Chapter 28 – Newcomer
The A-Doll was in the repair bay, awaiting her Fire Control Core and weapon etching. In the meantime, Bryant and Ursula administered some tests to check up on her mentally. Not that Griffin really cared: there were plenty of mentally unstable dolls under their employ. The tests were just to uncover flaws in the underlying programming. Electronic warfare was the number one cause of T-Doll losses lately. HQ was now focused on making sure the dolls had as few vulnerabilities as possible.
The questions were standard fare for this kind of work. Questions regarding authorities, squad leaders, basic combat situations, basic tactics, battlefield survival, and on. The questions were interrupted by Bryant dropping his clipboard. Ursula shot him a concerned glance before resuming.
"Next question: your echelon comes under fire and you are the leader. The engagement is going poorly. Do you remain in combat?"
"Depends on our orders and the enemy."
"Your orders are to take the enemy HQ. Assume Heavy Damage protocols are enabled and it is a Sangvis patrol."
"I would remain in combat until we are unable to continue. We would save enough of our strength to safely retreat." The A-Doll nodded. Bryant wrapped his arm around his clipboard to take notes. He interrupted Ursula with a question of his own.
"Same Question, but assume your target is a Ringleader." The A-Doll turned to Bryant. She paused for a moment.
"Then we fight to the last. Expend every effort and resource to eliminate or damage the target before we are defeated." The two Commanders took notes after exchanging a glance. Ursula resumed her questioning.
"Next Question: the enemy has a forti-" Bryant cursed as his clipboard fell again. Bryant coughed sheepishly before gathering his things and leaving. Ursula played with a lock of hair "The enemy has a fortification placed near a choke point. How do you go about the battle?"
"What are my orders for the mission?" Ursula paused.
"You seem fond of asking about orders. Why is that?"
"I am a Doll. The only things I must consider are my orders." Ursula jotted down a quick thought.
"I see. What about when you don't have orders? What if both your squad leader and the Commander are incapacitated? " the A-Doll looked at Ursula. She nodded slowly.
"I would contact HQ for orders."
"HQ does not respond. "
"I would check with other Dolls for orders."
"There are no other dolls."
"Then I would contact logistics officer Kalina for further or-"
"You have no orders!" Ursula shouted. She quickly out her head down in her notes to avoid eye contact. "Assume there is a worst-case scenario: SF blitz, the commander is captured, something like that. You have no orders. You must make a decision for yourself." The A-Doll was quiet. Ursula wrote down her last note. "Well, it looks like your core is ready. You will likely receive a handgun as your imprinted weapon. But first, we will need to test you on the firing range." The A-Doll nodded.
The pair entered the firing range just as USP and Bryant finished setting up the targets. Bryant was having difficulty positioning the targets while USP loaded the firearms. Bryant shoved the last sandbag into place and let out a colorful string of curses. He clutched his chest and wheezed. Ursula shook her head and turned to USP. "Are we all set?"
"Almost ma'am." She spoke without pausing her task. Her hands moved carefully. The A-Doll watched in awe, studying USP's movements. The A-Doll sat down and began helping USP load magazines.
"Not too shabby, yeah?" Bryant muttered as he gently rubbed his side. "She's taking nicely to this."
"Perhaps." Ursula took a look at her notes. "I did not like some of her responses. To put it bluntly, she's horribly unstable."
"But within the tolerable range, huh?" Bryant sighed. "Although, to be honest, some of the lovely lasses we employ could use some therapy." He watched as the two dolls set up at the shooting range. "But...damn, she's been through a lot."
"Did you look at her neural cloud? You know that's against the rules."
"Didn't stop you, did it?" Bryant said quietly.
"Fair." Ursula replied with a shrug. The two Commanders put in earplugs and shared notes. They discussed pay, housing, and the usual benefits a doll would get. The base was tight on resources, but they could make the room. The drum of gunfire drowned out some of the conversation.
When the gunfire stopped, USP and the new doll approached the Commanders. "Commander, I'm ready." She gently handed Ursula the weapon she had chosen.
"Alright, we'll finish your imprint and get you combat ready. Welcome to Griffin, USP Compact."