Ch 18 – Getting Results

The dolls slowly made their way forward. USP was not too happy about her team's composition. Four handgun-type dolls did not make up a full echelon, and they weren't the strongest models in production. To make things worse, they weren't able to fully calibrate their Dummies. The only thing they could do was push forward. The helicopter hovered over their landing pad, and the dolls jumped. Once they touched down, USP radioed Bryant while the other dolls got their gear all set up.

"Commander: Echelon One has landed. We are preparing to march on the Jupiter cannon. What are your orders?" USP asked as PPK handed her a weighty pack.

"Inside each bag is a short-range, high yield EMP. Once you get close enough to the cannon, drop one of these at the base and it'll fry the whole thing like an egg." He took a sharp breath and muttered a curse. "Just…keep the heavy damage protocols engaged: I don't want any heroes out their today. 'Heroes get dead'." He ended the transmission and the dolls were left with the busy sounds of warfare.

The dolls were ready. It was time to begin. USP took a sharp breath and tried to calculate a plan. The cannon was nearby, but there were a few SF patrols nearby. They could try to fight them, but that might leave them too weak to take down the cannon. She pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Alright ladies; pack your bags!" USP slung her pack over her shoulder and held up her free hand. "Charge! Bring them down." She shouted and ordered her dummies to follow. The other dolls joined her cheer and followed her as quickly as they could.

The SF forces were stunned at the sheer stupidity of the action. The Jaeger and Vespoid units stood back to take potshots while the cannon adjusted into a firing position. As the cannon turned towards her team, she felt 'fear' for the first time. This…thing was on a whole different level from the Manticore they had faced. USP hesitated for a fraction of a second, before one of her dummies lost an arm. She shook off her thoughts and continued her charge. All that mattered to her was getting to her destination.

There was a low hum as the cannon reached its full power. A flash of light, followed by a resounding blast. The shell launched chunks of dirt, foliage, and rock several meters into the air. Pieces of PPK and her dummies sailed in every direction. She squealed in pain and USP lost her connection on her HUD. "Mm~, that's enough for me. It was exciting while it lasted." She moaned, as she crawled out of the crater. The cannon, no longer seeing the wounded doll as a threat, turned to the others. The SF ground forces began to increase their cross fire. That gave USP an idea.

"Move towards the SF infantry! Try to pull them into blast zone." The dolls turned slightly off-course and approached the waiting infantry. USP turned to M1911 and nodded. The doll got the signal and tossed a smoke grenade into the fray. Now, the battlefield was in complete chaos. The trees, underbrush, and smoke seemed to temporarily confuse the cannon. It was only temporary.

Boom.

M1911 vanished from USP's HUD. USP couldn't contact her in the confusion, so she pressed forward. P38 called over the radio. "I'm nearly at the base of the cannon! I'm advan – ah!" She cried out and her main unit collapsed. The dummies didn't know how to function, and began attacking the SF forces until the cannon turned them to wreckage. USP escaped the smokescreen and scrambled to a halt.

The Ghosts of Eden had been caught in the engagement with SF forces. The humans turned their weapons on her and opened fire. USP scrambled back into the smokescreen, where a Jupiter shell exploded in front of her. Dirt and dust clogged her eyes and mouth. She coughed and kept running in a random direction. A soft hand grabbed her shoulder. "This way, leader!" M1911 yelled over the roar of combat. The two dolls changed direction. "The cannon is focusing on the humans! Let's take this chance to hit it hard." The two exited the smokescreen.

They were on the far side of the cannon. A small team of SF Rippers guarded the base of the gun. Three SF infantry were no match for the handguns and their remaining dummies. The cannon fired again. This time, the screams were very human. As was the debris that rained down afterwards. USP took a deep breath and chucked down her bag near the base of the gun. She got to work setting up the bomb and turned to M1911. "Alright put…." She trailed off when she looked at the other dolls. "W-w-w-w-wha –"

"Oh, the bomb? I'm sorry leader~" She said and rubbed the back of her head. "I dropped it when the Jupiter shot at me. Ya know, the commander could have -"

"What happened your clothes!?" USP managed to cry out and hid her eyes behind her hands. M1911 looked down and covered herself. Shrapnel tore and singed chunks of her outfit and her 'skin' off. It left her in a rather precarious state of dress.

"Th-they're just a little ripped! I'd say they're pretty good considering what I went through!"

"B-b-but…aaaaaaaah," USP cried out, dropping to her knees and hiding "so inappropriate! How obscene! Lewd! Perverted!" M1911 began to cry.

"Just arm the bomb and let's get out of here!" USP fumbled with the bomb while trying not to look at M1911.

"There; it's armed!" USP stood up and threw her jacket at the other doll. "Cover yourself and let's go!" The two dolls hurried out of the blast radius, only pausing to watch as the electronic systems in the cannon to crackle and burst. Smoke and fire, coupled with the silence from the cannon, acted as a rally for the human rebels and for the critically damaged team. USP let the other doll celebrate for a moment before she hurried on her way to the heliport.

Back at base, Bryant smiled to himself. They had done well with such a risky mission. At least the next cannon wouldn't be as much of a challenge. He slowly stretched and fumbled his way towards the repair bay. He didn't like sitting still. Not while his girls were out their fighting. The second helicopter filled with the replacement dummy units was already in place. All Bryant had to do was give the order…but there was something he was curious about. He began sorting through the base logs with the last of the backup power. He opened up the roster, and started sorting through the dossiers on the hard drive. Bryant ran his finger down the list, muttering a comment about each doll. The logs had been corrupted or destroyed, so there wasn't much of a selection. However, he stopped at one and smiled slightly.

"Oh…now, isn't this a surprise?" He moved the curser to the dossier and opened up the file. "Yes…I think she'll make a great addition to the team." He turned and slowly shuffled towards the repair console. "I just hope they have enough combat-cores leftover in storage." He opened the bay doors, and the system booted up slowly.

"Alright then…let's try this." He put his hand on the workstation. "System override ID `Bryant`: Engage ECHO protocol." The system responded to his hand and voice command.

"Override acknowledged. Welcome, Commander. Please select a Tactical Doll." Bryant smiled and selected the dossier. "Understood. After this operation you will have…one Combat Core remaining. ECHO system engaged. JS05 will be combat ready in... thirty-five seconds."