Chapter 30 – SOPMOD
M4 and Ursula had similar reactions to the swathe of destruction. The SF dolls had been torn to pieces and scattered almost ceremoniously. A lone figure sat upon a throne of corpses, picking through the fallen foes. Bryant had a wry smile on his face as the Doll continued her work. "Is this our girl?"
M4 nodded and took a wary step forward. "SOPMOD?"
The Doll turned. She locked eyes with M4 and let out an excited gasp. She scampered down the pile and embraced M4. She let out an innocent laugh as M4 tried to push her away. Ursula tried to hold back her laughter. "Glad we found you, M4 SOPMOD II." The Doll let go of M4 and dove towards Ursula. Human and Doll went tumbling to the ground.
"Thanks for rescuing my sister!" She said. Ursula let out a gasp for air that was completely ignored. SOPMOD got up and turned to Bryant. He smiled and held out his hand.
"Welcome." SOPMOD ignored his hand and grabbed his empty sleeve.
"Woah~. I thought humans couldn't detach their limbs." She flopped the sleeve around for a bit before worming her hand up into it. M4A1 squeaked in embarrassment as SOPMOD played. "Is it getting fixed?"
"SOP! That is no way to talk to the Commander!"
"Ah!" SOPMOD's smile became more serious. She saluted with the arm still stuck in Bryant's sleeve. "Im M4 SOPMOD II of the AR team! I look forward to working with you." M4 turned red and covered her face. Ursula dusted herself off.
"She has lots of... enthusiasm."
"She does." M4 said with a strained laugh. SOPMOD smiled and reached into her pockets.
"I got you a gift! See: still in one piece!" She held out an eye towards M4. "I have the other, so now we match!" Ursula interrupted the 'tender' moment by clearing her throat.
"M4 SOPMOD II, where is ST AR 15?" The mood got dark very quickly. The Doll's red eyes seemed to glow in anger.
"AR 15 and I were being chased by the Ringleader Hunter. We did our best, but she told me to run while she lured Hunter away." She tightened the grip on her gun. "We need to take her down and save AR15."
They quickly set up a camp and rolled out a paper map of the area. SOPMOD pointed to a spot on the map. "AR 15 was headed this way." Bryant nodded slowly. Ursula frowned.
"That's a dangerous area. Wide open, for the most part. Not much for cover until you get to the old city. The craters will hinder our deployment options." She put a hand on her chin. "And Hunter is a pursuit Doll. She'll have more of an advantage here, like when we fought Executioner."
"M4," Bryant turned to the Doll, "your input?" M4 jolted slightly.
"Um...AR 15 is really strong. I...I think that she can figure out how to avoid the Ringleader...lure her into the city.."
"Yeah! And she could probably take her too, if she could get her alone."
"Alone, huh…" Bryant mumbled. Ursula turned her head.
"What are you thinking, Bryant?" All eyes turned to him. He was quiet for a moment before pointing to another spot by the ruins.
"I think I can get clearance to drop your teams here, near the shelter. This will let you launch a pincer attack." He traced a line down the two paths.
"That will let us bypass some of the SF vanguard in the open area." M4 said. "However, Hunter will see us coming for sure. We'll be trapped if anything goes wrong…"
"We don't have enough firepower. I can whip up a combat team, but we'll need more Dolls and logistical support for repairs. Commander Bryant, can I count on you for that?" Ursula asked. He shrugged.
"Sure. I'll scrounge something together. I'll have techs on standby and reroute some ammo shipments. Not sure where I'll get a combat team though." M4 cleared her throat.
"Let SOPMOD and I help, too. AR15 is our sister. We will fight to get her back." SOPMOD agreed. Ursula and Bryant exchanged a glance. They turned their gaze to their adjutants. The dolls nodded.
"They won't be anything like your team, M4. We aren't clandestine or elites. Are you sure?"
"Yes. I don't...feel like an elite. I'd be honored to work with you."
"Mhm! And more allies means more dead Sangvis!"
"Alright," Ursula said with a clap, "Sounds like a plan."
"Let's get to work, then." SAR gently put a hand on SOPMOD. "I'll help you get supplied." Yulia saluted the commanders and followed.
"USP," Bryant stretched, "let's get you set up. I'm going to put you in charge of Logistics Team 7."
"Ill make a mission brief. I'll send a copy after im finished." Ursula said. She was very distracted by the mission. "However, I'm not sure what to do with the Sangvis blockade. And this heliport looks too hot, maybe we should try a more calm insertion point…" She rambled on about contingencies and alternate routes. Bryant nodded absently and continued with USP.
He could hardly contain his jumpy nerves. But, he was also excited. The chance to prove his worth again. The dread of facing another Ringleader. M4 probably felt the same, he thought. She was similar to him; a commander ready to get back into action. Both of them wore a mask to hide the unease for the sake of their teammates.
The anticipation, anxiety, and dread was time for uncertainty was over. The hunt was about to begin.