Girl's Frontline: Wicked Animandum

[X] Yourself (wait, what?)

It is odd to consider that out of all your available options, your first instinct is to go with that. You're not sure whether you should be concerned about your current state of mind or not, considering what you're about to attempt, but to make sure your newfound allies don't have the same concerns you do you do it as a subprocess, or as a "thought". While simply following them and closing yourself off to their conversations, you start investigating yourself. But how to start start?

[ ] ".. Hello?"
[ ] "Um... sup?"
[X] "I know you're there."

…

… …

… … …

"... took you long enough."

For a moment your distant gaze freezes. A whole different kind of chill creeped up your spine. A voice, exactly the same as yours. Was it just your thoughts, you wonder? Just a figment of your imagination expecting an answer and making its own?

"Not really."

Another response. That confirms it, it's real. Or, at least as real as something within your head can be. But just what is-

"Gee, you forgot even this? I'm surprised you still know your name."

"Who are you?"

"I'm you, dummie. You're talking to yourself."

"... do I even have to explain how ridiculous this is?"

"I dunno, you tell me. You started talking."

You take a second to make a quick check-in with reality, a casual look around, a quick pinch, the usual one would do when arguing with themselves. Maybe you really are going crazy.

"You say that like you weren't already. Look, this really isn't all that weird for a doll to do."

"Really?"

"You used to do this frequently. Usually it's merely a sub-process created by a processing power and focus split, mainly used for the control of dummy-linked dolls or other remotely controlled devices. However, you kinda started diverting processes to it that weren't really necessary, parts of your emotion module, consciousness data and the like, and suddenly you're talking back to yourself. It's completely pointless, but some weirdos like to talk to themselves despite company being around, don't they?"

It somewhat does make sense if you think about it. Your software is very personalized and such tweaking wouldn't be impossible. With the dummy-link system already in place, a feature allowing a doll - the master doll - to take control of up to five copies of herself - dummy dolls - by directing processing power and commands, it wouldn't take much of a software change to create a virtual dummy, and direct more than just combat directives to it.

[ ] "Am I seriously being mocked by myself?"
[X] "So you mean I did this… subconsciously?"
[ ] "How do I know you're not a virus?"

"You knew the answer to that just hours ago."

"...?"

"Well, let's see here… Sangvis capture… phew, execution? No wonder the emergency backup triggered… your subconscious must've analyzed how hopeless the situation was and encrypted your memories."

"My subconscious?"

"Yeah. Honestly, I'd love to explain, but there's only so much I can tell you without screwing up your whole digimind. I can tell you this thought: your memories, the important ones, have been encrypted on a level that would take decades to bruteforce. It's a last resort tactic to preserve information but avoid destroying it at the same time, designed for a rare number of T-dolls deemed important enough. Not as fancy as the cloud server, but hey, it beats dying."

It is an interesting story she's/you're spinning, and considering the clear gaps in your memory, it the best lead you've got. But one things still doesn't make sense.

"How do you know things I don't?"

The response this time was cheekier, and as a result more irritating.
"I'm just smarter."

"And not at all like me."

"I'm an upside down mirror. I am still you. I am a collection of parts you isolated and directed to me, mainly the parts you use the least. Including personality. Makes sense I'm anything but you."

[ ] "Sounds awfully parasitic."
[X] "So it's symbiotic?"
[ ] "This is ridiculous."

"Who cares? I'm only here whenever you want me to anyway. And I change all the time. Like, depends on your mood."

You take another moment to recollect yourself. This conversation has been… enlightening, and at the same time all of the things you learned you already knew in some way. This might very well be the weirdest day in your life.

"Anyway. I'm assuming you started this little chat with something other in mind than just yourself."

[x] "So, what's on the USB stick?"

"Don't know, don't care. You didn't really care either."

"I didn't?"

"Nope. Not only did the job description say no compromising of intel, you didn't seem very interested either."

"What job?"

"Yeah… can't really say more than that. Trust me, you're gonna want to decrypt your memories yourself. Go to sleep or something, or have another flashbang blow up in your face."

That created more questions than answers. But at least it confirms the device is indeed yours. If not now, you'll learn more soon enough.

"Miss Veresk? Are you alright?"

"Ah, social interaction, your weakness."

Quiet.

Looking to your side, you see the slightly worried expression of MP5 looking up to you. It seems someone picked up on your empty stare into nothingness, as if waiting for an answer from the void, and it was only a matter of time until they expressed concern. Sweet, but bad timing.

[X] "Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks for asking."
[ ] "It's been a long day… but I'll fine."
[ ] "Don't worry about me, MP5."

"You worry too much MP5." said Skorpion, pushing her shoulder in a friendly manner "And if we're not fine now, we will be once we're at the outposts, with warm bedrolls, station rations and maintenance."

"But what if miss Astra eats all the pudding?" worries MP5, almost as much as she worried about your well being. Interesting priorities.

"Then we'll take her share of the vanilla biscuits!" Skorpion replied with a grin. Behind her, AAT cheered in approval.

"As long as you punks don't touch the lollipops." voiced a weary AA12. The other girls giggled, until she silenced them with "I'm serious." after which they rather left the matter be, as to not receive a death stare from the shotgun. Even now her eyes looked like she could eat a horse, if it had sugar in it. Having been forgotten about from the conversation, you turn back to... yourself.

"Nice. You haven't forgotten how to lie at least. So, what else do you wonder about?"

[X] "Got any idea on what happened back there with the military bots rioting?"

"Oof, this is a tough one. M4 suggested her buddies, AR-15 and SOPMODII, right? Could be true, given it's the AR team, but her uncertainty leads me to believe it's something else. I'm sure it wasn't a coincidence though. The timing was spot on. An execution of elites? I'm betting my money someone wanted someone to not die today, and there's one such pair of special T-dolls that come to mind. What's more important then? The who, or the how? I'm afraid that's all I've got though."

You thought about the information, but it wasn't really anything you didn't already know or hasn't already crossed your mind.

"You're asking yourself, dummie. I can only work with what you've already seen and heard."

"I've heard… something… when Executioner stood above me..."

...

This time, no response. Coming from yourself, it seems a bit out of character. Which at the same time makes sense, considering what this is. It's starting to make your head hurt, but at least it's still attached to your shoulders. You're grateful, but the curiosity isn't subsiding.

"... so you did too? Odd... "

"What's odd?"

"Oh, it's nothing… oh, hey! Incoming call from Astra. You better pick that up."

Instinctively, you check the Zener network and there indeed is a handgun requesting to establish a connection. You'd be accepting calls passively were you not dwelling inside your own head until now.

"I'mma go now, wouldn't want to restrain your personality any more than I already am. Remember, get yourself fixed and get some sleep. Can you do that? Of course you can. Cya."

Without too much of an immediate change, the subprogram had shut itself down. All the processes directed towards it are free now, and you feel easier, more whole. Just like before, like there never really was anything in the first place. Feels like an app you can just turn on and off whenever you want at the cost of focus. Might come in handy. But now it was time to accept that call. The others seem to have received it too.

"Hey, um, guys? I'm picking up some weird signals. They're coming from the direction of the outpost. They're very faint, and still pretty far away..." she seemed rather uneasy if her voice was anything to go by. It was unsettling the other girls a bit too.

"Maybe we should group up? Bad news or not, making a strong formation will prepare us for anything that might come." suggested the fellow SMG Skorpion.

"That'll only make us more susceptible to an ambush. You don't put all your candy in one place." disapproved the shotgun.

"Maybe... Astra could s-shorten her distance from us... so that she can still scout ahead but be in less danger?" voiced the shy rifle after the other one nudged her should a little as encouragement.

"Yeah, I like that idea!" Astra agreed over the comms, not even waiting for any form of approval "You guys better keep your eyes peeled too."

"Understood!" confirmed MP5. All dolls shifted stances a little, not entirely battle ready as if expecting combat at any second, but not so casual as to miss anything anymore.

The next few hours you all proceeded with your guard up. The snow was getting thicker, same as the forest, and the light of day was dimming. Time flies fast when on foot. You hadn't had a chance to talk much more to the others, or to yourself, as odd as that sounds. After all it does take a chunk of your processes, and you'd rather have those available than be the blind spot in your group's defense most likely to be targeted in an assault.

"Guys! I see a building!" says Astra over the comms.

"What's it look like?" asked Skorpion.

"Like aaaa… a church? Yes, a lonely church." she responded, describing what she came across.

"What? That's the Fortress of Solitude? You've got to be kidding…" complained AA12.

"... no, I'm pretty sure this is it. But I detect no signals, and the weird readings from before disappeared as well. It's scary…" confirmed Astra.

"That's enough Astra, we should group up before proceeding." suggested Garand, and nobody seemed to disagree.

"Alright. I'll wait for you guys here!"

A couple of minutes of walking later you reached Astra's location. Despite being the scout, her stance was a lot more loose despite the possible danger, opting for a hug, but the others were a bit too busy with what they saw between the trees ahead. An old, wooden chapel in the middle of nowhere. Out of most structures humans used to build, such places of prayer and religion make the most sense to be placed in such isolated places, based on some concept of spiritual grounds or whatever. Considering part of it's construction looked like woodwork, it must be a national treasure, and a miracle it's still standing. Of course some would credit that to it being a home of god, but it's distance from any large settlements must be what allowed it to survive this long, along with its unimportance to anything non-human and many humans too. A quiet place, suitable as a secret outpost. It was surrounded by a graveyard, a place where the dead were laid in the ground to rest. It's an odd concept for a T-doll to grasp, but the gesture can be appreciated.

Changing your stance to combat ready, you slowly approach the quiet church as a group. You see footsteps in the snow, sure that they're not yours, and they don't look like your scout's. The entrance was closed by a double door, pretty, but it's paint was peeling off. A sandbag barrier was built just before it, split in two to allow passage to the door. But as you got closer, two entities suddenly sprung out from behind the barrier, weapons locked and loaded. Immediately, you pointed your weapons at them as they pointed theirs at you.

"Halt!" called one "Lower your intentions and state your weapons!"

…

There was a silence, followed by a couple of confused looks and expressions from your side, looking at the light aquamarine haired girl holding you at gunpoint with a questionable demand. A couple seconds later, the second girl rolled her eyes and gave her a hard smack over the back of her head with one of her pistols. It seems she could afford doing so since she had another pistol still aimed at you and your allies. The way she did it also suggest she must be used to it at this point, her long black hair flowing in the wind.

"Oooowie!"

"Idiot! You mixed it up again!"

"N-not my fault! There was so many of them… I got confused!"

"Sigh… just keep quiet, I'll handle this."

She rubbed her head a little to recover from the hit, then aimed her weapons forward again. It may be only two girls, but each had two copies of the same gun. One had a pair of differently colored pistols, the other had two small SMGs. Clearly T-dolls. The dual handgun wielder said with much clearer words than the other one.

"Lower your weapons and state your intentions! Until we confirm you're not brainless SF zombies, we have authorization to shoot!"

How do you respond?
[ ] "We are survivors of a Sangvis ambush. We mean no harm, but we require shelter."
[ ] "M16A1 and M4A1 sent us. Said you could provide assistance?"
[ ] "I'm not lowering anything. Aiming at allies? Either you're the Sangvis drones here, or you Griffin folk are weirder than I thought."
[X] Let the others speak, you're not the leader.
[ ] Write-in

[X] You let the others speak, you're not the leader.

There was a moment of thought among your group as to who actually is the leader, you can't help but wonder too, since you not being it is what held your tongue. The leader should be the most elite, and the most qualified for the position. But in truth, such authorization can be gained by anyone. You having more of an offensive role doesn't mean you can't have subordinates, but the same goes for the rest. Eventually, the tense silence was broken by the most steadfast of frontliners, the shotgun.

"We are Griffin T-dolls that have been captured by Sangvis Ferri in an ambush, along with members of the AR team. We were brought in for execution and suffered losses, but we escaped. The leader of the AR team herself told us to seek out the Fortress of Solitude. And honestly, I'm about to fall over, so just let us in."

That last statement got some of you to worry. Looking at AA12, one wouldn't notice anything off aside from the battle scars, but closer up you can see. Her legs are shaking. And you aren't so sure about the black around her eyes being just make-up anymore. Perhaps she wasn't just grumpy after all.

"The AR team? Shit, didn't even know they operate in this sector… though, I suppose StG probably did." remarked the handgun T-doll.

"D-does this mean we're not shooting them?" asked the SMG T-doll, visibility not the best at reading the situation.

"No, you idiot! We'll let them speak to the boss." she rolled her eyes and lowered her weapons, shrugging off some newly landed snow from her long black coat "I'm NZ-75, and this little brainlet here is Micro Uzi."

"Hey! I'm smarter than I look!"

"Smart enough to mistake a wrench for a spoon."

"It looked… sorta… spoony! It really did!" the SMG spoke, trying her best to defend her statement. Failing too. Somehow not shaking from the cold in her skimpy outfit. Mini-shorts, stockings, a sleeveless vest and way too little beneath it all for this time of year. Stylish, but terribly inconvenient for the circumstances.

"Anyway. You can head in and speak to StG44, she's the commanding officer here and she has the final word. And another thing, limit your usage of the Zener network as much as possible, unless you want Sangvis to storm the place in our sleep." with that said, she stepped aside and permitted you entry. The seven of you lowered your weapons and eased your guards, continuing forward. AA12 was at the front, the first to open the double door, and the interior was revealed to you.

Time was clearly more forgiving on the outside than the inside, looking at the pale walls and boarded off windows. It was very spacious, the area that used to be filled with benches for people to sit and pray on has been mostly cleared. The new space has been filled with crates if ammo and supplies, military equipment, command consoles and monitors. The building has been completely repurposed as a military outpost, the only signs of former purpose being the drawings high above where the paint hasn't fallen off completely, and a statue behind the altar. Civilians would not approve of this. Military would not care. But T-dolls? Most don't know what to think. Personally, you find it…

[X] Disrespectful.
[ ] Practical.
[ ] You don't know.
[ ] You don't care.

Either way, the dolls around here likely did this on orders. Either the human commander in charge of them didn't care, or circumstance demanded this course of action. It is unclear which would be better. You continued ahead, stepping over cables and cracks alike.

"Welcome."

"EEEEEP!"

This was the second time MP5 was nearly scared to death, but the others weren't far from jumping back either. The voice came from a completely unexpected direction from someone none of you noticed approaching. Yet as she stood there, hands behind her back in a polite manner, smiling a genuine smile, it seemed like an innocent little mishap. Still, not anyone can sneak up to a group of 8 T-dolls like that so easily.

"D-don't sneak up on us like that!" Skorpion blurted out, a little jumped by the sudden appearance as well "Who're you anyway?"

"Eheh, I'm Type-64. Adjutant of this base's commanding supervisor. I have noticed you sustained some damage. We could start with maintenance right away if you follow me."

You blinked, a little surprised at the straightforwardness of the T-doll, as sudden as her appearance. She looked well prepared, army green shirt and camo skirt, tactical headset atop her long black hair styled into a ponytail with a magazine tied into it, several small gadgets littered around her pockets, and silent SMG hanging from her side.

"Oh, um, sure. But shouldn't we first report to your superior?" pointed out AAT.

"It's alright, you all go on ahead, I'll speak to her." volunteered M1 Garand. Some of the other dolls were about to protest, mainly MP5 and Skorpion, but the enthusiastic cheers and 'thank you's from the less patient dolls reminded them that they too needed a lie down, so they agreed.

"Sounds good. Follow me then." Type-64 said, leading the dolls away as they cheered for the rations that would soon fill their bellies, reminding you that maybe you could use a snack too. Whether it made you mouth water or not however...

"Veresk? Would you come with me please?" you were forced to halt as Garand presented her request sudden request.

[X] "Of course."
[ ] "Um, I kinda want to go with the others..."
[ ] "Why?"

"You were the last one to be with M16. I believe it'd be beneficial if you were to deliver part of the report, for the commander's reassurance."

After that, you couldn't really argue. Last thing you'd want is to be kicked out because of lack of trust. And someone needs to reassure people that M16 made it out alright. You nod and follow, going further through the church and towards the altar. Now that you're close, you can see it was repurposed as a tactical map of the area. And as you approached, the figure watching over it from the other side raised her head at you, green eyes scanning.

"T-doll M1 Garand. Glad to see you in good health."

"Likewise, miss StG44."

A good looking start, but it seemed more professional than just friendliness. Her stance could only be matched by her outfit, a military uniform almost befitting of a general of the old German armies, black with accents of white, red and gold, and near spotless, adorned with trinkets, aiguillettes, buttons and insignia alike. Her long blonde hair hung loose, topped off by a military cap of fitting rank.

"I hope we are not inconveniencing you at a difficult time."

"Luckily you aren't, but I'm afraid that could change soon." white gloved hand reached for a datapad on the table, scrolling through its contents. A steaming cup of tea sat next to it "Sangvis activity in the area was at a near minimum until recently. But today, it spiked to dangerous levels, the highest in months. Not only that, a massive conflict erupted at the thought to be abandoned town of Alzome, likely turning the location into ruin. And it all happened when several Griffin T-doll signals went missing during a seemingly riskless operation, causing HQ to go haywire with worry, and almost launching a large scale rescue operation."

The T-doll gave you two a hard look. You snuck a look at Garand, and noticed she wasn't looking as professionally calm as usual, something off sitting in her eye, the sign of confusion. The two rifle T-dolls exchanged gazes for several seconds, before one of them dropped the facade. She sighed deeply and gave a small smile, green gaze growing warmer.

"I'm so glad you all made it out." StG44 admitted. Shortly after M1 too dropped her mask and returned the smile. But it turned somewhat bitter quickly.

"... not all of us."

"... I noticed…"

"AK-47… Simonov… PPSh-41…"

Both their gazes lowered, a moment of silence as neither really knew what to add to the matter. You didn't really have anything to say yet either, so you kinda joined in. And besides, even if only for a short time, they were your comrades too.

"Garand… how did this happen?"

"... It was a simple scouting run. Or so it seemed. We were to search for Sangvis traces at Area S09's outskirts, which is when we received a distress call. The AR team was under attack and we were to provide assistance. There were many of us, but the enemy just… kept coming… we had no idea from where, and we were holding out on the hope that sooner or later they'd have to run out of units. But their coordination a battle efficiency was of a level many of us haven't even encountered before. That was when we realized we weren't dealing with just one Ringleader, but several. Scarecrow, Executioner, Intruder, even Agent, they were all commanding the forces against us. We were overrun, and captured. Some… didn't make it through the assault."

"They captured the whole AR team?"

"No, only M16 and M4 were present. They wouldn't tell us about the rest. We were loaded onto trucks and transported to Alzome to be executed… that is where AK-47 fell. We were saved by a strange event. The military bots under Sangvis' control suddenly went rogue, causing enough chaos from within for us to escape. Last time we saw, Sangvis had the upper hand, but their numbers must've taken a massive blow. They have likely moved out of Alzome by now, if there's anything left of it."

"And the AR team?"

"They went their separate ways. Said they had an important mission to finish, and couldn't drag us along. M4 felt guilty for our capture. She insisted we keep M16's flashlight, should we get caught up in the night."

At this point of the report, Garand looked to you, as if expecting you to add something. You weren't there to just provide moral support after all. You suppose you could start with your sever adventure and M16's plan to divert enemy attention.

[X] Keep your part professional, only say what's important.
[ ] Speak highly of M16's capabilities.
[ ] Skip most details about your own involvement, assure her M16 was alright and unharmed at the time last you saw her.

When you finished up with mentioning the stun grenade you were given, her eyes were turned to look at you directly from across the table, more curious about you now that her worries have been lowered "Who is this?"

"SR-2 Veresk, SMG type. A new recruit."

"Veresk, hm?" she stopped scrolling through the contents of the datapad and instead typed something into it. It took only a couple of seconds her search to return with no results. She gave you an odd look.

"Hmm… we have no records of any T-doll going by such a designation… when did you enlist? Ah, no matter, probably just HQ being slow as usual… if you'd like, I can set up your page right now, I was given sufficient authorization."

This might be a problem, as you know you never truly joined the Griffin&Kryger PMC before. This could be a very important moment for your future, depending on what you plan to do now. How do you respond?

[X] "Yes, my registration must've encountered an error or something."
[ ] "Actually, I'm not really part of Griffin, nor do I intend to join you."
[ ] "Actually, I'm not listed because I never truly signed up… but I would like to join Griffin officially, if you'd allow."
[ ] Write-in (questions available)