Commanders Course (Old Ver.) [Girls' Frontline Fanfiction]

Chapter 09: Aiden X Gon' Give It To Ya

Aiden, on high alert, shuffled quietly to cover with his knife held close, ready to strike. Team castle was nearby but they were told to be out of sight; split and attack in all directions if needed. HS2000 crouched beside him and hid behind a rock, panting slightly from the vigorous movements.

"You alright?" He whispered.

"Limiting my power usage." She began, "Sorry in advance if I'm being an inconvenience."

They had been fighting for hours, it's to be expected they would run low on energy now. If the mission briefing had reported Sangvis units in the vicinity, a portable power station would have been brought in with the team.

Aiden didn't respond to her; he didn't know what to say. All in all, it's no one's fault.

A ray of light bled through the gaps of leaves and trees as something approached them with a flashlight. Aiden lowered his head and motioned for HS2000 to stay down. It's coming. The footsteps grew louder as it neared. Aiden tightened his grip and breathed slow.

It stopped and looked around. Aiden is unable to see who it was due to the intensity of the light. He kept still, hoping it would turn and walk away.

It did. The light no longer blinded him as it turned and walked off. He heaved a sigh and shut his eyes, hoping the spotty imprint in his view would disappear quickly.

"That was close," HS2000 remarked as she lowered her handgun. "If it had spotted us, the plan would have failed before it even started."

"Don't worry, I had it covered. As long as no one fires a shot, we will be okay." He reminded her.

"We need to keep moving," She told him. "M60 and S.A.T.8 are already in position." She got to her knees and leaned in, waving a hand in front of his face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm good. That flashlight was blinding." He rubbed his eyes and opened them. The imprint had subsided but it's still there, obscuring his view like a Rorschach test. "Shit," He cursed under his breath. "HS2000, be my eyes, I can't see much right now." She nodded and brushed the dirt off her knees before moving up with cautious steps.

"Hey, do you ever have this problem with bright lights?" He inquired, matching her slow pace.

"Some do, some don't." She stopped to explain. "It all depends on the type of T-Doll. Most HG's are programmed to adjust quickly to light levels, making them valuable in night battles. Other's take a few seconds to adjust, but it's most definitely faster than a human's." She pulled part of the bush in front of her aside, revealing the substation ahead. "We're here."

It's like a prison. A chain-linked fence surrounds the perimeter with razor blades coiling the top. Spotlights move in a methodical pace, lighting the troops that were on the ground. All it was missing was a guard tower.

"Looks like team pollen already kicked the nest." He adjusted his weight and let out a grunt. "Look at them go." He pointed to the Sangvis units.

"They're probably looking out for more of us."

The enemy units were patrolling in groups of seven while the dinergates acted as guard dogs. They kept the perimeter on lockdown, hard. Aiden could not be more grateful for only meeting one back there.

"Ah, I got a PID (Positive ID) on the target."

"Where?"

She pointed ahead. "At the back of the transformers. You can see the tip of the radar dish."

It was true. Behind the rows and columns of transformers was the jammer, hidden out of sight.

"Good eye." He praised. "Now we need a way in." A soft sound resounded beside him. He turned to look, spotting HS2000 with a wire cutter. "Where- How- Nevermind. That'll work." He exhaled through his nose, wondering how she managed to fit it in her brown bag.