Welcome to Chapter Seventeen! The time has come to hunt down Scarecrow, and 794 has no intention of holding back against her.
Like I said last chapter, I had to cut some content from it due to time constraints, so it'll be added here instead. Also, it kinda bugged me that Helian didn't be straight with you when she introduced herself, because she called herself a "Senior Acting Officer" instead of "Sub-Director," but my only two guesses as to why are that a) she didn't want you to try too hard to impress her (as a guy would naturally not want to let the sub-director of his company down,) and b) she felt you'd put her on a high pedestal because of her position. Then again, MICA hadn't really gotten the hang of GFL's storytelling yet.
In terms of my briefings, I always think of COD: Black Ops 2's Strike Team briefing scenes where Section briefs those SEALs on the mission when I write briefing scenes, which is kinda funny, considering Section's rank (Commander).
But that's enough rambling on my end, so please enjoy!
Station 794 Repair Bay, Sector 09
Ukraine, Neo-Soviet Union
July 06, 2062
Tactical Doll M1911
Laying on a gurney and stripped to her underwear inside the Repair Bay, M1911 was currently undergoing both a standard check on herself to see if the Aegis had dented or disfigured any internal parts while fighting it and the installation of her Dummy Core so she could use Dummy Links. While she was sure she was free of damages, she wanted to be absolutely sure of it.
Thanks to the Dummy Core already being installed, she was able to stay in Level 1 and talk with AK-47, who was busy writing a combat report based on the last mission to see if anything could be learned from it, her own Dummy Core already installed into her. While it was Kalina who extracted the data and digitized the reports, the Dolls could write their own reports if needed, even if it was only to lower Kalina's workload a little.
"So, basically, all in all, we snuck our way to the base, and we avoided direct combat with the enemy until that Aegis put Sten through a wall, then you and 49 took it on while me and MP5 pulled Sten out the wall." the drunk summed the operation up. "Not exactly as bombastic as the mission to snag that outpost's intel."
"And not as casualty-rich in the end. The Aegis didn't do too much damage to us, FN-49 included. She's lucky us Dolls are insulated against electric attacks." M1911 added as the technician swiped a scanner over her torso.
"True."
"Okay, everything's where it's supposed to be, and there's no dented armor plates." the technician said, setting the scanner down on a table. "You are both still intact and ready to operate Dummies."
"That's good." she told him, standing up and grabbing her clothes, putting them back on as the door in the corner of the room opened and Sten appeared, followed by two unidentified men toting a singular white pod.
"What's that?" she asked the Brit as she buttoned her shirt up.
"It's Miss Nagant's new body." she explained. "I think HQ heard about our losses and sent this to us to help bolster our ranks."
"That's great! How soon can you get her Digimind put in?" M1911 directed at the lead technician.
"Just a few minutes, although we need to put a backup in, because that shot went straight through her old Core." the man said, motioning for the men to set the pod down next to the gurney. "Now you two don't need to be here to see this," he added, and the men left the room the same way they entered it. "but you can go ahead and call P38 here, 1911- provided she can be quiet."
"Right. P38, come to the Repair Bay. You're going to want to see this."
Tactical Doll P38
To say that P38 was nervous was the understatement of the month.
As she watched the white pod containing M1895's new open and reveal the pristine skin only a new body could possess, the German couldn't help but panic.
What if the data backup is corrupted? What if it's incompatible with the body? What if something messes up and she doesn't remember me?
Having noticed her panicky behavior M1911 set her white-gloved hand on her shoulder, smiling comfortingly as the new body was placed on the gurney and a bright light was focused on it. Beside her lay AK-47, who was sleeping while leaned against the wall.
"They're not gonna screw it up, P38." she said calmly, a stark contrast to P38's behavior. "And if you're worried that the backup got corrupted, we've been taking near-religious care of the backups ever since the attack, remember?"
"Ja, but I can't help but worry..."
"Don't worry. Look, he's installing the backup right now."
The American pointed to the lead technician, who had plugged a black cord into the immobile M1895's exposed Core, then pressed a button on a terminal, a bar on its screen representing the transfer of the backup data, which was coming along nicely despite P38's worries.
"The most that'll be wrong is that she won't remember that mission, which frankly speaking, she should be glad if that's the case if what that bandit said was true..."
The HG involuntarily shuddered at the memory of the mission. Of how she and M1895 were detained by a group of men wearing drab uniforms, of how they were examined to see how valuable they were, as well as the more... tasteless things that they did to the two.
"Right..."
Upon the terminal beeping and signaling the transfer's completion, the technician removed the cord and closed the compartment containing M1895's Core.
"Alright, on the count of three, I'm going to turn her on." he called out to the three Dolls in the room, waking AK-47 from her slumber. "One... two... three...!"
He pressed the activation button on the terminal and with bated breaths and watchful eyes the three Dolls witnessed the gurney-bound Doll slowly open her bright red eyes and sit up, rubbing them with her fists.
"Haaah..." she yawned, stretching her arms out and causing the others to all look away respectfully, as she was completely unclothed. A moment later, she realized that she was not in her Dorm.
"W-what, where am I?" she asked panickedly, looking around the Repair Bay erratically. "Why am I not in my-"
She cut herself off as she saw her old body in its stasis tube, as well as the nasty hole in its chest, and soon she looked down at the floor.
"I see... They got me, huh?" she said dejectedly, her Old Russian accent more audible now that she had stopped panicking. "Blyat."
Yep, it was still M1895.
Despite her previous worrywart-esque behavior, P38 couldn't help but swell up with joy at the sight of her best friend alive once more, even if she wouldn't remember the last mission. Jumping to her feet, she ran up to the Doll and embraced her.
"Babushka, it's so good to see you!" she yelled, using her friend's nickname.
"Haha...!" M1895 laughed happily, returning the embrace. "How long has it been, 38?"
The German didn't bother to answer, instead breaking away from the hug to reach down and pick up a fresh white uniform for the Russian HG, handing it to her.
"What's this about?" she asked- only to realize what state of dress she was in.
"ALL OF YOU, LOOK AWAY NOW!" she yelled loudly, causing the others to all look away from the reunion as the PA turned on all of a sudden.
"All Dolls report to the Command Room. You're gonna love this." the Commander said on the PA as M1895 hurriedly got dressed, her white uniform on in record time as the new Skorpion Doll opened the door and jumped in.
"Wait, who was that?" M1895 asked confusedly, having never heard the new Commander's voice.
"Can y'all refrain from overloading my bay?" the technician growled, tightly gripping a wrench as his bay was overloaded.
"Sorry, sir, but I've got an announcement to make." Skorpion told him.
"And that would be?" M1911 asked flatly.
"We're going after the bitch that tortured me."
Commander Ian Becker
The Commander knew he made a mistake when he sent for the Dolls in his Command Room, as the smallish room was now cramped thanks to the thirteen Dolls now standing in it. Beside him stood Kalina, who was currently filtering a dimunitive blonde Doll that could only be M1895 through the crowd of Dolls.
"Komandir, this is Nagant Revolver, the one Doll in Station 794 that you haven't met." she told him as she got her through the crowd.
"Hello, Nagant." he greeted calmly, holding his gloved hand out and crouching a bit to match the Doll's short height. "I'm Ian Becker, the new Commander of this base."
"Uh, privyet, Komandir." she said as she shook his hand, her voice deeper than MP5's but not far off. "My name is M1895, but you may call me Babushka."
"Aren't you a little short to be called 'Grandmother?'" he laughed, causing the Doll to pout.
"My height is not relevant!" she hissed at him.
"Sure, whatever you say. Anyways, let's get to business."
Standing up to his full height, Ian approached the holotable and turned it on, inputting a set of coordinates into it and causing an old carnival site to materialize, lighting the room up in a blue glow.
"This is the current position of SP65 Scarecrow, a Sangvis Ferri Ringleader HQ wants us to capture." he said clearly, pointing to the carnival site as Scarecrow's portrait appeared. "Stations 737 and 601 have established a perimeter around the site to prevent Scarecrow from leaving, but it ultimately falls to us to detain her and recover her memory unit. Echelon One, you will enter from the east, where 737's Dolls hold the perimeter, and go through the marketplace..."
A bright blue line was shown coming into the east of the site, marked as "Echelon One."
"...while Echelon Two will go in from the west, where 601 has Dolls ready to put down anything of Sangvis origin." he finished as another line came in from the west, marked "Echelon Two."
"Any questions?"
"What are the new arrivals going to ride to the site?" M1911 asked, her hand up in the air.
"They'll share seats with both of your Blackhawks. It can hold more than five occupants, after all." Ian replied. "Any more questions?"
When all that answered him was silence, he sent the Echelon leaders a copy of Scarecrow's file and gave them one final statement.
"Bring your Dummies with you. You're gonna need them. Dismissed."
As the Dolls filed out of the Command Room, Ian turned to his adjutant.
"This is gonna suck, isn't it?" he asked her in a low voice.
"Don't be such a party pooper, sir. They can handle this."
Tactical Doll M1911
Saying that the atmosphere inside M1911's Blackhawk was tense was an understatement.
The three Russians were unnaturally silent in their seats, their faces grim as they cleaned or inspected their weapons, MP5 was shaking in her seat, but she tried to put up a brave front, FN-49 was loading FMJs into her rifle, Sten was communicating with Skorpion over comms, and M1911 was holding her necktie as if it were a cross, all of them trying and comprehending their new mission.
Neutralize a Ringleader of Sangvis Ferri.
Even if their target was low-ranking, M1911 had heard stories of low-level Ringleaders tearing entire squads of Dolls and singlehandedly slaughtering human settlements, and considering this one's elusiveness, as well as how mismatched their Echelons were, they had very slim chances of success.
"So, what's the deal with this bitch, Boss?" AK-47 asked her, breaking her silence.
"Fights with drones, avoids direct confrontation whenever possible, no emotion module but loves to gloat about Sangvis' superiority over Griffin, kinda weak..." M1911 listed off the factoids on the file in order.
"But still able to fuck us up if we're not careful."
"If we're not careful." the HG emphasized.
"Alright, we've touched down at 601's perimeter." Springfield's voice rang through her comms.
"Good, we're almost at our entry point as well." M1911 replied, simultaneously relieved and irked that her senior had gotten there first. While Springfield was a good friend of hers, the HG felt that she was a rival of sorts, and she always wanted to be able to surpass the venerable 4-Star whenever possible, because to her, Springfield was everyone's greatest rival and their best confidante if they needed to confide in her.
"Good." the Commander cut in. "Once you're on-site, we can provide satellite support, but for the most part, you're on your own."
"Understood, sir."
"Alright, we've landed!" MP5 reported, opening the cabin door up and revealing an overcast sky, as well as the strong smell of burnt gunpowder and smoke, likely from how many rounds 737 burned through to get Scarecrow into the site.
Getting out of the Blackhawk, M1911's feet hit solid ground and she looked up to see DP-28, RPD, Mosin-Nagant, and Tokarev at a hastily-constructed blockade of sandbags and metal blast shields, multiple of their Dummies holding the point. A tall Ferris wheel loomed in the distance, as well as wrecked carnival buildings.
"Ah, M1911, we meet again." DP-28 greeted, and the leaders shook hands once more.
"Good to see you too..." the HG trailed off, instead deciding to talk about the mission. "So the target hasn't left the area, right?"
"She's still here. Sangvis attempted to send a helicopter to exfiltrate her, but we shot it down before it could." the MG told her, pointing at a flaming helicopter wreck.
"Thanks. If she comes this way, please tell us. This way, ladies!" And without further fanfare M1911 passed through the checkpoint and into the carnival site proper, the grounds stained with dried blood and littered with decaying bodies, their stench making her wrinkle her nose. As the rest of Echelon One passed through the checkpoint, they had to refrain from retching at the grisly sight at the entrance, and FN-49 ended up catching sight of a sign that mentioned the carnival's date: 2061.
"This was a bloodbath..." she trailed off quietly, clutching her rifle to her chest.
"That's why we've gotta stop 'em, 49." AK-47 firmly stated, reaching M1911 as she held her hand up, stopping her team's movement.
"I think I hear something." she warned, listening in for any kind of noise, but only the 737 Dolls' idle chatter could be heard, and even then, she didn't hear anything suspiscious. However, she did catch sight of a small black drone with a green "eye" and something atop it as it flew off.
Shit, that was the target's drone. M1911 thought, remembering the little machine from the HVT's file.
"Come on, and keep you eyes peeled." she ordered, and her team continued through the grounds without a single comment.
Hopefully Springfield was having better luck finding the target.
Tactical Doll Springfield
Springfield swiftly dodged a damaged Vespid's fire with a grunt of exertion, lining up a shot with her handgun and sending it into the Doll's head a moment later as a skirmish broke out at a worn-out merry-go-round.
While they had yet to find the target, Echelon Two did find a squad of Sangvis Dolls that bore serious burns on their bodies, as well as holes where shrapnel and debris punched through their synthetic skin. Quickly surmising that they were from the crashed helicopter her sweet, adorable junior told her about, she initially wanted yo ambush them, but having been seen first, they were now fighting in close quarters with (mostly) unsuitable weapons, although IDW, P38, and Skorpion were in their zones, darting around the Sangvis Dolls like a particularly annoying rusher from the old Call of Duty games and gunning them down with ease.
As the Rifle drew her main weapon, she was forced to dodge a stream of fire from a Ripper, then charge at her and plunge her attached bayonet into the Doll's chest, taking her down with a single thrust of her blade.
Behind her, FNC and G36 fired on a pair of Rippers, decimating them with ridiculous ease thanks to their damages, and after Skorpion shoved an SMG into a Vespid's mouth and turned her head into mincemeat, the area around the merry-go-round was finally cleared.
"Commander, we've just encountered enemy troops, but we have yet to locate the target." Springfield reported, sighing.
"Damn it. Keep looking." was the curt response the man gave.
"Yes, sir. Springfield out."
Shutting the comms off, the Echelon leader turned to her team.
"Alright, let's keep searching. Hopefully 1911's having better luck."
Tactical Doll M1911
So far, the food stands had been a dead end, and M1911 nearly swore when all she found were dead Sangvis infantry Dolls that were next to the flaming helicopter DP-28 mentioned, the smoke causing her eyes to water.
"Damn it, where the hell is that Ringleader?" she asked herself as her team exited the food stands and approached the Ferris wheel, about to report her lack of findings when she was cut off.
"Right here, Griffin trash."
The cold, emotionless voice immediately caused M1911 and her team to spin a 180 degree angle, their eyes locked on a twintailed woman in a beautiful monochrome dress with a gasmask as she walked out from behind a wall, an array of small drones with glowing barrels surrounding her. Her eyes lacked any and all emotion and she held a conductor's baton in her left hand.
"Scarecrow, right?" the HG asked venomously as her eyes tracked the drones.
"Pleased to meet you, Colt M1911. Now, please die." she replied, swiping her baton downwards.
"Shit!"
M1911 and her Dummy barely had any time to dodge the lasers unleashed by the Ringleader's drone array and get behind a wall, her teammates using MP5's force shield to tank the shots fired at them instead, then return fire in kind, PPSh-41's weapon the loudest due to sheer volume of fire.
"Springfield, we've been engaged by Scarecrow! Requesting immediate support!" she yelled into the comms, popping up from her cover and taking a few potshots at both Scarecrow and the drones to try and limit her firepower.
However, only one shot aimed at the drones struck home and Scarecrow was darting around repeatedly to avoid her and her teammates' fire, and and rounds she couldn't dodge were taken by her drones, which were promptly replaced somehow.
"Hang in there, we're on our way!"
"Well, hurry!"
She popped up from cover to fire on their target once more, only to find that she retreated and left FN-49 and AK-47's Dummies slightly damaged.
"Coward." she heard AK-47 say, and she popped her head out to see the AR point towards the merry-go-round, a long scorch mark along her cheek. "She went that way!"
"Alright, follow me!" she ordered, chasing after the Ringleader with her team in tow. "Commander, we've located Scarecrow, but she retreated and is headed towards the merry-go-round!"
A moment later, the Commander replied.
"We've got eyes on her, and she's trying to go around Echelon Two." he told her as she passed by the Ferris wheel and into an open area full of dead bodies, an overgrown tent, and two small buildings. "Crap, never mind, she just ambushed them." he added gravely.
"Are they at the merry-go-round?"
"Halfway to it. Try to draw the target to your current position and ambush her there."
"Got it, 1911 out."
The HG then relayed the strategy to Springfield through Zener.
"Understood. It shouldn't take too long."
"Step on it. I don't wanna be here if Sangvis deploys reinforcements."
Tactical Doll Skorpion
"Just die already, bitch!"
Strafing Scarecrow with dual SMGs, Skorpion watched as the Ringleader either a) dodged her shots, b) used her drones to shield her, and c) hit her, but not do that much damage thanks to her .32 ACP rounds not being intended to deal with armor.
Jumping back to avoid the deadly barrage of lasers from Scarecrow's drones, she wasted no time in lighting a Molotov and tossing it at her, cursing when a drone flew up and shot it before it made contact.
But even with how her target was avoiding them so well, the Czech Doll refused to give up, for this was the same bitch that had tortured her relentlessly and tried to convince her the AR Team were as heartless as her, even though her conversations with M4A1 alone told her the Sangvis was lying.
"Crap, she's too fast!" she told her team as she reloaded her weapons from behind cover while Springfield was listening to someone on the comms.
"Everyone, Echelon One is in position to take Scarecrow out, but we need to get her there!" the Rifle ordered on Zener.
"Got it!" everyone replied, popping out from cover and firing on the Ringleader currently assaulting them, their sheer volume of fire causing her to retreat at last, headed straight towards Echelon One's trap.
"You better run, nya!" IDW yelled, firing after her.
"1911, Scarecrow's headed your way!" Springfield yelled into the comms as the signature thump-thump of helicopter blades thundered through the sky.
A helicopter? But we don't have anyone else to send...
Skorpion looked up and immediately wished she didn't. It was a black helicopter with a single white Sangvis Ferri logo on the side, a laser turret mounted onto the nose of the bird in place of a normal turret, and it was headed to Scarecrow's position.
"All units, a Sangvis helo just breached the perimeter!" the Commander warned over the comms, his voice still composed but his tone urgent. "Under no circumstances are you to let that helo extract the target!"
"Understood, Commander." Springfield responded, then contacted Echelon One and relayed the news to them.
"Shit. You guys have to down that thing, because it's long past 737's sightlines." M1911 grumbled, and the SMG could hear her reload her pistols. "Also, I would kill for an EMP grenade so I can kill these damn drones off-- son of a bitch!"
Only the sounds of Echelon One fighting could be heard for twenty seconds before M1911 responded again, her angry yell grating at Skorpion's audio receptors.
"Damn it, the helo's shooting at us!"
"Hang in there, we're headed your way!" Springfield yelled into the comms, then turned to her team. "Skorpion, IDW, stay on the target! Everyone else, with me!"
As she ran off to her fellow leader's aid, Skorpion snagged IDW by the collar and dragged her along urgently, unheeding of her complaints as long as they could take Scarecrow down.
Tactical Doll AK-47
Things were not going to plan at all.
This fact was hammered home as an enemy helicopter of Sangvis origin turned its nose gun on Echelon One's members and fired, vicious red lasers cutting through the air, destroying her Dummy, and forcing AK-47 into cover, never daring to drop her weapon as she hopped behind the metal crate and crouched down, her allies doing similar maneuvers or hiding behind MP5's force shield as red plasma fire washed over it.
And the worst part of it all? Their target had yet to arrive.
"Springy, where's Scarecrow?!" she yelled, attempting to shoot the helicopter's nose gun off when it wasn't firing on her.
"Still heading your way, Skorpion and IDW are in pursuit!"
"Okay, just deal with this damned bird before it tears us apart!"
A volley of plasma bolts punctuated this, and AK-47 swore as she saw multiple Sangvis Dolls rappelling from the helicopter, firing in tandem with the helo's weapon as they descended.
"And they just dropped reinforcements on our heads-- wait, since when did Sangvis airdrop units like this?!" she yelled, aware of the fact that Sangvis did not drop into combat zones to minimize the chance of losing units as they deployed.
Then again, they never attacked Griffin bases directly until three months ago.
Thankfully, the helo's weapon overheated, forcing it to vent and giving FN-49 a chance to shoot it off, her aim true as she sent a trio of rounds at the helo's gun, the units still rappelling to the ground causing it to be unable to evade, allowing her FMJ rounds to tear through it and render it inoperable.
Finally...
Her moment of relief was cut off as the newly-deployed infantry units fired on her and gorced her into cover-- and a twintailed head of blackish hair appeared in the crowd, green lasers flying at ger enemies from the trio of drones surrounding her and causing two of the SMGs to evade their shots with quick dashes across the grassy grounds.
Popping up from cover again, AK-47 fired her weapon in short bursts at a pair of Vespids that were closing in on her, her shots striking home in the left one's chest and causing her to topple over, purpleish oils staining her chest as she died and her ally returned fire in kind, dodging her fire and causing her to duck back into cover as blue plasma bolts flashed overhead.
Behind the enemy formation, two Rippers were busy keeping Skorpion and IDW busy while the other two distracted MP5 and PPSh-41, although the latter killed her Ripper with extreme prejudice and a drum mag of 7.62x25 Tokarev rounds.
Lighting and tossing a Molotov at the enemy, the AR ran out of her cover as fast as she could and slid behind another crate-- but not before a high-powered particle beam nearly decapitated her.
"What the fuck?!" she yelled, not daring to poke her head out of cover lest her assailant take another shot at her.
She looked to her left and right hurriedly, hoping that the enemy hadn't gotten past them, then she lit another Molotov-- her last one, to her chargin, and tossed it, the improvised grenade landing at Scarecrow's feet according to her leader's triumphant yell.
"Fuck yeah!" she yelled in a similar triumphant fashion, popping up to fire again-- only to catch sight of a ponytailed Doll with a grey camoflagued cloak, grey goggles with a single green optic, and a long scoped rifle sat atop a tent as its barrel glowed menacingly--
Wait, a Jaeger?!
She was promptly pushed out of the way as the high-powered beam sliced through the air, and FN-49 toppled to the ground, her sharp gasp of shock audible even in the chaotic firefight as her weapon hit the ground and the enemy shot tore through her chest.
Sapphire eyes widened at the sight and tears streaked down her fair cheeks as she saw their Echelon's youngest member take the enemy's shot, the young woman's shocked face burned into the Russian's memory as she ducked down and slotted her arms under the young Rifle's armpits and pulled her to safety, the labored breathing she heard at least confirming her survival, if nothing else.
"C'mon, 49, you'll make it!" she told her, unbuttoning her shirt to access the injury better with her right hand, her left hand reaching for the repair foam almost automatically.
"I-It hurts..." FN-49 rasped, trying to touch at her chest, only for the blonde to push her hand away, the repair foam's nozzle pushing into the nasty hole burned through her and ejecting foam nigh-instantly, causing her to shriek in agony and thrash around with whatever strength she had left.
"No, stay still!" AK-47 urged, grabbing the Doll's shoulder to steady her as the wound partially sealed, then she rolled her to her side gently to pull her shirt down enough to access the bleeding wound in her back, performing a similar patch-up to it before pulling bandages out and wrapping her torso in them, replacing her shirt a moment later.
"Can you still fight?" the amateur repair Doll asked softly, sitting FN-49 up by her cover.
The Doll could only shake her head weakly, telling her everything she needed to know.
"Shit. Uh, sit tight, rookie, I'll get you help."
AK-47 quickly moved behind a tent and contacted the Commander, reporting what just happened.
"Please tell me you've got a plan, Boss." she pleaded desperately.
"You've still got that anti-tank grenade, right?"
"Da." the blonde replied, checking her bag just to be sure.
"Okay, I've ordered everyone else to keep Scarecrow and her lackeys occupied and Springfield's tangoeing with that Jaeger that shot 49, so you should be able to chuck your grenade at Scarecrow and incapacitate her. Thankfully, Papasha hit her a few times, so it should be easier for you to finish her off."
"Wait, what about the helo?"
"It's being occupied by 601, but for how long, I don't know."
"Got it. AK out."
Cutting the link, AK-47 stayed low to the ground, slipping around the supply crates and tents with ease, taking advantage of the fact that Echelons One and Two held Scarecrow's undivided attention but also careful for the Jaeger. She didn't need MP5, PPSh-41 or God forbid M1911 to take a shot meant for her like FN-49 did.
An explosion caught her attention as a frag grenade thrown by PPSh-41 destroyed a Ripper, and looking back her way, she noticed that the Jaeger had fallen back to avoid Springfield's bayonet attack, her back facing AK-47 as she lined up another shot, undoubtedly at the veteran Rifle.
Without thinking she grabbed the enemy sniper by the ponytail and yanked back, pulling her lithe body directly into the knife she had unsheathed, puncturing her cloak, driving it straight through her Core, and killing her instantly, the way she went limp on her blade unnervingly satisfying to the vengeful AR.
That's what you get for shooting our rookie, bitch.
Withdrawing and sheathing her knife, she managed to gef a very clear sightline of Scarecrow and the remaining Sangvis Dolls, the Ringleader's drones effortlessly disabling MP5 and M1911's Dummies and grazing the mainframes with relentless fire.
Don't miss, you only have one shot.
Pulling her anti-tank grenade out, she quickly calculated the distance and reared her arm back, then with nothing more than a prayer, she threw it, hoping the RPG-43 would go above and beyond and detonate, although to her dismay, it didn't look like it would work.
However, as it neared its target, time seemed to slow for the AR, and pulling her rifle out, she aimed it at the grenade's payload and steadied her shot, then fired a burst at the explosive, her perception of time returning to normal as her shots struck home and the grenade detonated, the powerful explosion ripping apart the remaining enemy forces and undoubtedly incapacitating the target, large plumes of dirt thrown up by the explosion and obscuring the results.
As the dust settled, the AR soon figured out what had just happened: her Strike Force module, which alloted a temporary accuracy boost to her by slowing her perception of time down, had finally reactivated, which allowed her to make the shots she just made.
"Hah... hah... ha-hahahaha!"
Her panting quickly evolved into triumphant laughter as she celebrated, jubilant that she had just put a Ringleader down despite her ally's injury, and in the background, she heard a helicopter crash to the ground and explode.
Soon, the plumes of dirt cleared up and Scarecrow was revealed, her dress tattered and her arm and leg gone as she tried to get back onto her feet, a pool of black oil staining the ground under her. Her drones were nothing but bits of scrap and her gasmask was gone, revealing her rather pretty, if not soot-covered face, a thin line of oil leaking down her full lips.
"Shame such good looks were wasted on a killing machine." M1911 mused as she approached the jubilant AK-47 and her teammates held Scarecrow at gunpoint, then contacted the Commander. "Commander, we got her, and she's ready for questioning."
At the very least FN-49 didn't get shot for nothing.
Commander Ian Becker
"Commander, we got her, and she's ready for questioning."
The American's lips curled upward in a satisfied smile, triumph setting in his stomach as he recalled the events that just transpired-- excluding the lone Jaeger's attempt on AK-47's life that resulted in FN-49's injury.
Only in it for three or four days and units under my command just put down a Ringleader. Helian's gonna be impressed for sure.
Calling Helian on the holotable, his good mood never faltered for a moment as Helian's projected visage appeared on his holotable.
"Judging by how pleased you look with yourself, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you succeeded in your mission." she said withouf greeting him. He didn't mind, though.
"Yup. We got the HVT. Would you like for me to take her to HQ for interrogation, or do it quick and dirty?" the Commander asked.
"Quick and dirty. I don't have time to spare."
"M1911, project our holograms so we can begin questioning." he ordered his subordinate, who promptly complied and gave both him and Helian a look at the defeated Scarecrow as they materialized, whose expressionless but oddly pretty face was now fully exposed.
"SP65 Scarecrow, your efforts in resisting us are all futile. Surrender immediately, and we'll keep you in one piece." Helian started firmly.
"So... this is how it ends for me..." Scarecrow rasped, gazing at the two humans' holograms.
"That's what you get for going Skynet." Ian said quietly, earning a glare from Helian. "What?"
"Just give up. Whatever you're chasing is undoubtedly impossible to reach, and vz.61 gave you false information when you interrogated her."
To everyone's surprise, the defeated Ringleader laughed. It was a humorless one, but it sent shivers up Ian's spine just the same.
"False? Not entirely, I daresay." she replied. "I know how your IOP Dolls' AI works, and it is not advanced enough to create a true lie. You see, when one of those crudely-fashioned T-Dolls 'lie', they take the truth, add random data, and shuffle the sequences. Even in their falsehoods, there is a bit of truth. All we have to do is analyze three instances of false data and find the common factors-- the truth."
At this, Helian's eyebrow began to twitch and she was trying to keep herself composed.
"That is strictly confidential information concerning our AI programming, so how the hell do you know all this?" she asked, anger seeping into her voice.
"They're part of the world's most advanced Doll manufacturer, Helian, so I wouldn't put it past Sangvis to be able to procure such information, especially considering that this one's an intel gatherer." the Commander told her matter-of-factly. "How else did the Soviets manage to get so much intel on their enemies during the war?"
"He's right... you know..." Scarecrow rasped. "But unlike back then, we are not tools that bend under human will... Do you get it, cowardly humans, holed up in your little bases and only showing yourself through hologram or through another Doll?"
At that line, Ian's smile grew quite dangerous and he crouched down to the Sangvis' level, his next words were laced with enough venom to put an army to its knees.
"SP65 Scarecrow, I am a former rifleman of the United States Army's 1st Army Division, with over 37 confirmed kills on Sangvis Dolls and 54 confrmed kills on Soviet soldiers, maybe even more. I have fought in every battlefield from Berlin to Moscow, and my contributions helped the US win over fifteen major battles over three years. Now, if I had my way," he glared at his superior, "then I wouldn't be holed up in my base. I would be on the frontline, and I'd do the same things I did back in the war to you, and all your little friends."
Scarecrow didn't say anything for a moment, in which an incensed Ian suspected she was accessing and reading his file, then she spoke again.
"Impressive. But even if you were present, it wouldn't have changed anything."
"Shut up. Your operation failed. It doesn't matter what you know, but you won't live to tell the tale." Helian growled, and two of his Dolls raised their weapons to Scarecrow's head.
"But I AM..." she started, and even before she said the next part, Helian paled. "Sequence number... 8354... 9266... 0223... I finally calculated the coordinates of M4A1's whereabouts at the last minute..."
M4A1?!
"What coordinates? Who are you corresponding with, Sangvis?!" the Sub-Director interrogated.
"And what's so important about M4A1?! You yourself gloated about IOP Dolls being inferior to you!" Ian added angrily.
"All I'm going to say is that she's... different, Griffin Commander..." Scarecrow told him before a new voice cut in.
"I got the coordinates. Well done, Scarecrow." a rough, but still feminine voice cut in.
"Thank you, Executioner. Farewell..."
Scarecrow's eyes flashed red and Ian knew what was going to happen at once.
"ALL UNITS, GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER, SHE'S GONNA BLOW!" he bellowed into the comms, and his hologram dematerialized as M1911 and her allies got as far away as possible, MP5 hurriedly activating her shield in a dome as the Ringleader decided she wanted a Viking funeral and violently exploded, engulfing the half-formed shield in flames and causing the line to go dead. After about twenty seconds of silence, in which he tried to process what just happened, Ian swallowed and composed himself before hailing them.
"1911, Springfield, AK, do you copy?" he asked firmly, only to get static.
"1911, Springfield, AK, do you copy?" he repeated a little more urgently.
More static.
This can't be happening...
"M1911, SPRINGFIELD, AK, IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, PLEASE RESPOND!" he yelled, fear seeping into his voice as he desperately called for his subordinates to respond, and after not getting a response, fear and dread began to set in, and his grip on the edge of the holotable tightened.
Please don't be dead. I know you'll be able to come back, but it wouldn't be the same you I met in Kirov, would it?
No, they all backed up, but it would still be unpleasant to make her deal with whatever memories she does lose.
As he tried to think of something to do, Helian, who he had forgotten about, saw fit to contact 737 and 601's Dolls to investigate Scarecrow's explosion site for survivors and was now attempting to get her newest subordinate's attention.
"Commander? Commander..." she intoned, finally getting Ian's attention after twenty seconds of trying.
"What is it, ma'am?"
"The Dolls at the perimeter are searching the area for survivors and will have results in about a minute. Although, I spent about twenty seconds trying to get your attention."
"You did? Sorry I didn't hear you."
"It's okay. You looked two steps shy of going to the site yourself, anyways."
"Well, she's my friend, Helian. And sure, she can come back and all, but not with her memories intact, plus, I can't stand not knowing what happened to them."
The grey-haired woman looked as if she was trying to come with a reply to his statement when someone said something on the other end, causing her to turn aroun to answer them.
"Yes, DP-28? You found them? Good, Commander Becker will be happy to hear that. Thank you, goodbye."
She then turned back to him with a passive look on her face.
"Commander, your Dolls are alive and well, although some of them have minor damage from the shrapnel. DP-28 reports that your MP5's shield blocked the worst of it."
Ian let out a sigh of relief and the dread he felt swiftly left, replaced with relief. They were still alive.
"Thank God."
"Unfortunately, almost nothing remains of Scarecrow, so I'm back to square one in my investigation. Although, the fact that you eliminated a Ringleader on your official third day on the job without backup is phenominal."
He flushed lightly at the praise, but another question was on his mind.
"Is there anything else I can do to assist you, Helian?"
At his request Helian exhaled deeply and looked at her tablet, then she replied.
"Not at the moment. However, if anything comes up, I'll contact you. For now, though..." she sighed again, "You did a wonderful job eliminating Scarecrow, so maybe I can convince IOP to send something good your way. Oh, I almost forgot, your M1911's so-called 'younger sister' Grizzly MkV is coming to visit your base in a few days."
Damn it.
"As long as she doesn't offer to take me for a drive, it should be fine." the Commander said. "Is there anything else?"
"No. I'll see you soon."
As Helian's hologram dematerialized, he sighed and removed his beret, running a gloved hand through his hair.
So Scarecrow was hunting M4A1 because she's "different" from other Dolls and she likely has important intel on Sangvis that they can't risk losing. Some bitch named Executioner's going after M4A1 now, and Scarecrow set Helian's investigation back to square one with the push of a button. At the very least, my Dolls aren't dead, Helian's gonna get IOP to throw me a bone, and Grizzly's gonna visit Station 794.
And on top of all that, we've gotta get the base fixed up for tougher operations.
Ian punctuated these thoughts with one word.
"Fuck."
I hope Operation Uproot was satisfactory, because it took me a good bit to write this one (plus I've been fixing up SAO: Origin Story chapters,) and I've gotten writers' blocks left and right.
Anyways, why the hell do I feel like I failed with my story whenever I read Toy Soldiers? Also, if you had told me that the newest season of Destiny 2 would be about pirates and Lightfall would be set in a neon/tech noir 80's themed location, I'd have said you were on drugs or blackout drunk. At least it's better than Season of the Haunted (edit: or not.)
Concerning Recollection, A Doll's Love on my alternate may have spoiled the new Doll coming to the base, but ADL's first two chapters were originally one-shots for me to read when I got bored before they were posted, so I hope you don't mind the (minor) spoilers in it. Also, there's a small timeskip coming up in the main story, so I hope it isn't bothersome.
Oh, turns out the GFL anime dub isn't half bad (however, I don't think the dubbers know how to pronounce the word "Sangvis."
Finally, I'll see you all at FNG I!