A/N: Man, do I hate Field Agent and everything it stands for… but GFL2 gave me the itch and so here you go. I have problems. Do not copy me.

Field Agent: Nightmares and this are mutually exclusive. It's not like anyone liked Nightmares anyway, so no big loss. Oh well, Hadwin doesn't have three kids anymore. At least, not the same three kids. It just doesn't work. As much as I'm kinda tired of Hadwin's existence on a personal level, I'm not going to sabotage my own story for no reason.

Also, Chapter fifteen of GFL1 confirms there's multiple universes, so both stories are canon. Hell, all fanfiction is canon. Fuck you consistency!

I'll only be able to update this as information becomes available in the game in English, so… sporadic updates it is.

"Well, here I am."

A train stops in the middle of nowhere, ODE-01.

The air is stagnant, the city set below the surface to save on construction costs. Supposedly.

Normally, drilling down costs a lot more, but I have to assume that when this was the frontier of the collapse radiation cleanup efforts it was cheaper due to the thick walls surrounding the area to keep the crap out.

I take a deep breath as I mill about with the rest of the crowd, trying to decide what to do. The security isn't letting people into the city, but I want to get in.

I need to get in.

A voice appears inside my head, as naturally as if it was my own thought.

"Incoming."

"Identity?"

P90, or rather, the OGAS instance pretending to be P90, hesitates. "Unknown. I'd recommend avoiding it though, it's got police markings."

My hands open and close uncommanded, my body trying to get rid of the tension building up.

Ten years.

Ten long, lonely years.

After Paldiski and the assault on William's tower, Gentiane had left Griffin, and with my sponsor gone I got unceremoniously kicked out. Before I had a chance to figure out what was going on, the dolls had disappeared, or gotten new jobs, or had memory wipes. I still don't know how it all went so wrong so fast, but when I returned home, I was alone.

For ten years, all alone.

"Not entirely alone."

"Stop reading my damn mind."

"No." P90's form appears, sitting on a bench with her big, stupid grin on her face. "Besides, it's not like we haven't been able to track down anyone."

"Tracking them down isn't the same as being with them."

She huffs. "You realize that part of the reason nobody contacts you is that you're so clingy, right?"

I bite my tongue. We've had this conversation hundreds of times, if not thousands. Turns out my squishy human brain just doesn't handle the reality of Dolls that well.

"I'll say." P90 snorts. "One message, so vague as to have been able to come from literally anyone, including Rakim, and you've left the comfort of your home all the way out here to the ass crack of Ukraine because maybe, just maybe, that note isn't fake."

"It came through a secure channel."

"A secure channel set up ten years ago, Hadwin. The dolls that set it up may not even be alive, and communications protocols have been updated. It's barely considered secure now."

I open the message once more, much to P90's frustration.

'Come to OPE-01 immediately. Bring weapons. Do not share with anyone else.

- 22.5'

"The text hasn't changed, Haddy. It's not gonna change either, what with how many times you've saved it to your hard drive."

"You need to keep backups of important things."

"You don't need close to forty of them." She sighs, before looking at the platform at large. "Oh, the train is about to start loading back up. Time to make your decision."

I look back at the train. I could just go where my ticket is intending to take me, all the way to Saint Petersburg. There, what little remains of Griffin had offered me a job.

I used that excuse to get out of my house, out of my home city, out of the country.

But this is my real destination, isn't it?

"If you don't get on that train, you'll never be able to return to real society again. Griffin is paying for this train ride, and if you don't show up there's gonna be consequences." P90 reminds me once more. "This was your last chance before the system puts a black mark on your name for being a flake."

"I know, but…"

"Don't. We've already had this argument more times than I want to store. Spare me one more." She makes a show of staring at her fingernails. "So, what'll it be? A safe future commanding weak assortments of Sangis knock-offs for two decades, only to retire in relative luxury on some island untouched by ELIDs or dooming yourself to being an outcast, possibly hunted by the most powerful people on the planet because you got a note?"

My gaze settles on the gate leading into the city. "But…"

"You always did pick the dumb option." She hops to her feet, offering me a smile for the first time in… weeks. Since I decided to come out here. "Alright, if you're going to hell, I guess I'll be joining you."

"I offered to buy you a body."

"With what money?"

"I could have taken a loan."

"Oh, sure. 'Okay sir, what do you need this loan for?' 'Oh, just an illegal second generation doll frame.' 'okay sir, just step over here into our holding cell-'"

"I would have said a new vehicle. After all, any frame that you'd be happy with would be able to carry me around, so it wouldn't even be a lie."

"Sure." She walks past the guard, the man not reacting to the projection only I can see. "Last chance, Haddy."

"Sir, you can't go this way." The security guard raises his left hand, right hand on the grip of his rifle. "Stop there."

"Uh…" I blink. "But this is my stop."

"Right, but you need to head over there, to the exit. This is only the entrance onto the platform."

"Whoops." I give him an apologetic smile. "Thanks."

"Have a nice day, Sir."

I start to walk in the indicated direction, P90 walking up next to me and tick off items on her fingers. "Money, Shelter, Clothing, Proper ID, a reason to visit, a Visa, and a brain."

"What's that?"

"A list of all the things you lack."

"I do have a reason to visit."

"Maybe. Unfortunately, that's the least useful of the list for getting you past security. You planned this worse than that time you brought down a building on your own head."

"You'll have to be more specific."

"That in itself should point out that your plans are bad, and this one is still worse."

I can't help but give the apparition a weak smile. "But I'm gonna go anyway."

"Y'know, if any of the dolls actually held affection for you after all this time, I bet they'd be really mad if they heard that you decided to wander up to a security checkpoint fully armed with none of the appropriate paperwork."

"It's not like I can join the URNC. They rejected my application."

"You weren't trying. You undersold your accomplishments and made it sound like you were a janitor for GnK."

"Not a Janitor, a chef. That's important."

"It's not. Focus, Hadwin. We need to get through security."

The crowd in front of me is pretty thin now, and some of the people at the gates start to give me glances.

Well, time to cause a stir.

I walk up to one of the boots and give the woman behind the counter a big smile. "Here's my ID."

"Alright sir, give me a moment." She scans my ID. "What's your business here in Odessa?"

"Meeting with a friend."

She raises an eyebrow but doesn't comment, typing away at her computer.

I wait for follow-up questions, but after a good two minutes of standing there I start to get nervous.

"I don't like it."

"Me neither." I silently respond to the apparition to my side. "Can you hack into the system to see what she's doing? I need to know if she's contacting the authorities so I can run."

"You explicitly told me not to hack anything."

"I was stupid, and now I'm nervous."

"Fine. Give me a moment-"

"Well, Mr. Galanis." She hands me my ID back. "Everything checks out. Enjoy your stay in Odessa."

…What?

I stand there dumbstruck for just a bit too long, because she starts to give me a look. "Anything wrong, sir?"

"Uh, no." I shrug. "Sorry, I just had a long trip."

"Ah, yes. If you need suggestions for accommodations…?"

"Nah, I think I'm good to go. Thank you though." I smile at her. "Have a good day."

"You too, sir."

I continue walking in, only letting out a deep breath once I'm off the train station and onto the rough, improperly maintained road. "Nice save, 90."

"That wasn't me." She folds her arms as she once more appears inside my field of view. "It seems like your ID was actually in their system."

"But that's impossible."

"Unless you actually have a contact inside this city that wants you here."

I look up at the sprawling vertical city blocking out the sky. "Maybe."

"Oh, don't tell me you're having second thoughts. It's way too late for those."

"No." I sigh. "Just wondering who it is. I don't know anyone who goes by '22.5'."

"Maybe P22?"

"No, she pretty definitely wanted me dead."

"MP5?"

"I don't think that the shrimp would call me out."

"So, we're looking for a Doll, one that's hopefully just a bit familiar so you can recognize them. One of… how many dolls do you know?"

"Maybe three hundred?"

"Alright, then let's keep on the lookout for-"

A limousine pulls up in front of me, and the door pops open automatically.

Frantically, I hop out of the way, checking over my shoulder to get out of the way of whoever's limo this is.

Nobody. I was last in line, after all.

The driver's door winds down to reveal a man in a sharp suit with sunglasses on. "Hadwin Galanis?"

"Y-Yes?"

"Glad to see you made it to Odessa safely. I'll be transporting you to NMFA's branch office."

"Alright. Thank you."

"Do you have any luggage?"

"Just my backpack." I huck it higher on my shoulder. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting a limo."

His professional demeanor cracks slightly, his lips curling ever so slightly. "Well, looks like someone really wants to see you soon, then."

"I guess." I climb into the Limo and sit down on one of the long seats, oddly uncomfortable in the large space being reserved for me. "Thank you."

"My pleasure, Mr. Galanis."

P90 appears to sit across from me, eyes scanning the outside as the vehicle starts to move. "This isn't fishy. This is an entire damned cannery."

"Yeah… but it's better than wandering around."

"This could be a trap."

"A trap's better than wandering around aimlessly for weeks."

"Maybe. I'm going to see if I can figure out who sent the limo or how they knew to send it."

"The Limo pulled right up to me."

"Which means that your picture is in the Limo company's database, or they wouldn't know who to get…" She pops as more of her processing power is routed to finding out information.

In the meantime, I look around at the frankly luxurious interior of the limo and start to get the creeps. Last time I was inside something so ostentatious, I was trying not to get killed by several Nytos and William.

Never did get the bastard…

"No clues."

I raise my eyebrows as P90 reforms across from me like she'd never left.

"Limo's database has already had your contract purged. The local copy the Limo driver's got only has our destination on it."

"What's the destination?"

"Non-Military Forces Administration branch office."

"So he wasn't lying."

"Back in the game for all of ten minutes, and you're already back to being suspicious of everything and everything."

"I was trained by the best."

"No, you were trained by a bunch of Dolls playing with their food."

"Doll that were pretty damn good at their jobs."

"Fair enough, I suppose."

The limo slows down to a crawl as it pulls up to a building. Before I can move so much as a muscle, a small door opens between the passenger compartment and the driver. "Sir, we're at your destination."

"Thanks." I nod to him. "Uh, let me-"

"I've got it."

I turn to look out through the open door leading out onto the sidewalk to see a professional looking man handing the limo driver a large bill.

A bill that could feed a family for a week. As a tip.

Someone is paying an exorbitant amount to make sure I made it here. This doesn't make me feel better, if anything, it makes me feel worse.

"Yeah, this is a trap." P90 mutters. "Got your gun all loaded?"

"Checked it ten times."

"Check it again."

"I'll cause an incident."

The professional looking man leans down into the Limo. "Mr. Galanis?"

"Uh, yeah, hold on a sec." I grab my backpack and sling it back over my shoulder. "Nice to meet you." I hold out my hand to shake his as I step out of the car.

He seems slightly confused, but shakes my hand nonetheless. "I'm just here to escort you to see the Senior Councillor."

"I see. Thanks."

"Oh, we're so dead." P90 mumbles. "We just sold ourselves to some shady dude who's going to put us on collapse cleanup for the rest of your natural life."

"Possibly."

"Do you think there's some contract somewhere that explains that by entering ODE-01 and using the provided limo we've agreed to prance in epiphyllum flowers until your meat rots and I'm left piloting a decaying corpse?"

"Probably."

"Then why aren't you screaming and running away?"

"Because this is the first glimmer of hope I've had in years." I walk into the indicated elevator and stand in the corner, out of the way of anyone else that might get on, only for the doors to close behind me and send me upwards all alone. "And I'm a fool who will grab that glimmer and bring the fool's gold all the way to the bank."

"Who knows, maybe it's real?"

"If I was that lucky, I wouldn't be-"

The door opens suddenly. I hadn't even noticed the elevator stopping, and suddenly I'm facing an office space with a clear view of the night sky. Whoever owns this office must be very important.

Which is why, when I actually manage to focus long enough to see the other occupant of the room, my brain crashes.

Dressed so sharply that her clothes could cut diamonds, a woman with bright orange hair tied up in a bun with a red ribbon, piercing blue eyes, and the kind of expression you save for the bum that pissed on your shoe in the alley plastered on her face.

"Yes, yes. What is it this-" Her eyes meet mine.

All at once, I'm aware that I'm dressed in my faded jeans, a t-shirt, plate carrier and a jacket over the top, sneakers, and my old GnK issue backpack that isn't quite hiding everything I'd probably like to keep hidden.

"Hadwin Galanis."

"Uh, yeah. That's me." I offer a shaky grin. "Wow, Kalina. You seem to have done well for yourself."

"I… suppose. How did you get up here?"

I blink. "This wasn't your doing?"

"No. I thought you quit doing military work, and I wasn't about to disrespect your decision and ask after you." She puts a hand on her hip. "How did you get here?"

"I got a note that said to come here. Well, to ODE-01, and when I got here they let me in and a Limo pulled up. They asked after me by name, so I just kind of… went along with it."

She pinches the bridge of her nose, and I can't say I blame her. "Okay, fine. You didn't question any of this?"

"I did. So did P90, but… uh…" I hesitate. "The guy downstairs said you're the Senior Councilor, or something?"

The edge of her mouth quirks up. "Why, yes, I am. I've become very busy in the past decade."

"Ah." I shrink even further into myself.

"And how have you been?"

"Oh, you know. Hanging in there." I laugh awkwardly.

Her eyes are full of pity.

I hate it.

"I see. Well, I have an important meeting in…" She hesitates. "Actually, I think you should come with me."

"Eh?" I look down at myself. "Nnnnno, I think I'm not presentable. Sorry for busting in here. I'll go find a hotel or something and-"

"No, you'll make this easier." She blinks. "I bet this was Leva's doing."

"Leva?"

Kalnia rolls her eyes. "Let's get going. We don't really have the time."

"Okay, but… I don't know what's going on."

"Neither do I, but I have a schedule to keep."

I follow her back into the elevator, still bewildered.

Once inside the confines of the small metal box, her expression softens slightly. "For what it's worth, it is good to see you again, even if it is a bit too much of a coincidence for my liking."

"I'm just glad you seem to be well for yourself. I heard GnK kind of went under."

"It got sold. Kryuger and I left and now work for the NMFA, as you can see." She gestures to her nameplate. "It's not the most glamorous, but it's a living."

I find I can't look her in the eye. If that's not glamorous, what the hell do you call what I've been doing this past decade?

"What have you been up to?" She asks.

"Oh, not… not much, just trying to keep busy in Sector 3."

"What do you do for work?"

"Ah… border defense." I mumble. "Lots of ELIDs, and Dolls got banned again. Needed someone to hold a rifle."

"Strange. I thought the area around Greece was purged a few years ago. Are there still ELID incursions?"

"...No, not for years."

"Oh." She suddenly catches on to why I'm being recalcitrant. "So you're a border guard."

"Yes."

"I see." The doors to the elevator open, and her cold mask comes back up.

We get a bunch of stares as we walk out of the lobby, one of the more important figures in the NMFA confidently striding through the room with some bum they picked up off the streets at her heels.

"Hey, you don't look like a bum." P90 interrupts my thoughts. "You look like a veteran."

"Is that any better?"

"No, it's worse."

"Gee, thanks."

"Glad to be of service."

Kalina walks over to a Limo and gets in, gesturing for me to climb in after her. It's not the same one as before, since this one has a red interior instead of the other one's gray.

I clutch my backpack to my chest as I sit down. I don't know why she's dragging me along, and I don't know why I'm going with her either.

"Because you're easily swayed by anything with boobs." P90 appears next to Kalina, wearing significantly less than usual.

"Not true. They usually have to be mechanical."

"What has to be mechanical?" Kalina asks, and I realize I had spoken aloud.

"Oh, uh, the women in my life. P90 was accusing me of being easily swayed."

"Well, you are." She drums her fingers on the back of the seat as the vehicle begins to move. "Also, didn't think you'd still have that OGAS instance in your head after all this time."

"If she leaves, my body will shut down." I shrug. "So until I die or get another Doll willing to live inside my brain she's trapped up there."

"I'm surprised you didn't get that fixed up in the meantime."

"Not like I could afford it." I scratch my arm uncomfortably. "And I couldn't get SOPMOD to do it for me either. She was always too busy until I stopped contacting her."

"Hmm." Kalina mutters.

"So, uh… what's going on?" I peer out the window. "What's this meeting?"

"It's one I've been dreading for years, but it looks like I don't have a choice this time. Lenna is going to be bringing them to the meeting point I've set up."

"Lenna?" I frown.

"Hmm? Oh, right, you've been out of touch for a few years." She gives me a smile. "She used to go by UMP 9."

"Oh. Oh!" I perk up. "She's doing okay?"

"She sure seems to be enjoying her current job working for me." Kalina nods. "If we have time, you can catch up with her."

"That sounds like a plan. It'll be nice to see her for the first time in a while."

"Just don't get too caught up with that, I'm still going to need you as backup for when our other guests arrive."

"Alright." I unzip my backpack, and Kalina watches with alarm as I withdraw parts of my rifle and start assembling it. "Do you think it'll be better if I'm inside the building with you, or out of sight sniping? I've become a pretty good shot in the last few years."

"Er… Hadwin, I need you to be there to talk with them. I don't expect them to attack us."

I blink. "Whoops."

"Also, how did you get those into Odessa? The security checkpoint should have caught someone walking in with weapons."

"They didn't even check." I shrug. "I just gave them my ID and they let me through."

"That's… much too lax. THe only people who can get in without being questioned are-" She cuts herself, eyes narrowing.

"...Are?"

"I think I might know who contacted you. We'll deal with her once we're no longer on a schedule."

Despite myself, my lips crack into a smile. "Pfft."

"What?"

"It's just like it was back with Griffin. I never knew what was going on, but it was just assumed I'd go along with it."

"Is that really how you felt?"

"Well, usually I'd have a few dolls hanging around to let me in on what's going on, but yeah. It's kinda funny, actually."

She hesitates. "Yes… I suppose I can see that. I kind of assumed you were just content being with the Dolls."

"Pretty sure Gentiane just saw me as one of the Dolls after a while. Just send him the orders and the issue goes away, just like giving orders to DEFY or 404."

"A particularly onerous doll, maybe. I seem to recall you causing issues inside the black zone."

"William deserved it."

"I didn't say he didn't."

The Limo pulls up to a decaying building, and Kalina steps out confidently. I follow after her, my now-assembled assault rifle held close to my chest. Not that I needed to bother, since the streets are pretty deserted.

"Is this section of the city abandoned?" I ask as the Limo pulls away.

"No, ODE-01 is an outpost. Most of the people who live here commute to the front line of the reclamation effort. When the trains come in at night, you'll see thick crowds going home and then the reverse in the morning."

"Huh."

"Follow me inside, I have to set up some things before our guests get here."

"Okay." I dutifully follow down a flight of stairs, looking around at the rusty metal walls and trash littering the corners. It's not quite slum level, but it's not well maintained either. A fairly common living condition in this day and age, sadly.

After climbing up a good few stories, Kalina pushes into a room filled with shelves before turning into an attached room with a desk where she sets up her laptop.

I wander around the perimeter out of habit, checking the edges for methods of entry or exit that could be useful later. Nothing really, unless I want to go jumping out of windows.

"No good sniping positions either."

"We're not going to have to shoot anyone, Hadwin." Kalina starts to type away on her laptop and prepares a connection to talk to someone. "For now, just relax on the couch. I need to call the Odessan authorities for a moment."

I do as she says, relaxing on the worn down couch as Kalian quietly conducts her call.

"Wonder who we're meeting?"

"Kalina doesn't want to talk to them, so… Maybe StateSec?"

"Do they even exist anymore now that the URNC has taken over?"

"That's… huh." I frown. "Wonder who M16 and DEFY would be working for then."

"Themselves, most likely. Wandering the yellow zones, shooting ELIDs as they scrounge for parts."

"Stop, I'm going to get depressed again."

"It's reality, Hadwin. Just be glad you're not a doll, or you'd have to be out there too."

"Might be better for me, rather than rotting away inside the walls."

"Last time you were out in the wastes you almost managed to bring an entire floating fortress down on your own head. Let's not romanticize the past."

"Come on, it wasn't all bad."

"No, you had friends to talk to. Where are they now?"

I don't answer. I don't need to.

"Thank you, Chief." Kalina straightens up. "Hadwin, we're about to have our visitors."

"So, UMP 9 is here?" I stand up.

"Her name is Lenna."

"Right, of course."

"Once we're done with our meeting, we'll see if we have time." She turns to her desk and starts typing on her laptop.

Outside, the door bangs open.

I put my hand on my handgun, drawing it out despite Kalina's nonchalance as two sets of footsteps come closer.

I pin myself to the wall, waiting for the steps to draw closer.

"Hadwin, hold fire." P90 whispers at the last second.

"Huh?"

A woman strides in front of my gun, eyes flicking to the side to recognize the firearm in my hand as a threat and going wide.

I push the barrel of the gun up into the air and step back as she aims her own gun at me, stepping in front of a little girl and ducking down just enough that my initial bullet would have missed.

"...Gentiane?"

"Hadwin?"

"Commander?"

I blink at the small, pink-haired girl hiding behind Gentiane. "Huh, didn't think you were the kind of woman to have a kid."

"I'm not." She stands up straight and puts her gun away, eyes tracking to the calm, orange-haired lady in the center of the room. "...It's been a while, Kalin."

"Kalina." Kalina corrects.

"Ah, yes. Kalina."

…Obviously, I missed some shit.

The little girl wanders over and tugs at my shirt. "Commander?"

I crouch down to her level. "Nope. I'm Haddy. What's your name?"

"Helena!"

"Nice to meet you, Helena."

"Yes, nice to meet you." Kalina crouches down in front of the girl. "You can call me Kalin."

Oh, so they do hate each other now. Or maybe Kalina just hates Gentiane, since Gentiane seems to still want to be friends.

Also, I never got to call her Kalin. Does that mean she hates me too?

I can hear P90 laughing in my head, but ignore her in favor of paying attention to the conversation.

"Why don't we all sit down on the couches?" Kalina suggests. "We have a lot to discuss."

I remain quiet, fidgeting with my gun as Gentaine and Kalina have an awkward back-and-forth where our former Commander tries to get the former logistics officer to open up.

Gentiane tells us that she's been tasked with carrying Helena as cargo, and ever since she took the job she's been having trouble. In addition, Helena seems to be a fully-immune individual.

Kalina ends up revealing that she's the one who gave Gentiane the contract, and I start to get Tsundere vibes from the way Kalina is refusing to open up. I was about to call her on it when there's a knock on the door.

Being the only one free (Gentiane is currently supporting a sleeping Helena and Kalina is too comfortable) I get up and answer the door. There, a middle aged man with serious features stands. "This is where Helena is, yes?"

I hesitate. "Who are you, again?"

"Alex. Kalina sent for me."

Well, that's the name she said she was waiting for… I step aside.

"Ah, Alex. Thank you for coming." Kalina smiles at the man. "Here's Helena."

Gentiane gently shakes the young girl awake.

Helena protest going with Alex, but-

"Hey, how 'bout I go with you, at least down to the car?" I ask the small girl. "Would that make you feel better?"

She looks at me for a few moments, then at Gentaine, who nods. "Okay."

I scoop her up, trying to ignore the three spheres that start swirling around me as I do so, and Alex starts leading the way down the stairs.

"I hear she's been exposed to collapse radiation?"

I shrug. "I wasn't with her. She was with Gentaine."

Alex nods. "So, you're with Kalina then."

"As of an hour ago."

"Kalin is nice!" Helena provides.

"Very nice." I smile at the girl in my arms. She reminds me of… of… I tuck away the pain. "When you're done with your checkup, why don't we find some games to play?"

"We can play?" Her eyes go wide.

"Yep! Just be a good girl for the Doctor, and when you're done we can play cards."

"Cards!" She cheers.

Alex smiles at her enthusiasm. "You have kids, Hadwin?"

"Had."

"...Ah."

I shake my head, trying not to let Helena catch on. "In any case, I'll entrust you to her, doctor."

"Thank you. Helena, let's go, okay? We'll figure out why you're not feeling well and get back to Gentiane and Kalina, alright?"

"Okay."

The sleepy girl goes into the car with Alex, and I wait for them to go before climbing back up the stairs.

"It's been a while since you thought about her."

"Not now, 90."

"...Alright."

"Thank you."

She nods and carries on to another topic. "So, wanna take some bets on our dear Commander and miss Kalina?"

"What kind of bets?"

"Whether they've taken your distraction to start stripping each other and engaging in hot, steamy-"

"Pretty sure Kalina hates Gentiane."

"Come on, she's just putting it on because Gentaine left her abruptly ten years ago. I know you've noticed, I can read your mind."

"Damn you. Where's my expectation of privacy?"

"You don't get one. Also, I bet you'd be acting just like Kalina if UMP 45 walked through that door."

"...No, I wouldn't."

"I'm not going to stop reading your mind, so stop lying to yourself."

"Bitch."

"Asshole."

I roll my eyes and push into the room with the shelves.

Inside the attached office just out of sight, something crashes.

I grab my handgun and leap around the corner, weapon up and ready to fire at anyone not my former boss or logistics officer.

I find two women, both very red in the cheeks, purposely not looking at each other.

"...Any enemies?" I ask.

"No, Hadwin." Gentaine straightens herself up, coughing to reset herself. "In any case, is Helena on her way?"

"Yeah. Alex got her to the car and took off." I sigh. My head is very noisy right now what with P90 laughing her damn head off, yelling 'I knew it! I knew it!' while I'm trying to think. "She didn't look too good."

"Yes, that's why we're getting her checked. Alex should be able to figure out if she's a fully immune individual and why she's feeling ill. He's reliable like that." Kalina reassures me.

I let out a breath I had been holding and start to pace around the room as Kalina and Gentiane once more continue to talk in low tones about Griffin's shattering. Obviously, we all have our own opinions on it, but I figure it was inevitable. These two, not so much.

I wander into the next room over, idly inventorying the contents of the shelves, much as one would at the house of a relative you hadn't seen in years while they're away making cookies or whatever. The items seem entirely random, like a baseball glove, several trophies that don't actually have any accolades on them, just generic 'award of excellence' type shit, and a baby bottle.

Just a single baby bottle.

My eyes linger on the object, the only thing here that would suggest the presence of a child, and suddenly it hits me.

This place is a manufactured space.

Not in terms of not being outdoors, but because none of the items here have any correlation. There's no pictures, no use case to have all these things. Nothing's packaged up, so it's unlikely to be a store or even a reseller, so it's just junk set up so the place looks lived in.

It makes sense, actually. Kalina's meeting with our former Commander, and since she's kind of… uh… on the run? I forget how B.R.I.E.F. works right now. In any case, it wouldn't look too good.

Probably.

I can't even ask since those two never tell me anything. They've already probably forgotten about me.

"Too busy sticking tongues down each other's throats."

"Shut up, 90."

"Nah. So, what are we gonna do next?"

I give the apparition a look. "Come again?"

"I mean, unless Kalina or Gentiane decides to adopt you, you've lost your last job offer, are in an entirely alien city, and don't exactly have money for a hotel."

"...No."

"So, what's the plan?" She crosses her arms. "Try to figure out who sent the message?"

"I'm kind of hoping to talk to UMP 9- uh, Lenna. Maybe she'll be able to point me in the right direction."

"Still hoping it's 45, huh?"

"That obvious?"

"You forget, I was in your head the entire time you were in a relationship with her. I had to watch your already room-temp IQ dip to winter temperatures every time hormones flooded your brain." She huffs. "Neural clouds are so much more efficient."

"Well, nobody designed brains. They just… happened. Persica made Neural Clouds so they make more sense."

"Well, yeah." P90 flops over onto the dusty couch, remaining immaculate. "Anyway, I know exactly how much you still have an attachment to the robot hussies that ditched you because you were forced to sign a stupid agreement."

"I guess it hurt them for me to just leave."

"You know for a fact a bunch of them wouldn't stand for that. DEFY in particular would never have been swayed."

"...Yeah. But then… I haven't been contacted in ten years."

P90 stands up and walks over to me, caressing my cheek and sending fake signals to my brain so it feels like something's touching me. "Look, at least a few of them should still be around, right? Since we're both fucked at this point anyway, why don't we go hunting after them once we're out of the city? Just you and me, walking the wastes, killing ELIDs and rebuilding your robotic harem."

"I thought you were against that plan."

"Back before you screwed over your last shot at anything resembling a normal life, yeah. Then you entered the city and sealed our fates."

"Sorry."

"I really should have just stolen money from you and bought that body."

"I told you I'd get you a new frame if you wanted it."

"What, and starve yourself?"

"Probably."

"No thanks."

"Thanks, 90."

She rolls her eyes, then glances at the door.

I pick up the faint sounds of someone running a beat later, gun raising up to chest level at the door.

The door bursts open-

The intruder is sliding on the floor before I can even get a good look at them, leg striking mine and sending me spinning to the floor, though I'm able to get a hand on top of her.

With P90's assistance, I manage to pin one of the intruder's arms to the ground, and jam my pistol into her neck-

"Haddy?"

My finger pauses on the trigger.

"UMP-" My brain shorts as I try to recall her new name. "...Reina?"

"Lenna." She huffs. "Also, get off of me."

"Sorry." I stand up and offer my hand, which she promptly ignores.

"Miss Kalin?" She calls, and Kalina pokes her head out the door.

"Lenna, what are you doing here?"

"I needed to tell you, the cops are showing up!"

"I have authorizations."

"I know, but when I told them that they ignored me!"

Kalina seems to think for a few seconds. "Looks like something went wrong. Commander, take these tickets and IDs. They'll get you and your dolls out of the city."

"Uh-" Gentiane blinks.

"Make sure to go grab Helena on your way. She's the best lead we've got on the Girard group."

"The who?" I ask, only to get dirty looks from all three women in the room.

"Lenna, how long until the cops get here?" Kalina asks.

"Uh, fifteen minutes."

"Alright. Contact Alex."

Lenna nods and holds a hand to her ear.

I glance at P90. "So…"

"We should probably be running away now." She confirms my suspicion. "Otherwise we're about to be dragged into Gentiane's curse."

"What curse?"

"Think about it. We've always been dragged around inside her orbit. Do you think it's a coincidence that we ended up inside a black zone after we met her? The only reason we never went anywhere worse is because there isn't anywhere worse!"

"Venus."

"Fuck off, nobody's on Venus."

"Alright, fine. So, we get out of here before-"

"No answer." Lenna states, interrupting my thoughts. "Line went dead."

"...They're working faster than I thought. Commander, you need to get out of here. Lenna,escort her to her Dolls, get Helena, and get out."

"Okay!" She points at me without looking my way. "What are we doing with this trash?"

Ouch.

"Take him with you." Kalina gives Lenna a look. "He'll be more useful with the dolls than with me."

"Are you sure?" I ask tentatively. "I can be quite persuasive."

"Quite sure. Hurry, I need to prepare. Commander, I'll give the dolls their orders, so just head to laboratory nine."

"Understood." Gentaine pauses, a grin splitting her lips. "Just like old times."

Kalina's cheeks flush slightly, but the moment is cut short as Lenna scoops up Gentiane and carries her over to the window. "Alright, we'll be going."

"By window?!" Gentaine tries to struggle, but Lenna pushes it open with one foot. "We're four stories up!"

"And this is the fastest way down!" Lenna says gleefully.

I give Kalina a look. "Are… are you sure-"

"Just go, Hadwin." She rolls her eyes. "I will be fine, and you'll get to talk to Lenna."

"If she wants to talk to me." I grumble. "I kind of forgot how much she hates-"

Gentaine yells as Lenna jumps with her down to street level.

"They're going to get away."

"Yeah." I walk over to the window, looking down to see Gentaine squabbling with Lenna. "Alright. Stay safe, Kalina. Sorry we had to meet under… uh…"

"Yep. We'll have to catch up later. Stick with Gentaine, and we'll meet when we can."

"Great." I step out onto the ledge. "You know, I'm not actually good at falling from heights-"

She gives me a push, and I can feel P90 immediately stepping in, guiding my limbs.

While my feet are still in contact with the windowsill, they push against it and launch me across to the ledge on the other side of the alley. I try to hold onto something, but P90 keeps my arms in position to keep me balanced and redirects my momentum to run along the wall like some sort of video game character to the drainpipe, where I swing around and drop off when I get to the ground.

"Wow…" Lenna rolls her eyes. "So fancy."

"P90, please." I ask out loud, as much to inform the other two as to recriminate the voice in my head. "Sorry, not alone up here."

"I see." Gentiane hesitates. "Well… How have you been, Hadwin?"

"I have pretty much everything I own in the backpack on my back, I'm in ODE-01 probably illegally chasing a note that may or may not have come from a prank, and I'm now running from the cops with you for some reason."

"Just like old times."

"Nah, the only doll here is Lenna, and she hates me."

"That's not new, Haddy." She grouses.

"No, but it's usually countered by 45 or 416."

Her expression darkens further, and I decide not to bring those two up. "It's… fine. I'm fine. He's going to leave soon anyway."

Gentaine gives me a look. "What did you do to her?"

"It's complicated. I'll tell you later."

"If there is a later."

"Try not to jinx us already, Commander."

"I'm not your commander anymore, Hadwin."

"Everyone else calls you Commander. Even Helena."

"It's better than Sensei."

Lenna snickers. "Gentaine Sensei~!"

"Please no."

I nod. "I can see how that would be annoying. We should probably get going, right Gentaine Sensei?"

"Not you too. I had a hard enough time convincing Helena not to call me that."

"Well, Sensei, I think it's a lost cause." I nod. "You must bow to the whims of a child."

Lenna's face falls slightly, but she instantly regains her smirk. "Yeah, Sensei, let's go grab the other dolls!"

"I swear to god, if you two convince Colphne to call me Sensei-"

I stare at the device in my hands, one a doll I had never met before called Krolik had shoved into my hand before A hologram of Persica showed up and info dumped something about magical reversal flowers. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with epiphyllum, but I'm not exactly sure.

I'm still trying to figure out what the hell I'm supposed to do with the device when Lenna taps my shoulder.

"Yes?" I ask.

She sighs deeply, like talking to me is something she'd rather stab herself than do. Which, given she no longer has a scar over her eye-

"I need you to come with me."

"Alright." I straighten up. "What's the matter?"

"Let me see the note you got that led you here."

I'm kind of surprised she knows about that, but I open a short range file transfer and send her the file.

She takes a few seconds to parse the note, which for a doll is an eternity.

"Great." She finally grouses. "Come with me."

"Do you know who sent it?"

"Unfortunately."

My ears perk up. If she knows, that can only mean it's someone I want to talk to, right? Someone from the rest of 404, or-

"Hey Sensei~!" Lenna calls out. "We've got to scram!"

Gentiane pauses, and the blue-haired medic doll suddenly gets a massive grin not unlike Lenna's as she calls back from where she's standing in the lab. "Why?"

"We've got other errands to run for Miss Kalin. You and your dolls grab Helena, and we'll meet up. Passphrase is 'Hadwin is a shitheel'."

"HEY!"

Gentiane nods. "Got it. And the real passphrase?"

"Light the dawn, shining edge in hand."

"I liked the first one better."

"Not you too, 90."

"What? We're gonna be dead because you can't leave well enough alone." She rolls her eyes, and several of the dolls follow her as she walks around me. "So, I'm going to mock you."

"Commander?" Groza turns to Gentiane. "Why does this 'Hadwin' have a Neural Cloud?"

"Er… You don't remember, Groza?"

She shakes her head slowly. "Have we met?"

I bite my tongue hard enough to draw blood. "I… guess not."

Lenna sighs. "Alright, Haddy. Let's get going."

"Alright. See you later, Commander."

"Maybe not. We're escaping ODE-01 as fast as we can."

"And I want him out of here with you!" Lenna yells. "So you'd better survive to take him, or I'm going to reanimate your corpse with collapse radiation!"

We both shudder at the implications.

"Well then, see you." I wave.

The four dolls… only four dolls, all that Gentaine has right now all wave as well, and Gentiane just nods before turning back to the projection of Persica.

Once outside, I turn to Lenna. "So-"

"Please, just… shut up." She sighs. "I don't want to hear you, or see you, or feel your electronic signature, but since I'm not the one in charge, I'm stuck guiding you around."

"...Sorry."

She rolls her eyes. "The things I do… Alright, follow me. First, we have to go save Miss Kalin."

"Eh? Save her?" My spine tenses up. "What do you mean?"

"Wellllll… the Odessan government is only kind of cooperating with us, and I may have tipped them off that we were doing sketchy things when I got the Commander and Helena into ODE-01."

"...Okay?"

"And now the police are going to try to arrest Miss Kalin."

"Where is she?"

"Back in her office. We've got to hitch a ride to get there on time."

"Hitch a ride?"

A vehicle descends from above, armored and armed, Jet wash threatening to blow me off my feet.

"Well… welcome back to the saddle, Haddy." Lenna hops up onto the craft and offers me a hand up.

"Thanks." I take her hand. "It truly sucks to be back."

She grins for the first time since she had seen my face. "That's the spirit! Now, let's go!"

A/N: It's kind of weird how GFL2's story is paced, specifically ODE-01.

It makes sense that The Commander gets into ODE-01 and continues to make sense up until Helena is handed to Alex.

Since us players are probably more invested in the dramatic reunion of Kalina and Shikicunt, Alex shows up (he doesn't get a sprite)and takes her with Kalina telling the commander that they should carry her out… and the next line is them talking as if Alex had left already. It feels like there's a missing line where they hand over Helena and return back to have the awkward conversation, but it's just not there. Maybe it's something lost in translation, my very rudimentary Japanese has revealed some 'creative' reinterpretations.

In any case, it's kind of jarring to go from waking Helena up to go with Alex, to having a touching reunion, straight to 'Alex can't be contacted, presumed dead' in the same cutscene. It feels like there needs to be more, but then again SL-4-1 is already like, half an hour long.

It should be split into several cutscenes in my opinion, like, literally just splitting it and making you click on separate files. Yeah, it sounds tedious, but it would indicate a passage of time like a line break does. Nothing would need to be added, just make it so it takes longer than a single conversation for everything to go to shit.

Maybe it's a carjacking or something. It's never explained in the main story. Maybe some of the side stories I'm ignoring right now…?

Also, Leva my beloved. Why can't I unlock you?

Mica Plz.