Six breaths mingled into one. It wasn't real breathing, none of the lungs were able to draw breath on their own. Instead, devices kept the bodies from collapsing.

Your eyes fell on the monitor of Four, a woman in her early thirties who had fallen into a coma during a fragmentation grenade attack.

She had a particular affinity for anything to do with internal implants, lungs, hearts or even replaced joints. Whatever it was, as long as it was under the skin she could turn it into a weapon against the owner.

A rather immoral way to fight, but in war there were no rules. And Meyers would make sure nothing backfired on you. At least as long as you were doing your job for her and breaking all sorts of international laws.

"All for the greater good...", you sighed and stroked One's grey hair.

He was the oldest of them all at almost seventy. Granted thanks to cyberware he didn't look like that, more like early fifties but still, like everyone else, his brain wasn't capable of functioning on its own.

He had become a living vegetable from cyberspsychosis. Alive, more or less.

He proved to be particularly useful for tracking things down. Of all things really. If it had an electrical impulse, he could detect it.

Although all these people were technically living beings, their abilities acted as a kind of specialised algorithm for you. You didn't have to dive into the deep web yourself or worry about something sticking to your hands.

In the real world, they were all ghosts, officially declared dead. And on the battlefield, they were a weapon no one expected.

"Good dogs.", you whispered to Six.

He was about the age as Four, single and with no connection to the people he'd been found with. All drug deaths. A shame, he would have been honoured as a veteran just a month later.

If the words from Myer's mouth were to be believed.

Thanks to him, you were able to be practically immune to hacker attacks. Your systems didn't overheat and a potential enemy he had to get through the endlessly thick firewall of Six before just scratching the surface of your own.

A particularly talented hacker had once made it to the third of the twenty-seven layers of his firewall. After that, his neurones had blown and he had died instantly.

Your eyes jumped to Two, then Three and finally Five. They had been a family, two women and their son.  He was still a little young, so young that it could be described as unfortunate.

All three had served under a distinguished NUSA general. So distinguished until he wasn't. Militech had raided their unit and taken all the cyberware they could find. The blunt trauma had damaged their nerves. Now they were serving their bodies while their souls were burning in hell.

If there was a hell. At least you hoped so, otherwise all your atrocities would have been in vain.

Who but the devil could have paid them proper respect?

A sigh rolled from your lips. Tired, you sat down on the back of three and looked at the values on the screens.

Everything looked fine, even though the last mission had cost you almost two of your dogs. Meyers had kept her word and had done everything possible to provide you with the resources needed to prevent this.

It was rare, but sometimes that woman was more useful than hostile.

To make sure that everything was as it should be, you swiped across the display and checked the analyses of the system.

"A quick recovery.", you muttered and glanced at the crack in the door.

A shadow had moved across the ground. But you hadn't heard anyone coming.

Curiously stretching your neck, you tried to get a better look. But all that could be seen in the light was a pale flicker. Like the heat.

"Ah...", your lips curled into a smirk.

Again you turned to the information. A gentle breeze brushed through your (H/C) hair. Suddenly your skin tightened under the equipment.

"Colonel, do you have permission to enter this area?", you asked, amused, without turning to face him.

Learned calm and genuine curiosity mingled on Kurt's face as he let his eyes wander over each of your six dogs. Then his gaze fell on you.

"I don't think so.", he said dryly, watching as the drone flew out of its box to scan him.

You took a moment. If Hansen didn't have permission to enter the area, the drone would classify him as a threat. Then he had about five seconds to leave the hall before the first volley was fired.

You were a little tempted to watch this escalation. On the other hand, you had no interest in seeing him dead so soon.

So you gave him another treat.

Your eyes glowed red. The drone paused in its scanning, refreshed itself. Then the lens turned green. Access permitted.

"A gesture of my good will.", you leaned over the chair of Two to reposition some cables that some idiot had misplaced.

The oxygen level was quite low and threatened to attack the cells. A problem that could have been avoided. Now Two would need more time to regenerate.

So you could only plan with five dogs for the next mission. Not impossible but annoying.

"Rumours were doin' the rounds.", Kurt allowed himself to speak.

He chose his words wisely, spoke calmly and was neither judgemental nor disparaging. He merely noted a fact.

Your gaze lifted.

"Rumours are quick.", you gave him a smile. "But at the end of the day, they are just rumours."

He tilted his head, humming in agreement. Then his eyes fell on Six, who was right in front of him.

"I wondered who still fights with animals these days when they talk about dogs.", he leaned forward gently to get a better angle. "But that was probably more of a metaphor."

"Dogs don't sound as charmless as people without a will of their own.", you replied, settling down on the chair at the feet of Two.

"Slaves."

You had to snort.

"Slaves have a will, they're just not allowed to exercise it.",  you did a gesture. "Just like you and me, aren't we, Colonel?"

He looked at you for a moment.

There it was again, that look in the white of his eyes. Doubt. Yes, he doubted.

Whether in himself or the purpose he served did not matter. The corruption had already begun to enter him. The soldier threatened to become war.