Chapter 64
Lurkman
Guardian of Bad Opinions
- Location
- Slovakia
"Hm?" the blonde T-doll perked up from her focused stride, perhaps not having expected your question "Isn't that a bit out of the blue?"
"C'mon, entertain me for a bit."
"Hm…" Groza's gaze shifted forwards again, head tilted slightly upwards, looking at the cloudy sky "Around the time of my first deployment, I quickly became familiar with this fact. As dolls, we are simply to follow orders, are we not? Nothing can go wrong if we just do what we're told, the ones who do the thinking know best."
You nod, urging her to go on.
"However, when the orders themselves are flawed, indirect, and generally made by… unqualified officials, there is little a soldier can do. Upon first noticing, I tried to circumvent this. My feedback was ignored, my requests for transfer denied, and my efforts reprimanded. I had to resort to doing my own thinking instead."
"Independent from your commander at that time?"
"Trust me, it was more thinking than he ever did." she answered nonchalantly "I had to make up for the shortcomings of my superiors. It was frustrating, and made me appreciate the times I was stationed under direct and capable commanders, those who are straight with their orders and objectives, which is far easier to work with. I suppose I developed a preference this way."
"Would you choose depending on this preference?"
"If, hypothetically, I had a selection of commanders to choose from, I would pick rationally. Comparing ability, straightforwardness…"
"What about motivation?"
"... you're an enigma, Veresk." the AR doll replied, giving you a side glance "Perhaps. Should such a choice ever present itself to me, I'll be sure to let you know. But I wouldn't bet on it. We are dolls after all."
She glances your way again, but comes to notice she doesn't have to tilt her head so low anymore. You jumped onto the body of a large fallen tree, giving you enough of a height advantage to almost match the other tall two dolls in your party, holding your balance gracefully. You ponder on her answer for a while...
"What about you AA-12?"
"... you're asking if I'm getting sick of you yet, aren't you?"
"You wouldn't break my heart like that, would you?~"
"Well, you already have me fighting for something other than Griffin. I admit it's… weird. It's… as if I could just say no whenever I want, you know?"
"You haven't actually tried saying no yet, have you?"
"I know my subroutines would just kick in and make me say yes anyway, so I didn't bother. It's all 'shut up and listen' anyway... But I can tell you right now that despite all the stuff blowing up, I'd pick you over that jerk any day."
"Good girl~"
You smile, reaching up to pat the shotgun's head. You manage, much to her protest "H-hey, cut it out!" she hissed with a rosy tint on her cheeks. Headpatting really is as fun as humans make it out to be. During your interaction, you noticed the quiet handgun of the group also finding her way on the fallen tree trunk, having trouble keeping her balance. But she was smiling, looking at the boots that isolate her bare feet from the dry wood. She may be walking funny at times, but you can tell she's slowly adjusting.
"What about you, Veresk?" asks Groza, halting you in your display of shotgun affection "I understand that Griffin is rather new to you, yet your skill speaks of experience. Besides, this question must've come from somewhere."
"Oh, I don't-"
"Please, indulge my curiosity, as I did yours."
...
[ ] "Yes, I definitely would choose if I could. It's a no-brainer to me."
[ ] "I just think a doll can do better. That I can do better..."
[ ] "A doll's interests should not be ignored. Else we wouldn't have them. And I don't ignore my interests."
[ ] "I joined Griffin out of necessity. To be frank, there's nothing more to it beyond that."
[ ] "A doll with only its own directives to follow is illegal, that's true. But I must admit… it's a fantasy I'd like to entertain."
[ ] "Barrett told me that dolls can only make their own dreams come true… It means we have to work for our dreams. And that requires us to choose out of our own volition."
[X] Write-in: "My previous owners, before griffin, sometimes gave me situations where I could create, choose, and set my own... sub directives, as long as they didn't conflict with the primary ones. And let me tell you, a directive, or goal, or dream has a lot more meaning when you choose it for yourself, or when you work for it because you want to see it happen, not just because someone else set it as your directive. I'm pretty sure that's why humans value their freedom so much, despite the burden of responsibility that comes with it. So yeah, whenever I get to choose, I like it, and I do."
--- a few hours later ---
"Ugh, of course it's raining…"
Complained your shotgun companion, having pulled and zipped up her hoodie to somewhat resist the moisture. You did so too, though your attire is much more suited to withstand the elements.
"The weather forecasts for yellow zones are always a bit shoddy." commented Groza, her coat closed as well, yet doing absolutely nothing to denigrate her refined look. Her long hair lightly afloat by the wind, she didn't seem very weighted down by the rain. The only one who required no protection was SPP-1, who seemed rather happy about it, looking like her usual self with soaking hair and her underwater pistol.
The weather was not ideal, something the briefing did not predict. But uncertain weather conditions are to be expected near a yellow zone. It's no hurricane, so you're thankful for that. You have made it to a natural walkway and passed by a few lonely buildings, which must mean you're getting close. Groza didn't look very tense though, like there weren't droplets of water falling upon her head.
"Well, at least it's no sewer…" AA-12 kept musing "But this still sucks."
"Rain isn't all that bad, I think." said Ots-14 "Of course your attire would suffer, but I know AUG genuinely enjoys the rain. One of a few things that can put a smile on her face…"
"Yeah, she's kinda like that…" commented the shotgun. Both you and Ots-14 perked up at her response.
"You know her?" the assault rifle asked.
"Worked with her on a joint operation once. She seemed… sad. I didn't know what to make of her." she explained, recalling the memory.
"I take it you don't know her too well?" asked Groza.
"It was just one op, I didn't talk to her or anyone much. But there was a period of the operation which had us stand by in claimed territory. We all scurried off into the nearest building to shelter ourselves from the rain. But AUG… she just stood there, right outside. I had to make a triple take to confirm she really was smiling."
"That sounds like her. Have you tried striking up a chat? She gets more talkative in the rain."
"That'd mean getting wet myself, so obviously no. Still, it was the kinda scene you'd see in a commercial, all moody and stuff. She didn't seem like just another doll after that."
"Just another doll? Hm, you make little distinction between the newly initiated and the elite, do you?"
"Not really. But what grinds my nerves are the elites sent from those fancy high tech facilities who are so important to HQ. Hey, Heather, how about we call those Anti-Rain jerks to do something about this weather?"
You [X] laugh / [ ] don't laugh / [ ] frown at AA-12's little remark. It appears she still carries a bit of resentment for the situation she was put in back there. The Sangvis clearly cared not for her sugar-depending condition. Though, it seems the comment caused the little SPP-1 to perk up and speak this time.
"But, didn't they save you? And everyone else who was captured at Alzome?"
"That's the least they could do after getting us into that mess in the first place. And they only did it because they needed the manpower to get out. Elites like them only do what's convenient for them. And HQ wouldn't care, because they just want their shiny assets intact."
"But… that's not what I've heard about them. I've heard that their leader M4 was a kind and gentle T-doll."
"M4? She almost broke down under the pressure of a commanding role, constantly yammering on about her sisters. For an elite, at times she looked like it was her first time even holding a gun. I could tell she's high tech, but she's terrible under stress."
"Anti-Rain, huh…" mused Ots-14 "I wonder if we'll ever have the privilege of meeting. After the Alzome incident, their relationship with G&K seems… shaky at best. My guess is that they'll remain a foreign party."
"Good riddance. They wouldn't fit in with us anyway." AA-12 contributed, plopping another lollipop into her mouth. It seems she's finally taking less since her encounter with the commander.
--- mission start ---
"Hostiles detected in the building up ahead. AA-12, take position behind that dumpster, then breach and fire on our mark."
"Got it."
"Veresk, SPP-1, pick your targets. Taking the one in the far left window."
"T-then… I'm taking the one in the middle on the second floor."
[X] "That leaves the far right for me then."
[ ] "3 o'clock is mine."
[ ] "Got a bullet for the one on the right~"
[ ] Write-in
"On my mark… fire."
Triggers were squeezed, and marks were made. From your well covered position in an abandoned restaurant, you took your shots at the Sangvis units stationed within the building just across the street. Through the smoke escaping your barrel you could see the bodies of the enemy falling, all three targets on the second and third floors taken out. As soon as the gunshots were made, AA-12 rushed out of her cover just outside the building's entrance, breaching the door and taking out the unit patrolling the ground level, without having to worry about reinforcements from above coming to check out the noise.
"Targets neutralized. Move up."
You briefly stepped outside onto the exposed streets of the now ruined town, the rain still landing upon the cracked road and rusty cars, forming puddles, water giving way to your quick steps. You covered each other's flanks for the brief moment of exposure until you reached the other side. AA-12 was waiting, covering your approach.
"They weren't expecting us at all." the shotgun pointed out "But they'll definitely be on high alert now."
"Good." replied Groza "We can start our takeover. We'll progress through the settlement and draw their attention so that Echelon 2 can assume an ideal flanking position. Afterwards we should see receive support from Echelon 3 as well."
"Where to now then?"
"Hmm… our direction is clear, but the commander was unclear on the method, as usual. We'll draw more attention to us and away from the other echelons if we proceed in the open streets, but should SF prove to have higher numbers than anticipated, moving through the buildings would be safer."
[ ] "I suggest the streets, we can handle the heat."
[ ] "Better safe than sorry I'd say. The others can handle themselves."
[X] "I could use my E-war module to have SF track our location while we pass through the buildings. Best of both worlds, they'd be onto us like a pack of wolves though."
[ ] Write-in
"C'mon, entertain me for a bit."
"Hm…" Groza's gaze shifted forwards again, head tilted slightly upwards, looking at the cloudy sky "Around the time of my first deployment, I quickly became familiar with this fact. As dolls, we are simply to follow orders, are we not? Nothing can go wrong if we just do what we're told, the ones who do the thinking know best."
You nod, urging her to go on.
"However, when the orders themselves are flawed, indirect, and generally made by… unqualified officials, there is little a soldier can do. Upon first noticing, I tried to circumvent this. My feedback was ignored, my requests for transfer denied, and my efforts reprimanded. I had to resort to doing my own thinking instead."
"Independent from your commander at that time?"
"Trust me, it was more thinking than he ever did." she answered nonchalantly "I had to make up for the shortcomings of my superiors. It was frustrating, and made me appreciate the times I was stationed under direct and capable commanders, those who are straight with their orders and objectives, which is far easier to work with. I suppose I developed a preference this way."
"Would you choose depending on this preference?"
"If, hypothetically, I had a selection of commanders to choose from, I would pick rationally. Comparing ability, straightforwardness…"
"What about motivation?"
"... you're an enigma, Veresk." the AR doll replied, giving you a side glance "Perhaps. Should such a choice ever present itself to me, I'll be sure to let you know. But I wouldn't bet on it. We are dolls after all."
She glances your way again, but comes to notice she doesn't have to tilt her head so low anymore. You jumped onto the body of a large fallen tree, giving you enough of a height advantage to almost match the other tall two dolls in your party, holding your balance gracefully. You ponder on her answer for a while...
"What about you AA-12?"
"... you're asking if I'm getting sick of you yet, aren't you?"
"You wouldn't break my heart like that, would you?~"
"Well, you already have me fighting for something other than Griffin. I admit it's… weird. It's… as if I could just say no whenever I want, you know?"
"You haven't actually tried saying no yet, have you?"
"I know my subroutines would just kick in and make me say yes anyway, so I didn't bother. It's all 'shut up and listen' anyway... But I can tell you right now that despite all the stuff blowing up, I'd pick you over that jerk any day."
"Good girl~"
You smile, reaching up to pat the shotgun's head. You manage, much to her protest "H-hey, cut it out!" she hissed with a rosy tint on her cheeks. Headpatting really is as fun as humans make it out to be. During your interaction, you noticed the quiet handgun of the group also finding her way on the fallen tree trunk, having trouble keeping her balance. But she was smiling, looking at the boots that isolate her bare feet from the dry wood. She may be walking funny at times, but you can tell she's slowly adjusting.
"What about you, Veresk?" asks Groza, halting you in your display of shotgun affection "I understand that Griffin is rather new to you, yet your skill speaks of experience. Besides, this question must've come from somewhere."
"Oh, I don't-"
"Please, indulge my curiosity, as I did yours."
...
[ ] "Yes, I definitely would choose if I could. It's a no-brainer to me."
[ ] "I just think a doll can do better. That I can do better..."
[ ] "A doll's interests should not be ignored. Else we wouldn't have them. And I don't ignore my interests."
[ ] "I joined Griffin out of necessity. To be frank, there's nothing more to it beyond that."
[ ] "A doll with only its own directives to follow is illegal, that's true. But I must admit… it's a fantasy I'd like to entertain."
[ ] "Barrett told me that dolls can only make their own dreams come true… It means we have to work for our dreams. And that requires us to choose out of our own volition."
[X] Write-in: "My previous owners, before griffin, sometimes gave me situations where I could create, choose, and set my own... sub directives, as long as they didn't conflict with the primary ones. And let me tell you, a directive, or goal, or dream has a lot more meaning when you choose it for yourself, or when you work for it because you want to see it happen, not just because someone else set it as your directive. I'm pretty sure that's why humans value their freedom so much, despite the burden of responsibility that comes with it. So yeah, whenever I get to choose, I like it, and I do."
--- a few hours later ---
"Ugh, of course it's raining…"
Complained your shotgun companion, having pulled and zipped up her hoodie to somewhat resist the moisture. You did so too, though your attire is much more suited to withstand the elements.
"The weather forecasts for yellow zones are always a bit shoddy." commented Groza, her coat closed as well, yet doing absolutely nothing to denigrate her refined look. Her long hair lightly afloat by the wind, she didn't seem very weighted down by the rain. The only one who required no protection was SPP-1, who seemed rather happy about it, looking like her usual self with soaking hair and her underwater pistol.
The weather was not ideal, something the briefing did not predict. But uncertain weather conditions are to be expected near a yellow zone. It's no hurricane, so you're thankful for that. You have made it to a natural walkway and passed by a few lonely buildings, which must mean you're getting close. Groza didn't look very tense though, like there weren't droplets of water falling upon her head.
"Well, at least it's no sewer…" AA-12 kept musing "But this still sucks."
"Rain isn't all that bad, I think." said Ots-14 "Of course your attire would suffer, but I know AUG genuinely enjoys the rain. One of a few things that can put a smile on her face…"
"Yeah, she's kinda like that…" commented the shotgun. Both you and Ots-14 perked up at her response.
"You know her?" the assault rifle asked.
"Worked with her on a joint operation once. She seemed… sad. I didn't know what to make of her." she explained, recalling the memory.
"I take it you don't know her too well?" asked Groza.
"It was just one op, I didn't talk to her or anyone much. But there was a period of the operation which had us stand by in claimed territory. We all scurried off into the nearest building to shelter ourselves from the rain. But AUG… she just stood there, right outside. I had to make a triple take to confirm she really was smiling."
"That sounds like her. Have you tried striking up a chat? She gets more talkative in the rain."
"That'd mean getting wet myself, so obviously no. Still, it was the kinda scene you'd see in a commercial, all moody and stuff. She didn't seem like just another doll after that."
"Just another doll? Hm, you make little distinction between the newly initiated and the elite, do you?"
"Not really. But what grinds my nerves are the elites sent from those fancy high tech facilities who are so important to HQ. Hey, Heather, how about we call those Anti-Rain jerks to do something about this weather?"
You [X] laugh / [ ] don't laugh / [ ] frown at AA-12's little remark. It appears she still carries a bit of resentment for the situation she was put in back there. The Sangvis clearly cared not for her sugar-depending condition. Though, it seems the comment caused the little SPP-1 to perk up and speak this time.
"But, didn't they save you? And everyone else who was captured at Alzome?"
"That's the least they could do after getting us into that mess in the first place. And they only did it because they needed the manpower to get out. Elites like them only do what's convenient for them. And HQ wouldn't care, because they just want their shiny assets intact."
"But… that's not what I've heard about them. I've heard that their leader M4 was a kind and gentle T-doll."
"M4? She almost broke down under the pressure of a commanding role, constantly yammering on about her sisters. For an elite, at times she looked like it was her first time even holding a gun. I could tell she's high tech, but she's terrible under stress."
"Anti-Rain, huh…" mused Ots-14 "I wonder if we'll ever have the privilege of meeting. After the Alzome incident, their relationship with G&K seems… shaky at best. My guess is that they'll remain a foreign party."
"Good riddance. They wouldn't fit in with us anyway." AA-12 contributed, plopping another lollipop into her mouth. It seems she's finally taking less since her encounter with the commander.
--- mission start ---
"Hostiles detected in the building up ahead. AA-12, take position behind that dumpster, then breach and fire on our mark."
"Got it."
"Veresk, SPP-1, pick your targets. Taking the one in the far left window."
"T-then… I'm taking the one in the middle on the second floor."
[X] "That leaves the far right for me then."
[ ] "3 o'clock is mine."
[ ] "Got a bullet for the one on the right~"
[ ] Write-in
"On my mark… fire."
Triggers were squeezed, and marks were made. From your well covered position in an abandoned restaurant, you took your shots at the Sangvis units stationed within the building just across the street. Through the smoke escaping your barrel you could see the bodies of the enemy falling, all three targets on the second and third floors taken out. As soon as the gunshots were made, AA-12 rushed out of her cover just outside the building's entrance, breaching the door and taking out the unit patrolling the ground level, without having to worry about reinforcements from above coming to check out the noise.
"Targets neutralized. Move up."
You briefly stepped outside onto the exposed streets of the now ruined town, the rain still landing upon the cracked road and rusty cars, forming puddles, water giving way to your quick steps. You covered each other's flanks for the brief moment of exposure until you reached the other side. AA-12 was waiting, covering your approach.
"They weren't expecting us at all." the shotgun pointed out "But they'll definitely be on high alert now."
"Good." replied Groza "We can start our takeover. We'll progress through the settlement and draw their attention so that Echelon 2 can assume an ideal flanking position. Afterwards we should see receive support from Echelon 3 as well."
"Where to now then?"
"Hmm… our direction is clear, but the commander was unclear on the method, as usual. We'll draw more attention to us and away from the other echelons if we proceed in the open streets, but should SF prove to have higher numbers than anticipated, moving through the buildings would be safer."
[ ] "I suggest the streets, we can handle the heat."
[ ] "Better safe than sorry I'd say. The others can handle themselves."
[X] "I could use my E-war module to have SF track our location while we pass through the buildings. Best of both worlds, they'd be onto us like a pack of wolves though."
[ ] Write-in
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