NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10: Chapter 10: We'll just have to make do
Do Dolls shed tears?
Apparently, Yes.
Right next to the doll lay a rifle, an M1 Garand, over a meter long. From this vantage point, the identity of the do in front of him was clear.
It had to be the doll the previous commander of Area S13 carried. However, Renault couldn't understand why she was shot in the head and left paralyzed here.
It couldn't be because of a stray bullet when the commander or the doll fired at the Jaeger, could it? That would be some incredibly bad luck for this doll.
Looking down at the only pool of blood on the ground and considering the lack of a trail leading to this spot, Renault shrugged and approached the main console. A "monitoring system offline" warning dominated the screen. All the monitoring systems within the facility, along with their records, had been deleted.
Evidently, the commander's reason for visiting the control room was to erase the factory's surveillance footage. But what was the point? The hard drive was still there, and recovering the data would only be a matter of minutes. He would still be exposed.
Regardless, it wasn't Renault's concern. He just needed the hard drive. The production data for several SF units stored within the console remained intact. His next steps were simple: retrieve the hard drive, secure his trophies, and return to complete the assignment.
The mission was finished, a breeze.
Wait.
The M1 Garand, previously leaning against the console like a defeated soldier, suddenly moved. Of course, with only one functioning arm, she struggled to reach her Imprinted Weapon lying on the other side of her body.
Unfortunately, her limited mobility made retrieval impossible.
"Oh? Perfect timing. Let me use this bayonet," Renault said, completely ignoring the M1 Garand's movement. He was more interested in the standard bayonet attached to her uniform, a solution to his lack of tools.
As if sensing Renault taking the bayonet or perhaps hearing his words, the M1 Garand, still straining, stopped and squinted through half-closed eyes at this unfamiliar man. He didn't resemble a commander.
After prying open the console in seconds, Renault reached in and retrieved all the primary and secondary hard drives. Helian had requested the Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing Factory's hard drive, but she hadn't explicitly forbidden him from keeping a copy.
Now that the commissioned items were secured, it was time to explore the factory for anything else of value. The M1911 was missing two legs, the Nagant revolver and P38 lacked functioning bodies. As for the M1 Garand in front of him, paralyzed except for one arm, and the broken Jaeger outside, some repair tools would be necessary.
He shoved the M1 Garand's bayonet back to her, then picked her up from the floor and placed the rifle he retrieved beside her.
"Hold your weapon. Now, stay still and don't cause any trouble."
Following his orders, Renault secured the M1 Garand under his arm. With his free hand, he grabbed the Jaeger leaning outside, one in each hand, and headed home with a full load of loot.
After all, they were just two Dolls. He doubted the wealthy Sangvis Ferri would cause a scene over a mass-produced Jaeger.
The same logic applied to Griffin. This was a discarded Doll. What harm was there in picking it up?
There was none! Finders keepers. He intended to collect anything usable and transportable. Garbage men don't discriminate.
The M1 Garand was placed in the sidecar, and the Jaeger was stuffed into the storage box behind it. The two unfortunate Dolls were positioned back-to-back in a rather awkward posture.
Naturally, Renault remained oblivious to the thoughts churning within the two dolls. He was currently quite pleased. The idea of leaving directly on Griffin's helicopter while also acquiring a couple of useful dolls made his steps lighter.
After making several trips to move the salvaged parts from the factory to his motorcycle, packing them into the storage box already occupied by the Jaeger, Renault discovered a faint trail of blood leading from the factory exit to the entrance of an isolated warehouse.
Given the amount of blood loss, could that unfortunate soul have truly suffered a severed artery?
As luck would have it, Renault intended to explore the warehouse anyway. Despite the fire damage, there might still be some intact humanoids. Who wouldn't want more Dolls, especially the mass-produced SF ones? They were low maintenance, requiring only battery recharges.
It was essentially a free find for him.
Besides, if possible, acquiring two Ripper parts to replace the Nagant Revolver and P38 would be ideal. Even mass-produced SF Dolls were significantly better than their current ones.
He aimed for the best, but if not...well, the two unlucky Dolls would have to "make do" with Chopsticks for a while.
The warehouse still burned, a thick, acrid smell clinging to the air as he approached, as if something was continuously smoldering.
Living things were certainly absent within the SF facility. The burning objects were most likely the remains of Ripper creations. Only their artificial skins produced that distinct burning odor.
"Fire extinguisher, fire extinguisher..." Renault muttered, disinclined to fight the intense heat. The flames in the model warehouse weren't robust; he only needed a few extinguishers to completely douse them.
His primary concern was the lack of combustible materials remaining.
The warehouse's remaining inventory was practically destroyed, especially the Ripper bodies. These were the most heavily burned, leaving only their core skeletons.
The skeletons weren't incinerated, but they wouldn't function as bodies for Nagant Revolver and the others. Renault also doubted they'd appreciate being turned into exposed-pipe skeletons.
The same went for the Dinegrate and Ranger; their damage was even more extensive. Fortunately, the Dinegrate's structure and parts were relatively simple. Acquiring additional parts to assemble two functioning Chopsticks wouldn't be a problem.
Beyond the Ripper skeletons and Dinegrate parts, his biggest gain was probably a complete set of SF repair tools.
This equipment had been gathering dust by the door, overlooked by whoever destroyed the warehouse. Now it belonged to Renault, but its size presented a challenge for motorcycle transport.
Of course, it was only a slight inconvenience. He could simply toss it into the sidecar's storage box. As for the Jaeger originally occupying the storage box?
Wouldn't it be more comfortable in the sidecar, nestled beside the M1 Garand?