7- Transfer
-Markus Lieberstein-
"So, what's up guys?" I said. At the gate of Pacific Base, squads 50, 51, and 52 had gathered in the evening. Everyone was dressed in western business attire, but with the exception of squad 51, we all looked like scrap sheets of paper that had been stepped on too often in the waste bin. Holst's tactical dolls were all from Pacific Base, so only he was making the transfer as a member of 50. "Jesus everyone is sombre. The hell is up with you rags?" I tried again to break the tension. From behind me, a hand sharply hit my shoulder. Looking back, I saw FAL and Vector, with Vector disapprovingly shaking her head as if to say "Just stop". My chest deflated and I slouched over. "You know, you could at least try to blend in with us and stop being a dick." Said Arthur. His brown hair was pasted down with a green cap, and a matching green coat made him look even smaller than he was. Behind him, Sass stood menacingly.
The inside of the airplane was dark with the exception of the dim red light of the bay. The black silhouettes of armoured vehicles loomed over the passengers on the starboard side of the craft. With the exception of the vehicles and our 3 "squads", it was relatively empty. The ride was quite short and we soon disembarked.
"Welcome to your home… for a bit of course." Said a man in a clean suit and tie. Our squads found ourselves in the middle of a miraculously large reception hall. The stone floor was polished to perfection, and the chandelier above radiated a comforting light. I walked over to one of the lush red couches and sat down. "Even the seats are top notch." I remarked. Trailing in behind me, Vector and FAL waited expectantly for instructions. "Oh come on, it's a new city with beautiful sights. Go take the stuff up, and do as you wish." I said with a hint of exasperation. The two collectively said "Okay" and went off to store our luggage in one of the rooms. With my squad gone, I turned to Arthur and Alex. "I think all of us may have gotten off on the wrong foot. What do you say we go and enjoy the nightlife?"
-Arthur West-
"Hey Mark? Where'd FAL and Vector go off to?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "I don't know. They're somewhere." He answered. A slight bit of irritation hit me. "Then what do I do with Sass?" I half yelled. As I said that, I felt a tug on my coat sleeve. "I could come." Whispered Sass. I gave a long exhale while rolling my tongue with frustration. "Alright, but don't misbehave." I said. She perked up and hugged my arm. Turning around, I looked to Markus for whatever was next. "Any great plans, leader." I said satirically. Markus laughed, probably in an attempt to be polite. "We'll figure it out as we go."
At night, small crowds littered the sidewalks and massed around various vendors that were lit with bright neon lights. Despite the cold air, the quantity of people kept everyone warm. "God, it's loud here." Said Alex. I silently agreed in my head. The night sky was saturated with laughter and speech, drowning out the noises in the background. Alex, Markus, and myself strode along in a small cluster as we discussed our similarities. Sass continued to clutch onto my hand while we conversed. After laughing slightly with Holst, Markus suddenly became quiet before addressing all of us. "Look. I know you guys may have be a slight bit pissed by everything I did, but that's in the past." He said earnestly. "Let's all try to work together, alright?" He asked as he stopped to extend his hand towards me. I also stopped and watched his face. His eyes had a genuine luminescence to them, so I reached out and shook his hand with my free one.
The inside of the bar was, surprisingly quiet, in contrast with the deafening sound outside. The heat was slightly overbearing, but the alcohol helped to distract all of us from it. "Commandeer~?" Chirped Sass with excess sweetness. "What is it?" I asked curtly, not wanting to be disturbed in my conversation. Hearing my tone, Sass recoiled slightly with widened eyes. "A-alright then. I'll be out to get some air." She said, slightly hurt. After a few moments, I turned to the other guys to continue talking but they both stared at me. "What?" I asked. "Go make sure she doesn't do anything stupid, mate." Alex said. "Right" I thought. I stood up from my seat and pardoned myself. "I'll be back in a bit then, guys."
"Sass?" I asked. On the top floor, I found Sass standing at the edge of the building, watching the lights below. "Hey, about earlier. I just got cau-" I paused abruptly in my speech as I approached her. With her body turned to face me, I couldn't think of what to say. Her button was undone halfway down, with her tie loosened to breathe. Against the bright city lights and stars, her eyes shined the brightest with a beautiful mix of white and purple. Her long hair softly danced with the wind along and her smooth pale skin became a subtle blend of neon colours. "What is it?" She said dryly. "Are you done with your conversation?" I was taken aback. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you this badly?" I asked. "Perhaps." She quietly said to herself. "I'm a girl you know?" I smiled. "Don't use that excuse, I already know you are one." Her face softened and her eyes fixed onto me. With the speed of a bullet, she advanced and pushed me onto my back.
-Super SASS-
I straddled Arthur's hips and placed my arms on his chest. I could see his throat contract as he swallowed, and his cheeks redden slightly as he looked down. "So?" I asked. "Is it because I'm a machine." His eyes moved away from mine. "Why do you think that?" He said. "Because you ignore me so much, and you always always look at other people." I whined. He looked to me curiously. Slowly, and with great care, he reached up and put his arms around my neck and pulled me closer. "I don't look at others. Why would I want to look at stones if I have the most gorgeous gem on the planet?" He whispered. Despite the cringe worthiness of his words, my face flushed crimson and I buried it in the side of his neck. "Then…" I decided to venture into something I had been meaning to ask. Or maybe it was just the alcohol talking. "What do you think of me?" I shyly mumbled. I couldn't see his face, but it must have been his usual thinking face where he creases his forehead and squints in concentration. "That's tough." He replied. "Huh? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I thought to myself. "Let's continue this later at the hotel. You need time to cool down. And button up your shirt or you'll catch a cold." He casually said as he gently pushed me off and stood up while holding my wrist and lifting me. "Off we go."
At the hotel, Alex and Arthur shared a room, and Vector took the other room with FAL. The third was for myself and Arthur. The room had a nice lush carpet, with simple, yet elegant, wood furniture. There were two beds beside each other. The room window overlooked the back of the hotel which had a view overlooking the garden. However, the lack of light outside meant that said view was obscured. After changing, I sat on my bed and watched Arthur. "So?" I ask. Hearing me, he walked closer and leaned forward as if to whisper into my ear. Instead, he kept going and laid me down on the mattress. "Hey you can't just do tha-" I squealed before being silenced. His mellow lips caressed mine and pressed in more when he leaned. "Nnn…" His scent surrounded me and I wrapped my body around his in response. When he stopped, he withdrew and watched my face. I was bright red in the face and my eyes refused to meet his. "What. The. Fuck." I said. "You wanted to know what I think of you." He replied. "And I love you, so much." His face was thoughtful, and he watched me as he spoke. I scoffed. "Oh please, you jest." I said playfully. "Want me to prove it, Sass?" He said in return. I gazed into his deep brown eyes. "Yes I would." I instinctively said.
"Good god what did we do?" A sliver of light seeped through the hotel room curtains, leaving small bright spots on the floor. I slowly rolled over with a pounding headache. The bed that Arthur and I occupied looked as if a wind storm had hit it. "Ah shit, I got too fucking drunk didn't I?" I asked. "Mhmm." Mumbled Arthur into his pillow. With the speed of a sloth, I drew myself up and blinked. Sagging out of bed, I slipped on some simple clothes to keep warm. In the bathroom, I began to brush my teeth and carry on with my morning routine.
Once we were both changed, Arthur and I made our way down to the lobby to meet with the others. In the morning, the lobby seemed to look more cheerful, and less professional than it did in the evening. "Aight how was last night?" Called out Alex. "Pretty damn cold, wasn't it?" His face seemed to center on Arthur. "Nah man, it was pretty okay." Said Arthur. Markus snickered. "Was that because of the dummy linking?" He asked. "I'm not linked to any dummies." I said quickly. "Yeah, not that." Markus replied. "Oh ya, not that either." I said. There was a slight pause before Alex broke it. "Where are we meeting today?" Arthur directed his gaze towards him when he spoke. "We're not meeting anywhere, we've got a van, so we're heading there directly."
While it was certainly hot outside, the van was tolerable because of the air conditioning. Holst was driving with Markus in the passenger seat. The dolls from squad 52 were in the middle, and 51 was in the back. As we got bored, we began to sing like an acapella group, really really poorly. The only one of us who had any talent for singing was Arthur. His voice had a large range from low and mellow, to higher than a kite. "-blaze into the stars, a trail of glory..." His voice had the majesty of a royal palace. I couldn't help but be in awe. Suddenly, he stopped. "The hell is that?" He asked. In front of us was what looked like a giant armoured spider with a gun on top. "Holy shit, it's a manticore." Whispered Alex.
-Alex Hols-
Before our eyes was a Russian manticore. Everything around me seemed to slip away, leaving only the steel beast, with its armour plates and wires remaining. The sight of it struck a deep sense of primal fear into my heart. My forehead broke out into a cold sweat as my eyes became encapsulated by the view of the manticore's imposing form. "What the fuck is a manticore doing here?" I asked out loud.
With the image of the manticore burned into my eyes, I hardly noticed when we reached the new base. "Hello there?" Asked the guard standing at the gate. I jumped in my seat slightly. "Yeah, what is it?" I asked. "Why're you even fucking here?" Whispered the guard. I was slightly annoyed but I went with it and answered. "Squads 50, 51, 52 reporting for duty." I said in a clear voice. The guard looked into the back windows, and then back at me. "Alright, get going." I softly pressed on the van's gas pedal and advanced into the base parking lot. In front of us was a well kept office building made of concrete with glass window panels to break up the monotony of the exterior.
We first arrived at the armoury in the building, where personnel would store their arms. "This shouldn't take long." I said. I lifted up an AR-15 SBR and placed it on one of the upright racks. I looked to my right and saw Sass stripping apart Arthur's bag. "What the fuck?" I thought to myself as they began to remove multiple firearms from their bags and clothing. "Oh hey, remember these?" Asked Arthur. He held up a training grenade. Sass nodded and they kept talking as they unloaded their guns. Markus carried a simple USP 45, so he waited with me as the other two did their stuff. I turned to him to speak when my eyes peeled open in surprise. "Oh hell, go back!"