It’s still early, Nic thought. It was the only mantra that could keep him from spiraling.

SHANTI [DEAD] SCARLET: 7 | >MALACHITE: 12

This is just like the Arena match against Team Azure. We trailed for a long time before we won. It was close, but we got the best of them in that round. “That’s okay, Scarlet,” he called out to his squad. And then they slaughtered us for the rest of the match. “Look alive. Perri, I’m headed your way. ETA is about a minute from now.”

“Roger,” she answered nervously.

Nic listened to the soft, almost imperceptible rumble of the Medusa tank’s engine as it rolled over the rocky terrain of Didumos. It’s okay. It’s still early.

“Engaging two hostiles!” Perri’s voice punctured the silence of the team chat, followed by the muffled staccato of gunfire in a near-vacuum.

PERRI [DEAD] SCARLET: 7 | >MALACHITE: 13

“Good callout, Perri,” Nic replied, realizing a second later that she couldn’t hear him yet as she was still waiting to respawn. “That’s okay. Rerouting... Maqsud, you’re now the closest one. I’ll be there in about a minute and a half.” I have to believe I did everything I could to train us for this day.

“I’ll stay put in this tower for the time being,” Max answered. A moment later, “Hostile with a Jetpack! I repeat, hostile with a Jetpack! Engaging!”

MAQSUD [DEAD] SCARLET: 7 | >MALACHITE: 14

But that’s what I thought last time when we lost, too.

Nic punched the Medusa’s dashboard. Then he spoke carefully to conceal his own rising frustration—he couldn’t make a hypocrite of himself in front of the entire squad when he’d just lectured them about staying cool and collected. “Jarek, be on the lookout for another airborne Malachite player. I’m heading back your way. ETA: a minute 40.”

Before RTIFIS could finish the notification, Nic swiveled the Medusa tank’s cannon around and let the railgun rip. The midair Harpy was still mid-bank when it exploded. Shrapnel and debris flew in all directions; Nic barely cracked a smile.

NIC >MEDUSA> HARPY (KHRIS) >SCARLET: 8 | MALACHITE: 14

“I found the Jetpack guy!” said Jarek. “Engaging!”

JAREK [DEAD] SCARLET: 7 | >MALACHITE: 15

“Damn it,” Nic muttered through gritted teeth, his audio output muted, “this is why I wanted us to group up. They keep picking us off one by one. They’ve scattered us again!” He took a deep breath that smelled of SimGel and tried to stave off tilt. “It’s still early.”

“I’m back,” Jarek said in the team chat. “Dropping another waypoint. I think I’m going to lay low until you get here, man, if that’s cool with you.”

Nic reactivated his outbound comms and said, “Smart idea. You’re closest again, Jarek. Get ready for pickup in about 50 seconds!”

“[Scarlet 4,]” said Shanti’s speech software, “[do you want this Sniper Rifle?]”

“Nic, what do you think?” Max asked. “Should I make a run for it?”

“I’ll leave that up to your judgment, man,” Nic answered.

A pause. “Shanti, you’re closer. Take it and use it in good health. Besides, I’ve just hit a jackpot of my own.”

The AI-generated voice spoke again on behalf of Team Scarlet’s non-verbal member. “[I’ll take the Sniper Rifle.]”

“These green goofs keep crouching over our proxy heads when we die,” said Perri. “I just saw one doing it to Jarek. I saw one still doing it to my own proxybot earlier after I respawned. What gives?”

Nic’s jaw clenched at first—the sheer disrespect of the enemy team got under his skin—until he pictured the scene and then he couldn’t stop himself from giggling. “I thought we all knew about teabagging.”

“Same,” Jarek said. “We don’t?”

“I have a guess,” added Maqsud, “but I’m afraid to say it in case I’m mistaken.”

“Go ahead and explain, Jarek,” Nic told his second in command. “I don’t think it should come from the Squad Leader.” Jarek obliged.

“That is juvenile, crass, and dare I say disgusting,” Max replied with an incredulous scoff.

Perri said, “Oh. I see.” She snorted. “That’s actually hilarious. I am so doing that to the next kill I get!”

Nic popped the hatch of the Medusa tank to let Jarek climb down inside. “You’d better make it quick, Perri, because you’re next on my pickup list. Max, you’ll be on deck. Keep me posted with waypoints if you move.”

“Roger that!” said Scarlet 4.

“Good to see you in one piece again, brother.” Nic steered the Medusa with one hand and bumped knuckles with Jarek.

Jarek’s proxy nodded. “This tank sure is a sight for sore eyes. About time we get this scoreboard movin’ in the right direction! Oh, check it out...” He pointed to the tank’s built-in radar. “Looks like we got a bogey up ahead.”

Nic grinned. “Not for long!” Pulling the trigger on the steering mechanism, he watched the railgun round explode out of the cannon and obliterate the Malachite player named Yaromir.

NIC >MEDUSA> YAROMIR >SCARLET: 9 | MALACHITE: 15

“Yes!” Nic shouted with the sudden release of getting another kill.

“Woo! Let’s go! Keep ‘em comin’!”

SHANTI >SNIPER> MATSUNO >SCARLET: 10 | MALACHITE: 15

“Those Archerous drills are paying off, I see!” Maqsud observed in the team chat. “Well done, Shanti!”

“[I found an Ultravision Upgrade Pak,]” said Shanti. “[I’m activating it now.]” The team chat was silent for a while as everyone awaited what she would say next. “[Look. That’s where they are.]”

“No way,” Nic gasped. “Way to go, Shanti!” The locations of the four living Malachite players, minus the one Shanti had just sniped, were now visible on Nic’s HUD. Shanti made use of the Ultravision to give the whole squad eyes on all enemy positions at once. Nic noticed soon after that two of the locations were right on top of each other—a pair of them traveling together. “Uh, Max, you’re about to have company!”

Malachite players Khris and Armand were traveling in a Satyr straight for Maqsud’s position. “Thanks, I saw,” he replied coolly. “I’ve got a warm welcome waiting for them. Three... Two...”

MAQSUD >ROCKET> SATYR (ARMAND) MAQSUD >ROCKET> SATYR (KHRIS) >SCARLET: 12 | MALACHITE: 15

Maqsud laughed a shaky, nervous laugh. “That was such a good line I was almost certain I wouldn’t hit that shot. It almost never works out like that! Thank you, splash damage!”

“Good shot, man!” Jarek congratulated him. “Team Scarlet poppin’ off! See, I knew those Bazooka Brawl practices would come in handy!”

Perri descended into the tank next. “Howdy, boys,” she greeted them, dropping into the cabin. “Mind if I drive?”

“Be our guest,” Nic welcomed her, exiting the driver’s seat and standing back. This is it, he thought, brimming with pride for his squad. We’re turning the dial! We’re actually doing it!

Perri’s proxy sank into the seat, flipping a few switches, adjusting the radar and several controls, before finally gripping the steering mechanism tightly, leaning forward in anticipation. “Warning. The following round of Arena contains scenes of gratuitous tank-based violence. Viewer discretion is advised.”

And Scarlet 3 kept good on her promise.

In the minutes that followed Perri entering the tank, Shanti was killed only once. The Medusa picked up Maqsud and then Shanti after her respawn. Perri then went on to slaughter Malachite proxies 32 more times before they finally figured out how to slow her down. It happened right after a particularly decisive double kill.

“Watch this one, watch this,” Perri whispered giddily. She pulled the trigger and boom went the railgun. Two Malachite players went up in a cloud of smoke and bits of proxbot viscera glittering in the light of the binary suns.

PERRI >MEDUSA> CHINWENDU PERRI >MEDUSA> ARMAND >SCARLET: 44 | MALACHITE: 16

“Who told them to line up like that?” she snickered. “Strategize much?”

“It’s almost as if they wanted to be hit,” said Maqsud warily. Nic was horrified to see that he was right—it was a trap. He watched it unfold on the tank’s radar.

Matsuno and Yaromir, jumping out from behind their own respective covers, hurled a total of four EMP Grenades at the Medusa tank one after another. The Medusa stalled it in its tracks.

“Uh-oh,” Nic muttered. “This is what we tried against Team Azure in Kill the Carrier. Except we don’t have a clock to save us like they did!”

Perri yanked at the steering column and pressed the accelerator repeatedly. “Could be wrong,” she said breathily, “but we might have visitors inbound. Nic, what do we do?”

When we’re locked down, we’re unstoppable, Nic thought, but if they can get inside, it’ll be like shooting five fish in a barrel! The hatch swung open. “Perri, try to drive,” he answered her. “Everyone else, defend!”

Two lit Fragmentation Grenades dropped into the tank’s interior. Before they even touched the floor, Jarek grabbed them with both hands and dove into the back of the cabin.

JAREK [DEAD] SCARLET: 44 | >MALACHITE: 17

“Don’t let up!” Nic shouted. “We’re almost there!” He and Maqsud stood with their SMGs and opened fire on the intruders. The ensuing gunfight claimed Max’s life as well as those of the first two hijackers. Nic couldn’t help but be grazed in the crossfire.

MAQSUD >SMG> YAROMIR MAQSUD [DEAD] NIC >SMG> MATSUNO >SCARLET: 46 | MALACHITE: 18 NIC [7%]

Khris dropped in next—and was swiftly assassinated from behind.

SHANTI >KNIFE> KHRIS >SCARLET: 47 | MALACHITE: 18

Nic jumped up to pull the hatch closed again. “Perri, status report on the tank.”

He could hear her bang on the dashboard. “It’s stuck. It still won’t budge! EMP still has us dead in the water!”

“We need to stop them from taking it. If they hijack us, they could turn this whole game around. They used all four EMPs—there are never more than four EMPs in a Wargame match. If there are no more EMP Grenades left on the battlefield, they will literally be unstoppable!”

“What are you saying?”

“Keep trying to drive. If more drop in... Pull the pins on your Frags when I give the signal. We can’t risk them taking the Medusa—we need to take them out with us.”

“Nic, where are yours?” Perri pointed at his ammo belt. “Don’t you have any?”

“I used both of them at the start of the round. I haven’t respawned with new ones because I haven’t died yet.”

Perri scoffed. “Lucky you.”

Nic scavenged the munitions he could from his fallen comrades. Some of the unused ‘nades may have gotten popped when the others exploded, he thought. He managed to gather a total of four undetonated Frags. With Perri’s two, this should be enough.

“[I still have my Grenades,]” Shanti added. “[I’ll wait for your signal.]”

Nic thought about putting a hand on her shoulder and then remembered her aversion to that sort of thing. He gave her a thumbs-up instead. “Thanks, Shanti.”

“Any luck gettin’ it movin’ again?” Jarek asked in the team chat. “Or should we come to you?”

“No dice,” Perri answered. “I guess four EMPs will really lock it up for a while. I’m not sure if it’ll move again at all.”

“We could always take our chances fighting the old-fashioned way,” Maqsud offered. “We’re only three kills away from victory, right?”

Nic shook his head. “Top priority is this tank. We can’t risk them getting it operational again. If they take it from us, and it’s functional, we have no chance of getting it back. And once all five of them get in here, we’ll have no chance of beating them at all. You remember what happened when—” Suddenly the hatch opened again. “Grenades! Now!”

The Squad Leader pulled his pins and watched the other two do the same. As he braced for the explosion, he looked up at the hatch expectantly, waiting for green proxybots to drop in on them. An explosion of this size would kill anyone in the cabin easily. But they never came—just a solitary, lit Frag of their own descended from the alien sky.

They were still trying to flush us out, Nic thought. We just self-destructed for nothing. They’re going to take it from us!