"And… who is this?"

I hold my hand out to the smaller woman. "Hadwin Galanis."

"He's going to be working with us." Gentiane tosses her coat to the side and sits down on a chair roughly in the center of the cavernous room that is the bridge of the Elmo.

Speaking of, the Elmo is massive. Like, I was expecting something train sized. This is at least a dozen meters wide, taller than that, and I bet two whole city blocks long!

"I'm Mayling! Nice to meet you!" She hesitates. "Um, you're not an engineer, are you?"

"Nope." I lift my rifle and give her an apologetic smile. "I'm combat personnel."

"Oh." She seems to brighten up. "Okay! Well, nice to meet you!"

She walks over to fuss over the dolls, and I sit down on one of the seats dotted around the room, idly observing the data on the screen. No idea what it means, but it's got a lot of colors. It's almost like a weather map…

"Hadwin?!" A high pitched voice I hadn't heard before echoes through the command center, and I turn to see a diminutive girl standing there, eyes wide. She's got on a blue dress and… well, if I had to describe her in a word, it would be 'snowflake' after that design on her headband.

"That's me." I turn the chair to face her. "Have we met?"

"No, but I know about you!" She skips over and clenches her hands to her chest, eyes sparkling. "You're the Field Agent!"

I glance at Gentaine, who rolls her eyes. "Uh, yeah… I am. Or, was. What's your name?"

"I'm Suomi." She shrinks slightly. "I can't believe I got to meet you!"

"Well, I'm flattered, but… why?"

"You're a hero!" Her eyes start to sparkle again, and she doesn't seem to notice the chill of dread climbing my spine. "All the others told me all about your deeds!"

"What the f… Commander?" I call out.

"Don't drag me into this. You're the one that decided to be 'mister action hero'."

"Yeah, totally one hundred percent my idea." I grouse. "Uh, Suomi? I'm not all that great."

Her expression falls slightly. "But… Didn't you survive Paldiski?"

"Well, yeah." I scratch the back of my head. "Barely."

"And you helped on the raid of William's Castle to try to get Miss Angelia back?"

"If by 'helped' you mean I almost brought it down on my own head, yes." I look away. "Really need to think of better tactics."

"Yes! You're the Wrecking Ball! I heard that you brought down an entire skyscraper to kill a single Doppel!"

"Well, yeah, but that was because I'd been forced to work with dolls for the first time in my life, and I wasn't able to think of anything else. I was kind of panicking… and I had a lot of help."

"I knew it! You're really him!"

I once more look over at Gentaine, who seems to be enjoying this immensely.

"W-What's the matter, Hadwin?" Gentaine isn't hiding her laughter all that well. "Offer her an autograph."

"Would you?!"

"...If you get me something to write on, I guess."

"Okay! I'll be right back!"

I stare after her, mildly stunned by the whirlwind that was. I'm hardly aware of the other dolls in the room, and one very stunned engineer facing my way instead.

"Wait, you're… you're the human that survived William's Castle?" Krolik's eye twitches.

"That would be me." I nod.

"So you're the guy that trapped twenty of us in his harem?!"

…Oh. "I wouldn't say trapped, and it was sixteen, but that does sound like it'd be me."

Colphne steps forward, a cheeky smile on her face and some sassy comment on her lips until Krolik yanks her back and pulls out her sword to aim it at me.

"You won't get to us." Krolik's lips curl into a sneer again.

"The moon's grace… bends garden fronds."

"No, I do not!" Krolik blushes at her friend's words.

I take a deep breath and let it out. "Okay, there are several things wrong with that. First, I'm not out to 'get' any of you. I'm here to talk to Leva again. Second, unless Gentaine decides to set your attachment values for me to super high, it's not going to happen. It's the only reason that happened in the first place, after all."

Krolik's eyes shift over to Gentiane's and she turns to look out the window rather than answer.

"So, you don't have to be so wary. After all, sixteen is kind of too many even for me." I roll my eyes. "Not looking forward to having to explain more girlfriends, should I meet any of the dolls I used to date."

"Who are you expecting to cause problems?" Gentaine turns back, suddenly eager to treat my life like a soap opera again. "S.A.T.8?"

"No, but Leva, 416, RO, Star, Mk23, NTW-"

"Whew~! What a player!" Colphne snickers. "I'd better be careful!"

"Sorry, I don't go for little girls." I deadpan.

"Wha- RUDE!"

"A cloudy mist… a fleeting light."

"What the hell, Nemesis?!"

The door to the bridge of the Elmo opens up, and while I expect Suomi to come in, it's instead a doll I know. Groza, in all her regal glory.

Her eyes narrow as she spots me, but before either of us can say anything, Colphne's eyes tear up and she tackles Groza. "Leaderrrrrr! I'm so sorrryyyyy!"

I watch as Groza comforts the medical doll and I finally start to relax as the attention completely drops from me and my past. I don't like remembering it, especially since… well.

I guess now I know it wasn't just that they ditched me, right?

"So my only real enemy is Helian." I mutter out loud, observing the dolls bouncing around.

These dolls are doing a lot better than the ones under Gentiane's command when I was forcibly added to GnK's ranks. Back then there was an actual risk of dolls just deleting their backups and 'forgetting' to recharge, but here it looks like they're all doing… well, maybe not great, but they're not fighting wars constantly.

It's kind of like watching kids playing- No. Stop fucking thinking. Don't, you don't want to dredge up-

"Don't worry, I got you." P90 appears and leans on the computer beside me. "You're now thinking about what your autograph is going to look like."

"...Oh, shit. You're right." I frown. "I've never given an autograph before."

P90 stares at me for a second before shaking her head. "You owe me for tampering with your brain so often… I suggest you go with something simple, like your initials."

"H.G." I write it in the air with an invisible pen. "Maybe with a flourish at the end of the G."

"Don't do anything you're not prepared to repeat." She looks over at the cluster of four dolls arguing about… uh… responsibilities on the battlefield, I think. "Oh look, Suomi's back."

I glance at the door to see the snow fairy has returned, clutching a pen and paper to her chest. She runs over to me once she spots that I haven't moved. "I found something for you to sign!"

"Oh?" I take the paper and the pen. "What is… it?" The paper in my hands is familiar to me, after all. It's… it's not the original, I left that with my parents. "How did you get a copy of my contract with GnK?"

"Well, when SV-98 was clearing out your desk after you quit, she found it in the digital files. She made a bunch of copies and distributed them so we would all remember the human that was willing to fight with us!"

"Did you just print that out?" Groza asks. "I wasn't aware the printer was working."

"Oh, I got that working while you were busy in ODE-01." Mayling nods to Groza. "Was there something you wanted to print?"

"...No."

I look back down at the paper. Annoyingly, I've already technically signed the damn paper, even if it's only replicated in printer ink.

Ah, whatever, if it'll make her happy. I sign the paper with my old signature for consistency and hand the paper and pen beck to the doll.

"Thank you so much! I'm going to put this in my room before it gets damaged!"

Colphne and Nemesis approach me, with Krolik bringing up the rear in a huff. "Wow~! A celebrity too!"

"Apparently." I fold my arms. "So, I haven't really had a chance to learn more than your names."

Krolik's face pinches up again, but Colphne speaks up before she can be rude again. "Hi! I'm Colphne, the cutest medical doll on the Elmo! I specialize in battlefield medicine!"

"A weathered wall… many gloomy forests… seeping gloom."

"She's Nemesis, and she uses a rifle." Krolik interprets. "I'm Krolik, and I use a sword."

"Sword, huh?" I lean back against the desk. "Griffin never hired dolls that used swords when I was working there."

"Now all they hire is those damned Aegis units." She bites her nail, the seriousness on her face countered by the casual clothes and rabbit ears she has on her head.

"Realistic frontiers… Waving mountains."

"No, I will not switch to a rifle! Obviously my sword is better!"

"Ages have passed… will never gain favor."

I smile. "Actually, Nemesis, having a Sword would have been nice a lot of times in my career. Not to say that rifles are bad, they've saved me many times as well, but sometimes you just need to stab something."

Krolik sighs heavily. "She only said that I wasn't helpful on the back of the jeep, Agent."

I blink. "Agent?"

"You're a field agent, aren't you?" Krolik gives me a look.

"Not anymore. I guess right now, I'm just a dude."

"We can't have that." Gentiane walks up, Groza on her heels. "We need to assign you a rank."

"Sarge!" Colphne's eyes light up.

"I think Agent works fine." Krolik sniffs.

"Gems of violet… break along the shore." Nemesis' eyes sparkle

"...She says he should be called 'Renegade'. That's stupid, Nemesis, he's not a renegade, he's hardly worth fighting with!"

"A temple's fall… creates a wave." Nemesis grins.

"Hah?! I'll make you take that back!"

Suomi pokes her fingers together. "Hadwin the Hero!"

"Please, no." I rub my temples. "Can't you all just call me Hadwin?"

"No."

"Nope!"

"A darkness falls… the plains rot."

"Of course not!"

"Can I?" Suomi clasps her hands together.

"Uh…"

Gentiane snorts. "Welcome back, Hadwin. I dub thee, 'Special Defense Expert Galanis' until such a time as you leave."

"Ha ha."

"Special Defense Expert, permission to inquire about your past!" Colphne raises her hand in the air like an overexcited kid at school. "I have something I need to know!"

"Sorry, not in the mood. Especially if you call me that again. Please, just Hadwin. Or I guess Agent works."

"Wait!" Suomi grabs the hem of my shirt. "I wanted to ask you about your exploits!"

I sigh and place a hand on her head. "Sorry, Suomi. I'm not that impressive."

"But…!" She looks around. "I thought you'd be able to help us!"

I tap my leg a few times mulling over her words. "Gentaine?"

She coughs. "Well, right now we're kind of in a bind. Need to transport Helena to Kalina, and this time not let her get kidnapped. And, we're kind of on the run from Varjagers."

"Uh huh."

"We're kind of running out of Doll frames." Mayling scrubs the back of her head. "And without any money, we can't get more than these four."

Once more, I scan the dolls. Groza, Nemesis, Krolik, Colphne, Suomi… "I count five."

Suomi pokes her fingers together. "I'm not really with the Commander. I'm just helping right now."

"...I see." I say, thoroughly not seeing. "Alright, so you're in a bind."

"And you're the hero!" Suomi brightens back up. "You can help us! The legends say that-"

I don't really hear the rest of her words, brain shutting off when she says 'legends'. I can see her mouth moving, and see Krolik and Nemesis arguing in the background, and…

Legends.

Like anything I've done was that impressive. I recall almost getting killed dozens of times in only a few months, and barely making it out alive despite the myriad of modifications made to my body.

If I was the subject of legends, shouldn't I have been able to save my own kid?

"Oh, shit." P90 pops into existence once more. "Hadwin, sorry, give me a sec-"

I stop her with a raised hand, and Suomi blinks as my hand is held out in front of her face as well.

"No, it's fine… Just…" I rub my face. "Okay, fine. What do you want to ask about, Colphne?"

"Well, I was scanning you. I'm a medical doll, you know, so I was curious as to how you're here if you're dead?"

That raises a bunch of hackles.

"He's an ELID?!" Krolik's sword is right in front of my nose once more.

"You're… dead?" Suomi clasps her hands together and her eyes water up. "But…"

"Colphne." Krolik snaps. "Explain yourself!"

"Well, he has no heartbeat." Colphne raises her fingers. "His breathing cadence is mechanically precise, and when I ran a doll scan on him, I found he has a neural cloud."

"Well, yeah." P90 appears, and this time the five dolls all turn to look at her. I guess she finally is projecting to their Neural Clouds. "I'm the one running those, after all. He also doesn't have most of his digestive system, his liver or spleen, and-" She pauses for dramatic effect. "He recently got his appendix removed."

"That's the price of being a hero." Gentiane stands up from where she had been leaning against a console. "We had some really rough weeks when we first met."

I nod. "Yeah, don't worry about it, Colphne. I got someone in my head making sure I remain alive twenty-four seven."

"Alright. But, you're still creepy."

"Noted."

A computer starts beeping, and Gentiane hangs her head for a moment before turning to it to look, Groza peering over her shoulder.

"We've got a new meeting location." Groza announces.

"Already?" Gentaine frowns. "Kalina just told me that we're supposed to meet in Kyiv…"

Kyiv. That's where she's going to be, hmm?

"It'll be an eighteen hour drive." Groza reports. "Shall I course correct?"

"Wait a moment." Gentane holds her hand up. "Does it have the passphrase?"

Groza glances back at the screen. "Among other gibberish, there is the text 'light the dawn, shining edge in hand'."

"Perfect." Gentiane nods. "That's definitely Kalina then."

"How 'bout 'Hadwin is a shitheel'?" I ask.

I get a few odd looks, but Groza just raises an eyebrow.

I shrug. "Lenna said that was also the password, so-"

"Hadwin, that was a joke." Gentaine sighs.

"But, Lenna would use that as a password if she got the chance."

Gentiane nods reluctantly. "Yes, she would. So, this message probably isn't from her, at least."

"Probably Kalina." I shrug.

"Are you sure?" Mayling asks anxiously. "It seems a bit too early to change the location."

"Something must have come up." Gentiane nods. "Set a new course."

Groz nods and starts typing something into the Elmo's controls before pausing. "ELIDs in the way. We can't avoid them if we want to turn."

"In the way?" I peer out the window. "Do you need them cleared out?"

Gentaine pauses. "Mayling, how are the Reverse Collapse devices working?"

"We're at sixty-eight percent. We didn't get the full system from Persica before, but-"

"We're able to use them at sixty-eight percent!" Colphne raises her hand. "It's really neat!"

"I'd like a demonstration." Gentaine nods. "Why don't you all head outside, eliminate those ELIDs, and try out these devices?"

I rub my eyes. No breaks, right. I forgot this was how Gentiane operates-

Nemesis' rifle glows, energy overloading her form as she taps into the device Gentiane had given her, mounted to her shoulder. Her form seems to shimmer for a moment before the rifle fires, the shot imbued with a sick purple energy-

I blink. No, that can't be right. She's firing bullets, not energy shots. Besides, I've never seen purple plasma beams before. I must be seeing things.

"No." P90 grimaces inside my head. "I think that was the Reversal device. I saw it too."

"You were just seeing my hallucination."

"Keep lying to yourself, Hadwin. See where that gets you."

I shake my head and turn back to Nemesis, standing there with a big grin on her face. "Good job. Clean shot."

"A shimmering gleam… oceans of enlarged formations."

"She says 'thank you.'" Krolik interprets. "Now, my turn."

I turn back to the small collection of ELIDs that had collected next to the corpse of their fellow as Krolik leans down, sword in her sheath but ready to draw.

The gauntlet on her glows, and she suddenly disappears, a trail of flames appearing in the air behind her briefly before she pops into existence on the other side of the group of ELIDs.

A 'Thorn', which is just a bear with anger issues and too much silicon on its body suddenly flops over, the top half completely separate from its bottom.

Okay, that was cool.

Groza steps up beside me, closing her eyes to concentrate for a moment before doing a twirl and whipping out a underbarrel grenade launcher. She points it into the air, hardly aiming as she squeezes the trigger.

The grenade takes a beautiful arc, and the detonation when it lands is several times what I usually expect from forty mil grenades.

"So." I fold my arms. "It's some sort of enhancer. Are you picking how it works?"

"No." Groza says shortly.

Krolik dashes back over to us, avoiding the corpses of the ELIDs that Groza has eliminated. "I seem to be even faster."

"A deserted locker… untouched by light."

"Hah?!" Krolik's eye twitches. "Say that again!"

"A deserted-"

Krolik's gauntlet starts to glow again.

"Okay!" I clap. "You two can make out later. Right now… Suomi?"

She opens her eyes wide and steps up inside what she seems to have deemed my personal space. "Yes, Hadwin?"

"What's yours like?"

"Not going to ask me?" Colphne asks, poking her cheer with an index finger.

I give her a look. "After Suomi."

"A-About that, Hadwin." Suomi pokes her fingers together. "Miss Mayling just gave it to me, I don't know how to use it yet either."

"Ah." I nod. "Alright, go ahead, Colphne."

"Eh." Her face is significantly less cheerful than before, irritation showing through. "Are you hurt?"

"...No?"

She forces her face to reset, the overly sweet expression coming back. "Well, I'm able to heal up dolls on the battlefield!"

"...You mean, repair."

"Nope!" She shakes her head. "I'm so great, I managed to transcend medicine! I can heal dolls!"

"Damn."

Beside me, Suomi's eyes are fixed on Colphne, unblinking. After a few seconds, I wave my hand in front of her face and she jumps. "Ah, yes?"

"You okay, Suomi?"

"I… I'm fine!" She cheers up. "Let me try mine!"

"Okay." I cross my arms and shift my weight, eyes wide open to track Suomi's movements.

She blushes slightly under my gaze and pulls out a lantern. Wait, no, that's one of the reversal devices.

A very large one.

She closes her eyes, then raises it up into the air, energy flowing from her form-

I get a chill down my spine, and then I look down to find that the ground has frosted over. What's more, there's a barrier around me of fine ice, glittering in the setting sun. The other dolls also have glittering domes spinning around them, and as I watch the frost spreads over the dead ELIDs ahead.

Suomi opens her eyes. "Did something happen?"

"You could say that." I fold my arms. "I want to know how these things work."

"Who cares?" Krolik rolls her eyes. "They're helpful."

"Because the last time Persica gave me something, I immediately regretted it." I keep my tone firm.

"Miss Persica gave you one too?!" Suomi jumps up and down, the ice beneath our feet suddenly dissipating as she lets go of the lantern to hold her arms in close. "I want to see! Please use it!"

"Oh~? I need to run!" Colphne snickers. "He's a doll molester, after all."

"Ha ha." I pull out the small device fashioned into a radio and clip it onto the shoulder strap of my plate carrier. The symbol emblazoned on the glass containing the fairly glowing… gel resembles a wireless router signal. No idea what that could mean. Can I provide WiFi to a neighborhood? "Alright, stand back in case this explodes."

"None of ours exploded." Krolik looks down at her sword arm and the device embedded into the gauntlet. "Why do you think yours will?"

"Because the last time Persica handed me something, I immediately regretted it." I repeat. "Here goes."

"Wait, I need to get a sufficient distance-" Krolik starts, but cuts herself off.

I turn to her, only to find her tapping the side of her head like something is wrong.

"Is there a problem?" I ask.

"Someone just forced a connection." Groza narrows her eyes at me. "We've all been connected to you, Agent."

"Connected?"

"She means, you just forcibly opened a communication channel." P90 appears and grins. "Aw, you got the ability to force dolls to talk to you! Maybe now Leva won't ignore you."

"That's-"

"Hmm?" I shiver at the ice in the new voice. "Someone ask for me?"

"...Leva?" I whisper.

"Hadwin? How are you contacting me?" Her voice sounds alarmed. "Also, how did you manage to connect to me? I have firewalls-"

The radio stops glowing, and the other dolls around me sigh with relief.

"That felt gross." Colphne rubs her arms. "Don't do that unless you have too, okay?"

I don't really register her words.

We're… we're hundreds of kilometers from Leva. The longest range radio I've ever owned before was only able to go maybe fifty kilometers before it was unusable without a rebroadcaster. How the hell?

"Interesting power there, Hadwin."

"Thanks, 90."

"That may come in useful if we need to contact each other in poor conditions." Groza posits. "It seems useful, Agent."

"It feels disgusting though!" Colphne complains again and Nemesis nods her assent.

"Noted." I nod, but my mind starts to wander back to what had just happened. I connected to Leva. To 45.

If I do it again-

"Whoa, hold on there." P90 forces me to stop trying to use the device. "It's still cooling down. Let's not have it blow up and douse everyone in collapse radiation, okay?"

"Everyone else here is a doll." I give the apparition a look. "And I'm immune."

"Fluttering sheets… a whirlwind of pain?"

I look at Krolik, who rolls her eyes.

"'Because you're dead?'"

"No, because… Paradeus."

"Oh no, our new human believes in fairy tales." Krolik pinches her brow.

Colphne grins. "Do you also still believe in Santa?"

"They're not-"

"Don't bother." P90 cuts me off. "Most people don't know about Paradeus, at least outside of East Europe."

I grumble, but give up trying to contact Leva again for now.

"Hey, there's more ELIDs ahead! Let's clean them up!" Suomi calls, and I start walking, Groza silently keeping pace. I'm starting to get unnerved by the doll, especially since she doesn't recall me.

I'm not sure how, to be honest. Did Gentiane erase her personality just to kidnap her from GnK? I don't think she would do that, but…

"What is the matter, Agent?"

Oops. I had been staring. I give the doll a smile. "Sorry, just… used to know a doll using the same frame."

She nods. "One of your girlfriends?"

"Hmm? Nah, just a friend. Went to several parties together, blew up most of them as our exit."

"I see."

Suomi waits for us to walk up next to her before sighting down her SMG and squeezing out a few rounds. Nemesis adds her own rifle report to the mix as Krolik dashes ahead, blade drawn and fire trailing her form.

"Aren't they energetic." Colphne leans both her elbows on a bit of scrap and lays her head in her hands.

"You may join them." Groza turns to the short doll.

Colphne waves away the suggestion. "I'm useless against thorn types. I'll just wait until someone needs healing. Why aren't you joining them, Leader?"

Groza's gaze shifts to meet my eyes.

I find a crate to sit on and sit down. "Alright, what's up, Groza? Something on your mind?"

"...I find that you must have known my previous self." She picks her words carefully, and Colphne seems to be hanging on each of them. "You already knew my weapon designation when we met, so I gather you knew me back when I was with Griffin?"

"Yeah… I guess you lost that bit of your past?"

"I have lost a lot of things." Groza nods. "Are you willing to talk about the past? I would like to hear about my previous iteration."

"Eh…" I glance at the doll listing in, eyes so wide the edge of the eyeball simulacra can be seen. An intrusive thought asks me to stick a finger in there, only for my brain to kick that idea back where it came from. "Maybe later, if I can grab something to drink."

"Mayling's stash is dangerously low already." Colphne muses. "So if you buy some at our next supply stop, maybe?"

"Maybe." I give the doll an amused look. "Not so sure you're invited though."

"Aw, why not?"

"Groza may want to keep some things private."

"But-!"

"Don't worry, Colphne. If it's nothing I don't mind sharing, I will allow you to join."

This seems to mollify the younger appearing doll, but it occurs to me that by the time Groza knows if she wants to share the info, I've obviously already told it to her…

Well, if Colphne doesn't catch on, less hassle for me.

Krolik returns, wiping ELID guts off her blade. "Are you three done with your picnic yet?! We need to clear out the next section of road for the Elmo!"

I stand back up, checking my rifle once more before turning away from the Elmo. "More ELIDs?"

"Not yet." Krolik's ears twitch. "But the Elmo is about to move out and it will attract attention."

I look back over my shoulder at the giant land train. "I can see that. Alright, let me help with the next batch, I need to prove my worth."

"But, you're a hero!" Suomi enters the conversation at the worst possible time. "You're obviously capable!"

"It's been a decade, Suomi. I've not been in any conflicts… well, nothing major since leaving GnK. It would be a bad idea to put me in a position where I could accidentally get you all killed because we're overestimating what I can do."

Her brow knits, and once more I get the weird feeling of letting her down. It's not like I expected to have someone literally thinking I was some sort of hero, and to be honest I would have expected Gentaine to warn Suomi that I'm actually more of a fuck up than some amazing saviour.

"The wandering wastes… a single moment." Nemesis points forward at something.

"Nemesis says there's more ELIDs up ahead. I guess it's your time to shine, Agent."

I nod. "90?"

"Ready to go, Haddy." She grins. "Man, it's been way too long since we had a real ELID hunt!"

"I prefer the quiet." I start walking, the five dolls watching as I start to pick my way down the cluttered street, long since abandoned by cars.

"Nah, you don't. If you did, you'd never have been willing to date SOPMOD."

"I don't recall being willing to be part of the equation. What I remember is being handed a ring made of pure white armor plating from a Doppelsoldner she had 'harvested' herself, and then she threatened to bite my finger off if I didn't accept it."

"You could have taken it off."

"What, and piss off my favorite mechanic?"

90 rolls her eyes. "ELIDs in thirty meters."

I stop clomping down the street and crouch down slightly, ducking behind the remains of a car long since rusted out past any easy identification. "What type?"

"Looks like rushbats."

"Yeck. Alright, keep an ear out to make sure there's none sneaking up on me."

"Roger."

I stand back up, brace my right hand on the top of the car, supporting the front of my M16. My left hand flicks the giggle switch to burst, and I sight into the first enemy identified by 90.

A rushbat, a blue tinge to its ears.

My initial burst tears right through its head, sending all three of its companions scattering and screeching.

90 keeps tabs on their locations as I readjust to the next one, pulling the trigger twice to rip the second one's head to shreds as well.

That leaves the two running at me so fast I don't have time to sight in.

I let the rifle drop, trusting my sling to hold it as I pull out my handgun, laser module attached to the bottom lasing the third rushbat's noggin before I pull the trigger.

Three of four. Honestly, not too bad if I say so myself. Rushbats are hard to wipe out if you don't have a group to spread fire around.

Of course, now I have a rushbat leaping at me, claws extended.

…I really wish I had a sword.

I duck under its leap, the silicate flesh mere centimeters from my face as it sweeps its claws through the space I had been occupying a moment before.

I pop back up as it lands, pistol once more leveled.

I pull the trigger, but my aim is off and the bullet goes right past its head.

The rushbat leaps away, landing out of sight.

I quickly tuck my handgun away and pick my rifle back up. It's probably going to swing around for another shot. They never run away.

It's just a matter of direction. If it gets the jump on me, I can probably say goodbye. My skeleton may be reinforced, but some ELIDs can tear through tanks. I'd rather not figure out just how strong this particular bat is.

P90 highlights a direction, and my eyes focus in on the slow movements of the rushbat, each limb moving perfectly silently. I can only see glimpses through holes in the cover, but I have a fix now-

"There's a second bat." P90 warns. "Eighty degrees, ten meters."

"Huh." I raise my rifle and aim for a hole in the barrier between me and the fourth bat. "Keep an eye out on it."

"It's stalking you, Haddy. It could pounce at any moment."

The fourth bat steps forward once more.

My rifle spews fire and lead, and the fourth bat ceases to exist.

That leaves the fifth and hopefully final bat-

I'm bowled over from behind by what feels like a car going a hundred kilometers an hour, hitting the ground hard and bouncing slightly as I roll.

Gah! My arm! My fuckin-

I extend my arm to stop my rolling, weapon clattering as it bounces off the ground. Rushbats, being part bat, have very good ears and it clearly hears exactly where I landed, powerful legs gathering up for another leap, claws ready to pop my head like a grape.

Too bad for it, I have an AI helping me.

P90 pulls my arm slightly, the muscles not quite doing what I command them as she interrupts the signals and pulls the rifle on target. The three round burst throws the second two shots wide since I can't brace the rifle with the hand trapped underneath me, but the first round hits true.

The rushbat is still for a moment before collapsing on its side, dead.

I slowly get to my feet, looking around for more ELIDs in case there's more P90 and I haven't detected.

Turns out I needn't have bothered, the five dolls jogging over to me.

"Wow!" Suomi's once more got stars in her eyes. "That was amazing!"

"Eh. I could have done better."

"Probably." I nod to Krolik. "I can't believe I missed the fifth rushbat."

"An egregious use of wealth… porcelain graves."

"Uh…" I blink at Nemesis. "Sorry?"

Frustration takes over her features, and she looks at Krolik.

"She said, 'you would have been alright if I was covering you.' Yeah, or if he hadn't let the rushbat get up in his face!"

"Unknown flights… betraying flowery waters."

"Oh, that's it! Once the road ahead is clear, we're going to level two and I am going to kick your ass!"

I glance at Groza. "Are they dating?"

"Not that I am aware of."

"Shame. They have that cursed chemi-OW!"

"Shush, you big baby." Colphne pokes my arm again and this time I hold my tongue. "Here, let me see if this works-"

I watch as she starts to glow slightly, the device mounted to her clavicle starting to glow. Then, the weird sensation of my body being reset, a sensation I haven't felt since the last time I was crawling around in a collapse storm, penetrates my arm.

And just like that, my arm feels better. It actually feels better than it had previously.

"I mixed in a few stimulants with the dose." Colphne reports, voice perfectly neutral and devoid of her usual teasing. "Let me know immediately if you notice anything wrong, I've never used my healing abilities on a human before and would like to know that it works before I try it on anyone else."

"Alright, I'll report in." I nod. "And aren't you a medical doll? Shouldn't you be used to treating humans?"

"I only got this-" She touches the collapse device. "-recently, and if you really want the old style treatments…" she rifles around in her bag and pulls out a syringe that has to be oversize. It has to be.

"Noted. I will take the magical reverse collapse healing, thanks."

"Figured!"

"Seriously?"

"Yes, Hadwin. That's where the coordinates lead."

A large Sangivs manufacturing plant looms in front of our little squad. Groza and Colphne have returned to the Elmo to see about caring for Helena, leaving the rest of us to see what's going on inside the factory.

"I don't like it."

"I don't either." Gentaine sighs over the radio. "It's still suspicious that they changed the location so quickly."

"Uh." I try to peer into the darkness of the crumbling building. "I meant that the last time I was inside a Sangvis plant, I was busy trying not to get killed by several ringleaders."

"Oh, they've been deactivated for years now. That's not an issue."

I set my lips into a thin line. That's not exactly the news I wanted to hear… "Alright, but I can still be wary of them."

"Oh, sure. Just make sure to verify if Kalina's really there."

"I don't think a lady as classy as her would be caught dead in here." Krolik steps past me, hand on the hilt of her sword. "You've been duped."

I snort, and the rabbit ears on her head straighten up.

"What?!"

"Kalina used to be our logistics officer, and she spent a lot of time digging through piles of trash to find stuff to sell. That and, well, she's a competent fighter too when it comes down to it. If she thought this was a good place to meet, some Sangvis bots aren't likely to drive her away."

"Especially if she has Lenna and Leva with her." Gentiane adds.

"And, even if she's in trouble, we can swoop in and save her!" Suomi cheers.

"A gray overlook… deadened footsteps in the twilight."

I eye Nemesis, who is calmly inspecting her rifle. "I sure hope that was, 'we're obviously overqualified.'"

"Polar winds carry… a song whistles through the reeds."

"90, Can you interpret? Please?"

"I don't know what she's saying either." P90 looks over at Krolik. "Maybe if I hack her neural cloud-"

"No. Bad 90."

"I haven't even tried yet!" She complains. "And, why do you care? You don't want to-" She cuts herself off, face turning towards the inside of the factory.

"What is it?"

"There's something awake in there."

I turn to peer into the darkness once more, hoping that my eyes would adjust just a moment faster. When they do, I realize what P90 meant.

Rows upon rows of Sangvis Aegis units, Dinergates, and a smattering of some others, all of them deactivated.

Hopefully.

"What is it?"

"More Sangvis than I'd want to wake up." I respond to Suomi. "Even if they're not all up to standard, it's not a bet I'd like to-"

CLANG-CLANG-tap-tap-tap

I look over at Krolik, whose face starts to glow red. The bolt that she had kicked finishes clattering around, and I once more do a full visual sweep of the factory floor.

"...Sorry."

"It's fine. Nothing woke up-"

"Oh?"

I spin around, weapon at the ready. That cold voice. Or rather, that tone. I may not have heard this particular person before but I know right away they're bad news. I can't make out many details aside from the very fancy dress at this distance, but I can clearly see her singular yellow eye glowing in the dark.

It's not M16 or Leva. What is it with one-eyed dolls having yellow eyes?

"Oh, it's you." Krolik mutters. "Time for some payback."

She curtseys. "Greetings. I require the sample, and since your human has decided not to give it to me, it looks like I shall be using force."

"Sample?" I raise an eyebrow at Krolik.

"Helena."

"It is so delightful you gave the sample a name." The enemy doll raises her umbrella and opens it, standing there almost like a painting up high in the air. "Unfortunately, I will not be remembering it, and you will not be around to recall it."

Energy starts to gather around her, and her forms shifts and contorts, growing from a rather short doll to something at least four meters tall.

"Not fair." I mutter.

"Oh, right." Colphne stage whispers at me. "She can transform!"

"Thanks, Colphne."

The enemy doll launches a barrage of missiles from her arms, arcing up into the air…