Scraps Sidelined 2: Fire Hazard (A Girl's Frontline Quest)

Memory Record: Replaying.

Vector opened her eyes as a train passed before the roof she sat on. The night sky was dark and the lights coming from the city polluted the Heavens with its dull glow. A recording played right before her eyes, projected by her Digimind as she stared at the sight of her Commander.

"This is a message for all T-Dolls currently abroad in their respective expeditions. Griffin & Krueger is currently experiencing… Some troubles."

Vector stood up from where she was sitting, her thick olive colored cloak shifting, stained from weeks of travel as her robotic eyes looked through the streets and eyed a moving black car. Her nose registered the stench of rain on asphalt, making her wrinkle her face. Her yellow eyes twinkled as she continued observing before moving.

The recording continued.

"I will make this brief. You're to be sent a time delayed information regarding a certain individual. Should HQ be unresponsive for three weeks then it'd be best to assume the worst has happened. Meaning that we most likely cocked up dealing with the Army again. More details will be presented upon the recovery of your target."

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Vector landed on a lamppost before kicking off it. She used her enhanced synthetic limbs to launch herself into the air before sliding down across another roof. She began following the car in earnest, dashing as fast as she could.

Her cloak billowed behind her as her hair swayed upon pursuing her target. A dirty hat kept her hair from flying out and covering her vision as she jumped and landed on an emergency staircase. Vaulting over the railing and kicked off the side until she reached the ground.

She turned and ran through the alley as fast as she could.

"I expect whatever Dolls we have out there to make contact with said individual. They'll explain the rest to you until the situation resolves itself. I know you girls hate this but… You'll have to trust me. We made it out of that damnable retreat, I'm sure we'll make it out of this mess."

Vector grimaced as she continued running, rushing out of the alleyway just as a black car drove by. She charged forward and used her body as a battering ram, having enough power to smash into the side of the car and flinging it over.

The car hit the ground, rolling and tumbling before coming to a halt.

Vector threw her cloak to the side of her and revealed her submachine gun, cocking it and raising it just as a car door was kicked towards her. This forced her to evade, prompting her core to overclock itself as time slowed down, allowing her to safely dodge.

She watched as a man with cybernetic implants step out, his flesh marked with implants like black spots. He towered over her and he ripped his shirt off to reveal blackened steel. He smiled and revealed his teeth to be of the same black color before charging.

Vector moved to meet him before he swung down to smash her body.

She dodged and fired at the back of his knees, forcing him down. He turned and swung his arm to which the Tactical Doll weaved through and she fired at the man's shoulder. Black blood spilled into the air as he roared in pain.

He tried grabbing Vector with his outstretched palm but she kicked his wrist down, jamming her gun into his mouth and pulling the trigger. Bullets sprayed out of his skull and bloodying her face.

The man fell dead on the ground as Vector looked at the car as another man stepped out. He was dragging another man, bound and gagged.

"Don't come any closer you piece of junk! If you do I'll blow his brains out!" the hostile threatened, pressing his gun to the hostage.

"Temporarily, that person will be your Commander. At least until Griffin resolves its problems. I'm counting on you girls…"

Vector watched the recording end as she gritted her teeth.

Irresponsible…


[] Negotiate.
[] Overclock Vector's core to slow down time.
[] Just shoot.

[] Overclock Vector's core to slow down time.

Your name was Vector and you stood in this empty street faced with a hostage situation. The individual taken hostage was a possible lead to the person your Commander wanted you to find. Failure in this scenario was not an option, given it could set you back for weeks of information gathering, at worse compromise the mission left to you by your Commander.

As such, there was no room for error. You will have to do this cleanly.

To accomplish that, you deigned it necessary to activate your 'Bullet Time' accessory for an optimal result. Your firing control system predicted the right angle while you judged the hostile from afar. You calculated the right moment for you to act as you kept your gun raised high. He was equipped with cybernetics which allowed him greater physical capabilities than normal humans.

You had to make sure he didn't get to make use of that.

"Put your gun down!" the hostile screamed, "Put it do-"

Your eyes widened as you overclocked your core, time seemingly slowing down as your calculations exceeded normal thought. You were able to take aim and fired your gun, taking careful shots at the hostile's leg and head. It only lasted for a moment but your core grew hot from the sudden exertion it was put through before the results came in.

Your bullet struck the man's leg, moving his aim away from his hostage as he cried out in pain. The second bullet buried itself through his head and passed through it, causing him to fall down. The body fell like a sack of bricks as the hostage scrambled to the ground and held up his hands. He was a man with dark skin tone and shaved head.

Physical augmentations were prominent on his flesh as he held up his hands in a panic.

"Ey, ey, ey! Hold up! Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" he cried out as he covered his head.

You ignored him and simply picked up your cloak, wrapping it around yourself once more to hide your weapons. The man simply looked up and stared at you as you wiped the blood off your face with a piece of your cloak. You then turned to him which caused him to tense up as you held your gun underneath your cloak.

"Can you drive that?" you asked him as you glanced at the car.

"Y-Yeah?" the man breathed as he stared at you, wide eyed.

"Go. Take us out of here. I have questions for you," you ordered him as he got up his feet and moved to the car to which you followed. Stepping in, you shut the door as the man started the engines and drove off.

"Where to?" the man asked.

"Somewhere quiet. Preferably where we're not seen," you told him as the car made a turn along the street and merged with the incoming traffic. You allowed yourself some respite as the man glanced at you from the rearview mirror.

"Who sent you? You one of Coney's people?" the man asked with a suspicious look, "No one told me someone's gonna bust me out. This some sort of deal or something?"

You met his gaze and frowned, "No affiliation. You are Jacques St. Paul, member of the Sewer Smog criminal underground group. You're tangentially related to my mission and that's the only reason why you were rescued."

The man's eyes widened as he gasped, "Jesus Christ... You're a Doll. Fuck this, man. Who wants my ass this time?"

"No one," you replied.

"Aren't you chicks not allowed to harm human personnel in general? The fuck is this shit?" Jacques groaned as he kept driving though his knuckles were turning white from distress.

"I have permission to engage with humans given to me by my Commander. That's as far as I can share. Now keep driving," you ordered as the car made a few more turns before driving down a freeway. The city lights glowed in the distance as the car drove itself nearing the slum area within the city walls.

The City States which filled the region typically operated with zones as their structure. The Green Zone which consisted of what was within the protection of the City walls, where the common man and those with wealth and standing lived protected from the harsh lands outside the walls and from the dangers of ELID infection. It was what made up the general population of the inner cities.

Beyond that were the Yellow Zones, worse than the slums of the inner-city, these were camps made by refugees and wanderers, those who sought access and living space within the City States were left to stay close to its walls for protection. The unfortunate whom resided here were often exploited and used by those of a higher standing within the city, preying on their desperation. It was also where branches of PMCs were located and often recruited new hands, these small organizations often aiding the City States within the walls.

And finally, the Red Zones... Harsh and cruel environments or totaled ruins ravaged by the Infection of the ELID disease. It was seldom lived in by humans and not even machines would be found here. Only the rotting dead and corpses of steel were left here, a highly dangerous area.

Getting in this City State was not easy but measures had to be taken for your mission to continue. You weren't going to let this chance go now that you were here.

Soon enough, the car stopped before a pier, overlooking a walled in bay area where ships were moored. The man at the front seat, Jacques sighed before raising his hands.

"We're here. Now can you tell me what you want?" Jacques asked with a worried tone.

You took out a microchip and handed it to him, "I need to know where this man is being held. He's privy to information I require in order to continue my mission."

"And that is?" Jacques asked but you simply frowned.

"Okay, okay! Geez," Jacques coughed before taking the chip and slotting it in his hand.

More augmentations...

It took him a few moments before his eyes widened, taking out the chip.

"Oh. Him," Jacques coughed as he glanced at you, "A man called Murray. 41 years old and former member of an old Mercenary Company back at the start of the third world war. Yeah, I... I know of him. He's been working as a Fixer of some sort here in the region. Last info I have on him would be that he was caught by some bad folks on the Upper Streets. Folks known for human trafficking and illegal weapons manufacturing."

"Caught?" you asked.

"Yeah. Was working on a case of some rich guy's son. Poor sod got himself in a pickle and was locked up. Not surprising, Fixers like him tend to get the short end of the stick sooner or later. That's just how it is," Jacques said with a shrug, "I have the info on his location. You look like a capable Doll, you planning on busting him out?"

"I am. He's my new Commander," you answered as you loaded your weapon.

.....
....
...

You stood upon another rooftop overlooking a compound. It seemed heavily guarded by augmented guards and a few monitoring drones. Your cloak swayed with the wind as you inspected the area. You double checked the information you were given and confirmed that this was indeed the place.

"It's here," you whispered as you felt the wind on your skin, "It's time to work."

[] Go loud. Fight through the compound and take the new Commander out.
[] Stay quiet. Utilize your cybernetic warfare to sneak through and quietly extract your new Commander.

[] Stay quiet. Utilize your cybernetic warfare to sneak through and quietly extract your new Commander.

You moved, taking off from your spot on the roof to land through a gap in the security and inserted yourself within the compound. You managed to quietly enter its interior before making sure that you weren't seen.

You had been observing for the past hour and had noted down the patterns of the guards and the general shifts their patrol normally went through. You were careful in your entrance as you hid by the corners out of the line of sight of both guards and the cameras. The drones seemed to be distracted enough to not take notice of you.

You scanned the entrances leading within the building and found the two guards standing by the door on high alert. Nothing had spooked them yet but it would be difficult getting in without an alarm. You didn't have much of a choice, while you weren't exactly equipped for electronic warfare, you could still do a couple of things.

You stared up the drones in the air and let out a breath, directing your will upon it as you dived into its core systems and overwriting its basic programming. You smashed through its security and took hold of its functions, making it destabilize itself before it popped and fell down. It crashed on the opposite direction of the guards, prompting them to perk up and investigate.

"One down," you breathed before holding out your hand and exerting your control on the camera to force a malfunction. Upon its deactivation, you rushed in straight for the remaining guard.

He didn't have time to act upon you getting to him and silencing his lips with a punch. You then quietly got behind his back and used his biometrics to open the door behind you, dragging him in. The other guard remained unaware as you dragged the first one through the door and let it close. You then used your strength to twist the man's reinforced neck, letting him fall.

You then raised your gun and scanned the interior of the hallway.

The holding cells should be down below. Executive personnel were stationed several floors above you. The security office was a couple of floors above you as well. Looking down on your victim, you decided to hide him out of sight and loot what credentials he had for future use.

You then continued your way down the building, finding yourself in the lower levels. There were cameras but it was easy enough to cloak yourself from their sights without outright breaking them. Too many malfunctions at once could rouse suspicion.

You kept moving, taking care to scan ahead for guards only to find few patrolling the halls. There was no need to engage since you were able to simply let them pass through on their patrol routes. You passed by several offices until you reached what seemed like a gated door. Something was being kept down beyond this point.

Taking out the access card in your hand, you swiped it and were granted entrance. You passed through and the metal door leading downwards opened up. A passage led you straight down, your hand on your gun as you carefully took your steps forward. Your senses were running high as you reached the bottom floor.

You were greeted by the sight of a wide open space filled with boxes and crates. Labor Machines were on standby in one corner while you walked forward, inspecting the crates as you passed by. Some of the boxes contained weaponry from several global organizations. You guessed that there was enough weapons here to wage war with another city state and still have ammo to spare.

It goes to show how powerful criminal elements were in this city if they were able to get ahold of these weapons.

Your footsteps echoed throughout the warehouse area before you came across what looked like several armored vehicles. Military grade from the looks of it, you couldn't help but be impressed. Nonetheless, you walked over to one of the closed shutters and used the access card. It opened up, revealing more boxes except this time there seemed to be glass tubes.

"Human augments. Preserved for storage," you identified with a frown.

There was another object at the center, a case which seemed to be held aloft by electromagnetic force. It resembled what looked like a black sword strapped unto the case with several locks. You stared at it for a moment before turning away, moving to the next closed door and opening it. The shutters lifted up and light from the room you were in flooded the one beyond you.

You held your gun up and tensed upon seeing someone ahead.

"Who's there?" a low growl came from the man bound upon a wall, a steel collar around his neck as his green eyes stared back at you.

You identified him as the man you were looking for.

"You are... Murray?" you asked as you straightened up and lowered your gun. The man said nothing and simply watched, prompting you to speak further, "I am Tactical Doll codenamed Vector. I'm here to extract you from this place, sir."

"Who sent you?" the man questioned in his rough voice, "Must be some asshole if they're thinking a Doll can help me."

"I was sent by my Commander from G&K. I have information to be delivered to you, it only said that you would be able to explain further," you replied not taking into account his dismissive words.

"G&K? I don't know anyone from Griffin... Not unless," Murray whispered before his eyes widened, "Behind you!"

You reacted upon his orders and got low, evading a deadly strike which would have sliced your head off. Rolling on the ground you raised your weapon... To find a faceless, featureless mechanical Doll wielding an iron spike. Hostile, but not Sangvis or a Military Grade D-

It vanished.

The enemy reappeared above you and swung down its spike, nearly catching you in your dodge. You open fired, landing several hits to its chest before it vanished again. It's fast. It reappeared to your side and thrust, only for you to weave beneath its blow and kick its knee. You then aimed right beside its head and fired.

It staggered back before you fired at its knee, forcing it down as it thrust its weapon to your head. You caught it, kicked its arm and wrenched its weapon out of its hand. You then drove it through the Doll's body, spearing it it like a fish.

Murray watched this all happen before speaking, "I don't know what Griffin wants with me. I'm just a Fixer. Not important enough to be rescued by you people."

"Then you're in luck. I'm no people nor a part of them," you replied as you unlocked his bindings. He fell down on his knees, you noticed that he had augments as well... Military Grade physical augmentations. You continued as you offered your hand to him, "I'm simply a Doll. A tool to be used for War. But you, Commander, are important to our cause."

Murray stared at you with a frown before brushing your hand aside, "Commander, huh? I can see where this is going."

He grabbed the black spike you had driven into the Doll's chest and yanked it out.

"Let me tell you this, I'm not interested," Murray replied as he weighed the spike in his metal hands.

BOOM

The two of you turned to see a massive floating sentry machine smash from the ceiling. It was a hovercraft propelled humanoid robot capable of three dimensional maneuvering, armed with anti-personnel and anti-vehicle weaponry. It was clad in refined steel plating capable of withstanding point blank tank shots and only the most powerful weapons could pierce it.

It had no head but the roar of its engine resembled that of a beastly howl.

It had its shoulder weaponry primed right at you.

Murray growled as he rested the black spike over his shoulder, "Oh hell... Where the fuck is my fucking sword?"

The two of you faced the enemy together.

[] Take on the hostile alongside Murray. It may be impervious to your normal attacks but it was not without its weaknesses.
[] Take the hint, force the enemy to focus on Murray while you retrieved that sword you found before. He seemed capable enough.
[] Protect your new Commander. Face the hostile by yourself and urge Murray to escape. His safety takes priority in this mission.