A/N: I have *no* idea what I'm even doing anymore, lmao.
Grig's eyes suddenly snapped open, the Nyto frantically sat up at the desk she had found herself sitting in and quickly looked at her surroundings as she gasped for breath, only to find herself in what appeared to be some kind of...classroom?
The morning sun shined in through the windows on the side of the room, pink cherry blossoms visible through them, their petals swaying in the wind as their trees slowly discarded them. The room was spacious and dotted with several desks facing a large desk at the end, a large whiteboard on the wall behind it.
As the Nyto regained her bearings, she got a look at her "classmates" - A pinkette, a long haired brunette with a green-stripe on one of her bangs, a one-eyed silver-haired woman whose hair was styled into a braid, a blonde, and a heterochromic woman with black twintails, all of them casted odd looks upon her as she hyperventilated in her seat as she tried to recall how she got here...or what she was even doing...it was as if everything before this moment was blocked off behind some kind of wall that she couldn't mentally traverse.
Shrugging off their classmate's sudden outburst, the group turned their attention back to the front of the classroom, where a black chair behind the front desk was turned towards the whiteboard.
A bell suddenly chimed, signaling the beginning of class, and the chair promptly spun around, revealing a man wearing a black plate carrier with a G&K emblem patch over a white short-sleeve button down shirt and black BDU pants - very odd attire for a teacher...
The man stood from his chair and authoritatively cleared his throat. "Alright class, let's get down to business, you may call me 'Mister Commander', and I will be your homeroom teacher for this semester. I know you have all just gotten back from a long break, no doubt most of you have gone on vacation or spent hundreds of hours getting your soul sucked away by gacha or online competitive multiplayer games that you don't even enjoy playing anymore, so I can understand you all might be a little hazy on the material. In light of that, we're going to kick off the new year with a fun activity...POP EXAM!"
Before Grig could even process the Commander's sudden outburst, she was nailed straight in the face by an exam booklet.
Another booklet flew straight at M16, who saw it coming and immediately moved to catch it, but with her lack of depth perception, the booklet flew past her hand and planted itself on her face.
The Commander launched another booklet at M4A1, who barely managed to catch it, only to immediately start fumbling it and ended up falling backwards in her chair.
ST AR-15's booklet sped towards her like a bullet, but the pinkette managed to skillfully dodge it, only for it to swing around like a boomerang and nail her in straight in the back of the head, sending her face into her desk.
As she saw the booklet speeding towards her, SOP II lurched upwards and caught it in her mouth, snarling viscously.
The final booklet whizzed at RO635, who dexterously caught it her hand...only for it to suddenly jump out of her hands and ram itself against her head repeatedly as she shrieked and frantically covered her head.
"Whoever can pass this exam will graduate! Whoever fails gets launched into the sun!" The Commander declared before theatrically flipping over an hourglass on his desk. "Begin!"
Grig peeled off the booklet from her face to find the AR team already beginning their exam. RO635 sat quietly, diligently filling in her answers. M4A1 on the other hand, dissolved into a nervous wreck as she read over the questions, sweating and trembling as she let out overwhelmed whimpers. M16 gave the booklet a half-hearted once-over, before giving a resigned shrug and laying her head on her desk. SOP-II simply balled up the exam and swallowed it in a single gulp.
ST AR-15 groaned in frustration as she read over the exam, before appearing to come to a sudden epiphany and stood from her seat, triumphantly walking up the Commander's desk.
"Hey, Mister Commander...why don't we work something out?" The doll asked as the Commander turned his attention to her.
"Oh? And what could you possibly be able to offer me, Miss AR-15?" The Commander asked sardonically.
STAR grinned slyly. "I'll fix your car for you."
The Commander chuckled in response. "Well, I'm sorry to say, but my car is working perfectly fine."
"Think so?"
Suddenly, a catalytic convertor was dropped onto the Commander's desk with a heavy thud.
After processing what was happening, the Commander immediately seized the converter. "Well, thanks for returning this to me, but I can handle the installation myself, thank you."
"That's a compelling argument you make, Commander, but there is one critical flaw in your logic - I have a bomb!" STAR retorted as she pulled out a clacker
The Commander sighed and rolled his eyes. "Spike's Tactical Armalite Rifle Fifteen, this is the fifth exam in a row you have attempted to get out of by making a bomb threat."
The Commander then promptly seized the denotator from STAR's hand and callously tossed it in a drawer on his desk, where it bounced off a small mound of identical looking detonators. "That's going to be another minus for misconduct, AR-15, any more, and you'll be spending a day in the gorilla-tiger pit."
As STAR and the Commander had their exchange, Grig took a look at the exam booklet...
Quantum Displacement Engineering Physical Calculus XXV
Question 1: If an F-15 Eagle shoots down 75 enemy fighters in a single battle without rearming, how many sidewinders is it capable of carrying and how would it be capable of storing them? (Seriously, my buddies from Erusea have offered a sizeable bounty to anybody who can give an actionable answer to this question)
Question 2: Refer to the following data on the requisition orders filed with IOP and their fulfillment, and calculate the odds of Griffin actually receiving what they ordered. (Fuck you, Havier)
Question 3: Please draw a detailed blueprint of the "Avernus" super-fortress located in the Northern Germany Black-Zone complete with enemy patrol routes, emplacements, automated defenses, and fortifications. (Bonus points to whoever can draw the most accurate one)
Grig slammed her hands on her desk. "WHAT THE HELL KIND OF TEST IS THIS?!"
The Commander and STAR immediately stopped bickering and turned their attention to the Nyto. "Is there a problem, Miss Grig?"
"THESE QUESTIONS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SUBJECT! THIS SUBJECT ISN'T EVEN A SUBJECT! MY NEURAL CLOUD HAS EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE ON EVERY DOCUMENTED MATHMETICAL FIELD IN HUMAN HISTORY, I CAN TELL YOU JUST MADE THIS UP!" Grig continued.
The Commander's eyes narrowed before he stood from his desk and began encroaching upon the Nyto. "You're in my class! Not the other way around! I know everything! And you...know nothing!"
Grig continued seething in rage. "ARE YOU HIGH?!"
The Commander cackled menacingly. "I am more than high, Grig, I am ASCENDED! I have obtained knowledge...BEYOND YOUR COMPREHENSION! I have walked the shores of Hyperborea! I have seen the face of God! I understand more about this world than any of you ever will! You should be bowing before me, begging me to bestow the knowledge I have obtained onto you! The greatest among humanity would sacrifice their kingdoms and empires to have a chance to have one such as myself as their teacher, and you dare spit in the face of having such an opportunity yourself?!"
Grig's eyes widened and she found herself recoiling at the Commander's outburst and subsequent rant.
The Commander planted his hands on Grig's desk. "Join us, Grig! Relinquish that petulant worm you call 'Father'! Repent for your sins! In return, I shall bestow upon you knowledge and power that most can only dream of obtaining!"
The Nyto found herself breathing heavily as she stepped backwards, a cold sweat forming on her forehead. "G-Get away...Weirdo! GET AWAY FROM MEEEEE!"
Grig suddenly spun towards the door and frantically bolted out of the classroom, sprinting down the hall as fast as she could. There was only a single door visible in the entire corridor - one at the very end of the hall. The Nyto didn't care where it would lead, as long as it would be away from the lunacy encircling her.
After reaching the door, she quickly threw it open and burst inside, and found herself in some kind of computer lab. She turned to the front of the room to find a familiar face - An elegant woman with long silver hair, and a lab-coat over lavish dress-attire stood at a desk at the front of the computer lab, who turned her attention to the new visitor.
"M-Miss Gray?!" Grig stuttered out.
"Grig?...You're early today, and you look like you've seen a ghost." Gray replied.
Grig only stared silently in disbelief at her mentor, who was now suddenly and inexplicably back from the dead. Meanwhile, the AR Team casually walked in behind Grig, idly chattering about how hard that exam was and taking seats at the computer tables.
Gray continued focusing her attention on Grig. "Is something the matter, Grig? If there is something bothering you perhaps after class we could ta-"
Suddenly, the wall behind Gray was violently smashed open, and 'Mister Commander' from the previous class burst through the wall. Before Miss Gray could even react, the Commander delivered a powerful kick to the back of her swivel chair, and sent her zooming straight to the windows, where a small ramp had been precariously placed just before them. Miss Gray screamed as she and her chair hit the jump at high speed, sending her flying straight through the glass.
"AAHH! MISS GRAY!" Grig shrieked as she rushed to the window and saw Gray and her chair rolling down the sidewalk and onto the street.
Grig gasped in terror as she saw Gray's chair roll onto the road, and her panic only intensified as she caught sight of a white Isuzu Box Truck barreling straight towards her. "MISS GRAY LOOK OUT!"
Suddenly, however, a derailed freight train grinded down the road at what seemed like mach speed, plowing through the Isuzu truck and slamming into Gray in an instant before T-boning a fuel-tanker trunk. Flames spewed violently from the fuel tanker as the train continued unabated, careening straight towards a gas station. Grig shrieked in shock and horror as the train slammed into the station and detonated into a thunderous fireball, shaking the earth with a tumultuous rumble and engulfing the wreckage in a raging torrent of fire and smoke.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! MISS GRAY! MISS GRAY!" Grig screamed until her voice went hoarse as she fell to her knees, whimpering and sobbing as she stared at the flaming wreckage.
Meanwhile, the Commander seemed to not even acknowledge these developments. "Miss Gray is out sick today, so I will be your substitute teacher for today. Since I'm your substitute, I will now try to fruitlessly teach today's lesson while all of you pay no attention to me, and I eventually give up and have a mental breakdown."
"Yes! A substitute! Hey guys, I've got Modern Warfare 2 2022 Remastered Reloaded Reimagined Special Anniversary Game of The Quarter Edition Season 10 on my flash drive, let's have a LAN party!" SOP-II gleefully declared.
"SOP-II! Don't install games on the school computers!" RO snapped. "And how did you even put that on a flash drive?! That thing's like five terabytes!"
Before RO could even finish speaking, however, all of the other four members of the AR Team had already installed and booted up the game.
"Why do I even bother?..." RO sighed out and began booting the game up as well.
The Commander continued talking as the Dolls loaded up their match. "Now of course, something like the Department of Defense isn't going to breached by a simple SQL injection, at least, I'd hope not, so for this exercise, we're going to do something a little-"
"Shipment? Again?! Hell no!" STAR groaned.
"There's only five of us, calm your tits...Oh wait, Ahahahaha!" M16 snorted obnoxiously.
"Fuck off!" STAR slammed her fist on the desk. "Alright, you asked for it, bitch! The Tempus Torrent's coming out!"
M16 snickered as she equipped a riot shield and a Lockwood 300.
"Sixteen! You little bitch!" STAR hissed out.
"You use drill-charges, shut up." M16 retorted.
"I drill-charged your mom!"
"We're sisters, ya moron!"
"Ahahaha! Got both of you!" SOP-II gleefully cheered.
"SOP! You noobtubing little-"
"AR-15, come on, we're supposed to be having fun here!" M4 tried to deescalate.
"These two are going to wreck my KDR!" STAR defended.
"NOBODY CARES. ABOUT. YOUR. FREAKING. KDR!" RO snapped.
As this was going on, Grig continued to whimper and sob on her knees, staring blankly at the raging fireball that her mentor and only friend had been ground-zero of.
Meanwhile the Commander had completely given up trying to teach the lesson and was now sitting with his head down at his desk, loudly sobbing into his elbow. "Nobody's paying attention to me! Why oh why does everyone always have to bully the substitute teacher?! Why can't I have just one class where I can feel I provided a fulfilling learning experience?!"
Finally, the sounds of the classroom slowly began fading back in as Grig's shock wore off...and was replaced with raw, unbridled rage. Her hands trembled, her breathing grew ragged and irregular, her heart began pounding against her chest as she slowly began to stand up, her quaking hand finding its way to the hilt of her blade.
"Griffin Commander...I...will...END YOU!" Grig roared out as she spun to face the inside of the class while ripping her blade out of its sheath, only to find the Commander standing behind her wearing a rising-sun headband...and the high-tech vibroblade that was once in her sheath replaced by a giant leek.
The floor under them had been replaced by a giant mat, and all of the chairs and desks had been pushed to corners of the room. The Commander faced off against her in the middle of the room, while the rest of the AR Team encircled them as spectators. The Commander remained silent as he held up what appeared to be a sheathed blade...and then unzipped his katana. The zipper steadily traveled down the length of the blade as the peel parted to reveal a giant banana housed inside of it.
Finally, the Commander spoke. "Extreme snack time! Hajime!"
The Commander quickly began fiercely chowing down on his banana, while Grig stood in total shock.
Suddenly, the feedback noise from a megaphone turning on sounded. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU'RE NOT EVEN EATING, HOW COULD YOU LET HIM GET A HEAD START LIKE THAT?!"
"W-wha-wha?!" Grig stuttered out as she looked back and forth from the heterochromic doll to the Commander, before frantically digging in to her leek.
I won't let him beat me! Don't worry, Gray, I won't let you down! I'll show this human who the superior model is! The Nyto thought to herself as she continued chowing down determinedly.
The Commander was close to finishing his banana now, but the Nyto was catching up rapidly, her newfound determination giving her a resolve to win that the Commander didn't appear to possess. It wasn't long before Grig overtook the Commander's progress and was close to winning.
"Commander, she's too fast! What do we do?!" M4A1 frantically cried out as she watched Grig relentlessly consuming her leek at a rapid pace.
"So I have no choice, then...forgive me, M4...but I have to go all out...I have to use my ultimate power..." The Commander resolved.
"C-Commander?! No! There has to be another way! Please, don't do this! You can't go yet! There's so much we haven't-"
Ignoring M4A1's pleas, the Commander raised his banana over his head and closed his eyes. "SUPER FIST OF POTASSIUM - THE GREAT PEEL!"
"No...COMMANDER! COMMANDER!" M4 shrieked as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.
The Commander began glowing, until he was completely engulfed in a bright light.
Grig's eyes widened at the sight and she paused eating in shock. "Wha-What's happening?!"
"HRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" A scream suddenly sounded from inside the blinding light as she felt an aura of power pulsating from it.
The glowing reached its peak, and suddenly, the peel of the banana whizzed out from the light, flying directly under Grig's feet.
"Wha-Ah! WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Grig screamed as she slipped into the air, her backside plummeting towards the floor.
Defeated?! How could it be?! Grig thought frantically before she slammed against the floor, knocking the innermost out of her as her consciousness faded.
...
.
.
A problem has been detected and your core has been temporarily shut down to prevent damage to your neural cloud. If this is your first time seeing this error message, do not panic, you will regain sight shortly. If problems persist, please contact a Galatea Corp Customer Service Representative...
.
.
.
Energy Levels - Normal
Vitals - Stable
Core Integrity - Satisfactory
Deactivating Stand-By Mode...
Grig's sight returned to her as she regained consciousness, and she quickly sat herself up. She found herself on the rooftop of the school, the late morning sun shined brightly above as the warm spring breeze scattered a wave of falling Sakura petals overhead. In the middle of the rooftop terrace, M4A1 sat on a bench, silently stroking the Griffin Commander's head as he laid in her lap, weakly gazing up at his companion as the rest of the AR team surrounded them.
"M4...did I do it...did I...protect everyone?" The Commander weakly uttered out.
M4 sniffled, holding back the tears as she nodded. "Yes, Commander...you did...you saved us..."
The Commander sighed contently. "I'm glad...You're safe now, M4..."
M4 tearfully shook her head. "I didn't ask for you to do that...to poison yourself with all of that potassium just for me..."
"It had to be done, M4...There was no other way to stop it..."
"I know...but...I don't want to lose you...I wanted to protect you too...I don't want you to leave me alone like this..."
The Commander slowly reached for M4's hand, gripping it weakly. "You won't be alone, M4...I'll still be with you...I will always be with you..."
Tears ran down M4's face as she nodded, letting out another heavy sniffle. "I know..."
The doll closed her eyes and began letting out a series of sobs as the Commander's grip loosened.
"My eyes...feel heavy...I'm going to rest now..." The Commander slowly closed his eyes, and his consciousness began to drift away.
"Commander?..." M4 whimpered out. "Commander...No...Commander!"
M4 leaned over the Commander, cradling him in her arms as she sobbed.
RO slowly walked up to the grieving doll and gently placed her hand on her shoulder. "He's at peace now, M4...His work is finished, now it's up to us...Let's take him to where he belongs, now..."
M4's sobs began to subside as she nodded, and then the AR Team slowly turned to face Grig.
"H-huh? W-what are you looking at me for?!" The Nyto stuttered out as the team of dolls stood from their seats, and slowly began to walk towards her...
"LET ME OUT OF HERE! WHAT DID I EVEN DO TO YOU PEOPLE?!" The Nyto cried out as she pounded on the inside of the door to the Janitor's closet, the door violently shook and bulged, but otherwise refused to budge.
As this was happening, the AR Team gazed upon their handiwork - The Commander had been chained and fastened against the door to the Janitor's closet, completely barring entry and exit from it.
"So that's it then...the Commander will seal this great evil for all of eternity using his very being...He really gave everything he had for us..." RO spoke with melancholic admiration.
"Up until the very end...that dummy just couldn't stop being a hero..." STAR tearfully said.
M4 closed her eyes and exhaled sharply. "Commander...I will never forget you..."
After paying their respects, the AR Team turned and began to walk away as Grig continued to fruitlessly pound against the door, screaming and sobbing.
The Commander suddenly began to slowly open his eyes and let out an intense yawn. "Ahh, that was a nice afternoon siesta...I really shouldn't eat such a big lunch when there's work to be done..."
It didn't take long for the Commander to realize his predicament, as his attempts at moving were met by the feeling of strong resistance and the rattling of chains. "H-hey, what the hell?!"
The Commander looked around frantically as he tried to wrestle himself free to no avail. "Hey! Get me down from here!"
"Let me out!" The Nyto called from behind the door in unanimity.
M4 sighed sentimentally. "He really wasn't lying when he said he would always be with me...It's like I can still hear him even now..."
"COME ON, GUYS! THIS ISN'T FUNNY! GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!" The Commander cried out as the dolls continued to walk away, disappearing down the corridor.
"No no no no! This can't be happening! This can't be how it ends! I don't want to be trapped in this closet with some insane weirdo chained to the door!" Grig cried out from behind the door.
"Hey, you think you've got problems? Try being an insane weirdo chained to the door!" The Commander retorted.
"AAAAAAHHHH! I HATE THIS! I HATE THIS! I HATE THIIIIIIIISSSSSSSS!" Grig shrieked and promptly broke down sobbing.
As Grig sobbed, she soon found herself completely enveloped in darkness, even the floor beneath her seemed to have completely vanished. Just as despair was about to fill her being, however, she found herself rapidly accelerating towards a wall of light. As Grig closed the distance, the light got bigger and bigger until she found herself practically swallowed by it...
The blinding light slowly subsided, and Grig found herself back in front of the Elevator in the Avernus, the Commander and his dolls also in front of her, appearing to shake off feelings of disorientation and confusion.
"What the...Is this...Are we back?" The Commander said, still in a daze.
"...Yeah...I think so..." M4 replied hazily.
"What the hell...was that?..." STAR asked as she clutched her head.
"Hey! Careful! She's still here!" M16 suddenly cried out, leveling her rifle at the Nyto in front of them.
However, Grig only stood silently, her eyes slowly widening as her trembling hands released their grip on her blade, causing it to clatter to the floor.
Grig let out a frightened whimper. "F-Freaks...Get away! GET AWAY FROM ME YOU WEIRDOS!" The Nyto suddenly shrieked out before bolting in the opposite direction, smashing through the door at the end of the corridor and continuing to burst through every wall that blocked her path.
"I'm done! No more! I can't stand this place! These people! I'm getting out of here, I'll be a hibachi chef, or a machinist, I'll even join the circus if I have to! Just keep these weirdos away from me!" The Nyto pleaded to whatever God was listening as she continued to charge straight towards the base's outer wall.
With a loud crash, Grig threw herself straight through the outer wall, plummeting towards the earth and smacking into it with a heavy thud. After groaning in pain, the Nyto frantically scrambled to her feet and continued running, letting out a series of frightened whimpers as she disappeared into the fog.
A chime suddenly sounded behind the AR Team as the elevator finally arrived at the floor, the doors parting invitationally as calm, soothing music casually played inside of it.
"Well...I guess that solves that problem..." The Commander surmised as the group stepped into the elevator. As the group finished stepping inside, the Commander turned to M4. "So, what even was all of that anyways?"
"I...really don't know...I guess I thought something about wishing to teach her the error of her ways, and whatever I tapped into took that and twisted it into...whatever it was we got sucked into." M4 theorized.
"Yeah...that was definitely...something..." STAR said, still trying to process whatever the hell that was.
"Let's just hope we won't have to do that again. Let's find William, take him out, and find us a way out of here..." The Commander refocused.
"Were it so easy..." RO sighed out.
As the doors shut and the elevator began to move, a feeling of uneasiness crept over the Commander. Surprises were to be expected in this line of work, no plan ever survives first contact, one always had to be willing to improvise and adapt in order to overcome the difficulties that would present themselves. The Commander knew all of this, these concepts had all been ingrained into his very being after being hammered into him time and time again throughout his training and his life experiences...but something about this felt different. There were always preparations and precautions that a well trained and well supplied force could take, even against the unexpected, but this time - The Commander truly felt as if anything could happen now...