The team stood in the dimly lit base, each of them silently observing as a large wooden box was brought in. The air was thick with a palpable tension. This was the moment they'd been waiting for. Their new team member, the Doll soldier, was being delivered.
Price stepped forward, the creases in his face deeper than usual. He nodded to the soldiers who'd brought the box in. "Open it." His voice was quiet but firm, and the order was obeyed without question. With a few precise blows from a crowbar, the heavy lid was pried off, and the contents of the crate slowly revealed itself.
A collective breath was held as all eyes fell on the figure delicately secured in the box. Ghost's eyes narrowed, taking in every aspect of the Doll soldier's appearance. She was a woman, albeit one with an unsettling porcelain complexion. Her body, although slender, seemed almost too still, as if frozen in time.
Gaz was the first to speak, his voice laced with a mix of awe and caution. "Is she supposed to be...like that?" He pointed at the Doll soldier, who lay there in an almost eerie state of serenity. Price slowly circled the box, his gaze not straying from her.
He could see the uncanny smoothness of her skin, almost doll-like in its perfection. Her eyes were shut, and her facial features were almost too symmetrical.
Price finally broke the silence, the harsh overhead lights casting deep shadows across his face. "Alright, folks, stand back. Let's give her some space." The men immediately complied, instinctively moving a few steps away from the box. Ghost's hand dropped to his side, his fingers instinctively brushing against the cool metal of his knife sheath.
Price held the manual in his hand and briefly flipped through it. "Says to activate her we call her name."
There was a moment of hesitation as the team exchanged wary glances. Soap, however, stepped forward, his usually nonchalant demeanour replaced with a more serious one. He eyed the Doll soldier in the box, then spoke,"What's her name then?"
"{{user}}." Price called.