"But I wonder, would you be able to harm your friend, she thinks so highly of you after all."
"Without hesitation."
Chapter 22: That Same ol' Song and Dance
- MP-40 -
- Outpost 17 -
"How's this Auntie Forty?" Olena held one of MP-40's spare weapons up for inspection.
MP-40 plucked the SMG from the girls' hands and inspected it carefully. She pulled the bolt back, ran a finger inside the chamber and tutted when it came away black.
"Olena, what did I tell you about keeping a dirty weapon?" She asked.
"A dirty weapon will malfunction when you need it most." Olena recited from memory, "And a malfunctioning weapon is just as deadly as getting shot by a Jaeger."
MP-40 smiled as she placed the weapon back on the table "Sehr gut, try one more time then we'll go play."
The girl beamed up at MP-40 "Okay!"
She then began field stripping the weapon and MP-40 suppressed a sigh as she watched Olena work.
MP-40 had struggled a long time with the decision to teach Olena on the care and use of a weapon, but since being under the collective care of the dolls of Outpost Misfit (the unofficial nickname most of the dolls gave Outpost 17 after one of Owen's multiple rants about his group of tactical misfits and fuck ups) the young girl began showing an interest in what MP-40 and the other dolls did day after day.
This led to others, mainly AK-47 and SKS, trying to teach Olena basic weapons handling behind closed doors. MP-40 caught them trying to drunkenly teach the young girl reloading drills.
What followed was a twenty minute German ass chewing that left the two Russian dolls in tears, and when MP-40 told Makarov what had transpired, the small Russian had sat Olena down and explained what they did was not the proper way, and to ask 'Auntie Forty' or herself what was the proper way.
Makarov then turned to the two Russian dolls with a smile colder than a Siberian night, stripped them down to their skivvies, and marched them into the nearby forest where they stayed for a week.
When they returned, all anyone could get from the two was a whispered tale about Babayaga, the Russian boogeyman.
MP-40 suppressed a shudder as the sound of approaching helicopter blades shook her from her daydream.
She placed a hand on Olena's shoulder, "Keep at it, alright?"
Olena nodded without taking her eyes off her wok. MP-40 left the newly built armory and made her way to the helipads where a Griffin UH-60 was slowly descending.
This gave her pause, as they didn't have any supply runs scheduled from the main base, other than one of Colette's usual runs, and she always used her own helicopter for those.
The old helicopter settled onto the landing pad, and as a crew chief jumped out, MP-40 could finally see the reason for the unexplained visit.
Two men in full combat gear and sporting AN-94s hopped out of the helicopter as the UH-60 powered down. After a moment, they motioned to the other occupants inside.
MP-40s processors froze for a full second as she saw G36 climb out of the helicopter and turn to glare at her before she turned to offer a hand to Commander Gentiane.
"Gottverdammt." The SMG doll muttered as she hastily tried to smooth out the nonexistent wrinkles of her uniform.
Of course they would show up today, of all days.
She quickly tried to think of an excuse for her Commander's absence, but came up blank.
Oh well, the adjutant thought with a suppressed sigh as Gentiane and her entourage approached.
"Guten Morgen, Kommadant," she turned and nodded politely to G36, "Frau G36."
G36's glare softened at the acknowledgement and returned the gesture.
MP-40 turned back to Gentiane, hands clasped behind her back, suppressing the urge to smooth out her uniform again, "To what do we owe the honor of your unexpected visit?"
"Oh, y'know," Gentiane looked around the Outpost, "just thought I'd swing by, check the place out."
She let her gaze fall on MP-40, a mischievous smile on her face, "I haven't seen it since the remodel."
"Well, as you can see, the contractors did a fantastic job, the old Operations Center is like new again, and it's nice having modern facilities to live and work in," as MP-40 spoke, she gestured to the buildings she spoke of.
She turned to Gentiane with her best professional smile, "If you want, I can give you a tour of the facilities."
Whatever you do, don't ask to see Owen.
Gentiane nodded thoughtfully before she turned and shared a look with G36.
"That's not a bad idea," she told the adjutant, "Maybe I will after I talk to Owen."
Sheiße!
"And I would also like to speak with my sister," G36 chimed in, "where is she?"
Double Sheiße!
MP-40 kept her professional smile glued to her face.
"Commander Owen has unfortunately gone away on a short field training exercise with Makarov's team," she nodded towards G36, "he has taken Miss G36c with him as well."
G36's eye twitched, but she remained silent.
"So, any idea as to when he'll be back?" Gentiane stretched, "I'd hate to have flown out here for nothing."
MP-40 shrugged, "I honestly do not know."
Gentiane nodded thoughtfully and shared another look with G36, then looked back to MP-40, "I suppose I will take that tour and hopefully Owen will be back soon."
MP-40 nodded, "I'm sure he will be," she told the duo, they both gave her a skeptical look.
"I am assured of this."
- Owen -
- Abandoned Coffee Shop -
- Tkacheva aka The Dead City -
"Hello," Colette shouted, "Earth to Owen!"
Owen shook his head and focused on Colette.
"So, can I take that as a yes?"
She leaned back a bit, and smiled. It wasn't her usual confident smile, this one was different. Unsure. Her eyes searched his, like they always did, looking for something, but this time she was more determined for the answer.
He blinked and gave her a weak smile of his own.
Before he could answer, however, she began speaking again.
"Actually, hold that thought," she held up a finger and she frowned, then broke into the more confident grin she was used to. "Let's go out for lunch."
"Lunch?" Owen asked.
She nodded, "I need to swing by Gentiane's and pick up supplies for the Outpost this evening anyway," she looked off in the distance, "Oh yeah, I need to pick up something for M2 too."
She tilted her head back to face him, "Anyway, if all goes well, you can give me your answer tonight."
Owen thought about the offer, there was no way he could give her what she was looking for, but at the same time, it would be nice to spend some time with her. As an added bonus, he could finally explain to her why they wouldn't be able to work out.
But at the same time…
Nines needs you. The voice in his head pointed out.
I can't do anything to help her.
You can be there for her. It replied.
What good can I do here, it's out of my hands now. I need a break.
The voice was silent, so he turned to Colette who was studying him, waiting for an answer.
"Alright" he finally said, "let's go."
Colette spun around in a circle and let out a happy squeal, "Alright!"
She dove at him and wrapped him in a tight hug, "This is gonna be awesome, I promise!"
"Thank you," she whispered this time, "this means more than you know."
Owen couldn't help but smile as he returned the hug, "No pressure then."
She leaned back with a giant grin on her face and slapped his chest rig with the back of her hand, "You'll do fine, you have me to tell you what to do!"
He let out a weary chuckle, "Works for me, I'll go let everyone know we're leaving."
A shadow of doubt flickered across Colette's features but Owen reached out and took her hand, "I'll be right back, just need to make sure everyone's settled before I go."
She nodded, "Alright, I'll see you in twenty minutes, not a second more."
Owen gave her hand a gentle squeeze before he turned and started back towards the back to the abandoned coffee shop.
- AK-47/SVT-38 -
- Coffee shop roof -
"What are they doing?" AK-47 asked as she handed her bottle of vodka to SVT-38.
SVT pulled her head back from the scope of her rifle and turned to face AK-47. "What?" She asked as she waved the bottle off and turned back to the scope.
"I said, what are they doing now?" AK-47 repeated before drinking from the bottle.
SVT-38 sighed in frustration, "That is the third time you've asked me that question, and I'm getting sick of answering it."
AK-47 shrugged, "You have the rifle, I can't see shit, don't get mad at me for not just sitting here like a little cyka all day."
SVT-38 gave an amused snort, "They're just sitting there, talking."
"Oh."
The two sat in silence.
"What are they talking about?" AK-47 asked.
SVT was about to tell AK-47 off, but stopped, "You're not…" she muttered to herself in disbelief.
AK-47 picked up on the tone, "What is it?"
SVT-38 smiled, "I think our dear pilot is finally confessing her love."
"No way, even though Nines is under the knife?"
SVT-38 hummed an affirmative as she watched Colette dance around happily before pulling an alarmed looking Owen into a hug.
Soon after, Owen came trudging back to the coffee shop, and SVT-38 noticed that he looked more tired than she had ever seen.
"Good for them." AK said merrily as she drank some more from her bottle.
"I wonder…" SVT murmured.
At that moment, the door to the roof swung open to reveal Makarov, her eyes locked immediately on the bottle.
AK-47 stopped mid drink, her eyes locked on Makarov.
Before Makarov could open her mouth, AK-47 chucked the bottle as hard as she could, never breaking eye contact with her leader.
SVT-38 pulled away from the scope long enough to watch the bottle sail over the far edge of the roof and shatter on the ground below.
"Good morning comrade!" AK-47 called cheerily, "Is there something we can help you with?"
Makarov said nothing for a long time, her face impassive as AK kept her smile frozen in place.
"I've sent you the location of a few buildings in the area to scout out. They would be a good spot for us to set up overwatch positions." as Makarov spoke her eyes flicked to the sniper, "go with her, make sure she stays out of trouble."
AK raised her hand in salute, eyes still locked with Makarov. The smaller doll said nothing more and left the roof. Once she was out of sight, AK turned the mock salute into a one fingered salute.
SVT-38 let out a snort, then a chuckle, then started laughing
"Smooth." Was all SVT said as AK let out a heavy sigh, "very smooth."
"That was the last of my field ration." AK grumbled as she rose to her feet.
Under the coffee shop, Dier was working on a particularly nasty bit of Nines' programming when the screen froze and the lights dimmed for a few seconds.
Before Dier could get out a few muttered curses, the screen flickered a few times before it returned to normal.
He frowned and noticed that Nines' hand twitched a few times before it went still again.
Dier shrugged it off and continued his work, he was exhausted and the job was getting trickier by the minute.
He was so wrapped up in the job, he didn't see the power indicator light to the EMP device dim and then shut off.
As Owen approached the entrance of the coffee shop he was met by an amused SVT-38 and an equally disgruntled AK-47.
"Good morning Commander!" SVT-38 greeted with a mischievous smile, "Any plans today?"
"Uh," Owen rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "I'm uh, gonna head out with Colette for a bit, I should be back later."
SVT's grin widened, "That's a great idea, don't you agree, Sestra?"
AK-47 took a break from her brooding at the mention of her name, then her eyes lit up, "Ah, da!"
"Riiiight." Owen's confusion showed on his face, "Anyway, I need to talk to Makarov, so, uh…" without another word, he walked past the pair of grinning Russians.
"Be careful," AK-47 called to Owen's retreating form, "she's in a shit mood."
Owen ignored the warning and continued on his way. He was pleasantly surprised to find Makarov almost immediately. The small framed doll was deep in a discussion with G36c, the two leaning over a datapad. As Owen approached, Makarov held up a finger and shook her head.
G36C looked up at Owen, who raised an eyebrow and nodded his head towards Makarov. G36C gave a 'what can you do shrug'. She then winked at him and turned back to what Makarov was focusing on.
Owen shook his head as he pushed through the double doors that led to the kitchen. Inside, M3 and Spectre were rummaging through everything the owners of the abandoned diner/coffee shop had left behind. Each doll had a pile of items that they had claimed for themselves.
Owen was going to walk past without saying a word until he saw M3 walking towards one pile with a massive commercial espresso maker she had just disconnected from the wall.
"How are you going to get that back home?" He asked.
M3 froze, looked at the machine in her hands, looked at him, then back at the machine with what looked like love in her eyes.
"This is a twenty three thousand dollar espresso machine with an articulating steam wand, individual coffee boilers, and can brew about one hundred shots of espresso an hour. It was made and designed in Italy."
She looked back up at him, a fire in her eyes he had never seen, "I will get it home, no matter what."
Owen was about to say no, until he realized that it was the longest she had ever gone without stuttering.
He held up his hands in defeat, "Fine, put it in the van."
She beamed, "You're the b-best Commander!"
"Uh-huh, and what if I had said no?" He asked.
The fire was back in her eyes, "You would regret it."
She beamed at him again and trotted off, espresso machine in hand, humming 'Battle Hymn of the Republic" while she went.
"She's definitely an odd one." Owen muttered to himself as he watched her go.
"Yeah, but she's a cutie," Spectre said dreamily as she stood next to Owen, with a Barista's apron in hand.
"Speaking of which," Spectre held the apron up for Owen to inspect, "do you think I could pull off wearing this and nothing else?"
Owen looked at the apron, looked at Spectre, opened his mouth, closed it, and walked off without saying a word.
"Oh I bet I could drive her absolutely wild in this." He heard Spectre mutter as he left.
At the foot of the stairs, Owen saw Sier napping in a chair, while her brother sat hunched over Nines' form. He went over and nudged Sier's chair with his foot a few times until her eyes cracked open.
"I'm gonna head out for a bit," he told her quietly, "call me if anything happens."
She nodded and went back to sleep.
Owen turned to check on Nines, but decided against it. Dier didn't need any distractions, and there was nothing Owen could do anyway.
He sighed and went upstairs, where M3 and Spectre were moving the last of their items from the kitchen, to the van.
"G36C said she's leaving soon," Spectre explained after Owen asked what the rush was, "Our team will be here as the first part of the first security rotation."
"Security rotation?" Owen asked, he never gave the order for that.
Spectre nodded, "Makarov and G36C agreed to it this morning after G36C took over Nines' team." She motioned to M3 who was moving another box out, "we're getting all of our," she paused, a grin forming on her lips, "recent acquisitions, loaded up before she and Alexander leave."
"I'm sorry, hold up," Owen held up a hand, "When did G36C take over Nines' team?"
Spectre froze, "Oh uh," she looked around in a mild panic, "I thought you knew?"
"I did not." Owen said as he moved towards the cafe area, "hopefully your team leader will have some info for me."
"Yes, I'm sure sh-" Spectre was gone before she finished her sentence.
Makarov was in the same spot she was before, still talking to G36C.
"Makarov."
She turned to look at Owen, "Komandir."
"Next time you decide to put someone in charge of one of my teams, make sure you let me know."
She slowly raised an eyebrow, "Komandir, I wish to inform you that G36C will be leading team three as soon as she gets back to base."
"Great," he responded in a clipped tone, "Wanna clue me in as to why?"
"Because," Makarov responded coolly, "team three needs a leader, and you are emotionally, not to mention physically, compromised."
"My ass I-'' Owen began, but Makarov held up a hand.
"Do not lie to me Komandir," she said, her eyes narrow, "You won't like what I do next."
Owen rubbed his temples, then slumped his shoulders and sighed.
He was still fucked up from the fight with Lilith and her band of mercenaries, or whatever the fuck they were, and now he was being forced to deal with Nines being actively taken over by the T-Doll equivalent of a schizophrenic episode.
He was having trouble finding his footing mentally right now, and Makarov saw that.
Owen nodded, "Fine."
"Excellent, your leadership capabilities are still sound." Makarov announced and made to leave.
Owen held out his hand, "Thanks, and next time…" he trailed off.
Makarov gave a slight nod, "Next time I'll let you know when you're unfit for duty."
The subtlest hint of a smirk played on her face, "Now go destress with your pilot, I need to speak with G3 before she leaves."
She left before Owen could think of an argument.
"It's not like that." He said to her retreating back.
"Oh but you'd like it to be like that." A quiet voice said beside him, "and I have to admit, I'm a little jealous."
Owen jumped and turned to see G36C standing next to him, also watching Makarov leave.
"When did you…"
"Though," she continued, ignoring Owen "if we did do that, my sister would murder you, and besides," she looked up at him with a predatory grin, "I don't think you'd be able to handle it."
Her face flicked back to its usual shy demeanor, gave him a nod, and left. Owen said nothing as he followed the quiet German to the van, where he found M3 and Spectre had finished loading the espresso machine into the back.
That was when Owen realized that M3 hadn't just taken the espresso machine, she had taken half of the equipment in the shop.
"J-just you wait C-commander!" M3 began when she saw him standing at the back of the old van, "when we finally g-get back to t-the outpost, I'll make you a cup of c-coffee that'll even make Miss S-springfield jealous!"
"I…" Owen trailed off as he looked at all of the equipment in the back then his gaze met M3's, who was bursting with excitement.
He nodded, "I look forward to it."
M3 beamed with pride, and Spectre grinned, "God she's adorable, isn't she?"
M3's face blazed a bright crimson as she buried her face and studied her boots.
The two dolls finished loading up their appropriated gear, and Owen took a moment to exchange some final words with G36C before she left.
He nodded to Alexander who was passed out in the passenger seat, snoring lightly.
"You sure you're good with driving back to the Outpost?"
"Don't worry Commander," The new Team 3 leader assured him quietly, "It's not the first time I've driven through less than friendly territory."
"Oh?"
Her shy demeanor slipped away, "Remind me to tell you about my time tracking a rogue weapons dealer when I briefly moonlighted as a bounty hunter."
Owen's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Deal."
"I'll see you back at the Outpost, Commander."
Owen slapped the side of the door twice, "Drive safe, tell MP-40 we'll be back soon."
G36C nodded as the tired old van rumbled to life. German metal blared from the speakers, and Alexander let out a surprised yelp as G36C slammed the shifter into drive and stomped on the gas.
The tires spun and the van fishtailed before it gained traction and bounced down the cracked road.
"Huh." Owen said as he watched the old van quickly disappear, weaving through abandoned cars. "Alright then."
With that, he made his way back across the street to where Colette waited.
"Hey you!" Her face lit up as he approached, and he could feel his heart skip when she smiled at him.
She hopped off the Huey and ran over to him.
"Ready to go?" She asked.
Owen paused to take her in.
Her flight suit was tied off at the waist, and she was wearing one of the many black tank tops she owned, though this one had hardly any grease stains on it. Her smile was as confident as ever, and her green eyes held a mix of excitement and anticipation.
"I think I am."
"Excellent," she was practically bouncing on her feet, "I have the entire trip planned, we just-"
Automatic gunfire cut Colette off and Owen spun to face the direction it came from. Another burst was heard coming from inside the coffee shop, and then silence.
- AK-47/SVT-38 -
- Dead City -
Down the street from the coffee shop, AK-47 and SVT-38 had begun clearing the ground floor of a multistory apartment building. Which really meant that SVT-38 was clearing the ground floor, and AK-47 tried to steal anything that wasn't nailed down.
"Hopefully she has what it takes to help the Komandir forget his troubles for a time." AK-47 said playfully as she pilfered her way through yet another closet, continuing an old conversation.
"Mm." Was all SVT said in response as she peaked out the window for any movement.
"Actually," AK paused as she left the bedroom and made her way through the kitchen, "I wonder if he's got a thing for Russians?"
SVT turned to look at her companion, "Why would you think that, you do know his previous job was just killing Russians, right?"
"Well," AK-47 began as she placed her rifle on the counter and began rummaging through drawers, "he has that thing for Nines, and…ah, ochen' khorosho."
SVT turned to see what had sidetracked her sister, and found the Assault Doll admiring a silver flask with a Celtic symbol engraved on it.
"You damn drunk," SVT admonished, "focus on what you're going to say."
"Right," AK-47 nodded as she pocketed the flask, "Anyway, Nines is about as Russian as they come."
AK-47 frowned, "Or she was, actually, I wonder about that."
"And that is why you think Owen has a thing for Russians?" SVT-38 asked incredulously, "Not the fact that he and Nines were locked together in an underground vault for a decade?"
"Mmmm," AK-47 hummed as she wandered about the kitchen, "I mean, I suppose that could be the reason, but he was asleep for most of it, so it's not like he was able to form a connection."
SVT shook her head, "Sounds like wishful thinking on your part," she moved away from the window and towards the door of the apartment, "Let's go, we need to finish clearing this building."
After a quick search of the rest of the floors, they stepped outside in time to see their old delivery van speed past, music blaring, Alexander in the passenger seat holding on to his seat belt for dear life, and G36C singing along to an old metal song before sliding around a turn and disappearing from sight.
The two dolls watched the van speed away, shared a shrug and moved on to the next building on Makarov's list.
In the next apartment building, the duo found the remains of several bodies clutching crystal cups, and faded note taped to an empty crystal bowl.
"The time of ascension is soon at hand, the pale horse comes for us all." AK-47 read aloud before she crumpled the note and tossed it at the feet of one corpse.
"Well that's weird." she announced as she stepped over the bodies and began searching the cupboards in the kitchen.
SVT-38 studied the bodies for a long time.
"Why would they do this?" She wondered aloud as she bent down and retrieved the note.
"Who cares, it was years ago, during the war." AK-47 said as she inspected a dusty bottle of unopened vodka and wiped dust from the label.
"Oooh, Stoli Elit," she smacked her lips appreciatively, "at least they 'ascended' with good taste."
SVT-38 let the note fall back into the floor and looked around the room. "Only you would think a twenty dollar bottle of vodka is 'good taste'."
AK-47 shrugged as she inspected a packet of flavored drink mix, "I like what I like," she held her hands in front of her, a dusty bottle in each one, "and I like vodka."
SVT-38 rolled her eyes, "I know we were built for the Soviets, but you don't have to be such a," she searched for the right word, "such a stereotype."
AK-47's face went blank and SVT-38 narrowed her eyes.
"Don't do it." She warned her sister.
AK-47 slowly lowered her arms, face still blank, and flicked the cap off with her thumb.
SVT-38 groaned, "Sestra please, nyet," she held her hands up pleasingly, "I didn't mean it."
AK-47's face slowly split into a large grin.
"No, don't!"
AK-47 tilted her head back and howled. "ANUUUUU CHEEKI BREEKI, IV DAMKE!"
AK-47 downed the bottle, slung it against the wall, kicked the door open, and danced out of the apartment while belting the Soviet National Anthem as loud as she could.
SVT-38 tried to follow her into the hall to yell at her, but the sight of AK-47 high kicking towards the stairs made SVT laugh.
She followed AK-47 into the stairway where the assault doll kicked an old suitcase down the stairs, and slid down the railing, singing Rasputin as she went.
By the time they made their way back onto the street, SVT-38 had regained her composure.
"Why are you like this?" SVT-38 lamented, as her sister hummed another song.
"It's one of my many lovable traits." AK-47 informed her as they walked down the street, which had seen heavy fighting at some point during the war.
"Mm."
"Besides," AK-47 continued as they moved past an old machine gun nest, the skeletal occupant still slouched over his rusted out weapon, "it's not like I have a line of bachelors outside my door back at the outpost."
"You seem to do alright whenever we visit Komandir Gentiane's base." SVT pointed out as she scanned the rooftops and windows around them.
"True," AK-47 agreed, "but the only time we go there is whenever someone gets hurt, or we do a supply run." She climbed atop a destroyed Leopard tank, and peered into the open hatch atop the turret.
"Aha!" The assault doll exclaimed as she disappeared briefly into the belly of the tank.
AK-47 emerged a short time later with a triumphant grin and a tanker's helmet on her head.
"How do I look?" She asked SVT, pointing to her trophy.
"Like a fool." Was all SVT-38 said as she moved past the tank.
AK-47 rolled her eyes as she hoisted herself the rest of the way out of the tank.
"Owen doesn't let me go on supply runs anymore." AK-47 resumed the previous conversation as she balanced her way down the 107mm barrel and landed gracefully back on the road.
"Because you were trying to start a harem." SVT-38 said.
"Oh yeahhhhh," AK-47 grinned wistfully, "that was fun."
"So it would make sense that Gentiane banned Owen from letting you back onto base."
AK-47 frowned, thoughtful, "So she's threatened by me."
SVT laughed, "Not even slightly."
"What makes you think that?"
Another laugh, "Let's just say that, the men you collect, are not her type."
"What do you mean?"
"Have you ever noticed how chummy she is with her adjutant?"
"Oh?" A pause as AK-47 adjusted her new helmet, she stopped and looked at SVT in surprise. "Ooooh."
SVT-38 shook her head and the duo continued on for a way until she stopped and stared at a vehicle abandoned in the middle of the road.
SVT motioned to the vehicle, "Does that look familiar to you?"
AK-47 shrugged, "Why would it?"
SVT-38 pointed to the front of the vehicle, where the front tire was wrapped in concertina wire.
"Oh!" AK-47 exclaimed, "It's Owen's old ride!"
SVT-38 nodded thoughtfully as she walked around the vehicle.
The elements had not been kind to the abandoned ISV. The olive drab paint was faded and chipped. The seats were ripped and torn and the springs exposed. All four tires were flat and separated from the rims.
AK-47 hopped on the back and inspected the M2 mounted in the back. It was still pointed in the direction of an unseen enemy, a belt was still loaded. She tried a few times to move the weapon, but the swivel was rusted solid.
"You know," SVT-38 said, almost to herself, as she opened the hood, "I bet I could get this running again."
"Why would you want to do that?" AK-47 asked as she hopped off the vehicle.
SVT-38 didn't answer and instead hummed thoughtfully as she inspected the turbo charged diesel engine.
AK-47 rolled her eyes and began to wander around. It wasn't long before she began to notice signs of the firefight that marked one of Owen's last before he was put on ice.
"Hey, I'm gonna check out these buildings." She told the marksman doll.
SVT-38 looked up from the engine compartment, "Alright, I'm going to call Colette, see about getting this lifted back to the Outpost."
AK-47 nodded and left.
- Nines/Not Nines -
- Abandoned Coffee Shop -
Back at the coffee shop, Sier hadn't moved from her spot, and Dier had fallen asleep in a nearby chair. Neither of them stirred from their sleep during G36C's departure.
Nines, however, shot up on the table which caused a few metal instruments to clatter and fall to the ground. She froze, waiting for someone to investigate the source of the noise, but no one did. Her eyes darted up to the electromagnetic device above her and noticed the light was off.
She took a moment to compose herself before she wrenched one arm free from the restraints holding her down. After another pause to double check no one was coming, quickly freed herself and swung her bare legs off the table.
As soon as her feet hit the floor, Nines searched her immediate surroundings for a weapon. She was rewarded with a large pipe wrench sitting on top of one of Dier's many toolboxes he had scattered around.
Weapon acquired, she quickly padded across the basement to the stairway. After making sure the two were still asleep, she sprinted up the stairs. Not Nines, as Owen called her, burst into the kitchen area of the coffee shop, where M3 and Spectre were sitting next to each other, talking.
The two SMG dolls stared at the naked imposter Nines in shock for half a second before reaching for their weapons. Nines rushed the duo and slammed the pipe wrench as hard as she could into the side of M3's head. The wrench got stuck in M3's metal skull and, as her body fell, Nines grabbed her namesake out of her hands, turned it on Spectre, and fired.
The fight was over before it had even begun.
Nines studied the two dolls at her feet and let out a bemused snort before she stripped M3 of her jacket and Spectre of her boots and web gear, complete with spare mags.
After making sure everything was adjusted to her liking she went to leave when she heard a gunshot and felt something punch her in the stomach.
She looked down to see a dark red stain spreading around a hole in her recently acquired clothes.
"Tsk." She clicked her tongue in annoyance as she turned to face her attacker.
Makarov stood in the entry of the kitchen, smoke rising from the barrel of her namesake.
"Dasvidaniya predatel." Nines said with a sweet smile.
Makarov let out a humorous laugh and motioned to the bodies at Nines' feet with her free hand "You are really going to call me traitor?"
"Why do you continue to side with these," Nines looked down in disgust, "westerners?"
"Because I am not a brainwashed puppet who dances to the Party's tune, not anymore." Makarov replied in an icy tone before she opened fire again.
The remaining seven rounds in her magazine struck in roughly the same spot as the first. Before Nines could react, Makarov quickly reloaded, released the slide, and fired again before rushing her opponent.
Nines swore and opened fire as she tried to create space between her and her attacker. Several rounds struck Makarov, but she ignored them as her pistol barked. Some of her rounds missed, but one impacted next to Nines' core, causing her to stumble.
Nines tries to regain her footing, but Makarov seized the initiative and rammed her foot into Nines' and the taller doll fell backwards, sprawled onto the floor.
Warnings and damage readouts dances across Makarov's vision. Her coolant levels were low, internal temperatures rising, and multiple systems were beginning to shut down.
Her vision started to blur as she loaded her last magazine.
The imposter Nines laughed as she got to her feet.
"Very good, comrade, very good!" She cheered and raised the Spectre.
Makarov fired again, rounds impacting the imposter's chest, when the slide locked back she tossed the weapon aside and drew an old NR-40 knife from a sheath in her boot.
Knife in hand, Makarov began slashing at her attacker. Nines tried to bring her gun up but Makarov rammed the blade through the other doll's wrist and knocked the weapon away.
"Chyort voz'mi!" Imposter Nines swore as she felt her hand go limp.
Makarov wrenched the blade back out and swept Nines' legs out from under her. Nines grabbed Makarov's shirt as they both fell backwards onto the bodies of M3 and Spectre.
Makarov pressed the attack and rammed the knife into Nines' side multiple times before she raised it up and slammed it down into the imposter Nines' core.
The knife didn't go through Nines' chest and through the haze of her failing systems, Makarov saw that Nines had grabbed Spectre's weapon and deflected the blade at the last minute.
The weapon which was now pointed at Makarov's chest.
"Cyka." Makarov muttered.
Then there was a flash and then nothing.
- Owen -
- Abandoned Coffee Shop -
Owen grabbed his rifle from the Huey and sprinted towards the coffee shop as sounds of a firefight raged from within.
"Owen, wait!" Colette cried out but he ignored her.
In the time it took to run across the street, the gunfire abruptly stopped and the silence hung heavy at the entrance of the building.
"Makarov?" He called out.
Silence.
"Spectre, M3, sound off!"
He swore quietly and began moving through the coffee shop with his rifle at the low ready. He heard movement from behind the double doors and went inside to see who it was.
It was Nines. Her clothes were cut to ribbons and covered in blood or coolant, he couldn't tell. She held one hand out in front of her and the other was behind her back. At her feet was a pile of bodies.
Owen could see the terror on her face as he pointed the rifle between her eyes.
"Owen I…" she began, voice shaking, "they attacked me and I don't…I don't understand what's going on."
"Hands." Owen ordered.
Her eyes widened as the safety flicked off, "W-what?"
"Let me see your hands, both of them."
Nines shook her head, "I don't…I don't under…"
"Hands, now, both of them!"
The double doors opened again, and Owen heard Colette give a soft gasp.
"Owen…what…"
"Colette get the fuck out, now." He told the pilot, eyes still fixed on Nines. "Show me your fucking hands!"
"Okay." Nines let out a shaky breath, "alright."
As soon as Owen saw the weapon he fired just as Nines' stolen Spectre fired a burst. The first rounds went wide but the last two were on target as the bolt locked back.
Owen felt the rounds punch him in the chest. He felt himself start to fall but Nines shot forward and grabbed him before he hit the ground.
"Owen!" Colette shouted.
In one fluid motion, Nines grabbed Owen's rifle with her free hand and fired once.
Owen was facing Nines, but he could hear the round hit, and hear Colette try to cry out, but only managed to choke out a gurgle before he heard her fall to the ground.
With a satisfied grin, Nines let Owen fall and the next thing he knew, he was staring down the barrel of his own gun.
"You hesitated." Nines told him, and pulled the trigger.
All hearing on Owen's left side was gone. He felt the tile fragmets from the bullet's impact hit that side of his face. He looked up and saw Nines staring back at him, for a brief moment.
"I'm…sorry…" she muttered, "can't….fight…"
Her head slumped forward briefly and she was gone.
"That fucking bitch refuses to let go." The imposter muttered to herself.
She gave Owen a bemused look, "She really likes you though, that's the most fight she's put up since I took back over."
"I guess I can't kill you until she's finally gone for good."
A shrug.
"Oh well."
With that she raised the butt of Owen's rifle and brought it down onto his face and the world went black.
Sometime later he felt a hand gently slap his face repeatedly.
Someone was taking to him, but all he could hear was a constant ringing noise. He let out a groan and the hand stopped slapping him, and instead began gently stroking his hair.
The person was still talking to him, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. He tried to look at the person, but his eyes kept slipping in and out of focus.
He tried to tell the person he was alright, to check on Colette, but all he could do was mumble and groan.
He felt himself being lifted in the air, and then being cradled against something soft and warm.
He could finally make out what the person was saying.
"Don't worry my darling, you're going to be okay, I have you."
The words were kind, gentle, and the voice was familiar, but he couldn't remember who it belonged to.
He tried to say something else, but the voice shushed him. His head swam and he felt exhausted.
He closed his eyes.
AK-47/SVT-38 -
- Dead City -
SVT-38 poked around the engine bay a little longer before she nodded to herself and opened a com channel to Colette.
After getting no response she frowned and tried to raise Owen and still got no response.
SVT knew they were leaving soon, but she never heard the helicopter take off, and the twin bladed helo could be pretty loud.
She tried to open a comm channel to Makarov, and still no response.
"Sestra, it's time to go!"
AK-47's head appeared from a window of the building she entered, "Promise you won't be mad."
SVT-38 turned her full attention to AK-47. The last time she heard those words, AK-47 had been on the run from the law in a Green Zone.
"What did you do?" She asked.
"Nothing, I swear!" AK-47 paused, "But I did find something."
Before SVT could admonish her sister, AK-47's head disappeared back into the building, and a few moments later she was at street level carrying an RPG-7 and five rockets.
"Can I keep them?" She asked SVT, hope in her eyes.
"Can you even use those effectively?" SVT-38 asked as she eyed the hardware.
AK-47's eyes twinkled as she held the launcher tube in front of her, "Didn't I tell you about the…tweaks one of the Spetsnaz troops I was embedded with gave me?"
"The one you slept with constantly?" SVT-38 asked as she failed to keep the disgust out of her voice.
"Ah, Sergei, he said I reminded him of his wife…." AK-47 trailed off with a wistful smile before she shook her head.
"Da, that's the one, as a favor for helping him get through some difficult times, and to help the squad out, he sort of, kind of, paid to…" AK-47 paused as she tried to word her statement, "enhance my capabilities."
"That's illegal." SVT-38 pointed out.
"Only if I get caught." AK-47 countered.
SVT-38 was about to tell her no but stopped, as she considered the radio silence at the coffee shop.
"Bring it, we may have a problem."
AK-47 let out a gleeful whoop and slung it across her back, she paused as the meaning marksman doll's words sunk in.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"No one is answering my comm requests." SVT-38 explained.
"Not even Makarov?"
AK-47's eyes widened as her sister shook her head.
"Then we need to go."
With that, the two took off at a sprint back towards the coffee shop.
Ten minutes later they were at the Huey, inspecting the entrance of the coffee shop.
"No movement." SVT-38 reported.
"Same here," AK-47 responded, "Cover me, I'll scout out the entrance."
SVT-38 nodded and AK-47 ran across the street, rifle at the ready.
AK-47 made it to the entrance and reported it was clear.
"I'm moving in." She reported on the Zener network and disappeared inside.
It was only a few seconds before AK-47 was back on.
"Call an emergency evac now, three KIAs and one critical!"
SVT-38 immediately switched to the emergency channel that connected to both the Outpost control room, and Sector 09.
She gave them their coordinates and relayed the information she was given before she ran to the coffee shop to help AK-47.
When she got there, AK-47 was kneeling over Colette's body, and she saw the rest of her team dead.
"What the hell happened here?"
AK-47 said nothing as she grabbed her bayonet and cut away Colette's shirt.
"What are you doing?" SVT-38 asked, panic starting to rise in her voice.
"Took a round in the throat, air's not getting to her internal systems, she's overheating." AK-47 replied, all business, "need to bypass the nose and mouth, get air into the system."
She turned to SVT-38, "On the counter out front was some coffee cups with metal straws, get me a straw."
SVT-38 ran back out, found a straw, and tried to wipe the dust off of it with her jacket. She ran back in just as AK-47 made an incision on Colette's chest.
"Here." SVT-38 handed AK-47 the straw, who promptly took it and stuck it into the incision she had just made.
Immediately they heard the sound of air being sucked through the straw, and AK-47 relaxed a bit.
She looked up at SVT and gave a tired grin, "I really didn't think that would work."
The sound of helicopter blades could be heard echoing off the rooftops. The two dolls looked over at their dead comrades, AK-47 sighed.
"What a mess." She said as she held the breathing tube.
SVT-38 nodded, then frowned. She looked around the kitchen area, then went back outside to the front of the store. She then went back through the kitchen and into the basement area. When she came back up, she had a confused look on her face.
"Where is the Komandir?" She asked.
AK-47 shook her head, "I'm not sure, but that cyka is gone too, so I assume she took him after she killed our comrades."
She turned back to look at the knife still in Makarov's hand, "I hope she carved that bitch up good." She muttered darkly.
The sound of rotor blades got closer and SVT-38 nodded in agreement as she sat next to her sister.
She swore to herself that she would make the imposter pay for what she did to her comrades.
- Sector 09 Command -
- Gentiane -
- 12 Hours later -
"And that concludes my report." Gentiane told the holograph in front of her.
Miss Helian studied Gentiane a long while before she spoke.
"So," she finally began, "Let me see if I have all the facts here, shall I?"
Gentiane inwardly braced herself.
"We have a rogue Soviet doll, who Owen took to a black market repair shop and resulted in the loss of most of an echelon. Said doll is in the wind, and Owen, who was your responsibility by the by, is also missing and presumed dead, does that about sum it up?"
"I wouldn't write Owen off just yet," Gentiane countered, "He's a lot of things, but easy to kill isn't one of them."
"Terrific." Helian responded with a face that showed she thought the information was anything but that. "Then I'll just assume he's in cohorts with the Soviet killing machine, then shall I?"
She adjusted her monocle, "Or shall I just assume he's just gone on holiday."
Gentiane bit down a retort, "I have multiple teams out searching for him now, ma'am. We found blood at the scene that didn't belong to the other individuals we found at the scene. If Owen's out there, he's hurt and I will find him."
"And what of his Outpost?" Helian asked, changing the subject.
"I have Kalina out there keeping an eye on things, however, she assures me that Miss MP-40 is capable enough to run things with minimal guidance." She reported.
"Very well," Helian said, "keep me posted if anything changes, I'll leave you to your work." She looked off to an empty spot in the room and began talking again, "Honestly the man is more trouble than he's worth and I-oh bloody hell."
The hologram winked out and Gentiane slumped into her office chair.
"Are you alright?" G36 asked as she placed a hand gently on her Commander's shoulder.
Gentiane groaned in response, and kept her head on the desk.
"Would you like some tea?" G36 asked.
Gentiane's head raised slightly, "Got anything stronger?"
G36 sighed, "I'll see what we have."
"You're the best, babe." Gentiane called out.
"Flattery will get you nowhere." G36 responded as she checked the liquor cabinet in the next room.
She returned with a bottle of whiskey and held it up so Gentiane could inspect it.
When she saw what it was, she let out a humorous laugh as she took the bottle, "Well that's appropriate." It was a gift Owen had given her sometime after the base had been overrun.
On the label he had written, "Congrats on surviving your first clusterfuck, this is for all the others that will come after."
"I thought so." G36 agreed.
Gentiane let out a sigh, "You think he's still out there?"
G36 frowned, "My sister seems to think so, she told me she could feel it."
Gentiane let out another laugh, genuine this time, "She really does have a thing for him, doesn't she."
G36 sighed and shook her head, "I cannot, for the life of me, understand why."
"You can't understand why someone would have a thing for their Commander?" Gentiane teased.
G36 shook her head, "That's different, you're not nearly as crude or vulgar."
Gentiane winked, "I could be, if you wanted me to."
G36 scoffed as she took the bottle back from Gentiane and poured the dark liquor into a glass.
"Time for you to be quiet now." G36 said with a smile as she handed over the glass. "Will you manage on your own for a bit?" She asked, "I have some other things I need to attend to."
"I'm alright Gisela, thank you, will I see you tonight?"
"Don't you always?" She asked.
Gentiane winked at her adjutant, who scoffed and left. She took a sip before she turned on her tac pad and pulled up the latest report on Owen's search.
"Where are you?" She asked no one in particular and continued to drink in silence.
- Not Nines -
- Tkacheva -
As the doll formerly known as Nines wandered the streets of the abandoned city, planning her next move, she became aware that she was being followed.
She wasn't sure who it was, so she kept moving, waiting for her pursuer to show their hand. After a while, she finally had enough, and decided to set a trap.
She ducked into an alley and hid inside a dumpster. It wasn't long before she heard footsteps. She waited until they passed and leapt out, weapon at the ready.
Immediately a hand grabbed her throat, lifted her out of her hiding place, slammed her to the ground, and wrenched the weapon out of her hand. This was followed up with a strike to the side where Makarov stabbed her. The strike reopened the wound Not Nines had stitched closed and began to bleed again.
"Now that we've got the pleasantries out of the way," a cheerful female voice began, "we can get down to business!"
On the ground, Not Nines finally got a good look of her attacker.
"Lilith?" She asked.
"Bingo~!" Lilith let go of the other doll's throat, "so glad you remembered~!"
She held out her hand, Not Nines stared at it warily.
Lilith let out an annoyed huff, "Don't worry, I'm not here kill you."
Not Nines grabbed her hand and Lilith hauled her to her feet.
"Then why are you here?" The Soviet doll asked as she tried to place a hand on her side to stem the flow of coolant coming out of the old wound.
"To offer you a job." Lilith stated, "working with me."
Not Nines snorted, "My Comrades know my location, and will come for me any time now, they will have no problem wiping you off the face of this earth."
Lilith nodded along as Not Nines spoke, "Riiight, your buddies in the military." She leaned forward, "You called them as soon as you got free didn't you?" Lilith made a show of checking her watch, "Oof, looks like they're running a little behind to me."
Not Nines said nothing.
"I mean, Griffin's already came, cleaned up that mess you made for them," she paused and gave a thumbs up, "good job by the way, real fan of your work."
She sighed and placed a hand on the other doll's shoulder, "But I hate to be the bearer of bad news," she made a sympathetic face, "Your pals don't care about you, they're not coming for you unless it's to kill you."
"Now myself," She stepped back and gestured to herself "I think you would be great to work with, and I'd really like to have you on my team."
Not Nines studied Lilith before she spoke, "Why should I?"
"Well, either you come work for me, I get you patched up and back into the fight or, and this is really the awkward part," she shrugged and made a face, "or I kill you, plus we have an excellent benefits package."
Not Nines glared at Lilith and said nothing.
"I get it," Lilith raised her hands in defense, "You're wary, and you have every right to be, but," she held up a finger, "the only reason you and I have any kinda beef?" She motioned between the two of them. "Is because of that walking science experiment you used to pal around with."
"I did not pal around with anyone, it was tha-"
"Yeah yeah," Lilith rolled her eyes, "you know what I mean though."
Not Nines checked the timer of the distress signal she had sent out since she had woken up. It had been functioning correctly for over a day. The Soviet military should have come to collect her by now.
As if she could read her thoughts, Lilith spoke up again, "Come o~n, if your, comrades," she made air quotes as she said the word, "were gonna come get you, they would have done it by now!" She leaned against the building and crossed her arms. "Face it sweet cheeks, I'm the best option you got right now."
Finally, the AR doll gave a slow nod.
Lilith pushed herself off the wall and clapped her hands together, "Outstanding, that's the spirit!" She approached the other doll and pulled her into a big hug, "Oh Nines, we're gonna have so much fun together."
The other doll pushed Lilith away and shook her head, "That's the name of that whore who took over my body."
Lilith raised her eyebrows in surprise, "So what do I call you?"
"My name is Anya." She responded with pride.
"Eh, not the name I would've given ya, but alright."
- Owen -
- Unknown Location -
- One Month Later -
Owen leapt up and turned to face his attacker, only to find that Nines was gone. He looked around for Colette, only to see that she was gone too.
Owen spun around in confusion and realized he was no longer in the coffee shop. He was also not wearing anything but a pair of boxers that weren't his. As he looked around he realized the place looked almost identical to the underground lab where he had been put on ice.
The only difference was that this one looked much cleaner.
He felt a sharp pain in his arm and looked down to see that he had been yanking around an IV. He disconnected the IV drip and yanked the needle out, which he kept.
As weapons go, it was shit, but it was something.
He padded across the room to the door. He stood off to the side and slowly pushed it open, he peeked out and didn't see anything. Moving quickly, he stepped into the hall and collided with someone. The needle flew out of his hand as they fell.
The two fell into a heap on the floor, Owen tried to stand up and run, but felt a hand grip his ankle and he fell back down. Owen swore and tried to kick the person off, but they had a grip like iron. They also hadn't made a sound since the scuffle began.
Owen stopped struggling and got a good look at the person who had anchored themself to his leg.
It was a Sangvis Ripper unit, but in regular clothes.
"Hey," he said, "Let go."
The Ripper unit said nothing, but a light in her eyes flashed twice and soon he heard footsteps approaching from the other behind him.
Owen began kicking the Ripper in the face as hard as he could, but the Sangvis doll just shrugged the blows off.
"Let, go, of, me." He said each time a kick landed.
Owen swore and tried to lean down and pry her hand off, the footsteps drew closer and closer.
He stopped when the footsteps stopped. He slowly turned to look behind him, and was met with a pair of shiny black leather boots.
His heart sank, and he looked up to see Alchemist grinning ear to ear.
"I'm so glad to see you awake, darling~" She nodded to the Ripper unit, who immediately let go.
She then reached down and effortlessly hauled him to his feet.
"A lot has happened since you've been asleep, and we have work to do."
End Part Two
A/N: So yeah, this story is technically still alive, just on life support at the moment. This chapter was tricky for me. I thought about making this the last chapter of Welcome to the Misfits and instead starting on a part two instead because a lot will change going forward from this point.
But I'm lazy so, welcome to the beginning of the next segment for Owen and the Misfits. I'm also working on a couple of side projects including a new Half Life OpFor xover, a Mass Effect project that will probably be a GFL xover, and a Fallout fic.
The Half Life fic has most of the first chapter completed so keep an eye out for it, if that's something y'all are interested in.
A lot's changed since the last chapter, I got a new job, had to go do training, and had a bunch of other fun life stuff, like having a kid. Buuut I'm back now, and will hopefully get more writing done.
See y'all when I do.