"Alright, six gauge AP Slug shells, 7,62, 9mm and 5,56 ammo..." Niner checked the inventory for their upcoming departure, "Winter clothing, replacement parts, foodstuffs, water and temperature-maintaining canisters, water heaters, chemical heaters, the few spare MREs the Marines and Sergeant Major could lend to us. Damn if we aren't gonna be pack mules this op."
"Better than freezing to death," Pinne commented jovially as she loaded new slugs into her shotgun and racked the pump. Peering through her new holographic sight, the girl smiled and flicked through its various aiming modes. She also checked the barrel's new muzzle flash hider, then pumped the pump several times to dump the shells into her hand, triple-checked to make sure it was properly empty, then set it aside and slotted the slugs into her armor, which she'd taken off, leaving herself in a brown tank top only. She stretched and yawned, then commented, "You guys think this Pilgrim's all she's made out to be...?" a little wary.
Pinne would never admit it to anyone, neither friend, nor acquaintance, that her mind started feeling weird. She knew it wasn't Corruption for some reason, but it still felt so strange to talk about the Pilgrims. They were basically the stuff of legends amidst Nikkes in the Ark, with many even speculating they were the former Goddess Squad, the Elite of the Elite, the Nikkes that had sacrificed themselves for this last Ark to survive.
She didn't know how true it was. If that was the case. Something gnawed at her, telling her that it was true. Some sort of hope, some old melancholic thoughts. She didn't know. Instead, she now woke up with a bop on the noggin from Delta. She yelped and looked up, then covered her head, pushing down strands of her messy blonde hair and asking, "The heck was that for, Delta?"
"Trying to keep you awake," The girl replied, "You've been fading in and out ever since we met the sword Pilgrim, Scarlet. You sure you're okay?"
The Prod. 23 had to take a moment and look around at her comrades. A worried Signal, who was trying out her winter coat, looked at her with concern building behind those reddish eyes of hers, her mouth slightly open. Layla, beside her, had also started trying out her winter gear, a long-coat that covered a good chunk of her body, with the armor she usually wore placed on top.
Delta had gotten longer camouflage pants and gear with speckled white camouflage instead of the usual Desert 'MARPAT', as she called it. Niner had gotten her own camo gear and a coat underneath her armor, which she'd painted white, as well. So that left her. She had started modding her gear, padding her stuff with weather-resistant cloth and extra kevlar just to keep warm and safe. She'd even gotten a beanie.
That wasn't what she was asked, though. Stopping herself from scrutinizing her comrades' gear, she simply answered, "Yeah, sorry. I guess seeing a real-life Pilgrim shook me a little more than I thought, heh..." a simple excuse and a rather genuine truth. One which her friends seemed to have taken to heart, Delta offering her a smile and giving her a pat on the shoulder.
That, or she decided to let Chief handle it, if he wanted to...
Eitherway, Pinne sighed to herself and checked the new slugs Neon had made. More APFSDS slugs, though these ones apparently used tungsten instead of the previous steel-coated penetrator forms from before. She felt the slight heft increase, though it wasn't much worse. Setting them back into her armor's various shotgun ammo slots, she then put on her new kevlar coat, the beanie(which also had kevlar linings) and a face mask with a new visor of sorts.
Delta, meanwhile, loaded armor piercing rounds gifted by Neon and told them, "I see we're all running ammunition from Neon..." jokingly.
Sam walked in, carrying a can of fresh rounds and stating, "Yep. She's made sure to gift them to all of us..." and set it and her backpack down in the middle. "I also managed to scrounge a bunch more Splendamin up, so that should be good reserve food. Gifts from Diesel, too, strawberry candies and the likes, plus hot cocoa we got from the Toy Shop..."
"Didn't we recently get a new squad?" Layla asked as she approached and plucked an MRE up from the center. She popped it open, knowing they had plenty in reserve anyhow and also knowing she could re-seal it, turned to watch the last and newest member of the team walk in and greeted him with a salute. Sam, to his credit, gave a salute back to the Nikke. She said to him, "Welcome to the party, Sir."
"It's just Sam, Layla," The man replied as he looked around, "Take it we're packing?"
"Yep. And chatting. Welcome to the team, Sam," Pinne noted as she walked up to greet him in the Jacket. He was the more kindhearted of the Spartans according to Cortana's own words, one of the more openly talkative and friendly, in fact. So, 'kindhearted' in the sense he wasn't just very soldierly all the time. Chief was kind-hearted, too, but he rarely showed any form of emotion. Most they'd seen was him greeting Samuel quite happily.
It was rather endearing, all things considered... Sammy, the Soldier EG, looked confused. And a bit dejected. Delta asked her, "What's the matter, Sammy-" before pausing.
Sammy, to her credit, simply joked, "Guess I'm changing my name again..." which got a few hearty laughs out of her comrades. Samuel gave a thumbs up and a look of apology to her, which she just waved off. She checked her equipment, then told him, "It's alright, Sam. I'll go by Sammy, heh," before setting her weapon aside. The strangely-shaped rifle resembled something from the 21st Century, though it looked much more sturdily built.
"Well, with that in mind, you prepped?" Niner asked him. Sam gave a nod of confirmation. He only did a quick re-check of his MA5B and his magazines before giving himself a small mental approval. Niner chuckled, then slid a fresh barrel into her own LMG and stated, "Well, we're all prepped and all gear's checked and green. All that's left is to start moving. Delta, Signal, you girls call the Chief over?"
"H-He's still talking to Kelly and the S-Sergeant-Major, I think...:" Signal replied awkwardly.
Delta added, "They'll be taking the Scouts' place in verifying the Lost Sectors, as you know, so he wants to make sure they're prepared for whatever they may meet. There's Special Nikkes being deployed with them, too, depending on which squad is available at the time of their launch, so..." then she shifted her gaze toward Layla, who chewed a bit of gum.
"Hey, speaking of, Delta, are the Lost Sectors actually as bad as we hear?" Pinne inquired, leaning her shotgun on her shoulder, "I heard those places can house anything from abandoned Nikkes to Raptures that managed to overwhelm them. Not to mention funky tech and the type of stuff you'd see the Big Three 'suicide' a person for. Y'know, their less ethical experiments."
"Most we've found were resources," Delta affirmed, crossing her arms to her chest, "Plus the lost tech piece here and there."
"T-There was that one time we found a full tape f-from the first season of a show I watched a lot... T-Tetra sure appreciated it," Signal chuckled, still a little shy. She then scratched her cheek to calm down a bit of an irritation and murmured, "Not to mention things like a new Splendamin f-flavoring. I think Diesel owes us for the Strawberry." then looked to Delta.
The scout-sniper chuckled and added, "I do suppose so. I'm still trying to find an upgrade for my rifle that Elysion said we might find in those areas. I should probably write to Chief Petty Officer Kelly about it," while adjusting her scope and the red dot on top of it. She thought to herself that she needed the sights aligned properly, plus maybe a some sort of thing to help them see in case of Snowstorms.
"What's that?" Sam asked as he sat down on a box.
Layla snorted, "She wants a thermal scope. Not like Nikke eyes can't use FLIR."
"Nikke eyes have Thermal cams?" Sam quirked a brow up at that. While not as surprising as it should've been, it was still something. He did expect some sort of enhanced sensory capabilities for the Nikkes. The girls themselves looked at him, most smiling at the reaction. Signal herself, however, was apparently a little busy tending to her radio equipment now. Sam couldn't help but smirk at the thought, "That's actually pretty cool. Only modification we got was enhanced night-time vision."
"That's also plenty useful," Delta commented, "Night operations will be easier for you and your fellow Spartans," And seemed oblivious to the reason a couple of the girls broke into snickering. Sam was thankfully just as confused, while Pinne giggled like a schoolgirl and little Signal seemed embarrassed for even thinking about it. The shotgunner gave a pat on the head to the girl, then looked to a grinning Layla.
Three new figures walked in, Anis immediately calling, "Hey, hey, hey~!" in a slight singsong voice, "How're the Luckies doin'?"
The group all turned to see that Anis, Neon and Rapi had also taken up winter clothing. Notably, most people would nominally think that winter clothes were not necessary for Nikkes, what with them being cyborgs. It was precisely for that reason many Nikkes, especially those who worked with the Scouts, usually chose to wear stuff that would fit the weather they were going to face. In this case, all three girls had taken up cold winter jackets that didn't restrict movement and actual goggles.
Delta smiled, crossing her arms, "Doing good. Welcome, Counters."
"Glad to be here," Rapi nodded. She set her weapon against one of the supply crates, then looked around at the gathered crew for the operation. She nodded to Samuel, then asked, "I take it you're joining the Lucky Strikes, Samuel?" while Neon was already ooo-ing and aaa-ing at the sight of most of the Nikkes actually carrying the ammo she made for them. Moste gave her their approval, with thumbs up or headpats.
"Chief asked, heh," Sam shrugged, "And I wasn't about to refuse my best friend."
"How long have you guys known each-other?" Neon asked, walking up to him.
"... I think we're slowly coming up on a decade for me," The guy chuckled awkwardly, which seemed to stun the group. He then clarified rather quickly, "Though Chief and the others have been alive for much longer than I have. Blue Team are veterans of our war, after all. They won it for us. I sorta died right at the start and they've been at it for thirty years..."
"Still takes me a while to wrap my head around the idea of death and revival," Pinne commented, "Though, honestly, by the way Chief reacted when he saw you and Kelly, I don't think it matters that much, heh," and she smiled at him. The Spartan gave a nod in thanks, then hummed, now in thought. He paused, however, as a flying Nikke descended into the place.
Clad in heavy armor, with what looked to be an energy projector strapped to one arm and a plasma weapon in the other, as well as an armored jetpack on her back, Rusty touched down and greeted, "Howdy, folks. Sorry I'm late," as she dusted herself off. The Counters looked with a little surprise at the high-tech mobility gear the woman wore, with armor draped over her body that looked like it was more science-fiction than anything.
"Welcome to the party, Rusty," Anis snorted, crossing her arms, "You look odd."
"Like a girl in a mech suit," Rusty joked, a grin behind the muzzle she wore, "I'll be your scouting an air support for the op. Don't worry, I can fly through the chilly air of the North. Snowstorms would be the only real problem, though. Low-Vis means risk of hitting stuff..." then she looked over as two pairs of footsteps, one heavier than the other, echoed. Chief and the Commander had arrived, the latter clad in thick winter gear.
"We ready to depart?" Asked Alyosha. Several replies of approval echoed from the two Nikke units. The man looked to the Chief and offered a smile, before walking toward the supplies and starting to grab a few things, like MREs, for his own backpack. Plus a water bottle that helped seal the drinking water from the freezing temperatures up north. Chief, meanwhile, had all he needed in his armor.
Cortana voiced over com, "Seems like we'll be joined by a Central Government Intelligence Agency operator."
"Oh, yeah, Shifty," The Commander snorted, "Been a hot minute since we talked."
"Indeed it has. Hello, everyone! Rather obviously... We're being joined by another certain someone, though." The jovial voice of a young woman echoed over the com.
Anis couldn't help but freeze at the sight. A man clad in some of the most extravagantly glowy clothes and with the flamboyant poise of a man who wasn't trying to hide a damn thing about himself, a mohawked individual with aviator sunglasses and clad in a bodysuit bearing the markings of Tetra Line on his chest stepped inside the room. He struck a pose with a smug aura, stating "Eeeentertainment~!" in possibly the most obnoxiously fake French accent.
Sam blinked, while the Chief felt his eyelid twitch. Beside them, the Commander stifled a laugh, staring with disbelief at the man, before turning to Anis. The Nikke grenadier sighed, pinching the brow of her nose and saying, "Hey, Boss... Folks, this is my and Layla's top boss, so to speak, and Tetra Line's CEO..." just to wait for him to introduce himself...
"Greetings, friends! My name is..." The man greeted jovially, the tone of voice obnoxiously happy, only putting a dramatic pause to build up time for him to strike another indescribably funny pose that a yoga connoisseur could strike. He then yelled out, "Mustang! Ze CEO of Tetra Line, my pride joy company! And Anis, ma cherie, you certainly look as lovely as ever..." before approaching the young Nikke and kissing her hand.
"Boss," Snorted Layla, covering her mouth, while Anis's face turned into one of her usual 'disgusted' ones.
"Ooh, and a beautiful iDoll Sun of mine! I hear you received a name, darling!" He offered to the girl, approaching her and clapping his hands on her shoulders.
"Layla, sir," She chuckled, "Good to see you, too."
"Layla," The man seemed to taste the name for a moment, "A truly fitting name for one such as yourself. A pleasure to meet you, darling Layla!" which made the others chuckle, too. He then turned toward the Chief and Sam and stated, "And zis must be ze men zat have taken you and so many other fine Mass Production Nikkes under their care! Greetings, Master Chief!"
"Sir..." The Spartan was a bit... Dumbfound.
Cortana was hollering with laughter. Very much so.
"I have good news in regards to ze body and brain you sent Ingrid's way. Ze preservation in cryogenic suspension was successful enough to where ze brain was salvageable!" The man smiled at him, "Zat means your friend should be up on her feet within ze next few days! Once I get done designing her a new body, of course! Ingrid and Elysion, however, insist I maintain some form of military theme. I will try my best, but zeir equipment best fit my design, too!"
"That's good to know, sir," Chief replied. At least Commander Keyes would get something out of this, he figured.
Mustang then turned to Alyosha and smiled, "And you must be ze commander! Alyosha Harris, is it not, mon ami?"
"Y-Yes, sir..." The boy eplied awkwardly. Mustang grabbed his hand and shook it profusely, to which the guy replied, "A-A p-p-pleasure to meet you too!" as he was being shaken around. Rapi shook her head and chuckled, while the others laughed too. Anis herself seemed a bit exasperated, giving a gentle elbow to Layla, who laughed and shook her head.
"I thank you for taking such good care of Anis! She writes of you quite warmly in her correspondence, same as about ze Chief here!" The man tilted his head to the Spartan, while Anis let out a yelp and covered her face. Neon chuckled, thankful now that she was part of Elysion instead of whatever tomfoolery Tetra Line had turned out to be. The Commander laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, before Mustang laughed, too and yelled a jovial, "Eeeeeeeentertainment~!"
"This guy," Pinne chuckled awkwardly.
"I'm loving every bloody second...!" Cortana barely managed to wheeze out through tear-filled laughter.
"Of course, I'm not just here for thanks and small-talk, mon amis! I'm here to deliver to you a most important item!" The man voiced, "If you wish quick and unlimited access to ze research base's database?" He lifted a golden card that flickered with light, "You vill need zis! It also requires a rather special password to become active! A Dance that needs to be performed perfectly!"
"Dance..." Chief, Sam, Anis, Rapi, Alyosha and Neon all said in unison, dumbfound.
Near entry tunnel to Lost Sectors...
Kelly, the Sergeant and Marines, meanwhile, didn't need winter clothes. Just batteries for their rifles' flashlights. Ahead of them lay an armored tram that would take them through the winding, closed tunnels leading to the other Arks in the Lost Sectors. Loading a fresh set of slug rounds gifted by Neon into her shotgun, Kelly slung the weapon onto her back and started carrying the extra supply boxes within the tram itself.
"Need a hand, Spartan?" Jenkins offered as he loaded extra armor piercing rounds into his rifle's magazines. The woman shook her head, simply taking the supplies inside the old tram, while Jenkins voiced, "Look at this thing, man..." as he looked around. The place was what was tantamount to a train station, though it was desolate by now. Parts of its walls were covered in graffiti murals, chunks of stone having fallen out in some places. The booths that would sell tickets were closed, boarded up, windows partially shattered.
The display above, that which would've told of the trams set to arrive and to which Ark, was frozen in time, displaying data from the last trip from god knew how long ago. Johnson stated, "An old train station meant to link the Arks together and now, the Central Government only uses it to send scouts out into the bullshit..." as he eyed the supply depot in what was once an old waiting area. The marks of where the seats would've been still marred the floors, holes in the concrete never filled in.
"Most of the tunnels are sealed," Another Marine, Sergeant Stacker, remarked as he set his rifle down by his seat and stood up to stretch, "Bastards really made thorough work of ensuring nothing broke into their little safe haven."
One was not going to be quick to judge Humanity's supposed last hope for survival in this hellscape of a world. When everything else got overrun, resources got stretched thin and shit hit the fan unavoidably, Johnson thought, there was little mankind wasn't gonna do to survive. He hummed and looked over to Jenkins, who was twitching in his sleep, to which Stacker said, "Poor kid's still..."
"Yeah," Johnson sighed, "Don't blame'im. Heard from a few others he was one of the people who were the worst off..."
"I ain't," The Sergeant took his cap off and scratched the top of his head, "Just hoping he can keep it straight in there. I know Mendoza and Bisenti aren't doing too hot either, but we're all stable enough. Chips seems to be having the time of his life here, though..." and he jabbed a thumb toward the Australian Marine that was loading his Battle Rifle and checking his bayonet with a grin.
"Let's cut the chatter and get ready to depart. Apparently, Chief Deputy Andersen'll be giving our briefing," Kelly voiced as she looked at the tram.