The Legendary Junkmaster

Jason ran through the dirt clouds towards the sounds of a fierce battle. Friday was directing him to a location where creatures called Octapes had breached the final defensive wall. The other areas were too busy with their own problem of holding back the Outbreak that none of them could even spare a single person.

"I can't believe they've gotten this far." Jason sighed. "Why haven't the Guardians been able to push them back?"

"According to the reports, there are thousands of beasts. The Guardians are outnumbered, and not everyone has a Power that is suitable for fighting the specific beasts that they are up against." Friday replied with a grim tone.

"How bad is the overall situation?" Jason asked as his feet pounded heavily on the concrete as they raced past dilapidated buildings.

"The Guardians have lost around 40% of the combat capability while the beasts have lost around 10%. It doesn't look, good but we need to hold on until the Pillars return." Friday sounded dejected as if he were unsure how long that would be.

"Those numbers aren't great." Jason frowned beneath his helmet as they rounded another corner. "It's just going to get worse as well. The more people that get take,n out, the greater the difference in our fighting strength."

"That's why it's important that we try and find a way to slow down the invasion. Nobody expects you to stop it. But maybe you can think of something that nobody else can." Friday's tone sounded a little optimistic to Jason's ears. "We're here, take the nex,t left, and you'll be at the battle zone. Good luck."

With these final words, Friday disappeared. It was most likely that he was helping out with spreading the intel of the battle situation. 'Hopefully, I'm not too late.' Jason thought as he took the turn that Friday had pointed out.

He could not see the battle yet, but he had heard angry growls and snarls not long ago. But now, the area up ahead had suddenly gone silent. 

Jason slowed to a walk, in case an ambush was waiting for him. As the dust that clouded his vision thinned out, Jason was met with a horrifying scene. 

Various body parts were strewn around the area. The ground was painted red as mutilated bodies of both Guardians and Octapes let off a horrible smell. 

Jason immediately activated the air filters and allowed his tanks to give him fresh air. Jason's nose scrunched up before he recognised Adam standing amongst the gore.

Jason was about to shout and get his attention before he remembered that he was not allowed to expose himself. Instead, Jason continued to look around before he took in the sight of the woman with white hair.

"I'll leave this place to you now. I'll take the injured away with me." The white-haired beauty said as Michelle and Dani's bodies floated into the air amongst others.

Jason's heart leapt into his throat when he finally saw Dani. She had been lying behind some rubble that kept her from his view. Her condition looked severe at a short glance. However, Jason did not get the chance to get a closer look before the strange woman walked off with them.

Adam glanced around as he waited for someone to take charge, it was only then that he spotted Ouroboros. Adam sprinted over to him before snapping to attention and saluting him.

"What's your orders, Sir?" Adam did his best to keep his voice calm, but a trace of anxiety could be clearly heard in it.

Jason was stunned as he stared at Adam! Why the hell did Adam act like this? But soon, other cadets started to line up in front of him as well, including Gerald. 

As Jason glanced at the crowd, he realised that there were no officers amongst them. A few were full-fledged Guardians, but most were just what was left of the cadet platoon.

"Sir?" Another cadet asked as he started at the Infinity with eyes full of hope.

'What do I do?' Jason wondered as he looked at each face.

"You're just going to have to break the rules. But if you want my advice, name Adam as your second. Take him aside and give him the orders to deal out. That way, only Adam knows who you are." Syssie replied to Jason's thought.

Jason pondered over the merit of what Syssie said before he realised that it was the best course of action. Jason pointed at Adam and beckoned for him to follow before walking off a small distance.

Adam appeared nervous as he glanced over his shoulder at the other cadets. But what could he do? Ouroboros was the one with the highest rank amongst them due to his position as Sentinel's apprentice.

"Sir? Is something wrong?" Adam asked as he kept his eyes lowered.

"Of course there is!" Jason groaned as he looked at his friend. "For one, stop being so tense around me."

Adam's head snapped up to stare at the visor that masked Jason when he heard the familiar voice. His expression was one of disbelief as he looked at the Infinity.

"Jas..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down. We can't let anyone else find out." Jason cut him off hurriedly before he announced his name.

"It's really you? What are you doing in that thing?" Adam asked somewhat excitedly?

While Jason explained the situation and everything that had happened since they separated, the cadets started to gain hopeful expressions. This was because they could tell that Adam looked excited by something that Ouroboros had said.

Did he bring information regarding the Pillars return? Was it possible that they did not have to hold out for much longer? Naturally, these were their thoughts as they watched the interaction between Jason and Adam for a while.

They felt a new surge of life building within them. A drive to survive, so to speak. As far as they were convinced, the nightmare would be over soon. They stared at Ouroboros with fanatical eyes as they prayed for salvation.

"And that's it." Jason sighed as he finished his story.

"That's crazy, bro! Good on you! So what about defending the wall?" Adam's excitement deflated as he remembered the situation that they were in. "According to Dani, there is still thousands of beasts out there. Let's face it, there's no way that we can hold them off."

"I agree. But we have to do it anyway." Jason sighed as he glanced at the half-broken wall of earth between two buildings. "How have you survived until now?"

"We've just had the long-range guys take up position on the walls. Once the beasts get too close, they swap out with those better in melee range." Adam shook his head sadly. "But we don't have the numbers to make that work anymore. Not only that, but the girl who made the wall has disappeared."

"So, do you have any suggestions? You know the Powers of the others better than me." Jason asked with a hopeful voice.

Adam thought for a moment, but it seemed like he had no ideas. That left Jason with a significant problem. 'It would be best if we can at least close the gap. Or even better if we could replace it with something better.'

Jason looked at the buildings that the wall was situated between. They were not in excellent condition, but that might work to their advantage. Jason started trying to figure out if it was possible to bring a few of the top floors down or not.

'They'd create a much better wall, especially if we can get them to land on top of each other.' Jason decided that it was worth a shot. But it all depended on what Powers they had to work with.

Jason explained his idea to a wide-eyed Adam. Who then told him of a few people that would be suitable for the mission. The only problem was that there were only enough to create a single team. 

They would just have to hope that it would be enough. The pair marched back over to the platoon as Adam named those that they would send. Jason just stood there and watched quietly while Adam handed out the details of the mission.

Needless to say, these cadets were excited about this opportunity. For one thing, it was a lot safer than guarding the wall. For another, they would definitely receive merits for providing a valuable service during the battle!

Just as Jason and Adam waved the small team off, a loud roar came from the distance. Jason turned to stare towards that direction, but Adam's face gas paled.

Adam started shouting at the platoon to get into their positions! He looked anxious as he chased after the crowd and made sure that nobody tried to sneak off.

'I guess the next wave is about to strike. It would have been better if they waited till we brought the building down.' Jason sighed heavily as he mentally prepared himself to join in the brutal battle for Bridgend...