"When war is declared, truth is the first casualty."
– Arthur Ponsonby
Falsehood in Wartime (1928)
An Unknown Enemy - Chapter 1: Reality Check
11:15 a.m. (GMT+3)—April 24, 2063—Virtual Training Framework 3.5.8
The bright afternoon sun shone down on a sprawling trainyard located somewhere in East Germany. A massive purification wall loomed in the distance as an expansive array of railroad tracks covered the ground, housing hundreds of railway cars of different shapes and colours. The shrill cry of sirens pierced the air as warning lights flashed on the buildings, urging anyone present to immediately evacuate the premises. Within a sector of the trainyard cordoned off by hazard signs and fencing was a purification plant used to isolate the waste generated by the collapse radiation purification towers. A massive vat sat within it, holding thousands of litres of collapse fluid—enough to cleanse an entire city—waiting to be loaded onto specially insulated railway carriages.
Hidden at the base of the vat under the control terminal and thick piping was a ticking bomb. The red light on the explosive charge blinked ominously as Sangvis Ferri T-dolls rushed to form a defensive perimeter around it, its timer slowly counting down towards detonation. Taking cover behind machinery and alleys surrounding the central chamber, the mass-produced dolls' faces were eerily unfazed by their impending doom.
Suddenly, a small object flew into the Sangvis defenders' sight, causing them to turn their view just in time to be struck by a blinding flash. It didn't take long for their vision modules to recover from the flashbang, but this short instant was all Mace 2-Delta of the Sangvis Ferri Mobile Task Force—also known as "Magic"—needed to unload the contents of a 12-gauge shotgun round into a nearby vespid's chest. The relatively short tan-skinned doll wore a heavy plate carrier with an attached ballistic skirt over a grey hoodie and jeans. Her long dark hair was swept back by a purple headband, preventing it from obscuring the vision from her lush green eyes. Taking cover where the fallen vespid once stood, Magic pumped the forend of her MAG-7 shotgun as the other Sangvis dolls turned to suppress her position. Right on cue, another figure stepped out from a corner with a rifle and instantly placed two bullets into the head of an exposed jaeger.
"Connector dead!" the new doll yelled. The designation "Mace 2-Charlie" was emblazoned on the back of her ballistic vest which she wore over a dark-red fire-retardant jacket. Scarlet hair sat atop her shoulders, fading into pitch black as uneven streaks of red ran up her hair like the tips of a wildfire. Surrounded by this inferno were two vibrant orange eyes, narrowed as they peered through the iron sights of a Mk 18 Mod 0 assault rifle. This doll—nicknamed "Howl"—detached an incendiary grenade from her belt, flinging it behind an electrical transformer. Magic easily shot the vespid that was forced out into the open by the fire. "E-box dead," Magic called as she advanced to another piece of cover, "Howl, check CT!"
"CT's clear," Howl replied as she peered down a passageway leading to the parking lot. "Clear shadow, flashing high!"
Magic sprang out from her cover after another flashbang exploded in the air, killing another Sangvis doll as she approached ever closer to the bomb. Working in perfect unison, the two fought their way to the bomb, now ticking significantly faster than before.
"One left, 10 seconds, stick it!" Howl ordered as Magic crouched before the bomb, removing a defuse kit from her belt. Standing beside Magic with her rifle on her shoulder, Howl darted her eyes around, searching for the remaining Sangvis doll. Suddenly, a bullet flew out from the corner of a railway car, hitting Magic in the side.
"Ahh! Fuck!" Magic yelped in shock as she stumbled to the side.
Howl flipped her body around and let loose a burst of gunfire, ending the firefight. She frantically turned back around to Magic, who was beginning to continue the defusal. With just three seconds left on the timer, it seemed like they were too late. Howl turned her head and squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the explosion.
Three…
Two…
One…
Suddenly, a voice broadcasted over Magic and Howl's radio. "Bomb has been defused, counter-terrorists win."
Howl opened her eyes, realizing that her body was still in one piece. She looked down at Magic, who had collapsed with her back against the vat in relieved exhaustion, a smile appearing on her face.
"Fuck," Magic gasped, "That was close."
"Nah, we totally had that in the bag," Howl grinned, helping Magic back onto her feet. "Too bad we didn't have any smokes left."
"Yeah," Magic agreed as she twisted her torso to inspect her side, the bullet wound having magically disappeared. "I just wish they removed some of the corners on de_rail's B site."
"No kiddin'. But still, how was it?" Howl asked, waving her arm around at her surroundings.
"Not bad," Magic smiled in approval, "Not bad at all!"
"I know, right?" Howl laughed as she manifested a menu screen in front of her out of thin air, "Sharps says this VTF patch could be rolled out as soon as this weekend."
"Jeez, it's about time they fixed the broken-ass tactile processing! I actually felt pain when the bullet hit me!" Magic excitedly replied as she pinched her cheek. VTF was the acronym for the Virtual Training Framework, the combat simulation program used by all of Sangvis Ferri. Many have criticized it for not properly reproducing the "feel" of actual combat, which its development team had been trying to fix for ages. It seemed like they finally made some headway, and one of the developers—Sharps, a member of Scalpel division—was kind enough to give Howl early access to the new patch.
"For real," Howl agreed as she scrolled through the scenario list in her menu. Although the VTF was designed as a training tool, many of the SFMTF girls also messed around on it as a general VR platform. Some of them even created custom "scenarios" such as the video game port Howl and Magic were currently playing.
"You know," Howl began with a smirk on her face, "Fighting isn't the only activity that would benefit from 'enhanced tactile processing.'"
"Yeah, go fuck yourself then," Magic snorted, "I just wanna spawn a soft bed and lie on it for a bit."
"Can I lie on it with you?" Howl teased, throwing Magic an innocent smile.
"Ahem," another voice over the radio interrupted, "Am I… interrupting something here?"
"Oh shit, it's Sharps!" Howl whistled, "Wassup, Sharpie? Wanna join Magic and I in bed?"
"Erm, no thanks," Sharps—aka Scalpel 3-Alpha—replied, "What exactly are you two doing down there?"
"Just testing out the Counter-Strike: Reforged port," Magic answered, "No objectionable content involving a bed involved."
"That's… Good," Sharps said, "Neither of you will be near a bed anytime soon, unfortunately."
"Fortunately," Magic corrected.
"Uh, yeah. Anyway, new mission, I need you two to come back up asap," Sharps continued.
"What a buzzkill," Howl complained, "What blew up this time?"
"A human villager's leg, actually," Sharps stated, "It's pretty urgent, I'll fill you in as you pack your gear, come on."
"Someone's leg?" Magic muttered to Howl as they began preparations to exit neural space, "What the hell, humans?"
"I dunno," Howl replied nonchalantly, yawning. "But something tells me we're in for a hell of a mess."