Kar98k sighed as she got off the call. She had just spent the past hour of her afternoon time in a secured communications call with a federal military secretary pertaining to the current operation. Due to the recent developments and information that they had gathered, their contractors were forcing the operation forward due to concerns about Sangvis Ferri's current involvement. At midnight tonight, an armored division of proper military forces will move into the city to enact martial law and put down what they're claiming is a "revolution." The echelon has until they arrive to shut down the primary mainframe allowing the SF forces to operate, making the transfer of power less difficult for all parties involved. She took a deep breath and walked out to the balcony, looking across to the park that lay between her and the city security base. Leaning on the railing, she took in the sunlight as she tried to wrap her head around everything.
There was absolutely no way that Adelhard and his men were going to stand down without a fight. They had spent so much time securing the autonomy of this city that there was no doubt that they'd rather die defending it. The best Kar98k could tell, once the military showed up, it was going to be a bloodbath. There were peace accords following the last world war that prohibited civilian groups from arming themselves to the same levels as the government they worked for due entirely to the difficulty in policing different zones in the wake of the planet's ecological collapse. In this situation, there was always a possibility for peace, but she knew that she and her team were going to have to work hard and fast. They already had less than 12 hours to get into position for an unexpected infiltration mission, and with Scarecrow actively aware of their presence and operating against them, the margin for error was too high.
Electronic warfare was out of the question. With a Sangvis Ferri ringleader model present, one that also possesses the technical home advantage, it was too dangerous to shut down the mainframe indirectly. Seeing as the SF units are controlled using a Manticore in the underground warehouse, explosives were the only course of action left. Luckily, Kar98k had selected the current team with close quarters urban combat in mind, so fighting their way through wouldn't be too much of an issue. However, holding out long enough for the military to show up was the primary concern. During testing for her command module upgrades, she scored highly on taking enemy ground and positions, but was received relatively poorly when it came to holding back the enemy position. The dolls under her command suffered a relatively similar flaw, excelling at combat aggression but being unable to hold a position for too long.
Kar98k rubbed her forehead, deciding that a peaceful approach might be the only option. Based on what she had seen of Adelhard's personality, he did show a degree of skepticism towards Scarecrow; perhaps if he knew what the SF dolls were doing under his nose he'd be a touch more receptive. Despite that, she knew there was no way that she'd be able to get close enough to Adelhard without alerting Scarecrow. She could get one of his officers, but convincing them of the truth would be a long and arduous process. Humans, despite being very squishy, are surprisingly hardy when they need to be and Kar98k did not have the time to beat a man into changing his mind.
Looking down at the people walking the streets, she worried for their safety. How many of them would be hurt or killed once the military rolled in guns blazing? There were too many innocent families here, and it was on her to try and keep them safe. Kar98k sat down on the balcony with her back to the railing, looking to the sky as she tried to figure out what to do. All of the people she'd seen in the city sticking to her neural cloud like a fly sticks to honey. One particular word danced around in her head, hopping about like a practice target. "Family." She said aloud, wondering if there was a meaning to it. Dwelling on it for a moment, she felt stupid for not coming to the conclusion sooner. Standing back up, she raced back inside. "MP40, where's StG44?"
MP40 was partially tuned out from the world, listening to music while she monitored cameras. She looked up from where she was sitting and blinked as she returned her full vision to focus on Kar98k. "She's at her cover job, Commandant," MP40 explained, "she'll be there until they close."
Excellent. "Is Captain Adelhard's son going to be there?"
If StG44 had a heart, it would be racing right now. She understood her mission, and even had a plan for how to go through with it. She didn't spend all this time for nothing, she'd worked through multiple contingencies for numerous situations that she would need to deal with. No amount of preparation, however, can prepare her for how any of this would make her feel. The Commandant wanted Kurtis to know the truth, but doing so would completely shatter any trust she had built up with him. This shouldn't be as big of an issue as it is for her, after all it's just part of the mission. Unfortunately, getting close to Kurtis required getting close to him; but that doesn't mean it should get in the way of her duty. Taking a deep breath, she resolved herself to do what needed to be done.
Locking away her personal objections deep in her neural cloud, she approached Kurtis at the end of the night. For a brief moment, she considered just clubbing him over the head and dragging his limp body back to the Commandant. While being the most straightforward approach to the situation, it didn't do much to win him over. Instead, StG44 settled upon relying on his feelings for her. As he locked the door and they got ready to walk home, she playfully began tugging on his sleeve. "My mom was asking me to bring you over to dinner." She said, trying to play cute and aloof to keep him from suspecting anything.
"Why me?" He asked, letting her string him along. "Why eat so late?"
"I don't know, my family is weird." She thought for a moment about a time back at base when she watched MG34 and MG42 make an absolute mess of their uniforms devouring a ludicrous amount of ice cream. No matter how much she cleaned it, the floor beneath that table still stuck to her boots. "You're not gonna leave me alone with those weirdos, right?"
Kurtis sighed. It was quite obvious he wanted to say yes, but he was trying to hold himself and give the impression that this was a serious consideration. If she didn't know any better, StG44 would take that as a sign that she was being manipulated herself. However, he eventually caved into her incessant nagging at him. She wanted him to say no, to head home and keep himself safe. She knew that whatever the Commandant had in mind for him, the military no doubt would be up to something worse. In the end, she was doing the right thing.
StG44 led him through the city, holding his hand as she pulled him along. He followed her, blissfully unaware of what was about to happen tonight. There was only a few hours left before the military would mobilize against the city, meaning there was only a few hours left before a lot of people needlessly died. Her artificial stomach would be turning right now if she was human, full of butterflies and fear. On the outside she played cute and aloof, happily leading Kurtis into their den. As they approached the building, StG44 slowed her pace to allow him to walk by her side. The bittersweet feeling of walking side by side both motivated her to move forward and frightened to continue. Still, the mission needed to be completed, as she led him to the elevator up to the penthouse. The rising of the elevator brought a sinking feeling to the pit of being to plummet, which continued long after the ride stopped. If she were human, she would be sweating as they reached the door, StG44 turning to face Kurtis. "Whatever happens, I'm sorry," She said, trying to be sincere, "I never wanted any of this."
Kurtis smiled. "Sorry for what?" He asked as the door opened.
A pair of hands reached out and grabbed his arm as StG44 reluctantly let go of his hand. "Sorry for us." FG42 said as she pulled Kurtis into the penthouse. Everyone was now in full uniform, preparing both themselves and their weapons for the upcoming battle. MP40 kept her weapon ready as FG42 forced Kurtis to sit in a chair. StG44 sighed as she entered the penthouse and locked the door behind her. Kurtis looked at her, his face a mix of confusion and fear. She could only look down at her feet.
The Commandant stepped forward, arms crossed as she looked down at Kurtis. "I apologize for the surprise," she said, "but things are about to get out of hand here very quickly."
"What the heck are you talking about?" Kurtis asked, eyes shooting between StG44 and Kar98k.
The Commandant shot her a look and shook her head. StG44 took the hint and went to her bedroom to get freaky. Shuffling her feet, she couldn't help feeling like the weight on her shoulders was even heavier now. While she was sure Kurtis would have liked to speak to her about everything, she knew she was just going to distract him from the importance of the situation. He needed to hear everything that was going to be said, and they couldn't afford any mistakes with this many lives on the line. With a sigh, she locked herself away in her room to prepare.
Kar98k tried her best to make the boy understand, showing him evidence they've gathered and information they've put together. To his credit, Kurtis listened intently, especially as the facts began to add up. Hearing about how Sangvis Ferri is allowing infected entry into the city certainly got his attention, but the recorded footage of his father dealing with Scarecrow sealed the deal. While he was no doubt still upset about being lied to for so long, he appreciated that they were at least kind enough to inform him of what was happening. Kar98k gave a sigh of relief, leaning back in her chair across from Kurtis. While MP40 stood behind him with her own weapon, everyone knew she wouldn't be able to shoot him unless he made himself a threat. His cooperation was purely out of his own volition, no fear or intimidation. "So why tell me any of this now?" He asked.
"Because the military wants to make a move." Kar98k explained. "I'm worried about the safety of everyone in this city if the military shows up. I don't think Scarecrow will give up without a fight." She was very careful not to imply her own involvement in the operation, refusing to mention the planned attack on the security base should this go wrong. "We want you to ask your father to stand down and surrender, rather than let the army roll in with their tanks."
"I don't know what exactly you want me to say," He shuffled his feet nervously, "I'm not exactly a part of any of this, nor am I really part of anything my father does either."
"You're his son, he'll trust you more than me." She slid a portable hard drive over to Kurtis. "Take this to him. Let him know who his supposed ally is, and maybe he'll be a bit receptive."
Kurtis picked up the drive and looked at it. Weighing his options, he flipped it around in his fingers. Kar98k knew she was asking a lot of him, but she was confident in her plan. Even if he wasn't able to get anywhere with his father, she had already prepared to follow up and complete their mission. Kurtis looked up as StG44 entered the room, this time properly dressed in her well maintained uniform. She seemed a tad upset over a stain on the front of it that seemed to have come from maintaining her rifle. For a moment, the two of them locked eyes. They stared, both speaking without words before looking away. "I'll see what I can do." He said, staring at his feet.
Kar98k smiled, standing up from her seat. She walked over and offered a hand to him. "You're doing the right thing," she said as he stood and shook her hand, "thank you."
Kurtis faked a smile, the look in his eyes betraying how upset he was. Clearly, he didn't know who to trust anymore, with everyone around him keeping secrets and telling lies. If he couldn't even trust his own father, then who could he trust? Kar98k felt bad for him, the human servant within her wanting to reach out and give him a hug to tell him everything would be okay. However, she had a job to do and a very tight deadline. After the mission was over and everything was taken care of, she made a mental note to make sure he was okay. Making their way to the door, she unlocked it to let him out. She stopped once MP41 began making a commotion on the other side of the room. Everyone turned to see what was going on. The short doll had seized up and fallen over, collapsing onto a glass coffee table in her stupor. "What the hell is going on?" Kar98k yelled, looking around at everyone for answers.
MP40 jaunted over, kneeling beside the frozen doll on the floor. "Her neural cloud is locked up, I think her hacking attracted some unwanted attention."
"Who is doing this to her?" Kar98k asked.
FG42 scoffed. "Do you even need to ask?"
The room grew quiet as they realize their cover had been blown. While this confirmed that Scarecrow was able to remotely access dolls in the city, it also means she was able to attack them as well. If she got a hold of anything in MP41's neural cloud, Scarecrow would no doubt work to keep her stranglehold over the city. While Kar98k had a lot of faith in her teams abilities, a Sangvis Ferri Ringleader model was far outside their capabilities. It was only a matter of time before Scarecrow got what she wanted. "What can we do to stop this?" Kar98k looked to MP40.
"Short of forcing a shutdown?" MP40 moved MP41 out of the broken glass. "There's not much we can do beyond shutting off her core. Even then we'd have to ensure her neural cloud locks down as well, but if that happens we'd lose everything she has stored and she'd have to restore herself from backup when we get back to base."
At that note, MP41's eyes shot open as she flailed about. "She knows!" MP41 shouted while breathing heavily. "She knows everything!"
Kar98k held MP41 down as she tried to get her to speak clearly. "What did she do?" She asked calmly.
MP41 stared back at her, wide eyed and afraid. "She started tracking me down after last night," she explained with a slight stammer, "I tried to keep her out but she kept breaking my firewalls. She stole our mission data I had saved, but I tracked her to the Manticore at the security base she's using as a transmitter."
Everyone looked around, understanding that the plan had changed. Their cover had been blown and now they were going to be stuck on the defensive. At this point, all they could hope to do was hold position until the military showed up. There was no telling what Scarecrow would do with any of this information, but no doubt she would spin it in such a way to keep her own plans under wraps. FG42 spoke up, monitoring the dispatch calls. "A call just went out for a hostage situation," she summarized, "looks like they think we abducted and beat the hell out of the boy here. Oh cute, his father says he's gonna respond to this personally."
"What about my father?" Kurtis asked, but was ignored.
"We're being labeled as armed and dangerous," FG42 continued, raising an eyebrow, "I guess we already murdered two security officers by hacking the SF dolls."
MP41 looked around at everyone. "I would never!"
Kar98k went to the balcony and looked out across the night at the security base. She could see a lot of action as they prepared to lockdown the penthouse building. Coming back inside, she realized it was time for a plan. "Alright ladies, put your makeup away and get ready for some dinner." She clapped her hands to get their attention. "We need to hold this penthouse from whatever they're planning on throwing at us. There are empty apartments around us I want to hold so they can't concentrate everything they have in this location. StG44 and I will stay here with the captain's son so we can personally speak to his father should he show up. The rest of you I want spreading out and preparing for combat."
"You're not going to kill anyone right?" Kurtis asked, clearly concerned for the safety of his fathers men.
Kar98k looked to Kurtis and realized if he was going to cooperate with them then they needed to make sure he saw them in a positive light. "Aim for the knees." She instructed. "Now get to work, the army will be here soon."
