esercito sconfitto wrote: Wed Jul 12, 2023 7:51 pm
Autumn and Summer... I am so sorry for them
please mr Tirepanted free them they deserve to strip all the girls they want
PS fantastic addition , a great new chapter
Thanks Esercito. I'm not sure I believe that Autumn and Summer *deserve* to strip whoever they want, but it's fair to say we haven't seen the last of them...
"That's basically it," Chandra replied. "After I rescued Sonja, we headed over to the Caldwell mansion to pink up some clues about Lucille. We infiltrated the mansion, disguised ourselves as guards, and bumped into you and your friends... You know the rest."
Bridget glanced down at the notes she was taking. "Sonja, how well did you know these women who kidnapped you?"
"They were my coworkers," Sonja replied. "I used to be a cop, back in Russia. Oksana and Polina were my fellow officers and friends. Emphasis on 'were,' of course."
"Why are you so interested in this, anyway?" Chandra asked Bridget.
"I'm a reporter," Bridget explained. "Maybe not a well-paid one anymore, but I still have my instincts. And I smell a story... If the Russian government has gotten their hands on Dr. Chen's old research, they could be planning something nefarious."
She thought for a moment. "Sonja, where is this building they took you?"
"It's an old tire factory at the edge of town," Sonja recalled. "Was shut down decades ago, but they never demolished it, I guess. Oksana and her team used it as their hideout."
"Yes, I think I know which factory you mean." Bridget pulled out her phone and typed in some coordinates. She frowned. "That's odd."
"What is?" Chandra asked.
"That factory... there was a chemical fire last night. The building's half-burned. They're blaming it on faulty powerlines, but..."
"...But you think someone deliberately set the fire to erase some evidence?" Chandra finished.
Bridget nodded. "I think it's worth investigating."
She stood up from the table. "Thanks for your help... This case is getting more interesting."
"Not so fast," Sonja piped up. "We're coming with you."
Chandra raised an eyebrow. "We are?"
"Sure... All this talk about Oksana and Dr. Chen and 'Project Pluto' has me curious... There's some weird conspiracy going on here... I want to figure out what it is."
Chandra shrugged. "Well, we've just been fired... Not like there's anything else on our schedule right now."
Bridget smiled. "Okay, then. Follow me."
*********************
Jenna was quiet during the whole trip back to the campaign office. She sat silently in the back seat, arms crossed, lost in her thoughts.
Claudia and Zephyr paid her little attention as they chatted in the front seats.
"This plan could not have gone better!" Zephyr chuckled. "Did you see the way some of those guests were turning green? I guess they didn't like the chemicals we slipped into their food."
"And the mayor looked so embarrassed," Claudia agreed. "He was trying to give a speech, and everyone in the room looked sick and nauseated!"
"His polls are gonna take a hit for this," Zephyr added. "I'm feeling really good about our chances in the election!"
Jenna finally spoke up. "What about the waitresses?"
Claudia glanced at her in the rearview. "Hm?"
"Those two innocent waitresses you mugged and stripped. Are they all right?"
"They're fine," Claudia assured her. "We left them tied up and gagged behind some trash cans. Someone will probably find them before the day is over."
"I think it's a win-win," Zephyr mused. "We managed to make the mayor look bad, and we helped raise awareness about the dangers of uniform stealing... by committing it ourselves! No doubt those waitresses will be eager to vote for our candidate, to ensure what they went through never happens again."
Jenna scowled. "Honestly, you two..."
Claudia pulled the car to a stop in front of the campaign office. "Jenna, we're not in the mood for your lectures. We know what we did to those waitresses was morally wrong. But in the long term, it was necessary. Don't you get that?"
"I don't," Jenna retorted. "And I don't think you are fit to work on Councilwoman Hargrove's campaign."
Before Claudia or Zephyr could respond, Jenna had stepped out of the car and stormed into the campaign building.
She made a beeline for the councilwoman's office. Hargrove was there, poring over some campaign flyers.
"Hello, Jenna," she smiled. "What do you think of these ads? I think they're an effective way to endorse tomorrow's NASA event..."
"Ms. Hargrove, please... I need to talk to you," Jenna said, her voice quivering slightly.
"It's... well, it's about Claudia and Zephyr." Jenna took a deep breath. "I don't think they belong on a campaign meant to combat uniform stealing."
Hargrove set the flyers down. "What happened?"
Jenna quickly explained the story of her two coworkers and the pair of unfortunate waitresses. She finished just as Claudia and Zephyr entered the small office.
"...Those waitresses were only trying to do their job. Now they'll spend hours tied up in their underwear, simply because they wore the wrong uniform at the wrong time," Jenna concluded. "I don't think Claudia and Zephyr should be on this campaign after what they did."
Hargrove glanced at Claudia and Zephyr. "Girls, is this true? Did you mug two waitresses and steal their uniforms?"
Claudia nodded. "Had to get in to the mayor's function and spoil it somehow," she said.
"Did anyone see you?" Hargrove asked. "Were there any security cameras?"
"No, not where we obtained our disguises."
Hargrove smiled. "That's fine, girls. Keep up the good work."
Zephyr grinned. "Thanks, boss."
Jenna's face turned ashen. "But... but... What? They hurt those women... They shouldn't be..."
"Girls," Hargrove addressed Claudia and Zephyr. "May I speak with Jenna privately?"
The two campaign staffers nodded. They exited the office, closing the door behind them.
Hargrove turned to Jenna. "Now, dear... I understand that this upset you..."
"Of course it upset me!" Jenna said indignantly. "Aren't we supposed to be leading the crusade against uniform stealing?"
"We are," Hargrove assured her. "But politics is a brutal business. The election is a few days away... we are still the underdogs in the race. So it's understandable that we may need to resort to... more unorthodox tactics."
"But..."
"Jenna," Hargrove continued. "I've been a politician for nearly twenty years. In that time, I've learned a lot about how government works, but I've learned one rule above all else - you can't pass legislation if you don't win elections. Right now, our top priority is to win the mayor's race, by any means necessary."
She gave a sympathetic smile. "I understand you're upset about those waitresses... and I am too. If we lived in a perfect world, I'd be happy to let them just go about their day, wearing their uniforms and doing their job. But we obviously don't live in a perfect world... Many voters still need to be made aware of the dangers in our society, and they will only do so if we prove ourselves in this election. So, as much as I hate to say it, we will need to resort to uniform stealing - perhaps a few more times over the next few days - in order to stop uniform stealing from becoming a widespread phenomenon over the next few years."
Jenna stared at the councilwoman blankly for a few moments. "I... I need to get a drink."
"Of course, dear," Hargrove nodded. "If you want to discuss things further, my door is always open."
Jenna stepped out of the office, head swirling. She avoided eye contact with Claudia and Zephyr as she made her way out to the rear of the building.
Jenna stood outside, taking a few breaths of fresh air. She hoped it would make her feel better... but no.
She had thought she was fighting the good fight, combating the true menace in society... but now she wasn't so sure.
***********************
The old tire factory had been closed and seemingly abandoned for decades, but its wear and tear was now worse than ever. The walls were charred and the windows broken, the results of the recent fire.
Currently, the area was being combed by city officials and medical personnel - mostly wearing yellow hazmat suits, in order to protect themselves from any chemical poisoning in the building. A few other city officials mingled in the area as well.
From a nearby alleyway, Bridget, Chandra, and Sonja watched the happenings discreetly.
"That's a lot of personnel for a building that's been shut down for so many years," Bridget observed.
Sonja nodded. "Something fishy going on here."
"If we're lucky, maybe the fire didn't burn everything of value," Bridget pondered. "There could be a clue to help us find the Russians. But we'll need disguises if we want to sneak inside and find out."
"We could grab a couple of women in hazmat suits," Sonja offered. "Those outfits should provide good cover."
"I was thinking the same thing... but they're all clustered around the building," Bridget noted. "We need a way to lure a few of them away without alerting the rest of them."
Chandra glanced around, her eye falling on a woman who had stepped away from the crowd to make a phone call.
"I've got an idea. Be right back."
The woman in question was tall and toned, dressed in a smart lavender business suit with white shirt and black heels. She had light skin and a stern bun of brown hair. She was an assistant from City Hall, sent by the mayor's office to observe the investigation of the chemical fire.
Now she had distanced herself from the crowd, stepping near an alley on the opposite side of the street as she spoke into her cell phone. "What do you mean, food poisoning? Didn't you check to make sure we had top-quality service at the event?"
She sighed. "This is a total shitshow... This is the last thing we need right now if we want the mayor to be re-elected. We can't lose to some silly councilwoman whose entire campaign is built around fearmongering and spreading rumors."
She listened to the voice on the other end. "Yes, I said fearmongering... That woman's whole campaign against 'uniform stealing' is based on a ridiculous lie. She exaggerates statistics and makes up numbers to suit her purpose. There is obviously no widespread threat of women getting their clothes stolen... We need to make sure voters don't fall for her nonsense."
She sighed again and hung up the phone. "Honestly," she muttered to herself. "People will believe anything these days."
At that moment, a hand slipped over her mouth, and she was roughly yanked back into the alley. She had no time to acknowledge the irony of her situation before she was knocked unconscious.
Chandra normally hated wearing business suits - they reminded her too much of her old days struggling in the corporate world. Still, she had to admit that this woman's clothes fit pretty well, even if the heels pinched her feet.
In any event, she was in a better predicament than the real official, who was now lying behind some old milk crates, stripped to her peach underwire bra and violet bikini panties, bound and gagged with green tape. She'd sleep soundly for a few hours, Chandra estimated; plenty of time.
Looking sharp and professional in the business suit, with her hair tied in a hastily assembled bun, Chandra approached the smoldering tire factory.
Two figures in hazmat suits stood by the side of the building, examining the char marks on the brick wall. Both appeared to be women, although it was a bit difficult to see their faces beneath the yellow suits, thick-visor face coverings, as well as dark blue gloves and boots.
Chandra smiled at the two medical workers. "Hey," she said to them. "I think I found a clue across the street... Someone left a gas can in that alley."
The two medical workers exchanged a glance.
"Come on, come on... I don't want to pick it up myself. It could be evidence."
The two women nodded, and followed Chandra away from their coworkers and back across the street.
"Right in there." Chandra pointed into the alley. "I think you'll be surprised by what you find."
The two medical women entered the alley, glancing around in confusion.
They didn't see any gas can... or anything out of the ordinary. Except... for a pair of looming shadows...
Bridget and Sonja pounced.
Once the medical personnel were unconscious, it was a simple matter of stripping them out of their hazmat suits. Beneath the outfits, the women wore their everyday clothes - Bridget's target, a light-skinned woman with short red hair and freckles, wore a green blouse and blue denim jeans, while Sonja's victim, an almond-skinned woman with crew-cut dark hair, sported a blue T-shirt and grey cargo pants.
"Let's get dressed quick," Bridget said, picking up the hazmat suit. "We need to get into the building before any evidence is..."
Her voice trailed off as she glanced at Sonja. The blonde Russian was currently in the process of stripping off her victim's T-shirt.
"What are you doing?" Bridget asked. "We have the hazmat suits. They'll cover our whole bodies. We don't need the rest of their clothes for the disguise."
Sonja shrugged. "If we're going to steal uniforms, we should steal all of them," she declared. "Feels wrong to leave them in anything more than their underwear."
Chandra sighed. "Sonja, let's not start this again..."
"I'm serious," Sonja insisted. "Stealing uniforms is an art... and I am an artist. And a good artist never leaves her paintings unfinished."
Bridget sighed. "Come on, Picasso. We're on a time budget here. Do you want me to go in without you?"
"No, no... I'm almost done," Sonja said. By this point she had stripped the woman out of her shirt and pants. Her face fell. "Hmm... white comfort bra and vanilla panties. That's pretty boring." She glanced at the other unconscious woman. "Can I take a minute to see what her underwear looks like?"
"No," Bridget and Chandra said in unison.
Sonja frowned, but gave a resigned sigh and reached for the discarded hazmat suit. "You two don't appreciate the finer things in life..."
**********************
Ellen was remarkably happy as she drove her way back home.
"I can't thank you enough," she told Felicia. "If you hadn't been there, those women would have stripped me and left me tied to a tree... probably for hours."
Sitting beside her, Felicia nodded, but said nothing.
"I couldn't go through that again," Ellen continued. "It was just such an ordeal last time... Thank you, truly."
Felicia bit her lip. She wanted to speak, but her mouth wouldn't let her form the words.
"It's too bad you weren't there the last time my clothes got stolen," Ellen added. "I'm sure you would have taught that woman a lesson. Hey, maybe I should hire you out as my bodyguard!" She chuckled.
"Ellen," Felicia said abruptly. "I was there."
Ellen kept her eyes on the road. "You were where?"
"I was there that night you got your clothes stolen," Felicia said, forcing the words out. "I was... I was the one who stole them."
Ellen glanced at her, then let out a brief laugh. "Come on, Felicia... You know that's not funny."
"I know," Felicia replied. "It's not supposed to be. But I'm the one who mugged you last year... Stole your clothes, tied you up in that bathroom. I'm so sorry."
Ellen grew quiet.
"I needed to tell you," Felicia continued, trying to keep her voice steady. "You've been such a good friend to me these past few months, at a time when I needed a friend. But... I've been keeping this secret from you for so long. I just... I had to tell you."
She took a deep breath. "I'm truly sorry about what happened that night... I'm a different person now. And I feel awful..."
Ellen pulled over to the curb.
"Felicia," she said quietly. "Please get out of my car."
"Ellen..."
"Get OUT!" Ellen said angrily. "Right now."
Felicia quickly unbuckled her seat belt and stepped out of the vehicle.
"Don't ever come near me again," Ellen said sternly. "Or my daughter. The next time I see you anywhere near my home, I'm calling the cops."
She slammed the door and drove off, leaving Felicia in a cloud of dust.
With a heavy heart, Felicia turned and trudged her way home.
***********************
Ashley felt different.
It was evidenced by the jaunt in her step, by the calmness of her eyes, by the slight whistle on her lips. It was evidenced as well by the freshly pressed security uniform she wore, with the gold-plated NASA emblem on her jacket.
For the first time in as long as she could remember, Ashley felt at peace.
A few months ago, her life and occupation had devolved into what seemed to be a hapless running joke. Every few weeks, her security guard routine would be interrupted by some woman who would mug her, tie her up, and steal her uniform. This sort of tactic was not uncommon, Ashley knew, and it was particularly known to befall young women in dangerous professions that required company-regulated wardrobes. But still, being left bound and gagged in her underwear every few days had grown obnoxious and exhausting.
But things had finally started turning around. A few months ago, Ashley had encountered a woman named Jenna, who did not seem like the other such infiltrators Ashley had the misfortune of crossing. True, Jenna had wanted to steal Ashley's uniform, but not without a sense of guilt, and as the two women got to talking, they discovered they had a lot in common. Jenna hated the very concept of uniform stealing, deriding it as regressive and anti-feminist, and wanted to rid the world of it. Ashley was touched by her pledge to fight back - and even voluntarily surrendered her uniform to give Jenna a boost of confidence.
Ever since that night, things had begun looking up for Ashley. She had continued her work as a security guard - but without the interruptions of the past. Now she ended every day and every shift with her uniform still on, rather than tied up in a closet in her underwear. Perhaps Jenna had followed through on her promise to fight the threat - Ashley knew there were now politicians campaigning against the rise of uniform stealing - or perhaps the vibe had simply shifted. Either way, she wasn't complaining.
"Hey." She felt a tap on her shoulder. Ashley jumped slightly - force of habit - but turned to see one of her fellow NASA guards, Bernice, standing there.
"Hey, Ashley," Bernice smiled. "How's your shift going?"
"Bland and boring," Ashley replied perkily. "Just the way I like it."
"Great," Bernice nodded. "Listen... are you on the late shift tonight?"
Ashley nodded. She had been assigned as one of the guards to patrol the perimeter of NASA that night.
"Would you mind making a trade?" Bernice asked. "I'm supposed to be on daytime duty tomorrow, but my daughter's dance recital is at 2 o'clock. Would you mind making a trade?"
Ashley thought for a moment, then nodded. "Sure... my schedule's pretty flexible. You take the night shift, I'll take your shift tomorrow."
"Great... thanks a lot," Bernice beamed.
"It's no problem," Ashley replied. "I'm sure it will be a boring shift either way."
********************
Zuhal was in high spirits as she drove back to the inn.
"That was fun, wasn't it?" she asked Bobbi. "You're a pretty badass rollerskater."
Seated beside her, Bobbi nodded. She was concentrating on scrolling through her phone.
"Those Blade Babes think they're so tough," Zuhal chuckled. "We put them all to shame with out roller skills. They probably still haven't figured out that we mugged and replaced two of their members."
She smiled as she glanced out the side window. "I haven't been to one of those roller rinks in years... So glad we had a girls' day out. Aren't you?"
Bobbi nodded again, but kept her eyes on her phone. Her brow was furrowed in thought.
"Something wrong?" Zuhal asked. "You've been pretty quiet since we left the rink."
"There were others," Bobbi said.
"Pardon?"
"There were two other roller rinks in the area," Bobbi noted, looking up at last. "Both of which were closer to our area than the one we went to. We didn't have to drive thirty miles to find a roller rink."
Zuhal shrugged. "Oh? Guess I must have missed them."
"Did you?" Bobbi asked. "Or did we you choose that one on purpose?"
Zuhal looked at her quizzically. "I'm not sure I follow."
"You purposely chose a roller rink that was reserved for the day by a group of female skaters," Bobbi continued. "You knew that the only way we would be able to get in would be by mugging a couple of skaters and stealing their clothes. You found a place that would give us an excuse to engage in clothes stealing."
Zuhal let out a brief laugh. "You have some imagination, Bobbi."
"I don't think I'm imagining," Bobbi said stoically. "Look, I love stealing women's clothes as much as the next girl. But... you know I wanted to take a break. I wanted to do something else today. But you had to find a way for us to do it anyway."
Zuhal sighed. "Okay... okay, so maybe I did. But you had fun, didn't you? We both had fun. Mugging women for their clothes is what makes life worth living!"
Bobbi was silent for a moment, then leaned back in her chair.
Zuhal managed another smile. "Look... tomorrow we'll do something else. Something that doesn't involve uniform stealing. I won't try to make you do something you don't want to again. Okay?"
Bobbi closed her eyes. "I'm tired," she said. "Can we just get back to the hotel? I want eat something and then crawl into bed... We'll take about tomorrow when we get to tomorrow."
Zuhal laughed. "Tomorrow never comes, Bobbi."
Bobbi didn't laugh in response. Zuhal's smile faded.
"We should be back at the hotel in a minute," she said.
********************
The hotel in which Zuhal and Bobbi had been staying - under fake names, courtesy of some counterfeit IDs - was in fact a small inn a few miles off the highway. It had been Zuhal's idea to lay low until she was sure the police were no longer searching for her. Thus far, they had not encountered any outside trouble.
Tonight, though, as their car pulled into the inn's parking lot, neither Bobbi or Zuhal knew that they were being watched.
From inside the van parked at the edge of the parking lot, Oksana adjusted her binoculars as she watched the two women enter the inn. "Target spotted," she said.
From the driver's seat, Polina blew an errant strand of hair from her face. "Finally... I was getting so bored of waiting."
She glanced back at her friend. "You think Dr. Chen just made us spend the last few hours on this stakeout mission because she wants us out of the way?"
"I don't know," Oksana replied brusquely, scooping up her backpack.
"That woman gives me the creeps," Polina continued. "She's just so cold and calculating, you know? I don't know why our superiors insisted we work with her."
Oksana said nothing. She did not want to admit it, but Dr. Chen creeped her out as well.
"Come on," she finally spoke. "Let's make this quick so we can report back to base."
The two Russian women discreetly exited their van and crept around to the side of the building.
"Remind me why we can't just walk through the front door?" Polina whispered.
"The fewer people who see us, the better," Oksana replied. "Better to have disguises whenever we step inside a public building."
She peeked around the corner into the rear patio of the building, and smiled. "Hmm... there's our ticket in."
Two women were taking a little break on the otherwise empty patio. Based on their attire, they were maids at the inn - both were dressed in light blue button-down shirts, black skirts with white apron, and white sneakers. They sat on a ledge by the end of the patio, their backs to some well-trimmed bushes, sipping from cups of coffee.
"Busy day again?" one of the maids asked. A tall, slim woman with tan skin and oily black hair tied in a sensible bun, she wore a nametag that read "Luisa."
Her friend, a young woman with brown hair and apricot skin, whose nametag read "Keiko," nodded. "I've really come to appreciate these breaks... The tougher work gets, the more valuable it is to just stretch your legs in the evening."
Oksana motioned for Polina to follow her. The two spies quietly crawled past the patio and circled around the bushes.
"I remember when I was starting out here," Luisa said. "It seemed like an easy job at first - clean rooms, vacuum floors, and so forth. But it does start to take its toll after a while... That's why these breaks are so relaxing." She smiled at her coworker. "Especially now that I have someone to share them with."
Keiko blushed. "Thanks... you've been so helpful to me these last few weeks."
Luisa moved a bit closer to her friend, her fingers casually brushing against Keiko's hand. "It's nothing, really... Life hasn't been easy since I got divorced... I'm glad to have someone to talk to again... Someone who listens..."
From behind the bushes, Polina watched in fascination. "Isn't this cute?" she whispered to Oksana. "I think they're in love... and they're just about to act on it."
Oksana groaned. "Focus on the mission, Polina."
"But I think they're about to kiss... This is better than a television soap opera."
"Polina," Oksana whispered indignantly. "What's the first rule of spy work? Don't get attached to the personal lives of civilians. They're a source of disguises, not people you make friends with."
Polina sighed. "You really are no fun..."
Luisa smiled at Keiko, setting down her coffee cup. "Close your eyes," she said. "I've got a surprise for you."
Keiko chuckled as she set down her own cup. "I love surprises." She closed her eyes.
For the next few seconds, Keiko could hear nothing beyond the sound of the breeze. Then, a brief muffled noise, followed by the rustling of bushes. Then silence once more.
"Can I open my eyes now?" she asked.
Getting no response, she opened one eye, then the other. Luisa was nowhere to be seen.
She glanced around in confusion. "Luisa?"
Then she glanced to the bushes, and a mischievous smile spread across her lips. "I see... playing hide and seek. I suppose you're expecting me to find you?"
She parted the bushes and stuck her head through. "Well, ready or not, here I... EEP!"
She had no time to react as her shoulders were grabbed and she was swallowed up by the bushes.
The maid uniforms soon adorned the bodies of Oksana and Polina, who accommodated for the tight fits by loosening the belts and laces.
"This should do the trick," Oksana said as she tied her hair back into a bun. "No one pays attention to the staff."
Polina shrugged. "I wouldn't say that... These two look pretty attention-getting right now."
She was of course referring to the real maids, now stowed in the bushes, bound with white zipties and gagged with black duct tape. Luisa had been stripped to a white plunge bra and purple boyshorts, while Keiko was left in a blue T-shirt bra and frilly pink briefs.
"If we're lucky, no one will find them for a while," Oksana replied. "Now come on, let's get moving."
She headed back to the patio. Polina gave a last glance at the two maids, both whimpering and mewling into their gags.
"Try to make the most of this, girls," she said with a pleasant smile. "And for what it's worth... I think you two make a lovely couple."
*********************
It had been a rough year for Officers Lora Clarke and Violet O'Hara.
The two policewomen were longtime friends and partners, and generally quite good at their job. But in recent months, their reputation had taken a toll.
Due to a series of unfortunate incidents, the two uniformed officers had been repeatedly demoted - first from prison transport to patrol, then from patrol to desk jobs. Now they were stuck manning the phones, only going out on duty on the occasion when no one else in their precinct was readily available.
Today was once such day - a boon for both women, who had been eagerly awaiting the chance for some fresh air. They had received a call about two criminals captured in the park, now awaiting the police to come and arrest them.
Violet and Lora jumped at the chance, eager to prove that they still had what it took to make a proper arrest. It was only a quick drive to the park in their trusty squad car.
"Finally, an easy job," Lora smiled as she steered the police vehicle into the parking lot. The tall and fair-skinned blonde wore a blue button-down shirt beneath a dark jacket, a black skirt with side zipper, and shiny black low-heeled boots, as well as a peaked black cap with the silver department insignia. "Always fun to collar a pair of crooks who have already been caught."
Her friend Violet nodded, but appeared pensive as she scrolled through her phone. She was slightly shorter than Lora, with light skin and a bob of short black hair. Her uniform was similar to her partner's, except with gold insignia instead of silver. "You know, I just realized... we're almost eligible for T-shirts."
Lora put the car in park. "What do you mean?"
"You ever watch Saturday Night Live?" Violet asked. "Whenever a celebrity hosts the show five times, they get inducted into the 'Five-Timers Club' and get a commemorative T-shirt. We're almost eligible for T-shirts of our own."
Lora looked at her strangely. "But we've never hosted that show."
"I mean for our uniforms," Violet explained. "The two of us have been mugged for our uniforms four times already. If it happens once more, we could get free T-shirts!"
Lora laughed. "Thanks, but I'll pass," she said. "I have no plans of getting mugged for my uniform again... and I hope you don't, either."
"Of course not," Violet replied as they exited the car. "But I'm starting to think it doesn't matter what we want. The universe keeps conspiring against us, again and again. No matter what we do, we end up losing our uniforms."
Lora tried to stay cheery. "Come on, Vi. It hasn't happened at all these last few months. No need to be so dour about it."
Violet shrugged. "I guess."
The two officers approached the spot where they had been told the two prisoners awaited. Sure enough, two women were hidden behind some bushes, bound and gagged to a tree - a light-skinned blonde in yellow bikini bra and panties, and a tan-skinned brunette in amber T-shirt bra and light brown boyshorts.
"You sure these are the two crooks?" Violet asked.
"They match the description," Lora said. "We can question them down at the station. First, let's untie them from that tree."
She knelt down beside the tree, intent on removing the brunette's bindings. In doing so, she turned her back to the blonde - who, in that moment, made it obvious that she had already succeeded in freeing herself from her bonds.
Violet noticed first. "Lora, look out--"
But it was too late. The blonde had snatched Lora's gun from its holster. She stood up, pulling off her gag to reveal a triumphant grin on her face.
"Good afternoon, officers," she said, pointing the gun at the two women. Then a quick glance at Violet. "Ah, I see you moving there, honey. I'd recommend not trying any tricks... That's right, drop your gun and kick it away."
Violet scowled, but did as she was told. She and Lora both raised their hands.
"That's better." The blonde glanced down at her friend. "Autumn, how you doing?"
The blonde's friend stood up, letting the ropes fall from her wrists. "Just fine, Summer, thanks. Glad you're such a master escape artist."
Summer grinned and gave a mock bow.
"Who... who are you two?" Lora asked, voice quavering.
"Just a pair of good old-fashioned USBs," Autumn grinned.
"Of what?" Lora asked.
Summer sighed. "Never mind, we're not doing introductions again." She glanced sideways at the officers. "Anyway, my friend and I need clothes, and you two look like you're about the right size. Strip out of those uniforms, please."
Lora groaned. "Oh, no... Not again..."
Violet rolled her eyes. "And live from New York, it's Saturday night..."
"What are you jabbering about?" Summer said in annoyance. "Come on, strip!"
With no choice in the matter, the two officers began unbuttoning their uniforms.
*********************
Minutes later, those selfsame uniforms adorned the bodies of Summer and Autumn. The two self-styled USBs were grinning wickedly as they laced up the boots and donned the peaked caps.
"You look good, officer," Summer commented.
"Same to you, officer," Autumn replied.
Not grinning at all were Lora and Violet, who had become the latest pair of women to be secured to the tree. They had been gagged with white cloths and bound with their own handcuffs. Lora was left in a pink underwire bra and lime-green briefs, Violet in a fuchsia triangle bra and ochre hipsters.
"Two more victims for the USBs," Summer smiled. She gave Autumn a high-five and nodded at the two captives. "Goodbye, ladies. Enjoy the warm weather."
Violet and Lora mewled pathetically into their gags, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. Summer and Autumn stepped back through the bushes onto the park trail.
"One of the better fits I've stolen recently," Autumn noted. "Though wearing a cop uniform still makes my skin crawl."
"The uniforms aren't a real problem," Summer said. "What's really bugging me is that redhead who took us down... Felicia, I think she was called."
Autumn nodded. "I'd love to get my hands on her."
"Same here... She needs to be taught a lesson. No one messes with the USBs and gets away with it."
"What do you propose?"
"I say we make use of these police disguises," Summer smirked. "Head down to the station, see if we can't dig up any evidence on dear Felicia... Then we track her down and kick her ass."
Autumn chuckled and cracked her knuckles. "I like this plan."
Grinning wickedly, the two women headed for the parking lot and found the police car waiting for them. They got inside and drove off.
"That redhead should have just given us her clothes when we asked," Summer sneered. "Now she's gonna pay."
******************
Disguised in hazmat suits, Bridget and Sonja successfully slipped past security and into the old tire factory.
"Were you able to get a feel for the place when they took you here?" Bridget asked. "Like, did you notice any important rooms or anything?"
Sonja shook her head. "I was too busy being kidnapped and interrogated to remember much... Although..." She thought for a moment. "I do recall someone commenting about keeping some schematics in the basement."
"Then to the basement we go," Bridget replied.
The two women made their way to the stairwell, which fortunately had not been much damaged in the fire. They began clambering down to the basement.
"So this is what you do?" Sonja asked. "As a reporter, I mean. Go out on assignments and attack women for their clothes so you can go undercover?"
Bridget nodded. "Yes... until I got fired for it."
"Yeah, that's a shame," Sonja said. "It's such a great job... You mug women for their uniforms, and get paid for it."
"That's... not exactly what my job was," Bridget responded. "I just like to get the facts and uncover the truth. Sometimes that does require wearing disguises, which I usually need to 'borrow' from other women. I don't like stealing uniforms, but it's part of the job."
Sonja laughed. "Come on, honey... You've been doing this for years. You're telling me that after a while, you don't start to enjoy mugging women for their clothes? I love it, and I don't mind admitting that."
Bridget shook her head. "If I had a choice, I would never hurt or strip another woman. But sometimes it's just necessary to..."
"No offense, Baxter, but you're full of crap," Sonja interrupted. "I know a lot of women who started stealing uniforms out of necessity - it's a tough world, women sometimes need to break the rules to get ahead. But after you do it for a while, you start to like it. Finding creative ways to attack someone, seeing what kind of underwear she's wearing, finding the right material to tie her up. Stealing uniforms is fun, and we shouldn't be ashamed to admit it."
Bridget didn't respond. She glanced around and saw a small metal hatch embedded in the charred wall. "There... I think that's a safe."
Fortunately, the door to the small metal safe had been weakened by the fire. It only took some extra muscle from Sonja to pry it open.
Bridget peered inside. There were a handful of charred papers inside, nothing more. The rest had either been taken or burned by the fire.
Bridget took one of the scraps and examined it closely. "This looks... a lot like the sort of paper they used at NASA... except older. Looks like an outdated rocket model."
"What do you suppose it means?"
"Can't say for sure... but if I had to guess, I'd say it means these women are planning something for NASA... And it's nothing good."
*********************
Zuhal kicked off her shoes and flopped down on one of the beds in the little hotel room.
"Ah, this feels good," she smiled. "Gonna relax and watch some TV now, Bobbi. How about you?"
Bobbi was headed back for the door. "Just getting something to eat down at the diner," she said brusquely.
Zuhal sat up. "I hope you're not mad at me about today."
"I'm just hungry," Bobbi replied, and she was out the door.
Zuhal lay back in her bed and reached for the remote. She didn't like being on uneasy terms with Bobbi, who at this point was the only friend she could count on. But still, she felt like that friend was being unreasonable...
Zuhal shrugged and turned on the TV. It was in middle of playing a commercial for a political campaign.
"...and as your mayor, I promise to do everything to make this city safer," the speaker, a tall blonde, said to the camera. "Every woman has the right to wear whatever uniform they want, and no one has the right to steal it from them. Vote for me, and we can wipe out the threat of uniform stealing... forever."
Zuhal laughed. "Dream on, honey," she said to the TV. "I've been mugging women for their clothes for years, and no stuffy politician is going to stop me."
There came a knock at the door. "Housekeeping," a voice called.
"Eh?" Zuhal sat up. "Of course they have to come just as I'm getting relaxed."
She walked to the door and opened it. Two women in maid uniforms stood there, with a laundry cart parked in the hallway.
"Here to change your bedsheets, ma'am," the blonde maid said.
Zuhal shook her head. "Come back tomorrow, girls. I've had a busy day."
"But you signed up for turn-down service tonight," the maid said, holding up a clipboard. "Take a look."
"I didn't sign up for anything." Zuhal scanned the clipboard. "And I don't see my name here. What are you... Mmmpphhh!"
She gave a sudden start as the brunette clamped a chloroform-soaked pad over her nose and mouth.
"Keep quiet," the blonde hissed to the struggling Zuhal. "Don't make this more difficult than it needs to be."
But Zuhal was the expert at making things difficult. She struggled, she clawed, she scratched. The two maids had to pin down her arms in order to keep her still while the chloroform did its work.
At last, they triumphed. Zuhal slumped unconscious in the brunette's grip.
"That was easy enough, I suppose," Oksana told Polina, wiping perspiration from her brow. "Now let's get out of here."
********************
Bobbi hadn't felt like grabbing a full meal - instead, she just bought an energy bar from the inn's lobby. She paid in cash, trying as usual to limit the use of credit card.
She munched the bar as she walked back down the hall and stepped into the elevator. Maybe she had been too hard on Zuhal, who seemed to be the only friend she still had. Maybe she was being too serious herself.
Still, Bobbi felt like she had spent too much time away from home. She missed Bridget, and although their last conversation had ended on such sour terms, she missed Felicia as well.
The elevator doors pinged, and Bobbi began walking down the long corridor to her room. Along the way, she passed two maids pushing a laundry cart filled with white sheets.
Bobbi kept walking a few paces further, then stopped. Something strange...
She turned and glanced back at the laundry cart. She could just see what appeared to be a woman's hand draped over the side, poking out from beneath the sheets.
Bobbi's eyebrows raised as she noticed the ill fit of the maid's uniforms. What was going on?
"Hey..." She began walking after the maids, her pace quickening with each step. "Who are you?"
Oksana glanced back. "Crap," she muttered. "We've been made."
"I said, who are you?" Bobbi demanded. She reached Oksana and grabbed her shoulder.
In one swift motion, Oksana twisted away and grabbed Bobbi's arm. "Little snoop," she scowled. "Why don't you mind your own business."
Bobbi swung out with a kick, slamming her knee into Oksana's stomach. The Russian woman gasped and let go of Bobbi, doubling over in pain.
Bobbi grasped the bedsheet on the top of the laundry cart and pulled it away, revealing the unconscious Zuhal beneath. Her eyes widened.
At that moment, Polina grabbed her from behind. "Sorry, honey," she said. "Official business."
Bobbi stamped down on Polina's foot, then twisted away as the woman groaned in pain.
"Who are you people?" she asked. "What are you doing with my friend? Answer me or -- mmmpphhh!"
Her demands were interrupted as Oksana grabbed her and pressed a white cloth over her mouth.
"A real wildcat, aren't you?" Oksana sneered. "But you still need to breathe."
Bobbi had been chloroformed before, and her first impulse was to hold her breath. She tried twisting away, but this time Oksana held on tight. Polina grabbed Bobbi's legs and lifted them off the floor.
Bobbi tried struggling, but she was clearly outmatched. The two women held on tight, offering her no leverage. Finally, after thirty prolonged seconds of squirming, she lost consciousness.
Oksana let out a breath, lowering Bobbi to the floor. "Who is this girl?"
"I think she's the one who entered the inn with Zuhal," Polina reasoned. "Must be a friend of hers. Should we leave her here?"
Oksana thought for a moment. "If she's friends with Zuhal, she could be useful... Besides, I don't fancy leaving this human dynamo behind to try and follow us."
She returned to the laundry cart, recovering Zuhal with the sheet. "This cart isn't big enough for two people... We need some other way to sneak her out as well."
Hearing a soft whistling noise, Polina glanced around the corner. She could see a female porter walking down the hall, pushing a large suitcase on wheels.
Polina gabbed a bedsheet from the cart and turned back to Oksana. "Wait here and keep out of sight. I'm gonna make a quick wardrobe change."
The porter was a tall, slim woman, with a coffee skin tone and a bun of black hair. She wore a white button-down shirt beneath a dark green waistcoat, black knee-length skirt, and soft black shoes. She appeared to be in the process of transporting a large piece of luggage down the hall.
Polina smiled as she approached the woman. "Hi..." She scanned the porter's nametag. "...Rama. Could you help me with something?"
Rama smiled politely. "Of course. What do you need?"
"Just need you to stay still for a moment..." Polina reached into the pocket of her apron. "Rats! I thought I had one more here somewhere..."
"One more what?" Rama asked, a bit puzzled.
"Another white cloth... Maybe it's in the other pocket?" Polina checked there. "Nope."
"I'm afraid I don't understand," Rama said. "Do you need something from me?"
"I need you unconscious," Polina explained. "Was hoping to use chloroform, but..."
She hit the porter with a swift neck chop. Rama groaned and slumped forward into Polina's arms.
"...I suppose that method works too."
Polina dragged the unconscious porter into a nearby closet.
Minutes later, Polina exited the closet, now the new owner of Rama's uniform. She straightened her waistcoat and brushed down her skirt. "There we go... Pretty good fit, I'd say."
Rama sat in the rear of the closet, unconscious in just her cyan comfort bra and eggshell-white bikini panties. She had been tied up and gagged with torn strips from the white bedsheet.
After locking the closet, Polina pushed the large suitcase back down the hall. She smiled at Oksana. "Help me get out new friend inside, will you?"
Minutes later, a woman in maid uniform exited the rear doors of the inn, pushing a laundry cart with her. Shortly after, a woman in porter uniform exited, rolling a large travel suitcase alongside. Neither woman was stopped or questioned; to outward appearances, all looked normal.
Once they had returned to their van, a safe distance from the inn and obscured from view, Oksana and Polina offloaded their cargo. They tossed the unconscious Bobbi and Zuhal into the rear of the vehicle, then used white zip-ties and black duct tape to bind and gag them.
"Job well done," Polina smiled once the girls were secured. "Wanna grab an ice cream on the way back? I think we've earned it."
Oksana gave her a strange look. "You're a tiring woman, Pol," she said. "Come on, let's get back to base."
*********************
Bobbi slowly stirred as she regained consciousness. Her head was still a little woozy from the chloroform, but she did her best to clear it. What had happened?
She was in a small room, tied to a chair and gagged with a cloth. Seated beside her was Zuhal, bound and gagged in a similar position. And four other women were standing before them.
"Well, well," said a cold, chuckling voice. "The princess is awake."
Bobbi froze. That voice... It couldn't be...
As her head cleared, she saw that it was indeed Dr. Chen. The woman approached her, a broad grin on her face.
"Hello, Bobbi," she said. "It's been a long time, hasn't it? You never call, you never write..."
She let out a callous laugh that sent a chill down Bobbi's spine. Nearby, Zuhal was also regaining consciousness - and looked equally shocked and stunned.
"Consider yourself lucky," Dr. Chen told Bobbi. "You weren't part of my plan - not at this stage, anyway. I sent my girls to kidnap Zuhal - but they caught you as a lovely bonus."
She smiled at Oksana and Polina standing behind her. The Russian women nodded, although Oksana winced at the condescending tone of "my girls."
Dr. Chen turned back to Bobbi, stroking her cheek with a manicured fingernail. "My first rule of planning is - always have a backup. And you, my dear Bobbi, make a wonderful backup plan."
Bobbi didn't know what Dr. Chen was talking about. She simply glared at the woman, trying to hide the fear in her eyes.
Dr. Chen laughed. "Brave girl... I admire that. Not that bravery will help you anymore."
She turned and walked toward the door, beckoning for Oksana and Polina to follow. "Come on, girls... we've got a lot of planning to do."
The fourth woman, Sabira, lingered for a few moments. She grinned a predatory grin at Zuhal, who gave a slight shudder.
"You're surprisingly hard to kill as well, Zuhal," Sabira said. "But your time has just about run out..."
"Sabira!" Dr. Chen beckoned the woman to follow.
Sabira gave a last wicked glance at the prisoners, tracing a finger across her throat. Then she followed the others out the door.
After locking the small side room, Dr. Chen headed down the hall to her office.
"This is an excellent sign," she said. "Everything is moving into place. We have all we need at this stage..."
"So when do we make our move?" Oksana asked. "NASA is a heavily secure facility, and it's only grown more so in the last few months. We only get one chance to infiltrate, and we'd better make it count."
"Hey, check this out," Polina said. She was scrolling through her phone and happened upon a news article about NASA. "Looks like they're planning something special tomorrow."
"Special how?" Chen asked as they stepped into her office.
"There's a new shuttle launch happening," Polina said, scanning the article. "And this one will have an all-female crew."
Chen rolled her eyes. "Big deal... They've done that before. Don't waste my time with trivialities..."
"There's more," Polina continued. "To celebrate the occasion, NASA will conduct its work tomorrow through exclusively female employees."
Chen raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"
Polina handed her the phone. Chen scanned the article, then tapped on the video that accompanied it.
A woman in business suit, with a NASA logo on the wall behind her, was addressing a crowd. "That's what makes tomorrow so special," she said. "Tomorrow - for the first time ever - NASA will only have female employees working at the facility tomorrow. All male employees at NASA will be given the day off - without pay, of course - while women take charge of everything. We have also invited councilwoman and mayoral candidate Delilah Hargrove to the historic launch, to speak about the importance of women in the world of space exploration."
Chen's eyes lit up, and a smile spread across her face. "I believe," she said slowly, "this is what we call a golden opportunity."
"What do you mean?" Oksana asked.
"NASA will be entirely populated by women tomorrow," Chen explained. "From the janitors and security guards to the technicians and executives. The potential for infiltration is excellent. Procuring disguises and blending in will be a piece of cake."
"Tomorrow?" Oksana asked. "This is a bit of short notice, isn't it?"
"We have everything we need," Chen replied. "There's no point in dawdling further. And now NASA is practically handing us the chance we need."
Polina nodded. "It's true... We're all just about ready."
"Gather all your girls," Chen instructed, a sinister grin on her face. "We need to get everything ready tonight... Before sunrise, we strike."
Great job as always tirepanted. The story is really proceeding smoothly and it's clear that everything is being set for the grand finale, which I'm very excited to see.
On a side note, I find a bit ironic Zuhal's knockout. A woman who, as she herself says, has been mugging women for years, falls for one of the oldest "USB tricks", the false room service.
In general, I find this to be a good and enjoyable example of a "bridge story", so to speak. Not the introduction nor the finale, but what ties the two together. And a very good one at that, so, congratulations!
Loved the scene with Luisa and Keiko. Great how convenient it was that the two women where about the have a romantic moment and Luisa has Keiko close her eyes. So perfect that Luisa gets grabbed and Keiko does have a clue because her eyes are closed. Then love the image of Keiko looking into the bushes and being dragged in.
One question. When Oksana and Polina were done getting dressed, the two women were conscious. Question, did they just overpower them or had they knocked them out and they had just woken up?
Thanks, Meditions. I'd say Oksana and Polina knocked Luisa and Keiko out, but they woke up fairly quickly, in time to see their uniforms appropriated by their assailants. (And in time to get that little compliment from Polina. )
