1320, Jan 12th, 2062
Rs knocked twice against the old wooden door before her. There was a quiet moment, before she was able to just make out Matt's muffled voice say "Come in," from inside.
Stepping in, she was greeted by Matt's rather classical tastes in decoration. Wooden, well upholstered furniture featured heavily, and the centerpiece of the room was his rather ornate wooden desk that looked more appropriate in a party official's office than one of a PMC commander.
Matt's weathered face smiled as she entered, sending wrinkles across his face and at the corners of his eyes, before the man nodded to a chair set on the opposite of his desk from him.
"You wanted to see me?" She asked, sitting down and forming a steeple with her hands on the wooden desk.
"Yes, there's something you need to see," he answered, rotating his laptop for her to see.
Displayed was a T-doll information docket, one of a type she was so familiar with as IOP made one for every doll sent their way. However what caught her eye was the name at the top, M4A1.
"That's a little presumptive of them isn't it?" she asked, pulling the laptop closer to her.
"We actually received one for all four dolls the moment I reported our findings to Helian. From Persica herself no less."
Rs began casually scrolling through the first couple pages of information as Matt spoke.
"Huh, seems like a pretty advanced design," she commented as she made it through the first bits of major info on the doll, "What's a command module?"
Matt grinned, "I had to have Damek explain that too, basically lets a doll with one command other dolls independent of human control."
"Mmm," She nodded, "good to have for a team like this.
"For sure, but that's not what I called you in for. Check the section on her neural networking, about halfway down if I recall."
Rs cast her attention to the designated section. She read the first couple lines of the paragraph in question, before a confused expression came over her.
"Neural cloud incompatibility… is that what it sounds like?"
"Yeah," Matt sighed, leaning back in his chair, "Seems the whole AR team can't back up their memories."
"Then that would make them…"
"Mortal, in our sense at least."
She nodded, "yeah… the hell Persica, way to miss the whole point of using dolls."
He shrugged, "Who fucking knows. Anyway, with that in mind let me ask you something."
"Shoot."
"Are you confident in Third Echelon to do the job you've tapped them for? Frankly, considering recent events with them I'm amazed you're still willing to put this level of trust in them."
Rs swallowed, "Yeah, that's fair. This a-" she glanced back at the screen for a moment, "does make me a little more hesitant. Still I think they're the best choice, the mission suits them."
"I won't say that that isn't true. I originally formed the team with this kind of mission in mind, but now…"
"Sir, regardless, it's too late to change the plan," she said, glancing out the window beside them.
Out in the distance, a rolling wave of angry gray clouds churned, marked by the occasional flash of brilliant lightning that would seem to stretch across the whole sky.
"Stake your life on it?"
"I-e eh?" she stammered, caught off guard by the question. She stared into his steely mask for a moment, trying to pierce the veil to see just what the hell that meant.
"Old man made a request. He wants you to personally assist with the extraction."
Rs blinked about a half dozen times before she even thought about responding, "He wants me out there?"
Matt shrugged, "that's what he said. I guess these dolls are pretty damn important to the higher ups."
Rs' body fell forward, catching her chin in her hand and rubbing her eyes. It took her a minute, debating the question, but the issue still stood.
"No choice," she said, glancing up, "E3 goes. We can't improvise this."
Matt nodded, "Yeah, I know. What about you?"
"I get a choice?"
"Sure."
Rs furrowed her brow, "there consequences if I don't go?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. Would likely depend on whether we're successful despite it."
"Fuck," she muttered, "Alright, yeah. I'll go."
She stood, feeling a little shaken now with the suddenly impending mission on the horizon and a sudden need to check every little detail of the plan.
"Rs, One more thing."
"Yeah?"
Matt tapped his laptop, "You never saw this, understood?"
She nodded, and headed out of the room.
1600
Rs pulled hard on the strap around her chest, tightening the white colored vest around her until the pressure reached a familiar level. Once done she smacked a fist into the carrier front twice, nodding once she was satisfied that it wasn't going anywhere, before reaching for one of the four magazines resting on the table beside her and slipping it into the first of her ammo pouches.
All around her the armory was alight with activity, multiple echelons in various stages of preparation and linking. White camouflage fatigues donned over which tac-vests like the one she wore were strapped and secured. In some cases a white thermal cloak was then draped over the doll's shoulders and descended down, the long heavy fabric secured at the bottom and adjusted high enough to come to just above the wearer's knees.
Weapons clicked, muffled chatter echoing off in the corners, the whine of machinery filling the background.
A familiar doll sat herself down with a thump beside Rs.
"Heya," Cano chimed, "ready to go?"
Rs nodded as she slipped the third of her magazines into her vest pocket, before snagging her weapon and driving the fourth into her weapon's well, "As I can be."
On the far wall M14, already fully linked, was busy linking up WA, the doll showing just a little bit of anxiety as she typed away on the console. Not far off Rs noticed Famas watching her work, impassively staring while G36 got the other members of First Echelon linked.
"Do you-" Rs began.
"Do I what?"
She cursed herself for even starting the conversation.
"Do you think she can handle this?" Rs asked, nodding to M14.
"Worried?"
"A bit."
Cano patted her back, "Don't be, Babushka and I'll keep her right."
"Heh," she chuckled.
"What?" Cano whined, "Don't believe me?"
Rs gripped her rifle a little tighter, her hands digging into the familiar grips.
"No… just nervous I guess."
"You, nervous?"
"Yeah I'm allowed to be nervous. Nothing in my contract says I can't."
"Why're you nervous?"
Rs shrugged, "It's technically been over a decade since I last saw combat. I may not remember it but," she held out a hand, noticing the slight tremble, "my body seems to understand it."
"Ah," Cano said, grabbing her arm and squeezing her forearm tightly, "you'll be alright."
"Yeah , hope s-"
Rs cut herself off as Famas began to move across the room. The doll had risen to stand just as M14 finished linking up Wa and was moving onto Nagant.
Cano noticed as well, likewise with G36 behind Famas who was now eyeing her wandering team leader with disapproval. Famas meandered around for a little while, but did eventually find her way over to where M14 was working.
RS ground her teeth as for a moment, Famas walked up behind the doll and placed a hand on her shoulder. She saw M14 bristle.
However, the two exchanged a couple words, M14 nodded, and Famas departed.
"What on earth…"
"Seems they can work together," Cano said with a small smile.
Rs let out the breath she'd held, "yeah, I guess miracles do happen."
"Just believe in her," Cano said, "believe in us."
Rs eyed the doll with a smirk, "Okay Ms. Lasso."
"Want me to hang a sign?"
Rs shrugged, "Might help morale, give me something to tap whenever we need a pick me up."
Ahead 14 finished linking up Nagant fairly quickly, likely because she was so well practiced after having done it for the last few days.
"Looks like you're up," Rs said, smacking the doll lightly on the thigh.
"Try not to miss me~" Cano sang as she stood, strolling over to the linking station where M14 awaited.
"Rs, what's Third Echelon and your status?" Matt's voice rang on comms.
"Three dolls linked, one in progress, and I'm almost good to go. ETA about five minutes if M14 keeps her current pace."
"Understood, Alert me when you're ready."
"Wilco."
Rs forced herself onto her feet, walking over towards a shelf inbuilt into the armory wall and snagging one of the thermal cloaks. She quietly threw the heavy cloak over her body, adjusting the various straps until she was satisfied with its position.
After that she wove her way through the crowd of dolls back over to Third Echelon, just as Cano rose to stand, all four of her dummy links rapidly gearing up and readying themselves.
"All good?" she asked them.
M14 nodded, sticking a thumbs up in her direction, "All good! We're ready to go."
"Matchmaker, we're completing final checks now," Rs reported
The dolls began rechecking everything. Weapons, cloaks, packs, so on. It was a quick process, so shortly thereafter twenty five heads looked back up at her.
They then made the rather cumberous march out of the main and onto the pad fairly quickly, and began hauling eachother up onto the awaiting Blackhawks. The Mainframes split up, Rs taking two with her onto the first of the helicopters while the other two went onto the second.
"Evening ladies, welcome aboard Heartbreak airlines. I'm Aloha, and I'll be your captain this evening," greeted the pilot seated up front. The man leaned back and gave them a confident smile with his mask hanging loose off his helmet.
"Evening Aloha," Rs greeted the man, "Enjoying the weather?"
"Reminds me of home!" He shouted back gleefully, "Now ladies, please keep your hands and feet inside the aircraft at all times. In the event of an emergency water landing, please be sure to join the pilot in cursing our maintenance crew before our watery demise. Thank you, and have a nice flight."
Rs shook her head at the rather macabre introduction as she got strapped in. Across from her M14 and Wa grinned, giving her thumbs up once they had done the same with all their frames.
"Matchmaker this is Heartbreak One, requesting clearance for take off, over," Aloha said over the radio.
"Heartbreak One, Matchmaker, you are clear for takeoff. Best of luck out there, over," Matt's voice replied.
"Heartbreak One, clear for takeoff. Thanks Matchmaker, see you tonight, out."
Rs shut her eyes as the helicopter's rotors began beating faster, the turbine's whining reaching a higher pitch. Her body braced for the familiar lurch of takeoff.
It didn't come. Instead she found herself thrown into confusion as the turbine began whining back down. Her eyes flew open, finding a blinking orange light radiating from the cockpit.
"What's going on?" She half shouted into the headset.
"Gah I don't know!" Aloha shouted in reply, "electrical failure! Shit we may be grounded."
"Fuck!" Rs cursed, slamming a fist into her knee.
She unstrapped herself, leaving her kit on the bird while the other mainframes in her bird looked on with confused looks, unsure whether to follow or remain.
Wind swept at her the moment she stepped off the helicopter, catching her cloak like a sail trying to push her around. Defiant, she trudged into toward the ground crew waiting for them.
"Get the maintenance crew!" she shouted, pointing to the Helo. Behind them Heartbreak 2's rotors also began to die, hopefully by the pilot's choice and not the Helicopter's.
Two of the three orange clad ground crew took off towards the Helicopter hangars in search of the maintenance crew, while the third walked up to her.
"What's going on!?" He shouted over the whistling wind.
"Electrical failure. Aloha say's we're grounded!" she answered.
"Oh you're fucking kiddng me!"
Behind her Rs spotted the pilot of Heartbreak two dismount her bird and begin jogging over to them. Likewise Aloha also dismounted.
"It's the stabilitor controls, no way we're flying her!" Aloha shouted as he got close.
"How fast can it be fixed?!" Rs asked.
"Depends on how bad it is!" the crewman beside her answered.
Aloha nodded grimly.
"Monroe, how's your bird!?" Rs shouted to the second pilot.
"She'll fly!" the woman answered, "So long as we leave soon!"
Rs nodded, "Matt, what's our window for takeoff?"
"Estimate ten minutes to give them time to return, twenty if we divert them to the west to land. After that, wind speeds will prohibit safe takeoff."
Just as Matt finished the repair crew came running, however Rs was already pretty sure she knew the prognosis: it'd take too long. Hell it might take them about ten minutes to get the bird cracked open just to make the declaration.
"Monroe, how many dolls can we get onboard your bird?"
"Uh, regs say fifteen at the absolute max for the current loadouts."
Minus a potential four pickups, and minus herself, that didn't leave much room left for the dolls. The lighter team was a risk, they were familiar with what the opposition could do to full teams, so sending in a reduced force?
Rs clenched her jaw, "14, change of plans. Reduce the team to ten frames, and get everyone loaded onto the Heartbreak 2 ASAP."
"Uh, We're on it Rs."
She watched as the dolls began flooding out from the two helicopters, the two groups of frames rushing together and rapidly organizing as the mainframes frantically began stringing themselves up to their dummies with long dangling UDC chords.
"You're sure?" Matt's voice asked.
Rs glanced back up at the camera that hung down looking on them from the main base. No doubt he was watching.
"It's this, or nothing at all."
"You're still going?"
"Yeah, they'll need me more now than ever."
"Just as long as you're sure."
Rs managed a thin grin, "I'll be back."
"You better."
Rs turned back, grabbing Monroe by the shoulder, "saddle up fly girl, we go once they're done."
Monroe nodded, turning and scrambling back towards her helicopter, rushing past the throng of dolls busily unlinking a few of each of their dummies.
The quick delinking process on the outside wasn't too impressive, the dummies wouldn't shut off or go limp once delinked, but from what little she understood the it was a chaotic internal affair for the dolls.
Nagant was the first to finish, standing alongside two dummies and unplugging herself. She glanced over at Rs, who began trudging over towards them. Beside them, the repair crews frantically began trying to move Heartbreak one off the pad, alongside Aloha.
"What's the deal?" Rs asked.
"Cano and I will keep two, Wa and 14 one."
"Recon focus," Rs said with an approving downturn of her lips, "good idea."
"14's idea," Nagant chimed.
Next up was Cano, likewise with Nagant she kept two links. Following shortly thereafter Wa and M14 arose from Level II, each taking a moment to orient themselves.
"14, are we ready?" Rs shouted to the doll.
M14 shot her a smiling thumbs up, "Green and ready!"
"Then let's go."
The reduced team piled into Heartbreak two and took their seats, strapping in and exchanging smiles and well wishes as the helicopter's turbines roared. Rs felt that familiar lurch of the airframe leaving the ground and beginning to haul itself up into the air
"Three minutes to drop off!" Monroe announced on the intercom.
Rs exchanged a look with Cano seated across from her. The bright eyed doll smiled warmly, offering a meager boost in confidence to her.
Winds buffeted the Blackhawk at every turn, making for one hell of a bumpy ride added atop the growing darkness outside which resulted in near total disorientation. The clouds outside the windows were dark and angry, the world outside lit only by the faintest rays of the setting sun.
Another heavy bout of turbulence caused the Helicopter to vibrate at a concerning level, like it was a car driving over a pothole. All the dolls were on edge, she could see it in their body's, the tension. Even Cano, despite her best efforts to hide it.
Lightning flashed outside the window, briefly lighting up the helicopter's interior and casting them all in ghostly white light.
"Monroe, are you sure you'll be able to put down in this?!" Rs asked.
"Won't know until we try!" the pilot cackled back.
Right on cue a massive hit of turbulence slapped them around, definitely knocking the Helicopter off balance and forcing Monroe to bank hard over to correct the drift. The engine's whine grew louder, the machinery was straining against the elements to press forward.
"How far out are we?!"
"Two Klicks!" the pilot shouted. All of a sudden Rs noticed a slight shudder in the aircraft, a vibration seeming to shake her side to side, "dammit this is getting hard!"
"What's going on!?"
"Crosswinds are getting bad!"
"Should we try for the secondary LZ?!"
There was silence for a moment, the winds shuddering the entire airframe, screaming and howling in protest of the craft's defiance. Andother bolt of lightning lit the skies, thunder booming just a moment later.
"Dammit! Yes, we'll go to secondary!"
The helo banked to the right, and Rs felt her stomach rise as the craft began a rapid descent. On comms Monroe made the call to Matt updating him on the situation and the storm's condition. Rs waited patiently as the helicopter's moment began to arrest, the bird coming to a tight circle around a faintly glowing patch of snow beneath them.
"Storm is getting worse. Backup may be hours away if you need it." Matt said on her long range radio set.
"Understood, we'll keep our heads down."
As the Helicopter came to a hover and began its slow, rocky descent, Rs signaled the dolls to get to their feet and grab their gear.
They were nearly knocked right off their feet as a burst of wind buffeted the Blackhawk, sending a violent shudder through the craft that had them all scrambling for anything to prop themselves up with.
"Gah I don't know if I can set her down!" Monroe shouted.
"Where'd that confidence go, flygirl?!" Rs shouted back, "Just get us close, we'll hop the rest!"
Rs pulled down her nightvision set, a pair of snow goggle looking things that lit up the world in a ghostly green light. Below she could see the open field of the Secondary LZ much better, a flat open area about twenty meters across.
Monroe got them close, just a few meters off the deck. Rs popped the hatch on her side, Nagant following suit on the other side.
"Thanks for the ride!" Rs shouted as she leapt out into the glowing green evening. The fall was short and soft, four or so meters into a couple feet of snow. She landed how she planned, impacting on her feet and rocking back to fall onto her back.
Cano joined her a moment later, alongside several dummies.
Above them the Blackhawk began drifting, coming concerningly close to the treeline before the last doll leapt from it, at which point its engine roared back and began pulling it up and away.
"Matchmaker, Third wheel. We are on the ground and all friendlies accounted for, over," Rs spoke into her radio.
"Copy that Third wheel, good luck, out."
"Come on Grandma, on your feet," Cano snarked, offering her a hand.
Rs grinned, snagging the doll's hand and letting her haul her to her feet.
"Whooa, easy there," Rs said as she stumbled forward, nearly face planting right back into the snow as Cano was a little too enthusiastic with her help.
"Sorry! I always forget how light you are."
"Haaa," Rs sighed, "I'll take it as a compliment."
"So, what now?" Cano asked.
"Ahm, we head to the meeting point."
"Do you know the way?"
"Nagant should have the routing data."
"I do!" the doll shouted from a little ways away.
Rs nodded, "Cool. 14, let's get into a column and move. Put Nagant on point."
A moment later formation orders came on the echelon network, which Rs was a part of for this mission, indicating a rally point and where in it each doll was to put themselves. She and the dolls quickly rushed over and got in position, hunkering down in the snow and posting security in turn until the last frame got in position.
Once everyone was accounted for and ready, M14 gave the go command. About simultaneously the group rose back up to their feet, weapons still pointing in all directions, and began moving into the forest.
Wind howled in between the trees, moving so fast it was like the snow was falling horizontally at them. Visibility was shit as a result, even in NODs Rs could barely see to the end of the column from her position in the center of it. Luckily they weren't really gonna need the naked eye for much of this trek anyway with Nagant navigating up front with GPS, and both her and Cano at the rear of the formation banging away on RADs to keep a look out for SF units. All she needed to do was not trip.
Still, that knowledge didn't do much in the face of years of instincts and built anxiety. Rs found herself still scanning her area, checking every shadow, of which there were plenty, for any sign of hostiles.
"Tangos spotted, range 1430 meters, bearing 032, Rads only," came Nagants voice on comms.
Suddenly the entire column halted and crouched down in the snow, the ten hooded, ghostly figures swaying their weapons side to side as they kept a lookout.
"Classification?" M14 then asked.
"Likely regulars, numbering about a dozen."
"What's their heading?" Rs asked.
"Away from us, based upon their relative position they're not likely headed to our target destination."
"They're really close though," M14 mused.
"This region is crawling with SF, it could just be a random patrol," Rs answered.
"What do we do?"
"Assume possible Jägers, let's keep our distance. Nagant keep us at least a thousand meters from them."
"Understood."
Jägers were SF's oldest and most tested platform, and were the base model that all of Sangvis Ferri's 'regular' lines of dolls were derived from. They functioned as scout snipers most often, carrying nasty rifles able to launch plasma cased projectiles that'd burn through any body armor and rip a doll in two. However, their extensive sensor suite was what really made the dolls a threat.
Nagant got the column moving again a moment later, the eleven of them rising once more from the snow and shaking off the powder that'd built up on them during the minute or so they'd been stationary.
Shadows danced in her periphery as the wind swatted at the trees around them, blowing branches and clouds of snow right into their faces. It was a miserable march, one of the more miserable in her life, yet like the dolls around her Rs kept trudging forward in spite of it.
More meters on meters, minutes on minutes, they walked past tree after tree, rock after rock. Oftentimes the scenery would seem to suggest they were walking in circles.
Yet any doubts of Nagant's navigational skills were put to rest when they came upon a break in the forest. Rs stacked up beside Wa as the group came upon a forest road, marked only by the obvious gap in the trees and a single rusting sign that stuck up straight from out of a snow bank.
The road wasn't wide, single lane at best, so they didn't linger and wait too long.
One by one, charging across the small open area in a flurry of snow they crossed the road.
Lighting lit up the sky again as the regrouped, thunder growling not long after.
"We are almost there comrades!" Nagant chimed in on comms.
"You sure Babushka? I could go for another hour," Rs snarked back, earning a playful smack from Cano.
"If you want to do that, do so on your own," Nagant chided, "come, we should hurry."
The doll waved them to follow her as she resumed the march into the murky forest.
About ten minutes later, they came upon another clearing, though this time it was far, far larger.
"Well well, there it is," Rs commented as she hunkered down into a snow bank near the edge of the treeline.
Way out in the distance, sitting alone in the massive clearing which must've been farmland once upon a time, was a large two story structure just visible through the murk and snow. All around it the near everpresent ghostly green on IR gave way to the darkness of the overcast evening sky.
"Anyone see them?" Cano asked.
"I have nothing," said Nagant.
"Same," added M14.
Rs checked her watch. It was nearly six, an hour past the given ETA.
"Did we beat them here?"
"Maybe," Rs began, "could be the storm slowed them down, or they needed to evade around a SF group."
"Or perhaps they simply do not want to be seen?" Nagant added.
"That too."
"Should we go check it out?" M14 asked.
"One second," She said, "Matchmaker, Third wheel. We've reached the clearing, the target site is in visual range but no sign of the AR-team, please advise, over."
"Copy Third wheel, proceed to target and investigate, over. "
"Wilco, out."
Rs gave 14 a 'well, you heard him' kind of look, which got the doll up on her feet. The rest of them followed suit, quickly falling into a wedge centered on M14 as they began the trek across the clearing.
Wind swept puffs of snow in little waves across the ground, sending stinging ice crystals flying into RS' face and pricking at her cheeks.
"Movement, second floor, far right window," Cano reported.
A marker appeared in Rs' vision, placed roughly over where Cano had described. However, try though she did, Rs couldn't make out anything from within the frame.
"Any ID?"
"No signatures, just a shadow moving for a split second."
"Hope they recognize us," Wa mused.
"They'd have shot already if they didn't," Rs replied.
They moved within a hundred meters of the building, and crossed over the first of two intact fences. This first was a simple wooden fence, half rotten away beneath the mounds of snow built up around it.
The dolls hopped it easily, slipping up and over before resuming like nothing had happened. Rs on the other hand needed to exert herself quite a bit more to get over, climbing up to the top before all but throwing herself over, before scrambling off after the dolls.
"Signature on scope, it's faint but appears IOP."
"Just one?" M14 asked curious, the doll hopping up over the second fence as she sent the message.
"So far at least. She's still by that window."
Rs threw herself up over the second fence, hoping that the AR-team doll who was probably watching her wouldn't judge her too much for the rather haphazard display.
Somehow, someway, she managed to trudge the last few meters to the front door without further incident, despite numerous fallen fence posts and unseen obstacles beneath the snow threatening to trip her.
"She's coming down," Cano announced as they posted security around the door, "Looks like it's just the one."
They didn't wait long. About thirty seconds after they'd arrived at the front door Rs heard it click, before the knob slowly turned.
"Identify," M4 demanded once the door swung open to reveal her.
Rs was taken aback by the doll, not expecting her voice to be as soft as it was.
"Uh, M14, Third Echelon, Sector 9 Base 2," M14 stammered.
M4 lowered her carbine, "M4a1, Ar-team. You got my message?"
Rs stepped forward, "Yeah. What's the situation, are you-?" Rs said, peeking over M4's shoulder, making a show of looking for other members of her team.
M4's face fell, "I'm alone."
"Ah. Any idea where the others are?"
She shook her head.
Another bolt of lightning flashed above their heads, the sky roaring a moment later.
"Come in," M4 said, stepping out of the way.
They gladly accepted, eager to put anything between them and the elements.
The interior of the building was pretty rotten, filled with half destroyed furniture and molding paintings on a couple of the walls. At the far end of what must've been the living room a staircase ascended up to the second story.
"Spooky…" Cano commented as the team began spreading out into the room. Dummies rushed over to windows to post security while the mainframes and Rs meandered into the center of the room.
"I wonder if it's haunted," Rs added, setting down her rifle against an overturned table.
In response Cano whistled the first few notes of a rather appropriate classic movie theme, which earned a chuckle from Rs and smiles from the rest of the room, save M4 who just looked on confused.
"So, uhm, miss…" M4 began, walking up to Rs.
"RS9, Rs for short."
"Right, is your commander coming for extraction?"
"Oh, right, one sec."
Rs pressed a finger to her long range radio's toggle, "Matchmaker, Third wheel. Positive contact with M4A1, no other Ar-team members appear to be in the AO. What's the status of our Exfil options?"
Matt replied shortly after, weariness present in his voice, "Third wheel, be advised that no Exfiltration is possible at this time. Both Helos are grounded and we're having problems moving our trucks in this weather. I'm having them setup camp to your north until things clear up, over."
Rs sighed, "Copy that Matchmaker, we'll be here, over."
"Hang tough, we'll get to you asap. Out."
Rs released the toggle then glanced back to M4 and the rest of the dolls, "looks like we better get cozy, might be a while."
1930
"Another group," Cano whispered from beside her, "two and a half thousand meters."
In Rs' vision, a small cluster of blue marks fizzled into existence as Cano shared her findings, complete with the given range indicator and a myriad of other information. It was one of about half a dozen little clusters moving all around them, each pressing on through the storm at different angles and rates in an almost random pattern of patrols.
She and Cano sat cuddled up next to each beneath their thermal cloaks, laying on their stomachs atop a table with rifles held out on bipods in front of them. Their white camouflaged cloaks working like weighted blankets. Rs adjusted her rifle, scooting it's sight a little as it peered out into the swirling murky green void beyond their perch in one of the second story windows.
Way out in the distance loomed a short ridge, the rocky outcropping topped with ghostly snow capped pines.
"Still just regulars?" Rs asked.
"Eh," Cano squinted, "might be some prowlers mixed in, signatures are kinda fuzzy."
Thunder rumbled in the distance, rolling with a dull edge as the focus of the storm had shifted westward.
"What do you think they're doing?" Cano asked.
"Patrolling most likely."
"But why so many suddenly?"
Rs shrugged, "Maybe this is normal, and they were just hunkered down for the storm."
"I feel like they shouldn't care about something like that."
"Never know, maybe they're a lot fussier than we assume."
Cano rolled her eyes, "They're gen I dolls, they don't get fussy."
"Ehhh you might be surprised."
"What's that mean?"
Footsteps creaked against the wooden floors behind them, someone soft footed approaching.
"Tell ya later," Rs replied as she glanced back.
M4 was poking her head into the door to their little room, verdant green eyes glowing a little in the darkness.
"Um, hello, I hope I'm not interrupting anything…" she mumbled, offering a half-hearted wave.
"Nope, you're okay. What's up?" Rs asked.
M4 shuffled into the room, her shoulders pressed a little closer together as if she were trying to take up as little space as possible, "I- just wanted to see how you two were doing."
"Hmm? We're alright," Rs mused, glancing at Cano.
"Yep!" she added, "all good over here, just keeping an eye on the locals."
M4 nodded, her mouth opening a smidge but no words coming out. The moment held a little too long, all parties feeling the awkwardness.
"How are you holding up?" Rs asked, breaking the silence, "been a little bit since you've had company I bet."
M4 nodded, "yes, a little over a month now. I'm alright."
"Jeez," exclaimed Cano, "sounds rough."
M4 shrugged meekly, "a little."
"Any idea how your team is?"
The doll shook her head, eyes drifting downward as her body seemed to deflate, "I haven't heard or seen any sign of them."
"We'll find 'em, don't you worry," Cano said.
Rs cringed inwardly a bit at the promise, knowing that they might not be able to keep that. Still, outwardly she grinned. M4 nodded in reply, but her modd didn't seem to improve.
Another awkward moment of quiet passed them.
"Ugh I can't wait to be back," Cano groaned, letting her head hang, "I'm thinking we splurge tonight."
"Be a pretty late dinner," Rs replied.
"I am so beyond caring, I just want some good food!"
Rs turned an eye to M4, "Speaking of, you like Italian kiddo?"
"Uhm, I suppose."
Rs grinned, "Italian night tomorrow, if you're interested."
"Wait, that's tomorrow!" Cano yelped.
"Yeah dumbass it's Thursday, did you forget?"
"I thought it was Wednesday…" Cano pouted, "Fine, we can go tomorrow."
"Your food… changes?" M4 asked.
A sad look came over Cano, "Yeah, every other Friday we get special meal orders. Do you not get that?"
M4 shook her head, "For the most part just MREs and solar chargers."
"Well, yeah us too, 'cept this one," Cano said, bumping up against Rs' shoulder for a second, "but we like to go to our cafe for some real food every now and then."
M4 frowned, "why?"
"Cus it's fun."
"It's less efficient though."
"Efficiency isn't everything. Happy dolls fight better after all," Rs chimed in, "Or at least that's how we sell it to Helian."
"Well, it is kinda true," Cano added, "I definitely wouldn't put up with you if I wasn't getting fed well every now and then."
"Ah," Rs gasped, clutching above her heart and dramatically leaning away from Cano, "You wound me." As she leaned back she spied a quick glance at M4. The doll was smiling, ever so slightly.
"Oh shadd- oh, another group. nine hundred meters this time, Must've been hiding behind the ridge. Once again, more Regulars," Cano sighed.
"So many… Any updates on extraction?" M4 asked.
"No updates at this time," Matt's voice suddenly said.
"Uh, thanks. Are you watching us?"
"Not much else going on, and I just went and got some coffee so I haven't been listening for too long."
"Must be nice."
"No," Rs then said aloud, shaking her head, "still just waiting."
"Mmm," M4 hummed.
"Uh, Rs," Cano said, clearing her throat, "that new Sf group, it's headed our way."
Rs glanced back out the window. Sure enough the newest cluster of blue marks were heading right towards them, the range slowly but surely ticking down.
"Sonuvabitch, so they are," she said, "Is there a road they might be following?"
"There is a small path," M4 spoke up, "It runs between two parts of the ridge down to us."
"Would explain the range," she muttered, "have any Sangivs groups gotten close before?"
"A few scouts flew over before the storm," M4 said.
The marks continued growing closer, passing the six hundred meter mark and coming upon the clearing itself. She tried to peer out into the murk through her rifle scope, hoping to spy the approaching dolls, but to no avail.
"Looks like rippers and a couple Jägers."
"Shit, have they seen us?"
"Signatures are low power, I don't think their sensors are active."
"Tch, we need to handle this before they decide otherwise. 14!"
"yeah?" M14 called from another room.
"Get over here, we got trouble!"
" 'kay!"
"What're you thinking?" Cano asked.
"We terminate them if they get too close."
"But… that'll give us away!" M4 protested.
"Might be inevitable at this point, if they flip on their sensors they'll see us, and then they'll have time to react."
"They might not go active," Cano pointed out.
Rs gritted her teeth, "maybe."
"We should wait, at least," M4 protested.
"If we do, we might get in a firefight and have the whole region converge on us."
"It's a risk," M4 began, "but even if we take them out quickly, she will still come to investigate."
"Ah, Executioner? She comes every time?"
M4 nodded.
Shit, that does change the calculus a bit. If the ringleader would come even if they hadn't been positively identified, then taking the risk of going fully unnoticed may be worth it.
M14 stumbled into their room at that moment, "hey, whats up."
"Trouble, Cano share to the network."
"Ah," M14 said once the information disseminated onto the Third Echelon network, "So, what are we gonna do?"
"Setup angles facing south, and tell Nagant to start getting solutions on this closest group, but hold off on sharing until we say. Let's see if we can go unnoticed."
M14 nodded before scurrying off to find Nagant. Meanwhile M4 setup nearby to Rs and Cano, leaning against the wall and leveling her carbine out another window in the room.
Out of the shadows, off in the distance, figures emerged. Wreathed with whipping snow but plodding along anyway, the ten SF dolls grew somewhat visible in her scope. Overlaid atop them Cano's spotting data slowly counted down the range.
Two hundred meters out, showing no signs of stopping or changing course. Rs slowly moved her sight from one to the next, breathing in and out with slow, deliberate motions.
One hundred meters out, the dolls began hopping the first of the two fences. There was a back door on this side of the building, it was possible the Sangvis doll's intended to enter for whatever reason.
Rs gritted her teeth, "Cano?"
"No signs of sensor activation."
"We can't let them get too close."
M4 nodded nervously beside her.
The regulars resumed their trek, still making a beeline for the building.
"Nagant, provide solutions. All elements, Fire on my word."
Suddenly a new mark appeared in RS' vision, an orange overlay atop one of the Jäger dolls in the rear. Displayed alongside it several much smaller numbered dots atop the other dolls, counting up from two, and beside each of the dolls estimates of range, bearing, speed, wind speed and direction, and several other statistics were displayed.
Rs carefully centered her sight atop the Jäger Nagant had designated as her first target. Likewise M4 and Cano took careful aim with their rifles.
"Any thoughts?" Rs sent as a quick final message up to Matt.
"Your call."
Forty meters out.
Rs let out a deep breath, and felt her up to that point furiously beating heart suddenly sedate itself as an almost unnatural calm came over her.
"Fire."
Nine rifles cracked in Unison, sending a thunderous echo into the night.
Eight of the blue marks winked out of existence, including Rs' target.
A new orange mark appeared atop one of the remaining dolls, but a second volley sounded before Rs had even half cycled her bolt.
"Clear, all targets destroyed. I detected no outgoing signals," Nagant reported.
"Likewise," Cano added, turning to her, "We may just get away with it."
Rs turned over to M4, a pleased grin on her face which died once she saw the doll. M4 was rigid, having not moved or possibly even blinked since she'd fired her shot.
"M4?"
The doll blinked, then slowly turned to Rs, "She'll probably be here soon."
"Right," she said, then pinching the long range toggle, "hey boss, what's your ETA?"
Rs furrowed her brow as no reply came. She tried again, but once more there was nothing but silence.
Beside her a look of confusion came over Cano, "Uh, I just lost my links."
"What?" Rs said, turning to her.
Cano shrugged, then her eyes widened, "Oh shit, is your Zener down? I can't get through."
Rs tried messaging on the network, but nothing went through. Just silence.
She tried a dozen different frequencies, eventually finding a low use, unencrypted channel that she was finally able to transmit on. Though despite that, she wasn't
"You hear me?" she asked, looking at Cano
"Yeah, barely. what's going on?" Cano's voice replied, sounding very weak despite her being right next to her.
"Jamming."
Notes:
So, I've quickly updated this chapter as I finally, several months after posting, realized I established they had no comms, then had RS and M4 talking on comms on the literal second line of chapter 7. Yikes. So I've updated this chapter to not only bring it in line with that chapter, but also make the jamming more consistent with how it works later in the story. Apologies.
Anyway, as for this chapter, biggest changes are actually on the smaller end, and mostly to do with the flow of events and the logic behind why certain things happen. I removed the SF AAA, cus honestly it was really random and not helpful, and the reason why Rs and Co are stuck out there should also make a little more sense now. Personally my favorite scene I've written to date is now that last one, specifically with Rs and Cano just chilling on the table together.