Damian and Trapper burst into action. They dashed out of the window, with Damian rappelling down an old pipe. Trapper didn't bother to slow his fall and sent snow spraying as his mech landed on the sidewalk with a muffled whomp.

"And they're off! The Red team shows no signs of slowing down for an instant, already out of the gate and running. It appears that the Gecko and Trapper are moving together, while Lawson is going solo."

Remy nudged Will. "We should make this interesting. Wanna place a bet?"

"A bet?" Becca echoed.

"I'm down," said Victor.

Will glanced at Remy. "Who are you rooting for?"

"Damian," said Remy.

Will considered for a moment and said, "I'll go with Kade."

"What about you, Vic?" asked Remy.

"Lawson. So I'm team Red," said Victor.

"Oh ho! Two against one, Will," said Remy.

Will shrugged and smiled. "Just means I'll get a bigger payout."

"You're on!" Remy grinned.

Will turned back to the window, spotted Damian and his partner making their way up the road. He could finally see them directly through the window and not on a popup screen. They paused halfway down the road and rigged something below the overturned snow.

"Interesting choice by the Red team. Damian 'Gecko,' and 'Trapper' haven't strayed far from their base, booby-trapping the roads. As for Lawson, she has taken the high ground for a sniper's roost."

Tara Lawson had raced upstairs and taken the roof. Their head instructor had unslung a huge rifle from behind her back and got into position on top of the building. In record time, she was locked and loaded.

"Lawson is going to be playing sniper," said Remy. Will nodded. Overlooking the entire street, she has a clear view over a large area, ready to cover Damian and Trapper when the need comes.

"How surprising! The usually aggressive Red team is going for the defensive play, deciding to bunker down and defend instead of searching for the enemy base. Will this strategy pan out?"

"Any idea why?" asked Becca.

Will considered. "In terms of force projection, they are at their maximum. All three of them are in one place and can support each other."

"It's good," said Remy. "You don't split the party."

Will shook his head. "It's not all good. They will have no idea about the enemy base location and leave the rest of the map open to their opponents. If they are cut off and boxed in, then it is all over."

"I don't know, I think there is something more," Becca looked thoughtful. "We have barely seen our instructors fight, and we know even less about Team Blue. Perhaps Lawson and the rest know something about the other side that we don't."

Silence fell among the group as they considered this.

"Whoa, folks, hold onto your seats because things are about to get wild! Over yonder, across the pond, we've got Kade, standing tall, standing strong, guarding that beacon like a fortress! And as for the rest—wait! what's this? The Daggers, they're on the move, folks! I repeat, the Daggers are on the move!"

Will spotted two shadowy mechs racing towards the other end of the map. They moved in unison like a whisper on the wind, barely disturbing the snow under their feet. Fast and agile, they quickly raced away from their main base, leaving blurred afterimages in their wake.

"Whoa, look at them go," Remy exclaimed. Will's eyes were fixed on the flickering forms of the two Daggers as they made their approach. A pulse raced from them that shifted the snow, rippling outwards in concentric circles.

"An aggressive approach from Cutter and Carver. The Daggers sure know how to make an entrance!"

More pulses raced from the Daggers as they searched through the region block by block.

"The tension is palpable as the Daggers scan for the beacon. This is indeed a test for Lawson, being as far away from the beacon as she is. She can't lose focus for a second, lest the Daggers be alerted to the base's location."

"Wait, Lawson is hiding the base location?" asked Becca.

"Looks like it," muttered Will.

"How?" asked Becca.

"She's probably masking its signature with her own," said Will.

"Not her own," Victor chimed in. "She is simulating the background field, making it look like there is nothing there."

"All the way from the roof?" Becca looked in awe.

"Yup," said Victor. "I doubt Kade could do that. That's why he is sticking so close to the beacon."

All of them glanced at the window displaying Arman 'The Wall' Kade. Arman had his massive arms folded over his chest as he gazed out of the window, looking completely at ease.

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"And there you have it, folks, two completely different strategies adopted by both teams. Team Blue making aggressive advances, not even bothering with traps as they search for their opponents. Cutter and Carver are closing in on Team Blue. Who will get who first? Would the Daggers prevail or fall prey to Red's traps?"

The Daggers were getting closer to Damian and Trapper, who had split up to cover more ground. It was really unfortunate timing. The Daggers flitted from shadow to shadow as they made their way down the block and were steadily making their way towards Trapper, who was alone in a side alley.

"Here we go," whispered Remy.

Will gripped his forearm as the tension ratcheted up. It was Cutter who had noticed Trapper first, and he signaled Carver to follow him closely. Both of them disappeared into the shadows, and there was a flicker of movement as the two midnight-blue mechs crept silently towards Cline, who seemed oblivious to their presence.

The cadets held their breath as the Daggers moved for their ambush. It looked like Trapper would be the one who was trapped. Just as they were about to make their move, there was a crack followed by a sonic boom. The ground exploded and cratered where the Daggers had been standing earlier.

"Incredible! Did you hear that? Red Team, Tara Lawson lays down the law! Firing the first shot of the match. Her monstrous rifle is something to reckon with, unleashing havoc at every pull."

Trapper took the chance to retreat. He weaved through the trapped areas as he made his way to Damian, ignoring the two charging shadow mechs behind him.

The Daggers were no slouches. They easily kept up with Trapper, copying his movements and dodging the many traps that were set for them. Cutter was moving ahead, his mech smoking a little. He hadn't gone completely unscathed from Lawson's attack and was moving slower than usual. He jumped over a patch of snow that Trapper hadn't bothered avoiding but immediately stiffened when he felt a pulse coming from Cline.

The snow exploded from under Cutter's feet, and the midnight-blue mech barely dodged the full brunt of the IED. Trapper had only pretended to avoid the traps before, since he had just started with this section of the road. In fact, he had just triggered the only bomb he had managed to rig up on this street.

"Baited! Cline cunningly strings along the Daggers, but Cutter seems to have gotten out relatively unscathed and is looking to pursue."

A thunderous crack echoed through the arena.

"BOOM! Lawson is on point, vexing the Daggers at every turn. The duo are still on Trapper's heels, but he is quickly gaining distance."

Will watched Trapper retreat down a side alley. The Daggers were relentless in their pursuit. Despite Lawson raining down bullets on them, they dodged the blasts as they kept up with Cline.

"The chase is on! The Daggers, undeterred, are hot on Trapper's heels. Oh! Another explosion from Lawson, dodged by a hair's breadth! The resilience! The agility!"

Steam hissed from Cutter's mech, which had taken the brunt of most of the blasts. Lawson laid cover fire for Cline, and craters were blasted into the sidewalk as the two mechs were forced to use the surrounding buildings as cover as they pursued.

"Hot damn! They are going at it!" Remy exclaimed. The situation was getting intense.

Will glanced at the upper right of the map and saw Damian was on the move. His cousin was the only one in the field in a CAD suit but moved with the speed of someone in a mech.

Trapper, alerted to Damian's presence, took a sharp turn to the right and towards a side alley. A few twists and turns later, Trapper and the Gecko were united once again.

"Would you look at that? The Red team is back again and ready to flip the script. What started as a two-on-one ambush from the Daggers will soon turn into a two-on-two ultimate showdown!"

The sudden flight of Trapper didn't faze the Blue team Daggers, but something must have clued them in when they turned around the corner to the small alley. The Daggers had charged their field to the maximum, expecting an ambush.

They were vindicated when bullets bounced off their field and pinged off their metal frame as Damian and Cline unloaded their mags on them. The Daggers didn't waste time and blurred into action. Blades at the ready, they prepared to cut the Red team down.

Damian tossed his rifle at Carver and brought out his twin blades. In a whirlwind of steel, Damian was on Carver, cutting and slashing. The shadowy mech could barely keep up with Damian's speed and was immediately put on the defensive. With a pair of daggers, Carver parried Damian's attacks, but Damian had the reach advantage and was slowly pushing Carver back.

Trapper wasn't faring so well. Cutter was on him the moment he had rounded the corner. The midnight-blue mech moved with calculated precision, and Trapper was slowly backing away down the alley. Sensing a trap, Cutter juked to the left as a booby trap went off under his feet. In the blink of an eye, Cutter was back on Trapper, shearing off the protective plating of the smaller mech.

"Look at them go, folks! The speed, the precision. It doesn't get any better than this!" the announcer yelled.

"Come on, Team Red!" Remy yelled. Will had his hand pressed against the glass as the intensity of the battle increased. Cheers and whoops filled the watchtower as the cadets yelled encouragement.

A shockwave shook the alley as Lawson fired her gun again. Cutter was forced to disengage, and Trapper got some breathing room. Damian's foot blurred in a flash and landed on Carver's chest plate. The outer plating caved in, and the mech was sent flying down the alleyway.

Both Daggers reoriented themselves as Damian and Trapper retreated. The Daggers followed them, but Cutter, sensing a trap, unslung his rifle. He had fallen for the same trap throughout the match and had wised up. He sprayed the road ahead, and there was a ping as he struck one of the bombs planted in the snow.

"What a twist! Cutter saw the trap coming a mile away. The road ahead is booby-trapped to the max. They won't be getting across without setting them off."

Carver didn't waste any time. He grabbed something from his storage and tossed it at the road ahead. The grenade went off with a bang, and more hidden bombs were triggered. The Blue team hadn't bothered to rig explosives around their home base, so they had an ample supply to use in this situation.

More explosions rocked the alley as the hidden traps were triggered. Some of the explosions even reached Damian and Trapper. They had to shield themselves with their fields as the blast wave struck them.

The alley shook under their feet, and their fields flickered. Damian staggered, and Trapper stuttered to a stop as sparks raced out of his mech.

"The Gecko is down, and Trapper follows! The Daggers must smell blood in the water and are on the move. The tide of battle could turn right in this instant!"

The two Daggers tossed smoke bombs down the alley. The white fog rolled over Damian, and Will spotted his cousin's fingers twitch.

"He is faking it!" yelled Will.

"What?" Remy exclaimed, his eyes glued to the window. "Are you serious?"

"I know that asshole. This is exactly the time he would do it."

Remy glanced at Trapper. Sparks arched from the mech, but he spotted nothing else wrong with it.

"Damn! It's both of them!" he yelled.

The Daggers moved in and disappeared into the smoke like shadows. The Red team was enveloped in the smoke too, and there was silence in the watchtower. Everyone waited with bated breath as the seconds went by.

The smoke cleared, and Damian stiffened. The Daggers were nowhere to be found. His head snapped to the side, and his field flared as he spotted two shadows flicker past their position. The Daggers ignored the duo and pressed onward.

"What the hell?!" Remy yelled, unable to contain himself.

"Unbelievable! In a surprising twist, the Daggers have pulled a 180! I can't believe my eyes, folks! They had the perfect opportunity to take out Gecko, but instead, they are going for broke, making a beeline straight for their home base!"

"They are going after Lawson and the Beacon!" yelled Remy.

Will clenched his fist as he watched Cutter and Carver race toward the building Tara was perched on. Blades gleaming, they surged forward to show Lawson the exact meaning of their namesake – to cut and carve.