Girl's Frontline: Wicked Animandum

"A multitool…? I meant in your ha-... nevermind… just curious."

The point she was making eluded you. In your what? Perhaps you misinterpreted the question? No matter now, AA-12 dropped the subject and diverted her attention elsewhere. You were now free to finish fixing up your hair without the gaze of the shotgun on the back of your head. You tied it into a neat ponytail, the best you could do with office dress code etiquette back in Columba, though you were often required to change hair color and style for certain assignments. You were often told it suits you, but it was hard to tell an honest compliment from one of those random comments humans throw around, seemingly to fill the empty space within conversation. You liked it yourself though, it gives a professional look.

As for the multitool, another item that has been lost to the battlefield where you met your SF captors. It sure would've been useful for getting out of those restraints, but in the end you got out anyway. Thankfully you had no attachment to it, it was company issued, the Columba logo scratched out. You got new lockpicks periodically, even before they broke, which almost never happened. You were outfitted with all kinds of skills, some questionable for your profession, from an outsider's perspective at least. Who was it again that pushed your boss to get you all those upgrades? You can't seem to remember…

The crunching of paper brought you out of your thoughts. You turn around just as AA-12 feasts on yet another lollipop, hands full of empty candy wrappings, compressing it all into a ball of trash to be disposed of. Other than that, she looks ready as can be. You pick up your weapon, and so are you. You give her a nod, and both of you leave the dusty attic, you taking the lead as to keep up the act of human master to the shotgun T-doll.

The people downstairs didn't pay you much mind, only telling you that you're awaited outside. Some were cooking, you could smell the scent of meat and garlic in the air, some were washing clothes. Seems like this house was meant more for service than living in. You're just thankful this isn't the work they're making you do… would garlic even make a doll cry?

Outside, the street has become rather busy. People walking up and down, carrying things in boxes and bags, repairing old walls, armed men patrolling, the humans here certainly weren't idling. Many gave you odd looks, their trust is far from gained, but at least nobody is raising their weapons at you. You spot Gustav and Martha at the jeep you arrived in. It hasn't been moved yet, and they seem to be inspecting it. As you approach you hear them talk.

"They've been shot at, and those holes sure as hell don't look like normal bullet holes…"

"Sangvis shoots any poor thing that moves. Not surprising."

"Why'd they feel the need to pry the door open though? The lock's all busted now."

"Girl's too frail looking to have done that, she must've asked that bucket of bolts to open it and it got the wrong idea."

"Heh, for a doll the thing really didn't look very bright, did it? I mean, it had a lollipop… why was that thing munching on candy?"

"It almost looked scared when I mentioned how much T-doll parts sell for."

"Can those things even get scared?"

"Ask the little lady if you're so curious… or one second thought, don't, or you'll just ask something that'll get you slapped again."

"C'mon, I know you were curious too! How old do you think she could be? 16? 19?"

"Gustav I swear to god almighty…"

They both seemed utterly oblivious to your presence behind them, but they've stayed ignorant long enough and had long enough of a chance to notice you. Time to make the aware of your presence.

[ ] *Ahem*
[ ] "Good morning."
[X] "It is rude to talk behind one's back."
[ ] "Try again, Gustav."

"O-oh, Miss Heather! We were just discussing… um…"
Gustav stampered for a response, while Martha after covering a surprised gasp simply crossed her arms, looking down towards you.

"Well, didn't you take your sweet time getting up? Had a few too many shots yesterday?"

[X] "More like too few."
[ ] "Just short off too many."
[ ] "It was more than I would usually have, but I'm fine."

"I sure hope you're well rested, you'll be starting work straight away. As you can see, what you Griffin shmucks call Area S09 doesn't allow for much self-sustainment of groups like ours. We can't grow food in this cold, we can't hunt animals that aren't here… so our main source of supplies is scavenging and trade. We scour buildings, abandoned houses, workshops, cabins, whatever isn't infested with those Sangvis buggers. We gather what we can, and what we cannot use we sell."

"Yes… one of those places is an old apartment building east of here. We sent two of your people there. The older one, Ralph, got back just yesterday alone. Said Sangvis showed up out of nowhere and shot down Jan. He booked out of there and told as to mark the place as taboo. We may be armed, but we don't go on the offensive against those metal freaks, it'd be a death sentence. You on the other hand…"

"We've heard that one Griffin doll matches 5 Sangvis dolls. If that's true, clearing the place for us shouldn't be a problem for you, considering you own one." She said, shooting a look to the aforementioned Griffin doll. AA-12 had adorned a sour look from the earlier conversation you overheard, not even trying to hide it. T-dolls get offended too.

"You can take the jeep you traded to get there, but only there and back, no detours. Should take you an hour or two of driving, keep going until you see a billboard advertising Pepsi or whatever soft drink it was. You find Jan in there… give the kid the respect he deserves."

The two old village leaders give you a nod before making their leave. They didn't wait for a response from you, not that they needed one. It was evident how much you want to get to Area S06, so you weren't going to refuse.

The mission's risk rating is questionable though. As you and AA-12 inspect the jeep is ready to go, you run possible scenarios through your digimind. You're a two unit squad with the element of surprise against an unknown number of Sangvis Ferri hostiles. The likely number of hostiles may be low, as the building seemed to be mentioned as a lone structure, and it doesn't take many dolls with weapons to scare humans away. There's even a chance the building isn't occupied at all and the humans were just unfortunate enough to run into a patrol squad. However, the worst case scenario would be Sangvis setting up an outpost. Not only vastly increasing the possible number of hostiles but also endangering the whole area, including this very town.

Preparations were complete. The back of the jeep has already been stripped of whatever you traded save for one canister of fuel. They obviously didn't take the empty beer bottles. You notice they left the toolbox too. In a way, you never really offered it up to trade, so you could just tell them you're keeping. For now though, it'll do good to take it along for the ride. You hop onto the passenger seat and AA-12 takes the wheel. As soon as the engine starts rearing, so does the radio, playing another song from the same band as last time, called Чёрное знамя. The previous owner must've liked this band a lot.

You backed out of the town and headed into the direction specified. Thankfully a road seemed to lead there. They wouldn't tell you to take a vehicle now if a road didn't lead there. As you went, AA-12 was oddly quiet. You then remembered.

"..."

"... you can talk now."

"... fucking assholes."

She kept quiet for a moment after that comment, focusing on driving. She didn't drop the sour expression ever since you left the town. At this rate her face might get stuck that way. She sighs.

"Can't help but feel like we're getting the short end of the deal here… but a mission's a mission, I guess. Can't wait till we get out of here, all this snow is making me sick."

You noticed that a lot of people make her, quote on quote, sick. Right now she's just annoyed at worst, you saw her when she was sick, it was not a pretty sight. But as long as you've got candy, she should be fine. You can't keep good track of her supply, but she has been taking a lot lately, mainly due to the stress. The only way you can resupply on that specific resource is at Griffin outposts, the shotgun is permitted special requisition orders. So it's not only your delivery deadline and Sangvis on your back prompting you to hurry up. Hopefully it'll be all better once you're in area S06.

"So… how do you wanna approach this? We probably won't know how many there are until we're inside, and they could be waiting for someone to come back for the body… so, do we enter fast and loud, overwhelm them? Or do we go in quietly? Might I add, our weapons aren't quiet…"

[X] Go in quiet.
[ ] Go in loud.
[ ] Write-in

"Good idea. Who's taking point?"

[ ] Veresk.
[X] AA-12.

"Sure. Let's hope this goes smoothly, then."

With a general plan prepared, relative quiet and the radio's music prevail in the vehicle now. You prompt yourself up a little to better see through the windshield. The forest look more and more the same the more you travel through it. Just snow and trees everywhere. The best landmarks are human structures, everything natural is difficult to distinguish from the dozen others you pass by constantly. At least here you are relatively safe from Sangvis presence until you reach your destination. AA-12 looked at the back mirror, and hummed as if getting an idea.

"Hey, Heather, we still have that one canister of fuel there, right? And that old blanket? I can also hear bottles clinking back there… think you can crawl back there and maybe cook something up? … you know what I mean."

She didn't even mention your size, but she's right that you can simply crawl to the back of the jeep with more easy than she ever could. Not to mention, she's the one driving. It's a good suggestion, you get to make some preparations without having to stop along the way to your objective. With little difficulty you make your way to the trunk. There is the almost full fuel canister, three empty beer bottles, and the pink blanket, plus the toolbox but you likely won't be needing it right now. What AA-12 meant was to make some molotovs, but you can see a few other things you could make with what you have before you. An alternative would be to break the bottles and wrap a piece of cloth around the lower part of a shard to make a grip, effectively creating a makeshift shank, a silent weapon. Since it's glass it'd be sharp, but easy to break too, so best make several. Maybe something else can be done too, but you're not sure. You need intact bottles for molotovs, but you need broken bottles for shanks. Best to choose depending on your engagement plan.

[ ] Make 3 molotovs.
[X] Make some glass shanks.
[ ] Write-in

[X] Make some glass shanks.

You carefully crack the bottles in such a way that it would get you the longest shards you can get. It is easier said than done, the way glass breaks is highly unpredictable. Not to mention the shaky nature of the truck made it difficult to apply pressure accurately. In the end you managed to make 6 sharp and long enough shards that'll be of use. You rip off parts of the pink blanket and tie a grip around each shard, making sure you won't cut yourself using one. Both you and AA-12 are wearing gloves, but there's no reason to put a strain on them when there's alternatives. Plus, only your ring and little finger are covered, the rest can still get cut. Skin damage can be even more troublesome to fix than internal damage, so it's best to avoid meaningless injuries, even if small.

Time passes quickly as you work. You test the edges of each shank, they're sharp. They'll dig through flesh easily with some force. Though a weapon more ideal for dealing with human targets, but currently your only means of stealthy execution. As long as you're not fighting drones or dinergates, or heavy armor units, you should be able to drive this sharp object exactly where it counts. The house many vital core processed without which it's effectively dead, the doll's head. Being accurate is the biggest problem. Even with a proper durable knife, finding the gap to the internal components is a difficult endeavor. With these, missing results in broken glass. Hell, even a successful takedown might result in this fragile murder weapon breaking. Good thing you've got several. Maybe you could buy a knife later, or requisition one from Griffin.

Now that you think about it, you're heading to an apartment complex. There's bound to be at least kitchen knives there. Until you find a proper knife though, these shards are your best bet.

"Hey, I think we're here!" AA-12 called over her shoulder as you could feel the jeep slowly coming to a stop, the engine dying down. You crawl out through the trunk door, your eyes quickly adjusting to the bright outside. The sun was up high, can't be anything past noon. You have a quick stretch as AA-12 gets out as well, then close the trunk behind you. With the sun shining above, you are now faced with your reflection in the trunk door's window. Same as back at the village, lilac hair tied into a ponytail, and your [X] green eyes.

You parked on the side of the road, just under a half decayed commercial billboard. It was of a woman in skimpy clothing holding up a can of a soft drink. Not that you could read any more into it, most of the text tiles were straight up missing. Refreshing- something something -psie. Maybe you'll find a can of it somewhere. Looks bubbly.

"Hey, where are the molotovs?"

As a response you simply hand her [X] 2 of your shards, to which she slightly tilts her head, frowning.

"Well… I suppose these are a quiet alternative… if barbaric. I'm not a fan of… physical violence you see…"

She begrudgingly forces herself to take the offered shanks, looking them over. Even she can tell they're sharp enough to kill, staying her fingers clear of the edge.

"Firearms are far more civilized. We made them to avoid this primitive crap… but a plan is a plan."

She doesn't say anything more on the matter. She really doesn't seem to be a fan of these shanks, not for the lack of function or utility, but because of a personal stance on physical violence. An odd attitude for a T-doll, but you already gathered as much in her digimind. She might not be fully sincere, and might not plan to use them at all. Perhaps she'll need a bit of a push...

[ ] "When possible, aim for the eyes. If you get a Sangvis doll's visor off, it's pretty much a straight path to the brain."
[X] "Where the head and neck connect, there's a spot where if you tilt the blade slightly downwards, you can slip it right under the armor plates. You have to be quick though, if the doll moves the blade might get stuck before it reaches anything vital, and she'll retaliate."
[ ] "The mouth is often a safe bet, if you manage to have them open it."
[ ] Don't push her.

Whatever your words, she probably already knows how to use the shank most effectively, most dolls do, but your suggestion might affect how she'll use it if it comes to it. You both make one last check over your equipment before continuing to your destination on foot. Taking the jeep any further would be too noisy.

You walk until you can see the building peeking out over the distant trees. The forest surrounds it almost completely, which gives you good cover to approach it. Your stance is low, following AA-12 who, for a shotgun, manages to be just as quiet. You are close enough to see the building's walls now. You take cover from tree to tree, the sun blocking your vision inside the dark windows of it's interior, but whatever's inside can see you if you're not careful.

You carefully scan the exterior and surrounding area first. It might've been easier with a rifle or handgun type T-doll at your side, but you'll make do with each other. After a time, you find that both are clear. No targets sighted outside, not signs of enemy activity either. However, you can't spot the body of Jan either. Either it was moved or it happened inside. Yesterday's new layer of snow would've made sure to cover any blood that might've been spilled outside, so nothing can be confirmed.

Next step is to enter the building undetected. It seems to have a few entrances, two main ones and a side entrance. You get closer to the side with the least amount of windows, conveniently with the side entrance. You take as good a look as you can into each dark opening, trying to spot anything that could resemble a Sangvis unit on lookout. You spot nothing, and AA-12 gives you the same negative. You move out, and enter the apartment complex.

The door was already wide open and the lock looked broken. The ground floor seems to be more of a basement, walls unpainted and rooms either empty or used for storage of various furniture or wood. Sound seemed to echo easily here, even the wind from the outside was audible enough several steps within. You stayed close to the walls, adjusting your eyes to the dark interior quickly. You check every room you pass. So far there's no sign of Sangvis equipment being placed anywhere, but that changed when you peeked into a room just near the staircase. The clear silhouette of a Sangvis, the dark purple hair of a Ripper unit, facing a window away from your direction. It's completely motionless, likely on standby and passive lookout mode. It chose a poor window to do this at, and you don't complain.

Well, there's your target. Your objective is to eliminate Sangvis presence in the area, and so it's time to begin. Since AA-12 is taking point, she is the one to round the corner and approach the enemy unit for a silent takedown. You watch with your weapon trained, making sure to back her up should anything go wrong.

That's when you hear footsteps from the staircase.

You immediately get into a position against the wall just next to the doorway. Over your shared network AA-12 asks what's going on so it can't be heard by the enemy. You reply.

"Just engage your target on my mark, I'll handle things here."

The footsteps indicate that the other unit is definitely going towards you. Is it just on patrol? Has it picked something up on it's sensors and went to investigate? Either way, you'll need to take it out before you're uncovered, and hope that AA-12 takes out her target by herself. It'll have to be in sinc, so that one unit isn't alerted by the sounds of other dying just a few meters away. As you hear the unit just about to pass the doorway, you take action with glass shank in hand.

[ ] Try to remove it's visor, then aim for the eyes.
[ ] Aim for the mouth.
[ ] Aim for the neck.
[X] Wait till it passes you, then aim for the back of the neck.
[ ] Just shoot the fucker.
[ ] Write-in

"Now!"

You decided to pass the chances for an upfront attack by waiting for an opportunity to strike the enemy from the back. You hide, motionless and holding your breath, not sending AA-12 the signal yet even as you hear the footsteps right next to you. The first thing that enters your vision is the barrel of an energy weapon, not too long but not short either. The hands holding it don't tell you much, many models share the same hands. Next was the whole frame, but you didn't care much for that except for the head. More than half of it was covered in a helmet, covering anything down to the nose in thick steel. A Vespid. Of course it's a damn Vespid. Though it doesn't take many bullets to shred it, you have a piece of glass. Your original plan doesn't change though, it simply becomes… trickier. Not to mention, it's a rather tall unit. Or, not that it's tall, you're just… kinda small. The only way you'll reach your mark is by using you agility as an SMG type and jump, clinging to the target as you go in for the kill.

The Vespid is about to pass you, and you focus on your target. The unit's helmet reaches just short of the spot you need to drive your shard into. If it were to lean it's head back by just a little, it'll become inaccessible. Once the unit has passed you, you position yourself behind it with quick but quiet movement. You have to strike now. Should it take one more step it'll spot AA-12 and send out an alert. You ready your weapon and go for it.

"Now!"

Focusing all your processes on precision movement, the right force applied and calculating the best possible angle, you jump and lash out with your shank, driving it into the target's neck. Your other hand makes sure the target's head stays in place, while applying additional force required for digging the knife deeper into the doll's vital components, your legs wrapping around it's waist and clinging to hold you up. You can feel the edge slipping right in, grinding against the tight gap in the outer layering, going deeper and deeper as much as you were willing to push. All that happened in less than a second. The Vespid unit should've reacted by now, but it didn't. Even then you pushed the edge as deep as it would go, until it either hit something hard or there wasn't anything left to push. The latter happened, and a second finally passed. The doll became motionless shortly after. Red blood-like coolant started seeping out through the wound. Soon it's limbs became limp and it's head hung, breaking the glass shank with its weight. It falls backwards, and you land on your feet while it's still in your arms.

Target neutralized. Once you confirmed it ceased function, you…

[ ] Let it drop on the ground.
[X] Gently lay it on the ground.

The shank now broken you leave it embedded within the Vespid unit. You turn to look at how AA-12 is doing. Her target lay on the ground, leaking much more profusely however. The shotgun was standing above her, hand clutching the broken handle of her shank, covered in a lot more coolant than you. Her hand must've slipped a little, causing a wider cut than necessary. After a couple of minutes she snapped out of her stare, dropping the broken piece of glass. She looked to you, seeing you handled yours well. She looks somewhat shaken, but no worse for wear. Clearly she's not fond of this type of approach.

[ ] "Pull it together, we need to stay focused."
[ ] "Good job there."
[ ] "Don't worry, coolant washes off easily."
[X] "You doing ok?"
[ ] Write-in

"Yeah… whatever."

She took hold of her firearm again, and proceeded to take point again. She passed by you without much of a glance. You follow her to the staircase, but not before checking every other room and corridor on the floor. You confirm no other hostiles, and nothing of use either, just old junk. You move upstairs onto the next floor.

The building has now started showing signs that it was indeed once used for human occupation, not just for storage. The walls were painted an orange and white pattern, the floor tiles were black and white, carpets lay here and there. Some paintings hung on the walls, old and dusty, displaying various landscapes and birds, simple decoration for visitors. The walls still showed their age, and kicked-in doors tell of desertion. Things grew audibly - or rather inaudibly - more quiet. You carry on, checking each room as you pass through the corridor, AA-12 at the front with her shields raised, you watching her back. All of the apartments had kitchens, and when you were in one that seemed relatively safe you decided to check it actual knives.

"Uh… could you check the drawers? I can't really tell what makes a good knife…"

It is an understandable request, one you comply with. AA-12 covers your back as you move behind the kitchen counter, searching through the drawers containing various kitchen tools accessories. At least as quiet as you could, they creaked a lot, and all the spoons and forks they contained just loved to rattle at the slightest of movement. Finally you've found the drawer containing the knives. Aside from a little dust, they seem well kept. They'll be a lot more difficult to break than glass, however it's still dolls that you're using them against, so mistreatment will still result in a broken tool. You have a selection of knives to choose from, different sizes and shapes alike. 3 you've found optimal. One's short but pointy, not too wide and with a blue grip, it'll have an easier time getting into the enemy and stay in one piece doing so but at the cost of reach, if you don't use it as a throwing weapon. Another's long a wide, not as pointy but still sharp and with a yellow grip, it's width adds durability despite it's length but it may be less effective at stabbing. The third was long a slim, very pointy and with a purple grip, it would be easy to drive deep into the enemy to reach core systems, though at the cost of durability. Leaving your remaining two glass shanks on the counter, you don't need them anymore, you decide to pick your knife.

[ ] The blue knife for Veresk
[ ] The yellow knife for Veresk
[X] The purple knife for Veresk

And…

[X] The blue knife for AA-12
[ ] The yellow knife for AA-12
[ ] The purple knife for AA-12
[ ] Keep the remaining two for Veresk

The remaining knife(s) have been placed within your bag, for later use if your current one breaks or you want to switch during calm moments. You close the drawer and turn to AA-12, who is hunched up next to the apartment's entrance door.

"Heather… someone's coming."

She reinforces the warning with a hand gesture. You waste no time taking cover behind the kitchen counter. Even if it wasn't for your size it was a good spot for cover. Now you wait, and soon enough you too start hearing someone approaching. AA-12 is hiding right at the entrance, she is in the most optimal position to take out the hostile. You only hope her glass shanks will suffice. If not, you're right there to help out.

A couple of moments pass, and now you can clearly hear the enemy right at the entrance doorway. You cannot peek, as the kitchen is in direct view from the entrance, you'd be easily spotted. You must rely on your companion for insight. After a moment it sounds like the enemy unit has already entered, but it's still operational. As you wonder why, AA-12 tells you over the network.

"Damn it, it's a Jaeger, I have no clear shot at the neck from behind."

Today's just one less than ideal enemy unit to take out after the other. Jaegers, SF's long range sniper model, used to be one of their most popular products even. Reconnaissance, sniper support, assassination, you can tell that's what you're facing when dealing with this model. They come with cloaks that, supposedly, used to be outfitted with electronic camouflage capabilities, but following Sangvis Ferri's fall of human oversight, their newly developed tactics eliminated the Jaeger's need to hide itself anymore, allowing the manufacturer to cut resource costs. However, those cloaks are very much in the way of back stabbers, especially the solid part holding it up by the neck. It could be removed, but that would alert the unit with not enough time neutralize it before it retaliates. Tackling this opponent will require another tactic, and teamwork.

You direct your processes to calculating and evaluating a solution, running idea after idea in mere seconds, before the circumstances change. There are three weak points, one already being crossed out. The other two are the mouth and eyes. The mouth might be tricky to open, and the eyes are covered by a visor headgear. Both are attacks from the front, and an opening must be created for both. One of you must create the opening while the other delivers the fatal blow. As AA-12 is in no position to deliver the fatal blow it is up to you. And although she cannot easily make the unit open its mouth for long enough, she can remove its visor for a permanent opening. And by method of elimination and simulating the scenario, you come to the conclusion that that is the most effective course of action as of now. You can hear the Jaeger approach the counter, it must've noticed the glass shanks you left there. You relayed the plan to AA-12, and she complies. Now's your chance.

You wait for her signal. By listening to footsteps and compiling previous combat data you can deduct roughly where the enemy unit is at this moment in time. Where to strike you'll have to see once you lunge out of cover. You can hear it's close now, just beyond the counter. Suddenly, a quick movement, as next came the signal.

"Now!"

With your SMG type agility you jump out of cover, not around but above it, using the kitchen counter as a platform to kick yourself off of and lunge directly at the unit, reaching the height required. The Jaeger has barely a moment's time to react, but it was too late anyway. There were its purple eyes, fully on display, AA-12 just behind it with the visor in hand. It's eyes would've widened if it could be surprised, but the only thing that would go through it's head as it sees you fly towards it are calculations, response protocols, and your knife. It can close its eyes but it wouldn't help. You embed the blade deep into its skull, the force being more than enough to drive it all the way in through the barely obstructed opening. Your own velocity and weight cause the doll to fall backwards with a thud, even if it's legs didn't just lose motor functions. It made for a soft landing though, at least for you. Target neutralized, as obvious by the knife stuck to the grip its eye socket, coolant and other liquids spilling out. AA-12 got out of the way just in time to not be hit by the both of you.

"Three down… fuck knows how many more to go…"

You pull the knife out of the doll's head, shaking some of the liquid off. But before you stand up, you feel something under that cloak of her, something almost loose and you're not sure it should be there. You reach under it, and find this unit was equipped with a knife. A military combat knife branded with the Sangvis Ferri trademark. It is most unusual to see such a piece of gadgetry on a common unit like this one, a bit of a rarity. You give it a good look, it's made from quality material that'd almost never break, an edge that could cut from the slightest touch, and a slick design with Sangvis' typical aesthetics. A blade pretty much designed for killing, it is most definitely superior to the kitchen knives you've accumulated. However, the S.F. logo will not just be a thorn in your eye, but everyone's. Humans and Griffin alike may give you shady looks for carrying Sangvis tech around, possibly lowering future relations. You put the knife back in its sheath.The hunter's forces draw near...

[X] Keep the S.F. knife.
[ ] Leave the S.F. knife.
[ ] Give the S.F. knife to AA-12.