Another sunny day, another dusty road. Few ELID's were casualy wandering around, as they saw two cars driving through the road. But instead of attacking, they turned around and jumped to trees.
The two car's in question, drived by, leaving a cloud of dust, that coated ELID's and forced them to back away deeper in woods.
Nita - Wait... February of 2074...
It took a few mometns for Nita to update the logs. At the backseat of Nita and Blaze, while Andre and Martin in a front. Andre as usual, were driving.
Andre - Are you a time traveling doll or something? Why did you even said that?
Nita - My last environment update were made to december of 2073.
Martin - Hey! I told you she looked strange! She is one of thoes zombie dolls!
Andre - For the love of god, devil and myself. MARTIN! There is no such thing as zombie doll! Where do you even get such things? And if you say that you read it in your "cheap, fake, book wanna be" you refer to as "manga", i will beat you with the same book that you read it from!
Martin - No, no, no! I just heard some stories about how heavy damaged doll would spring back to life and fight like monsters or something...
Andre - Where did you heard such stories?
Martin - Well... People were talking around, in a bar... Heard from radio, and read it somewhere...
Andre - When we will get back, you will have to say goodbye to your games!
Martin - They have nothing to do with all that!
Blaze - Gentelmens, i do have a question on this whole ordeal. What are we doing with a new friend here? So far, she is just a wagabond doll, a powerfull doll at that.
Leaning forward from the backseats, Blaze's face appeared between Martin and Andre.
Andre - I kinda like her... So i wanna test her a little.
Blaze - Seriously? When you hired my hands to cause mayhem, you were ready to sell me for scraps. And you just found some random doll and wanna give her a shot?
Andre - Because you and your fire hungry head, happened to blow up everything we were going for. When i told you to destroy their backup, there were no need to destroy entire camp... I was hoping to gather their supply and money after all. But you just decided to feed everything to the flame!
Blaze - And why soft heart for a rookie?
Martin - Blaze! Chill out. And put that grenade down. Sounds like if you about to crush it with your bare hands. And i don't want to get stuck in a car for another hour!
Only then did Blaze noticed that she were holding a HE grenade in her hands. So she dropped backwards, back on her seat and fixed grenade back at grenade belt.
Nita - A warm welcome i guess?
Martin - Blaze will have a wrong meaning behind words like "warm". But yeah. Duval's Hunter group is open to any dirty soul longing for freedom.
Andre - But i have to ask again. Do you have anywhere to go? Because if not... We could use some brutal strengh in a team.
Nita - As i said... My group is far gone. And if you said that today is February of 2074, then that means i am a nearly half a year behind my original group. If i put everything together, there is less than 5% chance that i could find them, and even if i do, they probobly already safe and sound, or dead and gone.
Andre - Dosn't sound like a good math there. But i am sorry to hear that.
Nita - No need to be. I just want to get out of here!
Andre - Then that is a good news for you. We will deal with few formalities, help to set up a little and give you some jobs to run by. For now, we could use some dolls to carry stuff around. Do you have a fire control core?
Nita - Yes, I do.
Andre - Great. I just need to talk with few people.
Blaze - Don't worry about hard stuff Nita. This Duval Hunter Group is just a fancy name for fancy thugs. In reality we go on robing robers and killing killers. And dolls are mainly here to work and be scraped when they get damaged!
Martin - Then you should be in a scrapyard five times over Blaze.
Blaze - Privilige of being the best!
Andre - Or simply because you are stuck with Kilmure and Me...
Blaze - In a way... I do find it odd that Kilmure is the only one who cares about dolls at your camp. He probobly has a thing or two on girls made of metal! Otherwise i can't explain why he is so caring.
Andre - He simply likes to operate with little team and knows everything about everyone in it. That is how and why his team stays the best among the rest.
Blaze - Yet he took this dummy for change!
Despite harsh words, slight smile appeared on Blaze face. Everyone went silent... Untill
Martin - Wait... Are talking about me?
Blaze - Who else?
Andre - Stop it Blaze.
Nita - So... Kilmure... Decided that i earned invitation to your team?
Andre - No, not yet. In his words, he likes you. And wants to give you a shot.
Blaze - Something i was working with my frame at the limits for a whole month to the end, before i earned a chance to get here. And even then Kilmure draged me through hell, just to earn my place in a team. And then he just saw a random doll, and decided to give her a chance?
Martin - Yeah, because that rich bastard said a few good words for her...
Blaze - He, who, what now?
Martin - The VIP, mr. Lesko put in a few good words for Nita, said some stuff like she was a hero doll. Just without white knight and a sword...
His words get interupted by Blaze, who grabs at communicator.
Blaze - AH, That son of a ... | Andre - BLAZE! NO! | Martin - ANDRE! ROAD!Nita - BLAZE!
=== Seven Hours Later ===
Duval - So you telling me, that whole mission went well, with only that idiot of Martin rushing through a grenade. You found a good wandering doll that helped to deal with varjagers, and on your way back, you manage to cause a car crash and lose a whole car?
Kilmure - That sounds about right.
Leaning hard on his table, Duval double facepalms, shakes his had slightly and sigh with annoyance. Then he stands up to take a look at a window.
Kilmure and Nomomo stood still in a middle of a room. Uneasy silence were broken by sounds of heavy machinery that were working outside. Evening sun shined dimly through the clouds, leaving crimson colours in the sky.
Duval - Where Martin and Andre?
Kilmure - Currently they are in medical wing. Both are alive and well.
Duval - I am sure you can handle everything on your side. But that doll... what did you call her?
Kilmure - Nita. She made an impression on Mr. Lesko. If he says truth, that doll managed to incapacitate one Varjager, proseed to kill four more and then chase the VIP, or Mr. Lesko and another Varjager who held him at a gun point. We mistook her for Varjager backup, so Nomomo shot her three time from point blank... That cause her to shutdown, but latter she rebooted herself without any outside interfirence.
Duval - Just a fancy way to say that she is tough doll.
Finaly, Duval turned around. His face were emiting both pleased and annoyed expression.
Duval - I already sent a memo to Corter. So things on this side are clear. I am more than sure he will be happy to hear the news. And now to the hard part... Is your team ready to take an hard mission?
Kilmure - Andre and Martin are... Wait. A mission?
Duval - Not much. There is just a some rich fella want to do somethin on a side. Meet with him, see what is his proposal and discuss things based on your view.
Kilmure - So this is just a meeting?
With a slight smile, Duval sits down on his chair. And starts typing somethin on his terminal.
Duval - For now. You know how it goes! And it is a good way to test your new doll. And since you will be heading to CHE-02. And not just anywhere. The meeting will at some sort of theatre.
Kilmure - CHE-02? That will be a long road!
Duval - You still have one car! Pick up your crew, it's not like you are will be stuck there, just a trip there and then back. Should be easy.
Kilmure - Yeah. I guess... When are the meeting is supposed to go?
Duval - Tomorrow at 15:00. I will send you a file on a communicator.
Kilmure - In that case i should be going. I have to excuse my self, a lot of thing to prepare!
Duval - Yeah, Yeah. Go on. Have a nice thip!
After Kilmure and Nomomo left the room, only Duval kept working on terminal.
In the mean time, Nita and Beda were at visit through workshop. Cars, weapon, robot and dolls and parts of everything of the above were standing at display on various tables.
And finaly, Blaze were put in a repair pod. Her damaged frame were a result of a car crash. The car in question were nearby, the front is mostly intact, it is a back were mostly bented, crushed and broken. And that was a result of car taking a wong turn and hiting a lamp pole sideways.
Beda - Damn... She got hit hard. What even happened there?
Nita - She tried to grab communicator from Andre belt. But it gor stuck in safety belt, so she pulled harder. Then Andre lost control. And the rest is history.
Beda - Then why are you walking all fine and pretty?
Nita - Just me, being me.
Both dolls kept looking how mechanic crew kept doing their best thing to fix car. Doll repair were put on hold. For some reason doll repair were having a less priority than car repairs.
Nita - How long are you in this "Duval Hunter Group" anyway?
Beda - Two years. Originaly i was T-Doll with assigment to PMC, but before i could be even shiped to PMC, it already went bankrupt. Then i was assigned as Civilian Protection, but things burned out.
Nita - Burned out?
Beda - Long story short. Some corrupt govenor were having baned cargo shipment. And to cover things up, he hired some thugs to burn me and my team. Fortunatly, Duval were trying to steal the same baned cargo shipment. He and his man saved me. At first i was't wiling to go with them, but latter i learned, that my records just "dissapeared" from network records... As if i never even existed.
Nita - Not really a great adventure... But how come? From civilian protection to PMC?
Beda - "Duval Hunter Group" is not a PMC. It is more like a company of thugs, thievs and terrible people in once place. Some better than others.
Nita - Like Varjagers?
Beda - No. Thoes just a low plank. We are professionals, and professionals have standards.
Nita - Ok-kay...
Beda - It's not like we are robing people left and right. You will get my meaning. But enough about that. Are you really here to stay? No objections on the way things done around here?
Nita - Not much i can say unfortunatly. It is more of a fact that i have nowhere to go. My last group were heading north to seek freedom somewhere in green zone. And by desperate measures, i was left for dead. Fortunatly i managed to get out, so i was wandering around for something, that i don't even know. Maybe for new group, maybe someone to save. Or maybe for someone to point in a direction i can go.
Beda - So-o-o ... Stuck wandering the great yellow zone? You are a one hell of a doll, that i must say. But there must be something else behind it does it? Come on, tell me. Is there something you wanna do? Find someone? Save someone?
Nita - Maybe... I have one person i would like to put "two and a half" meters deep in to the dirt.
Beda - Oh. Spooky, sounds like a good story. But better save it for latter. Here comes the news!
With a slight nod to the entrance of workshop, Beda pointed to Nomomo, who were looking around, until she noticed Nita and Beda.
Beda - Any news?
Nomomo - Yes. Get ready to move out. Duval gave our team another task.
Beda - But we just barely got here! Blaze is still not fixed, and Andre is yet to recover!
Nomomo - Not my call. Kilmure is taking us to CHE-02 to meet up with a client. Get ready to move out in twelve minutes. I will get the car ready.
Witout any extra words, Nomomo headed deeper in workshop and straight to garage.
Beda - And it's always us! So much for being the best team around here. I hate when things are done like this. But hey, atleast we are on a high priority here!
Nita - It's always like this?
Beda - No. I guess it is something urgent, let's get our gear ready... Where did your rifle go?
Nita - I was hoping to clear it and fix it, since it is dirty and rusty. So i gave it to workshop crew.
Beda - They won't make it... Seems like you will be heading out just for company. Does your frame is all green and good? Maybe i should say them to let you stay here?
Nita - No. I am fine. Minor damage, system work detects less than 5% interferance with most of my systems. So i can hanndle my self.
Beda - Less than 5%? After three point-blank shotgun shots? Your frame must be made out of toughest stuff there is in a world...
Nita - Let's just get ready to move out!
/// Running full diagnostics...
/ Neural Link check... 27% of data under quarantine...
// Data ■■■■ corrupted
// Missing multiple data tables...
/ Frame function check...
// All components are within acceptable integrity
// Power core... acceptable | ■■■■ = Error...
/ Power is within acceptable parameters = 77% | ■■■■ = Yes...
/// Self-diagnostic complete...
/// Authentificating... Permission check... Successful
/ Affiliation: Duval's Hunter Group / Kilmure Hunter Team
/ Frame model: Prototype HSSF
/ Imprint model: Nitro Express Rifle
/ Mission ID: N/A
/ Time: February 2074
/ Status: N/A