| Time : 06:04 PM
| Date : Thursday, 30th July 2062
| Location : Sector-12 G&K base.
| Point of : No one's POV
| View
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"Rest is not wasted time. It is a quiet soil where strength take roots."
- ???
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"-Keep walking through this hallway, and you'll eventually reach the main hall."
Anastasia explained to the blue-eyed young man following just behind her while she continue to lead at the front while Kolibri and Fedorov move just beside the young man.
"I see..."
The young man replied, his eyes glances around the hallway with an undeniable curiosity in his eyes while scratching beneath his chin with his index finger.
"Where... Do we exactly eat?"
He asked.
The platinum-haired Commander glances back at him from her shoulder, was about to answer him until Kolibri, who's currently marching beside the man, decided to head first and answer him.
"Oh- the cafeteria is right at the east side hallway, aka-! At the east side of the base!"
Kolibri said with quite the enthusiasm and liveliness beside him.
"It's where we can fill our stomach with some of the most delicious food made by the chefs there. I'll show you some of them, and I promised you- you'll love them!"
After Kolibri finishes, a faint smile arched across the young man's lips as He nods towards the seemingly small petite girl.
Though there were a slight hint of hesitation in his voice,
mostly due to the fact that he's just been invited to a supposed dinner with 3 complete stranger that He just meet a few moments ago.
But nevertheless, He supposed that He doesn't have any other choices but to accept the offer from the small petite girl.
"That sounds... Lovely. Thank you, Kolibri. I'll... Be sure to try them once we're there."
Hearing that, Kolibri happily giggles in excitement soon after.
Right after that, Anastasia lightly asked.
"You sure know to deal around with kids huh?"
He turned his gaze up towards her, who's still leading up front, glancing back at him from her shoulder.
"I'm... Trying to be respectful, Miss."
He replied, still somewhat nervous with his words, especially when it is indeed his first ever contact with someone other than himself who's both conscious and can spoke back to him at this moment.
... Or perhaps, he's just an introvert. Or shy... Or whatever it is.
"Hm... I can totally respect that."
Anastasia said.
"Though I must say,"
Anastasia lightly smirks.
"Whether you've noticed or not, Kolibri is actually not your average regular kid."
Hearing this, He raises a curious eyebrow as intrigue and surprise quickly appear across his face.
"I... Huh..? W-what do you mean?"
He asked, curious and surprised. To which Anastasia replied.
"Oh? You actually haven't notice?"
Anastasia has turned her head back at him, where her smirk widens along with her eyebrow raised for a moment.
"Kolibri is actually a T-Doll."
She casually clarifies.
...
"... Eh..?"
He stare at Anastasia for a moment before glancing towards Kolibri at his left side, who's seemingly just focused on her path, and this time, not paying attention to the conversation.
Glancing back to Anastasia, He simply spoke.
"I- Umm ... A-alright?"
He goes to scratch the back of his head with a confused acceptance across his face of how He should react or handle that information, more so the fact that He doesn't even know what a 'T-Doll' is according to what Anastasia have said.
He could ask her now, but He quickly felt that it's not the right time to ask her now. Perhaps he'll do that once they're at the 'cafeteria' that Kolibri had mentioned to him.
He turned to his right side, where the mint-green colored-themed girl named 'Fedorov' is, who's also focused on her path.
"Then what about her?"
He asked.
"Also a T-Doll."
Anastasia answered.
"-Which honestly why I'm not too worried about you following behind me. Even if you really are up to no good, then I assure you, that both of them would most likely stop you before you could even reach me."
Anastasia said, shrugging her shoulders.
"N-no offense to you of course-! I'm merely just wanted to warn you. You don't seem like the type to hurt a fly."
She frantically clarifies.
Hearing this, He respond.
"I'm... What?"
He said as He looked down at his own palms, noticing a very faint bruise on his right hand index finger.
"..."
Before Anastasia replied to him, the group of 4 eventually made it out into an open area, where the left side of them shows a large storage area, with many rows of metal racks filled with various boxes and crates.
And amidst the racks were 2 people whose seemingly doing some various task. Both of them wore matched bright yellow hard hat and matched bright yellow vest, with the exception of their hair, with one having a black hair tied to a ponytail while the other is bald.
One of them, the ponytail one, is currently seen operating a forklift while the bald one is currently seen standing near the sight lines, shouting to the one riding the forklift.
"Hey! Do you even know how to operate a damn forklift?! You almost drop those damn crates from earlier! Almost got us into real trouble, you hear me!"
The bald one shouted in English, his voice laced in a mixed Ukrainian and British accent.
"Relax mate! I scored 'A' minus and a five year experience, both in my resume and my forklift certification. I wouldn't ever be here at all if I don't even know what I'm doin'!"
The ponytail responded back to the bald one in English, his voice laces in a thick British accent.
"And we don't ever talk about what had happened earlier-! That was just luck tryin' to screw me over!"
The ponytail added.
"Uh-huh, yeah, definitely 'luck'..."
The bald one doubtfully said before crossing his arms together.
"Who are they?"
He asked, staring towards the 2 working individual across the racks.
"Oh- those two are the logistics worker of this base. Responsible for organizing our base's inventory, and generally just move stuff around nice and safe."
Anastasia answers as she raises a palm towards the 2 at the distance.
"The one with the ponytail is Harvey and the bald one is Vasily."
She added.
He simply nods to her.
"Just... Two of them working here?"
He curiously asked.
"Nope, of course not! Especially not in a base this damn big. The others probably must have gone to the cafeteria already."
Anastasia answered once more.
"Oh- Umm... Okay..."
He replied with a faint hint of embarrassment across his cheeks.
The group continue making their way down their path, eventually making in into another hallway, leaving behind the storage area.
After that, no one within the group spoke again, leaving only their steps echoing across the hallway.
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==+==
=[ Shining Light in Steel ]=
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After walking for what felt like hours, the group finally made it out of the hallway and into the large, wide main hall of the base.
"Woah-"
A surprised look quickly spread across his face as He grasp the view before him.
"Surprised?"
Anastasia said with an amused smirk on her lips.
"Yeah..."
He replied as He continued to admire and analyze across the main hall.
First of all, the main hall is, well, obviously both wide and spacious. With smooth, relatively clean white patterned floor, light grey concrete walls, and white concrete ceiling alongside a large circular roof window on the ceiling center of the hall.
And addition to it, there were some decorations across the hall. Such as plants at the corners, various posters plastered across some of the walls, as well as some wooden bench to sit or rest on.
"When I first arrived to this place, I also have the same face as yours!"
Anastasia said before letting out an amused chuckle.
He continued to stare around the main hall for a moment before He finally move his gaze towards Anastasia.
"I can... Definitely see why."
He replied.
As the group made their way across the main hall, they stumbled upon 2 people walking out of the east hallway, each holding onto a tray of freshly made sandwiches and a cup of coffee.
The 2 people also wore the same matching bright yellow vest from the previous 2 people back at the storage area, with the exception of them not wearing their hard hat, which instead been hung and dangling on their tool-belt.
The 2 people in question stopped in their track upon seeing the group before both of them quickly straighten and form a salute towards Commander Anastasia.
"Oh, Kommandant! Going after dinner?"
One of them casually spoke in English with a thick German accent, which belong to a blonde messy-haired, brown-eyed young man seemingly in his late 20's.
"Yep!"
Anastasia respond as she returns the salute to the 2 currently off-duty logistics worker.
"You both having only sandwiches and coffee this time around?"
Anastasia asked with a curious look across her face as she notices the content on their trays.
"Yes Commander."
The one beside the messy blonde haired answered Anastasia in English with a calm feminine voice and a mixed polish and Russian accent, who's a long straight black haired, dark-eyed young woman seemingly in her mid 20's.
"Tonight is going to be a busy one for us this time. Before dinner, Miss Kalina recently told us that another set of convoy filled with goods is about to arrived to the storage hanger at around eleven pm."
The long straight black haired young woman explained.
"Oof, that's rough... Wait- Hold on, another set of convoy?"
Anastasia said, raising her eyebrow for a moment before realization slowly began to creep in across her face.
"Ohh... Blyat..!"
Anastasia slowly cusses out loud as she quickly turned herself towards the trio behind her.
"Umm- Kolibri, Fedorov, mind if both of you bring him to the cafeteria for a sec-? I'm heading back to the command room to go check on Kalina about the convoy."
Anastasia frantically said towards the 2 girl standing beside the young man.
"Yes Commander! You can always count on Kolibri!"
Kolibri happily obliged.
"Yes Commander."
Fedorov calmly obliged right after Kolibri finishes.
"Good!"
Anastasia said before nodding frantically with satisfaction at both of the T-Doll before she quickly ran from the group and making her way to the north hallway.
"Sorry Sir! I gotta go for a sec-! I'll meet you back at the cafeteria once I've dealt with some things."
Anastasia shouted across the main hall before her figure disappeared around the corner down.
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"... Huh..."
He stared towards the north hallway for a moment at the distance before He turned his gaze towards the 2 logistics worker, who are also have their gaze on him.
"Is she... Always like that..?"
He asked to them with a somewhat surprised look across his face.
"Ja."
The blonde messy-haired young German man spoke before letting out a sigh.
"Our Kommandant can be a bit of a airhead sometimes."
The blonde messy-haired young man added with an honest voice.
"Zgadzać się." (Polish: Agree.)
The long black haired young woman said after.
"Uhh, O-okay."
He simply said.
"... What's your name... Both of you I mean-!"
He said, almost slipped with his words before He quickly goes to clear his throat momentarily.
"Ah-?"
"Oh?"
Both the blonde messy-haired young man and the long straight black haired young woman tilt their head to the side almost in sync for a moment before the blonde haired young man move one of his hand from beneath his plate to place it onto his own chest in a greeting gesture.
"Names Carlton. And her's is Adelajda, or Adela for short."
The blonde messy-haired young German man said first, introducing himself as Carlton while He goes to pat the young woman's shoulder beside him with his free hand.
"Nice to meet you Sir."
The young woman, or Adelajda, calmly greets him.
"Uhh, nice to meet you too. Both of you."
He said to them as a small smile quickly arched across his lips.
"Nice to see you as well, Herr."
Carlton happily replied with a faint smile across his lips.
"I've never seen you around. Are you the one that Echelon one have brought in yesterday?"
Carlton asked with a raised eyebrow, curious.
"Uhmm..."
He pauses, confused on how to answer to such question, until...
"Yep-! He's the one that my team have brought in."
Everyone turned their gaze towards the voice that just cuts in, belong to none other than Commander Anastasia, who have just walked out from the north hallway and returned with a tablet this time in her hand.
"Commander. You've returned quicker than expected."
Fedorov calmly greets.
"Yep... I did."
Anastasia said before a long tired sigh escaped from her nostril.
She then glances towards the trio and raise her eyebrows.
"You guys are still here?"
She asked.
"He wanted to interact with the workers Commander."
Fedorov answered.
"Ah~... Okay."
Anastasia nods.
"Kalina have just filled me in about the additional convoy that's going to be here around midnight, which was quite surprising honestly, given how sudden it was. I thought that the previous convoy was going to be the last one this week."
Anastasia explained as she went to store her tablet back beneath her trenchcoat.
"Hah... What a week huh."
Anastasia said before scratching her eye with the back of her gloved hand.
"Commander, its still Thursday."
Adelajda calmly remind her.
"Still..."
Anastasia momentarily stretch her arms around before she goes to re-adjust the glasses worn on the tip of her nose and crossing both of her arms, glancing towards the amnesiac blue-eyed young man.
"Anyway~ we should probably head to the cafeteria now. Don't wanna keep the food waiting ya' know?"
She said with a smile as she then turned towards the 2 logistics worker.
"Oh- uhh, both of you should go do your things now. Don't wanna have your sandwiches and coffee catch a cold, get it?"
Anastasia said with a smirk, glancing down at the sandwiches and the cup of coffee on their plates.
"Oh, Right-!"
Carlton gave quick nod to Anastasia before turning his head to Adelajda.
"You heard the Kommandant."
Carlton said to Adela, giving her a brief smirk before He finally began his stride towards the west hallway with his plate.
Adelajda stares at the distance as Carlton's figure disappearing down the west hallway before turning her gaze towards the nameless young man.
"It's a brief pleasure meeting you Sir."
She said, giving him a brief nod before finally walking away from the group, making her way to the west hallway.
"Viszlát Miss Adela! I hope you and Carlton have a great shift this night!"
Kolibri shouted to Adelajda's disappearing figure at the distance.
With that, the group resume their way to the east hallway right after Commander Anastasia rejoined before finally began their way down the hall.
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=[ Shining Light in Steel ]=
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After a bit of walking and a few shot of conversation within the group, the bustling sound of utensils and chatters became louder and clearer as they move closer to their destination.
And when they finally did, they've arrived.
The cafeteria.
The cafeteria is, without a doubt, crowded. With rows of seats filled with people consisting of both human staffs and T-Dolls alike. With tables each have trays of different variety of food and beverage along with it.
When He took step into the cafeteria, his nostrils immediately gets hit with the unfamiliar smell from the food on the tables.
' Woah... It smells... Amazing here..! '
He thought with widen eyes as his gaze quickly swept across the cafeteria, admiring the food across each tables and the booming atmosphere of the cafeteria.
Compared to the rotting scent that He used to smell, it's like day and night. And he'll gladly pick this over that.
"See? I told you it's going to be amazing!"
Kolibri said beside him, with a smile across her lips.
"Now now~ let's save our words for now once we get our seats."
Anastasia cuts in with a small chuckle, with a slight hint of growing impatience in her words.
The group of 4 began their way across the cafeteria. As they do, words and murmurs quickly spread across the cafeteria about their arrival.
"Look who's arrived at last!"
A mature masculine voice said from across the table.
"There they are! I though those ladies were up to something. And looks like they have... Someone with them?"
Another voice spoke out.
Meanwhile, the group arrived in front of the food counters as a man with a somewhat large belly and a white apron approaches them from behind the counter.
"Commander, Kolibri, Fedorov, I see ya' finally arrived at last huh?"
The man casually said with a small friendly grin and a thick British accent, who's currently wiping a white cup using a towel.
He's a middle-aged man seemingly in his late 60's with a dark brown hair along with some hint of white streaks, dark brown stubble beard, brown eyes, wearing a white well-worn apron over his rather somewhat large belly that has a small name tag that says 'Maximus', and an old slit scar on his left hand.
"Max! And yeah we did, It's been quite a tiring night."
Anastasia said to the middle-aged chef before letting yet another tired sigh.
"Especially after being told by Kalina that another set of convoy is going to arrived here at around midnight..."
Anastasia added.
"Hmm... So I've heard from Carlton and Adela."
The middle-aged man, or Max is what Anastasia called him, said as He momentarily glances around the cafeteria.
"Any clue about the convoy?"
The middle-aged man, Max, asked with curiosity.
In which Anastasia merely respond with a shrug.
"Its nothing biggy, really. Just another convoy filled with supplies that just so happened to appear at a wrong timing."
Anastasia replied along with a nervous chuckle.
"Mhm..."
Max nods.
"A-anyway, what's for dinner Chef?"
Anastasia calmly asked, finally heading straight to the point.
The middle-aged man smirked.
"Heh, the usual one Miss Anasta! Beef sandwiches, cooked rice, beef goulash, carrot soup, and egg porridge. As for beverage, its water, coffee, and black tea."
Max said as He finally puts down the clean cup into a cabinet and rest the towel onto his wrist.
"Alright."
Anastasia smiles.
Then, she turned herself to the amnesiac blue-eyed young man beside her.
"What would you like?"
She asked.
The amnesiac blue-eyed young man seemed too focused onto the foods and beverages displayed on the counters before Anastasia's question quickly snapped him out of his own thoughts.
"Huh- Oh, Uhm..."
He places his hand beneath his chin with a confused curiosity across his face as He stare at the food across the counters.
He, obviously, have never tried either of the food and beverages displayed on the counters, nor does He ever even eaten or drink something at all. And He never felt any need for either of those despite all of those times He have spent ever since He woke up from that 'pod'.
Yet despite so, He wanted to try them all, because the foods displayed on the counter does looked appetizing, as well as wanted to know what it felt like to eat something.
After a moment of thinking, He finally came to a decision.
"Can I... Tried them all?"
He finally spoke, with a slight hint of hesitation in his voice.
"Woa-h, really??"
Anastasia asked, surprised.
"Wow..!"
Kolibri said standing beside him, partially covering her mouth with her small hand.
"Hahaha-! Didn't expect you brought in a hungry fella with you Commander!"
Max happily comment behind the counter with an amused grin.
"And speaking of fella..."
Max rubs his own chin with his hand.
"I haven't seen you 'round here before. You're a new staff here or somethin'?"
The middle-aged man asked with a curious smirk.
"Uh-"
He turned his gaze to Anastasia, who which also turned her gaze to his.
Both of them stare at each other for a moment before Anastasia nods at him then turned herself back to the middle-aged man behind the counter.
"Actually~... He's the one whom my team have brought in yesterday."
Anastasia clarifies as she extend her hand and delivers a gentle pat behind his back.
"Oh! Really?"
The middle-aged man said, a look of shock spread across his face as the man gazes back towards Anastasia for a moment before returning towards the blue-eyed young man standing beside Anastasia.
"Hmmm..."
The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes intensely for a moment, as if the man is seemingly attempting to dissect through whatever is beneath the skin of the blue-eyed young man.
A sweat slowly drizzle from the young man's temple beneath the middle-aged man's narrowed gaze, before finally...
"Ya seemed like an normal fella to me."
The middle-aged man calmly said with a rather intense manner after coming to a conclusion.
"Uhh... Thanks?"
The amnesiac blue-eyed young man said, with a faint nervous smile on his lips as He quickly went to wipe the sweat from his temple.
"Anyway- here's your order little fella! You must be extra hungry from all this talking, ya' poor fella."
The middle-aged man said, his once intense manner quickly returned back to his more friendlier one as He places down a couple of trays with the freshly made food as requested.
"Ah-"
The amnesiac blue-eyed young man cuts himself as He saw the trays on the counter with a surprised look across his face.
"Ahh~ You're a cheeky one as always Max. Always managed to serve without even the need to look."
Anastasia comments with an amused smirk as she stare down at the trays on the counter and at the middle-aged man.
"Haha! Just a skill that I picked up at my late thirties after serving so much food ever since my mid twenties!"
The middle-aged chef said before letting out a prideful chuckle.
Anastasia goes to grab one of the tray into her hands before handing it to the young man.
"Here you go. Me and the two will help you out with the other trays."
Anastasia said.
The amnesiac blue-eyed young man turned himself to her before looking down at the tray in her hand.
"Ah-... Thank you, Miss... Anasta."
He said with a small nod, hesitant yet thankful, as He went to grab the tray from her hands into his.
Hearing that, A happy smile arched across Anastasia's lips.
"Just doin' my job as a reliable Commander."
Anastasia replied as she glance to her side, seeing that both Kolibri and Fedorov goes to grab the trays on the counter, before glancing back to him.
"Lets go find our seat now before our food gets cold."
Anastasia calmly suggested.
"Okay."
The young man agreed, with a faint smile slowly appear across his lips.
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=[ Shining Light in Steel ]=
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| Time : 06:41 PM
| Date : Thursday, 30th July 2062
| Location : ???
| Point of : No one's POV
| View
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Rain began to pour down and intensified as the night lives on.
Rainwater quickly pour down across the old asphalt streets as strong cold wind quickly passed across the abandoned buildings.
As nature goes on, so does she.
Sitting on an old wooden chair, she rest her head against the back of her hand as stare out of the open window, looking out towards the view of the abandoned city and the old empty street outside.
Her sharp amber eyes partially glow beneath the darkness of the room she's in as she rocks herself back and forth slowly in her seat.
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She sigh.
"Boring."
She spoke out loud in the empty room she's in, her voice laced in an undeniable ache of boredom as she momentarily went to spin around the dual-bladed gun blade in her left hand without looking.
"All of this time I spent in this sector could've been used to toy and terrorize those Griffon Dolls back in sector fourteen,"
She said with her gaze continue to stare out of the open window as she lightly throws her dual-bladed gun blade into the air, allowing it to spin fully mid-air momentarily before catching it back into her grasp.
"How disappointing."
She added, letting out a low hump soon after.
"Makes me wonder why Agent has become so fixated with this sector all of the sudden and sent me here without any further details."
She said to herself.
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She then stare out towards the very faint, yet visible light at the very far distance, across and out of the city, and up on a hill.
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She slowly smirks.
"Ahh~... No reason for me to budge in and ask her yet. I've only been here for about a day or so."
She slowly began to rise from her seat as she goes to holster her dual-bladed gun blade before she goes to ran her hand through her long silver hair flowing behind her back.
"If Agent wanted to play like that. Fine,"
She finally stood straight in her feet as she goes to turned around and slowly leave the empty room.
"I'll just stick out and figure things out myself. And maybe, along the way, I'll find my fun in this rainy sector~"
She finishes with a devious smile before her figure finally disappeared beneath the darkness.
...
The rain intensified even more, and eventually, the rain turned into a storm as thunder began to struck across the sector along with the heavy rain.
...
The rain storm continue to pour down across the sector.
So does another storm slowly brewing along with it.
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-{===}-
End of:
Chapter 9: Meet people, Socialize, Bon Appetit!
Total word: 4570
Next:
(W.I.P)
(Stay tuned!)
-{===}-
Author's note
Greetings readers!
A few days of delay to deal with some IRL stuff and a few breaks later, I have finally able to release this darn chapter.
As you notice, I've added some G&K human staff members into the series just to add some things up.
Reason is that, aside from Kalina and Helian, I find it quite odd that there's no other like other human staff working in Griffin & Kryuger PMC, nor do we ever interact with any other Griffin Commanders in the story of GFL.
(As far as I know. Does not include where other player commander can visit each others dorms in-game)
While I do understand that its a dangerous job working in G&K PMC, where human staff are constantly exposed to possible attack from SF forces while working in the G&K bases across each sectors and human life are expensive & precious. In my opinion, I believe that human staff are still needed to work at some part of the G&K bases that are still required a human to work in, in order for the base to, well, function. Especially at bases where the danger of SF aren't immediate or constant.
You get what I mean?
Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed the series so far, despite some difficulty I had to face a few days ago.
Stay hydrated, and praise the caffeine lord.