[Devil Dogs]
"I think, therefore I am."
—René Descartes
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What a bother. A human's sympathy and desire to help even an unknown person would perhaps forever baffle Bismarck, no matter how much he learned about them through Makie, her maids and the occasional meeting with her "father". As to invoke combat, Makie has requested that he stays away from their "guests", a notion which slightly angered the male mental model. Had the girl lost her mind?! Did she not care about her own safety or was she so certain she could keep two quite capable mental models at bay? Or perhaps there was something he wasn't seeing... Something Makie knew that he didn't. Did she have a plan? The girl was incredibly smart, unbelievably so for her age. So maybe she knew that they would not engage in combat? Their mission was to secure the information on the vibration warhead torpedo, if that is the case then they should not mindlessly engage in battle. Yet their previous attrition spoke differently... A plan B perhaps would be interrogation... Yes, that must be it!
"Heh... honestly little Prinzessin, you just keep on surprising me," Bismarck lightly muttered under his breath as he leaned back on his sofa.
He was given his own room, it was pretty barebones, just a bed, a desk, a computer which he never used, and an unfathomably comfortable sofa. The one thing he used the most was the sofa, even if the bed he was provided was comfortable, this just felt more natural than lying down and pretending to sleep. He was currently keeping tabs on the two "visitors" in the next room through his sensors. The one that retained her form was still resting, as was her sister.
"Sigh, Prinzessin, sometimes you are more trouble than you are worth..." he spoke under his breath somewhat tiredly, "...Did I just lie to myself?"
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At last, Makie has arrived home. She was busy today, working hard on loading the vibration warhead the blue submarine which has battled the two Fleet of Fog warships so valiantly yesterday night. I-401, a rather infamous little thing. Oh well, that's work, and now that she's at home she doesn't have to bother with work! Stretching lightly the girl made a bee-line straight towards her room. Makie let out a huff of satisfaction at the absence of her favourite, and rather only, friend. Don't get her wrong, she likes Bismarck-I mean, ahem, Bon-Bon, but there's no way she'd let him just stay in a room with an unconscious girl that's only dressed in suggestive lingerie.
"Hello?" Makie softly poked the blonde, still unconscious girl.
The little girl was suddenly pushed back as the previously unconscious girl shot up from underneath the bedsheets and blew her back with a powerful gust of wind. But then, the blonde collapsed back onto the bed in exhaustion.
The exhausted blonde girl noticed Makie hiding behind her oversized black coat, "That coat..."
"Oh, so it is yours? It's really big. Bon-Bon used to wear a similar one, but it wasn't so large," idly commented Makie, lightly inspecting the coat in her small hands.
The blonde reached for it, but before she could snatch it from Makie the little girl snagged it to the side, again and again, poor blondie was being pretty much bullied at this point. What Makie did not see coming, as evident by her slightly baffled expression, was for the blonde to start sniffling. It was like stealing candy from a child, except in reverse. Makie, feeling guilty and sorry for the girl gently placed the large coat onto the girl's shoulders.
"Thank you..." softly replied the blonde before suddenly bolting up to stand on her own two feet.
"Sha-kiiiiim~"
Makie has decided to ignore that, "Umm... My name is Makie Osakabe. What's your name?"
"Haruna," came the stoic reply of the girl clad in the large black and yellow coat, she seemed a lot more confident now, "Just Haruna."
"Eeh... Oh, Haruna, I found this on the ground," Makie presented Haruna with a strange metallic object, a Union Core, "Is it yours?"
"Yes," Makie happily handed the blonde her... err... thingie, before commenting how strange the contraption looks and how light it feels.
Unbeknownst to Makie, a telepathic conversation was sparked between Haruna and the Union Core, "Kirishima, are you alright?"
"Yeah," replied the Union Core of a Fleet of Fog mental model, "The Union Core is unscathed, but what is going on?"
"It appears that this girl has saved us after we were thrown off the ships," stoically replied Haruna, ignoring Makie who started to poke her cheek.
"I see. I will leave the reconnaissance to you then," and with that said, the two of them ended their conversation.
-SMACK-
Makie, surprisingly, smacked Haruna onto her head, it wasn't a hard hit but it was enough to draw attention, "Ah, sorry about that. It's a force of habit, Bon-Bon also spaces out a lot."
Haruna raised an eyebrow at the strangely cute name, "Who's Bon-Bon?"
"He's my friend! Bon-Bon helped me carry you here!" proudly exclaimed Makie, being a little too happy talking about her absent friend.
Haruna wasn't quite sure how to respond to the overly enthusiastic little girl, "...I see."
"You were practically naked too," Haruna raised an eyebrow at Makie's comment.
"I repurposed the materials forming my clothing as a crushable structure to absorb shock and impact," sagely explained Haruna, looking a little proud of her ingenuity.
Makie couldn't see Haruna's self-satisfied expression because half of her face was hidden behind a large black collar, "Well, whatever. Why don't you stay here for a bit? If you want to walk around outside wearing nothing but a coat and underwear is inappropriate."
"Inappropriate?" confused by Makie's comment, Haruna placed Kirishima's Union Core onto the top of Makie's head before unzipping her large coat and turning to a nearby mirror.
In her vision, everything that she wore was scanned through her optics, aka eyes and she was given a pretty detailed description of the few articles of clothing that she wore, including the accessories that kept her hair in two straight pigtails.
"From your perspective, what can I wear that you wouldn't consider inappropriate?" rather eagerly asked the blonde, if she and Kirishima wanted to live on land then Haruna would have to change her look.
"Oh! We have lots of clothes no one wears! I'm sure one of them fits you!" Makie then ran to her closet which was modestly hidden behind a wall of large plushies, leaving Haruna and the still undiscovered Kirishima alone.
"Makie Osakabe, why are you helping me?" a question that, by all means, wasn't the first.
After all, "Bon-Bon," asked her that exact question as well, "Oh, that's kind of funny, Bon-Bon asked me that question as well. Well, this is all probably the work of fate!"
"Fate?" while Makie was rummaging through her closet, Haruna activated her data ring and brought up the definition for fate, "Fate: the development of events outside a person's control, regarded as predetermined by a supernatural power. Entry tagged. Categorized. Recorded."
"You speak weird," rather rudely commented Makie as she came from behind the impenetrable plushie wall with a mountain of clothes in her hands.
Haruna managed to deactivate her data rings just in time so that she wouldn't be discovered as a Fleet of Fog mental model, "Weird?"
"Yeah, like a robot," idly noted Makie, plopping the mountain of clouds onto her bed, "Well, whatever. Let's get you sorted out!"
What followed were the most humiliating moments in all of Haruna's service. The little devil in a girl's clothing forced her into wearing a bunch of different outfits, all without the assistance of her beloved black coat.
Take 1
Her Highness Makie's verdict, "Not great, not terrible."
Take 2
Her Cuteness Makie's verdict, "That still looks inappropriate..."
Take 3
Her Devilishness Makie's verdict, "You look cuter than me... change."
Take 4
Her Prinzessin Makie's verdict, "Poifect!"
"Please... spare me..." Haruna desperately reached for her cloak, but her attempts were for nought as Makie dragged her onto a small chair.
Then, came more pain, "Your hair has to match your outfit."
What proceeded was nothing short of embarrassing as Makie skillfully messed with Haruna's hairstyle, turning it into a plethora of different hairstyles, even an afro! How... is a good question. Makie transcends logic so don't question it.
"Haruna, you have to be more stylish! No boy is going to want to marry you if you are boring!" excitedly yelled Makie as Haruna collapsed onto the ground, mentally exhausted, "I know! Let's go shopping together tomorrow!"
The gods seemed to have given Haruna mercy as a knock came from the large wooden door leading into Makie's room. Now, the Fleet of Fog mental model was allowed a moment of rest from the hyperactive little girl and her shenanigans.
A maid entered the room, "Miss Makie, it's time for your checkup."
"Okay, take your time picking clothes, Haruharu!" and with that being said, Makie and the maid had left the room.
Now it was just Haruna and Kirishima in the room. The blonde happily put on her large black coat, feeling a million times more comfortable now that she had some manner of protection. She would have to provide Kirishima with some of her depleted nanomaterials, even if her sister was in the midst of laughing at her for her new nickname.
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Bismarck had found himself in Osakabe Toujurou's private chamber beneath the manor, impatiently standing at the entrance to the sickly man's room, "You want me to leave them be as well, huh?"
"Yes," came the robotic voicebox of the bedridden man, "But do not show yourself, for now. We cannot be certain of their response."
"Obviously," stoically replied Bismarck, already starting to walk away.
"It has been a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Bismarck stopped dead in his tracks at the man's last sentence.
He slightly turned his head so that he could at least spare the ill man a glance, "...Yeah."
And with that, the mental model turned traitor walked away from the dying man. Knowing the situation, he'll likely, no, he most certainly won't get to see him again. After all, today is the last day the man was going to let himself stay alive. The government most likely already knew about Makie meeting the Fleet of Fog mental model. They couldn't hide it anymore, not after the attack yesterday. Not after the damage the town and the warehouse suffered. Bismarck and Makie will have to leave this place today, whether they like it or not. The little genius was still unaware of it though. She was still the naive little girl that Bismarck had come to know. That... wouldn't last long after today... In the best-case scenario, the girl manages to sweet talk Haruna and Kirishima into joining them and defecting from Fog. Worst case scenario, Makie will perish and so will Bismarck's secrecy. The fleet will be looking high and low for him, undoubtedly. A traitor of Bismarck's calibre cannot be left alone. If the two mental models do go against them, then they will have to be... disposed of.
"Sigh, Scheiße..." cursed Bismarck under his breath as he exited the annoying elevator that just had to play the bongos whenever it was used.
It was already nighttime, way past Makie's bedtime. Sigh, he missed dinner... Whatever. Osakabe Toujurou had specifically told him his plan, the same way he persuaded him when he first arrived here he was going to try and persuade the two mental models. What a crazy man, but considering he won't be alive for much longer... it was not the worst choice. Bismarck had to think fast when his instruments had picked up on a group of people approaching his location, undoubtedly the mental models along with a maid. So he ran in the opposite direction, away from them all the while keeping his signature as low to detect as possible. He's a battleship, not a submarine, stealth is not his thing. For now, he'll scout the perimeter, keep his eyes open and his radar running for when the government decides to attack. So he perched himself onto the roof like a certain Gotham hero and waited.
"Ah, the Assis are here," true to his words, an armed squad of at least twenty military vehicles oh so inconspicuously parked itself outside the residence.
They cut the power too, the two mental models inside the manor are probably already aware of their presence though. With a sigh, Bismarck stepped off from the rood and plummeted towards the ground.
"Time to get to work..."
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"Squad Seven, moving in!" the strict voice of a human SWAT squad leader sounded from the emergency exit of the mansion.
A rather small squad of around ten individuals kicked open the door before rushing inside with their weapons drawn. However, they didn't make it far before they all suddenly stopped in their rapid advance. A few of them knelt on the floor, taking aim with their assault rifles.
The slow sound of footsteps echoed through the dark hallway...
"Who's there?! Make yourself known and come to us slowly with your hands up!" the squad leader's orders fell on deaf ears as a silhouette of a tall man entered their vision.
The light from the moonlight seaming through the large window of the manor being the only source of light in the area. It showed them a partially revealed man, his head still clouded in shadows with his eyes glowing an eerie red colour.
"If you do not comply we will shoot-"
"Guten Abend, gentlemen," a dangerous gleam came from the man's hand that was still shrouded in shadows, to the SWAT's horror a massive blade of iron briefly entered their vision, reflecting the soft moonlight off of its polished surface.
"Auf Wiedersehen..."
-SPLATTER-
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The loud sound of gunfire briefly filled the hallway in front of Makie's room. A yellow-coloured wave-force armour flashed to life, stopping the hail of bullets dead in its tracks. Haruna easily pushed the human soldiers back with her shield, not even their grenades could do much against her.
"I am in a very bad mood tonight..." without even looking at the man that fired the grenade, Haruna with the help of her wave-force armour turned the grenade towards the soldier, just about ready to blast him to kingdom come.
"STOP, HARUHARU!"
The sudden intrusion of Makie made Haruna drop the grenade, making it explode upon contact with the ground. Nobody was harmed by the explosion as Haruna used her wave-force armour to protect the distressed Makie. The little girl desperately clutched to the Yotaro teddy bear plushie, which was also Kirishima's current body.
"Makie... listen. I am..."
"...A mental model of Fog," both Haruna and Kirishima were surprised when Makie finished the sentence for them.
"Makie... I... didn't intend to deceive you," when Haruna went to try and comfort Makie though the scared little girl recoiled back, startling the blonde mental model greatly.
Then, she just ran away with Yotaro still in her hands, leaving a rather saddened Haruna behind. Honestly... what did she expect? She is Fleet of Fog mental model after all... Sigh. Giving Kirishima clear instructions to preserve Makie's life at all cost while leaving the mansion, Haruna used what little nanomaterial she had left to create a perfect replica of Makie that she will have to use to distract the humans.
All the while she still continues to lie to herself that she only protects Makie because of intel...
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Haruna smashed through the wall of the manor with ease, carrying the copy of Makie in her arms as the human SWAT teams took the bait. A helicopter appeared in the sky and shot its rotary machine gun at Haruna, but it proved to be ineffective against her wave-force armour. She flicked a grenade towards the chopper, it exploded near it like some sort of flak round and damaged its engine severely enough for the pilot to divert it to a nearby flat piece of terrain and land. Haruna valiantly fought against the humans, at least until two six-legged mech tanks made their appearance. They were autonomous and looked sort of like crabs. But instead of pincers, they had large cannons.
Haruna wasn't sure how much power those things packed, but it looked like a lot, "Tch."
The two tanks aimed their cannons at the mental model, but before they could fire a large, sword-like object found itself embedded into one of the Rock Crab's heads. The masterpiece of modern human engineering was easily dispatched, but by whom...?
"Guten Abend, Fraulein..."
The blonde couldn't move, at all. She was frozen in place. Her body refused to do anything in the presence of that... monster. His name was infamous throughout the Fleet of Fog. He was the fleet's most powerful defector. A betrayed. Traitor. The former flagship of the Kriegsmarine. A Warmachine that sunk more ships than half the fleet. A beast made of steel built for one purpose and one purpose only... to rule the sea. His treachery put light on just how much power could a flagship wield, especially one of his calibre. They said he was rotting on the bottom of the ocean. And yet here he stands, crushing two metal mechs under his foot all the while grinning like a madman. Why is he here? How did he get here? His mere presence had put her on edge more than any battle she had fought in. Not even Kongou could measure up to this kind of feeling...
The feeling of being confronted by an apex predator...
Haruna lost focus and as a result, the replica of Makie in her arms crumbled into silver dust. Bismarck narrowed his eyes at the display before jutting his sword from the destroyed robot's body and aiming the flat tip at the blonde.
"Are you trying to play games with me, Fraulein?" his tone was laced with venom, clearly he wasn't aware of what Haruna's relationship with Makie currently was.
He naturally assumed the worst, judging by the fact Kirishima was nowhere to be seen along with the actual Makie. Before Haruna could even think of explaining herself, another group of Rock Crabs appeared. Just how many did they bring to neutralize one human girl?!
"Where is Makie Osakabe?" Bismarck's patience was nonexistent, if he had to draw the information from Haruna's busted open computing processor then he will do so, "Answer me, Fraulein."
To further intimidate the blonde, two of the Rock Crabs were instantly crushed beneath layers of deep red wave-force armour. Haruna took a step back, and Bismarck in response brandished his sword at her. The remaining Rock Crabs fired their cannons at them, but Bismarck just stopped the shells without even bothering to spare the machines a glance. His Klein-field was stronger than Haruna's, that much was a given. He was a flagship, after all. Her processing power can't compete with his.
"HARUHARU! BON-BON!"
"MAKIE?!" came the collective scream of both mental models when they heard and saw Makie running towards them while clutching Yotaro in her hands.
They both panicked as tens of red dots appeared across Makie's body. The two dashed towards the girl, hellbent on saving the girl's life at all cost. They ran at full speed, as fast as they physically could. Haruna was just a little ahead of Bismarck, she was lighter and wasn't carrying a massive sword.
Then the sound of gunfire ripped through the air...
A yellow dome of wave-force armour surrounded Haruna as she tightly grasped Makie in her arms, ready to protect her with her own body if need be. The Rock Crabs began raining lead upon the yellow wave-force armour, their combined force slowly overwhelming Haruna's capabilities.
"Tsh!" it was up to Bismarck to take care of attacking mech tanks.
He easily did so, splitting a single one of them into multiple pieces with a single stroke of his oversized blade. But most of them still focused fire on Haruna, and henceforth... Makie. That... was unacceptable. Haruna's Klein-field looked about ready to crumble at a moment's notice. Scheiße, he was too slow!
-CLANK- -BOOM-
Something, or rather someone, dropped onto one of the Rock Crabs like a damn meteorite and destroyed it with a single strike. The unexpected appears to have become the norm for tonight. The sudden appearance of another mental model surprised everyone.
"401?" Bismarck, despite the distance between him and Haruna, could hear the blonde clearly.
So this is the mental model of that submarine that fought against Haruna and Kirishima...
"Haruna, what are you doing here?" stoically asked the mental model of I-401, taking notice of Makie's presence.
"...I..."
"Protecting a friend," interjected Bismarck, surprising just about everyone that heard him except Makie, who just smiled.
"...Yes," Haruna agreed to Bismarck's statement with a nod, still a little taken back by his claim.
Makie was his friend too? Since when? And how in the world did a cute-looking little human girl managed to befriend perhaps one of the cruellest Fleet of Fog mental models? These questions would have to wait though, as they had to escape from the government's assault before any debatable questions could be asked. A barrage of rockets swiftly and efficiently destroyed all Rock Crabs in the area, I-401 must have had her vessel nearby. Bismarck merely watched with a stern expression as the mental model of the infamous blue submarine easily forced the human attackers to retreat. With a huff he disenchanted his sword, turning it back into nanomaterial for later use.
"Well, that was easy," Bismarck couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when a... pink teddy bear talked, and as any reasonable person would, he proceeded to immediately poke her, "OI WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM-WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT THEEEEE FUUUUUUUUUCK?!"
"For a stuffed toy you are way too lively. Can it," one glare and the previously loud and lively Yotaro was as stiff as a plank, playing dead.
"Bon-Bon stop being mean to Yotaro!" and there goes a light kick to the leg from Makie.
Haruna could only blink, utterly baffled at what she was seeing. A little human girl berating Bismarck. THE Bismarck... She'd be a damn fool if she didn't record this. Entry tagged. Categorized. Recorded.
"Makie," there was still one matter for the blonde mental model to settle though, "Will you be my... No. Will you be our friend?"
"I'm included?!" Yotaro, or rather Kirishima, blushed, which was a little weird since she was a small squeaky teddy bear right now.
Makie could only stare at Haruna with her mouth slightly ajar, surprised by her sudden request. But... she was... happy, that she asked. Even if Haruna didn't ask to be her friend, the little girl would ask her instead. Nobody can say no to her famous puppy dog eyes. Not even Bon-Bon...
"Okay!" with a dazzling smile the little girl replied, ecstatic that she gained another friend, even if she was from the Fog like Bon-Bon!
Wait a second... "BON-BON!"
"Yes?"
"Since when are you from the Fog?!" Kirishima just snorted at Makie's overly dramatic tone of voice, she sounded like she discovered Santa isn't real for the first time.
"...For someone so smart you sure aren't very bright," deadpanned Bismarck as he patted Makie's head, who just pouted at him and kicked his leg again.
...
...
...
"Now you have a lot more friends, Prinzessin."