Another night in Lviv. The sun just barely set, and a full moon were already rising from the other side of a horizon. A great house placed a little far from the city. Despite big parking lot nearby, it was filled to the brim, yet more cars tried to find new spots. Huge crowd of people were gathering in front of a entrance. Anyone who were waiting in line, could already hear muffled sounds of a loud EDM music. The bulding itself were few stores few stores high, and even had underground parking lot and a underground floors.
Few people might remember that this place used to be a shopping mall, but right now it is known as "Devil's Delight" club. A place where you can relax and dance to music, find yourself a job, meet new people and get yourself in troubles, mix and match anything among these things.
Suddenly and slowly, music quited down, light slightly faded, leaving only stage lighted up. DJ stepped down, replaced by a handsome blond man in white suit. The man walked up the stage, waved his hand turned on a microphone in his hand, everyone could hear loud taps on a mic
Voice from audio systems - It is a joy to see everyone here enjoying our today's special event! I am the host of tonight's vibes! Now, tell me. Are you pumped up?
A crowd erupted with cheers and whistles. The loud crowd didn't quited down for a half a minute.
The Host - I can hear you loud and clear! But thouse who are on a dance floor should be carefull! As we have special guests tonight! This little band caught the hearts of everyone who love metal or electro dance. And tonight they are here to fulfill your ears with somethig everybody loves! The are known as "Death Doll Destruction", or just simply... DeDeDe!
Once again, the crowd erupted with cheers. Three doll appeared behind a host, guitars, drums and microphone stand appeared on a stage, carryed by a robots, and soon they walked away.
Crowd kept being loud for a long minute, untill the dolls took their positions. And then the one in front of a microphone turned it on and waited for few moments untill crowd to get silent, and it did. Everyone were waiting for the words.
The singer doll - Let's get this party started!
What followed, is electrick guitar cords, the singer only started to sing. And broken glass fell on a dance floor. Everyone stepped away from a middle of a dance floor. Mometns later, Nita fell on a reinforced glass of a dancefloor. She fell so hard on her back, that cracks appeared on reinforced glass. As Nita were trying to get up, Zed jumped down on a dance floor too, but unlike Nita, she managed to perform a balanced landing. Zed stood right back up and pulled out electric baton.
The singer stoped singing for a moment, the crowd went silent too, untill...
Someone from crowd - Are we getting a live perfomence here? Heck YEAH!
Within a few mometns, crowd became agitated. The music continued, and light show continued. Zed dashed forward. Nita tried to swing her arm, but Zed easily dodged theat misirable attempt of attack, and in a next moment, Nita was hit in the head with a baton. The hit made Nita lose her balance and stumble a little, while Zed going for another strike at Nita's legs.
The crowd kept watching the show. Everyone were so agitated, that barely anyone were paying any mind to security and to guard bots that were alreaty placed in a room. And a music were going wild, the drummer doll were hitting drums with a tempo. But there were another doll who were striking another doll to the beat of a music. Withing a few moments, under a siedge of electified strikes, Nita fell on a knee. Zed mad a wide swing hoping to finaly put Nita down on a ground. Suddenly, Nita grabbed the baton at the end. Electrified sparks were flying everywhere, a visible burn smoke started comming from the Nita's hand. But instead of letting the baton go, she pulled.
The singer doll - You caught up in a DREAM! Destroying the machine!
Such unexpected action caught Zed off guard, and in a very next mometn, Nita punched Zed in a face. The impact sent Zed flying a few meters, and despite the perfect roll and a turn around, that helped Zed to soften the motion. Her face had a trace of cracks in synthetic skin.
On the other hand, Nita was standing up right, with a baton still in her hand, still in the wrong end. Nita clenched her fist, breaking baton and the threw it aside. Unamused, Zed smiled and pulled out another baton. This one isn't electified, but Zed wished it was.
The singer doll - Hear my metal ember! Making you rememer!
The music didn't stop, the crowd were still agitated, Nita and Zed were still ready to fight.
=== Five hours earlier ===
Blaze - I hope god is not the one to judge us. Because we will be in hell after that.
With a sigh, Blaze pulled the dead body to the side of a road. An unknown soldier were lying dead, near a hummer, burnt to a crisp. Despite the intense burns, the cause of death were not a fire but a bullet to the head. It was more of mercy then anything else. But despite that, there were still few more bodies in a hummer.
Nomomo - We are done here. But we should hurry before they send any more people after us.
Beda - What do we do with a car?
Nomomo - Nothing! Just leave it here. It's all wreaks and rust now. If they do follow us here, at least they will find bodies. Maybe that will intimidate them... I hope.
Blaze - Yeah, i hope so too. I don't like the idea of being number 1 reason why URNC soldiers are dying like flies. But even then... I won't be ever close to someone like Nomomo!
Beda - Hm? Did i miss something? Did Nomomo wen't on a rampage against URNC soldiers.
Nomomo - No, i didn't!
Blaze - Oh, don't be all coy now! I think this is an outstanding achievement for a doll.
Andre - What are you even talking about? *hah* Are you done over here?
From behind a rocks, Andre climbed to the road. Despite a small hike, he was already breathing heavily. Probably because of a gasmask. Afrer catching his breath a little, he looked at the dolls.
Beda - We are done here. Just a worried about our Nomomo here.
Blaze - Turns out, she has a surprising body count
Nomomo - It's not that big!Beda - Oh, come on. I wanna hear!
Andre - You can hear it later! Right now we have a huge distance to cover... *hmh* On our two foot. Let's just hope the plan will work. And it's too late to switch team now.
Nomomo - Should i assist you mr. Andre? I can take your backpack if you want.
Andre - No need. We need to just walk a five more kilometers and we will get to the escape car... So let's just keep going... *huu* I swear, this is the last time i agree to save Harry or Sam from... Oh... Whatever. They will always endup like that... *aha* ...Okay, let's keep going!
With a sigh, Andre started walking forward once again. Every other doll slowed down to match the pace of Andre, who despite being visibly tired. Had trouble to walk.
Beda - But still... What is your body count Nomomo? And how come that Blaze knows that before i get to known such interesting fact?
Blaze - Oh, it's not like Nomomo told me. But when everyone discussed the raid. And who would be on said raid. I happen to hear hear her conversation with Kilmure. And she dropped the number bomb. Both me and Kilmure were stunned at a mass murderer over here.
Andre - Now you got me curious... *eh*... How big is that number...
Everyone kept walking in silence, their heads turned to a Nomomo, who shook her head.
Nomomo - I am so-o going to regret this... At this point in time, my target elimination count is two thousand two hundred andninety-one. Just so you know, one thousand two hundred and sixteen of thouse eliminations were humans...
It took a few moments for Andre to realise, what Nomomo just said. And when he did, he stopped. To both catch a breath, and to think for a moment at the numbers. Dolls took a pause too.
Andre - Wait... How long are you with our little gang?
Nomomo - If you mean "Duval Hunter Group", I am signed as a member for Three years and five months. If you mean the Kilmure team, my record shows that it was two years and eleven months since first cooperation, or two years and nine months since i was assigned to Kilmure's team. Does that satisfy your answert?
Andre - Okay... And how many people did you killed since joining the Duval's gang?
Not amused Nomomo, noded few times and then stared into the distance for a moment.
Nomomo - Ever since I joined "Duval's Hunter Group"... I have killed seventy four people.
Andre - Okay... I have to ask now. What the hell were you doing before joining the gang?
Beda - Holy hell... And i thought Beda was a maniac...
A visible frustration appeared on Nomomo's face. And after looking around at everyone faces, she shook her head once again and started moving forward.
Nomomo - We should get going! Idealy we wan't to reach the car befor the sunset!
=== Lviv ===
Martin - How the hell have you managed to get hit like that?
On a parking lot, away from the most of a city, Martin placed handfull of shoping bags on a hood of a car. Nita quickly looked through a context of bags, and started taking off what's left of her clothes, and putting on what was there.
Nita - Sorry, i was slow to react. And explosion greatly grazed me.
Martin - I know you are a one hell of a tough doll. And if not for the fact that you were still in tact and walking just fine... I would have thought that you were hit directly by a tank!
Right at this moment, Nita paused in putting on a new raincoat. She WAS directly hit by a tank's projectile. She even lost her arm, leg and even half of a torso for a few moments. But after all that, she was up and fighting again within a few seconds... She wan's like that... But what was she like before? Data was hazy again. Something in her neural cloud were missing again.
Martin - Oh, and this is for you!
Remembering somethin, Martin reached for his inner pocket and pulled out a notebook wraped in leather. And a set of two pencils. For a few moments, Nita was confused.
Nita - Ugh... Martin. I am a doll, i don't need an external data storage, i can just store information in my neural cloud. And specifically such idea of records...
Martin - Yeah, yeah. And how's it going? I mean, your data? I noticed that you constantly forget and remember things. Maybe this will help.
Nita - Oh... Yeah... Fair point.
Finaly finishing putting on the raincoat. Nita hesitating for a moment, Nita grabbed the notebook and inspected it. It was a thick, containing over hundred pages. Wrapped in leather cover and "Journal" were written on it's front cover.
Martin - We still have a few hours before the meeting with that big muck Zed told us about. And we are at Lviv! God damn... Never thought it would be easy to go through like that.
Nita - Yeah... But it's mostly because of inspector.
Martin - Damn yeah! The moment he saw Zed, he was close to wishing he would bring brown pants. Is she really that powerfull or what? Maybe she is a super secret doll of some sort great big boy out there? Maybe she is a secret assassin? Oh, I don't think we will be in a good spot if she is.
Nita - Well... She is not someone from NOMFA, that's for sure. Speaking of NOMFA, what does it even mean? I heard everyone talking about it, but no one ever explained anything to me.
Martin - Why can't you just use the public network... *sigh* Oh, yeah. I forgot.
With lazy attitude, Martin reached out for his terminal, but didn't found it in his pocket, and then he started looking around, and spotted it inside the car. He quicly took it and started browsing.
Martin - Okay... Look! NOMFA stands for Non-Military Forces Administration, an agency of the URNC regulating non-state armed groups such as private military companies. Sounds easy?
Nita - Okay... What is URNC?
Martin - Yeah... Figures. URNC is... Union of Rossartrist NationsCoalition... Do i have to give you a history lesson? Are you that lost in a world? How much do you know about third world war?
Nita - There was a third world war?
After that question. Martin covered his face with a hand, and then shook in disbelief.
Martin - Okay... How much do you know about the world?
Nita - Well. There is a green zone... We are here. There are yellow zone, red zone. It used to indicate active collapse radiation ambience. People from green zone are not fond of people from yellow zone. There are ELIDs and...
Martin - Okay. Okay. Stop, stop! This is some really... Some five years olds know more than you do... urgh, this is going to be hard. What the hell is wrong with you?
Nita - I'm sorry...
Both Nita and Martin sat down. Nita looked sideways, at the city, consumed in shame. The usual feeling that she ever has. And Martin trying to find a right way to say things, but ultimatly not understanding "how the hell is that even a doll?"
Martin - You know... I never wanted to end up here.
Suddenly, Marting talking. At first his words confused Nita, but then she started listening.
Martin - Nine years back... I wanted to be a workshop guy. You know, put my hands inside the engine, turn few screws here and there, then close the hood and yell "Job is done!"...
As Martin kept talking, Nita turned her full attention to Martin.
Nita - Why did you... You know...
Martin - Because i am stupid! Spent a year learning, trying... And nothing! I couldn't even fix a simple things. After breaking and messing up few expensive things... My father stopped me from ever trying to fix anything... Seven years ago i tried to be usefull and applied to military. After a year i was discharged with dishonor, because fell asleep durning a demonstration for press... My sleeping face were on cover of few journals for a few months. And nobody cared that our sergant place me on extra night guard duty for a whole week... After hearing that, my father said that i must leave his family... He found drugs in my room. No, that wasn't mine, but i said that they were mine, because otherwise my brother would have ended up... yeah... That's when i met Duval... Turns out, i am a shitty person after all? Because that's the only thing that i am good at? What do you think?
After talking for a long moment, Martin finaly turned around. And Nita was having a hard time to say anything. But after a few moments, Nita just noded.
Nita - Then if that's the merrint. Where would you place someone like me? Who can only fight and cause troubles for everyone else? Does that mean i am wost of the worst?
Martin - No, We are not... The way i see it... We are cruel people, made by a cruel world.
Finaly, Martin had nothing else to say. He turned away, looking into a distance, at a city filled with colors and light. While Nita looked at the journal in her hands. After processing everything, Nita opened journal and pressed the pen against blank pages.
"Cruel World makes Cruel people"