Tasteless

Fourth Entry - Omitted After Action Report - Echelon 1


January 27, 2063 - Late Evening

Echelon 1 - Extraction Helicopter

En Route to Griffon Command Post - S05

Springfield and WA2000 carefully set the surviving remnants of FNC's body onto the back seat of their echelon's helicopter. The echelon leader dutifully strapped FNC in place with seatbelts and made sure that she was secure. Then, she stripped off her prized, state-of-the-art thermoptic cape and wrapped it around the battered Belgian like a regular blanket.

WA was silent as she watched the motherly Springfield watch over FNC with grave concern. She wanted to say something - or do something - to help the riflewoman she admired, but the gravity of the situation wasn't lost on her. That gravity kept her lips sealed and kept her feet firmly in place.

Moments later, the cabin shook as the helicopter started to ascend. M14, the junior American rifle emerged from the helicopter cockpit and joined her seniors in the cabin bearing news,

"Okay guys. I've got good news and bad news."

WA glanced at M14 in the corner of her eyes and folded her arms in reply,

"Good news please. This whole day has been nothing but bad news."

M14 nodded and put a hand on her hip as she announced,

"We'll be out of here before the next snowstorm hits. That means we'll be back at base before midnight. If we stayed any longer, we would have had to rough it out until the weather cleared."

With her back turned to both of her fellow rifles, Springfield flatly asked,

"What about the bad news?"

This time, M14 fidgeted around a bit. She joined her hands together nervously as she tried to find the words to say,

"W-well… I asked the Commander to let us use a Quick Repair contract, but he said it wasn't an emergency. We have been running short on those contracts since the Operation started..."

WA jolted and whirled around to face the junior American in utter shock. She then retorted,

"What do you mean 'not an emergency'!? Can't you see the state FNC is in!?"

M14 raised up her hands and distanced herself from the furious German, saying,

"Hey, hey, hey…! I'm just the messenger here…"

WA took a few breaths to rein in her emotions and stepped back from the junior American. She then turned towards their Echelon leader who was still kneeling by FNC's side, hoping to hear her thoughts on the matter.

At times like that, Springfield would have had words of wisdom to share - either a rational analysis of their situation, or a gentle request for patience.

There was none of that from the senior American that evening - just a frail and detached comment,

"... is that so?"

Still, Springfield noticed the eyes of her subordinates on her back. Once she had gathered herself, she turned to her fellow rifles and apologized,

"I'm sorry. This whole situation has just been rather unfortunate."

Springfield mustered a weak smile and urged,

"Would it be possible for the two of you to give me some time with FNC-chan?"

M14 tilted her head with curiosity and thought out loud,

"Eh? Why is that…"

Before she could finish her sentence, WA heaved a sigh and gently pushed M14 back towards the cockpit door saying,

"You heard the adjutant. Let's go."

WA brought M14 along with her into the cockpit and closed the door behind them, leaving Springfield alone with FNC. The American closed her eyes sorrowfully and hung her head low, casting a shadow over the Belgian doll before her.

In that moment, FNC stirred for what felt like the first time in a long while. Her glazed eyes regained some focus and turned towards the weeping Springfield. The Belgian's damaged voice module crackled as she tried to speak, but she managed to call,

"... onee… sama…"

Springfield immediately snapped out of her somber daze and saw FNC's blue eyes looking into hers. The American shook her head and gently stroked FNC's head while whispering

"Please don't speak - you'll strain your modules. We're bringing you home, okay?"

FNC, however, stubbornly defied the American and spoke grimly,

"You… should have… left me… there… to die..."

Springfield winced at the remark, wondering why the Belgian would say that. She promptly snapped back at FNC,

"There's no way I would abandon you!"

FNC closed her eyes and tears started to form at the corners. Her crackling voice started to waver but she forced herself to continue,

"I've done… terrible things…"

"FNC-chan…"

"I can… hear their… voices…"

"FNC-chan…!"

The Belgian then opened her hollow blue eyes and lamented bitterly,

"THEY… TRUSTED…. ME…!"

Springfield furrowed her brow and firmly held FNC's shoulders with her hands and snapped,

"GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF, FNC!"

The sharp voice silenced the Belgian as Springfield's tears rolled down her cheeks. Springfield wiped her tears with a handkerchief and then spoke to FNC in a whisper,

"Listen to me. I have reason to believe that a great injustice has been done unto you, FNC. You have been forced to follow the cruelest of orders - at the expense of so many dear friends. That's what is going on here - isn't it?"

FNC hesitantly nodded, but a dizzy spell swept over her neural cloud. The loss of so much oil and blood was taking its toll on her systems and the Belgian was forcefully being lulled back to sleep.

Springfield, however, took FNC by the hand and adamantly promised,

"Save your strength. I will get to the bottom of this, FNC. I swear on my honor."

FNC weakly squeezed Springfield's hand in reply before she blacked out once more.


Springfield's Report - Entry 3

January 28, 2063 - Past Midnight

Griffon Command Post - S05

Dear Miss Helian,

Please find the details of the rescue operation conducted by Echelons 1 and 2 attached to this message for your reference. This is the 'official' version circulated on regular channels that even the Commander is privy to. Naturally, this is the report that I communicated to the other girls of my station.

Note that I have personally scrubbed this version off and removed the sensitive information that I will share with you now in this correspondence.

That being said… I am at a loss for words. We were able to rescue FNC - albeit a shadow of her former self. She will be undergoing repairs as soon as our Repair Bays have a vacancy… but the other girls of Echelon 8 weren't so lucky.

When we went to that hillside node on AW 3-4E, I found evidence of hundreds - if not thousands - of obliterated Tactical Dolls. All of them were assigned to Echelon 8 once upon a time before being stricken off of my station's list.

On the official notes, those girls were listed as 'dismantled and relieved of duty'. That meant that they were supposed to have been reintroduced into civilian society - as per the Standard Operating Procedures of Griffon.

However, none of those girls made it back from AW 3-4E. Their bodies were blown away by high-caliber Jupiter Cannon shells and their cores were nowhere to be found. None of those bodies were dummy links either.

Every single corpse on that hill was a unique T-Doll unit.

Normally, in that situation, their consciousnesses would have been backed up on the Griffon servers once they entered service with us…

The problem with that is… all of those girls were ones we had rescued on the battlefield during Operation Arctic Warfare. Given the frantic nature of our deployment, it seems that our Commander cut corners and deployed those new girls along with Echelon 8 before their neural clouds could be backed up.

That means that… all of those poor girls are gone.

Completely.

The thought of it chills me to the bone. This cannot be a mere oversight by our Commander.

It has to be a deliberate act - and that is what scares me.

My heart weeps for those girls - but more so for FNC who must have bore witness to these gross transgressions. My hand trembles as I write this message to you…

And the ring I wear on my finger feels cold and heavy...

But I need more evidence. I cannot act on these suspicions alone…

I need…

[Page Break]


Omitted Dorm Patrol Log - Springfield

The Adjutant's Office - S05

In the dark confines of the adjutant's office, Springfield sat at her desk as she typed away on her handheld tablet device. A single lamp cast light on the riflewoman and her device and only the sound of her fingers tapping on the touch screen broke the silence of the room.

While Springfield was engrossed in her report, a triad of knocks on the heavy wooden door gave Springfield a start. Her heart skipped a frightened beat as she saved the draft of her report and locked the screen of her handheld tablet device.

Springfield whipped her head towards the door and watched as the doorknob slowly turned. The senior American rifle searched for the bayonet that she wore at her hip with her cold, frightened hands and waited for the door to open.

Then, as the light from the halls poured into the adjutant's office, the silhouette of WA2000 appeared in the threshold.

The German doll quickly commented,

"Uwah… the room's so dark. You've been here all this time, Spring?"

Springfield relaxed her shoulders and let go of her bayonet. She wanted to sink into her seat and groan, but she managed to keep sitting upright as she turned her swivel chair towards the German.

"... Wa-chan? Is there something you needed…?"

Before Springfield could finish, WA marched into the room and showed the adjutant the tray she was carrying with her. There were two steaming hot mugs on the tray that brought along the aroma of chocolate.

WA set the tray down beside Springfield and handed her a cup of what appeared to be hot chocolate as she said,

"Want to take a break? You sure look like you could use one."

The smell of chocolate unsettled Springfield at first. It made her want to refuse and get back to work, but the insistent look on her protege's face told her that she wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer.

So, Springfield accepted the cup of hot chocolate and wore a small smile for the German.

"Thank you, Wa-chan. Come and sit with me for a while."

To Be Continued