Story 12: Final Gambits

esercito sconfitto
Posts: 7096
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2016 12:06 pm

Re: Final Gambits

Post by esercito sconfitto »

Of course I loved the insertion of the cheerleaders in the story, even if it's quite sad... some of them are still with their uniforms on


It's so wrong... :(


At some point the tale looks like a frantic piece of the vaudeville theatre, what is an excellent new feature, with a pace unprecedented at this board . :D
rufusluciusivan
Posts: 1225
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2017 5:08 pm

Re: Final Gambits

Post by rufusluciusivan »

Of course Amara and her henchwomen didn't strip all the cheerleaders. They're bad girls! It shows how evil they are! :lol: Of course, I'm sure they will pretend that they were short on time since their boss wanted them to regroup with her as quickly as possible, and didn't want to waste time stripping girls for nothing (a thing that only people like Presa would do), but we all know this is just an excuse. :lol:

It's true that in some scenes, I just wish I could add laugh tracks... :D
Trackman281
Posts: 1600
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2018 6:08 am

Re: Final Gambits

Post by Trackman281 »

I really like Cérès, but she needs to be careful burning the candle at both ends otherwise she'll suffer serious burnout. I'm curious to know if with everything else going on around her at the moment if it will all eventually catch up to her.

I really enjoyed the entire scene with Julie, Mikani and Klenia, to be so close and yet so far, it was a little bit tense with the whole will she or won't she with Julie, nicely done that was a great scene. :D

Aaahhh USB characters and cheerleader uniforms always seem to go hand in hand don't they and to be fair when they parade round as targets of opportunity, which USB group wouldn't take advantage of the situation. :)

This tense game of cat and mouse with Klenia, Mikani, Emery and to an extent Julie, is great, I can't really explain why, which is annoying me, but I really am enjoying reading through this. :D :D

The story intensifies with Klenia and Mikani mugging the two farm girls and Emery mugging Margaret, all so they could gain new disguises to both elude and find. I'm curious to know what happens next. :)

You finished the chapter on quite a nice touch, that backstory for Reka was a nice bonus and the more I learn about the characters and the world they live in, then the more invested we truly can become. This has been another fantastic chapter, I really like the mood and tone you went for in this chapter, it was definitely a change, but it was a welcome one, sometimes by suddenly throwing a different toned chapter out there can really open our eyes and both appreciate as well enjoy it more knowing that it's slightly different and all for the right reasons.

Absolutely amazing work. Thank you for another amazing chapter. :D
rufusluciusivan
Posts: 1225
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2017 5:08 pm

Re: Final Gambits

Post by rufusluciusivan »

Glad you liked Cérès. (She has at least one fan, hurray for her! :lol: ) At first I wanted her to be just as one-dimentional as Jewel, though in the end I decided to humanize her a little more, as contrary to Jewel, Cérès had to fight tooth and nail to reach her current position. I liked writing the part with Julie, Mikani, Klenia, and Emery; a good way to add a scene of tension (and a uniform stealing) even though Emery isn't the main threat of the story anymore. The farm workers and Margaret were added to have more uniform stealings in this part, and the addition was rather late during the writing process, but I think they folded in nicely in the story.

I couldn't agree more with your statement about the cheerleaders. Weird how long they managed to escape a proper USB scene in my stories. (I checked, Macha technically didn't disguise herself with their uniform in her fantasy - she just humiliated them.)

The climax is nearing now...
rufusluciusivan
Posts: 1225
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2017 5:08 pm

Re: Final Gambits

Post by rufusluciusivan »

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

Aster rubbed her forehead.

Zoé and Shayna were observing her; the first with a curious expression, the second with a lot of apprehension.

“So let me get this straight... You two thought that the best course of action to ensure Zoé's safety was to break into the Government Palace, while mugging a couple of people in the process, in order to find something with which you could blackmail Cérès?”

“To our defense, I'd like to say that we DID find compromising informations.” Klenia answered on the other side of the line.

“And Hieron helped you.” Aster added.

“Yes.”

"Without asking me first."

“Yes.”

“Can someone remind me to kill him later?”

“I'll do it!” Zoé said.

“And of course, you made sure to always wear your hoods when mugging someone.” Aster added.

“Well...”

“Oh Goodness, please no...”

“There was that secretary who probably saw our faces... But Hieron will cover up everything.”

“Maybe. But Cérès probably knows about what you did!”

“So what?”

“So you shouldn't underestimate her.”

“And about Reka? What should we do?”

“First thing, we have to regroup. We're in more danger if we remain isolated. We will also warn Venia, Zia, Hana, Mikani's other friends, since they haven't returned home yet and they are all resting in a hotel nearby. Then, we will find a plan.”

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

Aster and Shayna told them that they were going to call the others.

Then, they hung up, just after Zoé exclaimed on the phone that she wanted to see them as soon as possible and Shayna quickly said: 'I love you!' in the receiver.

Therefore, for now, Mikani's and Klenia's priority was to return home safe and sound.

Klenia felt the need to talk.

“You know, when we were the prisoners of Yuna and her clique, I was afraid. But now, we managed to escape Emery, we have a vehicle, and we warned the others in time. We will be able to plan a counter-attack. Things are getting better!”

She turned on the van's radio.

“... 2 farm workers were found in corn fields belonging to the Siclie & Associates. They said that two women assaulted them, stole their clothes, and their van. Police advises to...”

Klenia turned the radio off and cursed.

“What's this radio program? Timing News?” she exclaimed.

“Why are you complaining? We were lucky to learn that they've already been found and that our disguises are compromised.”

“They're killing my vibe.” Klenia explained.

“Well, tell yourself that it means that we will have to find new disguises before we regroup with the others. That should lift your spirit.”

“You know what? Somehow, it actually does!”

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

Julie was driving in silence.

Emery hung up the cellphone.

“I got Yuna on the phone. They are going to meet up with us. I'll tell you where the rendezvous point is.”

“And then what?” Julie harshly asked.

“What do you mean by: 'And then what?'”

“What will happen to me once I've outlived my usefulness?”

Emery tilted her head quizzically. “Are you afraid?”

“It's more like I have reached the end of my patience.” the intern retorted. “I helped you leave the hospital to save your life, not to help you escape justice.”

“Life is full of disappointments.” Emery commented.

Julie saw in the rear-view mirror that the black-haired woman was smiling. The jerk!

“However, I have no intention of harming you, if that's what you fear.” Emery added. "There would be no point in doing it."

“Of course!” Julie mockingly retorted. “How silly of me! I think I will just take the word of an assassin for it then...”

“You do realize that I could have shot you the second I got a phone, right?” Emery retorted. “Blondie's gun over here has a silencer. I could have shot you and called Yuna to come pick me up.”

“Oh.”

In fact, no, Julie hadn't realized at the time.

“Once I regroup with Yuna's team, I won't need your help anymore. You'll be free to go. We can even truss you up to make it seem you were our hostage. I would take great enjoyment in gagging you myself.”

“I guess it beats dying. Thanks for making the effort.” Julie then smiled slyly. “So I guess you really did take a liking to me, didn't you? I should have known the moment you prevented me from falling into the assassins' trap in the hospital. You do care!” she said, knowing that it would anger the black-haired woman. “Don't worry! I'll give you a big hug once we stop the car...”

“Touch me and I will break your arm.”

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

“Change of plan.” Yuna said to the others while hanging up. “We won't need to infiltrate the hospital to learn what happened to Emery.”

“Oh thank Goodness, YES!” Cynthia rejoiced.

“Come on! That's not fair! I just finished putting on the wig and the make up!” Presa complained. “I was about to bring out so much fun and joy to the world!”

Cynthia laughed at her.

Yuna's plan was to infiltrate the hospital disguised as a trio of entertainers who were sent to amuse the children, and whom they ambushed on the road, hijacking their van in the process.

Presa was indeed wearing a dark blue clown outfit, with a white ruff and striped rainbow-coloured long sleeves, as well as white gloves, big yellow shoes, a rainbow-coloured bowtie, and an orange wig. And, of course, the red nose. Her face was painted in white with make-up, with the exception of the part around her mouth that was painted red.

Cynthia was currently in her dark blue underwear (a t-shirt bra and boyshorts). The red clown outfit with white dots and a white ruff was lying discarded at her feet, alongside with the red nose, the big white shoes and the multicoloured wig. She vastly preferred being half-naked than being dressed as a clown.

Yuna was already wearing her outfit: red-and-green shoes, red-and-yellow striped pants, a white shirt with big red buttons, and a light blue fitted coat. However, she hadn't had the time to put on the wig and the make up.

“Put back your normal clothes on, girls.” Yuna instructed. “We will meet up with Emery at a rest area.”

Presa looked at the original owner of the clothes she was currently wearing. “Sorry to have mugged you for nothing.” she said to her.

Three women were seated in a corner of the back of the van. Only their faces full of white and red make-up were giving away their profession (and giving away the fact that they were the true owners of the clown outfits). Other than that, their only articles of clothes consisted of their underwear.

The first unfortunate victim was a short white-skinned young woman with neck-long ashen blond hair and grey eyes. She wasn't very curvy, but had a cute round face. She was wearing a white padded bra to compensate her small chest, and a light pink v-kini. The second woman was tall, had brown hair, light chestnut eyes, and a tanned skin. Her face was more angular, and her nose and her chin were pointy. Since her hair were normally waist-long, she had to tie them into two braids, then swirl and tuck those braids up and around the front of her head with bobby pins. Though her wig cap had been stolen by Presa. The brunette was wearing a beige non-padded bra and matching high-waisted panties. The third woman had ginger red armpit-long hair, green eyes, and a light skin with a few freckles. Just like with her brown-haired companion, her hair were braided and tucked up and around the front of her head. She still had her wig cap though. She was wearing a red t-shirt bra with a pattern of yellow little smileys and sunny yellow bikini panties.

Yuna, Presa, and Cynthia actually used several of the props in the back of the van to bind and gag the three women. This resulted in... colourful bonds. Rags, scarves, bandanas and pieces of cloth of many colours (more precisely many bright colours) were binding the women's wrists behind their back, their ankles, and their knees. The pieces of cloth were surprisingly strong. The three former special combattants were confident that their victims wouldn't be able to break free, at least not before a long moment. The blond-haired woman was gagged with a blue scarf, the brown-haired woman with a red scarf, and the red-haired woman with a green scarf.

Yuna, Cynthia, and Presa quickly got dressed.

The blonde then put the discarded clown outfit, the red nose and the wig in front of their rightful owner.

“Here. For when you break free. In a few hours I'd say.” Presa winked.

“MMMMHHHH!” the brown-haired woman indignantly exclaimed.

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

Hana was resting in the same hotel suite as Zia, Venia and Mikani's friends.

Zia actually organized everything, including the others' journeys and the renting of the hotel room. The black-haired young woman didn't complain. Thanks to Zia, she didn't have to worry about the organization of the trip, and she could get to know new people.

However, currently, the mood wasn't joyful. Aster had just called them. There was trouble. Clover, Posy, and Amber were already on a war footing, and Zia and Venia were still talking with Aster and Shayna on the phone.

The young black-haired woman was also on the phone. She was trying to explain the situation to Macha.

“No, I... I can't go back yet... There have been a few... complications...”

“Complications?”

“I... I don't... I don't know if I should tell you... It would worry you...”

“Well, what you just said only made me worry more... Fess up, Hana!”

“Mikani and her friends are in danger. I've talked with the others, and we have decided to help them.

“What?! In danger?! But if you help them, that means you will ALSO be in danger... That's it! I'm jumping in the first train I can catch! I shall be here tonight. Don't worry. I'm coming for you!”

“Macha, wait!”

Her friend had already hung up.

Hana sighed. Things were already spiralling out of control...

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

There was only one other vehicle currently parked in the rest area when Klenia and Mikani arrived.

“Another van...” Klenia commented.

“The plan is simple. The most important thing is to steal a vehicle. We don't necessarily need to disguise ourselves.”

“Though we can't allow the owners to report their vehicle as stolen.” Klenia added.

“Yes.”

The curvy woman crossed her fingers. Please, let it be a woman... Please, let it be a woman... Please, let it be a woman...

Mikani parked their vehicle. They checked the other van.

“I don't think we will be able to drive this new van dressed as farmworkers...” Klenia commented.

Images promoting a magic show were painted on the vehicle.

“Indeed.”

Two women exited the restrooms.

The first woman had a white skin, light blond hair and ocean-blue eyes. Her armpit-long hair were tied up into two high twin-ponytails. She had a soft heart-shaped face and a delicate nose. The second woman had shoulder-long reddish brown hair, a slightly tanned skin, and chestnut eyes. There was a silver piercing on her chin.

From their clothes, Klenia and Mikani easily deduced that these two were the owner of the van. The blonde was wearing a black leotard with black fishnet tights and black ankle boots. To cover the upper-part of her body, she was using a white shirt and a black suit jacket. The edges of the sleeves and the collar of the jacket were purple. And of course, she had the inimitable black top hat – though she was currently holding it in her hands. The woman with reddish brown hair was wearing a bright crimson fitted coat, a white shirt and a black bowtie, white gloves, black pants, and black shoes.

“Well, beggars can't be choosers...” Mikani sighed.

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

“I think we shouldn't have stopped here.” Amelie said.

“Well, excuse me, but I really needed to use the restrooms.”

“Come on Megan! I refuse to arrive at the hospital after the clowns.”

“Amelie. Please stop complaining.”

“It's the clowns, Megan! The clowns! Can you imagine the humiliation?”

“Amelie! If someone should be complaining, it should be me! Need I have to remind you that I agreed to go back to work? I know that we needed money, since we spent a lot to buy these new outfits, but still... I went back to work as if nothing happened even though we were...”

“Meg...” Amelie interrupted her. “We agreed to never mention that incident again!”

Megan rubbed her temple. “Right... Right... I'm sorry...”

“No! No! I'm the one who should apologize. I overreacted. I shouldn't get mad at you. I...”

Amelie was interrupted when a figure suddenly assaulted Megan from behind. A woman.

“Not again!” the blonde exclaimed.

Then a hand was clamped over her mouth.

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

The magician and her assistant were neutralized with one nerve-pinch each.

Klenia then looked at Mikani. “You heard that too? She did say: 'Not again', didn't she? That was weird.”

The shorter woman shrugged.

“Well, questions for later.” Klenia concluded.

They quickly opened the backdoor of the van, entered the vehicle while dragging the two unconscious women, and closed the door to have more intimacy.

“We will have to be extra careful with the magician. I guess rope escape must be her speciality.” Mikani commented.

“I don't think so. I came across her web site. She's not a real magician, more like a birthday entertainer.”

“Well that's good news, so...” Mikani interrupted herself. “How did you manage to come across the web site of a birthday entertainer?”

Klenia's cheeks blushed a little. “I was... I was looking for a magician costume to try some... roleplay with Shayna... The picture was in the search engine...”

“Somehow, I'm not even surprised.”

“Come on, Mikani! Have you checked these leotards?! With one, I could...”

“I don't want the details!”

They quickly stripped the two women.

Amelie was wearing a black strapless bra and hiphuggers of a matching colour, albeit with red trimmings, and black socks white white little stars; while Megan was wearing teal socks, violet boyshorts and a cobalt blue brassiere.

There were white ropes among the props in the back of the van. They were put to good use to truss up the two unconscious women. They bound their hands, their shoulders, their thighs and their legs. The ropework was simple and classic, but efficient. Klenia and Mikani shoved several colourful small scarves, probably props for a magic trick, into Amelie's and Megan's mouths. They were careful to not use too many of them, to prevent their captives from choking. The magician and her assistant were cleave-gagged with dark blue scarves adorned with a pattern of yellow stars. Probably props for a magic trick. Both women were also blindfolded with similar scarves.

“We have to keep them in the back of the van. I don't want them to be found too early like the farmworkers...” Mikani sighed. “Great. And now we moved on to kidnapping... This day just keeps getting worst and worst. To think that I simply wanted to find a way to keep Zoé safe...”

“And we did!” Klenia answered. “Besides, it's only temporary. Just the time for us to return home. In a few hours at most, they'll be free again. It's not a real kidnapping.”

“I'm not sure that they will see it that way... Or that the law would, for that matter.”

“Simple minor details! Let's worry about them later. For now, we have to protect our friends and family.”

They swiftly disguised themselves: Klenia with the magician outfit and Mikani as the assistant. They weren't worried if their movements were making the van rock back and forth a little. People would simply assume that the owners of the vehicle were searching something in the back.

Mikani adjusted the white gloves, the crimson fitted coat and the bow tie. "All done. What about you?"

Klenia pinched the fishnet tights and tried to adjust the leotard. "Leotards are overrated." she commented. She put on the jacket.

They left the back of the van and closed the door just as Megan and Amelie were starting to wake up.

Klenia sat behind the wheel and Mikani sat on the passenger seat.

Another car was arriving.

Klenia looked in the rear-view mirror.

Her face fell and she paled.

“Goodness! This car! I recognize this car! It's Emery's car!”

“Calm down. She has no reason to suspect that we're in this van. Now, just drive off. Do it in a natural way.”

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

Julie parked the car in the rest area.

Emery sent a mean glare at a van on which were painted images promoting a magic show.

“What now?” Julie asked.

The black-haired woman continued staring at the vehicle while the latter was driving off.

“Magic show...” she finally spat.

“So what?”

“I can't stand magicians. Just like the clowns. Or the mimes.”

“What are you? Part of the fun police?”

“In my home Province of Rift, we have no time for such childishness.”

Julie rolled her eyes. “Anywway, we are here. Looks like we're first. Let's wait for your friends.”

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

“Boss, we have a problem.” Yuki said to Lizéa. “Aeris called me. Audrey and her daughters have managed to escape.”

“What?”

“Audrey and her daughters have managed to escape.” Yuki repeated.

Lizéa put her hand over her mouth. “Not so loud!”

The brown-haired woman quickly looked behind her.

Reka was busy explaining something to her henchwomen, Max, Amy, and Tiffany.

“If Reka hears about that, she will cut our pay.”

“So what do we do?”

Lizéa thought for a moment. "Did she tell you how they managed to break free?"

"No."

"I'm sure she loosened the ropes. Though we will never be able to worm the information out of her. Curse her angelic face and her empty smile... We will go and see what's happening and if the police is coming. Just the two of us. And not one word to the others.”

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

Julie was observing Emery's allies. According to what to she heard of their discussion, they were also her former students.

The intern had the displeasure of realizing that one of them, Presa, was actually the woman who stole her uniform back when the hospital was infiltrated for the first time. This day just keeps getting better and better... The blonde's sweet gentle expression was making her gag. Yuna looked exactly like how Julie imagined a student of Emery would look like. Stern and no-nonsense. Cynthia's innocent look – with her girlish pigtail, her short size and her smile – was actually making the intern feel ill at ease.

They had regrouped in the small rest area. Emery and the three women were talking in a low voice while Julie standing a little aside... and discreetly listening to their conversation.

“Thanks to my dear Alexie, we've heard some interesting informations...” Presa intervened. “She hacked the phone of a contact working for Max Shroud. Apparently, Cérès is planning something big tonight. She may even go there in person.”

“Interesting.” Emery commented. “Where does it take place?”

“At Aster's shop.”

“Even more interesting...”

“We thought that we should try to pay Cérès a visit during her little operation. Should try to get our hands on her.” Yuna said.

Emery nodded. “I will go with you.”

“What about your nurse?” Cynthia asked while pointing at Julie. “Does she come with us too?”

And here we go. the intern thought to herself. This was the moment of truth. She made huge efforts to not show her fear when four pairs of eyes turned towards her.

“You said that you didn't want to follow me longer than necessary. And I respect that decision.” Emery was smiling. That alone convinced Julie that there was something fishy. “However...” the black-haired woman continued. “... I'm sure that you understand that we can't let you leave for now. Not now that you know where we are going tonight. Wouldn't want you to rat us out to the police, would we?”

Julie smiled sourly. “Of course.”

Presa raised her hand. “Oh! Oh! Let me tie her up!”

Julie glared menacingly at her. “There's no way I'm letting you touch me again, pervert.”

The blonde smiled sweetly. “Would you look at that... The kitty's gotten claws since the last time we met... They grow up so fast!”

“Presa, shut up.” Emery interrupted her. She then looked at Julie. “Do you intend to fight back?” She tilted her head. She wasn't looking angry. She was looking... curious.

“No. I'm not stupid.” the intern retorted.

“Then what are you going to do?”

“Isn't it obvious?” Julie retorted. “If I must stay with you a while longer, I'd prefer doing it without being trussed up. So, I'll follow you until tomorrow. I want to see how everything is going to play out anyway.”

Perhaps for the first time since they fled the hospital, Julie saw that she had sparked Emery's interest.

“I don't think it would be a good idea to leave her un-bound and un-gagged...” Presa said.

“Do you want to be the one helping Emery move around with her wheelchair?” Julie retorted. “It's hard to shoot right and left, and to push a wheelchair at the same time.”

“She has a point...” Cynthia intervened.

“Then it's settled.” Yuna concluded. “She's coming with us. If she wants to see how everything's going to play out, she won't be disappointed. And is she tries to betray us, she also won't be disappointed, but not for the same reasons.”

Satisfied, Julie nodded.

Though she had another reason to go with them.

To try to make sure that they wouldn't go too far.

The only question was... How? How could she try to stop three well-trained armed women, four counting Emery who – in spite of being in a wheelchair – was still dangerous?

Julie mentally shook her head. Questions for later.

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

Mikani had parked the van a few blocks away from Aster's shop, in an isolated empty alleyway. They didn't want to leave a vehicle with two women they mugged too close from the building in which they were living. For the last part of the trip, they would walk.

“I checked the captives to see if they were okay, like you asked.” Klenia said. “Everything was fine. However...”

“However what?” Mikani asked.

“They were cuddling.” Klenia said.

“So...?”

“Well, it was kinda cute... I guess. I think they're a couple.”

“I guess that only love could drive someone to work for this failed magician.”

“That's not very nice...” Klenia answered. “Anyway, there are Amelie's and Megan's casual clothes in the back of the van. So we won't have to roam the streets in weird costumes.”

“I'm surprised you didn't insist to keep the leotard...” Mikani commented.

“I was tempted to... But I'd feel bad about stealing the costume of a woman who needs it to make ends meet. Business doesn't seem to be booming for these two...”

“So considerate of you.” Mikani said with a little smile. “Let's change in the back of the van.” However, just as she was about to exit the vehicle, a thought suddenly occured to her. "Klenia... When did you find their casual clothes? I hope that it was after we chose to steal their costumes."

"I hope that you didn't see them before and chose to keep quiet just to be able to steal someone's clothes directly..."

Klenia avoided her glare. "Of course I didn't."

Mikani sighed. "Let's just change clothes and forget about this part."

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

Megan and Amelie were taking comfort in each other's presence. They were cuddling close together.

The two captives raised their heads when they heard the backdoor of the van being opened. Though, as they were blindfolded, they couldn't see their captors. The door was then closed.

“Don't mind us. We needed some privacy to get changed.” The voice was sweet, as if the woman was trying to put them at ease.

During the next few minutes, Megan only heard the rustle of clothes being removed and put on. What were they doing? Were they putting on a new disguise?

Megan felt a little air stream, as if something was dropped near Amelie and she.

“I'm giving you back your costumes.” the woman said. “I let a few bills with them, for your trouble... and for your casual clothes that we just took.”

“MMMHHH?!”

The woman approached the two captives and knelt down near them.

Megan recoiled in fear, but the woman simply grabbed the ropes tying Amelie's wrists.

“Here. I'll loosen the ropes a little for you. You should be able to do the real 'magician rope escape trick', and rescue your friend. Unless you want to spend a little more time cuddling with her...”

Megan blushed a little.

Just leave us, please! This is embarassing enough!

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

Mikani closed the backdoor of the van. She was now wearing Megan's casual clothes: a navy blue small vest, a light grey shirt, black flare pants, and grey sneakers.

Klenia was wearing Amelie's casual clothes: a red small vest, a white polo shirt, blue cargo pants, and white sneakers.

“Now, let's hurry up. We have to regroup with the others.”

They walked the streets.

On their way, they passed near four police officers on patrol.

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

“There it is. The three women said that they were mugged in this alleyway.” Primrose said.

“Let's investigate...” Yusufa added.

"Yes. I'd be glad to get my hands on one of these so-called uniform stealers, to teach her a little lesson..."

"It would be interesting, though I wonder why you brought the two of us with you." the third police officer, a man, intervened while pointing at his (male) colleague.

"You'll understand if we come across uniform stealers."

Suddenly, someone called Primrose on her shoulder radio. She grabbed the device.

“Yes?”

She listened to her superior.

“Change of plan. We leave.” she said to Yusufa and the two policemen. “We have new instructions. A team of Special Ops is on their way. They will deal with everything.”

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

“Is this what they call: 'Winning by doing absolutely nothing?'” Yuki asked to Lizéa when they watched the four police officers leave the scenery.

The brown-haired woman nodded. “Looks like Prim and her girl were lucky this time. Though, I admit, they are learning fast. I didn't think they'd find a counter so soon.”

Lizéa smiled.

“I love it when I don't have to make an effort.”

“Reka will be satisfied to know that the Special Ops team is on their way.” Yuki said. The short woman hesitated. “I'm still not sure that working for Reka is a good thing for us though.” she added.

“That's not our concern. We'll pocket the cash, and let them sort out their business among themselves...” the brown-haired woman retorted. "Now, let's regroup with the others. The fun will start tonight."
tirepanted3
Posts: 1934
Joined: Thu Jul 13, 2017 11:40 am

Re: Final Gambits

Post by tirepanted3 »

I'm not sure who to feel most sorry for:

1. Megan and Amelie, getting their outfits and vehicle stolen for the second time this story, and lose their regular clothing as well.
2. The three lady clowns, getting mugged for their uniforms and tied up with their own brightly-colored props.
3. Yuna, Cynthia, and Presa, forced to demean themselves by disguising in clown outfits, only to learn that they don't need the disguises after all.
4. The hospital, who won't get the entertainers (either the clowns or the magician) they paid for.

Just so much misfortune in this chapter. ;)

But at least Primrose and Yusufa remain okay. And it looks like Julie is starting to grow in confidence as well. She's certainly a character worth rooting for.

Another mention of the Special Ops team. Guess we'll see how "special" they really are when they meet Reka and her girls... :lol:
rufusluciusivan
Posts: 1225
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2017 5:08 pm

Re: Final Gambits

Post by rufusluciusivan »

First, to quickly answer your comment, tirepanted: I guess for all of them. I apologize for repeating my joke, but the more this story progress, and the more I think I should just rename it: "Everyone is having a bad day." Julie is indeed growing up as a character. Now the question is, what will become of her? We will now know what this Special Ops team is worth...

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

It was a full moon night.

The Special Ops team was silently approaching Aster's shop. They were 14. All women, as per Cérès' specific instructions. Lily was commanding them.

The operatives were wearing the same gear: black combat boots, grey camouflage uniform pants, a belt on which various weapons were strapped, a black bulletproof vest, a grey camouflage uniform shirt, and a grey protective helmet. They were armed with silenced assault rifles.

The full moon was giving them both an advantage and a disadventage.

An advantage because it allowed them to easily find their way around. A disadventage because it was forcing them to be more careful in order to be not spotted.

“Remember that Cérès wants it quick and without police blunder.” Lily instructed the team.

Lily didn't add that Cérès' true instructions was that she only didn't want police blunder during the intervention. After Aster and her friends would be captured and held incommunicado, a few 'accidents' may happen depending on wether it suited Cérès' needs or not. Lily would gladly carry out the task. She hadn't forgotten how Aster and her friends were responsible of her humiliation back during the mission of Matilda's Bane.

“The task force will be divided into two groups. Hailey's squad will assault the building from the front. Ivy's squad will assault it from the back. I will remain with Lonnie to monitor you, and to be ready to call Rue and her reinforcements in case things go wrong.”

She then gave a few instructions on how they would have to deploy.

The other women listened intensely. They weren't special combattants, as Cérès didn't trust this corp to be loyal to her anymore, but they were still professionals. They would be enough to deal with Aster and her crew.

“Deploy.” Lily concluded.

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

Hailey's squad consisted of five women, six including her.

The team was progressing carefully. In this kind of mission, discretion was the key to success. It was actually the reason why Cérès sent a rather small team. Sending too many women at once would have been counter-productive. Aster would probably have noticed them in time.

The dark streets were empty. It was the middle of the night. The operatives were using the light of the moon and the street lamps to find their way around. They all had flashlights that they could even fix onto their assault rifles, but for now they were trying to not use them. The sight of flashlights could attract unwanted attention, either from their targets or for unwanted witnesses.

They suddenly heard a little metallic sound coming from a nearby alleyway, as if something had just hit a garbage bin.

“You heard that?” Hailey asked.

Hailey was the leader of this squad. She had short red hair, green eyes, and a white skin. She was of average size, but with a fit body. There was a beauty spot on her left cheek and another on her pointy chin.

The operatives heard a 'meow'.

“Just a cat.” the squad leader commented. “Though maybe the animal was disturbed by someone...”

Hailey turned to face Katniss, the newest recruit of the squad. Katniss had black hair, olive skin, and grey eyes. She was thin but not too tall. Her hair were tied up into a braided low bun.

“Hey, Catnip, why don't you check if there's someone?” Hailey said with a mocking smile.

“It's Katniss!” the young recruit retorted.

“Whatever. Obey your orders, rookie. Or I'll give you another taste of my towel next time you shower.”

The other women at arms chuckled.

Cheeks red because of the humiliation, Katniss hung her head and quickly obeyed her orders. She entered the alleyway, while the other women continued deploying, joking among themselves. Mocking her.

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

“Jerks...” the young recruit muttered to herself once the others were out of earshot.

Katniss still remembered how proud and overjoyed she was when she learned that she was was accepted in the Special Forces. Had she known, back then, that her teammates were going to be a bunch of bullies, she would have thought twice before applying for the job...

I wish I was part of Ivy's squad, with Madge...

One week ago, Hailey thought it would be funny to hit her with a twisted towel while she was showering. The red marks took several days to disappear.

Katniss pushed away the bad memories. She was at the end of the alleyway. In front of her, there were a wall and a dumpster. She heard another 'meow!', closer this time.

“Hey there, where are you, little mouse catcher...?” the young agent said out loud.

She looked on the ground, but there was no sign of the pet. Katniss sighed. “Sure. I suppose even you don't want to mingle with someone like me...” She took a deep breath to not cry. She wasn't going to give Hailey and the others the satisfaction of having made her cry...

She turned back, and therefore turned her back on the dumpster.

She took three steps.

Then it happened.

Suddenly, a hand was clamped over her mouth while an arm was wrapped around her throat. At the same time, two other hands grabbed her legs, while a third pair of hands blocked her right arm, the one which she could have used to fire with her assault rifle.

Katniss was completely immobilized. Her eyes widened. How did that happen?! Sure, she was a rookie, but she was supposed to have received a good training. Yet, these people easily caught her by surprise and overpowered her. Their teamwork was flawless.

“I'd forget about using my weapon, if I were you... Or about calling for help, for that matter.” a female voice commented. “My girl would have to crush your throat if you did.”

The woman holding Katniss' throat and hand-gagging her gave a brief squeeze to empasize the point.

A woman arrived in front of the captured agent. The leader. In the light of the moon, she could see that she had brown hair and a tanned skin. Segmented bangs were framing her face.

Katniss blinked.

The woman with the brown hair was holding a phone. She pressed a button. A very realistic 'meow!' came from the device.

“Impressive what you can do with modern technology, right?”

Katniss blinked again.

“Anyway, I heard how your teammates were treating you. They don't seem to be very nice. I'll tell you what: I'll give them a little lesson on your behalf.”

Katniss blinked a third time.

“Though of course, I will have to ask you to take a nap in the meantime. Wouldn't want you to ruin the party.”

The rookie tried to say: 'Wait!', but she was still hand-gagged and therefore only a muffled 'Wmmt!' came out of her mouth.

A needle was jabbed between Katniss' shoulder and her neck. The young recruit didn't know which sleeping drug they were injecting her with, but it was efficient.

She fell asleep in record time.

Her last thought was that, at least, she wouldn't be the only victim tonight. This was almost enough to lift her spirit...

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

Given the fact that Tiffany, Yuki, and Aeris were holding her at the same time, Katniss didn't risk hurting herself by falling on the ground when her body went limp and she fell into a deep slumber. They laid her on the ground.

“Aeris, take her uniform just in case. We'll deal with the rest of them.” Lizéa said.

The light-brown-haired woman grimaced, but nodded.

Her three companions left her. They had to be quick if they wanted to dispatch all the remaining operatives of Katniss' squad. Aeris wouldn't have been of great help anyway. And they had their two dart-guns to even the odds.

“Sorry in advance about that...” Aeris muttered to the unconscious Katniss.

Wether it was to strip or to heal someone, the former nurse was precise and gentle.

In no time, the combat boots, grey camouflage uniform pants, belt, bulletproof vest, grey camouflage uniform shirt, and protective helmet were on the gound in a neat bundle. Katniss was left wearing a grey tank top with a plain grey t-shirt bra under it, grey boyshorts and black socks.

Aeris grabbed the zip-ties strapped on Katniss' discarded belt. She tied the young woman's wrists behind her back, then tied her ankles.

Aeris was carrying a roll of medical tape on herself. She wrapped several layers of tape over the young woman's mouth and lower face, careful to not entangle the hair in the process.

Since Lizéa didn't give her instructions on where to hide the trussed up young recruit, Aeris decided that she wasn't going to throw her in the dumpster. Katniss' ordeal was already bad enough... The former nurse simply dragged the sleeping woman in a corner of the alleyway, and seated her against a wall.

Then, she put on the uniform, save for the helmet – at least for now.

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

Lily was staying behind to supervise the operation, alongside with her radio operator. She was very satisfied.

She and Rue actually drew lots to know which one would lead the squad raiding Aster's shop, therefore enjoying sweet revenge, and which one would stay behind. Lily won. Rue was forced to stay behind, as a back-up.

“Status report?” she asked to Lonnie, the radio operator.

The latter was a brown-haired dark-skinned hazel-eyed woman of average size and corpulence. She was wearing a slightly different uniform from the field agents: she didn't have a protective gear, and was only wearing a dark grey camouflage uniform jacket and matching pants (perfect to hide in an urban area), with black combat boots and a grey helmet. Instead of a bulletproof vest, she was carrying a radio.

“Nothing to report.” the latter answered. “The teams are making progress without a hitch. Though Hailey is bullying Katniss again.”

“Perfect.” the leader of the team said. Wait, that came out wrong. “I meant the progress, not the bullying.” she added. “Bullying's wrong.”

Lily frowned when she suddenly heard a faint gurgling sound. It was Lonnie. And there was a problem.

While Lily had been expelled from the special combattants corp, she still remembered Emery's training. Her former instructor imposed unorthodox, but efficient exercises on her students. Among the many things they had to train for, Emery also taught her how to recognize when they were the ones being assaulted by surprise. She was... paranoid that way.

The gurgling sounds were a clear giveaway. This was either a chokehold or a sleeperhold.

Is someone seriously subduing my radio operator just behind my back? Lily thought to herself. Well, they are going to have a nasty surprise...

Lily grabbed her handgun, suddenly turned around, while raising her weapon to shoot. There indeed was a blond-haired woman subduing her radio operator.

“Surprise! You son-of-a-bit...”

However, there was also another woman, a lot closer to Lily but in her blind spot. She grabbed the wrist of the hand holding the gun and twisted it to make Lily drop her weapon. At the same time, with her other arm, she elbowed the agent in the chin. Lily's head took the hit.

“Fuck!” she groaned.

A punch in the stomach followed suit. She bent forward and fell on her knees.

“Guh...”

An arm was wrapped around her throat and her carotid arteries.

In the end, Rue was the lucky one... Lily thought during her last moment of clarity.

Then everything became black.

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

The leader of the Special Ops team went down rather easily. It was even a little disappointing.

At least, that was what Karin (who had just finished neutralizing the radio operator) was thinking.

“I heard she was supposed to be trained by Emery...” the blonde said while looking at Lily. Prisoner of the blonde's sleeper-hold, the radio operator gurgled one last time, then she moaned and went limp just like her leader did a few moments ago.

“So what?” Amara retorted while dropping on the ground the unconscious leader of the Special Ops team.

“Well... It's Emery.” Karin said, as if it was an explanation. She put the unconscious radio operator on the ground, and added with a reverential tone: “Did you know that people say that no one's ever seen her bleed or cry?”

“Oh, right! I forgot!” Amara retorted with an ironic mocking tone. “Did you also know that she counted to infinity twice, that she can win a game of blackjack with one card, and that one day she was abducted by aliens – which is the reason why we are now alone in the universe?”

“Uh...”

“Bottom line, Emery was a woman. Better-trained and more dangerous than most, but still human. And she certainly didn't turn every person she trained into a superhuman demi-god. The same could be said about these Special Ops operatives. If you attack them by surprise, like we did, they will go down as easily as the first to come. So stop wasting my time and strip your bimbo!”

“Fine. No need to be cranky!” the blonde said while unlacing the boots of the radio operator.

“I'm cranky because Reka asked me to babysit you.” Amara retorted. She was currently stripping Lily, starting with the bulletproof jacket and uniform shirt. She was not very gentle with her victim, mostly because she was angry. “After your 'marvelous' performance in the hospital (and I hope you realize I'm being ironic), Reka thought it would be best to have an experienced member of the group watch over you...”

Karin's cheeks reddened and she answered: “I got unlucky, that's all! I'll show you that I'm not a burden.” To prove her point, she started to strip the radio operator faster. And she actually managed to finish first. The brown-haired dark-skinned Lonnie was left wearing only her khaki brown bra and khaki green knickers and socks. Military-themed lingerie. How appropriate. Karin thought to herself.

Amara finished stripping Lily a few seconds later. The latter was wearing a black-and-orange striped t-shirt bra, and matching panties and socks. The things were probably meant to look like tiger stripes. Amara thought it was just silly.

“Use the zip-ties and the ball-gags Reka gave us. We can't waste time.”

No sooner said than done. Hands and legs zip-tied, mouths ball-gagged, Lily and her radio operator weren't going to go anywhere any time soon.

Amara and Karin threw Lily and her radio operator into nearby empty trash cans.

Then, they put on their new disguises: Amara slipped into Lily's squad leader gear, and Karin dressed as the radio operator.

“Call Lizéa's team, I'll call Reka's.” Amara instructed. “They can frontally attack the squads now that we control the radio. Our victims won't be able to raise the alarm in time.”

Karin nodded and smiled. She thought it was a little ironice that, in their eyes, these trained women were nothing but victims. Casual afterthoughts that simply needed to be swiped out of the way so they could deal with their real targets.

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

Ivy, the leader of the second squad sent by Lily, was a tough no-nonsense black-skinned brown-haired woman with chestnut eyes and a well-toned body. Her squad, just like Hailey's, consisted of five women (six counting her).

The operatives got into position in the streets behind Aster's shop. There actually was no light in the building. Theire targets were probably all asleep.

“Hailey's squad is behind schedule.” one of Ivy's agents said after cheking her wristwatch.

“These idiots are probably bullying Katniss again.” Ivy answered. “Their lack of professionalism sickens me.”

Sadly, to gather a functional team in less than half-a-day without alerting Hieron, Morgan or Thalès, Rue and Lily had to lower their standards. While Ivy knew the secret ins and outs of the operation, Hailey didn't. In fact, she was chosen because she was a petty not-so-bright bully who would never even guess the real goal of this mission.

“Madge. Go and check what they're doing.” Ivy ordered. “You have my permission to admonish them on my behalf.”

The woman she chose nodded and quickly deployed.

“Is this really necessary?” one of the women asked Ivy.

“One's never too cautious.” the squad leader answered. “We need to be perfectly synchronized if we want to capture them. Our team will attack from the back, Hailey's from the front.” She looked once again at the building. “I find it strange that there are no lights though. After all, it's not that late... For adults, I mean. Aster should be still working at her shop.”

“Do you suspect a trap?”

“Maybe. I...”

They waited a few seconds. The moment Hailey's squad would be in position, Lily would order them to assault the building.

Ivy's walkie talkie suddenly came to life. “The radio operator.” she said to her team. “Lily wants to tell us something. Get ready, this may be our cue to attack.”

Ivy grabbed the device.

“Yes?”

“We got you, suckers!”

That wasn't Lily's voice. Or even Lonnie's for that matter.

The five agents shared a look. It took them one second to figure out what was going on.

One second too many.

Reka, Helen, Coral, Kjelle, and Amy jumped them.

The five agents were brought down at the same time. They only managed to make a few muffled groans and grunts before being not-very-gently sent to slumberland.

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

Two soft 'Pffftttt.'

Two darts hit two operatives of Hailey's squad in the neck. The two women barely had the time to react. They were already feeling dizzy.

“I love you, dart gun...” Lizéa whispered.

At the same time, she and Yuki (who was holding the second dart-gun) quickly reloaded.

“What's up with you?” another woman of Hailey's squad asked. She was looking at her two staggering companions.

“I... Uh... This is a... a... I...” one of the dozing off woman, a short brunette, tried to say.

“What?!” Hailey exclaimed, losing patience. “Spit it out!”

Both agent crumbled on the floor. Sound asleep. They left an opening. Lizéa and Yuki shot their second darts, hitting the last two remaining operatives under Hailey's orders.

“Ow! Something stung me!” one of them, a tall auburn-haired woman, complained.

“S... Stung you?” Hailey stammered. The squad leader was starting to understand. “Show me what stung you!”

“It was...” Three pairs of eyes widened when they noticed that it was a dart.

“Sleeping darts!” Hailey exclaimed. “Jane! Call Lily!” she said to the tall auburn-haired woman.

“My head... It's spinning...” the latter said. Her voice was already sounding slurred.

“I'm getting so... dizzy...” the other woman, a blonde, commented.

Hailey grabbed her walkie talkie.

That was the moment that Tiffany was waiting. While the three women were looking at the dart, she had approached them in their back.

She assaulted the squad leader from behind, and immobilized her with a submission hold.

Hailey groaned in pain.

The other two agents fell on the ground. Sound asleep, just like their other companions.

“What the?! Who are you?” Hailey exclaimed, while also looking in disbelief at the four deeply asleep agents, who were defeated in record time.

Lizéa approached her. “We are the people who will take over from here. I mean, you girls certainly have a 'black ops-charm' going for you, but you're lacking style. Trust me, it's best that we stand in for you.”

“You're crazy!”

“No. I just like money.”

Lizéa shot a sleeping dart in Hailey's left breast. The latter tried one last time to grab her walkie talkie.

“It's no use by the way. We've already neutralized your radio operator.”

At that point, Hailey chose to just give up, and allowed the sleeping drug to overtake her.

Lizéa beamed. “And an entire Special Ops team defeated in a few minutes... We're unstoppable.” She looked at Yuki. “Text Reka to tell her that we're done here. And I don't see who could stop us now!”

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

Madge had blond hair, blue eyes, and a fair white skin. She had a tall slim body, with a soft oval-shaped face. Her shoulder-long hair were tied up into a ponytail.

Currently, she was using the small alleyways to walk around Aster's shop without being seen, and to meet up with Hailey's squad.

Madge was delighted at the prospect of chewing out Hailey and her team of bullies. The blonde was a newbie too. And while they weren't BFFs either, she and Katniss tended to stick together whenever they could. Being the two rookies made them bond. Though, contrary to her friend Katniss, Madge was lucky enough to be in a squad that didn't believe in bullying the rookie. Ivy wouldn't have allowed it. She was strict, bur fair. In fact, Madge wouldn't have been surprised to learn that her leader chose her to be the one admonishing Hailey on purpose.

The young recruit suddenly stopped when she heard a noise.

Footsteps?

They were coming from an alleyway nearby.

Madge entered the alleyway, using her flashlight to try to see what – or who – made that noise.

There was a figure in a corner, seated against a wall. She wasn't moving.

“Identify yourself!” Madge said while raising her assault rifle.

No reply.

The blond-haired woman carefully approached the motionless figure.

She was a young woman. She was bound and gagged, and looked sound asleep.

Madge's eyes widened.

The young woman was Katniss!

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

Reka and her henchwomen were stripping Ivy and her squad. Helen was currently unlacing the boots of a blond-haired operative, while Coral was unzipping the bulletproof jacket of a brown-haired agent, Kjelle was taking off the uniform of a black-haired woman and Amy was pulling on Ivy's pants. Reka was unbuckling the belt of a chestnut-haired tall muscular woman.

“One is missing.” Reka suddenly realized.

At the same time, a voice was heard in Ivy's walkie talkie. The tall black-haired woman took it.

“Ivy. This is Madge. I saw a figure seated against a wall. I think this is Katniss, and it looks like she was captured by someone. Most likely a uniform-stealer given the fact that she's in her underwear.”

Amy grabbed the device before Reka could answer.

“Go look, but be careful.” she said, using a decent imitation of Ivy's voice. “We call Lily, for now, your orders are to release her and keep your position. We'll arrive as soon as we can.”

“Roger!”

Amy smiled, very proud of herself. “I'll go grab her!” she said.

Reka grabbed her by the collar.

“Not a chance! Kjelle, you go. Be quick.”

The tall muscular woman nodded and left. Helen and Coral continued stripping their respective designated victim.

“Why not me?” Amy complained. “I just saved your skin!”

“Because we both know that you will slip away the second I let you out of my sight.” Reka retorted.

Amy looked daggers at her and adjusted her wig. This was her favorite, the one with the dark blond hair.

Reka contemplated shanking her right here and right now. Helen and Coral wouldn't try to stop her.

Amy probably sensed the danger. Her expression of defiance became one of submission. “I wouldn't dare!” she said, her voice now more high-pitched because of the fear. “I mean, we're between haters of Aster, Klenia, Mikani and their clique, right?! We are made to get along well!”

Reka ultimately decided against her first instinct. She didn't want to be that kind of boss. For now, she was going to give Amy the benefit of the doubt.

And Amy could still be useful, if only as a human shield. Reka wasn't going to waste her talent.

“Of course." she said with a savage smile. "And I will remind you that there is a lot of money for you at stake if you don't do something stupid like betray us.”

“And here we go again! You betray one bitch one time, and now everyone assume that you will betray them at the first occasion!” Amy complained. "But I betrayed Jewel because she was a bitch, not because I..."

“Shut up and disguise yourself.” Reka interrupted her. "Your bimbo is not going to strip alone."

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

Lizéa gazed at the five sound asleep agents of the Special Forces.

“Take their uniforms.” she said to Tiffany and Yuki.

“All of them?”

“Well, I said to Katniss that I would give these bullies a little lesson, didn't I?”

“Yes.”

“Then you have your instructions. Get them out of these uniforms, truss them up, then find a few nice garbage cans to stash them.”

All smiles, Yuki grabbed the short brunette of Hailey's squad, while Tiffany began stripping the tall one with auburn hair. Lizéa looked at a unconscious blonde. "Now, let's begin, shall we?"

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

Madge approached Katniss.

“Don't worry Kat', I'm going to release you!”

The blonde kneeled next to her friend. Zip-ties. She was going to need her knife.

Suddenly, she heard a voice whisper behind her.

“I'm sorry.”

A hand was clamped over her mouth and something stingy was jabbed between her shoulder and her neck. Madge's eyes widened. She panicked when she realized that a liquid was spreading through her arteries and her veins. No! Not like that!

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

The Special Forces operative completely panicked when she realized that she had been injected with an unknown liquid. Her fear prevented her from thinking straight and from remembering her training. Even a woman with no real combat experience such as Aeris could immobilize her the time needed for the drug to take effect, though she had the luck of having to face an opponent who was on her knees.

After the agent lost consciousness, the light-brown-haired woman gently put her on the ground near her friend, who was still blissfully unaware of her surroundings.

The former nurse's first concern was to make sure that Madge wasn't seriously harmed.

Syringes were actually a dangerous weapon to use on a conscious target. If she didn't hit the right spot in the right angle, she could risk causing internal bleedings. And while Lizéa and Aeris had beforehand calculated a dose suitable for most women to put in their syringes, there was still the risk of an overdose. Sleeping drugs were actually lethal in too high doses.

Aeris checked her victim's health condition. Madge's pulse was steady. She was sound asleep, and wouldn't wake up before a few hours, but she was otherwise unhurt.

The former nurse sighed in relief. Then she jumped in surprise when she heard a voice behind her.

“Well, well, well... Apparently, you didn't need my help... This scrawny girl probably wasn't very strong.”

Kjelle had arrived.

“I injected her with a sleeping drug.” Aeris explained.

Kjelle smiled. “Good. I'll take her clothes then.”

Aeris frowned. “Why would you want to do it? She's not your size.”

“To show her who's the strongest, of course.” Kjelle retorted.

She grabbed Madge's bulletproof vest and unzipped it. Deeply asleep, the blonde couldn't do anything – not even protest against her predicament –. Kjelle then unlaced the shoes and unbuckled the pants. She was smiling.

“A person who truly values strength wouldn't take pleasure in humiliating someone who can't defend herself.” Aeris commented.

“You said something, punk?” Kjelle barked at her. “Maybe you should remember who's bigger and stronger here!”

Aeris remained calm. “And maybe you should remember who's going to patch you up if things get ugly.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lizéa told you, didn't she? They have a child with them now.”

“So?”

“So, have you already tried to go between a mother and her cub?”

Kjelle didn't add anything. She had gotten the picture. She continued stripping Madge in silence.

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

Hailey was the last of her squad to be stripped. The green-eyed short-haired redhead was left wearing only her bright crimson demi-bra and a red thong. She was bound with her own zip-ties, and gagged and blindfolded with tape, just like the four other women of her squad were. (Four other women who were currently stashed in four different garbage cans - and not all were empty when they were thrown inside.)

Lizéa finished lacing her newly-aquired black combat boots. She liked the combat gear. It gave her a tough girl look. And it was looking even better on Tiffany...

“Tiffany, please.” Lizéa said while pointing at the woman lying on the ground.

Her busty athletic companion lifted the unconscious bound-and-gagged underwear-clad squad leader, carried her to a nearby trash can, and dropped her inside.

"She'll need to take a good shower. I don't know what was thrown in this garbage can, but it stinks..." Tiffany closed the lid of the trash can, although leaving it slightly open to allow some air to enter. “There she goes... Exactly where she belongs.”

Lizéa gave her a quick peck on the lips. “I love it when you say one-liners...”

Tiffany grabbed her neck and kissed her longer. “Hopefully not as much as when I say dirty words...” she then whispered.

“Not in front of the kid!” Lizéa said.

“Hey! That's supposed to be my line...” the busty woman answered with a sly smile.

“What can I say? I'm a thief.”

“I'm not a kid!” Yuki intervened. She was pouting.

“Of course not.” Lizéa said with a smile. “I'll tell you what, why don't you call Reka to say that we're in position.”

Yuki beamed. “Yes, sir!”

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

Madge was wearing a light blue tank top, a grey sports bra, matching boyshorts with black edges, and white socks.

Proud of herself, confident that she just reaffirmed her strength, Kjelle smiled. She threw Madge's discarded uniform into the nearby dumpster. “Here, take care of the two babies, I'll return to Reka.”

The tall muscular woman left without waiting for a reply.

“Wasteful...” Aeris commented to herself.

She sighed.

Then she zip-tied Madge's limbs, and gagged her with the remaining medical tape she had.

Finally, Aeris dragged Madge and seated her against Katniss. At least, they would be together when they wake up...

Just one more day, and I'll finally have enough money. Just one more day. And I'll have enough money for her... Reflexively, the former nurse touched the pocket in which she had put the picture.

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

Ivy and her four agents were all wearing the same underwear: grey sports bras and matching boyshorts. These undergarments were used because they made movements easier. Reka wouldn't have been surprised to learn that there was a dress rule in this squad. The five women were similarly bound: their wrists and ankles were tied with zip-ties, and a third zip-tie was used to hog-tie them. Black ball-gags were used to silence them. Reka chose to favour restraints that could be applied quickly.

She, Coral, Helen, and Amy dragged Ivy and her agents in a corner of an empty alleyway to hide them.

The four women were already fully disguised in the combat gears. They had also stolen their victims' tank tops and were wearing them underneath.

Kjelle returned just as they were finished.

“The last one's been dealt with.” she proudly said.

“Good. Now, disguise yourself. It's time for us to settle things once and for all.”

Reka looked at Aster's flower shop and its dark windows.

"I'm coming." she muttered with a vicious smile.
Last edited by rufusluciusivan on Wed Aug 19, 2020 6:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
tirepanted3
Posts: 1934
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Re: Final Gambits

Post by tirepanted3 »

Great use of building tension here. It helps that the entire chapter is devoted to the Special Ops team and their unfortunate encounter with Reka and her crew, without any breaks or interruptions. Really gives the sense of how immediate the action is.

It was obvious going in that this encounter would end with Reka and her Dirty Dozen (I know it's not exactly a dozen women, but I like that name) donning the uniforms of the Special Ops women, but it's exciting to watch it play out, as the various operatives are picked off, either individually or as teams. Reminded me a little of the bounty huntresses from Rescue Operation, albeit on a grander scale.

Again, I love how you take the time to give nuance to even minor characters like Katniss (not quite as skilled as the Hunger Games version! :D ) and build interactions between the teammates. It''s great that we can learn to care about these women during the brief period we get to know them before their inevitable binding and gagging. These "casual afterthoughts" (as Karin calls them) are interesting precisely because of how little we expected to think of them in the first place.

I even found myself hoping Madge might get lucky and escape, but of course Reka and her team are too careful to allow that. Speaking of which, nice moment with Kjelle stripping Madge to reaffirm her strength. Given how unlucky Kjelle has been in the past, it's nice to see her regaining her confidence (even if it means a waste of a stolen uniform ;) ).

One small complaint: I notice that Hailey/Hayley's name is spelled differently throughout the story. At first it seemed like a typo, but it goes back and forth between the two spellings. Just something to note, and it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the chapter at all. :)
esercito sconfitto
Posts: 7096
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2016 12:06 pm

Re: Final Gambits

Post by esercito sconfitto »

mr rufusluciusivan, I deeply appreciated the attitude shown by Kjielle! please give her more space in next part of the tale, and many more uniformed blonde rookies like Madge, maybe already incapacitated ! :lol:
rufusluciusivan
Posts: 1225
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2017 5:08 pm

Re: Final Gambits

Post by rufusluciusivan »

Yes, this part was meant to build tension. The climax of the story has begun. The question now is, how will Aster and her friends react? Have they already set into motion a plan of their own?

After the Hateful Eight, the Dirty Dozen. I like that name.

Katniss and Madge were indeed based on the descriptions of the two characters from the Hunger Games books that shared their name. I like to imagine that they are their counterparts from an alternate universe. Though this Katniss does indeed seem to be way less skilled than her counterpart. As always, I liked giving some of these minor characters their own personality, especially if their main purpose it to be mugged for diguise. It allows to build up the inevitable USB scene and to make them stand out.

Kjelle is very lucky to be in a USB story, because the point of her scene with Madge was to illustrate how petty she is at heart. ;) As Aeris points out, for someone who prides herself with her strength and with being a fighter, there is absolutely no accomplishment in stripping someone who's already down. Instead of her strength, she mostly reaffirmed her pettiness. Though of course, she's also giving us another scene with a blond young woman (which was the point), so I'm not complaining. ;)

Thank tirerpanted for pointing out the Hailey/Hayley problem. I'll take the time to fix the mistake. Such are the problems when you don't write the paragraphs in chronological order... :lol:
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