The radio crackled with chatter as the Commander stood over the console, his hands gripping the edge of the table and his face tight with sadness as his troops were being slaughtered. "Jesus, they’re everywhere!" He wasn’t sure who was shouting out, stating the obvious, a panicked soldier in the heat of battle. He suspected it was a green trooper, a newbie. He suspected it would be the boy’s last battle. "Blue’s yard has a hole in it!" The Commander cut into the communication, issuing a quick order, "Good work. Squad status?" The demolitions expert who had opened the underground passage called back, "We’re getting cut to pieces, they’ve got units on the upper decks and a sentry gun in the main corridor, we’re trying to take it out so Johnson can make a run for the key. We only need..." The words were cut short as the sound of a minigun priming filled the air. Suddenly the radio communication was cut short in a hail of bullets. The Commander bowed his head as the last of the team died. ~ <> ~ Gunfire sounded in the distance, reminded him of a far off thunderstorm. He looked over the maps while listening to the radio chatter in the background. The Commander was finishing up with his Lieutenants, going over defensive measures now that the enemy was attempting to cross the water. They were being slaughtered, torn apart by sentry guns and snipers, but still they kept coming. He scratched at his face, as the Commander approached. The older man stood quietly for a moment before turning his attention to the spy, "Well, do you think you can do it?" The spy nodded, "I’ll do it. You just make sure my support is ready. Once they know I’m there I won’t stand a chance." The Commander smiled grimly, "I’ve got the team assembled, they’ll be waiting to cross once you take those defensive positions." The spy looked at the maps a final time before rising. With a salute he turned and left. ~ <> ~ The other soldiers on his side watched him warily as he approached the doors to the treacherous waterway between the two forts. He glanced at the small group assembled at the door. They all had fresh faces, children. He wondered if they realized they were being throw out as decoys. He looked over to the other team, a hardened squad, good men, a mix of units. One sat polishing the barrels of his minigun, another stretching his legs, others sitting calmly, even as shells rocked the walls and sent dust settling to the ground. The spy moved over to the younger soldiers and addressed them even though he wasn’t their commander, "Alright, let’s get ready. Now remember, pull back as soon as I’m in the water." He could sense their nervousness and he smiled reassuringly, "When that door opens you start shooting. It doesn’t matter if you hit anything, we just want to send them to ground long enough for me to reach the water. Once I’m there get your butts back inside." He clapped one of the boys on the back, "It’ll be quick and you’ll all do fine." He hated the lie, but knew it was what they needed to hear. He moved to the door and had them line up. "Ready..." It wasn’t a question, but a command, "Go!" The doors slid open and instantly the world erupted into a haze of red. The spy made a run for the water, ignoring the screams of the soldiers as they were blown apart by miniguns and rockets. Suddenly his vision was blurred as the soldier in front of him exploded, a spray of blood for the boy’s head covering his face. He looked up and saw the sniper in the windows above. The sniper had already moved and was firing again, taking another soldier down. He made a note of the sniper’s position, and grudgingly, his talent. But the thought was gone in an instant, for that was how long it took him to reach the water. As he fell he screamed, dropping his pack and gear, hoping the enemy would think him dead. He never surfaced, instead choosing to swim low and deep into the channel that separated the two forts. Near the bottom he found the dark passage that led to the underground tunnels of the enemy base. He felt along the wall and began kicking upwards his lungs near bursting as he reached the surface. He gasped for air, but quickly calmed himself lest he give himself away. He pulled himself from the water and drew the combat knife from his boot. Moving slowly down the tunnel he stopped every few paces and listened for enemy movement. As he neared the yard he saw a soldier patrolling the underground route between the showers and the opening in the center of the base. Hiding in the shadows he waited until the soldier was nearby, and moving silently he slipped up behind his enemy and slid the sharp knife into the man’s neck, feeling the blade work it’s way into the skull and brain. Quickly he pulled the body back into the shadows and set about stripping the body of its uniform. He cursed silently as he noticed the blood on the collar. He ran a hand angrily through his hair, upset by his own carelessness. Still, there would be wounded soldiers still on duty, blood wasn’t unexpected in battle. Once dressed in the enemy’s uniform he drew his knife across his cheek, opening a livid wound that bled more onto his disguise. It stung, but within a minute the bleeding had slowed, and at least his disguise was more believable. With a calming breath his sheathed his knife and picked up the soldiers shotgun. Slowing his movement to match the stiff stance of a typical soldier he set off towards the showers. ~ <> ~ The metal grate opened loudly and he pulled himself up into the tiled room. He tried to close the grate quietly, cursing as it clanged shut. He sat huddled in the corner for a few moments listening to see if he had been discovered, but hearing nothing but the distance fighting he rose and left his hiding place. He looked around the room and smiled as he noticed a series of boxes along one wall near the lockers. ‘Convenient," he thought as he began to climb the makeshift stairs to the upper deck. He moved towards the area where the deck opened up above the main yard. He stopped and took a few deep breaths before purposefully walking out into the open. Shouldering his gun like the other soldiers he marched towards the doorway towards the sniper’s hiding place. No one seemed to notice, no alarm sounded, no soldiers rushed after him. Instead he walked unhindered around towards where he saw the sniper gazing raptly through his scope. There was a part of him that wanted to call out, to tell the sniper he was there, but his training took over and he calmly drew his knife and stabbed the sniper several times, the surprised man dying almost instantly. Looking around he knew there was no good place to hide the body, and soon the enemy would know he was there. He clicked on his small radio and sent a brief message back to his commander, "Sniper is out, going for the sentry gun, get your team ready." He shut the radio off immediately and after wiping his blade clean on the sniper’s clothes he moved back towards the shower room. ~ <> ~ Dropping back into the shower area he moved out into the main corridor. He passed by a large supply room where a large man carrying a minigun was restocking his grenades. He thought about killing the man, but realized it would be a difficult fight and instead he waited until the heavy weapons soldier moved out into the yard. Following along he was able to avoid the search light that plied the field. The soldier with the minigun moved towards the front entrance where he was joined by other soldiers who appeared to be gearing up for an offensive. Moving into the shadows of the yard he lay down and pretended to be sleeping while he turned on his radio. Whispering he called out to his commander, "Timetable advanced. Enemy preparing offensive. Going for sentry immediately, launch back-up now." He rose from his hiding place and move purposefully towards the Warden’s Office where the supposed sentry gun was waiting. As he rounded the corner he saw the thing, a massive contraption with two barrels and a silly shark’s mouth painted on the side. An engineer was installing a rack of rockets to the unit and was unaware that the spy was just a few feet away. Knowing a direct assault would be suicide he pulled out a pair of grenades, and one after the other launched them at the gun. The engineer stopped his work as the first of the grenades rolled past his feet. He turned and grabbed for his gun, running away as the explosion rocked the hallway, picking him up and throwing him towards the spy. The sentry gun was blown into pieces as was the engineer, his legs missing blood trailing along the floor as he dragged himself away. The spy moved over him, and as though a friendly teammate, dragged him off towards the nearby locker room. The engineer muttered his misguided thanks, continuing until the spy began stripping him of his shirt. Fortunately the soldiers pants were the same as the engineer’s, but with the top and the hat the spy would no longer stand out, after all, an engineer wouldn’t be expected to take part in the offensive. ‘The offensive!’ He quickly turned on his radio, the chatter deafening him. The two sides had launched their attacks at the same time and were butchering each other on the ground between the two forts. Neither side was winning, but it was clear his back-up wouldn’t get through for awhile. "Damn." The word echoed in the room, but suddenly a thought occurred to him. Discarding the heavy disguise he set off for the Warden’s Office. ~ <> ~ The key sat on an alarm plate in the Warden’s Office. He turned on his radio and listened as the battle raged. He glanced about for enemy soldiers, and with a deep breath he grabbed the key. Instantly an alarm sounded. He heard his teammates calling out that the enemy was retreating. He knew they weren’t retreating, they were returning to kill him. ~ <> ~ He rounded the first corner and saw a soldier coming out of a supply room. He was out of grenades, but he had a few more tricks. Reaching for a small capsule he tossed the device towards the supply room where it erupted into a cloud of sparkling dust. The soldier started coughing, falling to his knees as the gas took effect. Without stopping he ran down the hall and out into the yard. Spot lights illuminated the area and he heard the enemy charging from the entrance to his right. He didn’t look towards them, but rather began to zigzag across the field, his breath coming fast as a contrail from a rocket crossed his path, exploding against the wall. The concussion knocked him to the side, but he rose, readjusting himself and heading again for the opening that led towards the gas chamber. He never saw the minigun, rather he heard it as it cycled through empty barrels into life. Bullets ricocheted off the walls, one striking him in the back like an angry bee. He grunted as he dived around the corner, the wall behind him disintegrating under the fire. He picked himself up and dropped another poison capsule. As he headed down another hall he heard the satisfying sound of his enemies choking to death. Still, it would only be moments before the gas cleared and they were after him again. He ran around several more turns, skidding to a halt as he looked at the final run ahead of him. There on the ground was what he feared, demolition charges, dozens of them, and though he couldn’t see the enemy, he knew the trigger man was waiting just out of sight. He waited in the shadows, options running through his head. On his radio he listened as his backup team was being torn apart. He heard the scout asking where the key was and he chimed in that it was near the gas chamber. The scout replied quickly and the spy knew the fast moving soldier would be there in less than a minute. Still there was the demolitions man to deal with. There was no way to sneak past him, and even the scout wasn’t fast enough to outrun a dozen explosions. The spy looked back and saw the runner coming fast, and in an instant he knew what he had to do. ~ <> ~ Dropping the key he rose and began to charge the demolitions man. Within a dozen steps he was spotted and he was lifted from his feet by a massive explosion. His body struck a wall and slid painfully to the ground. The demolitions man was quickly preparing to set up new charges but the scout was already past him with the key. The demoman cursed as the door to the gas chamber slid closed, a different alarm filling the air. For an instant the spy thought about trying to steal a gas mask, but his body was broken. He watched as the cylinder containing death slowly opened. 5... 4... 3... He heard his teammates congratulating the scout for reaching the chamber and he wondered if they would even remember what he had done. But the thought was brief, clouded in green mist as the gas took him.