As Trixie made her way up the stairs, she could feel a sense of unease settle over her. The noise of the helicopters and the commotion going on outside was muffled by the tall walls of the building, but it still managed to penetrate to the lobby.

Trixie glanced at the surroundings of the stairwell as she reached the door leading to the second floor, her senses on high alert. Down on the floor, she saw a dead agent with a high-tech white rifle on his side, which glowed with silver lights.

Just what I need, Trixie thought. She picked up the rifle before looking ahead.

Gotta be careful with who's on the other side, she thought.

She stepped in front of the door, making it slide open. A maze of desks and cubicle walls met her gaze. The dim light that flickered from the emergency lights gave the space an eerie, shadowy atmosphere. Despite the chaos above and below her, the room remained empty, devoid of any signs of life.

…Too quiet, I don't like it, Trixie thought.

Trixie stepped further into the room, her footsteps echoing against the hard floor. She strained to hear any signs of movement, the silence only interrupted by the hum of computers that were left turned on. Suddenly, a noise caught her attention, and her head snapped up towards the source. It had come from the other side of the corridor. Trixie crept forward, following the sound, keeping her senses on high alert. As she rounded the corner of a large cubicle, she was met with the sight of a Striker punching a female scientist in the face, and a police officer landing blows on the attacker from behind.

As Trixie stood there, watching the violent scene unfold before her, she knew she had to act fast. As the armed Striker prepared to punch the female scientist again, Trixie lunged forward, grabbing the Striker's arm.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!" she yelled, throwing him to the ground on his back.

“Fuck off!” the Striker spat, swinging his leg in an attempt to clip Trixie, the latter jumping up to avoid it.

The Striker regained his footing in a flash and threw a punch at Trixie, but after dodging the attack, Trixie grabbed him by the waist and performed a suplex, slamming him backwards. Little did she know, another Striker was right behind her and was knocked back by the suplex, which became the subject of laughter to the cop she's assisting. The officer then fired several bullets of his pistol into the downed Striker, finishing him off.

“Things are looking grim,” Trixie said to the scientist and cop with a sigh.

The cop groaned. “Yeah, we're backed into a wall from both sides. They're chasing us up the building, but we're also being flooded from above.”

“Well, I'm going after them. I hope you fare well against them and protect everyone.”

“I'll do my best. But wait, have these,” he said before giving Trixie ammunition for her rifle.

“Thanks for looking out.”

Trixie's Aura Display Gear chimed, drawing her attention to the message left by Piper:

The doors to the main stairwell have been activated. Be wary as you ascend the building!

Hm, Trixie thought, making her way to the main stairwell with haste.

She heard a sudden barrage of intense gunfire from the lower floors, but she shook her head. “No, I must keep going,” she whispered under her breath, opening the door to the stairwell and heading up.

Before exiting the stairwell, Piper's voice wailed in Trixie's head.

Trixie!

Trixie held her head from the sudden sharp voice, wincing as she whispered, “Y-yes, Piper, what is it?”

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…

Several floors above, Platinum soldiers were going for what they knew with reckless abandon, overpowering the agents and staff present. Armed with high-powered weapons, force shields, and cutting-edge armor, the Soldiers tore through the building like a tornado in a village with houses made of hay.

Situated in a dimly-lit cubicle, the Fyodorova Twins were working away at the consoles in the building's command chambers. The twin sisters were the very picture of elegance and efficiency. One wore her pale blonde hair in a neat bun, while the other had it cascading down her shoulders in loose waves. Both of them were dressed in form-fitting black uniforms, each adorned with intricate silver designs and accents. Their faces were scarily identical, sharp and defined with medium-sized noses, high cheekbones and bright blue eyes. They were both focused intently on their screens, their fingers flying over their keyboards with practiced precision. The lights of the monitors reflected in their eyes, making them appear almost translucent in the artificial light. A moment later, a jingle confirmed that their attempt to disable the building's static defenses was successful.

After sharing a high-five with her sister, Vladislava rose her pale hand to speak into her walkie-talkie, her lips in red lipstick parting as she announced:

“Heads up - the power substations are down! The security measures of the building are disabled. All units on the lower floors converge towards the rooftop.”

"Roger that," came the response over the walkie-talkie, the voice belonging to the twins' guardian, Geneva.

“Any word on the doll yet, Geneva?"

“Oh, about that…”

Geneva, in the level above the twins, turned her attention to the vulnerable Piper, who was sitting in her seat hooked up to the Heracles supercomputer, unable to do anything but just hope that Trixie would just magically appear. But instead, it was Geneva, a very tall dragon girl with velvety copper skin, a long black and light blue tail, and threatening black horns. More threatening were her sharp crimson and cobalt eyes and cruel grin, which bore through Piper. The dragon girl wore nothing more than a set of black compression shorts and a blue shirt whose buttons held onto dear life to contain her large bust.

"Well, look at what we have here," Geneva chuckled, her eyes gleaming with malice. "Looks like you were too scared to leave your little chair, huh?"

Piper, unable to move, just looked up at Geneva, trying to keep her cool. "What...what do you want?!"

"What do I want?" Geneva smirked, circling around Piper's chair. "Oh, you know what I want. I want this doll hooked up to this silly supercomputer. General Kat asked me to grab it for her research, and let's just say I'm not one to disappoint my General."

"You...you can't take me!" Piper tried to sound defiant, but the fear in her voice was evident. "I'm not just a doll! I'm part of this supercomputer, and I'm under strict security measures!"

Geneva chuckled darkly, her eyes flickering with an ominous light. "Oh, you think you can stop me? That's adorable."

She leaned down, towering over Piper, her face mere inches away. "But let me tell you something," Geneva said, her voice dropping to a low murmur. "I'm not worried about any of that so-called security you have here. I've seen my fair share of security systems. And they all crumple against the might of the Platinum Army.”

Piper knew Geneva wasn't bluffing. The Platinum Army was ruthless and had the resources and power to get what they wanted. The thought of her ending up in the hands of the Platinums...it was a horrifying thought. She took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady.

"You...you can't just take me!" she said. "I-I'm alive! I have...feelings.”

Geneva chuckled again, her eyes narrowing. "Alive? Feelings? Oh, you're delusional. Dolls don't have feelings. They're just pieces of technology, objects to be used and manipulated by us. And this one happens to be an object that the General is very interested in.”

Piper's fair white hands clenched into fists. She knew Geneva was wrong. She remembered all the times she spent with Trixie. The conversations they had, the laughter they shared, the moments of vulnerability and trust. She wasn't just a piece of technology. She had a mind of her own. She had a soul.

"You... you don't understand," Piper said, her voice wavering with anger and helplessness. "I'm more than just a doll. I'm...a living being just like you.”

Geneva rolled her eyes, her smirk widening. "Please. Don't be ridiculous. Dolls can't have friends. They don't have the capacity for human emotions. They're just machines. They do as they're programmed to do. Nothing more, nothing less. Now stop wasting my time, you're coming with us!”

Geneva wrapped her slender, scaly dragon tail around Piper's neck, squeezing it tightly.

Geneva's grip around Piper's neck tightened further, making it difficult for her to speak. Piper's hands clawed at the tail, trying to loosen the choking hold, but Geneva's grip was too strong.

"You're coming with us," Geneva repeated, her voice cold and clinical. "And don't think about resisting, or things will get...messy.”

Geneva's smirk grew wider as she watched Piper struggle against the tight coil of her tail. The doll was weak physically, defenseless against the power of the Platinum Army's lead enforcer. Piper's artificial heart raced in her chest, a mixture of fear and desperation coursing through her circuits.

"Looks like you're starting to realize the futility of resisting," Geneva said. "Good, you're not as dumb as I thought.”

Piper continued to gasp for air, her synthetic lungs straining against the choking hold of Geneva's tail. But the dragon girl seemed to enjoy the power she held, a cruel smile playing at the corner of her lips as she watched the doll struggle.

"Now, are you going to cooperate, or do you need a little more persuasion?" Geneva asked, her voice low and menacing.

Piper hesitated for a moment, her programming torn between fighting for her survival and submitting to the will of her captors. The fear coursing through her circuits was overwhelming, making it difficult for her to think straight. But at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a flicker of defiance burn within her.

"I... I...won't cooperate." Piper managed to gasp out, her voice choked and strained.

Geneva's smile turned into a sneer at Piper's defiant words. The dragon girl's grip on her tail tightened further, cutting off more of Piper's air supply. With a sudden movement, Geneva yanked Piper out of her seat, hoisting her into the air with ease.

"Is that so?" Geneva said, her voice dripping with menace. "You have guts, I'll give you that. But I'm afraid guts alone won't be enough to save you here, my little pink-haired friend.”

With a cruel smirk, Geneva twisted her tail tighter, cutting off even more of Piper's access to air. The doll's eyes widened in terror, her face contorting in a silent scream of pain and fear. The edges of her vision began to blur as her systems slowly shut down, overwhelmed by the lack of oxygen and the pressure on her circuits. Geneva toyed with the idea of ending it all right here and now, squeezing the doll's neck until her circuits fried and her light extinguished. But she knew that Katyusha wanted the doll intact. For now.

Piper's arms fell to her sides, her body now limp after her desperate struggle for consciousness. Geneva reeled her in, grabbing her and holding her in her muscular arms, walking away from the supercomputer with an accomplished grin.

“Gotcha,” she whispered, looking down at the unconscious Piper before leaving the room.