Chapter 24: Klein Washington

Welrod followed the Austrian sniper down the twisting corridors of the compound. For the most part, her compatriot kept her eyes forward, but every now and then, Welrod would catch her casting an awkward glance in her direction, only to jerk her head away violently when she was spotted. IWS had her hands folded in front of her, twiddling her thumbs as she walked. Welrod could tell she was trying to formulate a response or a query of some kind, hopefully one which would not make things worse.

"S-So are you two married?"

Too late.

"N-No!" Welrod replied in a rather forceful manner, one that surprised IWS based on her slight jolt. Welrod composed herself before continuing, "Blair and I are just dating. We have been for some time. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Oh…" IWS paused for a moment, as if debating whether to continue was the right course of action, "But doesn't dating lead to m-marriage?"

"W-Well yes but w-we haven't thought that far ahead yet," Welrod said, feeling her face turn a soft pink hue, "If it's all the same to you I'd rather not discuss it further."

"Understood."

It didn't take long for the two girls to reach a wooden double door, with a plaque placed above it reading, "Briefing and Command Center." IWS turned back to Welrod, her face a bit twitchy as she gave the girl her orders.

"Remain here; I will inform Commander N-N-Nivy of your arrival."

With that IWS bowed and walked inside the room, leaving Welrod outside to think things through. As the door was shutting, she could briefly hear an argument between several gentlemen on the repercussions of what just transpired. Welrod's heart sank, knowing full well that her party shattered a tenuous peace, possibly placing more lives at risk. If there was a silver lining to all this, it was everyone still lived, and they were all in a safe place.

The door to the command center opening snapped Welrod back to reality. She took a few steps forward and entered a large room, at least twice the size of a dormitory. To her left she could see a large command table, with government officials, the IWS from earlier, and a Groza unit coordinating troop movements and bickering amongst themselves. As her eyes scanned the room, she noticed a desk to her right, with a young, tired looking gentleman staring at her. He beckoned her over, to which she obliged nervously, hearing whispers from the other side of the room coming from the officials who just noticed her presence. Welrod stopped in front of the man at the desk, the person in question letting out a soft sigh before looking her in the eye.

"Welcome to our humble base. I'm Commander Klein Washington, also known as Nivy. Frontline division commander for G&K Lithuania, Sector 14. Please, sit." Nivy introduced in a friendly tone, gesturing Welrod to take the seat across from him.

The girl obliged, taking a seat in the rather large lazy boy chair. She studied the man's features: Greek in origin she surmised based on a family photo on his desk that looked to be a backdrop of Crete. While the man looked as young as Alex back in Berne, he seemed more weathered, beyond his years. The cane leaning against his desk only compounded on that notion.

"M590 told me that your group was from Sector 78, G&K Scotland if I did my homework right. To think my sector would be graced with the presence of the famed Echelon 3 and their commander."

"I-I wouldn't go so far as to say we're famous Sir, we only aim to humbly serve the company and humanity," Welrod replied thoughtfully, "But thank you for the compliment."

"An honorable goal and not a lot of us in the company ever have the chance to do the former. Well on the behalf of G&K Lithuania, we're honored to have your presence here. As you can guess, we don't meet a lot of commanders this far back from the frontline, let alone have one fall from the sky."

"Needless to say, that was unexpected for us as well," Welrod continued, crossing her right leg over her left, "Trouble just seems to find us unfortunately."

"Trouble does indeed. And speaking of trouble, I kind of need you to explain the reasons that lead to said current trouble. Because it's extremely unusual for a Brit to find his way here to Lithuania." Nivy replied, leaning back on his chair. "That, and well you guys did happen to cause a ceasefire treaty to end exactly 2 months before it should, so I definitely need some kind of explanation in order to appease some friends who are just a bit cranky right now."

Welrod let out a sigh, cleared her throat, and recounted their journey to the commander thus far, sparing no detail, not even of her death, and putting forth as much information for Nivy to account for. The girl took in his features, noticing his eyes widen every so often, an eyebrow raise here or there before returning to normal. It took quite a bit longer than she thought to deliver her tale, so much so the politicians behind her already left the room. When she was finished, Nivy looked at her and cleared his throat.

"That is...Something." Nivy leaned back on his chair. "A Syndicate with everything on Griffin huh? Who coincidentally seem to be funding the insurgency here… I knew something was up, given their level of technology. You really think the Syndicate is behind what we're facing in Lithuania, and that they have information that could lead to the roots?" Nivy couldn't help but ask, knowing the horrible possibilities of the truth.

"If I didn't believe it, I wouldn't be here Sir, especially…" Welrod shifted nervously in her seat, "Especially since we are not technically supposed to be here. By all accounts we should be on an airline back to London."

Nivy nodded, knowing full well that Welrod and her commander were in a tough spot. He was going to speak up but Groza, after having tirelessly worked with the various government officials, approached him and leaned close to his ear. She whispered something to him, something lengthy, which made him look to IWS who stood by and was smiling nervously. Nivy, after a long pause, nodded and dismissed the Groza unit, who stood off to the side. Nivy cleared his throat, looking back to Welrod with an air of authority.

"...Well, sadly, I have unfortunate news to report to you. It would be a violation if I attempted to aid you in your operations when you're under direct orders to leave for London and never attempt to continue your investigation. It's out of my hands Welrod." Nivy explained, then looking at both of his adjutants. The two parties made eye contact and nodded, Groza heading back to the command table while IWS glanced around idly. It was as though they didn't know Welrod and Klein were there.

"We do not need your intervention here in Lithuania. Things were under control thanks to us and the Lithuanian Mechanized Forces, and while you did stir up a fuss, we're currently negotiating another ceasefire to keep things calm for now." Nivy explained, yet his formal tone displayed a possible ulterior motive. IWS arrived and quietly passed Welrod a tablet, on the screen rested information on what appeared to be a structure dubbed: The Fortress. Alongside the files was an overhead picture of the compound and several reconnaissance photographs. Likewise the tablet displayed the Fortress' predicted layout.

"The insurgents may be equipped with military grade androids and electronically guided armaments, but that is nothing good old elbow grease and some bullets can't handle. Give or take, and being optimistic here, we can take this within a few months through brute force." Nivy noted, his voice heavily hinting towards a request. "Though I wouldn't exactly have the manpower to both attack the fortress and keep the widened Frontline borders in check. And the insurgents probably know what the capabilities and capacity of G&K Lithuania are. I really wish I could maybe infiltrate and sabotage the base to return the favor, but they would spot me if I pull back my forces for such a raid. Maybe if I had some outside help that caught them as they have their pants down..."

Welrod raised her eyebrow, as the faintest of half-grins spanned her face for a mere moment.

"Will have to do it the hard way then, when the time comes." Nivy sighed, and then looked up to Welrod. "With that said and done, I'll have a craft prepped for your return to Sector 78. Since however you may be passing through dangerous territory, I would suggest passing by the armory and getting what equipment you need. It's the least I can do given your situation. Take whatever truck you need as well to get to the airfield, just make sure it comes back in one piece."

"I see… well I can assure you we will certainly NOT be infiltrating this fortress and we will certainly NOT even attempt to pursue the Syndicate further. Thank you for your wise words Commander Nivy, I'll be sure to accomplish our objective: get everyone back safely," Welrod replied, knowing now full well that Nivy was just as fond of rule breaking as Blair was.

"I am glad you understand the situation then Miss Welrod. If you can, please relay this to your commander at the earliest convenience. I'll see if I can arrange some escort that knows the roads and land to make the trip as smooth as possible. Like the wind, Welrod." Nivy smiled, and then looked back to Groza and IWS who returned to work immediately.

"By your command, Sir," Welrod replied with just as pleasant a grin as she got up from her seat, bowed, and gave the two other T-Dolls a nod before wandering back to the infirmary to collect her team and commander. The mission would continue, and if all went well, perhaps they could find another clue leading towards the demise of the Syndicate and Kay's plans. Welrod smiled to herself: despite the setbacks they still had a chance to make things right.