Chapter 25: The Woman in Red
The T-Doll's footsteps echoed off the corridor walls as they walked from the entrance of the compound to the commander's office. It was close to midnight, and the changing of the guard was about to take place, though at the moment the hallways were clear enough for the five girls to walk next to one another rather than single file.
"So, what do you think the commander has in store for us?" Calico said while checking her nails, "Damn, I think I chipped one."
"Probably going to say how jacked I am! Did you see how I tore that android a new one with its own arm!?" Grizzly showed off her "guns" with a flex.
"All I know is that what we heard out there isn't going away. The sooner we identify the foe the sooner we I'll be able to find a way to beat it," Welrod glanced at Calico, "are you sure you don't want to get your legs looked at?"
Calico had sustained a great deal of exterior damage from the android clawing at her legs. The skin from the thigh to the ankle was ripped off, hanging on by pits of exposed sinew. The world could clearly see the metallic bits of endoskeleton that identified Calico as a T-Doll.
"Nah… I've had worse! Plus, if commander sees me like this, maybe I'll get a new pair like G-Dog!"
The echelon has reached the metal door of the commander's office. A slight draft drifted through the hallway, causing the group to shiver, as they waited for the commander to let them in.
"Shouldn't The Commander have let us in by now? He is expecting us is he not?" Lee-Enfield had a slight look of concern.
Welrod places her ear against the door. She could clearly hear the voice of the commander, as calm as ever, however she did sense a bit of strain in his speech as well. There was, however, another voice, an older woman?
"The Commander is in there, but he's not alone. He doesn't sound as collected as usual." Welrod looked at the rest of the echelon, who were trying to decide what to do.
"Wait… didn't the voice say it would be seeing us very soon? Maybe it has the commander captive!" Grizzly cracked her knuckles.
That's right. If the commander was being interrogated he would at least have the state of mind to remain calm, but I would expect even he would be undergoing some sort of mental or physical strain.
"So, what are we going to do?"
As they were contemplating what to do next, the buzzer on the door sounded, as the noise of it being unlocked could be heard. The echelon carefully opened the door, Welrod in the lead, and peered inside.
"-and that's not even considering the social impact of the situation. You know as well as I do that most people do not take kindly to T-Dolls. Now they have a reason why: two of them engaged and injured human police officers."
The commander was sitting in his chair with his eyes set on the woman standing in front of him. She was wearing a G&K uniform though without the beret, and had a clipboard in her hand.
"To be fair to the girls, they had to make an uneasy choice, and I believe the outcome shows that they made the correct one. The officers only being slightly injured is a testament to their restraint and skills. Let's not forget Sir, they succeeded in their mission." The commander shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"And let's not forget Commander, WE are the ones who will be paying for the damages, and the bad press. We are on thin ice as it is." The woman paused, she could sense the party that had just entered the room but wanted to finish her thought.
"Whether the mission was a success or not, whether the officers were injured or not, I am still disappointed in not only your echelon, but you Commander. You give your T-Dolls too much leash in matters like this. I don't know if it is because of your laziness or your misguided belief that T-Dolls can operate without supervision, but this will change. Until you can prove to not only me, but Mr. Krueger that your dolls can restrain themselves, your echelons will be under the complete supervision of one of our own."
The commander stood up, and gave the woman a salute.
"Yes Sir, Miss Helian."
With that the woman turned and finally addressed the echelon.
"I hope you five understand the ramifications of what has occurred today. If another incident occurs, we will have to take more drastic actions."
"Hey, I think we did a good job out there!" Calico voiced her opinion, and was taken to task by the woman towering over her.
"A good job? The report said no T-Doll damaged, do you consider those," The woman pointed her pencil at Calico's legs, "undamaged?" The green headed girl was silent. "That's what I thought."
Helian then walked past the echelon, throwing them a disapproving glance then narrowing her gaze at the Commander, and out the door, her footsteps fading into the distance as it slowly closed behind her.
"What's with the stick up her a- "
The commander cut Grizzly off.
"Never mind. That was Miss Helian, who as far as the company is concerned, is second only to Mr. Krueger himself. She was here on a routine inspection of Sector 78, and as you also heard, she is removing me from command temporarily, I trust you will show my replacement the respect you show me." The commander smiled, although Welrod could tell it was mostly forced.
"Now, onto more pressing matters: about what happened today…"
"Sir, I take full responsibility for my actions and Grizzly's in the field. I am the one who deserves any punishment." Welrod spat the words out in quick succession.
"No, no, no, you don't get to be the martyr boss, I was the one who goaded you into it. Commander, I'm the one who deserves the blame." Grizzly placed her arm in front of Welrod, shielding her from the commander's impending words.
"I… should have advised against it, I'm more to blame than those two. I should know better." Lee-Enfield spoke up.
"Hey! At least you weren't egging them on the entire time. Look boss-man let these guys off the hook." Calico stepped forward.
The echelon then turned to WA2000, who was trying to avoid their gaze.
"Wh-what do you want me to say? I d-didn't play any part in that! I-it was totally irresponsible." WA2000 turned away.
The commander laughed.
"No, no, I meant after the mission, you ladies said you ran into something, something that required my incite."
"Oh… right," Welrod said, her embarrassed face matching those around her. Gathering herself she recounted the words the entity spoke after the battle, with each sentence making the commander's face display more concern.
"-it said it would be seeing us again real soon. Sir, I'm, we are, concerned that whatever was out there is coming for us." The other girls nodded in agreement.
"I see… I wish I had answers for you, however I'm as clueless as you are. Although, with my command being removed for the time being, I may have an opportunity to do some digging. I appreciate you girls for bringing this up to me, and I will place it as my utmost priority. I also want to congratulate you on your success today, and tell you not to worry about Miss Helian. She can be a bit stiff… but her career, and the company, depends on it. Now, as my last order to you for the time being, I want you to look over the film of the battle and locate any improvements you can make, I know this is new to you, but I am certain this will prepare you for future battles. Now get to it!"
The girls raced off back to the dorm, but before Welrod made her exit, the Commander beckoned her back.
"Besides improving your skills, I need you to be on the lookout to see if you can locate the source of this voice you told me about. Send me any information you find on the tape, be it audio or visual. Also…"
He then placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Welrod, if this new Commander is who I think he is, you need to be careful. He has a very… unorthodox method of training. It works, I'll give him that, but the deficits it creates far outweigh the benefits in my opinion. Just know that for now, you will have to be your echelon's shield more than ever. Understood?"
"Affirmative, I won't let you down Sir." Welrod gave a salute and walked out the office door.
Surely someone of G&K cannot be too bad. If that new commander is anything like Eric I'm sure we will all get along just fine.
However, there was time to think about that later. First, Welrod had to converse with a certain green haired T-Doll.