"We have a problem." Nathan's voice came through the intercoms. "What is it?... Can it wait, we are kind of busy now." Elena replied as she deftly moved out of the way just in time for a beam to disintegrate the area she had been in.
"I swear if the problem has anything to do with what you were tasked with then…" "Shut up, man." Gary surprisingly cut Jeremiah off at that moment, the latter shooting him a cold glare in response. "The Mammoth was attacked."
"What!!!" Everyone was shocked by this piece of news. "How is that possible?... You had told us that it was well guarded so there was no need for us to worry. What the hell is this about?" Doug asked.
They had done everything to avoid such an outcome and yet, they would end up receiving such news at a time like this, very few would be able to keep calm under such conditions.
"I had warned about such a situation taking place… Unfortunately, my words fell on deaf ears." Indra slowly remarked. His words were like a knife that pierced Elena's leadership capabilities.
She remained silent as she cut down yet another Drone. She had placed her trust in him but ended up with such a result. She felt the need to understand why such a thing had happened.
"How did it happen, Nathan. You had assured me that the Mammoth would be safe behind your Sand formation barrier. So what is this about?" Nathan could sense the anger in her voice. His heart tightened as he realized just how badly he had messed up.
"… I can explain.." "Then go ahead and do so!!!" Jeremiah yelled back. "Jeremy, if I hear one more word from you…" Her voice was low. It carried with it a certain aura that gripped him in terror. He could not help but back away even though she was nowhere close to him.
"The barrier formation was compromised by an assault. It's just like what we are experiencing here. They had evolved. Reyes, Celeste, and Ruben were enough to handle the threat… It's what happened after that caused this." Nathan paused.
"What happened?" "They fired an ICBM."
"Ah…" Who wasn't aware of what an ICBM meant amongst the Guardians. Terrifying weapons of mass destruction capable of wiping out entire cities.
Intercontinental ballistic missile. It shared a similar title with the weapon used during the twenty-first century but it was way more destructive and took much more to build.
It wasn't a joke that merely its title was enough to cause the hearts of the Red Wing Thunder Squadron to tighten.
They had never experienced its raw power for themselves but the stories they were told… The videos that they had watched… It would forever remain etched in their memory.
"Are you being serious?... They launched an ICBM at the Mammoth?" "…Yes." Everyone was quiet at that point. Who would dare to blame Nathan for what he had just told them?
An ICBM was at a level way above what they could imagine. Even if his barrier formation hadn't been compromised, there was no telling if it would be strong enough to guard against such a terrifying weapon.
"What do we do now?... Doesn't that mean we have lost?" Chelsea asked in a mellow tone. "Not necessarily. The Mammoth is definitely on its last legs due to the impact from the blast but it's still there. We can save it."
"But we can't leave here like this… If we do, I don't think we would be able to survive the aftermath." That was a solid argument.
The enemy was evolving in real-time and if they didn't clinch the chance before them, they could most likely end up regretting their decision.
Elena remained silent as she listened. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, she had to save the Mammoth, without it, their mission was over.
On the other hand, they had a chance to take down the second Crawler, letting this chance go could end terribly for them. What's worse?... She couldn't split up their squad any further.
Even if she did, there was no way they would get back in time. Things were looking rather grim for their Squadron. "Thunder… what is the status of Squad members Reyes, Celeste, and Ruben?'
[Squad member Reyes is currently unconscious. Same with Celeste and Ruben. But the latter seems to have experienced a concussion resulting in a slight energy deviation. It is estimated that he wouldn't be able to recover any time soon.]
"… I see. Thank you." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She tightened her grip on her sword and opened up her eyes. She glanced at the realistic sky.
"There is no way we would be able to get back on time. If we are destined to fail, then I don't want to fail without at least taking down one more enemy. So I have decided to keep on fighting here. If you guys want to join me, then let's go." She took the first step forward. The battle must continue!!
***
Nathan remained silent inside the Crawler. "Does that mean we failed?" Leah asked in disbelief. "I guess. I can't believe they would go so far as to send an ICBM. This test is crazy." Nathan could not help but chuckle at the seemingly hopeless situation.
"Thunder pull up the damage evaluation for the Mammoth."
[90% of all functions have been rendered useless. Shields are down and the system is barely still alive. The energy core is still intact but its connection with the mainframe has been disconnected making it impossible for the Mammoth to perform any task. Three out of four legs have gone past the point of repair, only one leg remains attached to the body of the Mammoth. That is all]
"… That is a lot of damage," Leah commented as she had a hopeless expression. "I know right. Even if we tried to fix it… How long would that take us?... Damn, I don't want to think about it."
Nathan blamed himself partly for such an outcome. He should never have been so confident in the barrier formation he had set up using the Sand Turrets. Even though just a portion had been compromised, that was enough for the ICBM to directly impact the Mammoth hiding within.
"…What if we don't have to fix it." Leah suddenly suggested. Nathan lazily sent a glance her way. "What are you on about?" "I mean, what if we didn't have to bother with the Mammoth physical body."
"You want to save the mainframe?... How would that…." He trailed off as he realized what Leah was getting at. "You understand what I'm saying, don't you?"
"Are you suggesting we transform the Crawler into the Mammoth?" Leah nodded excitedly. A smile slowly suffused his gloomy expression. "Leah, you are a genius!!!" He exclaimed in excitement.
"Is it possible?" "I believe so. We have to inform Elena."
***
This was their last stand as far as they were concerned. They were attempting to go out with a bang, their failure already all but certain. It was fun for as long as it lasted, unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end.
… Or maybe not?
"Elena, stop. You guys don't have to give up hope just yet." Nathan's voice came promptly. "What is it now, Holt?... Haven't you given us enough bad news?" Jeremiah was taking every opportunity to jab at him, this opportunity was most likely the best he would ever have.
"No, honestly you guys should stop. I and Leah have figured out a way to keep us in the test." Elena stopped in her tracks and the others quickly became interested as their ears perked up, figuratively of course.
"Talk to me." "We are going to try and turn the Crawler into the Mammoth." He summarized it in a few words. "Huh, what kind of wacky idea is that?" Gary was the first to respond as he put up a brow.
"No wait shut up, he did say that the Crawler and Mammoth had similarities. Remember, at the first meeting." Tanya replied to him as she nudged him. Most were still skeptical. "…Can it work?"
"…Maybe. I estimate our chances to be at 40%, tops." He could not be too sure, the idea was indeed rather crazy to think up. "Thunder, estimate the probability of success for the transfer and installment of the Mammoth mainframe into the Crawler."
[36.666% sir] His face darkened considerably. That was lower than he had estimated. Maybe he shouldn't have been so quick to celebrate. Just as he was rethinking the idea, Elena's words came through.
"Do what you have to do. If there is even a ten percent chance of salvaging our situation, then I'll take it. I just need you to do one thing for me, Nathan."
Nathan slowly swallowed some spittle. "What is it?" "Please… Do your best."