As soon as I saw this appear, I immediately dropped everything I was doing and sat down to read this, because come on, we both knew I would.
What a great opening. You absolutely nailed Jetset's persona here. Now Jetset is of course the most dedicated and the most loyal member of the Phantoms. She'll follow the prophets orders to the letter or she'll damn well die trying. Her reactions to Sarah were fantastic, I mean after all, the phantoms themselves are descended from infiltrator hunters back in the days of the Amazons, so the fact that Sarah has just turned down such an exclusive and honourable offer from the Prophet herself, would really, really annoy Jetset and judging by her reaction, it did just that. Brilliant work!
Brilliant scene afterwards as well. This truly is a turning point for Cassie and I'm looking forward to see just what they have in mind, this is going to be great.
I must admit, even I'm wondering what Mag is going to do, you've got me excited for how this will all play out, I can't wait. Well I really enjoyed the little comment their by Stasis, she's still looking out for her tall sister and that's sweet, plus Marie is right, with her being the medic, it's best to listen to her advice. Plenty of rest and affection from her sisters is exactly what BB needs.
Got to love Tinker. My little tech head is always knuckling down by her computer and cracking on with things, I think that's why I enjoy seeing all of Tinker's moments, she's a fun character to write and I guess that's why I write her so much in my chapters. Amazing work. Also great job as well about explaining the rest of the everyday activities like Libido and Angel doing the everyday flat stuff. They still need to eat and sleep, shop, they are normal after all.
Loved the takedown of Camila, very nice! Fine, I'll say it again shall I? When that van's a rocking, don't come a knocking haha! Honestly though, brilliant takedown.
So Tina is first up for a disguise in this chapter is she. Okay let's do this, also I'm guessing it was Mag who beat up Camila, this is understandable considering the mood Mag's in and I guess she needed to vent out a few frustrations haha.
Aaahh the foolish mistake of all soon to be USB victims, never reveal what outfit your wearing, it just makes things easier for the infiltrator haha. Honestly though what another fantastic scene to follow, I really liked the idea of Mag using her rope launchers to actually pin / tie Luz to the chair to allow Tina to quickly come in and chloroform her. Brilliant tactic, well played and well thought from your good self.
Plus I also really liked the fact that both Tina and Mag managed to quickly reassure Luz that she was going to be okay, before she took a well deserved nap. Nicely done is getting the sisters personalities on point. A great scene all in all.
Nice Ebony 2.0 and Ivory 2.0 on the scene and Tinker's spider bots are officially back in action. Nice use of her gadgets as well to properly inspect the flat to check and as you said, rightfully so too as that place was armed to the teeth with traps, although naturally Willow is watching everything, this Willow woman intrigues me and I'm curious to see more of her and at the same time, quite fearful.......COOL!
Now there is A LOT going on in this next scene. So what we know is that this Mary Clide is an infiltrator who just flat out kills her victims for her clothes, we also know that the white masks are building an arsenal for themselves, flying drones with auto turrets, this will certainly be interesting. It seems that they are specifically targeting Knipperen and they've deduced that the best way to get to her would be through Blink. Seeing as how Knipperen is a lot harder to track down than her sister.........What a fantastic and a well written scene. PLUS it's been such a long time since we've seen Knipperen appear, I wonder if people remember that Knipperen is of course....Blink's SISTER!........This is going to be great.
WOW! Hot damn, that was an AMAZING scene afterwards. I see that these thugs weren't members of the white masks but they seemed to know about Blink, which means that they were clearly hired goons. Things just got interesting here as I'm very keen to see why this is.
Foremost as well, I absolutely loved Blink's reactions to everything, for her awareness as a professional infiltrator, all the way down to her love for her daughter Shannon and as that idiotic thug found out the hard way. No one insults her daughter otherwise they'll quickly find out it's a good way to get a kick on the stomach haha. Seriously, you did a tremendous job capturing Blink's character in this scene, it was great!
Once again, there's quite a lot to take in with this scene as it really explains a lot. The most important part here is Knipperen's personality. Knipperen herself is smug, she's arrogant, she truly believes that the only way to enjoy life is to be an infiltrator. She is confused with why Blink chooses to play the heroine every once in a while and she'll never fully understand why Blink wanted to get married and have a child (Shannon), but Blink is her sister and even an arrogant, egotistical person like Knipperen isn't that horrible to let her own sister die. So Knipperen would naturally device a way to go and rescue her, Knipperen is of course an incredibly crafty individual, but then you already know this.
Secondly as well, this scene did a great job in highlighting the sisters love for each other, from Tina hugging them (as she does) to Tinker wanting to personally come along so she can protect her sisters from any potential bomb threats, it's sweet and it's nice, plus they know that Blink's and Knipperen's goals in life are very different, so YES, Blink is definitely their friend and they trust her, they are however somewhat reluctant when it comes to Knipperen, purely because Knipperen hasn't given up her life of crime and I doubt she ever will. Great job emphasizing this here. Honestly well done!
HAHA! WOW! What a scene that follows, I see that the white masks are using criminals as false henchwomen, giving them some made up plan about Blink being sold off, just for them all to meet a grisly end, once the clock strikes midnight, they truly are great antagonists.
This has been a very interesting discussion between them. Blink's explanation about why she had to do the things she did and of course the white masks rebuffs of all of Blink's statements. This was an awesome scene and it was very interesting to hear just what these two parties would say to one another, now that they've finally shared a scene together.
Hey, there's two motorcycle cops I know all too well, haha! What a great scene with these two being knocked out, I liked the whole "drunk" talk they started to do as the serum took hold of their bodies, nicely done! Also brilliant work as well in bringing in these two from the courthouse chapter. Your attention to lore and previous characters never ceases to make me blush!
I loved the little quips there as well between the sisters, while yes Marie is older than Soph, let us not forget that Soph was raised since birth to be an infiltrator, whilst Marie was a soldier first before she found her true calling to be an infiltrator, so I'm sorry Marie, but this hazing may always have to be the case haha! Also, I found it funny as well that this is the second time Marie has actually disguised herself with the same motorcycle woman's uniform now. Nicely done.
Loved the group takedown of using Tinker's swarm to takedown a whole bus load of factory women. This tactic has been used a few times in the past and I think we can all agree that it's one of the better ways to neutralize a whole group women, quickly and effectively. Nicely done and a great use of the sisters tactics as a whole. Oh and before I forget, yes I did like Coraline's blue tipped hair, very nice.
So it seems maybe Knipperen is deliberately mugging a woman for uniform as a distraction to get the white masks attention. Craft one isn't she. Great scene overall as well, it's really showing the white masks personalities here and individualities too. I like their interactions and I want to see more of them.
Here comes the pain train indeed! What an awesome fight scene. It always pleases me when Soph is used in a good old one army type of fight scene. She knows what she's doing, she loves beating down criminals and bullies and she looks damn bad arse whilst doing! Seriously, many thanks for including such a wonderful scene, from the fighting music blaring from the I-phone, to Soph's awesome one woman assault on these low ranking thugs. Everything just screamed perfection and this is exactly how Soph is. Absolutely outstanding and a massive, massive well done to you on creating such a well thought and damn awesome scene.
Haha! Okay first of all, I loved Soph's little jab at the underwear clad thugs getting tossed into the dumpster to hide their bodies, that is exactly what she'd do. I really enjoyed the fact that apparently the other sister's aren't exactly thrilled about having to disguise themselves in leather jumpsuits either, well except for Libido. Speaking of which, this should come to NO surprise that Libido finds wearing a skin tight leather jumpsuit sexy as hell and that is classic Libido, naturally theirs a whole dumpster filled with women only wearing leather underwear, so naturally of course Libido would want to immediately look at them and conveniently desire to have a set of those leather underwear, all an excuse for her to strip a woman butt naked. Well done, you absolutely nailed all sister's personalities in this scene and of course, you really nailed Libido in this scene perfectly too.
Quite a funny scene afterwards as well with Kim and Charlene, I found their dialogue to be quite funny and it made me laugh I will admit, nice one. Great use as well of hiding them, cramped together in a storage locker is always a sexy trick to hide to sentries on one location. And yes, it seems that Tina can never escape the leather clad disguise, she absolutely despises with a passion haha.
Amazing rescue of Blink, her fear was natural and fully well written, indeed this is the second time the sisters as a whole have rescued Blink, three times if you consider the lone rescue when Libido broke her out of jail when they first encountered Evans. But none the less, I know that Blink was referring to Tina rescuing her a second time. So please don't worry as I know what you did there.
Well your right, this is TWO, Blink owe's them now. I know the sisters won't care as all they want to do is help their friend, but Blink likes to repay people in full and something tells me, Blink will get her chance, VERY soon!
Some really good light hearted jokes and banter between the sisters, just before the white masks launch their attack, I'm looking forward to seeing how all of this pans out, okay let's read on.
Okay so Louette is really starting to give off some crazy vibes, right now.
Holy hell, well, well, someone certainly remembers their lore of this universe. You actually remember Theron and you remember how her family were murdered when Angel was known as "Demon". Damn that chapter feels like it came out an eternity ago. Honestly, amazing work with this little scene here. Your attention to detail and your memory of the sisters world, history and lore is remarkably outstanding. Honestly, it's a delight to see, thank you.
Jesus Christ, what a tense scene that was. I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen, I certainly will give it to you, you certainly know how to craft one hell of a tense scene, blooming nora! Although, I see you remembered Mag's rubber bullet guns AND I see you remembered the ex-magician background coming from Blink and Knipperen and using some smoke bombs for a grand escape. All in all, what a fantastic scene! You keep remembering gadgets that haven't been used in my chapters since the early days, it's astonishing and dare I say "heartwarming" when I see someone who really is invested in the sisters world as a whole.
Hhhmm, I have this strange feeling that Cassie may end up being responsible for the white masks downfall, damn I want to know more, must read on!
I was wondering where Knipperen was in all of this, glad to see her getting in on some USB fun as well, and yes, that is exactly how Knipperen would react, see unlike the nine sisters and Blink. Knipperen herself just views security guards and sentries as a means to an end. All they are to her are simply uniform donors, she firmly believes that infiltrators are at the top of the food chain and every uniformed profession are just their so an infiltrator can come along and mug her for her uniform, she has an interesting view of things compared to Blink and this is something that really needs to be explored further in the future. Also, yes Knipperen isn't entirely heartless as I said earlier, she'd always go back and rescue her sister, plus, it is as she said, Blink owes her one now too. This could lead to an interesting couple of scenes somewhere down the line.
Aaaahhhh you cheeky devil. That was such a beautiful and a sweet scene with the sisters here at the end. It's during times like these that the sisters truly do pull together and lean on each other for strength and support. It seems that the sisters bond and love for each other will only ever grow stronger and stronger. It's a truly wonderful scene. For once it is interesting to see Mag be the calmer voice in it all, but this is no surprise. Tina just wants to protect Angel, hell Tina just wants to protect ALL of her sisters, so I fully understand why Tina was very emotional. Plus come on, in ended in one long, but very well needed group hug. Typical sister behavior, the sisters never need much of an excuse to hug each other that's for sure.
This has some truly, TRULY powerful scenes this chapter, plus couple it with some amazing USB scenes and a sprinkle of humor and this was just a fantastic new addition to this amazing chapter! As I say, your attention to detail from everything. To the sisters history, the sisters lore, their gadgets both old and new, their individual personalities and literally EVERYTHING else in between is absolute perfection. I mean just look, you nailed all their characteristics yet again, you used them all wonderfully and made every scene they were in meaningful and impactful.
I can't get over just how good this is! You truly do all my characters justice and your ability to properly dive into their world plant so many Easter eggs and references that only people who have been following this series since the beginning would understand is truly astonishing. From the bottom of my heart, I simply can not thank you enough for all the hard work and effort your putting into this. Seriously, I really do hope you are proud of what you've accomplished here, because I'm absolutely loving it and I think your doing a tremendous job, I really do!
P.S So it seems once again, the "companies" is rearing it's ugly head.......Looks like the time will have to come soon of where this company needs to be fully addressed and have action taken against it. I'm sure Angel will be the one leading the inevitable charge when her and her sisters go up against them.
Great chapter. I've mentioned it before, but you're doing a solid job of highlighting the familial bonds between Tina and her sisters. You seem to know these characters almost as well as Trackman does.
Also a great job at making the women of the support group feel well-drawn and sympathetic. We fully understand where they're coming from, even if they're pitted against the heroes. I love a little moral ambiguity in these stories, and you definitely deliver on that front.
The uniform thefts were entertaining as ever. The mugging of Camila was simple but effective, combing the "pulled into the shadows" trope with the "rocking van." A double classic. (Incidentally, Tina's line "For our family" had me thinking of the Fast and Furious movies. )
The return of Knipperen - a long-range bit of continuity there - was very welcome; I had almost forgotten about her. Impressive that you're able to maintain so much of the continuity, especially considering that these aren't your own characters. Very well done.
The return of Chrissie and Ramirez was also quite entertaining, if a little immature ("Our butts," indeed. ) And it set up a great scene with the mugging of the factory workers. A lot of USB scenes in this chapter, and it can sometimes be hard to justify all of them, but you did a good job making them all feel logical and earned. (Though perhaps the victims would disagree. )
Speaking of victims, poor Kim and Charlene - when will security guards learn to stop bickering with each other and focus on their work? And a fun comment from Tina about her distaste for leather clothes.
My favorite part of the chapter was the use of the night watchwoman. We're cleverly set up to think there's a fake "mugging" as a distraction, but the chapter ends with her getting mugged by Knipperen. I admit I didn't see it coming, and it was a clever way of subverting expectations. And a nice nod to Blink's old magician days by having Knipperen gag her with a magician's scarf. A great scene all around - although Knipperen certainly comes off as a bit mean to the poor woman.
A very entertaining chapter, and the ending promises more to come... Can't wait!
Trackman: Well, your advices were very useful to help me write your characters. Whether it is Jetset or Knipperen or others.
Tinker is a great character both because of her personality and because, from a narrative point of view, she allows to unblock a lot of situations.
I'm sure Mag didn't go too hard on Camila. She was just a means to an end. I always envision the van rocking and/or offscreen punches scenes as anime scenes: the sound effects are exaggerated for comical purpose, but things are not supposed to be as brutal as they look like. Even though they are basically filler scenes, Camila's and Luz's parts were actually the uniform stealing-related scenes I liked writing the most. Featuring a lighter straight-forward side-story (between drama-heavy story parts) felt like a breath of fresh air!
Of course I would feature a scene showing the bots after they're rebuilt. Wouldn't want to mess with the status quo. It was important in my opinion to show that the sisters learned from their mistakes, hence some details such as Tinker inspecting everything with her bots before letting her sisters enter... And showing that Willow can still take them by surprise showcases the threat of the antagonists. It's a game of 'You have outsmarted me, but I have outsmarted your outsmarting.'
Louette's part with Mary Clide's victim was a short scene, but a very important one: First, it builds up things for the upcoming climax. (Cause I don't think it's a spoiler to say that these armed drones won't just disappear from the story. ) Second, it highlights the moral ambiguity of the story, as it shows that the White Masks HAVE a strong point when they blame infiltrators for hurting other people. Third, it showcases their level of threat by showing that they're always scheming - always targeting several infiltrators at the same time, and selecting the one that would be the easiest to kill at the moment. And finally... Mary may or may not appear in person, but even if she doesn't, it means that you've just received a gift. A ready-to-use character! )
Knipperen was an interesting character to feature. Writing this kind of 'mean' character is a delight! She is a good ally of circumstances this time, but at the same time she has a role in the themes of the story. Just like Mary Clide or Helen Jacomy, she's a living embodiment of the fact that the White Masks' crusade has a legitimacy, and that if they were able to be more nuanced and less brutal in their approach, they'd be heroines.
In the first draft, Blink's role in the story was very functional: she was there to be rescued. I was feeling bad about using Blink as a mere 'damsel in distress', basically as a mere plot device, so I really wanted to do a little more justice to her character by adding a few details. For instance, the scene of her beating up half of the thugs after they insult her daughter was a late addition.
I'm trying to highlight as many times as I can the love between the sisters. Perhaps too much sometimes? They sure hug each other a lot when I write them!
Give Caesar what is Caesar's, the idea of the White Masks hiring criminals to watch Blink with the intent purpose of having them all killed came to life thanks to your advices. I think it also illustrates perfectly that they are 'evil counterparts' of the Night Angels: people who have misinterpreted what the Night Angels want to stand for. They fight crime, but use the wrong methods.
Indeed, the main interest with the White Masks is to have them debate with 'kinder' infiltrators. Both sides are supposed to have some valid points, and it explores themes that I'm really into ever since Posy's and Shirley's subplot in Vigilantes. Their interactions with Blink are only the prelude. Next there will be the sisters...
Chrissie and Ramirez made quite the impact on me, so I was glad to bring them around for a 'second round'. Not sure they'll appreciate, but one of the perks of these side-stories is to make references to previous stories. Continuity for the win!
Featuring playful quips is a little tricky in this story, because due to some of the drama-heavy stuff taking place, they would feel out of place if made at the wrong time. (This quip should have happened at a later point, but I realized that it would be at a part of the story where the sisters would NOT be in the mood for playful banters. Even here, I thought it was borderline - hence why I explained that it's a way to ease the tension.) Plus, some more continuity by reminding Marie's and Soph's more peculiar status.
Writing the 'rescuing Blink' subplot was tricky, as I had a hard time finding excuses to justify why they'd still uniforms, but I was glad to be able to come up with this little 'mind game' used to trick the White Masks. Yes indeed, Knipperen is helping the sisters without telling them.
Did I mention that the more I write your characters, the more I adore Soph? For extra point, the leader of the thug who gets punched in the face is the same one who insulted Shannon. (I was drawing a huge inspiration from your own fight scenes when I wrote mine... It was more of a way to pay homage to that awesome fight scene in Chapter 36.) And having a criminal thrown into a dumpster alongside with the thrash, 'where they belong', is always a good moment!
Actually, it's becoming difficult for me to give spotlight to all the sisters in this specific story. Angel, Soph, Mag, Tinker, and Tina clearly are on the forefront. Marie is often associated with Soph, and the bombing at the park allows to feature Stasis and BB, but Libido is actually the one that I have the most trouble featuring in. The discussion about the leather uniforms was the saving grace that allowed me to give her a little moment of glory.
Because I found them very funny to write the first time, I wanted one little call-back to the earlier scenes of the in-fightings and bickering of this particularly inept gang (and one call-back to Tina's hatred of their leather outfits). Hence Charlene and Kim. Hence the leather outfit.
Blink's rescue may be a way to build up potential moments in your upcoming arcs? A way to kill two birds with one stone?
A little old mood whiplash when the White Masks attack. It was important for me to feature at least one direct confrontation between the sisters and them before the climax of the story.
More seething with anger than crazy as far as Louette is concerned. She has just failed to prevent the murder of a woman, and she wants someone to pay. Unfortunately, she's lashing out on the wrong people...
I'm bringing up quite the old lore elements indeed . But this side-story features Angel being haunted by her personal demons, so it was logical to bring up her past life as a killer. Referencing Theron in particular was a bonus. Plus, it's actually a great way to justify why the White Masks would antagonize the sisters so much and would consider them just as despicable as Mary Clide. They don't know the full story.
Knipperen was a good ally of circumstances for the sisters, but I wanted to highlight the fact that - as you said to me - she's not a good person, even though she still have positive qualities. Plus, a bit like Mary Clide, she emphasizes the moral ambiguity of the story as she showcases that the White Masks have a point.
I have a hard time finding words to say how much I adore writing the emotional moments between the sisters - especially as far as Angel is concerned. My only hope is that I don't OVERDO it. I have to restrain myself to not feature even more of them and make them even longer! Exploring Angel's quest for redemption is so cool...
I once again thank you for all your compliments.
Tirepanted:
You seem to know these characters almost as well as Trackman does.
Now, due to the nature of the exercise that is writing someone else's characters, this is a huge compliment that I appreciate a lot!
I absolutely adore showcasing the bond between the sisters - in fact, my main concern is that I may be taking too much time for that, and not enough for the uniform stealing-related adventures!
Personally, the first half was the part of this update I liked writing the most (outside of the emotional scenes at the end). Just a lighter very straight-forward side-adventure with a few uniform stealings. Almost a call-back to early straight-forward stories.
The White Masks are compelling antagonists - I enjoy writing them. In many regards, I think they are Sarah done better. Plus they allow me to explore themes that I enjoyed exploring ever since Vigilantes: the moral boundaries of uniform stealings. Basically, they are a living proof of how bad the practice can be and how the callous actions of some uniform stealers can negatively affect the world around them, in that case by hurting people and giving birth to bitter hate-filled persons who will then retaliate indiscriminately.
Writing the White Masks is tricky because I want them to be sympathetic and three-dimensional, but at the same time while high-lighting that they are dangerous people and their methods are wrong - they are still supposed to be villainesses. While it's easy to give them UNsympathetic moments (I just need to show how ruthless they can be and how simplistic their mindset is), writing moments to make them look more sympathetic is actually harder. Of course, there is the camaraderie between them. However, I needed more, I needed to explore how infiltrators can hurt other people; and for that I wanted a 'show don't tell approach'. I mean, the characters can narrate with details their backstory and the traumatism of their mugging - but I found it more efficient to directly highlight the fact that infiltrators hurt people with the scene where Louette comes across the corpse of one of their victims.
The part with Knipperen you mentioned at the end of your comment serves a similar purpose: I wanted to do justice to trackman's instructions. (Outside of some affection for her sister, Knipperen is not a nice person at all.) But this was also a way to highlight the moral ambiguity of the story and to make the White Masks more sympathetic: Knipperen is supposed to come off as mean to the watchwoman - she's one of "those" type of infiltrators that only sees her victims as prey so she can take them out and steal their uniforms and nothing more. Her treatment of her victim is meant to be unfair, and it's supposed to leave a sour taste that she got away so easily. Once more, it showcases that while their methods are wrong, the White Masks have a point.
The subplot featuring Blink was the hardest part to come up with - more precisely it was hard to find ways to throw uniform stealings into the mix. I'm quite satisfied with the result - especially since it allowed me to make return Chrissie and Ramirez. Kim and Charlene are indeed not very bright, but honestly their gang is so dysfunctional that it's a miracle it lasted long enough to be featured during two side-adventures. Plus, two mass uniform stealings. It's been a long time!
Well, your advices were very useful to help me write your characters. Whether it is Jetset or Knipperen or others.
You know me, I'm always happy to help anyone whenever I can, all you have to do is ask.
Oh yeah, I for one like the whole beating up off screen whilst the van rocks back and forth scenario, if I'm being honest here, I find it kind of sexy......I have no idea why, I just do. Sometimes it's what you can't see that makes it better.
Well as you know, this story IS canon, just like the other one's you've wrote, so Ebony and Ivory 2.0 is an official thing and if I do say so myself, they look better than ever.
Mary Clide is indeed a somewhat interesting character and even though as you said, she may or may not even appear I have a feeling that given the choice, Mary would rather go up against the white masks than the Phantoms, because as we've seen in previous instalments. The Phantoms are unrelenting and down right sadistic when they smell an infiltrator......They act like a pack of wolves, non stop pursuit and unforgiven attack methods, for examples.......When we were first introduced to Kheshig (the Mongolian Phantom) she stabbed a Russian infiltrator then just casually sat there and watched her slowly bleed to death and the others aren't exactly merciful either as when we saw this Russian infiltrator fleeing, the other Phantoms literally chased her down like a pack of blood hounds in pursuit of a fox. They ran through forests, smacked their way through a hall of crowded people and leaped over any car that got in their way. When they smell an infiltrator nearby, they turn into something else entirely............Hhhmm, I wonder who will get to Mary Clide first.
I'm trying to highlight as many times as I can the love between the sisters. Perhaps too much sometimes? They sure hug each other a lot when I write them!
NO, no, no, no! The sister's LOVE hugging each other, as you've seen in some of my previous chapters, the sisters constantly show each other love and affection, so they know that they'll always be loved, wanted and cared for. Trust me, you can NEVER have too much of the sister's hugging each other. It's kind of their thing isn't it, so let them cuddle and hug each other as many times as you like, because it's exactly the same thing I do when I write them.
Chrissie and Ramirez were indeed a lovely continuity point and I even remember you saying that you enjoyed their scene when they first appeared, plus as you so rightfully said before, motorcycle cops seem to be somewhat of a rarity when it comes to USB scenes, so it's nice to include them.
id I mention that the more I write your characters, the more I adore Soph? For extra point, the leader of the thug who gets punched in the face is the same one who insulted Shannon. (I was drawing a huge inspiration from your own fight scenes when I wrote mine... It was more of a way to pay homage to that awesome fight scene in Chapter 36.)
Well then, without spoiling too much or revealing anything. Let me just say that the next chapter I'm working on will indeed feature another fight scene between Soph and some sentries, as a matter of fact, these certain sentries you actually might be a bit familiar with.
Actually, it's becoming difficult for me to give spotlight to all the sisters
Please don't worry, your doing an amazing job. Yes, as I say before and this is something that even I myself can struggle with. Writing all nine of the sisters onto an entire chapter can prove to be quite the challenge at times, I imagine some might even think it's easy, but when you sit down and actually realize that all nine of the sister each have their own identity, their own personality, their own individuality and their own methods for takedowns and even how they tie up their victims, it can seem a little tricky. But as I say, please don't worry as your doing an amazing job, you really are!
Blink's rescue may be a way to build up potential moments in your upcoming arcs?
Oh it will, you see when the next BIG arc comes, we're going to see Blink teaming up with her sister Knipperen on a couple of occasions and it will be during these occasions that we will really see just how different Blink and Knipperen are. These are moments and scenes that I am all too excited to show you!
I have a hard time finding words to say how much I adore writing the emotional moments between the sisters - especially as far as Angel is concerned. My only hope is that I don't OVERDO it. I have to restrain myself to not feature even more of them and make them even longer! Exploring Angel's quest for redemption is so cool...
You can NEVER overdo it! The sisters emotional scenes together are the parts that really hammer the point home that the sisters will always love and care for each other, no matter how bad things get. So take those restraints off and allow yourself the freedom, because if you want to make these emotional scenes longer, then by god man, just go for it! Because as I say, the emotional scenes between the sisters at their flat together are some of the truly touching and sweetest parts of the series.
I also forgot to mention as well, I enjoyed the little cameo of Felicity again too, she is indeed a hacker, she's no where as good as Tinker, but that's fine, because Felicity herself is no slouch when it comes to hacking and besides, two hacker are better than one in these sorts of operations.
Oh yeah, I for one like the whole beating up off screen whilst the van rocks back and forth scenario, if I'm being honest here, I find it kind of sexy......I have no idea why, I just do. Sometimes it's what you can't see that makes it better.
Comical and sexy. I agree 100%.
Hhhmm, I wonder who will get to Mary Clide first.
Or she could be an antagonist for the sisters. The possibilities are endless! I'm not sure she'll appear in person in this story or if she'll remain an element of lore, but even if she doesn't I'm leaving her under your care if you want to use her.
NO, no, no, no! The sister's LOVE hugging each other, as you've seen in some of my previous chapters, the sisters constantly show each other love and affection, so they know that they'll always be loved, wanted and cared for. Trust me, you can NEVER have too much of the sister's hugging each other. It's kind of their thing isn't it, so let them cuddle and hug each other as many times as you like, because it's exactly the same thing I do when I write them.
I was also speaking from a narrative standpoint. It's best to avoid repeating the same kind of scene over and over again. One can't have too much of a good thing, no matter how good it is.
Well then, without spoiling too much or revealing anything. Let me just say that the next chapter I'm working on will indeed feature another fight scene between Soph and some sentries, as a matter of fact, these certain sentries you actually might be a bit familiar with.
I think I have an idea, but I won't spoil the suspense.
I also forgot to mention as well, I enjoyed the little cameo of Felicity again too, she is indeed a hacker, she's no where as good as Tinker, but that's fine, because Felicity herself is no slouch when it comes to hacking and besides, two hacker are better than one in these sorts of operations.
The advantage of having a cast as vast as yours is that it's easy to feature little cameos of former characters depending on the circumstances;
Very well, I'll find away to add Mary Clide in the series as give her a proper antagonistic role in a chapter of her own. Okay, so let's see. Well we know that Mary is a killer as she kills for her disguises rather than knock out her opponents, this changes things up greatly and offers up some interesting scenarios. Now when it comes to which of the sisters go after her, I can already tell you for a fact that both Angel and Tina would be part of the team who goes after her. Angel would because she's representing everything Angel stands against. Tina would because after all, Tina is trying to prove that their are such things as "good" infiltrators, yet people like Mary Clide hinder this, so Tina would naturally want to stop her too. Plus she is going against the sister's number one rule, which as we all know, is the "NO KILLING" rule that all the sisters abide by when out on their infiltrations...........Hhhhmmm, yes you've certainly given me a lot to think about here.
Last edited by Trackman281 on Wed Jul 07, 2021 3:26 pm, edited 2 times in total.
The key word however is IF you want to use her. I remember you said once that, one day, you'd maybe be interested to feature as an antagonist an infiltrator who uses lethal means. So I figured out: Why not set up one, just in case, to give you a ready-made character? Plus, it could be an occasion to make return some of the White Masks if you're interested to write them yourself, since Clide is linked to them.
Also, I realized I didn't express this enough in my initial review. I really am enjoying the way you are portraying Mag here. She has shined through so greatly and not just in this segment, but in the previous segments on this chapter as well. I truly think you've capture Mag's characteristics and traits spectacularly well and it was a delight to see.
Also, now I don't know if this intentional or not, which means you can say yes here and I wouldn't know would I haha. But a lot of people might not know this, but Mag always confiding in Tina and having quiet conversations with her is actually something Mag has always done. Now if we remember way back when even in the early chapters when they were still at the dreaded "company", Mag still spoke Tina in private and she confides a lot in Tina. Now this is NOT to say that Mag is secretive from the rest of her sisters, no, no, far from it I can assure. It's purely because Mag never wants her sisters to worry and because how strong she is, she never likes her sisters to see her worry. This is why Mag only ever confides in Tina in private, because at the end of the day. Mag is still an ordinary person and everyone has fears, worries and just things that they need to get off their chests don't they. I'm pleased to see that you've written Mag doing this, I really am.
Also I know you used the word "if", but when presented with an opportunity I like to toy around with possibilities and ideas. You know, thinking of "mights, maybes, what if's and possibilities". Plus you are correct, I would like to use an infiltrator who's a bit more darker for one of my chapters and I remember you saying that this is something you too wouldn't mind seeing, so I like to try and give people what they want. using various white masks again of course is always an option as it keeps them in the series of course, especially Cassie who of course, knows Mary all too well it seems....... But there is one small set back for me at the moment and it's a simple one......... I still have no idea how this amazing chapter of yours is going to end. I mean for all I know, all the white masks might meet their end or maybe something else will happen, I have no idea and that's of course half the fun. Although I will be keeping my options open...... Hhhmmm, Cassie actually going out on an assignment with Tina and Angel to bring Mary into justice........ It's a possibility that's for sure and could open up some rather interesting scenes....... But first things first, I'll patiently wait for the next part of this AMAZING chapter you are writing. Perfectly as well, I'd like to add once again.
Some people were trying to fight her influence on social medias. Two hackers at least. They were posting messages to denounce her hate campaign, and were rallying people against her. The Leader didn’t know exactly who they were, though she suspected that one of them was the tech expert of the sisters’ team.
Luckily, thanks to Willow, nobody could hack her social accounts.
For now...
Still, her opponents were catching up with her, and she didn't like it. She had spent too much time and efforts for her smear campaign to let her enemies ruin everything now! It was time to take action.
“Leonie. Contact my supports in the police force. Suzie, Samirah, and Catherine. It’s maybe time that you and they directly help the White Masks…”
The red-haired warden nodded.
"I can hardly wait..." she commented.
**************
The five White Masks were gathered in Louette’s flat. They needed to discuss their latest failure.
“The team of sisters will always be in our way. Plus, they are trying to fight Sarah’s influence on the social medias. They should now be our top priority.” Louette said.
"I agree!" Ellie exclaimed.
“It may be dangerous. They are more numerous than us.” Magda remarked.
“We won’t fight them all at a time.” Louette quickly glanced at Willow. “Plus, we now have a few tricks to even things out…”
The goth girl smiled. Behind her, on a table, there were fully operational armed drones equipped with machine guns.
Cassie grimaced, opened her mouth to say something, but changed her mind. Louette noticed that however.
The blue-haired woman got up, walked near Cassie, crouched down, and took her hand.
“Listen, if you’re having second-thoughts, it’s okay. If you want to withdraw, it’s also okay. We won’t hold it against you. We won't take reprisals. We’ll simply ask you to never speak of our actions with anyone…”
Cassie shook her head. “No! I- I wanna stay with you! You- You helped me so much! You're my friends!”
Louette smiled.
“This is settled then.”
She looked at the gathered White Masks.
“Thanks to Ellie, Willow has managed to deduce parts of the itinerary the team of sisters uses for their everyday purchases. We will set up an ambush here to get a few of them.”
**************
Elsewhere...
Tina adjusted the collar of her button-up shirt.
Currently, she was wearing brown shoes, golden brown socks, blue jeans, a light brown belt, and a beige long-sleeved button-up shirt.
Libido walked in front of her.
“Can you give me a hand, please?”
Tina zipped the back of her sister’s skirt.
“Thanks!”
Libido flattened the garment. “Not bad… Not bad at all… I didn’t know that server maintenance technicians could wear clothes THAT pretty…”
She was wearing black shoes, golden brown tights, a long white A-line skirt with a pattern of colourful flowers, and a matching white button-up shirt with the same flowery pattern and loose sleeves.
“I guess their dress code is rather loose…” Tina commented. “That’s probably the perk of being the owners of their own start-up.”
Speaking of owners...
The real owners of Tina’s and Libido’s clothes were two women called Nera and Amelie. And they were currently napping while lying on a comfortable thick blanket, thanks to a good breath of knock-out gas, courtesy of Libido’s whip. They were not bound and gagged yet, as the sisters had first put on the stolen clothes.
Tina and Libido had ambushed the two women as they were about to climb into their office car, and had whisked them away. They had used a small rent-up truck to conceal the two women, as well as to conceal the following stripping.
Nera was a beautiful young woman in her mid-to-late twenties. She was rather short for her age, which made her look a few years younger than she really was. However, she had a soft flawless tanned skin, beautiful hazel green eyes, and firm and well-rounded bosoms of average size. Her nails were painted red. Her loose shoulder-long hair were brown, wavy and frizzy. She was wearing a white seamless wireless bra with blue trimmings and a lace-strap design, and frilly lacy blue bikini panties with dark blue trimmings, a black small bow and a white floral pattern.
Amelie was the same age. She had black hair, a light skin, and blue eyes. She was slightly taller than her colleague, pudgy at the waist, but still attractive. Her hair were tied into a high bun. Her nails were painted pink. She was clad in a white lacy full-cup bra and beige silk hipster panties with a floral lace design.
The two sisters, now fully-clothed, moved to truss up their ‘clothes donors’.
“Tina… Look at them…” Libido commented. “They are SO cute…”
Indeed, even though they were deeply asleep because of the knock-out gas of Libido’s whip, Nera and Amelie had reflexively moved closer to each other in their slumber. Currently, they were in each other’s arms, cuddling up.
The sisters weren’t very surprised however. The similar wedding rings on Nera’s and Amelie’s ring fingers were a big clue that these two weren’t only colleagues.
“The cupid of Heartfelt City had struck again!” Libido exclaimed. She was looking very satisfied with herself.
“These two were already together.” Tina snarked to lightly tease her sister.
“Maybe, but I gave them an occasion to spice things up in their married life!”
Nera and Amelie were looking so peaceful and so happy together that, ultimately, Tina and Libido didn’t have the heart to split them up. Even to bind them.
Tina simply injected them a harmless sleeping serum to make sure they would stay asleep for the next two hours.
“You sure I can’t add a crotch-rope?” Libido pleaded.
“You would have to break their embrace…” Tina remarked.
At that exact moment, Amelie mumbled in her sleep and pulled her smaller wife closer to her. Nera smiled in her sleep and nuzzled her face up against her wife’s neck and shoulder.
“I can’t! They’re just too adorable!” Libido exclaimed.
She took it upon herself to leave the two women unbound, and covered them with a blanket.
Tina smiled indulgently, and gave her sister the wig and contact lenses she would need to hide her appearance. She then also put on a wig and contact lenses. Both sisters used make-up to lighten their skin.
Then, they exited the back of the small rent-up truck.
Libido blew a kiss inside the vehicle and closed it door to conceal the two slumbering underwear-clad women.
The two sisters climbed into Nera’s and Amelie’s company car.
A little while later, Tina and Libido entered Heartfelt City’s police station.
“Good morning.” Tina said to the receptionist. “We’re the agents sent to perform the routine maintenance check of the servers.”
Of course, she didn’t say that their real goal was to steal the police’s updated database for Tinker…
With the information about the police’s investigations that followed Helen Jacomy’s and Bonnie Corday’s arrests, the sisters were hoping to find clues about the White Masks.
**************
A few days later...
In the sisters’ flat, Tinker was searching for clues with her computer by browsing the stolen police database. Soph was lending her a hand, while also listening to heavy metal with earbuds. Mag and Libido were training together by doing some stretches. They were following the moves of a group of women wearing tight tracksuits on TV. Of course, Libido was also enjoying the sight...
BB was still recovering, but she was in a better shape and was now staying in the same room as her sisters. She was playing chess with Tina. Marie was watching the game.
Stasis and Angel were out to buy groceries.
Tinker suddenly let out a loud exclamation of joy. One so loud that even Soph heard it, in spite of her earbuds. One so loud that BB, surprised, let go of her bishop just as she was about to check-mate for the third time in a row. One so loud that Libido stopped gawking at a gorgeous brunette with a delicious-looking bun.
“I’ve identified one of the White Masks!” Tinker proudly announced.
Tina and the other sisters in the flat forgot about their occupations and gathered around her. They could barely contain their joy.
“That’s wonderful news! How did you do it?”
“You remember Helen Jacomy? Well, she described to the police the appearance of one of the White Masks who captured her. Of course, some policewomen loyal to Sarah are covering it up, but thanks to Tina’s latest infiltration I hacked the police station’s database and I got my hand on the picture. Then I was able to find the woman in the municipality’s database.”
Tinker showed them a picture of a blonde.
“One of the White Masks that Angel met had blond hair.” Mag concurred.
“She’s called Magda Kermalo. 31 years old. Single. No children. She’s a clerk of court.” Tinker said.
“I guess that’s how they manage to find information about infiltrators…” BB deduced.
“Now the question is… How do we use Tinker’s discovery to our advantage?” Marie asked her gathered sisters.
Tina and Mag exchanged a glance.
“We will take the offensive.” Tina then said.
“We will capture and interrogate her.” Mag added.
Some of their sisters exchanged uneasy glances.
“A kidnapping?” Marie finally asked.
Mag nodded. “Yes. Their bombing at the park and their attempt on Blink’s life confirm that we can’t remain on the defensive with them.”
“As soon as Angel and Stasis are back with the groceries, we’ll organize a sister meeting.” Tina concluded.
**************
Angel and Stasis were returning home. Angel had a hard time preventing Stasis from spending all their money on sugary or fatty food, but she had mostly succeeded. With what they bought, the sisters could have a relatively balanced diet for the rest of the week.
“How can bugs weigh so much?” Stasis was complaining.
She was carrying a swarm of robotic bees in a backpack. Ever since the events of the park, Tinker had indeed insisted that her sisters should take one of her swarms with them whenever they left the flat to get groceries.
“They’re made of metal.” Angel answered. “Besides, I’m the one who’s carrying the groceries. You want to trade?” she added.
Stasis smiled sheepishly. “No thanks.” The groceries were indeed heavier than the backpack.
Currently, Stasis and Angel were walking in an underground parking after walking through a labyrinth of alleyways. It was their itinerary to throw off potential pursuers.
They were alone.
“Stasis wait!” Angel suddenly stopped walking. “I wanted to say to you… I’m sorry…”
Her sister frowned. “For what?”
“For breaking my promise to you. When I said I wouldn’t go overboard. You tried to protect me when you hid the White Masks’ comment on your picture, and I repaid you by betraying your trust-”
Stasis made her sister stop talking by shoving a lollipop into Angel’s mouth.
“You know what? I had already forgotten about it. That’s what’s great about being me! I don’t have the time to dwell on grudges. There’s always a new food to try, a new pun to find…”
Angel enjoyed the lollipop’s taste. Strawberry. She smiled. “Thanks…”
“What a lovely scene…” a female voice mockingly commented behind them.
The two sisters immediately realized that there was a threat. They turned to face the person who spoke.
Three women wearing white ‘angry theater masks’ were standing at the center of the alleyway. The first had blue hair. The second was chubby and brown-haired. The third was a pale woman with black hair.
"The White Masks!" Angel shouted.
They had managed to find them!
However, Stasis didn’t react with fear.
On the contrary, she smiled harshly. “Trust me, you’ll regret having attacked BB when these things will MAKE A BEELINE for you!”
She theatrically opened the backpack, and released a swarm of robotic bees and wasps. The insects rushed towards the masked women.
The White Masks didn’t look worried however.
The pale one brandished a remote control and pressed a button. The device released an EMP wave.
The robotic bees and wasps fell onto the ground, their circuits burned.
Stasis’ smile disappeared. “Looks like there's a fly in the ointment… I’m as mad as a hornet…” she reflexively commented.
The White Masks laughed mockingly. “Well, well, well… Would you look at that! This one’s a joker!”
By surprise, Angel threw the bags of groceries at the White Masks, forcing them to dodge the improvised projectiles.
She took advantage of the distraction and grabbed Stasis by the arm. “We run!” she exclaimed.
She was confident that their enemies wouldn't be able to catch up with them.
But the White Masks didn't try to run after them.
The blue-haired leader simply took aim with some sort of dart-gun, and opened fire.
Angel groaned in pain when the dart hit her in the right thigh.
Her leg almost immediately became stiff, and she fell. Stasis tried to support her.
“Angel! What’s happening?!”
“A paralyzing serum.” the blue-haired White Mask explained. “She won’t be able to run for the next few hours.”
The three White Masks approached.
Stasis knew it was no use to pull out her slingshot. The White Mask would immediately shoot her with her dart-gun. Her only chance was to surprise them, by doing something reckless and stupid.
Stasis wasn’t a brawler. Still, she didn’t hesitate.
“Tallyho!”
She charged to protect her sister.
In one swift motion, the leader of the White Masks blocked her assault, grabbed her arm, and threw her to the ground. She twisted her arm behind her back and immobilized her.
Angel tried to help her sister, but she wasn’t able to walk and she fell on the ground. “Don’t hurt her! She’s done nothing wrong!” she pleaded.
The blue-haired White Mask stared at her. “What?”
“You punish your targets the same way they hurt people, don’t you? Well, Stasis never killed anyone!” Angel argued. “You can’t kill her!”
However, Angel suddenly realized that the White Masks weren’t surprised by her words. They were surprised by her VOICE.
“That voice… She sounds like… No! It’s impossible…” the leader commented.
“You’re the Night Angel who talked with us!” the chubby one added.
“So it means… That the Night Angels are- I can’t believe it!”
“What do we do?”
There was a short moment of silence. Stasis was groaning and trying to struggle, but her opponent was a lot stronger. Angel still couldn't move her leg.
“We take them with us. Alive. And don’t touch their clothes. For now.” the blue-haired White Mask finally chose.
**************
In the sisters’ flat, Tinker was having a panic attack.
Marie grabbed her by the shoulders, immobilized her, and made her breathe some smelling salts to calm her down. “Deep breaths! Deep breaths!” she eased her. “Tell us what you heard!”
Thanks to her, Tinker managed to calm herself enough to be able to talk: “It’s Angel and Stasis! They were attacked by the White Masks! I heard them talk in their microphones, but then the White Masks used some sort of EMP wave and it destroyed my gadgets! I couldn’t hear how the fight ended! I can’t locate them anymore! I can’t do anything! I-”
Tina put a hand on her sister’s mouth to gag her. Then she gently took her face in her hands, and put her forehead against hers. “Tinker. Calm down. We’ll find a solution.” she said.
The eyes moist, her geeky sister nodded.
“Soph, Libido, Marie, come with me!” Mag exclaimed. “With some luck, we can reach their location before it’s too late!”
However, before they could leave the flat, they were all interrupted by a loud BEEP.
It was coming from the cellphone they were using to spy on the White Masks’ messages.
Tina reflexively grabbed it and read the message.
“We know you’re tapping this phone. We have your sisters. They are our hostages. Await further instructions.”
There was a long moment of silence.
Then, Tina swallowed her worries and looked at her sisters. She started to talk. Her voice was full of determination.
“We don’t change our plan. We simply speed it up.”
Her gathered sisters stared at her.
Tina knew that she had to lead the others. She started to give instructions.
“Tinker. Hack the database of the courthouse and find where this Magda Kermalo woman works. Search also if some deliveries are supposed to take place, and when. Two can play the kidnapping game… We’ll use her as a bargaining chip for Stasis and Angel. Thankfully, they still don't know where we live. They can't put this flat under surveillance.”
Tina didn’t voice her main concern however. She could only hope that her sisters were still alive…
And if they were… what would she do?
She shook her head. She was refusing to even consider that possibility. She needed to remain cool-headed for Angel and Stasis, and for all her sisters.
She would protect them!
**************
When they removed the bag covering her head, Angel took a deep breath. Then, she blinked and observed her surroundings.
The White Masks had drugged her, and carried her in this small room. Judging by the walls, they were probably in some warehouse. She could also see crates.
Angel was tied to a rolling office chair. Stasis wasn’t in the same room as her.
A classic tactic. They’re keeping us in separate rooms to prevent an escape. They’re using Stasis as leverage against me.
“She has woken up, Louette…” the woman who removed the bag said. Strangely enough, she was looking a lot more ill-at-ease than her accomplices.
“Thank you Cassie.”
The blue-haired White Mask was facing Angel. She had removed her white mask and her black hooded jacket. Her ears were pierced and she had tattoos on her arms. She leaned forward and glared daggers at her prisoner.
“Why?” she harshly asked.
Angel frowned. “I… I don’t understand the question...”
“Why are you doing this? Why are you and your sisters pretending to fight crime as the Night Angels?”
“We are NOT pretending!” Angel reflexively answered.
Louette grabbed her by the collar.
“Is this your sick way to get your kicks? Are you having fun at our expense by tricking us to believe that you’re good people? YOU WERE A ROLE-MODEL TO US! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!”
“Because I want to help make this world a better place!” Angel shouted.
There was a moment of silence.
Louette let go of her.
Angel kept talking. She was speaking from the bottom of her heart. “I know I did terrible things! I was worst than Helen Jacomy! Worst than Mary Clide! I know that I’ll never be able to fully make amends! But I want to be a better person! I want to do good around me! It is my penance!”
Louette and Cassie exchanged a glance. There was a long moment of silence.
“You seem sincere.” the blue-haired woman finally said.
Then she shook her head.
“However, this doesn’t change anything.”
“Surely you must realize that we’re not like Mary Clide! You saw what we did as the Night Angels! Didn’t you say that you admired what we stood for?”
Angel could see a slight hesitation in Louette’s eyes, but then the blue-haired woman hardened her heart.
“Please, at least spare my sisters… They’ve never killed anyone!” Angel pleaded.
“Even if it's true... Binding and gagging unwilling women is NOT a harmless process. Sooner or later, you will cause someone’s death. It is inevitable. Therefore, it’s best to remove the threat you pose to society now.”
Louette wasn’t ranting angrily about it like Sarah would. She was sounding… oddly dispassionate, as if she was stating the obvious.
Angel gulped nervously. “Stasis-” she started to say.
Another White Mask, the short chubby one, suddenly entered the room. “Louette! Willow wants to see the prisoner!”
**************
Louette moved Angel into an other room of the warehouse.
Willow was sitting on an office chair. There were several computers on a few tables behind her.
Willow was the goth girl of the White Masks. She made a small gesture of the head towards Louette.
The blue-haired woman frowned. “You want to be alone with her? But-”
One glare was enough to make her stop talking.
“Okay.”
Louette tightened the ropes binding Angel to make sure she couldn’t escape, then left the room.
Willow stared intently at Angel.
The infiltrator warily looked around her. On the walls, there were schematics of bombs, drones, and other weapons… as well as stylized drawings of various trees and a photo of two young women.
Then, Willow started to speak. Her voice was hoarse, as if she wasn’t using it often enough.
“Once upon a time, there was a girl called Laurine Woodrue. She wasn’t very smart, and she didn’t do great at school. Since she wasn’t good with studies, she decided to train her body to find a job needing physical abilities, and she eventually ended up working as a security guard. The pay wasn’t great, but she was happy that she didn’t have to live off her parents anymore. Because she had a younger sister. One that was better with her studies. Laurine wanted to make sure that her sister could go to university, so she kept her job as a security guard even though she didn't like it. But Laurine was also working for a big company. One that had secrets and money. And what is a security guard worth when a lot of money is at stake? What is the life of a security guard worth?”
The goth girl clenched her fists. So hard that she drew blood with her own fake black nails.
Angel became ghostly pale. She was having a very bad feeling...
Willow looked her in the eyes. “Tell me. How is one supposed to react, when she hears that her sister was killed for her clothes? How is the world supposed to make sense, if someone can be killed over something so trivial? How can the world even be allowed to keep spinning after that?!”
There was so much pain and hatred in those eyes, Angel couldn’t look directly at them. She had already understood how this conversation would end… What revelation would take place… She already knew how it would crush her.
Willow grabbed the photo on the wall.
“I think you recognize the woman on the left.”
Laurine Woodrue was a blond-haired fair-skinned woman, with the body of someone who was working out a lot.
Angel held back tears of shame.
“Yes.” she confessed.
It was a routine mission for her. She couldn’t even remember if it was among the first ones or the last ones. In ten years, she had seen many, many women like Laurine Woodrue.
“I bet you didn’t even know her name before today.” Willow added.
“No. I didn’t.”
On the photo, Angel could also see a younger Willow. Au naturel, the woman had golden blond hair and a slightly tanned skin. The clone couldn’t help but compare the girl on the picture to the bitter hate-filled woman who was dyeing her hair black and blood red, and who was using make-up to make her skin pale. A woman who was obsessed with death. A woman who was surrounded by the schematics of deadly weapons and bombs that she was designing to cause as much death and destruction as possible.
“I know it’s not worth much… It’s probably not worth anything in fact… But I’m sorry… for your sister... I'm sorry for what I did...”
Willow stared at her in disbelief.
Then, suddenly, she smiled. It was a terrifying grin.
“I don’t want your apology. I want you to pay for her death. I've waited years to finally get my hands on you... I want to make it worth it.”
Mentally, Angel apologized to her sisters for what she was about to say: “I am the only one to blame for what happened to Laurine. Stasis-”
“Because you think I want you to die?” Willow interrupted her.
Angel frowned. “I-”
“Oh, you won't die yet! I will not grant you the mercy of death that easily. I want you to suffer the same thing that I suffered.”
Angel realized where this was going. “No… Please no…”
Willow’s eyes were wide-opened. There was a spark of pure hatred in them. Yet, she didn't raise her voice. “I will kill your sisters. I will make you watch. And after you’ve lost everyone you cared about… after you’re utterly alone and broken... Only then, you will have my permission to die.”
Angel lost it. “What did you do to Stasis?!” she desperately exclaimed.
“Your sister is still alive. For now. But only because we may need her to lure your other sisters. So don’t get your hopes up.”
“Louette said-
“Louette plays the role of the leader because that’s what we both agreed upon. She’s a lot better with people than me. But make no mistake. I am the one calling the shots.”
Angel desperately tried to argue. “They did nothing! They’re innocent! You can’t punish them for what I did! There would be no justice in that!”
“Because there was a justice in what happened to my sister?!” Willow retorted.
“I know you’re angry and confused! But it’s not too late! You can still put an end to this madness! You and your friends have a point! A very good point! But your methods are wrong! You think you have good intentions, but you’re fighting for revenge, not for justice!”
Willow glared daggers at her. “Why should I listen to you? Why should I let YOU lecture me about ethics?”
“You would have listened to me when I was a Night Angel! You said you admired what I stood for as a Night Angel! Why are things so different now?! I still did all the things I did! I still fought these gangs! I still saved all these people!”
This time, Angel could see that her argument struck home. Willow didn’t find a retort.
During the moment of silence. she could suddenly see something in Willow’s eyes.
Some hesitation.
The goth girl shook her head.
But then Willow chose to NOT renounce the hatred that gave her the strength to keep on living after her sister's death.
“Louette. Take her away, please.” she exclaimed. "We have to prepare our trap for the prisoner exchange."
**************
So boring...
Hailey yawned. The female courthouse guard checked her wristwatch.
Why am I the one stuck with delivery entrance guard duty? It was indeed the most tedious thankless shift a courthouse guard could get. Hours outside, standing up, with no possibility to grab a coffee or to sit in the break room. And more importantly, nobody to talk to outside of delivery persons that were always in a hurry.
Hailey was certain that it was the administration’s way of punishing her for Blink’s grand escape.
As if it was her fault that she was mugged for disguise!
Bah! They say that, in Heartfelt City, it’s the fate of every uniformed woman to be mugged for her clothes at least once. I can now put that bad experience behind me. In a few months, everyone will have forgotten about it...
Hailey was 24 years old. She had a sand white skin, light cool brown hair styled in an asymmetrical lob look, she had baby blue eyes. The courthouse guard was wearing black laced boots, black trousers, a beige security long-sleeved buttoned shirt, a brown equipment belt and a black security cap.
Hailey yawned. The female courthouse guard checked her wristwatch.
SOOOOOO BOOOORING! I feel like I’m doing the same thing over and over again!
Hailey was actually happy to see a delivery van approach. Anything to break up the monotony! The van parked on the reserved spot.
Hurray! Social interaction!
The courthouse guard rectified her position to appear more professional, and took a step forward.
Two delivery women exited the vehicle. They were wearing similar-looking uniforms: a bright red jacket and a matching cap over a white t-shirt, dark grey trousers with a black belt around the waist, and bright red sneakers.
Hailey thought that the delivery women were sharing an uncanny family resemblance, with their olive skin, hazel eyes, and hair. However, she brushed that observation off.
“What’s the delivery?” the guard asked.
The first woman, called ‘Darlene’ according to her badge, showed her the papers. “Furniture for the administration.” she announced.
Hailey quickly checked the sheets. Everything was in order. She nodded. “I will inspect the boxes, then escort you inside.” she explained.
The second delivery woman, called ‘Erin’ according to her badge, intervened:
“Excuse me, but I need you to sign the recipe first.”
“Okay.” Hailey answered.
The delivery woman pulled out a pen and pointed it at the guard.
However, before Hailey could grab it, the olive-skinned woman double-clicked her pen.
The device short a dart.
The courthouse guard blinked. The knock-out drug was fast-acting, but she had just enough time to realize that she had been had.
“Not again!” Hailey exclaimed.
Then her eyes rolled back and she fell forward.
**************
Marie caught Hailey in her arms. Time was of the essence. She and Tina quickly carried Hailey inside the delivery van: the former was holding the guard by the shoulders, and the latter by the legs.
Two unconscious women were already lying in the back of the vehicle, on a thick comfortable blanket, in the middle of the boxes. Their limbs were restrained with white plastic zip-ties: one for the wrists and one for the ankles. A few layers of tape were wrapped around their upper-arms and around their thighs as a safety precaution. They were gagged with red ball-gags. They were, of course, the real delivery women, who had been ambushed on their way to the courthouse.
The real Darlene was a woman in her early thirties with leather black hair, a tanned skin, and amber brown eyes. She was wearing lavender socks, lilac maxi panties and a camellia cage bra. The real Erin was a woman in her late twenties with pure diamond blond hair, a white skin, and blue eyes. She was clad in black socks with red stripes, a grey seamless bra with black little stars and silver tanga panties.
Now, some people could have accused the sisters of being unoriginal. But the ‘delivery girl impersonation’ was a classic for a reason… Uniform donors that could easily be intercepted and neutralized. An innocuous appearance, one that was often beneath notice. An excuse to enter by the secondary back entrances. A vehicle coming in handy to conceal a few bound underwear-clad women. As far as tactics went, this one was close to perfection.
Soph was waiting inside the back of the van, next to the two bound-and-gagged women.
She helped her two sisters strip Hailey of her uniform. As undergarments, the courthouse guard was wearing a pale turquoise sports bra and barbados blue boyshorts, as well as sky blue socks with white little clouds.
“I’m a little surprised you chose me.” Soph commented while taking off her casual clothes. “After what the White Masks did, I can’t promise I’ll be able to refrain myself from pummeling our target.”
“We underestimated the White Masks twice, we won’t do it again. I expect fierce resistance, and if a fight breaks out, I want our best brawler and our best medic at my side.” Tina explained.
“It’s good to feel appreciated.”
Soph’s smile was harsh however. If the White Mask caused trouble, she was in for a swift beating...
Soph slipped into the courthouse guard uniform, starting with the trousers.
Tina and Marie bound Hailey with zip-ties and tape, in a way similar to the delivery women’s. Hailey’s ball-gag was hot pink however.
“Looks like this one comes from Libido’s personal stash…” Marie dryly commented.
Soph shrugged, and finished buttoning up her courthouse guard uniform shirt.
“I’m ready.” she said once she was done.
Tina and Marie laid Hailey on the blanket next to the two delivery girls.
“Perfect. Let us just grab the crate.”
Among the cardboard boxes, there was a wooden crate. One that wasn’t supposed to be part of Darlene’s and Erin’s delivery. One that was brought by the sisters themselves.
An empty wooden crate just big enough to contain an adult woman, with minuscule almost invisible air-holes to allow a person stuck inside to breath.
Tina and Marie lifted the wooden crate.
“Now sis’, why don’t you just ‘escort’ us while we make our ‘delivery’?” Tina asked Soph.
**************
Thanks to Tinker, who hacked the database of the courthouse, the sisters knew the location of Magda’s office.
They managed to reach their destination without being stopped by anyone. Thanks to Soph’s guise of a courthouse guard, nobody asked questions about the delivery women and their big crate.
While being careful to stay in-character, Soph opened the door. Luckily, the blond clerk of court was alone.
Magda was sharply dressed with a white button up shirt, a black tie, a black business jacket, a brown belt, black business pants, and black shoes. Her blond hair were tied up into a tight bun.
“There’s a delivery for you.” Soph announced.
She entered, followed by Tina and Marie.
Magda’s eyes widened.
“You’re not-” the blonde reflexively started to say, before interrupting herself.
Of course, she was going to say ‘You’re not one of the guards.’
But the White Mask was an anti-infiltrator. Instead of gawking, she took action.
However, as a brawler and hand-to-hand fighter, Soph was good as reading body language. She saw the blonde’s body get tensed, and understood that she was unmasked.
Soph ran to grab her foe.
Magda rushed towards her desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out a small handgun.
She pointed it at Soph, but too late. She was already within the clone’s range.
Soph grabbed the White Mask’s hand and twisted her wrist to force her to let go of her gun. Magda groaned in pain, but reflexively tried to punch her with her other fist. Someone was clearly training her in martial arts.
However, Soph had a lot more experience and years of training behind her. She caught Magda’s fist with her free hand, then dazed her with a headbutt: She hit her in the forehead.
Magda staggered. Soph took advantage of her foe’s dazed state to move behind her, and to immobilize her with an armlock.
Magda opened her mouth to scream.
Tina shoved a piece of cloth into it to muffle her shout.
“Marie! Your move!”
Magda flailed her legs to try to kick Tina, and actually managed to hit her.
Tina clenched her teeth and took the hit, but managed to keep her hand clamped over Magda’s mouth to prevent her from spitting the piece of cloth in her mouth.
Now that their foe was immobilized, Marie could shoot her with the sleeping dart of her pen.
Magda succumbed to the effects of the fast-acting knock-out serum.
“The crate!” Tina immediately exclaimed.
The three sisters didn’t waste any time. They used zip-ties to restrain the blond White Mask, gagged her with package tape, then put her inside the crate.
Tina, Marie, and Soph shared a nod. Their expressions were grim, but determined. The die was cast!
Now, they also had their hostage. Personally, Tina didn’t appreciate much having to resort to such tactics, but she would do everything to rescue her sisters.
They were going to fight the White Masks on equal terms.
Stasis… Angel… Don’t worry, we’ll rescue you!
**************
Angel was finding the fear unbearable. Not the fear for her life. The fear for Stasis’ life. She still didn’t know how her sister was doing, or even if she was alive!
The prisoner was locked in an empty storage room, still bound to her chair. Alone.
Please be safe... she thought, with Stasis in her mind.
Angel raised her head when she heard someone approach.
It was Cassie. The latest recruit of the White Masks. She was looking even more ill-at-ease compared to the last time Angel saw her.
“You want… to drink some water?” she asked.
Angel shook her head. “Listen… I’m begging you… Please, just tell me how my sister is doing!”
Cassie grimaced nervously. “You seem to really care about her…”
“She means the world to me. All my sisters do.”
The White Mask looked around her to check that the others couldn’t hear her. “She’s unharmed. She’s pestering Ellie with bad jokes, but Louette gave instructions that she can’t be hurt. For now.”
Angel let out a small sigh of relief. “Thank you...”
“You’re different than what I expected…” Cassie was biting her lower lip. “I didn’t think things would turn up that way… I- I’m sorry…”
She left before Angel could answer however.
**************
Tina got to hand it to Magda, the blonde had guts. Even though she was tied to a chair, surrounded by women casting her hostile glances, she was putting on a brave face.
She was glaring at them defiantly, and in silence.
The atmosphere in the flat was tensed. The sisters had successfully captured Magda and brought her to their hideout, while the latter was drugged so that she couldn’t see the itinerary of course. However, the most difficult part of the rescue had begun. The sisters had to contact the White Masks and organize the prisoner exchange.
Tinker was sending messages on her computer. Mag, BB, and Marie were sitting in silence with grim expressions.
Soph was clearly contemplating giving the White Mask a black eye, and Libido was fidgeting with her whip in a way that showed that she wanted to use it like a real whip for once.
“Your friends have captured our sisters.” Tina explained to the prisoner. “We want to negotiate their release.”
Magda scoffed. “There will be no negotiations with the likes of you!” she barked. “You will all die!”
Soph got up, with the clear intention of wiping out the blonde’s expression of defiance with her fists. Marie and Mag had to physically restrain her.
“We’re not the kind of women who would hurt a defenseless prisoner, but I suggest that you show us more respect.” Tina coldly said.
“You think you scare me? I’ve went through the worst thing a woman can go through because of one of YOUR friends! Nothing you can do scares me! NOTHING! I won’t answer your questions! And I WILL never cooperate!”
Tina sighed.
“I am sorry for what you had to live through. As a woman, I really am. But the person who did that to you is NOT my friend." She shook her head. "I don't have the time to debate with you. The lives of my sisters are at stake… I apologize for what I’m about to do.”
Magda frowned.
Tina looked at her sisters.
“I want you all to promise me one thing. If you value me as a sister, never talk to anyone about what you’ll see. Never ask me to lend the serum to you, and never try to take it.”
Tina pulled out her hypnotic dart.
“If this stuff falls under the wrong hands, the consequences would be disastrous…”
Mag, Libido, Tinker, Soph, Marie, and BB shared one glance. “We promise.” they all said together.
Tina smiled. “Thanks…” Then her smile disappeared and the stung Magda.
“Ow! What have you… injected me? Is it… some sort of truth serum?”
“No. It’s more powerful.”
The blonde's eyes blinked very fast. She succumbed to the effect of serum.
Tina noticed that Magda was reacting differently compared to the other women who were the victims of it.
The blonde wasn’t smiling. Her eyes were wide open. Instinctively, Magda’s body didn’t want to obey Tina. But she had no control over her body anymore…
“Magda Kermalo. Can you hear me?”
“Y- Yes…” The woman was grimacing. She was hating every second of what was happening.
“I will ask you questions about the other White Masks and their hideouts. I want you to answer them. And then, I want you to cooperate with me when we’ll rescue them. Will you do it?”
Magda's grimace widened. “Y- Yes… I… will…”
**************
Angel raised her head when she heard the White Masks loudly discuss between each other in the next room.
"They have Magda! We have to rescue her!" the voice of the chubby White Mask exclaimed.
"We don't know where they live!" Louette objected.
"Then what do we do?"
"They're proposing to exchange Magda with their sisters."
"What?! After all the trouble we went through to capture these two, we'd have to release them?!"
"You'd leave Magda under their hands?"
"Of course not!"
"Then we'll play along. We'll accept their terms. But don't worry... We won't let them get away so easily."
Angel felt a surge of hope and relief. She trusted her sisters. They wouldn't give up on Stasis, or even on her. They loved her.
However, she couldn't help but also be terrified. Please be careful... Don't die for me... Not for me...
"Call Sarah. Ask her to send us reinforcements. I will send a message to the sisters."
**************
In the sisters’ flat, everyone got on a war footing when they received the message.
“They’re proposing a prisoner exchange.” Tina announced to her sisters. "In a warehouse of the docks."
“There will be a trap.” Mag immediately commented. “Remember the bomb at the park? If we follow their terms, they’ll trap us!”
“I know.” Tina retorted.
"So I suppose that the plan will be to infiltrate ourselves somehow..." Marie intervened.
Tina nodded. “Magda has described to us the layout of their hideout. The warehouse is isolated, but located next to the sea. There are docks right behind it.”
“Even if we can access the building by the sea, the White Masks will be expecting us. We’d need a distraction.” BB said.
Tina glanced at the bound Magda. The blonde was still under the effects of the serum.
“Then it’s simple. We will pretend to agree to their terms. We will pretend to do the prisoner exchange. I will go with Magda in front of the warehouse, by land. I will be the distraction. BB and Tinker will monitor a drone to watch me. Mag, Libido, Soph and Marie will go behind our enemy’s lines, by the sea.”
Her sisters briefly thought of what she proposed.
“It’s a good plan, but it leaves YOU without back-up… Outside of Tinker’s drones, but they might not be enough…” Mag finally commented.
“Mag’s right.” BB intervened. “With Stasis and Angel captured, Tinker behind her screen, and me still in no condition to fight, we may not be enough to face the White Masks...”
“Girls! Let’s not remember that we are not alone either!” Libido exclaimed.
“She’s right.” Marie intervened. “We have friends.”
Tina smiled. “Blink… She said she’d come if we needed her.”
“Plus, I’m pretty sure that she’s TOTALLY under my spell.” Libido added.
There was an awkward silence.
Libido’s cheeks became red and she added: “Most certainly! We made out with each other!”
"I'll call her." Tina said.
**************
Sarah would certainly not leave Louette’s team on their own for such an important operation.
Leonie was sent to regroup with the White Masks in the isolated warehouse on the docks in which they were hiding. She was accompanied by three women, who were working as cops: Suzie, Samirah, and Catherine.
Louette greeted them at the entrance of the warehouse.
“We’ve been sent by the Leader as reinforcements.” Leonie explained.
“Perfect.”
Louette noticed that the other women were all bringing with them the white ‘angry theater masks’, black hooded cloaks, black trousers, white gloves, and white belts that were the clothes of the White Masks.
She smiled.
Their number was growing…
They were ready to greet the sisters.
Last edited by rufusluciusivan on Tue Aug 10, 2021 3:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Warning: This is the second post. Be sure to read the first post beforehand.
**************
“Hurry up, you slowpoke! The waves are waiting!” Gillian exclaimed.
“We’ve already jogged across half of the city!” Zoe complained.
“That’s the point! Nothing beats jumping into the sea after hours of jogging…” the blonde retorted while grabbing her surfboard.
Zoe let out an exasperated grunt. “How can you even pay for all your memberships and all your sports equipment?”
Gillian shrugged. “Why do you think I’m always looking for the women who pay the most? Sport’s an expensive hobby, I’ll tell you that!”
“Too bad the women who pay the most are often the ones with a checkered past…” Zoe commented while adjusting her wetsuit. “And usually, the more they pay, the more checkered their past is.”
“Hey! That’s not my fault, nor is it my business!” the blonde retorted. “I’m just a low-ranked guard following orders, I don’t get involved in the decisions.”
“Less talking, more surfing!” Edwige intervened. “I refuse to be the last one to go into the water!”
She and Gillian each grabbed Zoe by an arm.
“Quick, or else we’ll arrive after Karen and Lissa. And that would suck!” Edwige added.
They literally dragged the black-haired woman into the sea.
However, they didn’t notice that two women were approaching the changing huts of the beach, where the two stragglers called Lissa and Karen were still getting dressed.
**************
“Come on, Karen! We’re gonna be the last women in the sea again!” Lissa complained while knocking at the door of the changing beach hut.
Lissa was a tall woman with a slim curvy body, as well as long and well-toned legs. She had a brown skin, blue eyes, and armpit-long black hair (that were currently under a swip cap). One strand of hair was dyed sky blue with a specific dye made to resist salty water.
She was wearing a black-and-dark-blue wetsuit with long sleeves and long legs, and a dark blue swim cap was protecting her hair.
“I’m almost done! Just need to put that damn swim cap!” Karen shouted from inside the changing hut.
Lissa sighed and looked around her.
“Aaaaand we are the stragglers… again…”
The beach was indeed empty: All the other surfers were already riding the waves.
Lissa knocked angrily at the door again.
“Almost done!” Karen shouted from the inside.
Lissa opened her mouth for a cutting remark, but a sudden hand-gag prevented her from giving her friend a piece of her mind.
“Mwhhhtt?!”
Lissa was quickly dragged into an empty changing beach hut. Her attacker closed the door with a small kick.
The frame of the hut muffled the dull thud of the following neckchop, as well as the faint grunt Lissa let out when she was knocked out cold.
The lock of the beach hut was moved to the “OCCUPIED’ position.
**************
“I’m done!"
Karen exited the cabin hut.
She was a tall leggy blue-eyed woman with an ample bosom, shoulder-long bleached blond hair, and a light skin tanned thanks to several afternoons of sunbathing.
She was wearing a navy blue surfing wetsuit with long sleeves and long legs as well as white threads, and a sky blue swim cap.
Soph was standing in front of her.
Karen reflexively took a step back, a little fearful.
“Uhm… Who are you? Is this Lissa’s way of getting back at me because I’m late? ‘Cause this is really immature and-”
Soph pounced on the surfer, and pushed her inside the changing hut.
“Yeeep!!!”
Soph closed the door behind them.
Two dull thuds with two small grunts followed suit, then the sound of a wetsuit being peeled off and removed.
**************
Soph and Marie adjusted their wetsuits, and used the swim caps to cover their hair. Soph's was wearing Karen's swimming garments and Marie's was wearing Lissa's.
They shared a nod, then quickly checked one last time if the two surfers were properly secured.
Lissa and Karen were bound and gagged the same way: wrists zip-tied behind the back; ankles, knees and thighs immobilized with white zip-ties; a few layers of tape wrapped around the upper-arms; and a clean kerchief shoved into the mouth with the lips sealed by a few layers of tape wrapped around the lower face.
Lissa and Karen weren’t in the camp that believed that one should go commando under the surfing wetsuits. Therefore, luckily for them, they were wearing swimsuits. It wasn’t going to be much of a solace when they would wake up, but it was better than nothing.
Lissa was wearing a white one-piece swimsuit with orange and green stylized leaves, and Karen was wearing a hot pink microkini.
Marie and Soph stashed the two surfers seated next to each other into one changing beach hut, alongside with their bags, their money and their other belongings. They simply took the surfboards because they would need them to complete their disguise, as well as the scuba masks that were in the two surfers’ bags. Then, they closed the door and moved the lock from outside to make it look like that the hut was occupied.
The two sisters grabbed the surfboards, and went to the sea. However, they weren’t going to have fun like the other surfers.
They were going to use the surfboards as buoys, and swim to the White Masks’ hideout.
**************
In a camping site near the beach, several groups of people were preparing themselves to go kite-surfing.
Inside one of the tents, a couple of women on their honeymoon finished gathering their belongings.
Hearfelt City was a popular touristic destination in spite of its rampant criminality and infiltrator-related problems. Indeed, most of the tourists didn’t know about the general corruption of the place, and the stories about infiltrators were actually making the town look more glamorous in the eyes of some.
The first woman, called Violette, had dark green eyes, a light skin, and shoulder-long sandy blond hair. Her wife, called Valerie, had grey eyes, a white skin, and armpit-long black hair.
Both women were wearing the same type of outfit: a black-and-ocean-blue wetsuit with white edges that was covering the arms and the legs.
“You have the tickets?” Violette asked while searching her handbag.
They had indeed reserved in advance the renting of two kite-surf boards. Their wetsuits were actually loaned to the same kite-surfing club.
“Yes I have them. But I would have preferred to go skinny-dipping, if you catch my drift…” Valerie answered.
Violette shrugged. “We can still do it tonight.”
Valerie made a pout that she knew would melt her wife’s heart. She approached Violette and whispered in her ear with a sensual voice: “Would it change your mind to know that I’m NOT wearing anything under my wetsuit…”
“Come on, Val’! I wanted to try kite-surfing ever since we arrived in this town!” Violette objected, though her body reactions clearly indicated that the other woman’s proposal wasn’t leaving her indifferent.
Valerie took her wife in her arms and gave her a few quick pecks on the lips. “I know… I know… It’s just that… I love you so much, I sometimes can’t control myself!”
“Flatterer!” Violette chuckled and returned her kisses. “Though I guess we still have ten-to-twenty minutes left before leaving…” She lent forward and whispered in Valerie’s ears: “’Cause I’m not wearing anything under my wetsuit either...”
Valerie smiled. “Interesting...’
The two lovebirds didn’t notice that a woman was discreetly opening the flap of their tent. They didn’t notice either that this woman was throwing a small metallic canister next to them.
There suddenly was a PUFF!, and the canister released a cloud of white smoke that briefly inflated the tent.
When the smoke cleared out, Valerie and Violette were still in each other’s arms, but they were now lying on the ground deeply asleep, lightly snoring together.
Libido and Mag entered the tent and closed the flap to have some privacy.
First, they searched the couple’s handbags, and found the reservations for their kite-surfing equipment.
Then, they peeled off Violette’s and Valerie’s wetsuits. Technically, they could have used their personal swimsuits to pass themselves as tourists, but all the kite surfers were asked to wear this specific wetsuit that was lent to them by the kite-surfing club.
The sisters thus discovered that the two honeymooning women were naked under their wetsuits.
Now, under normal circumstanced, Libido would have been ecstatic and would have made a few R-rated jokes. However, currently, and just like all her sisters, she was hell-bent on rescuing Angel and Stasis. She refused to let herself be distracted by something else. Plus, given the rings Valerie and Violette were wearing, the two women clearly didn’t need help from Heartfelt City’s self-proclaimed cupid.
Since time was of the essence, Libido had brought padded handcuffs and ball-gags from her personal stash to not waste any time. Each naked woman’s wrists were bound behind her back with a pair of handcuffs. A second pair of handcuffs was used on each woman’s ankles. Finally, they were gagged by one ball-gag with air holes each. The handcuffs and ball-gag were colour-coded: pink for Violette, blue for Valerie.
Given the fact that they ruined the two women’s afternoon, the sisters decided that they’d at least make sure that their victims wouldn’t be found stark naked in the open. They put the couple inside their two-person sleeping bag, facing each other, and zipped it. Therefore, Violette’s and Valerie’s bodies (save for the heads) were covered by the sleeping bag.
Libido left near the two women the keys of the handcuffs, and a little note explaining how to use them for the police when they would be called to release Violette and Valerie.
She and Mag put on the wetsuits, grabbed the tickets for the kite-surfing session, then left the tent.
**************
The municipal worker was cleaning up the streets near the docks, picking up the trash.
The woman, called Ginny, was in her late twenties, and was clearly doing this job because she was desperate for money. The grimace she was making while working clearly indicated that she didn’t want to be here. Her ginger red hair were tied into a loose neck-bun to make sure the strands wouldn’t get in the way. She had blue-green eyes, and a light skin with plenty of freckles on her face. She was of average size and build.
The worker was wearing the inimitable bright orange work trousers with silver grey reflective bands, and a matching orange-and-silver reflective sleeveless vest. Under the vest, she was wearing a plain white t-shirt. She was protecting her feet with black work shoes, her hands with grey gloves, and her head with a bright orange cap.
Ginny sighed and checked her wristwatch. She was impatiently awaiting the end of her shift…
“Excuse me!”
A woman approached the worker. Given her loud tacky clothes and large hat, she was probably a tourist.
“I have a problem with my car! See, I had parked it in this alleyway, and some ruffians pushed a dumpster in front of it… Can you help me please?”
Ginny sighed. Still, she guessed she could help that woman… The worker had also visited other places as a tourist. She knew how hard it could be to find help when you knew nobody in the town.
“I’ll follow you.”
"Thank you very much!"
The tourist led her into the empty alleyway. A black car was parked deep into the alleyway, and indeed somebody had pushed a dumpster in front of it.
However...
Ginny raised her eyebrows. “You know ma’am, this is a wheeled dumpster. You could have pushed it out of the way yourself.”
“You’re right. In fact, I’m actually the one who pushed it in the way to lure you here.” the tourist said.
Ginny frowned.
The tourist added: “As an apology, accept this gift.”
The woman put a plastic flower in front of Ginny’s face. More precisely, right under her nose.
The redhead shot her an annoyed glare. “If this is a joke, it’s not funny.”
“What? You don’t like the classic ‘fake flower’ trick? Trust me, this one has a nice twist. A little magician’s trick.”
The flower released a small cloud of gas, right at Ginny’s face.
“Gah?!”
Surprised, the worker couldn’t help but breathe the gas. She suddenly felt very woozy, and staggered.
“Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…”
Blink caught her as she was falling.
Ginny’s body became limp in her captor’s arms, and her head fell forward. She lost her cap which fell on the ground.
Blink gently caressed the girl’s hair.
“You look exhausted. Just take a break, honey… Trust me, this is an emergency, and I’ll put your uniform to good use.”
She dragged the worker to the car.
While still holding Ginny’s motionless unconscious body against her with one arm, she used her other hand to open the left back door of the car. Then she dragged her burden inside and closed the door. The tinted glass of the windows concealed what was happening inside.
Blink swiftly stripped the unconscious Ginny. She unlaced and took off the shoes, then slid the trousers down the woman’s legs. She unzipped the reflective vest and removed it. Finally, she pulled off the t-shirt.
There were as many freckles on Ginny’s shoulders as on her cheeks. The ginger was wearing as undergarments a comfortable purple t-shirt bra, striped red-and-white boxer briefs and black socks.
Blink grimaced a little because of the smell of the stolen clothes. Before being mugged, Ginny had clearly worked hard during several hours, and she had sweat. Blink decided that she was definitely keeping her own socks, even though they weren’t made to go with thick work shoes!
“Well, at least it proves she’s conscientious in her work…” the infiltrator commented with a shrug.
Blink used black synthetic ropes to truss up the underwear-clad woman. She cross-tied Ginny’s wrists behind her back, wrapped a first coil around her calves, and a second coil around her thighs. To immobilize the upper-body, she used a pentagram bondage. She blindfolded her victim with a magician scarf, then shoved a clean kerchief into the woman’s mouth and used a second magician scarf as a cloth gag over the mouth, tightly knotting the colourful piece of garment behind Ginny’s head.
Blink left the woman lying on the backseat. She suspected that Tina would prefer that the innocent worker was left hidden inside a vehicle instead of inside a trash dumpster. Sometimes of course, one didn’t have the choice. But since Blink had it this time, she might as well leave her victim in the slightly more comfortable place. It was a stolen car anyway – it used to belong to the Ravens. But since the Ravens had all been arrested, nobody would bother reclaiming it. With the exception of the police of course, when a ‘generous anonymous informer’ would call them. Though Ginny would have to wait for a few hours...
Blink quickly slipped into her disguise, ignoring the smell of sweat. Once she was in her new clothes, she sympathetically patted Ginny’s back. “Well, time for me to take my shift… Or rather, yours.”
The infiltrator chuckled at her own comment. While her encounter with Tina had convinced her to try to do good around her, she still couldn’t resist spouting a few quips from time to time. Old habits died hard!
The ginger-haired woman feebly moaned in her gag. It would take her quite some time before waking up. If she was lucky, if the infiltrators were quick, she would even sleep during the entire ordeal.
Blink exited the car, closed its door, and picked up the discarded orange cap on her way. She put the garment on her head and, now that she was in disguise, she grabbed her cellphone. She called Tina.
“It’s me. I’m in position. You can go, I’ll watch your back...”
**************
Tina parked her car at some distance of the front entrance of the warehouse. She made Magda exit the vehicle.
The blonde was still under the influence of her hypno-dart. She obeyed without a fuss.
With her prisoner, Tina walked in the open. She didn’t care that the White Masks would easily notice her arrival.
After all, she was supposed to be the bait…
For once, Tina wasn’t trying to discreetly infiltrate a place. She wanted to be seen by the sentries!
She knew that her role was the most dangerous one. But she wouldn’t have let any of her sister take it.
“It’s now or never…” she muttered to herself.
The woman and her prisoner arrived near the front entrance.
Tina froze when she heard a buzzing sound. A flying remote-controlled drone was approaching her.
**************
Soph and Marie had taken Lissa’s and Karen’s scuba masks with them because, once they would be close enough to the building, they wanted to discreetly approach the White Masks’ hideout under the sea.
The two infiltrators swam towards the wooden dock behind the warehouse.
However, the White Masks weren’t stupid. Even though their attention was fixated on Tina’s arrival, they still had posted two women to watch the access by sea of the warehouse.
The sentries were wearing their group’s standard outfit: a black hooded jacket, a white belt and white gloves, black trousers, and black shoes. As well as, of course, the white ‘angry theater mask’ to cover the face.
Soph and Marie emerged from the sea under the wooden dock.
They exchanged a few instruction with hand gestures. One sentry was rather close to the edge of the dock, an other was further away. Marie was going to wait for Soph to take position, then she would knock out the sentry that was far from the edge of the dock with her pen. Soph would then climb onto the dock to immediately take down the other sentry.
Thankfully, Marie’s pen was waterproof.
She waited until Soph was in position. Then she shot.
The sentry staggered when she felt a dart pierce through her clothes.
“Su… Suzie!” she tried to call her partner for help. "I- uuuuuuhhhh...”
However, she didn’t have the time to say anything else. The knock-out serum was already kicking in.
The sentry targeted by Soph heard her partner moan and fall on the wooden dock. “Catherine?!” she exclaimed.
Soph climbed onto the dock in one swift motion.
However, Suzie heard her emerge from the water and jump on the wooden frame of the dock. The sentry turned to face the intruder.
Just in time for Soph to land a blow across her jaw. The white mask was sent flying.
“Ugh!”
Suzie was falling backwards, but Soph grabbed her by the collar, and punched a very specific spot of the woman’s stomach with all her strength.
“OOOOFFFF!”
The sentry fell on her knees, her mouth wide open, but she was unable to speak since the wind was knocked out of her. She moaned lightly and her eyes rolled upwards.
“Uuuuhhh...”
Suzie passed out and fell face first, with her right cheek resting against the wood and her bun raised.
The two infiltrators knew they didn’t have much time. They dragged Suzie and Catherine behind some crates to conceal them.
“Libido, Mag, the coast is clear.” Soph said in the waterproof microphone given to her by Tinker. “You can come.”
While her two sisters were using their kite-surfs to reach the dock, Marie and Soph quickly stripped the unconscious sentries down to their underwear. Indeed, they needed the masks, black hooded jackets, and trousers to disguise themselves. And they needed the plain t-shirts of the women to use them as makeshift bonds and gags.
With the masks and clothes removed, they could see Catherine’s and Suzie’s physical appearances.
Catherine had a light skin, neck-long blond wavy hair, and blue blue eyes. She was wearing a blue bra, white hip-hugging panties, and white socks.
Suzie had a light skin, and brown hair and eyes. She fashioned her hair in two buns, in what was known as an odango style. She was wearing a white full-cup bra with red trimmings, pink knickers with a black heart at the center, and striped black-and-pink long socks.
Thankfully, the two women’s t-shirts were of good quality. Therefore, once cut, they made for sturdy makeshift ropes and cleave-gags.
“You sure a simple cleave-gag is enough to silence them?” Marie asked her sister.
“Good point. We use their socks.” Soph decided.
No sooner said than done: Catherine’s and Suzie’s socks were shoved into their respective mouth, and a tight cleave-gag was used to make sure they wouldn’t try to spit the gag out. Each woman’s wrists was tied behind her back with a makeshift rope. A second strip of t-shirt was used to bind the ankles. A third was used for the knees, a fourth for the thighs, and a fifth for the elbows.
Soph and Marie left the two sentries concealed behind the crates, peeled off their wetsuits, and slipped into their new disguises. They had no illusions. Even with the masks, they would be recognized as impostors the second they would have to talk. Perhaps even before. But they knew that, when behind the enemy lines, a few seconds could make the difference between life and death.
Libido and Mag emerged from the water as their sisters finished putting on the white masks.
“Tina is arriving.” Mag said to them.
Soph and Marie nodded. They would take action while Tina was distracting the White Masks.
**************
Tina moved to have Magda half in front of her. She didn’t trust the White Masks.
The flying drone was equipped with a speaker.
“You came alone?” a woman asked.
The drone was also equipped with a camera. Tina glared angrily at it. “Your deal never specified that we should all come together. You think I’d be stupid enough to bring all my sisters with me?”
The woman didn’t answer.
“Where are Angel and Stasis?” Tina added.
“They are alive and well. For now. Release Magda.”
“So you REALLY are taking me for a fool! I refuse to let her go before you give me back my sisters.”
“I don’t trust you either. You’re a criminal.”
“Says the one who kidnapped my sisters!”
“They are also criminals.”
“So that’s how you justify your own crimes? We have rights, you know!” Tina felt angry. She added: “Had people respected our rights to be free individuals from the beginning, we maybe wouldn’t have had to resort to our current way of life!”
Tina took a deep breath to calm herself. Having to deal with Angel’s past mistakes had made her think more of how the Company used to treat them. But she needed to keep a cool head. Prolonging the conversation with the White Masks would help her sisters’ infiltration, but she had to be ready to take action the second hell would break loose.
Suddenly, Tina heard an other voice come out of the speaker. However, this one was less loud, as if the woman wasn’t talking in front of the microphone.
“Louette! Catherine and Suzie aren’t answering on their phones!”
A short moment of silence.
“So you tried to double-cross us?” Louette barked at Tina.
“Just like I know you were trying to double-cross me!” Tina couldn’t help but retort.
Short pause.
“Fair enough.”
Tina anticipated the danger one second in advance.
The White Masks’ drone wasn’t only made to watch the surroundings and to communicate with people. It was also equipped with a remote-controlled machine gun. The machine deployed its weapon.
The woman operating the flying drone moved it slightly to make sure that Magda wouldn’t be in its line of sight. However, it gave Tina the time she needed to react.
She pushed Magda onto the ground, and jumped out of the way just before the drone opened fire. The bullets flew behind her back.
Tina rolled on the ground, and ran to take cover, as the White Mask was adjusting the position of her drone to have the infiltrator in its sights.
**************
Tinker took action the second the drone opened fire on Tina. She made her own flying drone attack.
“Well, all that’s missing is Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries…” BB somberly commented.
The White Masks piloting the armed drone saw Tinker’s own drone charging. She made her machine dodge Tinker’s when it tried to hit its propeller.
However, at least the distraction worked. Tina was able to take cover.
The two drones gained some height for an aerial battle.
**************
Inside the building, Louette left Willow’s room and drew her pistol.
She regrouped with the core of the White Masks and gave them instructions.
“Willow will use her drones to try to support us. Cassie, you watch the prisoner.” she said while referring to Angel. “Ellie, try to see if you can rescue Magda. Leonie, Samirah, and I will secure the inside of the warehouse.”
**************
Tinker made her drone zigzag to avoid four hails of bullets.
The clone then managed to position her drone above the White Masks’ machine. She made her drone hit her foe’s propellers with its bottom.
The armed drone plummeted and crashed onto the ground.
“Gotcha!”
**************
A grimace of hatred twisted across Willow’s face. So… You think you can surpass me?
She grabbed an other remote control and pressed a few buttons.
A second bigger armed drone took off. This one was equipped with three automatic machine guns, and was designed to shoot down other flying drones.
**************
Tinker saw the second armed drone charge and open fire on hers, but with three machine guns shooting at different angles, this time she wasn’t able to avoid the bullets in time.
“I’m not done yet!” Tinker exclaimed.
She knew that she needed to neutralize the drone, or else her sisters would be in mortal danger. Luckily however, she still had an ace under her sleeve.
She pressed a button when her own drone was shot down by the automatic machine guns of the White Masks’ machine.
Tinker’s falling drone released a swarm of mechanized bees and wasps. The swarm assaulted the huge armed drone.
The latter opened fire again, but while its machine guns were perfect to shoot at big objects and other drones, Tinker’s insects were too small to be hit by bullets.
They flew to the propellers and jammed them.
Tinker’s drone and the White Masks’ armed drone both plummeted and crashed.
**************
Angel raised her head when Cassie entered the storage room. She had heard about the commotion.
Her sisters were here!
Cassie was nervous and frightful. “I’ve been sent to watch you.” she explained.
“You’re under attack, aren’t you?”
Cassie didn’t answer.
“My sisters won’t hurt you if you surrender. They don’t kill.”
The blonde lowered her head. “I’d like to believe you…”
Angel shook her head sadly. “Have you ever done something horrible, but while only realizing it too late? I was a bad person. I did monstrous things, and I realized it too late. I regret what I did. There are no words to say how much I regret. Now, I only want to things. To try to make amends... and to keep my sisters safe.”
Cassie gulped. “I think I see what you mean… I… I didn’t realize… the full weight of what killing people would mean… I thought you deserved it, but now that I see you up close… I’m not sure of anything anymore...”
Angel looked at her. “Please… I’m begging you… Even if you kill me, just release my sister...”
Cassie grabbed the handle of her knife. Her hand was shaking.
**************
Soph and Marie split up to explore the western side of the warehouse. The building was indeed very big: outside of its main storage hall at the center, there was a labyrinth of secondary corridors.
Soph arrived in a room used to store the restraints belonging to the White Masks. Ropes. Handcuffs. Tape. There were all these tools on a few tables.
Soph froze when a door was opened in front of her. She could see a tattooed arm.
One of them is coming!
Still, in spite of her young age compared to her sisters, the clone was a veteran. With good reflexes.
Soph kicked the door to hit Louette in the face.
However, the blue-haired woman had good reflexes too. She took a few steps back, and managed to avoid being hit in the face.
Luckily for the clone, she wasn’t quick enough to prevent the door from hitting the gun in her hand, sending it flying across the room.
Louette didn’t try to retrieve it. She wasn’t stupid. She knew that she couldn’t turn her back on Soph, not while alone. She was regretting having split up with Leonie and Samirah.
She took a few more steps back to walk away from the door.
The clone approached. She hadn’t forgotten about their previous confrontation, during which Louette was cowardly shooting at them from a safe distance.
“How about a fair fight? You and I. Mano a mano.” she proposed.
The blue-haired woman smiled. “Suit yourself. I like these odds.”
She and Soph took fighting stances.
They stared at each other.
Louette tried a few feints, but Soph didn’t fall for her ruses.
The clone went on the offensive first.
Louette suddenly drew a retractable nightstick that she was hiding under her clothes. She took advantage of her longer reach to hit Soph before the latter could come into contact. The clone dodged at the last minute, but she was violently hit in the left shoulder.
Soph groaned in pain and quickly took several steps back to retreat. Her left arm was wounded. She would have a hard time using it.
Louette smiled.
“Bold of you to assume I would fight fair…” she commented.
The blue-haired woman drew a switchblade with her free hand. She moved to plunge her blade into Soph’s stomach.
The clone wasn’t impressed. She couldn’t use her left arm? Not a problem. She used her foot instead.
Soph kicked.
Louette’s switchblade was sent flying away.
This time, the blue-haired woman was the one forced to take a few steps back. She looked at her empty hand, then at Soph.
The clone smiled.
“Bold of you to assume I would care…” she commented.
The two fighters circled around each other.
In a fair duel, Soph would clearly have the advantage. She had behind her a literal lifetime of training. However, Louette wasn’t an amateur either. Working as a bouncer, trained in martial arts, the blue-haired woman was also a brawler herself. She was using to her advantage the range of her nightstick and Soph’s wounded left arm to fight the clone to a standstill. The White Mask was moving more carefully, to prevent Soph from disarming her a second time.
Louette attacked, trying to hit her foe with her metallic nightstick. She was purposefully targeting Soph’s left side, knowing that the latter would have a hard time using her wounded arm to protect herself.
Soph didn’t try to parry or to grab Louette’s arm, and chose to dodge every hit.
However, she knew that she would tire out quickly. She needed to regain the offensive. One way or another...
**************
Mag and Libido were making a detour by the warehouse’s secondary corridors to try to find Stasis and Angel.
However, after turning across a corner, they suddenly almost bumped into a red-haired woman.
“Intruders!”
The White Mask pointed her gun at them, but before she could shoot, Mag reflexively kicked the firearm out of her hand. Thankfully, her enemy was withing range of her legs!
There was a short moment of silence as the women stared at each other.
Leonie pointed a finger at Mag.
“You! I recognize you! You’re the bitch who stole Ingrid’s clothes and knocked me ou-”
Stomach punch.
Neckchop.
Leonie fell on the floor with a small grunt. Out cold and down for the count.
Mag sighed and shook her head.
Once again, the red-haired warden made the mistake of talking first instead of attacking first.
“Some women never learn their lesson…”
**************
Cassie cut the rope binding Angel’s wrists.
Surprised, Angel massaged her wrists. “You… You freed me?! Why are you helping me?”
Cassie nervously bit her lower lip. “I- I didn’t know things would turn out like that… The idea of revenge sounded tempting as a fantasy… But when it’s for real…” She was looking terrified.
Angel reflexively took her hand to reassure her. “Just flee. The police is on its way. Leave the building before they arrive. My sisters and I won’t try to take reprisals against you.”
Cassie shook her head. “I… I can’t abandon the others! They’re my friends!”
Angel nodded. “I understand. I myself can’t abandon my sister.”
“She’s with Willow.” Cassie reflexively answered. “But please… Don’t kill her… She’s not a bad woman at heart… None of them are…”
“They are angry and confused, I know. I promise you I won’t. I don’t kill anymore.”
Cassie didn’t try to stop Angel when she rushed out of the room.
**************
Ellie checked if the coast was clear. No trace of Tina. The infiltrator was probably afraid of Willow’s drones.
The chubby woman unlocked the front door, hurriedly went outside, and rushed to help Magda. She checked her friend’s pulse. The blonde was half-conscious and unresponsive, most likely due to some drug, but she was unharmed.
Ellie froze in fear when a woman dressed as a municipal worker suddenly appeared in her field of vision.
Blink had approached the White Mask in her blind spot.
“So… Do I have to be merciful, or do you choose the hard way?” she threatened with a terrifying smile.
However, she frowned when Ellie turned her head towards her.
Blink’s eyes widened. She had recognized the ice cream vendor. “You?!” she exclaimed.
Ellie gave her a sinister mocking smile. “Good day, ma’am.” She pulled out a small handgun. “May I take your order?”
Blink was a professional however. She didn’t let the shock of the surprise slow down her reflexes. She grabbed Ellie’s wrist and moved the gun away from her head. The chubby White Mask opened fire, but her bullets didn’t hit Blink.
“To think I let you serve food to my daughter!” the infiltrator shouted.
Ellie snarled. “I would never have tried to hurt your child! I wanted to put poison on your ice cream! But I feared your daughter might take a bite as well!” She tried to free her wrist. During the struggle, she opened fire several more times.
One bullet grazed Blink.
The latter saw red and harshly twisted Ellie’s wrist, forcing her to drop her weapon.
The chubby woman counter-attacked by BITING Blink’s arm. The latter groaned in pain, and let go of Ellie’s wrist.
The chubby woman snarled. “You people should have seen this coming… Your actions have consequences! You truly thought that you could make women live through hell and get away with it forever?!”
Ellie jumped to grab her gun. Blink jumped after her.
She managed to tackle the White Mask.
The two women rolled on the ground. They were grappling for the gun.
Once more, Ellie bit her opponent’s arm hard.
However, this time, Blink managed to clench her teeth and endure the pain.
The infiltrator pinned the White Mask to the ground and elbowed her in the face.
Dazed, Ellie grunted. Blink took advantage of the situation, and immobilized her by twisting her arm behind her back and pinning her to the ground.
“Tina! The path is clear!” she shouted.
“Thanks!”
Tina left her hideout and entered the warehouse through the entrance door that Ellie opened.
**************
“Must be tiresome to have to dodge all the time, uh?” Louette mockingly commented. “Maybe you should just give up?”
Soph bent forward to avoid a circular strike aiming for her head, then took a step back to avoid a second one. “Maybe you should just SHUT YOUR TRAP!” she retorted.
Louette struck one more time. Soph side-stepped the blow. The nightstick hit a table behind her, sending a few handcuffs flying around.
“I’ve been waiting for an occasion to take on one of you myself! Ever since the first time I came across a woman one of your pals killed!” the blue-haired woman exclaimed.
Soph tried to punch her, but was forced to retreat to avoid another strike of the metallic nightstick.
She growled: “I am tired of people like you targeting us as if we were the worst criminals out there!” she barked. “Can’t you use your energy to fight off the human trafficking rings?! Or the drug cartels?! Or Mary Clide?! Or maybe you’re too much of a coward to fight against enemies that strike to kill!”
“ME! A COWARD?! HOW DARE YOU?!” Louette shouted in anger.
She aimed a mighty blow.
It was a mistake. Against an opponent such as Soph, one had to favour speed over strength. Louette took too long to prepare her blow.
Soph saw an opening.
One high-kick.
Louette’s nightstick was sent flying across the room.
A voice suddenly echoed.
“SOPH!”
It was Marie.
The sound of the brawl had drawn her attention. She had regrouped with her sister.
“Don’t help me, sis’!” Soph exclaimed. “I don’t need help to defeat her.”
The White Mask grimaced and casted her an angry glare.
Soph warned the blue-haired woman. “Last chance. Give up while you’re still in one piece.”
Louette scoffed. “Pfff! You ain’t so tough!” she defiantly exclaimed. “I can still take you out!”
She lunged forward to try to punch her with her bare hands.
Soph anticipated her assault. She dodged by jumping to the side, and at the same time she kicked. However, she didn’t aim for the torso or another part of the body easy to hit. No.
She aimed for Louette’s right hand.
There was a sickening ‘CRACK!’, and Louette’s wrist bent in an unnatural way.
The blue-haired woman howled in pain and took a few steps back, keeping her wounded hand close to her.
“I warned you.” Soph simply commented.
Louette looked at her incredulously.
The blue-haired woman was a fighter. She knew how hard it was to hit a small moving target with a kick. And yet Soph did it.
“What are you?” the White Mask finally asked.
Soph’s eyes were cold. “A royally pissed-off woman. Do you surrender, or do I have to continue the demonstration? I can do the same with your throat, if I want.”
There was a short tensed moment of silence.
Without adding a word, Louette sat on the floor, giving up. She was grimacing because of the pain, and kept her hand pressed against her.
“Your wrist needs immediate healing. I can give you first aid.” Marie blankly commented.
Louette bit her lower lip. The two sisters could see in her eyes that she was torn between her hatred towards her enemies and the fear of her hand never recovering.
Soph was a brawler. She therefore could see that her enemy shared one thing with her: Just like Soph, Louette was proud of being a hand-to-hand fighter.
Soph said: “You can refuse our help and accept that your hand will never be able to fully recover… or you can let my sister help you, and fight another day.”
Louette hesitated, winced because of the pain, then presented her wounded hand.
“This doesn’t change anything.” she commented. “We’re still enemies. The next time we fight, I won’t hold anything back.”
“I hope so. Real brawlers live to confront strong opponents.” Soph grabbed a pair of handcuffs on a table. “However, beforehand…”
She cuffed the wrist of Louette’s unharmed left hand to her left ankle. She appreciated the irony of using a restraint belonging to the White Masks themselves.
“… We’re maybe nice women, but we’re not stupid either. This will spare you the temptation of trying to take advantage of my sister’s kindness…” Soph concluded with a satisfied smirk.
“Show me your wrist please.” Marie asked Louette. “I need to put a splint on it.” While tending to her enemy’s wound, she said to her sister: “I can handle things here. Go see if our sisters need help.”
Soph nodded and left.
**************
The main storage hall of the warehouse was vast and with a high ceiling. There were a few crates. When entering by the front door, one had to cross it in order to reach the secondary corridors leading to the administration rooms.
Tina’s heart skipped a beat when she saw the armed drone flying in the middle of the storage hall. Thanks to the high ceiling, the flying machine could get around in this room.
The White Masks actually had THREE drones.
“Oh shi-”
Tina jumped on the side when the drone opened fire.
The flying machine turned to have her in its line of sight.
Tina jumped a second time, this time behind a crate. Pieces of wood flew everywhere. The clone realized that the crate wouldn’t protect her for long.
Oh this is bad...
**************
Angel winced when she heard the gunshots coming from an other part of the warehouse.
However, she had no choice but to trust her sisters. Indeed, she was the one who had the best chance to find Stasis in time to rescue her, since she was already inside the building. Plus, she remembered where Willow’s room was.
On her way however, she met an unexpected obstacle.
The woman had long brown hair. Her eyes were the color of redwood bark and her skin was coffee brown. She was wearing the clothes of the White Masks, minus the ‘angry theater mask’.
Angel didn’t know her. She was probably an extra muscle sent to help the White Masks during the prisoner exchange.
The only important information was the fact that the brown-haired woman (Samirah) was holding a gun.
“Stop right there!” she shouted, brandishing her firearm.
Angel kept running.
When Samirah pressed the trigger of her gun, Angel reflexively moved on the side while still running.
Samirah opened fire, but her bullet was lost.
She didn’t have the time to fire a second time. Angel was already on her.
She grabbed the handgun and violently pulled it off the woman’s hand, disarming her.
Samirah retaliated with a punch.
Angel blocked the hit with her forearm, then kneed her opponent in the stomach.
“GAH!”
The brown-haired woman fell on her knees. Angel punched her in the temple.
“Urf!”
Samirah fell on the side.
Angel took a deep breath. She was usually trying to avoid the most brutal takedowns, but she still had her battle reflexes.
She heard Samirah groan and try to get up.
Angel grimaced and knocked the woman out cold by hitting the back of her head with the butt of the gun.
“Guh!”
Samirah grunted, and stayed motionless this time.
Angel checked her pulse and her eye. She was only knocked out. Good! The clone briefly pondered about stealing Samirah’s outfit to trick Willow, but she realized that she didn’t have the time to strip the woman. She simply grabbed a pair of police handcuffs strapped onto Samirah’s belt, and bound the woman’s wrists behind her back.
Stasis… I’ll save you!
Angel resumed her running.
Reflexively, without even realizing it, she had kept Samirah’s gun…
**************
Tina was jumping left and right to throw off the aim of the woman piloting the drone. It was her only chance. Thankfully, the machine wasn’t controlled by an AI, but by a normal human woman.
In spite of her training, Tina couldn’t outspeed a bullet. But she could outspeed the reflexes of the person remote-controlling the machine.
Hang in there! Every second you win here helps your sisters progress further inside the building...
However, Tina was playing a dangerous game. A flying drone couldn’t get tired, while she could.
Bullets were still flying. How many magazines did this thing have?!
Ultimately, the inevitable happened.
After Tina made a jump on the left, the drone wrong-footed her. This time, she wouldn’t be able to jump out of the way.
Tina realized that it was over.
She could only hope that her other sisters would rescue Angel and Stasis in time…
WHIZ!
A whip suddenly wrapped itself around Tina’s arm. She was quickly pulled out of the way.
The drone’s shots hit the ground.
Tina was unbalanced, but she fell into Libido’s arms.
“Usually, the women I ensnare with my whip also take a little nap…” the latter commented with a smile. “But for you I’ll make an exception.”
BANG!
Bolas, fired by a wrist launcher, wrapped themselves around the drone. Unbalanced because of the supplementary weight, the flying machine lost height.
Mag gave it no chance. She was brandishing a metallic bar, that she had picked up on the ground. Mercilessly, she hit the drone with all her strength, and sent it crashing onto the floor.
“Just in time!” she commented.
“Thanks… Have you seen our sisters?”
Mag shook her head. “Only an old acquaintance. Sarah’s warden. Don’t worry, she’s not a threat anymore, she’s all tied up for the moment.”
“Most of the White Masks have been captured.” Libido added. “There’s only one place left to explore.”
“Then let’s go!”
**************
Angel burst into the room Willow was using as her command center.
“I was expecting you.” the goth girl commented.
She was sitting in the middle of the room. Behind her, the screens of her computer indicated that all her armed drones were destroyed.
Next to her, Stasis was bound to a chair. Apparently, the White Masks had gotten tired of her jokes at some point, since she was gagged.
Willow was pointing a gun at her.
“Don’t!” Angel reflexively shouted.
Willow glared at her with cold eyes. “This is the reason why I hadn’t shot her yet. I wanted you to watch.”
Angel suddenly realized that she was still holding Samirah’s gun. It was eery to see how, in spite of all her efforts, her body still seemed to be conditioned by the Company’s training.
I’ll use it to threaten her… Just to threaten her...
Angel aimed at the goth girl. She tried to argue: “Stasis hasn’t done anything to wrong you! You can’t go for a revenge by proxy! There’s no justice in that! Someone who believes in the Night Angels should know that!”
Willow grimaced. “Stop it!”
“Stop what?”
“Stop trying to reason with me! This is not how things are supposed to go! This is not how I WANT them to go! We're supposed to kill one another! Not to talk!”
“Why? Why don’t you want to negotiate? We could stop everything here and now, with no bloodshed!”
Willow screamed: “I don’t want to make peace with you! I prefer to die for my sister!”
Angel was having terrible flashbacks of her confrontation with Reality. She had to use all her willpower to prevent her body from shaking.
She’s trying to goad me. She wants me to kill her.
The clone saw in Willow’s eyes that the woman was about to open fire with her gun. The gun that was still aiming at Stasis’ head.
It was as if time was slowing down.
Angel didn’t have a choice.
But she didn’t want to make the same mistake as with Reality.
How could she do it?
Willow’s finger started to press the trigger of her gun.
Angel had a solution. It was one she thought of, sadly too late, during one of her many sleepless nights spent reliving her fight with Reality. Spent imagining how she could have acted to prevent the latter’s death.
The clone was a faster shooter. By far. She had behind her a decade of missions, more than two decades of training. Willow was a tech genius, but she wasn’t a fighter.
Angel opened fire.
The goth girl cried in pain and fell from her chair, dropping her gun in the process.
Angel immediately rushed to ungag Stasis. Her sister was very pale. In her eyes, Angel didn’t see fear. She saw concern.
Concern for her.
“Angel… You… You killed someone…” Stasis was worried that her sister was completely broken.
Angel shook her head and untied the ropes binding Stasis’ wrists.
“She’s not dead.”
Angel had been trained to never miss a target with a firearm. She had also been taught all the vital spots of the human body. But, during the microsecond she had needed to take a decision, she had remembered something. She could use that very same training to avoid every vital spot, and to shoot to incapacitate and not to kill.
Willow groaned and clutched her wounded shoulder.
“Can you finish untying yourself?” Angel asked her sister. “I need to check on her.”
Stasis nodded.
Angel knelt next to the goth girl, and inspected her shoulder. The wound was clean and the bullet wasn’t stuck inside. A clean shot.
The clone ripped a sleeve of her outfit, and used it to bandage her enemy’s shoulder.
Willow glared at her. “You didn’t hit a vital spot… Why?” She wasn’t aggressive anymore. Only incredulous.
Angel tightened the bandage.
“My sisters made me realize one thing… One major thing. It’s better to LIVE for your family than to DIE for them…” she explained. “That’s why I can’t just give up and die. Just like you should live for your sister's memory, and not die for her.”
She finished bandaging Willow’s wound and looked her in the eyes.
“I did terrible things, and I’ll never make up for them. But I still have to try. I still have to be a good person. For my sisters. For me. For the spirits of the people I killed. And for the people I hurt. That’s why I can’t throw away my life. Because as long as I live, I can do good around me.”
Willow blinked.
“I can’t forgive you. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive you.”
There was no anger in the goth girl’s words. Only logic.
Angel nodded.
“I know. I understand. But I still have to try to make this town a better place. Because it’s the right thing to do.”
The goth girl remained silent. She didn't know what to answer. Tears were rolling down her cheeks.
Stasis finished untying her feet. “Sis’…” she muttered.
Since she didn’t know how to express her feelings, not even with a pun, Stasis simply took Angel in her arms and held her close.
Angel smiled weakly. “Careful sis’. If you lose your edge, you’ll lose your Internet followers.”
Stasis blinked. “Did you just snark at me? I can’t believe it! I’m so proud!”
Willow didn’t react.
She also didn’t react when Angel’s sisters rushed into the room, and expressed their relief to see Angel and Stasis alive and well with many exclamations of joy. And even more hugs.
“There’s one White Mask left…” Angel informed them. “She’s called Cassie. Please don’t be rough with her. She’s the one who released me...”
******* Some time later... *******
The police was called by the sisters once Stasis and Angel were rescued. One team was sent at the beach, and another at Heartfelt City’s camping site, to release a few bound-and-gagged woman. Two officers sent to investigate a stolen car had the surprise to come across a ginger who was still having her ‘forced beauty sleep’, as Blink called it.
However, the core of the police team was proceeding to the arrest of the White Masks and their accomplices.
Willow was the first to climb into a police car. She was remaining silent. The goth girl was lost in her thoughts.
Magda was next. She was still feeling dazed and woozy, but Tina had released her from the effects of the hypno dart before she and her sisters fled.
Ellie was refusing to come quietly and to accept her defeat. She was shouting and kicking, barking that it wasn’t over.
Cassie and Louette were the last of the White Masks’ main core to be escorted into a police car.
“I’m sorry…” Cassie muttered. “I didn’t do anything… I couldn’t bring myself to hurt her… I let her go... Everything’s my fault...”
Louette sighed and shrugged. “We’d have lost anyway. A part of me is angry at you right now… But another part is relieved that you didn’t renounce your kind heart… It’s what I like in you… I guess that at least, your hands aren’t stained because of us… I’m sure the court will take note of it during your trial. I’ll tell that we peer-pressured you into following us.”
The blue-haired woman shook her head.
"They utterly defeated us. Their victory is complete." she admitted.
When it was Leonie’s, Samirah’s, Suzie’s, and Catherine’s turn, Linda and Rebecca (the officers escorting them) sadly shook their heads.
“To think that servants of the law would stray so much from their path…” Linda commented.
**************
The sisters and Blink were gathered in the flat. Thanks to Tinker and some hacking, they were able to witness first-hand the arrest of the White Masks and their accomplices.
Everyone was of course lavishing attention on Stasis and Angel, who had been given blankets, hot drinks, food, and a lot of affection.
“It’s strange. Even though we won, I don’t feel that satisfied. In spite of everything they did...” BB commented.
Tina put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s because of the missed opportunity.” she explained. “Under different circumstances, had these women chosen different methods, we may have been able to work together…”
Tinker sighed. “What a waste. Her drones were a little marvel of technology…”
“And the blue-haired one was a HALF-decent opponent in a brawl…” Soph added.
“And Ellie’s ice creams were the best… She had a way of putting just the perfect amount of toppings, you know?” Stasis concluded.
“We can’t lose hope! I’m sure other people are seeing our message. People that won’t misinterpret what the Night Angels stand for.” Tina said to lift her siblings’ spirits.
Marie was the first to react, and added to support her sister’s efforts: “We just have to keep doing it. We’ve already saved many people. And we’ll continue. We will continue even if nobody notices our efforts, because we’re making the world a better place.”
The others approved.
“Yes! We’ll keep on fighting, even if it’s HARD!” Libido concluded.
She chuckled at her double-entendre. Her sisters (and Blink) sighed.
There was a moment of silence.
Angel suddenly spoke up. “Yes, we will keep on fighting… But… Did you ever wonder… what our lives would be like if the Company hadn’t molded us to become infiltrators? If they had respected our rights to be free-minded individuals? Maybe… Maybe we would live different lives… Maybe we wouldn’t have to struggle every day to survive…”
The sisters shared glum glances. Suddenly, they felt the need to lift their spirits. And to lift the others’ spirits.
Without a word the sisters got close to each other, and embraced in one big group hug.
“It’s us against the universe. But as long as we’re together, we will prevail.” Tina said.
Blink fake-coughed.
“You don’t have to be all alone, you know? You have made friends during your adventures, haven’t you? You have done good around you. You have positively impacted other people’s life. And they would be happy to lend you a hand in your times of need. I know I will.”
Tina smiled apologetically. It was true that she and her sisters sometimes saw themselves as alone against the universe, forgetting that they weren’t completely alone anymore.
“Sorry. One does not easily forget about the reflexes that allowed her to survive during a decade…”
The sisters left some space to include Blink in their group hug. The latter eagerly joined them.
“But you are right.” Tina added. “We have each other. But we also have you. And Felicity. And Gaia and Higgs. Stasis also has her weird friendship with Amai.”
“By the way, I was talking with Mi-” Stasis started to say.
“If you start smoking joints with Amai’s weird green-haired friend, we cut off your credit card.” Tina jokingly retorted as a warning.
Stasis didn’t finish her sentence.
They all shared a laugh.
Well, except one sister...
Tina noticed that there still was a grim expression on Mag’s face.
She stopped laughing and sighed. She knew that the story wasn’t fully over… She was worried.
Last edited by rufusluciusivan on Thu Sep 15, 2022 2:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Honestly though, brilliant takedown. 
