Welcome to Chapter Fifteen! Now given a new assignment, Station 794 must assist Griffin HQ in rescuing vz.61 Skorpion, but the mysterious AR Team mentioned in the interrogation continues to linger in Ian's mind.
It's funny how the AR Team is featured on the fic's cover art, but they're just now getting involved in the story.
Anyways, concerning the story, I know I need to divert from canon somehow, but I'm a bit lost on how, so if you have any ideas for me, please PM them to me.
Without further ado, enjoy!
Station 794, Sector 09
Ukraine, Neo-Soviet Union
July 05, 2062
Tactical Doll M1911
"Three missions in one day?! That's a record!"
With the repairs having gone off without a hitch, AK-47 and M1911 had returned to Level 1, initially curious as to why the Commander wasn't in the Bay to welcome them back, only to be called to the Command Room by him.
"Yeah, it is. HQ must really need our help."
The two Dolls took the elevator up to the lobby, then sped down the lobby and through the halls, nearly bumping into Sten in the process, and reaching the Command Room, pulling the door open to see every Doll in the base standing in the room, having been called in in a hurry.
"You're right on time." the Commander said, checking his watch. "Oh, what're you doing here, P38?"
"You called for all Dolls in the base, did you not?" the German HG replied.
"I did, but are you sure you're up to it?"
"Ja. I want to be there for my friends."
"Alrighty, then. Anyways, after combing through all that data, we found what we were looking for, and HQ saw fit to give us a new mission."
He tapped something on the holotable and a map of an eastern region in Sector 09 appeared, showing an old military base populated with heavy Sangvis numbers. A single blue dot sat in the middle of a warehouse, guarded by a multitude of red dots.
"This," he started, pointing at the dot, "is the last known position of vz.61 Skorpion, a Doll who is of great value to Griffin HQ. Two days ago, she fell into Sangvis Ferri's hands thanks to the intel she possesses, and HQ plans to launch a rescue operation as soon as possible. However, this is stopping them."
Another button press swapped the display to a Sangvis recon base near the military base.
"This recon base provides overwatch for the entire region, meaning that Sangvis will know if HQ deploys any troops and Sangvis will likely execute Skorpion before we can save her. Because of this, it has fallen to us to destroy this outpost."
"Sir," M1911 started, raising her hand, "we haven't had time to recharge, and we're low on power, so could you postpone this mission somehow so we can recharge?"
The HG could see the man contemplating this, and soon, he gave a reply.
"I'm gonna start the op when the sun's set, so that should give you a few hours to recharge and me a few hours to come up with a plan. I'll go inform HQ."
Night op? Damn it.
Night-time operations were heavily disliked by the majority of Griffin and Kryuger, due to a lack of visibility and Sangvis' tendency to deploy armored units when the sun fell, but at the very least they would be harder to spot and Sangvis would have to use radar stations to detect intruders. However, they lost all of their night vision equipment when Sangvis attacked the base, and only two HGs, the only Doll class with built-in NVG lenses, were active.
"Wait, Komandir, we don't have any night equipment, so that won't work!" Kalina warned.
"Crap. Then in that case, we could cut an hour off and go in while there's still daylight."
The crowd of Dolls murmured amongst themselves, talking about the decision to postpone the operation and give them time to recharge, and while they did so the Commander sent a text to who M1911 presumed was HQ.
A moment later he sighed in relief and turned the messaging function off on the holotable, facing his Dolls.
"Go get recharged, everyone." he told them, looking at the projected map.
"Yes, sir!"
As the Dolls left the room, M1911 couldn't help but notice how his shoulders slumped slightly or how he yawned, making sure Kalina was unable to see it.
Commander Ian Becker
"Damn it. Kalina, can you get me some more coffee?"
Wordlessly the logistics officer complied, taking the officer's empty coffee cup and refilling it, adding three spoons of sugar and a little bit of liquid creamer to it before she handed it to him.
"Thanks." he said as he accepted the cup, taking a long sip.
"You're welcome." she replied, smiling at him as she pulled her tablet out, checking on their supplies. "So, do you have any ideas we could try out?"
"Maybe. Would it be possible to hijack the base and use it to our advantage?"
"Unfortunately not. Bases like those are set to self destruct if one attempts to hijack them. However, we could rebuild it once the Sector's retaken."
"I suppose so... What about the tried and true 'blow it up with a home-made explosives?'"
"We could definitely do that, but the main problem is getting there."
Kalina pointed to the map again, showing him the large number of enemy units guarding the place.
"In that case, we'll just attack one of their heleports. They'll send units to investigate, then we sneak in, plant the bombs in the base and get out." Ian cooly replied, pointing at a nearby red helipad node. "Only problems would be whatever nasty surprises they've got in there, and if they actually send troops from the base."
"Yeah. Maybe we could request Dummies from HQ to use if things go south."
Without a word Ian pulled up the holotable's comms and put in a call to Helian.
"Hello there, Commander." she said once her hologram materialized.
"Hey there. Uh, is it possible for you to send us Dummies for some of our Dolls?" he asked.
"I've already sent you some for your main Dolls. Although, you should know that you'll be using more resouces by using Dummy Links, particularly ammo."
"It's not like I plan on deploying them in every fight, but if my plan for destroying the recon base doesn't work, then those Dummy Links will come in handy. Speaking of, you think it's a good idea to wait 'till sundown?"
"I suppose so. We can still detect her signal in that hangar, so you have the time to recharge your Dolls and wait for a resupply."
"That's good to hear." the dark-haired man said, exhaling in relief.
"I'd also use this time to get some sleep, Commander." Helian added, crossing her arms. "You might not feel tired, but you've had a rather long day, and I'd prefer that you don't fail due to fatigue."
"I'm thankful for your concern, but I'm fine."
"Only because of that coffee you're undoubtedly drinking. Just take an hour to rest, and you can have Kalina wake you up when it's up."
The look both women gave him told him that they weren't gonna change their minds.
"Alright, I guess I'm gonna go get a little shut-eye." he sighed, turning around and leaving the Command Room. "Just remember to wake me up in an hour."
"Yes, sir."
The ex-soldier slept surprisingly well, given that most of his nights were plagued by nightmares for the last fourteen years, although Kalina had to be watching him through the door so he didn't fake going to sleep.
Still, he was a pretty heavy sleeper, so when it came time to wake him up, he had slept through a lot of the things Kalina tried to awaken him. And in the end, it took Kalina loading a blank into a pistol and firing it, waking him up but nearly catching a bullet in response.
"Do not do that again!" he yelled as he holstered his handgun.
"Sorry. You're a much heavier sleeper than the old Commander was." the ginger sheepishly replied, holstering her own pistol.
"Are the Dolls ready?" Ian asked as he put his beret back on and stood up.
"Yes, sir. Miss AK can't wait, and Miss Sten wants to save Skorpion as quickly as possible." Kalina told him, walking out of his bedroom. "Also, the Dummies got here a few minutes ago, and on top of that, HQ's given us two helicopters."
Helicopters? She's not, joking, right?
"Wait, seriously?"
The look on her face told him exactly what he was hoping to hear.
"Yup! Helian said we'd need them so we could get around faster."
"What are they? Model-wise, anyways."
"UH-60 Blackhawks."
"Sweet! Wake the Dolls up and tell them it's time to go! They're gonna love this!"
Tactical Doll M1911
After getting awakened, gathering their gear, and being briefed, Echelons One and Two left the building and headed to the garages, only to find two Blackhawk helicopters on the helipad along with large fuel canisters, their tails marked with Griffin's shield and their doors open and waiting for them.
"Whoa, helicopters?!" M1911 asked, her eyes wide as she looked at the aerial vehicles.
"HQ let us have them." the Commander explained when he saw M1911's inquisitive expression. "Cool, right? Anyways, be careful out there. There may still be daylight, but I wouldn't put it past Sangvis to go ahead and deploy armored units."
"Understood, sir."
"And remember what's at stake. Those files you pulled had a video of Skorpion getting tortured by Sangvis, so I don't know how long she'll last."
"Oh, god!" Sten yelled, shocked by the news. "We have to help her!"
"And we will, but your window's closing, so you better get on."
"Come on, ladies!" M1911 yelled, running to the helipad and up to the left helicopter, her team close behind. Thanks to the extra energy in their Cores, they got to their choppers rather quickly, excited that they wouldn't have to risk running into IEDs or other traps like they did in the Humvees.
"Alright, get yourselves strapped in and enjoy the ride." the unnamed pilot for Echelon One's Blackhawk, a man with a buzzcut in a grey Griffin uniform told them, starting the bird up.
"You heard the man, settle down!" AK-47 yelled, causing the SMGs and FN-49 to settle down. Through the Zener Network, the HG could hear G36 ordering IDW to calm herself, as well as reassuring P38 that they wouldn't get killed.
Without further ado, the Blackhawks' propellers cane to life and lifted their owners from the ground, giving M1911 a good view of her Commander as he waved them goodbye, the setting sun shining on him and the base behind him as they rose higher and higher into the sky.
The helicopter ride took about half the time a trip in the Humvee would have taken, allowing the Dolls to reach the combat zone even while the sun still shone.
"Alright, here's the plan: Echelon Two is going to attack the local Sangvis heliport and cause the base to send units to check it out. Echelon One, your job is to enter the base, plant the charges you've got, and destroy the base. However, Echelon Two should not attack the base until Echelon One gets to the base, so they have the most time possible to get it done. When you destroy the base, I'll contact HQ and they'll send in the cavalry for Skorpion. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!" chorused throughout both Blackhawks.
"Good. Good luck and godspeed."
As the comms were deactivated and they continued to ride the choppers, M1911 was reminded of the day the Commander left Kirov and went to the academy, simultaneously glad to leave the past behind yet fearful that his old friends would call him a traitor for joining a Russian PMC.
"Is something wrong?"
"I'm just worried that I might be betraying the US by working with Griffin. I know this was the best way to avoid being hunted, but I just feel guilt about not finding a way back home."
"What you will accomplish at Griffin will benefit the world as a whole, not just the Neo-Soviet Union. If anything, I think your old unit might be proud of you for moving on past the war. God knows the Russians need to do the same. Anyways, you ought to leave the past behind and look to the future. If you don't, then it's going to hold you back. Okay?"
Now that she thought about it, the last two months hsd certainly changed Ian Becker. She knew for a fact that he still had doubts and insecurities about his choice, but concerning the guy who once had a gun to her head now had a fond expression on his face every time he looked at her, he was certainly not the same man he was back in May.
She certainly approved of the change.
"Hello, Earth to M1911..."
Her happy thoughts were interrupted by AK-47 snapping her gloved fingers in her face.
"What is it, AK?" she asked, groaning as her little bubble of happiness was burst.
"We're here." the AR explained curtly, picking her rifle up and exiting the Blackhawk.
Following suit, the HG was rather pleased to find that they were able to land pretty close to the recon base, the radar dish-covered structure looming in the distance and easily visible, even as the setting sun shone directly into her optics and cast the woodlands in a beautiful amber light.
"We've reached the enemy heliport." Springfield reported over Zener. "Once you reach the base, tell us, and we'll take the heleport for ourselves."
"Got it. We'll be there soon." she replied, then turned to her team. "Alright, ladies, let's go!"
"Yes, ma'am!" the other Dolls replied as their leader took off for the recon base, the taller grass of the region doing little to impede them.
Tactical Doll G36
After swatting IDW for being too loud for the fifth time, G36 peered through her optics and aimed at the small, grey heliport from behind a tall tree, noting how many enemies were stationed at it.
Four Rippers, six Prowlers, and four Scouts. Of course, that could change in an instant.
"At least it isn't full of enemies like the last mission." FNC said quietly, crouched beside P38. "Goodness, that was scary."
"Speaking of, I heard that you held your ground." the maid told her. "Usually, FNCs tend to run off and leave their Echelons to the wolves."
"Well, you guys saved me from those bandits, so I couldn't just run off."
"Quiet, or they'll notice us." Springfield ordered, shutting them up and encouraging G36 to keep scouting the helipad.
At least IDW hadn't opened her mouth again.
Tactical Doll M1911
"Commander, we're almost at the recon base."
Hiding in a pair of thick bushes, M1911 waited for an enemy patrol to pass by, the two Rippers in it accompanied by four Prowlers. Her team was hidden in a similar manner, simply waiting for the patrol to pass by, as the original plan would be scrapped if they got seen before reaching the base.
Although they now had one Dummy each, they didn't plan on losing them so soon.
"Good. You know what to do, right?"
"Signal Echelon Two so they attack and capture the enemy heliport, then sneak into the base when it sends its troops out and plant the charges." she repeated the general synopsis of his plan to him. "You told us, remember?"
"Right. Oh, be advised, there's two more patrols between you and the base, so I'm marking them for you to see."
Soon, in the near distance, two sets of Sangvis Dolls obtained red arrows over their head as they were tagged.
"Understood, M1911 out."
As the feed was cut, M1911 emerged from the bushes, slipping past the ememy patrol before they looked back at them and into a bit of trees, hidden from view once more.
Crouched low, she and her Echelon crept through the woodlands with ease, and soon, the marked Sangvis Dolls came into view, forcing the Griffin Dolls to go prone or hide behind trees, using the tall grass and trees to their advantage.
Unlike the last patrol, this one had Vespids instead of Rippers, and were supported by Scouts instead of Prowlers. They stayed a good distance away from the woods, but with the Vespids casting glances towards them they couldn't move without being spotted.
Behind her she sensed MP5's nervousness, the grip on the small SMG's gun tightening as the patrol passed by. Similarly Sten was also nervous, but to her credit she wasn't shaking badly, instead holding an incendiary grenade in her hand and looking up at the enemy Dolls from her spot behind a tree, as if the Brit expected the Sangvis units to check the grass.
However, the Sangvis left without further notice, continuing on their path and causing M1911 to exhale in relief.
"Alright, let's go." she told her team, standing up when she was absolutely sure no Sangvis were looking her way- and noticing a very disconcerting fact.
Shit, it's almost dark out.
Commander Ian Becker
Watching as Echelon One's dots passed through a small forest and neared the target, Ian drummed his fingers on the grey metal of the holotable, noting that it was almost sundown, which was worrying to say the least, mostly due to the Echelons not having NVGs except for the HGs, and the armored units that came out at night.
Colored tan with a more industrial and often inhuman appearance, these units had tough armor that stopped everything but heavy ordnance and high-caliber/armor-piercing rounds, and usually had tougher weapons than the typical Sangvis. Thanks to these traits, they were highly infamous and academy simulations involving them were dreaded by the initiates.
At least it'd be a half moon that night, so there wouldn't be complete darkness once the sun faded.
"1911, are you there yet? It's almost dark." he asked through the comms.
"Affirmitive. We're about to give the signal to Springfield's team now." the Echelon leader replied.
"Good. You know what to do."
Turning the comms off, he sighed as he tried to keep his attention on Echelon One's dots, but his mind soon fell to the recovered video feed, and one part in particular.
"The AR Team is a cold, highly efficient team of elite T-Dolls, and in the grand scheme of things, you are nothing more than disposable goods to them."
"No... that's not true! I won't believe your lies, SF trash! M4A1 is my companion!"
Ever since he heard those words, he couldn't help but think about this AR Team, and while he didn't suffer any nightmares when he took his little nap, he instead dreamed of this AR Team.
One thing he often thought about was what the team was made up of. Skorpion mentioned an M4A1 Doll, so was it possible that the "AR" in AR Team meant ArmaLite, and it was made up of M16-family rifle Dolls? On top of that, why would Sangvis Ferri want a Griffin Doll so badly if they were technologically superior in every way?
And of course, given what the twin-tailed Sangvis said, Ian's first thought of the team were cold-hearted professionals who only followed orders and didn't care about other Griffin Dolls, but considering Skorpion's reply, it was also possible that they, or at least that M4A1, were actualy kind-hearted, but their status as a special ops team prevented them from being able to help out normal Griffin units.
Curse the red tape for keeping him from knowing, he decided.
Suddenly, the door opened and Kalina stepped in, carrying a cup of coffee in her left hand.
"Here's your coffee, Commander." she said, giving him the cup, which he accepted without a word, taking a long sip of it.
Noticing his silence, the ginger cautiously poked his shoulder, the thick fabric of his work coat stifling the feeling but causing him to jolt all the same.
"Oi..."
"Is something on your mind, sir?"
"No, there isn't." he replied curtly, looking back at the map. However, Kalina wasn't convinced.
"I know that look, so don't try to lie to me." she told him sternly, causing him to yield.
"Fine. Ever since we watched that damned feed, my mind's stuck on that AR Team Sangvis mentioned, and I can't stop thinking of that. It doesn't help that I don't have the clearance to know about them. Hell, I think it's bad enough that I heard about them in the first place."
"Oh. In that case, it's best to not worry about that right now. You might get the clearance later, but right now, just focus on what's at hand, like that base Echelon One just reached."
The ginger pointed at the map, and Ian turned around to see Echelon One's dots right next to the recon base's red perimeter, sighing in relief as there was still some daylight outside, even if it was a small amount.
"Alright, Springy, go ahead and hit that heliport." he heard M1911's voice on their comms channel.
"That's good, because IDW can't keep quiet any longer." the Rifle replied.
"Explain to me why we adopted an IDW."
M1911's comment fell on deaf ears as Echelon Two carried their part of the plan out, and soon, the heliport node turned blue.
"Commander, we've secured the heliport and are awaiting new orders." Springfield reported, evidently pleased with herself.
"That was fast. Hopefully the recon base goes just as quickly."
Tactical Doll Springfield, a minute earlier...
"Alright, Springy, go ahead and hit that heliport."
Springfield sighed in relief as she looked at her team, where G36 had her hand clamped firmly over IDW's mouth, with FNC keeping watch in her place. By the looks of it, IDW had been struggling for a solid few minutes and looked like she would just snap and start yapping, which would result in Echelon Two being filled with plasma and Echelon One being forced to hit the base directly, which would result in a lot of casualties on both ends.
"That's good, because IDW can't keep quiet any longer."
"Explain to me why we adopted an IDW."
At her murmured order G36 let go of IDW at once, getting into position for the ambush instead with her rifle trained on a Ripper. FNC did likewise, letting go of her chocolate bar so it hung from her mouth as she aimed at a second Ripper.
Going with the flow, Springfield lined up a shot that would not only kill one, but two Rippers, with a single shot. After a moment of silence, in which P38 and IDW selected targets, she gave a single order over the Zener Network.
"Fire."
Their shots were fired in unison, and the four Rippers fell like marionettes with their strings cut, leaving the machines to try and find them, as the Griffin Dolls had already moved from their spots, firing on the drones a moment later (or pouncing on them and ripping their power units out in IDW's case.) As the Scouts flew out of Springfield's line of sight they instead ended up in P38's sights, and after M1895's death, the German wasn't feeling too merciful.
A round to each drone's optics took them down instantly.
"Commander, we've secured the heliport and are awaiting new orders." the Rifle reported, looking upon the carnage Echelon Two inflicted on Sangvis.
"That was fast." said Commander commented with a chuckle. "Hopefully the recon base goes just as fast."
"Speaking of, has Sangvis sent troops here yet? Last I recall, they have very superb monitoring capabilities, so they should know they've lost units by now."
After a few moments in which IDW punted a Scout's scrapped chassis across the helipad, he responded.
"They have, so- shit, they sent armored units."
"It's fine. I came prepared." Springfield told him, loading her FMJ rounds into her rifle.
"Good. Be careful, anyways. Commander out."
As the feed went dead, she faced her team and relayed the news to them.
"Verdammt." G36 simply swore.
"How are we gonna deal with armored units, nya?" IDW asked worriedly.
"Oh, no! I loaded hollow-points!" P38 yelped, checking her mag just to be sure.
"You did load AP rounds, right?" FNC asked.
Nodding, the Rifle pulled the bolt of her weapon back to show her the bullet she loaded.
"So... we keep them busy and you shoot them?"
"Sounds about right, FNC." Springfield told her, looking to the treeline and noticing dark silhouettes emerging from it, their tan armor, electric batons, and shields faintly visible in the dim sunlight.
"Get ready, they're here."
Tactical Doll M1911
With the heavy hitters in the recon base now absent, it was child's play for Echelon One to eliminate the remaining units, and now all that remained was destroying the base itself.
Pulling her explosives out, M1911 passed by a pair of dead Vespids and entered the dark-interiored base, activating her night vision lenses and bringing Sten with her, as she figured that she should get the honor of enabling Griffin HQ to save her friend.
It was a decent bit larger than the Command Posts she had destroyed in the last few missions and had multiple hallways and rooms, which made it a little harder to find the power generator for the radars or the command module, the dim red lighting being the only light source in the building. Even with her night vision lighting everything up she was having trouble finding her objective. But at the very least, they didn't have to find those things, and they just had to plant the charges and destroy the building.
"AAAAAHH-ARGH!" a feminine yell punctured the silence, followed by a sickening crashing sound.
Looking behind her, M1911 gasped as she saw Sten, who had been used to put a massive hole in the wall.
"Sten!" she yelled, running to the Brit.
"No, just- watch out!"
The HG barely had time to dodge the electric baton that nearly fried her, taking a look at the hostile contact that attacked her and Sten.
Standing at seven feet tall, it was tall and bulky, clad in what looked to be a full suit of tan armor plating with three red lights on its helmet as its "left eye" and a yellow-lit slit as its right eye, the left one's light turned off. It carried a tan shield and held a long electric baton in its right hand, with obviously mechanical joints in its arms, legs, and fingers.
Thanks to her experience, it was actually pretty hard to make M1911 lose he composure, but when her subordinate got sent flying into a wall by a tall, heavily armored war machine in an enclosed space like this one, she was, for the first time in four years, scared shitless.
"AK, they've left an Aegis behind and Sten's stuck in a wall!" M1911 yelled in a rare state of panic over Zener, dodging said Aegis' foot as it lashed out at her.
"Shit, we're on our way! Hang in there!"
Rolling away from the Aegis, she drew her pistols and fired at its joints, trying to both immobilize it and keep its attention onto her until her team got into the base and found them. A task that was a bit harder than she thought, given that even its unprotected joints were bullet resistant. However, she certainly grabbed its attention, and let out a pained yell when the Sangvis' foot connected with her midsection, sending her flying across the hall like Sten-- and directly into AK-47.
"Argh!"
"Blyat, watch where you're- 1911?!" the blonde Russian yelled, pushing the HG-turned-projectile off of her. "You okay?!"
"I'm fine, just get Sten!" she replied, getting to her feet.
"Right. Rookie, you brought armor-piercing rounds, right?!"
The shy Rifle nodded, making sure she had loaded them.
"Then put that *podonok down! MP5, with me!"
"Jawhol!"
MP5 ran past M1911 and FN-49 ao fast she looked to be a blur, dodging the Aegis' baton and reaching Sten, grabbing her leg and pulling on it while the Belgian fired at the enemy Doll's head, busting its left optic and exposing its "brains" with two shots- before its baton lashed out, hit FN-49 in the torso, and sent electricity coursing through her body, to M1911's horror.
"AAAAAHHH!" she screamed in agony, nearly shorting out on the spot before her atfacked slammed its shield into her, causing M1911 to dodge the flying Rifle, and in a moment of desperation, raise her pistols and fire at its damaged head.
Each round fired lit up the hallway and struck the Aegis' head, and with every impact the armor was worn away bit-by-bit by the FMJ .45 ACP rounds the blonde was using, but despite that, it had no effect on the ironclad defense Doll.
And before she could kill it, her pistols' slides locked back, and any further attempts to pull the trigger were met with empty clicks.
Oh, no...
M1911 leap back to avoid the next attack and reload- only to trip on something and fall to the ground, flat on her back.
"1911!"
"Crap!" she yelled, having dropped a pistol in her fall, and in her attempts to get back up and get it back, she grabbed an abandoned FN-49 rifle.
And seeing as its owner was down and out, she had no choice but to use it herself.
"Come on, bring it!" she yelled, raising the rifle and firing at its head once more. The recoil from firing full-powered cartridges out of a non-Imprinted weapon threw her aim off for three of her shots and made her hit the shield, but remembering that her team was endangered, she forced herself to steel herself, soon putting a round right into the Aegis' electronic brain as it was jousting at her.
Thanks to its mass it didn't fall backwards from the force of the rounds like a standard Sangvis Doll, but it instead sank to its knees and collapsed onto the hallway floor, its lights dimming and going out as blackish oils leaked out from its head. Soon, as the base fell silent, the HG registered what she just did.
Holy shit, I just killed an Aegis with a non-Imprinted rifle in an enclosed space... she thought to herself, laughing relievedly as she took in the achievement.
Her brief moment of euphoria was disrupted by MP5 and Sten running up to her, sliding to their knees to check on her while AK-47 checked FN-49.
"Are you alright?" the Brit asked, scanning her stomach to see if her exoskeleton got dented or not.
"Yeah, I'm good, but what about 49?" she asked worriedly, standing back up and ignoring the pain in her chest from tanking an Aegis' foot.
"She's good, even if she smells a bit burnt." AK-47 replied, chuckling when the aforementioned Rifle groaned at her, "Anywho, you know where the power generator is?"
"No. Our little catfight with the Aegis stopped us from finding it."
Their conversation was interrupted by someone on their comms.
"The heliport's secure for now, but the other patrols are headed both of our ways and the sun's gone down!" FNC yelled on her end. "You find what you were looking for yet?"
"We're close, but they left an Aegis behind, and Sten got stuck in a wall, so we haven't-"
"Found the command module!" Sten reported, emerging from a red-lit room with multiple charges in hand. "Me and MP5 are planting the explosives right now, so you, Miss 49 and Miss AK ought to leave. We'll be right behind you." she added hastily.
"Right. Come on, 49." she said, grabbing her arm and lifting her up, only for AK-47 to pick the Rifle up in a bridal carry, leaving the base with M1911 in tow.
Thanks to the time spent in the dark interiors of the recon base, the blonde Doll had left her night vision lenses on, giving her blue eyes a faint greenish glow and allowing her to discern nearly every detail in the base courtyard, including the bodies of the Sangvis Dolls they killed while entering the base. Despite the greenish glow her world was engulfed in, she could easily tell the moon was out, as it was slightly brighter than it would have been without the moonlight and it was a bit blinding if she looked up at the moon.
She followed AK-47 and FN-49 behind a destroyed truck, crouching behind the engine as the SMGs left the building, Sten holding a detonator in her left hand as they ran across the dirt road to a different truck and hid behind it to dodge the shrapnel.
"Do it!" MP5 yelled, and a moment later, the Redcoat pushed the button.
The following explosion was easily the biggest, loudest, and most beautiful one the HG had seen in the last three months, and it had gotten so bright and loud that she had to deactivate her NVGs and her audio receptors to avoid damaging her systems. Ten seconds after the button press, and debris was still flying from the concussive force of the blast, some even hitting the trucks they were hiding behind.
"Wow, that was so cool!" MP5 yelled excitedly when the debris stopped flying and all that was left was a burning ruin, the light of the flames serving as a sure-fire beacon for extraction.
"You got that right!" M1911 yelled at her, then contacted the Commander. "Please tell me you saw that, Commander!"
"Sure did. Nice work." Despite his mellowish words, she could tell the man was impressed. "I saw the fight with the Aegis too, and I gotta say that was rather intense, even on this end. Hell, I'm kinda jealous I wasn't there to participate in the asskicking."
This statement prompted a question from M1911.
"Hey, sir. Did you ever fight Aegis units in the war?"
"Not too often. They actually haven't changed much, but let me tell ya right now that when you're a young rifleman stuck in the dead of the night and all of a sudden you see a seven foot tall android covered head to toe in heavy titanium alloy armor, it's a pretty scary thing."
"Did the Russians only deploy them at night like Sangvis does?"
"For the most part, yeah. They might have heavy armor, but in more open areas in the daylight, their lack of speed and ranged weapons caused them to only be deployed at night or as base defenders, which is something they excel at."
"Alright. Can you tell HQ we've succeeded and that they can rescue Skorpion now?"
"Yeah, yeah. By the way, the area's clear, so you can watch the show from where you are."
Since the base was located on a hill, they indeed had a good view of the old, worn-out hangar below, which would allow them to see the rescue op themselves.
"Got it. M1911 out."
As the comms died, she lokked back on the destroyed base-- and promptly got an idea. Grinning, she took her old smartphone out and set it to selfie mode.
"Come on, ladies! Group photo!" she yelled, and as her team got to her and assumed a pose, she pointed the camera at them in a way that it would show the destroyed base and with a flash, she took the photo.
Grizzly's gonna love this!
Commander Ian Becker
"Helian, the recon base has been destroyed, with minimal casualties."
The holographic Senior Officer in question checked the map for herself, humming in approval at the results.
"Good work, Commander." she told him. "Thanks to your efforts, we can now deploy troops to rescue Skorpion without Sangvis knowing."
"Glad I could be of service." he replied.
"Hopefully Skorpion can provide us with what we need to end this, but if it isn't, I'll keep you posted."
"That's nice and all, but what about that Sangvis that was torturing Skorpion? What was the deal with her?"
After a momentary pause, Helian replied.
"Based on her appearance, she was a command unit, also known as a Ringleader. I've seen the model before, so we should have a file on her."
Ian swallowed. Ringleaders were rarely encountered, but when they were, they were highly lethal units armed with powerful munitions and usually either tanky or fast as hell. And if his forces ran into one at their current state, they'd be royally fucked.
"On a better note, this should be the last operation for this day, so you should be able to get plenty of rest. I have a feeling you'll need it."
"Yeah. Um, is that all?"
"Yes, that's all. I'll see you soon."
As Helian winked out, he sighed and sat down in a nearby seat.
Ugh, first, spec ops teams I don't have the clearance to know about, and now Ringleaders? Did I kill civvies or commit war crimes in the war at some point?
Tactical Doll Grizzly Mk.V
"Is everyone in position?"
Standing next to a backdoor at a certain hangar, Grizzly Mk. V faintly recalled how she ended up here. She had been working on her car after a job when the sub-director herself approached her with a job to rescue a Doll that had crucial information from Sangvis Ferri territory. Easy enough, right?
Turns out the base was chock-full of enemies and she and her team had to sneak through them all just to reach the target building. Not too troublesome for a 5-Star Doll like her, but it was still annoying to her.
"We're in position," a Russian Doll in a brown, white, and blue outfit reported from another backdoor. The Doll in question was thought to have been killed, but a team from Station 601 found her and brought her to HQ, at their request.
"Good. According to our intel, there's about seven or eight Dolls guarding the VIP, each one in a different part of the hangar. They'd usually rely on that nearby recon base, but 794's troops torched it, so we've got the element of surprise on our side." the brunette HG explained. "As soon as we get the VIP, we go east to the heliport in the east and we exfil. Any questions?"
"What if Sangvis takes it over again?" the Russian Doll asked.
"They won't. 794's got a team guarding it. Any other questions?"
Nobody else had questions to ask.
"Good. We go in on my mark."
A few moments passed, in which her teammates, including a Vector Doll, a Honey Badger Doll, and an MP7 Doll got ready for the breach, then Grizzly turned her NVGs on and was ready.
"Mark!"
As a single unit they broke through the doors and fired on the guards, Grizzly's shots striking home in the heads of the Rippers next to the crates thanks to her improved vision while the Russian re-earned her "burp gun" nickname by sawing down the enemy Dolls next to the VIP. Finally, Vector cut down a pair of Rippers while Honey Badger and MP7 neutralized the Guard-class Doll next to the VIP.
"Clear!"
"Clear!"
"Clear!"
"Clear!"
"All clear!"
As the dust settled, the Russian approached the VIP and shook her gently, mindful of her damage.
"H-huh...?"
"Skorpion, are you alright?" she asked. "It's me, PPSh-41!"
"P-Papasha...?" the VIP muttered weakly. "Is that you...?"
"Da, it's me! We're here to get you out!" the now-identified PPSh-41 replied.
"A-am I dreaming...? I thought they got you..."
"We can't dream, silly! Come on, up you go!"
PPSh-41 carefully picked Skorpion up in a bridal carry, and with the VIP in their possession they made their way out of the hangar.
The trip to the heliport was rather easy thanks to the sniper support Station 601 provided, and when they reached it they saw a mismatched team of Dolls standing guard at their helicopter, although only the Springfield and G36 Dolls were truly on guard, as the FNC, IDW, and P38 were doing their own business.
This was an obvious indicator of Station 794's manpower problems.
"Hey, Springfield!" she called to the Springfield, who waved politely at her in response.
"Hello, Grizzly. That's the VIP, I presume?" she asked, pointing at Skorpion, who PPSh-41 was loading onto the helicopter.
"Yeah. She's seen better days. Thanks for keeping those bucketheads away from our bird, by the way." Grizzly pointed to a pile of dead Sangvis Dolls, freshly scrapped.
"You're welcome."
"Oh, how's 1911 doing?"
"Great. In fact, she's been the happiest I've seen her since the attack." the Rifle told her. "She's certainly taken a liking to our new Commander."
"Oh? Like as a friend, or something more scandalous~?"
The teasing note in Grizzly's voice was not missed.
"I'm not sure yet, but the latter's certainly a possibility." Springfield winked. "Either way, don't you have to get back to HQ?"
"Yeah, yeah. See ya later, Spring. Tell 1911 I said hi."
As she entered the chopper and its door was closed, her mind fell to the VIP, whose injuries easily suggested torture, then to what she may know. Then a question entered her mind.
What does SF want so bad that they would bother with interrogating a Doll instead of just removing and examining the memory unit like usual?
About a month later, and here we are. In terms of the enemy units used in the chapter, the Aegis popped up because I noted that three ops happened on the same day and it was around evening/night when 1-5 commenced. Either way, I'll make the next chapter an Intermission one so 794 gets to take a breather.
Also, thanks to their guns' similar parts Grizzly and 1911 are considered sisters, and as such they keep in touch through things like the infamous Grifchan MDR always shitposts on.
Anyways, a few more chapters and I can start writing Cinnamon Roll scenes. Wow, I'm getting as restless as my own OC.
Finally, one reason I always take so long is because I keep plotting ahead the current story point I'm writing, and on top of that, I keep comparing the Fandoms I like jn terms of logic and it turns out: GFL is very sound and believable while RWBY is completely illogical. Seriously, who the fuck would demilitarize 3/4 of the world in the face of an omnipresent threat to humankind.
I'll include a more detailed list of things in RWBY that don't make sense next chapter.
Finally, podonok means "fucker" in Russian. What's with foreign swear words sounding so funny, anyways?
See you next chapter!