Chapter 3.1: Imperial Siege
Prior to crash
M4 stared out at the smoke columns rising from Ginza's skyline through the window. Creatures flew above, sometimes diving into Ginza, other times flying in a tight flock. They were too far away to make out the exact details, but she saw people riding on them.
The whir of helicopter blades drown out any noises save for her internal radio. It was a mess on the Griffin waves though. Reports conflicted. One might say the military is in the city while another said they were still mobilizing. Or a T-Doll might claim she saw suspected terrorists working alongside the unknown hostiles when another stated the terrorists were releasing EILDs onto them.
"Look at them, my devushka
, they act as though they own Ginza." A Russian accented voice spoke through M4's radio and the single pilot gestured towards the smoke plumes rising from the Ginza district.
Her eyes became half-lidded after she heard devushka. Levin was her assigned pilot and a Russian who insisted on calling her a little girl despite the fact she wasn't. She was merely a machine made to replace humans on the battlefield.
"I am a T-Doll, a machine made for war. It is healthier to detach yourself from me incase I am destroyed or permanently reassigned." M4 listed off that sentence so common for T-Dolls to say. Though, if she was destroyed, it would be permanent as she couldn't backup her digi-mind like other T-Dolls. She would prefer to avoid that though. Levin would become distraught if that happened.
"Yet you act like little girl at times."
M4 puffed out her cheeks. Levin chuckled in response.
"Ah, see, little girl. I wonder how you will act when alone in battle?"
"But I won't be alone?" M4 and her dummies all tilted their heads in unison.
"Ah my devushka
, do not become a dummy." Levin chuckled.
M4 crossed her arms and stayed silent. She was not going to bite into that bait. Instead, she listened to the communication between the Griffin T-Dolls to gather information and formulate plans. Lives depended on her now, especially since she was given command for ground forces. One mistake, acting too slow, or being doubtful meant humans would be killed.
Doubts still crept into her mind. Could she lead the T-Dolls to victory? Can she lift the siege on the Palace? Would she be scrapped and replaced if she failed?
She pushed those doubts aside by focusing on planning as much as she could. M4 pulled up records of an odd incident where Griffin T-Dolls faced a human force consisting mainly of melee fighters. The records didn't state what reason for that, but the T-Dolls either shot them or used their superior strength.
But how could she counter things like fantasy creatures and magic? There was no precedent for something like this. She could wing it, but what if she couldn't? People would die and the investors would see her as a fail-
M4 realigned her train of thought by looking outside to reevaluate the situation. Her eyes widened upon spotting a flock of wyverns that hovered some distance away. The riders stared, dumbstruck, at the blackhawk. M4 didn't know if it was because of not expecting it or in simple amazement. They were a fair distance away and them staring gobsmacked would give them enough time to blaze pass them.
Her hopes were dashed when one shot ahead of the flock, the others quickly falling into formation behind it. The wyverns were fast, faster than their size suggested. Already they had covered the first quarter of the distance between them in seconds.
"Uh, Levin?"
"I see them." Levin said as a hand went back and forth across the control panel, pressing buttons and adjusting switches."They're gaining on us rather quickly. If I had my weapons, this wouldn't be an issue, but I don't so you're going to have to hold them off."
M4 nodded. If the Japanese government hadn't ordered the stripping of weapons from security helicopters save for authorized ones, this wouldn't be an issue. They claimed it was for the safety and comfort of the public. Whatever the reason was, they were at a disadvantage.
Nonetheless, she can suppress the riders. It'll be like shooting bird infectees right? Just aim ahead of where you wanted the bullet to hit.
She leapt to her feet and slid open the door. Air blasted into her face which sent her hair whipping wherever according to the whims of the blasting air. M4 remained unblinking against the force, only giving a huff in response. Ok, so the speed of the helicopter in addition to moving targets would make things difficult. But she can still do this… she hoped.
Two of her dummies took up positions besides her. Another blast of air slamming into her back alerted her that the rest were positioning themselves on the other door in case hostiles were on the other side as well. M4 ordered them to hold fire until the wyverns were within effective range. They needed to conserve bullets for upcoming fights and she had no clue how long it would be until she could acquire more.
M4 shouldered her rifle, keeping track of the riders' approach. The riders primed spears, javelins, and arrows. They flew in a formation similar to that of birds. She quickly identified the leader though, a man in more ornate armor than the rest. Whenever his wyvern moved, the rest followed suit. Killing him would disrupt the rest for a few precious seconds. Perhaps it would be enough time to lose them or kill enough of them to force a retreat.
She ordered the two dummies besides her to focus fire on the lead wyvern the moment he was within range.
M4 steadied her rifle and waited. Her eyes were glued to the leader with the finger on the trigger. Just a few more meters till he was in range… now!
Her rifle kicked against her shoulder which sent an aching feeling throughout the area. She ignored it and kept the trigger press down to unleash a hail of bullets. To her greater surprise, the bullets aimed at center mass sparked off the scales of the wyvern leaving only scratches behind.
They were bulletproof? Damnit!
Still, the wyverns shrieked in either pain or confusion at what had struck them. Some panicked, turning away in a mad dash to escape. Their riders pulled on their reins in an attempt to force them back into formation. Some succeeded, others were thrown off when the wyverns were struck by bullets aimed elsewhere or strayed from their intended path.
Those bullets that didn't miss nor ricocheted off the scales sent blood flying. Men and wyvern alike fell screaming down to the earth below. Survivors bellowed cries and curses in a language M4 didn't understand or cared for. She and her dummies neutralized a good number.
Yet the wyvern riders didn't scatter like she hoped. Yes, they did scatter, but some flew to either end of the blackhawk, others darted above or below it, and the rest remained on course.
M4 gritted her teeth. Wonderful. Now they were surrounded on all sides.
Weakness, I need a weakness now. M4 scanned the wyvern for weak points. Go for the joints? No, the wyverns were shifting too much and the joints were possibly armored as well. Aiming for the eyes was an idea, but they were small and the wyverns moved too fast. The wings maybe? They seemed to be made out of a leather-like material and large enough to be hit. Putting holes in them would also result in loss of control, sending both wyvern and rider down to their doom.
M4 kept an eye on the now zigzagging wyverns as she readjusted her rifle. She analysed their flying patterns. Though the riders were erratic in their flying, there was still a predictable flow in their movements such as the leader changing the opposite direction every few seconds or so. A fatal flaw she could exploit.
She transferred the data she collected and commanded her dummies to fire. Rifles unleashed a barrage of bullets. M4 grinned when she heard the scattered cries of wyverns. Some flap their wings furiously in an attempt to remain aloft, but still they fell.
The remaining wyvern riders scattered and flew into what blind spots they thought were safe. M4 fired at any she saw, either downing them or forcing them to break off. Still the lead rider remained who shouted orders much to her frustration. Every time he shouted, the riders would dart into her vision in pairs of two where one would throw a projectiles or spell while the other readied his own.
M4 heard projectiles ding against the outside metal. They were looking for weaknesses in the heli! How much longer until they found a vulnerable place to strike?
"We're nearing Beta- gah!" Levin was cut off when the blackhawk quaked. M4 flinched upon hearing his head impacting the dashboard followed by a sick crack and the alarms blaring.
"Levin, you-"
"I'm fine, I'm fine! Checking damage."
It was then that M4 saw smoke billowing out from the rear. The blades still rotated though they sounded far more grindy as if they were working against a greater force than air resistance. The buildings below them began to rise up, slowly, but steadily.
"We're trailing smoke!"
"We're losing attitude as well and I can't ascend anymore. Not sure where they hit, but I'm still in control. Beta's within reach and Echelon One is to meet us there. I'll radio for help too. Just keep the wyverns busy."
M4 didn't respond opting to fire off round after round. She couldn't allow the enemy to strike the tailend again. Otherwise Levin would lose control of the blackhawk and it would be sent into a death spiral.
She could survive the crash since she was a T-Doll albeit with some moderate damage. But Levin? He was human, he would die or be fatally wounded even if he was augmented with cybernetics. She could be replaced with another T-Doll, a better one. Levin couldn't be replaced.
"Mayday, mayday. This is GK Hawk 3, enemy flyers engaged and have damaged my heli. Still in control, but cannot maintain attitude. I need someone to cover our landing, does anyone respond?"
"This is Griffin Command. Intel indicates that an enemy force is onapproach to Beta. Attempt to land where you can and E-1 will be redirected to it."
M4's eyes widened upon hearing the report. The enemy was at Beta? Could they land somewhere else then? Like a roof or even a wide street. Dangerous, yes, but better than facing off against three threats at the same time. One from the air, one on the ground, and one in the form of a damaged blackhawk. But the wyverns would be all over them no matter where they land. She needed to down as many as she could now!
Her shooting became wild and the dummies mimicked her firing. The spray of bullets struck the wyverns nearest. However, many either ricocheted off in sparks or flew passed them. The other riders threw whatever projectiles they had in response.
Many projectiles fell short or missed entirely. A few slashed and even embedded themselves into the blackhawk. One slipped pass the tail blades. The blades, already struggling to keep pace with the speed their pilot demand of them, couldn't deflect or snap it before it smashed into the plate that held the rotators. The mental groaned as the projectile tip penerated the metal, cutting the wires apart. It was only then the spear broke from a blade, its cackling splintering mocked the blade for its slowness in preventing the attack.
The helicopter rocked back and forth. M4 lost her footing, stumbling back. Hands flailed out in a desperate attempt to latch onto something, anything. Her fingers brushed against leather above her. A holding strap?!
M4 threw herself at it and gripped it. She held onto it with all her might, feet shuffling to rebalance herself. Then a snap. M4 had only a split-second to process that it had been the torn leather she now held in her hand. Again she lost her foot, smacking her head against the floor and sliding out the helicopter.
Her mind raced through plans and equations. There had to be a way to recover from this! But no precedent of this came to mind and the math stated a bleak outcome. She would survive if she crashed through glass, but anyone in the helicopter was going to die. By the impact itself or by the nearby enemy force.
The T-Doll crashed through the window. Glass shards shattered further upon impacting her skin, but the aches spreading all across her told M4 they left behind some injury. She attempted to roll in order to better control her momentum, but the speed and force of the impact sent her face first into the floor.
She skidded across the floor. The fuzzy feeling beneath her quickly became a burning sensation as she traveled further into the building until she slammed into something that felt like a wooden desk. The aches exploded into a sharp pain all over her body. M4 struggled to get up to her feet as her diagnostics ran a damage report and attempted to send out a distress signal.
It wasn't until the reverberating crash of the blackhawk that both were completed. A pop-up screen told M4 of the damage she sustained. She breathed a sigh of relief when it wasn't much. Surface wounds on her skin and minor internal damage from the impact. However, one red symbol alerted her that she wasn't receiving signals from any of her dummies. The cause could have been many things, but the most likely one was that they were all destroyed in the crash.
Levin... M4 pushed that thought aside. The mission came first...
She grabbed onto the desk she had smashed into to help herself up to her feet and glanced out to see the wyvern riders were flying away. They must have presumed whomever was in the blackhawk to be dead. Good for her, she supposed.
She drew herself to full height and looked about the floor she crashed into. It appeared to be a regular old office level. Plenty of cubicles, scattered office items, and wheezing breath with the undertone of gurgling blood. Wait no, that wasn't typical of an office.
Was it a human injured then? M4 double-checked her surroundings for any threats before heading towards the source. She shouldered her rifle. The closer she drew to the source, the more she heard something like rocks cracking. That sound, could it be-
"RO635 to M4A1, are you receiving? We saw a helicopter crash. Were you onboard it?"
M4 nearly leapt out of her skin when she heard the leader of the Echelon she was suppose to meet and take command of. But she managed a response nonetheless, keeping her tone low.
"I read and yes it was. I have sustained minimal damage, but the pilot was still inside. Have you found him?
"Negative. We'll keep on the lookout for him though."
M4 sighed. She expected that so for now she could only hope he was alright.
"We're enroute to your position, nonetheless. Can you stay put till we get there?."
"No. I have detected signs of EILD infectee. Possible molting in progress. I am moving to investigate."
"I read. Neutralize if it's an infectee and stay put if you can. If not, link up with us. The military will be alerted."
"Copy." M4 remained alert as she moved between the cubicles. A finger was pressed against the trigger guard, but tensed and ready to slam the trigger down. EILDs were vulnerable during their molting as they shed their metal-tough skin in order to grow. It may have been only for a few minutes, but that window was invaluable in terminating most EILDs.
The cracking of stone and wheezing became louder as she drew closer. M4 stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a chant in Latin. Her grip tightened when her software translated it into a chant praising the EILD and how ascension was at hand. One of those EILD worshipping terrorists then, probably watching an Infectee undergoing-
A human shuffled out of a cubicle. It was a man, if M4 could even call him that anymore. He appeared more akin to a corpse now with sheets of hardened silica enveloping him. His skin became greyer and greyer by the second. Clumps of hair fell down by the dozens every second. His stride shifting into a limp as the seconds ticked by.
Yet despite the obvious agony that came from this, the man smiled. His mouthed a chant that became ever more strained yet still he chanted. He cupped his hands together as though he was begging for
more.
M4's geiger counter clicked more intensely as the man turned to face her. His grin stretched till it went from cheek to cheek.
"Ah, another seeking-" The man didn't finish as a bullet lodged itself into his skull. He still grinned despite the blood flying out from the wound as he fell onto his back.
"Pre-Class A Infectee downed. Checking if it's still active." M4 reported. She stepped next to the man and nudged him with a foot. M4 frowned as she fired another bullet into his head. Infectees, even at this stage, were difficult to kill, but two bullets right into the brain were enough to kill this type."Infectee terminated. It appears the infectee was a member of those who worshipped the EILD, possible terrorist connection."
"Received. I'll alert nearby friendlies."
"Copy."
"Friendlies alerted. Is everything clear on your end?"
"Conducting another sweep now." M4 stepped around the infectee, one eye kept on the corpse for any movement while the other scanned the office. It took a few minutes to complete the search and M4 found only scattered office equipment, spilled coffee, and several magazines of dubious content."All clear. No civilians present either."
The civilians most likely fled to nearby shelters built incase of EILD outbreaks. Luckily such shelters were strong enough to withstand even a Type-D EILD so M4 didn't worry about hostile forces breaking in for now.
"Received. We're entering now."
M4 heard a door creak open at that moment. She spun around to face it, rifle lowered, but ready to fire should it be something else. M4 gave a sigh of relief when RO stepped through the door. The SMG T-Doll had taken moderate damage with her golden coat slashed apart and skin torn apart. Some areas even revealed the internal hardware underneath. Just how furious was the fighting at the Palace if even T-Dolls sustained such damage against primitive opponents?
The rest of RO's team entered the office one at a time. All were in varying states of damage yet none of that seem to bother them in the slightest. A SOPMOD II T-Doll grinning at her despite having a slash in her chest unnerved M4. Oddly, the yellow-colored dinergate sitting on her shoulder seemed to grin at her as well.
"M4… A1." RO's expressions shifted through several emotions, all of which conflicted with one another. Yet all she asked was the question "Are you ready for the transfer of command?"
No."Yes." M4 replied.
"Transferring command now."
A window popped up in M4's vision. Within it were the words
Command of Palette Team is being transferred to Military T-Doll M4A1 Gen 3. Confirm?
M4 gave a mental yes and not a second later a ping confirmed that the transfer was complete.
"You're in command now. Lead us well, M4A1."
"Yay! M4 is back in action!" The SOPMOD II cheered.
M4 tilted her head in confusion. Why was this SOPMOD II model addressing her with familiarity?
"She was formerly apart of the AR team." RO said.
M4 gave a soft oh. That SOPMOD model, the one programmed with the 'cute psycho' personality type and affectionately nicknamed
Soppo by the human staff of Griffin. She ignored the expectant look from the SOPMOD, opting to instead ask a question.
"Have you seen if the pilot from the blackhawk?" M4 held her breath. She knew the answer as Palette had made no mention of finding any humans. But she needed confirmation.
"No."RO635 shook her head.
M4 let out a breath. Of course. The T-Doll straightened up, not allowing the disappointment to nag at her.
"Prepare to head to the Palace. We need to get there before the Roman column arrives there and alert the local defenders."
A chorus of affirmations came from Palette. M4 took a moment to absorb it all. She was officially in command of an elite unit instead of a squad of dummies. Her foes were Imperial Roman Era soldiers and people ripped straight out of a fantasy setting. EILDs and terrorists were running amok as well. All of whom converged upon the Japanese Palace. Complete her objectives and she secured her future. Fail and she would be scrapped to be replaced by a better model.
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A/N: Been awhile eh? Just got caught up in some real life stuff is all. This was also rather a difficult chapter to write and it took several rewrites before I felt it was alright. Still not happy with the overall product, but I'm not going to keep rewriting it otherwise I might lose interest in continuing this. I'm also changing the name from
Gate: And Thus G&K Fought There to
Gate: Frontline as I feel the original is a tad bit too long and unoriginal. I believe the new one is shorter and more meaningful.
In other news, I recently discovered that silica is dangerous to human lungs, namely causing cancer and other lung diseases. EILD infectees use that as skin/armor. So yeah, EILDs are not only bullet-resistant, radioactive zombies that laugh at the Laws of Biology, they're also walking cancer hazards. I'm going to have so much fun with that concept.
Finally, Singularity was fun to play through, but damnit M16, it wasn't supposed to be like this.
As usual, any feedback and comments are welcomed. Questions about story details like the current fate of M4 and DEFY or the state of the world will not be answered. Other questions are welcomed, however.
