Chapter 33 – Body Count
DSR 50 took another shot. The drone overhead snapped a picture and reported back. Yulia nodded. "Kill confirmed. That's … mmm, thirteen? Fourteen? Something like that." The drone flew lazily overhead as the dolls hid in the shade. If they ignored the occasional bullet that soared by them, it was a perfect day for a picnic. DSR killed another SF sniper and began reloading.
She had a strange look on her face. She squirmed on the ground between each shot. Each kill only seemed to make her worse. Yulia stared with disgust. She ignored her, and kept whispering to her gun. Yulia had to look away as another SF doll fell. "Ah~ just a few more." Another shot, another kill. "A few more." Another shot. "More." Another shot. But it was not one from her rifle.
An enemy doll exploded. DSR looked up and Yulia whipped around with her weapon drawn. There was a flash of light from beyond their range. Another shot obliterated another doll. DSR's jaw dropped and Yulia frantically searched for the sniper. Another shot found a target. The dolls recovered from their shock. "If this keeps up…" DSR's face twisted with emotion "I won't get thirty!" She picked up her rifle and took off running to a better vantage point. The movement exposed her to the enemy. The new position had no cover. She would be alone with her rifle and the enemy bullets.
She lay down and began to take aim. She squeezed the trigger. Her target collapsed. A bullet hit her shoulder. She ignored it and squeezed the trigger again. The mysterious sniper continued shooting. The drone overhead recorded every shot from both snipers. Yulia continued confirming kills as she advanced to a more secure position. "Um…DSR…there are a lot of them coming now. We need to-"
"Not yet, I can pick off a few stragglers." She replied with determination. She tried to keep pace with the other sniper and the enemy reinforcements. She got a handful of shots out before the enemy had locked onto them. An entire squad began to approach.
"We need to go!" Yulia cried and ran towards DSR. The sniper responded by jumping to one knee. She increased her speed at the cost of accuracy. "DSR!"
"I…can…get more of them!" The roar of her gun drowned out nearly all else. The empty shells bounced off the rock to the rhythm of the gunfire. More bullets struck her. The damage caused a brief lapse in firing, which in turn caused her to take more damage. Yulia moved to grab her but froze.
"DSR, missile incoming!" She tried to grab the sniper, but she wouldn't budge. Yulia dove for cover as the missile slammed into the ground next to DSR 50. Yulia coughed and brushed the dust from her face. A faint whimper came from the direction of her partner. She was sprawled on the ground and crying from the pain. Yulia ran over and draped her over her shoulder. "Geez, you should have listened to me." She looked back towards the approaching enemy and froze. There was a flash of light, an explosion or something, and the approaching enemies were destroyed. Yulia saw some movement on the horizon. A figure stood beyond the range Yulia could identify them. A black speck against a wall of blue. The figure turned and walked out of sight.
The two dolls were repaired and standing at Bryant's desk after the operation. The drone's recording had revealed everything to him. He was quiet and somber for a time. He replayed the scene of the missile's impact for the fifth time during his silence. He took a breath.
"Yulia."
"Y-y-yes?"
"I've spoken with Springfield and Kalina. You are exempt from the ice cream rationing for one week." The doll nodded and tried to conceal her smile. "DSR 50."
"Yes, Commander?"
"Only twenty-six kills. And that's being generous. I'm still not done analyzing the footage."
"Yes, but-"
"But?"
"Um…I mean…may I explain?"
"Of course." Bryant slowly turned to Yulia. "You are dismissed Yulia. Enjoy the rest of your evening." She nodded and ran off to the mess hall without a second look.
Yulia never got a straight answer from Bryant about her excuse, but DSR 50 was given extra training drills for the week on top of the usual duties of an Adjutant.