William's voice crackled through the comms, tense but still steady. "Captain, another wave is coming. I'm running low on bullets—I need more ammo."
Jason chimed in right after. "Same he, Captain. I'm down to my last few rounds."
Lester felt the weight of the situation pressing down on him. He quickly checked his watch—nine minutes until the reinforcements would arrive. It wasn't much, but it was all they had.
He took a deep breath and spoke into the comm. "Team, can you hold for nine more minutes? That's all we need. Nine minutes."
There was a brief silence, the weight of his question sinking in. The exhaustion and fear were palpable, but one by one, the responses came through.
"We'll do our best," Ali said, his voice strained but determined.
Frederick followed, "No choice but to hold the line."
Jason and William echoed their agreement, though there was an unmistakable edge of worry in their voices.
Lester could hear the fear creeping into the team's responses, but they all knew they couldn't afford to lose focus now. He tightened his grip on his rifle and steeled himself. "Alright. Let's make these last nine minutes count. Everyone, stay sharp, keep your heads down, and don't waste a single bullet."
As the next wave of J'avo began to close in, Lester felt the pressure building, but he knew they had to hold their ground until help arrived.
As the J'avo advanced, Lester's eyes darted across the battlefield, scanning for any edge they could use to hold off the onslaught. Then it hit him—he remembered seeing an M249 in the hangar earlier. Without a second thought, he sprinted toward the hangar, dodging bullets as he ran.
"Captain! Where are you going?" Ali's voice crackled through the comms, a mix of confusion and concern.
Lester didn't slow down. "I saw something wonderful that'll help us hold them off for a bit longer."
Frederick, hearing this exchange, chimed in, "What are you talking about?"
Lester grinned despite the chaos, his breath heavy as he reached the hangar. "M249 with two full mags. And guess what? It's going to be for you this time, Ali."
Ali let out a whoop through the comms. "Now we're talking! Get that beauty over here, Captain!"
Lester grabbed the M249 and quickly checked the magazines. Fully loaded. He dashed back, his heart pounding, knowing that this could buy them a few more precious moments. As he returned to cover, he tossed the M249 toward Ali. "Light 'em up, Ali! Let's make sure they regret coming this close!"
Ali caught the weapon, his eyes lighting up with determination. "Oh, they're about to feel it, Captain. Let's show them what we're made of!"
With the M249 in hand, Ali set up in position and opened fire, unleashing a stream of bullets that tore through the advancing J'avo. The heavy gunfire forced the enemy to slow down, giving the team a brief but critical moment to catch their breath.
Frederick let out a relieved laugh. "That'll hold them off for a while. Nice call, Captain!"
Lester nodded, still catching his breath. "Let's keep pushing, team. We've got a few more minutes to go."
The roar of the M249 was deafening, its relentless stream of bullets hammering the J'avo forces. But as always, the enemy adapted. Three armed vehicles rolled into view, each mounted with heavy machine guns, and they unleashed a torrent of fire that tore through the battlefield. The tables had turned again.
Ali ducked behind cover, his grip on the M249 tightening as bullets ricocheted around him. "I can't hold them off with this anymore, Captain! Those machine guns are pinning me down!"
Jason's voice came over the comms, urgency clear. "Team, we need a solution—fast! William and I can't keep sniping much longer with those cars out there. They'll overrun us if we don't figure something out!"
Lester, still nursing his wounded arm, realized the gravity of the situation. His hand instinctively went to the RPG strapped to his back. "We've already got the solution. The RPG—it's with me!"
Frederick's voice crackled over the comms, relieved. "You've got the RPG? Perfect, Captain! That's what we need!"
Lester moved into cover and quickly surveyed the battlefield, his eyes locking onto the three machine-gun cars. The heavy fire from their turrets was tearing through Ali's position. "Alright, I'll target the first one. But I'll need cover—those snipers are still a problem!"
Jason responded immediately. "We've got your back, Lester! I'll keep those snipers distracted, just make sure you take out those cars!"
Ali, still under heavy fire, yelled into his comm, "Do it, Captain! If those cars don't stop soon, they're going to rip through us!"
Without another word, Lester shouldered the RPG and took aim. The vehicles were in constant motion, but Lester's training kicked in. He focused, waiting for the right moment. Then, with a steady breath, he squeezed the trigger. The missile flew straight and true, hitting the first car dead-on. It erupted in flames, flipping over with a deafening explosion.
"First car down!" Lester called into the comms.
Frederick cheered through the radio, "Nice shot, Captain! Two more to go!"
Lester quickly moved to cover as the remaining two cars shifted their focus, guns trained on his position. "I'm moving to the next target! Jason, Williams, I need you to suppress those snipers. Ali, keep their fire on you for just a few more seconds!"
Ali's response was tense but determined. "I'll keep them busy! Just hurry, Captain!"
Lester shifted positions, aimed at the second car, and fired again. The missile sailed through the air, striking the vehicle. It exploded in a fiery blast, forcing the J'avo to scatter. Lester didn't hesitate, reloading the RPG and moving for his final shot.
"Frederick, give me some cover! I'm taking the last one!" Lester barked into the comm.
Frederick didn't miss a beat, laying down suppressive fire to keep the J'avo distracted. Lester lined up the final car and, ignoring the pain in his arm, fired the third shot. The last vehicle exploded, sending debris flying across the battlefield.
"All three down!" Lester shouted triumphantly into the comm.
The team's cheers echoed through his earpiece, but there was little time for celebration. Williams' voice came through, breathless. "Good work, Captain! But we've got another wave coming in fast—and we're running low on ammo!"
Lester checked his watch, seeing the timer tick down to five minutes until government reinforcements arrived. "Alright, team, hold on for nine more minutes! We can do this!"
Despite the exhaustion in their voices, the team answered with a resounding, "We'll hold, Captain!"
The battle wasn't over yet, but with the RPG clearing the way, hope was finally in sight.
A female voice suddenly came through the comms, calm but urgent. "This is Command. Reinforcements will be there in five minutes. Hold your position, Alpha Team. Just hang in there."
Lester, breathing heavily from the intensity of the fight, quickly responded. "Copy that, Command. We're holding as best we can." He glanced at his team, each of them barely keeping up, struggling with limited ammo and unrelenting enemies. Then, with a confident smirk, he added, " I know it."
Frederick, catching the tone in Lester's voice, chimed in, confused. "Wait, what do you mean you know it, Captain?"
Before Lester could answer, Ali's voice crackled over the comm, lighthearted despite the chaos. "He'll know when the cavalry arrives, Frederick. Just hold on. You'll see."
With that, the tension was momentarily eased, but they all knew the fight wasn't over yet. Five more minutes. They had to hold out—reinforcements were almost there, and survival was within reach.
The next five minutes felt like an eternity for Alpha Team and the local soldiers. It was pure chaos. Bullets flew from every direction, the relentless barrage from the J'avo forcing them to take cover behind anything they could find. Explosions rocked the battlefield, debris raining down, and the screams of injured and dying soldiers filled the air.
Lester fired another round from his position, gritting his teeth against the pain in his arm. The J'avo were pushing harder than ever, and the bodies of fallen comrades and locals lay scattered across the ground. Each second felt like it stretched into forever, every heartbeat a reminder of how close they were to the brink.
Ali was still hammering the M249, but even he couldn't hold them off forever. "We're getting swarmed, Captain!" he yelled, ducking as more bullets slammed into the crates around him.
Frederick was firing with whatever he had left, his breathing heavy. "This is like the last battle, Captain. If those reinforcements don't show up soon, I don't think we're walking out of this one."
Jason, still sniping from his elevated position, kept calling out targets, but even his calm exterior was cracking under the pressure. "They're closing in! We can't hold this line for much longer!"
Lester could feel it too—the overwhelming force of the J'avo, the sheer numbers pressing in from all sides. They were running out of ammo, running out of time. Yet somehow, he held on to that sliver of hope. The reinforcements were close. They had to be.
"Just keep fighting!" Lester shouted over the comms. "Reinforcements are almost here!"
But as he yelled, another local soldier was hit, collapsing beside him, and the crushing weight of their situation grew heavier. They were outnumbered, outgunned, and the J'avo were showing no mercy.