Meet Squad Echo

Loss, after loss, after loss. It was getting ridiculous. In one moment,

[Shots taken from outside 5 meters of the target are not registered. ]

In the next,

[You have received damage on your left shoulder blade. ]

And suddenly the suit stiffens around that area, slowing down movement for the rest of the match.

So many notifications were popping up on our visors it was nearly impossible to see. For a second I even considered muting them.

The day had started well. The program was outlined to us, we started an hour later. One thing struck me. Lectures were short, too short.

We were all assembled together in training hall 1. All 50 agents of the first cohort, or rather 49 since Squad Fay only had four members at the moment. Larson would be back in a few hours. Jason was present, and didn't seem too eager to be here.

The hall had huge screens on every wall, and only two instructors were present physically. They taught laser guns in one lecture, rubber bullets in the next, melee weapons in another. Then followed active demonstrations. All on our second day on the island. Basically courting burn out.

Then, they left. No more lectures, no more general training. We were all dismissed. Well, that’s what we thought, until the notifications rang in our phones.

Every squad would take training against E.A’s optimal basic level squad, Squad Echo. We didn’t understand what that meant until we were standing in training hall 2 an hour later for our turn.

It had been set up like a warehouse, full of shelves and boxes.

[You have one hour to clear the session. If you’re all eliminated, you’ll go back to the starting point and start again. Try not to lose. Good luck. ]

‘Whoever wrote that must be enjoying this a bit too much… They didn’t even try to make it sound official.’

We actually started out just fine. Alicia read the rules of the bout. Flora reread. Lucas tried logicalizing it all. Garnet cracked some joke about AI.

“They’re just some dumb bots…” Garnet said.

And that’s when it started.

Straight ass whooping.

‘Humbling of a lifetime.’

It was an open match, so nothing much on the line, except, you know, our standing in the fixtures of the upcoming intersquad battles. Yep, nothing much.

The goal was simple. Defuse the enemy ‘bomb’ planted in one corner of the warehouse. Squad Echo, would defend the bomb.

Squad Echo was made up of five bots.

Only one squad member of our choosing could defuse the bomb. If they were eliminated, we start again. If we were all eliminated, we start again. No breaks, no pauses.

The lights in the hall were dimmed just enough to mimic a real abandoned warehouse.

[Engagement of any form other than use of laser guns and hand to hand combat is prohibited and will be penalized. ]

Easy, huh?

[Trial 3 ]

We tried the direct approach. Lucas was the bomb defuser. He’d move down the center aisle. The rest of us would cover him from ahead and intercept any bot coming his way. By the time we reached the bomb, we hadn’t encountered a single bot.

Bang!

[Lucas has been eliminated. ]

Clean shot, no warning. We didn't even see where it came from.

[Trial 5 ]

The first time we managed to eliminate a bot. Two of the others came to check.

Alicia whispered a flank call to Garnet. The nearest bot's head turned toward the sound before either of them could move. It was over as fast as it started.

‘They’re listening.’

We switched to hand signals.

[Trial 8 ]

We chose Flora as the bomb defuser. We actually reached the bomb this time. Flora was three steps from it when the bot Garnet was facing suddenly ignored him and attacked her. Garnet tried shooting.

[Shots taken from outside 5 meters of the target are not registered.]

Flora didn’t see it coming.

[Flora has been eliminated. ]

We were getting tired.

[Trial 11 ]

Our best. I tapped my card on the sensor.

[Enter defuse code_ ]

I’d half-entered the code before the suit locked my arm mid-motion.

[You have received damage on your left shoulder blade. ]

‘Shit.’

Alicia arrived to my rescue a second too late. The bot took a second shot before I could reach for my gun.

[You have been eliminated. ]

Alicia was so confused. She’d already killed that exact bot, unless…

“They can play dead!?”

Flora confirmed it. The same thing had happened to her.

‘The bots are learning…’

By trial 13 nobody was calling out plans anymore. We just moved, well coordinated, yet still not good enough.

[Lucas has been eliminated. ]

[Alicia has been eliminated. ]

Nowhere close to good enough.

[You have all been eliminated. Go back to your starting point. ]

We all came back out of breath.

[Trial 15 ]

More tactics.

[You have all been eliminated. Go back to your starting point. ]

More failures. Frustration was creeping in.

[Trial 16 ]

[You have all been eliminated. Go back to your starting point. ]

[You have all been eliminated. Go back to your starting point. ]

‘So many notifications…’

I looked at the huge countdown on the wall.

[00: 15: 58 ]

‘15 minutes left.’

I sighed.

I got back to our starting point, dropped my gun and sat down. The others were also seated, utterly exhausted.

We were all thinking the same thing. Wrap up and leave.

Almost as if noticing our dejection, a notification popped up on all our visors.

[Which trial came closest to victory? ]

We all agreed.

“Trial 11.”

[Which trial best represents your squad cohesion and chemistry? ]

“Trial 17.”

We had tried 17 times. We had failed 17 times.

[Thank you for your feedback. Processing… ]

“Does that mean the session is over?” Flora asked, seated on the ground. She wiped the sweat on her forehead.

[Would you like to forfeit the session? There will be no penalties or punishments for this. ]

We looked at each other.

Silence.

No one wanted to make the decision. Even Alicia was hesitant. It wasn’t an easy choice. Even with the promise of no punishment, we were new to this place… Plus, what would other squads choose?

“I say we give it one more shot,” I said.

“What makes you sure it’ll be different this time?”

“I’m not. That’s what makes it fun…” I stood up and picked my gun.

“Besides, at the end of the day, they’re just some dumb bots.”

The others stood up.

My eyes met Alicia’s.

“What do you think, one more shot?” I asked.

“One more shot.”

There was suddenly a spark in them all.

[00: 10: 09 ]

Ten minutes… That’s how much time we had to finish this.

[Trial 18 ]

Pin drop silence the moment the match began. The bots weren't performing their patrols anymore. Almost as if they were literally waiting for us to move. Predicted.

Garnet moved between the shelves closest to the wall, directly in the bot's field of view, then cut in towards the center of the hall. The bots saw him. They didn’t react. Predicted.

Alicia moved from the right, shooting at them despite being clearly out of range. One bot, specifically Bot 1 moved towards her. She took the first left she came across. I was hiding on the right.

Bang! It jumped back the moment I pulled the trigger, barely missing its head.

‘Of course.’

I immediately lowered my gun. Bang! I got its leg. Shots had the same effect on the bots as they did on our suits, so it fell.

Another bot came to its rescue.

I instantly jumped past the shelves and followed Alicia.

“Garnet,” I said.

“On it.”

We met on my way to the bomb. He threw me his gun and left.

‘Now, the bomb.’

I advanced towards the right of the warehouse. Lucas popped up ahead from the corner ahead. We crossed paths. We didn’t stop.

“It’s coming. One bot,” he said.

“Okay. Go cover Garnet.”

The bot hadn’t even revealed its whole body at the corner.

Bang! Headshot. It fell to the ground. Bang! Confirmation shot.

I turned on my comms.

“Bot 3 is dead. Ignore Bot 1, immobile in its left leg.”

“We’ve killed Bot 2 on the left,” Flora said through comms.

I met Bot 4 at the bomb. It hadn’t moved since the match began.

I retreated. It followed. Fast.

I turned left in the first corner I came across. I saw Flora on the left in the corner of my eye.

‘It’ll go for her.’

I stopped. The bot reached the corner and also stopped. It faced me. Not Flora, yet she was closer.

“Go, I’ll handle this,” I said to Flora, with a hand sign. Flora left.

I’d had my suspicions about this bot for a while now. The same bot we realised was listening to our movements during trial 5. The same bot that ignored Garnet and went for Flora during trial 8. The same bot that played dead during trial 11.

‘They’re differently capable, and this is the most capable one.’

I pointed my gun at it and pulled the trigger.

It didn’t even flinch.

[Shots taken from outside 5 meters of the target are not registered. ]

“You… will… not… win,” It said, struggling to put words together, raising its gun at me.

‘Semi-autonomous bots don’t speak at will.’

Suddenly, I heard my comms glitch out.

A voice spoke.

“Guys, get to the bomb. Bot 4 is dead.”

My eyes shrunk.

‘That’s my voice…’

It had hacked our comms.

“Everyone, don’t listen to…”

I hadn’t even completed my words.

Smash! Blocked the punch, but not the momentum. I was sent flying back, but managed to land on my feet. My arms were hurting. Too much to be protocol. The bot squared up for a second attack, and charged.

There were only two routes to the bomb. We were standing on the main one.

Had Lucas not appeared at that moment, something would have been left broken.

Bang! Lucas shot its foot as it was approaching us, so it lost balance and fell.

It was in range. Bang! Bang!

[Lucas has been eliminated. ]

I jumped back out of range, and met Lucas' eyes as he fell.

‘Thanks, Lucas.’

The bot was going too far. I dropped the guns as I rubbed my aching forearms.

‘I’ll take it from here.’

The bot got up, forcing its leg to unlock, also dropping its gun. I couldn’t leave Lucas with this thing. Well, I could, but I wouldn’t. That left me one choice.

Time for round three.

Suddenly…

A loud buzzer went off.

[Due to violation of E.A’s protocols, Squad Echo has been terminated. ]

All the bots suddenly froze in place. Bot 4’s screen went blank, then turned off.

The hall went silent, as the lights went bright.

I looked at the countdown on the wall.

[00: 00 :45 ]

The timer disappeared.

[Squad Zayin had successfully cleared their 1st session by opponent termination. ]

A win we could barely celebrate.

All training halls were ‘locked for inspection’ after that.