Azur Lane: Return of Davis

Chapter 44: Who's In Control?

Siren Antarctic HQ

June 14, 1942

Under the cover of darkness, a portal opens over the dark walls of the Siren HQ. Who else steps out but me, wearing an outfit style I never thought I'd put on again.

After a run-in with the cops a few years back, I rolled a pair of jeans into a pool of black printer ink and stole a black hoodie. Dark colours to blend in with the shadows. A few days later, I found an M2 Gas Mask from the Great War in a pawn shop and bought it (I did support local businesses back when I was a thief). Even without the canvas bag or the tube connector, it offers enough facial obscurity to assist my efforts, and after some modifications, the black-tinted glass in the eye holes shielded my identity even further.

Black leather gloves, of a similar style to the brown gloves I wear sometimes, also adorn my current look. The only difference from my old thief outfit are the black M42 Combat Boots from the US Army supplies (yes, I stole them. Some things never change).

My mission? Give Eva a Siren body and begin the Mark III upgrade.

The portal? Alpha instructed me on how to properly open one. I won't be using this often, but if I need to, I will.

My equipment? I'm going quiet, so I took something from the US Army's armoury.

A Welrod Mk IIA chambered in .32 subsonic ACP. Three magazines: one in each pocket of my hoodie and one currently in the gun. Why the Welrod? Well, field tests show that it might as well be the most silent gun to exist.

Orochi and Hydra, obviously. Need Orochi on me always, and Hydra is part of my soul. Hope I don't need to use Observer, but we'll see... And, just in case, I have the M5 bayonet as well.

Opening the map, I locate the repair bay and upgrade room (which are right next to each other for convenience), so I look left, turn right, then sneak my way down the hallway.

After some quick movements, I encounter some drones in front of a vending machine at a 4-way intersection. A Chaser and Smasher model.

Smasher: "Hey, d'you remember that Eva girl?" Her German accent is sharp and obvious.

Chaser: "Eva... クリエーターによる, yes. I always enjoyed her talks. What about her?" Japanese.

Smasher: "She's apparently AWOL. No contact for the last few days. Her system logs're down too, like with Observer."

Chaser: "That... is not good."

Smasher: "Du sagst es mir verdammt noch mal. Hope she comes back."

Chaser: "So do I..."

Both wander down the left passageway, seemingly to the dorms. No need to kill them; just let them pass and sneak by. Keep heading forwards.

Eventually I come across another set of drones: an Explorer and another Chaser.

Explorer: "Say, 30-aught-6."

Chaser, whose IFF does end in 3006: "Don't call me that."

Explorer: "Why do you think we're guarding this room?"

3006: "Uh, hell if I know. Not like an ordinary human can reach down this south."

I need to get past them. Teleportation won't work; it's loud as fuck. That room is... the armoury. Alright, let's do it.

Pulling out the Welrod, I slide the magazine into the mag well, gripping it, and aiming down the narrow sights. 20 feet between me and the Explorer. I spin the M5 bayonet into my left hand, using it as an additional point of contact. Pulling the trigger, the subsonic ammunition rips through the suppressed barrel, reducing any noise the round might've made in a similarly constructed pistol.