The next morning Arianna awoke and found herself feeling oddly refreshed though still very hungry. That feeling was intensified when the aroma hit her nose and caused her stomach to growl. The cup a day of pokéchow she had been getting to keep her alive had definitely been upgraded. Her nose picked up the smell of freshly cooked Kattle, bread, cheese, and milk. The portion was small and wouldn't be sufficient for her to recover enough energy to fight her way out. There was little fear of them trying to poison her, the portion was too small and her metabolism would burn through it in no time.
In the corners sat Andzral, Tessa, and Evelyn in position to subdue her should the need arise. As far as they were concerned the War Hound was becoming a giant nuisance. Each of them had been attacked by her at least once and almost killed. Slightly more irritating was the absence of Delilah who could handle her easily. Not that there was much to be concerned about. Delilah’s tendency to only work alone had been both a blessing and a curse, but none could argue with the results she got.
As soon as she finished eating they doused her with paraspray again and chained her back to the wall. Ten minutes had gone by and Evan entered the room dragging along a large metal table and a wooden case as well as a number of pokéballs. This time the particular dose of paraspray was much weaker than the ones she had been subjected to before. What made up the difference were the reinforced chains used to hold her to the wall. As she watched the despicable man get set up she noticed that the table was way too small to hold her and she was already getting her mobility back. Evan took a seat next to the table and glanced over to her.
“So, Arianna, War Hound of Avalanche, I have a bunch of questions to ask you. Are you going to be a good girl and answer them peacefully?”
“You can go to hell.” She growled out viciously and pulled against the chains.
“Someone is going there today but it isn’t going to be me.” He threatened and popped the latches on the case he was holding.
Once the case was opened and she could get a look inside she knew it was going to be a long and painful day. Arianna was becoming familiar with the surgical equipment the case held and sucked in a tense breath. “So one of you is finally going to grow a pair and put me out of your misery?”
“You wish.” He held up the pokéball and under closer inspection she noticed it wasn’t a pokéball it was a pokékit-ball. “You’re far too important to kill and everyone here knows it. But you have a sense of honor; I can feel it coming off you. So…” He activated the release mechanism for the ball and a Kitten pokékit formed. To Arianna’s surprise she was very well dressed despite being bound and gagged. “Since you don’t feel like answering me I’m going to have to amuse myself until you do. I just hope she understands, her poor family is sure to notice she’s gone by now. I wonder how many pieces I can make for the return package.”
The horror of what he was planning to do finally dawned on her and she struggled even more against the chains. “You sick bastard!”
“Tessa, tie her down.” Evan got out of his chair and stood in front of Arianna while the Neo-Iczel got to work tying down the kit. “I’m sick? You can’t be much better. You can put a stop to her suffering whenever you want… after the next hour. All you have to do is revoke your allegiance to Readman, the Indigo Military, and Avalanche, then let me tame you and I will spare this sweet young things life. But you have an hour to think things over; I’m not as good as the Doc was so it takes me a little while to get started.”
Arianna’s mind started to race as she looked to the pristine innocence of the Catgirl. ‘Think, think Ari, think, I got to get free somehow. If I can get free I can save her. I can’t let someone’s child be killed by this monster.’ Slowly she began to calm and take stock of the situation. ‘There’s nothing I can do right now, he’s given me an hour to make up my mind… Think stupid! You’ve heard the rumors and the stories, is there any real chance she’s going to walk out of this room alive? No… she was good as dead when he got his hands on her, but what can I do? Wait, the colonel will come… don’t give up.’ Her head snapped off violently to the side from the force of his back hand.
“I was starting to think I was boring you. Now she can either walk out or be mailed out, it’s up to you.”
The more Arianna watched the Kitten the more she was starting to see something wrong with how she was acting. If she was domestic, the way he made it seem, she was fighting way too hard. Her twisting and turning were too sporadic and she wasn’t crying. Any child thrown into this situation would have shed a few tears by now but she was just struggling with every ounce of the impressive strength she had. ‘That’s a feral born in a pretty dress… she has a family I’m sure but I’d guess that they were already dead. That fucker!’ “I just want you to know, when I get free I’m going to turn your balls into a pair of earrings,” She glanced down mockingly. “Very tiny earrings."
_____
In another part of the base Haures had been busy going over field reports and other information having to do with his real job as Chief of the League. He was just finishing up when his teleport caller chimed. It caught him off guard since he was generally the only one to use those numbers then it clicked. He flipped the switch on the teleport jammer to turn it off. A few seconds went by then just as he figured Delilah appeared in her usual haze. Wherever she had just teleported from it had been snowing and she brushed her hair off and removed her long grey trench coat.
"Delilah, where have you been? We could have used you here two weeks ago."
The Dark Queen gave herself a once over to check for wetness then took a seat in the leather chair. "After Andzral's report from Prussian I figured that I wasn't needed anymore. Then one of my agents informs me that Readman is back on the grid. So here I am." She explained in a soft and polite voice. "What was so urgent that you needed my assistance?"
"We captured one of Avalanche and are currently trying to break her so she can be handed off to my boss but we have someone handling that now. Still it's true that Readman is alive and will need to be dealt with first and foremost."
"You managed catch one? How?" Delilah thought about the pokégirls the man owned and the few Avalanche members she had seen. It wasn't impossible for them to win but the unit was too large for his six to be victorious.
"The story is really boring; she managed to find and break into my office then ended up calling Andzral. The two fought and teleported here where Tessa knocked her out. Now we're busy trying to get her ready for transport. The others were hoping you would have come back sooner, but you're here now."
"Which one was it?"
"Her name is Arianna, a War Hound. Tough as dragon scales. Between the tamings, beatings, and starvation she managed to nearly kill each of us and has continued berate us every chance she's gotten. We figured you could handle her but someone else is taking care of things as we speak."
Delilah's eyes began to glow in irritation and she stood up to leave the room. "I'm going to see her and this person who believes themself good enough to break her." 'This is bad, if Team Rocket's sent a Breaker then I wonder how much time she has left. Really though, that depends on which one it is.'
"I’m sure Evan has everything under control but if you don't mind giving him a hand go ahead."
Delilah exited the room and started on her way to the holding area. 'Sweet lord, Evan must be Evan Domico of Tri Fotia. This is worse than I ever could have imagined. I could break her out but with the teleport jammers up I would have to find the exit and walk her out. I could always take her out in a ball and then leave but then my cover would be blown. If that happens then all my progress would be for nothing.' She rounded the corner and saw Tessa and Evelyn standing outside the door. The Espea's eyes appeared to be haunted as if she had just seen something that was going to stick with her for a while. "What are you two doing out here?"
Evelyn's eyes perked up at the sight of the Dark Queen "Madam Delilah, I was starting to wonder if you were ever coming back. Mr. Domico is busy interrogating an Avalanche member that we caught." A tiny blood curdling scream emerged from the other side of the door and made the Espea shiver.
Delilah was much taller than Evelyn but knelt down and kissed the much smaller girl and gazed into her eyes. "Everything will be fine now. I’m here and I won’t let anything happen to you.” She whispered in a low voice and kissed her neck. Then moved over to Tessa and did the same. “How have you been?”
The Neo-Iczel started to feel dizzy then suddenly better now that the Dark Queen was there. They had their differences and had fought more than once but she had and odd compulsion to trust her. “Everything is fine, Lord and Master Domico is busy trying to break that horrid bitch of a War Hound. Thing were getting loud and… bloody, so we came out here.”
“If he has any sense at all then he shouldn't be harming her. It won’t get him anywhere.” Delilah shook her head in disgust when she heard another scream. “Armature.”
“That isn’t Arianna who’s screaming, it’s the Kitten. He’s using the kit to try and get to her since she is reluctant to give in.”
Delilah had heard enough and shoved the door open. The sight was much darker than she expected it to be. Arianna’s eyes had been pried and kept open and she was forced to watch as Evan carved pieces off of the feral Kitten. She had seen many horrors and atrocities in her years and had accepted the humans could be very cruel, but this was almost too much. Though Arianna's eyes were kept open she was able to make her mind wander and not pay attention to what was happening in front of her. Andzral seemed to be content to sit in the corner with her eyes closed after the other two had left but was startled to see Delilah when the door opened again.
Evan looked to the woman standing in the doorway and paused before throwing a finger into a plastic bag. “What the hell do you want; you’re interrupting my personal time.”
Her yellow eyes began to glow as she glared at the human. “You’re rather dumb; it’s not personal time if there are a bunch of people around.” She turned her attention to Arianna when she started laughing at her words. “I take it you agree.”
“I’ve spend the last… lord knows how long I’ve been here, telling them how much they remind me of Bimbos.” Arianna watched the girl move smoothly across the floor and into her attack circle then removed the gear holding her eyes opened. “Who are you?”
Delilah didn’t answer her and instead turned back to Evan. “You’re doing it wrong. If she doesn’t want to watch she doesn’t have to. But if she doesn’t then you’re just going to have to make things harder on the little one.” She replied and began to walk out of the room until he reached out and grabbed her by the wrist.
“Don’t you ever interrupt me while I’m working or you’ll find yourself on the table next.” He growled out and squeezed her wrist.
The Dark Queen replied by reversing the hold and twisting his arm before igniting her hand with Hell Fire. “This is the only warning you will ever get from me. Touch me or threaten me again and before I’m done you’ll learn how to properly extract information from someone through force.” She released his severely burned hand and opened the door. “Someone get Jaleen to deal with his hand. If you don't hurry it will need to be cut off and regenerated." Delilah commanded before disappearing down the hallway.
Evan's toughness kept him from screaming out from the ordeal but clenched in pain. His eyes were furious and he glared at the two at the door. "What and who the fuck was that!?"
Tessa recoiled in fear and backed away from the man. Evelyn on the other hand stepped inside. "That was Madam Delilah a Dark Queen, I advise against antagonizing her. She only warns people once." The Espea had little to fear, though Evan outranked Haures he had been warned not to harm the pokégirls he never had a hand in training before. That effectively took Andzral, Evelyn, Jaleen, and the last two off the list.
"I'm going to do things to her that will make my early work look like that of a pokégirl sympathizer."
Andzral shook her head and started out of the room since the others didn't seem to be in a hurry to move. "Don't do anything foolish, she would kill in front of a banquet and go back to eating like it had never happened."
"I don't need any back talk from you you bitch!"
"And just for that, I'm going to take the long way around to finding our healer." The Bondage Elf scoffed and pushed Evelyn out the door before closing it behind them.
On the wall Arianna had been blinking rapidly to moisten her eyes and laughed at the agitated man. "There was an old saying I heard from a while back, 'The last person you want to make mad in a team isn't the one that can kill you, it's the one that can keep you alive.' I'm paraphrasing for your feeble mind." She chuckled before the sad whining of the kitten pulled her attention. That last comment finally caused Evan to lose his temper and her pulled a cleaver out of his case before bringing it down on the Kitten's throat and taking her head off in one swipe. "YOU BASTARD!"
Her relished in the screams of the War Hound. "I'm just getting started." He pulled open the door and glared at Tessa. "Which way to the healer?"
"D... Dddd... Down the hall, take a right, then fifth door on the left." Tessa squeaked out.
"You forgot to say my name." He reached behind his back and pulled out another kit-ball to release. "This one’s just for you and you don't get to leave this time."
The girl to emerge wasn't bound or gagged and looked puzzled. Her hair was a bright red and all of her features appeared to be human. "Are you my new Master?"
Evan never looked back on his path down the hall. "Get her on the table. She's a Kamichu so you should be able to handle her."
Tessa and Arianna blanched when they hear what she was. She appeared young to the point that she must have just gone through threshold and obviously had never been away from home. "Table, what table?" Her eyes turned towards the decapitated Kitten's bloody body still bound to the metal table then she saw Arianna chained to the wall and started to panic and ran towards the door just as it closed.
"I'm sorry kid..." Were the last things she heard before Tessa hit her from behind and knocked her out.
Arianna growled and began pulling against the chains again. "I can't believe you're going to let this happen to one of your own. Not just your pre-evolution but a former human as well."
A tear fell form the Neo-lczel's cheek as she set to her task. "You think I want to do this? You think this makes me happy? They're just kids they don't deserve this. But I don't have any choice."
"I only met her once but I already have some respect for that Dark Queen... Delilah I think, and I'm actually starting to gain some for Andzral. But you... if I believed in pity or mercy that's all you would get from me."
"Who are you to talk!? You're the reason they have to die like this, if you just do as you're told then they would be able to grow up, live, do things that may bring them some happiness. This is your fault!" Tessa yelled in frustration.
"Yes, I've accepted that the reason that they are going to die is because of me and that is my burden to bear. But the difference is that the second I give in I become like you. A slave to a pair of maggots that have little respect or regard for you. My Colonel respects me, to him I'm not just some bitch, or weapon, or cum slut forced to lie on the floor and call him 'Lord and Master', I'm family. Treated with as much respect as he would give anyone who deserves it... and despite what you've done if you let me go and came with me he would treat you the same way."
"Shut the hell up! I'm not going to forsake them."
"Fine... but ask yourself this. I'm willing to be tortured and beaten, raped and degraded, for the sake of keeping my Colonel, a man who doesn't even tame me, safe. I know that he would gladly take the same punishment for me, he's done it before, do you think either of them would do it for you?"
Tessa's anger finally got the better of her and she lunged forward and punched Arianna, knocking her head back against the wall and causing her to slump down as she fell unconscious. "I... didn't think... so..."
_____
Marco and the harem had spent the afternoon training were taking a short break. The rest of the unit was out with them helping to run through drills. Due to the current temperature Selena and Renae had insisted on anti-ice training. Jean, Henrietta, and Emaline were tasked with keeping them on their toes and increasing their tolerance to fire attacks. Poor Lily was getting the worst of things by being weak to both types of attacks.
Renae wasn't looking well despite her attempts to hold off Henrietta and Emaline. Though they were fighting in the snow and a cold wind was blowing the Ice Maiden was having an increasingly difficult time controlling her powers. The fire pokégirls appeared on either side of her and unleashed Flamethrower attacks with enough intensity to melt the snow around her.
They all watched as she was suddenly encased in a sphere of ice dense enough to keep the fire attacks from burning her. When it cracked Henrietta and Emaline began to back away slowly. Marco had been waiting for this day to come for years. Renae had been a Water Maiden when she first joined the unit and had evolved fairly quickly. Now was the time for her to evolve again and Marco had the perfect test for her abilities.
He tapped Jean, Carrie, and Ashley. "Jean, Carrie, go, Ashley, you wait until I give the word."
The rest of the ice sphere broke away to reveal the newly formed Ice Princess. Her once light blue hair had taken on a much darker tone and her body filled out more. She had gotten a few inches taller, putting her just under six feet, and her bust had increased to a form fitting C-cup. Her eyes appeared to shimmer in a crystalline blue as she looked to the opponents that were surrounding her. She exhaled a breath that was so cold it was actually visible.
Though Renae was weak against every pokégirl that stood before her she was still prepared to do battle. Her body was vibrating with excess power and she was eager to unleash it on anyone willing to test her. "Let us begin." She spoke in a low and soft voice.
Emaline was the first to attack, launching a Fire Blast fit to cook the Ice Princess where she stood. Renae mumbled a few words and the entire area darkened, the winds became fierce and blew against the incoming blaze. The fire attack was only a few yards out when everything around her froze and extinguished the flames. Emaline's jaw hung slack for a moment then from out of nowhere she was hit with a blast of icy cold water and knocked to the ground. The incoming blizzard was making things more and more difficult to see but the other girls continued to close in.
Henrietta stepped forward next and summoned her enchanted handgun before taking aim and adjusting for the wind. The ice that had formed around Renae's hands and forearms continued to spread and encase her entire body. Her hands also began to glow with intense icy powers. Just as Henrietta fired the black flamed round she thrust her hands out and fired her Blizzard Beam. The bullet tore through the ice, melting it as it made its way towards it target. The strength of the beam was too much and froze the bullet in midair before continuing on its path to Henrietta. Before it could impact she ignited and fired a Flamethrower blast that melted the beam.
"Very good, let's see how you like this!" Henrietta clapped her hands together then struck the ground. The snow on the ground melted into giant puddles of water that was quickly evaporating then cooling again in the strong winds. Flames sprung up and started making their way towards the Ice Princess.
From the side Jean was shifting the flames around and using them to feed the Flame Towers she was forming. The towers were quickly circling Renae and closing in on her. But that trademark composure held by most ice-types never faltered. She took a single step forward and the ground began fill with water and douse the flames. Her second step caused the water to freeze instantly and those around her began to slip as they tried to get their footing. Renae shimmered for a second then proceeded to advance on Jean.
The Dark Kitsune had slipped on the newly formed ice and was just getting to her feet when she also got hit with a water gun. The force of the blast knocked her into Henrietta then they both landed next to Emaline. Renae was continuing to advance when Carrie struck from out of nowhere and jammed her bladed fingers through the girl’s torso. She thought she had struck a critical hit until the body started to melt the freeze again with her hand stuck inside. The Penance was struggling to break free of the clone when the water and ice began to cover more and more of her body. She let out a panicked shriek when it got to her neck.
Marco motioned to those not fighting to clear the area. "Ashley, take her down."
The Peekabu shrugged and launched a single Thunder Bolt that hit the Ice Floor and electrocuted everyone there. Anyone who had been within range of the attack dropped to the ground and began to convulse, Renae included. With the Ice Princess taking quadruple the damage she normally would have she was quickly incapacitated and the skies started to clear up.
~~~~~
Renae reemerged from her pokéball with a startled expression and looked around the room. The first person she saw was her colonel looking back at her and nodding in approval. The rest of the unit and harem were there as well and drying off. "How ya feeling?"
"Crispy, that was a pretty cheap shot you pulled there." She replied in a cold tone.
Marco laughed and handed her a cup of tea. "Yep, I had to wait for you to use the right attacks before I sent Ashley in. Otherwise you would have tried to take her out first. If it makes you feel better she shocked the hell out of everyone who was with in thirty feet of you. That's a lot of collateral damage just to bring you down."
She took the cup and sat down the closest chair. "I'll take that as a compliment. How are the others doing?"
Carrier shook her fist angrily and shot Renae a nasty glare. "She's a little upset about being tricked then frozen. The rest of them are pretty happy to see that you finally evolved again. Me, I'm just as proud as I can be. But go get cleaned up, I want to talk to you later."
"Yes sir, do I have time to meet with Chris? I need to... be taken care of."
“She’s waiting in the tub; I figured this would be the case so I informed her ahead of time.”
~~~~~
Marco, Zianna, and Isabella were busy in the vault going over the gear they would need for their upcoming operation. There were several ways he was expecting it to go so they had to plan for each possible scenario. Kelly had her clipboard out and was taking inventory of the oxygen tanks and helmets when Renae came in. For the sake of being prepared they had acquired extra tanks and still had the ones left over from the last Handlers, so they had more than enough for the ever growing unit. The helmets on the other hand had been specially designed between the efforts of the Indigo and Echo teams and were much scarcer but still enough to go around.
Marco glanced up to acknowledge Renae then turned his attention back to Isabella. "Are you sure you can handle the weight? I could just carry them in the pokéballs until we get there."
"You could do that but you would never deprive them of the experience. Besides if it ends up being a Hot Zone you'll want all the forces ready." Isabella replied smoothly and moving her metallic green hair to the side.
"Fair enough. Feeling better Renae?"
The Ice Princess nodded and readjusted her bath robe. After her evolution she was starting to discover that she would need to replace some of her clothing. Not only was she more shapely but taller too and things were coming up short and snug. "You wanted to see me?"
Marco looked up again, this time giving her his full attention and stammered when he got a better look. "Give me a sec to refocus my thoughts... Right, I wanted to make sure you were ok with this mission. Everything happened pretty quickly and all things considered I really didn't get your input."
Renae made another attempt to close her robe better, though she didn't mind the attention she was getting. "You're doing this as a favor to me or a favor to Mera?"
"Little column A and a little column B. It's true that Mera asked me a favor but I'm only doing it so she won't bother you anymore. Means to an end."
"Then its fine I guess, there were few that I liked from the colony and even fewer that liked me. All the same, they are being taken away from their homes; the least I can do is try and get them free."
Kelly had set her clipboard to the side and opened a crate marked as Ice Ammo. "We have plenty of ammo for the 5.56 and 4.69. Then we have the 7.62, 4.69, and .45 for you Colonel. Depending on how the mission goes I may need to put in an order for more."
"Good, make sure that each assault pack gets six magazines of the users ammo in addition to the regular ammo." Marco stated before turning back to Renae. "I guess I'll be straight forward, you don't have to go on this mission if you don't want to."
"I would never think of letting you all go against dragon-types without your only pure ice-type to help." She said with a simple gesture and seductive smile. "Besides, if I'm part of the reason behind this mission then I should be there. Even if that wasn't the case then I'm still part of the unit and I should still be there. And above all else I'm not going let you get hurt, my Colonel, so I'm going to be there."
Kelly gave the Ice Princess a warning look before going back to her clipboard. "Careful with that, we have plenty of fire ammo too."
_____
It had been three days since Evan had started trying to break Arianna and she was quickly discovering that the man was far sicker than the rumors had led to. If he was just killing the kits to try and get to her it would be one thing. But he seemed to enjoy carving them up in front of her just to make her sick. During that time she was beginning to get a feel for the pokégirls around the building. The mysterious Delilah had stopped by once more and attempted to talk some sense into her. It wasn't that she was trying to get information out of Arianna; she appeared to already have plenty of that. To the war hound it seemed like she was trying to gauge her mental wellbeing; asking non-threatening questions, making sure she had plenty to eat. If she were trying to gain her trust it appeared to be working.
Tessa on the other hand was becoming infuriated with her. Ever since the one time they really spoke she had begun to question her own worth. Thinking that the grass was greener was one thing but being told in the bluntest of ways that she was worthless and being used cut pretty deep. She had secretly gone to see Arianna when the others weren't around and after talking to her, was starting to question her own self-worth. There was a chance the War Hound could be wrong or lying about her worth to her colonel but deep down Tessa knew she was telling the truth.
The previous day Arianna had been on the wrong end of a severe beating at the hands of Andzral and Tessa. It was much worse than the earlier ones and for a moment she thought they were finally going to kill her. She awoke when the sound of a massive explosion had startled her. Her eyes had been swollen and her head was ringing but she was coming around quickly. What she saw was a sight for sore eyes; Marco was in front of her and attempting to undo the chains holding her hands. On the floor were the bodies of Haures and the others.
"Ugh... Colonel... you found me." She groaned out.
"That's right, let's get you out of here." He finished undoing her first restraint and she threw her arm around him in a weak hug. "It’s OK, you're safe now."
"How did you find me, where are the others?"
"Keeping guard on the perimeter, we caught a break while we were searching for you and managed to follow the leads back to Alphonso Haures."
Even though Arianna was overjoyed to see Marco she could feel something was off about him. It was something slight but strange. "They worked me over pretty good, but I told them nothing."
"Good girl, you're going to be well rewarded when we get back to the compound."
'That's not right... but it’s possible. He may decide to tame me after all I went through.' She looked down and could see the bodies on the ground were still breathing. "They're still alive?"
Marco looked back at the bodies and nodded. "Yeah, we're going to take them in and have them properly charged for their crimes."
Now every alarm in her head was going off. She knew her colonel, had known him for nine years, even for having the Cool Head blood gift he was being uncharacteristically calm. 'I have a sure fire way to tell.' "I would much rather go to the beach than go to court." She muttered and began to rub her wrist where the restraints had been.
"We can plan a vacation as soon as we get home." He replied as he released her ankle restraint.
'That's not Marco; if he wasn’t going to let me kill them then he would explain why. I'll wait until I'm free then make my play.' She looked down at the man and had to fight the urge to crush his skull where he stood. "I'm just ready to leave this place; I don't know how much more I could take. Where's Karen, I could use a quick heal. Or at least a recovery potion."
The supposed Marco finished with the last of her restraints and pulled her into a tight hug. "She seeing to some of the wounded squad mates. We'll get you fixed up as soon as we got out of this god forsaken place.”
Andzral was lying in wait along with the others. She knew it was a farfetched plan that Evan had hatched to try and gain the trust of the War Hound. Lex his Nekomata had been manipulating the War Hound from behind the scenes and Delilah, who also knew what a horrible idea it was, was waiting in the shadows just in case. If the prowess and tracking abilities of Arianna finding them was any indication then they were taking her off the leash and putting everyone in danger. They had beaten her badly just to minimize the risk she would pose when she caught wind of what was going on.
‘One, two, three, four... and this bastard next to me makes five. I don’t have enough energy to take on all of them. The elf is a dark type and can see through my darkness, she’s also far too tough to kill quickly. I could try and take one of the humans hostage, but who knows if they care enough about him to let me kill him… would make me feel better though. The Espea is an easy target and I’m immune to her attacks, I can kill her first but she can’t really do anything to me.’ She paused and took a big sniff of the air but her senses were being distorted. ‘This feels like magic of some sort, there may be a sixth around to worry about, or it could just be Andzral. Tessa is obviously the strongest person here and needs to be dealt with quickly... doors opened, but I don't know my way around. Either way I'm taking a chunk out of this bastard impersonating the Colonel.'
She took a single step forward then stumbled as if she were about to fall and as predicted the Marco got to her side and helped her back up. They began to slowly walk forward. Andzral took a quick sniff of the air and could smell the tension and aggression coming off the War Hound. If the girl attacked then her first priority was to get her master to safety, then she could go back in and help subdue her.
'Center of the room time to make my move.' She had been leaning on the Marco impersonator to help brace herself and quickly grabbed and twisted his arm before coming down with her elbow to break his then launched a kick to his knee and broke that too. He yelled out in pain and sure enough everyone was quickly starting to get up and on their feet. There was a yell of 'Master' from one of the corners and suddenly the Nekomata was visible and charging her. Arianna spun and lunged forward with a knee that struck the smaller in the chest with a brutal crack. While Tessa was closing in Arianna gave Lex's head a final twist and threw her lifeless corpse into the Neo-Iczel. With the Nekomata dead the illusions disappeared and the Marco impostor was shown to be Evan. As soon as Arianna saw the man she lunged forward to attack but clashed against a dark barrier.
In the other corner Delilah appeared from her shroud and looked at Arianna. “You really should have killed him first if you wanted to do that.” From the other side of the room Evelyn started to move like she was getting ready to attack but a simple head shake from the Dark Queen stopped her. “Please give up before you make things worse on yourself.”
“If I had known it was him I would have popped his head off like a cork.” She growled and started towards the door.
At that time Andzral came back in through the door and locked it behind her. “You’re not going to leave this room.”
Arianna stopped and looked to the pokégirls who were surrounding her. “Whose dumb shit plan was this any way?”
“It was his.” Delilah replied mockingly. “As soon as you’re detained again I can go into just what I horrible ideal it was.”
“Screw that.”
Both Tessa and Andzral moved to attack but the War Hound was holding her own against them both. She blocked a few attacks from both girls before pushing Tessa away and swept kicked Andzral. Just as she was about to latch onto the elf’s neck her arm was grabbed by the Neo-Iczel. Thinking quickly she rolled back and swung into an armbar. Through sheer brute strength Tessa powered out of the lock and both girls tried to scurry back to their feet. From out of nowhere Andzral appeared and launched a spin kick that threw Arianna back into the circle she was released from. Everything blurred for a moment and she shook her head quickly then moved to attack again only to find herself chained to the wall again. She wasn’t the only one puzzled by her current state as everyone seemed to be confused to what had happened.
All eyes suddenly turned to Delilah who was now sitting calmly next to her with a polite smile. “I would appreciate it if you relaxed.”
“When… how?” Stammered Arianna as she struggled against the chains.
“That’s my own little dark secret.” ‘Time Stop really.’ “As I was saying, the manipulator behind this ‘Dumb Shit’, as you called it, plan was Evan. Though admittedly most of us knew this was doomed to failure from the beginning.”
Evan had made it to his feet and propped himself up against the wall clenching his broken arm with his good one. “That plan was perfect. Lex was manipulating her senses and I was following proper military protocol for the situation. My plan was flawless!”
“Only you think so. Our dear Arianna here is a veteran member of Avalanche and has been with Colonel Readman for a number of years. After all that time there are certain actions and mannerisms that she would recognize anywhere. I’m guessing that somewhere along the line you missed a few of those. I could tell that she was on to your act the moment you started talking.”
“Well if you knew it wasn’t working then why didn’t you say something you stupid cunt!”
Delilah sat forward, her outline began to haze as her infernal aura began to form around her and her golden eyes began to glow. “Because I was hoping she would kill you and save me the trouble. If she managed to kill you in the first strike and before she killed the Neko then I could have faked ignorance to the fact that she was on to your plan, then all I had to do was claim that I couldn’t react fast enough to save you and no one would have thought otherwise.” Her eyes began to pulse with energy and her aura swirled violently around her. “And if you ever raise your voice to me again I will rectify my miscalculation.”
Haures slowly opened the door and peeked his head inside to find everything relatively under control. Though Evan looked like he was going to do something stupid and Delilah was just as polite as ever. “Is everything ok in here?”
“Welcome back, did you need some new pants after I started trying to kill people?” Arianna boasted to the irritation of Haures, in return for her comment he charged up and back handed her in his normal manor. “I am going to fucking…”
Delilah rose from her chair and stuck her hands in to the pockets of her long coat. “Arianna, please refrain from antagonizing them further. You are very important and I would hate to see you killed for something stupid.”
The War Hound finally ceased her struggling and slumped back against the wall. “I actually kind of like you, I’ll try and keep it to a minimum.”
"Please see that you do. Sir, did you contact Jaleen to come and heal Mr. Domico?"
He looked over to the dead Nekomata then glanced to Evan and shook his head. "No, everything happened so quickly that it didn't cross my mind. Can you retrieve her for me?"
"Of course, maybe this will be a lesson to Mr. Domico. Maybe next time he'll listen when they try and warn him about his bad ideas." She stated and walked out the door.
"I swear I'm going to violate ever hole she has." Grumbled Evan through clenched teeth.
"I will say, with the hope that you will take my advice, leave her alone. Now what do you want me to do with Lex's body?" Asked Andzral.
"I don't care, eat her if you want. She was weak and useless."
Arianna sighed and shook her head. "Yes, and it's your fault she's dead. It was your stupid plan that put her in danger and she died trying to get to you. I take solace in the fact that I freed her from a bastard who cared nothing for her."
"Tessa... beat her again."
Delilah was down the hallway when she heard blows being landed and shook her head. She toggled the two pokéballs she carried in her pockets and behind her formed a Hellcat and Psivamp. The pair fell in at her sides and walked along. "That was good work getting her chained up."
"Thank you Mistress." They said in unison.
"Mistress, are we to continue to wait or will we try and free the War Hound today?" The Hellcat asked quickly.
"For now we wait Aoko. I'm gaining her trust little by little but I fear I may be running out of time."
"If it comes to that then we will take action with you. What are the forces we must contend with Mistress?"
"Good question Sera, that Nekomata you saw in there was dead. There's the Neo-Iczel, she's yours by the way, the Bondage Elf with the Hunter template, and Evelyn the Espea. Though I may have gained enough control over Evelyn and Tessa that they won't be a problem. That Thorne I haven't gotten started on yet and I have yet to see the last girls."
The ears of the Hellcat angled slightly as she picked up footsteps coming from around the corner. "Mistress, there is someone approaching from around the corner."
"Thanks, I'll let you both out later and we can go over plans." She spoke softly before toggling both poke balls. It was at that moment that Jaleen, a Thorne, ran around the corner and collided with Delilah. The Dark Queen regarded the fallen girl with a measure of patience as she looked down at her. "Going somewhere in a hurry?"
Jaleen was terrified of Delilah and with good reason. As the healer she had to heal whoever came to her with injuries and had seen firsthand the damage she could do. "Yes Madam... I mean, No Madam... I mean, I'm sorry Madam."
Delilah bent down and took the small girl by the chin then kissed her forehead before pulling her back to her feet. "Where are you heading to?"
"I need to get this to Lord and Master Domico, it just came through the transporter." She explained, holding up a pokéball. "He said he would be expecting it."
"You are aware that he's not allowed to lay a finger on you right? You don't have to call him that."
"Yes Madam, but he could order Tessa to hurt me."
"I doubt she would harm you as many times as you've healed her." She gave the small girl a kiss on the lips and gazed into her eyes as her own pulsed with power. "No one is going to harm you. Anyone who has a problem with that can be directed to me." She said with a soothing voice. "Now run along."
"Thank you Madam." She said, suddenly feeling more confident. She quickly made her way into the room and gasp when she saw the damage done. The Nekomata looked as though her head had been spun a full 360 and both of Evan's limbs were clearly broken. Immediately she went to Evan's side and started healing. "Just give me a moment Mr. Domico and you'll be fine."
"You didn't call me by my tittle you little, OW!"
She had given his elbow joint a sharp tug to move it back in place and shut him up. "I'm not a part of you harem last time I checked..." He was about to voice a complaint but she moved his arm again then held up the pokéball. "This just came through the transporter for you. They said it was urgent."
Evan snatched the ball away from the Throne with a malicious grin then looked over to Arianna. "The beginning of the end."
_____
Three days had passed since Marco granted the request to help Wet Queen Mera and tonight was the night. The full unit was going to be in attendance for this mission and they had already picked up Brandy. They were all suited up and ready to take off; Isabella would be flying off from Foreplay Island and tracking the beacons from high altitude to keep out of sight.
Marco made his way over to the Wet Elf and gave her a once over before tightening the straps on her vest. She had been teetering from air sickness the entire time and had developed her fear of flying rather quickly. "How ya feeling?" She opened her mouth like she was about to speak then quickly threw her hands over it and grabbed the bag she had been given earlier. "Sounds good, Isabella, how long until we have the ships in range?"
The lights around the plane flickered with her voice as she spoke. "They are already on the radar sir. I'm keeping us over the clouds to reduce visibility, their cruising speed is relatively fast and picking up... we have just left the Indigo water boundary and are now in international waters."
"Very good, keep us posted." Brandy wasn't the only one feeling sick. Chris was strapped in just as tightly as her eyes were shut. Marco had given her the option of waiting at the base and being teleported in but she insisted on taking the flight. "Hanging in there?"
"I've been on air ships before but this is much worse. I have a question for you though."
"Go ahead."
"How are we planning to land if it's an island like you think it's going to be?"
"We don't, we're jumping. Why do you think I gave you a parachute?"
"What! I thought that was just in case we had to bail out, not because we were going to bail out!" Chris yelled franticly.
"I thought I mentioned it in the briefing."
"You must have just glossed over it. I've never done this before."
"I know, that's why you'll be going tandem with Rietta. It's perfectly safe."
"What about Isabella?"
"I will be staying in the air to keep surveillance. My sensors will be able to follow you on the ground and I can give you advanced warning of incoming enemy forces." Isabella replied in a reassuring voice. "No need to worry, you're in good hands."
The flight continued for another two hours with Isabella keeping the ships on the radar and it was starting to become clear why Mera was losing contact with her people. The distance they had traveled had equated to more than two solid weeks of sailing even if they had favorable winds. Finally a mass of mist came into view and the ships started to slow down. From their altitude nothing was visible and nothing on the maps was coming up for the grid they were in.
"Colonel, there is a large mass of land coming up but my sensors are reading a high electromagnet signature. As if part of the island had been built around a manmade structure... or the structure was built into the island. The thermo signature of the ships have disappeared into the island, a possible secret passage."
"Thanks. Ok people this is our stop, check your mask, tanks, and be prepared to jump!" Everybody went into action and began to attach themselves to their jumping partners. "Bella, how long are you going to be able to hang up here?"
"I've been practicing so I have plenty of time left. Take your time down there I don't want any of you getting hurt."
Chris nervously looked out the window and clutched onto Henrietta. "Why don't we just teleport down there?!"
"We'll start with the fog obscuring visual conformation of the ground and end with the maintained speed and direction we are currently traveling at. Landing with a teleport would hurt a whole lot." Henrietta explained grimly why checking over the harness and latching Chris onto her. "Two things: don't look down and don't squirm."
Red lights came on and the plane began to level out as the door on the side opened. "Jump speed acquired, I would like to thank everyone for not vomiting in me this time. Be safe and happy hunting." The lights flipped green and two by two they dove out. Marco was the last one to leave and Isabella chimed into his headset before he jumped out. "Always a pleasure to have you inside me Colonel."
"Nice." He chuckled before looking down to Rebecca. She was the lightest by far and was attached to him, she had always preferred to ride in the pokéball but he finally talked her into jumping with him. "Ready?"
The tint on the helmets and visors they wore blocked her eyes but he knew she was glaring at him. "No!"
"Too bad!" He yelled and threw them both out of hatch.
After their first few jumps it was fairly clear that keeping track of everyone during night jumps would be difficult so Isabella and Zianna developed the helmets the team was wearing. Each one had trackers installed and the visors had a wide range of imaging that locked on and gave the location of each jumper. Marco could see the various pairs during their free fall and marked the positions they were at when the parachutes started opening. Suddenly one of the emergency beacons fired off and a pair got split.
"Status report!" Marco commanded into his headset.
Emaline's ID popped onto his visor as she yelled back. "Brandy's harness broke, she's falling!
'Shit, from this height the fall will kill her.' "Renae, cut Carrie lose! Carrie, catch her!"
Renae had been paired with the Penance to make up for freezing her the other day and looked down reluctantly. "Sir are you sure about that!"
Before Marco could reply Carrie reached up and used her bladed fingers to slice through the line and kicked off in a dive. Both girls were falling fast but Carrie was catching up rapidly and everyone was watching. Brandy was screaming bloody murder and shut her eyes in anticipation for her impact with the water until she felt something hit her from behind and wrap its arms around her. They were a measly fifty feet off the water when Carrie summoned her Ashen Wings and pulled up as hard as she could. It was too late though and they were going to hit no matter what she did. Thinking quickly she spun so that she would take the impact and hardened her body just when they hit the water with a hard splash.
Marco swore viciously as they landed safely on the beach and started towards the water. Between the water damage and the force of the impact he wasn't surprised that the helmets locator got deactivated. With a splash the Wet Elf surfaced dragging an unconscious Carrie behind her. The moment they were out of the water Marco tried to recall her but the ball wouldn't activate. He quickly started preforming CPR but wasn't getting anywhere. He was just barely able to keep from screaming out in frustration when Chesra pulled him off. All eyes were cast down in sorrow and mourning.
Ashley hadn't given up yet and pulled a pick from her poképack. "Not today!" She yelled and struck the girl in the chest with the electrified hammer head. The shock and the impact jarred the Penance and she began to cough up blood and water then began to shiver. Jean moved in quickly and started a small fire so she could get warm while Chesra started healing her. "Holy shit, that worked."
Marco pulled the Peekabu from behind by her vest and squeezed her tight. "Damn right it did, thank you. How's she doing?"
Alexis had taken over the healing and looked up with a tearing eyed smile. "In the clear and back in no time. If not for her super tough body she might not have made it."
Brandy was finally getting herself back under control after her brush with death and threw her arms around the barely conscious girl. "You saved my life and almost lost your own... I can't say thank you enough.
Carrie sat up and started signing in spite of how dizzy she was feeling. "She's asking if you're ok?" Renae translated.
"You're worried about me? I didn't even feel the impact thanks to you. I'm fine." When Carrie pointed to her arm Brandy finally noticed the gashes she had on her biceps. Apparently when carrier hardened and grabbed her she left a bunch of cuts. "It's just a few scratches, I'm fine. What about you, you almost died." Carrie made the OK sign and Brandy threw her arms around the girl again.
Marco knelt down beside her and pulled her into a kiss. "You can't keep doing that to me. I was going to destroy this entire island in your memory." He stood up and helped her to her feet. "Ready to roll?" She brushed herself off and nodded. "Bella, what do you have on the scanners?"
"The jungle ahead of you is pretty dense but the scanners are picking up a structure two miles east of your position. It appears to lead underground and I'm showing three guards on the perimeter. Sending images to your displays as we speak."
Kelly pulled the mobile radar out of her assault pack and it instantly connected to Isabella's sensors. The terrain was dense but relatively flat in the direction they would be heading. The island itself was larger than the overhead view made it seem, at ten square miles in the middle of open waters. In the distance the base of a mountain was just visible but the dense fog that hung over the island was making the regular images difficult to see through. The signal from the beacons were coming from the other side of the island but near the center, about a mile and a half north of the structure the group would be heading towards.
"Colonel, I suggest we head to the first rally point then split into two groups." Kelly explained and began marking on the display. "One going underground and the other heading to the opposite coast entrance the ships disappeared into. If nothing is found then group two will teleport back the original rally point and assist group one."
"Sounds good Kel, let's move out. Keep your eyes opened in case you see something strange. I want to try and reach our destination within the hour but I'm not sure if there are any traps set up so watch your step. Zianna, you got point at 150 meters. Mina and Lily, you two have rear guard 100 back by 50 spread."
"Sir!" The three said in unison. Zianna clicked over the pathfinder on her helmet then ran off into the jungle. A few seconds later the larger group lined up to follow the trail she was leaving. Finally Mina and Lily separated and moved down parallel paths to the main group.
Forty five minutes had passed since they started through the dense jungle and things had been strangely silent. There weren't even birds or animals around to make any noise and it was becoming rather unnerving to them. They had at least expected to see some curious ferals creeping around to keep an eye on them but there was nothing. Finally they made it to their destination and stopped.
The structure Isabella had mentioned earlier was an underground bunker of some kind and was being guarded by a trio of pokégirls. The main one appeared to be holding a rifle and lying flat on the top of the structure while the others were sitting at foldout card table drinking and playing a game. Marco had been worried that their air drop may have alerted the enemy. But the way they were acting, they had gotten used to nothing happening and were making the best of it.
Chris crept up next to Marco and got low to the ground. "They don't seem to be minding their surroundings. Catch or kill?"
"We kill the bottom two and catch the top one. Carrie, can you handle them?" The Penance hardened her body and activated her Dark Google's. "Good, Alex, the second Carrie starts fighting that girl on the bunker is going to stand up. I want you to cripple her but keep her alive."
"Yes, sir." She whispered and formed a bow. The bow itself was actually bigger than its wielder but the way she handled you would have never guessed. "Carrie, as soon as I get a lock on her mind I'll give you a signal to go." Once again the Penance nodded prepared to move. The Cherub was getting a feel for the three enemies and finally locked onto the one lying down; she aimed upwards and drew the bow back. "Go."
Carrie formed a Shroud of Darkness around herself and started running towards the girls at the table. She was approaching them quickly from the side and leapt towards them with her hair pulled tightly in her hands. The first girl disappeared into the darkness and was dead before she knew what happened. A splatter of blood hit the second one in the face and she managed to get out a shriek before the darkness closed around her, then the shriek turned into a wet groan and then silence. The sound of her friends was enough to get the attention of the one with the rifle and she leapt high into the air and directly into the magical arrow that had been fired. The velocity of the arrow was much faster than it appeared when it had left the bow and tore a clean path through the unknown girl’s stomach. Alexis was nice enough to slow the girl's fall by using telekinesis and they all gathered around her.
Marco clicker the pokédex scanner that was linked to his helmet and looked down at the twitching girl. "A Piratit, now that's not something I've seen in a while. Alex, heal her but leave the spine out of commission for now. So, what's your name?"
The Piratit made a quick move and summoned a cutlass to her hand only to have an arrow pin it to the ground. "Scurvy bastard, my name be for me friends. What have ya done with me mates below?" She growled out through clenched teeth.
Marco vaguely remembered the last Piratit he had the displeasure of talking to, she had a faint piratical accent that was just grating enough to give him a migraine. This one was much worse. "You I wanted to talk to, them I didn't. So you're alive and they aren't. Now before I stop wanting to talk to you, what is your name?"
"Since ya be puttin it like that, name be Bernadette, Bernie for short. The High Captain ill have ya strung up for what ya done pretty boy."
She was pretty enough; Marco couldn't deny that, all the same he was beginning to fear he would shoot the girl himself if she continued on. "Do you absolutely have to talk like that? I'm trying to be civil here but if you keep that up I might do something rash." He made his point by removing his elemental pistols from his holster.
The Piratit squirmed again then cleared her throat. "I don't have to, but it makes me feel better." She grinned cheerfully in spite of the situation. "As I was saying, the High Captain will be really upset with you. Ya done killed our mates." His eyes narrowed at her and she cringed. "It slips out."
"Judging by that body of yours I doubt that would be a problem." Marco joked, to the discomfort of all those around him. "You and your 'mates' have been stealing pokégirls from a Wet Elf colony that's contracted me to take care of the issue and return her subjects, the queen is very unhappy. So while I really don't plan on killing everyone on this island of yours, provided they all don't talk like you, I can and will do this. Now where are the captives being held?"
"If I tell ya what will ya be doing to me?" Marco cleared his throat again and the Piratit shook her head like she was trying to clear her mind. "If I tell you what you want to know what's going to happen to me?"
"Well at the very least I promise not to kill you. Since I'm going to guess you're affiliated with the Limbic Pirates it’s a pretty good start. Good news in your case. We found you first so you get to negotiate with me, after people start shooting at us then we start killing them with little regard. I don’t negotiate with people who attack us."
Bernadette scratched her head with her free hand and shrugged. "I guess its good I found you first. We have a deal. There are about sixty pokégirls down there but twelve are very strange. Nine look like very strange dragon types while the other three look oddly human. I try to stay away from them whenever possible. Bumped into one once, that wench made me head feel like it twas caught in a squall. Anyone who be near them be havin the same... Anyone who goes near them end up having the same problem." Marco knelt down next to her and got close to her face. "Ya... You're still going to kill me aren't you?"
He moved forward the last little bit and kissed her on the forehead. "Nope, we be good lass." She looked at him in shock just as he struck her with a pokéball. He waited a moment for the light to turn green then stood up to find them all staring at him. "What? ... They don't resist when you catch them off guard." A few of them thought back to how he captured them and had to admit its success rate was rather high. "Did everyone get those descriptions?"
Chris had been going through the secured information she technically didn't have access to but had been allowed to view. She was wracking brains for the answer Ariel raised her hand. "She didn't deny being part of the Limbecs and between the descriptions and connections to said group I would say that it was Sanctuary Goths and the variations of Dameosaur evolutions."
Chris looked back at the Jenny in mock aggravation "You and your photographic memory. Anyway, are we equipped to handle that kind of force? Those are some pretty hardcore fighters from what I've read."
Marco pulled out his military pokédex and began searching through the secured files. Soon he found the ones he was looking for and began sending the information through the visors the others had. The pictures weren't the greatest in the world but they got the general idea of what to look for. "We can but it's not going to be easy, our primary objective is going to be the incapacitation of the S. Goth leaders. If we can manage that then Kelly can try to take control of the Dames. If worse comes to worst we kill anything we come across. But for now we go along with Kelly's original plan."
"How are we going to split the teams?" Asked Nikki.
Marco had finally decided after much internal debate. "Kelly, Chesra, Selena, Brandy, Jean, Zianna, Carrie, Leona, and Chris; you guys are going to the coast. Everyone else is in the hole with me." It was harder than he made it seem to divide the strengths of the team to combat the weaknesses of their enemies.
Selena broke her normal stoic expression and smiled at her colonel. "I think you've struck a good balance sir. Having ice and psychics on each end can be very beneficial."
"Now that I think about it I should have consulted our balance expert before making my decision, but if you agree then we're set to go. Keep your heads up ladies, this promises to be unlike any fight we've ever had before and I don't want any casualties, hostage or our own." He sucked in a tense breath and looked to each of them. "If things get out of hand we're going to retreat and call Blizzard for assistance. They owe us one and a little team building never hurts." They all began to grumble in protest. "I don't want to hear it. I'd rather have help than come back here every year to visit a grave. If you have a problem with that I'll call them right now and we can secure our numbers."
"Sir, no sir. We will be careful sir." They all said in an elevated whisper.
"Good to hear, move out." Kelly's group started on their way to the costal entrance and disappeared into the jungle. Marco handed the pokéball with the Piratit to Henrietta. "Take her home and run her through the healing unit then come back." The Ghostrider took the ball and vanished only to return ten minutes later then released the girl. "Feeling better?"
Bernadette stretched for a second then summoned her cutlass again but stopped moving when she felt something press against the back of her head. Apparently Henrietta didn't feel like taking chances and had her shotgun barrel to the girl’s skull. "Just makin sure things are in order, never been in a ball before. What ya be needin me for?"
"Can I hit her every time she does that?" Asked Henrietta who was sharing her master’s dislike for the piratical accent.
"Try me landlubber..." She threatened then turned around to see the much bulkier girl behind her. "Think I'll cut bait on this one."
"Good idea, you're not bonded to me and still on my enemy list for now. She or any of the others are allowed to kill you if they perceive you as a threat. Henrietta, no hitting her because of her accent." Marco explained quickly. "Anyway Bernie, I want you to guide us through the bunker and get us through any security we may run into."
She opened the door to the bunker and started down the stairs. The tunnel was surprisingly well lit and they weren't having any issues keeping up with her. "There not be... There isn't much in the form of security when it comes to getting around down there. Now there's a special area that only the captains and those strange pokégirls use that has some special kind of locks. Same as the area where the captives from the colonies were taken where they wait to be sent across the ocean."
"I guess it was too much to hope that the entire colony was going to still be here. How may have been shipped?"
"We've only done one shipment of the seafolk since they started the raids. I be rather low on the crew and we don't get told much. It's just as well, never much wanted to be part of the Limbecs but after they raided my town and kidnapped me I didn't have much choice. Anyway, as for the number of ones we caught it’s been decreasing since those dragons started eating them."
The air around Renae suddenly began to get cold and she started to growl. "They are eating my friends?"
"Friends? I thought you hated them for how they treated you, if not you put on a pretty damn good act." Ashley commented.
"I do hate them but I wouldn't wish them harm. Mera is going to be pissed when she finds out about this." The Ice Princess was as cold and calculating as always. She knew that there wouldn't be a need to mark the island on the map, the combined powers of Queen Mera and her court would remove it the second she got around to it. Though she had nothing but respect for Marco she wasn't going to inform him of what would happen. They continued to walk for another ten minutes until Renae spoke again. "Bernadette, how long till we reach the staging area for the ships and what kind of guards do you have posted there?"
"Most of our number stay on the ships; the dragons roam on decks and docks. They don't like to feel cramped... It's about another ten minutes at this pace."
"Tell me about these ships of yours, our employer explains that most attacks weren't doing much to the ships." Marco interrupted.
"Those be the strangest vessels I've ever laid eyes on, not a mast or a sail to be found but they always move as if a gale was to their backs. I remember seeing old videos of metal ships but these are much more durable than those were. They be so difficult to operate, special girls were brought in to run the systems, jump right into the systems I heard."
Bernadette's progress was halted when Marco grabbed her by the shirt and pulled her back. She was even more startled when she turned around and he pinned her against the wall. "What do you mean jumped right in, what kind of systems are these?"
"You're hurting me." She squealed out, she wanted to make a move against him but his actions put the others on alert and surrounded her.
"What. Do. You. Mean, jumped right in?" He Barked and squeezed her arm.
"Aye, the lasses plunged right into the systems and man the vessels. They steer, navigate, communications, everything as if they became the ship themselves. The captains just see to the crews." She said in panicked piratical speech.
"FUCK... Fuck, fuck, fuck." He swore in aggravation when it dawned on him what they were then clicked his communicator as Henrietta and Ariel kept the Piratit in place. "All units, switch to six, seven, Omega, frequency." That particular frequency was heavily encrypted but still not impenetrable to a single Video Girl let alone the possible three or the upgrades they could be. The conformation beeps came through and he glared back at Bernadette before switching his over. "Possible Video Girls on site, keep radio chatter to a minimum." She was stuck rigid with fear when he finally turned his complete attention back to her. "Why in the hell didn't you mention that sooner?"
"Ya didn't ask sooner, I told ya when it crossed me mind." Just like last time, Marco began to inch closer to her face. "By the goddess of the ocean I be at the end of the line."
"It gets worse when you're nervous doesn't it?" He chuckled and eased off.
"Aye Captain, that it does. What will ye be doin with me now?" He smiled at her and she let out a breath.
"Release her; you're going to continue on your tour."
Ariel and Henrietta released her and she instinctively began to rub her arm where he had gripped her earlier. "Ye be... You're pretty scary when you want to be, forceful too. Most of the ladies around here haven't had a stiff mast in a long time, myself included. I'd be careful if I were you or you might find yourself in charge of your own pirate crew."
Mina laughed quietly but caused everyone to look at her. "Marco, Colonel of Avalanche and Captain of the Limbec pirates. Now we just need to get you a fleet of airships and you can stage assaults however you like."
"I don't think Isabella would appreciate me getting airships when she's still able to fly me when needed. Let's get a move on."
~~~~~
Kelly's team was nearing the coast line where the ships had disappeared when Marco's orders came through their headsets. They gave their confirmation beeps and continued on their way. "What the hell was that about?" Asked Chris. "He sounds really pissed off."
"There's a chance that the Video Girls could pick up on our frequency and intercept our radio chatter. If that happens then she'll alert them to our arrival. The idea of getting ambushed against those types and numbers isn't very good." Kelly explained then clicked her headset. "Isabella, how far are we from the location the ships disappeared at?"
"300 meters north-east, I'll mark the exact location on your navigator Major."
The tiny blip pinged on their visors and they began to sprint towards the location. Waves were crashing against the cliff side they found themselves standing on and the fog was just as thick as when they landed. Oddly there were no entrances they could see, but the cliff face appeared to be smoother than it should have been.
"If this is the spot then there's a secret passage around here somewhere. Brandy, you check the waters underneath and see what's there. Leona, check for illusionary walls. I wish Nikki was here, she could just tunnel down." The two set to following Kelly's orders while the other took up defensive positions.
Brandy took a running leap off the edge of the cliff and dove into the water, hardly making a splash. She had been on land for quite some time and had downed two gallons of water to keep herself hydrated. Once under the surface of the water she began to look around for anything that seemed out of place: misshapen rocks, oddly smooth surfaces, or the giant divot that had been driven into the ground by something heavy striking it several times over. Closer to the land edge she could faintly make out a crease that had been driven down and an opening underneath it. With a little effort they could all squeeze under it but first she would need to make sure the others could come up for air once they got through.
Sure enough there was a giant tunnel on the other side. The cliff face could be move somehow and the massive ships would travel through the island to wherever they would dock. Remembering that the others weren't water pokégirls she started counting how long it took her to get from the underground tunnel back to the surface and was worried about the amount of time and energy it would take to make the swim. Once she made it back to the outer surface she was met by Jean clinging to the side of the cliff.
"Kelly figured that you must have found something since it was taking you so long. What ya see?"
"There is a massive tunnel on the other side of the cliff but I'm not sure if you can make the swim to the other side."
"She figured that as well." Jean held up a pokéball then tossed it to her. "Recall me then release me on the other side when you get clear, I'll start the ferry from there."
"I guess these things do have their uses." She recalled Jean then dove back under the water to start the swim. Once back on the surface of the tunnel she climbed onto the floating platform by the wall and released the Dark Kitsune. "There we are, but how are you going to get them here?" Jean vanished then reappeared a few seconds later holding the hands of Kelly and Chesra. "Oh..."
Between the three of them the entire team was transported in no time. The tunnel was exceptionally dark but the visors from the helmets were enhancing their vision and though Carrie's had broken she could still use Dark Goggles to see. Since there was water nearby, Brandy dove back in and swam along while they traveled on the platform.
"Shouldn’t you let Mr. Readman know that you found the tunnel?"
"I sent a Morse code message to him when you didn't come back up. Even though we don't have a visual representation on the pathfinders there's a good chance that were heading in the same direction. Probably to the base of the mountain."
"Why there?"
"Ever since we hit the beach we've been going uphill, it's the only place that could hold three ships of that size and give them enough room to maneuver around." Chesra answered. "Still, the question is who built this place?"
"There are several things off about the island. For one, the fog is of unnatural origins, and then there's the fact that this island hasn't been marked on any maps between the leagues. Then there's the ships; the size and speed surpasses anything on the league record books. If this is Sanctuary then I wonder where they got this stuff." Selena pondered aloud.
Jean's tails flicked back and forth as she thought about the end of Selena's statement. "That's the second time I've heard Sanctuary mentioned, who are they?"
"Sanctuary is a..." Zianna began but stopped when Kelly cleared her throat.
"Is aaaaa what?"
"We aren't at liberty to discuss that with you, you're in a position where you may not always be with the Marco and if this got into the open public then there could be lots of problems." Kelly firmly stated.
"But Chris knows and she's not fully military, hell Ariel knows too."
"That's right, and if either one of them speaks of Sanctuary to anyone not briefed about them then Chris goes to prison for the rest of her life; the person she tells goes to prison for the rest of their life and Ariel gets level-fived twice. Drop it." Kelly commanded angrily.
"What?" Chris exclaimed.
"That's Omega level Intel you have there. Most people don't even know they exist and the government wants to keep it that way. Not just the Indigo government either, all the leagues have the same policy concerning them."
Jean teleported in front of the Duelist and blocked her path. "I don't plan on leaving Marco anytime soon and I don't think Carrie or Ashley are either. But let's get one thing straight right now, we're getting ready to go into battle against a group of pokégirls so tough it has Master ready to call what is apparently the second best unit in the Indigo Military for help. If I'm going fight them then I'm going to need to know the best way to put my skills to use. If YOU have a problem with that then I can knock you out and suck the information out of your mind, but I am not fighting with my hands tied." If they were the same height the two of them would be nose to nose.
Chesra appeared behind her Alpha and pulled them apart. "You two can fight this out later, right now everyone needs to know everything they can in order to be effective."
"I know that Ches, I'm trying to protect her, to protect all of them. This isn't a mission that we can just do, file a paper, and that be the end of it. Mast... Marco said incapacitate, not kill when referring to the S. Goths. If we bring just one of them back alive there's going to be a huge debriefing. Everything we do is going to be brought into question. Every tactic we use, every round we fire, and everyone that knows its Sanctuary will have to be accounted for. And when they ask why pokégirls and personnel not affiliated with the Indigo Military now know about them a decision will have to be made. You five are in more danger than anyone else.”
Jean nodded and backed away for the Duelist, she really did have their personal wellbeing as her first concern. “I understand and appreciate what you’re saying but we have to be realistic here. Our biggest problem is going to be keeping everyone alive. If and when it comes to dealing with a committee of armchair soldiers who weren’t there, then we can worry about what happens to us.”
“… You’re right. There’s no use worrying about the future when there’s a chance that we won’t be around for it to matter. Let’s hurry; I’ll fill you in along the way.”
_____
|
Alpha- Kelly- Duelist |
|
Delta |
Echo |
Indigo |
|
Beta- Chesra- Fallen Angel |
Beta- Henrietta- Ghostrider |
Beta- Mina- Kunoichi |
|
Emaline- FireMaiden |
Field Beta- Selena- Caphoochie |
Zianna- Lupina |
|
Kim- Bombshell |
Rebecca- Smokey |
Renae- Ice Princess |
|
Nikki- SexSlash |
Alexis- Cherub |
Isabella- Mecha Musume |
|
Arianna- War Hound- MIA |
Lily- Gloomy |
Leona- Lamia |
|
|
|
Tam- Catgirl- School |
Harem
Chesra- Co-Alpha
Henrietta- Co-Alpha
Carrie- Penance
Ashley- Peekabu
Jean- Dark Kitsune
Handler
Christina Reynolds
Ariel- OfficerJenny