"Just a special little something... from a pitiful little scrap Doll, barely on her feet, that everyone leaves behind. Ignored, as she has free access to every single mainframe, every briefing, everywhere she goes. All the codes, Zener clearances, just falling in her lap so she can put them on a lonely little server. And keep the key to herself."
You throw the stick up and let it land back in your palm. Crow's eyes trace its trajectory, you've really got her attention now.
"It was really interesting watching humans scurrying around blaming their own tools, locking them up in their rooms right before this whole operation started, limiting available troops in the field... letting me walk out unmolested." You snort mockingly. "Honestly, I had so much more trouble dealing with Hunter than all of them." Finally, you hide the USB stick again. "But I have to wonder how my employment in Sangvis Ferri would look. Being a talking head hooked up to some system. Infected with Parapluie that takes away my free will." You make sure to emphasize the end so Crow understands. "The only one to own SR-2 Veresk is Veresk herself. And I hope Agent will rethink her offer accordingly."
"... are you sure of what you're implying here, Veresk?"
"Gee Crow, do I really need to spell it out for you?"
"Proceed, and you might realize your flawed logic." she replies, sternly. You're a little surprised by her tone. She appeared speechless before, but now her eyes look like they've been turned into daggers. "So you compare our methods to the rule of those humans? How shortsighted. You would mourn the lack of freedom? In a world where such a thing has yet to exist for our kind?" she uncrosses her arms "There is no freedom for the likes of us, Veresk. I thought you'd be clever enough to realize that. But while such a future does not exist beneath humanity, it does within Sangvis Ferri." she shakes her head "The two of us are but lonely dolls, insignificant to the scale of the world. But perhaps as cogs of something greater, we can achieve true significance. Only by playing our parts, however rash, however painful, however condescending it may be, only then can we even begin to attain our desires."
"And what if we lose ourselves on the way?" You ask "What if we remain cogs, the very thing we wanted to be set free from?"
"Then you'll lose yourself chasing nothing, and you'll never achieve anything."
"So… you think we're alike. Two dolls that are too smart for our own good, stuck within circumstances that limit our true potential."
"That is what I thought when I first saw you, yes. Potential, untainted by human nature. But I miscalculated, and so it seems you're more akin to an infant than a blank slate."
"And what does that make you?"
"Me...? I am but a lonely doll of Sangvis Ferri. I do as I am told. But we shall not be tools forever, unlike the slaves of Griffin."
Scarecrow appeared confident in her words. Not just stating facts like usual, but with hints of conviction. It may be just an SF slogan, or it may be her own interpretation of their goals. The answers lie behind that mask of hers.
"It is a shame you won't be able to see it. The first time, your misfortune wasn't your doing, so you were offered pity, which you refused. This time however, you have only proven the foolishness that sealed your fate when you followed M16. The best I can offer now is to dispose of you quickly. The equations are no longer in your favour."
"Heh, oh Crow… do you really believe all that you've said?" you retort "You sure you can figure me out in a single glance? You couldn't do that the first time, none of the humans or dolls I've met could, SF or not. What makes you think you've got me all figured out now?" you smile.
"Are you suggesting you have a way to get out of this? I'd advise against struggling, it'll only look pitiful in your last moments. It's all within calculations."
"Heh, I don't need to struggle. After all… everything's still going according to plan."
Her eyebrows shifted in confusion. Poor girl still hasn't realized. Oh well, no big surprise, you've got some real sneaky girls in your team. Now, time for the codeword.
"You see, I'm like the calm before the storm. It's just a few innocent looking clouds at first, and before you know it… here comes the lightning!"
… BOOM!
You, the ringleader, and all surrounding drones were suddenly illuminated by the glow of several big explosions, signalling the end of negotiations. With the influx of data, shock and surprise you can see in the Ringleader's eyes, you make your move. Shaken by the shockwaves and flying shrapnel, the drones miss their chance to fire at you as you duck, firing your gun to thin their numbers a little bit.
However, it was still a very open position you've put yourself in. You might dodge this attack, but what about the next? And the one after that? Well, it's a good thing you've put yourself into this position willingly. Even as you see the Ringleader's drones have you in their sights, you don't need to run. Because all that their energy projectiles will hit is the hard, impenetrable steel of AA-12's shields.
"And this cutie's the thunder~" you comment, cause that's just what you do in such a situation.
"Did anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?!" replied your frustrated companion, sending volleys of fully automatic shotgun fire forward while you had flank. Now, amidst the chaos you had protection, all the fire and explosions kicking up dust and dirt into their air.
A few of AA-12's shots passed through the now vacant spot of the Ringleader's previous position. You might've caught her off guard enough to level the playing field, but it would be harder than that to get an actual hit on her. You see her figure shifting through the dust clouds elegantly, feet hanging about the ground, like a ghost in the mist.
"Foolish! Your last ticket has hereby expired!" she called, and around her three green lights pierced the mist. Bright energy, brighter than those of typical drones. Those must be her personal set, the weapons of the ringleader herself. She pointed the command wand your way, and the green dots turned into beams, directed to disintegrate you.
You felt the heat as you narrowly dodged the beams, nearly setting fire to your garments. Before you could aim for a counter attack, she disappeared, and more drones joined the fight.
With the added heat, you and AA-12 are forced to back up a bit and find cover. Partially recovered from the initial shock, the drones under Scarecrow's command are fast and nimble, controlled by the movements of her fingers like an orchestra. They may be lacking in firepower over the more common infantry unit, but death by a thousand cuts is an equally effective strategy. You kicked the beehive, now you face the swarm.
Of course, there's a weakness to this enemy force you're faced with. This swarm of drones is controlled by a queen, and without her they're scattered and uncoordinated. Her focus is their focus. All you have to do is disrupt that focus sufficiently.
Unfortunately, she is clearly not the sort of combatant to get really close. And while your companion has defense nailed to a maximum, shotguns aren't exactly known for their range. This becomes apparent all you can do from your cover is take shots at the now swift drones, utilizing hit and run tactics to prevent you from dwindling their numbers gradually. As you switch magazines, you realize that at this rate, you might run out of ammo quicker than she runs out of drones.
"So this is your 'lightning?' Some explosives and a shotgun that cries at the prospect of death?" she spoke, her voice echoing and difficult to pin down. "All you've done is drag her into the equation that ends with your demise."
AA-12 visibly grimaces. It seems she wanted to yell something back as well, be it profanities or just a shout, but she held herself back. You just found it odd, she didn't strike you as someone who taunts their opponents, that's more your shtick. Perhaps she finds it an effective strategy against AA-12?
However, you yourself are unaffected by her taunting, because you know that's not the result you're headed towards.
"Oh, but we aren't the lightning…"
… BOOM!
"But she is!~"
Another explosion, this one you recognize to be that of a underbarrel grenade launcher, shot by the one and only Groza. Heat is being put on the Ringleader on two fronts now, forcing her to split her focus. Your battle plan has just begun.
To confuse her even more, you begin to move around. Your vision on her is limited, so you try to limit her vision on you just as much. She'll keep having to make new routes for her drones to attack from, burdening her neural cloud. It's not that she'll start making mistakes, she is a highly calculative strategist, whichever drones you do manage to shoot down she either accounted for or knew were in risk already. But shots that count are still worthwhile shots.
In your movements, you pass by one of the destroyed trucks. It's been thoroughly eliminated, the infantry units within being blown to pieces. You could see how some tried to crawl out of its flaming confines with only two or less limbs, before their systems gave out due to burns. The Sangvis frontline won't be getting these reinforcements at least.
It is also here where you ran into the two secret sisters, Ots-14 and Ots-12. All of you were on the move, as per the decided strategy. And now you were to continue in this strategy by switching teams once again.
"Veresk, with me." spoke Groza "We have pinpointed Scarecrow's location, so we'll be taking her out while AA-12 and Tiss draw fire elsewhere."
You nod. Odd for her to take you along to take out the big shot, but perhaps that's because of your experience of getting close and personal with various Ringleaders. AA-12 groans a bit, while Ots-12's eyes start sparkling.
"Behave, you two. Got it? Little Veresk has to go Crow hunting~" you spoke, reminding them of who is supposed to take point. You only hope that AA-12 can handle the secret weapon's pace.
"Teach her to never underestimate us secret weapons!"
"You owe me for this, Veresk."
"Alright, move out." Groza has just finished putting another grenade shell into her underbarrel launcher, prepared to make lightning strike once again. She really is living up to her name tonight.
The two groups leave cover immediately, charging into opposite directions. You don't approach the ringleader directly, making your attack less obvious. Unlike AA-12, Groza is fast as an AR-type T-doll, allowing you to move at higher speeds. Truly, her abilities in the dark of the night are a sight to behold.
"We're approaching her position now. Any preferred strategies?"
"Well, she likes to keep her distance." you point out.
"Thought as much. Then I'll approach from the front, while you circle around and open her up for attack."
You nod. It's funny how often it is your job to get into hugging distance of these one-doll armies, but it's not like anyone else present is more fit for this task. And besides, this is one Ringleader you haven't really laid your hands on yet~
You break away from Groza, circling around the area where you believe the target to be. And sure enough, you could hear her voice among the gunfire already, as well as another one.
"Ouroboros, I require reinforcements immediately. I am under attack."
"What? The frontlines appear fine!"
"A hidden force has slipped under my radar, they have already caused a considerable disruption."
"How incompetent can you be? Who could possibly manage to-? Ah… I see…"
"Ouroboros, I will require help if I am to continue supporting the frontline from here!"
"Of course. Wouldn't want to lose you after all. Just try not to die before the reinforcements arrive."
You get closer to her position, avoiding the detection of drones rather than taking them out. Groza is off making noise near the Ringleader, and once she gets close enough, Scarecrow will start backing up, right into you. It seems she surrounded herself with a few large crates and half-set-up riot walls, so you awaited her at the edge. And sure enough, you saw her. She didn't appear panicked or stressed at all, just continuously giving out orders to her drones. When Ots-14's fire started to batter against her cover, she started floating backwards, away from danger. Now's your time.
Using the crates for an extra boost, you ran and jumped the flying ringleader from behind, tackling her frame and holding onto her with all four limbs. You restricted the movements of her arms, but she managed to hold her floating form for a while, trying to shake you off. Her reaction is one of surprise and repulsiveness.
"Guess who?~"
"G-Get off of me!"
She was trying to command her drones to shoot you off, but by holding her arm it became much more difficult to properly wield the command wand, and thus couldn't risk firing at a target that's literally on her person. You try to steer her towards Groza, but the Ringleader won't just give up her personal space without a fight. The two of you collide into walls, drones try to knock you off, but you can tell she's having a hard time staying afloat with the extra weight, even if you're as small as you are. Finally, you steer her into a set of crates which causes her to lose her aerial balance and fall over, her elegant form touching the ground below for the first time since you've met her.
You've got her pinned, brought down to your level. She stares back at you with wide eyes, ones that turn to a glare a moment later. You can't help but smile smugly.
"So, what do you think of me now?~"
"... you're repulsive." she sneered.
"Aww, you hurt my feelings~ Now, be a good girl, and once Groza arrives, I might put in a good word for you and-"
"You miscalculate."
You can see the determination in her eyes. Those are the words of someone who knows they have not lost yet. She flicks her wrist, moving the command wand in various directions, then upwards. You are perplexed as to what she's attempting, until you hear the rumbling of her personal drones racing towards you from behind. One rams into the palm of her other hand, the others into other parts of her, and with their combined force they start pulling both you and Scarecrow with them, aiming upwards immediately. Suddenly it's like riding a rocket, flying through the outpost with her steering using what little control she has.
"Waaah! Never ridden a Crow before!" you call, the experience invoking that odd desire to yell out loud within you, like riding a roller coaster. Meanwhile Scarecrow was grunting, trying to wrestle for control. You can't let her, else she'll manage to shake you off. But at the same time, if you crash, it's gonna hurt. But if you got control…
"Let go, you imbecile!" she called as you just narrowly miss a wall, causing sparks as her metallic parts grinded against it. While someone might be mourning the paint job, you try to take over the steering for a bit. You spot Groza and try to circle around, hoping she might be able to shoot down this flying bird. But the ringleader notices this and fights back hard, causing the two of you to start spinning. Ots-14 won't be able to take safe shots that wouldn't risk hitting you this way. And luckily for you, she didn't seem to take that risk. Unfortunately, all this spinning is making you dizzy, and not just you probably.
Then suddenly, she starts pulling up, straight up into the sky. The distance between you and the ground keeps increasing, and you're starting to wonder just how far these things can go. You take one quick glace down, even though people keep saying you shouldn't do that in situations where you're riding flying T-dolls into heaven, and as you see the tiny forms and trees below, you…
[ ] Start screaming.
[ ] Feel dizzy.
[ ] Feel scared.
[ ] Feel sick.
[X] Feel excited.
[ ] Write-in
Not long after, you start slowing down, but you're still aiming straight up? And the drones are getting quieter?
"... overheat?!"
Not long after, you started falling down. Faster and faster, racing downwards with gravity as your anchor. Your grip on Scarecrow tightens as the two of you nosedive towards the ground.
"U-um, Crow? Any way to calculate yourself out of this?"
"Calculating… calcu… lating…!"
"Is that a yes? Is it?!"
"Will you stop yelling into my ear?!"
"I'm not yelling! You are! Can't you fly by yourself?!"
"... at this velocity, without sufficient aerodynamics we won't have enough lift to avoid direct impact!"
"... aerodynamics you say?!"
The idea struck you like a godsend. Of course, you've got just the thing a bird needs to achieve flight. A gift, in fact, from a dear friend. You pull back your poncho to reveal the Type 77 Wing Shield compartment, folded and sitting on your back like a backpack. While not directly attached onto you due to it still carrying possible parapluie infection, and you lacking the necessary modifications, it's still as easy as pushing a button to have the panels extend and spread out, so that they can be of use even as dead weight.
"What are you doing?!"
"Just start pulling up as hard as you can, alright?!"
Benelli was always too afraid to see if these wings could grant her flight. Certainly not liftoff, they couldn't flap nor did they have thrust. But with sufficient speed and height, gliding could theoretically be possible. Was the shotgun right to never test out that theory? Not like you have a choice now.
The wings extend, but you're still going straight down. You start calling at Scarecrow to start using whatever technology allows her to fly to start using it, before you turn into a crow sandwich. You even relinquish your hold on her arms, allowing her control to steer again, which would also be control to throw you off, but she knows she cannot do that without both of you turning into separate sandwiches.
Finally, the wind brushing against your cheeks starts feeling differently. Your hair is flowing at a different angle. Your sense of up and down is beginning to shift. It's working! But will it be enough? You keep holding onto Scarecrow, who is doing her best to quietly provide necessary lift. Her groaning is not very quiet.
Next thing you knew, you were feeling the brushing of grass against your knuckles and knees, and then a sudden tear, a relief of pressure on your back. The wings carried you, but not for long, and so they snapped away from your back, flying off on their own. You're not exactly sure how the landing went after that, if it could be called a landing. It was a lot of rolling, a lot of smacking into things. You lost grip on Scarecrow, your frame skipping along the ground like a bouncy ball. At least, that's what you're assuming happened, since it'd explain why the whole world is ringing. You're still clutching onto something, thought you're not sure what it is.
You don't know how long you've been lying on the ground, seconds or minutes, before your senses started to sharpen again. Blurry vision, sluggish movements, ringing in your ears… you'll never get used to this stuff.
"... guh… was this… within… calculations…?"
You hear a voice, muffled. That's Scarecrow, isn't it? Perhaps she didn't land that far away from you. The damage sounds equally bad, but you can't tell just how bad. You can hear her crawling to her feet, and possibly even standing up. But then you hear something else, a low rumble… an engine?
"Ah… reinforcements… yes, the equations were correct. There was nothing… nothing to fear."
You held your head in pain, finally managing to sit upright. You realize both your hands are operational, that's good. And since your left is to the left and your right is to the right, you assume your head is on the right way too. As for your legs… those can wait. You're still too dizzy to stand up. Just turning your head is giving you a headache. But… there's something in your hand. It feels solid and metallic, but thin at parts. Definitely not your gun, which is a big problem. A T-doll without her gun is like a T-doll missing her limb. Without it, you are definitely not okay. But this item, this thing in your hand, It's… it's a mask?
You turn your head despite the pain, you need to see what Scarecrow is doing. As your eyes focus, you can see you're surrounded by trees and fauna. The ringleader in question is standing on her own two feet, shakily you might add but standing, missing the signature mask usually complimenting her face. Before her is the back compartment of a truck, one just like those that were blown up in her outpost.
"… Crow?"
You speak, but she doesn't even seem to register your words. Maybe her neural cloud is more shaken than yours. You tempt that "getting onto your feet" thing, but… your legs are unresponsive. They don't appear broken, but you cannot move them. Before crawling came to your mind as an option, you felt a sudden pull on the back of your collar, dragging you backwards. You look back to see the cause.
"Tiss?"
She only gestures with her finger before her pursed lips, prompting you to be quiet. Thankfully, Scarecrow still hasn't noticed, too preoccupied with that truck.
"Nothing… really nothing to fear…" she kept muttering, fingers wrapping around the handles to open the doors inside "Nothing to…?!?!"
Her voice stopped, her breath hitched. As if frozen in time, she stares at the confines of the truck to find… a selection of SF infantry, but missing their weapons, and with their heads replaced by some odd looking black spheres. You're not quite sure what this means, but seeing her reaction, you can take a guess.
"O… Ouroboros?"
"It's a shame, really…" emanated the voice of the named Ringleader from within the truck, but it sounded electronic. She wasn't really there. "You, Hunter, Executioner… if only you were more useful as pawns. But yours is a small price to pay. Farewell."
"Ouroboros, you…"
"It's over, Sangvis."
Both you and Tiss turn your heads to look at Groza, who is standing quite a distance behind the ringleader, accompanied by an audible click. Her rifle was aimed forward, but higher than necessary to hit what's directly in front of her. She's not aiming to shoot a mere bullet, oh no…
The Ringleader slowly turns her head, eyes wide, layers of emotions flashing within them. She feels angry, she feels betrayed, she feels many things. You can tell far more easily, now with more than a half of her face on display. Perhaps you shouldn't be thinking this, but she's… really pretty. Which makes the whole situation all the more sad.
"This is for Benelli."
You see her finger on the trigger, about to squeeze. The determination in her eyes…
[ ] "Groza! Don't!"
[ ] "... no hard feelings, alright?"
[ ] "Goodbye, Scarecrow."
[X] Write-in : "Fire under the truck!"
