The night was the perfect time for a stealth attack, with a looming mountain on the horizon. The hacker's assessment of the remote location was correct, raising the question of whether the numbers themselves were aware of its existence as well. Perhaps they didn't, because it was something he had never seen before. Six peered through his binoculars and got provided with information about every entrance they could access without arousing suspicion as if their vehicles weren't suspicious enough already.
Captain Calan gave the order for his troops to advance, while Six, Rex, and Bobo sat on the roof of the tank, scanning for any snipers or gang members who may be hiding and waiting. He was aware of his hacker's ability to infiltrate their network without leaving a trace, so he wondered if this was even feasible.
"There's no other option but to throw rocks at it, because the door appears to be made of some kind of heavy metal alloy and is sealed all the way around. It may be loud, but it's our only way in." As Six and Bobo followed him by jumping of the tank's roof, Rex transformed one of his arms into a mechanical cannon.
But as the vehicle approached their secret hideout, a bullet appeared out of nowhere, directly to Rex, who was shielded by one of Six's blades as he looked around for the source. How could this even have happened? How could they have anticipated them every time they had a promising lead?
Masked figures suddenly emerged from behind every rock, causing the man in the green suit to curse and question whether it would have been quieter to travel on foot. With no time to dwell on the past, the troops fired their guns at the gang members while Six and Bobo worked to protect Rex as he gathered rocks with his canon arm to shoot at the door. He needed enough time to cause significant damage and blow it up, granting them access.
All Six could think about as he stopped the gunshots with his blades, was Holiday's words about how dangerous the situation for Rex's would be, and he was determined not to even give her the possibility of doubt.
Even as the gunshots continued and their efforts to stop them doubled, a loud crash interrupted their struggle as one of Rex's rocks finally took the door off its hinges. Six looked with disdain, as a few gang members fell around him, killed by Capitan Calan and his troops, who appeared to have suffered important casualties as well.
"Go, go!" Captain Calan barked to Six, Rex, and Bobo as the teen fired heavy rocks at their masked enemies. The enemies seemed to be equipped with heavy weapons, including rocket launchers, which posed a threat to the tanks and the troops inside. "We'll cover you from here and meet you inside!" Calan shouted, trying to coordinate their attack.
"How are these idiots able to get their hands on rocket launchers without a government permit?" Rex asked, shielding Six and Bobo from potentially getting nuked out of existence.
Six wished Rebecca's words could stop looping inside his mind as a broken signal, so that he could listen to the rest of the message, her words of bravery and faith, as they ran as fast as they could to the organization's secret underground passage while Rex kept shooting rocks at the gang's snipers and rocket launchers.
But he couldn't blame her for being concerned about losing them, now that feelings were involved. It was as if they were married, at least symbolically, and he couldn't help but wonder how he would react if the tables were turned and she was the one putting her life in danger for him.
Six, Rex, and Bobo huddled in a dark corner, taking a moment to gather their thoughts and plan their next move. The man handed them night vision goggles to help them navigate through what it looked like to be a dark tunnel, which was lined with cameras. Six swiftly cut each camera in half, allowing Captain Calan and the rest of the troops to enter without difficulty. As they followed the troops inside, Six noticed that some of the soldiers had been severely injured or maybe killed. He clenched his teeth at the thought of the injured or killed soldiers, as Captain Calan shared the same sentiment.
Each man under his command being just as important as his own life.
When they found themselves surrounded by even more gang members, Six had to rely on his reflexes like never before. With Rex behind him, it was a risky decision to divert his attention from protecting the teenager.
"Rex, Bobo, stay outside and fly around the mountain, taking out any snipers or bombers before they reach us," Six ordered, causing Rex to blink in confusion.
"Hold on a second! What are you talking about?"
"Just do it!" Six yelled over the sound of gunshots. He couldn't risk taking Rex with him if it meant putting him in danger for Holiday's sake.
Even though the teen appeared to want to refuse, the man's body language seemed to say everything his eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, couldn't. It didn't help that the Captain Calan also seemed to agree with him. Rex had no choice but to sigh in frustration and follow Six's orders, taking Bobo with him and flying around as the chimp shot every enemy they could spot from the air.
Six expected the fight to be difficult as it was, because he knew they wouldn't let them in as easily as he had imagined in his wildest dreams. He had a reputation that he wasn't about to lose simply by being caught in the act. He was quick, lethal, and especially silent and precise in his movements. But with that gang, it was as if each of his abilities was studied and quickly overpowered each time they fought. Being the sixth deadliest man alive wasn't something he was used to.
The more he kicked and deflected with his blades, the more the gang members seemed to be appearing out of nowhere, making the fight quite monotonous. How many people could this organization possibly have, if all of their resources were being used to pretend to be soldiers with powerful weapons and hackers.
Naturally, Holiday would bug him for leaving Rex outside by himself, but he felt confident that Bobo could keep the kid safe enough. And it was preferable than him breaking his machine arms every time a bullet was fired. Six had to lead Capitan Calan to the center of the hideout where he believed the dark hallway ended, and there was no way he could divide himself to be in two places at the same time to be with Rex.
He wished there could be a little more light than what came from the shattered door, but he was forced to rely on his senses, and he assumed the Capitan was doing the same.
Although Six believed they were using the element of surprise to their advantage, he also reasoned that the Captain could use it as a cover to slip away while he and the other troops stayed behind, trying to keep the gang members occupied so he could carry on.
"Captain, take it." He said as loudly as he could between shots as his hand quickly went through one of the inside pockets of his jacket. They were fighting, but at least the folded map was still there. Six believed he could heard Rex's voice in the distance, as they celebrated eliminating every enemy they could.
It was a relief to know that he was safe, despite whatever could happen to him in that hallway while Calan was moving. After enduring numerous blows from kicks, fists, and bullets, Six thought that his blades were in need of a good polish after everyone was back in Providence, safe and sound.
Once he confirmed that the Capitan was no longer in sight, he realized that it was time to retreat. The gangsters were closing in on him from all sides, and he couldn't let them continue. He trusted the Captain Calan would keep himself safe and allow them to fight back for their first time in a while.
"Rex, we're on our way! The mission is complete and we need to leave now to prevent any further injuries to our soldiers! We can expect the enemy to come after us, so be prepared to provide air support!"
"Alright! We need to stop the bombs from hitting our tanks so we can escape!" Was the response he got, trying to flee and avoid any injury. Rex's voice was muffled by the chaos of the ongoing fight.
The sound of everyone's footsteps echoed through the otherwise silent mountains, creating a deafening march. The constant firing of bullets and cries from both Providence's soldiers and gang members, reverberated throughout the area.
Six thought that if someone were filming them running out of the hideout and trying to deflect the bombs and gunshots, it would definitely make for a successful action TV show. Enough lives were in danger and loud enough noises were produced to hold the interest of a full audience.
Overly concerned that Rex, Bobo, and the other soldiers and tanks were safe, Six's foot slipped out due to a rock in his path, causing him to lose his balance and feel a sharp pain in his abdomen when a bullet finally hit him. The cold metal piercing his skin but probably staying inside as he didn't felt it coming through the other side.
As blood seeped from the wound, Rex and Bobo had to land quickly to allow the teen to put one of Six's arms around his shoulders and assist him with his walking, all the while the remaining soldiers and Bobo made sure to keep them as safe as possible so they could make it to one of the tanks.
"Dude, Holiday will find a way to revive you and then, kill you again, if you don't come out of this alive," Rex warned him with a worried look, helping him up the tank and through the gate so he could sit down and keep pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding.
Six wondered why they never brought enough medical kits for missions like that one, but he forced himself not to think about it as one of the soldiers inside the tank bent in front of him, trying to patch him up with what little they had.
"We must leave now! Finally, our package is inside and securely hidden, so we should hear from him soon." After hearing Rex's words, Bobo and he leaped into the tank and observed Six, who appeared to be gradually losing consciousness despite his best efforts to fight and stay awake.
The sounds of the explosions and gunshots soon subsided to the point where Six began to believe that the tank had to be moving, even though he was unable to confirm it, because all of his attention was on the searing pain in his stomach and how desperately he needed to keep himself awake in order to survive as he began to notice Holiday everywhere, being pushed away from him and enveloped in darkness with each step he took forward.
No matter how hard he tried, it seemed he would never be able to stop losing her.
"Dude, don't go to sleep. Six... " Rex shook the arm he wasn't using to halt the bleeding in his stomach, giving off the impression that he didn't know who the hell he was.
Correct. Holiday, the map, the war...
"Holiday..."
"Soon, pal. Soon we will be able to visit her again. However, you must get checked first or she will end throwing a fit."
He was unable to resist as his mind continued to battle the fictitious shadows attempting to steal her from him, words were slipping from his mouth.
That couldn't be how it ended. Even though he did everything he could to save her, the voices in his head insisted that it wouldn't be enough to ultimately set her free from captivity.