Commander's Blair's Birthday Bash
"Ok, Miss WA2000, a little more to the right."
A loud groan erupted from the rifle T-doll as she leaned as far as she could on the ten foot tall ladder.
"What is the point of birthday parties anyway? Just seems like a waste of time to me..."
WA2000 was positioning the right end of the giant banner that was to span the entrance to the dining hall. Miss Enfield was casually holding the left side of the sign; being relatively tall certainly does have its benefits.
Welrod, the girl who was directing this escapade, realized how taxing this task was, however this mission was of the utmost importance; it was the commander's birthday after all. She had been planning this event for months, micromanaging everything down to the flavor of the frosting on the cake. Today was the day where everything was to be set in motion; revealing if Welrod's plans had been for naught.
It's been a tiresome endeavor, but it's worth it for a gentleman of his stature.
Welrod directed WA2000 as though she were a traffic officer; her arms waving in all directions. WA2000's arms were attempting to match the girl's movements, throwing her arms up, down, forwards, and backwards to position the corner just right. Welrod could tell her assistant was getting frustrated, the girl's groans increasing in volume and length.
"There, that's perfect Miss WA2000!" Welrod said, giving her two thumbs up once she was satisfied, only to get an exasperated sigh and an eye roll in return. Their task now complete, the two rifle dolls descended from their respective ladders, ready for new orders.
"Miss Lee, if you could assist Miss Grizzly in filling air into the balloons, I would truly appreciate it."
Lee, with a smile, turned to leave, but stopped mid turn to face Welrod, a mischievous grin now replacing the graceful one.
"Miss Welrod, may we have permission to use helium for the task?"
Welrod gave the request a long thought. While helium balloons could certainly cause issues, especially with the personalities on this base, Welrod trusted Lee's judgement and grace.
I suppose it's worth a shot.
"Permission granted, I am putting my trust in you Miss Lee, do not make me look foolish now," Welrod said, giving her friend a smile, although deep down she still felt immensely concerned.
Gleefully, the British rifle hustled off to tell Grizzly the good news. Welrod could see the girl with the aviators on give a fist pump, and run off with Lee to obtain tanks of helium gas. WA2000 in the meanwhile had been impatiently tapping her foot, awaiting the next order.
"Miss WA2000, your mission is to assist Miss Springfield in the kitchens…" Welrod began to say, turning to the girl in front of her.
The sniper's eyes lit up like a Fourth of July fireworks display, running off into the base's interior before her leader could finish her statement.
"...with carrying the food to the dining hall."
What have I done?
Welrod pulled her radio out of her pocket, and took off sprinting after the WA2000. She switched to the channel that was connected to the kitchens, praying she was not too late.
"Miss Springfield, Do you copy over?"
A sweet voice returned the call out.
"Oh! Hello Wel-chan. I am pleased to say the commander's birthday cake is looking better by the second. Hold on one moment." The girl heard Springfield mutter something forcefully at an obscure T-Doll; as sweet as Springfield was, she did have a stern side to her, especially when she was focused on a task.
"My apologies Miss, FNC was trying to get an early sample of the commander's birthday cake. Children shouldn't ruin their appetites with sweets, should they little one?
Welrod had turned the corner and arrived at the kitchen, screeching to a halt in front of Springfield. The woman was finishing dressing the cake with a layer of white frosting.
Welrod stood in awe of the sight before her: a triple-layered, white frosted chocolate cake. The outside was decorated with various decorative candies, strawberries, the commander's favorite fruit, and edible G&K emblems. The cake itself towered above the dolls hurriedly rushing about the kitchen, at least seven feet in height, and that wasn't counting the table it was resting on.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see WA2000 trying to help decide the tablecloths they would use that evening.
Goodness Gracious, crisis averted.
"Miss Springfield, how did you know to…?"
"Fufufu… Wel-chan, this isn't the first time I've had to deal with problem children. WA-Chan is busying herself with the place settings, however, isn't it also a problem for you to be here?" Springfield have the girl a sweet smile.
Dammit, she's right!
"A-ah, yes. I shall return to the dining hall. Thank you, Miss Springfield, the cake looks splendid," the girl replied with a nod before racing back to the dining hall.
Lee and Grizzly should be done with the balloons by now. We should set a bundle of them on each table, and let the rest litter the ceiling. Yes, that would do nicely.
Welrod entered the dining hall, however, Grizzly and Lee were nowhere to be seen. Although, the girl did notice Calico and Suomi trying to set up the sound system, and sauntered over to see how they were progressing. The two girls in question were busy chatting about heavy metal bands, as they plugged in eight foot high speakers into the grand hall walls.
"Oh, hi there your majesty! Suomi and I are just finishing up the surround sound system. We are going to totally rock this hall tonight!" Calico said cheerfully, playing a little air guitar as Suomi happily unwound the microphone.
"We thought karaoke would be a fun way to celebrate the commander's birthday! I look forward to hearing what you have to sing Miss
Welrod!" Suomi said with a smile.
"O-oh, I-I don't think I'll be doing that… I-I'm quite dreadful behind the microphone," Welrod replied, embarrassed enough to turn a slight shade of pink, "A-Anyway, you two seem to have everything under control, well done!"
Mental note: Ask Commander for a raise in Suomi and Calico's pay. They earned it.
Suomi gleefully plugged the microphone into the speaker jack, and gave it a tap. The sound resonated around the room. The girl hummed a low chord into the microphone. This low tone reverberated around the room, off the walls, and through the fine glasses, each with a little G&K logo emblazoned on them, which were stacked neatly on top of the tables across from them. Welrod could see the glasses shaking ever so slightly. Suomi hummed a little louder, and suddenly, the glasses burst, showering bits of material over the table, floor, and poor G36 who was attempting to set the table.
Mental note: Disregard previous note.
"Uh… sorry Miss Welrod," The little girl said with a sheepish grin, "we have extra glasses right?" She looked at Welrod, who's right eye was slightly twitching.
No there aren't. In fact those were donations from Krueger himself.
"I'm sure we-we'll figure something out. Don't be too hard on yourself." Welrod gave the best smile she could muster at the moment; which turned into more of a grimace than anything else, her right eye continuing to twitch.
"Yo Welrod!"
Good, Grizzly is back. Hopefully something has gone smoothly.
Welrod turned around to face Grizzly, who was carrying Lee-Enfield over her shoulder. The two girls approached at a very leisurely pace, the kind a child uses to prolong their time before a punishment.
Where are the balloons?
Welrod saw neither balloons, nor the helium tanks they were to use to fill them. Welrod met the two girls halfway; crossing her arms whilst looking the two up and down.
"Grizzly, where are the balloons, and… why are you carrying Lee?" Welrod's eyes narrowed a bit at her teammate.
"Uh yea, about that…" Grizzly was trying to avoid Welrod's glare, while Lee-Enfield could be heard giggling to herself.
"See… we made a discovery that helium makes your voice sound higher pitched." Grizzly had her eyes on her toes, not daring to look her superior in the eye, for good reason, as Welrod had intensified her glare.
"And?" Welrod started to tap her foot.
"So, Lee and I decided to have some fun, and we inhaled some helium."
"How much is some, Grizzly?"
The girl mumbled something under her breath. While Welrod missed it, Lee must have heard it, as her giggling intensified.
"What?"
"All of it, Welrod. We inhaled all of it. I… kind of goaded her into it. I encouraged her take a sniff, then two. Before I knew it she took on another and another. I tried to stop her, but Lee inhaled too much and started acting… well... like this." The girl tilted her head back at Lee, who was in the midst of a laughing fit.
"Y-you sounded so fuuuuuuuunny Grizzly Bear!" The normally composed woman had completely lost it!
Welrod brought her hand to her head, and glanced at her watch. Only ten minutes remained until the party started.
This is actually happening right now.
Welrod took a deep breath, letting the exhale calmly exhume from her mouth. She shot a determined, and slightly frustrated look at Grizzly.
"Right, then! Grizzly, you and Lee will have to do it the old fashioned way. I want as many balloons filled and ready to go in ten minutes!" She pointed from the girls to the pile of balloons.
Grizzly glanced at Lee, who was still out of control, and then back at Welrod. The girl raised her eyebrow.
"So… how exactly am I going to do that with Miss Crumpet over here acting… like a mad hatter?"
"Make do!" Welrod, exasperated, stormed off to find something, anything that had gone right. It was then the massive cake entered the dining hall.
Oh thank god, I can always count on Springfield to pick up the slack.
The woman she spoke of sauntered up to Welrod, a smile emblazoned on her face.
"Magnificent isn't it Wel-chan? It wasn't easy, but those 14 hours of baking were truly worth it. Oh, the Commander is going to be so pleased!" The woman clapped excitedly as the cake was positioned neatly on the table.
"Thank you, Miss Springfield. You truly came through in a pinch." Welrod gave the woman a nod and a smile, and once again glanced at her watch. Her face turned from bliss to concern.
Five minutes, and we have no eating utensils. This absolutely won't do. Oh, the Commander is going to be unhappy isn't he?
Suddenly, Calico burst through the door with a large utility cart. The girl had located boxes of plastic cups, silverware, and plates. She ran up to the two women, with her quarry in tow.
"Look what I found!" Calico turned towards the cart, shaking her hands enthusiastically.
Well, they aren't extravagant enough for the commander, but it will suffice given the circumstances.
Every doll in the hall quickly set to work finishing up the decorations and setting the "fine dining" utensils out on the lengthy ballroom tables. Grizzly had hurriedly blown up enough balloons to have one per table, while Lee sat next to her giggling like a schoolgirl.
Just as the last utensil was put in place, Kalina rushed into the hall with a gaggle of other dolls in tow.
"The Commander is on his way! Quick douse the lights!" Springfield activated the switch, casting a blanket of darkness on the hall. Welrod could hear muffled voices approaching the entrance. The door opened, casting the hallway light into the dining hall. Two figures stood in the doorway, one appeared to be a Doll while the other was the commander.
"M-mister, there are monsters in there! I'm mighty scared, could you go and flush em out?" Single Action Army was putting on her best performance.
"Of course, little miss, I'll scare those monsters right out of their shoes!" The man slowly walked into the dining hall, as the doors shut behind him, returning the room to complete darkness. At that moment Springfield flipped on the generator, filling the room with bright light. All of the Dolls rose from their hiding places and yelled, "Surprise! Happy Birthday Commander!"
The commander, who at first was on high alert, slowly relaxed and received the congratulations of the T-Dolls around him. Calico grabbed a microphone and brought it over to the commander, motioning for him to speak. Commander Blair leaned over and spoke into the microphone.
"I-I honestly don't know what to say. I'm touched you would remember by birthday. This spirit, this comradery, this family, this is what G&K is all about. Now, enough talk, I see Springfield has prepared us a wonderful cake!"
With a cheer, the T-Dolls lined up single file behind the commander, as Springfield handed the commander a large slice, with extra frosting.
"I can't wait! This is gonna be sweet!" Calico fist bumped Grizzly.
"Hell yes it is! I call dibs on the corner piece!" Grizzly called out over the din of other T-Dolls.
"Uhh, my head, w-what happened?" Lee-Enfield had returned to her now dulled senses.
"I'll tell you later," whispered Grizzly, patting the girl on the back.
Welrod glanced at WA2000, who was looking surprisingly cheerful.
"You're in a good mood Miss WA2000."
"Oh… well I know the commander is an idiot, but even he deserves to be happy on his birthday I guess. That, and I can't wait to see how he likes the cake, especially after what I added."
The entire echelon turned in unison towards the beaming sniper and yelled, "You what?!"
"What?! Springfield's cooking is so boring. I wanted to spice it up a bit! So while you and Springfield were talking Welrod, I added something nice!" WA2000 pouted, puffing out her cheeks and crossing her arms.
Frantically, Welrod jerked her head towards the commander who had just sunk his fork into the cake. The utensil slowly approached his mouth, the weapon of mass destruction inching closer. Welrod tried to cut the line and intercept the "poisoned dish" but it was too late. All Welrod could do was yell, "Commander no!" as Eric Blair chomped down on the morsel.
Several hours later.
"S-sir, are you alright in there?" Welrod called out, knocking on the facility bathroom door.
"D-dying… mostly… how are you?" The Commander replied weakly. This was followed by all manner of nasty sounds, conjuring up horrible imagery in the girl's mind.
"Sir… I-I'm sorry the party was a bust. We r-ruined your big day." The girl sniffed; wiping her right eye.
"Oh, it's just another number, I wouldn't be too…" the poor man couldn't finish his statement before losing his lunch... again.
The girl looked down at her feet, and wiped her eyes again.
The commander opened the door, and stumbled out. Upon seeing Welrod visibly upset, he straightened up and looked her in the eye.
"Miss Welrod, I'm assuming the facility has devoured the feast Miss Springfield so kindly prepared?" The Commander asked, smiling.
"Y-yes Sir, I'm sorry, we tried to hold out, but people wouldn't wait, and they-"
"Shh, it's alright." Eric walked over and gave the girl a hug. "I have a feeling that you planned the whole thing. You have no idea how happy today has made me, indigestion aside of course." The man laughed, which caused Welrod to lighten up and join in.
"Although, there is something else you could do that would mean the world to me."
"What's that Sir?" The girl asked nervously.
"Why, another chess game of course! I've got to keep the win streak alive! Come on then!" The Commander hurried back to his office, while Welrod stood in the hallway in silence, a smile growing on her face.
Charming, as always Sir.
The girl chased after her superior, the two spending the rest of the evening in a battle of wits.