(Team Fortress 2 Soundtrack: Dreams of Cruelty)

Hurried steps could be heard within the halls of Lab 8. Apparently, Doctor Stanley had to interrupt the information briefing by mentioning a distressed Soldier discovering something within Brain Drain's lab. Part of it disturbing enough was about the mentioning of this discovery being a minor child being tortured and indoctrinated with drugs against her own will. Alarmed, Doctor Avian had to finish the briefing with Nadia and hurried directly to Lab 0, without even bothering to get a furious Soldier.

"Are you sure to just let Miss Doe be with Patricia, Doctor? If we could've brought her, she could be a witness to what we're about to break into..." Stanley began as he followed behind the older doctor. "You mentioned that Miss Doe was furious. That's the last thing that we need. But rest assured, we can handle this ourselves. Also, If what she say is true, then perhaps we may have to set a board meeting discussion within both labs here on ASG for a failed complaint, but we need to see for ourselves of what Miss Doe saw, while we confront Brain Drain about it." Doctor Avian replied.

Reaching the dimly lit halls of Lab 0, both Avain and Stanley made their way directly to Brain Drain's lab, but to their surprise, they were met with a few fellow scientists outside the specific lab. Among them was Brain Drain, who immediately spotted then approaching. "Avian, Stanley. What the hell are you two doing here? And have you gathered information from the Fishbone Gang member-" Brain Drain questioned, but Avian immediately stepped past the group of doctors and confronted him. "I know it's none of my business to intervene, but I was mentioned of a distressing news about a secret experiment of a young minor within the faculty of your lab. Brain Drain, I deem to see for myself and Stanley to access your lab inside just to clarify if what Miss Doe had seen were to be true."

Brain Drain slightly flinched. But then he crossed his arms. "Jane Doe... Yes... She seemingly just left when I left her on my lab to attend a board meeting." Brain Drain simply replied, clearly avoiding what was just mentioned. "Don't change the subject, Brain Drain. If you, or any of your fellow colleagues here on Lab 0 have anything to do to such an act, we would likely file a complaint to the joint chief of staff of the ASG labs." Avian firmly interrupted. Brain Drain growled at this. "You do know that this is what Lab 0 stands for, don't you think, Avian? This is what Lab 8 used to stand for-" "Extreme researches and experimentation are only valid if it's authorized by the joint chief of staff, Brain Drain. We are here to see this experiment you were said to be keeping within your lab, and to know if it was given permission." "That is none of your concern, Avian-" "Yes, it is." A series of discussions and whispers then followed as the certain head directors of two different labs stared at each other intensely. "You will leave with Stanley. Now. Don't make such an issue just because some outsider told you of such nonsense." Brain Drain said threatningly. Avain didn't bought this. Seeing that none of the other doctors was likely to do anything to get in his way, Avian shoved Brain Drain aside and barged right into his lab. "Avian! You are violating the privacy of my own lab!" Brain Drain's shouting caused unwanted attention.

Followed by Stanley inside the lab, Doctor Avian immediately began barging through each accessible entries only to find each room within the lab only filled with various other researches. Nothing of what Soldier was said to have found. "Doctor Avain..?" Stanley called out from the main lab, holding Soldier's helmet that he found on a table. "Did you find anything, Doctor..?" The shark Doctor asked. At this point, doctors from outside, including Brain Drain stepped in to witness a paranoid looking Doctor Avian. "You've seen nothing within my lab unauthorized. Now, you may leave with Stanley as you are violating my own Lab's privacy!" Brain Drain snapped. Doctor Avian looked at him firmly and replied. "Knowing you being such a great liar on most things, Brain Drain? I doubt it-" Avian stopped. His eyes began noticing a double metal doors on the far corner of the lab next to the table where Stanley found Soldier's helmet. "... Stanley, stay put." Avian finally added, alarming a very distressed looking Brain Drain. "Dammit, Avian, I said get out!" Ignoring Brain Drain's furious shouting, Avian stepped right in, forcing to open the doors but it was locked. Noticing a key card slot on the side next to the doors, which most labs require ASG IDs as key cards, Avian glared at Brain Drain. "What's on the other side of this door, Brain Drain? I demand to know-" "That is none of your business! Get out of my lab!" Brain Drain immediately replied furiously. Avian didn't budge of course. Taking out his Lab 8 ID, he was surprised when his ID managed to unlock the metal doors, granting him access to the room. This is where things finally became physical as Brain Drain grabbed Avian and shoved him away from mine doors. "Get out of my lab! Now..!"

Doctors that were present started to intervene to separate both Doctors, which were both attacking each other physically. Stanley on the other hand, managed to slip his way inside the room. It was pretty much like the rest of the labs with various computers but his attention was caught by what he saw on the very far end of the room... Stanley almost dropped Soldier's helmet in horror. - It was indeed a minor child. A young girl. Everything that Soldier had said was accurate. Various syringes of drugs, wires connected to the poor girl. And there was also a connected a large four bladed fan on her back. This time, unlike how Soldier saw her, she was now being strapped on chains by automatons, working on the wires and drugs being injected into her body. "Gods and Goddesses... Doctor... Doctor Avian..!"

The commotion outside the room was interrupted. Then came Avian forcing his way past through the other Lab 0 doctors after having to successfully push Brain Drain aside. "Stanley, what did you..." Avian immediately questioned but his mouth stopped speaking, and remained opened agape. His eyes widely open in horror much like Stanley's. "Avian! Get the hell out of my lab, or I will have to call the guards-!" Brain Drain's furious shouting that eventually came rushing into the room was interrupted when Avian landed a solid punch on Brain Drain's metal face, wounding Doctor Avian's fist from the sharp edges of Brain Drain's face. "Doctor Avian!" Stanley shouted and immediately grabbed hold of the main head director of Lab 8, who violently began attacking Brain Drain, who on the other hand, was retaliating back with furious remarks. The only thing that held the two main head directors of both ASG labs was Stanley and the other Lab 0 doctors intervening and separating the two from violently attacking each other. "Get out of my lab! This is none of your business! Get..! Out..!" Brain Drain furiously shouted while being held back by a group of other doctors.

"This is my business!" Avian furiously replied back while pointing at the young girl strapped in chains. "As one of the main head directors of the ASG labs, it is my right and this makes it my concern to file a report of complaint to the joint chief of staff on our labs!" "None of this is your doing, Avian! You have no right to interfere with my personal researches!" Brain immediately shouted back in anger. "This isn't research! This is torture! Torturing a young minor against her will is already concerning, but it makes it even worse that if this that you're doing wasn't even authorized..!"

The doctors further separated Avian and Brain Drain out of the lab, and the commotions even gained more unnecessary attention as other operatives, and even various staff alike on Lab 0, witnessed the furious shouting of both ASG lab Directors. "Get them out of Lab 0! They've violated the privacy of classified bio-weapon research within my lab! Get them out of here now!" Brain Drain demanded so furiously that several Lab 0 operatives present finally intervened and firmly began ushering both Doctor Avian and Stanley out of the Lab 0 side of ASG. "This isn't over, Brain Drain..!" Avian shouted as he and Stanley were being ushered away and escorted out of Lab 0. "I will file a report and summon a board meeting discussion within both labs and expose what was in your lab..!"

The attention solely focused on Doctor Avian. This gave Brain Drain an opportunity to hurry back into his lab and back into the specific room where he had been working on a Anti-Skullgirl bio-weapon for over a month after Last Hope delivered a batch of refugees along with Patricia Watson. However, the classification of his research and experiment alone was not authorized by the joint chief of staff of the Anti-Skullgirl labs, thus not permitting Brain Drain on such living bio-weapon experiments due to the risk of using replicated Skullgirl blood from the former Skullgirl, Queen Nancy, that Nurse Christmas, and Last Hope impressively extracted from the deceased former Skullgirl Queen.

Slamming the metal doors shut, Brain Drain began rushing for the nearby drawers and began taking various researches and notes that were not permitted for Lab 0 weapons researches. Oh, how he could barely trust anyone, even his fellow Lab 0 colleagues in the worry of overthrowing his position as main head Director of Lab 0, the last ASG lab superior to weapon research and manufactures. He could even barely trust Nurse Valentine for keeping his secret, unauthorized researches in exchange for the quadruple pay he secretly offered the Nurse.

Growling as he scanned, grabbed and separated file after file from the drawers, Brain Drain stacked the separated files and notes containing classified information about his unauthorized researches labeled Project Filia Medici and Project Painwheel which was the young girl named Carol that Brain Drain was now furious about. The thought of these two scientific breakthroughs being declined permission of ASG joint chief of staff was already a huge toll on Brain Drain's efforts. The last thing that he needed was the Robo Fortune Project getting the same fate of his secret researches. But that didn't meant that he had discarded the unauthorized projects. He just needed to bide his time before releasing his living weapons to take down the Skullgirl in order to achieve his personal goal, not for the benefit of the Anti-Skullgirl labs, but for himself - A goal to obtain and retrieve the Skull Heart, under his possession...

Taking away all of the classified files stacked on his hands, he went back to the main room of his lab, ignored the people outside still gawking at what happened, then moved to his office. Unknowingly to every Lab 0 personnel outside that noticed him hurrying to his office carrying the classified files about his secret projects that were unauthorized. Nobody was the wiser...

Except for Nurse Valentine, suddenly being there, eyeing Brain Drain as he passed by, with full knowledge from recognition of what were in those files he was hiding away...

(Team Fortress 2 Soundtrack: Rise of the Living Bread)

Soldier took several hits of projectiles. Bowling ball, baseball and even a bowling pinhead all fired from Peacock's large cartoon-ish revolvers. Sustaining these injuries and she fired her shotgun back was shrugged off easily.

However, Soldier couldn't really focus on Peacock as the gremlin kept using counterattack methods to fight back. Soldier charged and used her flexibility to easily dodge the projectiles that Peacock fired at her. Though, Soldier was still hit with a few projectiles, she managed to get up close to Peacock and slammed her shovel upwards the gremlin's face, sending her flying above in mid air for soldier to do repeated melee hits. Unfortunately, Peacock bursted in a cartoon-ish looking image of an angry abomination, interrupting and sending Soldier back away from the sudden burst move of the Gremlin.

Soldier grunted in pain. "P-please... N-no more... It... It hurts... Please... Make it... Make it... HHHRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAGH..! MAKE..! IT..! STOOOOOOOOOP..!" Soldier coughed a but as she slowly got back up only to be too late to react wrong Peacock charging at her in a ridiculously cartoon fashion way of both her feet at quick speed on the ground like a wheel. "Pie in the face!" Peacock shouted with a grin as she dabbed cream pie on Soldier's face and continued attacking Soldier at close range before taking out a cartoon-ish looking cannon. "Yo-Ho-Ho!" The cannon fired a cannon ball, Sending Soldier flying back across the simulated landscape of one of New Meridian subway stations.

"I won! I beat Annie's enemy from the Seven Seas..! Man, that was easy too..!" Peacock chanted in victory. However, Soldier was slowly frying back up. Her mind wasn't focused on the fight, even when she wanted too. But she was somehow being held back mentally by a seemingly invisible obstacle within her absolutely conflicted, mentally insane mind. "The... P... Pain..! It's... Too.. Much..! HHHRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAGH..! Mom..! Dad..! P-Please..! N-No more..!"

It was so confusing why she was being weighed down like this, but by the very back of her mind, Soldier could somehow feel a concealed, trapped rage. Almost as if her blood boiling was about to melt her own skin off, like a callous slowly peeling off from a sudden boiling rage. Soldier couldn't do anything other than try to struggle getting back up, but to no avail, kept failing, while Peacock cheers in victory. Soldier felt pain. It was all over her body, and she needed to let loose of the sudden rage that somehow enveloped from her mind, to her entire body. What did she felt in those restraints..? Fear? Trapped? And what she felt with those syringes almost all over her fragile physic? Like Blu Spy's butterfly knives? Perhaps, like Medic's syringes from his Syringe Gun..? "WHAT... IS... HAPPENING TO ME..?" Soldier stuttered. Teeth gritting as she struggled to finally get herself at least onto her knees, hands still on the ground for support. "MUST... FOCUS... C..AROL..." Her eyes, and her completely visible face without her signature helmet went into a quick shock of realization.

Fear..?

Panic..?

Trauma..?

Rage..?

Pain..?

At this point, Peacock was now looking at her confused. The gremlin then approached her, rather casually before extending a hand. "C'mon, let's get ya up! You didn't lasted long like Ben, but I still think you put up a good fight like ya did with Annie." Peacock said with a genuine grin as she extended her fluffy white gloved hand for Soldier to take.

Soldier's attention suddenly flashed at the image of something else instead of reality of being in a simulated sparring match with Peacock... - The sight... Made Soldier's heart sank. - It was the sight a young girl, which Soldier had presumed at the age of 16. She was brunette haired, and was clothed with long white rags. What was even heartbreaking from what she unfortunately saw was that the poor, young girl was fully strapped on a medical table. Had several wires all over her body, and various syringes of different colored chemical drugs automatically being indoctrinated into her by fragile looking automatons. It was happening again from just a quick flash. Then everything came back to normal. The simulated New Meridian subway station, and Peacock staring at her with a confused look, with a hand still extended for Soldier to take. Soldier also her felt numerous sustained injuries from their sparring session. And for the most part of it she felt pain. But this time - Soldier also felt rage. "DAMN YOU, BRAIN DRAIN..! DAMN YOU..!"

Soldier's eyes narrowed suddenly, and her teeth gritted even more in full rage as she seemingly have forgotten that she was facing Peacock. "MUST... FIGHT..." Peacock looked at her in surprise. "What? Nah! Your already beat up! Here, lemme help ya-" Soldier grabbed Peacock by the neck and began chocking her with one hand. Grip tightened for hard that Peacock started to choke words out. "W-Wait..! T-The... Spar... Is.. - Gulck..!"

Soldier didn't said a word in response. It almost felt like her vision went black, only feeling the neck of who she was choking. Just then only she finally forced herself to get up immediately, with Peacock in her hand, tightly gripping her neck. "S-Soldier... I... Can't.. Brea-" Soldier slammed the gremlin down the ground and began stomping down at her multiple times before quickly grabbing her and began slamming her to nearby walls, despite the clear protests of Peacock. But after several, brutal beatings, Soldier finished her raging attack by violently ripping off Peacock's left arm before slamming her for the final time onto the ground. There were also some blood stains, but she was still alive, but injured with a torn off arm.

As she let go of Peacock, Soldier took out her Equalizer and Escape Plan before going to strike down the gremlin child with one of her pickaxes. "Soldier? Soldier, no!" Soldier stopped for a brief moment from what she was about to do, but when she decided to proceed with a very enraged, murderous look on her face, she was finally tackled by the one who shouted at her.

"Soldier..! Jane! Jane! Snap out of it..! JANE..!" It was Nadia. Now pinned her down the ground. Soldier's vision of her surroundings was back to the ordinary large simulation room of Lab 8. Some Lab 8 doctors immediately rushing in to Peacock's aid, and Leduc with Hive staring at her in horror as they stood various feet away, both wide eyed. Soldier looked at Nadia. "WHAT... HAPPENED..? WHY IS THE GREMLIN..." She stopped. Then she realized it... "Soldier. I just got here along with those Lab 8 kids to see you sparring with the kid and what you did was too far ahead than a simple Cat-fight. You were literally going to kill an already disfigured kid..! Trinity, forgive this deranged woman - But what the hell is even going on in your head right now!? Have you literally lost your damn mind!?" Nadia exclaimed as she kept Soldier pinned on the ground. Soldier glared at her but she was feeling too out of focus to retaliate. She instead turned her head away in defeat. Not from the sparring match, not even from Nadia having her pinned down. She felt defeated that she couldn't do anything to get that poor girl out of Brain Drain's lab... And no matter how hard she tries to focus on what was going on, her brain and mental focus eventually resorted back into thinking about that poor girl back on Lab 0. On Brain Drain's Lab. She needed to get that poor child out somehow... "Soldier. Are you even listening!?" Nadia snapped at her. Soldier, however was too distracted, but eventually, she came to her senses to at least start paying attention.

Nadia eventually got off of her and helped her back up. The cat woman sighed. "You're all beat up from the sparring... We should get you some medical help now..." Nadia sleepy said, eyeing Soldier's injured frame. "I HAVE SOME DRUGS WITH ME THAT CAN HELP ME-" Soldier responded but stopped as she noticed Leduc and Hive, both horrified at what she amid to Peacock. "I... DIDN'T MEAN TO-" "I know Patricia iszzz a mean one, but, waszz it really neceszzsary to almost kill her..? Zzshe iszz zzstill a child..." Hive said, almost a little bitterly before walking away. Leduc on the other hand, sighed before finally managing the courage to approach Soldier and Nadia. "Just excuse her. She doesn't often get along with Peacock, but she does care for her, like we all do. But speaking of Peacock... What happened? It was just a simple spar that we came seeing between the two of you, and you were both doing great... But why... Did you suddenly just went... Violent..?" Leduc sleepy asked. His voice was a but stuttered in each word.

"Look, kid. Soldier is violent. If you've only seen how she brutally slaughtered a number of those pesky Egrets back on Little Innsmouth..." Nadia commented with her arms crossed. Soldier glared at Nadia shortly but looking back at Leduc, she replied. "I DIDN'T MEAN TO... I JUST... GOT SOMETHING... ON MY HEAD... IT'S THAT DAMN BRAIN MAGGOT, BRAIN DRAIN..." Soldier growled at the very end of her response. This immediately got the attention of the other two. "What did that lab freak do to you? Did he drugged you?" Nadia questioned, but Soldier clenched her fists. "NEGATORY... I FOUND A MINOR CHILD BEING TORTURED IN HIS LAB..."

"It's very unfortunate, Soldier. But that's exactly how Lab 0 does their researches for living weapons to fight Skullgirls. Through extreme methods of science..." Leduc quietly said, feeling uncomfortable about what Soldier mentioned. "YOU DON'T GET IT!" Soldier snapped, surprising both others with her. "THAT POOR GIRL WAS BEING DRUGGED WITH MULTIPLES SYRINGES, AND SHE'S BEING ATTACHED WITH A WEAPON! ALL SHE'S FEELING IS NOTHING BUT PAIN! PAIN! PAIN..!" Soldier furiously snapped. "Soldier... You need to calm down..." Nadia finally intervened, placing a hand on Soldier's shoulder. "You're frustrated, we get it. And you're injured. Let's get you all Stitched up." The cat woman slowly said, a little firm in her tone, but still sounded genuine. Soldier sighed, rather frustratingly. But her eyes then set on Leduc. "I'M... SORRY... I DIDN'T MEAN TO YELL-" "It's okay, Soldier. I can't imagine how it must've really felt to see what you saw on Lab 0... Personally, I'd never go into that part of the ASG labs. Because I can't bare to think of what horrific things they're doing to the other half of refugees being brought under ASG protection." Leduc sighed before continuing. "And again... Please excuse Hive... She just tend to be overly protective and sensitive whenever she sees other people being harmed on purpose, even though she denies that herself..."

Soldier couldn't say word. Her mind was still stuck thinking about that poor child being tortured and held against her will at Lab 0... But she now has another thing to think about... "LET'S GO CHECK ON THE GREMLIN... I OWE HER AN APOLOGY..." Nadia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ughh... She's a child - But yes... Fine. Let's go check up on her and you need medical treatment, too."

(Skullgirls OST: A Return To Normalcy)

It wasn't really long for Soldier to be given full medical treatment. Something about a bio gel medicine that the Lab 8 doctors used on her immediately healed her wounds. Something similar to Medic's medigun, except Medic's healing properties is mainly some kind of red gas powered by chemical gel fumes that Medic himself crafts as ammunition for his Medigun. A lot of science stuff that Soldier doesn't have the knowledge capacity to understand.

After the doctors were finished treating her and left, Nadia and Leduc approached in. "Feeling better?" Nadia asked. Soldier just grinned slightly before nodding. "YEAH." "Peacock's arm is also fully repaired. She's also stable now, and she's still in the next infirmary." Leduc said with a tone if relief. Soldier sighed before standing up. "I'LL GO TALK TO HER ABOUT EARLIER... YOU TWO MAGGOTS WANNA COME ALONG?"

Leduc just politely shook his head. "I have some task to help the other doctors on rearranging the library for recently arrived books for restocking." Soldier gave an understanding nod and watched as Leduc made his leave. Soldier then turned to Nadia, who looked a bit reluctant. "I... I have to go, Soldier..." Nadia slowly said as she made eye contact. "WHY?" Soldier asked a bit confused. Nadia frowned shortly before reminding her. "Yu-Wan and Minette... I need to get back to them and make sure they're okay." Soldier then remembered about what just happened back at Little Innsmouth. "BUT THOSE BLACK EGRETS SCUMS COULD STILL BE OUT THERE." Soldier argued that making Nadia frown. "Well, I can't just leave them out there on their own at this current state... They're all I have close to family... And about that rigged 'deal' with the Medici Mafia... Guess that's one way to waste an opportunity to counterattack..." She paused, looking at Soldier and smiling softly. "I'll be fine, Soldier. I'm Cat-Tactical. I can handle any Cat-Tastrophe. So long as the Life Gem remain intact, like my stitched body." Soldier couldn't help but roll her eyes at the puns all in one statement. But she just grinned slightly. "YOU KNOW... YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY ME OR ANYTHING, NADIA... IF YOU NEED MY HELP ON MAFIA PROBLEMS, JUST LET ME KNOW, SISTER. I'LL HELP YOU." Soldier said. Although her tone was still the same, usual loud tone, but she was sincere about what she said. Nadia smiled, almost halfheartedly at that. "Thanks... Now... Before we get anywhere emotional... I gotta head out now back to Little Innsmouth." Nadia replied, but she then grinned as she made her way for the doorway and turned her head back to Soldier. "I'll Cat-Tch you around, Jane Doe."

Soldier rolled her eyes. But she actually found herself laughing at the last pun Nadia made as she finally left. It wasn't bad at all... But now all on her own, she made her way onto the next infirmary to find Peacock, all patched up with her left arm fully repaired. The gremlin was apparently busy sitting on the medical bed while watching "The Woody Woodpecker Show" on a flat screen looking TV. Soldier sighed before finally stepping in. How would she approach this abominable looking gremlin..? "ARE YOU... STILL BEING TREATED?" Soldier finally began. Peacock immediately caught her slowly approaching and grinned widely. "Oh, hey, Soldier! Nah, I'm just enjoyin' some good 'ol cartoon! A great classic, too!" Peacock enthusiastically replied as she immediately patted on the side of the medical bed next to her. "C'mon, join me!" Soldier sighed defeated and did so. Sitting next to the gremlin, watching an old timey carton show, she waited for a moment before finally making her statement. "GREMLIN, I JUST WANNA SAY... I'M SORRY..." Peacock jerked her head at Soldier in confusion. "What for..?" Soldier bit her lower lip, feeling a bit embarrassed but replied either way. "ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED BACK AT THE SIMULATION ROOM... I DIDN'T MEAN TO... DO SUCH A THING TO YOU... I JUST BLACKED OUT... I WAS OUT OF FOCUS..." To see Peacock back on her focus watching the cartoon on the television, Soldier frowned. "Nah, it's fine. I've had worse, and I've pulled through, didn't I? Didn't Gramps already told ya about me before Valentine's group brought me here?" Peacock replied, her attention wasn't on Soldier, though. Her six eyes on her bendy arms glued to the television. Soldier figured something. "YOU REALLY LOVE CARTOONS, DO YOU?" This finally got Peacock's full attention, thankfully for Soldier.

"Yeah! And I'm a fan of almost every funnies on the television! If ya like, I can tell ya alot of my personal favorites!" Soldier just smiled gently at the gremlin's response. "WELL... I'LL LEAVE YOU TO IT ON WATCHING. I JUST WANT TO GIVE A FORMAL APOLOGY ABOUT... WHAT I DID BACK THERE IN THE SIMULATION ROOM... I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO THAT..." Soldier paused with a sigh as this time, Peacock was looking at her innocently. There was also a look on her face that's almost as if she's trying to guess something else. "It's about Dome Brain, is it? I mean... Considering how you've been so bothered while telling about it to Stan earlier, I can't imagine what you really saw back in the nasty labs on Lab 0, specifically on Dome Brain's lab." Soldier groaned softly in defeat. She's got that thought about that poor child, Carol, stuck in her head, and she can't seem to get it out... "Let's look at it this way, maybe Dome Brain will let that kid out that he's been turning into a weapon? All of their living weapons are built to fight Skullgirls, even none of them seem to succeed. If he does that, letting his weapon loose, we can catch her and bring her back here in the stinkin' labs of Lab 8 to help her. What do ya think?" Peacock cheerfully said with a wide grin. Maybe this gremlin isn't so bad after all... Soldier felt that.

"I HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU..." Soldier reached out for her magical inventory to take something out. After a short moment, she took out two packs of Jelly Bars from standard US military rations that she would often buy for her own needs. "Oh! You got jelly bars!? Those are really expensive in the candy stores!" Peacock's six eyes widely stared at the two packs of jelly bars that Soldier gave her. Soldier just grinned and proudly replied. "THOSE ARE NOT JUST CIVILIAN JELLY BARS, GREMLIN. THEY ARE PART OF US MILITARY RATIONS THAT I CONSTANTLY CARRY ON MY MAGICALLY ENHANCED INVENTORY. GO AHEAD, TRY THEM." Soldier casually said proudly with a grin. "I dunno why you keep callin' me gremlin even when I'm not but ah, who cares, thanks a lot for these! I can't even buy them from the local candy stores due to the ridiculous prize amount of Canopy coins just for one pack!" Peacock replied, and started munching on a lime flavored jelly bar after unpacking one of the two packs. Soldier laughed shortly. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO EAT THEM SLOWLY TO ENJOY THEIR FLAVOR, GREMLIN!" Soldier said while laughing. Peacock looked at her while chewing the single piece of jelly bar in a ridiculously, cartoon-ish fashioned way. "Mmbut I amm mmenjoying the flavor..!" after talking while chewing Peacock finished the first jelly bar and continued. "It's really good artificial lime flavor! And also, I think it's a little too solid for a piece of jelly bar... But hey, we don't need an iron stomach to eat these 'cause it's really that good! And I can imagine the other flavors being the same..!" Soldier laughed for about more before sighing once again. "YOU... FORGIVE ME, GREMLIN..?" Soldier sheepishly asked as she looked back at Peacock feeling a little embarrassed herself. "Wha..? I'm not mad at ya, Soldier. Yeah... You really choked me, but I was trained by Ben to handle a Beat-down as he call it. Also, about Dome Brain distracting ya on our sparring match, I can understand that. It's no problem at all, Soldier." Soldier smiled at what Peacock casually said. "You're still my new favorite antagonist from Annie of the Stars, though. I've never seen anyone last so long neither even gain popularity as an antagonist in that show, except for that stupid Bad Wulf Man."

As they sat on the medical bed together watching cartoons, Soldier spoke again. "HOW'S ABOUT IT I MAKE IT UP TO YOU, GREMLIN?" Peacock almost instantly jerked her head at Soldier. "Oh! You're gonna teach me how to fight!? I wanna learn how to fight like you did against Annie and me!" Soldier thought about it for a moment, but she had other things in her crazy mind. "YES. I CAN TRAIN YOU, GREMLIN. BUT I HAVE SOMETHING IN MIND." Soldier paused. Trying to think of something else to cheer up a child looking gremlin wasn't her job description as the Soldier class of the Red team. But as she ponder for a moment, a commercial suddenly popped out on the flat screen television. "Tomorrow night at the New Meridian MMO arena: The formerly retired, veteran wrestler, Beowulf, is about to make a huge comeback after almost a decade of retirement since his greatest match, the fight against Grendel, one of the Gigans' greatest warriors! Will this seasoned Canopy propaganda figure from The Grand War succeed in his huge initial comeback, or will he ultimately face the huge downfall from several other contestants in the ring? Find out tomorrow night at 8:00 pm in the New Meridian MMO arena! Get your tickets now!"

This gave Soldier an idea. "Ah... Wrestling... People always say that wrestling isn't real. That they're all just scripted they said. But I say, they're real, and wrestlers do get hurt, but they're trained professionals." Hearing Peacock's comment, Soldier looked at the gremlin with a small grin on her face. "HOW'S ABOUT IT I GET US TICKETS TO SEE THIS FIGHT?" Peacock's eyes went wide in surprise. "Really..? I mean, you don't have to but... Really!?" She was smiling so happily at this, and Soldier nodded. "YEAH! EVEN BETTER, I GOT A SOMETHING WAY BETTER IN MIND: WE CAN JOIN AS CONTESTANTS AND FIGHT AS A TEAM!" At this point, Peacock got off the medical bed and started bouncing happily. "Yeah! I'd like a good ass whoopin'! Especially if we're gonna do it live on television! Yeah! Let's whoop some ass!" Soldier just smiled at the gremlin. At least that's one way to make it up to Peacock... But Carol, was still plaguing her mind... Soldier still, and cannot even remove the thought...

It was mind boggling...

FAQs:

1. Lab 0's living weapon secretly created by Brain Drain, Painwheel, formerly named Carol, will pose as Soldier's biggest future obstacle in this story. (She is also planned to be a huge, potential issue for Merasmus in future chapters in regards to Soldier's character adaptation into the world of Skullgirls, and for something more seriously personal in much later future chapters so please be sure to stay tuned for it)

2. The Project Filia Medici was the first secret weapon of Brain Drain that was not permitted for further research and manufacture. It involved Valentine stalking a homeless orphan, formerly of Medici mafia bloodline, that somehow possesses a powerful hair demon parasite on her head. -Valentine had stalked and even encountered this said homeless Medici orphan, on purpose, to test her and her parasite's fighting capabilities just 1 week after Last Hope was wipe out by the Skullgirl-

3. The Robo Fortune Project is the third living weapon project after the second unauthorized project which was the Project Painwheel by Brain Drain, and is still currently being discussed in the Anti-Skullgirl labs whether to be permitted for Lab 0 service or not. This involved Valentine once again, tasked by Brain Drain on stalking and gathering information about Miss Nadia Fortune to replicate the Fishbone Gang member with superior Lab 0 technology. -Valentine may not have fought Miss Fortune, but she had secretly gathered enough information about the Fishbone Gang member and had witnessed her fighting skills against Medici mafia with full analysis-

4. The Woody Woodpecker Show that Peacock was watching is an actual classic cartoon show in real life since back in the 1940s. It also had other continuities such as back in 1999 and up to the early 2000s and it even had another continuity in 2018-2020.

Thank you for reading!

~Defective Demon 666~