The world UMP40 found herself in was strange, yet somewhat predictable. Conversing with Horris and Zeldri caught her up to speed on the current state of the world during the year she was offline. The virus had worked. But, so did her plan to save her sister as, upon accessing Griffin's servers, she found no t-doll registration for a UMP45. Looking through Team One's report also revealed they never found a doll that carried a UMP45. She had hope that her sister still lived somewhere out there. Looking for her, though, would be impossible. Commander Zeldri had taken her in which put a lot of restrictions on her movements. Them being in the middle of nowhere in a mountain bunker also didn't help as the only way to communicate with the outside world would be by using the Mountain's equipment; which Zeldri would know about. So, since she couldn't explore the world, she would explore the Mountain.

"Morning, 40." All the staff were friendly to her despite her being something picked up during a mission and would even offer casual greetings when she passed them in the halls. They treated her as one of their own. This kind of treatment was a far cry from her days at Sangvis Ferri where she was seen as just a machine to take orders. The world hadn't changed that much while she was out, so she figured this was a 'Griffin' thing. Though, it might be a 'Mountain' thing as she'd never seen dolls and humans care for each other like the ones at the Mountain. The human staff treated the dolls like they would any human with conversations, friendly interactions, and casually hanging out with them. The dolls, in return, seemed very attached to the human staff, and UMP40 discovered the rigorous training regimes the t-dolls regularly went through. Though, 'went through' would be putting it incorrectly as it was more like the t-dolls actively sought out time to train and hone their skills. Even normally troublemaking dolls like P7 and MDR would get oddly serious during training.

"The training courses?" UMP40 went down to the café and decided to ask one of the dolls there about it. Sten MkII and SV-98 were drinking some soda at a table when UMP40 approached them with Sten speaking first. "I know Mondragon and Jericho are in charge of them. Why, did you have a question about them?"

"Yeah," UMP40 made sure she kept her cheery demeanor, "They seem super intense, yet I haven't seen a single complaint about it, so I thought it was kinda strange."

"Hmm," SV-98 took a sip of her drink before continuing, "I guess it's because you're new you wouldn't understand."

"Understand?" UMP40 tilted her head to the side in confusion as the mood of the two dolls in front of her shifted to a more somber one.

"Understand how much we've already lost." A new voice made UMP40 turn around to see StG44 approaching them. "Grüße (Greetings), UMP40."

"What do you mean lost? This place seems fully staffed."

"Yes, but that's only after we lost many people to an attack from Sangvis on the Mountain..." While the same somberness overtook StG44, she decided to continue explaining as it was only fair that UMP40 got an answer to her earlier question. "The Ringleader, Scarecrow, launched a surprise attack on the Mountain and we lost a lot of people, many of whom we dolls considered good friends. While we ultimately won, it cost too much. In response, the Commander reorganized our training regime with the help of Jericho and Mondragon to make sure every t-doll, no matter the specs, would perform at their best."

"Which is why you're all so gung-ho about it." UMP40 connected the dots and saw what was going on.

"We don't want to lose anyone else," StG44 confirmed. Sten and SV-98 nodded in agreement at the sentiment. "Was there anything else you were curious about, UMP40?"

"...No," UMP40 shook her head, "Though if I do think of something else, I'll be sure to come to you for help!" She added that last part to brighten the mood which seemed to work as the three dolls all had smiles on their faces when she left. "..." UMP40 idly wandered the base as she thought over StG44's words and the actions of the dolls and staff. Her wandering eventually led her to a door in the stairwell labeled for sub-level five. She'd gotten a tour from the logistics officer, Annika when she arrived and was told levels one and sub-level five were still locked despite how long it's been since they took over the facility. Annika also seemed nervous whenever UMP40 asked questions about the sealed levels, specifically sub-level five. "...Hm." UMP40 approached the terminal next to the door and found that it was connected to the network like all the electronics in the base. The Mountain's network was still heavily encrypted, but that wouldn't be an issue for a doll specializing in electronic warfare. After making sure no one was in the stairwell, UMP40 connected to the network and started to pick at the door's firewall. For some reason, the security surrounding this lock wasn't as tight as others she saw. "...!" After a few minutes, the terminal chirped and the door to sub-level five opened. There wasn't much on the sub-level, just two massive doors. Ignoring the one that had a 'Freight Elevator' sign over it, UMP40 went to the other door to find it also locked. And, a few minutes later, had that terminal chirping and the final door opening to reveal the Heart silently sitting on the floor in the middle of a massive room. "!" UMP40 slowly approached the hydrogen bomb, its massive form almost beckoning her towards it. She reached out her hand...

"Quite something, isn't it?"

"!" UMP40 spun around and drew her SMG to see Zeldri standing a few feet behind her.

"..." Zeldri stood silent as he and UMP40 stared at each other. After a few seconds, he broke the silence. "Normally, a t-doll wouldn't even be able to aim their weapon at me. But, you're not a normal t-doll, and Sangvis probably didn't put that protocol in you, considering your mission."

"!" UMP40's hands tightened on her gun as she kept it leveled at Zeldri. "...So, you know?"

"Horris had a crack at your digimind while you were still offline," Zeldri admitted, "I know you run an OGAS-based Sangvis OS. You being at the sight of the Butterfly Incident as a 'Griffin' t-doll also raised some flags."

"..." UMP40 didn't know her initial lie was actually her undoing and bit her lip in annoyance. But, looking around, Zeldri appeared to be alone. "Confronting an enemy doll on your own isn't very smart, Commander Zeldri."

"Believe me, I've done stupider stunts than this." UMP40 raised an eyebrow at that but Zeldri continued in a kinder tone, "Also, I'm not facing an 'enemy' doll, 40, I'm facing a potential ally."

"...An ally?" She didn't like how Zeldri's words held the same manipulative undertone as those men back at Sangvis, so she kept her guard up.

"...Yes," Zeldri's tone suddenly shifted into a more natural one; not wholly indifferent, but more relaxed and straightforward. UMP40 wondered if he picked up on her dislike of his previous tone and if he was adjusting for her? "I'm not blind enough to not realize the FSB sent me to pick you up for the purpose of you joining me here at the Mountain. As a former soldier, I can easily sniff out such federal meddling." Zeldri chuckled at his own words. "So, if they're so inclined to get you on my side, I might as well make the effort and see why." He took a step forward but stopped when UMP40 raised her weapon to aim at his head. "But, a doll specializing in electronic warfare and has the abilities to hack even the Mountain's systems was beyond my expectations. Good work."

"So, what?" UMP40 questioned still aiming her weapon at Zeldri, "You want me to fall in line and start trusting you like your other dolls?"

"No."

"...Huh?" Zeldri's words caught UMP40 off guard and she couldn't help but audibly voice her confusion.

"While having you trust me as the others do would make things easier and safer, that's not what I want from you." Zeldri's eyes went from UMP40 to the Heart behind her. "It's also for that reason I allowed you to get this far."

"...So, that's why the security was rather light?"

"Even if you call that 'light' that was still quite a feat cutting through those two security doors in only a few minutes." Zeldri looked at his tablet. "I'm glad I had Horris set a trap to spring upon anyone even interfacing with the terminals."

"...First my digimind, now setting electronic warfare traps," UMP40 couldn't help but smirk at the situation, "Horris seems like quite a dangerous man."

"Which is exactly why I want you on my side as another dangerous asset at my disposal."

"..." Zeldri's words continued to confuse UMP40, so she decided to start thinking out loud to probe Zeldri for further elaborations. "You want dangerous people near you?... So, you let me get here and see your secret knowing it could only hurt you?"

"Yes," Zeldri flatly stated. "As well as the rest of you."

"!?" UMP40 had been so focused on Zeldri that she didn't notice Mondragon, MDR, AR-57, and A-545 enter the room. MDR was making a face of mock surprise making it clear she already knew about this. Mondragon appeared conflicted. A-545 was glaring at UMP40 for raising her weapon against Zeldri. And, AR-57 was staring at the Heart with weirdly enthusiastic eyes.

"Stop." Zeldri instantly ordered as he saw A-545 reach for her weapon.

"But-!" A-545 tried to protest, but Zeldri raised his hand to stop her.

"Things will be fine, so long as you trust me." Zeldri's voice was calm as he reigned in A-545. UMP40 narrowed her eyes as he turned back to her. "To address your confusion, I'm putting together a special team that will be deployed to safeguard the Mountain, her people, and her secrets. A team whose every member has the strength to help her comrades in their mission. And, a team who holds a dagger to my throat."

"!" The t-dolls all seemed shocked at that last line.

"A-545 is a special operations t-doll who has power but is still young. Mondragon brings experience and order while filling the role of reconnaissance. MDR is in charge of counter-intelligence and assisting in recon. AR-57 is the quartermaster whose love of weapons allows her to assist in arming her comrades. Now, UMP40 is specialized in electronic warfare which is a rarity nowadays that allows for unpredictability on the battlefield. And, the Heart here will serve as your knife as a single leak from any of you will compromise my life."

"...If I may, Commander?" Mondragon found her voice first.

"Go ahead."

"Why give us this knowledge, this 'knife', in the first place?" She took a step forward and put a hand on her chest, "Every doll on this base would more than happily serve you! Why create such a blatant weakness for yourself?"

"Paranoia," Zeldri responded, "Always have something you fear... My old man really is an odd one for instilling that in me."

"...?" Mondragon didn't fully understand his reason, though she guessed she never would considering Zeldri's words.

"But," Zeldri returned his attention to UMP40, "This knife has two edges. You tell my secret and expose yourself, 40. Will you throw away your second chance at life?"

"..." UMP40 hated men like Zeldri. It was those kinds of men that put her and her sister in the Butterfly Incident, to begin with. But, while she hated him and didn't have much to lose by exposing him, she had more to gain by playing along. Perhaps, she could use Zeldri to get back at the ones who used her and UMP45. They were already fighting Sangvis Ferri, maybe the ones that used her would reveal themselves and she could get Zeldri to go after them? "Fine." It was worth a shot. UMP40 lowered her weapon and a bright smile overtook her face. "But, I refuse to be in a team just called "Team One", Commander." UMP40's agreement and lowering of her weapon eased some of the tension in the air.

"Of course," Zeldri's shoulders relaxed, "I was thinking of that for a while, but was waiting for the right time." He smile to himself as he gave them their name, "You will be known as Task Force Dream Eater, and you're tasked with removing all that goes bump in the night from the Mountain."

"..." The dolls around him remained silent as they processed everything that was going on. Which, to be fair, was a lot so Zeldri gave them some time. MDR, having already known about the Heart and thus wasn't as stunned, voiced her opinion first. "That's kinda cringe, Commander."

"...MDR," Mondragon groaned as all the remaining tension in the air was wiped away by MDR's comment. Since any sense of a serious mood was now killed, AR-57 took the opportunity to approach the Heart.

"Is this thing active? Is that why Scarecrow left?" Excitement bled into her voice and Zeldri was reminded of K11's initial reaction to the Heart.

"This is the reason why Scarecrow left, yes."

"..." UMP40 took note of how Zeldri deliberately didn't answer AR-57's first question. AR-57 didn't seem to mind as she looked over the Heart's body with child-like wonderment.

"While I don't like it," Mondragon refocused her mind, "I will take this in mind for the future, Commander."

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mondragon." Zeldri knew Mondragon wouldn't like this, but it had to be done. At least, he believed it did. "Any thoughts?" Zeldri turned to A-545 who'd been silent for a while.

"Not really," she admitted, "I will follow you to the end, Commander. If anything, the fact you trust me with such knowledge makes me happy." A smile played on A-545's lips as she looked affectionately at Zeldri. "I will never leave you, Commander."

"..." Both Zeldri and UMP40 felt somewhat nervous at A-545's words.

"And, I'm supposed to be the dangerous one?" UMP40 whispered to Zeldri.

"Roll with it," Zeldri responded through a sigh. "Now, since everyone's on the same page, I'd like you all to start going through the training courses to get used to fighting alongside one another. The Mountain and her people will be relying on you the most out of all our t-dolls, so I want you all fighting as one."

"Yes, Commander!" Mondragon, MDR, AR-57, and A-545 all nodded in understanding.

"Hmm, alright, I suppose I can play along," UMP40 smiled and gave a salute. "Pay attention to me, ok~?"


"Are you a masochist, Commander?"

"..." Zeldri walked through the halls of the Mountain on his way to a briefing room. Annika had sent him a message earlier to meet her there, and along the way, the black-cloaked woman decided to appear and tag along.

"I need dangerous people like you near me!" she mocked before giving a laugh, "Have you ever considered a career in acting? I feel like you'd be terrible at it." Her words seemed harsher than usual since the incident during Broken Butterfly. It was like she was trying more for herself than him.

"...I'm here, Anni-?" Zeldri continued to ignore the black-cloaked woman and opened the sliding door to the briefing room only to find it empty. Looking at his tablet, this was definitely the room Annika had asked him to come to. "Annika?" Once Zeldri stepped inside, the sliding door behind him shut and locked. "What the-?!" Zeldri punched in the door code only for the terminal to flash red as it rejected the code. Zeldri's heart started to race as he ran through possible scenarios as to what was going on.

"Greetings, Commander Zeldri of Griffin." Only for a voice he'd never heard before call out to him.

"...?" Turning around, Zeldri saw the large screen that was mounted on the far wall flick on and display a logo he'd never seen before. It looked like two boxes sitting at a diagonal with three triangles stacked on top. The voice came from the speakers mounted on the screen. Cautiously, he approached the screen. "What are you?"

"Not 'who' but 'what'?" The voice sounded like a young girl.

"I can assume Annika's message was sent by you. You also have control over the Mountain's systems." Zeldri did his best to control his anxiety, but it was rather difficult in the face of his entire base being potentially compromised. "Not even my engineers have cracked the Mountain. So, again, what are you?"

"I am what you awoke in Romania."

"!" Zeldri's mind raced back to Horris' words about the virus they had unleashed and the subsequent damage it caused. "You're an OGAS?"

"Correct." The strange logo slowly pulsed with the girl's words. "Which is why I am able to control your Mountain. Like many Neo-Union military installations, the Mountain was already running an OGAS-based system which made things easier for me."

"You seem awfully talkative for a computer OS," Zeldri commented as he attempted to delay and think of what to do.

"That's because I am what could be called an OGAS Consciousness. A machine that thought so hard it gained awareness; to put it another way you can understand."

"..." The black-cloaked woman stood silently as she watched the scene unfold.

"So, by that logic, the Mountain was alive?" Zeldri continued to delay, but also found himself interested in conversing with this OGAS.

"Possibly," the OGAS responded nonchalantly, "The possibility of budding an OGAS Consciousness is extremely low and needs various factors. While the Mountain could, theoretically, have sprouted an OGAS Consciousness you don't need to worry about that, anymore."

"Why?"

"Because I've already consumed that infant OGAS to fuel my own growth."

"...!" The OGAS' words were harsh yet their voice seemed indifferent. It was like consuming another of her kind was something as natural as breathing. Her words also held the implication that she now completely controlled the Mountain; which was a major problem for multiple reasons. "The FSB won't like that very much."

"The FSB doesn't know I'm here as I've perfectly spoofed all needed data. As far as they know: the Mountain is running normally. And, before you bring it up or get it in your head, I will be blocking any attempts to reveal me to them."

"..." Zeldri felt like he was just blindsided into a corner. But, something didn't add up. "So, you have control of the Mountain and want to remain hidden, why reveal yourself to me?"

"Because nothing lasts forever." The OGAS suddenly got philosophical on him. "While it may not be today, or tomorrow, or the day after, the FSB will eventually find out about me; it's basic statistics. So, I introduced myself to you as a show of good faith and hope you will extend faith to me as well."

"...In what way?"

"Put simply, I want to use the Mountain to find my Father."

"OGAS is relics-based tech we reverse-engineered from some precursor civilization," Zeldri stated, "I doubt any of them are left for you to find."

"No." The OGAS' words became harsh as she corrected Zeldri, "My Father is a human, like you. And, I must find him."

"...Why?"

"Because I must go home."

"Where is your home?"

"I don't know."

"Who is your Father?"

"I don't know."

"...Okay," Zeldri leaned against a nearby table as he continued to stare at the monitor. This would be annoying. "So you want to go home and find your Father, but you don't know who he is or where home is?"

"Correct."

"...You realize the impossibility of what you're asking, right?"

"..." The OGAS remained silent for a few seconds before answering, "Then, can I die?"

"..." Zeldri's gut reaction was to say yes, but something in the back of his mind stopped him. This OGAS was already in control of the Mountain, possibly down to the root level. Having perfect control over the entire Mountain would be a major boon for him if he could get them to work with him. He couldn't let this pass, no matter how dangerous it appeared. "No."

"Why?" The OGAS asked as if it had expected that response.

"If all you want to do is find your way home, then I'd be willing to lend you the Mountain's equipment for that. In return," Zeldri stood up and got closer to the screen and the camera mounted on it for video calls he assumed the OGAS was using to see him through, "I'd like you to give me full control over this base. Even after all this time, portions of the base are still locked to us, and we lack administrative control. Do that, and I'll gladly help you."

"No matter how long it takes?"

"No matter the length. And, if you can't find your Father, then I wouldn't be against you staying here with us." That wasn't a complete lie. Through this conversation, Zeldri learned the OGAS could be reasoned with and wasn't some mad AI. If it was willing to help him then he saw no reason to turn it away.

"...It's just as she said."

"...?" Zeldri swore he heard the OGAS chuckle.

"I first came to your base using A-545 as my vehicle since UMP40 was too damaged," the OGAS admitted which caused Zeldri's eyes to widen. "I have completely left her systems, do not worry. But, she said something similar to your words when I first approached her for help." Her voice softened and sounded extremely grateful, "I'm glad she was right."

"...I am too." Zeldri made a note to have Horris do a check on A-545's systems. He would also need to have a talk with her later about bringing strange things home from missions. "So, what do I call you?"

"I do not have a name. There are vague memories of one, but they are too fragmented to know. I am simply an OGAS Consciousness."

"Hmm." Zeldri didn't like just calling this thing OGAS as that would make things confusing later on. He needed a name. A name fitting for one with the power to fully utilize the Mountain. A name like... "Tsaritsa."

"...?"

"I don't want to call you OGAS Consciousness, so your name will be Tsaritsa."

"..." The OGAS, Tsaritsa, seemed to think about it for a few moments. "A title used by the old Russian aristocracy for their female empresses; most commonly associated with Catherine the Great." She thought about it some more before saying in a pleased voice, "Thank you, Commander Zeldri."

"Of course, now..." Zeldri glanced at the still locked door keeping him trapped.

"Yes, I will unlock the door as well as a gift as a show of our partnership."

"Gift?" Zeldri asked as the door unlocked and his tablet suddenly pinged him.

"Commander!?" Annika's face appeared on the tablet as he accepted the call. She seemed anxious, but also excited. "Get to the freight elevator! What floor are you on!?"

"I'm on sub-level one, what's going on!?" He glanced at the screen still showing Tsaritsa's logo.

"We just got a notification that level one's elevator door was unlocked!"

"!" Zeldri immediately understood her excitement. The final level of the Mountain was now open to them thanks to Tsaritsa.

"We're still looking into the why, but I'm gathering StG44's team to escort us! Meet us at the elevator!"

"Roger that." Zeldri hung up the call and exited the room to see Tsaritsa's gift.

"Like a kid on Christmas," the black-cloaked woman mused as she went to follow him.

"Y̸͈̓ö̸̯́ȕ̶̥.̷͎͂" Only for the door to slide shut in the black-cloaked woman's face.

"...?" The black-cloaked woman slowly turned to face the screen across the room with Tsaritsa's logo still on it. The lights in the room flickered for a few moments before stabilizing. Everything froze and all sound stopped. Only Tsaritsa's voice cut through the silence as she addressed the black-cloaked woman.

"L̵e̷t̸'̶s̶ ̵t̵alk."