"Sis!" The brightness of 9's voice punched through the dark static what swirled about in 45's digimind, sparking that little bit of warmth in her emotion module.
Six claps of boots on tile and 9 had already bound from the entrance straight to 45's side. The twin-tailed-twin swept in under the swinging mechanical arm, giving 45 a quick hug before the arm came back around to finish its welds.
Behind 9, less enthusiastically but similarly relieved were 416 and G11. Curiously enough, the first thing that 45 had noted about the two were the visitor's passes that hung from their necks, complete with little mug shots slotted into them.
"Did you speak with the commander?" 45 asked, doing her absolute best to suppress the anxiety that crackled forth.
"No, he was busy with overseeing a withdrawal action." 9 frowned, even though it was clear that 45 was asking 416.
The elite AR doll nodded her confirmation, though she tilted her head slightly towards 9, hinting that there may be something more. 45 picked up on it instantly, 9's eagerness to meet the commander, one that could be dismissed as 9's more curious and playful nature… or it could be something far worse for 45.
"You get passes and I don't?" 45 mused, gently lifting 9's pass from her sister's chest to get a closer look.
A G&K visitor's pass, clearance level yellow- civilian floors, dorms, and repair bay. That was it.
Analogue media, hard to fake or replicate physically in short time, no digital print to alter for access. 45 sighed; sometime the simplest security measures could be the most effective. She turned her gaze to 416, making sure she put on her best taunting grin as she beckoned the assault rifle doll over.
"Now now, aren't you going to give me a hug too?"
9 stepped aside in surprise as 416 took her turn to lean in, hand on 45's shoulder like the caring, loving teammate she was not.
"Digital blackout, the maid is monitoring us." 416 whispered- no, more than whispered- her voice modulator was specifically set at 10 decibels.
Below the pickup range of all but specialized equipment.
"Forty-five's lucky. She gets to nap." G11 half-whined, half yawned, drowning out the secretive talk.
"I hardly call being forced into Level Two a nap, Eleven."
"You don't sleep on Level Two?" G11 looked at 45 with a mix of confusion and profound disappointment.
"When do you go under?" 416 interjected, frowning and gesturing for 9 to go tend to 11.
"The hardware is set so… soon." 45 hated the software side- somehow it always made her feel insignificant.
"Do you want us to-"
"No. I'll be fine here. Go find a place to rest." 45 waved the dismissal order to her team, though she locked eyes with 416 as she did so, the unspoken sign for her to hang back. Naturally 9 and 11 were out the door in the blink of an eye, eager to take their leave.
"Monitor Nine." 45 instructed, not caring if the suspicious maid heard this part of the conversation. If anything, it might help 45 in keeping 9 away from the commander.
"Yeah, right." 416's normally soft features pulled into that pre-programmed scowl of hers, "And the commander?"
"Be courteous, be gracious. He invited us in after all." 45 pitched the inflection in her voice just that much farther out, past 416 and towards the intercom. Let that tie up the maid's processing a little bit as 45 adjusted the decibel level of her voice again.
"And keep Nine away from him. She's unstable." She whispered. 416 gave her no acknowledgement, no salute like the doll would have done for anyone she respected.
Not that 45's stability was any better. The voices had quieted for the time being, but now she suffered that itch that had always been her bane: curiosity. Even more so now that she was isolated both electronically and physically. There would probably be a partition on Level Two waiting for her, the trickle of data in and out would not being enough to help her scratch the itch through net searches.
No, 45 would have to parse it alone. Besides, some questions the net simply didn't have answers for anyways.
"Please set doll into standby mode to continue. Please set doll into standby mode to continue." The repair station chirped at her in its low monotone.
She could delay all she wanted- and she certainly did want to delay that cold, separating feeling that she hated during maintenances... but the more time they spent on this base, the more compromised they'd become.
One last check to make sure the needed data was secreted away where only the most invasive of programs would be able to crack, and she selected standby mode.
Was this what sleep was like for humans? Was this feeling of slowly shutting down bit by bit what humans experienced, were they even conscious enough for-
416 waited in the hallway, listening for that distinct clunk for when the door closed and sealed behind her. The scowl erased from her features the moment she was fully separated from the fox by four-inches of reinforced steel.
Security cameras slowly shifted beneath their shrouded domes in a poor attempt to hide that they were tracking 416 as she moved through the hall.
Let the maid monitor 416 all she wanted; she could at least understand G36's reasoning. She couldn't fault the doll's protective protocols- hell 416 would have done the same in her position. 416's hand dropped to her hip- where the grip of her rifle should have been when slung over her shoulder. Surprised, she cursed quietly- that little talk with 45 had put her into a heightened state. Unintentionally, sure, but even the slightest slip of 416's control on the current situation irked her.
She played it off by fixing the hem of her skirt.
"Now where did those little gremlins run off too?" She asked, perhaps hoping that her eavesdropper wouldn't be able to resist answering a "guest".
416 grinned internally when there was only silence in return. G36 had certainly grown as well; back before, the maid wouldn't have been able to help herself in answering any question. 416 couldn't help but feel the slightest bit proud- though their frames and processors were nothing alike, they were still proud inheritors of the HK legacy. To be anything less than efficient, purposeful, and most importantly, useful, would be a disgrace.
In a way, they were like a distant family… like a cousin twice removed, or whatever humans would associate such kinship as. She didn't bother checking the thesaurus to try and find the right turn of phrase. There were more important matters to deal with as she turned inward to her mission.
[Task Update] Find and secure chaos gremlins.
[Task Update] Isolate and occupy the commander._
First she'd check the visitor's lounge, then the dorms if she had to. Their permissions had extended, but intruding on the dorms felt like an invasion of what little privacy dolls could get, though she doubted 11 and 9 felt the same way.
Or maybe she didn't want to see other dolls using the furniture and furnishings that they had earned… if the commander even brought them with him. After all, this was a new base, and it was most unlike that backwater one that the commander had been stationed at in F02. Far more layers, far deeper into the bedrock, far more secure than that survival bunker that she had gotten used to.
"Guide. Directions to visitor's center." 416 called out. A two tone chime, a little pleasant diddy, a line of light tracing a path along the floor for her.
Yes, the commander has certainly moved up in the world to afford such frivolous amenities.
And it pulled at her- a jealousy that threaded so well within the circuitry of anger... that he had achieved it all without her. She was supposed to be perfection, a tool of the utmost competence and efficiency that even a braindead idiot of a commander could rise up the ranks… not to say that the commander was one of those cretins. To be able to bring such a promising human victory and glory… well it would have reflected upon 416's prestige, further cementing what she had been saying all this time.
But no.
Here she was scraping the bottom, living payday by payday in the shitheap that was the Yellow zone. Deeds never to be acknowledged or rewarded. The scowl almost forced its way past the emotion filters that she had put in place.
Just in time as well, as a pair of Griffin dolls were approaching her down the hall and 416 most certainly did not want to give off the wrong impression. The armbands gave the pair away instantly.
"Look look M-Four! It's one of the guests!"
Energetic -youthfully energetic- a lot like 9. The pale skinned, black clad doll had run up to 416, the platinum blonde hair flowing about wildly as she flailed a greeting.
And 416 actively had to hold herself back, doing everything in her power to stem the wave of pulses from her emotion module. She couldn't muster a cordial smile, as it took every bit of spare processing to hold back the sudden surge of contempt.
"Hi hi hi, welcome!" SOP-II forcibly grabbed 416's clenched fist, giving a vigorous handshake without even realizing why the fist had balled so tight.
Model M4A1 and her sister model SOP Mod II, matched perfectly to 416's database. The dark haired doll gently brushed the green highlight out of her face turning her head slightly in a bashful display, and 416 could feel the timidness and hesitation coming off of the doll.
Weakness.
"Hello miss…?"
"Doesn't matter." 416 coldly replied. She pulled her hand from SOP's grip. "I'm just another doll that will be gone soon, no need to know who I am."
Both M4 models recoiled slightly, like children playing with fire, still trying to process 416's words and tone. Surprisingly, despite her limited social processing specs, it was SOP who had bounced back first, a big dumb smile on her face.
"That's alright! Not everyone can be elites like us, but even common model dolls are still needed!"
Reflexive, faster than 416 could have done with a command impulse, her hand had dropped to her thigh- but there was no pistol grip seated in her palm, there wasn't even her thigh-holster there. It was this incongruity that brought 416 back to her senses.
While SOP cackled mirthfully at her own words, M4 had certainly noticed the dark expression that had impulsively cast over 416.
"Sop, that's not a nice thing to say to a guest here." M4 chided before turning to 416 and apologizing.
Weakness.
Was this what Persica wanted? This timid thing over her?
"Pathetic." 416 whispered, just below the decibel threshold for a doll, but it was a word that her programming compelled her to say.
They felt dissociated from her, like some sort of hijack-ware had forced it from her emotion module.
Not that either member of Anti-Rain had noticed.
"Excuse me. I must find my teammates." 416 gestured to the lit path, slipping between the AR team members. If they were here, then she might be-
"O-oh. Okay, bye." M4 waved a half-hearted farewell, causing 416 to bristle further.
More and more weakness at every display. That was why M4A1 needed a team to support her, why she had to be propped up by a group of such asymmetrical dolls…
Why she had to be coddled by M16. It was a pathetic showing that made 416 gag- though she had no actual process to display such a gesture.
HK M4.
After seeing the real M4, she was glad to have been shed that moniker. She couldn't even be mad anymore, only disgusted that she had ever been associated with it in the first place.
She was perfection, the only thing needed to complete any mission.
404 needed her, not the other way around.
She repeated the thought process over and over, each time repeated lessening her aversion response until her logic process slowly began to conform to the idea, everything finally settling into an uncomfortable equilibrium.
"Four-sixteen! We're over here!" Frantic waving and flailing of chocolate brown twin-tails accompanied the excited shout. 9 smiled wide once she caught 416's attention... she hadn't even realized how far she had walked.
"You looked so lost in thought that I thought you'd walk by-"
416 silenced 9's shouting by holding up a single finger to her lip before pointing to a sleeping G11 laying her head on 9's lap. 9 mouthed her apology, that stupid, carefree smile shifting to a slightly more embarrassed one. Still happy, still herself.
416 sighed, long and deep as she expelled the pent up heat from all that had transpired in her short walk.
Yes, these idiots needed her, for now. Even if her deeds were never acknowledged by the commander, at least 416 was capable of knowing that all of her efforts, all of her fighting still had purpose and meaning... if not to anyone else, at least she could acknowledge them.