Chapter 4 – The First Move

Springfield and her family held each other and quietly sobbed as Bryant and USP moved the bodies out of the room. Bryant looked tired; his body moved like it was worn and his eyes seemed distant. He sat down after the work was done and stared blankly out into the street. USP stood idly next to him, waiting for Springfield to finish so they could plant the explosives. "Um…commander? Are you alright?" She asked meekly. Bryant nodded and took a slow breath.

"Yeah, I guess…I just don't like these guys." Bryant played with a small ring before putting it back in his pocket. "Lots of bad memories." USP sat down next to him. "Honestly, I'm surprised I even gave them a chance to leave. I don't think I could have done that a year ago." USP inched closer.

"What…what happened?" Bryant swallowed hard. There was an uncomfortable silence.

"A lot." He whispered and clenched his fists. "I'm just not ready to say, yet. Maybe later." He relaxed his fists and nodded. "Anyway, we need to move. I'm certain an SF patrol will be here soon." The voice in his ear, which had been silent for some time, finally chimed back in.

"You are correct, Bryant. There is a rather large patrol. They'll be at the tram station very soon. If you are going to do that thing for FAMAS, you'd best hurry." Bryant muttered in agreement. Springfield came out with her family.

"I can't thank you enough, Commander. If it's okay with you, I'm going to help you take down these SF dolls."

"But, what about your family?" Springfield nodded.

"I think they'll take cover in the tram station nearby. You mentioned it was safe, right?" Bryant nodded.

"Yeah, it should be pretty safe. I'll take you there once I set the charge." Bryant stood and walked to the back with the explosives. USP stood in silence as he disappeared.

"Springfield, are you really sure? The Commander seems a bit…reckless." USP asked. Springfield smiled and put a finger to her chin.

"Oh, I can see that. But I think a little risk is alright."

"Springfield." USP said as her face narrowed into a look of skepticism, "He's literally listening to a voice in his head."

"Yes?"

"He walked into a room full of armed hostiles!"

"And?" Bryant stepped out of the back room and pushed a button on his tablet. There was a bright flash and a blast blew debris into the main room. Bryant brushed off his shoulder and nodded towards the dolls. USP motioned to Bryant in disbelief. Springfield just smiled.

"Charge is placed." There was a loud rumble outside. "Yeah, shit, we need to run." Bryant grabbed USP's hand and the group sprinted out of the building. A few minutes after, the highway section overhead started to collapse. By then, the group was well out of range. USP began to chide the commander for his recklessness. Bryant nodded and seemed attentive. But, USP wasn't quite sure if she got through to him. Finally, USP gave up and walked the rest of the way to the tram station in petty silence.

At the tram station, the remaining SWAT dolls were fortifying up their position. A few more dolls had come online. FAMAS was working on getting the dolls prepared and also making sure there was room for the civilians. Bryant knocked gently on one of the walls and FAMAS walked over. "Ah, Commander!" Bryant couldn't help by crack a smile. She had relaxed significantly, and her accent had gotten stronger. She looked and sounded much better, much less stressed. "I am pleased to see you are unharmed. And that you were able to finish your mission." Bryant nodded and shrugged.

"What can I say? I aim to please." FAMAS leaned and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Your flattery is not befitting of a commander, Commander. No then," She turned to grab her equipment. Bryant noticed her combat information appear on his tablet, alongside details on two additional dummy units. FAMAS and two of her dummies. "Commander, I have left two of my dummies here to assist in peacekeeping and defense. With your permission, I shall accompany you with these."

"The more, the merrier. Welcome aboard, FAMAS." he said. He looked back down at his tablet. With the addition of FAMAS, that brought his combat efficiency high enough to take some risks. Well, more risks. He put away the technical information and brought up the satellite map. SF was now firmly entrenched: it would take a small miracle for their small team to break through their main line. Bryant looked for options, ideas: something that would work. "FAMAS, USP, what do you two know about the police station?"

USP nodded. "Let's see...I know that there is a mainframe for all the civilian protector neural clouds."

"And the signal transmitter for the defense dolls." FAMAS spoke up. The two dolls began chatting strategy and combat options, but the voice in Bryant's ear began to speak again.

"Commander, good news for once." The voice began. There was a little more static on the line, and what sounded like distant gunfire. "A passing Griffon support team caught the distress signal. They are deploying on the other side of the highway you collapsed." Bryant sighed.

"That's damn good news."

"The only problem is, they won't be able to shut down the signal in the police station. You'll need to get there and shut down the SF signals, or the enemy might cause even more damage after the command post is taken."

"So; get to the police station, shut it down, and wait for backup. I can handle that." The voice was quiet. The gunfire was getting louder.

"Bryant. I appreciate the confidence, I really do, but these dolls are not to be taken lightly. They outnumber and outgun you five to one. Even with FAMAS, you don't stand much of a chance."

"I don't think you would have strung me along this far if it was hopeless."

"Bryant, there are twenty squads of enemies between you and the police station! You'll never make it in one piece."

"Who says we have to fight them all?" The voice was silent at Bryant's reply. USP and FAMAS stared at him quietly. "Springfield and USP only have enough ammunition or rations for a handful more encounters. I'm almost certain FAMAS doesn't have that much. I'll work out a route where we only need to fight one or two battles. Then, take the police station." The voice was silent again.

"How did you come up with that so quickly? It's... impractical. You should want to destroy as many of the enemy as possible."

"No... it's not about destroying them. It's about stopping them. Why fight through an army, when you can kill the one guy guarding their lifeline?" The line was silent again.

"I'm sorry, but I think you should leave this to your betters." Bryant said and pulled the earpiece out. He turned to his dolls. "Alright, let's finish this."