Cromwell History and Plans.

Following Kratos and his squad's first Simulation room, they were all sitting around with Einkk looking at the recording of their battle. Kratos crossed his arms as he looked at their strategies and found it needed work. 

"To get the main point, Guilty, your reload speed and damage output per shell is incredible. Your incredible strength though seems to not be in use besides bracing your shotgun. We will need to find a way for you to get in close. The rocks were a good move on your part." 

Guilty began to think back on the first meeting she had with Kratos. He spoke of a Nikke on the surface who could use a sword against the raptures. 

"So, melee weapons?" 

He nodded. 

"For you, I recommend a tower shield and giant axe combo. Though, the Ark is not big on melee weapons. Through the records of my family, I read that before the Central Government became a thing, they were called the United Forces of Humanity. 

At the time, they were researching melee weapons to be given to Nikkes, but the skill required to use them proved to be more trouble than it was worth. There was only one Nikke who excelled at the art of Sword fighting. Scarlet of the Goddess squad.

Speaking of which, do you all know why Nikkes are called by the masses, The Goddess of Victory?" 

Sin thought about it as he had just spoken of a Goddess squad member. 

"Aren't they named after the Goddess squad? Some people are starting to doubt they exist. Only those statues they built all over the place are considered recognition for their help." 

He nodded. 

"Well then, buckle up as I happen to be able to tell you for a fact they are real. Some dead, some not. As for how I know, my great-grandfather was a young man when the evacuation to the Ark began. He was the Heir of the Cromwell fortune a multti billion-dollar fortune and like always, he got special treatment and got one of the first places in the Ark. 

It was recorded in his library as he found it to be of importance. The members were Liliweiss, Red Hood, Dorothy, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Scarlet our Sword Weilder of the group." 

Guilty, Quency, Sin, and Scathach were all now curious about something. Quency was the first to think it over. 

"If he knew, why don't more people know?" 

Kratos turned to Einkk who seemed to be obvlious of their fate. 

"In his journal, he wrote that the Goddess squad were the ones who fought off the Raptures long enough to seal the Ark. They were pronounced dead after that, but he wrote down that this was a lie. They were left to rot for some reason." 

Sin shook her head. 

"They were too strong to control and I think the NIMPH was not a thing in the Goddess squad. They proved a danger." 

He nodded. 

"That is the case. Now, they are called Pilgrims, Nikkes who wander the surface. Scarlet, Snow White, and Rapunzel are the usual ones encountered. As for Dorothy, no information has been seen about her just yet, or not that I would know.

Now that the history lesson is over, let's get back on track. These days, my family the Cromwell is one of the riches families in the Ark. Unlike other rich fucks, my Great Grandfather, Grandfather, and my Father have not squandered their wealth. 

We have invested in our own research facilities and manufacturing plants. Where do you think my armor and gun came from? We will be going over there to get some custom gear and upgrades. For now, we review." 

No one complained as Kratos dissected their footage. Guilty needed some heavier gear and some melee weapons to boost her strength. Sin was actually fine as she was accurate, fast, and could function as a semi-sniper. 

Quency only required more penetrative power so her guns would need an upgrade. It was Scathach that needed to change. Sin outperformed her in the same role, but she would better serve as a heavy artillery. 

However, she would need a new rifle as her Assault Rifle was nothing special. Just a Mass Produced model that needed to be upgraded to something with more power. When they were done, Kratos still congratulated them. 

"For what it matters, you girls did great. Now, anything I should do differently?" 

Guilty thought about it, but not really. He had instantly given orders, dealt with the Flying Raptures before they got close, helped her get in closer to deal more damage, and had taken down the Lord quite fast.

"I believe you did your job great." 

Quency shook her head as well. 

"I agree." 

Sin patted him on his right arm. 

"True. Keep that cool head." 

Scathach actually had something to add. 

"The only thing I can say that could be a little different is to not rush in ahead of us Nikkes. You are enhanced, armored, and heavily armed, but you still have human parts." 

He nodded. 

"Noted. Einkk, thanks for the help. We will be seeing plenty of you in over the next two months." 

The AI smiled and waved them goodbye. 

"Vist often." 

With that, they all began to leave the Simulation Room, but Kratos pulled out his phone. He called up his father who answered immediately. 

"Son." 

"Dad, I tried out the equipment you made at the Simulation Room with my squad. The Hellgun and Scion Armor function as intended. As you know I will return to duty in two months, and I rather increase my chances of survival. I want to stop by the Lab today." 

Kronus smiled. 

"Sure. I will send a car for you and your Nikkes. When we meet, I have something to discuss with you." 

"Alright. See you soon." 

With the call over, Kratos looked at the 4 Nikkes. 

"We will be taking a trip to my family's research lab. We have deals with the Big Three where we focus on experimental tech. My Hellgun will never be mass-produced as just making this one cost a fortune. There we will see what we can get in two months." 

Now they were all excited for some upgrades. As Nikkes, weapons were a part of their lives and the stronger yours was, the better. They did not need to wait long before a large SUV pulled up for them. 

The giant armored truck rolled down a tinted window to reveal a suit-wearing woman. 

"Master Kratos, I am Mellisa here to deliver you to the Cromwell Lab." 

"Nice to meet you Mellisa, thank you." 

He got into the Passenger Seat while Sin, Guilty, Quency, and Scathach got into the back. They instantly began to check out how fancy the SUV was while Kratos relaxed. 

Melissa drove in silence while Kratos thought back to Ferir. If he was truly going to be taking down that Tyrant, he would need all the firepower he could get his hands on. He also did not want to die to accomplish that so he knew he had to be stronger, be better. 

He closed his eyes and relaxed as driving in the Ark was rare. It was more common to go by rail, but some just liked the feeling of driving. Eventually, the SUV stopped at a large skyscraper owned by Kratos' Family 

"Thank you, Mellisa." 

"It is simply my job Sir." 

"Right." 

He opened the door and exited the SUV. He hefted his HellGun onto his shoulder and waited for his squad. One by one, the 4 Nikkes got out and stood with him as Mellisa drove off. 

He turned toward them. 

"Come on in. My Father should be waiting in the lab." 

As he walked toward the building they followed behind him. As they walked, Quency walked in front of him and walked backward while facing him. 

"So, here we can get custom gear?" 

He nodded. 

"Yes. My armor and gun were made here so I am going to see if we can't have some upgrades. We have three months before I am required to return to active duty. We got time." 

Quency looked at her Cuffs which also function as her guns. 

"So how do we upgrade these?" 

Kratos reached out grabbed her left arm and spun her around so she faced forward. 

"Look forward so you don't trip. As to how, I am not sure. We will see what can be done for all of us." 

When the 5 of them walked in, the guard at the entrance looked at the 5 of them without much reaction. Nikkes always walked around with their guns on them, even the ones with rocket launchers. 

It was obvious that 4 of them were Nikkes, but what about the guy?

"Indentification." 

Kratos was not surprised he was not recognized on sight as it was a big building and many guards. There were bound to be some who had not seen him before. He reached into his pocket for his wallet. He pulled out his Cromwell identification card to show to the guard.

The man looked at the card a moment before he froze when he saw it. 

"My apologies Sir Cromwell. Come in." 

"Thanks." 

Getting his card back, he and his squad entered. As they walked, they got some looks from the employees, but not much besides that. He led them to the elevator and once again used his card to gain access to the lab which was deep underground. 

As the elevator began to descend, he looked at Sin. When she noticed him looking at her she shot him a smile before purple gas left her mask. He reached out and patted her hair. 

"You like a small bat you know that?" 

Quency rolled her eyes. 

"Now you got eyes for Sin, is your appetite for beautiful Nikkes without end? What is next, you will get your Father to make you a harem of Nikkes for your depraved thoughts. So lewd and depraved." 

He noticed how her face got a little flushed and she began to pant a bit. Instead of giving her an answer, he hefted the Hellgun with one hand and used it to bonk her on the head. 

"OWWWW! THAT HURT!"

Guilty began to chuckle at that. 

"You got your just desserts. The Commander won't be enticed by a scatterbrain like you." 

Quency crossed her arms and looked away. 

"And the Commander will never dare touch your body when you could crush him with one arm." 

"What was that?" 

That started a back and fourth argument between both of them which caused Scathach to turn to him. 

"Are they like this often?" 

He nodded. 

"Yes, but they are friends so just think of it as some friendly back and forth." 

"I see. And you Sin, you don't talk much?" 

She pointed at her mask. 

"Not like I can." 

Scathach nodded. 

"It's a good thing then." 

Tick marks appeared on Sin's face, but thankfully Kratos was free from that elevator when it stopped. When the double doors opened wide, they led into a giant laboratory where all manner of experiments were being conducted. 

Waiting for them was the man himself Kronus Cromwell. Kronus smiled at his son who was wearing the custom armor they made for him. 

"How was it in the simulation?" 

"The armor held up strong and the Hellgun was everything I wanted. Strong, reliable, fast, armor piercing, impressive piece of tech." 

"I am glad. Now then, what will you need this time? I can't have you going back to the surface under geared." 

Kratos was still anxious about what had happened to his body, but he would put it off for another day. 

"Dad, I have a few requests. First, for Guilty I have three things to commission. First of all her main weapon is that shotgun of hers. Holds only 6 shells. Was wondering if it could edited to hold more in a magazine and even stronger ammunition if possible.

I will need two new pieces of gear for her. A melee weapon, preferably an axe, and a tower shield." 

Kronus could see the merit in that. 

"To make use of her strength yes. Armor?" 

"Preferably." 

Kronus may not be a researcher himself, but back in his younger days, he became obsessed with Fantasy and Sci-Fi. He could live out those days by making these things.

"What else?" 

"Now, onto Quency. Her Cuff Guns are pretty much perfect, but they could do with a makeover to make them better. However, it's Scathach here that needs better gear. Sin is perfect for the Assault Rifle position. For her, a Rocket Launcher, or Grenade Launcher would be perfect. 

"Maybe even a better Rifle or Machine Gun on top of it." 

Kronus nodded. 

"Alright, I will get the scientists to work. I would like to ask that all of you leave your weapons with the lab. Even you son. We need to run some maintenance on it and maybe some last-minute modifications. Even the armor could do with a modification or two." 

"Alright then, once we drop off our gear, I will be heading home." 

Kronus still had one more piece of information to go over. 

"Son, when you return to the surface, give me a call to report on one of your battlefields. My people will be collecting the wrecks to study them and their weapons. Who knows, might find a revolutionary piece of tech in them."

"That's perfect. I planned to set up a Bunker on the surface to study them myself." 

"We will work on that bunker, but no need for research. You and I are not cut out for this. Come on then, drop off your gear and it will be back with you by tomorrow." 

With a few more polite words with his Father, Kratos, and his squad returned to the elevator. There, the 4 Nikkes broke their silence and once again started to talk to Kratos about his Father and what changes would happen to their gear. 

Even he was excited about it as the stronger his gear the better.