Uniform Stealing Board

A very great opening act, although this shouldn't be a surprise that Knipperen found an escape this quickly, as that's just what she does. And of course, I see another returning character with "Jessica", it seems that she still can't escape the predicaments of being found outlaw star style. It's something that we really know Jessica for now, although I do feel sorry for her, and of course Mabel is certainly proving to be a worthy adversary, I can't wait to see what's next.

I loved Enola's scene, it is true that she really wasn't having much luck this day was she, although between being bitten on the backside by a dog or getting stripped of her uniform, I wonder which part she'll curse most. Plus I loved her underwear lettering too, nicely done.

Seriously. I'm absolutely LOVING Tina's scene here in this story of yours. I really do love the way your really pushing the boat out and really highlighting "Soph's batch" of infiltrators, because yes you're right. Despite the fact that they are younger that the average clone troopers, they naturally do hold higher ranks than them, purely because. YES, you are right, they were trained to be more like "Angel" when she was "Demon", that's why Angel / Demon, had it so easy at the company, she was the perfect combination of a soldier and an infiltrator in Anna's eyes, so naturally Soph's Batch would be trained like this too, as Anna just wants the perfect soldier / infiltrator combo. Plus it makes sense that they would out rank the basic clone troopers, given their expertise. Honestly, a massive, MASSIVE well done on this. I really am loving this!

Now once again we have another fantastic scene with Tina and Irene afterwards. Seriously, I've said it before but stuff it I'll say it again. I really like scene's of dialogue between these two. It's just great......They are both leaders, they both have conflicting views, but! They both have these strong personalities that really both clash AND mix well simultaneously. I just love the way they both continuously try to read each other or guess each other's motive, yet neither of them can quite work out what the other one is thinking, it's such a great dynamic, and honestly these scene's will be some of the parts that I remember most in this story, and I really will too.

Nice little way at the beginning of this next, just to show that Blink is fully aware of her sister's absence, I now just wonder how long it will take before she finds out Knipperen has also been captured.

Of course Libido would immediately try and see if she can get into Blink's panties, because it's the world's worst kept secret that Libido fancies the pants off of Blink (both literally and figuratively).

I loved the little scene here with Midori, Amai and Stasis. Heck yeah, let those puns rolls hard and fast people!

HOLY HOT HAM AND CHEESE!!!!!!!..............DAMN! I was not expecting this! ..........So Agria and Cleo are part of the team as well are they? Plus they also know Felicity AND they even have history with Blink and Knipperen!.........Okay, okay, this is awesome! Honestly, nice work, I genuinely wasn't expecting this! What an awesome surprise! Oh man, this is going to lead to some AMAZING scenes, I can't wait!

Wow! Okay to round it off, I really like the way that we are seeing Mag, truly show off her leadership skills here, I mean after all, we know that apart from Tina (obviously), Mag would naturally be the one who is the most capable of formulating a plan and gathering help, now we all know how Mag can be sometimes, but she's quick to revert back to her military training and she's able to adapt to the situation and form a perfect plan......DAMN......This chapter is just full of surprises isn't it. Did I say I'm loving this yet?......I did?......Well screw it, I'm saying it again......I'm truly loving this chapter, plus seeing all these characters come together like this is honestly something I didn't think I'd ever see!

On a quick side note, I notice that Felicity get's quite a bit of screen time in you're crossover stories, shall I use her more in the future for you?

Haha, okay wow, that scene with Cleo, Mag and Blink was great. I've really missed Cleo's personality, the way she talks, the way she moves, the way her personality almost contradicts how she is underneath. I love Cleo I really do, she really is something special and I've loved her over the years, so this is just amazing to me! Plus I loved how you highlighted Blink's love for her sister, and naturally Mag supporting Blink as of course, Mag knows full well about her sisters unquestionably. Plus it was sweet to see Libido try and protect her woman....Even though Blink isn't interested......But it's still both sweet and funny to see.

I.....I......I think I'm going to faint. That lovable and amazing green haired pothead we all know and love is from a prestigious family, with nobility and honour......Midori.......THAT Midori.......Geez, it seems that Stasis isn't the only one is shock by this revelation too......Okay, now I'm really, REALLY curious......Will Irene or anyone actually recognise Midori? Damn I can't wait!

I also really liked the little ending to this scene, because yes you are correct. Stasis' puns and little jokes are never always at random, because as it's been proven time and time again, she's actually quite intelligent, Stasis just likes to give of the impression that she's a clown who doesn't take things seriously, but seriously, let's look at Stasis' past.....She's actually quite the clever little genius when she wants to be, and I think you've done a fantastic scene in secretly revealing this in this scene. A massive well done.

Hahahaha, wow this next scene is amazing! Okay for starters, a massive congratulations as it's official "FEDEX" Has now officially been added to the USB book of history, but don't worry everyone else like Hermes or DPD.....You're time will come!

I loved the sense of awkwardness between Tina and Enola here too, although it really did give this entire scene a nice comedic touch and a nice sense of life, this was great, and FEDEX itself is going to be lost for words when they not only find one of their employees bound, gagged and half naked, but they also find a completely different delivery woman bound, gagged and in her undies too.

A nice way to suddenly throw a 180 at us with this next scene. This makes sense that Tina would naturally set Enola free so she can drive her, Florrie and Amity to safety as Tina genuinely has no way to contact the authorities about their ware bouts and she can't risk them being captured or worse. Now some people might raise an eyebrow to this, but to those who genuinely know Tina and know who she is and what she stands for then THIS is exactly how Tina would be and THIS is exactly the sort of thing Tina would do....Honestly, I think you've done an outstanding job with Tina's personality and characteristics in this scene and it was both a refreshing surprise AND I think you've captured Tina's personality absolutely perfectly once more. Fantastic work!

Very clever! Nice touch with Tina being craft with the USB stick, it was nice to see that Tina had a plan all along, although this is Tina we're talking about, so this shouldn't come as a surprise at all, plus that little comment at the end about Tina just wanting to protect her sisters.....Yes......That is Tina through and through, brilliant work!

Okay I love the plan that our team of infiltrators (Avengers) have conducted, okay........This is where the fun begins!

Haha, I must admit, I quite enjoyed this little scene between Soph and Gillian. Don't worry Soph, you'll get the hang of it one day......But I don't think Soph will worry too much about that, as we all know that Soph prefers to let her fists do the talking.

I loved the entire scene with Anastasia, Myrtle and her two bodyguards, I loved the build up, of Anastasia imagining all the doors that this union with the Eudokia family would open, only for her to get hit with a big dose of reality, I loved the takedown and hhhmmm. Do I get the feeling that a certain couple of familiar motorbike cops have been replaced for a third time in their career.

Whoa! Not only was I right, but that entire scene with Chrissie and Ramirez was sexy as hell! Now I think we know full well that it was Libido who tied up these two beauties in that position, but damn, you went all in with this scene, it was super hot and very sexy and I absolutely loved it! Indeed, it seems that Libido, Heartfelt's cupid has struck again.....Match made!

I really like the dialogue scenes between Mag and Agria, I remember their conflicting personalities during your non canon crossover story "protecting one's lifestyle", so I'm actually very pleased to see it follow over into this cross over too, Mag and Agria are both professionals in their own rights, so it's really cool to see these two interact with each other like this.

I also really like the scene with Libido and Stasis talking to Mag about what par they are supposed to play in the infiltration. I can see what Mag is doing here, Mag is trying to protect Libido and Stasis, because they are her sisters and she loves them both with all her heart, I can actually fully see what Mag is doing and I honestly can't wait to see just how this all unfolds and plays out, I'm very curious that's for sure, Mag is doing things for the right reasons, and really want to know what happens next if I'm being honest here, I really do!

And of course we finish up with Ellie making a well deserved cameo appearence.......But wait, why did it say "Blink" has tried to escape her special cell, that's Knipperen, right?

WOW! What an outstanding next part to this amazing story. Honestly, you revealed some surprises here that I genuinely just had no idea about and I absolutely loved it! There were just so many continuity nods, so many references, quite a few Easter eggs and of course, plenty of lore to dive into. In other words, it had everything that an absolute story lover like me could want, I think it was absolutely fantastic. Naturally of course, the USB scenes themselves were incredibly well written and absolutely brimming with originality and creativity and I rally enjoyed them! Honestly, you're ability to continuously dig into all the lore and history from both our respective worlds, just never ceases to amaze me. I really do hope you know just how much respect I have for you and you're constant attention to detail, because lets face it, even the most smallest of detail can have major implications, so I really do love it all.

A truly, TRULY fantastic new addition and I think you captured everyone's and I do mean EVERYONE'S personalities and characteristics perfectly, especially Tina's, Mag's and Blink's. You absolutely nailed all three of these ladies personalities in this chapter and you did them all the world of justice, and I just simply can not thank you enough for this!

Amazing job again!

In my opinion, it was important to remind just how resourceful Knipperen is. She's not the damsel in distress type. Of course, she's human and therefore not invincible, hence why she was captured; but she's a terrifying opponent, always looking for any flaw to exploit in her enemies' plans.

It's indeed the same Jessica as the one from Fighting Spirit. (Was too lazy to think of an original guard , and I remembered I liked this victim.) I like to imagine that Jessica IS Firecat's counterpart in a parallel world, so ending up mugged for disguise and bound-and-gagged inside a closet is her destiny. Or maybe I wanted to make a reference to Outlaw Star too, to echo your one with Ashley. Plus you've mentioned this scene was one of your favorites.

A bit of foreshadowing, but trust me, Mabel will return (perhaps even at the same time as you discover this answer, since the next part is about to be posted). And she will prove herself to be one of the most hateful characters I've written so far...

Enola's parts of this story can be summed up with: 'Enola is having a bad day.' Tina's subplot was hard to come up with, and I thought it was a funny little theme. Enola's parts (especially in the FEDEX van) allows for more light-hearted moments.

On paper, Soph's batch sisters make for perfect antagonists. (And it could be interesting to hear more about them. Are they close to each other like Tina and her sisters or not? How do they feel about Soph? Do they want her back in their 'family', or do they think she's a traitor and want her dead?) But I realized that it's actually very hard to incorporate them in a story. Hence why Soph's batch sister ends up as a distant threat, and not as a direct opponent.

I love writing confrontations between heroes and villains. Unfortunately, it's often quite hard to come up with reasons for them to happen in an infiltration setting. So since I found a setting where there could be several confrontations between Irene and Tina, I took advantage of it.

Having the characters interact with each other is the part of these crossovers I enjoy the most. Since their personalities are well-defined, I just need to imagine how each would react to the situation.

Didn't Libido manage to get into Blink's panties once though, after she rescued her from Evans (the first time)? Or did they only kiss and cuddle?

Glad you enjoyed the inclusion of Cleo and Agria. They seem to be well-liked, so I thought it'd be a nice cameo. The antagonist being Irene, it was logical that her government would at some point try to intervene. Though as you can guess by their conversations with Blink, it may be risky for the sisters to have them as allies...

Mag is probably one of the sisters I've the most grown to like. At first, with the colourful personalities of Libido and Stasis or Angel's personal arc, I didn't pay her as much attention. But the more I write her, and the more I enjoy her character. She's the most morally grey of the sisters, and it's interesting to see her pushed to her limits. And she's of course a born leader.

One thing I love about Cleo and Agria is their bluntness. It's great to have characters who can say terrible things without any filter. Here, it was perfect to make Blink face her own contradictions (between her desire to fight crime and the lenience she shows towards her sister). It was an aspect of Blink's personality I was itching to feature; because in my opinion a character can perfectly do contradictory actions, as long as the narration actually addresses these contradictions and explains their mindset. Blink is trying to be a good person, but as Cleo points out, her judgement is biased when it comes to her twin sister... because she deeply loves her (and for all her flaws, Knipperen also loves Blink in her own way). This set-up allows for great conflicts and great interactions; whether it is with the sisters (who love Blink but dislike Knipperen, while at the same time understanding why Knipperen means so much to Blink) or with the White Masks, especially Ellie (since, as long as Blink helps Knipperen, Ellie will always have arguments against Blink)... So Blink is in a hard situation, but can she even get out of it?

That lovable and amazing green haired pothead we all know and love is from a prestigious family, with nobility and honour.

One of the underlying themes around the aristocratic Houses such as Irene's is that they are clinging onto an outmoded lifestyle. For all their talk of nobility, their lineages are actually rotten. Out of Irene's children, only Zoë isn't a thug or an overgrown bully or both; and ironically it is because she was her mother's unfavorite. And a 'white sheep' such as Midori actually chose to run away and to wallow in drug and junk food, rather than to stay with her family.

Did I already mention that I love the idea of Stasis having hidden depths and being more insightful than she let on? I don't care, I'm doing it again. From what I could witness after 42 chapters, Stasis is a static character (and so is Libido). Which isn't a bad thing at all: stories need characters with deep character arcs such as Angel and Blink or with complex moral dilemnas such as Mag and Blink (again), but stories also need static characters who don't deeply evolve to serve as anchor points. It doesn't mean that they can't have hidden depths, that's what make them even greater.

A nice way to suddenly throw a 180 at us with this next scene. This makes sense that Tina would naturally set Enola free so she can drive her, Florrie and Amity to safety as Tina genuinely has no way to contact the authorities about their ware bouts and she can't risk them being captured or worse. Now some people might raise an eyebrow to this, but to those who genuinely know Tina and know who she is and what she stands for then THIS is exactly how Tina would be and THIS is exactly the sort of thing Tina would do.

That, and it was also a way to showcase Tina's cleverness. She's basically setting up multiple plans at once. Of course, her main goal is to make sure these three women aren't found and hurt... But by making sure the witnesses are released early, Tina can also force Irene's hand. By the time she reaches the aerodrome, the police knows about Florrie's stolen car. They're maybe even already on their way. She's forcing Zoë and Irene to make a decision in a hurry, to prevent them from thinking of the possibility that she hid the USB-flashdrive on herself. Because she knows that if she gives them the time, they will refuse to take her aboard the plane as long as they don't have the flashdrive. Her goal was to force them to take off with her, to make them lose even more time and to buy even more time for her sisters. And it worked. Or course, making sure the innocent women are safe was the perfect finishing touch. Tina and Irene are always trying to one-up the other. This sort of confrontation is hard to write, but I like the result.

Some more foreshadowing with Gillian? I think I'm tipping everyone off on the identity of the guard Soph will mug...

Poor Anastasia... or not! She's not exactly the most sympathetic woman out there, but Agria had way too much fun with her.

I hesitated to feature Chrissie and Ramirez again, but ultimately I couldn't resist the idea to bring them up once more. And also to feature the running gag of Heartfelt's cupid. Though we now have to wait to see Ramirez's reaction. In a few more chapters, during a new mugging, maybe we'll now how she feels!

Agria can be a real smeghead when she wants, so writing conflicts between her and 'good' characters is always a delight.

I really wanted to bring some conflict between the sisters themselves. I thought it'd be interesting. And out of all of them, Mag was the best suited candidate to bring some conflict. However, the question was... How do you bring conflict between them when their biggest characteristic is the love they have between each other? The answer is to make their family love the direct cause of the conflict. It was important to remind that Mag deeply loves Stasis and Libido. But that doesn't mean she can't get annoyed by their antics at time. And in such a stressful situation, she's tempted to take the 'safe' option of only going with people she considers more 'serious'... because she loves her sisters so much, and don't want to lose them. (And that includes Stasis and Libido - she's afraid THEY would get hurt or, worst, they would be completely broken if harm had befallen the rest of the family. They're (maybe) her last family. She wants to preserve them.)

Of course, Libido and Stasis don't see things the same way, but hey, that's why there's a conflict.

All of these scenes with Ellie... I wonder if she'll play some part in the climax. LOL! So much well-hidden suspense...

But wait, why did it say "Blink" has tried to escape her special cell, that's Knipperen, right?

Oops! It was a typo. This part was a late addition, so it didn't have as much proof-reading as others. Nice attention to details. It's now corrected.

On a quick side note, I notice that Felicity get's quite a bit of screen time in you're crossover stories, shall I use her more in the future for you?

Not necessarily.

Thanks for your answer! I really enjoy your 'on the spot' reactions.

The climactic infiltration is now nearing... Hopefully, the story will be resolved soon.

Quick note, trackmann, the answer to your comment is in the previous post.




Part 5

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

In the sisters’ flat, Felicity was at work. Irene’s security system was one of the best of the world.

But Felicity was also one of the best hackers of the world. Nobody would ever tell it to Tinker, but Felicity was an even better hacker than her. And she already had had access to all of Tinker’s data and preliminary work. Now that she knew there was a second secret system, she could take it into account in her calculations.

All she needed was a gateway to the estate’s private server…

… and said gateway had been given to her. One of the fake official e-mails she had sent had been opened from a computer linked to the estate’s private server.

Now, all she needed was to ‘work her magic’. By the time Mag and the others would reach the estate, she’d be able to take control of the security cameras, and to feed them fake footage.

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

Tina was restrained to one of the private jet’s seats.

Zoë was sitting in front of her. Next to the aristocrat, there was her bodyguard. Special agents of House Eudokia’s recon team were sitting on various parts of the plane.

Tina and Zoë were glaring at each other.

The silence was tense.

The jet’s intercom suddenly rang. Zoë activated it.

“Yes, mother?”

“Perfect... Is our friend secured?”

The young aristocrat glanced at Tina. “Yes.”

“My dear Tina. I trust you are enjoying your accommodations.”

“Of course. I love traveling first class.” the latter snarked back.

“Glad to see you haven’t lost your talent for repartee. I hope you’ll still be in a talkative mood once you’re back in my estate. For your sister’s sake.”

“They still haven’t found the USB-flashdrive, right?”

“I admit it, you found a good hideout. But in a way, I’m glad that you did it. It will be IMMENSELY more satisfying to deal with you in person. So I can humor you for a little while longer… But not too long, don’t worry.”

Irene stopped talking to Tina.

“Now, on to a more important matter. Zoë, when you return, make sure that my guests don’t see our dear Tina. I also expect you to be on your best behaviour.”

“Why?”

“I’m receiving Anastasia Monomachos. We will discuss the details of your wedding with her son.”

Zoë paled slightly. Apparently, the news was taking her completely by surprise. “But mother! Why didn’t you tell me before? Father promised me I-”

“Your father is dead, my daughter. I’m the one who knows what’s best for our family.”

“Basile or Constantin will be more willing to-”

Irene raised her voice. But only very slightly. “Zoë Marika Leto Eudokia. Need I have to remind you that we have a reputation to uphold? I can’t marry a first daughter or a first son to someone from a House as minor as Anastasia’s if I can avoid it! Our standing won’t allow it!”

Zoë bitterly commented: “So you mean I’m the only one who’s disposable enough-”

“Your father has always spoiled you rotten, Zoë. It is time for you to fulfill your responsibilities to your House. Your personal wishes are irrelevant, when it comes to the standing of our family name.”

Irene ended the transmission without giving her daughter the possibility to answer.

Zoë was livid.

Her bodyguard tried to speak to her.

“I do not want to be disturbed.”

However, Tina couldn’t help but intervene.

“Hard to be called a spoiled brat when you do everything for your family, isn’t it? Especially since Theophano barely got a slap on the wrist after her fiasco.”

Zoë glared daggers at her. “One has to do everything for her family’s sake. I think you, of all people, know that.”

“Yes. But I also know my sisters love me, and will support me no matter what. They will never use me like some sort of disposable tool.”

“We’re all trying to survive with our lot in life.” Zoë retorted. “I was given everything I have ever wanted, I have no right to complain. It’s only fair that I repay the people who provided for me.”

Tina could perfectly see however that Zoë didn’t believe what she was saying. The aristocrat was simply trying to convince herself. Tina mentally took note of the information.

Apparently, not everything was perfect between Irene and her youngest daughter...

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

When Mag saw Irene Eudokia in person, she used all her self-control to not jump the woman here and now, in order to squeeze her throat until she confessed where her sisters were locked. She knew it would ruin the entire infiltration.

She stayed in-character, playing the part of the silent professional bodyguard. The clone was using her tainted glasses to conceal her face as much as possible. She remained one step behind Agria and Cleo, with Blink, and made sure to avoid eye-contact with Irene. They had used make-up and hair-dye to hide her resemblance to the other sisters, so it should be fine. Thankfully, Irene didn't care about the hired help. In her eyes, they were as invisible as potted plants.

Agria walked forward to salute Irene. Cleo was following her one step behind. The two special combatants were perfect in playing their role. They had memorized all of Anastasia’s and Myrtle’s little tics, and knew all the things their two victims were supposed to know. They were following aristocratic etiquette without any misstep. Mag wouldn’t have been surprised to hear that Agria had learned by heart Anastasia’s entire family history and genealogical tree as well.

Irene was fooled.

Had she not seen them put on their make-up, wigs, and contact lenses; Mag would have been fooled too.

Irene herself was perfectly looking the part of the regal-looking aristocrat, with the gorgeous night blue one-piece dress she was wearing. The borders of the collar, of the bottom, and of the cuffs were golden. The woman’s greying copper red hair were tied into a sophisticated neck-bun, kept in place with a gold brooch adorned with a big diamond. One strand of hair was dyed white.

Salutations between members of the aristocracy of Irene’s home country were very long and formal. Mag thought she would never see the end of it. Now that she was finally inside the estate, now that freeing her sisters was withing reach, every second lost was unbearable.

Thankfully, eventually, Agria ended the long preliminary protocol.

“Now, milady. I propose we tackle the subject of this meeting.”

“With pleasure, Anastasia.”

Mag was actually a little impressed, and very unnerved, by how Irene was able to use a simple polite conversation to ruthlessly rub her superior social status on an other person. She required to be called ‘milady’ by a fellow aristocrat, but in return was familiarly using the woman’s first name. Beneath their veneer of politeness, these aristocrats were as ruthless as the coldest mob boss out there.

However, Anastasia’s social status among the aristocracy was too low to allow her to comment on that rudeness, so Agria didn’t either. She made a gesture of the hand towards Mag and Blink.

“You two are dismissed. I trust lady Eudokia to provide for my protection.”

Irene smiled lightly. According to the etiquette, what Agria had just done was a mark of great trust and of even greater respect. The special combatant was feeding the other woman’s ego, and it was working.

“Karen will show them the way to the kitchens. They will find something to eat. In the meantime, I propose that we go in my office.”

“Wonderful idea. Myrtle, come with me.”

Agria and Cleo followed Irene and her two bodyguards, and went to the first floor.

Irene’s butler stepped forward. “Follow me, please.” she told Blink and Mag.

The two infiltrators exchanged a look. It was their time to act. Agria and Cleo had explained to them that this sort of marital negotiations usually took a lot of time, and they intended to slow down things. The sisters had between two and three hours.

“With pleasure.” Mag said.

She quickly glanced at a security camera.

“The security system is under my control. Both the main one and the secret one.” Felicity said in her earpiece. “I start to send them fake footage now.”

Mag allowed herself to smile.

The rescue operation was finally on.

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

Karen actually didn’t make it to the kitchens.

The moment they were alone, in an empty corridor, Blink and Mag exchanged a glance. Since Felicity was now feeding fake footage to the security guards, they didn’t bother with subtlety.

One hand-gag and one nerve-pinch later, the strawberry-blond-haired grey-eyed butler was out like a light.

Since they were on schedule, Blink and Mag didn’t waste time with stripping Karen. (They wanted to steal guard uniforms.) They simply zip-tied the woman’s limbs, injected her with a knock-out serum, silenced her with a ball-gag, and stuffed her into the coat closet.

Then, they went looking for the other sisters.

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

“Hey, Felicity! I’ve seen a woman exit the estate! Maybe we could-”

“It’s no use. She’s been fired. She won’t have a set of uniform.”

“Dang it…”

Stasis and Libido looked at the dejected-looking woman who was walking away. They were feeling the same way.

In the fake food trunk, the two sisters weren’t satisfied with the plan.

“Why the long faces?” Midori asked them.

“I wanted to go with Mag…” Stasis complained.

“She doesn’t trust us as much as she trusts everyone else…” Libido added. “She fears we may screw everything up…”

The two sisters exchanged a glance. They knew Mag’s reasons. They knew she had done it because she was worried about their sisters. She wanted to have the best chance at saving them. And if the rest of the family truly was dead… Well, Mag didn’t want her two remaining sisters to see the corpses. She was afraid it would destroy them. She was afraid to lose them as well.

However, Stasis and Libido hadn’t anticipated that their sister’s decision would hurt them so much… They wanted to be here for their sisters too! And if the worst truly had happened… They wanted to witness it first-hand.

“Mag said you could regroup with her if you managed to lure a guard out and take her clothes… Sounds pretty trusting to me!” an oblivious Midori commented.

“Or maybe she thinks we won’t be able to do it.” Libido glumly retorted. “Maybe she’s hoping we won’t find an opportunity...”

“Speaking of which…” Stasis turned towards Midori. “You sure it’ll work?” she asked the green-haired woman.

“Relax! I know Loreen! Back when we were working for Roxane, we were always sneaking out to smoke a few joints...”

“Sounds a little weird that you ended up striking a friendship with Amai instead.” Libido commented. She looked pensive. “Unless the friendship was broken BECAUSE of Amai. Tell me… Did you two fight for her love? Note that I wouldn’t blame you! I’d fight too, if it meant I could get my hands on her cute shapely butt-”

“Wow! Stasis, your sis’s wack sometimes…” Midori exclaimed. “I stopped seeing Loreen too often ‘cause she was always raidin’ my secret stash when I wasn’t lookin’! Green stuff is expensive, yah know?”

For once, Stasis was actually playing the part of the responsible one. “Well, Felicity has now taken control of the security system. So call her, please. You’re our only hope.”

Amai had indeed tried to call Jenny, but the latter had been given the week off – as a compensation for having been mugged for her clothes during the sisters’ first infiltration attempt.

Only Midori had been successful.

The latter grabbed her cellphone. “On it!”

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

Loreen was a brunette of average height and size, with chestnut eyes and a tanned skin, whose hair were tied in a tight medium bun. Currently, she was supposed to watch the estate’s garden. she was wearing the same clothes as the other guards of the estate. Black combat shoes, dark blue trousers, a black equipment belt, and a dark blue jacket over a white t-shirt, a handgun and a walkie-talkie, and a black earpiece.

The sentry jumped a little when her cellphone rang. Luckily, she was alone in the garden area. Nobody could see her slacking off, and answering personal phone calls.

It was Midori.

“Yo’! Loreen, my gal! How are you since last time we talked?”

“That was literally three hours ago.”

“Wow! Time flies, doesn’t it?”

“What do you want? I’m working right now.”

“Well, remember what I told you? About the new stuff I’ve got… You HAVE to try it!”

“At the risk of repeating what I said five seconds ago, I’m working, Midori! I’m supposed to watch the garden area.”

“Even better! Nobody ever comes here! It’d take them HOURS to notice you’re gone…”

“I’m not sure-”

“Come on, gal! Don’t puss out on me! You’re a woman, or a chicken?”

Her playful retort wounded Loreen’s pride. “Hey! Don’t call me that!”

“We did a lot worst at the Barca estate… Remember? We were driving Diane crazy! Wilder than the wind!”

“That’s true…” Loreen hesitated, but the perspective of breaking the rules and smoking a good joint was ultimately too tempting. “Well, Theodora is watching the screens today… and Theodora owes me money, so...”

“That’s the spirit! We’ll stand in front of a camera! I’m waiting for you!”

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

Ten minutes later, Midori and Loreen were in front of the estate’s wall. Unbeknownst to the guard, Stasis and Libido were watching from the food truck parked at the end of the street.

“Felicity is hacking the camera system for us. You can begin.” Stasis said to Midori in the latter’s hidden earpiece.

“There you go!” Midori gave the other woman a joint. “Brings back memories, uh?”

Loreen grabbed the small ‘improved cigarette’. “Sure does… Things have become boring after you quit.”

The green-haired woman shrugged, and took a puff of her own joint. “Was tired of getting pummeled for my clothes.” She blew a smoke ring.

“It sure happens a lot when one’s working for a House…” Loreen admitted. “Though I shouldn’t be complaining. The only time it happened to me, the intruders didn’t take my uniform. A sniper shot me with a tranq dart, they zip-tied me, and by the time I woke up, everything was already finished…”

“Working for Roxane was a mistake. She was wicked uncool.”

Loreen took a puff, and coughed.

“Oh shit, Midori! This stuff’s spicy!”

The other woman grinned. “Pretty wicked, uh?”

“If you say so…”

Loreen took a second puff. She coughed again.

“Don’t know if I’ll be able to finish it…”

“Man! Did you break the habit?”

“Of course not.”

Loreen took a third puff.

“Hey, Midori, what’s in your stuff exactly? It’s going to my head. I swear... it’s going to… my… head…”

The green-haired woman chuckled. “Since when did you become such a lightweight?”

The other woman exclaimed: “LIGHTWEIGHT?! I’ll show you!”

Loreen took several successive long puffs.

“Wow, wow, wow! Chill! ‘Was just kiddin’… Jeez, don’t take it personally.” Midori exclaimed.

Loreen was staggering because of the effects of her joint.

Midori took her by the shoulders. “Now, don’t fall and break a tooth on my watch! Here, why don’t we sit against the wall? It’ll be just like old times!”

“Y… Yeah… G… Good idea…” Loreen’s eyes were blinking more often than usual. A clear sign of tiredness. By that point, she should have realized that something fishy was going on. But the guard’s mind was too intoxicated for that.

Midori helped her sit against the wall.

Loreen reflexively took another puff, not aware it was actually putting her to sleep. “I… I swear this stuff is hardcore… Who gave it to you?” she asked with a slurred voice.

“A friend.”

“Well, tell her that- ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ” Loreen fell on the side, with her cheek resting on Midori’s shoulder. She was slightly drooling, and was snoring so loud that she could probably awaken the dead.

Stasis drove the food truck, and stopped it next to Midori and the snoring Loreen.

Stasis exited the vehicle while Libido stayed behind the wheel.

“You sure they don’t see us on camera right now?” Midori asked them.

“Felicity has used her software to create and animate perfect 3-D models of you. She’s sending fake footage of you two chilling right now.” Stasis explained.

“She should apply for a job at Disney.”

“Don’t give her the idea. That company has enough power already! With her among their midst, they’d take over the world! I mean, even more than they already have…”

Midori and Stasis grabbed the snoring Loreen by the arms and the legs, and carried her inside the back of the fake food truck. They closed the door. Libido drove away.

The truck’s back was a little crowded, since Anastasia and the three women of her escort were still there, but they didn’t mind.

Anastasia would probably mind, since they had to put her under one of her bodyguards, but Stasis and Midori didn’t care.

Stasis swiftly removed the sentry’s uniform.

Loreen was left clad in white socks, hot pink boxer briefs with white borders, and a black tank top with an image of the main characters of the Bleach manga. Underneath, there was a plain white t-shirt bra with beige borders.

“Funny she’s wearing a Bleach tank top. I recall there’s a scene where sentries are mugged for their uniforms in that manga.” Stasis commented as she was slipping into Loreen’s uniform.

Midori grimaced. “I hope she won’t be TOO mad at me…” the green-haired woman commented. “She’s the only one who agrees to smoke with me...”

“Don’t worry. One of the components of the ‘mix’ she smoked produces a slight amnesia. She won’t remember much of the past 3 hours. She won’t remember you leading her into a trap.” Stasis reassured her friend. She finished putting on the clothes, then asked: “By the way… She doesn’t have a respiratory problem, doesn’t she?”

“No.”

“Perfect.”

Stasis shoved a rolled-up piece of cloth into Loreen’s mouth, then tied a tight cloth gag around her mouth. She didn’t have an infinite amount of ball-gags, and wanted to save them. Then she zip-tied the woman’s wrists, ankles and knees. Next, she used a wider zip-tie to restrain the shoulders. Finally, she blindfolded her with a thick black scarf, in case she woke up too early.

Midori and Stasis laid Loreen onto a blanket so she'd be more comfortable.

Then the clone grabbed her cellphone. “Felicity! Can you make Loreen’s model move when I tell you, and make it go in front of the guardhouse’s door? I want her to wave in front of the camera as if she was asking to enter.”

“Sure can!”

“Perfect. Midori, you’ll stay to watch the truck. Libido and I will regroup with Mag. We’ll show her she can rely on us!” Stasis rubbed her hands together. “I can’t wait to see her face!”

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

Theodora, the sentry manning the guardhouse and the (official) security system, was a woman with a curvy body, a shapely bottom, firm round breasts, and a soft white skin. Her eyes were blue, and her hair were strawberry blond. Her haircut was a grown-out pixie cut. She was wearing the same outfit as Loreen.

Currently, Theodora was lazily sitting on the comfortable office chair used by the guard. She had a hard time remaining focused on her duty.

Think I ate too heavy during lunch...

The guard yawned. She was nodding off. She wanted to sleep.

Of course, she wasn’t supposed to.

Bah! Loreen was outside. And the system would warn her if someone was trying to enter. Couldn’t she take a short nap? Just the time to rest her eyes a little…

Theodora slumped into her comfortable office chair. She closed her eyes.

Just a few seconds...

Some time passed.

Suddenly, there was a beep.

“Wh- What?!” a half-asleep Theodora asked out loud. “Oh… Oh... Oh right! The cameras!”

She yawned, and saw Loreen on one of the screens. She was waving her hand, asking to be allowed to enter.

Theodora groaned. Her mind was still foggy. She only wanted one thing: to return to her nap. “Jeez, Loreen, way to be needlessly creepy! Can’t you just stand in front of the window? Or, you know, use the intercom instead of silently waving in front of the camera?”

Theodora pressed the button opening the door. Then she slumped into her chair, already dozing off again.

“Close the door behind you, Loreen, I don’t want to be disturbed…” the guard mumbled.

She then noticed that the woman who had entered, while dressed as a sentry, didn’t exactly look like Loreen. Plus, she had in hand a weird slingshot with a green ball.

Theodora tried to blink, but since her eyes were so heavy, it was actually very hard. “Am I dreaming right now?” she commented.

Another woman entered after the one dressed like Loreen.

When she saw the newcomer, Theodora gulped and started to sweat a little.

That woman had such a BODY! The kind of body that was reminding Theodora that she hadn’t seen some ‘action’ for months, so to speak. Those eyes… Were they actually light purple? Those soft hair... That ivory white skin… Those lips… Those curves… Man, those CURVES! Plus, she was wearing a tight form-hugging catsuit. The kind of clothes only featured in someone’s wild sexual fantasies.

Yes, this was definitely a dream! No woman THAT sexy would randomly enter the guardhouse. She was exactly the sort of woman who often appeared in Theodora’s erotic dreams.

“So beautiful… If… If this is a dream… Don’t wake me up!” a half-asleep Theodora commented.

The guard armed with a slingshot shrugged. “Well, looks like this one is yours, sis’...”

The catsuit-wearing woman sighed. “Alas… Fate is cruel with me…” She looked at the sentry. “Under any other circumstances, I would have loved to have some fun with you… But you see, I have to rescue my sisters.”

Theodora didn’t understand anything that was going on in this weird dream. But apparently her face was showing some disappointment, because the beautiful woman grimaced.

“Okay. Just one kiss then.”

The catsuit-wearing woman approached the dizzy Theodora, and gently grabbed her chin with one hand. The half-asleep guard, still under the assumption that she was dreaming, didn’t try to resist. The catsuit-wearing woman gently kissed her on the lips.

Theodora smiled vacantly, and returned the kiss. The woman’s lips had a sweet taste… almost like sugar… So good… She was, in fact, a fantastic kisser!

In the middle of the kiss, the sentry’s eyes rolled back, and her eyelids closed. She was already tired and half-asleep before the kiss, therefore the knock-out lipstick on Libido’s lips was quick to send her to slumber-land.

She was still smiling when she slumped back into her chair, deeply asleep.

“Well then, pleasant dreams…” the catsuit-wearing woman whispered in her ear.

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

“I always knew you were a knockout, sis’…” Stasis joked.

Libido dragged the slumbering Theodora to a corner of the room, and swiftly removed the guard’s clothes. The sentry actually smiled during the entire process, and she let out a few moans and sighs. A part of her subconscious clearly didn’t mind what was going on… Once more, Libido cursed at the cruel fate. But it was easy for her to remain focused. She wanted to save her sisters. And she wanted to prove to Mag that she was as reliable as the others.

As undergarments, Theodora was wearing lacy cherry red cheeky panties with borders made of a pattern of translucent lace flowers. Her plunge bra was black with borders made of a pattern of red lace flowers, and a red bow between the two cups. Her socks were white with hot pink borders and hot pink hearts.

Libido sighed again. She zip-tied the guard’s knees and shoulders (using a wide-sized zip-tie for the latter). To cheer her up a little, she didn’t resist the temptation to use a pair of pink padded handcuffs from her own personal stash to bind Theodora’s wrists behind her back, and an other pair to bind her ankles. A bright red ball-gag was used to silence the sentry. She didn’t add a crotch-rope however, an exception she made because she was in a hurry to rescue her sisters. Maybe later, after her family was safe...

Libido sat Theodora in a corner of the room, actually the same corner that Jenny had occupied during the sisters’ first infiltration, and quickly kissed her goodnight on the forehead. The guard smiled in her ball-gag. Whatever dream she was having, it surely was a pleasant one!

Then Libido put on the uniform.

At the same time, Stasis was looking for a way to neutralize the guard monitoring the secret room of the guardhouse. Indeed, Felicity was currently feeding her fake footage. However, if that sentry decided to leave her post to have a little chat with Theodora, the entire plan would be ruined.

“There it is!”

The air duct was small and in a corner. One could never have found it, unless they knew it was there.

Stasis grabbed a small cube-shaped machine, a prototype that had been designed by Tinker a while ago. She fastened it to the air duct, and pressed a button. There was a soft ‘Pshhhh’. Through a small opening, the cube started to release an odourless invisible sleep-gas.

Libido couldn’t even see it but, in the secret surveillance room, there was a sentry slowly falling asleep. The unknown was actually a little arousing. Was she tall or small? Curvy or plain-looking? Skinny or chubby? What was her skin colour? Her hair colour? And how would she feel asleep? Would her forehead rest on her desk? Or would she slump into her chair? There was no way of knowing it… And Libido was liking that idea!

However, she kept focused.

The two sisters waited until Felicity said: “Coast is clear. She’s sleeping like a baby.” in their earpiece.

Libido was tempted to ask her to describe the woman, but ultimately decided against. She had bigger fish to fry.

Plus, she was REALLY digging the idea of leaving it a mystery for her future fantasies…

Her mood soured when a part of her mind whispered to her: ‘If your sisters are still alive...’ She chose to ignore it. As long as she hadn’t found them, she would act as if her sisters were alive!

“So… We draw sticks to decide which one of us stays in the guardhouse in case a delivery truck comes by?” Stasis proposed.

Both disliked the idea, as they wanted to reunite with their sisters, but they knew they had no choice.

“It won’t be necessary. There is a small red flashdrive in the equipment I gave you.” Felicity intervened in their earpieces. “Just load its software on the guardhouse’s computer, and I’ll be able to remote-control the doors and the intercom. I can even reproduce Theodora’s voice. You can both reunite with your sisters!”

Stasis and Libido exchanged a smile.

“You truly are a genius! Perhaps even better than Tinker!” Stasis exclaimed.

“We won’t tell her though!” Libido added.

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

Still under the guise of Anastasia’s bodyguards, Blink and Mag were pretending to be taking a walk. Of course, in truth, they were looking for a couple of sentries to jump and mug.

When they heard a conversation, they suddenly stopped walking, and pricked up their ears.

Two female voices. Two sentries were near their position. They were wearing the same guard uniform as the other sentries.

The first one had a light skin, midback-long orange brown hair with a straight-across fringe, a round-shaped face, and light brown eyes. She had the shapely fit body of a woman who swam a lot. The second one had midback-long straight black hair, a light skin, dark brown eyes, and an oval-shaped face. There were a few freckles on her cheeks. A purple neckerchief was for some reason tied around her neck.

“Hey! I’ve checked on Gillian, in the basement.” the brown-haired guard was saying. “Have you been watching another of your martial arts movies in front of her?”

“No. Why?”

“Because she was ranting about martial arts again.”

“How about taking these two’s uniforms?” Blink proposed.

“It may be a solution, but in the open it would be risky…” Mag commented.

Indeed, the two sentries were standing at the top of the big central stairs, and could be seen from a lot of different angles, including from the ground floor below.

Blink put a hand on Mag’s arm.

“Let me try something.” she commented. “It worked flawlessly the last time I infiltrated an estate of this family...”

Blink approached the brown-haired sentry. The one whose body was sculpted by years of swimming and other various physical activities.

“My, my, aren’t you gorgeous…” she seductively commented.

The guard frowned. “Uhm… Excuse me? Who are you?”

“Just a humble bodyguard, bored to wait the end of her boss’ meeting… and looking for some company…” Blink purred while making eyes at the woman. She was moving her body sensually. “What would you say… if I proposed you to come with me… and to have some ‘fun’ together...”

The brown-haired woman shuddered and grimaced. “Goodness, why do I attract all the perverts?” She glared daggers at Blink. “Can’t you weirdos spread the word among yourselves? I am STRAIGHT and I have a BOYFRIEND! And he stayed faithful to me even after I was sent to jail, so I’m NOT giving up on him for you! Now SHOO!”

Blink refrained a grimace of deception, and turned towards the other sentry.

“Shoo, or we’ll report you to miss Eudokia.” the black-haired woman warned her without even giving her the chance to seduce her.

Blink immediately retreated, and regrouped with her teammate out of the women’s earsight.

“Dammit… That really hurt my self-esteem…” she commented.

Mag sympathetically patted her shoulder. “One can’t always win. Here, we’ll try an other classic maneuver.”

She led Blink in front of a specific door.

“The guards’ break room? We’re not even talking about classic anymore. We’re talking about unoriginal.”

“A tried-and-tested method.” Mag corrected her. “Never failed us before. A mansion that big must have a rotation when it comes to guards’ shifts.”

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

Currently, there were two guards in the break room. They were called Esther and Brianna.

Esther had a soft white skin, an average height, a cute round face, light brown hair tied up into a neck-long medium ponytail, a small pointy nose, and chestnut brown eyes. Segmented bangs were framing her face. The young guard had some sort of 'cute anime girl' charm to her.

Brianna had blue eyes, bleached blond hair, a pearly white skin, and was using too much make-up. Her haircut was a square cut. Her nails were painted red. All in all, she had a look that matched her valley girl personality. It wasn’t for nothing that SHE had been given a break during Anastasia’s visit. Irene was basically keeping Brianna under her employ because she was from a minor aristocratic House. It was a favour for her parents.

Several guards of the estate had actually been chosen because they were from impoverished aristocratic families.

Esther was lazily sitting on a chair, a magazine of crossword puzzles in one hand, a pen in the other.

“How about this one? ‘A person who guards a place.’ In 6 letters, starting with ‘S’.”

Sitting on another chair, Brianna was busy filing her nails.

“GAWD, your pastime is, like, so boring…” she complained. “I mean, I could be, like, painting your nails… But NAH! You prefer to have fun the way GRANDMAS have fun!”

“It has been scientifically proved that crossword puzzles improve intellectual faculties.” Esther retorted.

Brianna clicked her tongue. “As if we still needed to read nowadays… I mean, HELLO, get real girl! We’re in the digital era! Books are, like, for dinosaurs now.”

Brianna checked her face in her pocket mirror.

“I’m going to the restroom. I need to powder my nose.”

She disappeared in the other smaller room.

Esther rolled her eyes, and looked at her magazine again. “Hmmm… ‘To attack someone by surprise.’ In 6 letters, starting with an ‘A’. Hmmm...”

Mag and Blink had been observing the exchange from the door they had slightly opened. They shared a look, then a nod. They silently entered the room, and closed the door.

Blink grabbed a piece of cloth and a small bottle of chloroform in the inner pocket of her jacket. She approached Esther from behind, and pounced on her unsuspecting prey. She wrapped an arm to immobilize her against the chair, and clamped the soaked rag over the guard’s mouth and nose.

At the same time, Mag went next to the restrooms’ door, in case Brianna exited it while her partner was assaulted. Though, given the glimpse she had had at the guard’s personality, the infiltrator was confident that Brianna was going to take a lot of time adjusting her make-up. Still, better safe than sorry.

Esther let out cute noises and moans. She flailed her legs and tried to move her arms, but she was lacking the strength or the training to break free of the hold of an experimented infiltrator such as Blink. Especially while the latter was assaulting her from behind, using the guard’s position at her advantage.

Esther moaned as her eyelids were already half-closed. Her body jerked one last time, then she relaxed and went still. Her eyes closed, and her breathing became slow and regular. She was in a deep sleep.

“Guards shouldn’t be allowed to be that cute.” Blink commented while letting go of Esther’s unconscious body, who slumped into the chair. “It was as if I was assaulting an overgrown magical girl, and that felt just wrong…”

“Well, there’s nothing personal. She’s just a means to an end.” Mag said with a shrug. “Now, let’s call for her pal.”

She knocked on the door.

“Wait for your turn!” Brianna retorted from inside.

Mag knocked again.

“Hey, first come, first served!”

Mag knocked again, more insistently.

“Oh GAWD! Fine! I’m out! Couldn't you hold back a little while longer? I was, like, almost finished!”

Brianna opened the door. She frowned when she saw a smiling Mag in front of her.

“Uhhh… Like, who are you?” she asked.

Mag simply grabbed her by the collar, and pulled her forward.

“Gah! Stranger danger!” Brianna exclaimed.

A swift hit of the edge of the hand between the guard’s shoulder and neck put an end to her yapping, to Mag’s and Blink’s relief.

Brianna grunted and went limp. Mag eased down her fall, and laid her onto the floor.

Blink grabbed Esther under the shoulders, and dragged her near the restroom’s door, as it would be the place where they would stash and hide the two guards.

Mag stripped Brianna, and Blink stripped Esther.

Esther was wearing white knickers with a pattern of Hello Kitties and red borders, white socks, and a light pink full-cup bra with white borders featuring a fabric flower pattern.

Brianna was clad in a sultry red lacy bra with borders featuring a white fabric heart pattern, black socks, and a sultry red lacy g-string with the same heart pattern as the bra on the front.

Mag shrugged at the sight of the skimpy underwear. “Well, that’s one more Libido won’t see…”

Thinking of her sister made her grimace. She was feeling guilty for having forced Stasis and Libido to stay behind...

Mag ignored that feeling. She had to protect her family, even if it hurt her.

She and Blink used zip-ties to restrain Esther and Brianna. They didn’t both with complexity: they bound each woman’s wrists and each woman’s ankles. Then they tape-gagged the sentries by wrapping a few layers around the lower face, and wrapped a few layers around the upper-arms and the thighs as a safety precaution.

There was a mirror, a sink and a toilet seat in the restrooms, but the room was big enough so that the infiltrators didn’t need to sit the guards on the toilet bowl. They simply left the two women in a corner of the room, resting against the walls and each other.

Mag used a pin to lock the door from outside. It would be a mean move if one guard barged in with a ‘pressing need’, but needless to say she valued the success of the mission more! And she couldn’t let these two be discovered too soon.

She and Blink exchanged a quick glance, then a nod. They slipped into the guard uniforms: Black combat shoes, dark blue trousers, black equipment belt, dark blue jacket over a white t-shirt, a handgun and a walkie-talkie, and a black earpiece.

Then they exited the room.

“We’ll start with the cellars. Our sisters are probably locked there.”

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

Gillian yawned. She was feeling bored. The blonde was tasked with watching the cellar in which the prisoners’ cells were located, and was alone. She couldn’t leave her post, and Zoe and Edwige were stationed at the other side of the manor. Edwige had passed briefly to check on her, but she hadn’t been able to stay for long.

Gillian did a few stretchings to occupy herself. Unfortunately, she couldn’t do real exercises. She didn’t want to sweat in her uniform.

Gillian had to admit to herself, when Irene sent her own daughter to release her, she thought she was going to be part of some big project.

I mean… Why did the Eudokias even bother to free us if they didn’t have a master plan involving us?

Zoe was saying that the so-called ‘master plan’ had simply been to lure the sisters out, but Gillian was thinking it was SO anticlimactic… Apparently, these were the most efficient plans. Boring but practical, as they said.

Gillian rectified her position when she heard some footsteps.

Two women arrived.

The first one was Mabel. She was a medium-brown-haired woman with a light skin, a crooked nose, and cold dark brown eyes. She was of average size, thin and fit, with callous hands, and a square jaw.

Gillian didn’t like Mabel. The brunette was a former soldier, suspected of war crimes, and who had a propensity for violence and petty malice.

The blonde’s eyes widened when she recognized the second woman.

It was Theophano herself.

The buxom heiress was wearing one of her favorite outfits ever: a black horse riding jacket with gold-plated buttons down the front, and a bright white long-sleeved shirt tucked into a pair of light cream slim fitting horse riding trousers. There was a gold diamond-encrusted brooch pinned onto the collar of her shirt. A black leather belt was holding her trousers in place. She had a pair of white gloves on, and she was wearing a pair of calf-long black moretta riding boots. In one of her hands, she was holding onto a riding crop.

Of course, the riding crop had a gold-plated, diamond-encrusted handle.

Gillian hastily saluted, and stammered: “M- Madam-” (Angry glare from the heiress.) “- uh, I mean, lady Eudokia. How can I be of service to you?”

“I will see some of the prisoners. I have unfinished business with them.”

Gillian swallowed nervously. “With- With all due respect… Your mother instructed me that you weren’t allowed to-”

Theophano menacingly waved her riding crop. “You insufferable baboon! Why do you think I’ve waited until now? Mother is meeting Anastasia Monomachos. She has more important things to do. As you peasants would say: when the cat is away, the mice will play.”

Gillian hesitated.

Mabel ostensibly cracked her knuckles, then tapped the tip of the warden baton strapped onto her belt. The threat was crystal clear. Gillian realized she was alone with a former war criminal. There was no witness, and it would be her word against Theophano’s.

“Why don’t you go fetch yourself an energy drink during the next 30 minutes?” the heiress concluded. “Make sure that nobody sees you, and don’t talk to anyone. Understood? Or else you and your two friends will suffer nasty consequences.”

“Y- Yes milady!”

Warning: This is the second post. Please check the previous one first.

































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

Soph raised her head when the small trap door allowing the guard to see inside the cell was opened.

She was surprised to see that it wasn’t Gillian, but a brown-haired woman.

“Put your hands against the wall.” Mabel ordered her.

“What for?” the prisoner retorted.

“Obey or you’ll hear one of your sisters squeal like a pig.”

Soph looked at her with unhidden hatred, but complied.

Mabel entered the cell. She handcuffed Soph’s wrists behind her back. The latter noticed Theophano in the door-frame.

“Should have known it was you…”

The heiress was smiling cruelly.

Mabel also bound Soph’s feet.

The young woman defiantly glared at Theophano.

“What do you want with me?”

Theophano used her riding crop to force Soph to raise her chin.

“To teach you a lesson. About what happens to those who humiliate me, use me as a battering ram, throw me into a fountain or into a bunch of smelly goons… To those who threaten to shove my riding crop right up my arse... and think they will suffer no consequences.” the heiress retorted. “I regret not having your other sister, Stasis, under my hands… But you’ll do nicely for now.”

Soph spat at her feet. “Do your worst, rich girl. I’m not afraid of you.”

Theophano looked at the spittle. She became red with anger. “This boot is worth more than your life, peasant! I will show you your true place, trust me!”

Mabel threw Soph over her shoulder. The latter was struggling, but the sentry was a former soldier. She was strong and didn’t let her prisoner unbalance her. Theophano led them outside, and went to the door leading to Tinker’s cell.

“What are you doing?!” Soph shouted.

“I said I was going to teach you a lesson, peasant. And the lesson will be a lot more effective if it’s with your sister.”

“Don’t you dare!”

Theophano opened the door.

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

Tinker was surprised to see three people enter her cell at the same time.

“S- Soph? What’s going on?”

“Run away! Run away!” Soph shouted to her sister.

Mabel roughly threw her on the floor, and blocked Tinker’s path before the latter could react.

“Soph!” Tinker exclaimed, distressed at the sight of her sister being hurt.

Mabel tried to grab her. Tinker dodged her arms and took a step back. She raised her fists, adopting a fighting stance that Soph had taught her.

The guard smiled.

“Oooooh! She’s a fighter!” Mabel mocked. “They’re the funniest… Go ahead, little kitty, humor me!”

Tinker threw several punches. The guard avoided them all. She was laughing.

Soph bit her lower lip because of her fear for her sister. Tinker had been a diligent student, but Mabel was way above her league.

Theophano impatiently tapped the floor with her foot. “Mabel. I’m House Eudokia’s heiress. My time is precious. Grab her and finish this.”

“With gusto.”

Still as smart as ever, Tinker suddenly tried to run around Mabel. She wanted to grab Theophano, who was foolishly standing in the open, to use her as a hostage.

However, the guard was faster than her.

Mabel caught Tinker by the hair, and immobilized her victim. The latter cried in pain.

“Don’t touch her!” Soph shouted. She was squirming on the floor. “If you have to hurt someone, hurt me!”

“But I AM hurting you.” Theophano retorted with a cruel smile. “Mabel! Start by removing the clothes.” she instructed her guard. “Let’s see how she likes it.”

“I will WASTE you!” Soph screamed.

Theophano kicked her in the stomach. “Know your place, peon.”

Soph coughed. “You kick like a grandma… Stasis’ right… They should hire you for laxatives adds… Would fit your shitty personality...”

Once again, Theophano became bright red with anger. Contrary to her mother, she didn’t know how to take insults with class. She hit Soph with her riding crop. “How dare you?! Mabel! Don’t be gentle!”

Mabel stripped Tinker down to her underwear. She didn’t hesitate to slap the smaller woman a few times when the latter tried to resist. Then the guard roughly pushed her prisoner, making her fall on the mattress. Tinker immediately tried to get up, but the guard brandished her warden baton.

Tinker recoiled in fear.

“And now one of my favorite parts…” Mabel smiled wickedly. “So… How would you like this between your legs? Are you a virgin? It’ll make things a lot funnier if you are…”

Soph struggled harder, but it was no use. The zip-ties were too sturdy. She was powerless. Tinker curled up in fear.

“Come now, Mabel, we are well-educated people. Use the baton to beat her up, like a civilized woman.” Theophano intervened. She was ostensibly checking her manucured nails, just to mock Soph.

The guard shrugged. “I’ll start with a good old-fashioned spanking then…”

She grabbed Tinker by the neck, and pinned her onto her mattress, forcing her to lie on her stomach.

Soph shouted a volley of insults at them. The punishment was less brutal, but its intent was still the same. They wanted to humiliate Tinker, not to just physically hurt her.

Theophano smiled cruelly. “Scream all you want, peon. Nobody will save you.”

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

Mag and Blink entered the manor’s cellars.

They were a little surprised to see no sentry.

The two infiltrators warily checked the area, as they hadn’t forgotten how the Eudokias had managed to trick Tina, but they didn’t find any trap.

Well, they weren’t going to complain if their enemies were making things easier for them!

However, during their inspection, they heard something.

“Listen… There is noise coming from this cell…” Blink commented while pointing at a door.

Mag listened… and heard Soph’s screams, muffled by the doorframe.

“Careful… It’s maybe a trap…” Blink whispered to her.

Mag hadn’t listened to her warning. The second she had heard her sister in distress, she had lost control.

She brutally opened the door, and rushed inside

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

Due to the sheer shock of seeing Mag’s arrival, everybody froze. Even Mabel, whose baton was still raised, about to hit Tinker for the first time.

Soph was the first to recover from the surprise.

“No mercy, Mag!” she shouted. “Pummel these bitches!”

Mag saw Tinker half-naked and in distress, saw the baton in Mabel’s hands, and went berserk.

She jumped the guard so fast that the latter didn’t have the time to react, or to defend herself. With one hit, Mag disarmed her.

Then, she started to utterly WASTE Mabel with her bare fists. In spite of her cruelty and her soldier training, the sentry didn’t stand the ghost of a chance. Mabel didn’t even land one hit. She was being reduced to a punching bag.

Theophano tried to flee while Mag was busy thrashing her guard.

Unfortunately for the heiress, Soph noticed her attempt. She rolled on her back and, when Theophano passed near her, she violently kicked her in the stomach with her bound feet.

Theophano grunted and fell on the floor, the wind knocked out of her. Unfortunately for her, the noise had caught Mag’s attention. The furious woman momentarily left the groggy half-unconscious Mabel.

When Theophano raised her head, she saw Mag towering above her. The clone’s eyes were burning with unbridled rage.

The heiress raised her hands. Her haughty smile had been replaced by a pathetic whimper of mercy. “Wait, I surrender! You must-” PUNCH PUNCH PUNCH PUNCH PUNCH

Mag’s fists gave her a ticket to slumberland. Sure, Theophano would sport nasty bruises on her face for days, and marks for weeks, but Mag thought the heiress had had it easy.

Mabel was groaning. As a former trained soldier, she had a higher resistance. Unfortunately for her…

Mag pinned her to the floor, blocked her body with her legs and by sitting on her, then grabbed her throat, and squeezed.

“So how does it feel to be at the wrong end of the torture, uh?” Mag growled. “You bitch like breath play?”

“Ghhh… Plhhse…”

Mabel’s face was becoming bright red. Her eyes were moist and pleading.

Mag suddenly felt someone gently put a hand on her shoulder. It was Blink.

“I think she’s had enough.” the latter commented.

There was a short pause.

“You’re right.” Mag looked into Mabel’s eyes with scorn. “Consider yourself lucky, bitch. We don’t kill. Even pieces of human garbage such as you.” She released her grip, and hit the guard on the forehead to knock her out. Mabel grunted, and went still.

The clone then rose up, and took a few long deep breaths to calm herself.

“Blink… Can you inject these two with the sedative for me?” she asked. “I don’t think I’ll be able to control myself around them with a syringe.”

“Of course.” the latter said. Mag briefly pressed her shoulder to thank her.

While Blink was busy, Tinker hesitantly approached Mag, as if she was afraid her rescuer was only an hallucination. There was still a traumatized look in her eyes.

Mag simply took her in her arms, and hugged her tightly.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner…” she whispered while stroking her sister’s hair. “I’m so sorry… Did she- Did she-” She didn’t dare to finish her question.

“She didn’t have the time… But she- She said she’d shove-” Tinker buried her face into Mag’s neck. She was holding back her sobs.

“She’s been so brave… You should have seen her!” Soph said. “She fought this bitch tooth and nail!”

Mag wanted to smile and to cry at the same time. “I bet she did. A real tiger…” While Tinker was of the same batch as all the sisters (save for Soph), the fact that she was the weakest physically often made the others act as if she was their younger sister.

Tinker let out a small noise, that was either a chuckle of relief or a gurgled sob. Or maybe both. “Let’s- Let’s release Soph… I feel bad leaving her out…”

“Don’t mind me. I’m all tied up.” the latter tried to joke, to console her sister after her traumatic experience.

Tinker smiled faintly. Mag cut Soph’s bonds, while Tinker was putting her clothes back on. She then hugged Soph and Tinker at the same time, with one arm each.

She felt part of her worries disappear, like snow melting in the sun. She had been in time… Barely in time, but in time nonetheless...

“Let’s release our other sisters…” Tinker finally commented. “I want the family to be full again…”

Mag nodded. Thanks to the sedative, they had a little time. They would deal with Theophano and Mabel later.

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

The reunion with Angel, Marie, and BB was, of course, tearful. The sister’s relief to see each other alive was proportional to the fear and worry they had felt these past few days.

There were numerous hugs (bear hugs as far as BB was concerned; she basically took all her sisters in her arms at the same time), tears of joy, as well as a few affectionate mock-punches courtesy of Soph.

Blink stayed a little behind, as she knew that this moment belonged to the sisters. (She still received her share of hugs though.)

Mag wished she could have held her sisters in her arms for hours, but she knew they didn’t have much time.

Plus, she also remembered that Stasis and Libido had been left behind, and were anxiously awaiting the reunion with their sisters. Mag didn’t want to keep them waiting any longer!

However, there was one bad news...

“Where is Tina?” Mag asked the released prisoners.

Angel, BB, Marie, Tinker, and Soph exchanged brief looks. “She’s not with you?” Angel finally asked.

Mag shook her head. “No.”

“Then it means she’s still on her mission.” Marie said.

“What do you mean?” Blink asked.

“Irene forced her to infiltrate a place for her. She threatened to kill us if Tina didn’t cooperate.” Angel explained.

Blink cursed. “The witch...”

“One thing at a time. First, let’s get you all out of here. That’s what Tina would have wanted.” Mag checked her wristwatch. “We’re on schedule. I trust Agria and Cleo to distract Irene for roughly one more hour. We have ample time to make you flee the building.”

“Why flee? Let’s take control of the manor.” Soph objected. “You’ve already neutralized a few guards, and Felicity controls the security system. Let’s capture the others, impersonate them one by one, and neutralize the estate’s entire staff!”

“It could be risky…” Mag commented.

“We’re all itching for action. They’ve taken us captive, I say we return them the favour.” Soph objected.

Marie, BB, Angel, and even Tinker all agreed.

BB added: “Plus, it’s our best chance to save Tina. Once the manor is under our control, we can capture Irene.”

Mag finished her sentence. “And we can use her as a bargaining chip for Tina…”

“Or we can directly ‘welcome’ the team that’s escorting her.” Soph added while cracking her knuckles.

“I like that idea. Tina must be with us when we confront Irene.” Angel commented.

“And thanks to our dear friend Theophano, we already have a spare set of guard uniform…” Mag remarked.

“Speaking of which, we still haven’t stripped these two.” Soph commented.

Mag smiled like a predator. “Oh trust me, I haven’t forgotten about them. These two deserve a PREFERENTIAL treatment. Marie, can you come with me? I need your medical expertise.”

Marie nodded.

“Tinker, you can come too. You’ll wear the guard’s uniform.” Mag proposed. “Unless you don’t want to...”

Tinker shook her head. “I’m coming. I- I’m not scared of her.”

Mag smiled. “Perfect. Soph?”

“Think I’ll pass. Tinker needs that moment more than me.”

Mad nodded. “Blink, I’ll also need you.”

“To use a few of my personal knots?” the latter attempted to joke.

Mag didn’t smile. “To restrain me if I can’t control myself. Because trust me, every fiber of my being is itching to snap these two’s necks.” She glanced briefly at Angel. “But I have a promise to keep…”

Blink nodded with a serious expression. “I will.”

Mag looked at the other sisters. “Can you see if you find something useful in the cellars?”

Soph, Angel and BB nodded in agreement.

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

Marie whistled between her teeth when she saw the unconscious Mabel and Theophano. “You didn’t hold anything back with these two… Especially the guard…” She noticed the marks on Mabel’s throat, but didn’t comment on them.

“Trust me, they deserved a lot worst.” Mag retorted. “Check their vitals but… Please, don’t do anything to ease their pain. Just make sure they don’t croak before the police can take them under custody.”

The medic looked a little unsure, as it was going against her beliefs, but she knew that Mag wouldn’t ask her that without a good reason.

“Understood.”

She briefly checked the two women. It took her more time with Mabel.

“You can remove their clothes. We’ll use strips of our prisoner clothes as bandages for the guard.”

“Can we tie them up?”

“Only Theophano. As for the guard, the sedative should keep her out of commission until police arrives.”

Mag smiled harshly, and looked at the unconscious heiress. “Too bad for you, MILADY. Tinker! Why don’t you help me? We’ll teach her what we think of people who beat up unharmed prisoners.”

Tinker nodded.

Mag grabbed Theophano’s left leg, and removed her boot. Tinker did the same with the right leg. They revealed long white socks… and removed them as well.

“Do we need Theophano’s clothes?” Marie asked.

“No. But we need to leave her humiliated.” Mag answered.

As she was talking, she unclipped the leather belt, then Tinker and she pulled off the trousers. They unbuttoned the jacket and the shirt, and took them off as well.

As underwear, Theophano was wearing expansive silk black cheeky panties with gold-coloured frilly borders, and a matching balcony bra designed to emphasize her big breasts.

Mag wasn’t in a merciful mood however. She removed the undergarments as well.

The sisters were rarely leaving their victims completely naked. But for Theophano, Mag made an exception. Not only was that woman the embodiment of the corrupt rich people the sisters abhorred, but she was also the sort of petty bully who delighted in brutalizing unharmed prisoners.

The spoiled heiress was going to be in for a rough awakening...

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

Soph, Angel and BB regrouped with their sisters. They had found ropes, rolls of tape, and various other bondage tools in the cellar. Mag grabbed a few coils of rope and two rolls of tape. She intended to make good use of them.

The naked Theophano was left lying on her stomach, tightly hog-tied with ropes. Because of her bonds, her legs were suspended in the air. The top half of her body was also restrained by a pentagram bondage that was especially tight and uncomfortable around the breasts.

Mag stuffed Theophano’s panties into her mouth, as well as her socks.

“Enjoy the taste…” she commented with a sinister satisfied smile.

The clone wrapped the entire roll of tape around Theophano’s lower face, completely mummifying it, and of course not caring that the woman’s hair were taped as well. She also wrapped tape around the heiress’ eyes, sentencing her to a rather painful waxing of the eyebrows.

Blink couldn’t help but comment: “Remind me to never get on your bad side…”

Angel was a little ill-at-ease. But just like Marie, she trusted her sister. She knew that Mag wouldn’t go this far without a good reason.

Tinker finished putting on Mabel’s guard uniform. “I’m done.” Her face had regained colours.

“Feeling better?” Mag asked her.

“A little.”

Mag affectionately squeezed her shoulder, Angel gently stroked her hair, Soph gave her a thumb-up, and BB briefly held her against her tall stature.

Marie finished bandaging Mabel’s limbs with strips of Tinker’s former prisoner clothes. The guard was also naked. Her black boyshorts and socks were stuffed into her mouth, and her grey sports bra was lying discarded next to her. Mag hadn’t bound her, as per Marie’s instructions, but she certainly wouldn’t let the guard get away without at least a humiliation!

“She should be fine.” Marie finally announced.

“Then let’s leave. I don’t want to stay one more second with these two scumbags.” Mag concluded.

They exited and locked the cell.

“Now, the next step is to-” Mag started to say.

“Girls… Careful… I’m hearing something…” BB intervened.

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

There were footsteps. People were going into the cellars.

Mag and Blink quickly took position next to the entrance.

Two women opened the door, and entered the cellars. Two women dressed as guards.

Mag and Blink didn’t give them the chance to sound the alarm. They jumped them, and immobilized them. However, they stopped their hands just as they were about to knock the sentries out with neckchops.

“Hmmmm… I didn’t know you were into THAT, but it’s okay with me…” Libido said to Blink with a seductive smile. (Of course, fate had decided that Blink would be the one catching Libido.)

“Well, as for me, I object. It would be incest.” Stasis added. “Can you let me go, sis’?”

Mag sighed in relief, and released her sister. Blink did the same. “Thank God, it’s you two…”

“Bet you think we wouldn’t manage to snag a few guard outfits to regroup with you!” Libido commented.

She was only HALF-joking.

Mag suddenly realized that her two sisters had been more hurt than she thought, when it had been decided that they would be benched. After all, they wanted to be reunited with their family just as much as Mag!

She opened her mouth to apologize.

“I know, I know… You did it because you wanted to give these losers a fighting chance…” Stasis jokingly interrupted her. “I mean, had we been with you from the start, there would have been no challenge at all.”

Mag realized that Stasis was offering her a way out, so she didn’t dwell on the subject. “Of course…” she played along.

She held back a few tears, then took her two sisters in her arms. “I didn’t want to hurt you.” she whispered. “And… even if I’m sometimes annoyed by your antics… I don’t love you any less than the others... I love you more than my life... You know that, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

They returned her hug.

“You’re not… going to cry? Aren’t you?” Libido worriedly asked her sister. “I don’t want to see you cry.” Her own voice was also a little choked.

“Of course she’s not going to. Mag’s the toughest cookie out there.” Stasis intervened. She too was sounding a little choked. “She’s like Chuck Norris. She never cries. Her eyes sucks in other people’s tears.”

Mag let out a choked chuckle. "Did you- Did you really just use a Chuck Norris Fact for an emotional moment?" She couldn't help it. She laughed. She laughed her tears away. Then she looked at them fondly. "The two of you... Please never change..."

Her sisters laughed as well.

“I’ll buy you that new toy you’ve seen in your magazine…” Mag said to Libido. “And I’ll take you to any restaurant you want…” she added to Stasis. Then, she concluded: “Now, just go hug the rest of the family...”

No sooner said than done. Libido and Stasis also gave, and received, their share of hugs.

“I think the group hugs will have to stop for now though… I hear other footsteps…” Blink suddenly intervened while BB was almost smothering Stasis in her arms with affection.

“This time, I don’t think it’s one of us… Unless there’s a hidden long-lost sister you’ve failed to mention to me.” Stasis commented.

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

Gillian was coming back, holding an energy drink in her hand.

“M- Milady? Can I- Can I come in?” she meekly asked. She was clearly ashamed of herself for her cowardice.

No answer.

Gillian warily entered the cellars.

The guard dropped her can when she saw that all her prisoners were free, with a group of intruders disguised as guards to boot. Her blue eyes widened.

Soph jumped the blonde before she could recover from her surprise however, and grabbed her by the collar to prevent her from fleeing.

“Ah!”

“So we meet again! What a pleasant surprise! Care to remind me what you said about martial arts? That they’re brutal and unrefined?” Soph harshly asked.

“Uh…” Gillian raised her hands. “Now, let’s not get too hasty… You shouldn’t take everything literally… I was just-”

Soph aimed a mighty punch.

“YEEEP!” the tanned-skinned blonde shrieked.

Soph’s fist flew in the direction of the guard’s head…

… and stopped literally one millimeter away from her face.

The blonde blinked one time.

Soph smiled. She lightly hit Gillian’s nose with her index finger.

“Boop.”

There was a small beat.

Then Gillian’s eyes rolled back, and she fainted with a soft long moan. The tanned-skinned blonde had been so terrified by Soph and the idea of a swift thrashing, she had passed out.

The clone held her by the collar as she was falling.

“Wow sis’, I’m proud of you!” Libido commented. “So young, but already making other women swoon…”

“That was… surprisingly tamed though. Especially after what she said about martial arts.” Marie commented.

Soph shrugged while holding Gillian’s limp body by under the shoulders. “Bah! A sports enthusiast can’t be COMPLETELY rotten… Plus, she complimented BB, so EXCEPTIONALLY I grant her my pardon...”

Angel nodded with a smile. She then asked out of curiosity: “So it means that you don’t want to strip her?”

“Now, I wouldn’t go that far.” Soph joked. “Besides, we still need a set of clothes for me, don’t we?”

No sooner said than done. Her sisters gave her a hand. In no time, Gillian was left clad in a warm orange bikini adorned with a pattern of green-and-brown small palm trees.

As Soph was slipping into the warm uniform, Libido raised her hand.

“Oh! Oh! Let me tie her up, please! I remember this cutie… Trust me. I’ll be real nice with her…”

Mag handed Gillian to her. “Suit yourself.”

An overjoyed Libido grabbed some ropes. She used a pentagram bondage to restrain Gillian’s arms and upper-body. Then she wrapped ropes around the legs, and thighs. She gagged the woman with tape.

Libido finally made a rope pass between Gillian’s thighs, tightened it, and connected the crotch-rope to the blonde’s bound wrists.

“Now, you’ll be having a different kind of work-out…” Libido whispered to the blond woman with a smile. “Hope you’ll enjoy it!”

Since she didn’t want to leave Gillian with Theophano and Mabel, Libido carried the trussed up guard into Soph’s cell. She sat her burden on the mattress, making her rest against the wall, and closed the door.

When she regrouped with her sisters, Mag summed up the situation: “So. As of now, Stasis, Libido, Tinker, Soph, Blink, and I all have a set of uniform. Our first priority will be to find outfits for Marie, Angel, and BB. Then, we’ll have to find a way to neutralize the remaining guards, as well as the staff. We’ll save Irene for last. We'll split up into several small groups. One will stay here in case people came to check on Gillian or Theophano. One will deal with the staff. And the rest will neutralize the remaining guards."

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

Martine yawned.

She was one of the guards of the estate, dressed in the standard outfit. Black combat shoes, dark blue trousers, a black equipment belt, and a dark blue jacket over a white t-shirt, a handgun and a walkie-talkie, and a black earpiece. Currently, she was watching the ground floor, in the wing where the kitchen was.

The woman was a light-skinned woman with midback-long messily-braided light brown hair and green eyes. She was of average size and build.

She frowned when she noticed an other guard walk in front of her to go to the kitchen.

“Sayza! What are you doing here?”

“Looking for some water.” the other guard retorted. She was dressed in the same uniform as Martine.

Sayza was a former street criminal, hired by Irene as extra muscle. She wasn’t the brightest bulb of the bunch, as she was thinking she had found a more honest job, and that was exactly why she had been hired.

Sayza had a statuesque fit body, with a shapely bottom, though she was of average size. Her hair were auburn, her skin was light with some freckles on the cheeks and shoulders, and her eyes were hazel green. Her haircut was an asymmetrical undercut bob. The left half of her hair was shaved short, while the right half was straight and chin-long with side swept bangs. There was a ring in her left ear.

Martine frowned. “Weren’t you supposed to stay with Marla and Cara?” she asked the other sentry. “I thought you’d jump the occasion to talk with special agents of Irene’s private elite task force!”

The other sentry shook her head. “These two women are way too intense for me…”

Martine rolled her eyes, and smiled. “Drama queen, much? Don’t you think you’re exaggerating?”

“No joke! They’re always talking about how life is a constant struggle against infiltrators, and about how we always need to be vigilant.” Saiza complained. “I mean… I know that we are most likely to get ambushed for our clothes. Since we’re guards, and all that junk. But still… It’s not like an infiltrator is waiting behind every corner to jump us for our clothes!”

She turned the corner, intending to go grab her bottle of water in the kitchen.

A woman dressed as a guard was standing in front of her. She had been waiting for Saiza behind the corner.

“Oh, hello.”

Mag smiled.

“Hello.”

WABAP! was the sound of her punch.

“Urf!” was the sound of Sayza’s grunt.

“Hey! This is illegal!” Martine exclaimed.

Angel assaulted her from behind, and applied a precise sleeper-hold. Martine gurgled, and flailed her arms, thinking she was being strangled. Angel took a deep breath, and remained calm. No hesitation, no traumatic flashbacks at the sight of the woman gasping for air. Angel wasn’t anymore the broken woman she had been after her confrontation with Reality. Her sisters’ love and her confrontations with Ulla, with Willow, and with many others, had allowed her to recover.

She wasn’t completely healed, but she was confident in her skills. Angel knew she could knock that woman out with a choke-hold without inflicting her any long-lasting harm, without even inflicting her pain, even if Martine didn’t know.

When the sentry’s body went limp and slumped into her arms, Angel knew the woman was unconscious. She gently laid her onto the floor.

Mag smiled at her sister.

Then she heard a groan behind her. A dizzy Saiza had gotten on her knees, and was trying to come to her senses. With one hand, she was massaging her jaw.

“Looks like this one’s thick-headed…” Mag muttered to herself.

She grabbed the guard by the collar, and raised a fist.

Sayza looked at her in utter fear.

Mag hesitated. She knew Angel would see what she was about to do. Sayza was already beaten and groggy. Punching her lights out would be needlessly cruel. Mag didn’t want her sister to see her like that.

Mag was still furious after what had happened to Tinker. She wanted to make Irene’s people suffer. However, she didn’t know if Sayza was involved. Amai had told her most of the low-ranking guards were left in the dark when it came to Irene’s worst crimes.

Mag inhaled. She would give this sentry the benefit of the doubt. She had already punished Mabel and Theophano, the two direct culprits. She decided that she wouldn’t vent her anger on anyone else.

Mag pressed a very specific spot of the woman’s neck with the tips of her fingers. There was a small noise. Sayza’s eyes rolled back. She moaned, and painlessly lost consciousness.

Angel didn’t say anything. There wasn't anything to say. She simply smiled.

Mag and she dragged Sayza and Martine by the shoulders into a nearby empty room.

It was some sort of lounge, with expensive sofas.

Mag gave her sister a syringe, and the two made sure the guards would stay out of commission for the next hour with an injection of sleeping serum.

Martine was the closest to Angel’s size, therefore she was stripped first. As undergarments, she was wearing flamenco red socks, a black thong, and a ruby red blouze bra with light red translucent shoulder straps.

At the same time, Mag unlaced Sayza’s black shoes, and removed them, revealing plain black socks.

“Do we need her clothes as well?” Angel asked her sister.

“We need as many sets of uniform as possible for BB, so that she can pick up the ones that suit her the best. Or the less worst, at least…”

Mag glanced at Sayza’s wide curvy hips.

“Her trousers will be too short, but at least the waistline won’t be too tight…” She grabbed the uniform trousers’ belt, unclipped it, grabbed the pants’ legs, and pulled off the garment. She revealed a set of beige smocked high cut bikini panties. Next, Mag lifted Sayza’s motionless upper-body to unbutton and remove the dark blue jacket, then to pull off the white t-shirt. Sayza’s beige strapless bra with wide cups was now in full display. There was a little bow between the two cups.

Mag and Angel noticed that this lounge was decorated with tapestries. A quick check allowed them to see that said tapestries were surprisingly sturdy.

The two sisters had no qualms about cutting these outrageously expensive decorations. They turned them into makeshift ropes to truss up Sayza and Martine. The wrists were cross-tied behind the back, the ankles were bound together, an other strip was wrapped around the thighs, and a long one was wrapped around the upper-arms. A few strips were shoved into the mouth. Thick makeshift cleave-gags were used to silence the two guards, and a makeshift blindfold was added.

The sofas of the lounge had tall legs. Therefore, there was enough room under them to hide the bound-and-gagged Martine and Sayza. Each sentry was left concealed under a sofa, on the carpeted floor.

Angel removed her prisoner clothes, and slipped into Martine’s uniform.

Mag’s earpiece suddenly came to life.

“We’ve got a problem, sis.” It was Libido’s voice. “I went to the first floor. The two guards you and Blink met aren’t here anymore.”

Mag cursed under her breath. They had to find these two, and quick! If they came across one of the bound-and-gagged sentries, or worst across Blink and Tinker while they were neutralizing the staff, the entire plan would be jeopardized. Mag knew that Tina would be escorted by a team of armed women. They needed the element of surprise if they wanted to have a chance to win.

“I will-” She interrupted herself. “No. Libido, regroup with me. We’ll find them together.”

“I’m coming.” Libido chuckled at her own double-entendre.

Mag sighed at the joke, but she wasn’t regretting her decision. She had heard the joy in her sister’s voice.

“I’m letting you finish things here.” Mag told Angel. “You can regroup with Soph and Marie after you’re done.”

Her sister nodded. “Be careful.”

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

Soph was scouting the ground floor, in the laundry room’s area, alongside with Marie.

She came across a lone sentry of the estate.

The guard had caramel brown hair, blue eyes, and a light skin. She was wearing the same outfit as the other estate’s sentries: black combat shoes, dark blue trousers, a black equipment belt, a dark blue jacket over a white t-shirt, and a black earpiece

Soph recognized the guard who had mocked her and had threatened Tinker’s life during her capture.

She smiled harshly.

I made an exception for Gillian. But you on the other hand…

Soph asked Marie to wait for her. She approached the guard.

“Hey, jerk!”

The woman turned.

Soph chuckled. “Wow, she actually turned! Guess you’re a little self-aware after all…”

The guard’s eyes widened when she realized the woman dressed as a guard in front of her was an impostor.

“Y- You?!” she stammered.

Soph cracked her knuckles. “So… How about we see how you fare when you’re NOT using a hostage?”

The following fight was so one-sided, that Soph actually felt a little embarrassed. After three hits, the sentry begged for mercy, and a punch to the temple granted her the swift release of unconsciousness.

“No very well, apparently.” Soph commented to the out cold guard.

Marie regrouped with her to give her a hand. They carried the guard into the laundry room.

Because “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it!” Soph joked.

Marie briefly checked on the guard, but the latter was barely scratched. She had surrendered before Soph couldn't even get serious.

One swift undressing later, the guard was down to her night blue push-up bra with black borders and sky blue butt lifter panties.

“Is someone insecure about her body, or what? Might explain why you’re such a jerk...” Soph commented.

Marie slipped into the discarded uniform.

At the same time, Soph zip-tied the guard’s wrists, then the ankles, stuffed the woman’s black socks into her mouth, wrapped tape around her lower-face, and finally stashed her into a cart of laundry, ironically the same one that had held the unfortunate Lindsay during their first infiltration.

Marie finished putting on the uniform.

“And one spare uniform for the sisters. One.” Soph commented with a smile.

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

Zoe and Edwige were on their break, and had decided to see how Gillian was doing.

On their way, they noticed that the manor had become awfully quiet all of the sudden, but didn’t question it further. Theophano was probably to blame. Irene’s oldest daughter was an expert when it came to whims and tantrums. She had probably requested that everyone had to shut up because she was on the phone, or something. Everyone in the estate was used to the spoiled heiress' antics.

The two guards went to the cellar, but were surprised to see that their friend wasn’t at her post. In fact, the cellars looked empty.

“Where is she?” Edwige asked.

They heard a muffled sound coming from one of the cells.

Zoe and Edwige shared a glance. Then the brown-haired woman opened the small trap door allowing to see inside. She took a look.

Beat.

Edwige sighed and shook her head. “Oh Gillian… Not again…”

Zoe grabbed her walkie-talkie to sound the alarm. However, she got a bad surprise… “Someone is jamming our frequency!” she warned her friend.

“Hello!” a voice suddenly intervened.

Edwige jumped and moved away from the cell’s door without opening it. She and Zoe drew their guns, and turned.

Zoe’s eyes widened when she recognized her interlocutor. “You again!” she exclaimed.

“I knew it was a good idea to stay behind to watch the cells, in case somebody would come looking for Gillian too soon.”

Stasis smiled when she recognized Zoe.

“I admit I was hoping for a big fish like an Eudokia to come by… Not small fishes like two sentries…” she joked.

Zoe’s face became bright red. “More fish jokes?! How DARE you?!” She pointed her handgun at Stasis. “Hands up, joker! I’m going to enjoy cuffing you SO MUCH!”

She didn’t notice however that BB was approaching her and Edwige from behind, to apply one of her personal ‘double chokehold’.

“Oh no! You got me!” Stasis exclaimed while raising her arms. Her acting wasn’t very good, but she only needed to distract the guards during a few seconds. “Don’t shoot please, I surrender!”

BB tried to grab the two sentries.

However, Edwige noticed her in time.

“Roll!” she shouted to her partner.

She and Zoe did a forward roll to escape BB’s grip. Their various work-outs actually paid off, as they managed to do it without losing their guns.

The two sentries got up in one swift motion. Zoe pointed her gun at Stasis while Edwige pointed hers at BB.

“Did you see that?! That was awesome! Now, what are you going to say, uh?!” Edwige shouted.

“Looks like the SENTRIES are going to win this time!” Zoe added. “Not so funny now, right?!”

This time, Stasis lost her smile. She and BB exchanged a slightly worried look, and raised their hands. However, because she was Stasis, she couldn’t help but comment: “Guess we’re in a fine kettle of fish…”

“Stop it! Stop it immediately!” Zoe barked. “I swear I will-”

BANG!

WHIZ!

A rope fired by a wrist launcher wrapped itself around Zoe’s arms, while a whip was wrapped around Edwige’s arms. Both women’s arms were pinned against their torso, which made them drop their weapons.

“In hindsight, it should have been obvious these two would want to check on their friend…” Mag commented.

“Mag, Libido! Splendid timing!” Stasis exclaimed. “I thought we were going to sleep with the fishes this time...”

Zoe screamed in anger.

“I can tell she is upset by the way she gives me the fish eye.” Stasis commented.

Zoe looked at Mag. “Either knock me out or knock her out! But if I hear one more fish pun, I swear I’m gonna kill everyone in this room and then myself!”

Mag used her wrist-launcher to pull the sentry into her arms. “Fine. Fine. No need to get crabby.”

“You got it wrong sis’. It’s fish-related puns, not shellfish-related puns.”

Stasis realized that her sister was ignoring her, and was about to knock out the sentry.

“Wait!” she begged. “Just one more!”

Mag knocked out Zoe with a swift neck-chop, and caught her limp body afterwards. The unconscious sentry was clearly smiling, as if to taunt the joker.

“You ruin all the fun, sis’…” Stasis commented.

“What about her?” BB asked, referring to Edwige.

“Don’t knock her out yet. I may- Uh… WE may need to ask her some questions.” Libido pleaded.

BB rolled her eyes, knowing full well that Libido’s questions would probably not involve the mission. “Okay.”

The sisters took off Zoe’s and Edwige’s clothes. The still-conscious brown-haired guard didn’t resist. She wasn’t foolish enough to try to fight alone four people. Since she wanted to at least keep her underclothes, she thought that behaving was the best course of action.

As undergarments, Zoe was wearing a purple comfort brassiere, amethyst knickers, and lavender socks. Edwige was clad in a one-piece curving swimsuit. The bottom half of the swimsuit was black, and the top half was white with a pattern of black palm trees of varying sizes.

The sisters wrapped Tinker’s homemade sturdy tape around each woman’s wrists, hands, forearms, shoulders, thighs, calves, and feet. Zoe was gagged with a few layers of tape wrapped around her lower face and over her mouth. The sisters allowed her to keep her purple neckerchief, since it seemed to be a personal heirloom. Though they tied it over the mouth, of course. She was already tape-gagged, but Libido claimed it was more aesthetic that way.

Ultimately, the fact that these two came to check on Gillian was a blessing in disguise. It allowed the sisters to acquire two more sets of uniform!

“Why do you need both our outfits?” Edwige couldn’t help but ask. “There’s only one of you in need of a disguise.”

“Well, as you can see, our sister BB doesn’t exactly have a conventional body height. So we’re trying to find the best outfit possible for her.” Libido explained. “We’ll grab as many as we can, and we’ll sort through them later. Take your shirt for instance. It’s too short, but it shouldn’t be too tight.” Then, she imitated the tone of voice of a movie’s ‘bad cop’. “But now, it’s me who’s asking the questions. Like, how do you manage to have such a sexy body? I mean, it’s the perfect middle-ground between athletic-looking and feminine-looking. You’re fit, but not too muscular either.”

Edwige blushed. “Can’t you all just stop ogling at my body? I’m not into girls!”

“Libido, stop acting like a dog in heat.” Mag intervened. “You’re embarrassing her. Plus, she already has a boyfriend.”

“FINE, but for the record I’d like to say it’s a shame.” Libido playfully retorted. “If you’re one day back on the market, call me…”

Edwige shuddered.

Mag opened the door to allow her sisters to carry Zoe and Edwige inside the cell. Gillian’s eyes widened when she saw her friends’ predicament, and she moaned in her gag. She was looking very flustered. Clearly, she had already been able to explore some sensations thanks to Libido’s ‘gift’...

BB was carrying Zoe over the shoulder. She sat up her burden next to Gillian. The unconscious sentry fell on the side, and her cheek rested on Gillian’s shoulder. Libido was carrying Edwige bridal-style, and she also sat her up next to Gillian.

Mag then moved to wrap tape around Edwige’s lower face and mouth.

“Wait. Before you gag her, there’s ONE more thing I need to know.” Libido interrupted her. “One CRUCIAL thing.”

She looked intently at Edwige.

“Why are you and your friend wearing swimsuits?”

Beat.

Edwige blinked. “Uh… Because we usually go to the pool after our shift?”

Beat.

“Ah.” Libido said. “That’s… logical.”

“You sound a little disappointed.” Mag remarked.

“No… No… It’s just…” Libido glanced at her sister. She refused to admit that she was hoping for a kinkier explanation. “Can we gag her and move on please?”

No sooner said than done. One wrap-gag later, Edwige was also silenced, and left seated with the unconscious Zoe and the flustered Gillian inside the cell.

“Don’t worry girls, we’ll call the police once everything is done, so nobody will forget about you in that cell. Though since it’ll probably be to send you back to prison, maybe you’ll wish we didn’t…” Mag commented.

She closed the door to muffle Edwige’s and Gillian’s “MFFFFFFFFF!”s.

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

Since part of the staff and of the security detail had been given the week off to compensate their mugging for disguise, the sisters’ and Blink’s job was actually easier.

Blink and Tinker worked together to gather all the staff in the same room.

The fake guards were pretending that Irene wanted to organize a huge banquet for her guest, and they had instructions to give to all the staff at the same time.

Some of them were a little surprised to see new faces among the guards. However, Blink’s natural charisma and talent for lying and sweet talking easily convinced them that the infiltrators were, in fact, the latest recruits. Blink lied on the spot by pretending they had been hired as extra muscles to take the place of all the guards that had been given vacation days to compensate their recent mugging. And it worked, because everybody knew that roughly half of the security detail was indeed currently on leave for that specific reason.

Irene didn’t want her staff to know about the prisoners in the cellars: Only some guards were in the knowing, and they were forbidden to mention it to anyone else. A clever way to avoid leaks, but this strategy was now being turned against her. Because indeed, no maid and no cook could recognize Tinker as one of the prisoenrs.

All the staff members Tinker and Blink came across were women, which of course they didn’t mind. The only male members of the staff were the ones working directly for Irene’s sons. And apparently, these two were out of town for a business trip with all their staff.

Once Blink and Tinker were done, four maids, three cooks, and two gardeners were waiting in one of the estate’s rooms.

The maids and cooks were chatting with each other when Blink and Tinker came back with the gardeners. They were starting to be suspicious.

“Where is Karen? Why isn’t she here to give us our instructions?” a blond-haired maid asked.

Blink couldn’t resist the joke. “She’s all tied up, obviously. Why do you think we’re the ones doing it?”

“So, what are these instructions? Are they so important that we had to wait in this room with orders not to leave until you gathered everyone?” an auburn-haired cook asked.

Blink mentally thanked Irene’s strictness. Indeed, thanks to it, no member of the staff dared to disobey a direct order of one of her guards.

“It’s fairly simple actually.” Blink announced with a cheerful smile. “We’ve decided it was unfair that half of the staff got a leave and not you. So we’re offering you a break. Don’t forget to ask for the vacation days and insurance money when the police releases you.”

The gathered women exchange uneasy looks.

“Wh- What?”

Blink answered by throwing a sleep-gas grenade in the middle of the room. She and Tinker then quickly put on a small gas-mask covering only the nose and mouth.

The grenade released its knock-out gas.

One after the other, the staff members fell on the soft carpeted floor.

Blink and Tinker didn’t waste time removing the uniforms though. They didn’t need these women’s clothes, and taking off their outfits would have been a little mean-spirited.

Plus, they didn’t have the time. There were only the two of them, for nine staff members.

Therefore, they simply injected each woman with a knock-out serum to keep them out of commission for a few hours. Then, they zip-tied each woman’s wrists behind the back, used a second zip-tie to bind each woman’s ankles, and gagged each woman with two strips of sturdy tape, using an X pattern.

The slumbering women were seated lined up against a wall. They were resting on each other.

“All the staff’s been neutralized.” Blink commented in her hidden microphone.

“Perfect.”

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

When the sisters and Blink regrouped, they realized that they had gone a little overboard when it had come to stealing guard uniforms.

Indeed, since they had wanted to find as most clothes as possible for BB, they had now three sets of uniform: Sayza’s, Edwige’s, and Zoe’s. Two too many.

“I’m spoiled for choice…” BB commented with a small amused smile.

She put on Sayza’s trousers and belt, Edwige’s t-shirt and uniform jacket, and Zoe’s shoes and earpiece. The outfits were too short, but at least not too tight.

The sisters were now all disguised, and didn’t have to worry about the staff anymore.

Their earpieces came to life. It was Felicity.

“The recon team bringing Tina here is arriving.” she informed them. “She’s still alive. She has hidden the USB-drive they’re after, and will only reveal its location after she’s seen her imprisoned sisters.”

The sisters exchanged a glance.

“Of course she’d find a way to buy us some time…” Mag muttered.

“Well, she’s succeeded. The stage is set to greet her.” Marie concluded.

“Do we deal with Irene beforehand?” Soph asked.

Mag checked her wristwatch.

“Agria and Cleo can still keep her occupied for a while. Let’s let her think she’s on top of the world a little while longer. I want the family to be full when the time comes to knock her down a peg. The estate is under our control. There’s no way a complication can happen now.”

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

Louette was still surprised by how easily it had been for the Phantoms to clean up her and her friends’ criminal record. It was almost as if nothing had happened. The blue-haired woman wasn’t complaining, of course. However, she was still feeling unnerved. The outcome for her was maybe positive, but it was a telling proof of Heartfelt City’s general corruption.

Louette had been able to get back her old bouncer job. Apparently, the revelation that she had been an anti-infiltrator had even made her a sought-after recruit.

Well, at least the extra money was allowing her to help her friends. Willow had always managed to earn money by selling paintings and machine designs on the Internet, and recently the army had offered her a hefty sum of money in exchange of the designs of her armed drones. Cassie had also been able to find a nurse job: Heartfelt City was always in need of nurses. But Magda hadn’t been able to get back her old job, and Ellie…

… Ellie was being difficult to handle.

Currently, Louette was visiting Willow.

The young woman was painting.

Since her goth friend didn’t like to talk, Louette had long learned to gauge her mood by looking at her drawings.

When Willow was using a wide array of colours; when she was using green, blue, orange, yellow…, then it was a good day. When she was drawing only in black or only in red, then it was a bad day.

Today, Willow was drawing in pitch black and blood red. The result was very unnerving to look at. It was as if her stylized black weeping willow was bleeding.

Today was a very bad day.

The kind of day during which Willow was having her suicidal thoughts.

Angel’s and Ulla’s words had had a positive impact on the goth young woman, but the recovery was far from over. One couldn’t escape easily the grip of years spent with the single goal of killing as many infiltrator as possible, and then herself...

During these periods of intense distress, Louette preferred to be around. Just in case.

However, while she was watching her friend, the blue-haired woman couldn’t help but think of one thing. Where was Ellie?

Louette had noticed her friend had constantly been on her phone lately. However, before she could ask her why, Ellie had once more given her the slip. Louette couldn’t try to find her for now. She couldn’t leave Willow on her own, not when she was like that. Cassie was working, and Magda was applying for a new job.

Whatever Ellie was doing, Louette suspected it wasn’t good… She had a bad feeling.

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

Her cell was dark and tight. In truth, it looked more like a closet. And if Irene was really in cahoots with one of the White Masks, it wasn’t surprising. The wacko probably wanted some poetic justice...

Knipperen wasn’t afraid of the dark. Nor was she afraid of enclosed spaces. She was after all, among other things, an escape artist.

However, she was also a follower of the well-knock precept: ‘Know thyself.’ She took great pride in her many talents. She knew how good she was at her job, and wasn’t modest about it. But she also knew that, like any human being, she wasn’t invincible. She was aware that, with enough time, someone as cold and as merciless as Irene could break her.

Of course, she didn’t intend to give her enemy the time to best her. Knipperen knew she was inhumanely resilient. She would find an other opportunity before Irene could have the last laugh.

Speaking of which…

Even in the depth of her dark tight cell, Knipperen could sense that something off was going on in Irene’s estate. It was a combination of her instinct, and of the brief sounds she could hear thanks to her acute senses.

And also of that strange sensation.

Knipperen was well-aware, as a former stage magician, that magic didn’t exist. She knew all the tricks. And yet, even she couldn’t help but believe in one supernatural element.

The connection twins supposedly had together.

Blink? Was Blink here?

In doubt, Knipperen started to bang against the wall of her small cell, hitting it with her shoulder, ignoring the pain.

I have seen that you have posted the next two parts and I promise, I will be reading them tomorrow morning for you, but I just want to quickly answer you're questions first from my previous comment.

On paper, Soph's batch sisters make for perfect antagonists. (And it could be interesting to hear more about them. Are they close to each other like Tina and her sisters or not? How do they feel about Soph? Do they want her back in their 'family', or do they think she's a traitor and want her dead?) But I realized that it's actually very hard to incorporate them in a story. Hence why Soph's batch sister ends up as a distant threat, and not as a direct opponent.

It's true and in a many ways it could all happen. For instance. YES, this is something that I have greatly neglected to mention in all of my stories, but the other infiltrators in "Soph's Batch", certainly have NOT forgotten about her. Now it is possible that they may even have conflicting views, for instance, a couple of them might view her as a worthless traitor who turned her back on her sisters. A couple of them might still love her deeply and ant her to come home. A couple of them might even be confused as to why Soph went with Tina and the other's when THEY were the one's who Soph was born and raised with. It's left a few big plot holes in that sense, and I'm beginning to think that we need to have a few chapters featuring Soph possibly thinking about the others in her batch.......Because let us not forget, Soph's batch are the ONLY second generation of clones that exist, there are no second generation troopers and there are no second generation officers (as that's what Anna had planned for Ulla). So Soph's batch are the only second generation of clones, this means that even though they have all the troopers under their command and they naturally follow the officer's without question, we can't deny that they must have some sense of wonder about all of this, because even though they have been raised and trained to be more like Angel / Demon, they naturally maintained a level of independency......So there's definitely an arc or two that needs to be written at some point in the future about all of this.

Didn't Libido manage to get into Blink's panties once though, after she rescued her from Evans (the first time)? Or did they only kiss and cuddle?

Oh no, no, no. Blink only rewarded Libido with a long make out session, so she may have French kissed Libido and lifted her up against the wall so Libido could wrap her legs around Blink's waist for added pleasure......It never actually went any further than that as Blink didn't want to be disloyal, plus at the time she still didn't fully trust the sisters, so she just rewarded Libido, the only way she knew how.

The answer is to make their family love the direct cause of the conflict. It was important to remind that Mag deeply loves Stasis and Libido. But that doesn't mean she can't get annoyed by their antics at time. And in such a stressful situation, she's tempted to take the 'safe' option of only going with people she considers more 'serious'... because she loves her sisters so much, and don't want to lose them. (And that includes Stasis and Libido - she's afraid THEY would get hurt or, worst, they would be completely broken if harm had befallen the rest of the family. They're (maybe) her last family. She wants to preserve them.)

EXACTLY! This is why I know you've gotten Mag's personality spot on here! Mag is currently operating out of fear and gut instinct, she has absolutely no idea what's going on with the rest of her sisters. All she does know right now is that Libido and Stasis are with her, so she's naturally doing everything in her power to protect her sisters, because as you so rightfully said. Libido and Stasis (for all Mag knows right now), could be the only sister's she has left, so she's fighting tooth and nail to protect them. She does indeed love her sister's so much, that she is doing these things to protect them. See I fully understand why Mag is doing this, she is not being mean or anything, she is just genuinely fearful for them and you're allowing us to see a different side of Mag that we haven't really seen before in any of my previous stories, and I think it's quite sweet. I really love what you're doing here and of course, you haven't deviated from the point that the sister's love and bond for another is one of majors pillars behind their world, you always remember that, and that's why it's always nice to see.

I hope I've answered all you're questions and as I said, I HAVE seen the two new posts / parts that have just go live, and I will be sinking my teeth into them tomorrow.

Alright. I am going to just going to say it. There are some wonderfully sexy knockouts in this one.

The Esther scene was amazing. I love the description of her being pinned into her chair while letting out the little moans and noises. And of course the image of her slumping back into her chair when Blink lets go while commenting “Guards shouldn’t be allowed to be that cute.” However, I must respectfully disagree with Blink. Guards should definitely be allowed to be cute!

The Theodora scene was, to say the least, arousing! The sexy guard thinking she was dreaming and therefore willingly allowing Libido to kiss her. And then the idea of while she was right in the middle of the kiss the drugged lipstick knocks her out. And great description "She was still smiling when she slumped back into her chair, deeply asleep." So great.

I also like the discussion of the imagination of a guard knockout. "Libido couldn’t even see it but, in the secret surveillance room, there was a sentry slowly falling asleep. The unknown was actually a little arousing. Was she tall or small? Curvy or plain-looking? Skinny or chubby? What was her skin colour? Her hair colour? And how would she feel asleep? Would her forehead rest on her desk? Or would she slump into her chair? There was no way of knowing it… And Libido was liking that idea!" “Coast is clear. She’s sleeping like a baby.” in their earpiece. Libido was tempted to ask her to describe the woman, but ultimately decided against. She had bigger fish to fry. Plus, she was REALLY digging the idea of leaving it a mystery for her future fantasies…" This was really cool. It lets the reader, like Libido, come up with their own image of the knocked out woman.

Another scene I really liked was the knockout of Karen the butler. I always really liked a scene with that concept. A woman is escorting an impostor (or two) that she does not think is a threat. She leads the person along unaware of the danger. Then without warning the unsuspecting woman is knocked out! Love the description "'one hand-gag and one nerve-pinch later, the strawberry-blond-haired grey-eyed butler was out like a light." I also like the fact they injected her with a drug to keep her asleep longer. Poor Karen, just trying to do her job and she's not even a guard.

When I first posted this comment I also forgot to mention the wonderful mass gassing of the staff members. Nine women knocked out with gas. I love mass gassing. And then each women is given a an injection of knock out drug to keep them asleep. Also love the idea of the nine woman all lined up seated against the wall with their heads resting against each other.

And those were just some of the great knockouts!

Thanks for posting!

Was a little inspired to write some knockout scenarios that were a little different from usual. I'm happy the Theodora one, and the one with the 'mystery sentry' whom we'll never know the appearance left an impression on you.

Blink's opinion on guards' cuteness is purely personal, and it's our right to disagree with her.

I'm a little surprised to see that the knockouts of Karen or of the staff members left an impact, since they didn't feature uniform stealing. But it's a pleasant surprise of course.

rufusluciusivan wrote: Thu Nov 04, 2021 2:06 pm
I'm a little surprised to see that the knockouts of Karen or of the staff members left an impact, since they didn't feature uniform stealing. But it's a pleasant surprise of course.

Ahh, but indeed uniform stealing was a fun and key part of the knockouts in that, in each case, the women were tricked by stolen uniforms and therefore were made easy targets.

While there is obviously something so fun about a unsuspecting sentry being taken out by an unseen attacker, there is also something really fun about a woman being tricked by her attacker and knocked out.

As I said previously, what is so cool about the scene with Karen is that she is completely fooled and therefore has no concerns of Blink and Mag being behind her. She suddenly has her mouth covered and before she can react she feels fingers on her neck that squeeze down on that special spot. Then poor Karen is off to sleepyland.

The scene with the staff was also great as all nine women sealed the fate by being tricked into believing that Blink and Tinker were their superiors and following their orders. A couple women start to get suspicious but soon enough the gas bomb makes sure they all go nighty night.

And of course I love the idea that Karen and the staff are all given an injection of knockout serum to make sure they stay asleep for a good, long time.

Finally had some time to catch up on the latest chapters. And I'm glad I did.

Once again, you show your strengths in capturing the voices of the different characters. And adding new characters, including more crossovers from your series (very glad to see Agria and Cleo join the fray). This has become quite the adventure.

I'll post larger thoughts on the story itself once the whole thing is completed (which sounds like it won't be long from now). For the moment, I'll say that the story continues to move along and carefully balance its multiple characters, while being punctuated by a lot of memorable USB scenes.

I really loved the scenes with Tina, Enola and Amity. Great setup (mugging a postal worker and her competition, a FedEx driver, for their uniforms) and humorous little asides (like the "Enola Holmes" reference). And poor Florrie getting the "preferential" treatment was the icing on the cake. It's clear that Tina doesn't enjoy hurting these women, since it's part of a deadly mission she's been forced into, but there's still some fun to be had in following her along.

Meditions has already mentioned a lot of the great knockouts in the most recent chapter, but I'll echo that I really liked them as well. The knockout of Karen the butler was quick but entertaining, even if she didn't lose her uniform. (And of course it gets referenced with the obligatory cheesy line later: "She’s all tied up, obviously.")

The mugging of Loreen was quite memorable - some nice character-building for Midori in the scene where she lures her fellow guard into the trap.

Edwige, Zoe, and Gillian lose their uniforms again. Some women just can't catch a break.

Glad it was worth it! I anticipated that Agria's and Cleo's cameo would be appreciated.

I'll post larger thoughts on the story itself once the whole thing is completed (which sounds like it won't be long from now).

It's true that this story ended up a lot longer than the previous crossovers... I didn't measure, but we must be rather close to the size of Vigilante or Final Gambits... Won't take long indeed. (It's almost finished but, ironically, it's the non-USB parts of the epilogue that are proving difficult to be put into words.) Actually, had I not been very busy with maintenance work at my home the past few days, you may have been able to comment on all the remaining story in one go. Though my week of holiday comes to an end, so it may take me a few more days to post the final parts.

Didn't know if someone would point out the Enola Holmes reference. Tina's subplot is indeed interesting. Her type of personality and the kind of situation she's in are some of my favorites.

Glad you liked the knockouts, even when they didn't lead to uniform stealings.

Midori was supposed to play an even bigger role in the story. (Hence why she's been given backstory. Irene would obviously be interested to have her under her tumb, as leverage against her family.) However, the subplot wasn't leading anywhere, and it took too much focus away from the main plot. Plus, since she's mostly a gag character, it's harder to feature her in a more serious subplot.

Poor Edwige, Zoe, and Gillian indeed... And it happened right after Edwige and Zoe had their badass moment and all... They were even starting to think they would win for once... Such cruel world they live in!