Artificial

Pincer

Operator Apex

I slip into the base through one of the plentiful holes in its perimeter wall, and observe the chaos unfolding within.

While support crew rush to put out the fires, combat personnel swarm toward the front gate, where the rest of the squad had breached. The support staff look nervous, but if the infantryman I'm standing behind is any indication, the soldiers carry themselves with a grim determination.
I can respect that, but we're going to crush them.
I tap the side of my helmet twice, and it sound-proofs itself so I can talk to Wraith.
"Babe."
"Yeah?"
"I've done my initial sweep. I'm ready to start slitting throats."
"What do you need me to do?"
"Aw, you're the best, babe. Always ready to help."
"Always ready to crack skulls, too."
I smile.
"And just the right amount of fire. Feisty. I like it."
"Babe, you're getting distracted."
"And smart, too? Damn, you're the whole package. Keep an eye on the tower in the center of the fortress. Nothing is gonna come out of there that's good for us."
"You got it, babe."
My HUD informs me she is in position, and I'm off.

I find the squad hunkered down behind Riot, very carefully peeking out to gun down foes. They're strong, but not strong enough to do this on their own.
Time to go to work.
I calmly sneak up on a heavy trooper, who is using his belt-fed weapon to pelt Riot's shield with bullets.
Is there a way I can disable him without disabling his gun?
I can think of a way.
My hud quickly runs a simulation, and a smirk crosses my face.
Sometimes the simplest answers really are the best.
I deploy my armblade, and use it to slash across the back of his knees, sending him toward the floor. He cries out in pain, and his comrades turn, but I'm already gone.
"What the hell happened, man?"
"Someone slashed my goddamn knees! I can't move!"
"What are you talking about? There's no way anyone got through!"
"Well, my knees aren't fucking working! Get over here and help me!"
The leader of the squad motions for two soldiers to help him, then continues laying down suppressive fire on the Operators.
"Good work on the heavy, man," Riot encourages in my ear. "But these infantry are still pounding me. This shield isn't gonna last too much longer without a recharge."
"Believe me, buddy. I've got it handled."
The two soldiers crouch down next to the heavy, inspecting the damage.
"Shit, Captain, I think he might be right! These cuts are too clean to be a stray bullet!"
"Doesn't matter, get him out of here!"
The infantry move to release the heavy from his armor, and I strike, driving my armblade through the neck of the nearer soldier. He gurgles, and his comrade lets out a scream so high-pitched that I swear it nearly cracks my visor. He turns to the captain, but before he can get a word out, I draw my pistol and put three silenced bullets into his back. He slumps onto the ground, and the Captain turns to face me.
"What the fu—"
A muffled gunshot ends his life mid-sentence.
"They've breached the perimeter!" One soldier announces, failing to hide his panic as he swings his machine gun around. He only gets off a few shots before a large-caliber round pierces his helmet. The rest of the squad look around in panic, suddenly finding themselves lacking any sort of leadership. "Fall back!" A soldier in the rear of the formation orders as he runs further into the base. Soon after, the other soldiers begin to follow.
"They're retreating!" Reach cheers from behind Riot.
"No," Evo counters as he steps out from behind cover. "They're regrouping, stop them!" He begins firing into the crowd of retreating infantry, and I use my foot to remove my blade from the infantryman's esophagus.
"Wraith?"
"Already on it," she replies, focused.
As soldiers fall, I pick up the heavy's weapon and begin firing it into the crowd, shredding the closer infantry with a hail of bullets.
I feel a hand clamp onto my ankle, and look down to see the heavy feebly, futilely trying to stop me. Without hesitation, I turn the weapon to his helmet, and hold down the trigger until he finally collapses. I attempt to continue firing, but the weapon seems to die with its user. Letting out a deep breath, I dump it on top of the corpse and move toward the squad.
"Thanks for having my back back there, babe."
"Anytime. After all, watching your back is basically staring at your ass and shooting things, what's not to love?"
"In that case, you should let me try it one of these times."
"Well, I would, but I'm pretty sure you'd get too distracted by how perfect it is and forget the whole 'protecting me' part."
"You make a fair point."
We share a laugh, and when it's over, I find an irrepressible smile plastered across my face.
Life is good.