The moment the chopper touched down on the helipad, everyone within exploded into action. With the speed and precision that nearly matched a doll the medics had offloaded the commander and were wheeling his gurney towards the ICU. Nina and Tiss followed as best they could, trying to conceal their weapons from the medical staff that the group blew by. A lot of shouting, a lot of excitement that Nina picked up, but her audio-sensors couldn't filter it all when her digimind was firing off a constant stream of anxious impulses. They had hooked her dear commander up to a bunch of machines, all manner of electronic beeps and boops to go along with the frantic ordering of scrub-clad staffers. Someone had said something along the lines of "operation room"- finally a word that clicked in Nina's definition directory, but certainly what she had defined was not what they meant. Operations room - see also: Command Room. Command room, commander-
A harsh buzz shot through her systems, hightened her combat protocols to the point she nearly grabbed for the grip of her rifle- the same rifle that was underneath her shirt. The same rifle that would have gotten her arrested for carrying into a hospital- even if she was a registered T-doll. She got a hand right to the edge of her sweatshirt when Tiss gave her that look, like she knew exactly what Nina was doing, and that was enough to override her own actions.
She adjusted her sweatshirt hem instead, making sure that it covered just the right amount of her hips, hiding that skin peeking out from the low-rise jeans. Maybe she should have worn an overcoat like her partner-
And Tiss was at the commander's side; the spot that Nina wanted. She wasn't holding his hand, wasn't pouring well-wishing or affection upon him to help him get better. Sure, the logical part of the digimind knew that such a thing was not proven by medical science, but humans were still superstitious creatures.
So Nina moved to his right… the side that had been… damaged by Intruder. Arm broken in several places- mangled even. She couldn't hold his hand… but she could place a gentle hand upon his forehead, stroke it gingerly, give him whatever a doll's affection was worth.
"You two, what is your relation to the patient?" A particularly gruff-looking man quickly asked, clipboard in hand as he glanced between Nina and Tiss. Clearly a security guard, but why would a hospital need a security guard?
"Daughter-"
"Girlfriend-"
Both dolls answered at exactly the same time. A moment of deafening silence followed, only broken by the beeps and hisses of life-preserving machinery. Nina could feel Tiss' static in their private network, her partner's ire-filled impulses towards Nina's cover identity hard to contain. The staff member frowned, looking back and forth between the two women, then to the broken man on the gurney, and then sighed.
"Your documentation?" He asked, tapping impatiently at the clipboard with his pen.
"Excuse me?"
"Documentation? Identification cards, papers, clearances?" That frown grew deeper still, and Nina could feel the suspicion prick at her. She looked to Tiss who, despite that cold expression, buzzed with an unsettling energy. Her digimind spun back the last events of this particularly frantic hour and…
And they hadn't packed their documentation- at least they hadn't brought the faked documents because… well because Nina hadn't exactly… finished them. She couldn't decide on if she wanted to be "spouse" or not-
"If you'll have a step outside of the ICU please?" The staff member gestured towards the door and that… that made Nina flinch. A simple gesture broke her soft and caring demeanor, defensive in an instant. Her brow furrowed with a scowl as her combat protocols blared for her to not leave her commander's side.
"I have all the documentation here." A soft, femanine voice floated over the escalating situation, easing the tension by some melodic means. A long-haired blonde, an ethereally beautiful woman, strode through the security checkpoint with the rhythmic tapping of high-heels upon laminate tile. Even in an unflattering trench coat, everyone can see that she seems to stand a cut above all others, a sort of aristocratic air about her as she peers over the top of a pair of thick-rimmed sunglasses at the stunned security guard.
"Here are my husband's documents, as well as the two that his… employee and daughter had forgotten to take with them." The blonde announced, particularly pointedly with golden-eyes glaring at Nina and Tiss, as she produced the paperwork from a fancy-looking purse.
"Wife?"
"She's his wife?"
"-and his mistress is cute?"
"No way, how lucky-"
"Shhh! We don't want a cat-fight here-"
The voices of staffers, detected at varying degrees of whispers from the nurse station, tickled Nina's audio sensors specifically because they were whispered. Who was this woman!? She contradicted Nina's cover… no no no… she threatened Nina's cover- Nina's position as the commander's closest! Before she had realized it, Nina was confronting the tall blonde, scowling in a way she never thought her epidermal mesh could. Oh sure, the woman had brought cover documents, and she was incredibly pretty with that maturely femanine charm, and she might be more rounded than Nina…
"Ladies, if you could take this to the lobby?" The security guard cleared his throat, trying to hide the nervous squeak that had leaked out. Both women coldly glared at him.
"Yes, let's. Shall we Nina?" The tall blonde tersely, stiffly said before glancing back to Tiss. "You too, Tiss dear."
Tiss followed instantly, knowingly. Nina had been so worked up, so embarrassed at her own failure that she hadn't noticed the G&K IFF signal emanating from her. Not the same encryption signal from Tiss and Nina's base, but it was clear that this woman was a doll as well, one sent to support them. Who and why was privy to the blonde alone. She had to grab Nina by the hand and drag her forward too; a distinct and concerning hum beneath Nina's epidermal mesh the farther away she got from the commander.
"Thank you for watching over my husband's luggage, sir." The blonde smiled brightly- Nina and Tiss watching just how easily she charmed the human manning the security checkpoint, who had wheeled out a large, hard-shelled suitcase.
"Of course, ma'am. My condolences about your husband's injuries. When he is assigned a long-term room, you will be able to leave his effects with the nursing staff." The guard smiled, polite and to a degree that Nina glowered at.
"Now Tiss, be a darling while I have a talk with… Nina-" The blonde held out the briefcase she was holding for Tiss to grab quickly. Could have been condescending; Nina sure would have interpreted it as such, but that was because of her own impassioned core-programming that so often got in the way. Yes, best leave the analysis to the level-headed like Tiss. She plopped herself down into one of those cold, uncomfortable chairs and waited- watched what was about to unfold.
"Nina-"
The white-haired doll was still scowling, pointedly ignoring the signal that this woman was giving off, otherwise she'd know exactly how to address them. Not to mention then she'd know exactly how important the blonde was as well. While those two stared each other down, Tiss opened the briefcase in her lap, finding three little slots cut in some foam backing; one was empty, but the other two held matching bracelets. Thick-coiled with a fancy-looking leather to the band, the core face of it crafted with a stylish silver facet... and they had an electric buzz to them; they matched the one that dangled beautifully from the blonde's lithe wrist.
Tiss grabbed one and slipped it on, tucking it beneath her coat's sleeve, and the very moment she did, she felt the software ping. A frequency-hopping, spread spectrum signal that prompted her with a connection request and signal verification.
"Please stop fighting!" Tiss pleaded as she leapt to her feet and grabbed Nina by the hand. No one seemed to notice her slipping the last band on Nina's wrist.
"Tiss?" Nina's ire shifted, at least until she had tapped onto the short-wave network too. A secured connection, for when they couldn't use the Zenner Network openly, allowing for that flawless electronic communication for as long as they were in close proximity. All of the information passed instantly, the blonde's identification first and foremost amongst the data.
[Model] Field-Command T-Doll: OTs-14 model, Groza
[Mission Codename] "Gracia"
[Assignment] VIP Security and Command Liaison
[Owner] Kryuger, Berezovich
A doll sent by Kryuger himself? That had Tiss' prediction programming spinning as the Groza's command lines took over, guided the current little "play" out; a melodrama for the meat-space as the dolls covertly conversed in the network.
"Now, I understand your… desire to be close to him Nina, but he is my husband-"
'A pleasure to meet you, OTs-12, 9A-91. Or may I call you [Tiss] and [Nina]?' The Groza pinged, receiving an electronic confirmation from Tiss and a begrudged suspicion from Nina. The Groza answered that illogical emotion with professionalism, answering with, 'I was assigned to assist in your duties as bodyguards given your base's inability to commit a larger team. Though I am a command-level doll, please do not let that distract you from your current mission."
'Affirmative, welcome to your team Miss Groza.' Tiss politely pinged back before 'tapping' her partner on the digital "shoulder." Of course Nina was still escalated though, firing off barely-contained impulses of scrambled emotion.
'Hello' Nina finally managed to send back, though there was the slight hiss of white-noise accompanying the gesture.
'My apologies on the cover-stories, but it is what we had to work off of given the circumstances-'
'Understandable.' Tiss took over, putting herself before Nina in the network- if only to shield this new doll from her partner's… more negative traits. 'How can we assist you?'
'Oh, it is not you assisting me. I am to assist you in your tasks.' The Groza smiled, sending a pulse of reassurance that felt like a cool breeze to the warming processors; it even managed to bring Nina down from boiling to a slight simmer. Tiss was starting to like this Groza, even if they had only passed data for a minute or so now.
Yet as cool as they were in the network, the surface conversation… was growing heated.
"Honestly, that husband of mine," The Groza's frame huffed, shaking her head, "Bedding our maid of all people?"
"You're never home for him! At least I satisfy his every want and need!" Nina'... well Tiss thought it was Nina's frame blurting that out, but somehow it felt a little… too real? That gasp from the Groza… wasn't all acting either. The explosiveness took the Groza completely by surprise- Nina was going off script and left the blonde doll to pull out of the network to run predictions on how to play this out now.
It is a melodrama from only the most overly acted soap operas, and as entertaining as it was for Tiss to watch, not so much for the other poor humans stuck in the waiting room with them. The security guard hesitated to step in, and other patients were shying away from the argument- but they were certainly drawing attention to themselves that they might not want.
'W-Well… I have brought data from Mr. Kryuger regarding… people of interest that might pose risk to your commander's safety.' The Groza manages to recover, trying to pivot the focus onto Nina's… passions. It caught the attention though, made Nina pause her barrage of network impulses as they combed through the data together.
'When he began employment at G&K, his records with Statesec had been cleaned, but there are still individuals that would wish him harm should they find out he is being treated here.'
Nina's frame curls up into the chair as the argument in meat-space grows more heated and catty, looking as if she is trying her best to hide herself away- when in actuality she was putting all of her processing into her predictive programs.
'So we are to keep surveillance on the commander but… "extend" the perimeter beyond the hospital?' She asked, and the Groza "nodded" back.
'Wouldn't that mean that we have to leave the commander's side?' Nina snapped through the network clearer than before, her anxiety sudden and shocking.
'It would, yes.' The Groza admitted, trying to soothe Nina's impulses with her own command-code. She could have just forced Nina to stop, but… this Groza was being very accomodating. How polite- if it were Tiss with the command module, there was no doubt she'd be overriding Nina every time those… passionate impulses took over.
'Extend the perimeter to include surveillance of POI to see if they have caught on to the commander's presence in Kazan. Understood.' Tiss pinged, putting her own stamp of approval on the plan, despite whatever Nina would say.
'We will work in shifts. Two on investigation and perimeter management, the last on actual physical guard duty. We must save Zenner Network connections as a last resort, so for now we will use the closed LAN connections.' The Groza explained, guiding the pair through the mission specifics. All logical sense; Zenner Network for emergencies only, maintain cover to keep doll secrecy, keep to specific zones within Kazan and minimize traveling through checkpoints. According to the Groza's data, Kazan was a highly segmented city, with districts divided by checkpoints. Meant to maintain control, to keep the economic divide clear and... and also be able to seal off the poorer districts should… ELID become a problem.
'Investigate, identify, and isolate- should action be necessary.'
"Isolate" was a key operating word. Not "neutralize". from what Tiss gathered, firearms would still be needed though. Kazan was not exactly a safe city, even in the upper-classed districts. If no crimes were to be traced back to G&K, no need for the PR team to have to step in, right? A bubbling bit of curiosity echoed through the network, pulsed out by Nina.
It dared Tiss, tickled her logic, pulled it into a twisting mutation towards suspicion.
'Feels odd that Mr. Kryuger would go to such great risks for a single commander. Wouldn't this be considered a large financial and political risk?' Tiss dared to ask, those cold snaps of logic triggered by her partner's pulses on pure programmed instinct. It draws immediate ire from both the Groza and Nina, but Tiss still gets her answer anyways.
'Your commander is a significant investment to the G&K command structure. While I would be disrespectful to describe Mr. Kryuger's investment as "fondness" or similar such affinity, I am not liable to question the mission, merely carry out my orders.'
Succinct, to the point, and most importantly, final. The Groza puts the pin in the conversations, all of which having only taken a matter of seconds. In that time, Tiss flashed the outer images she had taken, in particular the state of the waiting room. All of the humans were focused on their little soap-opera, many of them having distanced themselves to the other side of the room the moment it seemed as if the two women were about to come to blows.
How fortuitous -or perhaps it had been perfectly predicted- that a nurse had come through the doors about then, focusing intently on the scene playing out.
"Miss Gracia and her… um… guests? Your husband is heading to emergency surgery now- he will be unable to receive visitors until he is transferred out of the ICU. When we are going to move him I can call you at your contact number-"
"Yes, that is fine." the Groza replied cooly, motioning for Nina and Tiss to follow. Halfway out of the waiting room though, she stopped and spun on her heel to face the two of them.
'Your weapons are too obvious on your persons.' The Groza pinged alongside the plan: they would hide their weapons in the "luggage" that Groza had brought, and she would sneak them out of the hospital for the time being, just in case there was a shake-down at the security checkpoint. They'd head to a hotel after that, one prepared specifically as a safehouse for the three of them-
But first, the Groza seemed to have something else on her digimind.
"Here, Nina," Groza… Gracia hissed with a particular venom to her voice modulation as she held out the handle to the roller-bag, "You're a mess, so go clean yourself up. Perhaps some more appropriate uniform as well, hmm?"
That last sting made Nina's frame shudder with a particularly virulent impulse that not even Groza's command line could quell… but before there was a complete meltdown, Nina grabbed Tiss by the hand. She practically hissed at Gracia when she snatched the luggage handle from that demure gloved hand and, together with Tiss, stormed to the restroom.
"I can't believe the nerve of her." Nina seethed, slamming a bathroom stall shut behind her. Not… quite an act either, as Tiss' partner hadn't bothered checking the rest of the bathroom before venting herself both figuratively and literally. Steam must have been panting from Nina as Tiss took the stall next to hers once she had checked the rest.
"Thinking she's above us! Just because she's… she's…! -Hmph!-"
Nina was dangerously close to letting something slip, but little reminders that any loose intel could lead to the commander's death shut her up right quick. Well, it put a lid over the boiling pot would be a more apt description, but that was a risk Tiss was willing to take- at least until they got to the safe-house where it could all be vented properly. They stashed their weapons and ammo away into the luggage, with Tiss still trying to predict just how exactly the Groza was going to get it all past a security scan. Any sort of x-ray would reveal the shapes, wouldn't they?
Whatever tricks this Groza had up her sleeve, they'd certainly learn of when they reached that supposed safe house, right? This was a mission given to Groza by Mister Kryuger himself, so of course the CEO would pull all the stops.
The hard part was going to be how she kept Nina from melting down after they had left the hospital. The Groza had called a particularly fancy looking car that was even equipped with a human chauffeur; rode with them to a very upscale hotel that Tiss would never dream of affording on what salary dolls could get with the commander; flashed the doormen an important-looking black-and-gold card… and guided them up to the penthouse.
All of this… gaudy, attention-grabbing, the exact antithesis to what… a covert operation should be, right?
Perhaps… she'd need to reassess what her programs had defined for her.
"I've pre-screened the PACU for any surveillance equipment and placed my own, as well as tapped the hospital's own security cameras." Gracia spoke quickly and matter-of-factly as the two other dolls slowly settled in. The penthouse was a suite, plenty of space, and according to Gracia, completely surveillance-proof as per the needs of its clientele. It's clear that Tiss and Nina would not have gotten this far without her assistance, but still Nina bristled. It felt like this haughty high-spec doll was flaunting what she could do over Tiss and Nina, how much more… fancy she was!
"I will send you over the access codes for whenever you will be on duty as the primary bodyguard." Gracia continued, maneuvering gracefully around the living space to a chest sitting inconspicuously on the ground beside the window.
"Why would we need to leave the commander, though?" Nina frowned, quickly grabbing her rifle and ammunition from their luggage. Bribes apparently went far in Kazan- another thing that Nina and Tiss wouldn't have been able to accomplish on their own. Nina grumbled, double-checking her weapon to make sure that this stranger hadn't tampered with it in any way even if the Groza had never touched it.
"Mister Kryuger is a firm proponent of the saying, 'the best defense is a preemptive offense.' and I am inclined to agree with him." Groza answered with a respectful nod towards Nina. The blonde shed her trench coat, showing that despite the earlier disguise, her outfit… wasn't that "undercover" either. A tight-fitting, short-cut dress-and-bodice combination, something that made her svelte figure all the more noticeable and attractive. Even in such… revealing clothing the Groza still appeared almost regal as she moved around the living space, throwing wide that trunk. Nina peeked of course, seeing an array of extravagant and pricy looking dresses.
Nina hated her even more, but the moment that emotion pulsed through her, the golden-gaze of the Groza fell on her.
"Moving between Kazan's districts will be difficult. Dolls are not a common sight on the streets, but they still screen for them at the checkpoints." Gracia said matter-of-factly, matching Nina's ire with her own non-nonsense seriousness. "There are less reputable ways around the city, however. It is best to be ready for… confrontations."
As if to prove her point, Gracia brushed aside her dresses and pulled her own weapon from her trunk. Gracia went about inspecting her own firearm as well before pulling three cases from a closet, their purpose obvious.
"Only the guards at Checkpoint Delta-Seven are paid off, all the others will scan you- which is why I will show you the roads less traveled so that you will be able to navigate the city without my assistance."
The only one not preparing… was Tiss. Of all dolls, Tiss… should have been the most excited for this prospect. Covert operations, secretive warfare in the shadows of a city, enemies to root out… it was everything Tiss could ever want from a mission.
But…
"Miss Gracia-"
"Gracia is fine, Tiss."
"Gracia… was Mister Kryuger… expecting conflict here? Did he… send the commander here knowing that there would be… issue?"
The Groza model pauses, frozen right in the middle of loading a magazine to look at Tiss.
And she smiled.