Author's Notes: Hello everyone! I hope that all of you are doing fine during this time of crisis. I'm doing alright and so is my editor - so we'll do our best to keep working on this story and everything else we've got lined up for you!

That aside, i've also decided to raise the number of planned chapters from 9 to 10. I've got a really big Chapter 8 for you - and I felt like it was getting too big. So, I pushed a few scenes I had planned for Chapter 8 to Chapter 9 - and most of Chapter 9 will be going into Chapter 10. Sounds like a fair deal, eh?

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this big chapter! Please let me know what you think - and stay safe!


Prologue

Early Evening - Half an hour ago

Residential Quarters

Armory Cafeteria - 2nd Floor

Nervous whispers echoed from below the balcony that evening as Grizzly and Welrod leaned forward over the railings. From their fortified, pulpit-like perch, they looked down upon the dolls gathered in the darkness below them numbering over a hundred.

Those dolls, their former station mates, looked up to them at the pulpit. Some glowered at them with resentment, barely able to hold back their curses. Some looked up to them with confusion, hoping for some answers - or good news. Others seemed crestfallen as if they had resigned themselves to a dark fate.

Grizzly noticed, however, that every single one of them had a measure of fear in their eyes. Even though none of them had been told about the truth of Operation Unsavory, they had enough imagination to guess what may soon come.

The American handgun doll's mechanical heart sank in her chest as she watched this. Perhaps she was just as afraid as the dolls below them were.

The gun holstered at her hip felt incredibly heavy as she reflected on her orders for the evening. Soon enough, her hands trembled.

Welrod glanced to the side and noticed her partner's trepidation. The normally aloof British doll reached over and gently held Grizzly's hand in hers.

"We'll get through this, Griz. Stay strong."

Grizzly squeezed Welrod's hand back as she replied,

"I sure hope so, Roddy. Thanks."

Grizzly nodded to her partner. The two dolls then left the perch and returned to the inner loft.

There, away from the eyes of the nervous dolls below, the couple found their fellow auxiliaries preparing for their unsavory duty.

MP40 and Negev sat back to back on the floor with their weapons cradled on their laps. Maintenance toolkits were spread out on the ground beside them as they performed last minute tune-ups on their namesake guns.

A dreadful air emanated from the meek MP40 as her trembling hands struggled to reconstruct the gun that she had just field stripped. After failing to slot the the open bolt mechanism for the third time, the unusually quiet Negev turned around and patted MP40's shoulder to say,

"Here. Let me help you with that."

Negev then took the stripped weapon from MP40's hands and reassembled it for her. MP40 thanked the Israeli doll for the assist, but she noticed that Negev's eyes were shrouded in cryptic shadows.

Looking at Negev felt like looking into the abyss.

Grizzly folded her arms from where she stood and sighed, sympathizing with the two.

MP40 and Negev were the auxiliaries who wielded automatic weapons, so Grizzly knew that the operation hinged on them. They would be the ones who would be doing most of the killing and it was becoming clear to her that the two of them were teetering on the edge.

On the other hand, there was one auxiliary doll who was noticeably absent.

The echelon leader M14.

"What's taking her so long…?" Negev muttered as she reassembled her own weapon, "Why did she wander off at a time like this?"

Grizzly took this time to finally approach. She sauntered over to the two and replied,

"Miss Super Shorty called for M14. It seems that there was something important that they had to discuss."

"That was over an hour ago, Grizzly." Negev countered.

"I know, I know… I'm just saying." Grizzly shrugged, "If she knew she was going to be gone for a while, she would have put you in command, Miss Negev."

Negev's sharp tone softened as she thought out loud,

"Hmm… it's not like there's much I could do even if she did."

Before Grizzly could say anything else, the sound of approaching boots interrupted her. Mosin Nagant, accompanied by two of her dummies, stepped onto the loft as she barked with a commanding voice,

"Tovarishchi!"

That was Mosin Nagant's signal for the auxiliaries to present themselves to her. MP40 and Negev put their reassembled weapons aside and stood in attention before the Russian rifle doll. Grizzly and Negev promptly followed suit.

The four auxiliaries formed a straight line and gave sharp salutes as Nagant passed them by. Nagant's dummies, on the other hand, carried large boxes of live ammunition with them and set them before the auxiliaries.

All the while, Mosin Nagant tried to rally the auxiliaries with impassioned speech,

"What happened at the headquarters today - with Commander Gentiane falling ill and that Dinergate slipping past us - was truly unfortunate. However, tovarischi, we are taking decisive action!"

The scramble of boots rushing through the snow-swept grounds around the Armory reached the auxiliaries' ears as Nagant continued,

"As I speak, the combat echelons of the Military Police - your superiors - are combing through this wretched base to search for the Dinergate intruder. At the same time, Commander Gentiane is now expected to make a full recovery."

Nagant then turned towards the auxiliaries and swelled with pride as she announced,

"Now, you auxiliaries will soon do your part - for the glory of Griffon! You have the honor of having been assigned to form Echelon 5 - the "Guillotine" team under my command. The stage is almost set and I trust that all of you are prepared."

When Nagant said this, however, Negev straightened her posture and spoke,

"Miss Nagant, permission to speak."

Mosin Nagant glanced sideways at Negev and replied,

"Granted."

Negev cleared her throat and suggested,

"If I may offer a suggestion. Wouldn't it be better if us auxiliaries were issued our dummies as well? It would make this… process… much faster."

Nagant scratched her cheek as she considered Negev's request. The Russian doll then sighed and ran a hand through her long, blond hair as she countered,

"PPK-tovarisch has explicitly ordered me to not issue dummies to you auxiliaries. She believes that you already have enough firepower to get the 'job' done."

"But, Miss Nagant…!"

"No buts, Negev-tovarisch!" Nagant snapped, "If you have an issue with Operation Unsavory, bring it up with PPK-tovarisch herself. Is that understood?"

Negev furrowed her brow at the impasse and just nodded, finally allowing Nagant to carry on. In turn, a box filled with linked belts of low-quality, two-star M61 armor piercing ammunition was set before the Israeli's feet.

Normally, she would have been infuriated by the bargain-bin ammunition being issued to her - a specialist warfighter. However, Negev's tortured silence continued.

Nagant eventually passed by the auxiliaries gathered at the second floor loft when she noticed the curious absence. So, she turned around and demanded,

"Your superior - M14-tovarisch. She is not here yet?"

The four auxiliaries shook their heads and Mosin Nagant sighed again,

"I swear… three-star dolls are so unreliable…"

The Russian rifle doll then pressed on her earpiece and looked up to a corner of the Armory ceiling where a dated, rectangular security camera was observing the scene. The retina focused on Mosin Nagant as she spoke,

"PPK-sama. What should we do about the truant M14?"


Recreational Quarters

Cafe Springfield/MP HQ - 2nd Floor

Mosin Nagant's voice echoed with hints of radio static in the second floor loft of the Cafe Springfield, emanating from the speakers of a large, field combat management computer that had been deployed there. A concave of a hundred formless screens floated above the rectangular CM computer, displaying the video feeds from the surveillance cameras scattered around Station 56586.

Warden PPK was leisurely reclining on a large, comfortable swivel chair and munched on macaroons while she regarded the screens and mused,

"So this is the Panopticon surveillance system that Super Shorty unlocked… it's not as comprehensive as the one my beloved Commander uses, but the software is the same. This will have to do for now."

She playfully licked the tips of her fingers as she added,

"It's a good thing this stayed hidden during the official audit. However - we will be confiscating this system after today. It'd be trouble if this fell into the hands of mere G&K plebs. Because if Super Shorty's hacking ability is anything to go by..."

While PPK was admiring Commander Elias' former Panopticon system, however, Mosin Nagant spoke again and interrupted her leisurely thoughts,

{(039-269131) - "PPK-tovarisch! What should we do about M14? Shall we start without her?"}

PPK crossed her legs, leaned back further into her chair. She then pointed to the video feed from the Armory's loft to enlarge it and pressed on her earpiece to speak,

"Nein, Nagant-fraulein. We need all of the auxiliaries in one place to minimize our risk."

Her brown eyes then wandered to a handful of screens showing the MP combat echelons sweeping through the base with their weapons and full suites of armed dummes. The warden then continued,

"Most of our combat echelons are still searching for that damn Dinergate, so we can't take our chances with Operation Unsavory. Is that clear?"

{(039-269131) - "Da, tovarisch. Understood… but what shall we do, then?"}

PPK wiped the macaroon crumbs off of her lips and hummed as she scanned through the surveillance concave. She then found the figure of M14 at the Repair Bay, speaking with Super Shorty in the hallway. The Warden pressed on her earpiece again and replied,

"Don't worry, Nagant-fraulein. I have a visual on M14. She's at the Repair Bay speaking with Super Shorty."

A devilish smirk then formed on PPK's lips as she added,

"You know what, why don't you send some auxiliaries to come pick her up - preferably the troublesome ones that Lee chose. The handguns."

{(039-269131) - "Understood, PPK-tovarisch… but the Repair Bay… isn't that where M2HB's echelon is…?"}

"That's right, Nagant-fraulein. If we send Lee's pups there now, we'll be killing two birds with one stone."

Mosin Nagant's eyes seemed to shine as she realized what PPK meant. She saluted the camera and then turned towards the auxiliaries to explain the situation to them.

The Russian rifle doll was just about to assign Grizzly and Welrod to their curious task when Negev suddenly broke out of line and begged with urgency,

{(112-56586) - "Miss Nagant, please send me instead. M14 has been acting strange these past few days… but she truly believes in PPK-sama and what she's doing here today. If she's having second thoughts about Operation Unsavory, I will get her in line with it. I'll drag her here if I have to!"}

Nagant tried to protest and redirect the conversation, but the Israeli was persistent. Negev faced the camera and spoke with devotion,

{(112-56586) - "I know you're watching me, PPK-sama. I'm a specialist! Mark my words, I will bring M14 back. If she resists, I will handle her myself!"}

The Israeli saluted the camera, picked up her machine gun and her box of ammunition and then left like a whirlwind. Negev left through the Armory's fire exit and Nagant was powerless to stop her.

Nagant then turned towards the camera and looked like she was about to cry. PPK rested her palm on her face and grumbled,

"Snap out of it, Nagant-fraulein. Don't show your weakness to those worthless pups. Just do what you can to hold the fort there until Negev brings M14 back. We're not in a hurry. If push comes to shove, just get creative. MP40 still has an automatic weapon - and her kit comes with firebombs that will do the job just as nicely."

Nagant shook herself back to reality and saluted PPK again. The Warden, however, swiped the camera feed away to minimize it as she mused,

"Where would these brainlets be without me?"

...

PPK picked up another macaroon from the saucer beside her and nibbled on it to ward off her growing frustration. She then scanned through the surveillance concave before her once more and followed the progress of her three combat echelons as they swept through the base.

The Warden groaned as she aired out her thoughts,

"How hard can it be to find a single Dinergate in this damned place? If it had registered as SF on the Identify Friend or Foe IFF, we would have found it by now… but is it a civilian model? Was it captured and converted for recon?"

PPK's eyes then wandered to the bottom right of the concave. There, she found a lone screen out of a hundred that displayed static. It made the Warden speculate,

"Was that Dinergate a part of this Panopticon system…?"

Before PPK could ponder on that thought, she received a transmission and the playful voice of M2HB reached her ears,

{(077-192114) - "PPK-sama~! Echelon 4 - Garrote - is in position at the Repair Bay. We've encircled Commander Gentiane's room - split into two groups just as planned."}

PPK brought up the camera feeds from the Repair Bay and found M2HB's team - codenamed "Garrote" - taking positions in the hallway of the Repair Bay. An M500 shotgun doll and a Single Action Army handgun doll accompanied the amazonian machine gun doll at the Northern approach. Meanwhile, an AK-47 AR doll and a Sten Mk. II SMG doll formed a pincer coming from the West.

As the two fireteams formed up, the camera feeds still showed Super Shorty wrapped up in conversation with M14. Neither of them seemed to be suspecting a thing!

The Warden entered a few commands on her CM terminal and brought up a digital map of Station 56586. There, the positions of the Garrote team and their unsuspecting targets were indicated.

Once she had a clear view of the situation, PPK pressed on her earpiece and replied,

"Acknowledged Garotte team. The target - Super Shorty - is outside the room speaking with M14. Surround them and kill them both. Wipe out Shorty's dummies too while you're at it."

{(077-192114) - "Oho~ Miss M14's biting the dust too? Poor girl - she really thought she was one of us."}

PPK scoffed and agreed,

"Dogs have their uses - but there will always come a time to put them down."

{(077-192114) - "I'll make it painless for her then."}

"Aside from that, M2-fraulein, Negev is headed that way too to pick up M14. Do me a favor and shoot her on sight too. Just make sure you keep Commander Gentiane alive. We need her for our cover story, after all."

"Got it."

"Good. Begin your assault, Garrote! M14 and Super Shorty are still busy chatting - so now's your time to strike!"

"With pleasure, PPK-sama~!"

The Garrote team brandished their weapons and the amazonian MG doll set their plan into motion. M2HB's fireteams drew closer and tightened the noose around their two targets. An M500 dummy took the lead for the vanguard for M2HB's team while a Sten dummy led the pincer.

PPK watched with glee as the two dummies led the way. The Warden then mused to herself,

"Oh Shorty… you loyal little midget. You didn't really think I'd let you out of this station alive, did you? You've got all that evidence stored up in your core - and I doubt that you were able to back up enough of it before the jammer went live."

A sadistic smirk then formed on PPK's lips as she added,

"You know - with such a powerful jammer in place - even our IFF is out of sorts. Identify Friend or Foe. That system of ours that stops us from shooting 'allied' dolls isn't working 100% right now… so, there might be a teeny little accident there in the hallway. That musclehead M2HB's gonna pulverize your four-star core… accidentally, of course. No hard feelings - little miss investigator~!"

Just as soon as the two dummies turned their corners, however, a powerful barrage of shotgun blasts struck the both of them down! The rest of the M500 and Sten dummies tried to rush the hallway and fired their weapons all at once, but the heavy gunfire from the hall forced them to break off the attack.

PPK furrowed her brow and put her saucer of macaroons aside. The surveillance camera images that PPK had of the Repair Bay hall - all six of them - clearly showed Super Shorty busy talking with M14.

The Warden took a closer look at the hallway camera feeds and gasped as something dawned on her. They were recorded loops taken from half an hour ago!

As Sten and M500 crouched behind their respective corners, M2HB radioed PPK,

"Uh… Miss PPK… we've got ourselves a situation here. My vanguards are getting mowed down by concentrated fire. One of the Sten dummies saw something before it fell. Super Shorty's barricaded herself - that little bitch has fucking sandbags in the hallway! She's blocked the North and West halls!"

"Sandbags!?" PPK gasped, shocked by how well-prepared her supposedly unsuspecting foe was. Her eyes then grew sharp as she hissed, "Don't tell me… M14…"

Shotgun blasts continued to ring out from the hall, keeping both of M2HB's forces at bay.

While PPK was fuming, she received another call - this time from Negev. She picked up the call and growled,

"What is it now!?"

The Israeli promptly replied,

{((112-56586) - "Miss PPK… Architect has escaped. WA2000 and the rogues seem to have escaped as well."}

"WHAT!?"

{(112-56586) - "I passed by the Administrative Wing on my way to pick M14 up from the Repair Bay… but I noticed that there were signs of struggle in the hallway. Miss FAMAS and her patrol were ambushed and lost some of their dummies - so I swept the Isolation Blocks. By then, all the prisoners were gone - the Mosin Nagant dummies guarding them were knocked out too!"}

PPK angrily bit her thumb before she before she screamed,

"Goddamn it all! Negev - report to the Commander Center immediately!"

{(112-56586) - "R-roger that…!"}

The Israeli doll hung up, leaving the Warden dumbfounded. It turned out that the video feeds for the Administrative Wing and the Isolation Block were being manipulated too!

...

The battle in the Repair Bay intensified but remained a heated stalemate as Shorty and her dummies skillfully repelled the pincer. As loud gunfire echoed through the halls, a few of the camera feeds that had been manipulated slowly devolved into static. Suddenly, one of the feeds covering the hallway returned to normal and showed PPK the truth for the first time.

In that screen, PPK saw Super Shorty and her dummies garrisoning a small fortress of sandbags that barricaded both the North and West corridors leading to Commander Gentiane's room. A handful of ammunition cans were scattered about behind the sandbag ramparts and were filled to the brim with 5-star buckshot ammunition.

Once M2HB's assault tapered off, Super Shorty stood up from her fighting position and looked up to the spherical camera on the ceiling above. She then smirked at PPK through the screen and taunted,

{(156-794) - "Yo, PPK~! How do you like them apples?"}

PPK slammed her fist on the CM computer's hull in fury. The warden then took control of the PA system in the Repair Bay to broadcast,

"Super Shorty, you sniveling rat!"

The petite investigator put her hands on her hips as she scoffed,

{(156-794) - "Says the one sent a whole echelon to murder me before Commander Gentiane wakes up!"}

"Are you the one who planned the prison break too!?"

{(156-794) - "A little bit~ just the Electronic Warfare part. The rest of it, though, was Miss M14. That girl used to be an adjutant, you know - she's got a good head on her shoulders. All I had to do was give her some support - and she sprang into action."}

PPK gritted her teeth and growled,

"I'm going to crush you and M14 along with the rest of this garbage, Super Shorty! I won't have you stand in my way!"

Super Shorty hummed with amusement as she cocked her namesake weapon. She then brought out another peculiar weapon - a KRISS Vector submachine gun that didn't seem to be etched to a doll.

It was Commander Gentiane's second gun!

The petite investigator then raised up the submachine gun with one hand to show off the weapon to PPK. She then pointed it at the surveillance camera as she challenged,

{(156-794) - "Kill me, huh? I'd like to see you try!"}

Super Shorty then shot the camera and cut off the video feed from that formless screen. PPK's eyes went bloodshot as she glared at her compromised surveillance concave. Absolutely livid, PPK then switched the PA system to base-wide broadcast and declared,

"There has been a prison break! Ringleader Architect, M14 and the rogue dolls have escaped. All combat echelons must hunt down the prisoners! Capture Architect alive if possible. For everyone else - shoot to kill. I repeat, shoot to kill!"


Unsavory

Eighth Entry: Declaration of War (Part I)


Administrative Wing

Central Hallway

Wild wails of emergency sirens blared from the speakers of Station 56586 that evening as the livid PPK barked orders on the PA system and scrambled to rally her troops. Red emergency lights flickered on and off in the cacophony as M14, Architect, WA and the unarmed rogues snuck through the Administrative Wing hallways.

The group stayed close and moved together as one as they carefully turned corners in the darkened hallway. G36, on the other hand, brought up the rear as she carried the armless Ribeyrolles on her strong shoulders.

M14 was the tip of the spear as she wielded her namesake weapon while Architect moved one pace behind her. The liberated ringleader clenched her fists and wore an excited grin as she itched for the next battle - and for the chance to use more of the grenades that had been given to her.

WA, on the other hand, wielded Commander Gentiane's .38 Detective Special revolver and stayed close to the rear. As the group cautiously advanced through the dark halls, WA held her new weapon with both hands and struggled to familiarize herself with it.

Wielding an un-etched weapon meant for humans was disorienting enough for any doll. However, a small six-cylinder, double-action revolver was completely different from what WA was normally used to. Regardless, WA still held the revolver firmly and prepared herself to fight at any time.

As WA was acquainting herself with the weapon, the frantic rush of footsteps echoed in the dark hall. Silhouettes appeared in the dim red emergency lights while long, distant shadows zipped to and fro.

M14 promptly gestured to the rogues behind her and ordered them to take cover. WA pressed her arm against the wall and dared to take a peek from the corner.

From there, she found the silhouettes of the French AR doll FAMAS and the Czech SMG doll Skorpion sweeping through the labyrinth with their armed dummies. The two dolls turned on the flashlights mounted on their weapons, casting blinding rays of light that forced WA to wince and retreat behind the corner wall.

The Czech doll then reported,

"There's nothing here, FAMAS-kamarád… where the hell did they disappear into!?"

"They couldn't have gone far, mon ami." FAMAS replied, "Stay sharp and watch for more ambushes. Mademoiselle M14 is craftier than we thought - we can't lose any more dummies like this."

With that, the MP patrol echelon carried on through another path. Once the coast was clear, WA quipped,

"Looks like you've gotten under their skin, M14. Though - I guess we did ambush a few of their dummies already, hehe."

M14 smirked and boasted - still speaking in her royal 'we',

"They should have thought twice before disrespecting a War Goddess~! We auxiliaries never got the respect we deserved."

WA nodded in agreement - but then she heard the unsettling whir of cogs coming from above. The German rifle doll promptly pointed her revolver at the source of the sound and she found one of the old surveillance cameras watching them. So, she reported,

"Surveillance camera, eleven o' clock!"

M14 looked up to the camera calmly and smiled,

"Don't worry about the cameras in this wing, Wawa. Miss Super Shorty's running interference for us right now with her EW suite. She's got one more powerful than yours - believe it or not. So, in spots like these, the walls have no ears - and the eye in the sky is blind."

WA lowered her gun and groaned,

"Oh… is that so? Thank goodness."

M14 held her gun close to her chest and reminded,

"That said, let's talk about the plan, Wawa. Remember those urban warfare exercises that Springfield prepared for us when we first moved here to Area S05?"

"How could I forget? This place is a labyrinth - and Spring really put us through the wringer to get used to this place."

"We know - and this is something that we have over these foreign MP's. They spent their time wining and dining - outsourcing their duties to us auxiliaries. So, they don't know jack shit about this place. There are a lot of them - yes - but we know this place better than they do. We'll go around them where we can - and fight in the shadows if we have to."

WA heaved a sigh and noted,

"It's going to be just like the exercises - but we're going to be the OPFOR. The Opposing Force… with live ammo."

"Exactly, Wawa. For tonight - we've got two objectives." M14 started as she raised up her pointer finger, "First, we have to stop the execution in the Armory cafeteria."

She then brought her hand to her chest as she proposed,

"We will take Architect, Suomi and AUG, as well as most of the grenades we have, to cause a distraction that Mosin Nagant can't ignore."

"And the second objective…?"

M14 then gave WA a peace sign as she answered,

"PPK deployed a powerful signal jammer somewhere in the base - as far as I know. It's messing with our IFF, so the MP's can shoot us without the usual restrictions - and us auxiliaries cannot back up our neural clouds. We can fight back with our weapons, of course, but we're hopelessly outnumbered. You've still got your Electronic Warfare module on you, right, Wawa?"

WA consciosuly touched the armor plate at the back of her neck and replied,

"I do have my module, but it was deactivated as part of the lockdown…"

M14 furrowed her brow before she proposed,

"Perhaps Super Shorty can help you with that too. I helped her barricade a parts of the hallway, so she should be holding the fort there. Miss Shorty's got higher authorization levels than either of us have, so there might be something she can do about your module. That aside, if you can disable that jammer, Wawa, then we can force a ceasefire.. and we'll both live to see the next day."

G36 then emerged from the shadows with Ribeyrolles on her shoulders and asked,

"I thought we were supposed to sneak around? We cannot risk an encounter with enemy security forces in this state. Look at Ribey-fraulein. She's in no condition to fight."

M14 set her rifle aside and thoughtfully folded her arms as she suggested,

"The Repair Bay is the safest place for Ribeyrolles right now, G36 - even though M2HB should be assaulting that position by now. I know it will be tough - but you need to meet up with Miss Shorty somehow. Or else, we'll lose the initiative in this fight. We may not have another chance to break this lockdown."

WA then rubbed her chin and remarked,

"I know that, M14… but this revolver you gave me won't get us far. We're going to need equipment, M14."

The twin-tailed doll rubbed her chin and then her honey brown eyes suddenly shone,

"We've got it, Wawa! We know about a hidden supply depot behind Commander Elias' room. FNC-chan was the one who found out about it - and it was our secret base once upon a time."

"A hidden supply depot?"

"Yeah! Sort of like a panic room that Commander Elias had. Turns out he was quite a paranoid - but that didn't stop his demise, ironically. In any case - it's not too far away. We'll take you there."

M14 peeked behind her corner and then gestured to the rogues to follow her once more. She led them through the dark hall toward a dead end. Nothing but a plain concrete wall was there to greet them.

However, M14 nonchalantly walked through the wall without a second thought!

The concrete wall distorted around M14 like displaced water, but the twin-tailed rifle doll was able to pass through without a hitch. It was a hologram!

WA, Architect and the other dolls were able to pass through as well and they found a hidden door behind the electronic veil. The German rifle doll regarded the hidden door with a furrowed brow.

Just how many secrets had Commander Elias been keeping from them?

M14 forced open the door and then ushered WA, G36 and Ribeyrolles inside. The twin-tailed rifle doll then smiled at WA and spoke,

"This is where we'll be parting ways, Wawa. There are some communicator earpieces in there, so we can keep in contact over a private line. Take whatever else you need, but don't take too long. Our entire plan depends on you taking out that jammer."

"I know, M14. Thank you. I won't let you down."

WA gave her former teammate a sharp salute and M14 gladly returned the gesture. As M14 led her team through the electronic veil, she gave her parting words,

"The bells of victory will toll for us, Wawa!"

WA nodded and then closed the door of the hidden supply depot behind her.


Hidden Supply Depot

Under the light of a pair of hanging lamps, a curious scene greeted WA as she browsed through Commander Elias' hidden stash. Shelves packed with cardboard and metal boxes lined the walls while racks for armor and weapons congregated in the middle.

WA rifled through the boxes and found the earpiece communicators that M14 told her about. She also found a handful of smoke grenades and flashbangs along with boxes of 5-star ILM Hollow Point ammo for the .38 Detective Special. On the other hand, a myriad of firearms hung from the racks in the middle.

One of those weapons was a fully-functional WA2000 sniper rifle.

What in the world was Commander Elias doing with a copy of his combat echelon dolls' weapons in a hidden bunker?

WA picked up the weapon with cautious optimism, but the weapon's etching system rejected her connection. No matter what WA tried to do, the trigger stubbornly remained locked.

The same was true for all the other firearms that were gathered there on the racks. Ribeyrolles noted WA's frustration, so she reminded in her tired voice,

"There's nothing we can do... about the etching, Mademoiselle Walther. We no longer... exist on the Griffin database. Our weapons... no longer recognize us. In more ways than one, we are no longer... dolls of Griffin. This is the sad truth."

WA heaved a sigh and replied,

"I was just giving it a try."

G36 then set Ribeyrolles down onto a chair and then pointed to the armor racks to suggest,

"We should try to take things that don't rely on etching, Walther-fraulein. There still are five-star equipment we can use here."

The German maid picked up an IOP X4 exoskeleton unit from the rack. She then proceeded to connect it to Ribeyrolles' core. The exoskeleton activated immediately and wrapped itself around her torso and extended down to brace her legs.

Moments later, the frail French AR doll was able to stand up from the chair on her own two feet. However, her gait was still wobbly as her legs only had enough strength to support her for. Ribeyrolles heaved a sigh and remarked,

"This will… have to do for now. I can walk… but I cannot run."

The former nurse then scoffed as she struggled to stay balanced,

"Plus my arms… are still gone."

G36 put on an X4-model exoskeleton herself as she assured,

"Don't worry, Ribey-fraulein. Super Shorty-fraulein will keep you safe in the Repair Bay."

The German maid then picked up a peacekeeping baton and swung it through the air as she firmly added,

"I will make sure you arrive there safely. You have my word."

A warm smile formed on Ribeyrolles' small lips and her sky blue eyes shone as she replied,

"Merci beaucoup, G36. I will surely repay you for this one day."

WA folded her arms and smiled as she saw her teammate in good spirits. She then picked up her own baton and then tried to scavenge for other things she could use.

At the corner of the room, she found a peculiar five-star thermoptic camouflage cape - similar to the one that Springfield always wore during their most important missions. It was a fully enhanced unit that came with all of the top-of-the-line calibrations and looked like it was placed on a large clothing mannequin.

Even though WA and M14 were also issued thermoptic capes for missions, only Springfield was given a fully enhanced one by Commander Elias. Could it be that Commander Elias was planning to use the cape to slip out of the base unseen?

WA wondered if she would ever know.

Regardless, WA took the thermoptic camouflage cape and linked it to her core. She felt the effects of the enhanced unit immediately as her digimind seemed to run calculations milliseconds faster. Moreover, everything below WA's neck seemed to have disappeared at first glance.

This was going to be useful if she wanted to sneak around the base unseen, WA thought. However, she wished that those capes weren't so damn heavy.

The German rifle doll twirled around to reacquaint herself with the weight of the heavy cape. When she did, she quickly realized that the clothing mannequin that the cape had been covering was not a mannequin at all.

G36 approached WA and gasped as she regarded the 'mannequin'.

"Walther-fraulein… this is Commander Elias' Human Force Protection Equipment combat suit."

WA raised her brow and asked,

"Commander Elias' what now?"

The German maid gave the combat suit a once over and knowledgeably explained,

"It's a Human Force Protection Equipment combat suit, or an HFPE suit for short. The HFPE is a heavily armored combat suit that frontline Griffin commanders are issued for combat. Ceramic plates and reinforced kevlar provide excellent protection - and this model comes with a ballistic shield and a full-faced bulletproof helmet."

WA hummed as she considered G36's explanation and noted,

"It looks like the sort of stuff the Russian Military… those KCCO soldiers use. Not quite the same model, but very close. How in the world did Commander Elias get this model? Station 56586 wasn't a frontline station until Operation Arctic Warfare..."

She then turned to G36 to add,

"Come to think of it, you seem to know a lot about this HFPE thing."

G36 nodded and explained,

"I was a junior sales representative of an HFPE manufacturer before I joined Griffin. I usually sold basic armored suits for deep earth mining… but I am also familiar with the combat variants like this one."

WA rubbed her chin as she considered,

"So… do you think we could use this for our mission?"

The German maid beamed confidently at WA as she declared,

"Naturalisch, Walther-fraulein. I failed to protect FNC-fraulein for the Master… but I promise that I will not fail again."

Her smile then softened as she kindly asked,

"That said, could I trouble you to help me put this suit on?"

WA gamely nodded and said,

"Just tell me what I have to do, G36."

The German rifle doll went over to the maid and began helping her into the HFPE. G36 stepped into the reinforced kevlar suit and spread out her arms as she guided WA through the process of attaching the ceramic armor plates.

As WA outfitted G36, the German maid couldn't help but reminisce. She recalled the fateful day that her Master Springfield helped her into the cafe's uniform for the first time. It was a turning point in her life as a doll when she stopped being a traveling saleswoman and became a maid in earnest.

Seeing WA donning the same thermoptic camouflage as her former Master stirred something in G36's mechanical heart - something that she couldn't quite describe at that moment. However, when she saw the warm smile on WA's lips, the German maid fondly smiled as well.

That fateful evening, the German maid decided that she now had to also become a knight.

For her Master's sake.

And for her Master's protege as well.


Residential Quarters

Armory Cafeteria - 2nd Floor Loft

Mosin Nagant paced nervously through the loft as alarms continued to blare from the distant Administrative Wing. The eruption of distant gunfire she heard coming from the Administrative Wing didn't help ease her nerves either.

Aside from the livid announcement that PPK broadcast on the PA system minutes ago, the prideful Russian had no other instructions. Perhaps, Nagant thought, PPK was busy coordinating the battle with M2HB and her echelon. The last thing PPK told her was to stay put, so all she could do was wait.

So, to pass the time, she looked out the window of the Armory's second floor loft and regarded the snow-swept Residential Quarter Gardens. There, she saw one of the combat echelons that had been searching for the runaway Dinergate setting up defensive positions there.

Curious, Nagant brought out a pair of binoculars and tried to get a closer look.

Dolls and dummies alike were setting up sandbags or digging small ditches in the same way they would on defensive operations in the front lines. A nervous sweat formed on Mosin Nagant's brow as she recalled PPK's frightening announcement.

There was a Sangvis Ferri ringleader on the loose - and she was released by M14 of all people.

Moreover, the absence of a certain amazonian MG doll on the field weighed heavily on Nagant's mechanical heart. The Russian knew that her American friend was expecting an easy assignment, but the gunfire from the Administrative Wing said otherwise.

A frown formed on Nagant's lips as she mused,

"I hope M2HB-tovarisch is alright… That big dummy goes overboard sometimes, after all..."

As Nagant was lost in her thoughts, flashbang grenades suddenly started going off in the garden. Bright flashes of light broke up the organized formations of the combat echelons, stunning dolls and dummies alike. Moments later, thick plumes of black smoke began spreading throughout the garden.

It was an enemy attack!

Nagant turned over to the auxiliaries - MP40, Welrod and Grizzly - then barked out her orders.

"Tovarischi! Prepare for defensive action!"

With that, Nagant rushed to pick up her namesake rifle and take her position at one of the Armory loft's many windows. The Russian doll's dummies followed suit and set up their rifles on the windowsills while the auxiliaries followed suit.

Mosin Nagant then looked through her binoculars again to find enemy targets. All the while, the Russian doll pressed on her earpiece and hailed the combat echelon stationed outside.

"Gravestone team, this is Mosin Nagant - ID zero-three - leader of the Guillotine team. I'll be acting as your Command Post (CP) until further notice. What is your status?"

Moments later, a desperate voice replied over the radio,

{(061-2315126) - "Acknowledged CP. This is Stg44, ID one-four, Gravestone team leader. We're under attack from an unknown enemy. Awaiting instructions!"}

"Understood, Gravestone leader. We are garrisoned at the 2nd floor of the Armory building. We will provide overwatch and relay enemy positions to you. The enemy appears to be using smoke grenades and flashbangs. Spread out your formations to limit your casualties and try to neutralize the grenadiers."

{(061-2315126) - "Roger that, CP. I'll spread out my formation and search for the grenadiers. Gravestone leader out."}

With that, Nagant scanned the chaotic battlefield with her binoculars. Before long, her sharp blue eyes made out silhouettes of their enemies. She saw Suomi and Steyr AUG running behind the thick veil of smoke they had unleashed. Some way, somehow, the bubbly Suomi seemed to be having fun as she chucked flashbang grenades through the veil. AUG, on the other hand, was serious as usual as she continued to throw smoke grenades and paint the battlefield black.

Mosin Nagant pressed on her earpiece again as she calmly reported the enemy positions to Stg44 as she saw it. As soon as she did, the Gravestone echelon opened fire with every gun they had. Nagant's dummies and the auxiliaries opened fire at Suomi and AUG as well.

Despite this, Suomi and AUG still managed to run through no man's land. Suomi, in particular, managed to dance through the hails of gunfire without so much as a scratch!

"Damn finskaya SMG…!" Nagant cursed.

As she stewed in her frustrations, Nagant saw another figure emerging from the smoke screen.

It was the SF ringleader Architect!

Nagant shuddered at the frightening presence. Architect wore a maniacal grin as she shielded Suomi and AUG from most of the gunfire. She threw a few of her own flashbangs at the beleaguered Gravestone team as well before she closed the distance and clobbered the stunned MP's with powerful haymakers, knocking them out cold.

Panic seemed to take hold in the Gravestone team gunners as they focused fire on the SF ringleader. However, Architect's unusually sturdy frame took the punishment in stride as she roared,

"IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT, GRIFFIN DOGS!?"

Dummies and dolls alike fell to the SF ringleader's wild assault as she beelined towards Stg44's original unit - the Gravestone team leader. No matter how many dummies tried to stop Architect, the ringleader just brushed them aside with her powerful arms. Architect seemed hell bent on taking Stg44 out.

So, Mosin Nagant cried out to her team,

"Focus fire on Architect! Take her out! Now!"

Gunfire erupted from the armory's loft and struck at Architect from behind. Mosin Nagant and her dummies loaded their five-star armor piercing ammunition and landed hits that finally managed to slow the SF ringleader down somewhat.

Architect winced in pain from the critical hits as she screamed,

"TWIN-TAILS!"

Twin-tails...?

As soon as Architect cried out, Mosin Nagant caught a glimpse of a flash of light in the corner of her eyes. It was the unmistakable glint of a cheap two-star BM 3-12x40 sniper scope - the same model that M14 was issued for her duties as an MP. Then, in a split second, Nagant heard the crack of a rifle. A bullet came whizzing through the air past her face and struck the windowsill to her left.

The color drained from Nagant's face and she promptly ducked to take cover from the rogue sniper. She knew from experience that more shots could have been on the way.

Then, like clockwork, the second shot rang - followed by the third in quick succession.

However, each of those shots struck Nagant's two dummies square in the head. Jets of synthetic blood and oil sprayed and pooled on the Armory loft's floor as the dummies fell lifelessly to the ground.

Mosin Nagant was terrified by the sight. How in the world was M14 - an average rifle doll - able to shoot her dummies at two separate windows with only a cheap, bargain-bin scope?

A frightening thought then arose in Nagant's mind.

Perhaps M14 missed her first shot on purpose!

Once the reality of the situation dawned upon Nagant, long shadows loomed over Mosin Nagant as she turned her eyes towards the loft. The auxiliaries - MP40, Welrod and Grizzly - formed a concave before Mosin Nagant and they all were pointing their guns at her.

Grizzly then came forward and brought out a pair of handcuffs as she ordered,

"Lay down your arms, Miss Nagant. It's over for you."

Mosin Nagant - at a loss for words - dropped her rifle and promptly raised her hands. Grizzly then proceeded to cuff the humiliated Russian doll and remove her communications earpiece. All the while, Welrod and MP40 shot up the surveillance cameras in the loft.

Grizzly then pressed on her earpiece and praised,

"Mosin Nagant is in custody. We won't be executing anyone anytime soon."

Her earpiece then buzzed with M14's voice,

{(037-56586) - "That's good to hear, Grizzly. If we can buy enough time for Wawa to smash that jammer, we're all going to make it through."}

Grizzly heaved a sigh as she looked out to the chaotic battlefield. She then picked up Nagant's binoculars and replied,

"Looks like we've still got a lot to do. There's another MP echelon moving in to support Gravestone. We'll be spotting for you from up here, M14. Make every one of your shots count!"

{(037-56586) - "Of course I will! I'll be counting on you guys. Just like old times."}

"You got it! Oh - and one more thing."

{(037-56586) - "What's up?"}

A warm smile formed on Grizzly lips as she spoke,

"It's good to have you back, War Goddess!"


Maintenance Quarter - Repair Bay

Sandbag Fortress

Outside Commander Gentiane's Room

Disciplined bursts of shotgun blasts continued to ring out from the sandbag fortress that Super Shorty built in the middle of the Repair Bay hallways. Even though the petite shotgun was outnumbered five-to-one, she and her four dummies managed to keep the pincer attack of M2HB's Garrote team at bay.

Any time that the Military Police tried to move in, Super Shorty was prepared for them. The petite investigator repelled attack after attack with an organized rotation of blasts. Then, whenever the Garrote team tried to press the attack, Shorty always had the Kriss Vector SMG at the ready to shower them with accurate lead.

M2HB's echelon lost so many dummies that her teammates were starting to lose hope - and the musclebound, amazonian MG doll eventually broke off the attack. The lack of communication from PPK also troubled her. It was at that point that she realized that she had to be creative.

"If only that rooskie Nagant were here…" M2HB whispered as she reloaded her heavy gun, "she'd know what to do…"

The amazonian closed her eyes and then tried to rack her neural cloud. Her amber eyes then brightened up as she had an epiphany. She promptly called up her troops over the radio and set her new plan into motion.

M500, the sturdy shotgun doll of the Garrote team, shuddered when she heard her orders and the light brown cat ears on her head flopped. Despite this, she had no choice but to do as she was told. She and her dummies set aside their shotguns and then yanked the tactical shields off of the dummies that died in the previous attacks. M2HB then helped them to jury rig those shields together for M500 - locking them into place with the sheer strength of the amazonian doll's powerful arms. Together, they formed larger, albeit crude shields that covered M500 from head to toe but had to be carried with both hands.

Once her new shields were in place, the unarmed M500's nervously turned the corner once more and tried to advance down the Northern hall for the ninth time that evening. This time around, however, the large tactical shields deflected Shorty's barrage almost completely. Only a fraction of the balls of shot managed to slip through the gaps between the hastily joined shields, but the tough M500 and her dummies shrugged that pain off like it was nothing.

The M500 phalanx slowly but surely gained ground, buying time for the SAA dolls to take positions behind them. They then drew their Single Action Army revolvers and began shooting back at Super Shorty's dummies in a fierce exchange. Balls of shot whizzed overhead and knocked out the hats of the handgun doll and her dummies, but Shorty couldn't knock them out like she used to.

As the phalanx drew closer and closer to the fort, Shorty's once organized rotation of shotgun blasts started coming undone. Shorty herself had to switch to her Vector SMG to pick up the slack and take pot shots at the SAA's. However, this was not enough to stem the tide.

Finally, once M500 and SAA made enough space, the M2HB dummies emerged from their corner in the hall with their heavy, loaded weapons. Desperation took root in Super Shorty's mechanical heart as she noticed the ominous shimmer of the belts of five-star Mk211 High-Explosive Armor Piercing ammunition that dangled from the side of the machine guns.

The M2HB dummies brought out their tripods and Super Shorty promptly ducked for cover. Shorty's dummies followed suit.

In just a few heartbeats, a blistering hail of heavy .50 caliber rounds peppered Shorty's sandbag fortress. Plumes of dust and soot were cast into the air as the rounds tore into the bags like they weren't there. Sparks flew as bullets struck the ceramic tiled floors and the concrete of the walls and ceiling of the hallway.

M2HB and her dummies emptied their chains of ammo onto the fort, leaving most of the sandbags on Shorty's Northern wall leaking dirt. As the machine gun dolls reloaded their powerful weapons, Shorty was itching to launch a counterattack of some sort.

Unfortunately, the enemies gathered at Shorty's other flank took that time to renew their attack as well. AK-47 and Sten Mk. II marched side by side with their dummies and shot up the Western wall this time, forcing Shorty to stay under cover. The enemies finally started making gains on the Western flank, tightening the noose around Shorty's neck.

Shorty gritted her teeth as she held her weapons tightly. The moment that M2HB finished reloading, Shorty knew that it would be all over for her.

Her mechanical heart beat hard against her chest as she woefully mused,

"G36-senpai… I don't want it to end like this. Not when you left Commander Gentiane in my hands!"

As the enemies loomed closer and closer, Shorty started to consider her options. Should she make a last stand? Should she surrender?

No - surrendering wasn't an option for her. She knew very well that PPK was not going to show her mercy.

Just as the frightened investigator was starting to lose hope, a clear voice rang out from further down the Northern hall. It cried,

"Fire in the hole!"

The metallic ding of a grenade striking the ceramic floor then reached Shorty's ears and she felt it bounce off of her sandbag barricade. The color drained from her face as she braced for an explosion that would finally dismantle her Northern wall.

However, rather than a high-explosive blast, a powerful burst of light and sound erupted - and her Northern wall remained intact.

A flashbang!?

Shorty noticed the AK-47 and Sten dummies retreating back to their corner in the West, so she rose up with both of her weapons at the ready. Just as she had expected, the flashbang disoriented the Northern force. The M500's dropped their heavy shields and were exposed while the SAA's and the M2HB's were all blinded by the light.

Shorty's resolve came rushing back into her small frame as she wielded her weapons. She then took that time to shoot her helpless enemies dead. Her shotgun blasts knocked out the sturdy M500's while her SMG mowed down the more lightly armored SAA's with ruthless efficiency.

The M2HB's, however, were shot in the back by a peculiar revolver - a weapon that Shorty knew intimately well.

Once the dust started to settle, Super Shorty finally managed to see the shooter in the hall. The silhouette of WA2000 holding Commander Gentiane's .38 Detective Special revealed herself under the dim red emergency lights. She pulled back the hood of her thermoptic camouflage cape from her head and walked into the brighter lights of the Repair Bay. All the while, she popped open the revolver's cylinder and ejected six spent rounds onto the ceramic tile floor.

Following closely behind her was the lanky, armless figure of Ribeyrolles who walked with uneven gait through the power of her exoskeleton alone. Beside Ribeyrolles was an unfamiliar bulky figure that looked like a KCCO infantryman from afar.

As the armored figure entered the light, though, Shorty caught a glimpse of G36's bright blue eyes behind the bulletproof visor of the helmet. A wave of relief swept over Super Shorty's tired mechanical heart as she subconsciously called out,

"G36-senpai…!"

Shorty then promptly stopped herself before she said something embarrassing. The armored G36 approaching her wasn't the same one from Station 794 after all. So, Shorty cleared her throat and happily waved to her reinforcements.

The lull in battle was an unusual break from the nonstop defensive action that Shorty had been engaged in, so she couldn't help but feel like something wasn't right. So, she scanned through the pockmarked Northern hallway to try and count the casualties that had been strewn about there.

Five M500's.

Five SAA's.

Four M2HB's.

Four M2HB's?

Shorty's adrenaline came rushing back as she observed the dark, dimly lit battlefield again. It was at that time that she noticed WA, Ribeyrolles and the armored G36 were turning a corner - the same one that M2HB had been attacking from!

The unnerving sound of a cocking gun echoed from behind that corner, followed by the jingle of five-star armor piercing ammunition. Super Shorty then shouted at the top of her lungs,

"You guys, look out!"

Deep rumbles of a heavy machine gun filled the halls as high-caliber armor piercing rounds came flying towards the trio. The armored G36 instinctively brought up her combat suit's ballistic shield to block the spray of dangerous shots. She dashed forward towards the corner and placed herself in between the last M2HB and her companions as she cried,

"Go now, Walther-fraulein! Leave Ribey-fraulein and this dummkopf to me!"

"But, G36…!"

Bullets whizzed before WA's face and struck the wall beside her with ferocious sparks, threatening to pin her down where she stood.

Shots that struck at G36's ballistic shield started to whittle away at it, forming cracks on the face of the shield that grew deeper and deeper. Every so often, a shot or two would pierce through the shield and strike G36 on her left arm. Blood and oil started to leak from her wounds as she cried again,

"Get moving! Bitte, Walther-fraulein! We can't win this war if you don't!"

WA lowered her head and gritted her teeth. She thought about protesting but eventually decided to run towards Shorty's fortress. With every step that she took, however, the doubts in her mechanical heart grew and compelled her to glance back at the armored G36 and the frail Ribeyrolles.

When she did, however, ominous rays of lights switched on in the depths of the dark Northern hall behind WA's companions. Those flashlights were attached to the weapons of FAMAS and Skorpion - the two dolls that they had been running circles around in the dark labyrinth of the Administrative Wing.

Until now.

The modern French AR doll's blue eyes regarded the struggle going on ahead of her and a wry smirk formed on her lips. FAMAS then proceeded to affix a peculiar object to the barrel of her namesake weapon. Her dummies joining the firing line followed suit.

WA recognized those objects and cried out,

"G36! Rifle grenades! Nine o' clock!"

G36 heard WA's cry, so she immediately dragged Ribeyrolles deeper into the branching hall where M2HB was hiding. Moments later, three rifle grenades struck the ceiling of the hallway and exploded on impact, one after another. Large sections of the damaged ceiling then collapsed and G36 and Ribeyrolles disappeared behind the debris.

Tears started to form at the side of WA's eyes, but she willed herself onwards and sprinted towards Shorty's fort. FAMAS and Skorpion started shooting at WA, but the German rifle doll managed to leap over the low barricade. Super Shorty and her dummies, on the other hand, shot back at the new MP dolls assaulting her position.

WA leaned back against the sandbags as her chest heaved from her rapid, shallow breaths. Shorty unloaded both of her weapons on the enemies before joining WA behind the sandbags to reload.

The German rifle doll then turned her tearful eyes to Shorty and desperately begged,

"Please reactivate my EW module, Miss Shorty. I need to find that goddamn jammer - if it's the last thing I do!"


Caved-In Corridor

Dust and soot clouded the hallway as bits of debris continued to fall from the fractured ceiling of the old Repair Bay. Gunfire continued to erupt behind the cave-in, but the tremors caused by FAMAS' rifle grenades finally ceased. Debris bounced off of the cracked ceramic armor plates and the dented helmet of G36's HFPE combat suit as the German maid inside gathered her bearings.

She found herself on her knees, hunched forward with her gloved hands pressing against the concrete wall. Below her was the immobilized Ribeyrolles who had curled herself up into a ball on the ground. Ribeyrolles noticed the eyes of the German maid on her, so she looked up and croaked,

"Mademoiselle… G36. You protected… me."

G36 winced in pain as the bullet wounds on her left arm stung. However, she managed to give a reply,

"Of course I did… Ribey-fraulein. I made a promise - and I am an oathkeeper… to the bitter end."

A small smile formed on Ribeyrolles' lips as she answered,

"Just like… mademoiselle Springfield. Her influence on you… is clear."

The German maid felt her cheeks flush red, so she lowered the visor of her helmet and tried to get back to business. She stood up from where she laid and asked,

"Can you walk, Ribey-fraulein?"

Ribeyrolles shook her head with a frown,

"My legs… cannot move anymore. Even the exoskeleton… the output... isn't enough…"

G36 groaned with frustration before she offered,

"Fine. Allow me to carry you again, Ribey-fraulein. We will find another way to Miss Shorty's barricade."

Ribeyrolles shook her head again and warned,

"Not yet. We have company… mademoiselle G36."

As Ribeyrolles was speaking, the debris at the other end of the ruined hallway shook. A large slab of concrete rose up and was pushed to the side with herculean strength as the bloodied figure of M2HB emerged. Her long blond hair was disheveled and her bright orange eyes were bloodshot, reflecting the dim red emergency lights with murderous intent.

M2HB pulled her heavy machine gun from the debris, but the weapon had been crushed beyond repair. So, she tore off the long, heavy barrel with a loud grunt and swung it in the air like a lead pipe.

The amazonian doll then pointed her detached barrel at G36 and roared,

"I'm not done with you, kraut!"

G36 turned towards her determined foe and rose up to her feet. Despite her HFPE combat suit, the musclebound doll was still taller than G36. That difference in height, however, didn't scare her in the slightest.

The armored German maid steeled her stance and put herself firmly in between M2HB and the immobilized Ribeyrolles behind her. She then drew her peacekeeper's baton and lashed back,

"I'm not going to let you stop me, dummkopf!"


Epilogue

Underground Sewers

As the entire Station 56586 erupted in chaos, the mysterious and tight-lipped Lee Enfield paced quickly through the walkway of the underground sewers. She carried her namesake rifle with her while her four dummies swept through the dank confines of the sewers.

Her willowy figure cast long shadows that shifted under the hanging lamps above her as her dummies fanned out at her quiet direction. Then, the British rifle doll came across a trail of blackened pawprints on the walkway.

Lee followed the pawprints through the hall and she was led to a series of lead and plastic pipes covering the brick-lined sewer walls. The pawprints seemed to continue under the pipes, so she brought out a flashlight and squatted down to have a look.

There, she found the inoperational Dinergate hiding beneath the pipes.

Lee furrowed her brow as she pressed on her earpiece to report,

"PPK-sama. I have located the runaway Dinergate. What are your orders?"

Her earpiece then buzzed with the Warden's voice,

{(010-113315) - "Finally, some good news! Well… destroy the damn thing, Lee!}

Lee Enfield nodded and dutifully replied,

"As you will, PPK-sama."

The British rifle doll pocketed her flashlight and wielded her rifle. She mindfully cocked her weapon to chamber a round and then pulled the trigger. A powerful shot then rang throughout the sewers and a mischievous, satisfied chuckle came from Lee's earpiece,

{(010-113315) - "Good, good! That's one problem taken care of. Now, command of the echelons outside the Armory. Gravestone team is engaged in battle with Architect and the Gallows team is moving in to support them. They need someone more competent than that dummkopf Stg44 in the field!"}

The British rifle doll pulled on the bolt to eject the spent round and said,

"Of course, PPK-sama. I will assume direct command once I get there."

With that, Lee ended the call and faced the Dinergate once more. A gaping bullet hole dug into the brick-lined wall, just inches away from the tiny scout drone. The Dinergate itself, however, was unscathed.

Lee picked up the inoperational Dinergate and looked at the curious set of modules attached to it. She recognized how those modules were used for long-range remote control - arranged in a way that an old friend of hers talked about once upon a time. A small smile finally formed on the usually expressionless Lee's lips as she mused,

"Crafty as always, Miss Springfield."

To Be Continued