Girl's Frontline: Wicked Animandum

The sounds electrical guitars typical for rock filled the vehicle, a song played by the band Elysium called Состояние мира. You think you've heard it before…

[X] You like it.
[ ] You don't like it.
[ ] You don't care for such music.

"Well, guess it could be worse." AA-12 started the engine and shifted gears, letting the music play as the wheels started to turn.

… then the engine died.

She cursed under her breath, her cheeks growing a slight bit red as she tried again. Engine starts, gears shifted, and this time she did it right. She was avoiding your gaze, visibly embarrassed, and she sure would've gotten made were you to continue staring at her.

Now that you were on the passenger's side, you tried adjusting the seat to allow you a better view. Alas, it was the same as the driver's seat. Though, now that your feet didn't need to be on any pedals, you can push yourself higher to see a lot more. The road is bumpy. Lots of steep hills and make the cushions a more welcome comfort as the jeep trashes around. But other than that, the road seems clear. No fallen trees, no roadblocks, and the occasional helpful sign that directions you to your destination. There always seems to be a turn that allows you to avoid villages, and it's for the best as those are the most likely locations to find Sangvis Ferri establishing their footholds. But in case you run into any of them out here, your weapon is locked and loaded, and there's a button to quickly lower the windows should the need for a drive-by shootout arise. But for now they're closed so you can enjoy the vehicle's somewhat working heating system. It smells terribly due to its poor maintenance, spewing more dust than warmth at first, but after the second air filtering it works like a charm. Or it would, but since you pried open the door at the driver's side, it can't be fully closed anymore. AA-12 holds it when she can, but it still springs open every now and then.

"Ugh, not to look a gift horse in its mouth… but this jeep sucks."

You nod. It isn't a matter of opinion really, it's junk, but somehow functional junk. You're both still glad you got it working though.

"So… about that place where we're going… what kind of mission is this actually?"

[ ] "A delivery mission."
[ ] "Sorry, can't tell."
[X] "Wish I knew myself..."

"Hmph… I see." AA-12's eyes focused back on the road "Well, as long as it's on HQ's orders… maybe we'll get a nice reward. I'm already expecting compensation for all the shit we went through yesterday. They've been cutting low on my rations and I know it." she says, plopping a new piece of candy into her mouth, pulling out the other one which was just a plastic stick at this point and stashing it away. You could hear her pocket rustling with all the litter within. She sighed "Or... maybe I'm just being paranoid… the commanders I was under all said I take more than I need… can you believe it?" the most universal response you could give was a shrug, and she obviously took that in her own way "I know, ridiculous, right? Glad you think so… rarely do I get to be a subordinate in squads like this, usually I'm put on the top of my formation. It's such a hassle really… but I'll take this to being bossed around by a commander any day." the two of you take another turn, a sharp one that prompts you to get a grip. There have been more and more of those now. You check to see the seats have seatbelts, it might be worth it to fasten it. AA-12 doesn't have hers on, useful if she might have to bail, but it still costs some degree of safety. You decide to…

[ ] Put your seatbelt on.
[ ] Put your seatbelt on and alert AA-12 to put hers on too.
[X] Leave the seatbelt off.

"Don't let it get to your head though." she continues "Your commanding could use a little work. You're way too conservative. You took those grenades so I expect you use them. Or you'll end up getting hurt again." that last bit reminds you of the wound on your leg. The only shame really is just the damaged clothing, your tights were as clean as if the went through a washing machine. Type-64 sure was resourceful. The [X] Pink colored cloth wrapped around your wound doesn't look that bad though. You might leave it there even after maintenance, you'll decide later.

As the conversation changes, you watch as trees, signs, birds pass you, the sun above now almost hidden by the distant mountains. Along the way the two of you talked. The shotgun revealed that prior to your capture, she was stationed at one of G&K's main bases in Area S09 overseen by a human commander who she said was rather nice, if a little neglectful. Seemed to prefer sleeping over seeing to her troops' safe return, she said. Prior to that she saw deployments in various areas like S05 and S03. She has the makings of an elite, both in structure and experience.

But as the sun went lower and lower, you needed to find a place to lay low for the night. You took a turn to an abandoned gas station, parking the jeep behind the structure so that by passers wouldn't immediately take notice. First task is to secure the building. As before, you let AA-12 take point, being better suited for close range encounters than you are. Aside from the shelves being picked clean of anything edible and the cash register being empty, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Perhaps even the scavenged state of place wasn't out of the ordinary. Most of the windows were broken, but that didn't matter as you chose a back room to settled down for the night in, using whatever cloth you could find and the blanket from the jeep to make a makeshift bed.

"That… does not look comfortable…"
She's not exactly wrong, so you just shrug. But a bed's a bed, and you will lay in it if you want to have at least half a night's worth of memory decryption.

"Well… sun's already down, starting to get pitch black now. Who's gonna start shift?"

[X] "I will, get yourself some rest for now."
[ ] "Would you? I'd like to make a systems check first."

The darkness came quick, and the night was quiet. Even more quiet than usual, with the decrease in wildlife. Only thing you'd encounter here is SF or G&K, else there's only the sound of the wind and of rustling trees. At least it's a clean night, no snowfall, sky somewhat clear, you could make out the stars at parts. When it was time for you to rest, you got comfortable before diving into your own digimind again. Such a natural feeling, you think you could even do it standing, but this way achieves maximum focus for you. As calm surrounds you, if you can be surrounded in the digital realm of your programming, you check the files and wait for the inevitable-

"Hey there, wasn't that a fun ride?"

-voice in your head to pop up. The second you think about it, it's already there. You feel like you might even trigger it by accident if you're not careful.

"This is a fine mess you got yourself into. You won't lose Sangvis that easily, even with a car. But hey, someone's gotta play hero, don't we?"

Load memory file 4

"Yeah yeah, I get it, short on time. If she comes back I'll hit the pause button. No, it's not an actual pause button. You dummie. But anyways, here goes~"

--- memory file 4 (1 year and 5 months ago) ---

"... and that's our status, at the moment."

"So… we won't be counting on them for support?"
Replied a rather gruff voice to a more polite one, frustration seeping through the question.

"They have expressed utter reluctance to get involved. They'll be cutting our ties to them soon, if they haven't already." expressed the first voice. The delivery was strict and clean, though there were signs that he wasn't all to pleased with the context himself, with a small sigh before finishing "Another ally lost."

"Is there nobody we can rely on?"
Asked the second voice in a mix of frustration and desperation.

"What do you mean, sir? We still have some allies, like the-"

"Oh, yeah, of course, they've got our backs, with their sudden withdrawal of contracts and phone line blocks being oh so very supportive."
Voiced a third man, sounding younger and livelier, but just as displeased with the situation at hand as them.

"Don't be so dismissive Dai, they said they've been under the same fire as us and had to temporarily withdraw service."
Argued the first man, continuing to keep him cool the most in the room.

"Yet I saw no articles addressing any such heat on anybody but us. They mean they wanna avoid fire. Don't you get it? They abandoned ship before we'd drag them down with us!"
Retorted the third man again, as steadfast and certain as you remember him. He always did have a different view on things, sometimes it's just the one they needed, other times it's a welcome change of perspective. This time though...

"So what? We should just forget about help from our solid partnerships and-and hope to disclaim these false accusations ourselves?" questioned the first man, put a little off balance as his disapproval grows, seeping through his cool mask.

"What you need to do is get the bigger picture. This isn't some small misunderstood protest about the privacy of our clients. These are systematic and calculated attacks against us and us alone. Someone wants to put Columba Company out of business, and they're cutting off our allies one by one until we're-"

"I've just about had it with your damn conspiracies, Kolsurd!" exclaimed the gruff voice with authority than not only made both of them stammer in silence, but even caused you to tense up a little "Don't forget it's your fault so much got leaked in the first place. We are here to discuss solutions, not speculate on what you've heard during lunch break, so you better do your job right this time. Understand?"

"... yes. sir."

A beeping noise has let itself be known, and the click of a button has activated what sounded to be a phone call, a female voice responding.
"Mister Fyodor, Heather has arrived and her data cache has been verified. She is ready to see you now."

"Send her in."

The call ends, and you know this is your cue. You've been on standby at the door for minutes now. A normal person wouldn't be able to hear as much as you did, but nobody really cares about you hearing things others probably shouldn't, there's nothing you'd do with it anyway. Maybe they trust the company doll so much, or maybe they don't even know you're listening, but if they haven't been told after all this time then they clearly don't need to know. After a full second you twist the door handle and enter the office. You are greeted by the sight of three men, one sitting at a desk and two standing, who you know very well.

"Here's a woman with good news I hope." said the one sitting, slumping back in his seat and wishing he's right "How went your assignment?"

"The package has been delivered and the client was pleased. Brior industries offers its support despite our lowered reputation."

The news hit everyone as a surprise, to some pleasing, but Kolsurd seemed more suspicious than relieved. The first man was quick to emphasize on that.
"Now now, what was that about abandoning ships?"

"... why would they want to help us? We barely did more than a few deliveries…"

"Have you been daydreaming again? They've been a loyal client for over a year now."

"Oh, shut it Mack. Compared to the ones that made up the biggest parts of our income and still decided to bail? That's nothing. Smells fishy…"

"Maybe it's just the stench of your pessimism. It would be stupid to refuse help now. We'll accept, no buts about it."

Kolsurd just sighed, but eventually shrugged "You're the boss."

"Glad we have come to an agreement. You may all return to your duties now. Heather, report back to packaging, we'll have another batch of data ready for transfer soon. Be sure to keep up the company smile, we need to leave a good impression now more than ever. Gentlemen, dismissed."

Everyone nodded to the boss and promptly left the office. Mack ran off immediately, in a hurry like he usually is. He said not a word to Kolsurd even though, even though this would usually be the moment where the two bicker all the way to the coffee machine. It seems today has everyone on their toes, even those two. Kolsurd walks alongside you through the busy office department, oddly deep in thought.

"Don't you think it's weird, Heather?"

He asks in full seriousness.

"I mean… I can't be the only one thinking this… I've seen a company breakdown before, this doesn't look remotely like it. It's like we're being… eaten alive by ants…"

[X] "Interesting analogy."
[ ] "There's no evidence to support your claim."
[ ] "You might be onto something."

"You think?" he took your words with an unusual amount of sincerity, at least that's what you could gather from his gaze "Well, if we don't do something about it… ah, what am I saying… you already did enough."

You rapidly approach the end of the corridor, where it divides into a T junction. You know from all the years of this routine that if you haven't split up by now, this is where you part ways. Just before you get there, Kolsurd gives you an apologetic look.

"... don't blame yourself for that other assignment, alright? What happened wasn't your fault, nothing you could do about it."

[ ] "David?"
[X] "Dai?"
[ ] "Kolsurd?"

Just as you'd look his way, he was already walking off in his own direction. How'd he know you felt guilty? Were you feeling guilty? What's it to him? Either way, an odd sentiment to give to a doll, but he does have a track record of those. The number of human-like interactions towards you have only grown in the past years, and although today was more filled with tense silence or ignorance in the workplace, you can't blame any of them.

You turn around and head your own way. In the next few months, you'll see the fate of this company, you just have a… feeling.

--- end of memory ---

… notyourfaultyourfaultnotyourfaultyourfault...

"... hey, Veresk, rise and shine."

Your eyes slowly creak open as you realize you're not in full darkness anymore. You see your companion AA-12 standing above you, the door behind her open and letting the faint light of day through.

"Hey, you don't, um… I don't suppose you happened to pack any extra… uh…" she just stands there, fiddling her thumbs, while you're still laying on the ground half asleep "Um… ugh, forget it…" before you got to ask anything or even offer a gesture, the shotgun storms out of the room. You can only guess what that was about, but it didn't seem like a pressing concern so it could wait. You get out of your makeshift bed and pack the blanket, the most intact piece, fetch your gear and make your way out after her. The sun wasn't that high, but it was visible enough. With Sangvis on your tail you can only rest when necessary. You step out of the gas station to see AA-12 load something into the back of the jeep. She notices you just as she closes the trunk.

"There you are. Took you long enough. I noticed some gas canisters and thought since the station still has some gas, I'd load some up for the road. Could be useful if we need some fire too."

You can't really argue with that. It's doubtful you'll ever return here, it's only beneficial to stock up. You check the back and see there's indeed two canister heavy with fuel. You do a conditional check on the jeep along the way. Wheels somehow hold together, nothing fell off, the dent at the front that funnily enough saved you is still there… everything seems to be in order. You hop onto the passenger's side and it's back to the road.

"... ever made a molotov cocktail?"

You glance at AA-12 after the sudden suggestion.

"Useful stuff. Met a doll once that had a thing for fire. Talked my damn ear off… but at least she showed me what to do with excess alcohol. Even AK-47 sometimes did it, and she loved her booze…"

If you didn't know how to make one, she would now tell you. As she said, it's useful, almost as effective as an incendiary grenade, and much cheaper and easier to come by, as you can just make your own. Of course nothing beats military grade tech, but a T-doll must be resourceful, and make use of every situation.

Today's ride was rather uneventful. You went until the sun was at its highest point and well beyond that. You had breakfast and lunch on the ride, even AA-12 couldn't live off of sugar alone.

Your journey continues, not an ally or enemy in sight, which is good because you're nearing the border, and the less trouble you find there the better. The sun is two thirds of the way to the mountains now, soon time for dinner. It is then that you take a turn to an unspecified road, as the other way led to a village away from your destination. The snow was higher here, but not unpassable. You travel for another hour or so until you see small buildings in the distance, the road leading directly to them. There was no sign telling of a town this way, perhaps it was missing.

"Hmm… no way around it… you see anything?"

Your vision is a bit too hindered to be of help, but you still try your best. She notices this and presses a button, which lowers the window on your side. You get the message. You stand up on your seat and stick your head out through the window, getting a much clearer and unobscured view. It seemed like a quiet place, nothing was going on, not lights or anything. Though at times you seem to catch glimpses of things. Figures, sometimes tiny flashes, but the more you focus the less frequent it becomes until it disappears. You can't see anything unusual no, it looks just as empty as when you first looked at it. It couldn't be Sangvis, as they would've engaged already, using artillery strikes if it were one of their bases.

Finally you arrive at the town. It seems to be a rather aloof selection of houses forming a couple of streets, some looking old, some somewhat more modern, old roots that were built around. It's dead quiet, especially after you kill the engine.

"You say you saw someone?" AA-12 asks as you check the place out of the comfort of your car "Seems dead empty to me… but if I'm not mistaken, this is the place. We go any further and we end up in a minefield."

With that said, the objective is clear now. You have reached the destination that supposedly holds a way of passage through the minefield, and into area S06. You both step out of the vehicle, weapons at the ready. You'd lock the vehicle, but you've got no keys and the door won't close anyway, so you can only stay close and hope fate isn't cruel.

"Should we split up?"

[ ] Split up.
[X] Stay together.

Before you could go ahead with that train of thought however, you were interrupted by a loud, booming voice.

"Visitors of our village!"

The two of you immediately took a battle ready stance and formation, covering each other's flanks and trying to locate the source of the voice.

"If you're friend, state your name and intentions with us! If you're foe, I suggest you leave this instant, should our fingers slip and cause your untimely demise!"

[ ] "We are T-dolls coming on behalf of Griffin&Kryuger, seeking passage to Area S06!"
[ ] "I am T-doll SR-2 Veresk. My intentions are to cross the border. I am willing to trade for your assistance."
[X] "My name is Heather. And this is AA-12, my personal T-doll. We've heard you know of a way cross the border unharmed."
[ ] Write-in

[X] "My name is Heather. And this is AA-12, my personal T-doll. We've heard you know of a way cross the border unharmed."

"Hmph, that we may, little missy. You want to pass then? Hah, and what makes you think we'll just help whatever stranger stumbles before our home, fully armed no less!"
The voice replied. The more he talked, the older he sounded. You heard enough to make out his location, a second story window of one of the buildings. But he wasn't alone, another voice emerged from another building, this time female.

"And judging by how there's only two other kinds of people out there, one of which you're clearly not as you haven't started shooting yet, and since you have the other's insignia on your bags, we can only assume you're with those Griffin&Kryuger shmucks."
She sounded even less impressed, and she seemed to have an good eye on you if she could spot such details when you could not even make out her exact location.

"Griffin? Peh, last thing we need is another damn PMC and their cursed T-dolls. Get lost!"
A younger sounding voice called, again from another direction. With him, a flurry of callouts followed, many more individuals voicing exactly what they thought of you, quickly increasing the number of humans you were not expecting to encounter. They outnumber you, and even though you couldn't see all of them, you could practically feel a dozen of gun barrels aimed at you and AA-12. Looking at her, she seemed tense. If bullets were to fly, she's definitely the first one they'd aim for. And although that's usually a good thing for a shotgun type, not being able to make out the angle of attack is highly troubling, especially when there may be multiple.

"Yeah! You're not welcome here!"
"We don't need your kind around!"
"Leave, or your metal friend is scrap!"

[X] "You haven't heard our offer yet, but if you don't want it, then…"
[ ] "We've come a long way, we're not leaving!"
[ ] "We came to make a deal, so hear us out!"

"Hmm... and what could you offer to us?" inquired the old voice once more, causing everyone else to silence "Can't imagine you parting with your precious resources meant for your war efforts."

"What? You can't seriously be considering dealing with them Gustav?!" asked the younger voice in disbelief.

"Hush, Stefan, if they wish to trade, let's at least see… and something on hand, mind you! We don't deal in empty promises!" replied the woman, thought it was not enough to silence him.

"You're all going mad! Nothing good has ever come out of-"

"I don't remember asking for your opinion, Stefan. Let us handle this… negotiation. After hearing all there is to hear, then will the decision be made. Not a second sooner. Got that?"

"..."

"Good." with the younger man's voice, the other protesters quieted as well. The old man cleared his throat before directing his attention back at you "Well then, miss Heather, was it? You have your chance to speak. But let's do so inside, I don't quite fancy calling terms and regulations over the evening cold. It's the green building to your left. But I warn you, should you try anything, we will not hesitate to spill blood and whatever's flowing through that companion of yours."

"Be sure to keep that bucket of bolts on a leash, and you may get to leave alive."

"Quiet, boy!"

"Y-yes, Martha…"

You could hear several of the townsfolk move away from their positions, but many rifles were still aimed your way. They were paranoid, but you can't really blame them. No doubt they had their troubles not only with Sangvis Ferri, but from the war as well. And from the sounds of it, they're not on best terms with G&K either. Relations may be difficult to establish, but you have been given an opportunity that'd be foolish to refuse. You proceed to follow their instructions.

The plan to stick together hasn't changed, so you take AA-12 with you. She seemed uneasy, almost hesitant to reach for another sweet to calm her nerves. The way her mouth moves, you can tell that lollipop won't last for long, and the townsfolk will be weary of a T-doll reaching for her pockets.

"Veresk… I don't like this. Sure we can trust them?"

There's no way to know for sure, as you run the calculations through your head, the situation my escalate in many different ways. The most preferable outcome is a peaceful one, won by a silver tongue on your side. Your choice of words will be important, and same goes for your companion. You decide to reassure her.

[X] "You just keep quiet, let me handle this."
[ ] "Don't worry, just be ready to back me up in there."

"Alright… sure, you've got this."
After your instruction, AA-12 seemed focused once more. She lowered her weapon and so did you. Safeties on, just to convince the settlers you mean no harm. You both approach the building they specified, it had two stories with the Russian sign for pub or bar at the door. Interesting place they chose, but you guess if it'll escalate in a shootout, they'd rather have blood and bullet holes littering that place as opposed to their personal homes.

Pushing through the doors from the cold outside to the warm inside, you seem them already waiting for you. You were greeted by the sight of a mostly upkept bar that has visibly been in use for many years. All the chairs, tables and furniture were wooden, the decorations and paintings were simple, overall giving off the feeling of an old-school pub. Even the windows were surprisingly intact, though some were still boarded up. At a table further in, you were awaited three people. Sitting on it's far end was an old man in blue overalls and a grey coat. His hair was as white at it's tips as on his beard, and from his mouth hung a cigarette. Beside him sat a woman of fair height, head and hair covered in a kerchief and the complexity of her facial features betraying some age as well. Clad in a red coat, she kept a rifle lent against her side. The third was a man whose face you could not make out at all, clad in a hoodie, bandana and goggles. He stood beside them with an assault rifle in hand, probably just extra muscle to keep watch over you, as there was one dressed similarly in every corner of the room. With the two sitting, you could count 7 humans in the room, all armed, but who knew how many more were sitting just behind the corner? It wasn't a comforting thought, so you better focused on making sure you wouldn't need to find out.

"Welcome. Take a seat."

You approach, doing as said and sitting down at the chair offered. You and AA-12 noticed there was only one chair though.

"She can stand, can she not?" commented the woman on the matter, to which the shotgun promptly complied, settling for standing at your side as you sit at the table.

"So…" started the old man "Before we go any further, I must ask, little missy… just how old are you?"

"Gustav!"

"No, seriously, cause I haven't the foggiest! I can't address anyone as small as you as an adult unless I have confirmation!"

The woman hits him over the back of his head as she shook hers, to which he didn't really pay much mind. Although she clearly didn't approve of his questioning, he was fully serious, and you can't say his curiosity isn't fully unreasonable. You are short, that is true. Very short. In the old days you were often overlooked because of it. It was one of the things that didn't change despite all the body and appearance modifications you went through. But it gave you a certain kind of charm, or so they said. People didn't often take you seriously, but your position didn't really require them to. Whenever someone did ask, you just explained you're a doll. But this situation requires a proper and believable number as to keep your cover in check. You can't give them your actual age, the amount of time since your activation, so you'll have to make something up. With a sigh, you reply to the man's question.

[ ] Write-in
[X] "It's rude to ask a woman about her age."

"Alright, alright, Gustav's curiosity aside…" the woman said, trying to move the conversation forward.

"Yes, yes, I hear you Martha…" the man takes a whiff out of his cigar, breathing the smoke out the side of his mouth "Alright, I'm assuming you have come a long way. And seeing as you came in a run down jeep instead of a service vehicle, you didn't have many options. I doubt you'll tell me why you want to cross the border to… where was it again?"

"Area S06."

"Area… S0… 6?"

"She means southwest of here, you old fossil."

"Oh, right, that's what they called it. Well, miss Heather, let's say we do have some form of passage through the minefield blocking your path that would get you there unharmed… what would you give us for it in return?"

"We could certainly use that jeep of yours. Not like you'll be able to take it with you." Martha suggested, sounding like she was waiting to mention that.

"Wait, really? Didn't we get through on-"

The old man's comment was cut short by another hit over the head, as if his input was very unwelcome. A hard stare from the lady got him to rethink his words.

"I-I mean, we tried! And it got us blown up! That's right! Vehicles are too big and heavy to get through!"

You can't help but throw a look to AA-12, who returns it the same way. Suspicion with a grain of salt. Humans aren't perfect, then again neither are T-dolls, but here the former is rather apparent. Gustav clears his throat after a short awkward silence.

"Ugh, all this talk is making me thirsty… Novak, fetch me a bottle." the hooded man at his side nodded, walking off towards the bar. Meanwhile, he looked to you again "Well, what is your offer? We're listening."

[ ] What things will you trade?
- [ ] The jeep.
- [ ] 3 canisters of fuel.
- [ ] A part of your rations and ammo supply.
- [ ] A few favors/your service for a time.
- [ ] A pair of elk antlers.
- [ ] Future support from G&K, including contact frequencies.
- [ ] Write-in

(There is no limit to what can be offered.)