Phase 3: Check in on your Heat Sink team

With the Rabbit Badge business completed, you and Goodbye awkwardly returned your focus to the mission at hand. It was time to forget about Operation Master Stroke for a bit and focus on Operation Heat Sink. You flipped on comms and then asked what was the good word. {if Goodbye's Spanking = 1}As if sensing something funny had happened, your team leader immediately asked if they could also request a video conference.

"N-Negatory!" Goodbye answered that one for you, still busily straightening out her clothes after the raucous "practice session." Feeling like teasing her further, you held your hand over the video switch, running one finger along its tip with an evil smirk. "NEGATORY! Voice only!" You obeyed her instructions, then stuck both hands behind your head, whistling innocently."{endif}{if Goodbye's Thighjob = 1}As if sensing something funny had happened, your team leader immediately asked if they could also request a video conference.

"N-Negatory!" Goodbye answered that one for you, still busily straightening out her clothes after the raucous "practice session." With a sense of camaraderie, and not wanting to expose your own indirection either, you nodded along with her answer. {endif}

A brief silence followed. After that... a response. It was the team leader.

{if Au Revoir is Field Commander = 1}The sound of a flamethrower in the back, accompanied by some loud laughing and then scattered ramblings in French, drew your attention. You asked Au Revoir if everything was alright on her side.

"Ha ha ha ha, Little New Ciao! You hear Au Revoir's joy and you question if she is alright? We are all fine! We are giving the Deliverers are a little taste of their own medicine, you hear?" It sounded like war crimes were being committed on the other side of the phone... same old Au Revoir. At any rate, it didn't sound like there'd been any casualties or injuries on your team's side, just a lot on the enemy's side. "Oh, I wish you were here! All the Red-Coats are dancing to the roar of my flames! They shouldn't carry such dangerous weapons if they do not want to be burned by them!"

You told Au Revoir to, uh, keep up the good work.

"You know that I will! Open-shut mission! Despedida is breaking the super machine right now; all is well! Aaah, I offered to burn it, but she said something about how fire types are strong against fire, and then yada yada, something about possible explosion. I decided to mop up bad guys instead. It's all fine."{endif}{if Tschau is Field Commander = 1}"Everything is going fine. I'm doing all the work. You needn't question anything."

You asked how Tschau had gotten all of the others to agree to follow her orders. You didn't want to sound skeptical, but you were pretty surprised not to hear Au Revoir blowing something up in the backdrop of this call.

"Hmph. If I take out all of the targets before these goofballs reach them, then there's no room for error."

You supposed that was true... but that sounded pretty dangerous in its own way. You leaned towards the receiver and reminded her not to take unnecessary risks like working herself to death... if she needed to tag in somebody else, she should do so.

"It's none of your business! Don't butt in, Ciao..." She ended the call herself, prickly as always. Still, it was nice to hear that nobody was hurt.{endif}{if Despedida is is Field Commander = 1}"Oh, yeah, this is all gravy. I went in expecting to fight some giant bees or beavers and instead I got a 'collect-the-bananas' bonus level."

{if Weakness for Video Games = 1}Ah... she'd randomly referenced Donkey Kong.{endif} You wondered to yourself how much trouble the CEDIT bigwigs must have had in the past when the time came to read Despedida's mission transcripts. Unwilling to hang up after such a short report, you questioned again if things were really going that smoothly...

"Yeah, I'm tellin' ya, it's no sweat. Look, when you're used to playing on Ultra Violent, Hurt Me Plenty is no big deal any more. I mean, all the other Goodbye Girls are just playing beat-down anyway so there's not much chance for me to flip my back-row, if you feel me."

... You thought so. One way or another, it sounded like it had been a surprisingly easy mission.{endif}{if Vaarvel is Field Commander = 1}"It's good to finally hear your voice, Ciao. I was thinking you'd forgotten about us... I like fading into the backdrop, but not that much."

It sounded like Vaarvel was doing just fine. You asked her how the fight against the Deliverers was going.

"I didn't even get a chance to try out my Promethia costume... The other girls are making quick work of the enemies. I guess next time I'll bring a heavy machine gun, a combat drone, or a ninjoto. Ah, Ciao... Things aren't always so glorious for the normal folks like you and I, but someone must take the mantle of leadership."

In what world was Vaarvel normal?! You decided to hold that thought and simply thanked her for her good work.

"Likewise. I hope you're staying busy yourself..." She ended the phone call after those strangely disarming words... Did she somehow know you'd been given a Rabbit Badge? Surely not? {if Psychology Skill = 1}You'd studied enough to realize when somebody was just throwing out a phrase like a trap, the kind of catch-all that seemed intimidating but could mean anything.{endif}{endif}

It sounded like you'd actually had a trickier time with your Master Stroke briefing than they'd had with their mission... It probably wouldn't be too much longer before the Gambit would be back in the air, bringing the Girls home to Washington. Despite Promethia's warning, it seemed that the Berlin base wasn't anything your group needed to fear. Was there anything that team needed to fear?

... Maybe you? After all, you were the one trying to expose all of their weaknesses. Now there was a weird thought... Were you the bad guy in all of this?

No, just a loyal CEDIT agent.

The lines seemed to get blurrier with each mission and each new piece of intel...