Chapter 61 - Promise [Part II]

The FOB was bustling with activity. Ursula and Squad Negev had managed to push enough Sangvis out of the region, and soon enough the full assault was in progress. Dozens of commanders and hundreds of dolls had begun their search, including the AR Team. Thanks to the efforts of Squad 404, a Griffin Squad had briefly located ST AR-15. She was heading deeper into Sangvis controlled territory - straight into the heart of Sector 08. The terrain was difficult to navigate. This caused any search efforts to grind to a halt while the commanders met from a safe distance. Bryant sat next to Ursula and too in the sight. He hadn't seen so many red jackets in the same room together for a long time. It was equal parts nostalgic and bitter. Ms Helianthus stood.

"Squad Negev has updated us on the location of the missing Tactical Doll. The AR Team in en-route to support them, as are the combat teams. Commander Ursula will be overseeing the search operation." The room was silent, a few commanders nodding in acceptance. Not that anyone would argue - Ursula had proven herself to be quite capable in a short time. All eyes were on her since the Theater, and now more eyes would be on her. "We don't predict this will be a long operation, so we do not have the time or resources to dedicate to supply lines. Instead, we have cached enough resources here. Commander Bryant and myself will oversee Logistics Operations and keep a clear line of retreat once the objective has been completed. The goal is to retrieve ST AR 15 and then immediately retreat before Sangvis has a chance to react." She displayed the tactical maps and deployment assignments.

Thankfully, Bryant was where he belonged - far away from the combat, protecting the rear of the rear guard. His assigned Dolls were also fit for such a task - low power, mass produced IOP models more suited for customer assistance than combat operations. He was given control over three squads. Both Yulia and USP Compact stood side by side, while the other squad leader approached. She gave a snappy salute and a smile. "Yo! I'm Grizzly, I've been assigned to you for this operation." She was flashier than either of the USP Dolls and more confident. Bryant looked her over before pulling up her specs on his tablet. He gave a low whistle and smirked.

"Welcome aboard…although, it seems like a crime to keep you on logistical support. Did you volunteer or…?"

"Ah yes, Ms Helian thought that you could use some more fire power, so she assigned the Café Squad to you." Bryant raised an eyebrow, but looked again at the team that had been assigned to him. Springfield, rifle class Doll and head of the café. WA2000, rifle class Doll and café trainee. There was a note to avoid eating anything she cooks. Grizzly was the lead, with the Dolls Makarov and Contender providing additional support. All in all, a solid and powerful team despite not being primarily deployed for combat. It made his current team look sad in comparison.

Despite their efforts, Green Team was still underperforming, despite being the highest performing squad under Bryant's direct command. Yulia led the team as efficiently as she could, being backed up by Spectre M4, Galil, L82A1 and AAT-52. They had managed to hold their own in the training simulations. That was enough for him. White Team, on the other hand, struggled a bit. USP Compact wasn't confident in her leadership, and relied significantly on Bryant or Ursula's supervision. Without direct intervention, she froze and couldn't operate. Her team consisted of SKS, Bren Ten, G43 and BM59. But thankfully, they wouldn't be seeing much combat. Or at least…he hoped they wouldn't.

"All personnel, let's begin the briefing." Helianthus said. The dozen or so Commanders working Logistics stood next to their squad leaders. This was the largest gathering of Commanders since the operation to retrieve Skorpion. "Squad Negev and the AR Team will be pressing forward shortly. Once they have made their move, the other squads will advance to cover their flanks and support the search operation. The resupply helicopters for all teams need to be stocked and airborne within one hour. Once the resupply is done, your teams will then deploy around the perimeter of the marked outposts and keep the area secure. You'll be covering our main avenue of retreat, so stay sharp. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am." The reply was unanimous from human and dolls. The intensity and energy did much to mask the uncertainty of such a massive operation. They were stretching themselves thin in order to find one Doll. If anything happened, it could possibly lead to the end of the Griffin & Kryuger PMC. Anxiety, excitement, joy, fear…an intoxicating cocktail of feelings assaulted everyone as they scurried about completing their assigned tasks. Bryant for the most part was under control of his feelings externally, but internally he was a wreck. His Dolls were not composed inside or out.

Yulia was pacing back and forth while USP was playing with her hat in the chopper. Yulia was sporting a gnawed and tattered fingertip, and USP seemed closer to blue screening each second. Her eyes flickered occasionally to signify that her optical systems were recovering from multiple mini-crashes. Neither one seemed to even notice the chaos unfolding around them. Bryant himself was too busy sorting supplies to notice them at first. But it wasn't just the leaders - both their teams were looking anxious. Even the unusually placid L82A1 was trembling slightly in her seat, spilling tea. Bryant adjusted his coat and stepped closer to the Dolls. The others noticed him quickly and nodded or watched quietly. They were waiting for him to do or say something. He playfully knocked Yulia's hat off balance. She scrambled to catch it, and even though she pouted, it didn't do anything to make the mood less depressing. Although it did earn him a few chuckles from some of the other Dolls.

"Alright…talk to me." Bryant said, looking at his team. They all avoided his gaze, absorbed in their own thoughts. A few started to speak, but stopped. The dour mood hadn't changed any. It was clear that no simple distraction would improve the situation. After a few more agonizing seconds of silence, he looked over at USP and raised an eyebrow. The Doll only occasionally met his gaze, opting instead to stare at the ground. She eventually cracked under the pressure of his gaze and spoke. Her words were drawn out and pained, as if it almost hurt her to speak them.

"We won't get a chance to back up our Neural Clouds until the operation is over…but I don't…I don't want..." The other Dolls nodded and mumbled. "Yulia said the Echo System works. But…" she shuddered, "what if it doesn't? What if my memories don't come back? What if I forget…all of you…" small tears started to form in her eyes as she looked down. While she was the only one getting emotional, the other Dolls - including Yulia - were clearly having the same thoughts. These girls were so lifelike, so human, that they had the fear of death in them. It hurt him, like a hundred daggers through his heart. While he would be safe at a distance, they would be fighting out there. Bryant stepped forward and knelt down next to the Doll.

He gently took off her hat and placed a hand on her head, rubbing it and doing his best to comfort her. His words were gentle, his tone soft. "I don't know if everything will be fine…but I don't want to lose any more people I care about. I'll get you out, I'll bring you home. Even if I need to wade through Hell to do it." He smiled and put her hat back on, adjusting it slightly. Her tears hadn't moved, still hanging in her eyes and threatening to spill over at any moment. She took a long breath before looking down again.

"I won't let anything happen to you, alright? I promise, I'll make sure you all come home." She looked up at him. One by one, the Dolls looked at him. His words were downright unfair - he couldn't promise that. They weren't children or animals, his words were condescending at best. And yet, they were words they desperately wanted to hear. Probably more than he did. Despite losing too many friends, too many loved ones, too many special Dolls, Bryant still believed he could save everyone. Yulia finally broke the silence.

"Thank you…Commander. We'll contact you once we land." She stepped inside the helicopter as the blades started spinning. It was getting too loud to stay for long, so Bryant stood and started to walk away. USP grabbed onto his empty sleeve and looked up at him.

"...promise?" She asked weakly, her face betraying every nagging fear and poisoning anxiety. She was clinging to Bryant for support, just as she had at their first meeting. Deep inside, she was still the same desperate A-Doll just looking for a place to call home. Bryant leaned down and smiled warmly, like a father would. When was the last time he had treated anyone so tenderly? The last time he had treated a Doll so tenderly?

"I promise. You can count on that."