Chapter 2: Baby Steps.
There was a secret about Anti-Rain Team shared only amongst a select few. Not only because how critical it was, but also because not everyone was privy to said secret.
The Commander knew. Although he didn't explicitly said it to her, M4 suspected that Miss Persica had told him about said secret, adding another person to that small circle of people. She didn't mind it much, if not because she trusted him then because the Professor believed in him enough to spill the beans on him.
Nearly all members, namely M16 to M4A1 herself, shared one similarity despite their varying personas; they could not back-up their Neural Clouds like other Dolls with RO635 being the only exception. The Professor said it was due to the unique nature of their Neural Clouds, that it was simply impossible to back-up with their current technology without risking damages, which also responsible for their more human nature compared to other Dolls.
When the Commander said she looked and sounded human, he meant it more than just her outside complexions. M4 realized it clearly when she exited the briefing room. He made no further comment beyond that and M4 was grateful for it because that way he would not treat her any different to other Dolls, and would not treat other Dolls like disposable tools to fulfill his objectives.
Amazing how much you could gather from someone with just little interaction.
So, when everyone was busy backing up their Neural Clouds prior to the mission, M4 spent her time at the firing range, putting rounds after rounds on the targets down below with her trusty weapon which her namesake was taken from.
M4 did not doubt Miss Persica's works. Whatever she did to her had certainly helped recalibrate her Digimind to its peak performance. However, although her head was as sharp as it could be, her motoric functions would still require adjustments which could only be done manually. Besides, training was one of few things that could actually calm her down before missions.
Every time she squeezed the trigger of her rifle, a feeling of control washed over her. Even if things were beyond her capability, at least she knew that she could still fight and try to gain the best of outcomes for everyone. As long as she had a working body, she would struggle against whatever the world might throw her way.
The smell of gunpowder was a familiar one to her. It wafted in the air when the last of her bullet left the muzzle of her gun. M4 glared at the paper target beyond the red crosshair of her holographic sight, imagining it as a random SF T-Doll before she eased her finger off the trigger of her gun and exhaled the linger tension out of her body.
Sliding off her ear protectors down to around her neck, she detached the empty magazine and racked her rifle a few time to make sure no round was left in the chamber before slinging it over her left shoulder. Her feet shuffled over spent casings littering the floor as she made her way out the indoor range. Someone would clean the room later.
A quick glance to the clock above the exit revealed she had about twenty minutes before the mission started. Deciding she had killed enough time, M4 went to the armory to resupply and gear up for said mission.
Surprisingly, the armory was not as empty as she initially thought it would be. M4 spotted L85A1 standing near the protected doorway with her weapon held in casual grip, the rest of her team around her as they engaged in a small talk.
Not surprisingly, they also saw her and M4 had to share courteous smiles with them as she made her way inside. Not like she hated the notion, in fact she was grateful for their helps in recovering her sisters so at the very least she could show some gratitude to them. Besides, intra-bonding between teammates was encouraged for cohesive teamworks so even if there was no words exchanged, they would know that M4 was one of them and vice versa.
Which, reminded her she had not talked much to the rest of her own squad.
"This is M4A1," she called through Level II and reached PP-90 and M38 with her Command Module easily. Maria, however... "Um, where's Maria?"
"I'm here, Leader." Maria's voice echoed in her head, slightly distorted and machine like. M4 did not feel her presence at all on Level II.
"Miss Maria, are you okay? You sound awful," PP-90 asked before M4 could.
"I'm fine, thank you, I just need to calibrate my communication system with your Zener Protocol." A high pitch screeching sound replaced Maria's for a brief second and M4 flinched internally. After a while, Maria returned. "How do I sound now?"
"Better. At least this time you don't sound like a crashing train," M38 commented. "I can still feel the vibration in my head..."
"My apologies."
"It's fine, really. So, what do you need, Miss M4?"
"I just want to make sure everyone is ready for the mission," M4 answered as she grabbed some fresh magazines to swap her empty ones from the storage.
"PP-90 and I have done preparing. We're currently on the helipad waiting the clock. I don't know where Maria is, though."
"I am currently heading to the helipad."
"Well, there's that. What about you, Miss M4?"
M4 did not answer right away as she pocketed a pair of grenades and flashbangs. "I have just done training. I will be there soon."
"See you around, then! By the way, PP-90... I heard you blew up a stove again yesterday?"
"Wha—! Who told you that?!"
M4 silently toggled her comm module off, a small amused smile on her lips as she made her exit, heading for a new team she had yet to know but no less appreciate than her real one. Regardless how odd they were, it was a leader's duty to make it work. Always.
Most of the Dolls had already been waiting for the mission to begin on the helipads with more coming in a steady pace. They, much like M4A1, bore their own weapons and gear as they quickly moved to their designated transport.
Three UH-60V Black Hawk helicopters awaited them, their engines on idle while their human pilots finished up with their preflight checks. A necessity to use humans instead of AI considering how delicate the operations of aircraft were that not even Tactical Dolls were allowed to fly one despite their hyper advance AIs.
M4 found her team easily amongst the crowd thanks to Zener Protocol which connected T-Dolls together with their commander. She saw the small twin tail Doll that was PP-90 waving at her to gain her attention and M4 quickly made her way towards the Submachine Gun user, ducking low when she was close enough with the helicopter.
With the Black Hawk's turbine engines roaring in the background, M4 was forced to speak on Level II to her teammate. "Is everything ready?"
PP-90 nodded, gesturing inside their ride with her head. M4 couldn't help but stare at the way her twin tails danced under the downwash. "We've just finished loading up the Dummies."
Four neatly stacked containers filled nearly half of the passenger compartment, each looking like a steel coffin, with M38 currently securing them on place with safety straps. The blonde Doll noticed her arrival and joined in the conversation after finishing her task and sitting down on one of few available seats, unable to multitask with how straining Level II communication was on a Doll's processor. "All Dummies accounted for, Miss M4."
"Good, thank you. What about you guys?"
PP-90 climbed into the helicopter, her movements sluggish and unnatural as she took the seat close to M38. "I'm battle ready."
"So am I," M38 said resolutely.
"Please refrain from using Level II communication if you're unused to it during the mission," M4 ordered. "It's risky so unless it's completely necessary, use regular communication methods."
Both her subordinates gave M4 a thumbs up and M4 returned the gesture. Turning around, she was about to contact the last member of her team when she spotted her approaching from inside the base.
Maria was... everything M4 expected of a military Doll was, and not at the same time. Dolls, especially those dedicated for combat, were built different to civilian ones. They were stronger, faster and more heavily armored with better integrated Fire Control Core. A military Doll could easily shred converted civilian Dolls like those employed by Griffin and Kryuger with their bare hands and looking at the giant that was Maria, M4 had no doubt that she could.
She wore a full gear this time, armor and everything one might find on serviceman. Actually, if M4 didn't know any better, she would have thought that Maria was a soldier from some country with the way she carried herself. Though M4 had little knowledge about the military, she could see that Maria's armor was of high spec and not just some surplus from decades ago prior to the war.
It was colored in green so it fit well with her uniform, attached to her frame to protect all that was vital to both human and T-Doll. Albeit a bit different than the former, most Doll could be 'killed' the same way a human might. A shot to the head could easily disable a Doll, knocking her out of combat since their sensory modules were stored in there while a shot to the chest could outright destroy them if it hit their Core.
Maria's armor protected her body and limbs perfectly, adding layers of extra protection over whatever specifications hidden in those classified marks on her file. Military Dolls were usually impervious to medium caliber fire off the factory, but Maria seemed like she could take more than that thanks to her armor.
More details M4 noticed as Maria approached were her armaments; a knife sheathed to just over her left chest, so big it could probably pierce through a Doll in one swing, and what appeared to be an oversized handgun holstered to her right thigh. When Maria hunched down low under the spinning titanium blade of the Blackhawk's rotor to M4's eye level, she caught a glimpse of the stocks of her main weapons protruding from over her shoulders, secured on place by what she presumed magnets. Clasped around her midriff was pockets ful of magazines for her weapons and what seemed to be a pair of forty millimeters grenades.
"Maria, reporting," the tall Doll said flatly on Level II, still hunched low which allowed M4 to see into those beautiful electric blue eyes more clearly.
"Hop in, we're T-minus five to our mission."
Maria nodded and moved to enter the Blackhawk but she suddenly had a second thought. "Leader, I don't think these seats can handle my weight."
M4 glanced inside, seeing both PP-90 and M38 looking at Maria and her then the deployable seats arranged in the passenger compartment. "Let's give them a chance first. I don't want you to sit at the open door since we're heading deep into enemy territory." Having Maria standing wasn't an option either with how tall she was she might accidentally hit her head on something if things got dicey. "If it doesn't work, then you may sit by the door."
M4 had half expected Maria to argue after the whole 'requests' thing with the Commander but she complied without a word, climbing inside before carefully settling her weight on the far right seat. M4 and the other Dolls could see it strain under her weight but it miraculously held on.
M4 sighed in relief.
Just how heavy is this girl...
Giving the base one last glance, she did not fail to see the Commander and his adjutant as they watched over the departing echelons from the observation room high on top.
The golden light of afternoon sun shone on the thick glass window, its light nearly blinding on the clear surface. Yet, M4 kept her eyes upon and beyond it, to the red silhouette standing behind said window. She threw a salute before hopping into her ride, not waiting for a return as she was sure the Commander understood.
A ground crew walked towards the chopper, checking on the Dolls who gave him a thumbs up before he moved to close both doors. With the engine sound muffled enough, the co-pilot toggled into the local communication channel and addressed the passengers.
"Ladies, we are a go."
Echelon one and two took off first, followed by three after a few seconds. M4 could feel the gravity shifted beneath her as the Blackhawk ascended into the sky before settling as it entered a standard triangle flight formation with the other two.
M4 engaged her internal timer to mark the start of the mission, a silent sigh escaping her lips as she leaned back on her seat. It would approximately take them just over half an hour to reach their destination so there was plenty of time to spare before then, time which M4 could use to do what she did best.
A map manifested in her head, specifically one that of their area of operation and she stood there looking down at the holographic display on the 'ground' as she towered over it. Prior to the mission, M4 had downloaded it for reference so she could issue command better just like how she usually did, the only difference being her team but she could make it work.
"Urban warfare, huh..." she muttered to herself, pulling out a notepad and pen from one of her pockets as she began to walk in circle around the display. The notepad was non-existent, just like everything in this digital space of hers, but it was connected to her memory module so whatever she wrote would be stored in her. "Well, this can be tricky."
What was it M16 said about urban warfare? No room for errors but plenty to mistake? Each building had its own compositions and layouts that made it a CQB hell even for those experienced in the field. For every time they moved, they would have to secure every tight corner.
Time was of the essence in rescue missions and urban battles demanded them to be slow lest they risked an ambush, at the same time they would not be of help to anyone if they were killed on the way. They had to move fast but safely between the concrete jungle and there seemed to be only so few options.
"We don't have to worry about civilians so they're no factor..." M4 tapped her pen against the notebook, the rustling of paper filling the silent atmosphere. "But damage has to be minimal on the city..."
Abandoned it was, the humans had created plans to resettle on some long lost territories in the world and steady recoveries were being made. As a service company, Griffin promised its clients that damage to historical sites would be kept minimum if they could help it and that order was hardwired into M4 as Griffin's Tactical Doll. This city would one day be restored and full of people again.
"The river banks can be used to our advantage," M4 walked on the digital line as the hologram expanded into a real life size, to the point as if M4 was walking on the water. "It will help Miss L85A1's team greatly if we're more in the open. But..."
Her eyes drifted to around her where tall buildings were. "This will also expose us to enemy fire..."
Maybe she should look at her team composition more? Unlike AR Team, this time she had SMGs in the mix which were great for close quarter battles. Then again, she didn't really know the full capabilities of her team members like she did AR Team.
"Everyone, can you hear me? Could you please meet me on Level II? I have something to ask."
Though they gave no verbal answer, one by one her team members manifested into existence in the digital space, heeding her call. First was M38, followed soon by PP-90 and Maria.
The twin tail haired Doll looked around in awe, her mouth dropping open slightly. "Woah, a fully rendered city on Level II? You're truly something, Miss M4."
"This is our area of operation," Maria concluded after quickly taking a look herself. "But why are we on the river?"
"Oh, this is a little disorienting..." M38 commented as she looked down to her feet where simulated water was gently flowing through her form.
"I need your opinions to improve our team cohesion," M4 led them to the river bank. "I'm blind to your individual strengths so you'll have to tell me your specialties."
PP-90 looked up towards M4 with an eyebrow raised. "You know, I've heard stories about you but I didn't know you'd go this far to ensure our survival. No squad leaders I've served with had ever gone such a length to ask us personally."
"You've served with a squad?" M4 asked, intrigued. T-Dolls were not always assigned to a squad as they were more to a strike package when deployed, always changing depending on how the mission demanded. Teams like AR Team were even more rare considering how difficult it was to find Dolls with perfect cohesion, their varying and colorful personalities might clash on each other and create a rift.
"Squads, actually. Never truly settled with something permanent, though I've served with Vivi plenty of time to call her a close friend."
"Vivi?"
PP-90 blushed in embarrassment. "Ah, I meant Vector. But, it's mostly one sided. I hope I can learn a thing or two serving with you, Miss M4, so I can be a better teammate."
"You flatter me, but I'm not as amazing as you think I am. Everything I know was taught to me by M16."
"She trusts you enough to follow you, doesn't she?" M38 chimed in. "Then, you're doing great."
Was she really? The fact she left her team behind was enough to conform to the opposite of it. "I need your inputs," M4 said instead, coming to a stop right under the bridge connecting the city. "I don't know your full capability and probably will never in this short time we're a team, that's why you have to tell me."
"We're SMG users," M38 replied with a gesture towards PP-90. "I don't think there's much of us to say."
"She's, right. We're quite flexible and I'm sure you know our advantage in enclosed area."
M4 nodded slowly at that, her eyes growing distant for a moment before they refocused on the last member of the team who had been silent behind them. "What about you, Maria?"
The taller Doll was looking at something downstream, something none of them noticed before she turned to face the group. "I am sufficiently armed for all the options."
"What's your CQB capability?"
"Immaculate."
M4 blinked. Maria did not seem like someone who would gloat so that was probably her honest opinion. "Do you mind taking point?"
She shook her head. "No, not at all."
"Thank you." M4 scribed something onto her notepad before resuming. "It's settled, then. We'll move through the buildings and minimize our presence in the open as much as we can. PP-90, M38, you both will help cover Maria while I cover our rear flank with the Dummies."
"What about echelon 2?" M38 asked.
"They're our support, but that doesn't mean we'll have to rely on them too much. If anything, I want to lighten their burden as much as possible." M4 paused and once again wrote more plans on her notepad. "That's said, we'll still need them especially if things get hairy. I'll consult with Miss L85A1 later to discuss an effective kill zone that will maximize their support considering we're vastly outnumbered by the enemy."
"Well, they might be trash mass produced Dolls but even trash can be a problem if left piled," PP-90 commented and M4 was bound to agree after escaping from an army of those so called trash a while ago.
"In any case, I think utilizing the surrounding buildings as much as possible is the best option, given our limited manpower. Do you guys have opinions?"
Maria raised a hand to gain M4's attention. "Since I'm taking point, may I decide our route?"
"Well, I'm not against it per se, if you're certain that is."
"I have calculated the best possible route using the provided information and battle plan."
"As expected from a military Doll," PP-90 commented with a grin. "We might just pull it off with Maria around."
M4 shook her head. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, after all no initial plan survives first contact with the enemy," she gave the taller Doll a nod. "No offense to you, Maria."
"None taken, ma'am. I understand you're skeptical of my capability and it is not without reason either. I am also aware that we will have to be fluid with our choices here."
"What do you suggest?"
Maria requested a handshake protocol with her Level II and M4 allowed her limited control of the environment after a short consideration. First step to making a good team was to trust and M4 chose to trust Maria by giving her access to such a sensitive function. After all, a good leader always led by example.
The simulated city around them flickered before it disappeared under the floor, sinking as if the ground itself had just swallowed it beneath. For a moment, there was only darkness as M4's Level II control was temporarily relinquished to Maria, the bulk of the processing and render now belonging to the black haired Doll.
In the absence of light, a pair of electric blue eyes shone, sharp and bright enough for them to be noticable even from afar. They were directed at nothing in particular, yet M4 felt like Maria was staring at her very soul at the moment which was probably correct at some degree considering what she was doing.
"Allow me to share our route."
A symbol of sort sprung into existence before them, an eagle perched over a globe with its wings spread wide, and although brief M4 still managed to catch the letters UNSC emblazoned in a banner spread over the globe before it disappeared.
On its place was a quickly filling loading bar with the prompt 'Data-Link'. When it was full, her Level II came alive.
They found themselves standing over a satellite view of the city but instead of a static image like before, it was real time, something that surprised the other Dolls as they stared at it wide eyed. Clouds lazily drifted in the sky to wherever the wind carried them and the city itself was painted in the golden glow of afternoon sun. What further baffled them, however, was the clarity of it when it zoomed in to show Vespids patrolling the roads.
"You... have access to a satellite?" M4 whispered, unable to hide her shock. It was unbelievable. For a country to have a working satellite was rare as the war made space travel expensive and nearly impossible due to the sheer amount of debris in the orbit while few that had were global superpowers like the Neo-Soviet Union. They did rent out satellites for those in need but they were mostly for organizations, not a single Doll.
"An image this clear must require a high traffic of data," M38 muttered thoughtfully, a concerned look adorning her face as she addressed Maria. "Are you sure you're okay? This might overload and crash your system if used for long."
Maria simply nodded. "The satellite belongs to the UNSC and I am designed with its use in mind. I have requested it for this mission earlier."
"Does the Commander know?"
"Negative."
M4 frowned. "Why didn't you tell him of this?"
"I did not think it was necessary, given his excellent tactical acumen and the use of provided means are more than sufficient for this mission."
"I'm sure he would appreciate it to know more about his options," M4 paused and sighed. "Maria, do you trust the Commander?"
PP-90 and M38 shared a glance, not expecting M4 to be so blatant with the question. Admittedly, they too wondered the same thing, though neither were willing to voice it.
"He has not done something that may suggest I should consider otherwise, and his suspicion on me earlier was not without basis either. He displayed competency and quality of a good leader and I trust his capability to command."
"That's not what I meant. Do you trust him as a person?"
"... that is not something I can answer."
Once again, those beautiful blue eyes settled on M4 and once again she was taken aback by the intensity behind that gaze. "I'm sorry. You're right," she apologized sincerely, looking away to the display below. "You have just met him so it's only natural if you don't trust him yet. It's unrealistic to expect otherwise."
"I do not have ulterior motives," Maria affirmed to them. "And I completely understand if you are suspicious of me. However, know this; I do not intend to lie. I have secrets I cannot share but I do not wish to harm any of you. We are a team and that makes you friendlies I must protect and assist."
"It's not that we don't trust you, Miss Maria," PP-90 began as she approached the taller Doll, the height difference forcing her to look up. "It's just that we don't know you. Not to mention most of us have never worked with military Doll before so we don't know how to react to your, um, rather unique personality."
"She's right," added M38 with a shake of her head. "We trust you to have you watch our backs, but this..." she gestured loosely at the display Maria conjured up and sighed. "Is not something a single Doll should have. You seem to have privileges unheard of from T-Doll and that's frankly weird."
"I am afraid I cannot change my predisposition as it is beyond my control. However..." Maria trailed off, looking at the rest of her team in the eyes and smiled, a honest smile so warm it caught them off guard. "You are correct. It is my fault for not trying to understand you better and I am sorry for that."
"Miss Maria, that's not—" M4 was interrupted by Maria.
"Please, Leader, allow me at least this much. We are a team and it is each member's duty to ensure cohesion. My failure to prevent doubts has sown internal conflict and I wish to root it out before it grows exponentially and causes complications." Maria took a deep breath and closed her eyes, the display beneath them glitched out as a huge portion of Maria's processing power was subconsciously directed to her cognitive function. Whatever she was thinking must have been pleasant as her smile widened just slightly.
"My name is Maria, the first UNSC made T-Doll. My hobby is to gaze at the stars at night and walk in the snow during the day. I like apple pie and dislike insufficiently cooked pancake, especially one with runny honey. My favourite person is Father, and my least favourite person is Uncle Carter." Her smile turned somber as she opened her eyes, a glint of sadness filling her sapphires. "My deepest wish... is to bring everyone home safely."
"Be Human, huh..."
"Hm? Did you just say something, Commander?"
Cillian looked to his side where Kalin leaned on a table, a steaming cup of coffee in one of her hands while its brethren sat on the armrest of his chair. The very same chair he was on as he observed the battle field in the command center.
"It's nothing," he brushed her concern off with a wave of his hand before taking a sip of his coffee. "Ugh, it's bitter."
Kalin grinned mischievously. "Well, since you kept complaining about not having enough sleep recently, I figured you could use some heavy duty caffeine to help keep you awake."
"I need to sleep, Kalin, not stay awake." He frowned and glanced at the gentle swirling of pitch black liquid in his mug. "Will I actually get some sleep after drinking this?"
Kalin shrugged. "Maybe not? I've been drinking this stuff all night writing those combat reports for you and I can easily keep going to the next day afterwards."
"Holy hell, do you even sleep?" Kalin shot him a pointed look and Cillian winced, taking another sip to hide from Kalin's all too sweet smile. "I—I won't complain anymore."
"Good!" The blonde chirped enthusiastically, scooting back onto the table further until her legs dangled over the floor. "Now, tell me what's bothering you."
"I told you it was nothing." Kalin sighed drearily, setting her coffee down and approaching the Commander. She bent down and poked on his cheek twice before he swatted her hand away with an exasperated glare. "What?"
"Oh, nothing! I was just checking if your expression has actually been frozen into a permanent scowl or not! I'm glad it hasn't."
He groaned and slumped down onto his chair, running a hand over his face tiredly before throwing Kalin a look. There was no winning against Kalin, her insistence when she was concerned about someone outwitted even his tactical acumen. "It's about Maria."
"Maria? Our new addition? What about her?"
"What do you think of her?"
"Passing question back instead of answer, huh?" Her smile slowly disappeared when she noticed his serious expression and it was her turn to sigh. "I have only talked to her once so I can't say much. However, my first impression on her is that she's rather polite for a military Doll."
"She does seem unique." The military usually would not bother to give their Dolls much personality as they were more similar to combat droids than the colorful service Dolls found in civilian markets and PMCs such as Griffin. They were meant to be cold. A simple machine made to fight wars.
Kalin nodded. "Yeah. She's also incredibly human-like."
"You think so?"
"Outwardly, she's almost indistinguishable. I have never met a Doll so perfectly resembling a human until now and I certainly did not expect her to be that of military. Whoever made her put extra steps to ensure she'll blend in with people."
"One of her directives stated she must be human so I believe it's one of the steps." When Kalin only stared at him with blank expression, Cillian asked "What?"
"Her core order... is to be human?" she drawled in disbelief.
"One of them, yes."
"That is unbelievable."
"Huh, why?"
Kalin shot him an incredulous look. "Commander, I know your view on T-Dolls is unique in itself but that's exactly that; you're a case amongst few."
"What do you mean?"
Kalin sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose and Cillian felt like he was missing something, something Kalin was happy to explain. "Dolls are not humans. No matter how human they seem, they cannot be human."
"But they have their own aspirations, their own wishes. If that doesn't define us humans, then what does? Sure, they have nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts but they're not just a tool. Tools don't dream."
And they certainly don't wish to save their siblings, either.
Kalin fell silent, mulling over her answer. "I don't mean it like that," she clarified gently, a small smile gracing her lips. These short few weeks she spent working as Cillian's adjutant had left an impression on her. "Their AI modules are not designed to cover the wide arrays of cognitive function that of a human. To tell them to be human is like to tell human to be cow. Sure, we can imitate cow's behaviors but we're not built for that."
Her smile fell as she looked away, towards the large monitor displaying the battle field where they sent their echelons to. "To expect something like that from her is almost cruel. When not even humans can define being a human for certain, we ask our creation to define it."
A question that had long been asked yet the answer was never certain and often contradictive. Perhaps, the only truth about humanity was that humanity never true to one truth, changing with the passing time and generations. How many rights and wrongs painted the history of man? How many rights had become wrong, and the wrongs had become right? The compromises made in the name of survival alone was staggering and man needed not reason to shift the compass.
"Yeah..." he slumped onto his chair, watching the movement of his Blackhawks as they flew to the landing site. Kalin was right. "Maybe you're right."
"Or maybe I'm wrong," she countered smoothly. "Maybe humanity needs an outside observer to define us all along. Maybe these Dolls will find out what being a human means since they actually will have to learn it instead of being gifted the title of one since birth."
"Then why did you say that?" Cillian asked with a frown which Kalin only returned with a shrug.
"I was merely stating a fact, Commander. Besides, Maria herself seems peculiar even by a Doll's standard."
"You think so too? Frankly, I was nervous when I first talked to her. She seemed a bit too cold and rigid compared to other Dolls I've dealt with."
Kalin giggled at his sour expression and Cillian glared playfully in return. "Oh, Commander, don't tell me you're also intimidated by her appearance?"
"What do you mean by also?"
"Well, I so happened to hear some cute Dolls gossiping about our new friend earlier in the server room. They said her height alone made them feel small, amongst other things."
"Other things?"
She put a finger before her lips and winked. "Girl's secrets."
Cillian scoffed and rolled his eyes at that. "Real funny, Kalin."
"Aw, are you upset? I'm just messing with you!" Kalin sighed then, her grin becoming a reserved smile. "But I didn't mean just her appearance. When I looked into her eyes, I could see something in there. I can't put my fingers around it but it's so familiar..."
Kalin's blue eyes glazed over as she thought over it. What exactly was it she saw in Maria's artificial eyes that distinguished her from other Dolls? Certainly, it wasn't the unique color of her irises, beautiful and bright they might be, as plenty other Dolls had more unique eyes out there.
The short time she spent talking with Maria had given Kalin insights of the tall Doll. They were equally interesting, but none intrigued her as much the sparks in her eyes did. The way she saw the world was different, as if there was a soul residing inside her body. A human's soul.
Kalin's eyes widened.
"Eyes are the windows of the soul," she whispered in realization. "She has a soul."
Silence permeated in the air. The Commander silently looking at Kalin with unreadable expression on his face. The blonde herself quickly caught her slip up and shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't know why I said that."
Cillian opened his mouth but before he could say anything back, the speakers mounted on the wall suddenly crackled to life. Not a moment later, G36's voice filtered through them.
"This is echelon 1 leader to base, do you read? Over"
He grabbed the communicator from the table and looked up towards the monitor, catching sight of the Blackhawks as they exited the combat area to prepare for later extraction.
"This is base, I hear you loud and clear, over"
"Copy that, Commander, we're awaiting your order to move out, over."
A rustling from his side revealed Kalin moving to grab both of their mugs. His adjutant merely smiled when they locked eyes.
"I'll make you a fresh batch," she raised his mug to address it and the Commander nodded. "There's a long night ahead of us."
"Thanks."
She took her leave and Cillian was sealed alone when the door clicked shut behind him. Returning his attention back to the screen, he pressed the button on his communicator and said two simple words;
"Proceed, out."
With trained precision, the Dolls moved to heed his command.
The Blackhawk made a graceful landing on the soft grass of European suburban area, the green blades dancing and swaying under the force of the metal ones spinning overhead. M4 wasted no time and began to open the door while M38 did the same on the other side.
The roar of the engine was back, drowning everything else as M4 took her position on the starboard side of the chopper, watching both her surroundings and teammates as they unloaded the Dummies. She crouched to one knee, gesturing at PP-90 to begin unloading with M38.
The twin tailed Submachine Gun user moved to unstrap the containers but Maria stopped her.
"I shall handle this. You and M38 go take positions," she heard Maria on Level II and a quick glance towards M38 told her enough she also heard the same thing.
"It's heavy!" PP-90 warned. "You sure you can handle it alone?"
Instead of answering, Maria simply nodded and began to undo the straps.
Reluctantly, PP-90 disembarked and joined M4, her sudden appearance at her side surprising M4 who had just finished scanning the meadow for signs of enemy. It seemed that their landing zone was a farmland once.
"Is it done?" She yelled, beginning her link protocol to prepare to pair with the Dummies.
"Maria has it covered!" PP-90 yelled back and M4 looked back just in time to see Maria lifting all the containers at once with her bare hands before putting them on the ground behind M4 with ease.
Maria then arranged them into a neat line before hitting the release button of each casket and M4 received a pair request from the Dummies inside. Shaking her head in disbelief at the display of strength, she established connection with her Dummies before dedicating a portion of her processing power for them
"Leader, what are these?" She heard Maria asked curiously as the Dummies rose to their feet and grabbed their service weapons from inside the containers, all wearing M4's skin so perfectly it was practically indistinguishable.
"They're Dummies," M4 explained as she gave the pilots a thumbs up to signal they had cleared. "The military don't exactly use Dummies, right? Since their Dolls are superior and more numerous."
The Blackhawk took off after the pilots gave M4 a thumbs up back, revealing the rest of the echelons in the background still in the process of unloading their own cargo. They would have been on the same boat had Maria had not been with them.
"What are they for?"
M4 ordered her Dummies to position around the squad, covering all directions and angles. "Force amplifier and distraction when situation calls for it."
"Are they controlled by you?"
M4 glanced back towards Maria who was also down to her knee with one of her rifles held in her hands. She was going to warn her to keep focus on the area and refrain from using Level II but she seemed unaffected by its use. "They are. Most Dolls with command module can control Dummies."
"With how many at once?"
"Four, anything more put strains on our processing power."
"What differs them from T-Dolls?"
M4 blinked in befuddlement and looked back, her surprise affecting her control on her Dummies and making them turn to face Maria too. She quickly rectified her lapse. "Dummies possessed no Cores. They're basically drones for us to control. They're incapable of higher thoughts and relies on the command Doll for operation."
"I see."
Maria asked her no further question afterwards and the conversation died down. It took the other echelons nearly a minute to unload their cargo and clear their rides, sending the Blackhawks back to the base to refuel.
When the roar of their engines turned into distant rumbling, G36 decided it was time to address the other echelons.
"2-1, 3-1, this is 1-1, radio check, over."
"This is 2-1, we heard you, over."
M4 gave the rest of her team a once over and they raised a thumbs up before toggling back. "This is 3-1, we're green on comm, over."
"Copy all. This is echelon 1 leader to base, do you read? Over."
"This is base, I hear you loud and clear, over."
"Copy that, Commander, we're awaiting your order to move out, over."
A gentle breeze washed over the area, caressing M4's hair and face with warm air as she waited there with her weapon shouldered at the ready. The farmland had long been abandoned, but the peaceful scene stayed even after the years, despite the high grass signaling a long neglect and the absence of farm animal.
She could imagine the ghost of someone there, at the worn down barn feeding the cows and the unattended field rolling the hay. She could almost hear the sound of chickens in the background and the barking of guard dogs at the response of twelve Dolls plus another twelve Dummies invading their territory.
She could see it all. A life she never lived and would never have, for wars were all she should know and destined to be in. These illusions would stay as illusions until the day her Core melted or crushed by processing plant or enemy's weapon.
Yet she indulged. On the lie her non-existent heart created. On the image of ST AR-15 in highschool attire coming home from school, on the drunken visage of M16A1 after a drink at the local bar, on M4 SOPMOD-II returning after a hike to the mountain with the biggest smile on their faces, ready to tell their own adventures.
On her sitting together with them to simply be.
But reality was where she lived. Cruel and cold reality that offered no mercy. Her choice had always been either to fight, or stay down and take it and M4 chose to fight for those she cherished. Always.
"Proceed, out."
So, when reality called for it, she would fight. Even if she had to sacrifice that lie, that desire, because that was everything she knew.
All for nothing, so nothing cannot be all.
The Dolls moved.
TBC.
I will update Final Frontier one day. I'm just not into Azur Lane for much these days.
Thank you for stopping by.