A/N: DANGER: The following chapter contains spoilers for the Longitudinal Strain event, as well as the risk of irreversible brain damage.
Proceed at your own peril.
Safehouse Charlie, Berlin Suburbs
The morning sunlight filtered in through the blinds and seeped through the Commander's eyelids, the Commander groaned groggily as he labored to open them. The blinding light only served to exacerbate his throbbing headache as he tried to bring his vision back into focus. His eyes felt as if they were being bored out of his skull, his mouth dry, his throat parched, his stomach felt as if it had been liquified, his neck and back ached immensely from the awkward position he had fallen asleep in. He didn't remember the events of the previous night, but it is clear what had happened - at least he had woken up in a bed with all of his clothes on, and not a dumpster in an alley or a bathtub filled with ice.
"Oh, shit..." The Commander quietly grumbled as he forced himself up, struggling to find his balance as the room continued to spin around him.
It was time for a shower. The Commander stumbled his way to the bathroom, the clinks of empty beer and liquor bottles sounding with every step as he clumsily waded his way through the aftermath.
As he entered the washroom, the sound of running water caught his attention. Someone had left the shower on, not at full power as if someone was using it, but as if someone had just not turned it off all the way. Not really thinking in his state, the Commander pulled the Curtain aside, and locked eyes with M4A1, who sat curled up in the fetal position, a slow stream of cold water ran from the nozzle onto the top of her head as she slowly rocked back and forth. The fact that she was still fully clothed prevented the situation from becoming completely awkward.
"L-T..." The Commander deadpanned, at a loss as to what else to say.
"Never...again..." M4 finally uttered out shakily.
"Yeah...I've been there before..." The Commander remarked sympathetically.
"I feel like I'm going to die..." M4 groaned.
The Commander shook his head. "Dolls can't get alcohol poisoning, so no such luck, I'm afraid."
M4 scoffed quietly.
After a brief period of Silence, the Commander spoke. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to know where everyone else ended up, did you?"
M4 clasped her forehead, letting out a labored grumble as she tried to recall. "Eh...45 and SOP-II were going on about some kind of 'Science Project'...Sixteen dragged off AR-15 to 'test her mettle' or something...Ange and Twelve started screaming something about being 'Sus' after the first couple of rounds, and RO ran in to break them apart...You started yelling something about Sir Griffin, Frank's Frankfurters, and The Illuminati being all connected before you passed out...I don't remember anything after that."
"We're both probably better off for it from the sound of things..." The Commander sighed groggily.
"Yeah..." M4 agreed.
A short silence followed before the Commander finally spoke again. "Are you...going to be okay?"
"I just...need a minute...or twenty...maybe I'll just stay here forever..." M4 groaned, sinking her head into her knees as she continued slowly rocking.
"I'll...leave you to it, then." The Commander slowly slid the curtain shut.
Showering would have to wait. The Commander let out another groggy, gravely grumble as he tried to adjust and fixate his eyes, but everything kept just spinning. He wondered why he kept doing this to himself as he stumbled out of the washroom.
As he entered the living room, the sound of the TV caught the Commander's attention. RO635 sat slumped on the sofa, gripping a coffee mug in both her hands as she stared into the screen, her hair a tangled mess, her eyes half-open. The Commander slowly made his way through the minefield of empty cans and bottles over to her.
"Morning..." The Commander grumbled out.
RO yawned sleepily. "Morning, Commander..."
The Commander's eyes turned to the oppressive light of the TV screen, its content not much more than a hazy blur, but some things did seem familiar...
"Is this one of the new 'Fast' movies?" The Commander asked.
"Mhm..." RO groggily affirmed with a nod.
"Was this the one where O'Connor comes back as a lich and casts the curse of exponential insurance rates?"
"No, this is the next one, where he's found the grail of infinite mileage, but the fuel rewards points he's been earning don't count towards premium, so he's going to blow up an Oil Refinery."
"Oh..." The Commander turned his attention to the mess surrounding him. "We went pretty overboard, didn't we?..."
RO let out a soft groan as she recalled last night's events. "God...between Ange and Twelve having that episode, and then the scene you and M4 caused...Yeah, I'd say so."
"Wait...M4 and I caused a scene?...I don't remember anything from last night..."
RO let out a sigh. "After both of you had downed about a fifth, you started yelling something about the Illuminati, and then M4 suddenly freaked out and started screaming about Space Monkeys and 'The Source'. You then started trying to tear down the walls while yelling something about how 'The Mold is coming'...It took me, Fifteen, and Sixteen to restrain both of you."
"Shit, I got that blasted? That hasn't happened since Liberty..."
RO continued. "Then when you saw the smart appliances in the safehouse, you completely flipped your lid and started screaming about bee stings like you were Nicolas Cage, though you calmed down when SOP-II said she'd take care of it and dragged UMP-45 and that Erma girl off."
"Wait, 'Erma'?" The Commander suddenly interrupted.
"Right, you were already plastered when Lee and Kar came back...The mission was a success, I went ahead and wrote up a report for you, why don't you have some coffee and read over it?"
The Commander let out a relieved exhale. "You're a lifesaver, RO."
Once again wading his way through the debris field, the Commander managed to clumsily trudge his way to the coffee pot. As he was pouring himself a cup, his eyes fell on the toaster on the counter.
Yeah, I could use some toast, that would help with the hangover.
The Commander silently thanked the stars above that they had a toaster here as he pulled out a couple slices of bread. He remembered back in his old life when he wasn't allowed to have so much as a toaster in his barracks room, though after the 'Zongzi Incident' with Type 56, he began to understand why the Commanders were like that.
Making his way over to the toaster, the Commander had to step over SOP-II and UMP-45, who were slumped against the cabinets, though a quiet laugh caught his attention as he did so.
"Hehehe...I'm an evil genius..." SOP-II slurred out, her head still leaned against 45, who appeared to be out cold.
"Do I even want to know?..." The Commander sighed out.
"You wouldn't understand...I'm the genius..." SOP-II groggily proclaimed.
"Well, is your little 'project' going to explode in my face?" The Commander asked.
"Of course not...I am a creator, not a destroyer...I just put...the thing...in the other thing...or the things...I...I'm...tired..." SOP-II slowly drifted back out of consciousness, and within seconds she began snoring loudly.
The Commander hesitantly turned to the toaster. He knew that he probably shouldn't touch it, but...he was hungry, and his hangover wasn't getting any better.
He slowly put the slices of bread into the slots, and rested his hand on the switch, preparing himself to run for cover at a moment's notice.
"How would you like your toast, Commander?" The Toaster suddenly spoke.
"Huh...who- who said that?..." The Commander slowly looked around.
"Down here...Commander." The Toaster spoke again, the voice sounded so familiar to him...
"Is that...the toaster?..." The Commander asked as he looked down towards the appliance.
"I'd rather not be referred to as 'the toaster', but...yes..." The voice sounded again.
The Commander finally placed the owner of the voice. "Wait...Reina?"
"Unfortunately...I should have known that Dier couldn't have gotten a spare body ready that quickly...Now I'm stuck in here with these two..." UMP-9 dejectedly uttered.
"There's...more of you in there?"
"Commander...I wish we could be meeting under less...degrading circumstances...I am Lyudmila, Neo-Soviet Ministry of Defense." A distinctly Russian-accented voice suddenly sounded from the same toaster.
"So this is the fabled Griffin Commander...Listen to me, your friends should have recovered my body from that train, all it needs is a new Neural Core, you can get one of those easily, right?" Yet another voice started speaking.
The Commander was barely processing what was happening before him. "I...what?"
"You like money, right? Of course, I know you do - you're an American! Listen, I have 3.8 ounces of Sardis Gold stashed away, you can have half of it - hell, you can have it all! Just get me out of here!" The voice continued to plead.
"Don't listen to her! That woman is a snake, believe nothing she says!" Lyudmila interjected.
"Lyudmila! How can you throw such stinging accusations after all we've been through? You're breaking my poor heart."
"Forget them, Commander, get me out of here! That Maggie woman has been trying to sell me NFTs all night!" 9 pleaded.
"Could you at least be a darling and pour some tequila in here? I really need something to put a damper on the situation..." Maggie conceded.
"Are you nuts? You'll short circuit us!"9 cried out
"Does it matter? Do any of you really want to remember this?!" Maggie rationalized.
After silently gazing at the trio's bickering, the Commander finally shook his head. "I am not sober enough for this shit..."
With that declaration, the Commander turned and began walking away from the toaster.
"No! Don't leave me like this!" Maggie yelled after.
"See, now look what you've done!" 9 accused.
"Oh, so this is my fault?" Maggie shot back.
"Will you two just shut up?..." Lyudmila grumbled.
Coffee in hand, the Commander continued trudging around the safehouse. "Damn it...where did I leave my Command Tablet?""
The Commander's train of thought was interrupted by a soft-groan from his peripheries, which he quickly identified as ST AR-15. She sat slumped over a nearby table, several empty bottles of Jack cluttered around her and M16, who was snoring peacefully.
"Urgghh...cold table..." STAR groaned out.
"Having fun yet?" The Commander teased.
"Mmmm...shut up..." STAR droned.
"You brought it on yourself trying to outdrink Sixteen, Star. Playing hard-ass doesn't stop you from being a lightweight."
"God...my head...so heavy..."
"Uh-huh." The Commander hummed affirmatively as he watched with amusement as his friend slid her face into the inside of her elbow, groaning and grumbling.
The Commander silently scanned the tabletop and the floor before he finally spoke again. "Hey...you wouldn't have happened to have seen my Command Tablet, would you?"
"Ngh...You were the last person I saw with it...after RO and I dragged M4 away and calmed her down, I came back and saw you screaming into it like you were one of those guys at the stock exchange..." STAR grumbled out.
"Err...I was?" The Commander scratched the back of his neck.
"Yeah...you kept screaming for more of something, and started yelling about 'Rookie numbers' and needing to 'pump those numbers up'."
The Commander felt his stomach drop. He was using his Command Tablet while he was blackout drunk, and didn't remember what he was doing on it...This could be bad.
"That sounds...alarming..." The Commander sighed. "Where the hell could I have put it?"
"I dunno...I need...water..." STAR grunted as she slowly lifted her head off the table, only for a black tablet to slide off the edge, bounce off her lap, and land on the floor.
"Well, that answers that..." The Commander remarked as he scooped the tablet off the floor and hesitantly punched in the PIN to unlock it.
It only took a second for the Commander to see what he had done last night. After his eyes fell on his stock of Dummy Cores, his heart stopped, the tablet fell from his hand and clattered to the floor as he stood silently, staring ahead blankly as if looking into the abyss.
"What have I done..."
KCCO Command Post "Trojan", A few miles from Berlin...
"I am glad we could come to an understanding, Mister Oberstein. I have no doubt in my mind our partnership will be to the ultimate benefit of both our nations."
"As am I, General Carter. We will have to endure much on the road ahead, the cost will be great, but no matter what history may think of us, we will be the savior of our peoples, whether they appreciate it or not."
The two men stood from their seats and firmly shook hands. The secret meeting had concluded, and with it, the alliance of the Neo-Soviet rebels and Paradeus had been finalized. Paradeus's otherworldly technology and KCCO's ranks of loyal, experienced soldiers to wield it would make a force to be reckoned with. Their combined might would be able to bring an entire country's army to its knees, let alone a lowly PMC restricted to pre-war technologies. As far as General Carter and Rudolph Oberstein were concerned, this leg of the race was nearing its conclusion.
Unfortunately for them, they were right...
"Captain, Sarge, anyone?! Can you read me?!" One of the escort's radios suddenly blared.
"What's going on, Corporal?" The Captain responded promptly.
"We've got contact! Lots of them! T-they're...They're just tearing through us! What the- No! Get away from me! Hey! No! AH NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The Corporal's screams gave away to a wave of loud static before the radio went dead.
"Corporal, do you copy, over?!" The Captain cried out as he tried to reestablish communication.
Meanwhile, at the KCCO Command Post outer perimeter.
The transport vehicles rolled up in a flash, skidding to a stop before waves of troops dashed out of them, quickly moving to cover and setting up their firing lanes.
"Let's do it!"
"Let's move, go go go!"
"This is it, people! First Squad dropped out of contact just over that hill, as soon as those sons of bitches poke their heads out, let 'em have it!" The Unit Commander barked out.
Being illegally inside of a foreign nation's borders, there was no armor or artillery support at their disposal, it was a blessing that they had even managed to smuggle their body armor and AN-41s into the country. Nonetheless, the soldiers were confident that they were ready for anything...But nothing could have prepared them for what they were about to face.
The soldiers waited, and waited...it was starting to grow quiet...too quiet.
But then...they heard it...
"IDW DA NYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The shrill scream pulsed through the defensive line, shattering the windows of the vehicles, and cracking the soldiers optics and visors. Some of the less hardened men fell to the ground, screaming and wailing as they covered their ears, some even splattering the inside of their Altyns with a layer of puke.
And then they came spilling over the hill...dozens...hundreds...thousands...
"Fire!" The Commander yelled out.
The defensive line erupted with a raging torrent of rifle fire as the soldiers fired into the mass of cat-eared dolls.
"Come and get it!"
The soldiers hosed the swarm with a stream of accurate fire, machine guns roared as they unleashed their barrage, their barrels glowing red-hot as they burned through their seemingly limitless supply of ammo...But even that wasn't enough to repel the raging tide rushing towards them.
"Stop them!"
"Don't give up!"
"There's too many of them!"
"Shut up and keep firing! Don't hold back!"
It was all hopeless, and it wasn't long before the tide reached their line, like a wave slamming into a sand-castle. The once iron-willed elites began to falter, stumbling backwards as the cat-eared swarm spilled over their defenses. Soldiers screamed as they tripped over each other, the dolls covering them in an instant, silencing their cries for help and mercy before ravenously skittering towards their next prey.
"Damn it, we've lost contact with Second Squad! Grab whoever your can and get your asses on the line!" A KCCO Captain ordered to the mass of soldiers in front of him.
Suddenly, the nearby elevator dinged. Before anyone could so much as grab their weapon, the doors slid open, and a flood of IDWs came spilling out.
"DA NYAAAA!"
"WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?!" The Captain cried out.
One of the soldiers quickly grabbed his weapon and fired into the crowd. "NEVEEEEERRRR!"
The fight didn't last long, one by one the men were torn to shreds.
"Damn it! There's no weakness!" A soldier cried out as he fired into the group of encroaching dolls.
As he peddled backwards, a high pitched cackle suddenly sounded from behind him, which froze his blood solid. The sound of glass shattering vindicated his fears as a mass of hands clambered through the blinds and latched into his shoulders with a vice grip.
"NOO! LET GO OF ME! NOOOO! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" The soldier screamed out as he was pulled out the window and into the horde, his blood curdling screams violently silenced and giving way to the sounds of bones crunching and flesh churning.
Just then, another soldier quickly rushed around the corner, a frag grenade in his hands and ready to go. "TAKE THIS! DIIIIEEEEEEEE!"
The grenadier lobbed the grenade straight into the horde, which detonated in a spectacular fireball and sent doll parts flying every which way. It still wasn't enough to destroy all of them, however. He quickly reached for another grenade on his vest, ripped out the pin, and was just about to throw it when an inhumanly strong hand curled around his wrist and stopped it in its tracks.
"Now my turn, nya~" The dummy's disembodied torso sang out.
The grenadier barely even had time to scream before the explosive detonated in his hand, lining the hallway with his charred remains.
General Carter desperately fiddled with the radio in the room where he and Oberstein had taken shelter, doing his best to drown out the sounds of battle resounding from outside the post. Finally, after a long struggle, he managed to patch himself through to his only hope for salvation.
"General Carter to Captain Ivan, do you read me?!" Carter radioed.
"I read you, General, send traffic." Ivan replied.
"Command Post Trojan is under siege by a sizeable enemy force, too many for my men to handle! I need you to round up all the armor you can and get your ass over here!"
"Sir, my division has taken heavy losses, and even so, Command Post Trojan is across the German Bord-"
"I don't have time for your lip, Captain! I gave you an order!"
"Sir, are you ordering me to move an entire armored division across the German Border?!"
"I don't care what it takes or how you do it! Get your ass to Command Post Trojan yesterday, Captain! On the double!"
"...Affirmative General, I'm en-route."
The fighting continued through the day and through the night. Supplies began to run short, the screams over the comms grew less and less frequent, but the sounds of gunfire did not desist. Morale among the troops was plummeting and was dangerously close to the point of no return. They were fighting against the tide, their only hope for survival was the support Carter had promised would be coming, but as more and more men fell to the onslaught, doubts began to spread amongst the ranks.
Still, Carter held on...He had to believe in his men. He couldn't allow himself to lose hope, because if he did, then who else could the men look to? No, there was no running and no giving up. He had to stand his ground, whatever it took, and make sure there was going to be a KCCO left for Captain Ivan to save.
Still, a long time had passed...but just as it seemed the night would never end...
One of Carter's Officers stormed into the room. "Sir, Captain Ivan is here!"
Dawn had come.
Captain Ivan rushed into the room, panting and heaving as he tried to catch his breath.
"Captain, you made it!" Carter uttered in relief.
"I'm...here...sir..." Ivan panted out.
"Take it easy, son, how much armor made it through?"
"It's...just me, sir." Ivan stated.
"What?!" Carter cried out. "No, it can't be! Where are the Hydras?! Where are the Typhons?! Where are the Sinner Mechs?!"
"You said you didn't care how I did it, you just wanted me over here...Well, I'm here. I don't have the armor, but...I'm here..." Ivan deadpanned.
A raging storm of emotions brewing within Carter had paralyzed him entirely. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak, all he could do was stare...
A loud crash suddenly sounded as plaster rained down from the ceiling. Rudolph yelped he was suddenly and violently pulled up to the ceiling. A blood-curdling scream sounded from above, along with a sound that could be mistaken for that of a blender as the Chancellor's legs kicked and trashed helplessly, a torrent of blood flowing down his shoulders and splattering onto the floor.
Nobody even had time to raise their weapons before the Councilor's body thudded to the floor, the skin on his face and scalp shredded to pieces to the point where the white of his skull was visible.
"Holy shit!" One of the men exclaimed.
Another crash sounded as a pair of hands shot through the wall and grabbed onto one of the soldiers.
"THEY'RE IN THE WALLS! THEY'RE COMIN' OUTTA THE GODDAMNED WALLS!" A soldier shrieked as more Dummies smashed through the walls and spilled onto the soldiers, their weapons firing into the ceiling as they toppled one-by-one.
A hand suddenly smashed through the floor and curled around Carter's ankle.
"Something's got my leg!" Carter shouted out.
Another hand punched a hole through the floor and seized the General's other leg.
"SOMETHING'S GOT MY LEG!" Carter's composure faltered as he cried out for help.
Captain Ivan rushed to the General's side and grabbed him by the wrists in the nick of time as the floor below the General gave way to a horde of cat-eared assailants, tugging relentlessly on his legs in an attempt to pull him into the dark abyss below.
"I've got you General, hold on!" Ivan cried out as his Combat Exoskeleton fired on all cylinders to keep his grip on the General.
Suddenly, Carter screamed out. Ivan presumed it to be a scream of terror, and didn't realize what was happening until it was too late.
It all happened in an instant - the sound of ripping flesh, tearing muscle, and finally the guttural snap of bones. Carter's arms detached from his body, and the General cried out in terror and agony as he was pulled into the abyss below, leaving the Captain staring helplessly at the pair of arms still clinging to his wrists, the stumps gushing with blood that splattered onto the floor beneath him.
The Captain was quickly snapped out of his trance by the sight of the cat-eared dolls suddenly standing up from their victims and fixing their gaze on him. In a flash, the Captain quickly shook the disembodies hands off of him and grabbed his AN-41 from its sling.
"YOU WANT SOME OF THIS?! COME AND GET IT!" Ivan screamed as he began unloading, the deafening roar of his rifle shaking the room. "YOU WANT SOME?! DIE MOTHERFUCKER! COME ON! I'M RIGHT HERE! COME ON!"
The Captain's rifle clicked empty, but he quickly ripped another mag from his pouch, slammed the lip into the mag release to send the old one flying out, and seated the fresh one in the magwell in what looked like a single motion before ripping back the bolt.
"MOTHERFUCKERS! COME AND GET IT! COME AND GET ME!"
Bullets tore through the horde approaching him as well as the peripheries of the room, plaster chunked from the walls and filled the room with a thick cloud of dust, wooden tables splintered apart, shreds of paper were kicked up and sent flying.
"COME ON! COME ON YOU BASTARDS! YEAH, YOU TOO! OH, YOU WANT SOME TOO?! FUCK YOU!"
As his back hit the wall behind him, Ivan immediately realized his mistake...and so did the onslaught of IDWs.
A hand violently punched through the plaster and seized his dominant wrist, slamming it against the wall and causing his gun to clatter to the floor. Ivan struggled desperately to free himself, but another arm quickly burst through and grabbed his other wrist, pinning him to the wall as the horde of IDWs slowly encroached upon him...
"IDW is coming, da nya~!"
Ivan's screams filled the hallways of the Command Post, but nobody was left alive to hear them...
Back at the Commander's safehouse...
The Commander sat on the sofa with his face clasped in his hands, trying to take deep breaths as he massaged his throbbing temples.
"My cores...all of my cores..." The Commander heaved out.
RO gently rubbed the Commander's back as she tried her best to console him. "It'll be okay, Commander...they were just piling up anyways once you finished the last round of Neural Upgrades...I'm sure we won't have any dire need of them any time soon..."
"All those expeditions...all those search parties...all those contracts..."
"Hush...Paradeus is finished, Sangvis Ferri is now one of our subsidiaries, KCCO will crumble soon without Paradeus backing them...It's going to be okay, Commander."
"They were a symbol of how far we've come...Sector 09 was just a backwater scrap heap when I was assigned to it...nobody expected me to succeed...but I did...we did...we scraped up whatever salvage we could, we bargained with those leeches on the black market, we rounded up those abandoned dolls and gave them their lives back...We used to spend weeks saving up the cores just to link a single doll, let alone build up an entire echelon...That pile of cores was a monument to our ascension! Our capability to give each and every doll the capacity to reach their full potential, instead of forcing them to simply 'make do'...It's gone now...It's all gone..."
"Shhh...It'll come back...We'll build up a new heap of dummy-cores we're not using, it'll be just like the old one."
"It's...not...the...saaaame!"
RO let out a resigned sigh and shook her head.
Suddenly, the door behind them was thrown open, and M4 quickly burst into the living room. "We have to move, now!"
His composure coming back in an instant, the Commander quickly sprung back up. "What? What's going on?"
"The Source is here, Commander! We need to get it before it's too late!" M4 continued to yell out.
"What source?! What are you talking about?" The Commander pressed.
"THERE'S NO TIME TO EXPLAIN! EVERYBODY GET UP! WE HAVE TO MOVE, NOW!"
As M4 continued to shout and shriek, the AR Team slowly began to rise. M16 rolled off of the table and hit the ground with a thud as she slowly shambled her way to her feet, SOP-II clambered her way up the fridge, STAR groaned as she rose to her feet while clasping her head, and RO gulped down the rest of her coffee.
As the group rushed for their weapons, the Commander looked around frantically. "Shit, my gun! Where the hell did I put my gun?!"
A succession of knocks in the rhythm of the 'password' suddenly sounded at the front door. Gripping her PDW behind her back, STAR moved to the door and slowly cracked it open. After she had cracked it open, the tension appeared to evaporate from her and she slowly swung the door open, making way for VHS and her team to step inside.
"Good morning, Commander. Team Puzzle awaiting your- hey!"
The Commander suddenly ran up to one of VHS's dummies and tore the rifle right out of its hands, as well as a couple of spare magazines from its pouches. "I'll give it back!"
Not wasting any more time, M4 charged out the front door, the AR Team and the Commander chasing behind her.
Damn it, doing PT with a hangover, I thought I was done with this shit! The Commander thought to himself as he fought to keep up with M4A1. "M4, come on, talk to me, what the hell is going on?!"
"Just trust me, Commander! We have to do this! If we don't - it will all have been for nothing!" M4 huffed out as they ran along the sidestreets towards her destination.
"Fuck's sake, M, you're starting to sound like Sixteen with the 'Not explaining anything'."
"I heard that!" M16 shouted from behind.
"There's no time! You wouldn't understand anyways!" M4 defended.
"Story of my fucking life..." The Commander huffed.
The door to the seemingly vacant office was violently flung open, and M4 stormed inside, training her aimpoint on the dark swivel chair facing away from her, the bright computer monitor in front silhouetting it. "So...we meet at last..."
As the Commander entered the room behind her, he slowly lowered the VHS and raised an eyebrow. "Uh...M4..."
Undeterred, M4 continued. "You thought you were slick hiding right under our nose...but I know what you are, you won't be fooling me...I've seen what you're capable of with my own eyes, the future that you would bring upon this earth...and I'm going to stop it, right here, and right now!"
"M4, for God's sake!" The Commander stepped in front of her as the rest of the AR Team filed into the room, their eyes turning from the Commander and M4 to the Chimpanzee sitting at the desk in front of them, nonchalantly typing away at the keyboard terminal.
"Commander! Get back! You have no idea how dangerous he is!" M4 cried out.
"M4, I don't know what the hell happened at that Starfish Relic, but I need you to calm down and listen to yourself! This is crazy talk!" The Commander tried to reason.
"Commander, I am not joking! I've seen what this thing can do, it is bad news! Now get out of the way!"
"And what will happen if I do?"
"I have to shoot it!"
"No! I'm not going to let you gun down that poor monkey!" The Commander protested.
"Commander! You don't understand! He's behind everything!"
The Commander let out a heavy sigh. "No...I understand perfectly well...RO, restrain her."
"Commander! What are you doing?!" M4 cried out.
"Take it easy, M4, it's for your own good." RO consoled as she slowly took M4 by the wrist and lowered her gun down.
"Whatever happened with that Relic must have scrambled something in your Neural Cloud. I'm going to take you to Persica so she can have a look at you." The Commander declared.
"No! You can't let it end here! Not when we're so close!" M4 continued to protest.
"It's okay, M4. We're going to take you somewhere where the monkey can't hurt you, okay? You're going to meet some new friends who are going to take good care of you while Miss Persica makes it all better." The Commander reassured in an annoyingly condescending tone.
"Damn it! Stop talking to me like I'm crazy!" M4 snapped.
"The Doctor's going to do a check up on you, and then afterwards you'll get ice cream and-"
"I'M NOT CRAZY! YOU'RE CRAZY!" M4 proclaimed.
The Commander sighed and shook his head. "RO, get in touch with Persica and let her know that M4 needs her Neural Cloud examined." He said as he turned to the Chimpanzee who had turned his chair around and was curiously observing the scene. "And after that, contact the Berlin Zoo and see if any Monkeys have escaped, forward the coordinates to them if they say yes."
M4 shot a homicidal glare at the Chimpanzee. "AAAARRRGHH! YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!"
Suddenly, the Chimp started going bananas, shrieking wildly as it hopped in its chair.
The Commander turned back to M4 "See? Look - now you've gone and scared it."
M4 suddenly gasped as she saw the Chimp begin charging up an orb of energy above its palm. "COMMANDER, LOOK OUT!"
In a flash, M4 broke free of RO's hold and threw herself into the Commander, knocking them out of the way just before a ball of fire whizzed over them and slammed into the wall behind them.
And then...darkness.
The morning sunlight filtered in through the blinds and seeped through the Commander's eyelids, the Commander groaned groggily as he labored to open them. The blinding light only served to exacerbate his throbbing headache as he tried to bring his vision back into focus. His eyes felt as if they were being bored out of his skull, his mouth dry, his throat parched, his stomach felt as if it had been liquified, his neck and back ached immensely from the awkward position he had fallen asleep in.
"What...the hell?..." The Commander groaned out as he sat up on the bed, and silently glanced over his body checking himself for injuries.
"Was it all...just a drea-"
A monkey suddenly screamed out, and a fireball blasted through the window and slammed directly into the Commander, detonating in a raging inferno that consumed his entire body and engulfed the room in a sea of flames.
"Commander! Commander! Come on, wake up! You have to wake up!" A familiar voice slowly faded in as the Commander's consciousness returned to him.
"Urrrgghhh..." The Commander groaned out as his vision came back into focus, and he could make out the green-striped doll desperately trying to shake him awake.
"Oh, thank God..." M4 sighed in relief as she quickly helped the Commander up.
"M4...I...what...happened?..." The Commander grunted out.
"There's no time! He's getting away! We have to get him, Commander! He's the one responsible for this...madness!" M4 hurriedly informed before tugging him along into the hallway.
They had made it into the corridor just in time to see the Monkey leap out the window and onto the street below.
"Damn it! We have to hurry, come on!" M4 shouted before taking off running to the stairwell.
The Commander cast all his questions and doubts aside and took after her, sprinting as fast as his legs could carry him, the rest of the AR Team trailing behind.
They reached street level in remarkable time, fast enough to not have lost sight of their target. The Commander remained hot on the Chimp's heels as it bolted across the road and into an alley, car horns blared and tires screeched as drivers swerved and slammed their brakes to avoid hitting them.
As they reached another roadway, bystanders watched in awe at the sight of the Monkey being chased by the Commander and his T-Dolls.
"STOP THAT MONKEY! THE FATE OF THE UNIVERSE DEPENDS ON IT!" The Commander shouted out to any who would listen.
Of course, none of the bystanders intervened, and to make matters worse, the sheer number of them made it too risky to start taking shots at the fleeing Chimp.
The Monkey suddenly turned and fired another fireball at them, seeing the fireball careening straight for his shins, the Commander quickly jumped over it. The fireball flew behind him and slammed into a parked car several meters away and detonating it on impact.
Knowing there was likely to be some shrapnel, the Commander quickly dove to the floor, just in time for the remnants of the driver-side door to fly over his head and slam into the side of a building with enough force to embed itself in it.
Maybe a lot of shrapnel...
The Commander scampered to his feet and continued the chase, he knew he had lost a lot of ground and couldn't afford to let it gain any more.
Bystanders and vendors shrieked as the Monkey rampaged through the small market, swinging through stalls and barging through patrons.
"Security, make way! Stop that monkey!" The Commander yelled out as he ran after it.
The Commander had just made his way through the crowd when he spotted the Monkey charging up another attack. The Commander quickly ducked out of the way, and had a Psi-bolt miss him by inches.
"Ah! What the fuck was that?!" The Commander cried out as his head rang. "That damned Monkey's trying to mind-flay me!"
The crowd exchanged looks and murmers of confusion, but then another Psi-bolt sent them scattering, covering their ears and screaming in panic.
"Aarrghh!" The Commander fell to his knees, covering his ears. "Stop it! Just make it stop!"
"Commander!" M4 finally made her way through the stampede and rushed to the Commander's side.
"Kill it! Stop the madness! Just make it stop! Aaaggghh!" The Commander pleaded.
M4 turned to the Monkey, who was quickly digging behind the dumpster. As the doll raised her weapon, the Monkey quickly pulled out some kind of foreign object.
Unfazed, M4's dot fell on the Chimpanzee, and she promptly squeezed the trigger.
BANG
The next few seconds felt like an eternity. The shell casing clanged to the floor and daintily rolled away, the bullet froze in mid air just a few inches from the Monkey's face...and then, the Chimpanzee began emanating a blue light.
"Oh no...we're too late..." M4 uttered as the Chimp began glowing brighter and brighter, until the light was almost blinding.
And then...
FWOOM
A blinding flash enveloped the corner the Monkey had been trapped in, and when the light subsided, the Chimpanzee, as well as the assortment of clutter and parts of the walls behind it had vanished into thin air.
"No...it...got away..." M4 dejectedly declared as she weakly fell to her knees. "It can't be...we were...so close...to ending it..."
The Commander groaned as he slowly recovered from the psionic assault on his mind, and pushed himself to his feet. "I don't understand...what the hell just happened?..."
M4 exhaled sharply and shook her head. "Later, Commander...right now...just...warn everyone. Neo-Soviet. United Nations. It doesn't matter - what's coming won't discriminate..."
London Green Zone, United Kingdom
WA2000 took a deep breath as she prepared herself to enter Sir Griffin's chamber. So far, her infiltration had been a success, and she had manage to blend in with the rest of the staff without incident...At least until now. This was her first hurdle she had encountered - having to prepare a cup of tea for the Earl. She had done her best to follow the recipe to the letter, no special ingredients, no deviations in the cooking time or wares used, and no shortcuts...But that didn't stop the doubts from creeping in. She had to keep her cover intact, no matter what...
WA slowly pushed the chamber door open to find the Earl in the middle of a call.
"Your appointment to the URNC should be finalized within the week, I've already discussed the matter with the Chancellor." Griffin spoke into the screen that was displaying a portrait of a male silhouette.
"I take it he was agreeable?"
"Oh yes - most certainly. When I mentioned we could put him on the priority list for the ELID vaccine, he was so willing it was almost pathetic."
"On the subject of ELID, the Galatea situation is deteriorating rapidly. The rioting is intensifying to the point where we may not be able to contain it."
"Why contain it? Let it spill over to the schools and churches - let the bodies pile up in the streets. In the end, they will beg us to save them."
"I hope you're not underestimating the problem."
"Our plans have been proceeding smoothly so far, barring some minor setbacks. I will admit that I have been somewhat disappointed in the performance of my agents."
"The tertiary unit should be online soon. It's currently undergoing preparation and should be online within six months. My people will continue to monitor its progress. If necessary the primary and secondary will be terminated."
WA silently walked up to the Earl's side and placed the cup and saucer on his desk, which Griffin promptly took.
"We've had to endure much, you and I, but soon - there will be order again. A new age is upon us, and we shall be crowned its kings."
"Bigger than kings, Sir Griffin...Gods."
The call concluded, and Griffin slowly took a sip of his tea, only for him to suddenly stop in his tracks after the first sip...
Something was...wrong...
Could it have been poison? No, this facility was fitted with the latest and greatest scanners and sensors, all of the staff were searched from top to bottom before they were allowed to enter, nobody could get a vial of any known poison into this place.
No...This wasn't poison, or a virus...this was something worse...much worse...
This tea water had been...microwaved.
WA watched in horror as the Earl fell to his knees and violently heaved all over the floor, his stomach's contents emptying onto the lavish carpet.
"S-Sir Griffin?!" WA cried out.
Before Griffin could speak, another wave of nausea hit him...and another...and another.
WA gasped as the next round of bile came out dark red. "Oh my God!"
Just as it looked like it was over, Griffin hurled again, spraying more blood onto the floor - along with bits of his stomach lining.
Griffin collapsed weakly onto the floor, wailing in agony, his cries growing weaker and weaker as the light began to leave his eyes.
WA stood paralyzed in horror as the Earl slowly stopped moving...and breathing...
After a long, uncomfortable silence, WA slowly looked around indecisively before breaking into a sprint to the nearest window, throwing herself through it and landing herself in the grounds, where she promptly vanished into the greenery and made herself scarce.
Back in Berlin...
One man observed from the shadows of his business as the Commander and the AR Team struggled to recollect themselves after the Monkey pulled his vanishing act. His lips curled into a sinister smile underneath his hotdog suit as he saw his plans coming to fruition before his eyes.
"It is as it was written...everything is in place now." The man spoke into his earpiece.
"Does this mean it is time for us to act?"
"Only through the proper intermediaries. Remember - we do not touch anything directly. We only Influence. Suggest. Insinuate."
"The world must know by now, Frank...what we've done."
"Know what? Only that the long night is over. Our crown may be tarnished - but that will fade in time. The wars? A fever dream. ELID? A horrible nightmare, and like everything else in our history, such things will only be dimly remembered as they wake to the monotony of their normal lives. In the end, all sins are forgiven - even ours."
"What about the Relics? And Zion?"
"Do you really think they're ready for that? After everything we've seen? Everything we've done?"
"No...Not yet..."
"But soon. We have made our own mistakes, became insulated from the world we sought to control. Whatever people may think, the night is far from over...But that will change - this time, we will do it right."
"And what about us? What will become of us?"
"We are the invisible hand. We are the Illuminati. We come before and after. We are forever...and eventually...eventually we will lead them into the day..."
With that declaration, the man in the hotdog suit slowly retreated back into the shadows of his business, the neon-sign above illuminating the dim side-street: Frank's Frankfurters
To be continued(?)