"We'll be at the Mountain shortly, Commander." The pilot's voice came over the headset Zeldri was wearing as he sat in the Black Hawk.

"Alright. A-545?" Zeldri turned his attention to the t-doll sitting across from him. "Make sure you have everything for when we get off."

"Roger." A-545 gave a nod and did a once-over of all her gear. As she did, though, her ears perked up and she looked out the window with a concerned expression.

"What is it?"

"Gunfire," A-545 responded and scanned the woods below.

"Ah," Zeldri replied nonchalantly as he looked out the window at the forest below, "Looks like they're in the middle of their drills."

"Drills?" Seeing Zeldri be so relaxed eased the tension in A-545, and she took on a more curious expression.

"You'll be running them too, so..." Zeldri said as he started explaining the situation to A-545.


"Echo, clear!" Makarov declared as her team took out the last target in their area.

"Done already?" MAC-10 complained as she reloaded her guns. "There aren't nearly enough targets in this course."

"It's about time and efficiency, MAC-10," Makarov chastised as she took the lead. "And, we're six seconds behind the previous team."

"I'm sorry," MG34 apologized as she was bringing up the rear of the group.

"Don't sweat it," Skorpion slowed down to stick with the MG t-doll. "What our leader isn't saying is that the last group was a bunch of SMGs. So, the fact we're only six seconds behind is pretty good!"

"A secret weapon is never slow!" OTs-12 declared as she marched behind Makarov. "I know exactly where I need to be and will get there when needed."

"Tch," MAC-10 clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"Enough, these courses are long enough without us taking the time to complain."

"Why did they leave Jericho and Mondragon in charge of these, anyway?" Skorpion asked as the team of t-dolls wove through the forest. "Those two are way too uptight to be allowed to design training courses!"

"It's because they're so uptight that they were," Makarov replied. "If we're going to properly defend the Mountain, then we need dolls like them making courses like these."

"..." The other dolls became quiet at the reminder of why Zeldri had instated these new mandatory training regiments. MG34 softly spoke to herself, "...I miss Kate."

"...I do too, MG34," Makarov solemnly responded. Kate was one of the human personnel who was stationed at the outside lot and would always give the logistics teams a warm welcome when they returned. She was also someone who died, gun in hand, defending the Mountain from Scarecrow. Makarov's grip tightened around her pistol as she declared, "Team Five, moving to Foxtrot!"


"But, we t-dolls already have the necessary combat data in our digiminds. Why make them physically run courses?" A-545 asked.

"Because having the knowledge of a subject and using said knowledge are two completely different things." Zeldri watched Makarov's team disappear into the woods as he continued. "You might know that the wind is cold, that gear is heavy, and that plasma burns. But, having the wind whip your face as you're carrying all your equipment while under fire by Sangvis forces?" Zeldri trailed off for a second as his last assignment with the military went through his mind. A gnawing pain crept through his leg. "That's something no amount of simulations can prepare you for. The more they can put into practice, the better prepared we'll be."

"...I see." A-545 internalized Zeldri's logic and would think about it later.

"I'm expecting great things from you, A-545," Zeldri threw in some praise, "The dolls have a scoreboard for their times, so I hope to see your team top it."

"Of course, Commander!" A-545 gave an enthusiastic nod. "I won't let you down."

"Good."

"Though, speaking of..." A-545 finished checking her gear and turned her full attention to Zeldri. "Who is going to be part of my team?"

"I'm still putting that together," Zeldri admitted as he stared out the window. The Black Hawk was landing. "But, I do know one t-doll I'll be pairing with you. You'll be meeting them once we get inside."

"I see." Once the Black Hawk finished landing, Zeldri opened the door and led A-545 across the lot to the Mountain's entrance. The lot was bustling with activity as human staff moved supplies to and fro while t-dolls hurriedly jogged to their next destinations.

"Hey! Commander!" And, waiting for them by the open vehicle door, was Annika standing next to a Tigr. "Have a nice trip to the city?"

"It was, thankfully, quite peaceful."

"That's good. Hmm?" Annika looked to A-545 with a curious expression. "Is she the new doll?"

"Yes, this is A-545; a prototype 16Lab finished working on and we get to be the first ones to deploy her."

"A new prototype!?" Annika got excited at that and offered a hand to the doll. "Welcome to the Mountain, A-545. I look forward to working with you."

"...Likewise." There was an initial hesitation from A-545, but she seemed to brush it aside quickly and gave Annika a firm handshake. Zeldri was relieved that things were already starting off on the right track.

"Is Mondragon around?" Zeldri asked as he climbed into the Tigr.

"I passed her in the bay when I came out to get you." Annika hopped into the driver's seat while A-545 got in the back. "She was going over the recent training results with one of the echelons, I think."

"Good." Zeldri leaned back in his seat as the Tigr made its way through the main tunnel. "How are the dolls doing with that?"

"Everyone's very motivated." Annika had one hand on the wheel and the other lightly tapping away on her tablet which was resting in her lap. "I sent out one of the newer teams to combat a group of Sangvis we detected and they easily dispatched them, so I feel it's already paying off."

"Any complaints?"

"I haven't heard any. Mondragon and Jericho are constantly adjusting the courses, but everyone seems to be handling them just fine."

"That's good." The rest of the short ride was silent until they reached the vehicle bay. Mondragon was currently talking with some AR dolls. Annika parked the Tigr and the three walked over to the sniper doll. As they did, Zeldri could feel the eyes of the dolls and human staff staring at A-545. There were also some hushed whispers going around. Glancing behind him, A-545 didn't seem bothered so he left it alone.

"-we can move the targets further out next time. As for-..." Mondragon noticed the group approach. She turned back to the AR dolls she was talking to and finished her thought quickly. "I'll get things adjusted." The other dolls nodded and went about their business, but not before taking a glance at A-545.

"I don't recognize that one," one said in a hushed voice.

"Yeah, you think they're some new special doll?"

"..." While Zeldri was willing to leave things alone, he didn't want his dolls talking badly so blatantly in front of him. But, as he was about to tell them to stop...

"She looks so cool!" One of the ARs excitedly whispered and gave another glance to A-545. "To think we got a spec ops on our side, now?!"

"Yeah! Let's go tell the others!"

"..." Maybe it was fine to let things be.

"Welcome back, Commander." Mondragon stood at attention and gave a slight bow. "Today as well, there's no disturbance in the base."

"Annika's told me good things, Mondragon. You and Jericho are doing a fine job."

"Of course, Commander." While she still stood stoically, Zeldri caught a faint glint of pride slip across Mondragon's face. "I'm happy to report a noticeable combat efficiency increase of 13% since we implemented the new training regime. With some more adjustments, Jericho and I believe we can get that up to 20% by the end of the month."

"Excellent, see that milestone reached, Mondragon."

"Yes, Commander!" Mondragon gave a salute before turning her attention to A-545. "The new recruit?"

"Yes, this is A-545, and I would like you to take her under your wing."

"...!?" Both Mondragon and A-545 seemed surprised by this.

"I'm building a team of elites that I can deploy on special missions, as well as counter any threats to the Mountain." He turned to A-545 as he knew he would need to calm her concerns about 'giving' her to Mondragon. "While you will be the leader of this new team, A-545, Mondragon has more experience as a leader. She's also someone with a good head on their shoulders, so see what you can learn from her."

"I understand," A-545 remembered what Zeldri said in the helicopter and understood that this was how she could both learn and put into practice her abilities. This was a challenge for her to overcome, and Mondragon would be the judge.

Zeldri turned back towards Mondragon and said, "While I know you're busy with the training courses, Mondragon, I would like you to be a part of this team."

"It would be an honor, Commander!" She gave a salute and her chest puffed out with pride knowing how much Zeldri valued her.

"She's more than capable of the task, but she needs guidance. Don't pull punches with her, Mondragon."

"You won't be disappointed, Commander." Mondragon turned to A-545. "Well then, let's begin the analysis. There are some solo courses I'll have you run through to gauge your abilities before proceeding."

"Of course." A-545 was initially going to object as Mondragon could just look at her stats, but she held her tongue as she realized this was a way to prove herself to her new mentor. Zeldri trusted Mondragon to guide her, so she would believe in her commander and show Mondragon what she could do. The two t-dolls left, leaving Annika and Zeldri alone.

"Do you have the other dolls you want for this new team in mind?" Annika asked as she started walking towards the stairwell.

"I have ideas, but I want to look over some more files before I pick the rest of the team."

"...If I could make a suggestion?" Annika lightly tapped her tablet against her lips as she thought out loud. When Zeldri didn't object, she continued, "While you were out, one of the t-dolls took over the armory, so they might be a good fit?"

"...Took over?" Zeldri physically stopped walking down the stairs as he processed what Annika said.

"Not in a bad way!" Annika quickly clarified as Zeldri looked like he was about to faint. "A lot of the dolls were motivated to do their best ever since the new courses were introduced, and a bunch of them started taking accessories from the armory to improve themselves... But, they wouldn't always take things that were compatible with their guns."

"I thought t-dolls knew everything about their imprinted weapons?" They continued down the stairs and headed to sub-level two where the armory was.

"They do, but excitement can make people easily forget even basic knowledge. So, to alleviate this, AR-57 took it upon themselves to be a 'quartermaster' of sorts. Now, the dolls have to go through her to get accessories. Though, if I'm being honest," Annika gave a nervous chuckle as she continued, "I think she just wants to be near all the weapons as she's kind of a gun nut."

"...A-huh." Zeldri and Annika reached the large bulkhead door that protected the armory. Once the door slid open, Zeldri immediately noticed how organized everything was. Not to say it was a mess before, but the place was immaculate with everything labeled, lockers organized, crates stacked and put away, and spare weapons looking freshly cleaned. There were signs over everything that said 'Don't Touch'. And, sitting at a table with some gun barrels laid out in front of her, was AR-57. She looked up as Zeldri and Annika entered.

"Ah, Commander, you're here." Despite her fierce-looking face, AR-57 spoke casually and had very casual clothing which made her look more like a street punk than a soldier. "Excellent timing. I've got something for you to look at." She held up the gun barrels as Zeldri and Annika approached. "Which barrel's firepower best suits me?"

"..." Zeldri immediately understood Annika's earlier statement. "Left. You don't need a bull barrel, AR-57."

"I don't need it, but we dolls can carry a lot more than humans. The extra weight wouldn't affect my performance, and I could increase my sustained rate of fire." She tapped the gun barrels against the table as she mulled it over in her head. "...But, it would make my deployment cost go up..."

"That won't be an issue if you'll hear me out?"

"...?" AR-57 raised an eyebrow at that.

"I just got back with our newest t-doll, and am forming a special team with them. This team would have access to whatever resources they need." Zeldri picked up the bull barrel AR-57 was considering. "I could use someone on this team that has extensive knowledge on the best gear and accessories to use with each member's firearm for a given mission, and who has full access to the armory." While he trusted Mondragon and A-545 to be able to properly maintain their guns, having AR-57 quickly throw kits together for them would speed up deployment. If he gave her a backpack, she could probably carry extra gear for each member in case a mission goes south.

"...!" AR-57 shot up out of her chair. A chance to use any accessories she wanted and give advice to others? "I would be honored to join, Commander!"

"Glad to hear. Then-"

"DID SOMEONE SAY, SPECIAL TEAM!?" A voice from above them caused everyone to look up. There was an air vent above them that started to jiggle.

"What the-?" As Zeldri spoke, the vent cover came off and MDR fell from the vent and onto the table AR-57 was sitting at earlier. It was a simple wooden table that easily broke as the t-doll came crashing down onto it. MDR was sprawled on the floor, covered in dust, and surrounded by bits of the broken table.

"...Ow..."

"..." Everyone stared at MDR as she slowly picked herself up and got into a sitting position on her knees. "...Why are you in the vents, MDR?"

"That's not important, Commander!" MDR countered and took out her phone. "The other dolls were talking about a rumor that I didn't start! I need the scoop on this special team!"

"..." Zeldri pinched the bridge of his nose, and Annika gave a dejected sigh. "How did you even get in there? And, more importantly, if you just heard about the rumor how did you get here so quickly using the vents?"

Annika stepped forwards and cleared her throat, "Because, Commander, she's currently controlling one of her dummies to speak to us. MDR has been stuffing her dummy links into strategically located air ducts all over the base to capture any information she can get her hands on." Annika sent a glare at MDR that made the doll tense up. "Something she's already, twice now, been told not to do, anymore."

"...Hehehe," MDR gave a nervous chuckle.

"MDR," Zeldri stopped rubbing his temples and looked down at the doll who was still sitting on their knees, "Don't put your dummy links in the vents; we need proper airflow as we're in an underground facility."

"...Did you just call me fat, Commander?"

"No." Zeldri was about ready to end this conversation, but a thought suddenly struck him. "...Your dummy links are all over the base using the air vents, right, MDR?"

"...Yeah?"

"So, I'm guessing you've gotten some juicy gossip and information?" Zeldri played into her personality.

"Of course!" MDR fell for it. "There's no one in this base that knows more than me about what goes on here!"

"Do the vents go all over the base, or just certain levels?"

"Oh, all over! Except for level 01, though." MDR seemed annoyed and scrolled through her phone. "None of the vents go up there, for some reason, so even I don't know what's there, yet."

"So you've been through all the sub-levels?"

"Duh! I need to collect the most valuable of info so I gotta be everywhere."

"Including sub-level five?"

"Well, yea-!" MDR froze as a frigid air surrounded her. She'd forgotten what she discovered when she sent her dummy to that level, but the look on Zeldri's face instantly reminded her. The room's atmosphere became extremely tense. AR-57 was confused at the sudden shift in the mood, and Annika's hands tightened around her tablet and a bead of sweat ran down her forehead.

"Is that so?" Zeldri held a dangerous smile on his face.

"C-...Commander?" MDR was slightly shaking. "You've got a really scary look on your face, you know?"

"That's because I just found the next volunteer for my new team." Zeldri bent down and put a firm hand on MDR's shoulder. His voice was a dagger in her ear. "You wanted the scoop, right?"

"...Hehehe?" MDR gave a concerned laugh as she nodded her head.

"You didn't post about anything in that sub-level, right?"

"N-N-No!" MDR stammered out. "Never posted about it! Never even took a picture of it! Just in my digimind!"

"Good." Zeldri straightened himself up and stopped giving MDR a scary look. "Then I'm glad you're a part of this new team, MDR."

"...Yay?" In truth, Zeldri was actually quite pleased with the fact MDR was on this team. As she'd said herself, MDR was a master at intelligence gathering as well as intelligence manipulation. There had already been more than one instance of a lie she posted on the forums getting taken as truth and causing a ruckus. He could easily use her to manipulate the flow of information both on and off the base. A quick glance at her dossier revealed she had a drone she could use to safely gather information while deployed in combat making her a vital reconnaissance asset for the team.

"...?" AR-57 was extremely confused.

"You'll learn about it, soon enough, AR-57," Zeldri assured her.

"Commander!?" Annika was getting scared, which made both MDR and AR-57 scared.

"Annika." Zeldri's voice was calm, yet firm. "This team is going to be our most lethal weapon. That requires a level of trust and understanding of the stakes from all parties."

"...But..."

"They'll have a lock that prevents the spread of any information. I'm not needlessly risking your life, Annika, but this is necessary."

"...If you say so." Zeldri had proven himself trustworthy multiple times, so Annika was willing to put her faith in him one more time.

"Thank you." He turned to MDR and AR-57. "Mondragon and our newest doll, A-545, are part of your new team. They should be outside running courses, so report there and introduce yourselves to A-545."

"Yes, Commander." AR-57 gave a nod and left the armory.

"O-Of course!" MDR got up, brushed herself off, and quickly followed after AR-57.

"...Now that that's out of the way." Zeldri cracked his neck. "I should head to my office and get to work."

"I'll head to the command room and let you know if anything comes up." Annika gave a bow and took her leave.

Slowly, but surely, Zeldri wove through the concrete hallways of the Mountain up to sub-level one and his office where someone was waiting to greet him, "Hey, you're finally here." AA-12 was sitting at her new desk that was placed next to his own and angled to face him. "I just arrived too."

"..." That was obviously a lie as the stack of reports she'd finished was quite tall. "Glad to see my favorite adjunct didn't quit on me while I was on leave."

"Someone has to take care of this place while you're gone," she said in her usual uninterested tone.

"Right." Zeldri walked over to his desk and sat down. Reports had piled up, so he would probably spend the rest of the next two days going through them. He was reminded how much he hated paperwork. As he reached for his pen, his hand brushed over something crinkly. "...?" Looking over, he saw a sucker was placed next to his pens. Zeldri glanced over to AA-12, who was pretending not to watch out of the corner of her eye. A pleasant smile crossed his face as he took the wrapper off the sucker and put it in his mouth before grabbing his pen and getting to work. It was root beer flavored. The two worked in silence for the next few hours until Zeldri got a ping on his tablet.

"Commander?" Annika's image appeared as Zeldri accepted the call. "You're needed in the command room."

"What's up?" Zeldri got up from his chair, and AA-12 glanced over to listen in.

"We're receiving a priority call for you, Commander." Even over their video call, Zeldri could see Annika squirming uncomfortably. "It's an agent Ivan from the FSB."