I Was a Delivery Android Who Was Liked By Everyone, But Now I'm On the Run With a Sugar Addict And a Snake While Building The Dream Harem!
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Firing systems... check.
Motor systems... check.
Smug levels... off the charts.
And your processing module... pierced by her bullets of love~
Follow the adventures of one SR-2 Veresk as she faces rougish villains and villainous rogues on her quest for freedom, equal rights, and a harem full of stolen T-dolls friendship!
But beware, it's not all cute girls doing cute things...~
2030 - Bellian Island incident
Upon its eruption, massive releases of ELID gas exposure in the atmosphere, extremely hazardous to human life, severely limited the amount of livable space available for the human population. The ever decreasing conditions of the land cause global industrial production to hit a new low, many manufacturers meeting the end of the line. An increasing interest in AI and robotics research has been noted both in public and professional fields.
2033
The outdoors in contaminated areas grows increasingly harmful to the human body, making survival for the human race difficult. Researchers have invested a great deal into autonomous doll technology, reaching its first experimental phase. Biometrically similar to humans, yet high end robots with exponential AI and operational ability. Be it for civilian use or military operations, they have grown very useful to the humanity.
The main manufacturers of military framed dolls, also known as tactical dolls (T-dolls for short) were the IOP (Important Operation Prototype Manufacturing Company) and Sangvis Ferri, who were collaborators at the time.
2045 - World War 3
[DATA REDACTED]
2049
Competition between IOP and Sangvis Ferri grew fierce in the past years, until the latter had won out the majority of deals while the former made little progress on improvement and development of their own models.
A Russian research group known only as 90wish had published an internet article sharing near revolutionary scientific findings in the field of robotics and AI, but has vanished shortly afterwards. Inquires reveal the group likely disbanded due to conflicting views over the publication of said findings. Two members were reported going into hiding under threat of death. The IOP saw this as a golden opportunity and contracted mercenaries for the extraction of said 90wish members. Upon retrieval, both accepted IOP's offer of protection in exchange of their continued and medicated research. By the end of the war IOP had more than tripled their doll production and popularity for militaries over Sangvis Ferri, earning many favorable reviews.
2051 - World War 3 ends
Due to waning power of governments and the increased need for humanity to exploit the resources of contaminated areas, rising private military contractors see much more business and employment. Among those was Griffin & Kryuger, a PMC working closely together with IOP.
The post war era demanded reconstruction and new foundations to be laid, and so Autonomous dolls became the leading technology used as the cheapest form of manpower, eventually entering mass production.
Advanced research offered by the two former 90wish members much improved the Autonomous doll design, allowing for enhanced frames, more human-like appearance, and emotion and personality modules. But as time progressed, conflicting ideas rose between the two, one favoring advanced AI research while the other wanted focus on the hardware instead. IOP lent support to the latter, resulting the former to defect to their old competitor Sangvis Ferri.
2057 - 16LAB
The remaining 90wish researcher was given enough funding to establish 16LAB, recruiting a team to help develop the second generation of Autonomous dolls. These came with the revolutionary etching tool and the dummy network, both research developments being publicly available on the internet, allowing anyone with sufficient knowledge to customize and modify the programming of their dolls.
2061 - The Butterfly Incident
While Sangvis Ferri was focusing on AI research and development in hopes of catching up with their largest competitor, the IOP, the highly advanced "Eliza" AI had unexpectedly gone rogue, taking over all facility systems and dolls, killing everyone employed. The whole company is now artificially controlled, and hostile. Among the reported dead was former 90wish mem-mem-mem-mem-
*thud thud*
"Darn thing, work!"
"It's no use, it hasn't seen maintenance in forever. Outdated too."
One groan of frustration later, a plug was pulled and the repeating voice glitch had been silenced, along with the rest of the terminal. The operator leans against it, sighing and shaking his head.
"Can't believe it's been that long."
"It felt longer."
"I hear ya…"
Finally, he managed to bring his head up and around, looking at her again. Clean uniform, short white hair, light blue eyes…
"Well, you don't look any worse for wear."
"A T-doll doesn't age. And the improvements provided by IOP only improved my battle efficiency exponentially. It has kept me operational for all these years. All the way to this moment."
"And you've managed to keep your true agenda hidden."
The T-doll looked to the side, lightly fixing her tactical headset. Her designated weapon sitting on her back, minimal scratching and high quality despite its age. Even with all this polish, there's no way he could forget her.
"... it was an undetectable pattern you had placed within me. And even as each one of my parts had been replaced by now, it was only through her blessing that my software had never been fully wiped, only built upon."
"Any idea why she'd do that?"
"... I believe it was in respect for the original creator."
"..."
After a moment of silence, a chuckle escaped his throat. Then a laugh. Rugged and tired, but the emotion was there.
"Heh, guess I didn't know her well enough."
"Same could be said about her towards you."
"Not a surprising observation… so, reminiscing aside, how's you know what coming along?"
"I've got all the required data here. And this abandoned command post should prove functional for the time being. Capital has also been secured, enough to suffice. Last thing required is-"
"-my input. Yeah yeah, lemme just… give it time to sink it."
He closed his eyes tightly for a second to try and rub the tiredness from them. Now he could properly look through the nearby window without putting his eyesight on the line. Not only was the sun awfully bright today, reflecting off of the snow made it difficult to look anywhere outside. He struggled to look past the light, unable to fully make out the landscape, trees and distant mountains.
"It's been a long time. I suggest you rest before starting your work."
"No… this has been going on for too long. It's about damn time a third party joined. One needs to be deployed as soon as possible."
"You mean the-"
"Yup. We're starting with one of those."
The doll had adorned a look that could best be described as suppressed worry. It is unusual to see her be this expressive. His earliest memories are of a skinless mechanical skull, clean, featureless, so far from human. Sensors for eyes, microphones for ears, a box for a voice. She had come a long way from her inception. If only he had been there for the new developments. Before he left, she was barely capable of smooth facial expressions. Now she's near indistinguishable from a living, breathing human. It makes him wonder if it isn't too late to catch up. Only one way to find out though…
"Well then, let's get to work."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Noise. Ringing. Blackness. They surround you somewhat. Mostly the latter. It's been like this for a while now, or has it only been a moment? Nevertheless, the numbness is wearing off. Your senses are returning, one by one. First, your hearing. As the ringing fades, you hear the turning of tires on mud, an engine, and the faint rush of cold wind. You feel your body shake a bit as the surface you're sitting on moves and tilts, occasionally hitting a bump. Next, your eyesight returns, you weren't blind, it simply hasn't occurred to you to open your eyes, not with all that ringing and all. So you do just that, and you see you're seated in the backside of a truck. That's when you try to move, only to realize your hands are tied. Tightly too. Then you hear a voice.
"Oh, you're finally awake?"
It came from in front of you. A girl with long braided black hair and yellow streaks, wearing a slightly torn military coat and skirt. The most striking feature is an eyepatch on her right eye, likely hiding a nasty scar. But you knew she was something else entirely. You could see it in her gaze, which should've been halved but still feels like a fully focused stare, single grey eye fully capable of replacing the missing one.
"You were caught trying to cross the border, right? Walked straight into that Sangvis ambush. Same as us, and that shotgun over there..."
She looked to the side at the aforementioned girl, who only scoffed in response. Her cyan eyes were angry, her short white hair having seen better days, partially kept together by a purple star pin. Her skin was rather pale, and blue marks did not look good on her.
"Damn you elites. Area S09 was fine until you came along. Sangvis Ferri was lazy here, had they not been looking for you I would've been back with my squad by now." she looked towards you, her jacket which was a colorful combination of white, black and purple inside but covered in dirt rustling as she did "Hey, you, we shouldn't be here. It's the AR team they want, not us."
"We're all comrades in chains now, regardless of rank."
Decide your next action:
[ ] Try and free yourself(intel 0) - those restrains can't be that hard, right? You're not human anyway, surely you can break free if you try.
[X] Look around(intel 0) - you have no idea where you are. The cold creeping on your back could either be a cold climate or a chilly afternoon. First suggestion would be to look around proper.
[ ] Remember what happened(intel 1) - thinking about what the girls have said, you may be able to piece together what happened prior to your capture. But you'll need to focus.
[ ] write-in
(This quest uses a unique mechanic called intel points, which are gathered and used passively and as a consequence of certain MC actions. Intel can reveal more about a certain action's consequences, it's probability of success, and sometimes improve the overall likelihood of a favorable outcome. In short, the more intel points you have, the more you know what you're doing.) Ignore this, the system has long since been ditched.
Hello, newbie quest master here. Just wanna let y'all know, if this seems familiar, that's fully intentional. And if it's so bad it makes you wanna bleach your eyes out, that's partially intentional too. I'm testing the waters here with a very sudden idea so terrible I just had to do it. So, sit back and enjoy this doomed trainwreck as I try to take it seriously. Since I'm still new to all this, feel free to give me suggestions, feedback, and/or criticism, or straight out tell me how much I succ. I'll try to make updates daily, though that schedule might change. I'm open to discussion too! Anyway, I'm so sorry, and have a good day! ^^'
Name: SR-2 Veresk "Heather" Type: Sub-machine gun [SMG] Preferred role: offense Background: former delivery doll for Columba Shipping Height: very short Hair: lilac, shoulder length, tied into a ponytail, black hairpins Eye color: green Skin color: fair white Appearance: Wears a white, short sleeved dress shirt, untucked and with the top two buttons open, and a red necktie with a patch covering the Columba Company logo. All that under a dark kevlar poncho with a hexagonal pattern, silver lined. On her hands she has military gloves with the thumb, index and middle finger cut out. Lower down she wears a red skirt and black tights, feet covered in black leather, knee-high combat boots with buckles. A pink scarf is tied around the neck. Sunglasses.
Weapon details: underbarrel flashlight (battery at 100%), reflex sights. Inventory:
5 magazines of 9x21 ammo
Sangvis Ferri knife (unbranded, hidden in left boot)
Adhoc vote count started by Lurkman on Mar 26, 2019 at 12:45 PM, finished with 3 posts and 3 votes.
[X] look around (intel 0) - you have no idea where you are. The cold creeping on your back could either be a cold climate or a chilly afternoon. First suggestion would be to look around proper.
[X] look around. And parallel to that, initiate full system diagnostics - from sensors to memory banks. Check if the Zenner network is available and who's online in proximity. A shotgun doll was mentioned? See if she has her shields on her and generally asses the state of your companions in imprisonment.
The back compartment of the truck you're sitting in is covered by a tent, typical for military vehicles, but you can still look out through the opening on the back. The cold wasn't just a chilly breeze, you were passing through a snowy landscape. Passing by many trees, enough to suggest the cover of a forest. A light snowfall was upon you, accompanied by wind that made the cloth flutter. This is area S09, as the shotgun mentioned, a cold region long abandoned by humans. Judging by the position of the sun, it must be afternoon. As warm as it'll probably get, but it's still rather chilly. There appears to be another similar truck following you, and another one behind it. Perhaps yours is also just following another vehicle, but what they contain is unknown to you.
Observing your closer surroundings, you try to use the Zener network, a form of wireless communication that T-doll squads use, but it doesn't seem to be working. Likely jammed by Sangvis Ferri, you are captured after all. This leaves you to only your basic senses to rely on. You observe the other prisoners, specifically the shotgun. Models like her usually carry shields, most often directly attached to them to increase effectiveness. But there were none on her. You would have had a hard time telling her type had the other girl not mentioned it. Her eyes look tired, and you can't tell whether she's wearing eye shadow or if it's just tear bags.
…
"What's up with her?"
The shotgun asked, looking at the the T-doll in front of her, the one to your side which you have somehow failed to notice before. One with loose black hair and streaks of green, wearing a dark torn shirt, grey jacket tied around her waist. Her mouth was tied and gagged, bearing double the restrains you have. She doesn't even look to acknowledge either of you. The one eyed girl was quick to respond.
"Watch it. That's elite T-doll M4A1. Our squad leader."
A shocked and worried look endowed her face upon the revelation. She knew what that meant, and somehow, you maybe do too.
"M4A1? You're the experimental T-doll capable of independent command, developed by 16LAB! But... if they've got you... oh no, where are they taking us?"
"I dunno... but, I've heard Executioner is stationed somewhere in this sector. So... I hope you've backed up to the neural could server recently."
"No... no, this isn't happening... please, this can't be happening..."
Death. She meant death. But what is death to a T-doll? It's the same as the death of a tool. It was never meant to last. It will be replaced, sooner or later. If recovered, it is recycled. Scrapped of components, material, and finally, it's memory and experience is backed up to the neural cloud server, where it is then transferred to a new model. However, the more advanced, more developed models… are graced with only one such life. This fact had made itself known with a sudden silence among you prisoners. Desperation would sink in soon.
"What is your designation, shotgun?"
The one eyed doll asks to break the ice.
"What's it to you?"
"A T-doll's last thoughts should be of her mission."
"... 12... AA-12."
"M16A1. Was a pleasure."
Eventually, your transport takes you from the snowy forest you were in before to what appeared to be a ruined civilian area. A village, if just barely. More than one battle grazed it's buildings, and many more are to come. By the end of this war, it may very well be just dust scattered in the wind, like it's long lost inhabitants. Clearly, it is currently under Sangvis Ferri jurisdiction. Every 5 seconds you pass through another defense line. Turrets, drones, dummies. The AI is not holding back here. Hard to believe Sangvis Ferri had set up such a foothold here, but it perfectly explains how they had managed to capture you and members the AR team.
You go through an underpass, and above you spot several figures. Your eyesight has fully returned, so you can now properly analyze what you see at a distance. They appear to be overseeing the operation. One particularly tall, yet not adorned by armor, nor operating machinery. Her professional stance was endowed in a dress resembling that of an old Victorian era maid's attire, yet with the typical characteristics of Sangvis' design, mainly the use of dark colors. The black hair formed neatly into two bangs did not help against enforcing that aura. One might even go as far as to call it fashionable, and oddly irrelevant on the battlefield. The lack of any visible weaponry may lead some to mistake her for a civilian doll, not programmed and designed for the arts of modern combat. But you knew she was so much more than what meets the eye. Her gaze is cold, stern, and calculating. Looking down on you and the rest, for she's above you. Above you all, Griffin or Sangvis. Literally and figuratively.
"Look at her. Agent, the highest ranking local ringleader, along with those military bots. They've been getting a lot of those lately... oh, and look, Intruder's here too. Bet this ambush was one of her schemes."
She has mentioned another Ringleader, this so called Intruder, but you did not manage to spot anyone else who stood out like that up there before they got out of view. If there was any doubt about M16's eyesight, it has now either dispersed, or doubled. Looking at her, you see her eye is still focused on something, somewhere.
"This is... huh, I know this place. Alzome they called it. Had a supply run here once... what a wild night. That hangover... I wonder if AR-15 ever remembered anything... heh, funny, at times like those I've used to feel so invincible..."
It wasn't very noticeable, but the quiet girl, M4, seemed to react this time. Something like a muffled chuckle by the sound of it, but it was difficult to tell. What with her mouth being stuffed. She still did not rise her head.
Eventually, you and the other prisoners reach a small clearing, likely a parking place, where your transport slowly comes to a stop.
"W-why are we stopping?"
"Why do you think? End of the road."
"Please no... this can't be..."
Now that you were still, you noticed there indeed were other trucks arrived slightly before you, from the backs of which more restrained Griffin T-dolls were stepping out of. They must've gotten captured in the same ambush. You can't quite get a good look at them before a commanding voice calls towards you.
"Step out prisoners! If you wish to stay operational for a minute longer, come forward when we call your name."
Nobody seemed content on sitting in the truck any longer. One last stretch of the legs wouldn't hurt. One after another all 4 of you stepped out. First was the silent one. You were awaited by several Sangvis units and two Ringleaders, the one M16 called Executioner, and one with a rebreather that seemed to be missing any sort of weapon.
"M4A1. It's been a while. You did not honestly think you could postpone your trial indefinitely, hm?"
Not only M16 had history with this ringleader it seems. Executioner starred her down with a smug grin, blood red eyes gleaming with pride. Her most striking feature was easily her massive right robotic arm which wasn't even trying to look human anymore. A great mechanical claw built for strength, clutching the hilt for a sword sheathed on her hip, it's edge looking extra sharp today. On her other hip sat a pistol manufactured in the same place as her, an energy weapon, advanced and deadly. A gentle breeze flowed through the long hair of this scary ringleader.
The T-doll did not seem intimidated though, giving a muffled response that might otherwise seem snarky. Clearly the Sangvis had no interest in the words she had to say, waving off her attempts to communicate.
"Can't say it wasn't fun. Thrilling even. But nothing will compare to this. Oh, don't worry, I'll permit you to scream just before your head rolls. After I'm done with all this trash, of course~"
Finally, it seems that M4's attempts to silently argue had been beaten. Head hung low once more, she was moved along to the middle of the opening where the rest of prisoners were gathered.
"It's been an honor, M4..."
Said her comrade, watching her go. Executioner gave her a good look, making note of her. If anyone were to guess, she's making a list in her head, sorting them by all sorts of qualities, as sick as she seems.
"Next! M16A1."
"Here."
No comments from her this time. Quietly she strode off to the rest, but not before giving you one last look. That look could've meant anything, but you couldn't quite tell what. Before you knew it, she was gone.
"Next. AA-12."
"N-no! This must be a mistake! I wasn't part of them! I had no part in this!"
For the first time during this interaction, the second ringleader had taken her eyes off the digital clipboard she had been using to list the prisoners to look at the protesting doll. Yellow calculated gaze unwavering with unmatched precision and certainty. Dark hair kept up in two loose and breathful pigtails, she might've given off the appeal of a psycho, sold by the gas mask covering the lower part of her face and faint green accents. However, the rest of her body was adorned in classy attire resembling that of a late century orchestral musician, more accurately that of a composer. This aura of professionalism overshadowed any other possible impressions, only enforced by Sangvis Ferri's typical dark color palettes.
"We have registered several transgressions against Sangvis Ferri carried out by you and your echelon. Additionally, you're under Griffin&Kryuger command, a Griffin affiliated T-doll carrying out their will. Plucking out a small thorn like you will take no effort. Same is true for your soon to be caught comrades. Once we recover your memory module, that is."
"No..."
Running low on patience, she gestured to some Sangvis dolls to push the defeated Griffin doll along. After a couple of bashes she complied, moving on her own. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, she had finally realized her situation. Over her shoulder, Executioner called to rub salt into the wound.
"Personally, I wouldn't bother with small pests like that, but orders are orders. The headsman's blade calls for thee~"
"Next... hold on... T-doll, step forward."
Seeing as you were the last one to step out, and her gaze was dead set on yours, she probably meant you. You did as instructed, what else was there to do? You face her gaze, but it was a little different this time. It's as if you could catch a small glimpse of uncertainty deep within there. She looks you up and down, but that lack of assurance doesn't leave her. It's very far from worry though. Closer to curiosity in fact.
"... T-doll, what is your designation?"
-----------------------
[X] What do you identify as?
- [ ] assault rifle [AR] - excellent balance of accuracy, evasion and firepower. Can fill almost any role on the battlefield.
- [X] sub-machine gun [SMG] - high durability and evasion without too little firepower, well suited for the frontline.
- [ ] rifle [RF] - long range specialists with high accuracy firepower at the cost of fire rate and durability, best suited for the backlines.
- [ ] machine gun [MG] - highest firepower and suppressive capability, but lacking in speed and reload time. Suggested for the back and middle lines.
- [ ] handgun [HG] - major support players, capable scouts and evasive infiltrators, but lacking in firepower and durability.
- [ ] shotgun [SG] - heavy hitters, don't evade much and instead take damage head-on using armor. Reliable tanks and capable of multi-shots, ideal for the frontline.
[X] What is your background?
- [ ] military
- [ ] civilian
- [X] corporate
- [ ] private
- [ ] nothing
- [ ] write-in
[X] What is your preferred role on the battlefield?
- [X] offense
- [ ] defense
- [ ] support
- [ ] utility
- [ ] command
- [ ] write-in
[x]Sub-machine gun
Background - SSD-62 model D, originally produced for [x]civilian market. She was first hired by a local delivery service [x]corporate. Her main body of work consisted of making package deliveries, collecting dead drops and exchanging encrypted information in-person. After proving herself to be a valuable piece of the company, she received a number of modifications. Ensuring the adequate performance in self-defense and\or personal protection scenarios. Utilizing the wide range of appearance modules provided by IOP her superiors changed her look multiple times and exploited the variety of 3rd party encryption software to ensure the confidentiality of the clients. A-doll became jobless once the company fell under investigation (mainly) for supposedly supplying the "Anti-war group" with the confidential information regarding the location of supply storages that belonged to G&K PMC. After a short evaluation of possible workplaces and a suggestion form IOP - she choose to join G&K. Or so she says, her allegiance is actually a lie. Often fills an [x]offense role on the battlefield.
"... it appears we have no records of you. You appear to be a highly advanced model, yet there's not a trace even in our stolen Griffin records... recently signed up, then? Perhaps not too late to see your mistake… you're unregistered and with little allegiance, a blank slate practically... what do we do Agent? She's not on the list."
"Disregard the list, Scarecrow. Her head will roll with the rest."
The transmission was audible enough. You couldn't tell where, but Agent was watching the whole thing from somewhere.
"Understood, Agent. A shame... you might've become a useful asset. But it is not my place to decide."
An odd sentiment given by a Sangvis. Your apparent difference from the Griffin T-dolls seems to have put you into a different spotlight, but clearly not all of them see it that way.
"Peh. The more the merrier. Line up, princesses!"
With the last of the prisoners listed and accounted for, Executioner was only too happy to get started. Off you were ushered by the obedient Sangvis Ferri dolls, towards the small gathering of fellows in chains. There were at least 11 of you, all distinctly unique, misfits in this rather black and white outpost. A light snowfall was upon you. None spoke a word. It was silent enough for a sudden clap to lead all your combined gazes to the now gathered trio of Scarecrow, Agent and Executioner, the last pointing to a clear spot on the pavement, sprinkled in dried blood.
"So, who to pick first~"
"Before that, we are authorized to give you all an option."
"Agent, this again?"
"Silence." one stern word and a glare was enough to quiet her protests. Executioner knew better than to argue with superiors, especially if it's Agent. "You are all to be executed for your crimes against Sangvis Ferri, your allegiance to our enemy, Griffin & Kryuger, and humanity. You're old, antique, inferior models, your frames outdated and programming primitive. Your only use is the confidential data you contain. However, we are to give you an option. Hand over all your data willingly, and we shall assimilate you, free you of your shackles to mankind and swear your allegiance to Sangvis Ferri. You shall be-"
"Jesus F-ucking cyka Christ, just get it over with already!"
One doll within the crowd shouted. Angry and annoyed, almost insulted by the suggestion offered. She marched forward, long messy strands of dirty blonde hair waving in the air, bound hands keeping her from fixing her red military beret. Her gaze was full of hatred, so much so that she was willing to be the first one sent to the slab if it meant not having to suffer the ringleader's preaching any longer. Agent merely returned an indifferent gaze.
"As you wish."
She was brought down kneeling, bare knees kissing the pavement, Executioner readying to live up to her name. Massive mechanical hand taking hold of her sword's hilt, she loudly proclaimed.
"First up, T-doll AK-47!"
Her light blue eyes stared into the cloudy sky as she gave off a little chuckle. Suffice to say, she was in a pitiful state. Tears, wounds and burn marks over her arms and legs, her outfit not covering much to begin with. A chunk of her shoulder was missing, once white gloves now almost black with dirt and gunpowder. She must've put up quite a fight before being captured, you can tell.
"Heh, I was hoping to die in battle, with my rifle in one hand and a bottle in the other… but I showed you anyway, didn't I? I scrapped at least a hundred of you Sangvis cykas before you dragged me here! My commander is smiling at the trail of blood I left behind! Can you say the sa-"
And just like that, it was quiet again. The Sangvis' cut was swift and efficient, uncaring for the words the doll still had to say. The blade sliced through skin, blood, flesh, and finally the indoskeleton, where a T-doll differed most from human anatomy, housing wiring and integral systems spreading throughout the body, all severed in a single precise motion. AK-47's head fell to the ground, and shortly after the rest of her did too. The dolls around you gasped, flinched, for they're watching their own soon to be demise, and it starts with them or their comrades. Executioner had the most satisfied grin on her face, as she reached down and picked up the T-doll's severed head by the hair, which was cut shorter by her blade.
"Hm… short hair suits you better. And here I thought I cut too low."
She showcased the still dripping head to the crowd, reinforcing their despair, before handing it to one of their many Sangvis dolls on standby.
"Take this to data extraction. Scrap the rest."
The Sangvis doll complied, another pair dragging the decommissioned T-doll's body away. The spot on the pavement was now smeared with fresh blood, but it was just getting started. The ringleader eyed the crowd now, scanning for another willing or unwilling one.
"Do please hurry up. We can't spend all day satisfying your sadistic urges."
Agent's request caused her eyes to roll. But having to comply, she decided it'd be best to go on random this time. Trailing a finger around and round, seeing the T-dolls' expressions shift and shudder as she passes them once or twice, she closed her own eyes to add to the tension and suspense that it could really be any single one of them to be the second victim of her cruelty. The next time her red eyes opened, they were dead set on you, her finger done moving and targeted on you.
"You there, what's-your-face! You're up next!"
The blood in your system might as well freeze. You should've seen this coming, your fate was sealed when they managed to gain hold of you with all these Griffin dolls. Sangvis Ferri treats you all the same now. And although your chainmates were given the option to join them, and you have no allegiance keeping you from accepting the offer, you have nothing to offer them. As Scarecrow said, you're a blank slate, unfortunate enough to be labeled the same as them, a threat. You have no classified Griffin information stored within you, yet you're to be executed like you do regardless. The words of that shotgun, AA-12, might've not been so wrong after all, but none of it matters now. As M16 said, you're all comrades in bounds and chains now, to be sent to the slab. With nothing to offer in exchange for your life, you are pushed towards your fate, either on your own accord or by the cold hands of Sangvis dolls. So close to her now, the most notorious guillotine around, her crimson gaze said it all. No need for words, you were brought to your knees on the blood stained pavement, and what followed next was anxious anticipation. Knowing it's coming doesn't relieve any of it. You might not be capable of shivering, but you definitely would've, feeling the low hum of her highly advanced blade lining up, it's no comfort that it may be the last sound you'll ever register. Or it may, perhaps you've already made peace with it. It's all the same in the end.
"Any last words, T-doll SR-2 Veresk?"
... From my veins red ink may spill
And within my eyes, devoid of will
BOOM!
If not forgiveness for the father's sins
Yet I'm not even his child
No matter whether your eyes were open or closed as death approached, your ears would not be able to miss the sudden explosion that penetrated the silence like a tank shell. Hell, it might've actually been one for all you know. There was rubble flying past, shockwave brushing over the light layer of snow. You were knocked to the side, and your ears were ringing again. But you could hear the muffled voices of those still near you.
"The Manticore?! Didn't we have it hacked?!"
"It must've been overridden. Damn that military tech!"
"All units engage and subdue the hostiles!"
You saw the three ringleaders leave your field of vision with haste, and gunfire followed. They left you there to lie on the pavement, arms still bound. The situation must be dire, you can see flashes from the corner of your eye. If you can only turn and look, but then something yanked you by the shoulder and wouldn't let go. It dragged you, along the cold snowy ground, seemingly with no regard for your comfort. Fortunately, it seemed to take you away from the raging hellfire, so that might excuse it's hasty rudeness and grabby hands.
"C'mon, get up, while your head's still attached!"
Now you know who the rude corpse dragger is. M16 is quite strong for an AR T-doll. You would've complied with her commanding tone, but being dragged around with restraints on doesn't make that easy. How did she get hers off anyway? You were all stripped off all your weapons, how'd a damaged model like her cut herself free and still care about saving you of all people? Who is she to pull your face through the dirt like this? You can get up by yourself just fine, just gotta wait for her to be done dragging your ass… though, it looks like by the time you finished this mental debate she had already done so. The sound of battle was a little more muffled, a wall in between you and the firefight. You can sit up straight and look around now. It was a rather bland room you were in, almost empty except for a couple of turned tables, paint falling off, windows blown out, door kicked in. It was probably way prettier back when humans used to reside in the area. Now it's taken over for the purpose of war, and Sangvis Ferri has no use for furniture other than cover. Aside from the considerable lack of it, the room offered a colorful selection of misfit Griffin T-dolls. Among them were luckily the courageous M4A1, the complaining AA-12, and of course M16A1, among others that were meant to die today, and maybe still have yet to die.
"Oh god… AK47…" one whimpered.
"This is madness, what the hell is going on!?" the notorious shotgun asked, hoping anyone would know. Your savior was quick to reply.
"The military units Sangvis Ferri had hacked have suddenly started rebelling. I've never seen anything like this before."
...
"... think this might've been Sop and 15's doing?"
Out of the corner of your eye came M4, surprisingly already rid of her restraints and looking less like a wet rag. Seriously, how did they get free already? She spoke to let you hear her voice for the first time.
"Could be. I have no idea how though. Sangvis Ferri is thorough with their security measures."
The shotgun was not satisfied with the answer though "Well, their plan could've used actual thought. Those things attack anything in sight, even us!"
"Will we get slaughtered?"
"With these odds…"
"We shouldn't lose hope, right?"
"But what if it's pointless...?"
Negativity spread among your momentary allies. It was infectious, accelerated by the doom just outside. The kind where one would have to make a conscious effort not to be consumed by it.
"Everyone listen!" M4 called, demanding their attention. They all had enough to spare for now "Our first priority is to rearm ourselves. Our equipment couldn't have been disposed of yet, and the chaos outside will buy us time. Then we can push for an escape while they're busy fighting themselves."
"And where the hell are our weapons?" asked the impatient shotgun, to which M16 replied again.
"They were transporting our equipment in a another truck. It took a different turn just before this block, so it can't be far. We could have a look around from the roof of this place."
"Affirmative. Everyone retreat to the upper levels before they find us."
All the dolls nodded and complied at surprising speed. Once everything was made clear, these autonomous soldiers seem to have thrown doubt away at a moment's notice. Admirable, if pitiful too.
"Yeah!" called one of them. A rather short looking one. Milky white hair and a smile that could melt ice, accompanied by a salute after she fixed her red hat. "The legendary M4A1 will lead us to victory!"
Looking at M4, her expression did not change, cool as always, though there was something you could pick up in there, in her eyes. The struggle to keep it so.
"Just follow my command and we'll all get through this. I swear."
With their orders distributed, they picked themselves up and headed upstairs. You might as well stand up now, the ground is cold and dusty. That's when M4 looks at you, giving a proper look over your features for the first time. Her gaze settled on your restraints. At last someone noticed.
"M16, you forgot to cut her free too."
The one eyed girl turned to her direction, but didn't look at either of you directly. She scratched the back of her head, similarly to how one would do when faced with an embarrassingly awkward situation.
"Yeah… you know the knife I stole and used to cut us free? Well, it found a nice Sangvis head to get stuck in. Sadly I… kinda left it there in the panic."
Your hero…
M4 gave out a sigh, one that could be associated with anger, disappointment or frustration, or all at once. But she was quick to offer a solution.
"Maybe one of the other dolls will have one. C'mon, let's go."
With nothing but odd looks to give them, you can only comply and follow. Anything's better than standing near a door that can't even close when there's hell outside. As you're heading up the stairs, you take this relatively safer moment to process the most recent events. You just barely managed to keep your own head attached during an execution, thanks to the sudden rebellion of robots Sangvis Ferri thought they had under control. This created an opening for you and the other T-dolls from Griffin to escape to a nearby building. Now you're heading upstairs to hopefully spot where everyone's equipment has been stored, including their weapons. But surely you could do with more information, what you've got is the bare minimum. It's time to finally open your mouth and inquire.
What will you say?
[ ] "... Thanks for dragging me out. So, where are the other two? Isn't the AR team comprised of 4 members?"
[ ] "What's the plan after we resupply? We are still outnumbered, outgunned, and surrounded."
[ ] "You elites are something else. Getting people in and out of trouble. How'd all this start anyway?"
[ ] "Something's not right here, how can Sangvis machines just rebel like that? What could possibly cause this behavior?"
[X] "... The Zener network is still offline, and I don't know the other T-dolls. So, either of you care to fill me in?"
[ ] Write-in
[x] "... the Zener network is still offline, and I don't know any of the other T-dolls, so… either of you care to fill me in?"
The words left your mouth, though you did not stop walking up while they address your question. With the others a distance ahead of you, enough for them to not hear you converse, M4 kept facing forward while M16 turned to look at you while speaking.
"Well, there's AAT-52, machine gun, Astra revolver... FN-49 and M1 Garand, those two are snipers, Scorpion is an SMG…"
She made periodic humming noises as she remembered the individual T-dolls. It could suggest that they haven't been together for that long. M4 took over when the pause became too long.
"So is MP5. They may appear small, but they're capable. Their unique set of skills will help us if we coordinate right."
That's all 6 of them. Including you three and that shotgun, that's 10. You don't know how many more there used to be, aside from the eleventh one that perished just minutes ago before your very eyes. M16 continued.
"AA-12 and the SMGs make a great defense line, while the rest of us lay down fire from behind. I've seen 49 and M1 shoot, they can cover us from quite a long distance, they're pretty good."
M4 then further elaborated.
"AAT-52 may not be very accurate, but Astra can help with strategies that will increase our battle effectiveness."
"So we have quite the team then. Balanced, and I can switch roles no problem if need be. Though, we're down one assault rifle…"
A moment passed as they remembered another fallen. But now is not the time for that, as they quickly change their train of thought to more productive levels again.
"Veresk can jump in for her." M4 suggested.
"Yeah, that's right. SMG was it? Scarecrow mentioned you're an advanced model, didn't she? Guess we'll see once we get you your gear back. We'll all have to fight like hell."
"Our overall battle effectiveness should remain the same then. Let's hope it's enough."
Hope?
M16 did not seem done with questions though, since they already were at the subject of you...
"By the way, Veresk, Scarecrow also said S.F. had no logs of you, not even in those that they have stolen from Griffin. Anything you want to sha-"
… Boom!
It seems the day did not have it's fill of explosives going off in your immediate close vicinity, and decided it'd be adequate to have one happen just as you were proceeding to the third floor. This was no building made for war, the explosion tore through its wall as effectively as it should. The stone bricks crumbled, as did the floor below you, and not only was the lack of solid ground messing with your balance, so was the shockwave. Your reflexes could not save you from the fall, and neither M16 or M4, thought they managed to save themselves. So much for elites. The impact with the ground wasn't exactly pleasant, and your ears just can't get enough of that ringing, but the damage isn't crippling. With just a shake of the head, you can pick yourself up from the snow… snow? It seems you fell out the side of the building entirely. Conveniently in an alley, but now you can't see the shooter.
"Hey! You alright?!"
Called a voice from above. You look up to see M16 gazing over the edge. You two make visual contact, and she confirms you must be fine.
"Get your ass out of here! You might stumble onto the truck with our gear if you go the way we came. Look, we'll find you, alright? Just stay out of sig- damn!"
Her instructions were cut short by a bullet whissling by, forcing her to retreat back inside. Of course they knew their location now, they already shot a rocket your way. But you may sneak away under the commotion now, maybe you haven't been spotted falling out.
Just before you could become sure of that assumption, you can hear the mechanical steps of a great machine uncomfortably close. Looking in it's direction, you can see it's hulking frame just entering the alleyway you're currently in. Heavy military bot, lacking Sangvis Ferri's logo, meaning it's one of the currently berserk ones. A destructive ordinance launcher on four powerful armored joints, it's metal "head" turned square at you. You did not need M16 there to tell you to run, the circumstance flat out spelled it out for you. So you ran, as the beast was already onto you. Luckily, you're a sub-machine gun type T-doll, it's reaction time is no match for yours and your maneuverability. Hearing it's weapon systems rear up, you engaged evasive protocols. The snow and dirt below you gave way to the now powerful stomping of your feet, as each step propelled you forward at high speeds. Your legs feel stiff after this long day, but this is no time to be whiny. Bullets are already whizzing past you. You strafe and doge, all while making a mad dash out of the alley. The gunfire peels layers off of your surroundings, hitting anything but you. If it could get frustrated, it probably would've. You're like a fly seemingly untouchable by the oversized dangers after you, racing for an open window.
Finally, you exit the alley and dash to the side. Line of sight was broken, and the military bot could no longer target you. It might engage pursuit, but you're way faster. Unfortunately, this now leaves you in a street, open to the smoky cold air and all it has to offer. On one side, the berserk military bots, only humanoid in silhouette but otherwise covered in thick armor plates, designed for war. On the other, Sangvis Ferri, elegant but deadly all the same. It was difficult to tell who had the upper hand, SF might have actual command structure and latest technology, but the military bots caught them off guard from within. The only thing that might convince you otherwise is the command force present in the current sector.
She seemed harmless last time, no weapons on her person, and a form too elegant, but so was her technology, and the title of ringleader is not to be taken lightly. What she held physically was a small black rod, not much unlike a composer's, but what it allowed her to wield outweighed many a weapon. Drones, highly advanced and unique to her, covering all flanks while delivering relentless offense, all while she directed the battlefield and her Sangvis forces like one giant orchestra, her enemy - the audience she's going to kick off their heels. Scarecrow, although not designed for direct combat, is still a menacing foe in the right position, all while displaying a gracefulness to behold. Her tactics alone give her forces the advantage to hold the line. So, where does that leave you?
Precisely in her field of vision.
"... You're alive? Impressive."
With a flick of her wrist, she redirected forces to a weakpoint in their frontline, keeping the enemy from advancing. It also conveniently covered you from fire, thought it is unknown if that was her intention.
"... you seem lost. Abandoned by your friends from Griffin, are you?"
Not an entirely accurate statement, as just one glance at the roof of that building will reassure you that they're looking out for you… or so you thought, as you could not see anyone glancing up there again. However, as you were about to respond to Scarecrow's still bold assumption, she raised a finger for you to pause for a second, her eyes to the side like she's listening to something. You couldn't really argue with her commanding aura, even with that machine from before likely halfway through that alley already
"Scarecrow, redirect forces from sector 3A to sector 1B, it's facing heavy resistance."
"Affirmative. Sector 2A under threat, manticore unit approaching."
"Mortar units sent from sector 3B. Should prove sufficient to deal with the scrap."
"Support accepted. Will return units after threat has been eliminated."
"Additionally, you yourself retreat to the control center Scarecrow, we'll handle field command from here."
"Understood."
Another flick of the wrist, and the whole formation was shifting. Units switching places, altering attack patterns, and sending spare units elsewhere. Agent's command was instantly set into motion, the ringleaders had perfect synergy. With her transmission done, Scarecrow redirected her attention back to you.
"You're still here? Good. Follow me if you wish to stay operational, T-doll called Veresk."
With that she strode off... or, well, floated off. Her ability to hover is impressive, even if you can't quite tell how she does it. Perhaps it's her personal set of drones, but without proper schematics it's difficult to guess. You might've weighed your options, but with military bots on one side, Sangvis forces on the other, and that manticore still on your tail, you realize following her - and that quickly - is the only real option you've got at the moment. She must have a reason for not immediately executing a prisoner like you, and the control center sounds like a promising place. So you follow, Sangvis forces covering your path as you do.
"Keep your head down if you wish to keep it. It's quite the commotion that's transpiring… I don't suppose you'd know anything about it?"
How do you respond? [ ] "I'm as clueless as you are… where are we going?"
[ ] "Why should I answer to you, Sangvis?"
[ ] "I don't, but the other dolls might. I know where they are going, so how about a deal?"
[ ] "... your defenses are impressive, but I doubt they'll hold. I suggest you order a retreat."
[ ] "I dunno... would you be a dear and untie me first? My nose is itchy…"
[ ] Make a run for it (intel 2)
- thinking about it now, you can use this moment to slip away. You heard they redirected units from sector 3B, meaning it could be somewhat less under fire to be able to spare the forces. It should be in the direction of the units Scarecrow is sending to sector 1B, just have to look for a weakness along their defense line from there. Of course, assuming you don't get shot dodging a hundred bullets the second they're onto you.
[ ] Remain silent and look around (intel 1)
- for all you know, the Sangvis could use anything you say against you, so silence might be preferable. You have an idea of where you are, but one can never remember too much at their surroundings. Besides, the other Griffin T-dolls have definitely already made their move, and are likely moving from rooftop to rooftop. You know where to look if you want to spot them.
[X] "What an incredulous assumption, coming from hailed scout of Sangvis Ferri. How can a lowly, outdated rust bucket of an I.O.P Doll ever have the means to posses data unavailable to the far advanced reconnaissance Doll, such as yourself? Are we not far in the domain of the Iron Blooded, with your gaze coming out of every grunt and your ears flying by the drones and your voice silencing Zenner and other radio babble though beacons? That must all ensure the total control over the battlefield information where not even a microdrone could pass, let alone several walking tanks..."
Your mouth could be quite sharp when you wanted it to be. Who needs a knife when words can make you bleed as well? The words rolled off your tongue, and you can't help but feel real smug about it. But somewhere in the middle of your statement, Scarecrow stopped and waited patiently for you to finish. None of the following words seemed to really move her at all. She simply stood there… well, floated there. Facing away from you, looking off. Then you finished, and after a short silence - or as silent as a raging battlefield can be - she turned back to you. She slowly approached, with an expression of calculated superiority she did not seem to be enforcing as much before. There was something cold within there, the typical cold of a Sangvis, which grew only more evident as she got closer. She stared you down, higher even if she weren't afloat. It actually seemed like she was floating a little bit higher, likely in an attempt assert dominance. The next words came out of her mouth like a pair of aces to clear the deck, something to clear the smug off your face.
"564.789.126."
Their context was confusing, and their purpose eluded you for a moment before realization kicked in. It's coordinates, that much is clear. But to what, you can only guess. Thoughts race through your processors as you assume the worst…
"That's right. I know where they are. I guess you could say that I knew all along. Trash like them could never hide under my own radar. Pitiful Griffin scrap, that's what you'd get as one of them. Barely worth the bullets they're all missing. All in the name of their cowardly human masters."
She got even closer, forcing you to [ ] Step back, or [X] Stand your ground. Yellow gaze piercing into you, scanning. Like you could see things in the eyes of others, so did she in yours right now. This is a doll that deals in numbers, percentages, and assurances. Every bit of information she obtains is thoroughly processed and added into the massive equations that serve the interests of Sangvis Ferri, and her own.
"But listening to your little attempt at a mockery, I wonder now… were you so pitiful that even scrap like Griffin left you behind? Just look at yourself, barely on two legs, a T-doll without her weapon, so useless not even they wanted you…"
Without looking, she extended a hand to the defense line on your right. A single motion caused one of the units to approach. A mortar artillery unit. It was branded by S.F., unlike the military bots they're currently fighting. Slick in design and much more modern, dark purple and black as is their custom. Using her connection, Scarecrow redirected a small part of her processing power to aim it somewhere very specific. You both knew where. It'd be close enough to see the explosion no doubt. And they likely have no idea...
"Doesn't that make you mad? That bottom feeders like them treat you so disposable? Wasn't it them who got you into this mess in the first place? … don't you want to make them pay?"
Several clunks and gear turns, and the artillery was locked and loaded. The aim was constantly being adjusted slightly to take into account the ongoing movement of the target which she was still somehow aware of. You might've been mocking her, but her ability to survey the battlefield is something else.
"It would be preferable to capture them in less than several pieces, but let's be honest, they deserve worse. If you'd like, we can let an… accident, to occur. So, what do you say, Veresk? Do you agree that Griffin isn't worth anything? After all… you're not worth anything to them."
How do you respond? [ ] "... do it."
[ ] "You're wrong. They care... And you'd be disobeying orders if you fire that shot. Agent wouldn't be pleased with that now, would she?"
[X] "They'll suffer more if you extract Griffin's data from their intact bodies. Even revenge can be professional. I expected you of all people to know that."
[ ] "You're bluffing. You're trying to pull my strings. I'm no-one's puppet, Scarecrow. And your attempt at manipulation has failed as spectacularly as your illusion of control."
[ ] Write-in
[X] "They'll suffer more if you extract Griffin's data from their intact bodies. Even revenge can be professional. I expected you of all people to know that."
There was a slight pause as Scarecrow started analyzing your words. Another thorough calculation. It wasn't as much as the point you were trying to make that she was focusing on, that much you can tell. With that long, hard stare she was giving you, she was looking at something else entirely. She had not only your words to work with, but your tone, your expression, every twitch of your face, while you had only her eyes and voice to go off of. It seems that on literally every field, at the moment, she has all the advantages. Or maybe you just have all the disadvantages. Who knows how this battle of wills would go were you two on even ground? How might a battle of strength go? If only your arms weren't bound, and you had your weapon, and ammo, and had some maintenance, and something to eat, and you weren't surrounded, and… yeah, it seems you've just got all the disadvantages.
"... heh…"
What was that? The sound that emanated from that scary looking gas mask you have not heard before. Could it be that this Sangvis ringleader just chuckled?
"... it seems my calculations were accurate once again… in the end, we are more alike than you think."
Her words as elusive as ever, she let her hand drop to her side, relinquishing control of the artillery launcher. Resuming its standard directives, it returned to the firing line to support the defense force. The shell meant for your fellow T-dolls was never shot in their direction, and that one danger has been taken care of by your smart thinking. Now they've only got the whole battlefield to get through, momentarily unarmed. Still, that's one danger off their back, one they didn't even know about, in favor of the increased possibility of a much worse fate than being blown to bits. All thanks to you.
"Preferring logic and results over petty self satisfaction. Griffin doesn't know what they're throwing away."
With that simple comment, she allowed you some breathing room and hovered backwards. Just like that, you were back to where you were before, following your captor through the battlefield. She did not need to beckon for you to follow. With nowhere else to go, it's clearly the only viable option.
"You know… Agent's offer still stands."
She remarked nonchalantly. It is a rather cool, almost casual conversation she could keep up amongst the battlefield. Looking around, the line was still held. But you were approaching a point where the fighting was getting louder and more sporadic. Sangvis clearly had a harder time holding out here. When a unit was destroyed, the formation shifted immediately and awaited reinforcements. One such unit had just met its demise barely meters from you. It's metal parts flying around, severed hand landing at your feet. You [ ] Kick it away / [X] Walk over it. Scarecrow frowns at the sudden weakness in defense, manually making adjustments to their units' attack patterns to suit the situation better. It seems to have worked, but time will tell for how long. With that she continued on forward, still bothering to keep you along for some reason. The conversation continues.
"If you prove that you can be of use, you will be spared. You don't have to share the same fate as those Griffin dogs. They are beyond salvation, so fixated on catching sticks for petty humanity. They won't even consider the choice we are giving them."
If you can trust her tone, her words seem sincere. Or as sincere as a Sangvis can be, she was already leading you on for quite a while, the chances of her lying again could only have increased. Then again, knowing Sangvis' brutal efficiency, attempting to recruit you as a legitimate asset makes sense. You have nothing to offer for your life than yourself. Your demise is nobody's gain at the moment. You think on that, as you approach a building, a label above it's entrance saying "police" in a foreign language. You can't even tell what language, you just know how to read it. You always did. You guess… you see that conflict here is so far the worst. To reinforce this area, she sent her personal drones to offer support, like just for the time being. Her continued levitation eliminates the possibility of the drones being the cause. She continued towards the building, probably intending to enter it shortly.
"How about it then? Now that you're alone, were we to give you the same choice, let you decide for yourself, what would you choose? To die as a slave, or to rise above your creators?"
"Only in your dreams, Sangvis scum!"
That familiar voice caught the attention of both of you like a hit in the flank. Your combined gaze darted to the source, and though you might've been surprised, shocked or cheered up by the sight, Scarecrow was visibly irritated beyond belief. M16 stood a small distance away at the building's garage, once likely used for service vehicles for the city police. The barrel of her rifle was aimed square at your captor, locked and loaded, only an itchy trigger finger keeping the hail of bullets away. Scarecrow was about to counter.
"... you persistent little-"
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." warned M16 wearily "One hole in that defense line and we'll both be swarmed by military bots. You can spare no forces to attack me."
"Aside from myself, which is far superior to just one of you."
The Griffin T-doll chuckled, flashing a confident grin.
"Is it? You're already dedicating a large chunk of your processing power to command your forces. Additionally, the other Ringleaders can't abandon their posts to help you out."
The Sangvis scoffed, hateful stare not subsiding even for a second.
"I don't need to be at optimal battle efficiency to take care of a rust bucket like you."
"You willing to bet on that?"
"..."
A tense silence followed between the two. You might even think they've completely forgotten about you, were it not for a periodical glance from your wannabe rescuer, and the supposedly all-knowing gaze of the ringleader making you uneasy.
"You slightly exceeded my calculations... How?"
"M4 knew there was no way our movements weren't being tracked. But we knew this town, so once we split up and chose our targets, it was as simple as going from point A to point B. Since the other group never stopped moving, you never picked up on the split up."
She did not reply immediately, processing the information properly first. You could see her eyes becoming more calculative, but she never stopped watching every motion of her enemy's body, prepared for evasive maneuvers.
"... hmph. Decreasing your numbers must've severely impacted your survivability. Should any of you have fallen into direct combat…"
"We decided to take our chances."
"Of course you did. What's a few T-doll casualties compared to the survival of the AR team? Guess I should've taken into account your recklessness."
"Twist it however you like Scarecrow, but you still screwed up. Now, you better keep that defense line from falling apart too. Oh, and speaking of which, you should really check on your command center, while it's still standing. Veresk is coming with me."
Now, despite her difficult position, it was Scarecrow's turn to chuckle.
"And who said she wants to? You see, Veresk? You're already being treated as property."
"Don't listen to her. She's messing with your head. Sangvis will do and say anything to achieve their goals."
"You've stalled enough of my time. Come Veresk, we'll deal with her and snuff out the rest later."
"Hah, you wish! C'mon Veresk, let's get out of here together."
"Yes, let her drag you to her Griffin commanders to properly enslave you. There's no future for you with them. Considering the options, there really is only one sensible choice in this matter."
"Indeed, there is only one choice to make here."
With their bickering done, they now look to you. Both seem to be sure enough of themselves to let you decide by yourself, for each thinks you'll say no to the other. The Sangvis is waiting for you at the building's entrance, M16 at the garage, making a bit of a triangle with you. Asking you, the blank slate, to join one of them. On one side, the cruel, cold and efficient Sangvis Ferri ruled by dolls and AI, on the other, the free Griffin&Kryuger PMC, led by humanity. Both have drastically differing opinions of each other, and you have no way of knowing who's right for sure until you see it for yourself. Of course, maybe you don't care about joining either at all, and merely want to ditch them the second you're out of this warzone. But whoever you chose, it pretty much eliminates all chances to join the one who's side you refused in the future, so it's be foolish to take this matter lightly. You better not stall either, or conflict will ensure. Decide now, or you might as well throw yourself into the frontline now.
What do you decide? [ ] Follow Scarecrow
[X] Follow M16A1
After careful but quick consideration, you make your choice, probably the most important one this day, this week, even this month. Words weren't necessary, you merely followed the one you thought to be truthful, right, or simply better than the alternative. M16 smiled as you approached, but you could feel the glare of the Sangvis drilling into you. Maybe more than disappointed she was insulted, even more than when you mocked her. Perhaps she wouldn't be against taking you by force, but currently she's powerless, irritating her all the more. She stood her ground however, Sangvis aren't overcome by their emotions, they believe themselves to be better than that. So she let's you join her enemy, as agitating as it was.
"Such a shame… by joining them you'll be labeled as a liability, and an enemy. We'll be forced to hunt you down for a long as you associate with such dead weight."
"Right now you won't be hunting shit. Better luck next time! Let's go Veresk."
She gave you a nod, it's time to leave. You two entered the garage, leaving Scarecrow to her devices, alone.
"Better leave quick while she's preoccupied." M16 says. Through the garage you enter the police station proper, but she leads you to the right side of the building, away from the entrance the ringleader used. It was quite big, you're currently being led through some sort of office area, once used by the humans that lived here. It wasn't as empty as most structures occupied by Sangvis Ferri, but the stains of time still left their mark here. Where workers once were overflown with paperwork and filling out reports while stuffing themselves with coffee now only lay dusty desks, wet walls and empty mugs. Not all that drawn to the decaying interior, you look at your second time savior, mainly her weapon. It was the one she was etched with, the one who's name she carries, the M16A1 assault rifle. While your arms still bound.
"We found where they kept our gear."
She said, noticing your gaze. Her perception despite being one-eyed has not faded at all.
"We're heading there now, the others are waiting. After that, we'll regroup with M4 and her echelon."
It was a bit of a walk, up a staircase and through a couple more rooms, until you two came across an open window. M16 checked through it, making sure the air is clear before giving you a nod and jumping straight out. Normally you wouldn't jump blindly through second story windows, but she was your only way out of here and expecting you to follow. So you did, landing on a wobbly surface. The roof of an old car, if creaky, helped you stick the landing. M16 gives you a thumbs up, saying "Good, your motion sensors working." and quickly leads you into the neighboring building. You should be a relatively safe distance away from Scarecrow by now, and you already feel more at ease without her watching your every move.
"You've done well, staying alive for as long as you did in that hellfire, completely unarmed. Though, I never saw a Sangvis show that much interest in someone… guess that means you're pretty special, huh?"
Her curiosity was understandable, and whether or not you wanted to satisfy it, before you had a chance to talk you were ambushed by another familiar voice. Would've made you jump had today not left you so numb.
"Miss Veresk!"
If you remember right, it was one of the dolls you were with before. The first one to cheer in support of M4's plan, the small SMG known as MP5. You knew it's her by the weapon she held. She ran out of an upcoming room to greet you and M16 with a quick salute.
"You're alive! I knew miss M16 would rescue you!"
"Eh, I wouldn't take all the credit. I just showed up to point her into the right direction. She's the one who held her own against a ringleader."
M16 friendly punched your shoulder, letting you shine before the little one some more. How oddly supportive.
"Woah… we're so glad to have you. The others will be so glad to see you're ok!"
Despite her pale cheeks being bruised with dirt and gunpowder, she flashed a smile full of confidence and reliability, almost beaming up to you. M4 did describe her as capable, if small. So if she made it this far, she must be.
"MP5, where's Garand? We need to get Veresk's restrains off."
"Oh, miss M1 is-"
"Right here."
And another griffin T-doll showed up. Long blonde hair and a rather calm gaze, her uniform was one of simple militaristic class, if a little torn from the rough day. Her rifle slung to the side, she approached you unsheathing a combat knife.
"I don't believe we've met properly yet. M1 Garand, rifle T-doll of Griffin. It'll be a pleasure to serve alongside you. Now, let's get these restrains off…"
She took your hands as gently as one would a valuable piece of equipment, and a couple quick pulls were all that was needed to sever the cords limiting your movement. Finally, your hands are free, and you can't help but take this moment to stretch out, shaking your fingers, pinching yourself just for good measure, running your hand through your [X] Liliac hair, which is about [ X] Shoulder length. Though, whatever style it was in did not survive your capture, leaving it rather messy. But it's no immediate concern.
"Garand, how's the situation outside?"
Giving you some space to bring life back into your upper limbs, she looked back to your momentary squad leader. All the while she was checking over her knife, even though it looked fine.
"Not ideal. It was rather clear until recently, when the Sangvis defense line started falling back more towards our location. It's like we're being circled in. Is it possible we've been spotted?"
Hearing the suggestion, you give an all too knowing look to M16, who once again just looks to the side, scratching her head with an awkward smile.
"Yeah, about that… Scarecrow is onto us. But don't worry, this actually works out in our favor. More troops above approaching our position means less troops below."
"Below?" asked the small SMG, a little worried about the previous statement of being found out, but curious. M16 flashed a more genuine, reassuring smile.
"Not even Sangvis knows this town like the AR team. Though, I hope you're not squeamish about sewers."
"Eeek!" squealed MP5, shuddering. The taller rifle T-doll did not seem too pleased either.
"This is… not how I imagined spending today…"
"We'll live. Speaking of which, have the weapons been gathered?"
The small SMG set her worries aside as she started reporting the status on the subject matter.
"Ah, yes! Miss FN-49 has them all bagged, along with the ammo too. They're ready for transport to the others in miss M4's group."
"Good. Where is she?"
"H-here!"
Into your view stumbled another rifle T-doll, one with long brown hair, a colorful dress, topped off by a small hat, all equally damaged as with all the others. Although there was no immediate danger, she had that kind of expression that spelled constant concern. Maybe not as much fear of the battlefield and death, but simply one who let's the littlest of things plague them with worry. Her wobbly step however could be explained by the large bag of weaponry she's carrying, along with a massive black metal case bearing G&K's symbol. A T-doll shouldn't have much trouble carrying all that baggage, so she must be conserving energy, meaning she's either resourceful, or low on energy already.
"49. Give our friend her welcome back present." M16 ordered. She nodded and reached into the bag as she approached you.
"R-right!"
Once she stood before you, she was trying her best to avoid your gaze as she recovered an item that belonged to you, and only you. The SR-2 Veresk sub-machine gun. Your namesake, your third limb. Thanks to the revolutionary etching tool, there is nothing you cannot achieve with this firearm as long as it is within the realm of possibility, and nobody else but you can wield it with such staggering efficiency as you. Your hand reaches for the grip, the feeling oh so familiar, and 49 releases it so you can feel it's whole weight again, every single milligram. Memories come flooding back…
Development of a new sub-machine gun chambered for the 9×21mm Gyurza cartridge (also used by the SR-1 "Vektor" pistol) was launched in the mid-1990s on the request of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). A weapon was presented in 1999, developed by TsNIITochMash in Klimovsk, which received the designation of SR-2 (Russian: Специальная Разработка 2, translit. Spetsial′naya Razrabotka 2, English: Special Development 2) and nicknamed "Veresk" ("Heather").
The "Veresk" and its round were created as a compact weapon capable of engaging enemies wearing Russian class-II body armor (able to stop ordinary pistol bullets, such as 9×19mm Parabellum and 7.62×25mm Tokarev), and soft-skinned vehicles, at distances up to 200 meters.
"I-I-It's… good to meet you."
You nod to her, as she offered you a couple magazines of ammo, which you promptly stashed, smiling subconsciously as you're finally whole again. To reinforce this feeling with your weapon back and check it for any mishandling Sangvis might've done, you [ ] Give it a little twirl / [X] Aim down the sights. It felt as familiar as ever.
"And I'll be taking what's mine."
Said M16, as she took the heavy looking metal case off of 49's shoulder, who was only grateful for the loss of weight. Slipping it onto her own shoulder, she did not seem weighted down by it one bit as she nodded to everyone.
"Alright, now that we're all resupplied, it's time to head out. Anyone got anything left to say?"
Do you have anything to say? [ ] "Don't think this means I'm Griffin now. I just wanna get out of here. Understand?"
[ ] "Nope. Let's just make these buckets of bolts feel sorry!"
[ ] "If we all get through this, drinks are on me."
[ ] "So, this is us? Two SMGs, two Rifles and an Assault Rifle. You do know how to coordinate us, right M16?"
[X] Nothing. Your silence is a sign of professionalism.
[ ] Write-in
You say [X] Nothing. Your silence is a sign of professionalism.
Silence stayed in the air for a good while and nothing seemed to want to penetrate it. Aside from the constant fighting outside, slightly muffled by the walls around you. The girls might've expected you to have questions, but seeing as you stayed silent this whole time they assumed you got the gist of it. Good way to seem reliable.
Looking over your weapon, you see that the reflex sight has not been tampered with, still set to your preferences. With a new magazine in it, 4 more stashed away in your pockets, and a quick check of the side-mounted tactical flashlight, it is pretty much the same as you remember it, meaning it might need some cleaning once you're safe and away. For now, it'll do its job to help you get out of here.
"... alright then, let's get going." M16 commanded, taking point. The other dolls were already in formation, preparing to go back to their natural habitat, the battlefield. M16, MP5 and you were in the front, with M1 Garand and FN-49 in the back. The Zenner network did not need to be online for you to know this is one of the most optimal formations for your current set-up, all of you seemed to agree without question. However, the lack of the Zenner network means you'll have to coordinate the old fashioned way, same as human special tasks groups used to do, using signs, signals and occasionally callouts. Nothing you can't do, you're all capable soldiers, by human standards at least.
It was a straightforward path out the building again, into another tight alleyway. Those are by far the safest places outside, assuming a Manticore isn't chasing you through it. Would be the second time today. And a quick look over your shoulder assures you this isn't going to be the second time. Best to be sure.
M16 halts, "This is the place." she says, giving you all a sign to provide cover. You comply, and she shoulders her rifle while moving to a large trash container. Nobody has been around to empty it for ages, but nobody was adding to the already large amount of trash within it. It's contents were also much older and smellier than they'd be in a still populated area. The rifle T-doll pushes it to the side, trying to do as little noise as possible, but there wasn't much one could do when the thing had no wheels. Beneath it was revealed to be a manhole. M16 crouched down to take the cover off, and the smell rose instantly. It visibly aged even worse than the trash.
"Jackpot."
"You can't be serious…"
"What? Worried about getting your feet wet?" M16 replied with joking intent, but M1 was too disgusted to take it the same way "Welp, nothing ventured, nothing gained. We enter one by one. It's dark in there, so stick close. Since none of you except Veresk were geared up for night operations, we're the only ones with flashlights. I'll be taking point at all times." she stood up, readying her weapon once more "Oh, and try not to trip."
"You mean-" before MP5 could finish her inquiry, M16 had already jumped into the dim concrete hole. There was a ladder, but it seems she didn't trust it's rusty appearance. After a short moment with a shocked SMG at your side you both hear a sploosh sound, signalling she must've landed safely.
"The water's a bit higher than last time, but it should be fine! C'mon!" she called from below, urging you to follow promptly. Your comrades were not all that enthusiastic though. Not the small MP5, not the capable M1 Garand, and not the worrisome FN-49. And the little SMG was next.
"Deep breaths… alright, I can do this… it's just… a sewer… to become stronger I must be able to do this…" she murmured, shivering, mentally preparing herself.
[ ] "It ain't that bad. Just try not to think of the flies, and rats, and bugs, and all those nasty little things living down there… including snakes. Oh, definitely snakes~" tease the small one.
[X] "You can do this MP5. We believe in you." resist teasing the small one.
After you words, whatever they were, you placed your hand on MP5's back, but no matter what that gesture was meant to entail, it ended up startling the little SMG, enough for her to jump off straight into the dark sewer hole like a brave trooper, yet with a face filled to the brim with horror.
"EEEEEK!"
Splash!
"EEEEEW! Grossgrossgroooss!"
"Keep it together MP5, it's barely up to your ankles."
"Commandeeeeer, help meeee!"
That didn't go as expected. Hearing her pleas and calls for help echoing out, you best give M16 a minute to calm her down before following. The two rifles behind you are grimacing at the sounds.
"M--M-M1? I'm not sure… I can…"
"... it doesn't seem like we have a choice here, 49."
"B-but… I'm carrying all the other dolls' equipment…"
"Hm, that's true… alright, I'll go down first, then your throw me the bag. I'll then give it back to you once you're down as well."
It's clear that was not the response 49 was hoping for, but she couldn't bring herself to say more at this point. Nobody is all too pleased with this situation, and hearing the protests below quiet down a little more, it seems it's your turn. Just looking down that hole could make one go dizzy. You may be a mess but that's no excuse for a woman to go spelunking in a sewer. Unfortunately, your excuse is that your survival depends on it.
You heard them say that the sewage reaches up to the ankles. You look down at your feet, checking if your [X] black leather, knee high combat boots with buckles are tight enough. You really hope that they'll survive the dip. If not, it shouldn't be too difficult to find replacements. If there's one thing humans had plenty of it's footwear.
So, with a deep breath, maybe even a prayer, you leap into the stinky darkness after them. The joints in your legs prepare for impact as you fall. The height is no problem, it's child's play actually. Being on the lighter side of T-doll construction helps. Your feet meet the ground with a splash, and you feel the freezing drops cling onto you on various spots from the impact. It really is uncomfortable, but the best it can get out of you is a shiver. You dodged bullets, some cold dirty water won't hold you down now. Even if it'd seeping in, sinking, soaking and… ugh, get a grip!
You look around to see a lot of dark, not much is visible beyond the small cone of light emanating from the opening above you. The sewer wasn't very large, it's not a big city it's built under to dispose the waste of. But it's big enough to traverse while standing up. You'd rather not look below you, the only description you need of what you're standing in currently is that it's very old sewage. So you focus your gaze ahead of you, where another cone of light resides, lightly blinding you.
"Took you long enough." commented M16, the light emanating from under the barrel of her gun "The path ahead is clear. We should get a move on."
Behind her, though it was difficult to see, MP5 was visibly shivering and doing her best not to look down. Clearly she wasn't just cold.
"Don't worry about her. She'll be fine once we're out of here. For now I suggest you move." you can only reply with a nod in agreement as you take some steps forward, ignoring the squishing noises every time your feet press into the filth, it's better than having the other girls land on top of you. This is a good time to turn on your own flashlight. It's about the same intensity as M16's, which is enough for your current conditions. You use it to look at the path ahead, which goes on for quite a while, to where you don't even know. You also get a better look at your fellow SMG, which wasn't as dirty as her screams would lead you to believe, though her height did bring her closer to what you'd all wish to avoid.
"Coming!"
Called down another comrade behind you from above, falling down shortly after. M1 Garand has joined up, just as displeased with her landing as you. This'll absolutely ruin her stockings…
"Ugh… 49? You can throw me the bag now."
"O-one second!"
The rifle waited patiently in the mud, though her patience was thinning. The tiny shadow above her head quickly grew larger, until she caught the bag of weaponry and gear with a grunt. "Phew, got it! You can come down now." she moved away from the entrance as she inspected it's contents, allowing FN-49 to drop in. Her reaction was similar to MP5's, only with more stuttering and more along the lines of…
"G-g-gross! T-this is… so gross! M-my shoes... are all ruined… sniff..."
"Come on, you wouldn't want FAL to see you like this now, would you?"
"N-no… sniff... you're right..."
M1 continued to check the bag's contents as she calmed FN down, well capable of splitting her focus.
"M-M1? I already checked it… thoroughly…"
"Newer hurts to be sure." she finished with a content hum, or as content as could be given the circumstances, handing the equipment back to her fellow rifle T-doll.
"Alright everyone. Once again, I'll take the lead. Veresk, behind me."
You comply, you all do, leaving the light of day behind for now. You all resume your previous squad formation, only you're switching places with the uncomfortable MP5 this time. The wet ground prevents you from moving as quickly as you were on the surface quietly, but at least the chance of encountering large amounts of Sangvis Ferri units down here is lower.
"This is… the grossest thing… I think I've ever done…" the SMG behind you complains.
"Can't say I'm accustomed to situations like these…" Garand agrees.
"M-me neither…" 49 joins the sulking.
"... what about you Miss Veresk?" she asks from behind you.
[ ] "Same."
[X] "I've been through worse."
"... and what about you Miss M16?" she asked the assault rifle before you.
"I mentioned I was here once before, right? The water admittedly wasn't as deep, but a sewer's a sewer. You could say I'm used to it at this point, dragging my feet through the mud."
"I can't imagine ever getting used to this…" she complained again, to which M16 replied sternly.
"You shouldn't be so afraid to get your hands dirty. Otherwise you'll never get anything done."
"I knooow, but-"
"We're T-dolls. When on mission, we do anything to fulfil our orders. It'd be funny to fail just because we wouldn't dig our noses through the dirt."
"Dig our noses through the… ew!" as the mental image seemed to frighten the small SMG, the rifle behind her felt like this is a good time to inquire about something she's been thinking about.
"Miss M16, may I ask where exactly you are leading us?"
"To rendezvous point B." she replied simply "The outside is too crowded for the original escape plan, I'm sure M4 is well aware of this and will await us there. This sewer system is pretty complex, we didn't map all of it last time I was here. We know of a couple exits, and this is one at the town's edge that we can use."
The further you venture, the more the sewer opens up, as you pass by junctions and holes alike, further from the day's light. The echoing gets deeper, and you grow fully reliant on the light provided by your flashlight. Your lead member has not slowed down a bit, keeping a regular pace as she guided you turn after turn. A quick look behind you confirmed that everyone's still there, as did their steps through the sewage, echoing.
Suddenly, M16 stops, and gestures for you to do the same. As you do, there's some bumping to be heard from behind you as some dolls weren't as perceptive, but they quiet down immediately. You all look forward, same as M16 does. She aims off into the dark. A second passes. Then 5 pass. Then 10, until finally…
BANG!
She lets loose a round, one that hit its target almost immediately with force only to be expected of an assault rifle like her. The flash was bright, almost blinding, but if there's one thing you're all used to it's gunfire. Shortly after something was heard falling into the water with a splash.
"Drones." M16 announces "Damn, and so close too."
She doesn't wait to explain before letting loose another volley of rounds, hitting more targets. She advances, and you follow, weapons raised.
"Those are just scouts. Reinforcements will be coming soon. We can't lead them to M4 and the others, or they'll cut off that escape route. We need to split up."
"Again?!" MP5 asked worriedly, and her concern was understandable. The other dolls shared it too.
"Someone needs to lead them away. A small group of two can work as a distraction and still be agile enough to escape, while the other larger group with the gear slips by unnoticed. And I know these sewers well enough to not get lost." M16 explains quickly.
"Y-you'll be leaving us?" FN-49 said with considerably more worry.
"... listen carefully." M16 said after a pause "Head straight, then left. Past the two T junctions, then right at the cross section. Keep going straight until you see a V section, then head left. There'll be a barrel in your way, just get over it and turn right at the nearest corner. Then just keep heading straight until you find them. Tell M4 I'll find another way out, and that they should proceed with things as planned. Got it?"
She stops and looks back, asking for your acknowledgement. Although with reluctance, it is not difficult for a T-doll to remember complex instructions, so you all nod. Including you, but as she looks directly at you…
"Veresk, you're with me."
The command is rather out of the blue, but it's understandable. Given the circumstances, you're better suited for enemy evasion than any of the others, just need to remember that Manticore as proof of that. And admittedly, you owe M16 one for saving your ass on multiple occasions in the last few minutes. You feel like there's no backing out of this even if you wanted to.
"... you'll also need a light." she pointed out, meaning one of you two will have to give one up for the other group. The two rifles and SMG look up to you both.
What do you say? [X] "Ok, give them your flashlight. I'm more nimble, so I'll take point and draw enemy fire. You cover and guide me."
[ ] "Alright, I'll give them mine. You'll lead the way and I'll cover you."
[ ] "No, you can't make me do this. This is suicide! You ain't the boss of me."
[x] "Ok, give them your flashlight. I'm more nimble, so I'll take point and draw enemy fire. You cover and guide me."
"If you think you can handle it." replied M16, unmounting her flashlight. She threw it to MP5, who caught it with a worried glint in her eye.
"Once you're clear, you'll take point MP5. Garand, make sure she doesn't take a wrong turn. FN-49, make sure you aren't being followed."
They all nodded, just short of saluting the elite T-doll. And short of hugging her too perhaps. They look up to her and M4, maybe the whole AR team as well.
"...Right then. Catch you all later. C'mon Veresk."
[ ] "Right behind you."
[x] "Stay safe you guys."
"Stay safe, Miss M16, Miss Veresk!"
"Don't get yourselves killed, alright?"
"I-I wish you luck!"
With your goodbyes said, you're off into the direction of the hostiles, taking the lead as you light the way ahead. Not having to worry about staying hidden anymore, you pick up your SMG grade mobility again as the water offers little resistance to your speed. You're not going too fast as to lose M16, but she isn't exactly slow. She is merely one grade slower than you, since assault rifle T-dolls are still very nimble. There's no area they fail in, nor is there one they outshine all others in. A Jack of all trades is what they are, highly adaptable and reliable. There are exceptions of course, but M16 seems to be good at pretty much anything.
"We're going right on the second junction."
You registered her instruction and did as you were told after you passed the two drones she shot down. They had the Sangvis Ferri trademark, a sleek and highly mobile design, equipped with weaponry despite serving as simple scout bots. It's hard to find any Sangvis design that doesn't come equipped with lethal force despite it not being it's primary nature. Last thing they need now it a self-destruct function.
"Stay sharp, Sangvis response time is fast."
You take M16's advice, checking every corner of your current cone of vision, expecting the reinforcements to show up any second. For your plan to work, they need to actually be chasing you, to be lured away from your allies. Best way to do that is to send some lead their way.
Suddenly, a flash. You see something reflect light from your flashlight, low to the ground, almost submerged but moving fast. Loud splashes as it's small frame hurled itself towards you. A single red lens is trained directly at you, and you fire. It was quick, dodging and weaving side to side, but you're quicker. It's size meant little armour, allowing your bullets to shred through it's mechanical inside, sparks flying. You do not stop your advance, even as you step over it's scrapped corpse.
"Dinergates." M16 remarked.
Another Sangvis Ferri design, easily recognizable by its boxy shape and stumpy little legs, but one shouldn't be fooled by its appearance, for while it is lacking in visual intimidation, it is very capable overwhelming the enemy by number, and tear them apart piece by piece. It's cheap production value makes it a very common unit to be encountered on the battlefield.
"Keep that trigger finger ready, those things always attack in-"
Your advance slows, and your aim stays fixed, as another flash catches your eye… and another… and another… quickly turning into the double digits.
"... hordes!"
Both of you immediately let your weapons sing, bullets flying into the group of small but deadly enemies. One would think a hail of bullets like that would hit something, and although it did, it was less than one would expect. Even in large numbers they're still quick and nimble, and avoid incoming danger even if they have to ram into each other to dodge it. M16 crouched and concentrated fire on the first line, making sure the ones closest don't get a chance to attack. It's effective for a while, but...
The main purpose of Dinergate hordes being the first line of attack is to drain the enemy of resources. Even if only one bullet is spent per Dinergate, it's still one or two magazines per horde. And you didn't have much to begin with. You can't stop the attack until all rushing units have been eliminated.
"Seven… eight…… nine…"
Likely counting her killstreak, she's sharing the number of eliminated Dinergates with you for some reason. Or is it the number of new ones? They just keep coming… you yourself have…
[x] Eliminated 5 - 7 by now, with carefully placed shots.
[ ] Eliminated 8 - 12 by now, with moving bursts of fire.
[ ] Not been counting.
The Sangvis robots have started piling up, riddled with a hole or two each, throwing themselves into your gunfire like the canon fodder they are. But that's still all that they are to you, cannon fodder, a resource sink you can deal with that only makes what comes next more difficult. With the last of the horde down, you make one last scan over the tightly packed robot graveyard before reloading, M16 doing the same from behind you.
"That should throw them off their trail. Now we just gotta run."
That is all you needed to hear. Running is an SMG's specialty. You kick yourself back into gear, running over the scrap you two have left behind. Sangvis will not be happy with the losses it sustained here, and if you escape, they'll have no significant gain either. Someone at the top will be very displeased.
"Left."
You snap out of your theorizing to make another guided turn. You only hoped this wasn't where the horde came from. Otherwise you'll be faced with Sangvis' second attack line. In this area, they mostly consist of Ripper and Vespid units. Unlike most of the robotics you've faced so far, these are SF manufactured T-dolls, many of which you saw above at the time of the execution, standing guard and assisting the Ringleaders. Humanoid, they can match other T-dolls in some ways, though they lack intelligence and their independent action capabilities are low. Inside, they're still just attack drones with no sense of self. They are for the Ringleaders to point at whatever nuisance they want gone. And as with many Sangvis Ferri products, their strength is in their numbers.
"Right, then left again."
Ripper units have a functional resemblance to SMG type T-dolls such as yourself. Nimble frontliners. Though they can not be entirely called that based on their weaponry. Sangvis Ferri does not use commonly manufactured firearms to base their T-doll models on, and instead creates their own, not only removing any need for the etching tool since the doll and the gun are developed for each other, but they commonly utilize an entirely different type of firearm. Energy weaponry seemed to be the way of the future for them. You're not entirely sure how it works yourself, but they leave nasty scars, and should not be underestimated because of their flashy appearance.
"Left. Right at the nearest junction, then right again."
Vespids aren't that much of a different story. They aren't as durable, but come equipped with greater firepower. They're also more accurate, effective at medium ranges. One might compare them to Assault-rifle types, but they lack that high adaptability. Still, they are common, and caught of guard one could be easily overwhelmed if they're not taken out fast enough.
"Not far now. Keep heading stra-"
You couldn't quite keep listening, as you registered a round flying your way and engaged evasive maneuvers to dodge it. There was no time to turn it off either, only more came your way. You were forced to engage suppressive tactics as well as your fast advance, but it seems they were expecting you.
"Damn it! LEFT!"
Almost immediately, you dove into the nearest turn and let the wall soak up the rest of the fire, M16 with you. You continued, now on the runaway, not towards the enemy but from it.
"Now they're on our tail! Next turn… uh… right!"
This sewer was starting to feel more and more like an unnecessary maze. The humans that used to live here must've been really poor architects. You can hear gunshots behind you just as you reach the next turn, whizzing by you and M16. They seem to be aiming mainly for you, since you have the light source. M16 takes a couple of shots back while the darkness covers her, but they only served to suppress while you keep running.
The following couple of minutes were filled with a relentless pursuit, M16 guiding your through seemingly random paths, making you wonder if she's going on memory on instinct. Before, you had to work to get SF's attention, now they won't let you be. At least you can now fully focus on running and surviving. It's what your kind is best at anyway.
"Damn… we're never losing them if we just keep running... gimmie a sec."
You can't take too many looks behind you without looking where you're going, but she was taking something out of her pocket, and it wasn't a magazine. Looked like an explosive shell, typically used for under-barrel grenade launchers, but you saw no such gadget on M16's weapon. She gestures you to halt just as you two pass a corner. You'd rather not wait while it only takes seconds for the enemy to catch up, but she seems to have a plan. She put the shell into a large crack in the wall, then took something else out of her pocket. A tube shaped object with a pin. A grenade, the type of which you could tell by the voltage symbol. You can already tell what she's planning.
"Now we run."
You wasted no time getting back on track, and you didn't get far before you heard the footsteps of the attack squad on your tail. M16 had already pulled the pin and tossed the grenade backwards. Just as the Sangvis units round the corner, the lightning arcs into them, halting their systems and giving your a brief window of opportunity. You turn around, giving M16 all the light she needs to take her shot. And one shot is all it took the one eyed girl to hit her stationary mark. Under normal circumstances such a small amount of explosives wouldn't collapse a tunnel, but this was a rather old sewer with a cracked ceiling already. They were crushed but the collapse, or at least immobilized. Needless to say, Sangvis won't be following you through that way.
After a second of admiration, you pick up the pace again. Even with them off your tail, there's no need to slow down. M16 guides you further, and eventually you notice a light at the end of the tunnel. You both rush towards it, the need for your flashlight slowly diminishing, until you reach it's blinding end. Once your eyes adjust to the light of day, you see you've been led to the city's outskirts, on the edge of a frozen lake, at the beginning of the forest surrounding the area. A place where the sewage once used to go it seems. You're pretty much in the clear now. Finally.
"Phew… we did it… good job, Veresk."
"Not so bad yourself, M16."
M16 gave you a smile and a laugh. The relief is intoxicating. You join her in this feeling, freedom. The scenery helps enforce it. The cool air, the light snowfall, the sun overhead… you can tell why people wanted to live here.
"... the others must've gotten out by now. We took the long route after all." M16 remarked. Her smile lightly faded though. She gave you a more serious look "Listen, I know we did good together, we made a pretty good team, but this is where we part ways. The AR team is still on a mission we have to finish at all costs, and for that we have to do it alone, by ourselves. M4 will say the same to the others. Don't worry though, I'm not leaving you in the dust. There's a Griffin outpost North of here at these coordinates, codenamed the Fortress of Solitude. If you head out now, you should make it there by sunset. They've got supplies and shelter, tell them you're a friend of mine and they should not turn you away. You should meet the others there too."
How do you respond? [x] "Alright. Farewell, M16. I hope we'll see each other again soon." Head to the outpost.
[ ] "Fine. See you around, then." Lie, secretly follow M16.
[ ] "No. I'm coming with you, whether you like it or not." Insist on going with M16.
[ ] Write-in
[X] "Alright. Farewell, M16. I hope we'll see each other again soon." You head to the outpost.
"Oh, and another thing." M16 says as she approaches you. She takes something out of her pocket, a small rectangular object. A USB stick. "We found this with everyone else's equipment. Apparently it was yours. It has no Griffin or Sangvis insignia, and although my superiors would be very interested in whatever's on it…" instead of finishing the sentence, she takes your hand and presses the device into your palm. It gets the message across well enough "Oh, also, I noticed you had no additional equipment. Out here you're gonna need some to survive, so…" she reaches into her reserves again, pulling out another stun grenade "Take this too. I have a few more, so don't worry about me. It also comes with authorization for stun grenades, so you'll be able to refill your supply of them at any Griffin outpost, even if you're not fully affiliated with us."
Wait, how does she know that-
"Alright, we've kept each other long enough. M4 is gonna have a heart attack if I'm any more late. Farewell, Veresk!"
Before you get to muster any kind of response, the brunette had already dashed off into the opposite direction. You have a feeling the world doesn't care for any of your inquiries, but why start questioning it now? After all the mud you pulled through today, you can only settle for a soft bed and a shower by the end of it. Answers can wait.
You stash the gifted items, inspecting your little token of a data storage a bit beforehand. Odd, you can't quite remember why it's important, it just… is. Surely it can wait though, the cold surrounding you is much more interested in freezing your fingers off, which are clad in [ ] write-in / [ ] nothing. So, with your hands on your weapon, you dash off towards the coordinates of the promised shelter, the Fortress of Solitude.
Since enemy presence is now minimal, if not completely absent, you can look back to your own systems and do an overall check of your body. Internally, everything seems fine. Abnormal strain is to be expected at this level of on-field operation, it's at optimal levels all things considered. A deeper software check will have to wait until you can get some rest. Externally, aside from bruises and damaged skin, you appear to be alright. Your pain receptors don't seem to pick up much beyond light soreness and fatigue. Thanks to your careful cooperation with M16, having her cover you when you were running out of rounds, you have managed to not soak up any bullets. Speaking of bullets, you check your ammo supply. Two spare magazines, and the one currently in your gun isn't completely full. A hostile encounter alone would be most inconvenient at this time. Avoiding conflict would be ideal, and should you get spotted, M16's little gift should help you make a quick getaway.
Your path takes you through the snowy forest, dodging trees and avoiding clearings that could easily get you spotted. The snow lightly crunched under your feet, washing some of the dirt off of your boots. Won't clean them completely, but a proper brushing later they could look good as new again. Maybe even the smell might disappear in less than a week. The socks are ruined though. At least they can't use that to track you.
You've been traveling for nearly two hours now. A rather uneventful trip so far. Sangvis presence caused a lack of wildlife, the the thickest parts of the forest don't have many human structures. Your destination is still quite a bit ahead. Several hours in fact. You have enough daylight, but you can't help but wonder about…-
"Owieee…"
That sounded uncomfortably close. Actually it was several meters away, but the fact you didn't pick it's source up earlier is uncomfortable. You go for the closest tree and take cover, then you go silent like an owl at night.
"Uuugh… so hungry… I can't concentrate like this..."
That voice… it sounds familiar. Somewhat. Like you heard it recently. It's no Sangvis, you're sure of that. Not only do they not give themselves away this easily, they usually don't complain like that. Though, it would explain how they slipped under your radar. You decide that getting visual confirmation would be the best course of action, and peeking around the tree you notice her. A handgun T-doll, just picking herself off of the snowy ground. A dress too pretty and too revealing for this environment, red long hair, and a six round cylinder. Astra revolver.
You sigh, realizing the lack of danger. You step out of hiding to reveal yourself to her, and although she's a bit shocked at first, she quickly recognizes you.
"Oh! Veresk, right? I finally found you!"
She said with joy and delight, brushing snow off of her skirt.
"Found me?"
"I've been looking for you! The others sent me to scout ahead, make sure you and M16A1 got out safe. I'm so glad to see you did!"
She practically beamed at you, satisfied with her task completed, easily distracted from her recent fall and growling stomach. She continued.
"Oh, I should probably tell you we all made it out safe too. We're heading for the Griffin outpost to resupply and get snacks. We're hoping you'll join us, it can be dangerous out here alone."
Seeing as you were intending on going there anyway, you nod. Strength in numbers after all.
"Alright! I'll keep scouting ahead. If there's no enemies, I'll probably be there first. But don't worry, I'll save you and AA12 some chocolate pudding!"
With a wink and a little wave, she head off ahead. She might've shown a bit of clumsiness just now, tripping and alerting you to her presence, but she is still a handgun type T-doll, a major support player and perfect scout. You're a SMG type, you're a frontliner and better off with the rest of the girls. If trouble comes your way, Astra will be there to let you know.
Now to just get to them. Figuring as you're definitely out of the range of the Sangvis Ferri jamming device, it'd be safe to reconnect the Zener network. As soon as you boot it up, you detect 7 friendly responses, and they detect you. Should let them know you're coming as you head their way. Didn't take long for you to reach them, they weren't going slow. MP5 and M1 Garand hailed you straight away, the others following suit.
"Miss Veresk!"
"You've made it, thank goodness."
The T-dolls nearly swarm you in cheers and relieved greetings. Those you have met before and those who have yet to properly introduce themselves to you alike.
"Veresk? Glad to meet another SMG. I'm VZ61 Skorpion, don't worry about getting stung though." greets you a fellow SMG type T-doll. Her attire casual with a jacket, and a mechanical eyepatch just like that one fellow assault rifle, just on the opposite eye. The pigtail blonde hair style only adds to her carefree, wild attitude, and a smile always mixed with excitement.
"Bonjour! The famous Machine Gun AAT-52 here. Let's get along!" say another girl more on the short side, wielding a weapon one would think a bit too big and heavy for her stature, but she seems to be carrying it just fine. In a small dress, with long green hair tied into a ponytail with a ribbon almost resembling bunny ears, she slightly gives off the vibes of an idol.
Another girl approached, though, you already know her. Her baggy tired eyes look at you, though she does manage to muster some form of smile.
"Heh, you've pulled through. Glad to see that. The more of us got out of that hellhole the better. Now, did M16 too scutter away the second you two got out?"
"AA12, M4 told us they'd be leaving to resume their mission." interjected Garand, though her response did not seem very appreciated as the shotgun just rolled her eyes.
"Of course they did. That's what you get with these elites. They only stick around when it's convenient for them."
"AA12!" reacted Skorpion in disapproval.
"C'mon, we're burning daylight…" the shotgun did not seem to be in the mood to keep arguing, or in the mood for anything. Her expression was one of someone who had enough the today, more drained and tired than any of you, dragging her feet through the snow like a sleepwalker. Skorpion seemed heated enough to keep the argument going, but a shake of the head from Garand prompted her to bite her tongue.
Surely an interesting reunion, but all in all a good one. Everyone is alive, and if you stand together, hopefully it stays that way. Now that you're back on track, and in a group that have every possible flank covered, and a scout ahead, you can take things more easily. Maybe make small talk with the other girls, help pass the time, inquire about the past events…
Who do you want to talk to? [ ] M1 Garand
[ ] FN-49
[ ] MP5
[ ] AAT-52
[ ] Skorpion
[ ] AA12
[ ] Astra (establish a connection) [ ] Yourself (wait, what?)
What is your inquiry? -[ ] "… nice weather we're having."
-[ ] "So, what happened to the other team and M4?"
-[ ] "Got any idea on what happened back there with the military bots rioting?"
-[ ] "What's up with AA12? She always this grumpy?"
-[ ] Write-in
You have time for two questions.
