Glainne

“	Go, shoot them all!	„
	~ Glainne in Contra Returns

Glainne is a playable character in Contra Returns.

History[]

“	An innocent, lively, and outgoing science genius when she was young, she has turned cold after being coerced by Or. J to do experiments for him. She was later rescued by Contra and is gradually returning to her cheerful self, but she always distances herself from others.	„
	~ In-game description

Glainne will never forget that scene. She opened the door of the laboratory with a smile on her face as usual, but saw the person she loved was killed by the elders of her closest relatives in front of her eyes. That afternoon, the innocent and lively girl died along with her father's death. From then on, Glainne became calm and indifferent. She would never trust anyone who gave her a fruit candy chocolate toy rabbit, no longer believing in deceit and hypocrisy with a smile, no longer believing that the human heart was warmer than a machine.

On the eve of the Soul Army's raid on Dr. J's laboratory, Glainne, who seemed to have stepped out of the gloom, became gloomy again. Lance leaning against the door was reflected on the liquid crystal film of the black screen due to the stagnation of the operation, and it took Glainne a while to notice his appearance.

Lance smiled slightly, "Interrupted your thinking?" He stretched out his hand behind his back and handed Glainne a small box while saying:

"Small gift for Gaston - stop by to see how it's been restored."

"The performance of the gun barrel has been restored, and the worn parts have been polished again." Glainne took the gift and opened it. "It's an anti-hacker smart chip!" Her usually calm and indifferent tone suddenly turned higher, unable to hide her surprise.

"It was upgraded by Vera", Lance pointed out nonchalantly, and Glainne understood it. This was a way for everyone to care about her. "I'll thank her in person", Glainne replied. Lance turned to look at Gaston and praised, "I can't believe it's your eight-year-old creation."

Yes, eight years old seems to be a very, very distant past for her.

Like other little girls holding dolls every day, Glainne was a little princess pestering her father to tell her stories, but the laboratory was Glainne's playground, with dust-free walls and transparent LCD screens, and all kinds of rare metals, all shone with a fairy-tale luster in her eyes.

She had completed the production of some small and medium-sized machines, and sometimes, like a little adult, she folded her arms and expressed her "high opinion" on her father's mechanical works.

"Dad, its cooling system is really bad."

"How about we improve it together?" Father always encouraged and inspired his own princess. When they finished updating, Glainne was as happy as a rabbit.

"I also want to make a car for myself, to be the best in the world!"

Father's eyes brightened even more, "Do you want to try?"

For the next two weeks, Glainne had been working on the design of a mechanical pet—she must have a sharp head and wings, and the launch port of the roaring concentrated light cannon will be hidden in her mouth, and the two slightly shorter front claws can be transformed into a barrel with a caliber of 500 mm... Of course, the most advanced electronic cooling system was also indispensable.

Father's clue drawing, smiling and pointing out the errors of several precise figures. Three months later, father and daughter worked together to complete its mechanical assembly.

On the day it was completed, Glainne was overjoyed, and her bright smile lit up her father's entire life.

"Give her a name." Father pinched Glainne's nose.

Glainne looked up at the behemoth in front of her, and shouted firmly and loudly, "Gaston! Let's go—"

Suddenly, the door of the laboratory opened, and a black figure came against the light. Dr. J's face gradually became clear, and he praised loudly, "Oh, my little sweetheart, you are such a genius."

He was the person eight-years-old Glainne admired the most, even more than her father.

But now, Glainne had joined the Soul Army, and Dr. J's hypocritical smiling face was always lingering in front of her eyes, whether she was sleeping or waking up.

"I know it's hard to let go, you don't have to forget, but we have to get out of the past that is a foregone conclusion, we hope to see that cheerful and enthusiastic Glainne every day." Lance's kind and gentle voice pulled her back to reality.

"No, I don't remember those things." Glainne calmly denied.

"We'll get him", he seemed to promise Glainne.

"Tomorrow's task is to rescue the experimental living body. It will take time to bring Dr. J back." Glainne said lightly.

"Actually, you don't have to go on this operation."

"No, I want to go." Glainne said firmly, "No one knows him better than me."

Eight years ago, after his assistant's father was killed for discovering Dr. J's conspiracy to use enemies to conduct live experiments, Dr. J imprisoned Glainne's mother and forced Glainne to work for him. Years of training are only for future use. In order to save her mother's life, Glainne became Dr. J's special assistant and participated in most of his evil experiments. Glainne had blood on her hands, and at the same time, she killed herself. She extinguished the innocence and optimism in her heart with various metal solutions, and severed her trust in this world with lasers and sharp blades. Until Lance's appearance, she and her mother were finally saved, but that place became her eternal nightmare.

Lance patted Glainne on the shoulder, "If you want to go, I want to say that you're not fighting alone."

Glainne's eyes flickered, "I know, my teammates take good care of me, they never mention my father in front of me, Bill will try not to deliberately joke with me, you often bring me small gifts, Vera always tells funny jokes. I'm happy, it's kind of lame, but I love listening to them—I haven't laughed like that in a really, really long time—"

Lance: "But you almost never initiate a conversation."

Glainne was silent. She stroked Gaston's armor that shone with metallic luster, "I admit, it's easier for me to exchange ideas with Browny and Bull. Machines are much simpler than humans."

"Whether Browny, Bull, Bill or Vera, there is no distinction between machines and people. We are all members of the Soul Army, and so are you. You can try to go a step further. Everyone is sincere." Lance encouraged her. He took out a string of cross necklaces from his pocket. The silver cross was shiny and sparkling. "This is what Alice asked me to give to you. May the Lord bring you light and dispel your fear."

Lance clapped his hands and got up to leave.

"Thank you, Lance, now and before." Glainne smiled forcefully, "See you tomorrow."

The next day, the sun did not rise as usual, the sky was gloomy, and a little light shone through the mist, shining on Glainne's face in the mirror. She raised the corners of her mouth and searched for that innocent face. Sunshine does not come from the sky, but from the heart, can she still find the girl who is like a fairy tale?

Glainne was about to go, and as she turned to leave, she glanced at the cross necklace on the table. Glainne picked it up gently, she felt a warmth, familiar but long-lost, she put the necklace into her pocket.

Glainne raised her voice suddenly, as she had done when she was a child, "Go! Gaston! Knock them all out!" They strode out of the room.