Chapter 2: Logistics
- Logistics Team 2 -
- Dead City -
- July 2nd 2060 -
Depressing. If there was one word Makarov would use to describe this place, it would be depressing. Then again, so was their mission, and, if she wanted to get down to it, so was their whole life since getting stationed at the Griffin and Kryuger Forward Outpost 17. Not that she would say that to her teammates, and definitely not to that mudak of a Commander.
"The only time I want to hear from a logistics team is if they actually manage to find something worth my time." He had told her yesterday, without even looking up from his paperwork. That had been an hour before they stepped off for the week-long trip.
So here they were, in a city so completely ruined by the last war that no human stepped foot here since, unless it was to loot for scraps or for a secret meeting.
She sighed and checked the crumbling war time map of the area.
"We're going the wrong way." One of her teammates, Nagant told her as she checked the cylinder of her namesake.
Makarov scowled, "How could you possibly know that? You outdated relic," She paused to think, "And how could we be going the wrong way if we don't even have a destination?"
Nagant pouted, "You really should learn to respect your elders you know, especially a seasoned veteran like myself."
"If I see someone worthy of my respect, they will most certainly have it." Makarov snapped.
"Hmph, you're in a mood."
Makarov sighed again, "Is there something you need?"
Nagants red eyes lit up suddenly, "Oh yeah! SVT wants to show you something! AK-47 and SKS are already with her!"
Makarov paused for a moment, before letting Nagant lead her from an abandoned storefront, to a vehicle that had a section of rusted concertina wire wrapped around the tires. SKS and AK-47 were sitting in the doorless vehicle, passing a bottle between them, and chatting merrily about all the places they would go if they fixed the vehicle. Makarov stood in front of the vehicle and glared at them.
"Ah dammit, it's the boss." AK-47 said, before trying to hide the bottle of vodka under her seat.
Makarov continued to glare as she spoke, "I've told you before not to drink while we're on a mission. If I catch you again, I'll have your cores as trophies."
SKS raised a finger thoughtfully, "Technically you said we couldn't drink while in combat. We're as far from combat as one can get currently."
Nagant giggled, "She's got you there."
Makarov was not amused, "What if Doll snatchers show up, eh? You think they'll patiently wait for you to stash your bottle and bring your guns up to fight back?" She shook her head, "Just because we're in the middle of nowhere, doesn't mean we can make the mistake of being complacent. If you want to pass the bottle around when we make camp, that's fine, as long as you're not on watch. But until then, at least try to act like the trained professionals I know you can be."
Makarov stormed past them to the rear of the vehicle, where she found SVT hunched over something at the base of the gunner's position. She gave a brief cry of triumph before Makarov cleared her throat, causing the Rifle doll to spin around.
"Ah, Comrade Makarov, I sent for you ages ago."
Makarov gave a shrug, "I was just now made aware of your request, what have you found."
SVT handed her an old tablet with a large cluster of wires hanging from the bottom, "It's an old military tablet used by the Western allies in the war. The battery was shot so I rigged up a charger cable from one of the spare solar chargers I had in my pack."
Makarov nodded appreciatively, "I didn't realize you were such a tech guru."
SVT shrugged as her gaze fell to the ground, "I need something to do with all of the down time we've had recently."
Makarov gave a humorless chuckle, "Don't worry, as soon as your rotation at this outpost is over, I'll have you transferred somewhere more deserving of your talents, in the meantime, what's so special about this tablet you're showing me."
SVT patted the frame of the vehicle, "This thing is full of western military equipment, I think a forward observer team abandoned it during the battle of the city. It had spare weapons, maps, communications equipment, and," she motioned to the tablet, "one of these."
She tapped the screen a few times before continuing, "Luckily, the memory wasn't wiped, so I was able to see what they had on here before they left it behind." She handed the tablet to Makarov, who studied it for a moment before nodding in realization.
"Coordinates." She said.
SVT nodded, "Not far from here either, a couple of hours walk at most."
Makarov looked at the ISV, "I'm guessing there's no chance we can take this?"
SVT shook her head, "I checked, the keys are still in it, but even if we cut the wire from the front axle, the battery is dead and the fuel has to be bad."
Makarov sighed, "Oh well, grab the maps and anything else small that might be useful, let's mark this location on the map for future retrieval."
As SVT gathered a few things, Makarov heard the other three dolls having a heated debate over something.
"We may have found something, gather your things and prepare to move. I want to be there before dark."
The girls grumbled a bit but complied. Makarov looked the map over, and wondered what, if anything could be at the coordinates. Makarov only had her team stop to scavenge old battle sites for anything useful like ammo.
Remains of soldiers and equipment indicated that there had been heavy fighting near their objective, the closer they got, the harder it became to navigate the roads, and the team was forced to move through buildings and alleys.
As they stood in an alley facing the objective, Makarov began issuing orders to the team. She looked around and pointed to an intact building, "SVT, take Nagant as your spotter and find a suitable overwatch position that covers the street and the entrance of the building."
SVT nodded before she grabbed a squirming Nagant by the collar and hauled her off.
"Let go SVT! I want to see what's inside, I won't stand for this level of disrespect, they're going need me in there! Let goooo!"
SVT shook Nagant lightly to get her attention, then bent down to whisper in her ear. Makarov didn't hear what was said, but the doll paled and seemed to shrink even smaller than usual. SVT stood back up, gave Makarov a bright smile, and made her way inside with Nagant close behind, looking shell shocked.
AK-47 and SKS seemed to look at everything but the sniper/spotter team. Makarov cocked her head slightly in confusion, and wondered if there was something more to SVT.
She let it go with a mental shrug and motioned to SKS and AK-47, "You're with me ladies, let's see what was so important about this place during the war.
Hidden behind the charred remains of a military vehicle, a lone Dinergate watched the T-dolls split up, two entered a building to the left of the street, and three went into the other.
Once the street was clear, it leapt out of hiding and scampered along the sidewalk on the side of the road across from the building Makarov and the others entered.
It found a suitable hiding spot inside a destroyed cafe where it could still watch them from afar. It scurried this way and that, making sure no one was in the building with it.
Once it was sure the coast was clear, it laid down on its belly underneath a table, and began to record.
Makarov entered the building first through the office entrance, SKS and AK-47 fanned out behind her, all three of them had their weapons up, but there was nothing there.
At first glance, the place looked like a regular automotive repair shop to Makarov. The only thing different was the amount of empty shell casings and skeletons with rifles still in hand. She made her way to the back of the building and looked through a window, a crashed helicopter with a faded red cross on it lay silent in the street behind the building. Makarov could see two more skeletons in the cockpit, still in their gear. She studied them a moment before she turned her gaze back inside.
AK-47 and SKS had knocked a stack of old magazines onto the floor and used the coffee table they rested on as a collection point for any useful supplies they found on the bodies. Makarov made a mental note to let the drinking slide for the rest of the day as a reward.
She continued her exploration and found something interesting in the actual maintenance area. It was filled with skeletons, with two exceptions. Two identical looking female soldiers, slumped, side by side behind sandbags against an old vehicle on a lift riddled with bullet holes and surrounded by skeletons.
They were dressed in grey combat uniforms with no markings, they each held an old M16A4 with bolts locked back, signifying the rifles were empty. Makarov walked over the bodies and inspected the women.
They looked younger, maybe late teens, early twenties if Makarov had to guess. She looked at their wounds and confirmed that these were no ordinary soldiers, but dolls. Out of habit, Makarov checked for signs of core operation and, unsurprisingly, found none.
AK-47 walked into the garage and whistled appreciatively, "Hell of a last stand they made."
SKS also walked over to survey the scene, "Why would military dolls," she motioned to their clothes, "be defending an old garage?" She asked.
Makarov furrowed her brow, "That's actually a good question."
"Why are you surprised by that?" SKS asked in an insulted tone.
AK-47 let out a snicker but tried to cover it with a cough, SKS shot a glare at her sister.
Makarov raised her hand for silence as she studied the dolls. She stood and looked around, a frown on her face. She examined the lift, then the controls to the lift, and paused.
"Your bayonet, please." Makarov asked AK-47 not taking her eyes off the controls.
AK-47 shared a look with SKS, then shrugged and unsheathed her bayonet and placed the handle in Makarov's waiting hand. Makarov used the blade as a screwdriver and loosened the screws securing the lift's control panel.
"They weren't defending an old garage," Makarov muttered as she studied the wires in the back of the panel before she pushed two buttons on the front of it. To the surprise of SKS and AK-47, the lift whirred to life and raised not just the vehicle, but the floor under the vehicle as well, "They were guarding something else."
Makarov looked down the darkened stairs that led under the building before she turned to her comrades, "Shall we?"
AK-47 and SKS moved to either side of Makarov, "Pitch black inside." AK-47 stated, all business now.
Makarov activated her night vision and linked with AK-47 before she turned to SKS, "Go get SVT and Nagant, inform them that we'll set up for camp for the night in here," She paused, "but stay alert, if anything happens in there, you three are either our rescue or our burial detail."
"Should I contact the Commander?" SKS asked.
"Let's not get him involved quite yet." Makarov answered with ice in her tone.
SKS nodded and left the two alone.
Makarov gave AK-47 a look, "Can I count on you down there?"
The other doll's eyes shone with excitement, "Da, it's been too long since we've had something this exciting."
Makarov gave a quick nod of agreement, "Let's not waste anymore time then."
As SKS left the building, she thought she saw a red light coming from a shop across the street. She rubbed her eyes and looked again, but saw nothing. With a shrug, she walked to the middle of the street, whistled a quick tune, and waited.
An answering whistle came and SVT's head peered at her from atop one of the buildings. "What's up?"
"We found something inside, Makarov wants us to set up camp inside the building." SKS told her.
SVT nodded and disappeared, SKS looked inside the shop again, but still saw nothing. She made her way back to the lobby and waited for the others to join her.
As soon as they made it to the bottom of the steps, it became apparent a fierce firefight had taken place in the secret area. AK-47 and Makarov were forced to step over the bodies of T-Dolls and yet more skeletons in tattered uniforms every few feet. Scorch marks from grenades, energy weapons, and bullet holes littered the walls, floors, and ceiling. Shell casings skittered around with every step they took.
They continued on until they found a room that had been a small security checkpoint. There was also a commercial elevator, which was destroyed, and a large stairwell that spiraled further down out of sight.
AK-47 leaned over the edge of the railing, "Long way down, we'll probably lose short range comms."
"I agree, send a message to SVT or SKS, let them know we'll be unreachable for a while, but if they don't hear from us in three hours send someone to check on us and call for support from the Commander."
AK-47 shook her head, "Like that mudak would go out of his way to help us. He would probably leave us to twist in the wind just like he did to Team 1," she said darkly.
"Now's not the time," Makarov admonished, "just send the message so we can continue."
AK-47 still had the look on her face, but did as she was told. After they got a confirmation message from the team above, they descended further down.
"Sounds like they're going to be down there for a while." SVT announced as she set out her bedroll.
"I wonder what they found?" Nagant said as she lounged on a nearby couch, flipping through a magazine that had amazingly not been ruined, "I wonder if I could get a dress like this." She mused.
SKS sat on the floor, loading the rounds her and AK-47 had scavenged into spare stripper clips and said nothing. For some reason, the discovery of the dead T-Dolls had bothered her, and she insisted on moving them.
"I don't know, but if they kept it guarded and well hidden, I'm sure it's something good." SVT replied.
Nagant mulled that over for a bit, before sitting up, "I hope whatever it was, is gone now. If we do actually find something, we'll have to contact the Commander."
SVT shrugged as she sat down on a moldy chair, "He never travels without a combat team, we'll just let them take over, find somewhere else to set up camp, and continue our supply mission from there."
Nagant flopped back down with a groan, "How did someone like that ever get hired at Griffin anyway? When I joined they told me they made sure that all the Commanders were screened to make sure we were treated well, or at least better."
"I'm sure there's a reason, even if we can't see it." SVT answered in a guarded tone.
"He lies." SKS said, voice just above a whisper, eyes staring off into nothing, fingers mindlessly adding rounds into stripper clips.
"Even if he does, it's clear he doesn't want to work for us, why even do it?" Nagant asked in frustration.
No one had an answer for that.
"Holy shit." AK-47 breathed as she took in the scene in front of her.
After going down the stairs, they entered a cavernous concrete room that was well lit, which had been a pleasant surprise. That surprise, however, was short lived when they entered the room proper. There were at least twenty dead dolls and easily double that for skeletons. There were also machine gun emplacements and fighting positions made from sandbags.
Ceiling mounted turrets hung limply from the ceiling in various stages of destruction. In the center of the wall on the far side of the room was a massive heavy reinforced door, like the kind used for bank vaults.
"Whatever the attackers were after," Makarov said quietly, "was definitely behind that door."
They approached the door and examined it.
"We're going to need some serious hardware to blow this sucker." AK-47 said, rapping her knuckle twice against the steel.
Makarov was about to say something when two knocks came from the other side. AK-47 jumped back with a yelp and brought her gun up. Makarov did the same, but without the yelp.
A panel in the wall slid open, revealing a small computer screen with a keypad, a retina scanner, and a security camera. The screen went through a quick boot up sequence before words flashed on the screen.
**Project Phoenix Security Login**
**Level 3 Security Clearance Required**
**Please provide proper credentials**
**For assistance, please contact the Director of Operations**
Makarov shrugged and placed her eye up to the scanner, a whir and a click was heard, followed by a cheerful beeping sound. Makarov stepped back as the screen went blank, followed by a different message.
**IOP Tactical Doll confirmed**
**Please standby for security authorization**
**!AUTHORIZATION ERROR!**
**Please standby for Security Personnel**
**STAND CLEAR OF THE DOOR**
The internal locks in the door started to disengage, and AK-47 grabbed Makarov and shoved the handgun doll behind her, her rifle still aimed at the door.
"What are you doing?" Makarov demanded.
"Whoever is on the other side might be hostile, if that's the case, you make it upstairs and get the others." AK-47 said sternly.
Makarov shook her head in annoyance before stepping around AK-47, "Hey, don't just blow off my sacrifice!" She protested as Makarov stood in front of the door, pistol in hand.
The locks completely disengaged and the door swung open revealing a petite doll, wearing a thread bare uniform top that was too big for her, a red beret like the one AK-47 wore, underwear, and nothing else. She aimed her rifle at Makarov, her blue eyes darting between Makarov and AK-47.
"Dasvidanya, my name is Makarov and this is-"
Makarov was cut off by a sharp gasp from AK-47.
"9A-91, is... that you?" AK-47 asked, amazement in her voice, "No way, I thought you were dead."
9A-91 lowered her weapon slightly and focused on AK-47, "That is my name, yes." She said quietly, she thought for a second, "I'm alive though, not dead," she added helpfully.
"You know this doll?" Makarov asked.
"We were stationed at the same training base during the war, I was told she was lost on the frontlines of a major offensive." AK-47 explained.
9A-91 lowered her rifle and shook her head slightly, "No, I was here, guarding him."
Makarov turned away from her comrade to study the new doll, "Him, him who?" She queried.
"I'll show you." Came the soft reply, as she turned and lightly stepped barefoot back through the door.
9A-91 led Makarov and AK-47 past multiple rooms filled with anything ranging from delicate scientific equipment, to weapons armories, and what even looked like a small T-Doll repair bay.
"How long have you been down here?" AK-47 asked as 9A-91 led them through a set of security doors.
The quiet doll placed a finger to her lips as she thought, "Just over nine years."
Makarov looked around, "You've been down here for nine years by yourself? Who's been doing your maintenance and why did you stay here?"
"The repair bay has a self service diagnostics station, I've spent most of the time in standby," 9A explained, "As for why," she cocked her head quizzically, as if she didn't understand the question, "because she told me to, and because he is here of course."
Makarov shook her head in frustration, "Who, who told you to stay here?"
"There are a few gaps in my memory, I can't remember her name, or her face really," she walked in silence for a moment, "but it was the woman with the cat ears."
The little Dinergate had stopped recording what it saw and scampered up a collapsed building, once it reached the top, a small dish rose out of its back. It began transmitting everything it had seen and everywhere it had been. A signal was sent to signify the transmission was complete.
The Dinergate was about to lower its antenna, thinking about the perfect place for its victory nap, when a bullet struck the dish, severing it completely. Before the little Dinergate could do anything, a second bullet went through its side, just behind the eye.
"Hit, target is down, that was a good shot. High praise coming from a seasoned veteran like me!" Nagant said, admiration in her voice.
From a rooftop about three hundred yards away, SKS allowed herself a small smile, "I can still do it."
Nagant nodded happily, "Of course! I never doubted you for a minute!"
SKS stood up and helped Nagant to her feet, "Come on, if that was a scout, they're going to come see what happened to it."
SVT was still inside the garage, going through the contents of the tac pad she found. It was a gold mine of information. The member of the forward observer team who owned it was very thorough and well traveled. There were mission reports from operations in England, Ukraine, Russia, Italy, and even China. The last mission report she was currently looking at was from the city she was in, but it only contained a quick summary of a successful airstrike, a video of an artillery position getting bombed. There was also a note about the state of the team's equipment, it included some harsh words about the soldier's leadership.
SVT let out a sigh, if only she could speak out like that. It probably wouldn't change anything, but it would certainly make her feel better.
That train of thought was interrupted by the arrival of SKS and Nagant.
"Did you find what you were looking for, cousin?" She asked without looking up from the tac pad.
"I did, but we might have company soon." SKS reported.
SVT's head snapped up, "What happened?"
"A Dinergate was sending a transmission out of the city. It might be part of a scout team, if they haven't noticed it's missing yet, they will soon." SKS explained.
SVT swore and got to her feet, "Nagant, go and find Makarov, let her know what happened, SKS, I'm going to do a quick scout of the area. If you don't mind, I would like for you to remain here as a guard."
The other dolls nodded, and Nagant disappeared down the previously hidden steps. Once SVT left and SKS was alone, she gripped her rifle tight, fighting back tears. This would be her first real taste of combat since being assigned to Team 2. She only hoped she could bring everyone back alive, if things went south like when she was with Team 1...she shook her head, now wasn't the time for thoughts like that.
The three T-Dolls were standing around what looked like a T-Doll transport pod, only this one had a plexiglass front, the interior was lit, and someone was inside. A computer was hooked up to it, but not powered on.
Makarov was staring at the man's face, AK-47 was kind of taking everything in, and 9A-91 was off to the side, fidgeting with her shirt.
"This is...what is this?". Makarov asked, at a loss for words.
AK-47 leaned against the glass, hands cupped around her eyes so she could see in, "I think that's called a penis." She replied as she failed to stifle a giggle.
9A-91 furiously nodded in agreement, cheeks blazing red.
Makarov shook her head in disgust, "Not that you child, is that a human or a T-Doll?"
AK-47 looked around the pod, "There's no designation on here, maybe he's human?"
"He's mostly human," 9A-91 said softly, "But he's also part T-Doll, when they brought him down here, he was badly injured, they had to replace some things to keep him alive, but they didn't know if it would work so they put him in..I can't remember the word anymore, but they froze him."
Makarov shook her head in disbelief, "So you've been down here since before the war ended," she pointed at the pod, "guarding him?"
9A-91 looked Makarov in the eyes and nodded, "I've been waiting for someone to come, so I can wake him up, the doctor said he would be fine, but the attack came before she could come back to wake him." She looked down at her feet, "The building security failsafe activated and the gas killed everyone, I've been here ever since."
"Why didn't you wake him sooner?" AK asked.
9A-91 gave a small shrug, "I was only told to protect him, never to wake him. I wanted to, but..." She trailed off a moment before speaking again, "what if something happens, and he dies because of me?" She gave a shiver.
"I would never get to meet him, for almost a decade, protecting him has been my whole life. I could never forgive myself if I caused him harm before I ever got to meet him." She finished.
SVT was patrolling an alley when she spotted them. A group of Vespids moved down the street, headed towards the building the team was in. She ducked behind a dumpster and opened her comms channel to warn SKS.
"Scouting party headed your way, get ready." She reported.
After getting confirmation from SKS she looked around and found a fire escape heading up to the roof of one of the buildings. She put her goggles on, slung her rifle behind her back, and started climbing.
Once she made it to the top, she sprinted to the edge that overlooked the road the Vespids were on, when she found them, she placed her sights on the one in the front, and waited.
SKS got into cover behind a desk in the office area. She could hear the footsteps of the enemy outside, but couldn't see them yet. Her mind drifted to her last firefight she was in. The images of her friends' broken bodies floated behind her eyes. She shook her head, suppressed a shudder, and hoped AK-47 would be there soon.
AK-47 and Makarov were in the middle of a discussion with 9A-91 about whether or not they should wake the man in the pod, or wait until they could tell the Commander, when Nagant came barreling in.
"Makarov, AK-47, SVT sent me...to...who is that?" Nagant's voice trailed off before upon seeing 9A-91, then she saw the pod, "Oh my, is he naked?"
"Yes he is, why are you here?" Makarov asked in annoyance.
Nagant stared a moment more before, "Oh yeah! SVT sent me to tell you that enemies are on the way."
Before Makarov could answer, a muffled explosion could be heard from above. The enemy had arrived.