(Sector 09 Airbase | 09/12/56 02:00)
Late at night, Hsu sat in his office as he spoke on the phone. The sound of trucks driving along the airport runway hummed through the glass, support staff having been roused from their slumber by their Commander halfway through his phone call.
G36 watched them work from behind his chair, the human workers illuminated by the yellow floodlights that shone down over the hangar entrances. Fuel trucks hitching their tubes up to helicopters, Kalina herself barking orders atop a tall pallet while still wearing only her nightgown and slippers.
No one looked happy to be awake. Including herself.
After weeks of paperwork, meeting with the owner and an absurdly large down payment, she'd managed to get a hold on a lease for a townhouse down the road from the base. The whole affair had been exhausting, from filling out the inane amount of bureaucratic paperwork it took for a doll to rent a property in the Neo-Soviet Union to finding a landlord who was even willing to do business with a doll.
But, she'd done it all. She'd dipped somewhat into her savings buying furniture and settling down. She'd even managed to convince StG44 to move in as well, despite the older doll ranting and raving about unknown diseases and viruses and the multitudes of cleaners she'd have to douse the whole building in.
Tonight was supposed to be the first night in her own home. One where she'd fallen asleep, wrapped up in her partner's arms with the soft melody of 'Moonlight Sonata' lofting in the backdrop… only to be awoken by Kalina two hours in, screeching through her emergency phone that she needed to head back to the base posthaste.
If there was a God, his sense of humor was beyond the pale at this point.
"I'll get all of the dolls in the sector mobilized. We'll be wheels up by Oh-Six-Hundred. We'll get everyone kitted up and mobile Asap." Hsu spoke into the phone, tone hard and grim. "Yes. Yes, I understand ma'am. We'll be sure to coordinate with the other units."
Hsu then ended the call, grimacing as he ran a hand across his face. Being jolted awake always brought on the worst of his migraines. Doubly so with the mind rattling racket that was flowing upwards from the airstrip.
With the call ended, G36 turned around and paced over to her Commander. "Now that you've conversed with Frau Helian, may I ask what's brought all of this on?"
"We're being called in to reinforce an ongoing operation south of Volgograd." Hsu told his assistant, grabbing a stack of papers and passing it over to G36. The maid took hold of the parchment, flipping through the pages to see a long winded primer for their new deployment. On the front page a large title was at the top, the words 'OPERATION CUBE' printed in brash boxy letters.
"This is quite dense. Should we dissesseminate it among the Captains?" G46
"Once we get onto the plane, send it out. They can read it while we're airborne." Hsu dictated, piquing more of G36's interest at the mention of a plane. "Right now, I need you to get the dolls assigned to the armory awake. Our ride leaves in four hours and I need everyone kitted out before then."
G36 pursed her lips, remembering which three dolls were the base's quartermasters. PPSh-41, she was on good terms with. AR-15 and the rest of her team had left the base days earlier, but she already had a temporary replacement in mind. But the one in charge, Garand… they hadn't spoken in over a month now.
"I'll send them a missive, Master." G36 said, wanting to avoid a face-to-face confrontation.
Hsu's eyes flicked up, hardening on G36 as he instantly caught onto what she was doing. Despite the progress she'd made in mending damaged relationships, there was one doll she seemed unable to speak with at all. Every time Garand came up, she found some way to complete her duty without actually having to speak with her.
It seemed that of all the dolls, Garand had taken the most grievance with G36's strategic plan during their fight with Intruder. Even after he'd heard that BAR and Thompson had mostly come to terms with what had happened.
Still, now wasn't the time to confront G36 on her sheepishness. They had logistics to organize, an airlift to coordinate and communications to establish. Kalina would have to act in Santiago's stead, getting their aviators to airlift the boxes of surplus ammunition that all of his dolls would surely need.
The sector's engineers would need to be flown in afterwards as well. From the reports he'd been sent, the Sangvis offensive had overrun a number sector outposts already. Dozens of human staff had been killed, along with a pair of Tactical Commanders. It was the final straw that had caused Helian to finally bring them in.
No more small jobs. It was time to get back to the war.
(09/12/56 05:10)
"Next!"
The line of dolls shuffled along to the armory window, one after the other as they prepared to be handed their field equipment. Some took longer than most, making last minute requests and adjustments to their usual loadouts. Everyone looked drowsy, having been awoken in the middle of clearing their cache. It left them all sluggish and confused, still actively recalibrating to not getting a full cycle done for their digiminds.
Mosin and AK-74M were no exception, hanging at the tail end of the line as they slowly shuffled up like zombies. In fact, they were even worse off, having come back to base after curfew.
Even since they'd been transferred to this city, Mosin had developed a taste for the local nightclubs. Which meant that whenever they had a weekend off, she would spend it in Kyiv partying herself into the ground. SVD had realized that she couldn't stop her teammate, so she had instead begun to assign her a wingwoman to make sure she made it back to base… eventually.
74M had drawn the short straw, and now she felt like death.
She couldn't even remember what had happened last night. First they'd arrived at the club, then Mosin had flirted their way past the guard. Next thing she knew 74M was having cocktails shoved into her hand. Then after that they'd gone dancing, then… she thinks she made out with a random man? Or was that a ficus?
Either way, the last memory saved to her digimind was Mosin carrying her back to the dorms on her back.
"I am never going anywhere with you ever again." AK-74M promised her teammate.
"That's what I was going to say." Mosin mumbled, still trying to force herself through the daze.
"You're the one who took us to that club." 74M bitterly reminded.
"And you're the one who burned through the entire bar's bottle service! Do you realize how much money you owe me?!" Mosin fired back, her wallet having been completely emptied before the night was even half finished. Never before had she seen a single doll destroy so much liquor.
AK-74M looked up at the taller blonde, staring at her in blank confusion. "...I did what?"
"You… don't remember?" Mosin said, stepping forward as the line continued to slowly process each and every doll. "They say heavy drinking is a sign of self suppression and self medication."
"Do not psychoanalyze me." 74M said, before looking further ahead of their position. "...The others are not in this line."
"They likely got here before us." Mosin quickly deflected, not letting AK-74M weasel her way out of this. "Seriously, though. I didn't know you were that crazy! It was… cool!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." 74M continued to deny.
"I mean it! The first time we went clubbing, you didn't do anything. But this time, I think you have become an underground legend overnight!"
"Horrible." 74M said, the very thought of her becoming famous for being debauched gave her chills.
"It was fun, though." Mosin insisted, either not noticing or not caring about how disturbed her teammate appeared. "It is something I have noticed, you do not go out much."
"I have my own hobbies."
"Such as?" Mosin asked, waiting for AK-74M to list any. When she did not, Mosin groaned aloud. "Come on, Seventy-Four. We've been teammates for months now and I barely know anything about you!"
"Good." Was all 74M had to say to that, stepping forwards as it was finally her turn to escape this mess.
At the service desk, Garand glanced at AK-74M and Mosin. She then turned around behind her, yelling at PPSh-41 to get the last two kits ready to hand off.
"Long morning?" Mosin asked her fellow blonde.
"Gonna pass out again the first chance I get." Garand promised, her digital irises dimmed as she continued to operate at half power. She produced two clipboards, sliding them across the desk to the girls. "Everything you're getting is on that. If there's anything you want to add, now's the time."
Both girls took their papers, with AK-74M carefully mulling what was available over. Mosin, meanwhile, rapidly began to mark down boxes of everything she thought would be needed. PPSh-41 rounded the corner as both were doing this, setting both of their field kits next to them before she quickly scurried back inside.
"You ran out of incendiary grenades?" Mosin asked.
"Anti-Rain took them all." Garand said, muttering some obscenities under her breath. "'We know how to use them, you don't, stop complaining'. God, Star gets on my nerves."
Mosin had some choice words to share herself, but she decided to save them for the next time she came face to face with the snidest member of Anti-Rain. Her gaze instead hovered towards A-545, who seemed to have been roped into taking the absent armorer's place. A-545 looked over as she finished wrapping up another combat kit, before quickly diverting her eyes away from both Mosin and AK-74M.
AK-74M caught the odd action, opening her mouth to speak before she was interrupted by Garand reappearing. Within the mechanic's grasp were four tall, cheap bottles of convenience store vodka. The kind that while drinking, one could mistake them for rubbing alcohol.
"A gift from Kalina. She told me you'd know what to do with these." Garand told the doll, visibly unhappy in being dragged into an illicit exchange. After weeks of setting up rules, protocols and guidelines about how the armory was supposed to operate, Kalina just stops to buy and leaves a bunch of liquor for her to 'pass on'. This wasn't a liquor store! Griffin dolls weren't even allowed to sell liquor on company property!
Mosin, however, felt no such qualms, snatching all of the bottles and stuffing them into her campaign bag. She then began looking over everything, meanwhile Garand grabbed each of the additional items and slid them across the counter-top.
"You want anything, Seven-Four?" Garand asked, taking the clipboard from the quieter Russian.
"Five anti-tank grenades and five fragmentation grenades." AK-74M requested, which prompted Garand to duck back inside to gather the desired munitions.
Mosin skeptically glanced at her teammate. "We are not fighting motorized infantry."
"I am more worried about manticore walkers." 74M clarified. "After the forest, it is best that we arrive prepared for any and all circumstances."
"Good point." Mosin acquiesced, before shouting through the door. "Garand, another five for me as well!"
"Alright, alright!" Garand promised, before grabbing a full case of RG3-EM grenades. She then brought the case over, setting it down and gesturing at the steel box. "There, take all of'em. Spread'em out with your whole echelon."
"Perfect. Seventy-Four, carry those." Mosin dictated, before finishing up her packing and grabbing her rifle by the neck. AK-74M frowned at being used as a pack mule, but said nothing, gathering her own gear before she joined Mosin in a walk up the promenade.
The two Russians cycled their way upwards, lugging their sizable baggage up a flight of stairs in order to avoid the line having formed in front of the elevator. As they moved, AK-74M felt a strange sense of unease come over her. This was the most she'd ever carried into combat since she had left the VDV. Supplies to last her a week of fighting, and from what she understood they were all going to be headed out to a forward operating base regardless. On top of that, earlier this week, they'd been subjected to additional drills and training.
Where exactly was Griffin shunting them off to this time? It was far enough that they were being transported via a transport plane instead of their usual blackhawk taxis. Every doll echelon on the base, plus from what she'd heard down the grapevine all of the departmental chiefs were coming along as well. Even the Commander, who almost always gave orders from the command and control room, was hitching a ride.
What little she knew, paired with how much she didn't, was making her nervous. The last time this had happened, she'd been paradropped into the outskirts of Allied occupied Bucharest.
The two dolls soon emerged from the stairs, walking out into what was once the airport's terminal. Through the large window panes, the sky was still a deep blackish-blue. The airfield itself was lit up like a christmas tree, green and red lights flashing to mark the runways while floodlights poured yellow beams down in front of the hangars and main building.
Across the terminal itself, almost all of their fellow tactical dolls were present. Each team doing final checks amongst themselves as they waited for their transport. SVD and Saiga were standing by the window, speaking among one another with their own kits resting by their feet. Mosin and AK-74M made their way over to their compatriots, with Mosin taking the lead.
"Privet, Tovarishi!" Mosin called out, drawing the attention of both dolls over to her. "We come bearing gifts!"
"Indeed." Saiga said, observing the label on the case of grenades held by 74M with bemusement. "You two clearly plan on being heroes."
"Please, I am always a hero!" Mosin proudly boasted. "Did I ever tell you that I was considered for the Hero of the Soviet Union?"
"Dolls are not eligible for the awarding of Honorary Titles." AK-74M chirped from Mosin's flank as they stopped before their team's leadership.
Mosin rolled her eyes, waiving a dismissive hand at 74M's face. "Bah. Details."
As 74M stared unflappably at Mosin's hand, SVD chuckled at the show her fellow sharpshooter was putting on. "We aren't even permitted to be given medals higher than Second Class regardless. I should know, I have three of them."
"You sure you did not steal those off some poor dead suka?" Mosin joked, plucking three anti-tank grenades from the box.
SVD shrugged. "Who knows. I was a lowly Guardswoman, remember? Nothing compared to a esteemed Red Army conscript such as yourself."
"Yes, neither of us fought anyone at all during the War." Saiga droned alongside their Captain, her sarcasm dense enough to smother someone unconscious.
A ghost of a smile crossed 74M's face as she saw Mosin begin to scowl. "I think they're mocking you."
"Oh, really? Thank you, Tsarina of emotion." Mosin sardonically told her teammate, stuffing the grenades into her satchel.
"You're welcome." 74M accepted flatly.
The group shared a laugh at Mosin's expense, before SVD began to brief the dolls about what was happening. Sector 09, alongside multiple other Griffin sectors from across the western Soviet Union was being deployed to participate in a defensive operation against a Sangvis Ferri offensive originating from the Badlands.
Several battles had already occurred between Griffin and SF forces, with each Griffin victory having been so pyrrhic that they were forced to retreat several times. As such, Sangvis continued to maraud north. The Soviet Government was convinced that the final goal of this force was to sack the city of Volgograd, the largest settlement in the region by far. A sprawling metropolis home to resources aplenty that Sangvis could use to do unprecedented amounts of damage to the local population.
The military garrison remained in the city, fortifying the area around its purification wall to create a last line of defense. The Soviet Presidium, in the meantime, had demanded that Griffin turn the tide before Sangvis could even see Volgograd itself. As such, Corporate had decided to assemble a Task Force to halt and reverse the offensive, sending the murderous drones back from whence they came.
Soon, Sector 09 would be airlifted towards Griffin's forward operating base south of the city of Elista. There they would join the fight. The other sectors in Ukraine, on Hsu's order, were to remain so that the territory wouldn't be left undefended in their absence. Which meant that they would be working alongside Sectors they had not cooperated with prior.
All of this served to cement AK-74M's earlier wariness. A Sangvis force so large and potent enough to push back several Griffin sectors was certain to be massive. Now they were going to be but between that massive horde and their final objective, with the expectations that they were going to send the hostiles all packing or die trying.
At least they were the reinforcements instead of the forlorn hope for once.
With that silver lining popping through her digimind, a dull hum could be heard beyond the glass and towards the airstrips. SVD ceased her lecturing, instead moving closer to the windows to see what was coming. The rest of the team did the same, with various other dolls coming across to get a peak at whatever Corporate had sent for them.
The hum grew louder, and louder. More guttural, until it felt like a pulse of noise was banging against the glass itself. In the blackness of night, the lights of the transport were the only thing visible. Red and green blinking in the dark as they descended further and further, the hollow banging growing louder and louder until the metal creature touched down at last. Though the growling of the engine seemed to only grow stronger now, bouncing off of the snow dusted asphalt and back up towards all those watching in the terminal.
Soon it taxied forwards, under floodlights to reveal itself to its onlookers. A large whale of a plane, thirty meters long with wings that looked to stretch out further. Under each wing were two spiraling, powerful engines. Whipping up white powder into an organic smokescreen, blowing it out and about from its path.
"That is not the aircraft I remember jumping from." 74M said, noticing a faded red, yellow and blue roundel upon the transport's tail.
"Likely taken from the Allies. Half of Griffin's airfleet was used by the West before the Soviets captured it." Saiga explained, with Mosin giving the girl a side-eye as the Kazakh referred to the Soviet Union as something other.
"We liberated it, Comrade Lieutenant." A voice corrected from behind them. The dolls of echelon four turned around to see A-545, having finally emerged from the armory's depths. Though unlike the others, she had no satchels to speak of. Even her namesake firearm was notably absent.
"It is a shame that Griffin has to rely on such inferior capitalist machinery." A-545 said with a shrug. "But I do not expect much else from a PMC which outfits several of its dolls with obsolete firearms from before the invention of the wheel."
Yet again the squad started laughing at Mosin's expense, the eldest woman fuming at the rest of her teammates. "Yes, yes, yes. Keep laughing. Damned automatics."
"Calm down, Babushka." SVD teased.
"You were built a year after I was, if I am a babushka then you are too!" Mosin insisted, jabbing a finger into her Captain's face.
"True. But the children like me more, so…" SVD continued to prod, making Mosin groan as Saiga and 74M kept snickering. A-545 did the same, before coughing into a fist and gathering herself back as a professional should.
"I meant no disrespect, Miss Mosin, truly. You perform admirably despite less than ideal armament. It does the lineage of such a historic weapon proud." The blonde honestly lauded, Mosin's frown melting away at the compliment.
"Yes, well-." Mosin said, feeling her signature confidence return to her as she took her 3-Line rifle in hand. "We do not choose the weapons that are imprinted upon us, but… they do seem to work out very well."
"Speaking of weapons." AK-74M interjected, deciding to finally comment on A-545's lack of equipment. "Did you leave yours downstairs?"
A-545 said nothing after that. The young doll went still, her expression holding though no words could shake themselves free of her voicebox. Her eyes flicked over to look at SVD, asking for guidance in telling the others.
SVD sighed, crouching down and grabbing her own gear as she could see the airplane's ramp drop in the corner of her eye. "She isn't coming."
Mosin and 74M both whipped around, balking at their Captain and Lieutenant. Saiga gave a quiet, stern nod to both of them before SVD continued to explain.
"The KCCO requires her for a separate operation. We were planning to tell you both during an outing today. Sadly our weekend leave was canceled due to all…" SVD vaguely gestured to the scene around them. "This."
"...So that is why you had Mosin and I drill with her." 74M deducted, before turning to look over at A-545. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I…" A-545 said, trying to find the words.
"She didn't know how." Saiga chimed, something that caused A-545 to shoot up red. "It was why we had the going away party planned. We knew she would have trouble telling you both."
"Adorable, when you really think about it." SVD joked, trying to bring some levity back into the situation.
That was enough to pull A-545 back into reality, her defensiveness kicking in like a reflex. "I am not adorable! I am a precision manufactured military grade tactical autonomous unit!"
"Wearing makeup, in heels, with a hairstyle that takes an hour every morning to get ready." Mosin said, grinning mischievously now that the shoe was on the other foot.
A-545 grit her teeth in frustration. "Can you people please come up with a different bit?!"
"When that one stops working so well." SVD promised, her smile betraying she had no such intentions.
"Commander on deck!" G36's booming voice called out, drawing all of the dolls' attention away from the plane and one another and over to the end of the hallway.
Down the hall, a group could be seen marching up. Commander Hsu at the head, Kalina at his side, and G36 bringing up the rear. Each of the human personnel had a rifle in one hand and a rucksack in another, with G36 having her rifle and luggage slung over each shoulder. Both Santiago and Khan were notably absent.
"Let's get going!" Hsu yelled out to his onlooking dolls, not stopping his stride as he and his entourage kept moving down the hall. "That plane is leaving in fifteen mikes! Captains, get your teams organized and follow Thirty-Six!"
With the order given, each of the teams snapped into action. The tactical dolls all gathered their weapons and equipment, breaking from their positions and moving to follow the indicated adjutant. The whole of the hallway was filled with feet clapping against the laminated tile, each group coming together in a somewhat organized line.
SVD watched the others go, before nodding her head towards the formation. "Saiga, take the girls out. I will follow shortly."
"At once, Captain." Saiga agreed, motioning for Mosin and 74M to follow. As she passed A-545, Saiga patted the young girl's shoulder while keeping her stride. Mosin passed a bottle of vodka over from her stash, holding a finger to her lips to keep it quiet.
74M stopped momentarily, extending one of her hands to the blonde as she stared at her with a saddened stoicism.
"We will see you again upon your return, my friend." AK-74M promised, not sure how permanent this change was.
A-545 took the hand, giving it a firm shake. She knew that AK-74M cared little for great shows of affection. A simple gesture like this was enough of a sign that she would miss the KCCO doll.
"When I can, I will call." A-545 assured back, giving the woman a firm handshake. "Good hunting, tovarish."
AK-74M left with that, satisfied but still melancholy. SVD stayed back, cradling her sniper rifle and eying the back of the line as they turned to make their way down the concourse ramp. She waited, making sure that the others were well out of earshot until she spoke.
"So the rumors are true. The remnants of the PLA want Harbin back." SVD said aloud. Not posing the question, she already knew the answer.
"...You know I cannot discuss my orders, Captain." A-545 said, knowing it was fruitless. SVD, and all of the other dolls here, were smarter than she had ever anticipated. Smarter than she had ever given them credit for, either.
"The military still is yet to invest significantly into neural cloud backup servers." SVD pushed on, deciding to not dance around a moot point. "You know what that means, yes?"
"I am not dying out there." A-545 asserted firmly. With this body, and her experiences gained here, she would make it through the coming fire.
"Good. Because if you do, myself and the rest of this team will have to desert just to come and save you." SVD told the girl. A-545 cracked a smile, giggling a little.
"That's a very good joke." A-545 said, before taking in SVD's serious expression and second guessing her assessment.
Seeing the shock on her pupil's face, SVD smirked before pulling a notecard and offering it to the blonde between two fingers. "Here. A good luck gift."
A-545 took the piece of cardstock, reading the lone word written across. "...All that's on here is a name."
"Well, every doll needs one. The only ones you've had is your Griffin designation and your military serial number." SVD pointed out, letting her rifle ship and grabbing it by the handguard. "Keep it. Something for you to hold onto out there. If you end up liking it… next time we meet, I know what I will call you."
A-545 said nothing. She kept staring at the card, taking in its meaning. A sense of being beyond her manufactured purpose. This past year since she'd been trying to reconcile her newfound sentience with her old purpose. If she could even be considered the same person as she once was, back when she was a Cyclops drone.
Being here, being part of Griffin. It had helped her walk through this strange new phase of her life. Working alongside other dolls who, even if they lacked her skills and professionalism, were their own selves. To be among the closest thing to peers that existed in this world. Though she didn't know if she believed it, it almost felt like some kind of providence.
Because of her team, she'd grown attached to this place. Despite her initial resistance, now she found herself hesitating before her departure.
"Thank you." A-545 told SVD. "For everything you have done."
"Thank me by remembering what you've learned here. It will keep you alive, this nation has enough martyrs." SVD countered. "...Come back to us soon, child."
As she said that, both dolls could hear the suppressed whine of hydraulics. Through the window, the transport plane's ramp could be seen lowering as Sector 09's dolls waited in line, ready to hop aboard. SVD stole a glance out the glass, then turned on a heel, going to jog back over to the ramp.
A-545 remained back, looking down at her gift yet again. She committed the name to memory, before going over to the glass so she could watch the group depart. Though she noted the distinct lack of a man in a maroon officer's coat at the head of the line.
SVD, meanwhile, turned the corner to run into that exact man. The sniper hesitated, taking note that both she and him would be beyond A-545's notice.
"Commander, I-" SVD began, expecting a verbal dressing down for slowing the unit's departure.
"Save it." Hsu told her. "You squared away?"
"Yes, dyakuyu." SVD said, sighing with relief as she wasn't about to receive a dressing down. Even with how lax she usually was around the man, there were times where he gave her pause.
"Let's catch up, then." Hsu said, turning around and moving for the side exit. SVD joined him at his side, grunting as she adjusted the mass of weight spread across her chassis.
"Corporate called, by the way. Her replacement is going to be waiting for us at the Fob." Hsu informed his subordinate.
"Do you have details?"
"She just finished a six-year stint with the Soviet Military. Internal Guard, like you were." Hsu began to rattle off. "Instead of re-upping she asked for a contractual release."
"They still allow military dolls to leave the military?" SVD asked. As far as she knew, unless you were originally a civilian doll, the Soviets did not allow people to part from their armed forces.
"Long as they get a job for another branch of the government, or a government contractor." Hsu told her, opening the door to the exit and holding it open. He raised his voice, the sound of the rotary engines roaring louder as it rushed inside. "She was a sniper, like you were! Imprinted with a rifle, rated as a three star doll! Nothing special, but can carry her weight!"
"What Guard district was she assigned to?!" SVD asked as she stepped out onto the outside staircase and made her way down to the asphalt. Wind beginning to whip her hair and the winter morning's cold biting at her skin.
"Kaliningrad!. Just like-" Hsu began, following behind her.
"Me." She finished, waiting at the bottom for the Commander. "...I know her, don't I?"
Hsu nodded, not bothering to hide any surprise. SVD simpered, walking up to the plane alongside him. "Well, I appreciate the good news! What is that you english speakers call it, a 'silver lining?'"
Both she and the Commander made their way up the ramp, the plane's loadmaster saluting Hsu as he passed. As the door began to close behind them, both Hsu and SVD looked at the wide swath of dolls that were seated or finding seats inside.
There were dozens. Likely close to a hundred individual dolls, from at least two additional sectors. One coming from Kaliningrad, and the other from Minsk. Plus the multitude of other sectors already deployed, or coming in from other parts of the Soviet Union. The sheer diversity took SVD off guard, but she honed in on an absence from their own ranks.
"I don't see Anti-Rain." SVD observed.
"They went in a few days ago, doing a favor for Persica. We'll link up with them out there." Hsu said, not wanting to give more details beyond that.
SVD grimaced, well aware of the terrain where they were headed. Swamps, marshand and dozens of lakes. "Their feet wet?"
"Imagine they're just about freezing right about now." Hsu confirmed, before his eyes hovered towards a particular confrontation.
At the far end of the plane's cabin, a small skeleton table had been set up against the side of the plane's frame surrounded by a group of gray steel chairs. Four dolls from a previously collected sector sat there, talking among one another. None of them could see Thompson approaching with extreme prejudice until it was too late.
The first doll to notice Thompson, a white haired doll wearing a green military jacket over a white collared shirt, was caught off guard by the stranger's appearance. She didn't know what to say, but Echelon 1's Captain was wearing an evil smile as she hovered over the table.
"Nice seat, girls. Thanks for savin' it for my team." Thompson told the group, laying her intentions bare.
One of the dolls turned her head, a black haired girl with darker skin and black warpaint. A gray and black camo shirt hung off of her frame as she stared up unimpressed at the stranger. "Puta, we weren't saving this place for-"
She didn't get to finish the sentence. Thompson's hand shot out, grabbing the protesting doll by the ponytail and yanking her straight out from the chair. With no effort, she then threw the girl out and into the middle of the bay, her victim hitting the steel with an unceremonious 'THUNK.'
Panicking, the rest of the other sector's dolls scrambled in retreat. The white haired doll in particular rushed over to her assaulted teammate, helping to scrape her off of the floor.
"Gotverdamnt, what is wrong with you?!" MG4 yelled over to Thompson, before shirking beneath the far taller American's ire.
"Suck it up, Kraut." Thompson demanded, watching the two limp over to new seating before she planted herself down into her ill-gotten gains. "Shit… still just as uncomfortable as they was in the Army. Right Bar?"
"That wasn't cool, girl." BAR protested, though she still took a seat regardless. M14 and Garand said nothing, the former sitting down and pulling out a handheld gaming console while the latter promptly went back to sleep the moment her rear hit the chair. Springfield didn't bother, setting her stuff down and jogging over to go assist the dolls that her Captain had just terrorized.
Hsu sneered from where he stood, marching over. "Go join your team, I need to unfuck Annie."
"Can I watch?" SVD asked, tongue in cheek. She stayed back as she watched Hsu zoom over to the table, his voice entering a fever pitch of screams and cusses on the approach. The man more resembled a drill sergeant than an officer at that moment.
Her team could wait. This was prime entertainment,
(Kamlyk Soviet Republic | 06:30)
In the wilderness of the lower Volga, a large squadron of Sangvis drones trotted through the iced over marsh.
The lifeless robots moved in perfect formation, lock step with one another as they held their equidistant spacing. A diamond formation, with the 'leader' at the front and four sides each surrounding a Manticore as its four legs stabbed the earth over and over again during its patrol. Each quadrant under the emotionless watch of a vespid or a ripper. Each errant movement being logged, checked by their logic systems, and fed back up the chain of command.
Even in this group, they were merely an extension of their overlord. Branches of the same root. Little more than the sum of their parts and the code that they operated on.
That was why when the leader stopped, all ten of the infantry drones brought their weapons up in the blink of an eye. The manticore in the center raised itself up, bringing its cannon above the heads of its escort to sweep across the surrounding brush and trees. Their protocols searched through the snow, honing in on the out of place sound that had disturbed the monotony of the snow laden terrain.
Sensing the danger they were in, a small pack of saiga antelope broke through the brush. Their hooves stomped against the dirt as they fled to the north. The patrol raised their rifles, firing off a volley at the fleeing animals. Most shots missed, but a few stuck home, causing a handful of the beasts to stumble and one to fall over as several bolts pierced through its hide.
Assessing there to be no threat to the perimeter, the patrol then slipped back into its path, formation still holding as they opted to not pursue the local wildlife.
Five minutes later, movement again shook from the brush. Four dolls rose from the earth, rising back to their feet under the cover of the moon's light.
AR-15 brushed flecks of dirt off of her face that had been kicked up by the antelope. Her eyes honed in on the mortally wounded animal, watching it heave up and down as it clung onto the last vestiges of life.
"Talk about trigger happy." AR-15 observed with disgust.
"Must be programmed to shoot at anything that isn't SF on sight." M16A1 rationalized, rolling her shoulders before checking that the suppressor on the end of her rifle was still on tight. "Means we've breached their perimeter."
M4A1 remained quiet, checking the timer on her wristwatch. They were nearing the 24 hour mark, which meant that their evac chopper was already on its way.
A few days ago, Professor Persica had tasked them with a scouting mission near the fringes of the Sangvis advance. Somehow, someway, she had heard of massive power fluctuations out in the territory subsumed by the Sangvis advance. Enough of an anomaly to draw the Professor's attention in one of her coffee induced stupors.
Yesterday, they had been dumped off into the wilderness. Infiltrating the Sangvis frontline on foot, dodging patrols as they tried to find what had piqued their creator's interest. Tracking different points of interest, all of which so far had been false positives. Nothing more than Sangvis outposts being used to store drones, or field armories.
SOPMOD had wanted to destroy each one they passed, but M16 and AR-15 had stonewalled her each time. Even with the demolition charges and thermite grenades Anti-Rain had brought along, they were on their own out here. Their stealth was one of their few advantages, and making themselves known by blowing things up was going to put them into unneeded danger.
But now they were close, M4A1 was sure of it. The heightened magnetic frequency, along with the increased size and strength of the patrols made her believe that they were finally about to stumble upon their objective. Whatever it was.
"Let's keep moving, bearing One-Five-Seven." M4 ordered. "Sop, you're still on point."
"Roger!" SOP complied, happily jogging up to the front of the column. "Oooh, I can't wait! Maybe we'll find some kind of Sangvis dragon robot!"
"Not sure Sangvis builds dragons, Sop." M16 told her sister, not wanting her to be disappointed by her own expectations.
"But imagine if they did!" SOP said, slipping a HEDP grenade into her M203. "I wanna kill it!"
M4 laughed nervously, following up behind the pink haired hellion at a safe distance. M16 hung back, holding down a laugh at SOP's ever expanding imagination. Once this was all done, she half expected the girl to make her own scrap metal dragon just so she would be able to fight it herself.
She looked back over her shoulder at AR-15, who was still staring down at the mortally wounded antelope. The markswoman's finger hovered by her rifle's trigger, clearly debating her course of action.
"Star, do it and let's roll." M16 told her harshly, not wanting to waste time.
AR-15 flinched, bringing her rifle up and plugging two shots into the animal's underbelly, piercing its heart and ending its suffering. She then collected her brass out of the snow, before the both of them jogged over to rejoin the formation.
Anti-Rain continued their march ever closer to their objective, speed overtaking their caution. Through the bitter winter ground, over the deadened trees and dried up brush until they were stopped.
A large, thick artificial wall blocked their path. Black steel with purple veins coursing through, energy so strong that the ice on the ground surrounding it had melted away. Behind it they could hear the hum of electronics and the metallic movement of Sangvis. Constructs doing whatever hateful work their masters had put them up to.
"Sixteen, grapnel." M4 ordered, taking a knee and watching their rear.
"Yuh." M16 confirmed, reaching behind into her webbing and pulling out a grappling hook tied to a nylon rope. AR-15 and SOP looked up and down the wall, checking to see if any drones were walking along the top.
M16 tossed the hook up, catching on the top of the wall easily. The veteran then quickly scrambled up the device, making her way to the top so she could scan and see what awaited them.
What lay on the other side was sparse. A large cube of a creation, purple and blue arcs of lightning dancing across the top from pylon to pylon. Some kind of transformer producing electricity, the arcs going into batteries along the cube's edge. Where the batteries were being charged, drones could be seen pulling them out and placing new ones in. The filled batteries were then loaded onto the back of Manticores before marching out the front gate, likely off to whichever outposts needed recharging.
On the far side M16 could barely see movement, a shadow shifting in place. It looked humanoid, working on something or other.
"Sixteen?" M4 asked from the ground.
"We're good. Come up." M16 told her team, cambering up and over the side before coming down on a knee on top of the wall. She checked over the edge, rifle at a low ready as she locked her sights onto a pair of vespids marching just below them.
SOP came up next, then AR-15, then M4 bringing up the rear as she pulled the rope back up. The device was then handed over to its original owner, m16 coiling it once more and tying it to her webbing. M4 also began to establish a call out over her personal zener link with Persica. Whatever was beyond here, the Professor was bound to be interested.
AR-15, meanwhile, honed in on the front gate. Two large hydraulic doors that opened in and out, with a control panel at the bottom.
"So that's how they get in and out." AR-15 observed, taking note of the thinness of the walls. She patted a square that was resting on her hip, confirming to herself what was there before she gave M4 a nudge with her elbow.
"I'm gonna go set up our emergency exit." AR-15 told her Captain, before going into motion towards her new goal.
"Sop, help her out." M4 directed, knowing she wasn't going to be able to stop AR-15.
SOPMOD smiled, dashing up to join her older sister as they both dropped down to ground level. "Can I plant the charges this time?"
"Absolutely not." AR-15 told her. A soft 'awww' could be heard from SOP, right before they both disappeared out of sight.
M4 sighed. "She still doesn't listen to me."
M16 chuckled, patting her younger sister's shoulder. "Part of being in charge is letting your team go with their gut."
"Just wish she would ask instead of tell me." M4 said, defeated. "She doesn't do this when you're in charge."
"She knows I'd bust her ass if she did." M16 pointed out, before she got ready to jump down. "Come on, let's find out what's going on."
M4 nodded, hopping down first and taking the lead now that they were down to two. As the sisters ducked and dived around the various patrols, they paused to get a better look at the electrical device at the center of the complex. Like everything else Sangvis pumped out, it looked mass-produced. Easy to put together, disassemble and transport. Something they had inside was converting itself into electrical energy at a rapid rate, enough to provide power cells for all of the outposts nearby.
With all that in mind, the construct seemed very fragile. Any force against it would cause damage, and it wouldn't take too much to destroy it entirely. As they passed it, M4 took care to save her ocular footage to pass onto the commanders back at the Forward Operating Base.
The two then moved on, eventually finding their way to the main event.
Underneath a rubberized tent, and next to the power source's terminal, three ringleaders could be seen. Two were a familiar sight, Hunter and Executioner down on a knee in front of a doll that neither M4 or M16 had seen before.
This new doll looked strange compared to other ringleaders. While all Sangvis shared some qualities, pale skin and blackened eyes amongst them, they also tended to look abhuman. This woman… did not. Though her legs looked mechanical, her body was normal. Instead of the futuristic suits worn by other ringleaders, she wore what resembled an eastern school uniform. She sat atop two hovering circles, diagonal and bulging as her long black twintails floated down next to her sides.
"Well, she's new." Persica finally spoke, stirring from her stupor. "So, I guess that arc generator's what's been causing all the fuss."
"Any idea what it's for, Professor?" M4 asked.
"Nope. Knowing Sangvis, it's part of some hairbrained scheme to kill all humans or whatever." Persica said, M4 picturing the scientist rolling her eyes as she said this. "Seriously, why is it always kill all humans and take over the world? After they've lost this many times you'd think they'd try to do something more practical like… win a baking contest."
"Do any of them know how to cook?" M4 wondered aloud.
"That maid we ran into last spring might." M16 said, recalling the force of nature. The tallest ringleader she had ever seen, and she'd almost single-handedly killed the entire squad.
"I'd hope so, or else she'd be a weird maid." Persica anointed, a deft digitized 'PING' going off in the background of her call. "Nothing in the database. Must be a new ringleader, then. Cool."
"Should we smoke her?" M16 asked, bringing her rifle up.
"Leave that to the meatheads. Let's just watch. They're bound to start talking eve-."
"This is all Mastermind gave me. Two weirdos, one with a huge arm and another with a dumb haircut." The new ringleader announced, slipping off of her floating throne and setting down onto her own two feet. "So, tell me. What's it like having to take orders from a new AI?"
Hunter and Executioner said nothing, still bowing before this fresh challenger. The unknown doll shrugged, folding her arms across her chest as she continued to lord over her subordinates.
"Fine, fine. Don't talk. Either way, you should be HAPPY." The ringleader insisted. "Unlike that moron Intruder, I actually know what I'm doing."
Still nothing from the two scouts. The new ringleader chafed, visibly growing displeased at the silence. "Will you both say something already?"
"How about I shove my 'huge arm' up your…" Executioner said to Hunter, low enough that their new superior couldn't make it out. Hunter snipped over at her friend, not wanting to cause undo strife after they were both finally reassigned.
"We're here to serve your will, Ouroboros. Whatever is necessary." Hunter said aloud, with Executioner nodding her head despite still muttering obscenities.
This declaration of allegiance seemed to be enough for Ouroboros, at least. A happy smile spread across her face, her munitions launchers both moving to hover at her hips.
"I'm happy you said that. Because I've got good news! When I found out who they were sending up here, I got to work on some upgrades for both of you." She promised the two, ambition twinkling in her eyes.
"Upgrades?" Executioner asked, finally interested as she lifted her head. "Like, what. You're gonna give me a bigger sword?"
"No, no, no. Upgrading you, not your gear." Ourboros corrected, shaking her head. "We are this close to finally launching Plan Parapluie! If we're going to achieve our objectives, I need you to both up your arsenal!"
"But you just said you weren't gonna upgrade our gear." Executioner said, not confused at the contradiction.
"It's a saying! God!" Ouroboros complained, throwing her hands up into the air. She and Executioner then began a stiff back and forth, both Sangvis dolls talking past one another while Hunter wondered if it was too late to go back to Intruder's division.
All the while, M4 and M16 remained hidden, watching on as the conversation devolved into useless bickering about grammar.
"Wait, isn't Parapluie the codename from those files we acquired from Safe House Three?" M4 asked M16, recalling the old mission.
"Yeah. It is…" M16 said, recalling the cryptic message that UMP45 had passed onto her ages ago. 'It's raining on the plain'. She didn't understand it then, she still didn't understand it now.
"Professor?" M16 said, deciding to phone a friend. "Professor Persica?"
"Parapluie…" Persica said, the sound of papers and files ruffling into her commlink. "We still don't know what that is. Some kind of contingency plan? Griffin's been hounding me to find out more, but all of Sangvis' files are completely esoteric."
"So how about we snatch the new girl dressed up like a student council president and get her to tell us?" M16 offered, wanting to see what kind of fight the punk could put up.
"Too risky." Persica countermanded. "Your evac chopper's gonna be arriving soon, head back to base. I'm going to do some more digging."
"Understood. We'll exfiltrate." M4 said, before looking over to M16. Confusion and anxiety was scrawled across the older doll's visage. "Sixteen, are you OK?"
"This all sounds… familiar." M16 said, trying to think back as her digimind continued to run headlong into a brick wall. "Why does it sound familiar?"
It was then that M16 saw the concern drawn across M4, forcing her to pull herself back together. "I'm fine, sis. Let's get out of here before someone notices us."
M4 pursed her lips, but said nothing. Now wasn't the time to pry more information out from M16, she could do that when they returned to the FOB.
So, the two of them slinked back deeper into the shadows. They linked back up with AR-15 and SOPMOD, the latter complaining about not being able to detonate the charges or try and find any hidden Sangvis dragons. Instead, they came out the same way they came in before, disappearing into the night without raising a single alarm.
Whatever this new ringleader was planning, they could deal with it with their friends. Who should be arriving very…
(Elista, Kamlyk Soviet Republic | 08:00)
Very soon.
The transport plane touched down in Elista, wheels bouncing up and down against the asphalt airstrip down the road from Griffin's newly built forward operating base.
The plane ride had been rambunctious beyond belief, but Hsu had decided to detach himself from the chaos early on. After setting Thompson straight and telling G36 to punish anyone else who dared to cause problems, the Commander made his way into the plane's cockpit. There he found two other sector commanders, both of them passed out in their chairs sleeping while the pilots silently did their jobs.
Hsu promptly joined his peers, finding a comfortable spot on the floor and spending the better part of the last two hours asleep.
Once the transport had come to a halt, and its ramp had been dropped, the dolls all began to file their way onto the tarmac. Amongst the shuffle, Hsu brought up the rear alongside IWS-2000 and G36, the three of them looking over the entirety of their temporary place of work.
The base was massive. Recently erected for sure, temporary buildings having been put up across the appropriated acres of land. Hangers, tents, an armory building. On the far end of the land, a large factory complex with IOP logos and signage splattered across had been walled in along with all of Griffin's new works.
To the north rested Elista's skyline, the various apartment blocks and corporate buildings rising over the gray winter scene. It was a smaller city, with few technological marks. Almost all of the buildings were gray and square, originally built during the days of the first Soviet Union. Little life seemed to be seen, nothing compared to the metropolis that was Kyiv.
But what really drew the trio's attention were the dolls milling about the airfield. Dozens of different dolls milling about. Echelon after echelon, with commanders hovering around their sectors. Some sitting on the grass as they ransacked through their kits, some practiced drills, most waiting in queues to grab something or other from the various Griffin officials peppered around.
It was a sea of multicolored autonomous dolls, the most that Hsu had ever seen in one place. Even then, he knew this was only part of the full force that was being flown in.
"Wow…!" IWS exclaimed, enraptured by the scale. "So many other sectors! So much backup! It's like an actual military operation!"
"Thank heavens I do not have to clean for them…" G36 observed, tugging on a strap of the gear still spread across her shoulders. "Kommandant, how many sectors did they say were coming here?"
"Fifty. Plus echelons from Headquarters, and Griffin's Special Operations Command." Hsu told the girls, resting his hands on the stock of his rifle as it hung off of his chest. "There's gonna be a hundred echelons, combined."
"Five hundred Griffin dolls…" IWS said, doing the simple math. "This is… so COOL!"
"We're not here for a winter getaway. We're here to fight a war." G36 recalled carefully, seeing the sheer size of this operation as more foreboding than anything. Griffin would have only recalled this many sectors if Sangvis was sending overwhelming odds their way.
Still, even she had to admit this was a sight to behold.
"Are you Commander Hsu?" Someone called from down at the base of the ramp. Hsu, G36 and IWS each looked down to see a Tactical Commander standing in between the row of dolls shuffling off.
She was in a standard Griffin Commander's uniform, red beret and all, with a few tweaks. Her tie was undone, hanging loosely around her unbuttoned collar. A choker sat around her neck as well, leading up to her bored expression. Sharp, narrow pink eyes framed by steel hair with reddened tips.
Hsu grumbled, wondering what this art major wanted with him. "That'd be correct. Who's asking?"
"There's a Commander meeting starting soon, they sent me to collect you." The woman told him, pulling out a smartphone as she double checked the time. "I'd like to get back before they yell at us both, Sir."
Hsu rolled his eyes, stepping down the ramp as he called behind him. "Gretel, Weiss! Get the girls sorted out and assigned some quarters!"
"Ja wohl!" The Germanic dolls both said in unison, jogging down the ramp. Both of them watched as their Commander walked off towards the factory building on the far side of the airstrip, while they moved to join their comrades.
"That girl looked pretty!" IWS observed, grabbing at a strand of her hair. "...You think I should start dyeing my hair, Gretel?"
"If you want to look like a lazy punk, by all means." G36 said, unimpressed by the unknown Commander's unkempt appearance. Whoever her adjutant was clearly did not keep a tight enough leash on her leader.
Then again, the fact that she even had to keep a leash on Hsu said a great deal unto itself. That's what Griffin was at the end of the day. The strange, led by the strange.
(08:35)
Thanks to G36 and IWS' quick work, Sector 09 was able to shuffle through the bureaucracy and be given their dorm assignments.
The city was, for the most part, uninhabited. Most of its citizens had long since moved within the walls of Volgograd. All that remained were those who worked for IOP, maintaining the local factory and transporting its products to and from city centers within the Soviet Union.
Which left many of the homes, apartments and townhouses empty. Easy for Griffin to lay claim too. It was free real estate, after all. Though this 'real estate' looked as abandoned as it was, the outer walls were water stained and the windows covered in dust.
SVD and her team filed their way into the terraced house that had been marked for her echelon's occupation. Down the entire row of the neighborhood, each of Sector 09's echelons had been assigned an abode. Assured that the inside had been 'furnished', though SVD had heard those furnishings were basically cots and places to store their gear.
"How many rubles do you want to bet the shower does not work?" Mosin asked, posted up against the doorframe while Saiga fiddled with the set of keys they were handed. She tried one after the other, none working quite yet.
"You think we are getting a shower? I'm surprised they gave us the house." SVD told her teammate, watching as Saiga finally managed to get the lock to cooperate. Mosin fired off a cheer, before the four of them filed into the building.
The interior was as depressing as the exterior. The old wallpaper was washed out, some parts of it with holes cut through into the drywall. The floor was made of old concrete, a matted rug leading from the door to the stairs. To the left was a living room where only a ratty old couch and a lone table remained. To the right was the kitchen and dining room, a new steel table having been brought in, but all the appliances were pushing a hundred years old. Though as AK-74M went to check the oven and fridge, they still somehow were working.
Saiga sniffed the air, face twisting as the must assaulted her neural cloud. Cleaning this hole was going to take a whole day's labor. All the while SVD flicked the light switch, looking to see that the bulb was hanging on for dear life.
"This reminds me of my old house in Kyiv." SVD said sullenly, flicking the switch again so the light didn't explode and shower them all with glass. "At least there are fewer rats."
"They let you have a house?" Mosin asked. "When I still worked for the Trans-Siberian railroad, Nagant Revolver and I had to live in a khrushchevka owned by our company."
"Suppose we should be grateful Griffin cares a little about us." AK-74M decided, coming back to join her companions.
The four then heard a loud creaking noise above them.
At first, they dismissed it as the house's bones shaking with the winter wind. Then they heard it again, and again. Now paired with the sound of thumping, as if someone had been alerted to their arrival.
"...Are we sharing this town house with another team?" Saiga asked.
"Nyet." SVD answered. Mosin set her bags down, pulling out her revolver and feeding a speedloader of ammunition inside.
"Saiga, Seven-Four. Let's head up." Mosin told the group. "SVD, stay here in case they make a run for the stairs."
The three agreed, Saiga-12 and AK-74M each loading and racking their long-guns. Saiga took the lead, slowly and tactically making her way up the stairs. She looked to the top of the chute, ensuring it was clear before waving for the other two to follow her. AK-74M then joined the stack, with the under-armed Mosin bringing up the rear. At the base of the stairs, SVD loaded her APS and held the exit.
The three made their way to the door where the sounds were coming from, pausing their advance. Each made sure they were ready, Saiga flipping over to the other side of the doorway before grabbing the knob. Mosin stood behind 74M opposite of her, holding up five fingers. Silently, she counted down each one before signaling for Saiga to open the door.
Saiga complied, twisting the knob and throwing it open. The three then barreled inside, weapons up as they began yelling orders at the lone figure inside.
There stood a girl, a badge book in her hand that she promptly dropped onto the ground in a panic. She wore a non-camouflaged dark blue Soviet uniform coat, well pressed and cleaned. A ribbon rack, shoulder placards and rolled up sleeves. A white scarf hung around her neck, and her blonde hair was done up in a tight ponytail bound by a green ribbon. Several small badges dotted the hem of her coat, which went halfway down her knees to a pair of brown army boots.
"Tebya na kolenyakh! Davai, davai, davai!" Saiga ordered in a booming voice, finger hovering over the trigger. The girl rapidly did as she was told, falling down onto her knees and holding both her hands behind her head as she began to splurt off frightened and flustered Russian.
AK-74M's eyes flicked to the side, landing on a long rifle with a scope and green wooden furniture. "Saiga, gun."
"Mosin, secure it! Seven-Four, cover me!" Saiga ordered, the shotgunner advancing to the intruder. Saiga moved behind, before using her boot to kick the girl down onto her stomach.
Mosin moved to the left, holstering her handgun and grabbing the rifle. She ran the bolt, confirming that it was loaded before removing the magazine. "A squatter with an SV-Ninety-Eight?"
"I am not a squatter!" The girl shot off in practiced english, wincing as Saiga's boot pressed against her back. "I'm a Griffin doll! Ch-check my bag! I have my identification inside!"
Mosin hummed, checking the weapon over. It was well maintained, almost like new. Far too nice for a vagabond to have. That alone was enough to convince her that this girl was one of theirs, but she still moved to check her sack on the cot.
Lo and behold, she pulled out an identification badge with the doll's face on it. 'SV-98, 3* Rifle Doll' with Griffin & Kryuger's logo emblazoned on the bottom.
"Da, da. She's one of us." Mosin said nonchalantly, still cradling the green rifle before she shouted down and out the door they had breached. "SVD! You can come up, she's just Griffin doll."
"I told you!" The prisoner protested, wriggling under Saiga's hold. "Now can you please let me go?!"
"Not until you tell us why you were up here." Saiga dictated, though she eased up on the force she pressed against their captive. "Were you trying to steal some of our supplies?"
"What?! No! Do people in this company do that?!" She asked incredulously as SVD's footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs.
"People in our unit do." AK-74M mused, recalling the multiple times Thompson or K11 or XM8 stole her ammunition vouchers at the range.
"I am not a thief!" SV-98 promised, looking back and forth between the dolls she could see from her compromised position. "I'm here because of my reassignment! You're all from Sector Nine, yes?!"
"...Wait, you're Five-Four-Five's replacement?" Saiga asked the girl.
"Yes, she is." SVD told the room, standing in the doorway as she laid eyes on their new fifth member. SV-98's crimson eyes brightened as her savior finally arrived.
"Natasha! Oh, thank God!" SV-98 exclaimed. "Please tell them I am not a thief, or a squatter, or whatever!"
SVD ran a hand down her face, everything now making sense. SV-98 had likely hidden herself up here to surprise her. Little did she know that the rest of SVD's team was made up of people who were always ready for a fight.
"Sofiya, get off of her." SVD told her lieutenant. "Look at the poor girl, she's terrified."
Saiga did as she was told, retracting her foot and allowing SV-98 to scramble up to her feet. The doll immediately hopped back up to her feet, wiping herself off as SVD entered the room fully.
"Next time, Tamara, wait outside." SVD told the new member of the echelon.
"You know her?" Mosin asked, all three of the breachers now honing in on their Captain with a laser focus.
"Tamara and I served together during the occupation of Warsaw after the war." SVD told her team, stepping up to wipe the brown spots off of her scarf. "Lucky for her, she was built after we signed the armistice. So all she had to deal with were angry terrorists and rebels."
"It's not my fault you're old." SV-98 jabbed back, prompting SVD to grin. She pulled SV-98 in, wrapping her arms around her long lost protege.
"It's good to see you again, old friend. Though it would have been nice if you told me you had joined Griffin." SVD admonished.
SV-98 laughed nervously, returning the hug with a tight embrace. Even if this reunion had gone nothing like she had planned it to go, it was still nice to be with someone she trusted again. Though she could still feel the cold, disapproving glares of her other new 'comrades' bore into her back. Something that prompted her to turn around and try to address them properly.
"Um… anyway, yeah! I'm your new teammate!" SV-98 said, trying to be cheery now that the misunderstanding had been settled. Still, a dour air hung over the others.
"Is something wrong? Did I cause any offense?" SV-98 asked the group. SVD sighed, shaking her head as she saw that her team was still nursing the sore spot left by the news this morning.
"...I'm going to start cleaning this hellhole." Saiga told the group, slinging her shotgun and leaving the room.
"I'll help her." AK-74M said, before going to follow. Mosin followed behind, though she stopped before SVD and SV-98. She sized the new girl up, before passing her firearm back to its true owner.
"You trust her?" Mosin then asked SVD, as if SV-98 wasn't even there.
"Remember in the bunker, when I said I could count the Russians I trust on one hand?" SVD asked Mosin, to which her friend nodded. "SV was the first."
Mosin hummed, understanding that such praise from SVD was difficult to earn. Especially if this young doll had been the first of her people to break their leader's hard shell, long before Mosin had ever even come into the picture.
Looking down at SV-98, the sniper shrunk under Mosin's assessing gaze. But despite her current mood, Mosin could still tell that SV-98 was a good girl. One who was trying her best.
"Well, a friend of Natasha's is a friend of mine!" Mosin declared with a smile, putting back on her usual happy act. "I'm gonna head into town, see if I can buy some supplies and make us some borscht."
"With the meatballs again?" SVD asked as Mosin slipped back into the hallway.
"If I can find a butcher, yes!" Mosin promised, her footsteps moving down the staircase. Soon the door could be heard swinging open and shut, signaling her departure.
SVD sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose after such a scene. "None of this is your fault. You are simply filling some shoes the others would have preferred unfilled."
"Oh…" SV-98 said, rubbing her arm as the awkwardness took full hold of her. "Well, you do all seem tight knit."
SVD huffed, seeing that as an understatement after all they had been through together. "When you survive being bombed, forced to hide in a bunker in the middle of a forest fire, then fight your way through the ashes while surrounded by the enemy, you learn to trust one another."
"I'll earn their trust, Natasha. I promise." SV-98 said, her eyes once again blazing with fortitude. SVD looked at the girl, chuckling as she recognized the young sniper's drive.
"You're the only person who I believe could." SVD assured, before going over to the cot and sitting down with a tired groan. "So, tell me! What have I missed in the old Battalion?"
With her instruction, joy re-entered SV-98's step as she bolted over and sat back down to her mentor. The doll then began to regale SVD with all she had missed since the elite had parted with the military, starting from the moment she had left.
It wasn't enough to fill the hole. But it was a start.