Story 5: To overthrow the Utopia (Part 5)

rufusluciusivan
Posts: 1225
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2017 5:08 pm

Story 5: To overthrow the Utopia (Part 5)

Post by rufusluciusivan »

Note: Since the characters will travel more in this story than what they used to previously, there is a link to a quick schema of the country below. The thing is not on scale (Korê should be smaller; Ares and Olympus should be bigger). It's more a quick schema to help visualize which Province is where.

https://i.goopics.net/W2j2w.jpg




**************


Part 1

Thea was impatient to return to the fold. No matter the place in which she travelled, she never changed. She was a city girl through and through. She only felt at home in the capital city, surrounded by its gigantic skyscrapers and the streets bustling with activity. And, above all, she would never get tired of seeing the sunset on top of Olympus' skyline.

Currently, she was driving through the Province of Korê. Recently, the police and the army had advised Olympian citizens against driving alone on Korê's secondary roads, but Thea didn't see what the danger could be. She had used these roads for years and she never had any problem.

Thea was adjusting the blue scarf showing that she was part of the Zeno Faction when she saw the black-haired woman. She had burst out of some bushes on the side of the road. She looked in pain and was waving at her to attract her attention.

And was it blood on her T-shirt? Was she hurt?

I have to do something!

Thea hit the brakes and stopped the car. Concerned, she stepped out of the vehicle and approached the woman. The latter's black hair were a mess and her clothes were dirty and damaged. She was holding a bag against her.

“Are you alright?" she asked. "You seem hurt. You... You have blood on your clothes...”

“This is not my blood.” the woman answered.

Something is her tone alerted Thea, but she didn't have the time to react. The black-haired woman had already moved. Suddenly, Thea felt something cold and metallic on her throat. It took her two seconds to realize that this was the blade of a knife.

I'm going to die! she thought.

“Don't move and don't talk, Olympian woman." the black-haired woman said. "Your people have hurt several people that I loved. You seem like a good person. Good enough to try to help someone that was hurt. So I'm making a huge effort to refrain myself from simply slitting your throat. Do everything I say, and I will leave you alive and mostly unharmed. Try to resist or call for help, and I'll kill you. Do you understand?”

“Y... Yes...”

“Good. Now, open the passenger door and sit on the seat.”

Thea complied.

“Put your hands in front of you and cross your wrists.”

Thea winced when the woman tightly tied her hands with a plastic zip-tie. The woman then buckled Thea's seatbelt and closed the door.

What is she...?

The woman sat behind the wheel, threw her bag on the backseat and quickly drove off. She had closed her jacket to hide her white T-shirt covered with blood. Thea bit her lips.

The woman suddenly took a sharp turn. They were now driving on a forest road.

“Where... Where are we going?” Thea asked.

The woman didn't answer. After a few minutes, she left the road and drove off on a dirt track. When they arrived in the thickest part of these woods, she stopped the car. Quickly, the woman exited the car, opened the passenger door, unbuckled Thea's seat and grabbed her by the shoulder to make her step out of the vehicle.

A brief moment, Thea was tempted to scream. But then she realized that they were alone in an isolated area. Nobody would come to help.

And then the woman would kill her...

Suddenly, Thea was surprised to see the woman remove her zip-ties.

“Now, strip.”

Thea's eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Strip. You're allowed to keep your underwear, but I want you to take off everything else.”

The woman had drawn her knife again, so Thea saw no other way. She took off her blue scarf, brown cardigan sweater and grey T-shirt. Her red and white checkered bra was now in full display, and it made her blush because of the embarassement. Her shoes were removed next. Then, her shaking hands grabbed the button of her jeans. She hesitated. She really didn't want to remove the last bastion of her dignity.

“Quicker!” the woman barked.

Thea held back her tears, unbuttoned her jeans and made it slide on her legs before kicking it back. She was wearing plain white cotton panties under it. Thea was shaking a little now, out of fear.

“Wh... What now?” she whispered.

The woman approached her. “Now, you sleep.” A swift neck chop sent poor Thea to slumberland.

**************

Aster didn't like dying her hair black. It was making her think of Emery. And the way she was behaving right now made her look even more like the assassin. However, she was too angry to care right now.

The Olympian woman hadn't dyed her mousey blond hair, using her scarf to show the colour of her Faction.

Aster roughly rolled the underwear-clad driver on her belly. Aster had a few tools in her bag, including a coil of strong nylon white ropes. Crossing the blonde's hands behind her back, she swiftly tied her wrists and arms, using the tightest and most complex knots she knew. She then bound the woman's legs just as tightly. As she was securing her, she couldn't help but think.

Who else? Who else had been caught? Who else had died? Are the others okay? Aaria, Klenia, Mikani, Shayna...

She was very tempted to make the Olympian woman pay for the others...

Aster shook her hand and chased that thought with a scoff of anger. She filled her victim's mouth with a sponge and gagged her with a tightly tied piece of cloth.

Then, she threw her own clothes covered with blood in some bushes, only keeping her black underwear and her shoes, and put on the driver's jeans, T-shirt, cardigan and scarf. She went through her victim's wallet and found cash, as well as an ID card.

Thea Pericles. Olympian citizen of the Zeno Faction. That explains the blue scarf...

With her new clothes, money and car, Aster would be able to flee Korê and go to the Province of Lakeland. She just hoped that her friends were doing the same...

No. I must not think of them, or of Dimitri, for now. I sent them a message to give them a rendezvous point at South Lake City, in the Province of Lakeland. I just have to hope that they will be able to join me there.

But still, she couldn't help but think...

What if I'm the last one? What if the others are arrested, or dead?

She felt her anger rise again and looked at the Olympian woman. Snapping her neck would be easy. And at least someone from Olympus would pay...

That's what Emery would do... a little voice said in her head, and that simple thought doused her anger.

She turned around to leave, but couldn't resist taking one last glance at her victim. Tightly bound and gagged, Thea would probably be unable to free herself. And she would probably not be found before days, perhaps weeks. She was looking so vulnerable...

Aster closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. She calmed her anger and forgot her thirst of revenge. She remembered the promise she made to herself several years ago.

Ultimately, Thea became her victim because she was nice. She wanted to help someone whom she thought was hurt, while a lesser person would have looked the other way and continued to drive. She had tried to do the right thing, and got brutally assaulted for her trouble. She didn't deserve what happened to her. And she certainly didn't deserve to be left here, alone and scared, for days. Of course, Olympus oppressed a lot of people who didn't deserve it. But Aster wanted to be better than Olympus...

Aster pondered taking Thea with her, to release her later, but ultimately decided against it. She may be stopped at Lakeland's border and her vehicle would be searched. So she settled for the next best thing.

Gently this time, she rolled Thea on her belly and loosened her bonds, enough for her to be able to free herself alone, even though it would require for her to struggle for a while. Then, she took Thea's phone in one of the pockets of her jeans and left it near her, to allow her to call for help once she would be free.

Then, she returned to the car and drove off. She needed to go to Lakeland.

She needed to escape the Olympian police and army, that were still on her trail.

**************

They underestimated the Cartel.

Once Calypso Callianass, former head of the Callianass Cartel, was exfiltrated from Naïad to be kept prisoner in one of their hideouts of Korê, they all thought that they would never hear of her Cartel again. They were wrong.

They underestimated the Cartel or, more precisely, they underestimated the thirst of revenge of Sao, Calypso's former bodyguard and lover; just as they underestimated the resources she still had access to thanks to the help of Max Shroud, Calypso's accountant.

“Kinda ironic, don't you think?” Klenia commented. “We managed to evade both the police and the army after they raided Aster's shop, only to have the bad luck to come across the three last persons still loyal to Callianass.”

“Do you think we lost them?” Mikani asked, ignoring her comment.

“I think. At least for now.”

Currently, the two rebels were at Border Hills, a town built right at the border between the Province of Korê and the Province of Ares. Usually, the place was rather quiet. However, Klenia and Mikani had arrived at a time when the town was hosting a huge history festival: a whole week full of conferences, spectacles, parades, historical reconstructions... There were even cosplayers dressed in historical costumes walking on the streets.

Of course, Klenia and Mikani were using the crowd to hide themselves from their pursuers.

Sao, seconded by Max Shroud and the woman serving as his bodyguard, was on their trail since they fled Aster's shop, after the building was raided by the police. Max Shroud was the kind of man who had contacts everywhere. He knew that Calypso was in Korê, hence the reason why he and the two bodyguards were in Wheat Junction at the time of the assault. When Shroud learned that the police was about to raid Aster's shop, he quickly put two and two together, and correctly deduced that Aster and her friends were all part of the Rebellion. Perhaps had he even understood that they were the ones who captured his boss... Either way, the three criminals needed a rebel to interrogate to learn were Calypso was hidden. Therefore, they tried to take advantage of the raid on Aster's shop to capture someone. They almost caught Klenia, but Mikani managed to save her just in time; and, in order to escape both the police and Sao, the two women hid in a train to flee to Border Hills.

However, in the confusion, they were separated from Aster, Aaria and Shayna. And, to make things worst, Shroud knew that they were in Border Hills. Sao and the second bodyguard were currently looking for them. Luckily, they had managed to lose them.

Now, all they had to do was to continue to evade them. In a few hours, a train was going to leave Border Hills. Its destination? South Lake City, in the Province of Lakeland. The town in which Aster told them to meet up with her in the last message she sent them.

Klenia was worried for Aster. And for Aaria. And especially for Shayna.

Mikani looked at her. She was understanding her perfectly.

“I'm sure they're alright. They are resourceful.”

“I know. It's just... This time, we're in big trouble. I've never imagined that they would one day figure out that Aster was part of the Rebellion... Her cover was flawless.”

“But she still had an emergency way-out. Let's go to South Lake City. We'll figure things out once we get there.”

“Got it. I hope Shayna will manage to go there... She rarely left Naïad before.”

“You care for her that much, huh?”

Klenia hesitated. “Yes. I think I do.” Klenia never tackled that subject with her. But, just like Aster and Aaria before her, Mikani had long understood that her friend was into girls. And Klenia had been attracted to the resourceful thief, the first person to get the drop on her during a mission, almost since the moment they first met.

“She's not a child. She survived East Harbour's streets. She'll manage.” Mikani answered to lift her spirits.

Klenia smiled. “You're right.”

Suddenly, Mikani turned back.

“Now, hurry up.” she said. “I think I saw Sao. We'll lose her in the town's alleyways.”

“Geez... She never quits... Between her and the police... Can things get any worse?” Klenia muttered to herself.

**************

“I tell you it's her!” Macha said to her friend. “The woman who keeps mugging me! I finally found her!”

The young redhead couldn't believe it. Perhaps it truly was Fate after all... A few minutes ago, she was quietely drinking at a sidewalk café with Hana, enjoying the warm afternoon. Then, she saw her walking across the street. Sure, she was wearing different clothes. But Macha would have recognized her face anywhere.

As soon as she had recognized the woman, Macha decided to follow her. She left money for the drink on the table, grabbed Hana's hand, and soon the two friends were following Macha's archnemesis.

“Macha! We were supposed to go to the history festival to relax...” Hana complained. “And to lie low for a while. You know, after the 'incident' with the cheerleader team.” she added.

“They never found any proof it was me. And the b*tches deserved it!” Macha retorted.

“Did you really have to leave them naked in the middle of the gymnasium?”

“That's not the point right now! Right now, the point is that I finally have a chance to get back at that crazy woman, the same way I got back at Hilda and her posse! This time, she won't jump on me by surprise. I will jump on her!”

“Macha... This will only end badly for us... Again...” Hana commented while adjusting her glasses.

“Nonsense! You will see. I'm feeling it right now. I taught Hilda a lesson. Now, it's the crazy woman's turn. I'm feeling it. I'm back at the top!”

**************

“Are you okay, Maxie? Do you manage to keep up?” Reka asked.

“I'm fine. For now.” he answered.

Max Shroud maybe looked like a scrawny shrimp, but Sao learned years ago that the accountant was a lot more endurant than his appearance could lead to believe.

Reka, the bodyguard assigned to Max by Calypso, looked at Sao. She was waiting for her instructions. After days of working and living together, the trio had found a good way to work together. While Max was the uncontested leader when it came to their money or to get in touch with his informants, Sao was the one calling the shots when they were on the field.

“We continue to chase them. I know they're nearby.”

**************

When she saw the jogger running near her hiding spot with nobody else in sight, Shayna knew that she had to take her chance. She had played cat and mouse with the police all day yesterday, and she ultimately managed to lose them in Wheat Junction's poor areas. Then, she discreetely went to the town's main central park, a huge green space with plenty of bushes and trees to hide. Mentally, she was thanking Klenia for showing her the town when she first arrived. Her original plan was to then go to the train station, but she realized that she couldn't go there with her current clothes. While the police didn't have a description of her face, since she wasn't a known rebel or a known 'employee' of Aster, they however had a description of her outfit. She couldn't walk in the town with her current grey sweater and blue jeans.

But if she changed clothes...

The jogger was a rather young woman, probably among Shayna's age, perhaps a little older. She was wearing a dark blue tracksuit, with white strips on the shoulders and arms as well as on the sides of the legs. Her brown hair were tied into a long ponytail. She was listening to some music with her earphones.

Shayna crouched behind some bushes and waited. When the brunette jogged past her hiding spot, she grabbed her by the back of her collar. The jogger let out a small grunt of surprise before disappearing in the bushes. Shayna wasn't very muscular, but she had the element of surprise on her side and the brown-haired jogger was already tired because of her exercice. The struggles in the bushes lasted a few instants, but they ended with Shayna victorious.

The jogger was now knocked out. Shayna dragged her by the ankles into a small depression, well-concealed by the nearby bushes, and wasted no time stripping her down to her underwear. The brunette's sports bra and boyshorts matched with her tracksuit: plain dark blue.

One of the first advice Klenia gave to Shayna when they started their partnership was to always have some binding material on her. Today, the thief was glad she had listened to her friend. In the pockets of her sweater, a roll of string was stored. The cord was thin, but also very resistant. Shayna crossed the woman's wrists behind her back before binding them, then she tied up her ankles. A third string was used to hog-tie the brunette, connecting her wrists and ankles. With her switchblade, Shayna cut part of her sweater to fill the woman's mouth. Then, she used an adequate piece of cloth she kept on herself as a cleave gag, and another as a blindfold. With the woman secured, Shayna changed into her new tracksuit and shoes. She took the woman's walkman and emerged from the bushes.

Now, all she had to do was to jog to the train station. Perhaps steal another set of clothes, and take the first train for Lakeland.

**************

Many policemen and policewomen were still searching the town for her. While she had been evading them all day last day, Aaria had concoted a plan. She had decided that it was the turn for the prey to become the hunter...

The woman led her pursuers in the huge abandoned industrial complex of the northern district of Wheat Junction.

She knew that place like the back of her hand. A labyrinth of poorly lit corridors, offices, storage rooms and abandoned engine rooms. And that wasn't even counting the small backdoors or the hidden passageways created by the people who started to squat the place after the company's bankrupt. It used to be a hideout of the Rebellion, before they abandoned because it was too big to be defended in case of an attack.

It was also Aaria's playground.

Her foes' number was their biggest advantage, as it allowed them to cover a lot of field. However, their number was also their biggest disadvantage, as it meant that it would take them more time to realize that one of their agents was missing.

The agent in question wasn't an ordinary policewoman. She was from the special operations forces. Therefore, she wasn't wearing the traditional police uniform. Instead, she was wearing a grey uniform jacket and grey uniform pants, both clothes having a camouflage motif on them. Her feet were protected by black thick heavy combat boots, her hands by black combat gloves and her torso by a dark grey sleeveless protective waistcoat. A radio and several weapons were strapped to her belt, and she was currently holding a machine gun. She also had a helmet. However, there was one weakness in her uniform. The throat wasn't properly protected.

“Still nothing.” the policewoman said in the receiver of her radio. “I'll continue to search the block and then meet up with Csilla.”

Aaria was waiting in one of the small darkened locker rooms, hidden in a corner, completely silent. She could hear her target's footsteps approaching. The agent entered the room, raising her weapon. However, Aaria's position in the room allowed her to be in the woman's blind spot. The agent took a few steps forward. Aaria jumped on her from behind. She locked the woman's head in her arms and applied a vicious sleeper-hold.

Reflexively, the agent let go of her weapon and tried to use her hands to loosen Aaria's grip. To no avail. For a member of a supposed elite corp of the police, she was gurgling rather pathetically in her desperate attempts to breathe. Aaria took a few steps back to make the agent loose balance, rendering her struggles even more useless. She was running out of oxygen now and her frantic movements soon began to ease. Then, after one final muffled gasp, she went limp. She had passed out. Aaria waited a moment, hesitated, but then loosened her grip to allow the unconscious woman to breathe again. Almost gently, Aaria laid her on the ground.

Since at least one other agent was nearby, Aaria quickly stripped her victim down to her underwear: a green tank top, black control briefs and black socks. The unbuckled helmet revealed short black hair, that were going down to the neck, dyed with strips of red. Judging by her face, the woman was in her late thirties. Aaria decided to waste no time with complex restrains. She seated the woman and moved her hands behind her back. On the agent's belt, there were handcuffs. She used them to cuff the woman's hands behind the pipes of an out of order radiator. During her escape yesterday, Aaria had managed to recover a roll of strong thick duct tape, of the brand they usually used to secure their uniform donors due to its incredible resistance. She wrapped the tape several times around the woman's lower face, being careful not getting hair tangled in the adhesive as it would make the tape looser. A final strip was used as a blindfold.

Then, Aaria changed into her new uniform: protective waistcoat, uniform jacket and pants, combat gloves. She liked the helmet, which would hide her hair. The boots were a little too big, but she could still walk in them. Aaria quickly searched the uniform's pockets and the belt. She was happy to see that, besides her machine gun and handgun, the policewoman was also equipped with a stun gun. In the breast pocket, Aaria found a picture showing the woman smiling with a man and a young girl that was her spitting image. She sighed and put the picture down on the ground near the bound-and-gagged agent. She kneeled to check if she was breathing correctly through her nose, which she was, then she took the machine gun and secured the weapon's strap on her shoulder.

She knew she didn't have much time before her victim was found, but she would normally have enough time to leave the building. At least if she neutralized the other agent that was currently searching the building... She exited the storage room.

She had taken a few steps in the corridor when a female voice called her.

“Diane? Is that you?”

The woman, dressed in the agents' combat gear, was at the other side of the corridor. She had just arrived from the other part of the building. From afar, she had recognized Aaria's uniform, but couldn't see her face because of the building's obscurity.

Talk about timing... Aaria thought.

Aaria answered her with the hand gestures used by the Olympian police forces, as she didn't want to risk having the other woman (probably that Csilla that was mentioned earlier) recognize her as an impostor after hearing her voice.

She mentioned the storage room.

This room. Danger. Back me up.

Csilla nodded and answered with a hand gesture.

Okay.

She quickly approached.

Aaria knew she only had a few seconds before the agent would see that she wasn't Diane. As soon as Csilla was close enough, one second before she realized that something was wrong, Aaria hit her as hard as she could in the gut with the butt of her machine gun. Even with the protective waistcoat, Csilla bended forward, the wind knocked out of her. With one hand, Aaria grabbed the stun gun she stole and, before her opponent could recover from the blow, she sent a good jolt in her neck that instantly knocked her out. Aaria caught the falling agent and dragged her inside the storage room.

Aaria had read somewhere the story of a lone spy who, during an infiltration, had the idea to strip the two guards she knocked out in order to confuse her enemies by making them think there were two intruders. She decided to put the idea to the test. Soon, the black-haired Csilla was down to her black tank top, red high-cut briefs and white socks. Her hands were cuffed behind the radiator, near the already secured Diane, and she was gagged and blindfolded with tape in a fashion similar to the first unlucky agent. Aaria located a nearby ventilation duct and hid Csilla's gear inside. Then, she left the storage room, for good this time, leaving some 'alone' time to her two still-unconscious victims.

She would now exit the building through a back door and leave undetected the area searched by the police forces. Now that the police was busy searching the northern district, she could safely go to one of her small hideouts in the southern district. She would change there, then she would leave the town and go to Lakeland. Aster told them to regroup at South Lake City. Thalès' contacts could probably help her.

On her way, Aaria couldn't help but think of the events of yesterday.

The raid on Aster's shop.

The escape.

Aaria had quickly lost sight of the others in the confusion. Then, she had received Aster's message on her phone. Aster had been forced to steal a car to escape the police, and she couldn't go back in town.

Wheat Junction wasn't safe for them anymore. They had to flee the town. Aster was telling them to regroup in South Lake City, outside of the Province of Korê, to escape their pursuers. They would then try to contact the resistance network of Cérès, Emery's boss. Aster was worried. She knew that its wasn't her cover that had been blown. It was Dimitri's.

She was worried for him.

Perhaps Thalès' informants knew something... Aaria had to find one of them. But first, she would need a change of clothes. The agent's gear was going to be useful to leave the area searched by the police, but she would need to remove it as soon as she could to flee undetected.



**************

Author's note: And voilà, this is it. I don't know if it will be divided into two parts or if I will keep everything in one big post, but we have reached the last arc of the story. I hope you will like it.
Last edited by rufusluciusivan on Sun Oct 11, 2020 7:51 pm, edited 5 times in total.
esercito sconfitto
Posts: 7096
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2016 12:06 pm

Re: To overthrow the Utopia (Part 5) by Rufusluciusivan

Post by esercito sconfitto »

1) did you reach the beginning of the last arc of the saga?

start another arc

2)Macha . Aha, THEN that episode with all the cheerleaders , it wasn't a dream!

I have a bad feeling about Macha and her friend Hana... :lol:

3) the scene with Shayna and the Jogger... is awesome. One of the best scenario's I prefer!


4) may I suggest editing the French Jean with the English Jeans? moreover, I am pretty persuaded that all ( I repeat, ALL )the British folks here know that et voilà means there we are... ... but there a a LOT of people reading the tale with Google translator. Think about how many people in Japan get lost in gooole translation... :roll:

5) ...this leads us to the unavoidable question... Mr. Rufusluciusivan, there is any Group like USB in French areas? I mean, not just in France...

6) since I love ambushes in the forest, I loved the very first scene of this installment.

The scruples of conscience experienced by Aster must be silenced. Stripping a nice and careful woman is a hard work but someone's gotta do it! 8-)

7) may I suggest more 'multiple' stripping scenes, like the one with Aaria? or these Cheerleaders subdued by Macha?

8)I appreciated the map. I have a Keen , big interest in maps...but I need more details . There is an ocean all around that continent?
rufusluciusivan
Posts: 1225
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2017 5:08 pm

Re: To overthrow the Utopia (Part 5) by Rufusluciusivan

Post by rufusluciusivan »

Thanks a lot for the feedback! :D To answer your points:

1 ) Well, there is a reason why the Cartel story is called Part 1... ;) Although, I say this in advance, by the time I'll arrive to that (and perhaps even before), I will have far less time to write. The months of July and August have been a nice experience, but I was able to be this productive because I had a lot of free time. Free time that will come to an end in September, with work starting again.

2 ) The story was a dream. Macha simply made her dream come true. 8-)

3 ) Thanks! I like this kind of scenario too.

4 ) Thanks for the tip. I edited the jeans.

5 ) Not at my knowledge, unfortunately.

6 ) I see your point ;) , but Aster's scruples are (for the better and for the worst) part of her personality. One of her driving motivations is to never become like Emery, so she tries to keep her emotions in check. Here, the events of the story are testing her moral boundaries, but she's trying to keep them intact. (Probably more about that in later installments.) Leaving her victim in her initial state could have resulted in her dying of thirst, which Aster doesn't want, hence the reason why she made sure she could free herself and call for help. (Usually, Aster's victims are either left in a crowded area, a soon-to-be-searched place, or a signalled by a mysterious anonymous call to the police a few hours after the mission is over.) Several of the people she mugs are at heart good persons, whose only 'crime' is to be born in a part of the country where they're taught official propaganda since infant school, so Aster doesn't want them to suffer lasting harm from the whole ordeal.

7 ) We'll see... ;)

8 ) Happy to see another map-lover! :D Joke aside, I quickly added a few details on the map (mostly the main towns; except Olympus, just imagine a big city at the center of the Olympus province). Normally, the link at the beginning is now the new link. There is an ocean west and south of the country; a desert east of it; and a toxic swamp north of it. As I mentioned before, I used the setting of another non-USB project of mine, so I tried to limit the world-building to the strict minimum. (As an anecdote, Dimitri, Hieron, Cérès and Emery were existing characters before.) To be quick, a long time ago, a huge war decimated the population. By the time the story begins, the civilizations have managed to rebuild from scratch and regain a level of technology almost similar to before the cataclysm, but huge portions of continents have been left uninhabitable, including the entire northern part of the continent in which Utopia is located.
rufusluciusivan
Posts: 1225
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2017 5:08 pm

Re: To overthrow the Utopia (Part 5) by Rufusluciusivan

Post by rufusluciusivan »

Part 2

Mikani muttered a curse when she realized that their pursuers were about to catch up with them. At first, she thought it was a good idea to try to lose them in the deserted small alleyways of Border Hills. But, since there were no witnesses here, Sao and her team also had free hands to attack them at their leisure.

“Klenia! They're here!” she exclaimed.

“Yes we are here! And you're not going anywhere!” a female voice exclaimed.

This wasn't Sao's voice.

Klenia's eyes widened, but Mikani couldn't understand why.

Their pursuers caught up with them.

Mikani frowned. They weren't Sao and her team. She wasn't even sure that they were part of the Cartel. The first young woman had red hair, that were cut into a square cut that was reaching her shoulders. While Mikani could see at her posture that she was trained in hand-to-hand combat, her only weapons were a stun gun and a pepper spray. The second woman, on the other hand, was definitively not a fighter, with her jet-black hair tied into a proper bun and her glasses. While she had a pepper spray in her hand, she was looking apprehensive, and was standing half-hidden behind her friend. Mikani could have sworn she had seen them at least once, but she couldn't remember where.

At least until Klenia spoke.

"Macha?! Again?"

"Yes, Macha again! Only this time, I have the upper hand!" the redhead retorted while showing her stun gun.

"I thought citizens needed a special permit to hold a stun gun." Klenia commented.

"That's what the black market is for. And I intend to put it to good use..."

Macha was looking ecstatic, smiling triumphantly.

She's going to monologue... Mikani understood. We don't have the time for that... Sao is near...

"You see, when I saw you walking on the streets, I couldn't believe my luck." the redhead started. "Finally I had...”

“Yeah! Yeah! That's fine, Macha, but we don't have the time for this.” Klenia interrupted her. “You have to leave. You and your friend are in danger with us.”

“We're in danger?” Macha repeated in a mocking tone. “You should better look at who's holding a weapon right now!”

“You're not in danger because of us! But because of the people chasing us! Mean people that carry real guns and will not hesitate to silence any potential witness. Permanently.” Klenia retorted.

Macha shared a quick glance with her friend.

“You're bluffing!” the redhead said, although Mikani could hear in her voice that she was a little more unsure of herself now.

Mikani couldn't bear this comedy no more. “For the love of...” She stopped herself, then said: “I know that you have a score to settle with Klenia and I, but if you stay here you will die!”

“M... Macha... I don't think they're bluffing...” Hana intervened.

“But...” Macha started.

She was interrupted by the sounds of new voices.

“They are over here! Quick!”

Mikani paled. This was Sao's voice.

“I see them!” another female voice exclaimed.

A woman had emerged from the corner. Tall, athletic, with a statuesque figure and braided black hair. Max Shroud's bodyguard. She drew a handgun that was hidden under her grey jacket.

Hana let out a panicked scream and Macha sweared like a trooper. However, the redhead had good reflexes. She let go of her pepper spray and grabbed her friend, who was paralyzed with fear, by the hand.

“Hana! Run!”

The black-haired mercenary opened fire, but Macha had already run, dragging her friend behind her. The gunshots were muffled by the weapon's silencer, and two impacts appeared on the wall. Right where Hana was two seconds ago.

Mikani didn't waste time and started to run. Klenia followed her. The two women quickly caught up with Macha and Hana, and overtook them.

“Maxie! Sao! They are here! Two witnesses with them!”

Mikani was furious. She was almost tempted to trip Macha up, as the stupid redhead was the reason why her enemies caught up with Klenia and her. She resisted the temptation though. She wasn't spiteful enough to send two women to their doom just to satisfy her anger. And Klenia wouldn't have liked it...

“I see them! Maxie, shoot!”

While still running, Klenia suddenly grabbed Macha's free hand, surprising both Mikani and the redhead.

“What are you doing?”

“Saving your life! Follow us!” Klenia retorted.

She led them in a new alleyway.

“Why should I trust you?” Macha barked.

“You prefer trying to escape them alone?” Klenia retorted. "They'll kill you."

Macha bit her lips. She was still holding her friend's hand, and Hana was already panting. Macha's face crumbled. She was clearly worried for her friend. Now very pale, she silently nodded. Klenia let go of her hand and the redhead followed her.

Mikani approached Klenia and ran alongside her. “What exactly are you doing?”

“Saving two persons' lives. No need to thank me.”

“They will only slow us down...”

“I won't let them fall into Sao's hands. She would kill them.” Klenia retorted. She was looking determined and wouldn't go back on her decision.

“Yes, but...” Mikani refrained her outburst. Losing her temper would achieve nothing, except making her lose her breath.

“We need to go in a crowded place...” Mikani said instead. However, she had no idea where to go. She didn't know the town...

“The... The cultural center...” Macha suddenly intervened. “It's not too far... And the... the history festival is held here... There are tons of people...”

Mikani shared a quick glance with Klenia.

“Cultural center it is.” she decided.

**************

Wheat Junction's train station was a big building, and it took Shayna several long minutes to find the train she was looking for.

A direct train to South Lake City.

However, another problem arised. She didn't have the money to buy a ticket. And, without a ticket, she couldn't access the train.

Shayna then noticed the door leading to the women's restroom. She smiled.

Well... When a problem arises, you only need to find a solution...

She waited. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. Shayna had to watch several women come and go without taking action, as they were either the wrong size or travelling in group. At first, the thief wanted to mug one of the passengers, to get rid of her tracksuit and steal some money.

However, she decided to change her plans when she saw the ticket inspector who was heading for the restroom. The woman was in her late twenties, probably a newbie. She had pretty blue eyes and golden blond hair tied into a loose bun. Her uniform consisted of a grey beret, a grey jacket, grey pants and black low-heeled shoes. Through the jacket's neckline, the lapels of a purple waistcoat over a crisp white shirt were visible, as well as a small black tie. She was dragging a wheeled suitcase behind her.

The ticket inspector entered the women's restroom. Shayna followed her.

**************

Even if she already had impersonated cops several times before, Aaria was still surprised to see how much ordinary people were ready to obey you when you were in an uniform. Even the strangest orders...

The woman didn't even question her when Aaria asked her to follow her, even though she was leading her in a deserted alleyway. And, when they were out of sight, all she needed was to draw her handgun to make her victim comply.

A few minutes later, Aaria was picking up the bound-and-gagged brown-haired woman, who had been stripped of her clothes and was only clad in her frilly pink camisole and matching lacy knickers. Aaria had used her roll of duct tape and plastic zip-ties she stole along with the agent's combat gear to secure the middle-aged woman. Aaria dropped her in the huge dumpster against the far wall. The woman looked at her with pleading eyes and mewled in her gag. Aaria ignored her and dumped the agent's uniform near her victim, as well as the machine gun, as she couldn't carry it in the streets. (She had made sure to remove the ammunition magazine and to put the security on.) Then, she shut the lid.

Now dressed in black high heels, tights, knee-long grey skirt and white blouse, Aaria headed for her new car. She needed to meet up with Thalès' informant.

**************

The cultural center was a big complex composed of three seperate buildings, including one theater. Mikani, Klenia and their two unlikely allies were currently in the biggest of them. Between the cosplayers, the visitors and the performers, the place was crowded.

“We lost them for now, but it's only temporary.” Mikani was saying. “They will find our trail as soon as we step out. If we want to escape them once and for all, we will need a disguise. If possible, something that would allow us to also hide our hair...”

Klenia was looking at the cosplayers walking in the place. They were dressed as warriors or characters from antique times: amazons of Hera, tribe warriors of Ares, pirates of Okéanis... Most were wearing helmets to complement their costumes.

“I think we can manage it...” she commented.

“Wait a minute!” Macha intervened.

“What?” Klenia asked.

“I know where this is going. There's no way I'll help you in one of your crazy heists!” the redhead said while crossing her arms.

Mikani forced herself to remain calm and patiently explained: “They saw your faces too. So, if you want to have a chance to survive, you will have to follow our directives.”

“But...” Macha looked at her friend. Hana was very pale. She took her hand. “Hana... Will... Will it be alright?”

“We don't have a choice, don't we?” Hana asked to Mikani.

“No. The people chasing us are criminals. They won't hesitate to hurt you.”

Hana looked at Macha. “Let's do what they say. Please.”

Macha pouted, but then nodded.

“Great!” Klenia smiled and raised her hand. “So what do you say? Truce?”

“Truce.” Macha answered, but without shaking her hand.

“Now, let's find a new set of clothes...”

**************

The train station's women's restroom was big and well-cleaned. There were even two speakers playing some music. However, Shayna didn't go there because she needed to go to the toilets... Just in case, she checked all the stalls to see if some of them were occupied. As expected, only one of them was. The one in which her target was.

Shayna searched the nearby janitor closet, and was happy to find a roll of strong duct tape, as well as strings, plenty of rags and several marker pens. Good. She wasn't sure that the strings she kept hidden on her would be enough to secure a second donor... Then, with her new tools, she waited; hoping that no one would enter the restroom the next following minutes.

She heard the toilet flush and got ready.

Time to see if Klenia's lessons paid off... Shayna didn't have the time to learn much from her new friend, but she knew a few tricks that should be enough against an untrained opponent.

The door of the stall opened. The ticket inspector stopped when she saw Shayna blocking her path.

“Uh? Can I help...”

Shayna jumped on her victim before she could end her sentence. She closed the stall's door behind them. The latch turned from FREE to OCCUPIED. The music and the noises of the trains outside drowned the sounds of the unlucky woman being overpowered: the punches and throws as well as the muffled cries for help.

Luckily for Shayna, there wasn't any room below the door and stall's walls. Therefore, nobody could spy on her from below, and the stall's walls were high, and nobody could spy on her from above.

Shayna seated the unconscious golden-haired woman on the toilet seat. She unbuttoned her grey jacket and removed it, then continued with the purple waistcoat and white shirt. She was greeted by a light blue full-coverage bra. Shayna took off the woman's shoes and white socks, then unbuckled her grey pants and made it slide on the blonde's legs. The ticket inspector was wearing dark beige bikini briefs under her pants.

Shayna undressed herself to put on her victim's uniform. She crammed her tracksuit in the ticket's inspector wheeled suitcase, as she would probably use it again to change of disguise once in South Lake City.

Shayna winded several layers of the tape she found in the janitor closet over the young woman's mouth. Then, she taped her wrists behind her back and completely mummified her hand and fingers. She also taped her ankles. Then, using the strings, she secured the ticket inspector to the toilet, forcing her to remain seated on the toilet bowl.

Shayna checked her work. The poor ticket inspector was the perfect picture of helplessness, gagged and secured on the toilet in her underwear. She was softly breathing through her cute nose, her head resting on her left shoulder. There you go... That should hold her for a while...

She gently stroked the woman's golden hair a few times. The petite blonde let out a muffled sigh that was almost sensual.

Sorry about that.

Shayna checked that there were no witnesses, then left the stall, dragging the wheeled suitcase behind her. She closed the door and moved the latch to lock it from the outside. She took the time to write 'OUT OF ORDER' on the stall's door with a blakc marker pen. Then, she exited the restroom and headed for the train to South Lake City. She entered the first-class car and went into the office marked 'Staff Only'.

There already was a ticket inspector there. He was an old and tired-looking man, who probably had only a few months left before retirement at most.

“Good day, mister.” Shayna said with a smile.

“Hello. I wasn't supposed to have a colleague in this ride. Are you a newbie?” he asked her.

Shayna decided to play along. “Yes, sir. It's my first day.”

“Nervous, I guess? Don't worry, I'll show you what to do.”

“Thank you mister!”

**************

The cultural center had put five rooms at the disposal of the cosplayers, so they could change clothes in peace. The rooms were situated in an isolated part of the smallest building of the complex, to give people some privacy. A member of the staff was tasked with watching the area and lending the keys leading to the changing rooms.

The girl looked clearly bored. Almost nobody was circulating in this part of the cultural center, as all the attractions were elsewhere. The only persons who bothered to come here were the cosplayers themselves. Therefore, the girl was sitting lazily on her chair, looking at videos on her phone, and snickering to herself while munching on candies. Clearly, this young woman was one of the locals hired as extra help during the week of the history festival, and she had been given one of the most boring jobs. The girl was of medium height. The right side of her nose was pierced, Mikani could see a small round metallic jewel shining. She had shoulder-long light brown hair, but Mikani grimaced when she saw that the tips of her hair were dyed pink. Utopian laws usually forbid non-Olympian citizens to dye their hair, but there was one exception: The colour pink, as it wasn't the colour of one of the Twelve Olympian Factions, was tolerated. Therefore, some people who wanted to be 'fashionable' proudly displayed their pink dyes. Mikani considered it a crime against good taste.

The girl was wearing white sneakers and blue jeans. The only clues that she was part of the staff were her black cap and her big black T-shirt with the word STAFF written on it with white letters.

The brown-and-pink-haired girl looked up when the group of four women approached her. Mikani decided to let Klenia do the talking, as she was better than her when it came to use charms or cuteness to win someone over. Her friend smiled to put the girl at ease.

“Can I help you?” the staff woman asked.

“We would need one changing room, please.” Klenia looked at the name tag pinned on the young woman's T-shirt. “Sara.”

“It's Sasha. They got the nametag wrong.”

“Oh! Excuse me. Sasha.”

The girl sighed and lazily got up. “Follow me.”

She grabbed a key and headed for one of the doors, but stopped in front of it. She eyed Mikani's group from below.

“Do you even need the room? I don't see your costumes...”

“They haven't arrived yet.” Klenia answered with a huge smile.

“Then, I can't let you in. I'm sorry.”

“Can you make an exception? Please?” Klenia insisted with an even bigger smile. This was her secret weapon. As of now, no men or women had ever been able to resist this level of cuteness. Not even Aster.

Sasha remained unphased. “No. I'm sorry.”

Klenia was looking so disappointed by her failure that Macha couldn't help but snicker. In other circumstances, Mikani would have done the same; but, right now, they didn't have time to waste and she was a little on edge.

Mikani grabbed the girl by the shoulder and, with her free hand, pressed Macha's stun gun under her chin.

“And if I say please?” she coldly answered.

Sasha stammered an unintelligible answer. She gave the key to Klenia.

“Thanks!” the latter said while unlocking the door. “And please excuse my friend. She's just having a rough day.” She opened the door. “After you.”

Mikani forced her prisoner to enter first. The four women followed her.

Mikani ordered Sasha to take off her T-shirt and her cap, and to give them to her. The girl was too scared of the stun gun to try to resist. She knew that this weapon could be used to inflict pain. Therefore, she obeyed without question. She was wearing a lavender bra and her bellybutton was also pierced.

Mikani didn't need the girl's other clothes and didn't have time to waste. Soon, Sasha was left under the guard of Macha and Hana, seated on a bench in the corner of the room, her mouth and her eyes taped, and her hands tied behind her back with silver duct tape. Hana was sympathetically patting the girl's shoulder to reassure her. Mikani had already put on Sasha's T-shirt and cap.

“I'm going to see if I can find some costumes here.” she said to Klenia. “If not, I will lure some donors here.”

“Got it.”

Mikani left.

**************

After Mikani exited the room, Klenia was left alone with Macha, Hana and their prisoner. Hana had successfully managed to calm Sasha a little, but Klenia could feel Macha staring at her.

“Is there a problem?” she asked.

“Are you always that nonchalant about... all that?”

“All what?”

“Mugging people, tying them up, leaving them in their underwear.”

“Well... Yes.” Klenia bluntly answered.

Macha grumbled something and crossed her ams.

“If we're forced to take the clothes while... someone is already wearing them, there will be a fight.” Klenia added. “I have to know if you'll be able to...”

“I know how to fight.”

“Good. Then we understand each other.”

A few minutes later, the door opened again.

**************

“Here you go!” Mikani said to the seven women.

“Thank you!” the leader of the group said. She was a tall buxom blonde wearing an Amazon armor: metallic breastplate over a brown tunic, pleated metal skirt, brown lace boots, a grey metal helmet, and a leather belt on which a prop sword was hung. Three other young women, two blondes and one brunette, were dressed like her. The three other cosplayers, two black-haired young women and a redhead, were wearing a romanticized version of the clothes worn by antique Ares tribes. Their coats and pants looked like they were made of grey wolf's fur (black wolf's fur in the redhead's case), with buttons made out of fangs. They were wearing matching imitations of wolf head hats and their costumes were ornamented with jewels made of coloured stones. Each cosplayer was carrying a bag, in which their casual clothes were.

The girls in the front tried to stop in their tracks when they saw that the room was already occupied, but their friends behind them didn't realize it in time and continued to advance, forcing them to move forward too until the seven women were all in the room.

“Uh... Excuse me, but I think you gave us a room already occupied...” the blond leader said.

One of the cosplayers suddenly let out a small shriek of surprise. She just saw the bound-and-gagged Sasha seated in a corner of the room.

However, Mikani had already closed and locked the door.

“What is the meaning of this?!” the blond cosplayer exclaimed.

Mikani answered with a swift chop on the neck, knocking her out. The buxom blonde dropped on the floor like a sack of grain. Another cosplayer screamed.

Then, there was a sudden burst of activity in the room. Mikani, Klenia and Macha sprang into action. There were kicks, punches, grunts and futile pleads of mercy. The three young women cosplaying as Ares tribe warriors tried to fight back, but they were no match for Klenia and Macha. Two girls tried to flee the room to call for help, but the door was locked and the thick walls were muffling the cosplayers' attempts to be heard. Mikani was on them before they could think of another plan. In a corner of the room, Hana and Sasha were laying low and it was hard to tell which one of the two was the most scared.

The thrashing ended as abruptly as it began, with half a dozen unconsious girls moaning and laying on the floor in various positions. Klenia was currently finishing the job, having locked the red-haired cosplayer's head in a sleeper-hold.

“You didn't have to bring so many of them, you know?” she commented with a huge smile, while her victim was drifting into unconsciousness.

“I didn't have the time to be picky.” Mikani answered, a little short of breath.

Hana shared a quick nervous glance with her friend Macha. “It's the cheerleaders all over again...” she commented.

Klenia laid the last cosplayer on the ground. “What does she mean?”

“Nothing important.” Macha quickly retorted, her cheeks reddening a little.

Klenia didn't answer, but her smile spoke volumes.

**************

Between the seven cosplayers, they had enough spare clothes to satisfy the four of them. Still, they took the time to strip all of them, in order to turn the spare tunics into makeshit bonds. Klenia had a few rolls of duct tape on her, but they wanted to be sure to have enough material to tie all these women up.

The cosplayers were lined up on the floor. They were now only wearing their underwear and, between the seven of them, there was a great diversity of colours: black, white with red dots, pink with a floral pattern, light blue, orange, purple, and brown. They were all secured with tape and strips of the spare tunics. Their mouths were filled with their own socks and sealed with tape.

“I guess that makes me an Amazonian beauty...” Klenia commented while putting her helmet on. She was liking the metallic breastplate and metal skirt. They made her look like a warrior from ancient times.

Mikani had also dressed herself as an Amazon. “Each of you, take one of their bags and put your casual clothes in them. We'll change back as soon as we lost Sao and her goons.” she instructed.

“Got it boss!” Klenia exclaimed.

Macha grumbled an answer. She was dressed in the black imitation fur and wolf head of her fellow unfortunate redhead. Hana was standing behind her friend, her cheeks bright red. Her metal skirt was showing way too much legs for her taste, and she was embarassed to have been forced to strip in front of strangers. Macha even used her body to hide from the other girls' eyes while she was changing into an Amazon armour.

“Is everyone ready?” Mikani finally asked.

The three other girls nodded.

“Then, let's go.”

“Still... I think we forgot something...” Klenia added.

She looked around the room.

“Ah! Of course!”

The unfortunate Sasha was still in her corner, trying to lie low. Klenia grabbed her legs and quickly winded several layers of tape around them.

“Sorry about that, but we can't have you running around, can't we?”

Then, she reinforced the tape tying the girl's hands by tying a few strips tunic around her wrists, before finally wrapping tape around her upper arms.

“There you go! Don't worry, it's almost over now. We'll leave you in peace and, soon, you will be found and rescued.” She patted the girl on the head, then regrouped with Mikani and the two others.

The four women left the room and Mikani closed and locked it behind them. On the table behind which the unlucky Sasha used to be sitting, she had left a note saying: 'Changing rooms temporary closed. Will be back soon.'

Klenia smiled to herself. False advertising, much?

**************

Sao was furious.

At first, everything was going smoothly. They had finally cornered their targets in the town's alleyways. They were about to catch them and make them talk. And then to have some revenge.

But then, the two b*tches evaded them at the last moment and they lost their trail in the cultural center. And the place was too crowded to try anything.

“When I get my hands on them, I'll eviscerate them and strangle them with their own guts.” she growled.

“Calm yourself.” Reka retorted. “They can't leave the place without passing in front of us.”

Sao breathed out to calm herself. She continued to watch the surroundings. A lot of visitors were entering and leaving the building. Scholars were debating in the middle of the hall. Four cosplayers were leaving the cultural center. Several security guards were patrolling.

“I'm surprised to see that they didn't cancel the history festival.” Max suddenly commented. “Such frivolity...”

“What do you mean?” Reka asked.

“Olympus and the Rebellion are at each other's throats. The resistance networks have never been as active as nowadays. You'd think that they wouldn't waste their money on a history festival.”

“They're trying to pull up a nice face, I guess.” Sao intervened.

Max nodded.

Suddenly, his phone rang.

“Yes?” he answered in it.

He listened a few instants.

“Change of plans, ladies we weren't discreet enough during our little pursuit in the alleyways. Police is on our trail now. We scoot.”

“But what about the Rebels?” Sao protested.

“We'll find something. As of now, we can't stay here.”

**************

Mikani allowed herself a small sigh of relief.

Sao, Max and the third mercenary were indeed watching the access to the history festival. However, their disguises successfully fooled them and they escaped the cultural center without catching their attention.

Once they were far enough away from the building, they headed straight to the nearest public restrooms to get rid of their costumes and change back into their casual clothes.

Now, all we have to do is go to the train station before Sao understands that we played her...

“Well, I guess this is where we part ways.” Macha suddenly said. “Can I have my stun gun back?”

Mikani looked at her. The redhead was standing a few feet away from them, far enough to be able to protect herself from a sudden assault, shielding Hana with her body.

Mikani shared a glance with Klenia.

The easy way or the hard way? her eyes were asking.

“I'll handle this.” Klenia answered.

“Suit yourself.”

“Listen, we can't leave you behind in this town.” Klenia said to the two students.

Macha scowled. “Why? Because you don't want to leave witnesses behind?”

“I'll be honest and say yes.” Klenia calmly answered. “And also because you're in danger here. Sao won't give up. If she catches you, she will torture you to get informations out of you, and then she will kill you to leave no witnesses.”

Hana paled visibly and clutched her friend's shoulder.

“We could take another train...” Macha objected.

“And have you denounce us at the first occasion?” Mikani objected.

“We can't give you the choice, and for that I am sorry. You either come with us willingly, or we will have to find a way to get you out of commission for several hours here. And then you'll be at the Cartel's mercy.” Klenia said.

“Talk about a choice...” Macha scoffed.

“You can only blame yourselves.” Mikani retorted. “If you didn't try to get your petty revenge on us, you and your friend wouldn't be in this mess.”

Macha growled and took a step forward, as if she was about to pick a fight. "You know what I'm thinking? I'm thinking that if we pick up a fight here and now, you won't be able to leave us bound and gagged somewhere this time. We're in the middle of the street."

"That still wouldn't help you get rid of the Cartel. And, if you think of catching the police's attention, need I have to remind you that you're guilty of mugging several women?" Mikani retorted.

"I could still try my chance..."

Hana grabbed her friend to hold her back. “Stop it!” she suddenly exclaimed. “She's right about that!”

“But...”

“We will follow them. We don't have much choice and I don't want to push our luck with a fight.”

Macha bit her lips, surprised by her friend's suddent outburst.

“I know I gave you no reasons to trust me.” Klenia said. “But I promise you that I will do everything in my power to make sure that no harm will come to you.”

Macha raised her hands. “Okay. You have a deal. We'll follow you.”

“Perfect. You lead the way.” Mikani retorted.

The two students shared a look and reluctantly complied.

Mikani grabbed Klenia's shoulder.

“We'll have to be careful with them. I'm sure they only agreed to try to give us the slip later.” she whispered.

“I'll watch them.” Klenia answered.

“You do realize that we're taking a huge risk by taking them with us?”

“I know. But I don't want them to fall into the Cartel's hands.”

“Let's just hope you won't be too nice for your own good.”

**************

Max had received another call.

“What now?” Sao impatiently asked. She was furious. She had been forced to give up on her best chance to find Calypso.

“Police has just been called by the cultural center. They found a group of women bound and gagged in a changing room. One is a member of the staff and the others claim they are cosplayers and that a group of women assaulted them and stole their costumes.”

Sao's eyes widened.

“These b*tches!”

“So that's how they evaded us...” Reka understood. “But where could they be now?”

“The train station.” Max said. “Let's hurry.”

**************

The cosplayers' bags they stole also contained money, so they could buy their tickets and therefore board the train without having to mug someone beforehand.

Contrary to Mikani's fears, Macha and Hana kept still and got on the train without complaining. They were probably trying to double-cross them after they arrived at South Lake City. However, as of now, there was a fragile truce between the two groups.

**************

“I talked to some employees. Our targets took the train to South Lake City.” Max announced.

“We missed it...” Reka commented.

Sao cursed, but Max was already sending messages with his phone.

“I have some contacts in Lakeland. They aren't part of the Cartel, but they owe me a favour.”

“So that means...” Sao began.

“You two will go after the Rebels. My contacts will help you find them.”

Sao smiled.

“I will stay here.” Max added. “My informants in this town will help me evade the police and try to find if the two other girls that were with our targets stayed here. If they did, I'll find them and make them talk.”

“Thank you, Max. I don't know if I could have made it without your help. Now we still have a chance to rescue madam Callianass.”

“You're welcome. You take the next train to South Lake City. In the meantime, I advise you to acquire a disguise. Police is still looking for you.”

“Got it.”

“Just try to not be too messy... We still have some friends in the force, and I don't want to lose them.”

“Maxie!” Reka exclaimed. “By now, you should know that you can trust us!”

“We'll bring you back the Rebels' heads. After we made them spill their guts.” Sao concluded.

**************

The atmosphere in the compartment was very tense. Macha and Hana were sitting in silence. On the opposite seat, Mikani was watching them. Klenia was the only one trying to start a conversation, to no avail.

“I have to go to the bathroom.” Hana suddenly said while getting up.

“I'll go with you.” Mikani added.

She had confiscated the two student's phones, but one's never too cautious...

Hana gave her a nervous smile, then both women left the compartment.

Macha was ignoring Klenia and looking through the compartment's window.

“You know... We didn't get off on the right foot, what with me mugging you four times...” Klenia started after a few minutes.

“Five times.” Macha corrected.

Klenia gave her an apologetic smile.

“Five times, sorry. But perhaps, it's the occasion to let bygones be bygones. I'm one of the good guys, you know? I...”

“You're not a normal thief, right? You are one of them...” Macha interrupted her.

Klenia immediately understood that she was talking about the Rebellion. She hesitated, then nodded. “Yes.” Olympus knew anyway... It's not like Macha could denounce her.

“Why are you doing it?” the redhead asked.

“Doing what?”

“Fighting Olympus. The Olympians are a chosen people. They unified the old principalities through war and brought them modernity and prosperity.”

“That's what they teach us. That doesn't mean that this is the truth. Just look around you. There were new decimations in Lakeland and Rift a few days ago...”

“The Ares tribes pledged their loyalty to Olympus after they were defeated in an honourable war.” Macha answered, as if this was enough to end the debate.

“A war that happened centuries ago.”

Macha refused to answer.

“Look, I don't want to convince you to drop all your beliefs after a conversation of five minutes. Just... Think about it. We could overthrow Olympus and create a better world for everyone.”

Macha hesitated. For a moment, it looked like she was about to say something. But then she fell silent.

**************

Hana was washing her hands. Mikani was watching her.

Hana's hands were shaking.

“I know what you think of me.” the black-haired student suddenly said without looking at her. “You despise me.”

“Shouldn't I?” Mikani answered.

“Don't think that I don't have some sympathy for your movement. It's just...” Hana bit her lips and lowered her head. “Not everyone can be as strong as you...”

Mikani softened a little. “That's what they want you to believe...” She looked at Hana's reflexion in the mirror. “They did something to you, right?”

“My parents used to print pamphlets criticizing the Governement. One year ago, agents came to our house and conscripted my older brother. Three weeks later, we received news that he was killed in an explosion. They said it was an accident. But everybody in my town knew what really happened. It was our family's punishment. That's why my parents sent me in Stormfist to finish my studies. Because if I stayed I would have been the next child to go. Sometimes, I fear that they will still come for me...”

“The Government also took away people that were important for me when it repressed the latest riots and the strikes in Southern Cross. My parents. My sister. There are other solutions than cowering in fear.” she retorted.

Hana lowered her head even more.

Mikani sighed and decided to not insist. As Hana herself said, not everyone was strong-willed enough to fight back.

“I'm not saying that this is easy. Just... Think about it.”

**************

“No please! Wait! I...”

POW!

Reka grinned while cracking her knuckles.

“I always find it amusing when they try to beg...” she commented. “I mean, what do they think will happen? That we'll stop just because they said 'please'?”

She unbuttoned the woman's white blouse and took it off.

“Nice view!” she commented.

The woman was wearing a white padded bra to contain her big breasts. Reka then removed her victim's shoes, socks and black pants, revealing matching panties. She used zip-ties to tie the woman's hands behind her back and then to tie her ankles. She gagged her with tape, before lifting her and dropping her in the nearby dumpster.

While she was busy putting on her new set of clothes, Sao passed near her. She was carrying a bound-and-gagged underwear-clad brunette over her shoulder. She dropped her victim next the first woman and shut the lid.

Sao was now wearing a blue long sundress, a small grey jacket, and white sneakers.

“You're good?” she asked.

“Yes.” Reka answered, now also fully dressed in her new clothes.

“Then let's go. We have a train to catch.”

Both women put on their victims' discarded sunglasses and sun hats. With their new disguises, they would easily escape the police's attention.

**************

Mikani and Hana still hadn't come back. Klenia was hoping that they would arrive soon. The silence was becoming unbearable.

“Hey. I have a question to ask you.” Macha suddenly asked.

“Shoot.”

Macha shifted nervously. “When you take someone's clothes... Does it make you feel... something?"

Klenia smiled. “This is a thrilling experience, huh?”

“Well, I'm not saying that I felt something like that...”

“You know, you don't have to be ashamed of yourself. If you feel that way, you better embrace your nature rather than repress it.”

“Whatever...”

Klenia waited a little, then asked: “I guess this has something to do with the cheerleaders Hana mentioned earlier?”

“Yeah. A bunch of spoiled snotty rich daddy's girls. I got tired of them making fun of me, so I taught them a lesson. What's strange is that I actually dreamed about it... after you left me drugged and tied up in the clothing shop... But, when they started to tease me after the fifth time, I... decided to take action.”

“Perhaps you should tell me... Share your experience.”

“It was mostly blind luck. I brought them bottles of water filled with sleeping pills during their break. I was lucky they all drank more or less at the same time. Then, I stripped them naked, and left them bound and gagged in the middle of the gymnasium.”

She hesitated before adding: “I also had to neutralize the janitress. I needed her clothes to disguise myself and her cap to hide my face. I knocked her out from behind and hid her in a closet. I wrapped duct-tape around her legs, wrists and hands to tie her up, then I wrapped more layers around her mouth to gag her. I left her in nothing except her lime green underwear.”

Klenia could see why Macha was feeling conflicted. Stripping the janitress and putting on her victim's still warm clothes made Macha feel powerful, but at the same time she was feeling bad because she assaulted someone who didn't do anything wrong to her.

“In my experience, in this business, collateral damages are often unavoidable.” she said out loud. “So, the best thing to do is to make sure you don't hurt them more than what's absolutely necessary, and that they won't suffer permanent damages afterward. I could show you, if you want.”

“Working with you? Maybe when the world ends.”

“Now, let's not be too...”

Klenia was interrupted when Mikani and Hana entered the compartment.

“We bought some snacks.” Mikani announced. We should arrive soon.”




**************

Author's note: It seems that Macha and Hana have finally succumbed to the Paradigm of Tirepanted. What hilarious hijinks are going to follow next? Who knows! I still have to finish writing this part. And why Amazon disguises? Why not! (But check The Greatest Actress of All to see where I got the idea.)
Last edited by rufusluciusivan on Fri Dec 21, 2018 9:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
esercito sconfitto
Posts: 7096
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2016 12:06 pm

Re: To overthrow the Utopia (Part 5) by Rufusluciusivan

Post by esercito sconfitto »

1) about the Amazon costume, I recognized the reference, long before reading the last part with the allusion to "the Greatest Actress of All" :D - strangely enough, for a site like ours, Amazon disguises are scarce and rare ...

2) well, it's quite unexpected. I knew Macha was close to succumb to her 'inner self', but joining the resistance... it was unpredictable.

3) an awesome new installment! :lol: I look forward to the rest of the story!

4) oh please keep bringing on so many of them!I I am referring to the wrong number ( far exceeding the need) of girls taken by Mikani. What can I say, I love gratuitous thefts of costumes... :lol:
rufusluciusivan
Posts: 1225
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2017 5:08 pm

Re: To overthrow the Utopia (Part 5) by Rufusluciusivan

Post by rufusluciusivan »

2 ) I hope it's unexpected in a good way, and not in a facepalm kind of way ;) Although I wouldn't say they "joined" the resistance. It was more "work with them to escape the criminal who wants to put a bullet in my brain" and then, they weren't given much of a choice. :D

3 ) Thanks a lot! The next installment may take some time to be published though, I have less free at this moment.
rufusluciusivan
Posts: 1225
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2017 5:08 pm

Re: To overthrow the Utopia (Part 5) by Rufusluciusivan

Post by rufusluciusivan »

Part 3




Aster had managed to cross the border between Korê and Lakeland without trouble. Then, she drove to South Lake City without making any pause.

Fatigue was starting to affect her. But she couldn't afford to rest. At least, not until she met with the others.

In her message, she had told them to meet up with her in an abandoned warehouse. Dimitri thought of buying the building six months ago, but ultimately decided against it. However, thanks to his failed transaction, Aster knew the existence of this place, and its potential as a hideout. And since nobody but her knew that Dimitri was interested in that place, the police wouldn't think of looking for her here.

Aster shook her head to stop thinking of Dimitri. Not before she was sure...

The place she was looking for was situated in the eastern part of the town of South Lake City.

Aster parked her car in a big public parking. She would continue on foot. She didn't want to park her stolen car too close to her destination. By parking in the area near the train station, she was making it look like that she was going to continue her escape on train.

Aster left the car and started to walk.

**************

Aster didn't want to keep Thea's clothes for too long, in case the unlucky driver was found too early. She decided that she could use a change of clothes before going to the warehouse.

However, she walked in the town's streets for a while before finding a fitting donor...

The woman of medium-heigth had brown hair tied into two ponytails and chestnut eyes. She was wearing black pants, a light blue long-sleeved shirt with a black tie, and a black cap.

A meter maid...

Aster thought a little.

That can do it.

The meter maid was currently checking the cars stationed in a nearby paid parking.

Aster observed the surroundings and located a dark alleyway. Perfect...

The Rebel approached her unsuspecting prey. She realized that, on the woman's belt, a handgun was strapped.

Where is this country going? Now, they even give lethal weapons to the meter maids? Aster thought. More seriously, I guess that the situation must be pretty tense here. While the Government didn't know about the planned mass uprising, completely hiding an operation that big was impossible. Therefore, Olympus suspected that something was wrong, without knowing what. Rift and Lakeland were the most off-centered Provinces, therefore the Rebellion had a strong presence in there. Nowadays, they were on the verge of exploding... As a consequence, Olympus had tightened its grip on the two Provinces.

I'll have to be quick and careful. I don't want her to draw her gun.

“Excuse me, officer?” Aster said.

“Yes?”

The meter maid turned towards her. At first, she seemed a little angry to be interrupted; but she became more respectful when she saw Aster's blue scarf, as the piece of cloth was hinting that she was part of an Olympian Faction.

“Someone parked his motorcycle in front of my building's emergency exit. I'm afraid it's blocking the door.”

“What? Who dares? Show me.” the policewoman said, with a look of self-importance that Aster found particularly annoying.

Aster led the meter maid in the alleyway. The woman looked left and right.

“Uh... Miss? I don't see anything. I hope for you that this isn't some kind of joke.”

“Not exactly.”

The meter maid tried to grab her gun, but Aster's fist connected with her jaw. While the woman was disoriented by the blow, Aster attacked. Soon, the meter maid was (a little painfully) relieved of her duty for the rest of the day.

**************

Aster dragged the woman behind a dumpster to strip her in peace. Soon, the meter maid was down to her blue briefs and bra. Aster still had some leftover ropes, and she put them to good use. The wrists and ankles of the brown-haired woman were thoroughly bound. She filled the woman's mouth with her white socks and gagged her with a piece of cloth. Then Aster quickly dropped the unconscious ex-meter maid in the dumpster and closed the lid.

She quickly changed into the woman's uniform. The handgun could prove useful... the Rebel thought. Hopefully, her chances of survival were better now that she had a firearm...

Aster took the weapon, then cursed. There were no ammunitions in it!

So the weapon is just for intimidation? In a way, I should have guessed it... Who in their right mind would have given a loaded weapon to someone not trained to use them?

She kicked the dumpster to vent her frustration.

Self-important twat! I hope you'll enjoy the garbage!

Then, Aster headed to her destination.

I'll have to be careful... Police is probably still after me... And I still have no firearm... she thought while walking.

**************

From the outside, the warehouse looked empty and uninhabited. But Aster knew she shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Her friends were experts in the art of discretion. And while her uniform was a great advantage to walk in the town's streets without being disturbed, she would have to make sure to be recognized as an ally before they would jump on her.

Aster checked to be sure that nobody was paying any attention to her. Once she was sure that no one could see her, she entered the building through a back door. The interior of the warehouse was dark, empty, and dusty. She silently closed the door.

Then, she whistled a short tune, and waited. In the dark, a female voice answered by whistling the same tune.

“Aaria?” she asked.

“Aster!”

A light was put on.

Aster suddenly felt a huge relief. Aaria. Mikani. Klenia. Shayna. Her friends were all there. Alive and well. Thank goodness!

“Looks like I'm late...” She couldn't help but joke. It was her only way to evacuate the tension.

**************

The reunion led to short, but intense, embraces. Aster took the time to hug each of her friends. Now that they were reunited, she was looking forward to the future with confidence and renewed hope. They still had a chance and she was believing that the worst was behind them. Aster embraced Aaria last, a little longer than the others.

Then, she noticed that they weren't alone. Two persons were waiting away from their little group. The first had red hair and was looking at them with a mixture of defiance and wariness. The second had black hair, wore glasses, and was nervously rubbing her hands.

Aster recognized them. Macha Etaine and Hana Izani.

“What are these two doing here?” she asked.

Mikani and Klenia exchanged a quick glance.

“The police was already looking for us. We couldn't let them in the train station and be caught, if only because they could have revealed things about us. And Sao is still on our trail. I don't rule out the possibility that she knows we took a train to South Lake City. Max Shroud has contacts everywhere...” Mikani said. Then she added with a small smile. “I believe these two are also wanted by the police now.”

“Only due to a misunderstanding!” Macha retorted.

Aster raised a hand to stop the dispute. “Okay. One problem at a time. I can't help but think that I'm missing some context here. So, why don't we share our stories? Shayna, you go first.”

**************

The following minutes were used to share the stories of their recent adventures.

Thanks to their disguises, Shayna and Aaria had no problems taking the train and walking down the streets of South Lake City. Shayna actually arrived first. After changing into her tracksuit once more in the station's restrooms, she got rid of her train attendant uniform and headed to the meeting point. Since she didn't know the town very well, it took her some time to find it. Aaria arrived after her.

It was a little more difficult for Mikani's unlikely team. She, Klenia, Macha and Hana apparently made some fuss in Border Hills, and they had to flee the police's attention once they arrived at the train station. The two students would have been glad to part ways, but Mikani made sure that they staid together. Since she was the one holding the stun gun, they had no other choice but comply.

**************

Aster waited until they were all finished before asking the question she was dreading to ask.

But she had to know...

“And Dimitri?”

The mood suddenly darkened. Aaria shared a look with the others. Shayna was shifting nervously, Mikani lowered her head, and Klenia was avoiding her gaze. The older woman hesitated.

Aster understood.

“He didn't make it, didn't he?” she said.

“I'm sorry Aster." Aaria softly answered. "I managed to contact Thalès and he filled me in. Dimitri was with most of the others in the warehouse he owned near South Lake City. He was supposed to meet up with the agents there. The army raided the place. Dimitri died during the fight.”

She paused, then added: “Of our network, we're the only ones left. All the others are either dead or missing.”

Aster flinched and nearly collapsed. She breathed deeply to keep her emotions bottled up. She held back her tears.

“And the two agents?” she asked instead.

“At least one of them managed to escape with Thorn and a few others. As I say, they're missing. We don't know if they made it or not.” Aaria answered.

“If they have been caught, the whole plan could fall apart...” Aster commented.

“I know. But, for now, we have other priorities.”

As always, Aaria was right. Aster didn't consider her a voice of reason for nothing. She bottled up her emotions, as it was the only way to prevent herself from curling up in a ball and cry. Not now... Not now... If she gave up now, she was dead. If she gave up now, she was endangering her friends. If she gave up now, she would let Olympus defeat her. To honour Dimitri's memory, she had to continue moving forward. He gave his life for their dream of a free country. She wasn't going to sully his memory by giving up.

Aster lifted her head. The others were looking at her. They were worried. Their concern helped her find some solace. She didn't have to face this ordeal alone. They were together and could support each other.

"Aster...?" Aaria started.

“You're right. We have other priorities” Aster said to reassure her. “One problem at a time. Hopefully, we'll be able to catch our breath here before leaving...”

**************

"And pink underwear?" Reka commented. "Guess this is what people call 'hidden depths'..."

Sao groaned an unintelligible answer. The three police officers may or may not have been informed of the existence of the two women Reka and she mugged in Border Hills. Or they may or may not have recognized them as known Cartel members. Or they may simply have wanted to do a routine check. Either way, they thought they were smart and strong enough to handle two women on their own.

In the end, it didn't matter. Sao didn't want to take any chance.

Now, the three officers were safely hidden in a garbage dumpster. Bound and gagged. And with two of them wearing a lot less clothes than ten minutes ago.

“So much for still having friends in the force...” Reka added.

“What do you mean? We didn't kill them.”

“I don't think they will care about that...”

“Who cares? We have to contact Max's informants and find our targets. Now, move.”

**************

Hana was afraid that Macha was going to do something stupid. Her friend had that kind of expression, and she had learned to be wary of it... Macha made the same face before enacting her 'plan' with the cheerleaders.

“Macha...?” she started.

“Do you think we could flee by the backdoor if we run fast enough?” the redhead whispered to her. She was carefully eying Aaria, the older Rebel, who was watching them from nearby.

Hana nervously gulped. “I... I think I heard them say that it leads to a bunch of office rooms… I... I don't think that it would be a good idea...”

“You do realize that this is basically a kidnapping, right?” Macha retorted. “They may have let us free and allowed us to keep our clothes... for now... But they won't let us leave. We know too much now.”

Macha grabbed her friend's arm and pulled her closer. Thus, Hana could see in her friend's eyes something she had never seen before.

Fear.

Macha wasn't angry. She was terrified.

“Do you know what the Rebels of Lakeland do to the people from Hera, Ares and Okéanis when they get their hands on one of them?” the redhead asked her.

“Ummm... No?”

“Let's just say that it's not pretty. I... I refuse to let them do that to me!”

“I... I don't think they would harm us... Not Klenia at least.”

Macha blinked and released her arm. She was looking shocked.

“Do you actually trust them?”

Hana looked away.

“Maybe...”

Macha shook her head.

“That's crazy!” she said.

Hana stood her ground. “Maybe they are the ones in the right and not us!” she retorted.

Macha frowned and shook her head. “One thing is certain. I won't let them hurt us.”

**************

Shayna had been sent to watch the street through the windows of the first floor and Aaria, posted near the main entrance, was watching Macha and Hana from afar. Aster was currently talking with Klenia and Mikani.

“I'm not sure if I'm happy that you brought these two with you, Klenia...” Aster commented.

“I didn't have much choice...” the latter answered.

“You could have left them to fend for themselves.” Aster angrily retorted.

There was a small silent moment. Klenia looked her in the eyes. “Is it you who's talking... Or is it your anger?” she finally asked.

Aster bit her lips and clenched her fists, but forced herself to remain calm. She knew herself well enough to realize that she was letting her anger cloud her judgement. A part of her wanted to see someone – anyone – pay for Dimitri's death. She was sorely tempted to make an exception to her 'no killing' rule this time...

Aster shook her head and reminded herself that she made a promise several years ago. Never take the path that Emery took. She remembered that night, in that house, before meeting Mikani, before meeting Klenia, before even meeting Aaria. That night in which she was this close to lose it. She remembered the woman, and her children. She remembered the shame. Her anger was doused.

“What's done is done.” Aster said instead, trying to not show her internal turmoil. “Now, the question is what to do with these two. Do you think we can trust them?”

“Hana, probably.” Mikani answered. “She's not an Olympus sympathizer. She's just too scared to do anything. Her friend however...”

“I don't know. She's not bad at heart.” Klenia intervened. “She's just very hard-headed...”

“Well, she is from the Province of Ares...” Mikani concluded.

Klenia couldn't help but chuckle a little.

Aster sighed.

“You know that I trust your judgement, Klenia. It's just... We will now try to get to Cérès' hidden camp in the Flora Forest. Cérès is a highest-ranking member of the Rebellion. And she's not a softie. She's Emery's boss for Goodness' sake! If she decides that your two... 'unlikely friends' are a liability... I won't be able to stop her.”

Klenia's smile faded. “I'll find something. I was thinking of letting them go once we would arrive in North Lake City, out of Sao's reach.”

“I guess we don't have any better option...” Aster concluded.

“Blame our tender hearts...” Mikani added.

Aster smiled lightly. “Since when it is you who make the jokes?” she commented.

Mikani smiled back. She was about to answer.

Suddenly, they heard Shayna's voice from upstairs.

“Everyone! I see two persons approaching! And they don't seem to have friendly intentions!”

“How much unfriendly?” Aster asked back.

“Sao is one of the two. They have guns and police uniforms.”

“So very unfriendly then...” Klenia commented.

Aster didn't hesitate.

“We flee! Immediately!”

“We won't be able to evade them this time.” Aaria retorted.

Aster's mind raced. She was trying to find an escape route, in vain. She looked at her friend, hoping that she had a plan. “Then what do we do?”

“We find another way.” Aaria answered.

**************

The guns they took to the police officers were going to come in handy. Sao entered the building first, gun raised. Reka was following her closely.

They observed the inside of the building.

Dark. Empty. Dusty.

“Maybe we should have waited for the reinforcements Maxie's informant promised us...” Reka commented.

“And give our targets the time to escape?” Sao retorted. “We both know they would have been gone by the time they arrived... We have guns, they don't. We'll make short work of them.”

Suddenly, Sao saw some movement on the other side of the warehouse. She heard a door close.

“They're trying to escape through the backdoor! After them!”

Sao ran and kicked the backdoor open. It led to a small empty room, that probably served as an office before the warehouse was abandoned. Two other doors could be used to exit the room, one to her right and one to her left. They were probably leading to more office rooms. The door on her left was still open.

With one gesture of the hand, Sao ordered Reka to go first. The other woman carefully moved forward.

Sao prepared her gun, watching her partner and the other door at the same time to prevent any attack from their back. The Rebels were still there. She could feel it.

They're mine...

Reka reached the frame of the door.

Then, suddenly, they heard a noise. Someone, hidden in the other room and whom they couldn't see, had kicked the door with all her might.

The door violently hit Reka and sent her on the floor. The mercenary grunted in pain, letting go of her gun.

Sao strode over her and went into the next room. She arrived just in time to see another door close.

“I'll kill you!” she screamed.

Blinded by rage, she reached the door.

**************

Sao's accomplice was still lying on the floor. She was softly groaning and seemed half-unconscious. Her gun was near her, but she hadn't tried to grab it yet.

Klenia carefully approached. She had waited until Sao left to enter the room, hidden in another office, behind the door on the right. Aaria's plan was to separate the two criminals. Now that the coast was clear, Klenia's mission was to neutralize the second mercenary. Aster and Aaria were supposed to deal with Sao. Shayna and Mikani were watching Macha and Hana.

As a safety precaution, Klenia started with the gun and kicked it away.

Suddenly, she felt something grabbing her ankle and her knee. The black-haired mercenary had faked her injury and had crawled towards her far more discreetly and quickly than Klenia would have thought. Before she had the time to react, Sao's accomplice had made her lose her balance. She fell on the floor.

The mercenary was already on her.

Klenia took a punch in the jaw that left her groggy. The mercenary pinned her on the ground. She was smiling. Her hands reached Klenia's throat.

Then she started to strangle her.

**************

Sao kicked the next door open. Gun raised, she observed the room. Another empty office.

The moment she was about to enter, a foot suddenly kicked the gun in her hand, sending it flying across the room. The Rebel was hidden against the wall near the door, in the wall's blind spot.

Sao didn't waste time trying to recover her firearm and drew the knife she was keeping attached to her belt. She lunged at her opponent and would have disemboweled her if the Rebel hadn't quickly moved back to be out of reach.

Sao recognized her. She was the leader of the team who captured Calypso. Aster Demeter.

“You...” the bodyguard growled.

“You're really persistent, I'll give you that.” Aster commented.

Sao answered her with an ugly grimace. “Trying to look tough?” She feinted to test the Rebel's reflexes. The woman was good, but Sao had been trained in knife fighting when she was in the army. The bodyguard was confident. She could do it. “Too bad that your black-haired friend isn't with you to get you out of this situation...”

“I don't need Emery to deal with the likes of you.” Aster retorted.

Sao lunged at her in order to stab her.

Aster dodged.

Sao lunged again.

**************

Klenia was in a bad situation. The black-haired mercenary was exceptionally strong. Far stronger than her... Klenia was trying to make her loosen her grip. In vain. She started to panick. She was running out of air and she was scared that her opponent would end up crushing her larynx.

A movement in the other side of the room caught her attention. Shayna! The thief disobeyed the orders to come to her help. She attacked the henchwoman from behind.

The mercenary had noticed her. She let go of Klenia and turned around, doing a roundhouse kick in the same movement. Luckily, Shayna had enough reflexes to move back and dodge. The mercenary attacked again. Shayna didn't have the time to recover.

Klenia tried to get her breath back. She had almost passed out because of the lack of oxygen, and her vision was still blurry. But she could see that Shayna was no match for her opponent. The thief was forced to remain on the defensive.

And the mercenary was laughing. She was actually laughing! Klenia could have killed her for that. Or at least break a leg or two... But she was still too weak.

“Shayna...” she weakly muttered.

The black-haired mercenary got Shayna into a corner of the room. She had no way of escaping her. Sao's accomplice laughed louder. She was ready to deal the finishing blow.

Suddenly, the right door of the office swung open another time.

Mikani lunged at the mercenary. The two women fell on the ground and rolled onto the floor.

Klenia weakly stood up. Shayna rushed towards her.

“Don't waste your time with me. Help Mikani!” Klenia panted.

The black-haired mercenary was taking the advantage. Alone, Mikani stood no chance. Shayna ran to help her. The mêlée became confused but, two against one, Klenia's friends were able to take back the advantage. Yet, the black-haired was still strong and well-trained enough to give them a run for their money. The outcome of the fight was still uncertain.

Klenia suddenly remembered that Mikani and Shayna were supposed to watch Macha and Hana. Now that they were here, where were the two students?

**************

In spite of her bragging, Aster quickly realized that her chances of victory were slim. Seeing Sao being easily defeated by Emery during their previous encounter had made her too cocky. But she had forgotten two important things. One, Emery was a far better fighter than Aster. Two, they were lucky to get the drop on Sao by surprising her during one of the few moments in which she wasn't on her guard. Aster was only supposed to stall for time until Aaria could attack Sao from behind. But, now, she wasn't sure that she would be able to do even that...

She dodged another assault. She was panting and she could see that she was wearing herself out faster than the criminal. Sao was about to win.

A door suddenly opened. Aster and Sao quickly turned their heads.

Who...?

“Quick! This way!” someone exclaimed/

Macha was dragging Hana by the hand.

How could they have escaped Mikani's watch? Aster thought.

At least they were offering a distraction... Aster used this brief moment of respite to catch her breath.

Sao smiled. “Well... Well... Well... Another couple of lambs for the slaughter...”

Macha and Hana stopped in their tracks. The black-haired student let out a small shriek of fear when she saw the big combat knife Sao was holding. Her red-headed friend moved defensively in front of her and assumed a combat stance.

Sao just laughed. “You intend to fight me? Please!”

When Aster tried to move, Sao swung her knife to keep her at bay.

Sh*t. She never stopped watching me...

“Leave them alone, Sao. They're not with us. They're not Rebels.” she said.

“And I should care? They're witnesses. And even if they escape me, Max has already called his contacts in South Lake City. They'll find them and deal with them.”

Hana fearfully took a few steps back and Macha paled visibly.

“You disgust me...” Aster commented.

“So do you, and all your friends.” Sao retorted. “I used to be in the army, you know? I saw what your friends do to the soldiers they capture. At least, I'm upfront about the kind of person I am; and I don't try to pass myself for a freedom fighter. Your networks are involved in the illegal firearms trafficking and the black market even more than we are...”

“To get supplies, yes. Not to fill our pockets by selling people into slavery.”

Sao answered with a mocking snarl. “And I should care about them?" she repeated. The bodyguard then pointed her knife towards her. "You're full of sh*t and you know it. Now, you will tell me where Calypso is and in exchange I'll make your death quick and painless...”

“Enough with the clichéd lines...” a new voice suddenly commented.

It was Aaria.

“And now another one?” Sao exclaimed. She moved to keep both her and Aster in her line of sight.

“We've wasted enough time with you.” Aaria retorted. “Aster, we do it. Now.”

Aster lunged first, closely followed by Aaria.

Sao swung her knife, trying to stab Aster. But Aster's charge was a feint and she stopped before she was within reach. Aaria continued to charge.

Sao got ready to take her assault. She was looking confident. She knew that, in a hand-to-hand fight, she could easily stab Aaria.

But she had failed to see one detail.

Aaria was holding Macha's stun gun.

She realized it too late.

**************

At two to one, and even though it was harder than expected, Mikani and Shayna finally managed to immobilize the black-haired mercenary on the floor. The latter was lying on her stomach. Mikani was seated on her, locking her arm in a painful hold, pinning the woman's head on the floor with her free hand. Shayna had immobilized her legs.

Klenia was resisting the temptation to crush the henchwoman's skull with her foot. But she had never killed a defenseless person in her life before, and she didn't want to start now.

The mercenary wasn't looking scared.

“You do realize that Maxie had called all his contacts in this town?” she told them. “Do you think you can evade them all? They'll probably arrive here soon...”

Klenia ignored her.

“I tire of hearing her. We could use her police uniform though... Just be sure to make it humiliating and painful. I'll go help Aster and Aaria.” she told Mikani, who nodded.

To Klenia's delight, the henchwoman had paled when hearing that.

**************

Sao was maybe a strong muscular woman, but a good jolt of stun gun was still enough to put her out of commission. She just had the time to utter a particularly smutty swearword. Then, she fell on the ground like a sack.

Aster sighed in relief.

“I thought I was a goner... Thank you, Aaria.”

Aaria smiled and briefly squeezed her shoulder.

“You owe me one.” she joked.

Aster lightly chuckled and turned her attention to Macha and Hana. The two students hadn't moved yet, as if they were paralyzed by fear.

“I guess you have a choice now. Either go with us or try to escape the Cartel's men on your own.” she said to them.

The two students looked at each other and were about to respond when the door opened.

Luckily, it was only Klenia.

“The others?” Aster asked her.

“Fine. We got Sao's accomplice.”

Aster allowed herself to smile. "Perfect."

Klenia looked at the unconscious Sao.

“Do you know what you want to do with her?”

Aster hesitated.

“Because if you don't, I have a few ideas myself...” her friend added.

Aster had far too much other concerns to care. “Do your worst.” she simply answered.

Klenia smiled. “Aaria. Would you like changing into a police uniform?”

The older woman smiled back. “You know they're the ones that fit me the best.”

**************

Soon, a small group was leaving the warehouse. They were led by two women dressed as police officers. A dark brown-haired young woman with a voluptuous figure was walking behind them. She was followed by two young women, probably students. They were reluctantly following her, as if they didn't have much choice. Two women were closing the march. The first had the pale skin and black hair of the people of Smog; the second the blond hair and tanned skin of the people of Naïad.

“We'll need to find a way to escape the attention of the Cartel's informants in order to leave the town...” Mikani commented.

“We'll find a way...” Aster answered.

Now, the next step is to reach North Lake City and get in contact with Cérès... She briefly closed her eyes. Dimitri... I'll survive. We'll survive. For you. She blocked her tears. Not now. Only once we're safe. Only once we're safe... Aster continued to move forward.

**************

Sao and Reka had been left hogtied with ropes and naked on the cold floor. Their own panties and socks had been used to stuff their mouths, and a generous amount of duct tape was sealing their lips and preventing them from spitting their quite disgusting gags. The material had been wrapped around the lower parts of their heads with no care for the hair that were getting tangled in it. Their bonds were very tight, completely immobilizing their arms and legs. Finally, a crotch-rope was making sure that any struggle would prove very painful.

Sao didn't care. She was struggling anyway, grunting because of the pain and the humiliation.

**************




Author's note: Sorry for the long wait. The story's not dead. It's just that September meant the end of my vacation and I don't have much time to write anymore. I hope this part was worth the wait.
Last edited by rufusluciusivan on Sat Jun 08, 2019 8:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
esercito sconfitto
Posts: 7096
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2016 12:06 pm

Re: To overthrow the Utopia (Part 5) by Rufusluciusivan

Post by esercito sconfitto »

Rufusluciusivan, thanks for resuming the novel

and, yes, it was worth the wait for sure :D

quite strange, at least from a pair of installments I have the impression that all the characters slide on an inclined plane towards more 'military style' ambushes and taking of hostages, etc
rufusluciusivan
Posts: 1225
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2017 5:08 pm

Re: To overthrow the Utopia (Part 5) by Rufusluciusivan

Post by rufusluciusivan »

Part 4

THUMP!

THUMP!

THUMP!

BONG!

THUMP!

THUMP!

THUMP!

BONG!

“Alright! This is getting ridiculous!” Aaria finally exclaimed.

THUMP!

“She's gonna tire out eventually...” Klenia answered.

THUMP!

Aaria shook her head. “Eventually? It's been like that since half an hour! I can't stand it anymore!”

THUMP!

“Can't we just... stop the time to deal with it?” Mikani intervened.

BONG!

“We're still too close to South Lake City.” Aster retorted. “We have to drive more! Put as much distance as possible between us and the town...”

THUMP!

“Well, maybe you wouldn't have had that problem if you didn't pull out one of your crazy schemes again...” Macha commented from the back of the vehicle.

THUMP!

“Shut up!” Mikani retorted.

“Besides, we were seven! We needed that minibus.” Klenia added.

THUMP!

“And the driver's outfit?” Macha snorted. “You needed it too?”

“It was Shayna's size!” Klenia answered as a justification. “And we couldn't let the driver report her minibus as stolen...”

She pointed Shayna, seated behing the wheel, dressed in a brown jacket and pants with a brown cap.

BONG!

“Because the ones that were supposed to board the minibus won't report it?” the redhead retorted.

“Since the driver isn't here to tell them, they won't probably assume a theft in their first guess. They'll think it's a delay or a schedule mistake first!”

THUMP!

“Well, you're lucky that she woke up only after we left town... Or else you would have been busted even faster than if she reported you!” Macha commented.

“You know, the constant racket she's making is already annoying. Will we have to deal with your whinings too?” Mikani growled. “Because if you don't intend to stop running your mouth, you may find yourself locked in the trunk with her until we reach our destination!”

Macha crossed her arms and fell silent.

THUMP!

“We should have used more duct tape...” Shayna commented.

THUMP!

“And she's still doing this!” Aaria exclaimed.

BONG!

**************

Sao was starting to tire out.

Since how long had they been left in that state? It felt like hours, even though it was probably less... Someone was bound to come. Max had called his informants.

After an interminable wait, Sao finally heard a door open.

“Wow. An unexpected sight to say the least.”

Sao's eyes widened. She knew that voice! It was...

Zoë Eudokia appeared in her field of vision, looking as arrogant as ever in her expensive black business suit and business pants. One of her locks was still dyed with the white of the Belisaire Faction.The copper red-haired young heiress was accompanied by a group of men and women dressed in military uniforms. Sao heard one of them make a lewd comment to his colleague.

A soldier removed the tape, allowing her to spit the underwear that was filling her mouth.

“You are Max's contact here?!” Sao exclaimed.

Zoë smiled.

“Let's just say that his contacts are also my contacts. He couldn't do much without me being informed of it. House Eudokia owns several estates in Lakeland... Oh, and half of South Lake City as well...” she explained.

“Okay... Okay... I understand. Just free me!” Sao answered.

Zoë's smile widened.

“You were lucky I still owe you my life for when the Rebels nearly shot me with near the Yllac Corp warehouse.”

She motioned one of her guards to cut her and Reka's bonds.

“And, by the way, try to find some clothes for them.” she added.

Once free, Sao massaged her wrists. She ignored the soldier's gazes.

“So... Care to explain what happened?” Zoë asked. She was clearly amused.

Sao restrained herself and resisted the temptation to give a rude answer. She needed Zoë's help if she wanted to continue the chase.

She started to explain.

**************

The original driver of the minibus was a petite brunette with short hair and tanned skin. After they took her vehicle and her clothes, they had stashed the underwear-clad woman in the trunk, hands and legs bound with tape. The same silver tape was wrapped around her mouth and lower face. However, even all that amount of tape didn't prevent her from manifesting her displeasure towards her current position once she woke up. By banging on the metal wall of the trunk as loud as she could with her bound feet.

Contrary to what Klenia said, she didn't tire out eventually. In fact, they had to stop before approaching North Lake City to make her breath a good dose of chloroform. After hours of incessant noise, they welcomed the silence with great relief.

But soon, they started to have another thing to worry about...

"Why didn't anyone tell me we were going to North Lake City sooner?"

The more they were approaching North Lake City, the more restless Aaria was becoming.

The usually calm and collected older woman was looking more and more raucous, shifting nervously on her seat. The others were worried for her, but she was brushing off their questions. Aster knew the reason, but she also knew that her friend wouldn't have wanted her to talk about that subject... At least here and now...

Shortly after, they arrived in their destination. North Lake City was very similar to her southern sister town. Six hundred years ago, centuries before Constantin Basileus unified the Twelve Faction and Olympus began its conquest, they were the twin capitals of a huge empire. Nowadays, they were part of one Olympus' poorest and most backwards Provinces.

How the mighty have fallen... Aster thought. Just like us...

She was hoping that things weren't as bleak for Cérès.

And that they still had a chance to conduct the uprising...

**************

Shayna was looking for a place to park their minibus.

“You do realize that she will start making another fuss as soon as she wakes up, do you?” Macha suddenly commented from the backseats, ignoring Hana who was motioning her to keep quiet.

“I swear... If she continues running her mouth, I'll put a sock in it...” Mikani muttered to herself.

“She does have a point though.” Aster commented. “The driver didn't see our faces or doesn't know about our destination, but we won't have time to dawdle once we leave the minibus.”

“Perhaps it would be wise to leave the annoying red-headed nuisance in the trunk with her as well...” Aaria whispered, careful to make sure that her words weren't heard by Macha and Hana.

Aster considered her proposition for a moment, then shook her head.

“It would be better not to. She knows more than the driver. If it has to come to this, we should leave her in a place where it would take more time for her to be found.”

Aaria grimaced and hesitated. Then, she decided to talk about what she had in mind.

“You know, Aster, I've been thinking. Perhaps, due to the circumstances, we should think of making exceptions to our policy.”

Aster bit her lips. Her friend was good with making euphemisms.

“I know it means a lot to you. But now that Dimitri...”

“That's one of the things Dimitri liked in me.” she interrupted Aaria. Her tone was making clear that the conversation was over in her eyes.

“But still...” Aaria insisted.

“Not as long as we can avoid it. End of the discussion. And besides, I've been thinking about these two during our trip in the minibus...”

Aster quickly glanced at Hana, before turning her attention to Aaria again.

“Aaria. You do remember in which university they studied, right?”

“Stormfist's?”

“And what subject were they studying?”

“Computer physics.”

“And what do we need to hack the Government's servers?”

Aaria understood.

“I see your point. Still the planner, uh? Good to see that your mind didn't lose its edge...”

"The day I stop planning will be the day I stop breathing." Aster turned to Mikani. “You said that Hana was sympathetic to our cause, right? She's not an Olympus sympathizer. She's just too scared to act.”

“More or less.” Mikani answered.

“Maybe we can convince her that working with us is the best course of action for her and her friend... After all, they are also wanted by the police now.”

Mikani shrugged. “I could try. But I don't think that her friend would listen...”

“Then we'll find a crate. And a pair of socks.” Aster retorted. “We don't have time for this.”

**************

Shayna parked the minibus in a free parking. They decided to leave the driver in the trunk. The brunette was looking very vulnerable, curled up in her hot pink panties and bra, bound and gagged. But Aster wasn't worried for her. Given the number she did during the trip, Aster was confident that the woman would be found quickly after she woke up. They just had to make sure to be in another part of the town when it would happen...

Klenia was closing the trunk, happily chatting with Shayna. She wanted to make sure that the unfortunate driver was still well-secured, and to renew the air in the trunk. Mikani was watching Macha, silently daring her to try to escape... and face the consequences.

Aaria was standing a few feet away from them. She was silently watching the town.

Aster walked towards her and stopped next to her.

“Are you going to be alright?”

“This is the past. I've put it behind me.” She looked at her. “And besides, we don't have much of a choice, don't we?”

“No. I wish we could have avoided this step, but this is the only place where we can safely try to contact Cérès.”

“At least now I understand why you've been so vague for so long about our destination after we'd leave South Lake City...”

“I'm sorry.”

Aaria shrugged. “For what? At least, I know this town. I can be useful.”

**************

“I don't like this idea.” Sao said.

“You may not like it, but it is the only viable course of action. They got probably several hours head start on us.” Zoë retorted.

“I wanted to do it myself.”

“I understand that. But our chances to find them ourselves are now slim. That is why I called all the police stations and garrisons of Lakeland's main towns, and gave them the descriptions of the Rebels you're targetting. They will catch them.”

“And then what?”

“THEN, I will use my contacts to organize an... interview between you and them.”

Sao crossed her arms and scoffed. She had been given clothes to replace the ones that were stolen, but the new ones were too big for her. Reka was sitting next to her, fidgeting with her braid.

Zoë stopped paying attention them and looked at the messages on her cellphone.

“By the way, do you have anything to say about the three police officers that were recently found in a dumpster?” she asked. "Two of them were in their underwear."

Sao and Reka avoided her gaze. They were in a weak position and they knew it.

“I thought so.”

**************

Nikea had always been a fighter. She was refusing to let panick overwhelm her, even though she was currently bound, half-naked and locked in the trunk of her own minibus. She ignored the sore taste of the socks filling her mouth, the coldness of the metal, and the uncomfortable sensation of the tape on her bare skin.

After waking up from her second chloroform-induced sleep this day, she took the time to figure out what was going on. She couldn't hear the engine or feel the minibus moving, so that meant that the vehicle was stationary, engine off.

This whole day had been an ordeal...

First, her boss made her work a double shift. Then, she was told to drive a bunch of snotty tourists from Olympus who wanted to watch Lakeland's great lakes. Tourists, really? In which planet did these people live? Did they not notice how tense the situation was here? Typical Olympian mentality... They even made her wait in town until they were finished shopping.

And now, when her day was almost over, a bunch of crazies mugged her, taking away her minibus, her clothes and her dignity. Had she known her day would end like this, Nikea would have chosen underwear that were covering a little more skin than her hot pink plunge bra and hipster panties. Or, more probably, she would have chosen to not leave her bed this morning. ..

The tape was strong, tightly wrapping her feet and legs from the toes to the knees. Tape was also wrapping her fingers, hands and wrists, as well as pinning her arms on her sides. And that gag...

Disgusting.

I should have changed socks today...

Nikea waited a few minutes, trying to hear the voices of the people who assaulted her.

Nothing.

Were they gone?

She started to loudly bang on the metal wall of the trunk.

Nobody came.

So, they were truly gone this time. Nikea kept banging for help.

When she wanted, she could be very persistent.

**************

Mikani sighed.

Their group was currently hiding in a dingy apartment, lost in the middle of the thousands of similar dingy apartments built in the buildings of the southern part of the town. The apartment secretly belonged to the Rebellion. It was one of their hideouts in North Lake City, and the only Aster and Aaria knew about.

Mikani was watching the street from the window, with Aster. Klenia and Shayna were watching Hana and Macha. Aaria had been sent to collect informations. They were looking for a way to contact Cérès, who was hiding in the Flora Forest, the huge and thick forest that was covering the western parts of Lakeland.

Mikani was feeling tired.

She had managed to have a talk alone with Hana on their way here, an impressive feat considering how protective Macha was with her friend. And while the student from Smog had been receptive to her arguments, she still seemed too scared to switch sides. Mikani was starting to fear what might happen to the student if she failed to convince her, and that feeling was a surprise to her. She didn't expect to start actually caring for the little coward.

“Something's not right...” Aster suddenly commented.

“What do you mean?” Mikani asked, secretly happy to have a conversation to distract her from her thoughts.

“Aaria should be back by now.”

“Maybe she got lost on her way here?” the younger woman proposed.

“Aaria? Lost here? Please! She knows this town as well as Wheat Junction. Her husband...”

Aster suddenly stopped herself, as if she had gotten carried away and said something she shouldn't have.

“Husband?! Aaria was married?!” Klenia exclaimed from the other side of the room. “She never told us!”

Aster bit her lips. Then she sighed when she realized that the others were watching her intensely.

“Aaria is from Korê, but she travelled a lot back in her youth. During one of her travels, she met a farmer from North Lake City and they eventually married.”

“And then?” Klenia asked.

“And then what do you think happened?” Aster irritably answered. “As always, Olympus ruined everything! Aaria's family had had ties with the Rebellion since the latter began. But Aaria herself was a small fry, she barely wrote a few petitions and she never broke the law. She even travelled to put some distance between her family and her! Olympus didn't care.” Aster took a deep breath, but it wasn't enough to quell her anger this time. “They couldn't do anything legally against her. So they sent some black op guys to burn the farm. She had a daughter by then. Aaria was the only one who escaped the fire.” Aster clenched her fists, feeling her anger rise. “She made it look like she died with them that day. She changed her name and her appearance. She went back to Korê. And she helped Dimitri and I create our network.”

Aster fell silent, leaving the other occupants of the room glaring at each other.

**************

It took her a long time, but Nikea finally managed to attract some attention.

She just wished that it wasn't a man who found her first...

However, the police agent proved to be even more embarassed than her by the whole situation. He and his partner quickly gave her a blanket to cover her scantily clad body.

Nikea gratefully took the cup of coffee they were offering her, and absent-mindedly listened to them talking to their chief in their radio.

“Yes, sir, we think we have found a lead... Yes, this is their modus operandi, at least according to Lady Eudokia. Yes, we'll get them soon.”

So, apparently, she was mugged by well-known criminals, uh?

Well, at least she got a good story to tell to her friends once she would go home...

**************

Macha was shifting on the apartment's couch. Aster's outburst had made everyone uncomfortable, and they were waiting for Aaria's return.

Hana was still thinking of the conversation she had with Mikani after they left the minibus, when they were on their way to the apartment.

”You can bow down to Olympus. You can lower your head and look the other way. Then, you may survive. But at what cost? And for what? Being Olympus' slave? As long as they think they can do it without consequences, they will continue. You know that. Other people will meet the same fate as your brother. Or far worst.”

Perhaps...

Perhaps it was an occasion...

Hana remembered her brother. Sometimes, she still had nightmares of the night the soldiers came to take him away. Her parents gave up afterwards. She gave up too. They were all too scared. Hana was sent by her parents to Stormfist to finish her studies, like a good obedient little Provincial, in order to avoid meeting the same fate. And she was grateful to them at that time.

She was too scared. Mikani was right. She was a coward.

But perhaps she now had an occasion...

Hana quickly glanced at her friend. Macha was the only student who befriended her. All the others were happy to despise and bully the quiet transfer student from Smog. Hana didn't want her friend to be hurt. But she also knew that Macha would never agree to work with Rebels. And who knew what they would do to her if she tried to cause trouble?

Perhaps I can make a deal... I have knowledge they may find useful... Our safety in exchange of my collaboration?

But she needed to talk with Macha first. Perhaps she could convince her.

“Macha...” she whispered to catch her attention.

“What?” the redhead asked.

The door was suddenly opened.

It was Aaria.

Everyone looked at her. The woman didn't waste any time in pointless courtesies. “Bad news.” she announced. "They are already looking for us. Someone tipped them off.”

“Sao?”

“Maybe.”

Hana shared a glance with her friend. If police agents were to arrive here, things would get ugly very fast. The both of them could be caught in the crossfire and the police wouldn't care about hitting them.

So why am I hesitating? It's not like Olympus is trying to save us. They don't care about us. We're just Provincials.

“Did you manage to contact one of Cérès' agents?” Aster asked.

“Yes but...” Aaria grimaced.

“But what?”

“They took me to Emery.”

The Rebels all let out a small cry of suprise. Hana suddenly had the impression that the room became a lot colder.

“Emery?! She's in town?” Aster exclaimed.

“Cérès basically set her loose here, along with a group of agitators. She's supposed to create a little... chaos.” Aaria hesitated and Hana could notice her glancing at her direction for a brief moment. Then, the woman added: “She was displeased by some of the choices we made during our escape.”

Hana saw Klenia's features hardening, Mikani biting her lips and Aster clenching her fists. Shayna was looking fearful now.

“What did you do?” Aster finally asked.

“I told her that if she did things her way this time, you would kill her.”

“And what did she answer?”

“Nothing. She just laughed.”

Aster snarled.

The other Rebels grouped together around her. “Now, what do we do?”

“I suppose you were given a meeting point?”

“In the Tzimiskes Hills. It's north of the town. We'll have to drive again.”

“Then we go there, we get in contact with Cérès, and we outrank Emery. There's no way I'm going to let her hurt...” She suddenly stopped herself, and corrected her phrase at the last minute. “... to let her do things her way...”

“There’s one problem though.” Aaria added.

“What?”

“There are patrols in North Lake City’s countryside. We won’t be able to evade all of them on our way to the Hills.”

Aster cursed.

“Any solution?”

“Cérès’ local agents gave me one. There is one way to acquire disguises that will allow us to drive across the countryside without being stopped by the patrols. We’ll find them near the town, and Cérès’ agents can even drive us there and give us a hand. However… It will require a little… muscle.”

“Perfect! I needed to vent my frustration anyway!”

**************

Isolated from the group, Hana was listening intently when, suddenly, she felt something grabbing her arm.

“Macha?”

“They're not looking at us...” the redhead hastily whispered. “Let's make a dash for the door... We can be out of here before they grab us...”

“We don't know the town... And the police thinks we're criminals after what happened at Border Hills...”

“We'll explain to them. Come.”

“But... I...”

Hana looked in Mikani's direction. She was still remembering what the Rebel told her.

“Macha... I...”

“Hana, quick. Let's move.”

“I..."

Hana decided she was done with hesitating. Or done with being scared.

"No.”

“What?!” Macha blurted.

The redhead then realized that she spoke out loud. All the Rebels were looking at her now.

There was a long moment of silence.

“Mikani, why don't you stay with these two while we finalize the details of our plan.” Aster finally said.

**************

Hana now was very ill-at-ease. Macha was sending her incredulous looks, but she wasn't able to directly confront her about her latest decision. Mikani was sitting on a chair in front of them, watching.

Time passed. Aster and the others were discussing their plan. Mikani was looking at her in the eyes, as if she was gauging her.

“I guess that you made your choice.” Mikani finally said to her.

Hana paled, but then nodded.

“We’ll talk about it with Aster..." Mikani concluded. "We're about to go anyway.”




**************



A few hours later...

I should have known that it would involve something like that Aster thought. Cérès’ men have always had the reputation of being… bold...

“Keep focused. Here goes another one.” the woman crouched next to her whispered.

The woman was one of Cérès’ agents. She had refused to tell her her real name, calling herself ‘Kora’.

Well... At least, Emery wasn’t among the agents who drove them to the place in which they would find their disguises… Apparently, the assassin was needed elsewhere in town. That meant that some poor schmuck wouldn’t live long enough to see another sunset.

Aster's target was a tall young woman. She had blue eyes, light skin, and blond hair tied into a strict ponytail with strips of red dye. She was wearing thick black combat boots, green camouflage uniform jacket and pants, and a dark gray beret.

A soldier from the Olympian army.

She and a small contingent of other soldiers of the Reserve Army were training on the field, distributed in teams in a wooden area north of the town. Some sort of orientation training. They were supposed to maneuver in the forest.

The woman passed near the bushes in which Aster and ‘Kora’ were hiding, looking at her compass. Then, a hand was clamped over her mouth and she disappeared in the bushes. The sounds of a swift beating were briefly heard.

“Too tall...” Aster commented after the woman had been sent to slumber land, with a black eye as a bonus. “Let's put her with the others.”

The blonde was lied down next to four other fully-uniformed soldiers. The unconscious women's ankles and wrists were tied with zip-ties and they were gagged with tape. The duct tape was also holding in place a chloroform-soaked handkerchief, to make sure that they would sleep a few hours. A few minutes of work later, the blond-haired woman was similarly tied and gagged.

“You do realize that we're almost done with the ones in this area? At that rate, we'll have captured all of them before you find one with the right size.” 'Kora' dryly joked.

“Then, I'll see what the others have found. Now, keep quiet, I hear another one. And she might be the right size this time...”

**************

The radio operators were the first to be neutralized, to prevent them from calling for help. Aster wanted to make sure that they wouldn't be disturbed...

Klenia smiled at the officer in charge of the training, and whose uniform she was currently wearing. The blond-haired woman was strictly hogtied with ropes, clad in plain functional grey panties and support bra. Her ice blue eyes were glowing with anger, but with her mouth filled with her own thick long socks and cleave-gagged by a big piece of cloth, her threats weren't very impressive.

Klenia patted the medals on the chest of her dark green uniform jacket.

“I think I understand why you military girls like these so much. I love the sound they make when they bang together.”

She ignored her victim's muffled insults.

Around the officer were laying three other women. The original radio operators. Two had brown hair, the last had black hair; and all three had some of their locks dyed blue. They were also hogtied and cleave-gagged, albeit a little less strictly than their officer. The two brunettes had the bad luck of being the same size as Shayna and Hana. Therefore, they were now only wearing their respective green and yellow-and-black sets of underwear.

Shayna was at the radio, wearing the gray uniform jacket and pants of the operators.

In a corner of the clearing, half-a-dozen soldiers were lying on their stomachs, hands tied behind their backs and legs strictly tied as well. They were gagged with several layers of tape each. A small injection of sleeping drug was ensuring a peaceful slumber. The ones allowed to keep their uniforms were wearing thick black combat boots, green camouflage uniforms and dark grey berets. Three of them had been stripped to provide disguises to Mikani, Aaria and 'Karst', the second agent of Cérès accompanying them for this mission. One, a cute chestnut brown-haired new recruit, had chosen regulatory underwear this morning. Therefore, her gray tank top and black shorts were offering her a semblance of modesty. The other two unwilling donors had decided to ignore the rules, and would soon regret it once they would wake up. The first, a voluptuous blonde, was clad in well-trimmed sultry red lacy bra and panties. The second, a black-haired beauty with a statuesque figure, was actually wearing a thong.

Women were numerous in the Olympian army, even back in the days of Constantin Basileus' conquest. An old joke from Korê pretended that Olympian men were many to send their women to war in order to not have to put up with them at home. However, the army still tried to keep the two genders as separate as possible; at least when it came to the regular army, they were laxer with the volunteer corps.

However, this separation was to the Rebels' advantage today...

“I'm still surprised they allowed us to do things our way...” Shayna commented from her post behind the radio.

“My guess is that they're still not completely ready to face the consequences if they slaughter a whole contingent. Olympus would crack down on them hard if they did...”

Shayna hesitated.

“You know... When they gave us the information about these potential donors, I would never have thought that Aster would try... That was very bold of her.”

Klenia smiled.

“Consider it an act of war.”

Shayna smiled back.

“And now what?” she then asked.

“We finish wrapping things up here. Then, we take a few of their trucks, we drive the things until we reach the Tzimiskes Hills, and we ditch them at the entrance. In hindsight, the plan to ambush this contingent wasn't that ludicrous. Police never stops vehicles belonging to the army.”

**************

Macha’s refusal to behave during the operation forced Klenia to tie her to a tree. The redhead was now quietly brooding over, watching the clearing filled with bound-and-gagged women and mumbling to herself.

Clad in the grey uniform of the radio operators, Hana was tasked with watching her, and she was feeling very uncomfortable. Macha had avoided her gaze ever since she sided with the Rebels.

“I'm sorry…”

Macha bit her lips.

“Why? Why did you side with them?” the redhead asked without looking at her. She was sounding hurt.

“There’s something I’ve never told you… It’s about my brother...”

The old Hana would never have had the guts to mention the subject with her friend. But, as hard as her decision was to take, it was also giving her a newfound strength. It was painful, very painful, but she knew that she did the right thing. Finally. After a year of hiding her head in the sand. She was finding in herself a determination she didn’t know she had.

She told Macha.

**************

Something was off with the others' attitude. Aaria had noticed that her friends were acting differently towards her.

For now, the woman was quietly tying to a tree the latest soldier who fell into her clutches. The tall brunette had been chloroformed into submission, and her head was resting on her shoulder. Aaria bound her hands behind the tree, using tight and complex knots. Then a few coils of rope were wrapped around the soldier's torso, below her ample breasts, to secure her to the trunk. Aaria had taken off her victim's combat boots to remove her thick long black socks and use them to fill the soldier's mouth, before sealing it with duct tape.

Well, this soldier was one of the lucky ones. She had been allowed to keep most of her uniform...

At the same time, Aaria was watching Mikani out of the corner of her eyes. The younger woman was similarly binding and gagging an athletic-looking black-haired soldier with strips of red dye in her hair.

In-between the nearby trees, Aaria could catch a glimpse of the figures of a few of Cérès' agents, who were helping them in the operation by leading the soldiers into their trap and neutralizing them.

Aaria finished tying the last knot.

“Hey, Mikani. Did something happen while I was gone?”

The younger woman nervously looked at her. She was hesitating.

“What happened?” Aaria insisted, now convinced that something was off.

“We... While you were gone, Aster told us about...”

Aaria understood, and sighed.

“Old stories again... Just like with Aster and Emery...” she commented.

“Aster didn't want to tell us about that without asking you first. It's just... You weren't coming back... We were all worried... And nervous... And it just happened...”

Aaria raised her hand to stop her, ignoring the pain in her chest. She was familiar with it by now. Pain was like an old acquaintance by now. “It doesn't matter. It's in the past. Change the subject.”

Mikani remained silent for a moment, then nodded. She pointed the defeated soldiers.

“How many of them are left according to you?”

“It's a small contingent. They're thirty at most, I'd say.”

Mikani quickly glanced at the ten or so soldiers tied to the nearby trees.

“Then we're almost over...”

**************

Surprisingly, Macha remained calm during the whole story. But Hana suspected that it was because she had given up by this point.

“I guess this is our best chance of survival now...” the redhead finally commented.

Hana nodded.

“I'm sorry they had to... you know... tie you up.”

Macha hesitated. “You know, it's different when it's with you...” She shook her head. “Besides, it's probably I who should be sorry... It's my fault if we're in this predicament to begin with...”

“Glad you finally admit it!” a new voice commented.

Klenia was approaching them.

Macha's eyes shot daggers at her.

“What do you want?”

Klenia raised her hands.

“First of all, not fighting you."

The redhead scoffed.

“I know you're scared.” Klenia continued. “But don't worry. I swore that no harm would come to you or your friend, and I intend to keep my promise.”

“Really?” Macha answered with a bitter chuckle. “I heard about Cérès. When they capture a soldier, they usually send them back piece by piece.”

“Then it's a good thing that you're a civilian...” Klenia paused before adding: “Also, I would like to remind you that the soldiers they capture often aren't exactly angels either. Now, I'm not saying that I agree with her methods. I don't. But she only does it in retaliation of the army's exactions. Of course, you could argue that it's unfair for the poor saps who get it, since they're not the ones who gave the order. But the Government isn't fair either, even with those who peacefully protest...”

Macha shared an uncomfortable glance with Hana.

Klenia sighed. “We’re going to move soon.” She pointed a nearby wooden crate. “I put a few rugs in it. Hopefully, the ride won’t be too uncomfortable...”

Hana winced. Macha glared at Klenia, her eyes full of venom.

“I f*cking hate you...” she spat.

Klenia shrugged and took a roll of silver duct tape.

“I know.” she simply answered.

Then she gagged her.

**************

Viki was hurrying up. She was late.

She has always had a bad sense of direction. She was probably going to be the last to arrive. And she was going to be reprimanded by officer Apama...

She arrived in the clearing.

Her green eyes widened. The ensuing jaw drop lasted for a long while.

The clearing was filled with soldiers from her contingent, who were lying on the ground.

Unconscious.

Bound and gagged.

A few of them had even been robbed of their uniforms. Viki couldn't help but blush when she saw Irene in her revealing thong or Helene in her lacy underwear...

The only captive awake, officer Apama, had been left at the center of the circle of unconscious women. Cleave-gagged. Hog-tied. Cheeks red because of the anger and humiliation.

It took Viki several seconds to recover her senses.

“Don’t worry! I’ll… I’ll free you!”

Her officer started to moan louder in her gag.

Viki moved to release her.

Suddenly, something grabbed her by the collar and dragged her behind.

**************

“Phew! Good thing we got delayed!” Klenia commented “We almost missed one!”

She gently patted the brown-haired soldier's back. The unconscious young woman's wrists were now tied behind her back and her legs were tied with ropes as well. She was gagged with tape.

She's pretty cute...

Klenia rolled the young soldier on her back, to make her a little more comfortable. Then, she winked at the officer, who was watching her with unhidden malice.

“Better luck next time, maybe?”

"Ffffmmmmhhhhh!"

**************

Soon, a few army trucks were leaving the town of North Lake City.

No one stopped them to ask them why they were heading towards the Tzimiskes Hills. It was the army after all...

**************

Inside one truck, Klenia was sitting on a wooden crate. From time to time, she was asking: 'Is everything alright?' to the person inside. The sounds of a few kicks on the wood were the only answer, but she didn't seem to care.
Aster was still thinking that bringing Macha with them was a bad idea. But Klenia had already made up her mind and Aster didn't have the time, nor the motivation, to start a fight to convince her otherwise.

Shayna, Hana and Mikani were sitting near her. They were whispering between themselves. Mikani was apprently giving instructions to the student of Smog, telling her how she was supposed to act once they would be in Cérès' presence.
Which was a good thing. While Aster didn't completely trust this new recruit yet, Mikani seemed to believe in her, and Aster trusted her friend's judgement. Still, she also knew that Hana and Macha wouldn't be the only ones risking their heads when Cérès would hear about the situation. Klenia and Mikani would too, and Aster as well since she gave them her consent. If Cérès decided that Aster's team decisions were too reckless and put the Rebellion in danger, the consequences could be dire. With Dimitri gone and most of her network dead or missing, Aster didn't have much influence anymore and she could be considered a dead weight. Or, worst, a liability.

Aaria was sitting on her own. She didn't blame Aster for talking about her past without consulting her. But she needed to be alone for a while...

Aster adjusted her uniform, stolen to the last soldier she ambushed. She was glancing at 'Kora', pondering if this was the right moment to gauge the temperature of the situation. What would be her room for manoeuvre when she would face Cérès?

“So, what will happen when we meet with Cérès? Will the remnants of my network fuse with hers?” she asked 'Kora'.

The agent looked at her and smiled. “Worried about the future? Oh, don't worry. Cérès'll put your talents to good use.”

That were good news. If Cérès needed her help for some operation, Aster still had some leverage during the negociations.

“For what?” she asked out loud.

“She needs good infiltrators. She's planning something big.”

“What?” Aster repeated.

“An attack on one of the most secured military camps of the Province.”

**************




Author's note: Not much scenes during most of this chapter, for which I apologize. Once again, while writing, the 'story' part became a lot longer than expected and tended to override the 'USB' part.

Although I hope the scene with the soldiers made up for it. It's dedicated to
Esercito Sconfitto, who patiently waited for like forever, until there finally was a true Defeated Army scene... I can't believe it took me so much time to have a scene actually involving the real military in this story, and not henchwomen or police divisions.

On a side note, the update schedule will continue being slow for now. Although, I'll still try to post at least once a month.
On another side note, I tried translating some expressions in English and I'm not completely sure of myself; so if a sentence seems weird, don't hesitate to let me know.^^
Last edited by rufusluciusivan on Sat Jun 08, 2019 9:17 pm, edited 3 times in total.
esercito sconfitto
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Re: To overthrow the Utopia (Part 5) by Rufusluciusivan

Post by esercito sconfitto »

Rufusluciusivan, thanks for this last installment

...and yes, you guessed correctly, it has been a long wait- but it was worth the wait :lol:

one of the features of a proper ' defeated army' scenario is the seriality; I mean, the repeated succession of the same performance ( what happens with the infantry unit ambushed in the forest )

well, it's the part I appreciated the most!

aha , Macha in the crate- but why Klenia doesn't find an excuse to have her strip? :D


I expect to see a more intimate scene with these two damsels!
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