontal defense.

Gabriel approached one from behind and effortlessly snapped his neck. Another enemy turned around with her gun, but Gabriel kicked the weapon out of the way. He then spun and threw a kick, landing in the middle of her chest. The woman was launched several feet into the air, and she hit the wall of the base before falling motionlessly.

After running for almost a minute, Gabriel walked into the armory and grabbed the necessary magazines for his rifle and pistol. The armory was mostly untouched, which surprised Gabriel. He thought that the enemy didn't care too much. There were a lot of spare magazines.

"Hoodman," said Kipmi. "A tank has just rolled in. I need you to grab as many rocket launchers as you can carry."

Strapping his rifle to his back, Gabriel grabbed four. He could strap two on his back and hold another two with each hand. Although he could effortlessly carry each launcher, it was a bit hard to balance on each hand since he was only using one hand for each of them.

Each launcher had a big magazine that could hold six rockets each. The weapon was rectangular and had a foregrip along with the grip for the trigger. The barrel was wide, and overall, the weapon was four feet long.

Gabriel pointed the weapons upwards and kept his fingers away from the triggers. That way, he could run. Although he was a walking armory, with pockets full of magazines and explosives, and carrying heavy weapons, the weight felt like nothing to him. Although he was strong enough to carry approximately 50 pounds of weaponry and gear, he still had a capacity limit, and there was no more space for him to carry anything else. He ran over to one of the guard towers where Kipmi was.

"Thank you, Hoodman. We'll take your launchers. Keep one for yourself," said Kipmi.

Kipmi grabbed one, and so did Tanbur and Johnson.

"Sergeant," Gabriel said, "how's our evacuation going?"

"The part of the mining team that you accompanied is being escorted by Ghuvi and Larsen," said Kipmi. "I ordered them to take the miners home before we slept and they're riding in the same vehicle. They've had no reports of enemy activity, and they say they're about an hour away from the base."

Gabriel didn't think about time during the battle, but now he saw that just over three hours had passed.

"Protect our left flank with Choi," said Kipmi. "Be on the alert when I give the order to fall back. We can't hold this base forever, and that's not part of the plan. We're just delaying the enemy's advance while we get the miners back home to Amlin."

"What about Joo Dee?" Gabriel asked.

"We'll come get them later," said Kipmi. "Now don't delay and run over to Choi's position."

"Yes, sergeant," said Gabriel, and he took off, holding his rocket launcher in both hands.

Gabriel reached Choi's position, which was on lower ground than the other position that he had to defend earlier, but it was well-hidden. There was a bit of distance between him and the enemy.

He spotted Choi in no time, who was firing bullets calmly and collectedly. She was softly pressing the trigger, releasing between one and three shots with every pull. Although the position was hidden, Gabriel still had a wide enough view of the enemy's advance.

Moments later, he saw a tank roll forward. Within seconds, it was rocked by an explosion between the base of the turret and the vehicle's body. The tank stopped moving and surviving crew members abandoned it.

Gabriel saw parts of the wall and towers where the rest of the team was shooting. His heartbeat then skyrocketed when a tank behind a row of vehicles stopped and raised its barrel. He had a split second to take a good look at the tank. He raised his launcher, firing a rocket at its tracks. The tracks were broken, immobilizing the vehicle. The tank's long, thick barrel stopped moving and didn't fire. Gabriel shot another rocket at the turret, where he could clearly see the Fire Nation insignia. The tank was massive and could intimidate its enemies, but at the same time, it was an easy target for a soldier on foot. The smooth metal of the tank's armor was cracked and dented by two well-placed rocket shots.

His worry having lessened for a bit, Gabriel switched to his rifle, shooting the tank crew as they escaped. He also shot other soldiers that were standing behind the rows of vehicles. He and Choi spent a few seconds behind cover in case the enemy fired at their position.

Gabriel looked up and saw an explosion hit the guard tower that was far from his side. The roof collapsed, and it was unclear if anyone in his squad escaped in time.

He then saw the tanks begin to breach the walls. Each shot made dents and eventually, the wall was full of holes and slowly crumbled. The remaining handful of tanks rolled forward, with soldiers walking closely behind.

Gabriel and Choi opened fire on the soldiers. When any of them turned in their direction and tried to shoot, they were quickly killed.

Gabriel moved a bit closer. Standing between two rocks, he fired a rocket and aimed for the tank's side, where there was less armor. The rocket hit the tank between the turret and the base, and the tank stopped moving. There was a hole where the rocket penetrated.

The Fire Nation had used eight tanks in the assault, and they had all been destroyed, but they managed to last long enough to push close to the defense and destroy one tower and the wall. The rest of the infantry was able to push forward, but the Myrmidons were able to shred through the remaining dozens of soldiers, and the bodies piled up near the gap where the wall once was.

Kipmi's voice was heard through the communicator. "Everyone who was in that tower when it was destroyed survived. They weren't injured too severely, and they can continue fighting. We will now try to rescue Joo Dee and the rest of her team. We would need to be careful because she said there were a lot of enemies in the area. Maybe that's where they're launching their attacks from.

"Everyone regroup where the wall was breached. Then, we will make our way towards Joo Dee's position."

Within seconds, the Myrmidons regrouped next to the camp. Everyone was standing strong, and Gabriel's heartbeat calmed knowing that everyone had escaped injury from the tanks.

They then walked to the rocks where Gabriel originally was positioned beside Siu. The area became narrow, though sunlight managed to penetrate well enough for everyone to see without flashlights. Carefully aiming their weapons, they advanced, with Tanbur guarding from behind with his machine gun. The heavy weapon was fed with a big box for a magazine.

Within a few minutes, Kipmi signaled for them to stop. Gabriel and Choi were beside him, and they could spot a few enemies patrolling the area with high cliffs. Gabriel could spot multiple soldiers on top of some of the cliffs. There was an area where there was a wider mountain. He guessed that there were a lot of soldiers on top as well.

"Spread out," Kipmi said quietly.

Everyone split up and went their separate ways in the maze of pillars and boulders.

Gabriel walked around, waiting for Kipmi to find Joo Dee's position. There were small caves nearby. Whenever he saw an enemy walking nearby, he would turn around and retreated towards a small hole.

"I found the way to Joo Dee's position," said Kipmi. "I can go straight into a wide-open area between the cliffs. I believe there is another way we can sneak through. We don't want to be out in the open. I see multiple other entrances. Everyone try and find a way to these coordinates. If you are spotted and attacked, fire back. We will hopefully fight hard enough to create a diversion and enable the miners to escape."

On the device on Gabriel's wrist, he could see a small map. He saw the dot that represented Joo Dee's position. If he followed the narrow path, he would be covered, unless the enemy was standing on the nearby cliffs. Otherwise, he was a bit hidden, given how narrow the path was between two tall walls of rock.

"I'm getting closer to the cave where Joo Dee and the miners are hiding," said Tanbur. "Don't go into the wide clearing. That place has many patrols. Maybe there are more enemies on top of the cliffs."

"Good to know, Tanbur," said Kipmi. "We'll do our best to stay hidden and go through any narrow paths."

Gabriel looked up. Although the canyon was well-lit, it was still a bit scary, with the lack of sound and the chances of enemies being nearby.

After a few minutes, Gabriel looked behind him to make sure he wasn't being followed. He was near the entrance of the cave where the miners were hiding, but he was dangerously close to the clearing in the canyon. He peeked shortly. The space was bigger than any other open space. The wall on the other side was far from him and it looked short, even though he knew that the cliff face ascended around a hundred feet high. Countless soldiers were walking on the stone clearing. They even had a few artillery pieces. There was a tall cannon that pointed diagonally in the sky. There were other smaller cannons that pointed horizontally in multiple directions.

Gabriel stayed hidden, watching behind him for any soldiers that want to sneak up on him. He stayed alert, keeping his rifle raised.

"I found the entrance to the cave where the rest of the miners are," Gabriel heard Tanbur's voice through the communicator. "Stay hidden and walk beside the cliffs surrounding the area behind the cannons."

"On my way," said Gabriel.

He continued to take slow and quiet steps through the path. His rifle was raised, though he sometimes lowered it and wasn't constantly looking through the sight. He stopped for a bit to look at his surroundings. He continued to walk when he heard a loud blast.

Upon hearing it, he sat with his back to the rocks, aiming his rifle forward. He guessed that the enemies fired a cannon toward the other members of his squad. He didn't have time to think before he saw enemy soldiers charging at him. He quickly killed them with his rifle. He saw more enemies pour in through the path where he came from. Gabriel had no choice but to run away, and he ended up running into the middle where all the cannons were.

While the enemy soldiers slowly turned their cannons toward him, some soldiers nearby aimed their rifles. Gabriel had to brave the gunfire and sprinted, catching the enemy by surprise and causing them to panic. He then leapt several feet behind the cannons. The panicked enemies were unable to react in time, and they were unable to hit Gabriel. He felt a strong breeze while sprinting and he wouldn't be surprised if any bullets grazed him.

After shooting and stabbing the enemies that manned the cannons, Gabriel looked around and saw Choi and Siu in the middle next to some of the cannons. He approached them.

"We need to get to that cave now," said Gabriel.

"The rest of them are on their way," said Siu.

They quickly ran and regrouped with Kipmi and Johnson. There was another narrow path that led to a darker area. As they regrouped, gunfire came from the darkness, then enemies came running in.

The group scattered as a rocket hit them, knocking Choi off her feet.

"Tanbur!" Kipmi called. "We need help!"

"Sergeant, I'm pinned down!" Tanbur's frantic voice yelled. "But the miners are still safe for now! I can help them retreat while we keep the enemy distracted."

"I've lost contact with Tanbur," said Kipmi a few seconds later. "And now I can't contact Joo Dee and the miners now."

Choi recovered and continued to shoot back. The enemy was quickly gaining ground and were coming from different directions.

"We must retreat!" said Kipmi.

Gabriel began to think about what would've happened if Larsen and Ghuvi were with them. He quickly concluded that they would still be forced to retreat, and it wouldn't make much of a difference.

Fortunately, there was an entrance that wasn't blocked by enemies. The five of them threw their explosives at the clumps of soldiers, forcing them to scatter. With that window of time, the Myrmidons retreated towards the path back to the mine. They managed to reach the path before the enemy could occupy it.

The numerically superior enemy was quick to catch up, though, and some members of the squad turned around to fire back. Kipmi and Siu were ahead of the group, running quickly, but occasionally turning back to shoot. Gabriel, Choi, and Johnson were walking backwards and shooting at the enemy.

Johnson shook as he was hit by a volley of rifle fire. He was able to kill two more enemies before multiple parts of his body were riddled with bullets and he dropped to the ground.

Gabriel's heartbeat briefly increased before his legs were able to move again, and he took a few more shots before turning and running. He knew that Johnson was gone. He had just witnessed a super soldier get killed in battle. Although Myrmidons had many augmentations, they could still be felled if struck in vital areas, though it may take tremendous effort to take one down. With no reinforcements, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the squad would get overwhelmed by the seemingly endless hordes of Fire Nation soldiers.

The four of them retreated towards the mine. They then hopped into the APC. Kipmi rushed to the driver's seat and slammed the gas pedal, wanting nothing more than a hasty retreat.

"Some of the miners should be back at the colony by now," said Kipmi. "We must live to fight another day."

There was a pause where Kipmi contacted Larsen.

"We're in full retreat," said Kipmi. "We were unable to rescue Joo Dee and the rest of the miners. Sadly, Johnson was killed, and we don't know what happened to Tanbur. For now, Tanbur is MIA. Maybe he's with Joo Dee and the rest of the team. It's unclear if they were all killed. I've lost contact with them, and I have no choice but to retreat."

There was another bit of silence where Kipmi hung up. He then looked up slightly. "Larsen says the miners are safe and that they have been there for a while. I'm not sure how Lieutenant Williams will feel about this. I feel like I've abandoned the miners."

"We did everything we could," said Choi. "The end goal was to retreat. The place was crawling with enemies. There was no hope for success. If we stayed longer, we all would've died."

"I know we've lost badly," said Kipmi. "But surely, we gave the enemy a hard time. We've probably spent about a rotation fighting for the mine and we've probably killed at least a few hundred of them in total. It's now time for me to give Lieutenant Williams an update."

Kipmi explained everything to his superior.

"He says we made the right choice in retreating when we were attacked," said Kipmi. "Surprisingly, he was quite understanding. We had no choice but to leave Tanbur and the miners behind, or we'd all be dead. I can't assume too much, but I'm just thinking that the miners would be spared, but Tanbur would probably be killed."

The rest of the ride was quiet. Gabriel was constantly debating whether they did the right thing or not, and what would've happened if they stayed and fought a little longer. His squad may have been few in number, but they managed to kill hundreds of enemies thanks to their augmented aiming skills. He hoped that their efforts weakened or slowed the enemy's advance, but if the Fire Nation kept pouring soldiers to their position, their attacks might escalate to a war on Polus. This time, there weren't a lot of crazy theories that came into mind, as he was still reeling from the many hours that he and his squad spent retaking the base. He wasn't about to continue wondering if someone in the squad was secretly supporting the Fire Nation.

He was still thinking that someone within the squad was leading the enemy to their base. If there was an impostor, he hoped to catch them without needing to wait for other people to be killed so that he could narrow down his list of candidates. He had a little bit of suspicion about Johnson, but he was now saddened at his comrade's death. Johnson had been a great soldier to be around, and he had fought bravely in the last days of his life.

Now wasn't a time for him to be playing detective. There were bigger things to worry about. It was obvious that he wasn't supposed to share anymore things about his suspicions. No one would want to hear it and he was sure most of the squad apart from Siu would think he was crazy. He wouldn't easily assume that Tanbur was dead, but if he had survived, it would be difficult for him to return to Amlin. Maybe he could somehow return the miners, but it was highly unlikely that he could escape with them by himself.

He then closed his eyes, reeling from the loss of Johnson, and the possibility that Tanbur had been killed or captured. He was feeling a bit hopeless and wasn't worried about the enemy right now. Maybe the enemy was pursuing them, or their escape was fast enough.

He was also awaiting the meeting with Lieutenant Williams. It didn't sound like Kipmi would be reprimanded for his failure. There was always a better way that the mission could've gone. The lieutenant clearly ordered that it would be better for the Myrmidons to save their lives and continue fighting rather than all die after getting exhausted from fighting an enemy with vast amounts of firepower.

Gabriel was feeling a bit hopeless and exhausted. At the same time, he thought that it was just a short-term loss, and that they would make a comeback with the help of reinforcements. He would need a bit of time to calm down. He didn't bother to check how much time had passed.

He didn't know if he had slept, but Kipmi announced to the squad that they had arrived at the colony and were parked at the military base, which was outside the small city. They parked the APC and left their weapons inside. The exhausted soldiers walked slowly out of the car. The walk was silent, but Gabriel could read everyone's emotions, ranging from exhaustion, sadness, to total despair. He was feeling despair as well, though a small part of him held on to some hope, and that small bit of hope was what he wanted to think about. They may have been forced to retreat, but the fight wasn't over yet.