4- Lost And Found
-STEN Mk II-
"Move back! We can't hold this area any longer!" Said an Aegis commander. The Aegis squads hurriedly grabbed supplies from the trenches and climbed over the parapets. We moved like frantic rabbits escaping from a predator as we madly stumbled and fell over one another, desperate to escape the massacre. "Fuck, it's useless. We should be withdrawing altogether." Whispered an FNC next to me. We abandoned a group of MGs as they held off the advancing Sangvis. Our white cloaks danced wildly as we ran, and the falling snow storm blinded our squads. The cold bit into our flesh and circuitry, yet we continued to retreat into the trench before the last. Sangvis gunfire ripped apart the snow at our feet.
I tripped and fell head first into the trench. I collapsed brutally and landed on the ground. Doll parts and oil saturated the ground, and the stench of human commander flesh permeated the confines around us. Without time to recover, another doll forcefully lifted me by my wrist and pulled me to the edge of the trench. Without hesitation, I lifted my weapon to my eyes and waited for the cue to shoot. "The hell are you doing?" Asked the doll that lifted me. "T-there's still other squads trying to escape." I stammered. The doll suddenly laughed, her eyes distant and wide with fear. "Fuck them! Start shooting or we'll all die!"
The sound of gunshots echoed in the air. Multiple squads stood in the trench as we all sprayed down anything that moved before us. Over the sounds of our crazed shooting, we could hear the cries of Aegis commanders and dolls as they were caught by our shots. Parts of our comrades that made it close to the trench would occasionally stumble, fall, or fly into our living forces. Loose limbs, bodies, blood and oil stained our BDUs and minds as we turned away and returned to attempting to repel the Sangvis. A retreating MG flopped lifelessly onto me. In alarm, I forced it off and looked into its cold brown eyes as they lay open, gazing lifelessly into the sky from which it fell. Its hair lay matted in blood and snow, starkly contrasting red and white against the soft beige of her curls. I gagged and retched what little i had eaten that day. The smell of vomit tore through the already thick air, making my head spin and vision blur. I pried my eyes away from my comrade to face the slaughter ahead once more.
The waves of Sangvis Ferri units didn't seem to end as we lost more and more ground. Behind us, other dolls worked hastily to dig more trenches, each shallower and less well made than the last. Eventually, there was too much snow to dig trenches, so we simply formed lines and prayed we wouldn't be the next to be brutally disassembled by bullets. As our lines fell one after another, squad commanders began calling commands to flee. Without my own squad, I simply plucked up my own gun, and ran like hell as shots echoed behind me and shredded the ground at my feet.
-Arthur West-
"Damn it." I calmly exclaimed. "Not a single sign of other humans and dolls." Despite the possibility of enemy attack, we'd simply given up on hiding. It was far easier to walk in the plains where we could seek out shelter easier. Sass and I slowly trudged along the Alaskan terrain, seemingly without an end in mind or sight. As the time slipped by, we began to mindlessly advance, like degrading machines. "We aren't the damn army. We don't march everywhere, nor were we ever taught to." I whined. "If you're feeling tired, we can stop to rest." Sass replied. "No. Not now. Can't lose my momentum." I told her.
"There! A house!" Called out Sass. Sure enough, in the distance was a house. It seemed like a small cabin, and it looked like it had been long abandoned. We shared a look and immediately began to trot to the house in the distance. "Come on commander! Keep up!" Yelled Sass as she ran ahead. My aching feet and sore throat began to take a toll on me, and so I walked. Sass stopped and looked at me with a mischievous grin. "Come get me, Arthur." She said as she pranced around me. With a burst of energy, I lunged towards her in a bid to tag her. Her eyes opened wide and we fell onto the ground in a mess of body parts. We untangled ourselves and began to laugh. The sheer absurdity of being alone in the wild, being stabbed, and playing tag like children was probably wearing away our sanity.
Inside of the cabin was very simple. There was a stone fireplace opposite the front door in the middle of the back wall. To the left was a table and two chairs, and to the right was a single bed with unkempt sheets. The entire cabin was still relatively clean, but a fine layer of dust had begin to settle on everything. "Let's settle here until tomorrow. I'm tired of walking." I said to Sass. She smiled and drew out a ration pack from her bag. What do we have today?~" She sang out. There were assorted drinks, snacks, a cheese potato soup, and a pack of chicken fajita. They were all packaged in brown and green bags to be heated. As a PMC, we carried civilian MREs, so we didn't have access to a flameless ration heater. We managed to find water from a pipeline, which we filled our canteens with. To keep the room warm, and to boil water for the rations, we lit a fire in the fireplace. It felt cozy with just our squad in the cabin.
We ate half the ration pack each, with each portion split in half. It was a decent amount of food, and it kept my appetite satisfied. "Commandeeer~ Say ahh." Said Sass cheerily. Without the "Ahh", I opened my mouth and bit off a piece of the pound cake. It was sweet, but well balanced so that it wasn't unbearable. We finished eating and sat on the bed together for me to discuss our next course of action. "With our supplies, we can last about another week, or week and a half. We should be able to find a town to contact SC or atleast find supplies. Howev-" Sass sighed. "Let's just relax. We've done a lot for today." She said. I shrugged. "I guess we can do that."
It began to get hot with the fire on, but it would become too cold if we put it out. Without thinking, I pulled my shirt off and lay down in a puddle of human matter. "Commander, you shouldn't be so careless. You can't expose yourself like that commander. We don't even have an oath!" Cried out Sass. I looked at her as she sat on the bed beside me. "Okay, you can have my oath." I blurted out. There was a moment of silence. "What?" She asked. "Crap." I thought to myself. I took her arm and pulled her onto me. Our faces nearly touched and our eyes locked. "You can have my oath. You didn't mishear me." I wrapped my arm around her in a hug and buried my face in her neck to hide my redness. Her skin felt warm to the touch, and it was bright red when I separated myself from her and looked. "I-I guess it isn't a surprise since I'm your only T-doll. But, I'll do my best!" Said Sass in a high voice. I laughed and pulled her down into another hug. "This is the equivalent of a human marriage, right?" Asked Sass. "Yes it is." I answered. Her face creased into a smile. "Alright, good night." She said as she planted a kiss on my forehead.
As the next morning sun rose, we were prowling the frontier in search of anywhere we could contact SC and Aegis. The air froze my insides as I breathed in, but it was a nice temperature to walk since it prevented us from fatiguing by heat exposure. I felt a quick tap on my right hand, and I saw Sass blush as she saw me turn. Swiftly, with machine precision, she slipped her hand into mine and kept walking. I lifted my gaze and felt my cheeks warm. Gently, I gave Sass's hand a squeeze. She giggled and we carried on, hand in hand.