Chapter 1

Life seemed to change too fast for Youji Itami. Where once androids had seemed like something to be found only in the realm of the light novels, manga and anime that he was so fond of, they'd begun to grow more and more into the life of humans everywhere. That said, until now, he'd hoped he'd never have to come across those used for combat, so-called "Tactical Dolls", much less those from a prestigious PMC such as Gryphon & Kryuger. Yes, an easy life where he could sit back, enjoy anime and play games was much more preferable to someone like him.

But, looking at the five lovely young women who now accompanied him, he felt fortunate to have had such an experience. Indeed, to the casual observer, they simply appeared to be a group of lovely European ladies enjoying their time on holiday in Ginza. Itami was, of course, there for a reason of his own; the annual anime convention that he'd spent the prior year working so hard to save money for. He flicked through his phone, making last-minute adjustments to his itinerary. He'd allowed plenty of time to get there early, something he was now glad for, as the girls kept getting sidetracked along the way.

FNC was getting distracted. The small T-Doll pressed her face up against the glass of the patisserie, as though she could somehow push her way through the glass and unite with the towering confectionery within.

"Whoa! It's a seven-layer cake!" she gasped, almost salivating all over the glass. When she'd found out that FAL was taking them for a holiday in Japan, she'd prepared a list of all the sweets she'd wanted to try. Daifuku, mochi, even just ordinary candies in all sorts of interesting shapes. It was almost a shame she had to eat them all, but, as she often told herself, that's how she was built.

49 looked around nervously, hoping that neither the shopkeeper nor any passers-by had noticed FNC's antics, as the small girl was rapidly describing everything she saw through the her mouthful of chocolate. "C-c-come on, FNC," she pleaded, "P-please don't make a scene." She noticed that Itami was staring between FNC and the gigantic cake she was admiring, and remembered all the stories she'd been told about Japanese etiquette. She dreaded the thought of offending their host. She hunched over the smaller girl, telling her to hurry up in hushed tones.

"Ladies." The team's leader, FAL, hadn't slowed down, leading her two remaining team members further along the plaza. "You're keeping our gracious host waiting." She waved one hand back at the other two, looking at them sidelong across her shoulder. Perched upon her other shoulder, her small, white ferret stood up, looking curiously at the two stragglers.

Five-seveN could tell that Youji was getting impatient. She took him by one arm, leading him onward before he got bored. She looked up at the taller human.

"So, Youji…" She noticed him look at her uncomfortably as she used his first name. "Do you meet a lot of girls like us?"

"Like you?" She'd completely captured his attention, leaving FNC's antics behind them.

"Foreign girls. Or, perhaps, those of us who are not human?" She let her accent come through, mixed with a gleam of playfulness.

Itami had had plenty of experience with non-human girls, naturally. As an otaku, he was well-versed in interacting with all manner of people, from elves, to wizards, to gods and everything in between.

Well, in the simulated world, anyway.

"Something like that," he responded wryly. "Are you interested in the convention?"

F2000 - or 2K, as some people liked to call her, perked up at the mention of the event. "Of course!" she exclaimed. "We could not come all this way to Japan only to miss out on such a celebration! It's a part of the cultural experience, and who better to see it with than with an expert such as yourself?"

Itami felt a little proud that his qualities outside of work were being appreciated. "Well, we won't be seeing much if we miss it. Let's keep going."

They almost had to drag FNC away from the shop, barely managing to keep her from getting distracted by the sights along their way However, just as they ascended the escalator and were right outside the convention, 49 let out a cry.

"D-d-d-dragons!"

FAL and Itami looked around quickly, spotting the thing that 49 had seen. True to her words, outside the window they saw dragons, flying through the air.

F2000 let out a gasp. "Whoa! That's so cool!"

Itami started running back downstairs, followed by FAL and Five-seveN, with the other three hurrying along behind them. He knew what he'd seen. A dragon! Like something out of the shows he was so familiar with. Except, it was real, and what was worse - it was attacking the people of Ginza, each swoop sending bloody arcs through the air and tossing bodies left and right.

"2K!" FAL yelled, "Contact command. We have human lives in danger, here! Request authorisation to engage."

"On it!" F2000 called fumbling with her phone as she ran.

As Itami made it onto the street, he heard gunshots. Seconds later, one of the flying beasts crashed onto the road before him, throwing up debris as it slid until its massive bulk ground to a halt.

F2000 wasn't sure how she was going to explain this to her superiors. She made it through to the commander's secretary, Negev, on her phone. "This is FN team. It's urgent! Get the commander."

As the dragon crash landed, a figure - one who had been riding it - was thrown to the ground. He recovered, drawing a short sword in a sharp motion as he swiftly charged the one who had killed his mount, a young policeman who stood terrified, his hands shaking around his service revolver.

FAL drew her own blade, a kukuri, and intervened. She caught the assailant's sword along the edge of her blade, her mechanised strength allowing her to hold her own. The man kneed her stomach, but she held strong. Hot on her heels, Itami tackled the man, throwing his sword from his grip, wrestling him into a choke hold.

"Mr. Kryuger?! Yes, yes, understood." F2000 looked at her phone with bewilderment. "Mr. Itami!" she called. "We're under your command."

Itami grunted as the man struggled under his grip. "FAL! Help me out, here!"

FAL lunged, eyes focused, making a precision thrust into the man's side, inches behind his armoured front. He struggled weakly for a few more seconds before falling limp. Itami held him for a moment longer as he calmed himself down.

"He's dead. Sir," FAL remarked, not seeming to notice the blood on both herself and Itami as she cleaned her blade. The policeman looked at them in shock.

"Ready weapons," FAL ordered her team, while Itami worked on calming the poor policeman. They seemed safe for the moment. Five-seveN judged that the dragon rider must've been some kind of scout or outrider. A foolish one, to have charged so blindly into the unknown without support. As a handgun model, specialised in providing spotting and assessment for her team members, she knew full well how important it was that an army worked together.

49 surveyed the street, looking down the iron sights of her rifle towards where the dragon had come - and where hundreds of civilians were now fleeing in terror. For now, she didn't have to worry about such things. She only had to follow orders, and that was how she liked it. No questioning her decisions, and no second guessing herself.

Itami assessed his situation. He knew that help would arrive soon, but they'd take time to get there. In the meantime, he needed some way to keep everyone safe. Should they fortify themselves inside a building? The enemy didn't seem too well equipped, clad in medieval armour and wielding swords, like something out of the age of samurai. A castle. There was a castle nearby, a ready fortification perfectly suited to keep out such assailants. They could move the civilians inside it while they waited for an armed response.

He informed FAL of his plan. "Just slow them down as much as you can while we evacuate."

FAL nodded. "We'll let you know when we're on our way. Please, keep us updated. Take F2000's number."

"You're a shrewd one, aren't you?" F2000 teased as she and Itami exchanged phone numbers. "You only had to ask. I'll be seeing you later." She blew him a kiss as she rejoined her team.

Itami frowned as he picketed his phone. Was that a French thing? he wondered. It must have been a French thing. He hurried towards the castle, calling for those around him to follow him as he ran.

Author's Notes

Hi everyone! This will be my first time uploading a fanfiction here, so I'm still getting used to the uploading process. I've done a few stories of my own before, but this is the first that will be so public.
Anyway, I wanted to take a moment to address some of the inconsistencies in this story, before I get too far with it. Obviously, the idea is that G&K exist in the Gate setting, and will be sent in to the Special Area. However, Girls' Frontline is set in the 2050s, and has combat androids, while Gate seems to be set in the 2000s-2010s and does not have such things. Basically, I'm going to say that there isn't really a reason why the G&K girls are in the present, at least in this story.

Secondly, since I'm still learning as a writer, I'm not going to deviate from the anime too much. It's also going to be based off the anime. While one of the appeals of fanfics is to see how things turn out differently when new ideas are introduced into the setting, I'm not really up to doing something that detailed. I really just thought it'd be neat to have the characters I like from Girls' Frontline in the Gate setting.

Finally, I'll mention that not all of the story will be following FN team (apologies to fans of them). I started with them, since they're G&K's supernatural specialists, but I feel like I'll be moving on from them, if only because I want to write Negev being a LARGE HAM!
Ahem.
But anyway, look forward to some action from the other teams later on.