11- Reaper
-Super Sass-
The adjutant stomped on Markus' back before leaving. Then it was just the guards, myself, Markus, Vector, and Arthur. We all curled up like cowards, fearful of a brutal death. "You two there, get up." One of the men with a heavy french accent prodded Arthur and Markus with the barrel of his rifle. Shaking, they both stood up and were directed to stand against the wall. "Sing for us." Another man said. They remained tight lipped in response. "Nothing? Very well." His hand reached to unholster his sidearm, which was then set towards Arthur's chest. The pistol discharged and I heard myself scream.
"Hahaha, listen to the girl." Said the man watching over me. I looked up to see a bullet hole next to my commander. Before I could breathe out in relief, my head was slammed against the floor. I was rubbed around a bit while being restrained. "Don't you fucking touch her!" West's voice was desperate. He was powerless. I was tossed onto my front against my will as I thrashed in vain. "No, no don't!" I felt panic well up in my chest. "Awww, come on girl. Don't you want to play?" The guards voice made me sick.
I could feel the guard's revolting hands caress me while I was held down by his heavy body. A cloth was stuffed into my mouth, silencing my protests. Just as I expected him to further violate me, his body weight was pushed off of me. The crack of a gun stock on a person's head sent Arthur down beside me. Before the guards could hit him again, he protectively wrapped himself around me. "Arthur…" I whispered. His hold became tighter, and I pushed my head into his body. Prepared to die, I shut my eyes and heard guns in the night sky along with the breaking of glass.
I rapidly lifted my head.
My eyes darted around after the glass shards had settled. Several guards lay wounded, and a couple dead. As Vector tended to what looked like Markus' mangled eye, Arthur and I rushed the wounded guards and finished them with our knives. We quickly grabbed our arms, and opened the door from the cover its frame provided.
Nothing. There was no shooting.
Our group slowly moved through the corridors, weapons raised and ready. There were gunshots echoing outside, but the inside sounded quiet. "Shit." I heard Arthur curse. "The Argonia T-dolls must be our enemy now." His voice seemed torn.
Loud steps could be heard echoing the halls. I tensed up. "Hold on." I said. I focused on the source of the noise and attempted to read their ID. "They're from Smith Co!" I said. "Hold your fire! We're friendlies!" Arthur said. His voice echoed in the halls. Voices broke out around the next bend. "Arthur?" Alex Holst appeared with a group of men in black combat gear. His hands gripped an M4. "We're here to get you guys. Argonia is responsible for arms dealing with multiple big ticket gangs." I raised a hand to silence him as our two groups ran closer. "I know."
A tremor shook the base.
"Let's go. Our forces are holding back the Argonia dolls."
-Markus Lieberstein-
"Damn it all!"
I recognized my voice. But it sounded wild and unmannered.
My left hand covered the right side of my face. A searing pain was present in my right eye, or what remained of it. Vector placed a hand on my shoulder while we followed the remainder of the SC troops. "Fal…" One of my T-dolls, and dearest friends was gone. I could feel Vector's grip grow tighter. My body shuddered violently in fear at the traces of distant shooting.
"Hey, easy there." Vector stopped walking. "If you want to leave, you can. Just walk away from all of the fighting once we get back. You can't fight if your shooting eye won't work." I thought about it for a bit. "And go where?" I asked. Vector went quiet. We followed the group before us. Vector let go of me, and I unholstered my G17. As I brought it to my eye, I tossed it between my hands. My eye really was done, and I couldn't aim.
The sound of chopper blades could be heard outside as we neared the exit. Our boots clunked along the ground as we dashed towards the door.
-Jessica Liu-
"Yes, I'll keep that in mind. And Will? I love you. I'll see you back at base. Jessica Liu, 8th Tactical Doll echelon, over and out." My voice sounded low and soft in the silence around me.
The night hid many things. Among those was the 8th T-doll team of Hades Corporation. Hades Corp. had a small base in Seattle, near Argonia's. When word got out that Smith Co was in conflict with Argonia, Hades Corp was tasked with stepping in to provide combat support for SC. Within the time span of a few hours, multiple PMCs had gotten wind of the situation, and had stepped in to intervene. The result was a mass of companies pitted against one another in the once noiseless streets of Tacoma.
I couldn't see my team, but I knew they were there.
"Okay girls, let's get in there and kick some ass. We'll be joining up with Smith Co's 51st T-doll squad and assisting in their evacuation."
"Alright, Jess. Let's rock and roll." Said Calico.
"Right with you." Chirped MT9.
Mk23 and Grizzly both said "Aye, Ma'am."
Evo slapped the back of my head and rubbed my helmet around.
Like ghosts, we ran to the building, unseen and unheard among the gunfire. It was surrounded by a few other buildings that had already been secured by units from Calibur Corp, and Aegis. Most of the heavy fighting was on the opposite side of the area, however, we would still need to remain careful.
Bullets cracked the pavement at my feet and I quickly dove behind a burnt out truck. "This is Hades Corp echelon 8-1, requesting fire support. We're being engaged by an unknown, possible Argonian T-dolls, over." I said into my mic. A window was vapourized by lead and bits of concrete flew back and forth. There was a slight rustle and some static before a voice began to speak. "Copy that Hades 8-1, Aegis squad 73 will provide cover and suppressing fire, over." Ahead, I could hear the rattle of a BAR M1918 along with a few rifles.
-Randy-
"Alright Auntie, slow it down on the ammo usage."
The other girls smiled at my comment. I couldn't help but chuckle myself. The situation was absurd. We were shooting at other T-dolls, not from Sangvis, but another PMC like our own. For once, we were faced with a foe that looked, thought, and fought like us. It was almost unsettling to see them laid out dead, but better them than our allies. With that in mind, I simply kept shooting and reloading my M1A rifle.
"Ping!"
Fumbling around, I realized I didn't have anymore ammo. I silently swore to myself. "Hey Spring, you got any extra 40 aught 6?" I had to repeat myself and tap her shoulder before she understood. "Of course, let me get some." She unloaded her pouch and dropped a set of spare clips for my rifle. I wasn't surprised that she went through the effort of carrying some for me. With a pat on the back, she continued providing cover for Hades Corp.
"Hey Randy! Careful!"
I looked over to M14, who was pointing past my shoulder. Quickly, I ducked as fast as I could. Chunks of concrete from the wall tumbled down onto my back.
"Aegis 73-2 to Hades 8-1, there's an anti-material rifle, South parking lot."
"Hades 8 actual, copy that. Moving to engage."
I could hear some messy shooting, but the sniper was silenced. I made a mental note to thank the dolls from Hades corp later on.
-Super SASS-
It was like a dance. Bodies moved around together to the tempo of the explosions, except for me. I made my own beat as I pranced through the enemy lines. "Shit! It's that rifle doll Delta team told us about!" yelled an Argonian T-doll. She didn't speak much. With a muffled scream from the doll, I had dug my knife into her throat, disabling her speech capabilities. I pulled the knife upwards, splitting her face in two.
"Sass! Come on!"
As my frenzy died down, I saw Arthur beckoning for me to come, so I followed along with him. There was a team of T-dolls dressed in black, along with a human commander accompanying them. I later found out that they were from Hades corp's 8th echelon. "Is everyone okay here?" asked the woman. Arthur began to describe the loss of FAL, and that Lieberstein had lost his left eye. The female commander nodded solemnly, and told an MT9 to tend to his wounds. The doll trotted over to him and began to clean the wound.
"So you guys are 51?" Asked the woman. "Yea. Also, who are you?" I replied.
"Jessica Liu, Hades Corp 8th T-doll echelon. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Super SASS, SC 51st T-doll squad. Glad to make your acquaintance."
She held her hand out, and I shook it politely.
"Anyway, your friend's wounds should be alright for now. We should get moving."
"Right."
We shuffled off as quietly as we could. "Damn it!" Arthur said. I turned to him inquisitively. "We can't get away without cover fire, and Aegis is on the opposite side of the compound." he explained. Almost as if on cue, gunfire sounded nearby, forcing us all to drop down behind a pile of rubble. I could hear both Arthur and Jessica frantically calling for support, but the response was worse than I expected.
"Aegis 73-2 to Hades 8 actual, Argonia troops are withdrawing from the AO. It's bad news for us."
"Hades 8 actual to Aegis 73, what's the problem?"
"They're not retreating because of us. Immediate evacuation is advised. Aegis echelon 73 out."
"Wilco."
In a few moments, the area became silent. Mangled T-dolls lined the street, making the scenery appear like something from a fevered dream. A low hum came from the distance, making my spine freeze. "Sass, you okay?" asked Arthur. "No… shit! It's her!" I spat in fear. "The Ghost of Anchorage." my voice came out harsh and shrill. I could hear a faint singing voice from a small distance away.
"Baby it's cold outside~"
The voice drifted eerily through the chilly air. I pulled myself closer to Arthur, shaking as I had on that night in Alaska. He carelessly pushed me off and racked the slide of his Glock 30S. "Get going." he said. "Everyone get lost. I'll take this ghost." he spoke decisively, and the company quickly obeyed. I remained with him, wild with fear and anticipation. Suddenly, a figure seemed to materialize before us. It was dressed in a black dress coat, and elegant leggings to match. It wore a cap and a pair of boots for what little protection that it may have needed.
"A Springfield model?"
Before us was a doll which resembled the Springfield which was responsible for the food back home. However, her clothing was starkly different compared to the simple uniform of the chef.
"How're things?"
The ghost's voice was hauntingly melodic… and familiar.
"What do you want?"
"To talk. Without the human here of course"
Arthur shifted uncomfortably, while strengthening his grip on his pistol.
"No, he stays with me."
"Oh? You've fallen for a human now? You sure have changed."
"Why does that matter?"
"No reason. However, I'm surprised you didn't tell him about our special… past."
My core stopped and my eyes widened. He was going to find out.
"Don't…"
She chuckled.
"Hey human, I've got something for you. A nice piece of trivia, if you will."
Her eyes locked with Arthur's, trapping his attention mercilessly. I cursed myself for not coming clean sooner.
"Arthur, don't listen to her. Please!"
"Shut up. He deserves to know about the Reaper."