Chapter 45 - The Party

Security was a breeze. USP watched the first checkpoint: letting in guests, refusing those without a pass. The rich and famous were arrogant. That made their job easier though. Very easy to confirm someone's identity when they repeat their name a thousand times. The second checkpoint inside the Spire Ballroom and the third behind the stage were monitored by Andrew's personnel. Bryant ran the whole circus from the ballroom. It was a solid operation, if a bit posh.

The party was another matter. Bryant never really mingled well with high society.Thankfully, this group of the upper crust were scientists and weapon experts. Bryant at least found some interesting topics to talk about. It made the time bearable as he checked and triple checked the security teams. Bryant kept an eye out for the assassin doll. She would definitely strike now.

"Quarterly check. How are we doing?" Bryant asked.

"Team 2, all clear."

"Team 3, all clear."

"Team 1, all clear." Yulia chimed once she had a moment to breathe. The last of the party goers were arriving now. She hummed to herself as she checked passes, bags, and identification. An older woman in a delicate blue gown approached. She passed her ID to Yulia and the doll paused. 'Specialist Elaine Bryant'. Yulia returned the card with a smile. "You are all checked in, Madam Bryant. You wouldn't happen to be related to a 'Captain Zachary Bryant', would you?" The woman paused for a moment.

"Zachary? Yes, that's a familiar name. How do you know him?" She leaned in close and looked over the doll. Yulia quieted a yelp at the woman's intensity.

"I am a Tactical Doll from Griffin and Kryuger PMC, operating under Commander Bryant. He is here tonight helping an old friend." Not a lie, but probably more information than she should have shared.

"I see. Call him here, please. I'd like to speak with him." Her voice was calm and warm. Yulia was a bit nervous, but she couldn't say no. Yulia stepped out of line and opened a communication channel.

"Commander? A guest wants to speak to you at Checkpoint One."

"Who?"

"Specialist Elaine Bryant, from Svarog Heavy Industries." Bryant sighed. There was an intense quiet. ,

"I'll be out soon." He said. Yulia relayed that to Elaine. She nodded and waited until Bryant arrived. Elaine seemed as anxious as Yulia. When Bryant finally arrived, the two of them locked eyes. "Elaine."

"Zachary." She said with a smile. Yulia looked between them, confused. "I'm glad you're well. Is your work at Griffin going -" her face dropped when she saw his metal fingers. "Good God! What happened to your hand?!" She gently grabbed his hand and rolled up his sleeve. "How far up does it go?! What happened?"

A complex array of emotions flashed on Bryant's face, but he settled for a gentle frown. "Up to the shoulder. I ran into a Sangvis leader and she messed me up."

"Oh, Bryant…"

"It's mostly healed. The doctors say I should be fully adapted to the arm in about a year." Eliane nodded slowly.

"I'm glad. Listen, Bryant…" Elaine leaned in to say something. Before she could, Yulia interrupted.

"Commander, I'm receiving updated orders!" Bryant narrowed his eyes, rage filling his voice.

"From who?" Yulia frowned.

"You." Bryant paled, frozen. His thoughts began racing.

"Send me the order. Communicate with team 1. Ignore all further orders and switch to security mode: fire on any threat."

"I can't reach the other teams. Communications are jammed!" Yulia stifled a cry. Elaine reached towards Yulia.

"Switch to secure channel 8, I'll send you the access code shortly. It's a Svarog wide-range channel." As the two of them worked, Bryant ran in to alert Alexander. His speech had already begun.

"... today, we have come to unveil the results of our research. A grand fusion of doll technology and human determination." He motioned behind him, and a machine stepped out from the shadows.

Unlike other military dolls, this one looked reasonably human, albeit an armored one. It's clean, white armor stood out from the gaudy stage. A brilliant blue visor sat where the face would be. It was eerie. Bryant swore he saw something moving behind the glass.

"Our new doll, the Strelet, is designed to be the ultimate in security and warfare. This will revolutionize the world. One Strelet is worth a dozen military grade dolls. It is my hope that tomorrow we can give you a demonstration of some of the more unique features, such as-" As Bryant reached the stage to get his attention, a streak of silver rushed from backstage.

The doll that had attacked Byrant in his room readied her gun at the stunned Alexander. The Strelet reacted before anyone else, throwing itself at the doll. Just then, the power cut out. Three bright flashes came from her rifle, followed by a flash of blue light. The gunshots sent the room into a panic. When the emergency lights turned on, the doll was gone and the Strelet was standing in front of Alexander. Both were unharmed.

The doors slammed shut and locked. The overhead speakers popped as they prepared to broadcast. "Welcome, murderers, to the monument to man's corruption. Your throne of decadence and greed will now become your tomb." The voice was familiar, but Bryant couldn't place it.

"I am the Ghost of Eden; a reminder of failure. Failure of the machines to protect us, failure of the machines to destroy us, and the failure of man for allowing this to happen." There was a pause. "To any doll receiving this broadcast: kill them all. Happy hunting." The speakers overloaded and released a shower of sparks.

Then the gunfire started. The security dolls that Bryant had commissioned broke into the sealed room and opened fire. Everyone took action. Bryant and Alexander drew their weapons, the guests scattered in every direction, and the Strelet waded through the panicked crowd towards the approaching dolls. A sniper round hit centimeters from Bryant's feet. The Strelet pivoted in a second and fired a single shot. The doll fell.

"Commander, what's left of team one is engaged in the courtyard. The Spire Security machines have also gone berserk. And I'm picking up dozens of SF signals rapidly approaching!" Bryant nodded. Alexander called out to him.

"I'm activating the other units. Thirty seconds!" Impossible. No force could mobilize that quickly. Bryant moved to new cover and began shooting at the T-Dolls that were closing in. Ten Seconds. Twenty. Thirty seconds later, a helicopter passed over the banquet hall towards the courtyard. Bryant stared in awe.

Six teams of Strelets jumped from the helicopter and held the line against the autonomous units and dolls. A shield surrounded each of them, deflecting all gunfire coming their way. In under a minute, they had set up a barricade and established order. The fighting still raged, but the survivors in the banquet hall were safe.

Alexander turned to Bryant. "Commander. Gather your team: we have a job to do."