"Hmm, guess you always were more of a morning person, Alpha."
"Not really, she sleeps like a rock. It's just that she almost never didn't have a reason to wake up early."
"Oh, right. How very true."
Listening to the two converse, you get the feeling they're better off talking to you than each other, else it's a very one sided conversation. But watching them made you notice something. Not about them in particular, but the background, your digimind. Has it become more… colorful? There now appeared to be shapes of yellow and blue color scarcely drawn about. Yellow lines and blue triangles, the concentration of each seemingly increasing in different directions. They somehow did not look very out of place, sure making the place look livelier. Aside from those two changes you noticed something you miraculously overlooked. It's brighter, some sort of light casting light shadows, and looking around to spot the source you find a massive yellow orb far above, overlooking the plains of your digimind. You can tell it's not as far and not as big as the all illuminating Sun of the real world, but it sure has her gentle and encouraging warmth, like a summer day where you're filled with determination. You approached a ledge to get a better look, but then are distracted by the sound of… waves? Looking down you see the endless abyss having been replaced with a body of water. The great, neverending spaces enclosing this island of data had been replaced with an equally neverending ocean, it's water reflective yet crystal clear. However, it was restless, as if scripted winds were stirring the waters. Staring across this endless sea of nothing but waves of unknown depth felt kinda scary and discouraging, yet beautiful.
"Enjoying the scenery, chief?"
You look to the side to see Gamma standing by you, but you couldn't spot Beta anywhere.
"She left to handle some other processes. I'm staying cause I'm tasked with waking you up."
She talked with an almost deadpan voice, though it wasn't completely like that of a doll missing it's emotion module. More like it just didn't care beyond the necessary amount, though even that was debatable.
"... was it always like this?"
"Nah, the company usually used an internal alarm clock to wake you up, or you had others to do the job like-"
"I mean the digimind's visualization."
"Oh… yeah, pretty much. Unlocking more of your digimind that was locked away will restore it to what it was like before. Or… it may also not. You're probably subconsciously filling in the blanks with whatever, only furthering you from the original version."
"That's not very encouraging…"
"Thanks."
"...?"
"... what? Oh, what I'm thanking for? You must've forgotten… my other role is to be discouraging."
"..."
"Hey, believe me, when you're about to do something really stupid, like you usually do, you'll need all the discouragement you can get. Then I suggest something less stupid, and you'll live another day. Like I said, simple."
"So you believe further restoring my digimind is a stupid course of action?"
"A part of you certainly does, I'm proof of that. Whether that's a valid opinion though, that's up to you to determine."
Your gaze is brought forward again, at the water filled emptiness, making any wish to see what's beyond a scary and fruitless thought. Certainly some ancient hopeful explorer with a boat would see this and think foolishly that they'll venture out and see the edges of this world, yet this is no sea that encourages these thoughts, only diminishing them. You feel like if you stare any longer you might stay on this data island forever. If it wasn't for the fake Sun's warm shine and gentle reflection in the waters canceling each-other's effects out, one would definitely win you over. Discouraging encouragement… or encouraging discouragement? Dis… en… cou… ment…
"Chief, please stop thinking so hard. I'm sure some of these thoughts manifested themselves as mumbles in your sleep, and we don't need your to make any worse of an impression than you already have."
Right, too much unfocused processing power can sometimes bleed out into non-virtual processes and actions. It can extend from light movement or mumbling during sleep to full on sleep walking, and the same effect has allegedly been observed even on dummies of an affected host. To avoid any awkward incidents before you wake up, you tone down on the deep thoughts. Best way to do that is to tear your gaze away from the ocean and the waves, and proceed to do… hmm… what is there to do? You start thinking what you could use this time for, maybe you can still manage to decrypt another memory file…
"Gamma, how long did you say the split took me?"
"8 hours, approximately. But more time has passed since you fell asleep, what with your stumbling around to make sense of anything, like usual."
"And when do you plan on waking me up?"
"Now."
...?
--- Morning ---
Like waking up to a soundless alarm clock, your eyes open and your gaze adjusts. You stare at the ceiling for a while, centering yourself after that quick awakening. Gentle light shines through the window slits, just barely missing your face. You notice that you're in a different position than what you fell asleep in. You ought to better focus your processing power next time.
You slowly sit yourself upright, noticing your two roommates still sleeping soundly in their beds. The silent assault rifle looked very peaceful, blanketed up on her back. The SMG lay on her side, hugging a part of her blanket against her cheek. They'll likely wake once the sunlight reaches their faces, or an internal clock goes off. Or maybe it's a free morning, you wouldn't know as you haven't been introduced to the base's daily routines yet. Either way, less people up means no lines before the showers or the repair bay. You get dressed quietly, careful not to wake them. You're not a voluptuous MG type, so it's no trouble. Taking some of your gear along, you head out.
It takes you a bit of wandering around the empty looking base to find it, the repair bay. An automated system, using readily available resources to restore a T-doll's body, weapon, and even attire. And as you expected, you're the first one here. Everyone else either already used it yesterday or hasn't woken up yet. You approach the terminal, simple to use for both dolls and humans. Beneath it was a tight slot used to put in express repair tickets, which allow for extra power and resources to be put into the repair process to make it as quick as possible, but as it is more draining on resources, such tickets aren't distributed commonly, seeing how you don't have one. You try to access it normally, and find that you have already been registered among the base staff, the system accepting your request for standard repair. The metal door opens with a hiss, accepting you within the series or automated mechanical arms and tools. It might be a scary sight to a human, but to a doll it's like a pedicure session. You step inside, the door closing. A simple scan checked exactly what was damaged and what needed fixing, and shortly after it got to work.
--- some time later ---
You have to admit, you haven't felt this fresh in what felt like forever. You have been fully repaired, body, attire and weapon, even down to scratches sustained during your capture. Your clothes have been fixed to almost the same quality of Type 64's craftsmanship, though you can't quite tell which one did a better job. At least the shirt beneath wasn't so loose anymore. It had disposed of the pieces of cloth that covered your now gone wounds, your right leg and left wrist back in top condition. You had a [X] warm / [ ] cold shower afterwards. Someone forgot their shampoo in there, really good smelling shampoo, [ ] so you used it / [X] but you didn't use it. Getting all those knots out of your hair and cleaning the rest of your body felt very refreshing. You stepped out so renewed, it felt like being back at Columba, minus the people, clean workspace and the smell of coffee.
As you got dressed again, you remembered you have some extra pieces you couldn't wear until now, but finally have the time to alter them to an acceptable level. First, the pink scarf you took as a trophy from a Sangvis Ferri Dragoon unit, undamaged by trademarked by the manufacturer. Can't have their insignia on your things, so you find yourself a workbench and get to work on removing it. Didn't take long, rewarding you with a pure purple scarf with no pesky red flags. You put it on right away, the material being comfy and clean. Next up was the knife you took from a Sangvis Ferri Jaeger unit, sharpest thing you held in a long time, but also branded with the same insignia that had already caused you trouble just days ago. Altering this one won't be as easy. You start by cleaning it off both human blood and doll coolant, the red liquids having left marks on the blade. You then proceeded to scratch out the logo with a screwdriver, which would've been more difficult for a human who's hands get tired easily. It may not end up looking as pretty as it did before, but function wise it should remain the same. Lastly, there's the memento you've gotten from the Sangvis Ringleader Hunter, her black hairpins. These required nothing more than an inspection, making sure they don't double as a tracking device or spy gadget. To your relief, it was just a harmless accessory, one you think would look good on you. Since your hair is of similar length to Hunter's, except with a shorter ponytail, you can even style it like hers for extra points. You put the pins on, and decide to…
[X] Style your hair after Hunter.
[ ] Don't change your hairstyle. (simple ponytail)
[ ] Change it to (write-in).
You, your clothes, and gear have been officially full restored. There is now just one final step to this refreshing morning, and that is to get your belly fed. If you were one of those dolls who had their stomachs programmed to grumble after long durations without sustenance, it would definitely be grumbling right now. So, with your new self looking better than ever, you head off to find the mess hall, if this place has one.
You check corner after corner, either finding just more corridors or a dead end. This place is bigger than it first appeared. But eventually you found it, though this time you weren't the first one. There was already someone sitting alone at a table with a plate of food, a glass of cola, and lots of candy wrappings all over. Next to her on the bench lay a familiar car radio, currently playing a nail polish commercial. It was AA-12, her shoulders slumped, back turned towards you. She always looked dead tired, but you feel like this time's different. Plus, what's she doing up this early? Her clothes were clean and straight, meaning she must've been to the repair bay. But she couldn't have had a shower without you running into each other just now, and it seems she's been here for a while already.
It didn't take long for her to notice you. Her movement was quick at first, but upon noticing it's you, she just sighed wordlessly and turned around again. Even as you proceeded further into the mess hall she didn't want to address you, clearly ignoring you, her squad leader. Something will have to be done about this…
You notice a food dispenser at the other end, one with an interesting command console. You approach to find it that this too is an automated food distribution system, as the base seems to have no kitchen. This vending machine regulates the amount of food dolls get at specific times of day, and provides rewards in the form of extra snacks based on a doll's performance if the base leader thinks them deserving. Meals a fully customizable to a doll's preference, from nutritious foods to candy and snacks, though you can only request enough to fill your belly once until the next meal time. Seeing as you're already registered, you can now customize your breakfast. However, this system presents a problem to you. To get food for another doll, it means you'll have to take away from your own meal, decreasing your overall nutritional intake. To keep up that promise you made with AA-12, you'll need to sacrifice a part of your meal.
She was expecting 5, plus extra points for saving you from Hunter. You gave her only 3 at first, but promised to give her more, even more than you owed her. How much is up to you.
[ ] 100% to Veresk, 0% to AA-12 The strong take it all.
[ ] 90% to Veresk, 10% to AA-12 (1 lollipop)
[ ] 80% to Veresk, 20% to AA-12 (2 lollipops)
[ ] 70% to Veresk, 30% to AA-12 (3 lollipops)
[ ] 60% to Veresk, 40% to AA-12 (4 lollipops)
[ ] 50% to Veresk, 50% to AA-12 (5 lollipops) warning, nutrition levels low.
[X] 40% to Veresk, 60% to AA-12 (6 lollipops) warning, nutrition levels low.
[ ] 30% to Veresk, 70% to AA-12 (7 lollipops) warning, nutrition levels dangerously low.
[ ] 20% to Veresk, 80% to AA-12 (8 lollipops) warning, nutrition levels dangerously low.
[ ] 10% to Veresk, 90% to AA-12 (9 lollipops) warning, nutrition levels dangerously low.
[ ] 0% to Veresk, 100% to AA-12 (10 lollipops) You wanna die?
[ ] Write-in
