At this point, one might think that this is a suicide move from a team that just got struck by heavy artillery and had their numbers cut in half. However, one must understand that one cybernetically enhanced soldier equals anywhere from ten to fifty regular soldiers in combat, and Eva was known for one thing: combat. To her, taking Overdrive to go on rampage mode and taking down enemy companies by herself was just another day's work.
Thompson picks up his sidearm, a .454 handgun, and his plasma blade, strong enough to cut through steel like paper. Handing them off to her, he says, “I noticed your arm is not the only thing missing, so are your weapons. And even as brutal as you are, your numbers are slim in battle bare-handed.”
Eva laughs and looks at Doc from the right side of her eye. “What’s the gun for, Doc? You know once I go on rampage, I only use the blades,” she says as she picks up the blade.
Doc sternly looks at her and says, “Well, only a fool brings just a knife to a gunfight, and a bullet may just save you when your blade cannot reach,” as he attaches the gun into her suit’s holster.
Immediately following these minor events, her face changes as she faces her objective. Determination fills her expression; her stance becomes stern yet relaxed. She knows what needs to be done and how little time she has to do it. “The enemy’s artillery camp…” she thinks as she sits to meditate and recap her mission, starting to simulate every possible outcome in her mind. She links every working processor in her Type-0 combat suit to prepare her for rampage. She takes a moment to calculate the possibilities of winning: “56% with only Rampage mode… and 87% in Overdrive…” Her combat suit begins to release steam in preparation as she would not have more than 30 seconds to run a distance of five hundred meters towards the enemy’s front line while under enemy fire.
“I will need three minutes to collect my senses before heading off,” Eva says.
Mike replies, “Very well, soldier. We’ll divert their attention, and you flank them quickly. Once you reach, we will provide covering fire.”
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As they head out of the bunker into a tactical formation to divert enemy attention, Mike stops for a minute in doubt and says, “Team…. I have already lost enough soldiers today… make sure you all make it back, same goes for you, Eva.”
Eva just sits, not even acknowledging him as she is already in a trance, concentrated and thinking. This team did not need to talk to know how to act or what to do. They had been a unit long enough to know what needs to be done and how to operate, yet it doesn’t mean that team leaders will be okay with losing soldiers for the mission. Each loss weighed heavily on the team, every time making it heavier on them.
“Tis just another day, just another battle… just another life, just war…” Eva recaps as she sits and meditates. Immediately, gunfire can be heard in the distance along with explosions. The team already had the enemy’s attention. Air support requests are heard from Mike broadcasting from the GECKO he left her, yet she sits serene, in peace, the same way a predator would stalk its prey before attacking. Suddenly, one of the Alpha Compound vials in her receptors is injected. For a moment, everything in her head goes quiet, numb, dark… These seconds are known as Equilibrium to all cybernetic soldiers, a state before rampage where the body recalibrates every nerve and muscle in the system.
Eva is used to this moment and, to some extent, welcomes it since it allows her to calm herself and actually listen to her thoughts for a minute before going on rampage. Suddenly, Eva opens her eye, and everything comes into her field of vision. She takes a deep breath as all the muscles in her body feel like they are burning. Her suit reacts to the serum, locking up and overclocking its processors, and opening exhaust vents in pressure mode. It is a familiar feeling for her, rampage mode. Eva faces forward and whispers to herself, “GO!” Instantly, she jumps from sitting into a sprint at a speed equaling a cheetah, heading ferociously towards the enemy, cracking the ground under her feet with every step taken. For a brief moment in this high, she thinks, “Only one arm is enough…” As she recaps her current limits, she perceives incoming rounds from the enemy line. They had already seen her rushing in.
“10 more seconds!” she screams as she approaches the enemy line. They were already in formation, ready to take her down. Luckily, air support had already been requested, and immediately following this confrontation, rounds were dispersed from the drone into enemy lines, providing cover along with a smoke screen. This, along with her speed, allowed Eva to evade every incoming round. Before the enemy could make heads or tails of the situation, Eva stood right in the frontline of the enemy artillery camp. They immediately knew it was too late—the Crimson Scarlet had reached them.