#commander gfl

Their head rested on her shoulders, tempted to close their eyes but considering the circumstances, that'd probably just make her more anxious.

Instead they kissed the exposed part of her shoulder, and let their arm hang around her neck, making M4 smile, albeit sadly at that.

(S/O) "But...all the pain I caused you. I can't even imagine it."

Her grip tightened at that, shaking her head.

(M4A1) "You're here now. That's all I care about.

There were so many questions she had, like how they managed to get out or why their vitals went offlie.

But that could wait. Because truly, right now, all she cared about was seeing them again.

STAR's first instinct is to grab S/O by the collars, shaking them despite the injuries they sustained.

(ST AR-15) "You...YOU IDIOT!"

Her grip tightened around their shirt, borderline jostling them around as her hands trembled.

(ST AR-15) "Do you have any idea how much it hurt, thinking you were dead after that goddamn explosion?! Why didn't you just listen to me and wait instead of doing something so reckless?!"

Sorrow and rage swelled through STAR, but it disappeared just as quickly as relief soon washed over, dropping S/O to the ground and instead hugging them tightly, despite her gear making it awkward to do so.

(S/O) "I'm...s-sorry.-"

(ST AR-15) "You better be..."

Of course she was angry, but more than anything...the pain could finally ease a little. They were bruised and battered to hell and back, but they were alive.

That was something she gave up hope on a long time ago.

SOPMOD's jaw drops as she lays eyes on her S/O.

Without a moment of hesitation, she bolts into a full tilt sprint and tackles them to the floor, that alone almost killing them again.

She's borderline hysterical, laughing happily as her arms crush their back in the strongest hug she's ever given out.

(M4 SOPMOD II) "YOU'RE OKAY! YOU'RE REALLY HERE! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!-"

S/O didn't even have the strength to eek out an 'That hurts' as the wind was being squeezed out of them.

Until mercifully RO635 hit SOPMOD's head with her fist, causing her to ease up.

(RO635) "Watch your strength, their vitals were dropping."

(S/O) "Ow...!"

Despite the unintentional pain she had caused, S/O still hugged her back, something SOPMOD readily returned.

(S/O) "I'm sorry for breaking your heart...-"

(M4 SOPMOD II) "You can make it up to me by not letting go ever again, got it?!"

M16A1 knelt down to S/O, who was trying to catch their breath leaning against a nearby barricade.

With a small smile, she held their hand, her one eye examining for the worst of their injuries.

(M16A1) "Hey there, cutie...Been a minute."

(S/O) "Hah, that all...you have to say?"

She rolled her eye, but all of a sudden took them into a tight hug the moment she found no life-threatening wounds to tend.

Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper as M16A1 felt their hand move up to her back.

(M16A1) "...I thought I lost you."

S/O didn't say anything, opting to let M16A1 help them up instead, and kissing her forehead.

The two were uncharacteristically quiet, moving toward the helicopter together, carrying them and notably not letting go of them the entire trip back.

RO wants to cry, scream, and kiss S/O all at once upon seeing them limp into view, giving a small and hurt smile toward her.

Instead, she immediately rushes over and begins bandaging them up, trying to remain focused.

(RO635) "H-How hurt are you? Are there any internal injuries that I can't see?! I-I mean, how did you even escape?!-"

S/O's hand grabbed her wrist to catch her attention, snapping her out of an increasingly panicked state and letting her regain some composure.

Taking a deep breath for her systems, RO focuses on scanning them and taking care of the worst of their wounds.

(RO635) "...What did I tell you about being reckless?"

(S/O) "D-Don't worry. Think I learned my lesson this time-"

(RO635) "DON'T MAKE JOKES, S/O."

Her tone caused S/O to flinch, her facial expressions alone bordered on crying as she patched them up.

It was times like this that S/O forgot that she wasn't human, seeing as no tears were coming out, but her shaking voice definitely made it seem like she was.

(RO635) "You were dead, and it was my fault!...How do you think I could have lived with that?! I can be repaired, you can't!-"

Gritting her teeth, she turned to S/O, softening up as one hand moved to cup her cheek.

(RO635) "...Just get some rest, S/O, please. And don't you dare think of leaving me alone like that again!"

Kalina nearly leapt from her seat the moment she saw S/O walk through the Command Room doors, covered in bandages and splints.

(Kalina) "S-S/O?!"

They were helped in by the Commander, but quickly joined by Kalina as she rushed over to hug them, tears falling down her face freely.

(S/O) "Hey, Kalina..."

(Kalina) "Hey?! Hey is all you have to say?! How about, 'I'm sorry', or 'I'm an idiot, making you think I was dead' first?!"

Honestly, she had half a mind to slap them.

Instead, she just kissed them, wiping away her tears and holding S/O's injured arm.

(Kalina) "...Thank god you're okay."

(Commander) "Kalina, you're relieved for the day. Take S/O to the infirmary for me, would you?"

Kalina nodded in thanks, helping S/O to the bed.

(Kalina) "Don't you ever scare me like that again..."

Helianthus's eyes go wide upon seeing her injured S/O stumble through the door, with Kalina and the Commander helping them in.

(Helianthus) "You're...alive?!"

She had read the report dozens of time the day their death was declared. Helianthus couldn't believe it then, and was still in the process of mourning them until now.

Honestly, seeing them here now with a smile made her want to slap them. But her mind was anything but logical right now-

(Commander) "We'll give you some privacy, Ma'am."

The Commander and Kalina saluted before leaving them alone, making Helianthus stand up from her seat and stomp toward them.

(Helianthus) "This is precisely why I did not want you on the field! You were as good as dead, and I can't even fathom what kind of luck that came by to save you!-"

Her fists clenched, and every part of her being was content to keep yelling-

Instead, she gave them the angriest hug of her life, while also letting out the biggest sigh of relief in her life.

(S/O) "I'm sorry, Helian..."

(Helianthus) "Sorry won't cut it, S/O..."

S/O gently wiped away the tear falling down her cheek, Helianthus allowing herself to be vulnerable for just this moment, with so many emotions rushing to the forefront of her mind.

More than anything, she was glad to see that another person she cared about was not lost to the fires of war.

Gentiane's arms cross as S/O approaches her covered in bandages.

(Gentiane) "I thought I was very clear in my orders that you be careful and come home alive."

To that, S/O had no retort. They were unable to look her in the eye as her disapproving look blossomed into anger.

(Gentiane) "No amount of intel gathered is worth the lives of any of our Dolls, and especially not human personnel. Do you think we can just throw you in the repair bay with them too?!"

She pinched the bridge of her nose and glanced toward Kalina and G36.

(Gentiane) "...Give us a minute, will you?"

(Kalina) "Yes, ma'am."

G36 silently nodded and the two left her office. As soon as the door slid close, Gentiane hugged S/O tightly, an exhale leaving her as she did so.

(Gentiane) "That was a stupid stunt. One more act like that, and I'm taking you off the payroll."

Though her tone was stern, she was thanking whatever gods were above that they managed to survive.

(M16A1) "M4."

Her squadmate's stern voice snapped her out of her reverie. M16A1 had her arms crossed, though her eye had a sympathetic look to it, putting a hand on her shoulder.

(M16A1) "Let's report back. I think we've searched all we can today."

(M4A1) "Right. I didn't see their signature here either..."

M4 SOPMOD II hummed to herself, though not out of boredom, it sounded more like she was thinking. To that, ST AR-15 raised an eyebrow and turned to her.

(ST AR-15) "What?"

(SOPMOD) "I was just thinking...Don't the patrols here seem really light to you lately?"

(M4A1) "We're still near Griffin territory, it makes sense why they'd be smaller."

SOPMOD shook her head.

(SOPMOD) "Yeah, but they know we've been poking around! Shouldn't they increase security or else we'd find S/O?"

The group remained silent at that, not entirely sure how to answer. Instead of one of them speaking up however, Kalina did instead.

[Kalina's Voice] "Anti-Rain, do you copy?!"

Hearing the panicked voice of their Commander's right hand man, M4A1 immediately responded, her eyes flashing momentarily.

(M4A1) "Affirmative, what's happening?"

[Kalina's Voice] "Sangvis has launched a massive assault on the base closest to you and the Commander! We're sending the Black Hawk for you to intercept!"

(M4A1) "Understood, send us the coordinates!"

(M16A1) "Tch, guess we found out where they were going!"

(ST AR-15) "Why now of all times-?!"

Suddenly, all their scanners began beeping rapidly, the four in unison finding the source.

...It was S/O's signature in front of the area where Sangvis was sending its forces.

...

(Commander) "Shore up the defenses! Don't let them get too close!"

The Commander directed the T-Dolls in front of the base as he reached for the pistol in his holster. Bullets whizzed by his head and into the concrete of the base, gritting his teeth as a nearby explosion sent dirt flying onto him.

(MP7) "W-Where did they even come from?!"

(OTs-14) "Incoming wave to our left! They're sending in heavy armor!"

(Commander) "Shit! Prepare to retreat, we don't have the ordinance to-"

A wave of bullets struck down the advancing Sangvis Dolls from above, hearing the roaring blades of the Black Hawk soar in overhead.

[M4A1's Voice] "Anti-Rain, deploying onto the field!"

The Commander saw his team drop in dangerously close to the frontline, making him reach for his headset.

(Commander) "Pull back, it's too dangerous for you to get that close!-"

[M16A1's Voice] "Sir, it's S/O!"

What? Did they find them?

(Commander) "...Clarify?!"

The heavy armor stomped over the hill, resembling some kind of spider tank with a strange cylindrical tube on its hull, the main cannon protruding from the bottom of the machine and powering up to fire on the base.

Before the Commander could shout to take cover, Anti-Rain leapt out of the Black Hawk and came crashing down onto the tank, staggering it backwards as the shot went wild, firing into the air and momentarily scrambling communications to static.

[M16A1's Voice] zzrrt!- "-m the tank!"

(Commander) "Repeat, I'm losing you!-"

[M4A1's Voice] "S/O's signature is coming from the tank!"

The Commander and the other T-Dolls froze when they heard M4A1'S voice clearly, looking back to the machine that retreated back from AR Team's efforts.

(Commander) "Oh no..."

...

M16 and SOPMOD struggled to stay on as they shot at weak points in the hull, their eyes still on the metallic cylinder. M4A1 and ST AR-15 were thrown off, avoiding its stomping legs as the dirt caved under its force.

(ST AR-15) "Is the cylinder the power source?!"

(M4A1) "It must be, I'm going in!-"

(ST AR-15) "WAIT!-"

M4A1 leapt onto one of the legs and kept her grip on the metal frames, even as it kept crashing into the ground making her entire body reverberate. M16A1 and SOPMOD managed to damage the turrets on its main body guarding the cylinder, but were forced to jump off, leaving M4A1 alone.

The Anti-Rain leader rushed open to the Cylinder, looking for some kind of hatch to open what she assumed was the door. Barely keeping her balance, she grit her teeth as her hands found an opening in the cracks, tearing it open-

Her eyes going wide when she saw S/O facing her, skin completely pale with wires and machinery hooked up into them.

(S/O) "M....4...?"

Their voice barely came out as a whisper, the sound of the tank and hum of machinery nearly drowning them out.

(M4A1) "S/O...?!"

The Spider Tank momentarily halted, almost powering down, confusing the team.

(M4A1) "What...did they do to you?!"

(S/O) "R-...Run...!"

And the tank sprung back to life, flailing more violently as the whining metal made it seem like it was howling in pain, M4A1 holding onto the cylinder for dear life as she lost her footing.

Hanging on with her fingers, she gripped the metal so hard that it completely bent, yanking herself back down to solid footing, looking to see where she could disconnect S/O.

(M4A1) "I'm not leaving you behind!"

(S/O) cough "M...M4...L-Listen to me!"

S/O coughed out blood as they struggled to yell, the machine in a perpetual state of losing and gaining control of itself.

(S/O) "You...need to destroy this thing...! With...me in it!"

(M4A1) "Shut up! I'm not doing that!-"

(S/O) "I...can't hold back much longer! If it takes over again, I'm not gonna be able to stop the cannon!-"

M4A1 grit her teeth, frantically looking for some way to power the machine down.

(S/O) "Look at me...I'm barely human anymore...I can't disconnect from this, otherwise I'll-"

(M4A1) "JUST SHUT UP! I'M GETTING YOU OUT, S/O!"

S/O's arms managed to lift, one final time to put their palm on the bottom of her neck. Despite how much pain it caused them to move, how much blood was coming from their mouth, they still struggled out a smile.

(S/O) "...Thank you for not giving up on me, M4."

With the last of their strength, S/O managed to shove M4 backwards, causing her to stagger and fall off the Tank as it abruptly halted, its legs twitching, though for how long the squad didn't know.

(M16A1) "M4! Use my case!-"

M16A1 tossed the massive weapon case she had been carrying towards M4 as she fell, managing to grab it as she landed perfectly.

(M4A1) "S/O is inside, I think the Sangvis programming has control of them! We need to-"

M16A1 clutched onto M4's shoulders, her voice yelling but her eye held as much sadness as her little sister's.

(M16A1) "I know! We heard it...we all did! But once Sangvis programming takes hold, there's no going back! We have to take them out!-"

M4 remained quiet, and yanked the case to climb back up the leg, joined by ST AR-15.

(M16A1) "SOPMOD, help me disable the gun!"

With gunfire echoing below her, M4A1 climbed back up to the top, roaring as the case unfolded itself into a cannon, aiming it right at the cylinder where S/O was resting.

(ST AR-15) "Fire, quickly! The tanks coming back online!"

M4A1 yelled out, as if it would give her the resolve to fire upon the human she loved faster, holding the trigger but stopping when S/O's head lifted. They gave her a gentle smile, speaking quietly, though M4A1 knew exactly what they said reading their lips.

(S/O) "M4...It's sad, isn't it?"

(M4A1) "...I-I CAN'T!-"

ST AR-15 rushed over to M4, grabbing ahold of her arms and forcing her hand to squeeze the trigger, firing the cannon with such a violent burst that it sent the two of them flying back, vaporizing the cylinder in a clean blast that scorched the entire top of the tank, and annihilated the power core.

The tank roared to a stop, collapsing onto the ground while M16A1 and SOPMOD caught their squadmates.

The case folded back into itself, laying on the dirt next to M4 as she silently stared into the sky, eyes half open as sound slowly came back to her.

(ST AR-15) "Commander...Threat has been neutralized."

The tone of her voice indicated no joy in reporting it, shutting her eyes along with SOPMOD.

[Commander's Voice] "...U-Understood. Sangvis Forces are in retreat. OTs-14 is sending a squad to retrieve you all."

(ST AR-15) "Copy. Awaiting arrival, STAR out."

M4A1 remained on the ground staring at the clouds that drifted by, almost in a daze.

(SOPMOD) "I'm...not getting S/O's signature anymore."

M16A1 moved to pick her case back up, before kneeling down to her little sister, and hugging her tight as she leaned her to sit upright.

(M16A1) "I'm so sorry, M4..."

Hearing her words broke something in M4A1, as she immediately punched her shoulders before sobbing into them, with M16A1 holding her head closer as her one eye shut.

ST AR-15's grimace grew before feeling SOPMOD squeeze her wrist, making her look over. SOPMOD opened her mouth and gestured silently at M4A1, but she shook her head no.

She couldn't comfort her squad mate after essentially forcing her to kill the human she loved. That was something she couldn't forgive herself for, even if it had to be done.

G36 knows that S/O can be hardworking, especially when the situation calls for it.

Which makes it all the more frustrating to her that she finds them 'napping' in increasingly harder to find spots.

Well, at least S/O thinks they're hard to find. G36 has played these games before with other T-Dolls. At least humans had somewhat of a better excuse than the other girls.

(G36) "S/O. This place isn't good for sleeping."

(S/O) "GAH!? Ah, hey, honey!-"

(G36) "Please go back to work."

(S/O) sigh "Alright, alright...-"

(G36) "And if you plan to hide paperwork, it will only increase your workload later...And beneath the drawer isn't a good place for them either."

(S/O) "D-Duly noted."

S/O may be the human she loved, but that did not mean G36 was going to cut them any slack.