At the Outpost
Whereas the Chief and his team were out retrieving friendlies, the Counters were busy with the rather intricately continuous and rather sisyphean task of completing paperwork for the Outpost to properly function. The Commander's room was metaphorically covered wall-to-wall with the various requisition forms, building permits and inquiries they needed to send over to the Central Government's military supply clerks to properly upgrade the Outpost. Of course, good Alyosha had known that Rapi would be left alone to work on paperwork due to Neon's disposition toward the weapons forms and Anis's disposition to... Do nothing, basically.
Thus, the good Commander flexed and moved his right leg, which was covered by an exoskeleton due to some injuries sustained in the hunt for Chatterbox, while writing some of the paperwork Rapi would have otherwise had to do alone. While he had wanted to relieve some of the stress off of his executive officer and second-in-command, he had still needed a hand from her regarding some of the harder forms.
Neon, meanwhile, was obviously still rather focused on the equipment. Ranging from ammunition requisition forms to spare parts for their guns, Rapi had had to make sure Neon didn't 'mistakenly' order weapons that weren't within the Outpost's budget, namely way too powerful defense cannons or the likes. Much to the chagrin of the Firepower Connoisseur, one might add.
Anis, meanwhile, simply 'supervised' (Codeword for:Wasn't really doing anything) from the couch with a soda in hand. In truth, the good old Tetra Nikke figured she wasn't going to do anything but annoy the everloving hell out of both Rapi and the Commander by complaining, so they all agreed that she should just stick back for now and enjoy a can of sweet, sweet carbonated goodness in the background.
She swirled the contents of the can around, looking at them, then asked with a little disregard, "So... Did we think where we're gonna house all the possible newcomers, considering Chief told us he spotted dozens of IFFs before he left?" which caused all three of the Counters members to turn toward her. The Commander, in all his wisdom, gave a nod.
"I was considering the newly-built Hotel, seeing as it rarely has any customers..." He replied, scratching his cheek.
Rapi shook her head, "Not certain that's a good idea, Commander. The place might be unoccupied for a reason we don't know yet."
"I'll check it out later," He sighed, rubbing his eyes, "Otherwise, I can ask Mighty Tools to build a new barracks somewhere nearby the Command Center, but I'm not sure how much it'd help if we don't have exact numbers..." and he turned to Rapi. The young woman nodded and pulled out a com device to send a ping to Liter about it. She and Centi could potentially handle it. Alyosha, meanwhile, had to admit to himself he was a little excited to get some support, finally. And it was probably showing.
Neon quipped, "You certainly seem a little excited, Master."
"And a little cautious," Added Rapi, "Worried?"
"I'm mostly thinking what I'm going to ask the Chief's friends. Taking into account they've fought a war fairly like our own, sans the whole space factor, against a technologically advanced and genocidal enemy, I wanna ask them for pointers. Ways to adapt our tactics so our units could best survive the Raptures and so we could provide multiple victories against them to the Ark..." He admitted, scratching the back of his head, "But I think I'll figure something out."
Rapi tapped her chin, then offered, "Could be a good idea to write a list of questions during your free time."
"Yeah," He nodded, then smiled, "Thanks, Rapi..." to which the girl replied with a silently-mouthed 'you're welcome' while averting her gaze and trying to focus on her work. Anis and Neon both grinned at one-another knowingly, before both turned back to doing work, or lazing around in Anis's case. Continuing their work meant more writing and the likes.
Anis checked her phone, then snorted, "Well, seems that new PMC's getting into trouble again..."
"Which one?" Alyosha asked, surprised.
Anis lifted her phone and handed it to Rapi, who, in turn, showed it to Alyosha after sneaking a peek. The man hummed and read part of the article outloud. "Nikke Private Military Company 'RedGuns' engaged in Turf War near outermost areas of the Ark. The Private Military Contractors of RedGun, formed by the defective Soldier EG Upgraded model, callsign 'Michigan', engaged today in a battle against a criminal organization for control of a warehouse... Exchange of fire was minimal and casualties were thankfully low, but the ACPU was on the scene when locals reported disturbances... Huh."
"The RedGuns. Elysion-made Soldier EGs they tried to upgrade. They're a subsidiary to Elysion, right?" Anis asked Rapi and Neon. Both of them nodded and were about to add something, but a knock came from the door. Anis blinked, then asked Rapi, "... Were... We expecting anyone?" before getting a shake of her head. She clicked her tongue, then murmured, "Right..." before looking to the Commander.
Alyosha let out a sigh, then stood up and walked to the door. He touched the button on the side and the door slid open. He was about to ask something, before blanking out the moment he saw who was behind the door. A Nikke, rather obviously, as tall as him, clad in blue from the hair down to the skintight bodyglove-type suit she was wearing, a pair of mechanical ears that glowed azure to cyan due to the LEDs poking out of the top of her scruffy, long blue hair. Two emerald eyes stared at the man, one of them hidden behind the hair that covered it. She also wore a mask, or a muzzle of some sort. He could see the emblem on the left side of the rigid central part of the suit, which must've been her armor.
Written near her inguinal were the letters Nr. 19 and the guy could see a 'belly window' of sorts, the suit's thinner fabric somewhat outlining her belly. Arms crossed to her chest, the girl spoke, "Hey, Buddy. You must be the Commander..." her voice beautiful, but slightly gravelly, like a rough-hewn diamond. Alyosha swallowed, looking the girl in the eye before nodding. She smirked, though her mouth was constrained by the muzzle, or whatever it was.
Anis grinned, noting the fact the Commander had to take a moment to compose himself, but held on pretty well. She also looked to Rapi to see her reaction to the new arrival, before snorting as she saw a slight glare coming from the otherwise straight-faced Nikke. The fluffy-haired Tetra Nikke chuckled at her best friend's reaction, while the Commander managed to respond, "I am. And I didn't get notified about a new Nikke being transferred here."
"Heh," The girl snorted, "I'm not surprised. My orders were to be present here for Overwatch purposes, but I don't think Syuen knows who she gave this piece of hardware to," and those words caused the group to tense. She raised her hands defensively and said, "Yeah, yeah, I'm a Missilis Doll..." before sighing, "Nobody really likes it when I bring that stuff up."
"I mean, to nobody's surprise," The Commander murmured, which garnered chuckles out of everyone save for Rapi. He blinked, shook his head, then asked, "Anyways. You saying Syuen sent you to the Outpost? To keep tabs on us. Like Mihara and Yuni," as he crossed his arms. That was a rather unsurprising twist of events, what with Syuen being Syuen... Again.
The new Missilis Doll, Nr. 19, whoever she was, gave a nod. The Commander could now better see the emblem of a muzzled wolf on the left side of her chest, which she seemed to display in full view. She then said, "Yeah, but my stay's a tad more permanent than theirs. By the way, nice play with the whole 'faking them being mindwiped' thing..." as she looked at Rapi, who froze. Noting that all of them had gone defensive again, just by the twitch alone, she raised her hands to show friendliness, before telling them, "It's alright. I'm not gonna spill the beans. I just noticed Mihara acting the same with Yuni and... Well... Put two and two together."
"You're a smart one, girl..." Anis snorted, "Though I gotta say, the bodysuit... I mean, I know Missilis has a thing about high-tech stuff, but ain't that just a bit too far?"
Nr. 19 let out a snort, before crossing her arms again and stating, "Yeah, trust me. Didn't really pick it, but it's got the armor to take whatever anyone can throw at me. Well, most anyone. Bigger Raptures might be problematic for yours truly, but I'm not here just to fight. Nor to just keep tabs on you alone. Big man in Power Armor was also my quarry or ward, but he doesn't seem to be around right now."
"Chief's busy," Alyosha replied, "He'll be back soon enough, though..."
"Good to know. Won't be leavin' any time soon," She shot back.
Alyosha chuckled, "Very forthcoming for a Spy, aren't you?"
"Not a Spy," She winked, "Again. Overwatch. Syuen might be able to order me around and supersede active military commands," And that last bit got the team to pause as the girl continued, "But that doesn't mean I can't say anything to piss her off. We've had more than a few screaming matches..." before another grin formed behind her muzzle. It was a bit weird to see a girl with her face muzzled and covered like that.
"You don't sound particularly happy to be working for her," Neon observed.
Anis snorted, "Observant, ain't'cha? Something like that can be seen from Space."
"Give her a break, heh. She's right, though. I'm basically an indentured servant at this point..." The girl sighed deeply, rubbing her eyes, "Owing money to the Big Three really screwed me and my family over. Not even my NIMPH's goddamn normal..." then leaned against the doorframe. It probably wasn't easy, being a Missilis Nikke made specifically from
Alyosha nodded understandingly, "Take it that's the reason Syuen can potentially supersede any command I give...?"
"Yeah," She answered, then hummed and pulled out a cigarette, much to everyone's surprise. She then started checking her surprisingly invisible pockets for a lighter, only to sigh. She looked to the Commander apologetically, before lifting the cigarette and asking, "Anyone got a light? Helps me pass the times a lil' easier nowadays, what with everything that happened."
Anis blinked, as stunned as Rapi and Neon as it seemed, which was very. She asked, "You smoke. A Nikke smokes..."
A short snort and a shrug came as replies. Alyosha, meanwhile, pulled out his survival lighter, something he'd kept on his person if he ever got separated and needed to make it out there in the big, wide world. She slid the cigarette onto whatever point in her muzzle allowed her lips to grip it, then leaned forward. The Commander activated the lighter with a click and brought it to the cig's end. The girl took a puff, then breathed the smoke out of her nose. She smiled, "Thanks, Buddy..." before leaning back.
Anis once again checked Rapi for jealousy, only to see the hints starting to appear again. With a short chuckle, the Tetra Nikke once again turned back to the introductions. The Nikke of Missilis hummed, then murmured, "Oh, right. I didn't introduce myself," and topped it off with a jovial, "Missilis Special Model Number Nineteen... Call me Rusty," as she grinned.
Anis blanked, then grinned and called out Rusty, "Wait a minute... I recognize that emblem now! You're one of the Wolves!"
The entire room turned to Anis, who blinked and realized, "What, you guys never heard of'em?"
The Wolf snorted again, then burst into a short laugh before replying, "Good thing they don't. You're a Tetra girl, then?" as she raised a brow. Anis nodded, which hinted at the fact that maybe these 'Wolves' and Tetra had a history. Rusty was quick to confirm the suspicions she probably saw forming in the eyes of her new workmates, noting, "Well, cat's out of the bag, I guess. Yes, I'm part of WOLFPACK. Missilis Elite Nikke team, meant to be pretty much Syuen's secret Spec-Ops, Wetwork team in polar opposition to Laplace's little fun brigade. The only people who'll ever know of our existence are our quarries and our wards."
"And we are?" Rapi asked, wary, her hand shifting to her back.
Rusty nodded, "Wards for now. Lemme remind you that Syuen only wants me around to keep tabs on you folks. I'll be part of the Counters temporarily if you need me in combat, though, so..." and she thought for a moment. If she was ever ordered to leave them behind, she couldn't disobey Syuen. Maybe she wanted them to die in front of her, give a message.
"We'd be dead already if we were her targets," Snorted Anis.
Neon blinked, "They that good?"
"Oh, ya kidding?" The grenadier nodded, "My friends are still a lil' peeved they got torn to shreds, but, hey, they're rebuilt now..."
"Heh. Sorry. Syuen really wanted that piece of tech Mustang's away teams dug up... Turns out it was quite important. Might even interest the Big Guy when he returns," The Nikke replied rather proudly. Alyosha made a mental note to tell the Chief and Cortana about it. To note, he probably wouldn't tell the girl about Cortana for now, unless Chief decided to open up to her himself.
With the added warning that she was a Missilis spy.
"Anyway, with all that said," The girl took another long drag from her cig, "I'll be going. I can see you folks are busy. See you later, Buddy," And giving the Commander another quick wink, much to Anis and Neon's amusement and Rapi's chagrin. The Commander sighed and waved everyone back to work, walking to and sitting down at his desk as the door shut. As if the situation at the Outpost wasn't a little tense anyway, considering the groups of squads forming up...
Another little Syuen trick, huh?
Somewhere else...
The Chief stared almost with disbelief at what he was seeing.
His team was outside, securing the perimeter of the location, with the only one inside with him being Signal. He needed her radio to summon the evacuation of what lay ahead. Amidst the ruins of what seemed to be an ancient research laboratory, an outpost long abandoned of a corporation known as the 'VTC' per the strange cross and shield symbol with the ribbon below, lay an item of interest to any sane man or woman who was a UNSC trooper.
Signal almost seemed a little horrified, trembling due to the chill of the location. She looked over to the Chief and asked, "I-Is that what I think it is...?" as she held her small SMG close. The Chief nodded, then gave her one motion of the hand, to which she replied with a wary, fearful nod. She knelt and undid the straps of her radio communication system, then pulled out the transmitter and pressed the button and called out, "Outpost, Outpost, this is LUCKY Actual, r-requesting Heavy Lift EVAC, times one heavy-duty package, p-priority one..."
Cortana murmured, "Y'know, I'd have thought she'd be revived, too, but I guess I was wrong..." as the pair stared at what sat in the middle of the room, hooked up to a weakening power source. The tubular device sat amidst the rotting technology looked as if brand new, save for the cobweb over the wiring and the frost and condensation continuously freezing and melting off each-other. The glass of the tube was iced-over on the outside as the Spartan advanced toward it.
He slid his MA5 on his back, then set a hand onto the glass, feeling the faint chill coming through his gauntlet. He wiped away the condensation, revealing the pallid face of a young woman, her brown hair covering part of her face. Her lips were purple, pallid, but the ice glazing over her skin and uniform could've been the reason for that. A small, frozen and congealed pool of blood sat on the comfortable cover and dripped down to her heels.
"Commander Keyes..." Whispered Cortana, "Hey, Miranda..."
"Ma'am..." Chief whispered, then gave a quick salute. He radioed, "All LUCKY Elements, converge on me and Signal. We'll need to help the evac crews load the Pod with the HVI aboard the transport... And someone send a ping to the Commander, tell him to get CEO Ingrid and the rest of Elysion on the line. We might yet be able to save her... I hope..."
Cortana hummed, "Planning to Nikkefy her, Chief?"
"Best bet to keep her alive. We have to keep moving and can't rely on any other way to get her out of the pod. Can't carry her with us, either. Three spikes to the spine isn't that survivable," The Spartan replied, then watched as the Luckies fell in, Delta giving a quick salute before she paused, staring with wide eyes at the woman in the ice box. The XO of the team looked to Chief, then nodded and gave him a crisp salute as the rotorblades roared overhead and four tow hooks dropped down through a hole.
He hoped the Commander would appreciate living again...