Dark car driving through a plains. Dusty dunes were glittering almost like stars in the night sky. Zed were driving for a past few hours at a top speed. The best way she ever could. Both her hands were clutching driving wheel. Despite that she breached all speed limits, Zed were still trying to push the pedal harder, but it did nothing as the pedal were already touching the metal.
Zed - Come on! Come on! I'm almost there!
For a few moments, Zed looked at a terminal in her car. Screen were showing navigation lines and most importantly, the line that said "3271 meters" left untill the destination. Numbers were quickly going down, but to Zed they were still slow as hell.
A small village appeared on a Horizon. "This must be a place" thought came through Zed's neural cloud just as fast, as she raced through a village at top speed and started slowing down untill came to a full stop in front of a car riddled with bullets. Few dead bodies were scattered around covered in blood, few robots destroyed and finaly... A single bloody trace were leading inside one of the houses.
In desperate rush, Zed left the car and followed that blood trail. And as she came inside, she saw a man, crouching in front of a fireplace. That old man made just a sinle glace at Zed, before turning his attention back at a fireplace.
Man - Ah... Zed. Came here for a job too?
Zed - Is it true? Leon... They are saying you talked...
For a moment, the man lowered his head. With a sigh, he lighted a piece of paper with a lighter and threw it into a pile of wood placed inside fireplace.
Leon - I did Zed... I did...
Zed - WHY? You know what they will do if you do? And for what? For money?
While Zed was furious, Leon just laughed a little and took a sit in a comfy chair. Zed's gaze fell upon Leon's arm wrapped in bloody bandage. At least he wasn't fataly wounded.
Leon - No... I don't have money on me here, they are all gone. The kids and the money are now far away from here. And before you ask, no! I don't know where they went. Guess i grew old enough to being sentimental. Why exactly are you here Zed?
Zed - Immagine a shock when i saw your face and name on a hit list. Of course i took it, so the others won't take it. And then raced here as soon as i heard about you.
Still frustrated, but somewhat calmed down Zed, took a sit on a nearby couch.
Leon - Yeah... But i am not going back after what they did. What about that?
Zed - I...
Once again, Zed's attention were drawn to another place. Her car place outside.
Zed - Leon, even i can just fail sometimes. Just take my car and get away. I am more than sure that no matter how much people they were te sent after you... You will alway come out alive.
Leon - *Heh* I don't know about that. Maybe i can... Tell me Zed, how did we first meet?
Zed - Oh... You mean back at doll arena?
Pained memories of the past came up to life in Zed's data. Leon watched as fire were getting bigger in a fireplace, then he looked at Zed's sad face, as she were watching fireplace too.
Leon - Do you remember the first thing i taught you?
Zed - Never return empty handed? I guess this is a moment where i break that rule? | Leon - No!
Sudden proclamation caught Zed's off guard. She looked at Leon who were smirking as always.
Leon - I am an old man. I lived the best life i ever could.
Such confession made Zed confused.
Leon - You can't return empty handed Zed, i can't let you do that.
It took a few moments to realise the meaning. Zed shook her head in denial.
Zed - No... You can't, I won't!
Leon - Zed... I don't have any strengh to argue with you!
Zed - Leon... Why? Why can't you just escape like this time? Maybe we can just get away together? Come on Leon... I have some big money with me. We can just go. I will follow you anywhere!
Leon - Your not listening Zed... If you were to follow me, this would never end, you will draw a target on your back big enough so that you will be hunted anywhere and everywhere at all times. Did you saw the news? How was my face in green zone?
Zed - *Sigh* You are considered terrorist, and an high profile criminal... There is enough money for your head to cover up my freedom twice... Please, Leon... Don't...
Leon - What good is there to save a few years for an old man like me? And besides, i have a reputation to keep. You have a reputation to keep. 'Never return empty handed'!
Zed - Leon, please. Just go!
Leon - I can't and i don't want to! Zed, don't make things harder for yourself. I made my choice, I lost.
Zed - You didn't. You are still alive!
Leon - And what kind of life would it be if i knew that it came at a cost of ruinig my best disciple? And on all others fronts? My family... My friends? At some point they will try to use them to lure me out, we both know how bad it can get. We both were doing that... I just want to go out in peace!
When Leon finaly stopped yelling. Both Zed and Leon found themselfs unable to say anything else. Both just kept staring at a fireplace in silence, ocasionaly, wood would crack and throw few sparks.
Leon - How did Richard were doing?
Zed - He didn't belived that you talked at first. But he was mad... You didn't told anything about his company, right? He was the only one who didn't get a hit from... well, from about everyone...
Leon - He is a good kid. At least he tries too.
Zed - Yeah... At least he tries...
Now there was nothing to talk about. Nothing to discuss, nothign to debate, nothing to argue. Zed slowly stood up an pulled out a sawed off double barrel shotgun from her frame. Her inprint weapon, but mostly known a "Lupara".
Zed - I have to ask you once again... Are you sure about that? You can just take my car and drive away... I will always find a way to make through all this. I was in a doll arena after all!
Leon - You know. I alway liked the the sound of a fireplace... I will just, take a slight nap.
A small nod and a bitter smile. Zed knew full well that smile. Both Leon and Zed knew that what they were doing past few years wasn't a good thing and kept just 'doing their job'. And this smile appeared whenever they would do a 'good job' out of everything they had. And now Leon closed his eyes, that bitter smile were still on his face.
Slowly, very slowly, trying not to make any sound. Zed raised her gun, pointing at Leon's head. For a moment Zed opened her mouth to say "I am sorry", but stopped herself from saying anything, as it would make a sound. So instead... She pulled the trigger.
=== Few years latter ===
Dark car driving through a plains. Dusty dunes were blowing gusts of dust everywhere. The wind outhere is so string, that even a rocks were occasionally rolling across the road.
Nita - You know them? That red and black, with an eagle?
Zed - Had a few deals with them. Killed some folk, Saved some folk. Hated them all the way through. But at least they pay big money. Hope they will just give us everything.
Nita - And if they don't? | Zed - We will do it the hard way.
Despite the fact that Nita expected such answer, she still were slightly surprised... Even though she was hoping for such outcome. Nita didn't knew why. But she was hoping for a chance to kill everyone. And that were pressing hard on her neura cloud. She was wondering 'why?' did she had such crave for violence out of nowhere? Or was it reallt 'out of nowhere'
After less than a hour of a ride, a groupe of military trucks and a tank appeared on a horizon.
Zed - Just as usual! I will do the talking. You just stay behind me and look intimidating!
Nita - As usual?Zed - Yep, it worked with a burnt man, didn't it?
Nita - Oh, you sure a quick on teaming up! | Zed - I prefer the term "adaptable".
Few soldiers and robots were quick to surround a car when it stopped moving near their camp.
Soldier - Step out of a car with your hands in the air! Slowly!
As it was told. Zed and Nita slowly walked out of the car with their hands in the air. Soldiers surround them, check the car and lead away both dolls under a barrel of a gun. Soldiers colored in red and dark, with an emblem resembeling eagle on their shoulders. Once they are walked ten or so meters, they are presented to a man with a more red colors in his clothes. Also a word "Captain" were written in his vest.
Soldier - Sir! A couple of dolls were driving a car and passed by out camp.
Captain - And look who we got here... Zed? What are you doing here?
After seeing Zed, Captait noded to soldier and they lowered their guns.
Zed - I will get straight to the business then. I heard you raided a village with a gang to the north of here. They had a meeting with an Agent and they had Money with them! I need both the Money and the Agent.
Captain - *Deep Sigh* Really? Well, then it is a tough luck Zed. Because i have to take both the money and the agent for myself. And that is no ordinary agent. It is a NOMFA agent! Do you know what that mean?
Zed - I don't care what that means! I have a job to do, and i never return empty handed!
Captain - Well... I gues you are right! I heard that you always get the job done. But let's take it this way... Who hired you for this job?
Zed - I don't reveal my clients! And i need money and the agent.
Captain - That won't do. As much as i like you Zed, today you have to back down, or i will force you to back down! What will it be?
Once again, soldiers nearby took battle ready position. Zed looked unamused, Nita had a slight moment of delight. Captain were angry, it could be seen even without looking at his face, that was hidden behind a gasmask.
Zed - I guess that means we go the hard way?
Without hesitation. Nita grabbed one of the soldiers by a throat. Soldiers nearby started shooting, but Nita didn't even flinched, taking a assault rifle from soldiers hands and shooting back. Zed pulled out 'Lupare' from her frame and blasted captain in a pointblank. His bulletproof vest wasn't bulletproof enough.
While Zed quickly took cover, Nita wasn't hurrying to take a cover and kept shooting back, even using soldiers as a meat shield. More and more bullets were flying all around. Zed switched her usual shotgun shels to a slug shels. It is hard for shotgun to penetrate armor unless shot in point blank, especially with sawed off like her 'Lupara'. But it is quickly fixed with a slug ammo.
A sudden battle started raging throughout a camp. Both soldiers and robots were falling down on a ground, raising the dead counter of this camp. Zed saw a tank head moving and aiming, she quickly followed the direction of a barrel, and saw Nita at the end of it. As she was taking cover behind one of the trucks.
Zed - NITA!
But it was a little too late. Nita turned to face Zed and saw the Tank as it made a shot. An explosion errupted, forcing another explosion of a truck. Cloud of dust and smoke were sent upwards.
Zed - Damn it!
Not wanting to wait around. Zed grabbed a few grenades from a nearby soldier and climbed the tank. Two grenades planted just underneath the tank tower was enough to make it 'pop' like a cap of bottle. But the fight was far from over. Zed got up and kept shooting at robots and soldiers. They were quickly circling around her positions.
And then heavy shot pierced through the air, and then another. Robots and soldiers fell down one by one. They started shooting a different direction. One of robots that were advancing on Zed's position, suddenly turned around and tried to take cover, but Zed forced into a shutdown with a aimed shot.
In a few moments, everything went silent. Only heavy footsteps could be heard somewhere from behind a cloud of dust. And then Nita walked out of there. She was missing half an arm, her face were damaged beoung repairs, her lower jaw was missing and torso were missing a big chunk. But what was more important, every 'exposed' part had 'collapse crystal' like glint and color in them, and every single part of damage were quickly growing back.
Terrified, Zed pointed her gun at Nita, as her frame 'regenerated' itself from all the damage right on her eyes. The arm looked just like before, the jaw, the chuck of torso, the face. In a matter of just a minute, Nita was standing there like if nothing happened. The trace of ever being damaged, were her damaged clothes.
Nita - Zed... Are you alright?
Zed - Yeah... I think you should have told me that you are a third gen doll!
Nita - Third gen doll?
=== Graveyard ===
Beda - Nomomo! What the hall did we frogot here? I like the scene here, it's gothic an all, but come on! Tell me something already! We were running for a past few hours already!
Sun were in a peak and slowly going down. Beda and Nomomo just climbed a three metes tall fence and kept running through a graveyard. Old crumbled stone tombstones surrounded them.
Nomomo - You heard the plan. We just have to get to the church before... *HUH*
Suddenly. Beda grabbed Nomomo and pulled her down, to hide behind a tombstone. A group of URNC soldiers were already walking around. Not a best case scenario.
Beda - Okay... They are already here... But why we couldn't take a straight path through a museum?
Nomomo - Let's say we have an upper hand if we were to be a little late... And looks like i was right!
Beda - I don't like the idea of killing URNC soldiers...Nomomo - Me too!
After looking around for a few moments, Nomomo and Beda started crawling around. Despite the sunny day and a sunlight, they had an easy time to crawl around.
Beda - Okay... Now i get why we took this scenic route.
Nomomo - Yeah, but be carefull, i need you to keep an eye on a soldiers. I don't like the idea of them being here at all. Something is off.
Beda - Yeah. I can feel that. There is so many of them! What did they ever get the info on that?
Nomomo - Ambush on an ambush on an ambush on a convoy that is an ambush against tha ambush... This sounds so ridiculous that if i didn't knew about all of that, i would have thought someone is lying. But here we are!
Few moments later, Beda and Nomomo were sneakingh through a church. They crawled through one of the broken windows onto a second floor of a church. Some soldiers were walking around on a first floor, and Nomomo stopped Beda right behind her.
Radio - Team gray, this is artist! What's your status?
One of the soldiers downstairs stopped looking around and reached out to a radio on his belt.
Soldier with radio - Artist, this is Gray. We are inspecting the church. So far we found nothing. After we are done here, we will head to a theatre, over!
Radio - Heard you Gray. Some teams were reporting presence of ELIDs in a city! Be carefull! Over!
Soldier A - ELIDs... It always has to be ELIDs.
Soldier with radio - ELIDs are not so scary as you might think... Well... Sometimes. I saw a bojum once. But fortunatly we were able to deal with it! Just immagine a huge worm crawling from underground and moving almost with a speed of a hammer at full speed, but it can turn around and regain that speed in an instant. Terrible thing!
Soldier B - Oh... I heard 2791 had to deal with a boojum... I wonder how are guys from there.
Soldier A - They are alive and well. That's what matters. And they had their mission done. Now we must complete our mission. What else do we have to do?
While the soldiers were talking. Nomomo started moving, Beda silently followed right behind. They were walking right above a soldiers when Nomomo heard something strange and stopped.
Soldier with radio - It's all good and all, but groups like Suzev and Duval were the biggest threat for a past few years. Thankfully something is finaly being done with whole this mess.
Soldier A - Oh yeah... But i heard that the higher ups were planning this for a month already... Why such secrecy?
Soldier B - Because if someone were to find out that there is a informant, they would't have took a bait... And now look where we are and where they are.
Soldier with radio - Now, stop talking and get back to looking around. We have alot of ground to cover. And as HQ said, be extra cautious. It's not only outlaws here, ELIDs here as well.
Just as soldiers returned to their casual talk, Beda slightly taped on Nomomo shoulder. Nomomo noded slightly and continued to sneaking forward. Just a few streets and they will reach the planned place.