Chapter 55 - Order to Pursue

The sound of gunfire was unrelenting. Between the SF encampments and the Griffin attackers, the entire sector had been turned into a no-man's-land. Humans were restricted to a command post barely within radio distance. Several commanders had lost contact with their squads due to interference. It was a nightmare, but not a single one of them panicked. Each kept a stone-cold gaze towards the battle map as it updated in as near to 'real-time' as they could manage.

"Zone one-five has been taken by SF, but echelons two and four are ready to engage. Should we advance?"

"Negative, keep pushing north. Have echelon three move to protect the relay station."

Kyruger issued orders and the commanders moved. The pieces fell into place, but Destroyer was still not on the battlefield. The tension was mounting now - the AR Team was waiting to rush the Ringleader. Without the guest of honor, the party couldn't start.

"Echelon one is heavily damaged, requesting permission to fall back."

"How long can they hold?"

"Not long."

Kryuger paused to think, but Bryant cut him off.

"Security team two can swap places. Redirect them to Zone two-two and take over. Once echelon one is in the rear they can make emergency repairs and take care of stragglers."

The boss nodded and the order was carried out. The SF line held strong, but gaps were starting to form. One echelon managed to push through and approach the command post before suddenly disconnecting. The room was silent, their breath held in anticipation. The High Altitude drone snapped a picture and the map updated. Right on the command post, Destroyer has emerged. The Ringleader barked insults and orders. Within seconds, the SF Line began to tighten.

"We've got another squad down." Ursula spat out and jumped to her feet. "Oh shit…another gone. They're picking off our - we need to deploy the AR Team now!"

"No…it's not time." Kryuger answered slowly and quietly. The battlefield descended into chaos. The enemy began to close in on the stray Griffin forces. The battle was becoming one sided very quickly. And it seemed the bad news was still coming. The Jupiter network fired another volley, destroying the original landing zone for the AR Team. Logistics Officers began hastily trying to find an alternative. Bryant stood calmly looking at the screen.

"How long can the security team hold the relay?" Kyruger finally spoke as the room fell back into a panicked quiet. Bryant locked eyes with Kryuger, a small smile crossing his face.

"Long enough, sir."

The man nodded and turned to address the room. There was a glimmer of something in his eyes. Bryant wondered with equal parts respect and confusion. A plan? Or something else? It wasn't easy to read him.

"All squads: fall back to the temporary command post. AR Team, deploy at site 3 and await order to attack. The hammer is about to drop." Once he had given the order, he turned to Bryant. "The Security team needs to hold until the repairs are finished. That may mean engaging with the Ringleader."

Bryant nodded and leaned forward. He flipped on the communicator while his adjutant prepared to send over combat details. "All security teams: rally around the temporary command post and provide cover for the combat echelons. The AR Team touches down in fifteen minutes."

The replies came back in halted confirmations. The unease was palpable. But the squads began to mobilize. Bryant didn't notice some run in and speak quickly to Helian. But he was able to catch a bit of her conversation with Kryuger.

"Sir, it's AR-15."

The small patch of land between the combat zone and the Griffin command post had been turned into a graveyard. The SF Dolls matched unrelenting across the bodies of their fallen sisters, while the Griffin Dolls held them back.

"How bad is it?" AK-47 asked as she rolled into a trench. The Doll looked down at the hole in her chest. Her body had been badly singed, bits of her mechanical frame were showing. Her fire control core and main battery were dangling out. The pieces were only held in by the frayed ends of her top and a miracle. Tokarev shrugged and passed her a bottle.

"Is not too bad. I've seen worse." They both laughed like lunatics, only laughing louder as the explosives attempted to drown them out. MP40 and STG watched incredulously from the other side of the trench.

"They're crazy, absolutely crazy."

"Indeed," said L85A1 as she poured herself a cup of tea in the lull of the gunfire, "savages, truly."

"Why are you drinking - aaaah, why did the commander put me in charge?"

MP40 clutched her gun closer to her as another wave of Dinergates and Prowlers rolled into the trench. "Engage!"

As quickly as they had started goofing off, the Dolls snapped to action. AK-47 was not useless yet. Despite the heavy damage, she continued to fight back. There was a small snap and the AR Doll looked down. "Cyka - " she didn't finish her exclamation before her battery fell loose and plopped in the mud.

"Uh, yes, field medic?" She said with a wet smile before her body slowed down and she flopped against the side of the trench. STG tried to approach and move her limp body closer, but one of her dummies took a direct hit from Destroyer. She yelped as the fragments of a Doll whizzed by.

"I'm losing dummies!"

"Same." Tokarev sang out in her in her usual nonchalance. MP40 opened a comm channel.

"C-commander? We need some back up." There was a lot of static but a reply came through in the second attempt.

"Security team - backup is on the way. But there is a change in plans."

"Yes! What's the plan?"

"After Destroyer's next barrage, leave the trench and blitz her." Despite the gunfire, the battlefield seemed to become deathly quiet. The Dolls that had overheard the communication seemed to slump over. "...trust me."

The Dolls nodded, and worked up the courage just as the salvo ended. MP40 and Tokarev sprinted up and out of the trench, leading the way for the rest of her team. The SF Dolls and machines were waiting for them, ready to open fire. From across the field, the remaining seven or so teams rushed out towards the enemy.

Just before the enemy opened fire, Destroyer exploded. The connection to her grunts was temporarily severed, and the Dolls began to gain ground. When the smoke cleared, Destroyer was still in one piece, but singed. One of their cannons had been completely mangled in the blast. SOPMOD huffed. "Dammit! I thought I had her."

"Keep going, give her another one!" M16 said with a smirk as the AR Team closed in on the small Ringleader. The SF forces scrambled as their link with the Ringleader was disrupted. Unlike Griffin Dolls, the SF Dolls had a limited set of default instructions. This gave the security and badly damaged combat teams to begin gaining ground. MP40 led the charge, cutting a path through a clustered group of mechanical units. Destroyer growled and turned her remaining weapon on the AR Team.

"Die die die die die!" The intense fire would have been enough to destroy any normal doll, but the AR Team was not normal. With agility that rivaled military automatons, the AR Team weaved between the explosives and small-arms fire. This rallied the remaining Griffin teams. A surge of strength flowed through the Dolls and they let out a battle cry. The small Ringleader was losing ground. She turned and started to run, but a sniper shot tore through the air and her knee. The Doll fell to the ground with a thud and a scrap. The synthetic skin on her face had torn in places, revealing the complex skeleton underneath. Despite that, there was still enough of her face left to communicate the absolute depths of the horror she was feeling now.

Just as the AR Team stomped over to finish her off, an emergency communication went to all Dolls.

"All units return to base - a Priority Order has just come in from Mr Kryuger himself."

"What about the midget?" SOPMOD asked with her teeth bared, looking hungrily at Destroyer's mangled leg.

"Leave her and return immediately." Bryant's voice sounded concerned.

"Where is Ursula?" M4 asked as the dolls made a hasty retreat from the combat zone. "Wasn't she leading the combat teams?"

"She's meeting with the boss now. I've been given a temporary command until your return."

"What's going on, Commander?" The line was silent for a long time. The Dolls on the security team and the AR team exchanged a few hesitant glances as the tension set in. Bryant sighed. "It's 15…she's gone rogue."