Breaking The Silence

The men were not ordered to fire since visuals of the enemy cannot be confirmed. The surroundings is too dark and night vision couldn't detect the enemy at 200 meters range. The men of Task Force Derby knows that the enemy were around.

Carlo's heartbeat goes faster as moments passes by. Sweat begins to flow from his forehead to the ridge of his nose. The sensation gives more discomfort to his feeling being in anxiety. His hands area shaking in thinking of the inevitable. His mouth opens and begins to speak his prayers to his creator whom he believe to have watched him at that moment.

Darkness covers not only their surroundings but the enemy as well. The night vision can only grant them advantage of 200 meters in distance. Beyond that they are blind as bats. From 100 meters alone they could not differentiate a figure that of a human being.

"This is bad!" Carlo suffers an anxiety attack with his hands shaking.

Scanning from his sensors, Carlo noticed some movements but couldn't identify it to be human or not. The enemy knows of their positions but did not fired a single shot. They might be waiting for something, for a chance, a mistake from the government troops. Eerie silence is the only thing that is heard by the Task Force. Adding the sense of dread and fear to them.

A concerned soldier looks at Carlo who seems to have froze and restless in his position. He and contacted him through radio transmission and said, "Sir, your heart rate is rising. Are you alright?"

Hearing the voice of the concerned soldier, Carlo felt assured and become more relaxed than before. "Yes, I am good. Thank you!" His voice remained shaky.

"You should be sir, no soldier is not afraid of death. Anyone who said otherwise is a liar." The sergeant below of his rank said to him.

Twenty minutes has passed, the men of Task Force Derby remained in their positions. The men in their power armor stands in their position and forms a small defensive triangle. Most of the equipment the three soldiers had were powerful enough to obliterate two platoons of enemy infantry.

After Carlo's anxiety attack ended he asked his squad mates for a situation report. The infantry responded one by one. Looking at their positions they seemed to be in a good one and will be fine, so he thought.

"This is Axel, 45 meters away, ammunition unspent and no damage recorded!" Axel a veteran mecha pilot said.

"This is Serge, 65 meters away, ammunition unspent and no damage recorded!" Serge an experienced mecha pilot from the Morong Insurrection followed.

After the sitrep, a faint light from a distance of 100 meters suddenly shines like a firefly in the darkness. Carlo observed the light but it seems it looks too artificial.

"Corporal, something looks odd!" Axel tells Serge meters away from him through radio transmission.

Radio noise suddenly erupted in their radio as the Mission Lead and his second in command were arguing.

"Calm down sir!" The second in command told him after hearing him panic.

Carlo kept his mouth shut and observed the situation. Aside from sounding amateurish, their commander acted like he has not encountered a situation like this before.

The situation looks dire for the Task Force as laughter echoes from their surroundings. They also hear taunts and jeers from the enemy who are hiding in the darkness. This alerted the soldiers and prepared their weapons for a firefight.

"Sir, this is Sergeant Carlo. What are your orders?" Carlo contacted their mission lead through radio.

"Sir, what now!?" Carlo said followed up his transmission.

Unable to get a response from the Mission Lead, Carlo decides to scatter his men and form a perimeter.

"Everybody, spread out. Prepare to fight!" Carlo tells his subordinates.

Finally, their mission lead contacted Carlo after noticing their movements. The Mission Lead reprimanded Carlo why we moved without his permission. Carlo simply raise the middle finger on the Mission Lead and ignore his rants towards him.

When Carlo was about to finally reply to the Mission Lead when a loud bang is heard at least hundred meters away from them Flare suddenly illuminates from above them which exposed their position in the middle of the jungle. Carlo saw some of their enemies towards his position and he was right in my decision to move my men or else we will be wiped out if I have not earlier.

The Mission Lead suddenly calls Carlo through radio transmission who reprimanded him of his actions, "You little ingrate, I will have you court..." A loud bang silenced him and dead static follows.

Jeers, mockery and laughter from the enemy side who are hidden fills the air. As the flares that illuminate from above of the Task Force almost landed on the ground the enemy started to rain small arms fire on them. The eerie silence earlier has ended by bursts of small arms fire. Two of Carlo's fellow soldiers in power armor reported that they are hit by small arms fire but are fine since their armor protected them.

Firefight ensued during the evening. Contact with other squads is not possible as confusion and radio chatter from other squads are inaudible. Carlo's squad returned fire towards the enemy as light from the illumination flares exposed them as well, gutting them down with disciplined bursts of fire from their weapons.