Welcome to Chapter Four, everyone! This time around, the combat drill from the first chapter will be getting adapted to the fanfic, and I'll try to find a way to adapt the other early bits into it.

Concerning the non-protagonist T-Dolls I chose, I wanted to be a bit lore-accurate with M1911 (and because she's one of my favorites), I like AK-47 as a character (too bad that she sucks in-game,) and MP5's cute. G36 and Springfield are integral to Sector 09's staff, and the other ones that'll be included are just ones I like.

I rather liked how I explained AK-47's subpar stats in the story, and the gasmask players get when they start playing for the first time's inclusion was nice.

Concerning the target drones, there's a shooting animation for their chibi forms in the Index, so I put that to use here.

Anyways, off to Chapter Four!

Training Area, Sector 09

Neo-Soviet Union

July 3, 2062

Tactical Doll M1911

"Alright, ladies, today's exercise is simple: eliminate targets scattered through the forest while being as accurate and fast as possible. Kalina told me that they're just standard civilian-grade target drones, but they have low-powered stun guns. No permanent damage if they hit, but as you know, taking damage will reduce your overall rating and in real combat situations, solicit costly repairs, and Sector 09's budget isn't too great. And remember, as cliché as it is, working together is key, especially against a powerful enemy force like Sangvis Ferri. Good luck, ladies."

The Commander's words rang loud and clear through M1911's head as she, MP5, and AK-47 rode to the training area, the former of three currently holding onto AK-47's current bottle of vodka, having caught the drunk chugging on it during the ride.

"You can have this after the exercise ends, AK. I still haven't forgiven you for what you did last time we went out on the field." M1911 said, clutching the bottle to her chest as she glared at its owner.

"But I won't do it again! I promise!" AK-47 pleaded, giving her fellow HG her best puppy-dog eyes. However, she failed to fool the leader of their little team, and she instead passed the bottle to MP5, who fumbled it a little before securing it in her hands, having been nervous about her upcoming training exercise.

"If she tries to take it back before the mission's done, then I want you to pour it out. Or better yet, shoot the bottle." M1911 told her as the Humvee stopped at the forest clearing.

"Ja, gnädige Frau!" MP5 acknowledged.

"You can't do that!" The drunkard protested.

"I just learned from G36 that excessive intoxication results in reduced combat efficiency, AK." The Commander stated. "And I honestly think you may have partially drowned your FCC in vodka, so lay off of the bottle until the exercise is done."

"Understood, Boss."

M1911 opened the door to the Humvee, stepping out of the vehicle and extracting a few magazines from the supplies in the back. MP5 hid the vodka bottle and picked up four spare magazines for her weapon, passing two of AK-47's magazines to her.

The Humvee drove off in an instant, leaving the three-Doll Echelon to their devices for now. No specific number had been given to how many target drones there were, but if they stayed where they were, then they'd be the hunted ones.

M1911 and MP5 took point, sweeping through a patch of trees with their weapons at the ready while AK-47 followed behind them, due to SMG-class Dolls being better suited for frontline positions thanks to their high mobility and the shorter range of M1911's pistols demanding that she be closer to her enemies.

After reaching a clearing in the trees, M1911 saw the first two targets, their flat face, side-mounted stun guns, and four wheeled legs in full view, meandering along without a care in the world. Perfect.

She raised her pistols and fired at the left one, the force of the .45 ACP rounds knocking it down and disabling it. Its companion swiveled to fire at her, only for MP5 to gun it down as well.

After giving MP5 a thumbs-up, the HG ran into the clearing, seeing a third target at the opposite edge.

She jumped out of the way as the drone fired its meager weapon at her, the weak yellow laser passing by harmlessly. On the other hand, the drone was slammed into by a hail of 7.62x39 rounds, the target part getting punctured in the process.

M1911 turned around to see AK-47 enter the clearing, a mad grin on her face as she reloaded.

"You know, a few less rounds would've done the same thing." she dryly told AK-47 as she followed MP5 further into the forest.

"The last Sangvis I didn't fire enough rounds at nearly killed you, comrade." the blonde AR shot back.

"That's becaused you missed most of the ones you did fire."

"True."

After a minute or two of running, M1911 rejoined MP5 at an abandoned log cabin, where a single target drone rolled across the roof as it it was on patrol.

"Just one target?" she scoffed as AK-47 caught up to them and after seeing the drone, shot it with a burst of gunfire.

"Too slow, you scrap heap!" she yelled, and M1911 saw a second drone pop up and send a shot flying towards her.

"Get down!"

MP5 tackled AK-47 to the ground, taking her out of harm's way as M1911 dodged the attack, shooting the target down with only two shots, reloading her pistols and holstering her silver one to help her teammate up, all while the Commander watched from the Command Room.

Commander Ian Becker

Ian watched carefully as the small Echelon carried out the exercise, picking out any and all details concerning the three, like AK-47's tendency to fire what M1911 seemed to consider an excessive amount of rounds (in his mind, it was enough, as WW3-era Sangvis Ferri T-Dolls were tough enough to take seven rounds of 5.56mm to the head and survive,) or M1911's constant bantering with the drunk in question, all while Kalina and G36 passed important information to him.

"AK doesn't seem to be too bad." Ian noted, watching as the drunk shot a pair of targets down. "I guess keeping her vodka away from her worked."

"She's actually been training very hard to makeup for her bad FCC, but I've been trying to get her to drop that habit for ages." G36 commented, giving Ian a cup of coffee.

"You have? Drinking on the field is a bad thing in general. She should've known that."

"She was a barmaid before joining Griffin, but either way, Kommandant, Russian T-Dolls love to drink."

"That can't be good."

"A-91 models actually gain a temporary boost in processing power after a certain level of intoxication, but AK-47 models, as Miss Kalina said, typically have improperly seated or faulty Fire Control Cores." the maid explained. "I've never heard of AK-12 or AK-15 T-Dolls before, and I've yet to see an AK-74M model yet, so I don't know about them."

"Did you know any A-91s, G36?" the rookie Commander asked, turning to the T-Doll.

"Ja. One used to work at Sector 09, but she was killed during the attack. Her backup data was destroyed as well, like so many of the T-Dolls here."

Ian remembered the bloody mess that was the dorm rooms, as well as the many Griffin and Sangvis bodies in the rooms.

"I won't let anyone else die here if I can prevent it."

"Commander, we just encountered an abandoned T-Doll!" M1911's voice yelled through the comms.

An abandoned T-Doll? Guess that happens a lot over here.

"Call for a Humvee to pick her up, then continue the exercise when she's safe." he told her, looking at the HG's feed to see a T-Doll that had blonde hair in pigtails, hazel eyes, a red beret on her head, a red coat over a white shirt, a flannel skirt, and tall brown boots standing there. She held a Sten Mark II in her hands and a bright smile on her face.

A good addition to Sector 09's T-Doll population, he thought.

Tactical Doll M1911

"Alright, we've radioed for someone to pick you up, miss." M1911 told the chipper SMG before her, somewhat weird feeling about meeting a British T-Doll, given that most of the T-Dolls at Sector 09 were either German or Russian, with the exception of an M1903 Springfield Doll and herself. "So, where'd you come from?"

"Um, I came from a small outpost not too far from here, and I ended up here after a large Sangvis force attacked the outpost." the Doll, a Sten model, told her in an English accent.

"Were you the sole survivor?" M1911 asked next.

"No. There was a PPSh-41, a vz. 61 Skorpion, and an StG-44 that escaped a couple days ago, but I wasn't able to rejoin them when I escaped. Oh, God, I hope they're okay!"

The HG noticed the fear in Sten's voice, crouching a little to better match her shorter height so she could calm her down.

"We'll find them before Sangvis does, so don't worry too much, okay?" she said, flashing an optimistic grin. "Besides, StG-44 and vz. 61 Skorpion Dolls are pretty good T-Dolls from what I hear, so don't sweat it."

Sten smiled a little, now calmer than before. And that was when M1911 remembered that a training exercise was ongoing.

Seeing a target drone not a second too late, the three Echelon members all turned their weapons to it and shot it with a rather unnecessary amount of rounds, reducing it to a heap of mangled metal and electronics.

"Whoops. I forgot about that, hehehe." M1911 chuckled. "Hey, why don't you go ahead and talk to AK-47 and MP5? I need to contact my Commander."

"Um, okay."

While watching the little Redcoat approach her teammates, the HG opened her comms and contacted the Commander.

"Commander, we've got a situation."

Commander Ian Becker

"What's the issue?"

"That T-Doll we rescued came from an observation outpost not too far from here, but she was stranded after it got attacked. Three of Sten's teammates escaped as well, but she doesn't know where they are." M1911 reported.

"That's not good."

"Komandir, we're getting hailed by HQ!" Kalina reported from beside him, a tablet in her hand.

"Patch them in." he said, sighing.

First, abandoned T-Dolls, and now HQ? This is what I get for bring assigned to a frontline base.

His logistics officer accepted the call, and the projection of a serious-looking woman with greyish brown hair tied up at the end and draped over her left shoulder and piercing golden eyes appeared on his holotable. She wore an outfit similar to his own, but with gold buttons and bars on the coat, no beret, no gloves, and knee-high heeled boots.

"Greetings, Commander." the woman greeted.

"Um, hello? This is rather sudden, miss...?"

"Helianthus, Senior Acting Officer of Griffin and Kryuger. Let's skip the pleasantries, and for efficiency's sake, just call me Helian."

"Understood. Is this the 'welcome to Sector 09' call?" Ian asked.

"Honestly, I wish it was, but no. As you know, Sangvis Ferri has recently launched multiple large-scale attacks in Sector 09 as of recent times, destroying multiple Griffin-owned Command Posts and costing us a large number of Tactical Dolls and human Commanders."

"Human Commanders, too? Well, fuck." the rookie swore.

"This has dealt a huge blow to the company's reputation, and if the Soviets believe us to be incapable of stopping Sangvis, they'll terminate our contract, so HQ is taking this very seriously."

"And the Soviets can't just obliterate them... why?"

"If the public knew that the Union's best T-Doll manufacturer has gone rogue, then it would destroy the illusion that it is the strongest nation on Earth post-war." Helian explained.

"So that's why Griffin was hired."

"Indeed. While HQ's forces take on Sangvis Ferri head-on, they have tasked me with investigating why this has happened. The words from above, Commander, are that you'll be assisting me with my work until it's done."

"Hang on a second, Miss Helian! Komandir Becker just reported for duty today and-"

"Has fought in the European theater during the Third World War. You told me yourself. Either way, I'm calling you because we don't have any experienced Commanders available at the moment, and this is of top priority. And seeing as you survived everything the Soviet Armed Forces had to throw at you, you're more than enough fot the job." the serious woman assured. "As for experience in the command room, there's no better place than the battlefield, as you know."

"True. What am I doing first?"

Helian's hologram shrinked as a map of the Sector materialized. A few red nodes were located a few miles away from his base, as well as hostile Command Posts.

"According go our latest reports, enemy movements have been detected behind the main frontline, close to your base. While Sector 09 does have a small bandit population, the signatures were undeniably of Sangvis Ferri origin. They are very few in number, but we can't possibly let those machines roam free. Not when our situation's as bad as it is."

"So search and destroy, huh?" Ian murmured, looking at the areas surrounding the enemy nodes.

"Yes. Dispatch units to the designated locations and destroy these scouts, as well as their Command Posts, to prevent any intel they've acquired from getting leaked to their leaders."

"Consider it done."

"I applaud your attitude, Commander, but be careful. Helian out."

Helian's hologram phased out, and Ian's newest assignment was uploaded to his holotable, as well as Kalina's tablet. Opening his comms, he then contacted M1911's team.

Tactical Doll M1911

"M1911, HQ just gave us a new assignment."

"What is it, sir?"

"Find and eliminate Sangvis Ferri scouts located a few miles away from your position. There aren't a lot of them, but they need to be destroyed so the intel they've gathered doesn't get out to Sangvis' leaders. Destroy their Command Posts as well." the Commander said. "I just sent you the data."

The coordinates to the enemy Command Posts appeared in her vision, pointing to the northwest.

"I won't let you down, Commander~."

"Good. And bring Sten with you. You might run into her friends on the way. Commander Becker out."

M1911 turned to the other three T-Dolls on her team.

"The Commander just gave us a new mission." she told them.

"Wait, a real mission?" AK-47 asked. "Not just a drill?"

"It came straight from HQ. They want us to eliminate some Sangvis scouts a few miles away from here and destroy their Command Posts to keep information they've acquired from getting out. He said to bring Sten with us, too."

"I'm going out onto the field again?" Sten asked.

"The Commander said we might run into your friends on the way, and we need the extra firepower. Not to mention, MP5 could use some friends, either way." the blonde explained.

"O-okay!"

The Humvee arrived just in time, the passenger door swinging open for Sten as the driver still thought he was extracting Sten and bringing her to base.

"We've got a new mission, driver. Take us to these coordinates."

M1911 shared the coordinates to the driver, who told her Echelon to get in the Humvee so he could get there.

Entering the vehicle, M1911 found herself sitting next to Sten, the Redcoat herself nervous about the mission.

"Don't worry, Sten. This is my first real mission in a long time, not to mention MP5's first mission in total, but we've got this. It's probably just some Prowlers and a Scout or two, either way." the HG assured.

"How can you be so calm, then? Aren't you scared of failing, Miss M1911?"

"Not really. For all their talk about being superior to us, their grunt units are a bit low-end."

"It's only a failure if we die, comrade. Even MP5 knows this." AK-47 supplied. While it wasn't necessarily true, it helped calm Sten down a little.

"I guess..."

"Alright, ladies! Go ahead and buckle up!" the driver yelled, pulling the Humvee out of its parking space and heading to the new mission area.

Next up, the adaptation of 1-2: Transporting The Wounded. I plan on doing the in-game opening for it (as opposed to the manga/anime opening chapter/episode, as it destroys the mystery surrounding the events before M4A1 getting choked out by Agent.) Also, why the hell is Agent a sadist in Ling's version of the story?

If M1911 seems to be a bit too mature, then that was a mistake on my part. The only logical explanaition for that is that being an Echelon leader requires one to act more mature than usual. Either way, I'll try to make her act more M1911-ish in later chapters.

Concerning the game's plot, it always bothered me that Sangvis Ferri has such a hard-on for M4A1 in the Sangvis-centric parts of the game (Chapter 00-10.) I know why they do, but it bothers me a lot, nonetheless.

See you in the next chapter, readers!