April 25, 2006
David Seals awoke in his bed, groggy from the night he just experienced. Things were starting to get worse for him. His food supplies were running low again; they had been for about a year. The nineteen year old male had had a cellar stocked with canned foods that could last for years if they were kept cool, dried foods, and rations. The cellar was built to supply his former family of five for about three years. Sadly, a good portion of that food was perishable or needed to be frozen. David’s father did not foresee them using power for long stretches of time. The retired Air Force Captain had a generator set up to keep the frozen food from rotting, but the fuel for the machine got used up last year. David was a little glad that occurred too, the human was sick of eating beef, steaks, fish, tender loin, and all the other frozen products that would expire without the generator. Since he knew the food he had currently would last him for so long, David saved them for when he needed them.
The survivor of the plague did not worry about water. A water purifier was used on all the water he came across. Living in the city formerly known as Las Vegas, water did not fall from the sky regularly. The Seals had plenty of water bottles on reserve and David would constantly refill the empty bottles with fresh water. Scavenging the abandoned homes and buildings for water was not as hard as the human thought it was going to be. Fire hydrants, other houses, fire trucks, and pools were a great source of getting water that could be used continuously. David would even purify the water he would use to give himself sponge baths.
Of course, having all the items needed for surviving in this post-apocalyptic world held only one problem: everyone else wanted them. The late Captain Seals knew this, and he made sure that his family had plenty of firearms and knew how to use them. Whenever David left the house to scavenge, he would always take a pump-action shotgun and a M1911 pistol with him. The other survivors were not as warm and outgoing when they saw another survivor that was not a part of their group. David thought that there might even be a united human front forming against “The Beasts”.
David was too young to remember the first stories of “The Beasts”, but he remembered his parents talk about them before they died. His dad had just retired from the Air Force and was always on the phone with his military friends when they first started appearing. The sole survivor of the Seals Family remembered being scared of them ever since he saw the “Big One” on TV. As he grew up, David saw from TV reports and newspapers that some of them looked a little human, but many of them were not. They looked like real-life monsters, and those things still gave David nightmares.
Actually, that was part of the reason why David woke up in such bad shape that morning. For the past week, the human’s nightmares were about his dead parents, older sister and little brother. For some reason, David had lived through the plague that swept through the city a year ago. His family had not, and left him to live in this new and destroyed world…alone. The dreams were of his family, still alive, having a family barbeque, and being happy, as if nothing bad had ever happened. David would watch as his family dropped to the ground, dying from the symptoms of the plague that took their lives. Soon after, he would wake up in his bed, screaming and covered in sweat.
The only cure that the human found for his sleep problem was in his father’s old liquor cabinet. Before he went to bed, David had started drinking any bottle that he found, hoping that it would put him into a dreamless sleep. The survivor knew that he could not do this forever, but he needed the temporary help. Soon, he would need to go into downtown and try to find more supplies. David hated going into the deep parts of the city, but that was where all the equipment he needed was. The houses that contained the corpses of his former neighbors had already been searched through; the cars contained no more gasoline in them. The abandoned cars in the downtown area might have some fuel in them, if they had not been stripped themselves.
There was a gang of survivors David ran into the last time he ventured into the ruins of downtown. The three were dressed in Las Vegas S.W.A.T. gear and had riot shotguns with them. Thankfully, the team of three was not well trained and had decided to split up when they followed David into a building. They tried to get the drop on the Seal heir, but he got the drop on them. David had seen a few corpses with gunshot wounds in them, and he was not going to take any chances when he encountered those guys. He ended up shooting the team, loaded their guns and ammunition into his van he used to collect supplies after they died, and left the area quickly. That was two months ago, and it was time to go back.
David stood up from his bed and stretched his tired muscles. His head ached a little from a hangover, so the human went to the bathroom to get some aspirin. After breakfast, he would need to be in top form for the day ahead.
**********
Lucille awoke in her sleeping bag within the squad’s tent. The Guntit’s group was two hours from Las Vegas, the city that they were assigned to recon. Her squad was made up of herself, two other Guntits, two Amachops, a Lamia, a Psilady, and a Tomboy. The Psilady, Sergeant Katherine, did not like the idea of going into the ruins of Las Vegas without the “heavy artillery” pokégirls, but the Lieutenant Colonel would not hear of it. Soldiers that were transferred under the Killer Queen’s command soon found that she did not tolerate any talk unless that pokégirl was addressed first. Lucille’s Sergeant just swallowed her discontented words and said shouted, “Yes Ma’am!”
The black and blue hair colored Guntit stretched and put her tactical gear on. After dressing, she walked out of the tent and saw the rest of her squad members had finished putting out the morning fire. “What?” Corporal Lucille asked. “You ladies didn’t save any breakfast for me?”
“We didn’t want to wake you, Sleeping Beauty,” the Psilady grunted sarcastically. “Since you were the last one to wake up, you can be the one to put the tent away. You can eat the leftovers on the march.” Lucille frowned, but she knew that she would get a harsher disciplinary action if she said anything remotely snide. The Guntit waited for the rest of her team to remove their packs from the tent before she dismantled it. After the tent was put away, Heather, one of the Amachops, took the bag and gave Lucille what was left of the breakfast. As the squad lined up in two columns and started marching toward the remains of Las Vegas, the black/blue haired Guntit ate her lukewarm breakfast.
**********
David was taking everything he thought he would need, including the things he hoped would not be needed. A pump-action shotgun, loaded with slug shells, his M1911, loaded with hollow point rounds, plenty of extra ammunition, a large hunting knife, his gasoline siphoning equipment, a toolbox, one of his water purifiers, two empty five gallon pails, and a first-aid kit. Everything was loaded into the van that he was now driving only when he needed to go scavenging farther than he wished to walk and carry anything that he found. These days, using the automobile was becoming all too familiar. He did not like leaving the confines of the house, but it was plenty safe without him.
After his family left him, David transformed the home he grew up in into a fortress. The windows already had bars on them and some of the windows had metal screens, but that was not enough for the survivor. He collected all the wood he could and boarded every window up, except for one. That lone window was on the second floor of the house. David had set it up so that it only looked like it was boarded up. He did this so he could use it to get in and out of his home, since the doors could not be used anymore. They had been rigged with loaded shotguns. The doors were wired to activate the guns that hung in the doorways should they ever be opened. If someone did try to enter through the outside, they would get a skull-full of buckshot. David never used the doors of his house unless he was unloading his van.
The van was kept in the garage that was not attached to the house. The garage door was the only way in and out of the structure and it was not electric. David thanked God, or whatever deity that was out there, for that small miracle. The door could be locked with a padlock, which David did. There were no traps to this structure, and he hoped that none would ever need to be used. Most of the valuables were moved into the house when the plague hit; only a few things remained in the practically unguarded structure. The van itself needed to be washed, but David would be damned if he was going to waste water on that thing. The tires and engine were fine, so he really did not need to worry about finding another vehicle for awhile.
After the traps of the house were set and the way back up to the roof was hidden, a ladder he kept in the garage when he was out and brought inside the house when he was in it, the human moved the van out of the garage, locked it back up, and headed down the road toward downtown. He would look for any parked cars along the way, so he could take what gasoline was still left in Las Vegas and put it in his own. Too bad I didn’t think of that idea back when I needed diesel fuel for the generator, David kicked himself again. Dad would have thought of it. Why can’t I be just like him? He shouldn’t have died on me…he still needed to teach me more stuff. It’s a miracle that I made it this far without him. I’m…I’m so lonely, but there isn’t anyone out there that I can trust, is there?
The human continued on his way into Las Vegas. He once thought about visiting the Air Force Base north of the city, but never decided to go. Before all the power started going out, a news report stated that “The Beasts” had attacked and destroyed the entire base. It was the one and only time that David heard his father state that he was glad he had left the military for good. His father’s last post was on that base, and it would have been David’s family’s home. From what the report said a couple of years ago, there was nothing left of the place but smoking craters. “The Beasts” had really beaten the human military that day. They must have been confident that the plague would wipe out the desert city, because after they attacked the human base, “The Beasts” never returned, at least as far as David knew. It was not like he was in contact with anyone left alive, but he had not seen any since the TV died forever.
They could still be out there, David thought as he continued to drive down the vacant road. Those “Beasts” could be anywhere, watching, waiting. Probably waiting for us all to finish each other off. David came up to a car parked on the road and pulled up next to it. Before he got out of the van, David grabbed the shotgun. He looked around the car and the surrounding area. When he was sure that no one was around, the human opened up the back doors of the van and got out the equipment he would need to get some gasoline out of the abandoned car, if it had any.
**********
“Someone’s out there, Big Benny,” “The Voice” warned the scrawny, aging man. Bernard Shultz was the new “owner” of the Stardust Resort & Casino and was currently sitting in his hotel room. Ever since people started dying off, Bernard started getting lonely. He liked to gamble, a lot, but the casinos all started closing. Without anyone to talk to or be around, Shultz thought that he would die alone. That is when the “The Voice” started talking to him. It always warned him about dangers and what he should do to protect himself. “The Voice” was his friend; “The Voice” cared about him. It was “The Voice’s” idea to collect all the guns and make all those explosives.
When the Las Vegas Police Force fell, it was “The Voice” that told Bernard to get those things from their station. Some of the police tried to stop him, but “The Voice” said it was “A-Okay to kill them”. Bernard was able to get everything he needed from them and went back to “his casino”.
“The Voice” was helpful with a lot of other things too. It told Bernard how to catch the mice and rats that started living in “his casino” and how to cook them. It also told him the best spots to put some explosives to protect himself. It was “The Voice” that told him how to make the bombs too. It constantly reminded him to “never talk to strangers” and “to never let strangers in”. “The Voice” was very protective of Bernard.
“What do you mean?” Bernard asked. He walked over from table where he had been playing poker with a few of his friends. Eddie “The Washer” used to clean dishes for a living before the plague had come in and all his coworkers left him. Bernard had heard him screaming from the kitchen and saved him. Eddie had just raised the pot up to 50 dollars. Mickey “The Joker” had folded right away, since he was not having good luck today. Mickey was staying in one of the rooms when Bernard took over the hotel. He had been sleeping on the bed next to one of his family members that decided not to wake up for a long time. Since Mickey was bored and had no one to laugh with, he decided to come along with Bernard. “Tough” Pete was staying in the hotel too when Bernard became the owner. He used to shave men’s faces for a living, before the world went to shit. He decided to have some fun with the group too. Pete was always saying he would “shave” Mickey “one of these days”. Pete was waiting for Bernard to place his bet. “What is it you see out there?”
“Eight soldiers, from the looks of them,” “The Voice” informed Bernard as the human looked out from his hotel room. “Big Benny, they are not your friends. They are strangers. They want to take this place from you.”
“But…they can’t,” Bernard whimpered. “This is my place! This is MY HOTEL! THEY CAN’T HAVE IT!” The aging man started crying.
“Then what are you gonna do to ‘stealers’, Big Benny?” “The Voice” asked.
“H-hey Benny,” Mickey asked. “Wha-what do thooose ‘stealers’ look like? Ha-ha!”
“Come over and look for yourself,” Bernard said as he pouted and crossed his arms over his chest.
Mickey got up and walked over to the window. Looking out onto Las Vegas Boulevard from the tall hotel room, “The Joker” started laughing. “HA-Ha! Look at ‘em, Big Ben, ha-ha!” Mickey giggled. “Those bitches don’t look so tough. You can take care of ‘em no prob’em, Ha-HA! That one looks like a snake, doesn’t she?”
“Let me see,” “Tough” Pete ordered as he moved Mickey out of the way to look at the eight, uniformed figures. “Yeah, they’re just sum ‘Dizzy Dames’. No big deal. Ice ‘em Big Ben, and let’s get back to the game. That road is your road too. They can’t be on it, so you gotta teach those broads a lesson.”
“Yeah…” Bernard said as he gathered up his rifle and grenade launcher from the gun area. The grenade launcher was originally used to launch tear gas into buildings, but thanks to “The Voice”, Bernard used it to fire his homemade grenades. He just needed to light the fuses, drop them in, and fire quickly. “Those bitches need to be taught a lesson.”
“I’ll wait for you guys,” Eddie said from the table. “I really don’t need to see this.”
Bernard moved into the other side room of the hotel through the wall that he tore down to make the room bigger. The human had moved the mattress down on the floor and everything was set up for a scenario like this. The human positioned the rifle against his shoulder and lined up the firearm so the snakelike woman was in his scope’s crosshairs. He took in a deep breath and…
**********
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Lucille heard gunshots come from the ruins of the very large building straight ahead of her and to the left. Instinctively, the pokégirl and the other Guntits pointed their firearms toward the building and started firing. Since they did not have a fix on the shooter, the Guntits fired at all the windows of the building. Lucille’s FN P90 would not be even remotely accurate at hitting her target unless she was extremely lucky, wherever room her target was in. The pokégirl squad moved to take cover behind a few buildings south of the large building that was under construction. Lucille looked back and saw that Lieutenant Pamela, the Lamia that was assigned to the squad at the last minute, was lying on the road motionless. A pool of blood was already beginning to form around her body. Lucille tightened her jaw in anger, but she was keeping her cool. The Corporal had been in some tight situations before; this was no different.
Katherine moved in front of her squad and started barking orders. “Okay! We need to take that piece of shit out NOW! Anyone see where that Fuck is located?”
“From that big building,” Sarah, the honey blonde Guntit, proclaimed. “The one north of our location, opposite the street. The sign says it was the ‘Stardust’.”
The Psilady nodded. “Doesn’t look like there is any good way of gettin’ into that place either. He’s probably watchin’ this site, waitin’ for us to walk out. Fucker’ll probably wait as long as it takes too. Who knows if he’ll call in reinforcements.”
“Should us Guntits use our Plasma Blasts?” Sarah asked.
“What good would that do?” the Sergeant asked her subordinate. “It wouldn’t bring the place down, and without you knowin’ where the guy is we may as well unload all of our ammo on the building. Anyone else got any good ideas?”
“I think Stacy and me should pick some of this big stuff up and use it to cover everyone until we can get to the entrance,” Heather, the Amachop suggested. “We can lift this big stuff up no problem. You ‘girls can give us some covering fire too while we are moving.”
“Okay,” Katherine nodded. “Let’s do that. Leave all equipment here that isn’t a weapon or a P-Med.”
The pokégirls started advancing toward the Stardust Casino, taking turns firing at the structure and hoping to scare their attacker. The group was only about 40 meters from the hotel and had reached the sidewalk when an explosion went off a few paces in front of them. The two Amachops were taken off guard and a piece of shrapnel hit Heather in the leg. She fell to the ground, and without her support, Stacy dropped the large, bulky construction equipment that was the squad’s cover.
“EVERYONE! RUN!” Katherine screamed. The squad ran to the Stardust’s main doors, except Heather who was still trying to get to her feet. Lucille and the two other Guntits started firing up at the windows, hoping to scare their attacker. The black/blue haired Guntit saw a figure in one of the rooms on the tenth floor looking down at them, holding a large firearm of some sort. Knowing full well she would not hit the human, Lucille started firing at him, but a small puff of smoke came from the gun and the man disappeared into the room.
The pokégirls were halfway to the doors when another explosion occurred. Lucille looked back down at her squad and saw Leslie, the Tomboy, flew into the air with only one leg still attached to her body. Coleen, the other Guntit, and Stacy both landed on their backs, bleeding badly. Katherine, Lucille, and Sarah made it to the casino’s doors and turned back to see their comrades. Heather had finally gotten to her feet and was limping her way to the doors. Stacy was stirring slightly, but if she did not get a P-Med within another minute, she would be dead. Coleen and Leslie lay motionless as blood began to flow out of their bodies.
As Heather tried her best to get to the doors, several gunshots rang out from above Lucille. After taking multiple hits to the chest, the Amachop fell to the ground. The remaining pokégirl team moved into the hotel and a few seconds afterward, they heard two more explosions come from outside. Katherine looked at her remaining team members and growled, “I hope one of you saw where this guy is.”
“Tenth Floor,” Lucille stated. “I saw him staring down at us. I tried to get him, but this thing isn’t made for long range combat.” The pokégirl frowned.
“I guess that’s means we’ll need to get ‘im the old fashioned way then, huh?” The Psilady informed her subordinates as she moved deeper into the casino. The two remaining Guntits followed their Sergeant. Since the casino was not lit up, the three pokégirls turned on their flashlights and moved cautiously. When they came across a pinned up map of the casino’s layout, the commanding pokégirl gave the Guntits their orders. “Corporal, you take the stairs on the other side of the hotel. Me and Sarah will take the stairs here. We’ll meet on the tenth floor and search the rooms one by one if we need to. I want this Fucker, got it!?”
“Yes Sergeant!” Lucille yelled and the team split up. Lucille made it halfway down to the other side of the casino when she heard a very loud explosion come from inside the hotel, specifically where she had just come from. The Corporal ran back the way she came and saw that her remaining squad had tripped a bomb trap. Their bodies lay charred, bloody, and lifeless on the cold, cracked casino floor. “Sarge? SARGE!?” Lucille screamed at the dead Psilady, but there was no response. Crying only to herself, Lucille sat on the ground hugging the corpse of the dead pokégirl. After the sadness of losing her close superior turned into anger, the Guntit got up and moved up the stairwell that Katherine and Sarah were to use. I’m not going to make the same mistake they made, Lucille growled in the mind. I’m going to be extra careful from now on. This Fuck is gonna get hurt…bad. I’m not gonna let it be quick.
The Guntit made it to the tenth floor without running into anymore traps. She moved down the hall slowly, listening to any hint of a noise, movement, presence, anything that would let her know where the attacker was. Almost all the room doors were open, lighting up the hallway with sunlight. Lucille put away her flashlight and moved quietly, checking all the rooms as she did so.
Ten minutes went by when she heard a noise coming from down the hall. The Guntit froze, pointing her FN P90 in the direction of the disturbance. After a minute, the pokégirl moved down the hall slowly. She poked her head into the rooms that were open, but did not see anything. He must be behind one of the closed ones, Lucille thought. Moving toward the closed door in the area, the Guntit moved her ear close to the sealed rooms, listening in for any sort of noise. When she came to one the three closed doors, she could hear someone talking. “Will you just put your chips in, Eddie? Christ, make up your mind or somethin’.”
The Guntit pointed her submachine gun toward the door. Lifting her leg up, the pokégirl kicked open the door and began scanning the room quickly. She saw one human male who was facing her with no one else in the room. The human looked up at Lucille, shocked to see her. He moved to get up, but Lucille shot him in the chest. He fell over from the wound and shock, landing on the floor. The Guntit swept through the room, but no one else was there. On the table, sitting on opposite sides, were: a sponge, a stuffed mouse in red shorts, and an electric razor. Each object had five playing cards in front of them and different colored plastic chips.
Lucille looked down at the human, who was starting to cry out. “You…sick FUCK!” She pointed her submachine gun at the human and shot him in the chest again. The human screamed out in pain again. “You won’t die for another hour or so, but there ain’t no way that you’ll live from that. I hope that you're conscious the entire time too…” After snarling at the human, who was now continually screaming in pain, the Guntit turned around and walked out of the room.
**********
David made it downtown without encountering anyone. The car that he found on the road filled up the van’s gasoline tank halfway. The human was driving down North Las Vegas Boulevard southbound, on his way to downtown. Since the remaining city’s population did not drive, for the most part, there was no traffic on the way to Seals’s destination. David took a breath in and looked to his right nervously as he crossed Lake Mead Boulevard. One of the Las Vegas Police Stations stood tall and proud, but it did not look like there was anyone around it. The Seals heir remembered his run in with the group that was using the police force’s equipment and he did not wish to run into those guys again.
As the van crossed East Owens Avenue, North Las Vegas Boulevard turned onto North Main Street. The roads and walkways were all devoid of human life, and David was not complaining. The sooner I can find some stuff, the sooner I can get out of here, David thought. The van turned down Fremont Street, the “Old Strip” of Las Vegas. Seeing it without any tourists walking about, gamblers going into the casinos to spend their money or to “win the big one” just did not seem right to the human. This city is dead, David thought. It’s dead and it’s rotting. How did it come to this anyway? Seals looked over at the building named “4 Queens”.
The casino was a little charred, but other than some broken glass, the structure looked unaffected. The large canopy structure that was built just before everyone started getting sick was still up, for the most part. A few pieces had fallen here and there, but it was a very sound structure nonetheless. “The Fremont Experience” kept most of the sun off of the street, making it one less thing for David to worry about.
The human pulled up next to the 4 Queens main doors and turned the van off. Taking the keys out of the ignition, David grabbed his shotgun, opened the door, and got out of the van, locking the door behind him. Looking around at the other buildings, the human did not see anyone else around. Cautiously, David Seals moved toward the casino entrance and proceeded inside. There should be dried food back in the kitchen area, the human thought. I can collect whatever hasn’t gone bad and be out of here as soon as I can. The human disappeared into the darkness of the building’s ruins, but pulled out his flashlight from his pocket.
The sole survivor of the Seals Family did not see them, but there was a set of eyes that watched him enter the abandoned casino.
**********
After Lucille walked down the stairs of the Stardust, the pokégirl held the body of her dead superior. After saying her last “goodbyes”, the Guntit collected what equipment from her two fallen comrades that did not weigh too much for her and was not destroyed in the bomb blast. After Lucille collected a few P-Meds, a few extra clips for her sidearm, and a few rations, the pokégirl walked out of the casino ruins.
The lone Corporal then walked to the corpses of her fallen comrades, collecting a few more P-Meds, water canteens, and rations. Since she was alone, there was no need to bring the tent with her. When the Guntit made it to the Lamia’s body, she took the M40 the pokégirl was carrying, along with the ammunition, and strapped it around her body so that it would hang behind her. With all the equipment the Corporal Guntit was carrying, she knew that she would not be able to maneuver very well. Lucille continued walking along the street that she and her squad had been traveling on. The lone Guntit decided to walk on what had been the sidewalk, since she did not want to bring any attention to herself.
Lucille continued to walk Northbound on South Las Vegas Boulevard, trying to stay as anonymous as she could, but the pokégirl’s stress was rising with every passing minute. She continued to think that someone else would snipe her from one of the hotels, just like how that Lamia officer was killed. The Guntit walked about three miles before she looked to her left and saw that there was another group of smaller casinos bunched together. She turned down Carson Avenue and walked until she saw a large canopy structure over the buildings. Curiosity got the better of the black/blue haired pokégirl, causing her to walk toward the street the canopy was covering.
Lucille was feeling much better when she got out of the hot, desert sun and was resting in the shade. Sitting down just inside the building that was once named “Fitzgeralds”, the Guntit took out one of her water bottles and began drinking up the warm, clear liquid. She had not rested for more than five minutes when she heard a noise coming down the road towards her. The Guntit jumped to her feet and hid against a wall inside the casino ruins. Lucille looked outside, surrounded by the shroud of darkness. The pokégirl saw a white van driving toward her. Slowly, the Guntit reached for her FN P90 and raised the barrel so it was facing the vehicle.
The van stopped near a casino next to the one Lucille was in and a man got out. Well, Lucille thought that man alone might have been a little too strong of a word. The young man was roughly Lucille’s height, 5’8”, and seemed to be well fit. The human male had not shaven for a couple of days, but his hair was short and black, as if he had shaved it off and it had been growing back for some time. The driver of the van was wearing a white tee shirt and a pair of blue jeans. The Guntit had to admit it to herself, she was a little attracted to the human.
The human had a sidearm strapped to his leg and was carrying a shotgun for his weapons. The Guntit moved her finger over the trigger of the gun and waited for the driver of the van to see her and start coming her way. The human looked around the area, as if he was looking for someone or something for a few moments. Is he looking for me? Lucille thought has her body begun to tense up. Does he know I’m somewhere near here? The human took one last look around and moved into the building that he parked in front of. This guy seems to be prepared. Maybe I should try to beat the information out of him and return back to base.
The Guntit was about to move out of her hiding spot and ambush the young man, but she saw another car turn down the street and heading toward her location. This one had a pair of lights on top of it and was painted in both black and white. It drove up to the white van and four humans got out. They were dressed in tactical gear and were carrying what Lucille knew the humans called “riot shotguns”. Two of these soldiers looked in the van, one looked inside the building that the young man went into, and the other one was scanning the rest of the area. Lucille began to suspect that these soldiers were up to something sinister, and the pokégirl was reminded of what had just happened to her earlier that day.
What should I do? The Guntit asked herself. I don’t want to risk my neck for this guy I just saw…but not helping him just seems wrong. Four against one just doesn’t sound fair at all, and they are going to sneak surprise him too. What is it with humans and sneak surprises? As the soldiers finished scanning the van, they started whispering to each other. After a short conversation, all four of them went inside the building the young man went into. Lucille stood watching the entrance of the building, still debating about what action she should take. It really doesn’t matter who wins out of this. I will get my information and my mission will be complete. I’ll just follow the winner of this shootout and that will be that. Lucille waited for another few seconds, growled to herself, and walked out of Fitzgeralds. This is so stupid!
The Guntit removed her pack and sniper rifle, setting them next to the driver’s door of the van. She would not need the rifle or her pack, for they would weigh her down. Holding her FN P90 in both hands, she moved into the building named the “4 Queens” with as much stealth as possible. Hopefully, she would get the drop on the soldiers, save the young man’s life, and find out all she needed to know about the city. I can always kill him later, Lucille thought.
**********
SHIT! David screamed in his mind. The human was almost to the kitchen when he heard a noise from near the entrance of the casino. This was not a noise that a rat would have made, but a large noise. As if someone was walking around and bumped into something heavy. Someone knows I’m here…FUCK! David flipped his flashlight off and quickly slid it into his pocket. Grabbing his shotgun with both hands, Seals moved quickly under a table. His eyes had not adjusted well to the dark yet, but they would in about a minute or so. I don’t have a minute though.
Trying to control his breathing and the fear that was building up inside of him, David waited under the table for his pursuers to come near him. They were not quiet, for he could hear more than a couple moving. He then heard the intruders whispering orders to each other. “Pete, go down there. Patrick, follow him. Trish and I will wait here and cover you.”
Four of them, David thought. Fuck, I’m not going to make it through this one. I can take out one of them…maybe a second, but not four. Moving slowly to the side of the table that was opposite the walkway he was originally walking down, David waited for the pursuers to start walking toward the direction he was planning on going. After about a minute, Seals heard two sets of quiet footsteps moving toward him. As they got closer, David could feel his body tensing and heating up more. David’s finger rubbed the trigger of his shotgun. Every second seemed to feel like an hour to the Seals heir. The two pursuers, Pete and Patrick, were moving closer and closer to him. David’s brain told his body to stand up and fire when…
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The 19 year old almost screamed from the shock. Automatic fire started occurring near the entrance of the casino. Patrick and Pete stopped in their tracks, not sure if they should continue toward the kitchen and food storage area or to turn around and help their backup. The gun battle continued for a few more seconds before the two decided to go help their friends. Pete and Patrick rushed back the way they came, which was what David wanted them to do. The young man got up from his hiding place and slowly followed his two targets. The two raiders moved out of the area that they were in and started firing near the entrance of the casino. Their shotguns sounded like cannons, another thing David wanted. Pete and Patrick did not hear David sneak up next to them and fire his firearm, full of slug shells, into them. David’s second target looked back at him, only to see the end of a smoking barrel.
After David shot both Pete and Patrick, he moved against the wall and took cover. David did not know if the others were still alive or who had started shooting his would be attackers. The human’s hearing began coming back, but he was not sure if what he heard was his imagination or reality. It sounded like he heard a feminine moan of pain. David moved slowly to the sound, being as cautious as he could be. Seals saw something move on the ground, large enough to be human. David aimed his firearm at the figure and moved slowly towards it. The lighting from the outside was helping him see when he looked down to see what was making the noise. David could not understand what he was looking at.
The figure had dark hair that came down between her shoulders and jaw. She had a very beautiful face; completely flawless, as if she was a handcrafted doll. The only thing that was unattractive about her face was the expression of pain she was showing. The lady was in tight tactical gear; David could only assume that she was very lucky to have such gear to fit her, or that it was made for her. The young woman had been shot by one of the shotguns. The buckshot had gone through her armor, piercing her stomach. She was moving her long legs, as if her movement was helping the pain. Tears started forming around her eyes as she began to cry out.
David looked down at her tactical gear, thinking back to why it looked so familiar. Where have I seen this before? David thought. Wait…this armor, its colors. This uniform is… David looked the stunning beauty in the face, their eyes trying lock onto each other in the dark. “You’re one of those…things,” David accused, almost hissed, the Guntit. “Those things that started attacking the world. Those things that caused this Hell. You’re one of them, aren’t you? AREN’T YOU!?”
Before the wounded lady could say anything, she let out a breath of air and passed out from the pain.
Notes:
Pokédex Entries
AMACHOP, the Tough Pokégirl
Type: Near Human
Element: Fighting
Frequency: Common
Diet: Human Style
Role: Physical Labor, particularly in construction
Libido: Very Low
Strong Vs: Bug, Dark, Ice, Rock, Normal, Steel
Weak Vs: Flying, Psychic
Attacks: Body Slam, Toss, Crushing Punch, Low Kick, Focus
Enhancements: Enhanced Density (x2), Enhanced Strength (x8), Enhanced Durability (x6), reinforced musculoskeletal structure
Weaknesses: Inability To Swim
Evolves: Amachoke (normal), Atemi (Healing Palms)
Evolves From: None
Throughout every element of the Pokégirl universe, there stands out one Pokégirl that is considered to be the go to girl for that, the one girl that comes to mind whenever that element is brought into question. With her surprising strength, calm nature, and low taming requirements, the Amachop is considered to be that girl for the Fighting element.
Certainly not the most attractive Pokégirl in the world, what with Amachops four-foot frame, breasts that rarely reach pass an A cup without assistance, and grey tinged body, the fighting type Pokégirl still finds a niche of fans for her looks. When this is brought up, the girl herself is often surprised that anyone could find her budging muscles that make her look more like a male body builder then a female attractive, but she’ll still preen when those fans make a pass at her.
Those very muscles aren’t for show, though. Not only gifting the Pokégirl with strength that outclasses a huge number of Pokégirls, including a sizable amount of other fighting types, the Amachops muscles and skin are also quite tough, able to withstand quite a lot of damage. In fact, it was this very nature of their bodies that made the Amachops front line fighters during the war, where a number of the weaker firearms had little effect on the girls. It is because of this strength and how common the Pokégirl is that tributes the most to her popularity. Unfortunately, such muscle packed bodies also have some disadvantages as well, the most severe being the Amachops lack of swimming ability. It doesn’t matter how much they try, the poor fighting type finds herself sinking like a rock and, because of this, often avoids deep water. Such a body also means that she’s quite heavy for a Pokégirl her size, but most don’t consider this much of an issue.
Amachops, despite their immense strength and popularity, are rather calm and levelheaded Pokégirls. Rarely do they come with the mental difficulties seen in some other girls and the quirks about them are kept to a minimum. In fact, about the only thing about the girl that stands out personality wise is her single desire to become stronger. While she shares this trait with the Lambchop Pokégirl, she isn’t obsessed to the point of killing herself. The Amachop knows the body and understands that it requires rest, taking breaks when needed and knowing when to stop when she’s in danger of pushing herself to far. Instead, Amachops often express the desire that others train with her, wanting them to be fit and healthy as well, and will often request that her master and harem sisters join her in training. It’s suggested to go along with this, since Amachops tend to become rather surly and ill tempered with tamers that do nothing but sit around all day.
Amachops rely solely on their strength and durability to make it through the battle and in fact, it’s this way of fighting that puts them off with others of their element. Amachops wonder why they would waste their time bouncing about or practicing specific stances when all it takes is a one good punch to knock their opponent flat. This isn’t to say that the girl doesn’t understand martial arts or even enjoys them, but often considers them to be more important to other Pokégirls that don’t have her kind of muscle power. That same power, of course, becomes near useless in a sex battle, where orgasms are key.
Taming an Amachop brings a few interesting issues to the table. While her low libido means that she needs as much taming as some ice types, it’s often necessary to use restraints with the girl because of her great strength. This often means that the fighting type must be tamed at a Pokécenter or buying portable restraints to keep her down, not an easy feat with a girl that can bench press half a ton. Tamers who do tame the girl without restraints are suggested to take caution, as injuries have happened with the girl. Sexually, Amachops become more aroused when her tamer works out along side her and especially when he offers to take care of her sore muscles. In fact, some tamers often joke that an Amachops libido jumps to High when she’s been given a really good massage.
Dealing with Feral Amachops tends to be rather easy. The girls are actually quite intelligent during the state with their only feral tendency being their aggressiveness. With the girl being so docile when tame, it comes to a shock to many when she sends her fist through the wall in a bout of anger. Luckily, feral Amachops retain their control over their strength, making sure that only the things they want to break end up broken.
Threshold Amachops, other then being the most common of Fighting type thresholds, are often at odds with the changes to their body. Often the sign that a girl is thresholding into an Amachop is both a sudden weight gain as well as the desire to gain strength. Those who had a body before hand are assuredly upset at the lack of it in her new form and there have been quite a few swimmers devastated by the change. The new strength also takes some time getting used to, with the girls accidentally putting much more strength behind normal everyday things, causing quite a few accidents. It should be obvious that she should not be near fragile things during this time.
GUNTIT, the Markswoman Pokégirl
Type: Near Human
Element: Steel
Frequency: Uncommon
Diet: Omnivore
Role: Mid-range combatants, projectile weapon maintenance
Libido: Average
Strong Vs: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Flying, Ghost, Ice, Normal, Plant, Poison, Psychic, Rock, Steel
Weak Vs: Electric, Fighting, Fire, Ground
Attacks: Shot, Plasma Blast, Plasma Charge
Enhancements: Enhanced Accuracy, limited metamorphosis (left or right arm only)
Evolves: GunValkyrie (Ceremony Evolution; see below), Ballisticunt (Diamond Stone)
Evolves From: None
A Pokégirl that was once considered extinct, she was originally used alongside Tank Vixxen types during Sukube’s War in order to provide ranged support until their partners could successfully breach human weapon platforms, such as APCs and Tanks, and turn them against the humans. After the war, because of their success during it, humans hunted them down until none could actually be found anywhere in the world. It wasn't until around 88 AS that the first Guntit Pokékit was born, to the surprise of her mother, who was a GunValkyrie. Since then, and ever since the tech-type Pokégirls have been breeding, this breed has come back into existence. Breeding program in most leagues have resulted in almost an over-saturation of these pokégirls, and by 220 AS the Guntit had become Rare. By modern-day (300 AS or so), they are now Uncommon throughout the world. Researchers believe that the main reasons for this is that the Guntit is amazingly adept at the creation of projectile weapons, and many today are used in the manufacturing, repairs, and maintenance of such weapons throughout the world. Even on pirate ships, they have been documented as taking care of the cannons that are mounted on them.
These Pokégirls are being introduced into police forces throughout the world as a result of their capacity with projectile weapons. Like their evolved state, the Guntit possess energy weapons, but only one, and are also are very competent with handguns, rifles, shotguns, and other weapons that the police use. Most police stations employ at least one Guntit in a maintenance role, if not several in active duty roles that also include what was once known as SWAT teams in pre-Sukebe times. This breed get along well with OfficerJennies and Growlies, although for the most part are embarrassed at how touchy-feely a Growlie can become towards them, especially in the midst of a mission.
The Guntit look much like human females, though they prefer to wear skin-tight armor over their bodies. However, their left or right arm, depending on which hand they favor, can change into an energy weapon that is akin to the pulse weapons humans used during the Revenge War. This energy weapon extends from their elbow to where the tips of her fingers might reach, and look like a gun-barrel. However, Researchers have discovered that the weapon is actually a plasma cannon that gets its power directly from the Pokégirl’s small plasma reactor core. Using this often wears the Guntit out unless they train often, and so they tend to use standard projectile weapons instead until they manage to train enough to be able to use their plasma cannon as often as needed. Until that point, a Guntit can fire her Plasma Blast technique three times for every four levels that she is (so at level 20, she can fire her Plasma Blast attack up to 15 times) before needing to rest. With training, the Pokégirl can double that capacity.
Guntit make for completely lousy sex battlers, and instead they focus on their normal combat skills, which are far greater in capacity. They can even power up their main technique, the Plasma Blast, using the Plasma Charge technique without using any additional stores of their energy, although while charging she cannot use any other technique. She can also reload any weapon within seconds, assuming that she has the ammunition required to do so. However, because of her reliance upon her projectile weapon skills, the Guntit do not normally bother learning hand-to-hand combat skills... And as such, are completely at any martial artist Pokégirl’s mercy. Some human martial artists have even been known to defeat Guntits that don't wear armor, which have led to rumors throughout the world that humans are gaining on Pokégirls in terms of capabilities.
This researcher suggests that any tamers that think that they can take on any average pokégirl be sent to a psychiatrist for a mental evaluation ASAP.
Plasma Blast (ATK+25): A single shot of energy that is blasted from deep within the Pokégirl’s plasma generator. Can only be used three times for every four levels that the Guntit is in experience.
Plasma Charge (ATK+50): This technique adds its power to the Plasma Blast. However, no other technique or attack may be used in the turn that this one is used. The barrel of the Guntit's weapon will glow when the charge is ready to be fired. An attack of any type that this Pokégirl is weak to will disperse the Plasma Charge.
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Ceremony Description
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Elemental Stones Needed: Two Thunder Stones
Area & Time Conditions: Anytime and anywhere where it is raining.
Ceremony Itself: The Guntit must fast for a week- no food, no sleep, only drinking water. No tamings. All she can do is meditate, while wearing her plasma generator slowly down to dangerous levels On the seventh day, it must be raining. The Pokégirl must hold both Thunder Stones in her hands, one in each and pressed against each other until the rain ends, whether this is a few minutes or days, and the Pokégirl cannot move from where she is. If successful, the stones will be absorbed and the Guntit will evolve into a GunValkyrie. If unsuccessful, the Pokégirl must try again after recovering from the ordeal. The stones will still be usable.
PSILADY, the Emotional Psychic Pokégirl
Type: Very Near Human
Element: Psychic/Dark
Frequency: Rare
Diet: Human style foods, Emotions
Role: Confidants, emotional support
Libido: Average
Strong Vs: Psychic, Poison
Weak Vs: Bug
Attacks: Psychic, Confusion, Teleport, Foresight, Dark Blade, Dark Shield, Dark Bomb, Heart of Darkness, Psi-Blade, Double Team, Ecstasy Bond*
Enhancements: Empathetic Aura, Enhanced Empathy (x3), Enhanced Speed (x2), Enhanced Agility (x3), Moderate Telekinetic Capabilities
Evolves: Psiqueen (Delta Bond + Shiny Stone)
Evolves From: Psi-Dyke (Dark Stone)
The discovery of the Psilady was perhaps one of the greatest blessings that evolutionary stones visited upon the world. Evolving from Psidykes via a Dark Stone, ironically, the breed is overall far more pleasant and, thankfully, much less inclined to lesbianism and violence, the latter of which can be attributed to the empathy from which they draw their name. Strange amongst the psychic-types and often considered the antithesis of the more popular Alaka-wham breed, Psiladies' powers are derived from emotions and bonding rather than logic and intellect, making them much more personable, if less useful in some ways.
Physically, only those Psidykes who were allowed to take on their feral appearance change drastically; for the rest, it's a very subtle shift; claws vanish, as do most other inhuman characteristics, and their skin smooths a good bit, becoming almost silky in some instances. Overall, their appearances also tend towards becoming more graceful in subtle ways, making it easy to discern them from their unevolved form, but without one clear distinction sticking in the minds of most beholders. This has led some to speculate that it simply their "better natures" showing through, which is untrue for the most part. However, there is a slight grain of truth in the statement; some Psiladies have been observed to emit a low-frequency psychic "aura" that betrays their feelings by altering the perceptions of others slightly. As such, a happy Psilady may look radiant, whereas an angry one may appear more terrifying that she is physically capable of being.
Mentally, the change is much more drastic, as previously indicated. The instinctive hatred of men ebbs and generally drains off, being replaced by a more accepting viewpoint. However, in many cases, the fact that they no longer dislike men as a rule is difficult to perceive due to the fact that they have trouble interacting with those who restrain their emotions, a group that contains a majority of male tamers. Beyond that, though, they simply become more pleasant in general due to the lack of genetic hatred and because they are now somewhat affected by the emotional states of those around them, particularly those they are close to. As such, most do not like to stir negative emotions in others because said emotions often cause negative feedback towards them. Thankfully, though, they do have the ability to filter this psychic input so that it does not create Slowboob-esque problem, especially from those they don't know the source well/at all.
Beyond making them more pleasant, though, the fact that they can easily perceive the surface emotions of others also makes them fairly good to talk to. It means a Psilady will rarely say the “wrong thing” to someone she holds no animosity for unless said wrong thing would require much deeper awareness to predict or she is purposefully filtering out emotional input from the person. Many, as such, feel extremely awkward around those with Dark-type blood traits. In any case, there is a darker side to the empathetic nature of the Psilady. If she feels animosity towards someone, then the abilities that prevent social faux-pas can easily be turned to triggering negative emotional responses from said someone, an ability that can be useful in battle, but has sometimes been put to less... proper uses.
Aside from that, Psiladies aren't particularly exceptional combatants as far as psychic-types go, but this has been known to vary by temperament in both directions, with some specimens trying to avoid combat altogether whilst others excel in it. Their telekinetic powers, compared to other psychics, are fairly weak, which means that their use is rarely a Psilady's primary offensive tactic. However, the addition of dark-type abilities offers a secondary set of abilities that help greatly, and the aforementioned emotional manipulation is excellent for creating openings in the enemy's defenses. One note, however, is that Delta-bonded Psiladies have almost invariably proved to be superior in combat than un-bonded ones, likely due to the emotional reinforcement that it creates, as well as a secondary perception of her performance based on reading the tamer's emotions through the bond. The phenomenon is still under research as of 300 AS.
In taming too, aside from a few minor quirks, Psiladies aren't particularly exceptional, especially now that most don't have a specific gender-based preference. The first of these is, as mentioned, the ability to subtly alter the perception of her appearance. In regards to taming, this generally means that, when lusty and aroused, a Psilady will usually take on an affect that is conducive to taming and thus help "set the mood." The other is an ability that, although available to most psychic-types, is rarely used by other breeds because its development is not a logical extension to their mindset; to psychically link the pleasure centers of herself and her lover, causing the pleasure felt by each to be felt by both and, thus, generally allowing for perfectly synchronized climaxes. It is due to this that the ability, termed Ecstasy Bond, has been banned in most sex battles, which leaves most Psiladies to preform unexceptionally in them.
Psiladies don’t have a particularly interesting feral state; like many Very Near Humans, it is primarily a state of extreme distraction in which they have trouble remembering complex instructions and have little common sense. The only real wrinkle that the breed has in that regard is that most ferals have a tendency to make, via subconscious use of their powers, very awkward and embarrassing statements about those they encounter. For this reason as well as the breeds desirability, ferals generally do not remain as such long. Thresholding into a Psilady is also unlikely, if only because of the rarity of males with whom Psiladies are likely to have children by, but nor is it unheard of.
Ecstasy Bond - (S.ATK + EFT) A psychic sex technique that allows the user to link her pleasure centers to those of her lover, causing pleasurable sensations experienced by one to be reflected onto the other as well. As such, it is excellent for creating perfectly synchronized climaxes and has been banned in most sex battles