Ch.1: Nightwatch
Fort Aurora, Alaska.
13km North of Anchorage
1000 UTC, 0100 Local
Wind swept across the pale dunes, creating small flurries where the frozen wind could pick up the white powder. It was already late into the year, and the arctic winter had already frozen almost everything in its path. Everything, but the lone soldier standing guard.
Private Jenkins had the unlucky position of being "lowest on the totem pole" as it were, first week serving at the Anchorage reclamation base had taught him that much. Not that he minded it, it was tradition in most units or groups to have the new guy doing the dirty work, especially if they were anything lower ranked than a Sargent. You had to earn your place, that's just how it went.
This all meant that things like standing watch outside the barracks in the middle of the night was usual for him by now. Not like pulling a night shift meant anything this far North however, it was pretty much always night during the winter, with only a few hours of sunlight during the "day".
"What I wouldn't do for some coffee right about now", was something that popped through Jenkin's mind often on these shifts. "Only a few more minutes till the next guy takes my place, then I'll see if I cant get into the camp's canteen."
Time slipped by as Jenkins continued to stare out into the darkness from his post, watching small eddies of snow being twirled around in the breeze. There really wasn't much to do, a side from practicing his humming and counting the stars above. That was one thing about being stationed far away from any of the habitable zones, the night sky was absolutely stunning to look at, with no light pollution you could see the Milky Way as it spanned across the sky. It made Pvt. Jenkins feel insignificantly small and tiny, like he was just an ant standing before a great ocean.
In this moment of tranquillity something suddenly felt off. Nothing had changed from what Jenkins could tell, nothing had moved or made a sound, but something felt different. The twinge along his spine told him it wasn't anything good either.
With the most nonchalant and ease of moments the Private flipped the safety on his M4A1 and racked the bolt. Nothing made any evident moves from his change in demeanor, but if it was a predator or a skilled enemy the man wasn't sure yet, though they seemed to have their eyes on him.
Under the multiple layers of his uniform and his rebreather apparatus Jenkins was drenched in sweat, despite the sub zero temperature outside. He was fully exposed from where he stood by the entrance, and the dark void before him only made him feel naked.
That's when it hit him. His relief, Corporal DeVeras was late.
Slowly, Jenkins reached for the radio strapped to his chest. He was about to radio his situation when something stopped him.
There, out in the darkness stood a girl.
Alarm bells rang in Jenkins head as he immediately raised his rifle and took an aggressive stance. This girl, or at least what appeared to be a girl, was wearing an odd outfit for the far North. She wore what appeared to be a maid outfit, cut apart in places but well maintained in others. Black and white stockings and a pair of little shoes carried her through the snow that should have been up to her waist, but she easily glided across with little imprints. Long black hair tied into a weave at her back swished back and forth like a tail of a panther, while several long bangs nearly covered the two murderous purple orbs that stared directly at the lone soldier.
She was dragging something with her through the snow, from his position the guard couldn't tell what it was yet, but it unlike the girl left a deep furrow in the snow.
"HALT! Stop right there and identify yourself!" Jenkins bellowed as loud as he could, hoping his shouts will reach the rest of the camp, "Arms in the air where I can see them!"
At this the girl just giggled, it was a creepy laugh that unnerved Jenkins more than it should have. "Are you sure?" her sing song voice sounded more like it belonged on a child than a young adult, but the way she said it seemed like she was having the time of her life. "Well then, if you insist Mister Tin Soldier~" she cooed.
With that she heaved what she had been dragging several feet into the air, where it landed just shy of where Jenkins stood.
What Jenkins saw nearly made him empty his guts right then, it was Corporal DeVeras's body. Mutilated and naked, dark bruises and lacerations covered him in a way that made it seem he was still alive when he had received this torture. Two empty eye sockets stared back at Jenkins as blood poured out of them like bloody tears.
"YOU BITCH!" Jenkins let out before pulling the trigger. Bright flashes from the muzzle illuminated the darkness, for just a second he lost the girl in his sights as the flashes blinded his view. When he stopped firing there wasn't any trace of her to be found. "What… the fuck?"
His vision was abruptly obscured by what appeared to be the face of a smiling teenage girl before his vision spun 180° and he saw no more.
Griffon and Kryuger HQ
1900 UTC, 2000 Local.
Helianthus was near her limit. She had spent the last few days working damage control after the failed Sangvis attack on G&K Headquarters, quite literally putting out fires at times. After the enemy had been repulsed and routed it was a job for the T-dolls and their commanders to mop up any resistance. For her end she had to now deal with her responsibilities as assistant to the CEO.
Taking a deep breath and fixing a few stray bands of silver hair that had fallen out of place Helian prepared herself mentally for her debriefing with Berezovitch Kyruger himself. She wasn't afraid of the man, as much as he intimidated or impressed his subordinates and clients alike, Helian had worked with the man long enough to have a better understanding of her CEO. Much of him was still a mystery to her, secrets locked away from all but himself. As well he was certainly dangerous, as if the years since he had quit being on the frontline meant nothing to him, as evident by how he was one of the first to draw his sidearm to fight back during the attack.
No, if Helian had to place any sort of emotion she had for the man it was the highest respect, she would gladly follow him into hell and back! Her only worry at the moment was only if she could keep up...
Standing before the carved grand oak doors to his personal office Helian gripped her data pad, steeling herself once more. Once more into the breach, as Shakespeare once said.
Pressing the buzzer she immediately heard an answer through the com link, "Come in," Kyruger's electronic voice came through. As curt as ever, Helian thought with a small smile threatening to break her cold and calculating expression.
Pushing the two intricately engraved doors aside the assistant stepped through into her employer's office. "Good evening Sir, here are those reports you asked f-" The words died on Helian's lips as she witnessed something she really shouldn't have. Across the spacious office, learning upon the front of his desk and half naked, was Kyruger.
Stripped down to his dress pants the middle aged man was busy applying a bandage across his right shoulder. Helian couldn't help but notice the broad shoulders and bulging muscles all over his body, feeling the temperature of the room rise ever so slightly, for a man past his fifties he could outclass any young man half his age. His skin was a patchwork of scar tissue; burn marks, bullet holes, gashes stitched back together, and many other different kinds of battle wounds made up the mosaic that was Berezovich Kryuger.
"Helian, the reports." Kyruger spoke without turning around, continuing his work on replacing his bandages.
"Ah… Yes Sir!" the secretary pushed her monocle back into place and pulled out her data pad. She was ashamed for staring that long, she would have to reprimand herself later for breaching her standards.
It had felt like several days had passed as Helian reported the successes and failings of each team under G&K, though in reality it only took close to only an hour. All the while Kryuger continued redressing the wounds he suffered during the assault, why he hadn't asked for medical assistance Helian couldn't say for certain.
On good news the CEO made slight praises or asked about a detail that caught his attention. On failures he seldom showed any anger or frustration, merely noting the lose and seeking how it could be prevented in future. It was like watching a teacher grading his students on their ability to complete their assignments.
Then the last report came. "Sir, one of our feelers picked up something… off from the US military, one of their bases in Alaska went dark several hours ago."
"I hardly see how that's of our concern, though unfortunate as it may be."
"Sir, this is just a rumor at the moment until we can get some solid leads, but before Fort Aurora went dark a distress signal was sent. In the message they said they were under attack by a lone T-doll, with an appearance description similar to that of Sangvis Ferri commander units."
Finished with his work Kryuger buttoned up his shirt and slipped his coat back on, "Now that is interesting, why would a SF unit be all the way out there?"
"Couldn't say for certain Sir, but the only objective of note in the area is the Anchorage reclamation project, where the US is trying to rebuild the city and their military base after it had been destroyed during the Third World War and subsequent contamination by ELID."
Pausing to look over his desk at several displays of the region and available data Kyruger made a predatory grin, like a wolf that had just caught wiff of an injured prey. "It seems an old ghost of mine might have finally come back from the dead."
The cryptic response momentarily threw Helian off, readjusting her monocle she waited for a response that never seemed to come. "If I may Sir, how so? And what Ghost are you referring to?"
Kryuger didn't immediately respond, but simply highlighted a surveillance satellite still image of Fort Aurora after it had been wiped out. Zooming in on the image further revealed a blurred, yet still recognizable image of a lone figure at the site of Fort Aurora. It wasn't what the reports described as the assailant, it was too large and bulky to be a T-Doll or a Sangvis Ferri ringleader, but it didn't seem quite human either with an odd helmet covering its head.
Helian had to squint her eyes and took a moment of studying the image to make sure it wasn't doctored in any way. "Is… Is it waving at us?"