Never one to pass down an opportunity when it presents itself, you use the shift in battle to pursue the high priority target that is the ringleader. There's no way JS05 would approve of this, seeing as she backed down from taking big risks since last time, so you didn't bother checking in. She should know about your antics by now, if Groza really took every precaution she said she would.
Tiss, being under your direct command, didn't need much convincing. She knew what was up the second you started sneaking away from the firefight. And while she did send a slightly conflicted gaze to her friends, she eventually came to the same conclusion as you. Those girls know how to handle themselves, surely a few SF units without direct ringleader support will be no issue for them, and that's what matters. Let them focus on their objectives, you've got your own aims and goals. A third player always spices things up.
That being said, this will not be a cakewalk. You're not chasing down a fleeing animal, you're tailing top of the line combatant specialized in this sort of thing. Hunting a hunter may seem like a foolish idea, but you've got the element of surprise on your side. Hunter's pride should keep the mere suggestion that she may be followed away. After all, that's clearly not something a Griffin T-doll would do.
The trail leads you into the forest. You intentionally lag behind quite a bit, knowing that you'd be spotted like a deer in headlights if you got too close. Besides, this Ringleader is fast, faster than Ouroboros even. Catching up with her would exhaust you quite a bit, and you need that energy for other things. It is also a more manageable speed for Tiss, as SMGs are generally faster than ARs.
You're getting quite deep into SF territory now, jamming field scrambling all communications, Hunter's trail spanning quite far. What could be so important that she interrupted a battle she could've won to go such a distance? Orders from Ouroboros perhaps? You can only assume that with her being in charge of Sangvis' operations in S06, the other ringleaders in the sector must be her subordinates. Really, it'd be better this way, because if someone like that cold and calculating Agent was in charge, or that rumored Intruder, everything would be a much bigger and scarier unknown.
Eventually, you reach some old decrepit building in the forest, the elements having taken their toll. You stopped, observing it for a moment, but it was lacking in any sort of visible activity. It was really run down, like the walls could crumble down at any moment. Perhaps an old water pump, out of service even before the surrounding towns were abandoned. Maybe Sangvis deemed it unsuitable to turn into an outpost, and left it be. But seeing as Hunter's trail led through here, you decided to investigate.
Taking point with the secret weapon right behind you, the entrance door was broken down, allowing easy access inside. You were slow and careful, any sort of noise echoing in the empty spaces. The interior was dirty and overgrown, but completely empty, confirming that the building long since lost all purpose. Still, you head deeper inside and round corner after corner, flashlight keeping the dark at bay.
Ots-12 displayed her ability to be silent as a grave quite well here. You can't even hear her footsteps, her movements, you can't even hear her breathe. It's almost like she's not there at all, watching your back. But you know that if you turn around, she should be… there?
… she's not there.
You blink. You blink again. Then you look around…
… yeah, no trace of her.
Γ: "Oh, let's take Tiss along, it'll be fiiiine. Yeah, I'm still amazed you actually thought it was a good idea, chief." chipped in the sound of Gamma, almost too soon to point out mistakes "All that girl does is ignore orders. It's not even a surprise she did so again. You don't seem to understand this concept of observation, chief."
Not now…
E: "Tiss is gone?! Call out for her! She can't be far!"
You almost opened your mouth to do just that, but then you realized just who was talking, and promptly closed it shut. This is not a time to act on impulse, you have to think about what to do now. And quickly. First thoughts out the window, what's next…
Γ: "Man, good thing we got Epsilon. She's just full of great ideas, isn't she? Just shout into the echoing darkness for everyone and their mothers to hear."
B: "I agree, Epsilon is a most valuable asset to the Alpha's advisory team!"
Γ: "Beta… sarcasm."
E: "Hey, hey, how about pulling the trigger once? Due to the echo, it'd sure give Tiss enough of a scare to stick around this time!"
Gamma sighed.
Γ: "Could've had Delta…"
For being a team of self-created advisors, they certainly didn't offer much useful advice right now. But even bad advice helps streamlining the line of thought you need to tackle the issue. Thinking about this logically, if she broke off from you only a while ago, the quickest way to find her or the way she went would be to backtrack a bit.
[X] Genius, just genius Heather…
[ ] You should've kept a closer eye on her, now you gotta deal with it.
[ ] It's not your fault, it happened on previous missions too after all.
[ ] Someone's gonna need a spanking.
[ ] Write-in
Your thoughts are a whirlwind as you look for your missing companion. This is a bad time to get split up, no Zener and avoiding detection, you have no real way to call out to each other, or even send out a signal that couldn't get picked up by someone you don't want on your back right now.
Not to mention, you made a deal with a certain someone to keep an eye on her, and this scene is making you look bad.
Traversing the dark by yourself, you retrace your steps but see no sight of her. Suddenly, you hear something, an echo coming from another room. You enter, seeing a steel grated floor leading to some space further below, its purpose eluding you. Perhaps that part was supposed to be filled with water, but now it's just dry, with odd looking tunnels leading further into the dark. You ignore them for now, focusing on the space above the grated floor, leading to other rooms. You move forward, aiming to investigate the noise.
But then, a sudden grip takes hold of your left ankle. With your forward momentum, and the force pulling back, you fell forward. Whatever it was, the grasp was tight, and you couldn't get yourself free. Kicking it didn't work either, refusing to let go. Your hands were multitasking, the right trying to take hold of something so you wouldn't be pulled back, while the other was trying to aim your gun and flashlight at the assailant. Unfortunately, the grip was only outmatched by the strength of its pull, dragging you back and underneath the grated floor through a hole you hadn't noticed before. You couldn't see a thing, being trashed around so much made aiming difficult. No way of reaching for your knives or other gear, you were being held tight. You couldn't even tell which way was up and which way was down, but you felt like you were being carried, in a very unladylike manner you might add. A girl like you should be carried like a bride, not over the shoulder like a sack of potatoes! But the question is, where are you being carried off to? And why does it smell so nice?
A few moments later, you hear the creaking of something, possibly a door or a grate, then a sudden thud like it's been closed. Finally, you were set down, and you immediately took this chance to aim your gun and shine your light at your well smelling kidnapper.
"H-hey! Jeez, don't shine your light into my eyes, you jerk!"
A white hoodie with a purple interior, an annoyed expression that says a hundred complaints, and eyes as blue as the summer sky…
"AA-12?"
"Yeah yeah, it's me, you can stop blinding me already!" she complained.
You could either comply with her request, showing your earnest heart, but... it has been days since you last teased her…
[ ] Keep shining the light at her. It's payback time~
[X] Point the light away, apologizing.
[ ] Write-in
