Nope, they weren't inspired by the panties from Aika and Najica, though I guess they are similar-looking.Vigilante Part 2
**************
“Curse these Vigilantes!”
Roxane Barca was a tall thin woman with piercing icy blue eyes and shoulder-long dark brown hair. The skin of her face was smooth thanks to a botox injection. One lock of her hair was dyed purple, the colour of her Faction. She was wearing a crimson red knee-long business pencil skirt, with a matching business jacket and a crisp whit shirt, as well as red high heels and black stockings. These were her trademark clothes, the ones she always wore in public. On her right index finger, there was a gold ring with a ruby. There was also a ruby in each of her gold earrings.
The corrupt businesswoman looked at her two associates, Valeria and Morgane. Valeria was a woman of average size, but with a gorgeous curvy body. She had a light skin, curly shoulder-long light brown hair and green eyes. Her features were soft and round. Morgane was tall and skinny, with sharp cheekbones and an angular face. Her neck-long hair were black and her eyes were dark brown.
“They've been a thorn in my side for more than six months, and you're telling me that we still have no clue about their identities?!” Roxane added.
“Sorry.” Valeria said.
“Given the context, maybe we should consider cancelling the coming charity gala at the casino hotel...” Morgane added.
Roxane slammed her hand on the desk of her office. “Are you crazy?! I must host this gala no matter what! Now that the content of the folders stolen at Miranda's apartment have been made public, there are a lot of... unwanted rumours that I want to quell. This charity gala is necessary for my public image!”
“But this would give the Vigilantes a perfect occasion to strike!”
Roxane shook her head. She grabbed a flyer and put it under the eyes of her two associates.
“Then what we need, is professionals...” the businesswoman concluded.
Valeria and Morgane read the name on the flyer. “Primrose Security? What kind of name is that?” Valeria mocked. “A florist?”
“A private security company, specialized in foiling uniform stealing and infiltration tactics.” Roxane dryly retorted.
“Clever.” Morgane said with a nod. “I will call them, and brief them about the team of vigilantes hitting our business.”
“Are you daft?” Roxane exclaimed. “I don't want this company sticking their nose in my business! Which they will do if they learn that vigilantes are targeting us! After all, vigilantes only go after people whom they think are guilty of some crime...”
“What if we tell them that they're criminals?” Morgane proposed.
Roxane shook her head. “They would still do some digging, probably learn that they're vigilantes.”
“And why would it be a problem?” Valeria intervened. “They would be working for us after all...”
“This security company's been founded by former policewomen. They have integrity.”
“Disgusting...” Valeria said with a gagging sound.
“Still, if we want to be safe, I think we should...” Morgane started to say.
“And I think you should stop questioning my orders!” Roxane interrupted her. “They are competent enough as it is. These Vigilantes will be no match for them. In fact, I'd be delighted to see them try to break in during our gala... They'll be in for a surprise when they'll realize that we hired anti-uniform stealers!”
**************
Outside of Hieron, the Vigilantes were also receiving outside help from Shayna and Klenia. The two women notably helped Clover and Posy train. Of course, they had to make sure that Mikani didn't hear of the Vigilantes' little escapades, as she certainly wouldn't have approved of the danger. Luckily, she was too busy raising a young teenager to keep an eye on them.
Currently, Shayna was visiting the Vigilantes to help them prepare their plan. She was alone.
Indeed, they quickly discovered that Aster and Mikani were a lot more suspicious when Klenia was travelling the country than when it was Shayna. Therefore, the blonde was the one who visited them the most regularly.
Today, Clover, Posy, and Amber were asking the blonde to help them prepare their biggest operation yet.
Shayna raised an eyebrow. “So let me get this straight... You're telling me that your plan is to directly pull off a caper at Roxane Barca's casino hotel resort?”
“During the charity gala she's hosting, yes.” Clover said with a nod. “We will directly search her office to find compromising informations about her. Thanks to Hieron, we have a good idea of which folders we should be looking for.”
“There will be a problem though.” Shayna objected. “I know the private security company that Roxane hired to watch over the gala. Klenia and I had a few... run-ins with them the past year. They are specialized in foiling uniform stealing tactics.”
Clover wasn't intimidated however. “Then, that means that we will have to prepare ourselves even more... We just need to list all the problems we have to overcome, and solve them one by one. By proceding step by step, we can turn an unfeasible task… into a feasible one.”
“I admire your way to proceed.” Shayna said with a smile. “It reminds me of Aster and Aaria. Klenia is a good uniform stealer, but she works on instinct. It can be hard to keep up with her sometimes...”
“I can imagine.” Posy said with a smile.
The blonde nodded, then added: “Okay then. First, let's start with the most obvious problem. They're using mixed patrols.”
Posy lost her smile and made a gagging sound. “Cheaters!” she complained.
“We have to find a way to make sure that there won't be enough men during the night of the gala for all their patrols to be mixed...” Clover said. “And we have to do it in a way that won't alert them...”
“For the guys, I have an idea.” Amber intervened.
“Which is?”
“Even men need to eat...” the latter mysteriously answered.
Clover rolled her eyes and smiled. “Fine, keep your secrets.” she joked. “As long as it works.”
“Trust me, it will.” the bar manager said with a smile.
“Second, they have a foolproof way to check the identities of the staff working at the gala, especially the catering crew. You won't be able to mug some girls on their way to the building.” Shayna added.
“For that, we already have a solution.” Posy said.
“Amber has been hired to manage the bar during the gala!” Clover happily said. “Thanks to a little secret nudging made by one of Hieron's secret contacts...”
“And not as a mere barmaid!” Posy added with a huge smile. “She's the manager! She'll be the one giving orders to the barmaids!”
Amber blushed a little. Though it was true that she was now managing her own bar and had a few people under her employ, hence why she could apply for the post at the gala.
“Thanks to a good word from her, Posy and I were hired as waitresses (under fake names)! We took care of slightly altering our appearances with makeup and hair dye, of course...” Clover continued.
“That's all the genius of our plan. We won't mug people to get inside. The muggings will only start after we're inside.” Posy concluded.
Shayna nodded. “Ingenious indeed.”
“Anything elese?” Clover asked.
“They are very paranoid. They have a rotation system to be able to notice more quickly if some of them are missing. They are aware of the commonly-used uniform stealing tactics – in fact, the core of their staff fell victim to them at least once. They will treat anything unusual as a potential breach of security.”
“I see...” the black woman thoughtfully said.
“Though you have a contingency plan for that, right Clover?” Posy asked.
Shayna looked intrigued. “Really?”
The black woman nodded. “Now that the authorities are more and more aware of uniform stealings, I have started to imagine new tactics to use their knowkledge against them and take them by surprise... I think I may have a solution.”
Her busty friend smiled.
“However, we have one major remaining problem.” Clover concluded. “Even if we set enough things into motion to make sure that we can infiltrate the place and to sideline the guys, the girls of the security team will also be a problem. I know we've trained a lot, but they have trained more and have more experience.”
“I can help you with that.” Shayna intervened. “You could use these...”
She showed them blue needles stored in a small plastic box.
“They contain a powerful sedative.” the blonde added. “Strong enough to knock out a trained fit woman in a few seconds.”
“Where will we hide them?” Clover asked after taking the plastic box.
Shayna had a slight cough. She was looking embarassed. “In you... erm... cleavage.”
“Oh! Smart.”
“Don't sting yourself by mistake though!” Posy joked.
Clover clapped her hands. “Then it's settled! We have one week to prepare ourselves! Let's do it!”
******* One week later *******
Roxane's resort was a huge complex that included a casino, a hotel, a restaurant with terrace, and a huge garden. There was a wood nearby, as well as a river, which gave the place a nice scenery, and the resort was isolated from the town of Southern Cross. It was far away from the industrial city and its pollution. The businesswoman could therefore proclaim, rightly, that her casino hotel was one of the most pleasant places of the Province of Smog.
Clover and Posy were in the woods, waiting behind some bushes. They were observing the service entrance of the casino hotel from afar.
The service entrance AND the two guards filtering the entrances.
“Amber's plan went without a hitch.” Posy commented. “Thanks to the little 'special ingredient' she put in their food two days ago, most of the men are too busy spending their time in the toilets to work tonight...”
“Amber's already inside. Once she's done briefing her crew, she'll take the time to 'store some supplies'... and to hide our bondage tools in the storage room.” Clover checked her wristwatch. “It's our time to go into action.”
Posy quickly looked at the two guards.
“Do you think it will work? It seems a little convoluted... And it relies on the guards being savvier than average.”
“Trust me, I've studied this security company's patterns with Shayna. They truly are specialized in foiling traditional uniform stealing tactics. They will react...”
Clover and Posy exited the woods.
“If we want to best these security team, we have to think outside the box.” the black woman concluded.
**************
The two friends approached the service entrance of the casino hotel.
The two guards were slim fit women in their late-twenties. While not muscular, they both still had athletic-looking bodies.
The first woman had a light brown skin and eyes that were a mix of green, blue, and brown. Her slightly bushy brown hair were a little unkempt and shoulder long, with the exception of two longer armpit-long braids, one down each side, adorned with red and blue beads. The second woman was slightly taller, had blond hair and grey eyes, as well as a slight tan. Her hair were a little curly and frilly, and were tied into a low ponytail.
Both women were wearing thick black combat tactical shoes, military-like dark grey pants, a dark grey shirt, a black tactical vest with a flashlight in one of the pockets as well as several gun magazines in others, and a cap. On the chest and the back of their vests, as well as on their caps, there was the red logo of their security company. The company's name was also written on the back of their tactical vests.
The guards had a handgun in a holster. Strapped on their belt, there were also a few plastic zip-ties, a taser stun gun, a retractable nightstick, and a walkie talkie.
A white badge with their name was pinned on their vest. The brunette was called 'Piper' and the blonde, 'Annabeth'...
**************
“It's too bad almost all the guys got this food poisoning, as well as Reyna and Brigid...” Annabeth commented after she and her partner let a barman in. “Though I've always said that you had to be careful with seafood. By the way, you won't believe what Hazel...”
“'Beth, check this out.” Piper discreetly pointed at two waitresses who were approaching. “They've just arrived through the woods...”
The two guards were immediately on alert. They remembered one of their company's teachings.
Always be wary of women who arrive through the woods near the building, as it's one of the most favoured places used by uniform stealers to hide their victims, along with storage rooms, restrooms and various closets.
Annabeth nodded, instantly becoming serious and professional.
The blonde pushed a button on her walkie talkie. A red dot lit up on her device, and on the devices of all her colleagues. Then she spoke in the walkie talkie: “Annabeth reporting. Service entrance. One red dot.” she simply said.
They all knew the code.
One red dot. 'Potential uniform stealing.'
If Piper or Annabeth didn't report in the next five minutes, everyone would consider that there was a breach of security and sound the general alarm.
“Identity check.” Piper said to the two waitresses once they arrived in front of Annabeth and she.
The black woman and the busty woman exchanged a glance. They were wearing waitress uniforms: comfortable sneakers, black pants with brown belts, white button up shirts with black bowties, red waistcoats. Piper noticed that the two women's clothes fitted them perfectly. While this would be a clue that they were the rightful owners of these clothes, she knew that she still had to be careful.
“Of course!” the first waitress finally said.
They gave Piper the badges that were given to all the people hired to be part of the catering crew.
The brunette checked the names and the photos.
These two women were on the list, and they looked like the pictures they had to give during the job interview. They were real waitresses.
False alarm. the brown-haired guard thought to herself.
“What were you doing in the woods?” she still asked.
The two waitresses shared a glance.
“Taking a smoke break before the beginning of our shift.” the busty woman admitted.
Piper smiled lightly. “Good luck then.” She and Annabeth allowed them to enter the building through the service entrance.
Annabeth grabbed her walkie-talkie. She pressed a button to switch off the red dot. “Annabeth reporting. False alarm.” she said.
At the same time, Piper couldn't help but watch her and Annabeth's back until the waitresses were out of sight and the door was closed. Just in case.
**************
Perfect. Step 1 of our plan is complete. Clover thought to herself.
Now, the two guards knew that she and Posy were hired in due form and weren't impostors. It maybe didn't seem much, but it was important for the next part of their plan...
“Did you notice the blonde?” Posy whispered. “She pressed a button on her walkie talkie as soon as they saw us.”
“Probably to warn the others. I heard her say 'False alarm.' just before the door closed. They truly are as professional, and paranoid, as Shayna said. We'll have to be careful.” Clover answered.
Clover and Posy regrouped with other members of the catering crew. Amber was at the bar, giving instructions to her own crew. They now had to play the part of nice obedient little waitresses.
They noticed Roxane Barca, dressed in her trademark red suit, in the middle of the guests. She was looking very satisfied. People were congratulating her on her donation for various charitable organizations.
The three Vigilantes shared a brief glance. Soon... He laughs best who laughs last... Clover thought to herself.
The charity gala began...
**************
Two hours later, when most of the guests were finished eating and were now discussing in the garden and the gala area of the hotel, the two accomplices received a text on their cellphones. It was sent by Amber.
'It's time.'
They noticed that their friend wasn't behind the bar anymore.
Clover and Posy pretended to take a break. Since they were the ones who worked the hardest the two previous hours, they were allowed to take one.
The disguised vigilantes went to the empty secondary service corridors of the casino hotel, and entered the main storage room.
Amber was already here.
“Your uniforms or your lives, ladies!” she said while imitating a gangster accent. “I will use them to disguise myself and rob this place.”
The three women chuckled and exchanged a knowing smile.
Then, Posy played along: “Oh please, don't hurt us miss robber, we'll do what you say!” She removed her bowtie and unbuttoned her waistcoat and her shirt. “Will you please allow us to keep our underwear?”
“You're lucky I'm feeling generous.” Amber answered while keeping the charade.
Clover decided that brevity was the soul of the wit however. While she shimmied down her already unbuckled sneakers (after having kicked off her shoes), she said with a serious tone: “Is everything okay?”
Amber immediately stopped joking. “The two guards you've set your eyes on are about to start patrolling the secondary corridors.”
As one of the heads of the staff, in charge of the bar, Amber was able to learn part of the guards' schedules.
“Good.” Clover said after dropping her uniform waistcoat and shirt on the floor. With her outer clothes removed, she was only wearing a light grey full-cup t-shirt bra, ivory white boyshorts, and white socks.
Posy was also finished, her clothes lying in a small bundel next to her. The busty woman was now clad in a light red full-coverage bra, black control brief knickers, and light pink socks.
Both women knew about this specific part of their plan and therefore chose their underwear accordingly. While they knew they had to play the part of poor mugged victims, they also didn't want to be found in revealing lingerie.
“Now, uniform stealer, can you please truss us up?” Clover and Posy said to their friend.
Amber used white ropes to tie the two women's wrists behind their back and their shoulders. Then, after asking them to sit, she bound their ankles and their thighs. Amber brought the coils of rope hidden among some supplied and hid them earlier that night in the storage room.
“I hope it's not too tight...” Amber said while knotting the ropes binding Posy's thighs.
Clover shook her head. “It's perfect. It's tight enough to look realisitic, but shouldn't make our limbs go numb.”
“Besides, we're not supposed to stay like this for long...” Posy added with a smile, before concluding: “Now, the final touch, please.”
Amber grabbed a few clean handkerchieves and a roll of silver tape. She filled the mouths of her 'victims' with the pieces of cloth, before wrapping tape over their mouths and around their lower face, being careful to not entangle the tape in the hair. She didn't hesitate to go all out, as the gag needed to look even more realistic than the bindings.
Once she was done, Clover nodded and Posy winked.
Amber smiled. “Good luck for the next part...” she whispered to them.
Then, she took the two discarded waitress uniforms... and hid them in a corner of the storage room under some shelves. The clothes were now invisible.
Finally, Amber turned off the light and left the storage room.
The two Vigilantes quickly got in character. They were ready to play the part of the innocent victims, trying to call for help through their thick gags.
Clover said they had to think outside the box if they wanted to best this security team trained to foil uniform stealings...
… Indeed, who would suspect victims of uniform stealing to be uniform stealers?
**************
Regular rotations were one of the tactics Yusufa and Primrose imagined to counter uniform stealing tactics. Indeed, it allowed to notice missing teammates and to spot impostors faster.
Piper and Annabeth, who at first were watching the service entrance, were therefore then sent to patrol near the office, then to watch the gala area, and now they were patrolling the secondary corridors of the building where the storage rooms were. One of the hot spot of the building, given the fact that storage rooms were favoured by infiltrators. Outside of them and the catering crew, nobody was allowed in these parts of the casino hotel resort.
“Hey, Pip's! I've been trying to talk to you about that since the beginning of the night...” Annabeth commented to break the monotony. “You won't guess what Hazel told me just before we started our shift!”
“Tell me.”
The two guards actually trained to be able to chitchat while not losing sight of their surroundings.
“Well, she was bragging.” the blonde said. “You know, because she hasn't been mugged even once since the beginning of her career. So I told her to stop showing off...”
“And what did she answer?”
“She smiled slyly and pretended that perhaps, on some level, you and I got turned on by being knocked out and tied up by other women. And that it was why we had been mugged several times...”
Piper shook her head. “Hazel's my friend, and she'll always be my friend... But her jokes just suck sometimes.”
Both guards immediately interrupted their banter when they suddenly heard a noise. They instantly became serious and professional.
It was a faint muffled noise, but one that they had learned to recognize anywhere.
Muffled cries for help.
Piper pushed a button on her walkie talkie. A red dot lit up on her device, and on the devices of all her colleagues. Then she spoke in the walkie talkie: “Piper reporting. Patrol route number 3. Main storage room. One red dot.” she simply said.
Piper and Annabeth grabbed their handguns and shared a glance.
“Cover me.” the blonde said.
The brunette nodded.
Annabeth opened the door.
They were greeted by muffled cries.
Two women were sitting on the floor, in a corner of the storage room. Both were trussed up with ropes and gagged with tape. Both were also stripped down to their underwear.
“No threat.” Annabeth said after scanning the storage room.
Piper and Annabeth entered.
“Cover me.” Piper said to Annabeth. The blonde nodded.
It was another tactic they used. Never blindly rescue a victim of uniform stealing, in case the uniform stealer is still somewhere. Some thieves even use their first victims as bait. One guard should always watch the surroundings while the other helps the victims.
“I recognize you! You're the two waitresses from earlier...” Piper commented.
The two women nodded frantically.
The brown-haired guard removed the black woman's tape, allowing her to spit the pieces of cloth shoved into her mouth.
“Thank Goodness you found us so soon!” the waitress commented.
“What happened?”
“Two women assaulted us!” the woman frantically explained while Piper was cutting the ropes binding her with her knife. The black waitress seemed almost hysterical. “They threatened us with guns! Forced us to strip! They... They stole our clothes!”
“Don't worry, you're safe now. You're with us.” Piper said to reassure her.
Now free, the black woman was massaging her wrists. “Thank you so much...”
Piper ungagged the second waitress. “Did you hear something about their plan?” she asked.
“They plan to do something at the gala! They were talking of tear gas bombs and a kidnapping!” the busty woman quickly answered while the security guard was cutting her ropes. She too was sounding frantic and panicked.
Annabeth immediately grabbed her walkie talkie.
“Annabeth reporting. Code Red. The targets are disguised as waitresses. Search the gala area and the garden. Interrogate all the catering crew. Careful, they are probably equipped with tear gas bombs. We have a potential kidnapping at hands.”
“Roger. Follow the procedure. Make sure that the victims have no lasting injury and bring thms to the infirmary as soon as they have recovered enough to walk. Stay with them until they are in a safe place, then regroup with us.” Primrose answered.
“Roger.”
**************
The blond-haired guard clipped the walkie talkie to her belt.
Clover resisted the urge to smile, as she still needed to look the part of the terrified victim. Everything was going according to plan...
Piper and Annabeth allowed themselves to relax very slightly. They had checked the room and they knew that it was empty, save for two victims of uniform stealings whom they wanted to now reassure. In their eyes, they were safe. In their eyes, danger could only arrive through the door of the storage room.
Unfortunately for the two guards, they weren't with 'victims' of uniform stealings, and the danger was right beneath their noses...
Taking advantage of the guards' second of inattention, Clover shared a quick glance with Posy, and nodded slightly. It was the signal.
Annabeth turned to look at Posy. “Can you walk? We will escort you two to a safe place.”
“Will we be safe?” Posy meekly asked.
Don't overdo it. Clover thought to herself.
“Of course. You're with us.” Piper answered with a reassuring smile.
Clover sighed internally. Sorry girls, for what I'm about to do...
“Can you help me stand up?” Posy asked Annabeth. “My legs are still a little numb...”
“Of course.”
The blonde approached her.
The two guards had no reason to be wary of Clover and Posy. Thanks to their little scene earlier, they knew that the two vigilantes had been legitimately hired as waitresses.
Clover knew however that they wouldn't have a second chance at neutralizing them. They couldn't defeat these two guards if a fight broke out. In spite of her and Posy's training in martial arts the past years, Piper and Annabeth had more experience and were better-trained. A surprise attack was their only chance.
Taking Piper's hand, Clover stood up.
The black woman then saw a window of opportunity.
Piper looked at Annabeth, who was helping Posy stand up. “Do you need help?” she asked.
“No, I'm fine.” the blonde answered, her attention still focused on Posy whom she was lifting up.
Since none of the two guards was looking at her, Clover swiftly grabbed the blue needle hidden in her cleavage. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Posy was ready to strike as well.
Piper was still looking at her partner.
Really sorry.
Clover made her move. With one hand, she covered the brown-haired guard's mouth. With the other, she jabbed the needle in her neck.
The vigilante's move was swift and accurate. She and Posy actually spent the entire past week practicing it. Needles were a dangerous weapon, and the vigilantes certainly didn't want to inflict grievous harm to two women who were on the side of the law!
When the needle hit her, Piper let out a shriek, that was muffled by Clover's hand clamped over her mouth.
However, the faint noise was enough to catch her partner's attention.
Annabeth reflexively tried to grab the gun strapped to her belt. At the same time, she exclaimed: “What the...”
Posy jabbed her own needle in the blonde's neck.
“Ouch!”
The sedative drug was fast-acting. Especially given the body part in which the two women were hit.
Posy was immobilizing Annabeth.
Piper got free of Clover's hold and took a few steps. Her eyelids were flickering. She looked at her muggers in disbelief. “You're... You're uniform stealers! That's... That's cheating!” she stuttered.
Her eyes rolled down and her legs ceased to support her. Clover grabbed her by the shoulders. She didn't want this woman to fall face first and risk hurting herself.
“We're sorry about that.” the black woman commented. “We know you're only doing what you think is right, but your employer is the real criminal here...”
Piper couldn't hear her however. She was already blissfully asleep. And so was Annabeth, still in Posy's arms. The blonde was lightly snoring...
**************
Clover and Posy exchanged a look. They didn't have much time.
Until now, their plan was working without a hitch. They had managed to surprise and capture two security guards, whose uniform they were now using to disguise themselves. At the same time, they were able to send the other guards on a wild-goose chase. The rest of the security team was going to look for fake waitresses, interrogate all the catering staff, and search the gala area and the garden... while the goal of the two vigilantes was to reach the office. They even had a convenient excuse for why Piper and Annabeth would be missing for a while, as it would obviously take them quite some time to calm down two frightened women that were victims of a uniform stealing.
Clover and Posy had a window of opportunity, but it was a short one. It wouldn't take long for the other guards to notice that Piper and Annabeth were missing.
However, both vigilantes trained during long hours to remove clothes from a motionless body as fast as possible. They were confident. They could do it!
Clover stripped Piper and Posy stripped Annabeth.
Caps were taken off, tactical boots were unlaced and removed, belts were unbuckled, trousers were pulled down, tactical vests were unzipped and taken off, shirts were pulled off.
Under their uniforms, both security guards were wearing black tank tops on which the red logo and the name of their security company were written. Piper was also wearing cerise pink comfortable knickers and grey socks, and Annabeth cyan boyshorts and light blue socks with little white clouds on them.
“They're really going far when it comes to build team spirit...” Posy commented while looking at the tank tops.
“This confirms what we already suspected. We can't let one of their colleagues see us under any circumstances. They would immediately spot us as impostors. These disguises will only work on people that aren't part of the security team.”
Clover and Posy briefly pondered on taking the tank tops, but since they weren't indispensable, they decided to let the two guards keep them. In their eyes, it was a way to slightly apologize to Piper and Annabeth for assaulting them and divesting them of most of their clothes. However, they took the time to roll the tank tops up in order to check if the two guards weren't hiding tools to free themselves. There were none, though it allowed them to have a look at Piper's plain but comfortable light purple t-shirt bra and Annabeth's turquoise triangle bra. They then put the tank tops back in place.
The two vigilantes dragged Piper and Annabeth in a corner of the room to conceal their unconscious bodies.
The two security guards were slim and athletic-looking, therefore Clover and Posy didn't take any chance when it came to restrain them. Following their instructions, Amber had hidden plastic zip-ties under one of the shelves of the storage room. These specific zip-ties were the sturdiest on the market. And, just like all zip-ties, they were the quickest way to restrain someone. Also, contrary to ropes, they couldn't be unknotted.
Clover and Posy laid the two women on their side, placing them back to back. They used the same technique to restrain their respective guard. They zip-tied the wrists of each woman behind her back and in front of her partner's stomach. They also zip-tied each woman's knees and each woman's ankles. Finally, with two zip-ties, they tied each guard's leg with the leg of her partner that was resting next to it. With one last zip-tie, they connected the zip-tie binding Piper's wrists with the one binding Annabeth's.
To silence the two guards, they had asked Amber to leave them ball gags in a small bag under the shelves. They picked two black ones, shoved the rubber ball into their respective guard's mouth, and strapped the device behind their neck.
They blindfolded Piper and Annabeth with sleep masks. At least the two guards would be safe from a potential eyebrows removal after they were found...
Once their uniform donors were thoroughly restrained, Clover and Posy quickly slipped into the security uniforms. Since they were already down to their underwear, it didn't take them much time.
The two friends left a note next to Piper and Annabeth reading: 'Sorry – This is for a good cause.'; as well as a few bills, though they suspected that the guards were probably going to refuse to take them.
Clover and Posy retrieved a few tools that were hidden under the shelves for them by Amber earlier that night: a few other zip-ties, a few other ballgags, and two coils of rope with small grapples in case they needed to flee through a window.
Then, they turned off the lights and left.
The trussed-up Primrose and Annabeth were still blissfully asleep.
*************
Primrose wasn't satisfied.
The curvy woman was watching her agents search the gala area and question the catering staff.
She should have been delighted that Piper and Annabeth were able to discover in time the ploy of the uniform stealers. Even though part of her team was out of commission due to food poisoning, she was able to secure the garden and the gala area.
Still, something was bothering her.
In fact, something was bothering her ever since Roxane Barca hired her... Primrose sensed that her employer wasn't telling her everything. Roxane pretended that she didn't choose her security company for a particular reason.
However, Primrose wasn't naive. Her and Yusufa's security company was well-known for being specialized in countering infiltrators and uniform stealers. People usually hired them for this specific reason. And the fact that a uniform stealing happened the very day of the gala, shortly after they were hired, was only strengthening the former policewoman in her belief that they weren't hired by chance. The only question was... Why would Roxane want to hide the fact that she had problems with uniform stealers?
This was a huge problem. Primrose was under the impression that her employer was withholding informations. And how could she properly do her job if that was the case? The former policewoman couldn't shake off the feeling that she was missing something, that Piper's and Annabeth's discovery was only the tip of the iceberg...
Primrose cursed under her breath. Because of this food poisoning, and since Yusufa was currently on another job with a third of their agents, she was understaffed.
Primrose grabbed her walkie talkie and pressed a button. “Hazel. Check the inside of the building, just in case.”
“Roger.”
**************
Clover and Posy were walking confidently in the corridors of the building, acting as if they were in their place. They were perfectly looking the part of trained guards. Anyone who didn't know that they were impostors, who just mugged the real owners of the security uniforms, would just assume that they were sent to search the inside of the building.
They came across a few people, but nobody tried to stop or to question them.
In the last corridor before the one leading to the office, a door suddenly opened in front of her. A black-haired maid was leaving a room.
“Excuse me... Where are you going?” the startled maid asked. “This is Miss Barca's office.”
“Security check.” Clover retorted. “We will have to ask you to stay in this room and not leave it until we tell you it's safe.”
“Uh?”
“Uniform stealers are on the loose ma'am.” Posy intervened. “And maids, like you, are one of their favorite targets. For your safety, we have to ask you to stay in this room and lock the door.”
The maid nodded and immediately returned inside the room. They heared her lock it up.
Posy chuckled. “Works every time... And never gets old...”
“Hurry up.” Clover said. “We have to search the office.”
**************
Roxane Barca's office was a tidy nicely decorated room, with a padded floor. The folders were arranged in chronological order.
The two vigilantes didn't waste time. They knew which dates they had to look for.
“Here they are...”
Clover and Posy grabbed a handful of folders. They quickly opened a few.
Posy whistled between her teeth. “My, my... I think we hit the jackpot this time!”
They quickly grabbed all the folders. Clover put a few of them on the desk.
“We will leave these ones in the office and call the other guards with the walkie talkies after we're gone... so that they will, as if by chance, find proofs of Roxane's illegal activities.” the black woman said. “We will take the others with us and give them to the press.”
“Shall we leave through the window?” Posy asked.
“Yes.”
“Then, I'll attach the rope to...”
“Freeze! Hands up!” a voice suddenly shouted in their back.
**************
A woman who was part of Primrose's security team was standing in the doorway. She was pointing a handgun at them.
The security guard was slightly shorter than average. She had a round-shaped face, shoulder-long curly cinnamon brown hair and golden brown eyes; as well as a dark skin, brown as a roasted coffee bean. Her badge was reading: 'Hazel'.
Shit! They left a guard in the area near the office, just in case! Clover thought. They truly are paranoid!
She shared a glance with Posy. This was the worst-case scenario. Even if they were two against one, they couldn't neutralize this armed guard. Especially since their goal wasn't to harm innocent people. They slowly raised their hands.
“Listen! There are informations in these folders that...” Clover started to say.
“Silence!” Hazel interrupted her. “I've seen you from afar. And I've immediately realized that your were impostors. Thought you were smart by stealing the uniforms of two of us, eh? Now, turn around and put your hands on the wall where I can...ghghghghghghghghghghgh...” THUD.
Hazel fell face first on the floor. Luckily for her, the padded fitted carpet softened her fall.
“Ghghghghghghghghghgh?” Posy said while frowning.
She then noticed the figure stanging in the doorframe. She was holding a taser stun gun: a model with a compressed gas cartridge inside the gun to launch the electrodes through the air, the attached wires trailing behind.
Said electrodes were currently in Hazel's back. The electric discharge knocked the guard out instantly.
“Amber!” Clover exclaimed.
“I figured out you may need some help, so I snooped around near the office...” Amber explained while removing the electrodes.
She then grabbed Hazel under the shoulders and dragged her inside the office.
Posy looked at the defeated security guard. “Do we steal her uniform for Amber?”
Clover checked Hazel's pulse. She was relieved to feel that it was slow and steady. Then she looked at the guard's walkie talkie. A red dot was flashing.
“No. We won't have the time. She's called for backup.”
The black woman simply grabbed two zip-ties: one to tie Hazel's wrists and one to tie her legs. She gagged her with a red ball gag.
“Sorry for knocking you out with electricity...” she said to the unconscious woman. “But at least you get to keep your uniform.”
Clover then looked at Amber.
“Posy, close and block the door. Other guards will arrive any moment now. Amber, you leave through the window with us. You risk coming across Hazel's colleagues if you try to go back to the gala through the corridors...”
Posy quickly moved to carry out her orders.
“I can't leave the party.” Amber objected. “They'll immediately suspect me of complicity.”
Shit! Clover thought. This was a problem. Amber had to apply for the job with her real identity, as being the manager of her own bar was her argument to be hired as a head of the staff.
And they didn't have much time before Hazel's colleagues would arrive...
“I have an idea.” Posy intervened after blocking the door with a chair. “Amber, what was going to be your excuse if someone found you snooping around?”
“That I was looking for Morgane Myrine to complain to her that her security team was too rough with my crew.”
Posy smiled. “Of course. And it's too bad that you had the misfortune to come across the robbers just as they were about to flee after neutralizing Hazel...”
Amber smiled back. “That'll do it.” Then she winced. “Of course, we'll have to make it realistic...”
“Among the equipment of the security guards, there is a taser stun gun.” Posy concluded.
“Let's just hope it's the same model as mine, the least painful currently on the market...” Amber sighed. “Please make it quick.”
Posy grimaced sympathetically. “Sorry in advance.”
The busty woman then pulled the trigger.
The electrodes were launched through the air and knocked Amber out. She fell on the fitted carpet.
Clover removed the electrodes and checked her friend's pulse. Amber's heartbeat was fine. She and Posy quickly zip-tied and ball-gagged their friend. They didn't bind her too tightly, although they still made sure that the restraints looked realistic enough. Amber was left lying next to Hazel on the padded floor.
Then, they quickly used their rope to flee through the window.
**************
The door was blocked and Primrose had to break it down.
“We've missed them.”
The curvy brown-haired woman cursed. She was angry. They couldn't catch the criminals in time.
In the office, there only were Hazel and the woman in charge of the bar's staff, Amber. Both were unconscious, zip-tied, and gagged. They probably came across the robbers...
“How are they?” she asked Katniss and Madge, who were escorting her.
“Their pulse is steady.” the first woman said. “They've been knocked out with a taser stun gun. They should wake up soon.”
“Use your wire cutters to free them from their bonds.”
“Yes!”
Primrose took a deep breath.
The security of the gala was compromised, files had probably been stolen in the office, Hazel had been neutralized, and the culprits had escaped... This mission was a complete failure.
Primrose noticed that there were papers on the office desk. Reflexively, she approached them.
“Have Piper and Annabeth called back yet?” she asked at the same time.
“No.” Madge answered.
Primrose was about to answer, when she noticed a folder. 'A gift – For the police' was written on it.
She couldn't help but open it.
“No way!” she exclaimed.
Primrose immediately forgot about Piper and Annabeth. She grabbed her cellphone and dialed the number of her former police station.
“Primrose? Fancy hearing about you! I've read that your company has been quite successful recentl...”
“This is a work call!” Primrose interrupted him. “And it's important! I have found a proof that Roxane was linked to the criminal activities of Jewel Zeno and the Eye! Send a team at her gala immediately to collect the evidence!”
**************
Clover and Posy were running in the woods near the casino hotel for quite some time now. Because of Hazel's intervention, they couldn't use the escape route they had planned and now had to find another way to aquire a vehicle.
“We should get rid of the security uniforms.” Posy said. “We can't blend in if we still wear them.”
“I know.”
Suddenly, they both stopped running.
“I can hear voices.” Posy whispered.
Warily, they approached the source of the noise.
“I didn't know that there was a parking there...” Posy added.
Two women were talking in front of a car. The first one was tall and skinny, with sharp cheekbones and an angular face. Her neck-long hair were black and her eyes were dark brown. She was wearing dark grey business pants, with a matching business jacket and a white button up shirt. The second woman was slightly shorter, but a lot more curvy. She had a light skin, curly shoulder-long light brown hair and green eyes. Her features were soft and round. She was clad in an ocean blue knee-long sheath dress and black high heels.
“I recognize them. Morgane Myrine and Valeria Chione. Two of Roxane's collaborators...” Clover said.
The two vigilantes spied on the women under the cover of the bushes.
“Why are we leaving like thieves?” Valeria was asking.
“Didn't you hear the commotion at the gala?” Morgane retorted. “There was a huge commotion at the office! The private security company team is searching the room! Perhaps they've even already discovered compromising informations! I certainly am not going to fall with Roxane...”
“Well, well, well... The rats are leaving the sinking ship...” Clover whispered to her friend. “Now this is what I call a golden opportunity.”
Posy nodded. “Well, I do prefer when we mug criminals and their cronies instead of innocent civilians and guards doing what they think is right...”
**************
“Hurry up loading this blasted car!” Morgane barked.
“Well, maybe I'd be a little faster... if you bothered to help me!”
Morgane ignored her companion's complaint. “I warned Roxane, didn't I?! I warned her that she should have briefed the security company about the vigilantes. But, like always, she didn't listen! Well, this time, she'll have to deal with her mess alone, and I won't...”
Morgane suddenly raised her head.
“Did you hear that? In the bushes... There was a rustle!”
“Morgane! Forget about squirrels.” Valeria said from the other side of the car. “Let me check if we put everything in the trunk and then we can go.”
Morgane approached the nearby bushes to check them.
“I could have sworn...”
Two pairs of hands suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into the bushes.
There was some rustle. There were some punches and there were some muffled grunts. Unfortunately for Morgane, her accomplice was too busy looking inside the trunk of their car to notice...
A few moments later, the rustle in the bushes, the punches and the muffled grunts stopped.
**************
“I'm done! Morgane, where are you?”
Valeria heard some rustle. She walked around the car and approached the bushes.
“Morgane?”
“Not exactly.”
Valeria blinked. “Oh no!”
******* A few punches later... *******
Clover and Posy took great enjoyment in stripping Morgane and Valeria, as they always did when they were dealing with criminals.
Once the two businesswomen were down to their undergarments (a spring green full-cup bra and peppermint classic briefs for Morgane; a rubin balconette and a black g-string for Valeria), Clover and Posy used the remaining zip-ties strapped on their stolen uniform belts to bind their limbs. They shoved the women's respective socks into their mouths, then cut a sleeve of their security uniforms and used them as makeshift cleave-gags. Once the criminals were secured, the two vigilantes took off the security uniforms, left them hidden in some bushes, and got dressed in the two businesswomen's clothes. Clover took Morgane's and Posy took Valeria's.
The Vigilantes finally stashed the two trussed up underwear-clad women inside the trunk of the car.
Clover quickly scotch-taped a small piece of paper on Morgane's back and another on Valeria's forehead.
On both, 'A gift – For the police' was written.
Then, she closed the trunk.
“Now, let's drive. We'll leave these two near a police station on our way!” the black woman said with a smile.
**************
Piper opened her eyes only to realize that she was blindfolded. She tried to move only to realize that her limbs were restrained. She tried to talk only to realize that she was gagged.
Great.
The brown-haired guard kept calm.
One of the first things they learnt while working for Primrose's private security company was that being mugged for their uniform was NOT a fatality. They shouldn't be afraid of it and they shouldn't be ashamed of it. While it wasn't a good thing, as it was the proof that they made a mistake, they should see it as an opportunity to learn from their mistakes.
Indeed, they were specialized in fighting against uniform stealing tactics. Therefore, they were statistically more likely to end up the victims of such tactics. While they were well-trained, they weren't perfect or omniscient. But they didn't have to be ashamed. They had to use each opportunity to learn from their mistakes.
This was the second time Piper was mugged since she got her new job, the fourth time in total. The last time, she actually managed to break free by herself. The uniform stealers were good, but still relatively new in this business. They used classic knots to tie the ropes binding her wrists and legs; plain tape to gag her. Piper was even able to take advantage of the situation. In the mind of her muggers, she had been written off as a mere afterthought. They weren't expecting her to raise the alarm and ambush them in her underwear.
However, this time Piper knew that she was the victim of very good uniform stealers.
First, their tactic was clever. Indeed, they got hired as real waitresses and drew the attention of Piper and Annabeth, to make sure that the two security guards would know that they weren't impostors. Then, they took advantage of their patrol route to pretend they were mugged and make them let their guard down. Now, our teammates think that we are attending to two uniform stealing victims, and are looking for fake waitresses. This gives the two uniform stealers a window of opportunity.
Second, their choice of restraints was also clever. Sturdy zip-ties for the limbs, comfortable but big ball gags to silence them. Probably the fastest way to truss up and gag someone. Zip-ties also couldn't be unknotted, they had to be either cut or broken. And these models were clearly top quality, Piper and Annabeth wouldn't be able to break them by themselves. As for the ballgags, unless you had access to the strap, they weren't easily removed either. Clearly, these women are no amateurs. They even thought of using blindfolds... And, judging by the half-naked body pressed against my back, they also thought of binding Annabeth and I together to restrain our ability to move, and to prevent us to reach the straps of the other's ballgag. Indeed, even tied up, a guard could still crawl or hop to try to attract attention. However, when she was bound to one of her friends... Coordinating their movements wasn't easy when both were gagged and blindfolded.
Piper kept a cool head and analyzed the situation. Unfortunately, she didn't see any course of action other than wait until they were found by their teammates. While they had discovered a new uniform stealing tactic, and their team could therefore learn from their mistakes and not be tricked next time, Piper and Annabeth were restrained in a way that was preventing them from breaking free.
Piper heard Annabeth sigh in her gag. Apparently, her blond-haired friend reached the same conclusion as her at the same time.
Strangely enough, the brown-haired guard couldn't help but remember the conversation she had with Annabeth right before they fell into the ambush.
A part of her wished Hazel guessed right... A part of her wished she got turned on by being knocked out, tied up, and impersonated by other women... It would make her job easier.
). I just think that once the tactic becomes so commonly known, people would be likely to take real precautions against it.
