To Steal a Spacesuit

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

Re: To Steal a Spacesuit

Post by esercito sconfitto »

No, only one woman would emerge from all of this a true hero.

Indeed, the only women who would emerge from all this like winners ... are the ones who are still with stolen uniforms on in the very last scene, among all the others tied up in their underwear , forgotten in dark corners 8-)
rufusluciusivan
Posts: 1225
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2017 5:08 pm

Re: To Steal a Spacesuit

Post by rufusluciusivan »

I think Dr. Chen is a little too arrogant and confident for her own good. I guess she'll have to come down off her pedestal before the end of the story... ;) Still as nice as ever. Looking forward for the next part.
tirepanted3
Posts: 1934
Joined: Thu Jul 13, 2017 11:40 am

Re: To Steal a Spacesuit

Post by tirepanted3 »

Just a heads-up: It might be a little while till the next chapter. I've outlined the remainder of the story, but I need to make sure the various characters are suitably coordinated so that their story arcs are properly tied together and resolved.

This has been a challenging story to write, but I will try to maintain it to the end. It just might take a while to ensure that people will be satisfied with that ending.
tirepanted3
Posts: 1934
Joined: Thu Jul 13, 2017 11:40 am

Re: To Steal a Spacesuit

Post by tirepanted3 »

The plane touched down at Fort Worth International Airport. The passengers disembarked. The stewardesses did, as well.

"Come, girls," Karima said. "I sense our target is only a few miles off."

Her four henchwomen followed. Bobbi stayed behind at a distance.

She'd been lucky that none of them had recognized her as the shuttle-bus driver. But her luck couldn't hold out forever. Maybe it was time to turn back, before...

"No. No, girl, you've come too far. Gotta keep going... for Bridget, for Felicia."

She noted that the five Muslim women were at this moment headed for the parking lot. They were probably looking for a car to steal.

In order to keep following them, Bridget needed her own set of wheels. And, lest they recognize her, another change of clothes.

A rumbling noise perked her ears up. A motorcycle roared into view.

The leather-clad rider hit the brakes and pulled off her helmet. She was olive-skinned, with long, dark hair and black-painted lips. Probably one of those Goth types.

The girl brushed rudely past Bobbi and headed for the restroom, without even tossing a "Pardon me" over her shoulder. Bobbi frowned. Somehow, the idea of taking this girl down didn't seem so bad.

She followed the motorcycle girl into the washroom, where the girl had lit up a cigarette. The room was empty of other patrons.

Bobbi decided to play up the "authenticity" of her uniform, the way Bridget had done while disguised as a maintenance worker back at NASA. She dusted off her stewardess outfit and approached the girl.

"I'm sorry, miss," she said, "But you can't smoke in here."

The Goth girl shrugged. "Keep your panties on, toots. I'll be done in five minutes."

Bobbi blinked. This girl definitely needed a lesson in manners. Fortunately, Bobbi was more than willing to teach her.

"You know that's a safety hazard, right? And a health risk. Smoking is dangerous."

"So is not minding your own business," the Goth girl replied. "Kindly fuck off."

Bobbi stepped closer. She could now confirm that the two of them were about the same size. "Ma'am, I'm afraid we can't have this. You'll have to pay the fine."

"Oh?" the Goth girl replied. "And what fine is that?"

Bobbi decided to play the suave card. "Why... your clothes. Strip, dear, I need your wardrobe."

In her mind, she sounded confident and intimidating.

But the Goth girl seemed to think otherwise. She pulled out a penknife. "Bitch, get outa here before I slice you up."

Bobbi was suddenly afraid again. She could feel her heart pounding as the girl pointed the knife at her throat. "I.. I... I'm sorry... Please..."

"Get out, bitch," the Goth repeated.

Bobbi was about ready to surrender. Ready to give up. Then she remembered that Felicia was counting on her. Poor, kidnapped Felicia...

"I'll count to three," the Goth girl said menacingly. "One... twaaaaAAAGGHHH!"

She screamed as Bobbi grabbed and twisted her arm. The knife fell from her hand and clattered on the tiled floor.

The Goth looked up, trying to bring things into focus. She saw Bobbi smiling at her.

"Just wanna say... you kinda deserve this."

With that, Bobbi let loose with a judo chop just below the woman's left ear. With a moan, the motorcyclist sank to the floor.

Bobbi locked the washroom door from the inside. It was time for another quick change.

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

Felicia stirred again. The room came into focus - hazy, tilted, but still real. And she was still strapped to the table.

She forced herself to stay calm once more. What would Bridget do?

Obviously, she'd try to free herself. But Felicia's bonds were tight, and the nearest cutting implements were resting on a tabletop nearly ten feet away.

The door to her room opened. A red-clad woman holding a clipboard walked in.

Felicia shut her eyes. "No... please, not again... Just leave me alone..."

The woman stood over her. "Darling, is that really what you want?"

Felicia opened her eyes. She squinted past the blurs and let the woman come into focus. "Oh my god... Bridget?"

Bridget grinned. "Good to see you, dear."

Felicia wasn't sure how to respond. "Are you... is this a trick? Are you working with them? Why do you have that uniform, what's..."

Bridget put a finger to her lips. "Hush, sweetie - let's not bring the guards running. I was caught just like you, but I 'borrowed' some clothes and have been wandering around this facility. Really big place."

"Where are we?" Felicia asked.

"Still not sure," Bridget said. "But we can figure that out once we've safely escaped." She reached for a small knife on the table. "Hold still while I cut you free."

Minutes later, Felicia stood rubbing her wrists, trying to regain her composure.

"You okay?" Bridget asked.

"Little woozy... but I think I'll live," Felicia said. "Now how do we get out of here?"

Bridget's ears perked up at the sound of footsteps in the outside hallway. "Wait here."

Another red-clad doctor was striding down the hall past Room 308. She was glancing absent-mindedly at her watch.

Bridget opened the door a bit and poked her head out. The other woman turned, startled.

"What's up, doc?" Bridget grinned.

She reached out and grabbed the woman by the elbow, then yanked her into the lab. A few solid punches and kicks were all it took to render the scientist unconscious.

"That's all, folks," Bridget announced triumphantly, as they began stripping the woman.

Felicia eyed her strangely. "You watch too many cartoons."

Bridget shrugged. "Gotta keep things upbeat, kiddo."

Once the scientist was down to her underwear, Bridget tied her to the table and gagged her, while Felicia squeezed into her uniform.

"How do I look?" she asked, donning the goggles.

Bridget smiled. "Like you're ready to kick ass."

"I'd settle for hauling ass," Felicia replied. "Let's get out of here."

The two women exited the room and strode down the hallway. They nodded politely at anyone who passed. No one stopped them.

They arrived at a large metal door marked "Exit." Bridget pushed it open.

"Hello, ladies."

Bridget and Felicia's eyes widened. In the hallway before them stood about a dozen armed female soldiers, all pointing guns at them. Also standing there was "Dr. Alice Williams" - or, at least, her impostor - and a slightly older, taller woman wearing a white lab coat. She had light brown skin, dark hair, and a pearly white smile.

"We just found three doctors tied up in one of our labs," she said. "Kind of suspicious, don't you think?"

Bridget and Felicia raised their hands in surrender.

"That's quite like it," the dark-haired woman smiled. "My name is Dr. Petrella. And you girls aren't going anywhere."
rufusluciusivan
Posts: 1225
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2017 5:08 pm

Re: To Steal a Spacesuit

Post by rufusluciusivan »

It's nice too see that you're back. And, dare I say, it was worth the wait.

Good scene between Bobbi and the Goth girl. As I said before, I've always liked the concept of having some of the victims be not necessarily "nice" persons, turning the uniform steal into some form of "karma" when a heroine needs a change of clothes. I hope we'll see the aftermath... And I think Bobbi is one of my favorite characters. Gotta like her determination.

The Bugs Bunny references were just perfect by the way.

And now a cliffhanger. Can't wait to see how everything will wrap up. I guess the climax is near.
tirepanted3
Posts: 1934
Joined: Thu Jul 13, 2017 11:40 am

Re: To Steal a Spacesuit

Post by tirepanted3 »

Thanks! Bobbi has been a fun character to write for - she's new to the whole "clothes stealing/undercover" business, but I try to make her development feel natural. Having her steal clothes from a rude woman is a great way for her to get used to mugging passerby as the need arises.

I'd estimate there are another 4 or 5 chapters left to the story. I've mapped out the remainder of each character's arc, but there's still a little time left (and a few more uniforms) before the climax.
tirepanted3
Posts: 1934
Joined: Thu Jul 13, 2017 11:40 am

Re: To Steal a Spacesuit

Post by tirepanted3 »

Bobbi checked her reflection in the cracked washroom mirror. The black leather motorcycle outfit hugged her every curve. The knee-high black boots pinched her toes. And the helmet she now held in her hands smelled of bad perfume.

Nevertheless, she felt good.

A growling noise came from inside one of the bathroom stalls. Evidently, the Goth girl had regained consciousness.

Bobbi strode over to the stall and opened the door. "Got our anger out of the way?" she asked.

The Goth girl responded with what could have been a string of curses, but Bobbi could not tell for sure. The gag over the girl's mouth made her difficult to understand. And the fact that the semi-stripped woman was taped in a seated position to the toilet made it difficult for her to lunge at the woman in the stall doorway. All she could do was glare angrily at the woman who had taken her only motorcycle outfit.

"Just be glad you're getting off easy," Bobbi said. "I should call the police on you for smoking and pulling a knife. But I'm in kind of a hurry tonight, so no can do. You'll just have to spend the night here, alone, thinking about your poor life choices, while I make use of your motorcycle." She jangled the keys triumphantly.

The Goth girl snarled at Bobbi. She tugged vainly at her bonds for several seconds. Then, receiving no slack, she began to sob.

Bobbi immediately felt sorry for the girl. She approached her and stroked her cheek. "Hey... listen. I know this might sound hard to believe, but... I'm one of the good guys. And I really am grateful to you, for your clothes and bike, and..."

The girl smacked away Bobbi's hand with the side of her head. She glared angrily at her captor, and continued struggling.

Bobbi shrugged. "I tried to be nice," she said. "Whatever. Toodles."

She shut the stall door and placed the bike helmet on her head. Then she exited the washroom, hanging an "Out of Order" sign she'd found in the closet on the door.

The sound of an engine made her ears perk. She turned to see a small black sedan exiting the parking lot. Five women in stewardess uniforms were packed inside.

"Perfect timing, ladies," Bobbi said.

She hopped on her newly-obtained motorcycle and gunned the engine.

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

The early morning sun filtered through the press room windows. The light hit the newspaper on Moira's desk, highlighting the fresh newsprint.

"DARWIN CHEMICALS WON'T EVOLVE WITH THE TIMES," read the top of the leftmost column. The byline read "Bridget Baxter."

Moira stormed into Mrs. Drake's office, her short skirt flipping back and forth. She held up the paper. "What is this?"

Mrs. Drake looked up. "This is... annoying. Moira, haven't I told you not to barge into my office?"

"How did Bridget get an inside scoop on Darwin Chemicals?" Moira fumed. "The security in that place is insane. I've never been able to get past the front gate."

"Bridget's a professional," Mrs. Drake replied impatiently. "I don't know how, but she gets things done."

"Are you saying I'm... not a professional?" Moira replied.

"You're not acting like one, certainly," Mrs. Drake said. "When was the last time you turned in a good story?"

Moira scowled. "I could do that. I'm a far better reporter than she is."

"All right, then," Mrs. Drake said. "Prove it. There's a couple of NASA shuttle-buses heading to Cape Canaveral... Something about a missing piece of space equipment. The woman in charge is holding a press conference; all reporters are invited."

Moira nodded. "I'm in."

"One of the buses leave from Main Street in ten minutes. Get going."

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

A small black sedan pulled up to what appeared to be a two-story, disused medical center. The walls were chipped of paint, the windows cracked and grimy.

Nevertheless, there was more to the building than met the eye.

"This is it," one of the Muslim women said, staring at the coordinates on her phone. "It's around here somewhere."

"Hmm." Karima pursed her lips in thought. "Where could they hide such a..."

Her eyes brightened as they adjusted to the surroundings. Beyond the medical center was a large airplane hangar. It, too, was old and seemingly decommissioned - rushed walls and soot-coated windows.

Nevertheless, the signal intensified as they approached it.

"The space-plane must be in there," Karima said with a grin. "Presumably, the bomb we planted is still on board."

"Shall I activate it?" the girl sitting next to her asked, holding up the remote trigger.

"No!" Karima grabbed her wrist. "Not yet. Blowing up the rocket will also blow our chance at cover. It's the final item on the agenda. First, we need to kill the astronauts."

"But where would they be?" Nadyne, one of the taller henchgirls asked. "We don't even know if they're in this area."

Karima's eyes narrowed as she glanced again at the medical building. "There's certainly... something... in this area." She pointed. "Why would an old, condemned medical building have armed guards patrolling the perimeter?"

The other four women looked. Sure enough, a pair of heavily armored guards were striding around the corner of the building. They were dressed in dark-blue body armor, slate-grey helmets, dark glasses, and tall black boots.

Three other similarly-attired guards emerged from a side door of the building. Two of them stood by the wall and lit cigarettes. The third began chatting with the two on patrol.

Thankfully, Karima had parked the sedan in a shadowed corner of the street, and the guards did not notice them. Also thankfully, all five of the guards appeared to be female.

Karima smiled wickedly. "Must be something rather interesting in that building. Let's go, ladies."

The Arab women were professionals, and thus needed little in the way of pre-coordination. The two smokers were easily taken out and dragged into the shadows without so much as a whimper.

The other three guards rounded that corner soon after. One of them held up her hand. She pointed at a pair of still-lit cigarettes lying on the ground.

The guard unsnapped her flashlight and shined it on the ground. She directed the beam up ahead, to the sound of mewling coming from the shadows. Lying there were two of her fellow guards, bound and gagged and stripped to the undergarments.

The flashlight-wielding guard opened her mouth to sound the alarm, but the noise was quickly muffled by a handgag. Her two fellow guards were similarly silenced and subdued with minimal effort.

Bobbi watched from the shadows as the five Muslims stripped the remaining guards, tied them up, and donned their clothes. She had silently pulled up on her motorcycle minutes earlier, and chose not to intervene lest her own cover be blown.

Once all five guards were properly bound and gagged, they were stuffed into the the sedan - two on the floor beneath the back seat, three in the trunk. Karima and her girls, now fully disguised, headed for the door of the medical building.

Bobbi wondered how she could follow. Then she noticed another guard emerge from a side door of the hangar. The woman was striding towards the medical building as well, carrying a half-eaten granola bar.

She never got to finish it. Two hands shot out from the bushes and yanked her hard. She had enough time to let out an unheard "What the..." before Bobbi's fist put her off duty.

Minutes later, Bobbi rose from the bushes, buckling the helmet onto her head. She tested her body armor and boots, ensuring that they were good fits.

Behind her, the real guard lay in the dirt, blissfully unconscious. She was gagged with tape and bound with rope from her own belt. The only clothes she wore were a pink bra and white panties decorated with little pink hearts.

Bobbi stifled a laugh as she eyed the supposedly-threatening guard's underwear choice. But she knew this was no time for humor. She had a mission to accomplish.

Stepping out of the bushes, she picked up the fallen granola bar, still partly in its wrapper. Having not eaten anything in hours, she shrugged and bit into it.

It was delicious.

Smiling to herself, she headed for the medical center.

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

Felicia pulled against her latest set of bonds. The harder she tried, however, the tighter the knots seemed to become.

"Don't bother," said Dr. Petrella. "My girls are expert knot-tiers."

Felicia glared at her. So did Bridget. The two of them were now tied to chairs, though still wearing their red jumpsuits. They now sat unwillingly in a dimly lit office, with Dr. Petrella sitting across from them. Two armed and athletically-built female guards, dressed in dark blue body armor and tall boots, flanked the only doorway.

"You won't get away with this," Felicia said.

Dr. Petrella laughed. "Please, honey. Is that the best you've got?"

Felicia angrily bit her lip.

"Why are you doing this?" Bridget asked. "All this trouble, just to steal a plane?"

"Not just a plane," Dr. Petrella replied. "The space-plane is the herald of a new age, where space travel is a walk in the park and where the Earth is merely a launching pad. Whoever controls this plane controls the future." Her eyes glistened as she spoke.

"So... you're just going to go into space yourself?" Bridget asked. "Still seems like a waste of time."

Dr. Petrella chuckled. "I've no interest in space myself, darling," she said. "My scientific team will study and analyze this plane... replicate it. We'll create dozens more, each stronger and sturdier than the last. Then we'll sell them. I'm sure many of America's enemies will pay millions - billions, even - to get their hands on this sort of spacecraft."

"Money, then," Bridget said. "You just want money."

"Money... wealth... power. Isn't that what everyone wants these days? I've just found the perfect way to achieve it. And you're going to help me."

Bridget and Felicia stare at her blankly.

"Heather Fontaine... Lindsay Thorne. I made sure that Lana hijacked the ship while you were in it. Since you two trained for months to use the plane, you know all about how it works. And you will help us manufacture more."

Bridget and Felicia glanced at each other. Then they started laughing.

Dr. Petrella raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

Bridget smiled at her. "You idiot. We're not scientists. We don't know anything about the plane."

Dr. Petrella glared at them. "What?"

"I'm a reporter. She's a college student. We tied up the real scientists and took their place. Just trying to get a story."

Dr. Petrella was silent. Then she strode over to Bridget and slapped her in the face.

"Insolent bitch. I should kill the two of you right now."

Bridget sat quietly, absorbing the sting on her cheek.

Dr. Petrella turned and walked toward the door. "But I'm afraid I can't stand to watch anything die."

She spoke to the two armed guards. "Interrogate them. Find out everything they know. Then shoot them between the eyebrows."

The guards nodded, grinning broadly. They watched as Dr. Petrella left, them locked the door from the inside.

From behind them, Bridget stood up, rubbing her wrists. "Right, then. Enough of this foolishness."

The guards whirled in shock. One of them reached for her sidearm, and had almost made it before Bridget's foot smashed into her jaw. She fell to the floor, unconscious.

The other guard grabbed her gun and pointed it at Bridget. "Freeze!"

Bridget didn't move. The guard approached her. "I should kill you right now."

From behind her, Felicia lurched her chair to one side. She fell with a low thud.

The guard took her eyes off Bridget for one moment... and that was all the time the ace reporter needed. She kicked the gun out of the woman's hand, then felled her with a right cross.

She smiled at Felicia. "Thanks for the distraction. We make a good team."

"How did you get your arms free?" Felicia wondered.

Bridget chuckled. "Sweetie, in my line of work, I've tied up more people than I can count. You learn a thing or two about knots along the way." She retrieved a knife from one of the guards' belts and began cutting Felicia's ropes. "I'd freed myself around the time our hostess started rambling about the future."

Felicia stood, rubbing her wrists. "You've got to teach me how to do that."

"Later, doll. For now, let's relieve our two companions of their uniforms. We've got some business to wrap up."
rufusluciusivan
Posts: 1225
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2017 5:08 pm

Re: To Steal a Spacesuit

Post by rufusluciusivan »

Just a quick reply to say that I'm not disappointed by the result of Bobbi's mugging. (If I had to nitpick, I'd say I would have liked to learn more about the state of dress the Goth was left, but otherwise it's perfect.) Also love the detail about that supposedly intimidating guard's choice of underwear. Still love these touches of humour, which you still balance well with the action.

In general, these poor guards should consider a career change. Their takedown by Karima's team and Bobbi, while brilliant for us readers, prove that they aren't fit for this job.

As for Bridget and Felicia, good thing that these villains always love to monologue, which Bridget lampshades at the end.

With so many people having so many different agendas, I'm really wondering how everything will play out in the end. (Just hope they'll manage to defuse the bomb in time...)
tirepanted3
Posts: 1934
Joined: Thu Jul 13, 2017 11:40 am

Re: To Steal a Spacesuit

Post by tirepanted3 »

I hadn't originally planned a follow-up scene between Bobbi and the Goth girl, but decided to add one at your suggestion. I'm glad I did - it helps add some extra nuance to Bobbi's character. I also decided to detail the scene between her and the guard - it shows how she's grown as a clothes-stealer, even stealing and enjoying the snack from the supposedly-intimidating Ms. Pink-Heart Underwear.

I've outlined the rest of the story, and have a (hopefully satisfying) way for it to all come together. That should start becoming apparent in the next installment...
esercito sconfitto
Posts: 7096
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2016 12:06 pm

Re: To Steal a Spacesuit

Post by esercito sconfitto »

well, this is really a challenging story :shock:



as usual, I wonder if the writer has in his mind a real person when he describes a character... of course I am alluding to the Goth Girl; olive skinned and biker, three features that don't match in tropes but only in real life ( or at the tv)...

Image


another detail. Let's face it, the Group of arab women is disturbing, in the same way Emery is a disturbing character in "to overthrow the Utopia" by Luciusrufusivan... they spoil the tone of the novel; real assassins, all I want about them is to be sure that they board the space ship and start a no return, endless travel in the empty, black outer space :)

I believe that this is the first story by Tirepanted with a finale not planned from the very beginning :shock:


another time, I am led to believe that the USB concept is the epitome of our modern times... after all, this is the reason I can' t get enough of this board :x
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